by Mari Carr
Sam happened to glance up just as she drew the tip of one finger from her mouth, down her neck, across the swell of her breast and rubbed her hard nipple.
“Jesus. Keep that up and I’ll lose for sure.” He shook his head. “Stop distracting me. I’ll take two cards.”
The dealer passed them to Sam. He bit his lip as he flipped them over. Could she really affect his concentration? After weeks of solid friendship, she had her doubts.
“Sexy, Cin.” Jake rubbed his chest, one of his most erogenous zones. She loved to bite him there. “I’m staying where I am.”
His Cheshire grin didn’t do much for his poker face. He must have one hell of a hand.
She pouted but kept dancing. If nothing else, maybe she could make Sam hungry.
Jake flipped up the edge of her skirt, flashing her lacy white panties. “Very nice, Cin. I’ll enjoy working them off you with my teeth.”
He fanned his cards out, face up. Two pair.
Cheers and clapping met his strong showing.
“Well, shit.” Sam studied the hand.
“Better luck next time, kid.” Jake lurched from the hay bale and staggered toward her.
“Oh, no, my luck is fine.” Sam smirked. “Just hate to see a man lose with such a fine hand.”
He brandished his full house with a flourish of his wrist, splaying the cards so everyone could read them and weep.
“Nice one, bro,” Silas hollered as the cowboys roared and clapped for Sam or groaned for Jake.
Cindi snagged a soft lead rope off a peg on the wall nearby, then slung it loosely around Sam’s shoulders, using it to tug him to his feet. She danced for him, empowered in the place she often came to share and be shared. The steady burn of the alcohol she’d chugged didn’t hurt either.
He laughed as she shimmied before him, grinding against the bulge in his jeans that proved he wasn’t immune to her display. Thank God.
As she pranced out of the barn with him in tow, pausing from time to time to make a grand exit, she hoped he wouldn’t let her fall flat on her face. When she peeked over her shoulder, she saw Jody doing the same to Seth and Lucy with her men. The women encouraged the guys to leave the party a little early. Their rewards would be well worth it.
Cindi aimed Sam for the back door, knowing exactly where she’d like to seduce him.
“Kitten, do you have any idea how jealous those guys are of me right now?” He groaned when she continued her sultry swaying despite having left prying eyes behind.
“All that matters to me is how you feel about it.” She wished she could take another fortifying drink. Instead, she spun around, facing him as she continued to dance backward. Almost there. Twenty more feet at most, and they’d be behind the shelter of the small shed that held overflow feed and other supplies.
“Fun, Cin.” His eyes were bright and his smile wide as she slowed down. “I love this side of you. Playful, casual, hot—I don’t know that I’ve seen it before now. It balances out your sexy sophisticate really well. Damn.”
“I’ll show you any side of me you’d like, Sam Compton.” She rubbed against his entire front as she breathed deep of his unique scent.
He sighed when her fingers stole beneath his shirt and caressed the hard muscles of his back. “Tempting.”
“But you don’t plan to take me up on it, do you?” She roamed around to his chest, then down his belly toward the fastening of his pants.
“It was just a game.” He tried to retreat.
She curled her fingers in his waistband and sank to her knees. “I was playing for keeps.”
Cindi popped the button open and drew down his zipper, careful not to pinch the insistent erection helping to separate the V of denim. When she covered the solid length with her palm, he cursed.
“I thought we decided this was a bad idea?” He banged his head against the shed wall. His shoulders hit the planks, holding him up as she explored the texture of his thick shaft down to his tight balls.
“No. I didn’t choose anything. You dictated the timing was off. I’ve respected your wishes.” She tugged his jeans down his thighs and shoved his shirt up that washboard abdomen until she could sprinkle kisses on either side of his dick. “It’s been hard. Artificial. Limiting our friendship like this. I feel like I’m lying to you about how I feel.”
“I respect you too much to do this with everything else going on. Mixed together. Tangled.” He gasped when she slid her mouth over the head of his cock and sucked gently. “I don’t want to screw up.”
“But tonight… Maybe I need this. You.” She licked him from root to tip before whispering against the sensitive head of his cock. “There are so many things out of my control. Let me have some power. Just a little.”
“Shit, yeah.” He threaded his fingers in her hair, though not to direct her motion. He allowed her to work over him, thrill him and tease him as she saw fit.
She savored the taste of him. Rich earth and spice. Some part of her finally felt balanced after enjoying the golden afternoon he’d gifted her with at the lookout. She hated owing debts.
Cindi clenched his tight ass. Her nails dug in to the thick muscle as she took him deeper into her mouth. She worked him, relishing every grunt, gasp and moan he lavished on her in response.
The urge to shove him to the floor and ride took root in her core. Somehow she realized he wasn’t ready. She’d come this far. If he balked, she’d die of a blend of embarrassment and desire. Maybe if she showed him how much she craved him, laid it all on the line, he’d finally see the powerful connection they shared could burn even brighter if he allowed it.
Ever since they’d rushed to the hospital, Sam had dipped into a funk. Nothing she did or said seemed to help. Except tonight…
He came alive, thrusting into her welcoming mouth.
Why couldn’t he acknowledge the comfort they could give each other?
“Yes. Shit, yes.” He forgot to be gentle as she drew him closer to release. “A little harder. Right there. Just like that, kitten.”
Cindi inserted one hand between her legs and rubbed her pussy as she concentrated on becoming what he needed. The tang of his pre-come, which enhanced his glide over her tongue and the roof of her mouth, fueled her passion.
She sucked him hard, deep and long.
Soon she moaned in unison with him. The verbalization spurred him higher.
“Close, Cin.” He groaned and tried to pry her from his body.
As if she would abandon him now. She leaned in, swallowing him to the root as she tapped her clit. When his balls drew tight against her chin and his shaft flexed, she surrendered to the bliss enveloping her.
They climaxed together. Each pump of his come down her throat matched a clamp of her aching, empty pussy. And though her body might not have been full, her heart was. At least she’d done something for him. Given him satisfaction. Helped him relax. Finally.
“Amazing.” He struggled to reclaim his breath.
A wave of relief knocked her off balance. She plopped onto the ground ungracefully at best.
“Damn. Cindi, are you all right?” He tucked himself into his pants.
“Yeah. Yeah.” The rush of pleasing him, herself too, mixed with the crescendoing effect of the whiskey she’d drunk. “Head’s spinning a little, that’s all.”
“Come on.” He offered his hand.
“Where to?” She reached for him and missed. Whoa.
“I’m taking you inside.” He knelt and gathered her into his arms. “I’ll fix you up a snack. We can talk, okay?”
“Sounds good,” she mumbled against his chest as he lifted her. The floating sensation lulled her as he carried her home. And suddenly she wished she never had to leave this spot, this man or this feeling behind.
Cindi closed her eyes to savor the moment.
Sam stared at the woman passed out in his bed. Adorable, sexy, naughty and dreadful at holding her liquor. He’d covered her with a soft afghan to obscure her petite yet dangerous curves
from view lest he forget his self-imposed mandates.
Nothing said he couldn’t sleep with her, though. As in actually sleep. He grinned as he stripped off his clothes. Maybe if he’d had a few less shots himself, he’d have put on a pair of shorts before climbing beneath the covers beside her.
Then again, why bother?
She’d seen all of him already. Had taken all of him. And while he’d sacrifice his left nut for a repeat performance if the circumstances were different, he had to admit, holding her close—skin on skin, all night long—sounded mighty fine.
Cindi burrowed against him, sighing in her sleep as she settled onto his chest.
He couldn’t believe he’d known her for less than two months. Already, he considered her his closest friend. Of course his brothers were more than pals. Still, she understood him better than even Seth or Silas most times. He loved to sit with her on the porch swing at night and discuss the places they’d been and where they’d like to visit next. Or how overrated some of the things they’d tried had turned out to be. He still couldn’t figure out how she managed to be so worldly but he figured she’d open up to him in time. Until then, he’d wait her out. Women with secrets were so not his thing anymore. Belinda had taught him how dangerous those waters could be.
Cindi was different. She had to be.
If he hadn’t just taken a massive step in the wrong direction.
Had he betrayed her trust?
Lost her confidence?
Tomorrow would tell. Until then, he held her close and counted their synchronized heartbeats for as long as he could force himself to stay conscious.
Sam pried his eyes open when a soft, feminine thigh glided between his legs, waking more parts of him than just his brain. “Cindi.”
“Mmm.” She purred, still half-asleep. “Sam?”
“Yeah, kitten. It’s me.” He wondered who else she expected to wake up with. Not that he had any right to pry and certainly no valid reason for the flash of jealousy that clenched his jaw.
She propped herself up on his chest, blinked her eyes open and smiled down at him. “Hi.”
He chuckled. “Hi.”
When she bounced with his motion, she winced. “What the heck happened to my brain?”
“Ah, that marching band would be courtesy of Mr. Jack Daniels, I’d say.”
“That bastard.” She dropped her head onto his shoulder once more.
Sam massaged her scalp, loving the silky feel of her shoulder-length curls. He paid special attention to the purple waves. They were so pretty on her. Unexpected.
“Did we…uh?” She tensed in his arms. “I can’t remember.”
“Damn, I didn’t realize how messed up you were. We were.” He couldn’t imagine her sharing another easy evening with him after he confessed. “You gave me a phenomenal blow job before you passed out. I’m sorry I used you, Cindi.”
“What?” She gathered the sheet to her chest as she sat up. “When are you going to realize I took advantage of you? I went to the barn with all intentions of finding you and begging you to have your way with me. I’d attempt a second wave on your ridiculous defenses this morning if I thought it would work.”
“You would? You did last night? Plan to end up like that, I mean?”
“Well, I wanted to. I don’t think I would have gone through with it if it hadn’t been for Lucy or Jody or…”
“Jack Daniels?” He ruffled her hair.
“Yeah.” She grinned.
He had to look away when her gaze roamed along the naked expanse of his body, seeming to enjoy the manscape. Shit, if he didn’t focus, he’d never explain himself well enough to ensure he protected the connection they had built.
“Truth is, Cindi, I respect you too much to do this to you. I’m sorry I carted you up here last night.” He grimaced. “I should have taken you home. Put you in your own bed. I just…couldn’t.”
“Sam Compton, are you even listening to me?” She grabbed a pillow and smashed it over his head. “What the hell am I wasting my breath for?
“Oomph.” He spit a feather out and shook his head. “Cindi?”
She’d already climbed from the bed, drawn a button-down shirt from the stack of clean laundry he hadn’t yet filed in his dresser and slipped it over her head. Damn, it looked sexy on her. The sight stunned him for a moment. Long enough for her to escape.
“Hang on a minute.” By the time he found his shorts and yanked them over the morning wood that surely had not been enhanced—at least he tried to convince himself—by waking up with her in his arms, she’d flown down the hall. “Cindi, wait.”
“I’m done sitting on hold, Sam.” She shook her head as they clattered down the stairs. “Done begging, done hoping you’ll notice that what’s possible between us is more than ordinary. I’m not trying to trick you by offering to blow you behind the barn or charm your pants off despite how amazingly we fit together in bed. If fucking me your first night home wasn’t enough to convince you how strong our chemistry is and the day on the hood of your precious Maserati didn’t do it either, there’s no point in beating a dead horse.”
JD, Vicky, Colby, Silas, Lucy, Seth and Jody paused with their forks halfway to their mouths in the middle of Sunday morning breakfast. Steam drifted up from the forgotten pile of pancakes they’d all wrestled over moments earlier.
“Good morning, everyone.” Cindi’s ultra-polite tone had nothing in common with the shrill rant she’d leveled at him a moment ago. He’d have thought she donned one of her understated dresses instead of his still-creased oxford.
“Morning, Cindi,” the Comptons answered as one.
“Join us?” JD held a hand toward a vacant chair.
“Only one of you could make me accept that invitation. Clearly, he’s not interested.” She spun around to face the offending Compton. Bitterness and frustration dialed up to max in a heartbeat. “Goodbye, Sam. Stay the hell away from me if you only plan to tease me with what I can’t have. Tiny tastes here and there aren’t enough to sustain me.”
Vicky didn’t even holler as the screen door slammed behind the petite bookkeeper.
Things were bad.
Sam’s balled his hands into fists at his sides as he forced himself to stay glued to the floor instead of running after her.
“You fucked it all up now.” JD shook his head. “Might as well eat breakfast while you figure out how to fix it.”
His brothers looked at him with a cross between pity and fear.
“Come on, sweetie.” Lucy held out her arms. She patted him on the back, then pressed him toward the empty chair next to her. “Vicky made blueberry, your favorite.”
He mutilated one of the fluffy masterpieces while his family talked around him. None of the treat made it to his stomach, which threatened to revolt at any second.
What had he done?
Chapter Thirteen
Six and a half weeks after returning to Compass Ranch
Sam gawked at the icon flashing in his system tray. He hadn’t bothered to uninstall the firm’s video conferencing software from his laptop. Who the hell would be trying to reach him?
He hovered his cursor over the cancel button. Curiosity got the better of him. He finger-combed his hair—damn, it’d gotten long—spit-shined the camera embedded in frame around his laptop screen and connected the link to find his old boss on the other end. “Gandle.”
“Sam! Wow, you’re looking…different.” The stuffy bastard adjusted his conservative maroon tie. “Glad you’re awake. Wasn’t sure what time it was out there in Montana.”
“Wyoming.”
“Right.” He laughed.
Sam wondered how he’d ever envied the partners’ slick yet surface-deep interest in their clients and employees.
“Well, you always were a hard worker. In fact, now that you’ve had some time to cool off, we were wondering if you’d like to put some of that elbow grease into the fund you spoke of.”
“The one you didn’t believe was mine? What c
hanged?” Sam kicked back in his chair, propping his ankles on the support bar beneath his desk. “Why the sudden turnaround? One minute you’re practically accusing me of rape and the next…my job is up for grabs again. I may have been that naïve two months ago. No more.”
“Damn, son.”
Sam gritted his teeth. This man had nothing in common with his father.
“You’re better at this game than I thought. When I’m wrong, I say so. Belinda…” He cleared his throat. “Attempted to play her little tricks on me, same as she did to you.”
“I hope you at least got a decent blow job out of her before she reamed your ass.” Sam couldn’t stop himself from being crass. Good thing Vicky had run into town for groceries.
The partner huffed out a derisive laugh. “I’ve had hotter treats from the popsicle cart on Forty-Second Street.”
“Glad to know it wasn’t me.” Sam shook his head. “I’m not about to waste any more of our time. I’m not interested in making money for you.”
“You’re not?” Gandle’s jaw dropped open. Had anyone ever told him no before?
“Nope.” Sam relished the moment.
“Opening the fund was important to you. I could see it on your face that morning.”
“Oh, it still is. Actually, the day I snatched the foundational securities at bargain basement prices was a pretty awesome personal milestone.” He beamed. “Performance indicators are top notch so far. Sure, I couldn’t buy as big as I had planned, but the payoff is enormous when I’m not sharing the profits.”
“You already made your trades?” Gandle closed his eyes for a moment. “I don’t suppose you want to share your picks? We’ll give them buy recommendations, boost the prices for you.”
“Nah. I’m good, thanks.” Sam reached toward the button that would sever the connection.
“Wait.”
Sam’s finger dangled over the Escape key.
“What would it take?” Gandle swiped at beads of sweat dotting his forehead.
“For what?” Sam leaned in closer.
“To get you back on our side. VP? No, hell, we’ll promote you to president.”
