Strong-Willed Cowboy (The Buckskin Brotherhood Book 5)

by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Stephanie Bond

  He came in while she still had the drawer open. “Giving them a new home?”

  “A more convenient home.” She glanced at the nightgown in his hand. “I see you found it.”

  “Will you wear it for me?”

  “I can.” She held out her hand. “But the idea is for me to make an entrance. If I just take off my robe and put on the nightgown, it loses something.”

  He looked amused. “Want to go out and come back in?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay if I turn on the bedside lamp?”

  “Sure.” She gave him a once-over. “You’re not the only one who wants better light.” She stepped out into the darkened hall, slipped off the robe and left it on the floor while she popped the nightgown over her head.

  It slithered over her hot skin, making her nipples tighten with anticipation. The nearly transparent material’s silver sheen echoed the silver threads in her wedding dress.

  The similarity ended there. The nightgown’s plunging neckline and short skirt left little to the imagination. She’d driven to town and bought it after her conversation with Rafe on her front porch this morning.

  He’d left her in a state of agitation, his words ringing in her ears. I want you. Powerful stuff. She hadn’t trusted herself to be strong enough to refuse him if he pressed his case again. And if she caved, she’d wanted to look good doing it.

  His argument in the truck might have won her over immediately if he hadn’t rested his left hand on the steering wheel. But when she’d said no, he’d accepted her decision, leaving her alone to think.

  And ache. And eventually cave. Was she sorry? God help her, she was not. Clearly, neither was he.

  Were they headed for a cliff? Quite possibly. But they weren’t there yet. Picking up her robe, she walked into the light.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Rafe almost swallowed his tongue. Kate strolled into the room trailing her robe behind her like a fur coat she’d just shrugged off. The barely-there negligee nearly brought him to his knees.

  Her smoky gaze promised unlimited sexual delights. The negligee showcased her toned, supple body. The curve of her breasts peaked out of the scalloped neckline and her taut nipples created a tempting dent in the silvery fabric.

  His mouth watered and his cock stood at attention.

  The material shimmered as she walked and the hemline teased him with glimpses of her creamy thighs. She dropped the robe, ran her palms over her hips and took a long, slow breath that lifted her breasts and made them quiver.

  She gave him a sultry smile. “What do you think?”

  “I can’t—” He cleared his throat. “I can’t think at all.”

  “Good.” She grinned in triumph. “That’s what I was going for. Take off your shirt and jeans, please. It’s my turn to love you.”

  “Don’t have to ask me twice.” He fumbled with the button and zipper.

  “I wasn’t planning on it, but you look like you need some help.”

  “I’ve got it.” He wrenched the zipper down and shoved off jeans and briefs in one motion, kicking them aside. He stepped toward the bedside table. “We’ll need—”

  “I’ll take care of that.” She shooed him toward the bed. “You don’t have to do anything but moan.”

  He had a hunch he’d be doing a lot of that. He stretched out on his back, his heart playing the bongos, his good soldier standing at attention.

  Putting a condom packet between her teeth, Kate crawled onto the bed like a lioness on the prowl. Her position allowed him a spectacular view of her full breasts.

  Rejoice in her free will. The phrase from his wedding vows fit this amazing moment. Kate had let her playful vixen loose to taunt and arouse him. He was rejoicing like hell.

  Straddling his thighs, she laid the condom aside and wrapped both hands around his pride and joy.

  The visual of Kate holding tight to his cock, her wedding ring catching the light, would stay with him for a very long time. “Be careful. It’s loaded.”

  “I can see that. And me with an itchy trigger finger.” She squeezed gently.

  He gasped.

  “Just testing.” She ran her knuckle up and down the underside.

  He moaned.

  “Very good.” She held his length in both hands again. “You’re lovely.”

  “Thanks.” The area on his thighs where she’d parked her sweet self was growing warm. And damp. He bracketed her hips. “Gonna use that raincoat anytime soon?”

  “Of course, silly.” She stroked him lightly with her fingernail.

  He moaned again and clenched his jaw. “How soon?”

  “When would you like?”

  “Now would be good.” His voice was getting scratchy.

  “First I need to ditch this.” Crossing her arms, she reached for the hem of her nightgown and pulled it slowly over her head, gradually giving him what he’d craved, her luscious body bathed in lamplight.

  “Glorious.”

  She smiled. “Glad you like it.”

  “I love it.” Sliding his hands up her sides, he cupped her breasts and brushed his thumbs over her nipples.

  She shivered. “That’s very nice, but if you keep doing it, I’ll probably never get the condom on.”

  “You drive a hard bargain.” He released her and lowered his arms.

  “I do want to get it on.” She opened the packet and had him sheathed in no time. “I’m getting a little antsy, myself.”

  “Music to my ears.” Good thing she’d made short work of the process. He was losing ground in the battle for control of his climax.

  Rising to her knees, she made the initial connection, flattened her palms against his chest and began the slow process of taking him in.

  He wasn’t going to make it. The added light on her beautiful body, her enraptured expression and the unbelievable friction would bring him down. He’d come early and ruin this precious moment.

  Then she spoke. “I love you, Rafe.”

  Her words pulled him back from the brink. He really, really wanted to hear this. Needed to hear this. He held her gaze.

  “I love your loyalty, your generosity and your strength.” She eased a little lower. “Not just physical. Mental strength.”

  Boy, did he need that right now. He clenched his fists and hung on.

  “I love you for swallowing your pride and marrying me.” She took him deep inside her body and leaned forward, breathless and intense. “I love you, Rafe.”

  He basked in the glow in her eyes. Yeah, he could die happy, now. He didn’t want to, though. There was hope.

  Her core muscles contracted. “I can’t hold back. I’m—”

  “Go with it.” As she began to shake, he thrust upward. She gasped and cried out as her climax rolled through her, rolled over his cock and destroyed any chance of holding back.

  He erupted with a force that pushed the air from his lungs in a deep, satisfied groan of release. Breathing hard, he closed his eyes in gratitude. If this was all he’d ever have…

  No, damn it. He’d fight for her. He’d fight for more. She loved him. That was all he needed to know.

  When he opened his eyes, she was staring down at him, her expression earnest. “Was it okay?”

  He started laughing.

  She frowned. “What’s so funny? And by the way, this feels strange, to be connected like this when you’re laughing.”

  He cleared his throat and cupped her face in both hands. “Was it okay? You couldn’t tell?”

  “Well, you did groan pretty loud, but that might have been disappointment because I came so fast and that made you come fast, too. You might have wanted it to last long—”

  “Kate, every second I’m naked with you I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my entire life.”

  “Really?”

  He held her gaze. “Really. And you’re so darned sexy, especially with that nightgown and taking charge like you did, that I was sure I’d come early and disappoint you.”

 
“I can’t imagine you losing control. You’re a rock. You never—”

  “I was losing it from the moment you walked in wearing that nightgown.” He brushed his thumbs over her cheekbones. “I’m putty in your hands. Which you just proved. We’ve made love twice, and each time I thought the top of my head was coming off. It’s never been this good. Not for me. I can’t speak for you.”

  “Same here. You were right. Making love with someone you love, who loves you back, is the best.”

  He longed to press the point, to suggest that two people in that situation would have a different trajectory. Marriage wouldn’t become a prison.

  But she might put up an argument and he didn’t want to argue. “How about that cocoa?”

  “You still want it?”

  “Yes, ma’am, and brownies if you have any left.”

  “I do.”

  “Ready to try switching to the kitchen venue again?”

  She smiled. “It’s worth a try.”

  Ten minutes later, after his cleanup routine, he joined her in the kitchen. She had on her robe again, likely with nothing underneath. He resisted the urge to go over and kiss her.

  Instead he made for the container of brownies. “Looks like quite a few brownies.”

  “I always have some on hand.”

  “You do? I seem to remember you routinely ran out.”

  “That was when Millie lived here and we’d have you guys over all the time. You’d clean me out. That doesn’t happen anymore, especially since…”

  “Our fight in August.”

  “Not just that. The bachelor auction had an impact on more people than us. Nick, the bottomless pit, moved to town to be with Eva.”

  “So he did. That cowboy could eat his weight in brownies, no problem.” He popped the top off the container. “But it was mostly our issue that changed the dynamic. The Buckskin gang can add people, but it’s lousy at subtracting them.”

  “I subtracted myself.”

  “I know you did. Please don’t do that again, especially if it has to do with me. Maybe I’ve been here longer, but that doesn’t mean I get to stay in the group and you have to leave.” He turned around, the container in his hand.

  “I think it does.” She had her back to him as she picked up the saucepan and poured two steaming mugs of cocoa before putting down the pan. “Whipped cream or marshmallows?”

  “You don’t remember how I like it?”

  She glanced at him over her shoulder. “I do, but I’m pretending I don’t so you won’t think I’ve been fixated on you.”

  “I think you have been.” He put down the brownie container and gave up the struggle. He had to hold her. “I think we’ve been fixated on each other for two years.” Taking her by the shoulders, he turned her to face him. “I remember you like those baby marshmallows, God knows why. They’re disgusting little buggers, especially when they start to melt.”

  “And you want whipped cream.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “And you. I want you.”

  She gazed at him. “I’ll always be your friend.”

  “Is that how you love me, as a friend?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s it?”

  “No.”

  He gripped her arms. “I’m your lover, Kate.” And your husband. He’d be better off not mentioning that. “We’re lovers, now. There’s no getting around it. Not after tonight.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Kate couldn’t argue the point, especially after Rafe made love to her twice more before they finally drifted off to sleep, curled up and cozy in the double bed.

  She woke in the gray light of predawn, alone in the bed. The scent of coffee drifted into the room, but the house was still dark. Had he made coffee without turning on a light in the kitchen?

  The light over the stove would have helped, but not much. He should have flipped on the overhead. Maybe he was trying to demonstrate he wasn’t the kind of man who would change everything to suit him now that she wore his ring.

  Her ex never would have made coffee in the dark so he wouldn’t disturb her. But he also wouldn’t have been up at five in the morning making coffee in any case. The thought of serving anyone breakfast had horrified him, so his restaurant hadn’t opened until eleven-thirty.

  Kate slipped out of bed, located her robe lying over the back of a rocker in the corner, and put it on as she went out to investigate Rafe’s decision to leave off the lights.

  She was halfway to the kitchen when he called to her from the living room couch. “I’m here.”

  She turned. “Sitting in the dark?”

  “Couldn’t sleep. Didn’t want to disturb you. Did the coffee wake you up?”

  “I don’t know what woke me, but it wasn’t the coffee.” He was dressed, including his boots. His hat lay on the coffee table. He stood as she walked in. “Oh, goodness, please don’t get up.”

  He chuckled. “Telling me not to get up when a woman walks in the room is like asking me to stop breathing.”

  “But I’m your…” Wow, she’d almost said it.

  “All the more reason.” He put his mug down. “Want some coffee? I made plenty.”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Have a seat. I’ll get it.”

  She settled onto the couch on the middle cushion she usually took. The one on her left was dented. He’d left her spot open.

  “You’re welcome to turn on a light if you want,” he called from the kitchen.

  “It’s nice like this. Peaceful.”

  “That’s what I thought. I almost went out to the porch, but I would’ve had to put on my coat.” He brought in her coffee. “Can I get a kiss? I promise I’m not trying to start anything.”

  “Oh?”

  “Not that I wouldn’t like to, but my beard could scratch you. Besides, I’ll be heading down to the bunkhouse soon.”

  “Okay.” Putting her mug on the table, she lifted her face to his. He leaned down and kissed her with gentle restraint.

  He raised his head and smiled. “Good morning.”

  “Same to you.”

  He resumed his seat and picked up his mug.

  She took a sip from hers. “Good coffee, especially if you made it in the dark. You could have turned on a light. I wouldn’t have minded.”

  “It wasn’t that tough. Your kitchen’s bigger than the one at the bunkhouse and light comes in from the porch. I’m not as likely to whack my head on a cupboard.” He glanced at her. “How did it feel, waking up with a man in the house?”

  “Déjà vu.”

  “PTSD?”

  “No, fortunately. Enrique wasn’t a morning person. He was never up before me. I don’t associate him with this time of day.”

  “Bonus.”

  “How did it feel waking up in the house with me?”

  “Special.” His chest heaved. “I felt like leaving the door locked and spending the rest of the day in bed with you.”

  “Instead of going to the bunkhouse?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He swallowed more coffee.

  Exciting concept. Delicious, in fact. “I guess we could. I can wash and dry your clothes so you have something clean to wear whenever you decide to get dressed. I have enough food.”

  “Ahh, I want to.” He leaned back against the couch. “But that would be like taking out a billboard ad announcing what went on last night.”

  “Do you care?”

  “More than I thought I would. I mean, this is the Buckskin. Everyone will have it figured out soon enough, no matter what we do. But…” He put down his coffee and turned to her. “Right now, this… whatever it is… belongs to us. I’m not ready to share it with anyone. Not until we have to.”

  He wanted to guard their privacy. That touched her. Setting her mug on the table, she cupped his bristly face in both hands. “Then we won’t share it.” She leaned toward him. “Let’s seal it with a kiss.”

  “My beard—”

  “I do
n’t care. I want a real kiss.”

  “Then you’ll get one.” He cupped the back of her head and took charge. Ah, that was more like it. As the kiss heated up, her robe came undone. Eventually she ended up on his lap with his hand on her breast and his tongue deep in her mouth.

  With a groan of frustration, he backed off and tugged her robe closed. “Gotta stop or I’ll sabotage the plan.” He gulped for air.

  She dragged in a breath. “What plan?”

  “I didn’t tell you?”

  “Don’t think so. I might have missed it though. I get distracted when you’re kissing and fondling me.”

  “And once I get started…” His chest heaved. “I need to get out of here, though. The later I arrive at the bunkhouse to shower and change, the more the story falls apart. Lingering here is suspicious.”

  “I’m still unclear about the story.”

  “Sorry.” He raked his fingers through his hair and cleared his throat. “I figured we’d tell folks we’re using this time to work on our friendship.”

  She smiled. “Okay.”

  “You don’t think they’ll buy it?”

  He was adorable. “No, but it’s worth a try.”

  “It’s the truth, in a way.”

  “How are we working on it? I mean, other than knocking boots all night, which we won’t mention.”

  “We’ll spend the day taking the same trail ride we went on in August. It’s a do-over, to get rid of any remaining negativity.”

  “Didn’t we get rid of it last night? I could’ve sworn between round two and three, the negativity just—”

  “They don’t know that.”

  “Right. Not telling. Got it.”

  “The concept of repeating that ride and ending the day friends instead of enemies will appeal to them. You’ll see.”

  “If you can sell that story, I’ll back you up.”

  “It will buy us a day to ourselves.”

  “But I seriously doubt they’ll be fooled about last night.”

  He gazed at her. “And maybe that’s okay. I just want to set some boundaries. The Brotherhood knows I brought condoms over here. They don’t need to know we used them.”