by Em Petrova
He watched her closely, and she had a hard time containing her reaction.
“I’ve never wanted any man this much in my life,” she whispered through dry lips.
A smile eased across his rugged features, and he gripped his shaft at the base, standing it up.
“If you’ll do the honors, honey, condoms are in the drawer.”
“And here I thought only your foot was broken.”
He shot her a crooked grin as she leaned to the side to pull open the drawer. At first, she wasn’t sure if she’d find a condom at all—underneath the knife was a firearm and a cache of bullets came sliding forward. Normal cowboy nightstand, as far as she could see, especially the tinderbox and a fat candle that could be set atop the nightstand in the event of a power outage.
She peered into the drawer and spotted a couple lone condoms in the corner. Snagging both, she offered him a flirty smile.
“Am I gettin’ lucky twice then?” he drawled.
“If you do a good enough job the first time.”
He chuckled. “Honey, by the time I’m finished with you, the neighbors will need a cigarette, and they’re four miles off.”
“I’ll be the judge.” Though by looking at the man stretched out on the bed, she was pretty damn impressed. And that mouth of his could do more than give directions about his horse or fall into a grim line if she did things her own way.
As she ripped open the packet, it hit her that they hadn’t known each other long at all. Hours, really. She had never been a one-night stand kind of girl, but this didn’t feel that way. Besides, her body was humming with need each time she glanced at his impressive erection, and she had no reason to back out. This would not be something she regretted.
He reached for the condom and watched her face as he fit it over his swollen head and stroked it downward over his length. A warm shiver of heat ran through her body. She moved upward to lie next to him. Her hair fell over her shoulder and teased his too.
“C’mere,” he growled, cupping her nape and pulling her close. The initial brush of his lips was hard but he demanded she open to him with a flick of his tongue. When she did, he took total control of the kiss, drawing her up to straddle him as he devoured her lips and tongue and made her forget her own name.
Passion rose inside of her, something she hadn’t known before now. But why was it just now happening with a stranger, a man she knew little about, when she’d had months to get close to Jason?
Sometimes a horse just isn’t the right match for the rider, no matter how much you try.
Her daddy’s words flooded her mind, but the minute Wheeler cradled her breasts in his rough palms, her focus was only on him. All thoughts and memories receded to the back of her brain as she gave herself up to his exquisite touch.
He kneaded her breasts lightly while he kissed her, and each time he swiped a thumb across one of her nipples, she cried out. Every noise gaining in strength until she was rising and falling into his touch.
He let go of her breasts and moved his hands down over her middle to land on her hips. He curled his fingers close to her hipbones and guided her up—and down over his cock.
The pressure of him stretching her tight inner walls had her crying out. He issued a harsh groan. When he broke the kiss, he looked into her eyes. “Look at me.”
She did, and he slid her body down until he was filling her to the hilt.
“Oh God,” she panted.
“Damn.” A tendon in the crease of his jaw worked in and out, and his eyes were dark. “You’re so fucking warm, honey.”
She pushed up on her knees, withdrawing on him. The flicker of pleasure in his eyes was something she wanted to put there again. She slid down.
“Hell. Easy on me, cowgirl.”
She flashed a grin and began to move. At first she moved because it felt good and she wanted to share that with him too, but after half a dozen strokes, she hung forward, too engrossed in anything but the wicked sensation of a big cock inside her.
Then he kissed her, and she had her first orgasm around him.
* * * * *
The clench and release of Aria’s pussy around his length had him gritting back his own explosion. He gripped her hips and drove her faster as liquid heat enveloped him. Her tongue grew slack against his, and he continued to kiss her gently, rolling her over while still buried balls deep in her.
She hitched her thighs high on his hips and spiraled her arms around his neck, clinging to him as he forced pulse after pulse from her tight pussy and he shoved his own orgasm back.
Need blasted over him, though, and it was all he could do to go slowly and give her the time to build once more. Besides, he wasn’t so sure he’d get that second chance, and he was making the most of the first.
Staring down at her beautiful face—eyes wide and glittering with pleasure and her cheeks flushed pink—was his only thought at this very moment.
She was gorgeous. Smart, sassy and skilled. All the things he never believed he could find in a woman all at once.
But she was also a celebrity on the run from a fiancé that she could very well patch things up with.
Firmly nudging the thought from his mind, he braced himself on his elbows and cradled her jaw. Bringing her lips back to his, he pushed his cock deep. She cried out, angling up to meet his thrust.
And another.
Soon they were breathing heavily and her fingers dug into his back. Every withdrawal of his shaft through her tight walls raised a growl to his lips, and she cried out in return. Digging his foot in this way made it ache, but he didn’t give a damn. All that mattered was reaching that explosive end and taking Aria with him for the ride.
Sweat snaked down his neck, and she wore a damp sheen across her throat and the tops of her breasts too. He moved in for another kiss, and their mouths clashed with a brand new level of heat.
He lost himself, hips pumping, gripping her to him. When she clamped down on him and bit into his lower lip, he let out a moan and shot forward to the finish line.
Extreme pressure rose up from his core and hit him full force. He threw his head back on a yell of ecstasy, lashing her body to his and finding her lips in the rush of bliss and emotions that flooded in.
“Aria…” Her name dropped from his tongue like the sweetest honey.
She thumped him on the shoulder with a final cry, twitching in his hold. “Wheeler.”
Long seconds passed while he gathered his wits, and then he withdrew from her and got up to use the bathroom. A second later he returned and crawled into bed with her.
She popped her head off the pillow, eyes wide. “You didn’t use your crutches.”
“Shit, I forgot. Guess it serves as a walking cast too.”
“No way. You can’t bear weight on it till the doctor tells you to. Didn’t it hurt?”
He shrugged and gathered her close, tucking her head beneath his chin. Hell, did she have to fit here just right? Like a well-made saddle that conformed to him in all the right places.
He dragged in a deep breath of their sex-scented air, and some of her hair tickled his nose. “You used my shampoo.”
“It was all you had in the shower. Was that okay?”
He rumbled without being able to stop it. “I like it,” he said quietly.
She practically wiggled with energy in his arms.
“Clearly you’re not one of those women who nods off after sex,” he said.
She giggled. “That’s men you’re thinking of.”
“Hmm.”
Bringing her palm up the swell of his chest, she said, “That really just happened, didn’t it?”
When he nodded, her hair caught on the scruff of his jaw. His throat was a little tight on any words he could think to say. Yeah, that had happened, and it would live forever in his mind. Not only as the best sex he’d ever experienced but the stirring in his chest was altogether new to him.
Don’t get attached. She can’t run forever.
But I can keep h
er safe until she’s ready. And plenty satisfied too.
It wouldn’t be enough, and he knew it. But he was willing to suffer any heart pangs when she finally left him. Right now, he’d enjoy every minute of her silky, nude body wrapped around his.
“Wheeler?”
He opened his eyes and shifted to peer down at her. Those warm brown eyes of hers could slay him with a single look. Hell, he was already in trouble. Was this how King had felt with Bellarose?
What was the damn chance that Wheeler would end up with a woman from the TV show the way his friend had? When he thought of Aria, though, it wasn’t the actor he saw but the woman with a tenderness for horses and a way of bullying Wheeler into doing what was best for him, like putting his foot up.
She went on talking. “Is it terrible that I didn’t think about the man who wanted to marry me once during what we just did?”
“Christ, I hope you didn’t.”
“I don’t mean that. I was a thousand percent focused on you. It’s just that… If I really loved him, I wouldn’t have let you start things by kissing me. Then I wouldn’t have encouraged you.”
“You begged me.” He earned a sharp look from her before she went on.
“It’s just that…” She trailed off.
“Look, honey.” He bracketed her face with his hands, which were so large in comparison to her delicate features. “You can’t beat yourself up over him. There were too many questions or you would be married right now. It didn’t have to do with you not planning the wedding and him springing it on you. Because if you seriously, deep down wanted to marry him, it wouldn’t have mattered one bit where, how or when it happened.”
Her eyes softened under his gaze. “You’re right,” she said softly.
“So that’s the last time you question yourself. You’re a good woman, Aria. Just because you didn’t want to marry that action flick guy with the millions in the bank and a house with a pool—”
“Two pools. He has one indoors and out.”
He huffed out a breath. “And here I was just stereotyping. But either way, honey… you don’t have to apologize for not wanting those things for yourself. Now, if he had a hot tub and you passed that by… then I’d say you’d better find yourself a shrink.”
A laugh escaped her, and she swatted him in the ear. “You’re horrible.”
He arched a brow and gave her a wicked smile. “Wanna find out just how horrible?”
Her teeth closed on her plump lower lip. She nodded and drew his hand to her breast. Instantly, her nipple crested under his touch. Not willing to wait another second, he claimed her lips.
After long minutes, she broke their kiss. “How far is it to town?”
“Twenty minutes or so.” He found her soaking center and pushed two fingers inside her.
She cried out, neck arched and eyes pinched shut. He was already fully hard and ready to sink between her rounded thighs. Suddenly, he caught on to what she was asking.
“Guess I’d better get ready to make a supply run. You like this brand or do you favor the ribbed for your pleasure?”
Wrapping her arms around him and pulling him down atop her, she shot him a smile that was like a ray of light slanting through his life. “These are just fine. Take me, cowboy.”
He didn’t need to be asked twice. He just hoped this flash of light in his universe wasn’t like a comet, quickly passing through just once in his lifetime.
Chapter Six
The nights here in Washington weren’t much different from Montana. Cool and crisp with a fresh mountain wind blowing the ends of her hair back over her shoulders. Aria stood at the railing on the front porch and stared into the darkness.
A step sounded behind her, and she turned to see Wheeler coming through the door, crutches leading the way. When he met her gaze, she waited to feel the hit of remorse for sleeping with him. He was a stranger, after all.
But it didn’t come, and she was relieved to not have to think on her actions. What they’d shared was a fun time, a blowing off of steam, and they both needed it. No harm was done, so she wasn’t going to fixate on the stolen moments. Besides all that, he was a great listener, and she’d needed that ear.
“Couldn’t sleep?” Her voice was caught up in the breeze.
“Felt uneasy. Thought I’d check my stock.”
Her brows went up in surprise. “Gusto was fine when I put him to bed.”
“Yeah, but a cowboy’s got a sixth sense.”
No arguing with that—she’d witnessed it herself more than once on her family’s ranch.
“I’ll come with you.”
In silence, they made their way across the darkened yard to the barn. Walking next to him felt strangely brand new, and there was an awareness between them that came from exploring each other’s bodies thoroughly, not only twice but several more times, using mouths and hands to pleasure when the condoms ran out.
They reached the barn, and he flipped on a light. She squinted toward Gusto’s stall. From here, she couldn’t tell if Wheeler was right about something being off, but she moved forward with the intention to find out.
“Damn, I hate not being able to do for my horse. Do you mind leading him out for me to look at?” Frustration backlit Wheeler’s words.
“I got it.”
She approached the door and assessed the horse in the dim light of a couple bare bulbs in the center of the barn. She was surprised there was electricity down here at all—most older outbuildings didn’t have such luxuries.
The horse didn’t make a sound as she reached past the door to stroke its nose. Or when she opened the door and got a rope around him to draw him into the center of the space.
“Shit. Look at that leg. Swelling again.” Wheeler’s agitation rubbed off on the horse, and he shifted from foot to foot but found it hurt too much and he lifted it.
“Crap. Do you think he strained it again somehow while out in the paddock?”
“Don’t know.”
“Should I call the vet?”
“Let’s see if we can get it to come down before we call. Do you mind helping me ice it again?”
“Of course not. I’ll go back to the house and get the ice.” Earlier the previous day, Wheeler had shown her a small freezer unit on the mud porch with enough bags of ice to keep them going for a while. She ran the distance, not worried about the darkness or uneven ground. Country girls were sure-footed, and she was confident.
When she returned with the bag, she dropped it onto the floor to break it up inside the bag.
“Got your knife on you?” she asked Wheeler.
He produced one from his pocket and she slit the bag open, dumping a generous amount into the bucket. Then she carried it outside and found the water hose. She filled the bucket deep enough to envelope the horse’s injured leg and hauled the heavy bucket back inside.
Wheeler looked about to spit nails. “I should have done something more.”
“Not sure what that would have been. We followed the vet’s instructions to the T and he said just hours ago that it was doing well.” Concern wrinkled her brow as she eased the horse to the bucket and urged it to place its hoof down into the icy water. No horse liked this unless it was a deadly hot day, but it was for its own good.
“C’mon, boy,” she crooned, stroking his mane.
Slowly, the horse relaxed enough to lower its hoof to the ice water.
Balancing on his one crutch, Wheeler bent to examine it. “Skin isn’t broken. Can’t be infection.”
“No, unless it’s coming up from the hoof but that’s impossible. The vet would have said.”
“Maybe just overuse for the day,” Wheeler grumbled.
As Gusto stood in the ice bath, she got the brush to go over his coat and soothe him further.
“He likes that.” Wheeler’s voice was gritty.
She smiled. “I used to like my momma brushing my hair when I was a little girl. I’ve seen all animals act the same. Have you ever forked a pig?”
> “Only for Christmas dinner.”
She grinned. “I had a few pigs as pets over the years, and our vet told us that to calm them down in order to give them a shot or something, to run a fork over their hide. It’s like an intense massage is to a human, by my guess, and they love it.”
“You surprise me, Aria.”
She looked up. “Why?”
“All the things you do and say make you into a perfect woman. Or at least in my eyes.”
Shock jerked at her heartstrings.
“And just when I start wondering if I’m amplifying it all in my head, blowing you up into something more, you say something else that makes me know that you really are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.”
She stared at him, words fled from her lips. How to respond to such a sweet and heartfelt compliment?
She couldn’t.
Reaching out, she took his hand, meshing their fingers for a moment as she looked into his eyes.
After a second, he pulled away. “Maybe my brain got addled after that fall,” he mumbled.
They remained together for a good half hour, icing the horse’s leg. When it was time for it to come out of the bucket, Gusto allowed her to pull the leg up without resistance. She followed the lines of tendon down the leg.
“Does it seem less swollen to you?” she asked Wheeler.
“A bit. Let’s give him an hour off, and I’ll come down and do it again.”
She arched a brow. “Not without my help. We’re in this for the night, cowboy.”
* * * * *
Aria’s shoulders drooped, and she slumped down farther in her chair. Her food was uneaten, and sometime during the night she’d gathered her hair up in a leather thong she’d found somewhere and knotted it off her face. The look was devastating on him—he couldn’t stop looking at her.
He had a feeling he was a little more than infatuated. Smitten, maybe. But they’d only spent a few days together—and a steamy night tumbling in each other’s arms too—and he couldn’t help but feel this entire moment in his life was just that. A heartbeat, a blip in the mundane of his world.
