Sex, Lies and Designer Shoes

by Kimberly Van Meter

  “Eww, I don’t want to talk about my dad’s love life. And no, he wasn’t chasing after the cooks.” They ate in companionable silence and then CoCo broke a cookie in half and handed him the other half. He accepted it with a smile and gobbled it down. Then he shocked her when he scooped up the other cookie and gobbled it down just as quickly, giving her a cheeky grin when she gasped and tackled him. “We were supposed to share!” she said, laughing when she landed on top of him. His arms wound around her and he looked adorable lying in the sunshine, the light playing with the highlights in his subtle waves. “Are you always such a pig when it comes to cookies?”

  “Always,” he said without a hint of apology, his grin widening. “It’s one of my flaws.”

  She smiled and brushed her lips across his, murmuring, “I guess you’re entitled to one or two...” and then she deepened the kiss, needing desperately to taste him again, to feel him moving inside her. His tongue swept her mouth and she climbed on top of him, remembering the last time she was in this position, and she deepened the kiss, getting more aroused by the second. This time would be different because he wasn’t doped up. She wanted to experience sex with Rian when he was in full control of his faculties.

  His touch became more urgent and he rolled her onto her back, his hips and groin matching up with hers with delicious pressure in all the right places. But just as things were beginning to get to the point where clothes were going to fly, he slowed with a groan and pulled away, rolling to his back to stare into the sky, agitated.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, confused. “Was it something I did?”

  He shook his head. “No, we can’t do this.”

  She frowned. “Why not? We’re both consenting adults.”

  “You’re a client.” He sat up, scooting back. That tiny bit of distance hurt her feelings. One minute he was all over her and now she had the plague? “I don’t mess with clients.”

  Maybe he thought his explanation would soften the blow but it hadn’t. She blinked back tears and tried to play it off that he hadn’t just punched her emotionally. “So the only reason you slept with me the other night was because of the drug,” she said, as if it was no big deal. “I get it. Sure.”

  He groaned. “I wish it were that easy.” He turned to her and tried to explain but she didn’t want to hear it. What difference did it make why he didn’t want to be with her? He caught the shake of her head and pulled her abruptly back to his mouth, shocking her with the sudden movement. He took her mouth with the same intensity as a man who might die tomorrow, with a faint air of desperation tinged with anger at the world, and she happily drank in the sensation of drowning in his urgent touch.

  There was something to be said for ignoring all the reasons why you shouldn’t and just embracing the fact that it’s going to happen. And she was good with that.

  * * *

  THE LITTLE VOICE that managed to stop him in the beginning was fading fast under the sensual onslaught of CoCo’s touch. She was like ambrosia and he couldn’t get enough. Her skin glowed in the bright sunshine and he was already working up a sweat in anticipation of tasting those rose nipples again, loving the way they tightened and pearled beneath his tongue, the breathy rasps of her voice as he brought her to a shuddering end. His arms felt empty without her in them and he couldn’t blame the drug this time. But what was he doing? He could practically hear Kane’s censure, the heavy weight of disappointment weighing on him for deliberately ignoring the good sense screaming at him to stop.

  But stopping was the last thing he wanted to do. His hands shook with the need to feel her naked skin against his. There was something incredibly hot about the idea of sex in this field with CoCo, something that plucked at a previously unknown exhibitionist streak that revved his engine hard.

  CoCo frantically tore at his shirt, shoving it off his shoulders and practically tearing it from his body with a sexy growl that made his blood race. She bit at his shoulder with a giggle and pinched his nipple as she rose up to claim his mouth again. God, she was so damn hot. She was both dominant and submissive. The two divergent qualities working in tandem cranked his gears until he was practically blowing steam from his ears. He couldn’t touch enough of her to feel satisfaction. A never-ending hunger to know her body, to wring those sweet gasps and cries from her mouth, drove him mercilessly until they were both naked, panting and desperate to feel one another.

  He reared up, his cock bobbing with eagerness for that willing, slick heat, but he had the wherewithal to briefly pause with a tortured gasp to ask, “Are you...? I don’t have any condoms...”

  “You silly boy, I’m on the pill. What do you take me for?” She grinned and pulled him down, sucking in a wild breath as he thrust into her, his thick length sliding in easily until he was buried so deeply inside her that he was surely touching her womb. “Oh, Rian...” That breathy cry thrilled him to his core as he moved slowly against her, building the friction to unbearably pleasurable levels.

  “God, yes...yes! That’s it...just like that...” She wiggled against him, moaning, and he grinned, using one hand to grasp her arms and stretch them above her head, holding her there while he pumped into her. She bucked, moaning loudly, and he took pride in the fact that he was doing the job right. He angled his hips as she lifted hers and he hit that spot hard and suddenly she gushed with a guttural cry, her nipples tightening so hard that they pointed to the sky, begging for a mouth to suck on them. He wanted to oblige but he was too focused on watching the pleasure build in her beautiful face.

  “R-Rian, oh, my God, R-R-Rian!” And then she shattered apart, everything clenching inside, gripping his cock with her internal muscles as they coaxed his own orgasm with each tightening band. He lost control, his thrusts became erratic and suddenly her sweet core was milking the juice right out of his body. He filled her, shuddering as he emptied. He collapsed and rolled to the side, sweat rolling down his bare back as the warm sunshine quickly dried his wet, softening cock and he closed his eyes, barely able to breathe.

  That was the most epic sex he’d ever experienced.

  Far better than the drug-induced hard-on from hell.

  Hell, far better than any carnal activity he’d ever participated in since he’d first discovered sex.

  And now that he’d gone and done the one thing he said he wouldn’t...what happened now?

  He didn’t know. He was out of his depth. What was it about CoCo that made him throw out all the rules and do what he knew he shouldn’t?

  He didn’t want to be like all the other guys she strung along for her entertainment. But then, he didn’t want a relationship, either. So what was going on between them? Something dangerous, that much he knew.

  Maybe he ought to tell her this was a bad idea and they couldn’t do it again. He ought to put his foot down and just say the words even if he didn’t quite mean them. But the fact was, he wanted to do it again and again and again. Hell, if they could spend the rest of their time in Kentucky screwing each other raw, he’d be okay with that. And that was a terrible idea!

  Even knowing that, he knew the words wouldn’t cross his lips. He wanted CoCo in the worst way and having her had only increased his appetite for more.

  You done it now, boy.

  Not even the echo of his older brother’s voice was enough to snap him out of this dangerous mind-set.

  He had to figure things out.

  But it wasn’t going to happen today, that was for damn sure.

  16

  “YOUR BRAIN IS on fire, isn’t it?” she asked, rolling to her stomach to regard Rian, who’d gone silent. They were still naked as the day they were born but neither was in a rush to get dressed. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  He smiled. “Isn’t that a little dangerous?”

  “I’m brave. Go ahead, try me.”

  Rian laughed. “I th
ink I just did.”

  CoCo giggled and rose up to brush a playful kiss across his lips. “You know what I mean. I promise I won’t bite.”

  “What if I like it when you bite?” he asked with a half grin twisting his mouth. “I mean, there’s something to be said for a little nibble here and there.”

  “C’mon, tell me what’s on your mind. I know you’re probably dealing with some kind of guilt, right?”

  He nodded with a chagrined chuckle. “And here I thought I was mysterious.”

  “No, not really,” she said, shaking her head. “Sorry to burst your bubble.”

  He sighed and rose up on his elbows. “Okay, yeah, I’m feeling guilty because I just broke my own rule about messing around with a client. I mean, I could forgive myself for the first time because I was under the influence of something, but I can’t use that excuse this time.”

  “Are you saying you need an excuse to have sex with me?” she asked, raising a brow. “Because that doesn’t make me feel very good. And neither does the idea that you’re just ‘messing around’ with me. Makes me feel...you know, cheap.”

  “No, not like that, I’m sorry,” he rushed to clarify. “It’s just that I have rules in place for a reason and they’re good reasons. I deal with celebrity clients all the time. It’s my job to protect the reputation of the company by remaining professional at all times, even when the client is dead-sexy and hotter than Georgia asphalt.”

  His frank comment thrilled her. A slow smile formed. “Are you saying that I’m hotter than Georgia asphalt?”

  “You know you are,” he growled, pulling her so that she straddled him. “You’re the hottest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

  “You know what they say about rules... They’re meant to be broken.”

  His hands filled with her breasts, his gaze darkening as he gently squeezed the plump flesh. A small groan escaped as he rose up, tucking her legs around his torso and suddenly grabbing a handful of her ass. “Some rules, yes. Others, no.”

  “Says who?”

  “Says me. If word got out that I was sleeping with a client, we wouldn’t get more jobs. This is our livelihood. I couldn’t do that to Kane.”

  She appreciated how much integrity Rian had. It was a refreshing change from the usual people she hung out with but that didn’t mean she was going to suddenly stop wanting to have sex with him. “How about this...while we are here at the ranch, we do whatever we want with each other but once we leave...we’ll pretend that nothing ever happened.”

  He eyed her curiously. “That would work for you?”

  “Sure. As cute as you are, I’m not sure a relationship would really work out, but we have the kind of chemistry that’s hard to deny so why should we if we don’t have to? At least for the moment, right?”

  He was beginning to warm to her logic. “So, you’re okay with having sex all day long while we’re here but the minute we leave, it’s cold turkey between us?”

  “A frozen turkey,” she promised, though a small part of her wondered if that were actually possible. Their chemistry was off the charts. It might be hard to just shut it off. But she’d deal with that later. Right now, she’d say or do anything to get Rian to agree to her idea.

  She wiggled against him, her wet core sliding across his cock, reminding him of what he’d done to her. His gaze flared with instant lust and she sucked in a wild breath as she felt his cock stirring to life. Damn, his stamina was incredible. “Careful, country boy, don’t start the engine if you’re not ready to drive,” she taunted him with a sweet, daring smile. Oh, that was like throwing gasoline on a fire! She laughed as he buried his face against her neck, sucking the soft skin of her shoulder, and they tumbled to the blanket, completely comfortable with one another as they quickly banged out round two, leaving them both breathless and barely able to move by the end. At this rate, riding her horse back to the ranch was going to be a challenge.

  But she didn’t care. There was something about Rian Dalton that she couldn’t get enough of.

  A voice at the back of her mind warned that this could become a problem. But CoCo had discovered she could effectively drown out her inner voice with epic bouts of sex, which was exactly what she planned to do with the very willing, very sexy country boy at her disposal.

  Yeehah!

  * * *

  BY THE TIME they returned to the ranch, it was nearing four o’clock and they had to hustle to shower and get ready for supper. Of course, a shower necessitated nudity and nudity encouraged monkey business, so the shower took a bit longer than usual but Rian wasn’t complaining. In fact, when he remembered what CoCo had done to him in the shower, he nearly blushed.

  He was almost in awe of the woman’s sexual skills and that was saying a lot. He wasn’t a prude by any means but that woman...she made him feel like a teenager without a lick of practical knowledge. It was sexy and intimidating at the same time but he wanted more.

  “How’d you learn that little trick?” he asked, bracketing CoCo against the bathroom wall as she was drying off. “That was pretty epic.”

  “Europeans are less squeamish about sex,” she answered with a shrug and a smile. “My first lover was an older man. He taught me a few things.”

  Rian pushed off, intrigued. “How much older?”

  “Old enough.” She dropped her towel and he momentarily forgot what he was talking about and she switched subjects. “So what’s going to happen at this dinner? I think for the sake of appearances we should keep things professional, easier to avoid awkward questions that way. Do you agree?”

  “Yeah, sure,” he said, not caring about dinner. He wanted to know more about this older guy. “So, when you say older, what does that mean? Was he, like, some old man?”

  She cast an irritated look his way. “Really? Does it matter?”

  “Yeah, kinda.”

  “Oh, my God, you’re being a baby. Do you really want details about something that never concerned you?” When he remained stubbornly silent, she rolled her eyes and shimmied into her sundress, saying, “Okay, I was seventeen, he was forty-two. He was a business associate of my father’s and I met him on his yacht. We had chemistry and we acted on it. Discreetly, of course. End of story. We did our thing for about two months and then we parted ways without harsh feelings. It’s not as if I was looking to marry the man. I enjoyed that he was a generous lover and he was far more attentive than any of the silly boys trying to get my attention who didn’t know what to do with a hole in the ground.”

  Why was he jealous of some guy from her past? What did it matter? “That’s quite an age gap,” he said, unable to help himself. “I mean, if it’d happened in the States, he could’ve gone to jail because it’s illegal.”

  “Well, it wasn’t here. Can we drop it?”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  “Good. I’m starved.” She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him, then said, “If it matters, as good as it was with him, it’s so much better with you and I’m not just saying that to soothe your ego. If the sex wasn’t electric between us, I wouldn’t waste my time.”

  That did help a little. He allowed a smile and surprised her by hoisting her onto his hips. She smiled as she hooked her legs around his torso. “We have time for a quickie,” he said and she laughed, assuming he wasn’t serious, but right now he was already hard and ready. To illustrate that point, he pressed her against the wall and pushed his erection against her. “See? I’m ready if you are.”

  “Tempting,” she groaned but shook her head. “I’m not about to formally meet your family with sex hair. Cool your jets, country boy.”

  He let her down with a reluctant sigh and attempted to shift his boner into a less obvious position. “All right, princess. But all bets are off as soon as we get back.”

  She cast him a devilish grin. “Don’t make promises you
can’t keep.”

  “I don’t.” That’s right, baby. I’m going to ruin you for other men. “C’mon, let’s get over there before Adeline sends a search party,” he growled, wanting nothing more than to blow off dinner so he could feast on CoCo, but he’d never do that to Warren and Adeline. But just as CoCo was about to open the front door, he jerked her into his arms for a searing kiss that left them both breathless. “Something to tide me over until dinner is over,” he said, burning holes into her with his need to touch her.

  She nodded, her lips glistening, her eyes wide, and then he turned her loose. When her gait was slightly tipsy, his ego swelled in proportion to his eager cock. Yeah, nice to see that that road traveled both ways.

  He loved Adeline and Warren with all his heart but right about now, he wanted to skip dinner and go straight to dessert.

  17

  “OH, LOOK AT YOU,” Adeline gushed, ushering them into the kitchen with effusive hugs for them both. “You are so beautiful. Rian, you better scoop up this pretty thing before someone else with more sense does.”

  CoCo blushed and wondered how uncomfortable that made Rian, but when she snuck a glance at him she saw something that shocked her—contemplation—as if Adeline’s advice had struck a nerve, and her stomach trembled at the thought. No, neither of them was looking for a relationship. This was just good times and she was fine with that. Besides, it wasn’t as if either of their lifestyles was conducive to having a permanent plus one. For starters, Rian would hate her friends. He certainly didn’t have anything nice to say about Stella, not that CoCo blamed him, but it would make things awkward when she wanted to party with them. “Smells amazing,” she said, hoping to redirect the older woman.

  “Oh! Yes, steaks and mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, that’s what we make around here, stuff that will stick to your ribs. Good country food. And the steaks are from our own cattle. Nothing fresher than that.”