Roped In

by Crystal Green

  This was how it should be—with the guy leading the way. With the pirate, who’d taken her as his, teaching her just where her place was.

  Beneath him in bed.

  But then she nestled her lips against his throat, kissing him there, sending tiny sparks of want through his groin, making his lips pound.

  A kiss. That was obviously what she was asking for.

  Shane tightened his hold on her hair, not cruelly, but not quite gently, either.

  “None of that,” he whispered, near a growl. “Do as I say. Understand?”

  She paused, and he took that for agreement.

  He tried not to think about how this was his neighbor, Nicki. Tried to stay in the frame of mind that she was his captive, not someone he shouldn’t be talking to like this, and that helped.

  In this guise, he wouldn’t have to explain to her that he didn’t go around kissing many women when it came time to bed them. Kissing was the simplest of acts, the first step in a courtship—and that was the issue.

  He didn’t court women, he enjoyed them, just like this pirate would. He pleased them and they pleased him, and, in the end, they sailed off in different directions.

  Hell, Shane hadn’t even kissed Nicki last night during outlaw time, and that had been no oversight.

  Feeling secure in his role again, he raised himself away from her, leaving her on the floor, her skin bare, most of it golden from her time in the sun except for where clothing had covered her.

  He ran a slow gaze down her body. Long, lean, her breasts small yet perfect and round, her waist slender, her belly flat, her slim thighs pressed together—a move that wasn’t enough to hide the desire that had made the curls between her legs wet.

  The sight of her sent daggers through him all over again, weakening him until he untied that ridiculous sash from his hips.

  For a second, it seemed that she was experiencing a very real moment as she watched him wrap the sash around both of his hands, then stretch the length of it out. There was some trepidation in her gaze, and he almost got rid of the cloth right there and then.

  But then her breath came even faster, and he knew that she was curious about what he might do.

  “Tie me up, tie me down?” she asked, his captive once again.

  He merely grinned, back to being comfortable as a bad man all the way.

  Jerking his chin toward the linen-covered hay bale behind her, he said, “Sit up. Hold out your hands.”

  When she hesitated, he almost backed off again. They’d never talked about how far they were going to take these encounters. Maybe this was when he would find out what her limits were.

  And his, too.

  But Nicki being Nicki, she sent him a defiant look that reminded Shane of how she’d reacted last night when he’d laid into her about selling out to the Lyon Group.

  With a certain dignity that made him think that, maybe, she’d fully talked herself into the role of a fine lady who’d been waylaid by pirates, she eased back to the hay bale, reclining against it.

  Then, in the most surprising move of all, she raised her arms, resting them on top of the bale while sending him a smoldering “I just dare you to go ahead with this” glance.

  The position made her breasts even more breathtaking.

  “Well?” she said.

  He came up with the first historical word that came to mind.

  “Minx.”

  His cock was beating against the fly of his jeans by now, but he went to her, straddling her legs.

  “Hands,” he said, making sure she heard the command in his tone.

  With her gaze trained on him, steady, still daring, she presented one hand, then the other.

  He tied them in front of her with that sash, firmly enough to mean business, loosely enough to make sure he wasn’t going too far. She didn’t seem to mind, though, because she was already sending him one of those saucy smiles.

  “Am I being punished for something, captain?” she asked.

  It occurred to Shane that maybe he was putting her back in her place again because she’d had him so off balance before.

  But he went back to the game instead. Real feelings had no weight here.

  “This is no punishment.” He returned the edged smile. “Not yet. Not unless you decide to disobey me.”

  “What if I try to run?”

  “Then I’ll hunt you down.”

  The rhythm of her breathing set his pulse to racing.

  “And if you caught me? What would you do then?” she asked.

  Unable to wait any longer, he reached down, spreading open her legs once more. The vision of pink, of her folds wet with her desire for him, sent Shane over a mental cliff.

  He was even near to bursting as he took off his shirt, then everything else. As he grabbed a condom from his jeans pocket, he didn’t stop to analyze how there probably wasn’t a mean, nasty pirate on earth who would’ve had safe sex, but this was where fantasy had to depart from reality.

  But then he was right back in it when he returned to the captive. She was watching him, as if fascinated by his body. He wasn’t sure a woman had ever looked at him in this way, with more than just lust, with something in her gaze that…

  He didn’t want to think about what it was. Couldn’t think about it if he was going to leave Nicki behind when it came time.

  Wrapping his fingers around one of her bare ankles, he urged her away from the bale, until she was flat on her back again, her bound hands over her head. He put his palms on the tops of her thighs, rubbing down then up, trailing back down, to the sensitive area inside of her legs.

  She gasped, wiggled her hips, her gaze on his sheathed cock, which was so stiff that he thought it might stay that way forever unless he got satisfaction right now.

  But there was something about her again…something that made him want to see that look on her face for a lot longer, as much as he could stand, anyway.

  He slid his hands down, toward her sex, then used both thumbs to open her folds, then to trace against her clit. He used one thumb to press, circle, massage her.

  “Oh…” It was the only thing she seemed able to articulate now.

  “I see you’ve left the backtalk behind,” he said, adding more pressure, working her. “Good.”

  She sucked in a harsh breath, lifting her hips, and he ran that thumb down, entering her with it, whisking it around, feeling her on the inside as she averted her face, nestling it against a raised arm.

  Now he was manipulating her clit with his other thumb, and she rode each motion, biting her lip until he thought she might draw blood. Meanwhile, his heartbeat throbbed, making his head swim.

  When she gave a sharp cry, arching up from the ground once, twice, he knew he finally had her in her place.

  And he wasn’t going to wait any longer to take what he wanted.

  He grabbed her by the hips, plunged into her, moaning at the sensation of being surrounded by this woman, this temptation, this…

  His mind lost any flow of thought as he looped an arm under one of her legs, and she hooked it around him, bringing her closer, as close as could be. They rocked together as he drove into her, ramming, reveling in her tightness, in the sounds of him going in, out, in…

  Her little cries were what drove him the hardest—each sound was like a blade, a tiny edged mewl that twisted into him, lifting him bit by bit until it felt as if he was about to spill open…

  A pressure in his belly…in his cock…in a place that he’d never gone before until—

  Just as he was about to reach some sort of understanding about what it was, it exploded, leaving him with falling shrapnel that brushed against him on its way down.

  He slumped to the ground, his mouth against her neck, and in one unguarded moment, he kissed her skin.

  Just one little kiss and that’s it, he thought as he closed his eyes.

  SO THIS WAS WHAT everyone had been talking about, Nicki thought as she played with Shane’s hair while he lay on top of her, spen
t.

  This was what sex was supposed to be.

  Maybe fate had been saving this up for her. And if she had needed to wait a hell of a long time to get to this point, she’d say it was damn well worth it.

  Even now, there was something zinging around inside of her that she couldn’t identify—something light and fuzzy and wonderful. Something that made her want to hold on to Shane, press her skin against his, smell him, burrow into him as far as she could.

  But, at the same time, she didn’t dare be as assertive as she’d been as the pirate wench. The fantasy had ended, and this was where her life as Nicki would begin again.

  When he raised himself up to untie her wrists, she sat still, not knowing what she should say now.

  Jolly good time, sir? Thank you kindly for letting me walk your plank?

  He threw the sash away, silent, and her heart sank, realizing their time together truly was over. But then…

  Then he lay back down, pulled her against his side, just as she’d been hoping he would.

  Her breasts pushed against his chest, and she sighed, loving this feeling more than anything else in life. Down below, his leg was still against her thigh.

  “You okay?” he whispered, and his words stirred her hair.

  “Okay?” She laughed softly. “Why would I be anything but?”

  “I don’t know.” His fingertips whisked against the small of her back.

  She bit her lip before saying, “Are you afraid you offended me somehow, with the light bondage or the threat of punishment?”

  “I didn’t want to push it too far.”

  His concern wrapped her in warmth. Her hero.

  But really, she would’ve taken things a lot further. Should she admit that?

  Nicki was just getting around to admitting to herself that she wasn’t quite who she thought she was, that she’d never explored anything but vanilla sex with a man who’d ended up being more of a stranger than a lover.

  “You didn’t push it too far,” she said. “I guess you could say I’m well-read but not well-traveled, and I liked this little trip, Shane.”

  Did you? she wanted to ask.

  She was afraid to. Shane Carter had a reputation. How many women had he been with before? She’d bet that they’d been a lot more experienced and adventurous than even this.

  He spoke, his voice rumbling through his chest and into hers. “I have to say, I’ve never done the pirate thing before. I wasn’t sure what to think when I walked in here. I mean, I liked that get-up you had on—no doubts there—but the phoofy sash? The sword?”

  “I think you like it when the woman dresses up, not you.”

  “Maybe.” He traced her spine. “Did you care if I wasn’t in full skull and crossbones costume?”

  Little did he know that all he’d had to do was show up and she’d been primed and ready.

  “My opinion,” she said, “is that, for a woman, it’s all about what’s going through our heads. You acted like a pirate, you sounded like a pirate, and that was enough.” She laughed. “Although I have to say that I kind of like dressing up, myself.”

  “I could tell. And you looked good doing it, too.”

  Glowing.

  That’s what she was doing, from head to toe.

  His fingers stopped their delectable exploration over her back. “When I came back to Pine Junction, I didn’t expect much. A lot of work on the ranch, for certain, but not this.”

  “This?”

  “Yeah—the little girl next door all grown up. And you grew up nice, Nicki.”

  “Thanks.” She laughed. “I kind of wanted to prove to you that I’m not so little anymore, though.”

  “You’ve done that in spades.”

  A womanly cockiness did a shimmy within her. That hadn’t been so hard, getting him to notice that she wasn’t a kid anymore. Then again, she wondered just how much a woman had to do to impress a libidinous playboy like Shane.

  The thought lay so heavy in her that it dragged her down in this time of lightness. It wasn’t fair that she was disappointed that Shane hadn’t seen the real her at first glance last night. Of course, she had to admit that she was giving him the same treatment, looking at the superficial things about him, too.

  She only wished they might have the kind of relationship in which they would go deeper with each other.

  Was it too much to hope for someday?

  When he exhaled, as if he’d come to some sort of conclusion, then patted her rump as if she was a horse he’d ridden and dismissed, she got her answer.

  “That was something, Nicki,” he said.

  He rolled to his back, taking care of his condom. She sighed again, propping her elbow on the ground and resting her head in her hand. She wanted to watch the muscles in his back working as he got himself together. And his arms…strong, streamlined.

  She already missed the feel of them around her.

  “Thanks for coming,” she said. “And I mean that in more ways than one.”

  Laughing, he said, “That’s the thing about you. You’re a bright spot in an otherwise dismal landscape.”

  “Is Pine Junction so bad?”

  He was reaching for his jeans, and he stopped. “It’s not the first place I’d choose to be.”

  Nicki knew enough to realize that this was all pillow talk. Did Shane do much of that?

  Why not find out?

  “You were gone for a long time,” she said, sitting up. Oddly enough, she didn’t mind being naked in front of him. It felt natural, just as sinful as she’d wanted all of this to be. “Why didn’t you come back until now?”

  He’d gotten his jeans on, and he didn’t look at her as he buttoned his fly. “I like this town well enough. I like the life, too, and that’s why I continued it near Dallas on the Lucky A Ranch. Let’s just say, though, that I didn’t like most aspects that went along with living on the Slanted C itself.”

  His dad. His temper. And she wasn’t the only one who’d borne witness to it. Once, when she was a kid, she’d overheard her own father saying something about Barry Carter’s rumored anger issues to her mom, and when they’d realized that Nicki was nearby, they’d put a halt to the conversation. But she’d heard about Barry around town, too—how he’d go to the Jackrabbit Bar and drink, how he’d get in the faces of some of the other men before being escorted out most nights.

  It was as if Shane couldn’t stand her silence, and he added, “You probably know that my dad didn’t make living there easy. Let’s just leave it at that.”

  “Okay.” She knew when a man was done talking—she lived around enough of them on the ranch to have learned that well.

  But she had also learned to read vulnerability in a guy, and she was seeing it in Shane right now, with the way his back had gone stiff, his jaw had gone tight.

  He’d said too much to her.

  And when a few seconds clicked by, she knew it was enough time for him to have thought of a way to get her to forget what he’d just said.

  He hauled her onto his lap, playful again, and nuzzled her neck. The skin of her thighs and rear chafed against his jeans in a sexy, unexpected manner, and her exposed center throbbed, gearing up all over again.

  “I’m wondering,” he said, his voice gruff, just as it had been when he’d issued commands as the pirate, “if it’s safe to let you go, minx.”

  She fell back into the game, too, for his sake, so he wouldn’t have to deal with how he’d told her too much about dear old dad.

  “I might report you to the authorities,” she said, “and, next thing you know, they’ll be chasing you down on the high seas.”

  “Let them.”

  The craving for a kiss seized her again, so overwhelming that she almost leaned forward, closing the intimate space between them. But she wanted him to want it, just as much as she did.

  When she realized that he wasn’t going to kiss her, she pushed him away, fiery, crawling off of him. Maybe next time.

  “Go then,” she said kid
dingly. “Risk your life, you scurvy pirate scum. I care not.”

  They laughed, and he finished getting dressed, hauling on his boots, his shirt. Game over, she reached for her blouse and pulled it over her head.

  “Hope we can do this again, Nicki,” he said.

  Her chest clenched. “We will.”

  And, with that, he left the barn while Nicki grabbed the red sash, holding on to it while watching him go.

  BY TEN-THIRTY the next morning, Candace had been resisting the temptation to pound on Nicki’s door for hours. She wanted to get the scoop on what had happened with Shane last night, but since Nicki rarely arranged to take a day off from early-morning chores, she deserved time to sleep in.

  They’d talk later, Candace thought, shutting the front door to the house. She had a lot going on this morning herself, and by the time she got back from this appointment with Russell Alexander, she’d hopefully have plenty to tell Nicki, too.

  She walked down the front porch steps, her black-and-white-diamond summer dress swishing against her legs. She’d worn some ballet flats more out of common sense than fashion, since she’d be showing the businessman around the property.

  His timing was good, because he showed up just when promised. It was only as he exited his sleek car that he surprised her.

  He wasn’t wearing a natty suit today. Nope—he was in a Western shirt with the sleeves rolled up, newish jeans and Doc Martens.

  A nature man, Candace thought. Even his dark hair wasn’t slicked back, instead ruffling a little in the light breeze.

  As he moved toward her, she realized that the wide shoulders she’d attributed to yesterday’s suit were all nature, too.

  Vroom.

  Of course, she couldn’t wait for him to get back into that suit, but this? This was a curveball that she hadn’t seen coming—something to keep her on her toes.

  “Morning, Russell,” she said, tucking a strand of her long hair behind her ear. Although the gesture was only a habit, in hindsight, it could’ve been construed as Flirt Move Number One of the Day.

  “Morning, Candace.” He stopped just enough distance away for her to want him to come even closer. “Did one of us overdress?”

  He’d been surveying her wardrobe, but somehow, she thought that he didn’t have business in mind, not with the way his gaze lingered.