Hell on Wheels

by Karen Kelley

  She could really get used to this kind of life. A deep sigh escaped. She sipped the wine as the room filled with the soft sounds of music from a CD. The wine was good. It had a slight undertaste that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Not that she really cared. She would enjoy the moment, and for once let all her problems slip away.

  Closing her eyes, she let the world pass her by, the warmth of the water enveloping her in a cocoon.

  The next thing she knew, Maria was helping her to stand, wrapping a fluffy white towel around her before she stepped out of the tub.

  “I feel strange.” And not so out of it that she didn’t suspect there had been more in the wine than squished grapes. “What did I drink?”

  “My great-grandmother was a gypsy.” Maria tilted her head and looked at Cody. “Did I not mention that?”

  “No.” The background music seemed to take on form as colors swirled around her. Deep sensuous blues, hot reds—she could almost reach out and touch them.

  “Si, she was an important person in mi familia. She had many potions.”

  Maria casually picked up a towel and began to pat Cody’s damp skin. Her light touch was almost sensuous. What was happening? More importantly, what had been in the wine?

  Maria guided her from around the silk screen. Two of her sisters had returned. Cody liked them. They were really nice, even if they didn’t speak much English.

  “Come, lie on the bed. We will put oil on your skin. Josh will not be able to resist.”

  Lie down? Yes, that sounded like a good idea. A nap would be nice.

  Maria’s sisters removed the towel. They pulled the cover back before she lay on the bed. The silk sheets brushed her skin, and her nipples tightened.

  They began to massage the warm oil into her skin with light, circular strokes. The musky scent drifted to her nose.

  “This magical blend of oils has been passed down from one generation to the next. Each touch from your husband will be enhanced. His breath will heat your skin like no other man. You will remember this night forever. He will be your love, as you will be his.”

  Her words continued, soft and melodic, switching from English to Spanish.

  Cody didn’t want to think, just feel the sensations that took her to another realm. But the next thing she knew, Maria urged her to her knees and slipped a white diaphanous gown over her head. The hem billowed around her like a cloud as she sat in the middle of the bed.

  Then she was alone. She knew it wouldn’t be for long. Josh would come to her.

  She looked around the room. The music still played in the background, the candles flickering. She felt as if she were teetering on the edge of a cliff, a breeze drifting over her. Just that light touch sent her pulse racing.

  The door opened. She looked up. Josh stood there for a moment before he closed it behind him. Her gaze drank in the sight before her. He wore the black pants and knee-high boots, but the jacket was gone and his white shirt was open almost to his waist, showing an expanse of sinewy muscles and tanned skin.

  She sucked in a deep breath, her body aching for his touch. It seemed like forever since she’d felt it, and she needed to feel it now. Maybe the oils and the wine had a lot to do with it; she didn’t know or care. This would be their night. Maybe their last one. Who could know for sure, but she damn well wanted it to be one she would remember for the rest of her life.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said as he sauntered forward. He removed his shirt, tossing it to the floor. Stopping at the open bottle of champagne, he poured them each a glass.

  She watched his movements as if in a dream. When he sat on the side of the bed, he handed her one of the glasses, twining his arm around hers.

  “To my bride.” He took a drink.

  She did the same. The wine quenched her parched throat. One drop fell, landing on her gown. Josh’s gaze went to the fallen drop. He leaned forward and licked the spot with his tongue, scraping across her sensitive nipple. She gasped, her hand trembling, threatening to spill the rest of her drink.

  Josh took her glass and set it on the bedside table with his, then turned back. He noticed his own hand trembled almost as much as Cody’s had. Who could blame him? Maybe it was that glass of wine Maria had given him. It had tasted a little odd.

  Or maybe it was the fact that Cody sat on her knees in the middle of the bed, surrounded by rose petals, wearing a gown that hid nothing from his view. The thin material only cast tempting shadows, and he planned to explore each and every one of them.

  He faced her once again. Was there ever a woman more sensual, more sexy than this one? He didn’t think so. At least, none that he’d ever crossed paths with.

  “Do you know how much I want you?” he asked.

  Surprise widened her eyes, then suddenly he saw a flash of pain. “It’s only sex. Maybe we are going to consummate our marriage, but none of this is real.” She reached a hand out and caressed the side of his face.

  He grabbed it in his, kissing her palm. “We could make it real,” he said into her hand. The realization of his words hit him like a blast of cold water. He wanted their marriage to be real.

  How long had he loved her? But he knew the answer. He’d loved Cody from the very beginning. From the first moment he’d laid eyes on her. He liked the brassy, bold lady she was, but he’d always sensed the pain she’d hidden away from the rest of the world.

  He looked at her. She hadn’t heard him. Or if she had, she didn’t acknowledge his words. Did it matter right now? He would have the rest of his life to convince her they were meant to be together.

  He pulled her close, until she was sitting on his lap. Her eyes were such a deep green as she stared at him, her lips full, pouty, crying out to be kissed.

  Ah, sweet temptation. He lowered his mouth to hers, running his tongue across the fullness of her lips before dipping inside, stealing her sweetness, her soul. He wanted her so bad he ached.

  He cushioned her back with one arm while his free hand cupped her breast. She moaned when he teased her nipple, plucking at the tender nub.

  She pressed her body closer, rubbing her bottom against him, and he almost lost it. He quickly set her from him and moved off the bed.

  “Please.” She reached for him.

  “I’m not leaving your bed, sexy lady. I’m just getting more comfortable. You’ve caused the material of these blasted pants to…shrink.”

  She grinned and lay back amidst the pillows, her hair fanning out beneath her. A seductress, teasing him with her body. Looking innocent and seductive all at the same time. One knee came up, shielding the thatch of dark curls from his view.

  It had been forever since he’d seen her like this. He wouldn’t allow any shields between them now. He wanted to see all of her. He put a hand on her knee, massaging lightly, watching her expression. She didn’t disappoint. She closed her eyes, biting her bottom lip. He brought her knee down and out, exposing her, except for the thin gown. Even that was hiding too much.

  Taking the hem, he slowly pulled it up to her hips, gazing down at her curls, the fleshy part that peeked out between the folds. “I love looking at you,” he said, his words husky with restrained passion. He spoke the truth—he would never get tired of looking at her.

  Lightly, he scraped his fingers through her curls. She gasped and arched toward his hand. He rubbed his finger down her sex. She cried out, opening her arms to him.

  How he wanted this woman.

  He took a step back and slipped the button of his pants through the buttonhole. Her gaze moved downward as she watched him slowly tug on the zipper. Her hands knotted in her gown, drawing it upwards. When the material brushed across her nipples, she gasped. His dick quivered. There was something erotic about a woman who could pleasure herself and not be ashamed or embarrassed by her actions.

  She met his gaze. Something must have shown on his—desire, hunger? He wasn’t sure, but her lips curved upwards just slightly. Did she think she was in control?

  She wet her fin
ger, sucking on it for what seemed like an eternity. His dick began to burn and ache as he watched her move her finger in and out of her mouth, then circled her tongue around it.

  Hell, why would he ever have the mistaken notion he might be in control?

  She moved her finger from her mouth, slowly sliding her hands over her breasts, tweaking the nipples and moaning as her body arched.

  Swallowing took supreme effort as he watched the sensual show she performed for him. Was this how the goddess of love enticed men to her? Making them fall in love with her before she tossed them away? If so, he could understand the exquisite pain and pleasure they went through before going crazy.

  Cody slid her hands over her stomach and down her thighs. “I want you so badly I can almost feel you inside me,” she said.

  He snapped out of the daze he was in and shoved his pants down. It didn’t take but a few seconds for him to be completely naked and climbing between her legs. He stopped when his face was inches away from her pubic hair.

  “Damn, you’re so beautiful.” He blew against her curls, watching them spring back into place. “Open yourself for me,” he whispered.

  She moved her hands to the folds that hid her from his view and opened herself.

  “Perfect,” he breathed. Lowering his head, he took her inside his mouth and began to suck. She tasted sweet and musky—all woman. A woman he couldn’t seem to get enough of.

  The first spasms trembled over her body. He felt each one of them as she came. He didn’t stop the motions of his mouth until she cried out and her body stiffened.

  “Ah, damn,” she cried, a tear slipping from the corner of her eye. Her breathing was ragged.

  There was a certain amount of pride that he could give her an orgasm this powerful using only his mouth. But damn, his need was so intense that he could barely move. All he could think about was entering her hot body, letting her sex flood his with heat.

  Just thinking about it didn’t help his condition. He scooted up in the bed until he could cradle her in his arms. The softness of her body, her curves, melted against him. He rolled them onto their sides, gently nudging her legs open, pulling one over his hip as he eased inside her.

  She was so fucking wet. Hot and wet. He caught his breath as the ache inside him grew fierce. She clenched her inner muscles, tightening herself around him.

  “Ahh,” he moaned before rolling her onto her back and sliding deeper inside her body. For a moment he rested, catching his breath.

  Then he began to move, slowly at first. He looked into her face, capturing her gaze as he moved faster. She bit her bottom lip when he slid almost all the way out, then she sucked him back. Deeper and harder he sank inside her. Faster and faster. The world spun out of control. His body clenched, jerked. He might have groaned; he wasn’t sure as spasms of pure pleasure wrapped around him and reeled him into a vortex of lights and sounds he’d never heard or seen before. As the world stopped spinning, he sank into Cody’s softness.

  Not for the first time did he wonder if the wine Maria had given him might have been drugged. Hell, he didn’t care. This was the best sex he’d ever had.

  He rolled his weight off her, stared into eyes filled with confusion, maybe a little bit of fear, and knew she’d felt the same thing he had.

  But would she embrace it—or run away?

  Sometime during the night, he rolled over and reached for Cody, and she wasn’t there. He moved his hand over her spot and patted her pillow. Cold washed over him even though the room had been warm earlier.

  He opened his eyes. It took a minute for them to adjust to the dim moonlight cascading through the window. She’d pulled back the drapes and opened the window. Just the hint of a breeze tickled his skin. He had a perfect side view of her luscious bare body.

  She raised her head, as if giving homage to the gods. Her body was clearly outlined in the light streaming in. Her breasts were like succulent fruit, the nipples hardened by the breeze that kissed them. Her slim waist curved to her nicely rounded hips and the thatch of dark hair.

  He wanted her again. Damn, how he wanted her. He pushed back the covers, but stopped when he heard the small cry she made. His gut clenched and his heart caught in his throat. He wanted to tell her he wouldn’t hurt her, but words wouldn’t prove anything. She’d have to learn to trust that he wouldn’t leave her like everyone else had.

  The only problem was, he wasn’t sure she ever would. Pain ripped through him. He’d finally found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but she might not feel the same about him, the player. The man who didn’t stay in a relationship longer than a month.

  How fucking ironic was that?

  Chapter 23

  “I wish you would stay.” Maria turned pleading eyes toward her husband.

  Hector shook his head and pulled his wife close. “You still have all these guests. They will keep you entertained for a few more days. This is Josh and Cody’s time to be alone,” he gently chided.

  “Then you will promise to come back, si?” She wiped at the tears on her face.

  Cody took a deep breath—and lied. “Of course we’ll return.” How could she tell her they would be divorced within a few days? Damn, how sappy was she going to get before she got back to her old self?

  Maria threw her arms around Cody and hugged her tight. For a moment, she just stood there, unable to move. Slowly, her arms came up and she hugged Maria. Strange new emotions wrapped around her. Tears welled in her eyes.

  “You will always be my sister,” Maria whispered before she let her go.

  Cody didn’t tell her that always was a long time and bonds were easily broken. Bonds that you once thought were there forever, but were only a figment of your imagination. But she didn’t tell her that. Why burst her bubble?

  Instead, she smiled, then climbed into Josh’s car. Hector had it driven to the house that morning knowing they needed to get back to Texas.

  She looked out the window as they drove away, not prepared to share with anyone how much she’d enjoyed being around Maria and her boisterous family. Besides, she didn’t want Josh to see the tears in her eyes.

  Damn, she’d forgotten to ask Maria what had been in the wine. Aphrodisiac? Possibly. Whatever the hell it was, she didn’t want to drink any more of it. She had gotten up in the middle of the night, careful not to awaken Josh, and stood by the window. Her emotions were all out of whack. Not only had she had the best sex of her life, but there was more—almost as if she were falling for him.

  Boy, those thoughts would really get her into trouble! Her and Josh together—forever. Yeah, like that would happen in her lifetime.

  She sat up when she saw they were going toward the border. “What about Adam?” She turned and looked at Josh.

  “He’s either long gone or still at the ranch somewhere. Either way, we might as well give up on ever bringing him to justice. Unless you’d like to end up like Turbo?”

  She shuddered at the thought. Until they were safely across the border the threat of spending time in a Mexican jail still hung like an axe over their heads.

  “Maybe we should just chalk Adam up to the one who got away.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” he said.

  She didn’t relax until they were on the other side. Texas. She breathed a sigh of relief, forcing herself not to ask Josh to pull over so she could get out and kiss the ground.

  Apparently, stopping wasn’t on his list of things to do. Except for grabbing a bite to eat, Josh drove straight back to Fort Worth. The only conclusion she could come to was that he wanted to get rid of her. But hadn’t she suspected as much? Josh was a player. She’d known that from the start. He didn’t want entanglements any more than…than she did.

  He stopped the car in front of her apartment complex, but before she could open the door and slide out, he grabbed her hand.

  “We need to decide what to do.” He spoke softly, but it was like a knife being stabbed through her heart.

  “There
’s only one thing to do—start divorce proceedings.” She climbed out of the car and leaned back in through the window. “You have no roots, no ties that bind you. One day you’ll just take off.”

  He opened his mouth, but she raised her hand.

  “You might leave tomorrow and I’d never see you again.” She stayed calm, even though she felt anything but that on the inside. “Divorcing is the only thing to do. We both know that.” She turned and walked away, knowing she was doing the right thing, knowing it also hurt like hell.

  He’ll break your heart, a voice whispered.

  He already has, she answered back.

  Every muscle in her ached as she dragged her weary body inside her apartment building and down to the elevator. She pushed her floor number and leaned her head against the wall.

  Why the hell had she let him weave his way into her life? Easy, because she’d had the hots for him from the first moment she’d laid eyes on him. Gut instinct had told her she would only get hurt. She should’ve listened.

  The doors swished silently open. She dug her key out of her pocket as she made her way down the hallway. The door of the apartment across from her opened and a little old lady with bottle-bright red hair stepped out.

  “Oh, you’re back.” She beamed a smile in Cody’s direction. “We were wondering if you’d been hurt. Me and Aggie.” She nodded toward the apartment behind them. “Aggie lives there.”

  “Huh?” She stopped in front of her door, key aimed toward the lock.

  “I’m your neighbor.” She pointed to the apartment next to Cody’s. “I’m surprised you haven’t complained to the manager because of all the noise I make.”

  Cody cocked an eyebrow. “Wild parties?”

  She chuckled. “Don’t I wish. No, it’s my arthritis.” She raised gnarled hands. “I’m always dropping something.”

  Pity washed over Cody, but she resolutely pushed it away. She didn’t want to get chummy with her neighbors, but this one was in a talkative mood.