Soldier Boy

by Delilah Devlin

  Suki felt her face heat as the other three women shot her knowing glances and smiled.

  Suki wasn’t the only woman sharing a mount. Maggie sat in front of Danny on the gentlest mare he could find.

  “How’s your stomach,” Danny asked, his hand gliding over the gentle mound.

  Maggie wrinkled her nose. “Supper’s staying down, for now.”

  “We’re almost home. Maybe Mac’ll lend us some of that cream…”

  She elbowed him. “Behave yourself, husband.”

  “Why? You love it when I’m bad,” he said, with a silky slide of his voice.

  Lyssa reined in next to Tara. “You still got a hankering for that badass cowboy?”

  “Maybe,” Tara said, her lips tightening.

  “We need to make a plan.”

  A soft curse burst from Brand. “Woman, only plans you should be makin’ are for our wedding.”

  “Thought you weren’t in any all-fired hurry, cowboy. It’s not like you’re waitin’ to get a thing.”

  Brand snorted. “Hush, you’re brother’s listenin’. One day he’s gonna decide it’s time to kick my ass.”

  Mac grunted, and Suki didn’t need to glance behind her to know his gaze narrowed on his best friend.

  Lights from the McDonough ranch house beckoned them closer.

  Brand spurred his horse ahead. Lyssa clucked at her horse and kept right on the tail of his horse. They pulled back their reins next to the front porch, dismounted, and wrapped them around the rail.

  Brand grabbed her hand and pulled her close, bending her over his arm for a deep kiss as the rest of the group pulled up.

  “Jesus, can’t you wait until you’re out of sight,” Mac grumbled, although his chest shook. “That’s my sister you’re molestin’.”

  Brand raised Lyssa and slid an arm around her waist. “Coffee, then we’re headin’ out.”

  Everyone gathered in the kitchen in pairs, except Tara, who bustled around the room as though it were hers, serving up steaming mugs before settling on a chair next to Lyssa.

  She wrapped her hands around her cup and sighed deeply. “Guess I’m not needed here, anymore. I have a bar to run, tourists to entertain, and cowboys to keep out of trouble.”

  Suki felt a jolt of alarm. With the other two couples leaving that night, it meant she’d be alone with Mac.

  While the thought raised prickles of awareness all over her body, she knew the time drew near when she’d have to go as well.

  Tara stood and stretched her hands above her head. “Damn, my ass is sore.”

  Chuckles drifted lazily around the room as she bent and gave Mac a quick kiss on his cheek. “Don’t screw it up,” she whispered overloud.

  Mac grimaced and gave her bottom a swat. “Mind your own damn business.”

  She stopped in front of Suki and opened her arms. Suki stood and gave her a hug.

  Tara’s eyebrows bobbed in a wicked waggle. “Go easy on my boy.”

  Suki felt the heat enter her cheeks and refused to meet Mac’s amused glance. “Have a nice drive back to town,” she murmured.

  “That a euphemism for get the hell out?”

  Suki didn’t answer, biting back a grin as Tara flipped her hair behind her shoulders. “Don’t be a stranger.”

  “Don’t think that woman ever met one,” Danny muttered.

  Danny pulled Maggie onto his knee and wrapped his arms around the slight swell of her belly. “Think we’ll head out, too. Want to get home before it gets too late. This one needs her beauty sleep.”

  Maggie pushed his hands off her belly. “Can’t you wait to start fondling me until we’re alone?”

  “Wouldn’t be as much fun.”

  Maggie pushed off Danny’s knee and came around the table to give Mac a quick kiss. “We’re glad you’re back.”

  Mac held her hand. “I’m glad Danny found you. Haven’t ever seen him so happy.”

  After Danny and Maggie made the rounds of hugs and kisses, Brand and Lyssa shared a charged glance and started to rise. “Guess we’re gonna head back home.”

  Mac’s gaze rested on his sister. “I’ve been thinking…”

  “About?”

  “Guess I won’t kick Brand’s ass after all.”

  Lyssa laughed. “Had to think about that one, did you?”

  “Well, it would be a few months before I could win, and I think I like the way you two look together. You make a nice couple.”

  Lyssa smiled blissfully. “We do, don’t we?”

  “Besides, Danny says Brand knows just how to keep you out of trouble.”

  Lyssa’s green eyes sparkled with outrage. “He did not tell you, did he?”

  Mac winked at Brand. “A firm hand…”

  Brand’s lips stretched wide. “Does the trick, all right.”

  Lyssa screeched in mock outrage then launched herself at Brand, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I don’t think I’ll be back for at least a week, big brother. It’ll take that long to lose the blush.”

  Mac rose to his feet with more grace than he would have managed just a week ago and wrapped his arms around his sister. “I love you, Lyss.”

  Lyssa hugged him back. “I love you, too. I’m so glad you’re back.”

  “Sorry I cussed you out.”

  “You weren’t yourself.”

  He sighed and hugged her hard. “I don’t want to meet that other man again.”

  As Lyssa and Brand said their farewells to Suki, Mac settled back against the counter.

  When the couple trailed out of the room, Suki let out a deep breath and faced him. “It’s just us, now.”

  “Yeah. Gonna be quiet.”

  “Think so?” she asked, fishing for a clue about how he really felt. With all the company, they hadn’t really had time to talk.

  “Quiet, punctuated with moments of heavy breathing…”

  Her lips twitched. “And a lot of inappropriate religious references…”

  Mac gave her a sly grin. “Could get kind of loud. Don’t think I can make it to the bedroom.”

  “Is your leg bothering you?”

  Mac shook his head.

  Suki took a deep breath and came closer, close enough he grabbed her by the waist and settled her bottom on top of the kitchen table.

  “Imagine that—just the right height,” he murmured, rubbing his crotch against the juncture of her thighs.

  “Good thing we’re all alone,” she said breathlessly. “This could get embarrassing awfully fast.”

  Mac made quick work of her shorts, stripping them down her thighs. Then he raised her to sit on the edge of the table and removed her shirt.

  When she reached for his clothing, Mac pushed her hands away, unzipped his pants, and shoved them down his hips. Then he leaned close as he held himself and rubbed his cock along her slick seam.

  “Damn,” he breathed, “Feels fucking incredible.”

  Suki couldn’t agree more but kept silent as she enjoyed the sexy glides. They needed to talk. And soon. Her heart couldn’t take another day of uncertainty.

  Mac placed himself at her entrance and slipped an inch inside, punching forward, drawing back, teasing her with glimpses of the blunt pressure he’d exert once he slipped inside.

  He paused, and his gaze locked with hers. “Baby, I’m gonna keep you so busy, so full, you’re not gonna have time to think about that other life you had. The one before you knew me.”

  Suki dragged in a ragged breath. He’s choosing to talk, now? “That life wasn’t all that great,” she said, smiling through her tears, fighting to keep focused on the conversation while his cock pulsed impatiently between her folds. “I travelled a lot, met some interesting people, but I always had this secret hankering for a soldier boy in a cowboy hat. Know anyone like that?”

  His lop-sided smile held a hint of doubt. “I just might. But he’s a little bit beat up.”

  Suki reached up cup his cheek. “He’s strong and brave—and absolutely perfect…” She ran a fin
ger down the scar on his cheek. “…and so handsome he takes my breath away.”

  Mac’s strong hips flexed, and he sank deep into her body, his powerful frame shuddering. “Don’t think I can ever get enough of this,” he said, between clenched teeth. “Didn’t know this was what was missing from my life.”

  She gasped, and her back arched, but her gaze didn’t waver for a second. “What were you missing, Mac? A willing woman to slide up inside?”

  Mac’s expression grew solemn. “You’re so much more than that. Hope it’s that way for you, too. I’d hate to be here alone.”

  Suki spread her arms wide and clutched the edges of the table. Joy burst through her, making her fearless, at last. “You fill me. In every way possible. I love you, Mac McDonough.”

  As he began to stroke firmly in and out of her warm, wet passage, Mac ran his palms over her soft belly, bent, and kissed her small, dark nipples, lingering long enough to draw the tips into tightly beaded points.

  With her almond-shaped eyes glistening with moisture, her lush lips trembling, he knew she waited for him to declare his love. Thank God, he was finally ready. He felt strong, nearly healed, completely whole. All because of her.

  The words, once so impossible to imagine, rushed out of him in a grateful flurry as every muscle in his body tensed. “I love you, Suki,” he said, his voice tightening against the emotions roiling inside him. “I love you, baby. I’ll never let you go.”

  His arms swept under her knees and pulled her bottom to the edge of the table. Then words were truly impossible as he powered into her, hammering at her pussy, losing his mind in the sweetest way when her moans floated in the air around him.

  When he’d spent the last of his strength and seed inside her, he pulled her up, grabbed her small, round ass and hefted her off the table. With his cock still locked deep inside her juicy cunt, he walked slowly through the house.

  “What about your leg?” she asked, as she peppered his face and neck with kisses.

  “Bet it’ll hurt like hell tomorrow,” he said, smiling because he didn’t give a damn.

  “God, Mac!” she groaned. “You don’t know how good this feels. Each step… Jesus!”

  Feeling like a man, a better one than had left the ranch so long months ago, Mac cuddled her close and strode toward the bedroom. Although horrors might still visit him from time to time in dreams, all his waking life would be sweet, filled with the warmth of his family’s love.

  Suki would be family as soon as he could pry himself from bed—maybe after a week or two, when they were both so raw and well-used, they might need the break to recuperate.

  “What are you smiling about,” she asked as he came over her on the mattress.

  He kissed her mouth. “I’m happy.”

  Her pleased smile flashed white in the gathering darkness. “How about we lock the doors and turn off all the lights. Maybe everyone will think we’ve escaped.”

  “I like the way you think,” he said, sliding his cheek alongside hers as he began to rut gently against her.

  Suki widened her legs and cupped her hips to aid his entry. “We could always borrow the keys to Tara’s cabin…”

  “Too far,” he said, centering his already recovering cock between her legs and forcing himself inside. “You’re going to have to help me here.”

  “Need some encouragement?” she drawled, and squeezed her inner muscles around him.

  Mac grunted. “Do that a while, and I think he’ll perk right up.” Already, miraculously, he felt his cock surge and fill, nudging northward.

  “Have I told you how much I love your dick?”

  “Suki!” He jerked back his head, frowning in disapproval. “Don’t you know how much guys hate to hear that word come out of a woman’s mouth?”

  She shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. “It’s what you call it.”

  “I do no—Okay, you’ve got me there.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “You like tits. I like dick.”

  “We’re gonna have to build a better vocabulary,” he growled.

  “Maybe we could start with…” She raised her head to whisper in his ear.

  Mac felt heat scorch his cheeks as bone-deep pleasure filled him with her playfulness. “That’s not really a word. It’s a number.”

  Suki rolled her eyes, but her delighted grin said how much she loved surprising him.

  Mac felt a grin tug his lips. Then he bent and swept her lips with kiss, trying to tell her without words just how much he loved her.

  Her lips melted beneath his; her fingers dug into his shoulders. When they drew apart, they shared smiles filled with silent promises.

  “Lady’s choice,” he whispered, sipping at her mouth. “Whenever you’re ready, just say the word.”

  Suki’s lips curved beneath his into a sweet, satisfied smile. “It’s a two-digit number.”

  *

  Don’t miss the next Texas Cowboys story:

  Bound and Determined

  Read an excerpt below!

  About Delilah Devlin

  Delilah Devlin is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author with a rapidly expanding reputation for writing deliciously edgy stories with complex characters. She has published over a hundred eighty stories in multiple genres and lengths, and she is published by Atria/Strebor, Avon, Berkley, Black Lace, Cleis Press, Ellora’s Cave, Entangled, Grand Central, Harlequin Spice, HarperCollins: Mischief, Kensington, Kindle, Kindle Worlds, Montlake Romance, Running Press, and Samhain Publishing.

  You can find Delilah all over the web:

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  Or email her at: delilah@delilahdevlin.com

  Enjoy this excerpt from Bound and Determined! ~ DD

  When the DJ’s speaker set crashed to the floor as the first women to arrive rushed the tables nearest the stage, Tara Toomey scrambled for a replacement and chalked the mishap up to high spirits.

  When one of the volunteers carrying a tray of Jell-O shots tripped, and cherry and lime gelatin slid in glistening trails down his face and naked chest, she laughed as eager women offered to lick him clean.

  However, it wasn’t until one of her staff whispered in her ear that she knew she was in for a long night. The main attraction had yet to arrive.

  She crushed her dog-eared copy of the “Hook-up” program in her fist and headed toward the old-fashioned, double swinging doors, ready to stomp all the way to Redbone Ranch to drag his butt to town.

  As she passed excited, tittering women her smile felt strained and her nerves stretched taut. The “Annual Honky-tonk Hook-up” had always been a good time, but this year she wished she hadn’t been so quick to volunteer her bar again. Sure, it was good for business, and many of the “blow-ins” from Houston, San Antonio, and San Angelo returned throughout the year because they enjoyed the event and Paraiso’s authentic western ambience.

  But Tara wished she could return home, crawl into bed, and pull the covers over her head. The last thing she felt ready to do was watch one particular cowboy strut his stuff across the stage and land in some other woman’s clutches—even if it was just one night, completely innocent, right, and for a really good cause. The fact he might blow off the auction pissed her off almost as much as the thought of the spectacle he’d cause if he did finally make an entrance.

  If anyone thought splintered speaker casings or a little spilled Jell-O were trouble, they hadn’t seen a room full of women erupt in the wake of one seriously sexy cowboy.

  The thought soured her stomach. Still, she had a part to play in tonight’s festivities. Everyone seemed to think it was her job to make sure that cowboy showed up, because she was one of the few true friends he had. And after all, his picture in the auction advertisement had been the big pull.

  Too many gussied-up women crowded the entrance to the bar, and the line wrapped t
wice around the narrow foyer. Not that anyone complained about the wait as bare-chested men wearing tight jeans, cowboy hats, and wicked smiles carried more trays laden with drinks down the long line.

  Rather than wade through the cloud of perfume when all her “polite” was gone, Tara swept past the sign-in tables where volunteers busily took the women’s cash and handed out programs, shiny Mardi Gras beads, and wooden bidding paddles.

  The combined scent of expensive perfumes made Tara’s nose twitch, so she pivoted on her heel and stomped toward the side entrance, reminded again about the cause of her agitation.

  Perfume was like doe piss to this horned buck—irresistible bait. So, where the hell was he?

  “He’s late!” a high-pitched voice squeaked behind her.

  Tara didn’t even bother trying to pretend she didn’t know who “he” was, or that she didn’t know he hadn’t shown. Any woman with an ounce of estrogen in her veins would feel the tingle the moment the cowboy sauntered into the room.

  “Tell me something I don’t already know,” Tara muttered, pausing at the door to shoot a glance over her shoulder.

  Meaghan Garrity, the event’s “man-wrangler”, trotted toward her, her anxious gaze rising over the top of the clipboard she clutched to her chest. Spots of hectic color glazed each pale cheek. Her long red hair escaped the untidy knot at the top of her head in long curling tendrils. “Didn’t you tell him he was second on the program? We can’t start until he gets here.”

  “He’ll be here,” Tara bit out, and then forced a smile. No use getting Meaghan more nervous than she already was. He wouldn’t stand them all up, would he?

  Even as she said it, her stomach churned. There was only one thing that would keep the cowboy from his adoring fans. An easier fish to land—one he didn’t even have to bother moving his adorable tail to find.

  Tara wondered what her name was, and the image of a beauty with her head snatched bald flashed through her mind. But she pasted on a smile to reassure her friend, while inside her anger began a slow, hot boil.

  Leave it to Cody Westhofen to keep three hundred intoxicated women waitin’ on his sweet ass. Does the man think his sex appeal will forgive all sins?