Her arms tightened convulsively around him, hanging on to him as if he were her life.
What was he talking about? she wondered with a mind that had been befuddled by desire. Of course, she would never want another man. If she had done one thing right in her life, it was to wait for this man. He would be her first lover; he would be her last lover.
His strong fingers delved—delicately, knowledgeably. Her mouth opened, and she drew in a ragged breath as she tensed, a powerful spasm beginning to take her and tear through her.
“That’s right,” he encouraged, “let it take you.” Frantically she pushed against his hand. He seemed to know exactly what to do, how to apply pressure, where and when. “You’re so sweet,” he said, and groaned against her neck, “so wild.”
In agony he waited until she subsided against him, then he rolled on top of her. Her climax had shattered what little composure he had left. As he had held her against him while she shuddered, he had actually experienced the same ecstasy she had. With all his experience he had been unaware that such a thing could happen. It had been mind-blowing—and nearly body-destroying. His control was near its end.
Her arms were around his neck, her body was soft and pliant beneath him, her mouth was raining kisses everywhere it could reach. She was ready and so was he.
Gently he parted her legs and began to ease into her. He heard her breath catch, and he stopped. “You guide me,” he instructed. “That way I won’t hurt you.”
“No. I want you to do it. You would never hurt me. I trust you.”
A new wave of desire slammed through him, and he clenched his teeth. He was having trouble breathing. He couldn’t even talk anymore.
He took her hands and laced his fingers with hers. Then slowly pressing forward, he eased into her, feeling her body begin to adjust to his size, to open, and then to close around him in silken warmth.
Just once did she flinch, but no cry left her mouth. Only soft encouraging words came from her, some made sense, some didn’t. The two of them had been reduced to the physical, to the sensory. He didn’t stop until he was completely inside her, surrounded by her.
He wanted to pause then, to savor the feeling, and to give her time to catch her breath. But he felt her legs come around his hips and her pelvis slowly begin to undulate into his, and he was lost. With a gut-wrenching moan he gave in and thrust into her with a powerful and primal passion.
An urgent tension built, tightened, twisted, then culminated in a release that took them soaring as one. Their wild cries joined and filled the darkened room. And then there was silence.
* * *
Cara lay with her head on Burke’s chest. The first light of dawn was breaking. His fingers played through her hair. Sighing in utter contentment, her breath stirred the dark hairs that covered his chest.
“Are you okay?”
His concern made her feel warm inside, and she smiled. “I’m fine. More than fine actually.” She rubbed her cheek against his chest, feeling the coarse hairs and the nub of his nipple. His quick draw of breath gave her satisfaction. Even though he had made love to her all night, she could still make him react. Her smile grew wider, and she flicked his nipple with her tongue.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing much.”
“Well, keep doing it. I like it.”
It was a while later before she looked up at him and saw that he was frowning. She inched her body over his until she was on top of him. “Has anyone ever told you that you worry too much?”
He smiled. “No one.”
“I don’t believe you.” She wiggled a bit, settling herself into a more comfortable position.
His hands came down to grasp her buttocks, stilling her. “Please, have some mercy! You’ve worn me out.”
“I don’t believe that either.” Her breasts pressed against him, her legs interweaving with his.
He chuckled, and his fingers began gently to massage her bottom. “Oh, no? Then what would you believe?”
“That at this moment in time I’m incredibly happy. That I think you and I, on this bed, in the house of Killara, must be at the very center of the universe.”
He shifted his head on the pillow so that he could see her better. “That sounds reasonable to me. I can go along with that.”
“And I also think that the sun will shine twenty-four hours a day for some time to come.”
He noticed she didn’t say for all time to come. Had their night of love changed nothing? Carefully he smoothed a few silver strands of hair off her face. “How can it be that after a night of very little sleep you look absolutely radiant?”
“I don’t know,” she responded with a softness and a sweetness that spread a slow burning fire through his veins. “But at a guess I’d say it has something to do with the way you make love to me.”
“Make love... yes.” He raised his head so that he could kiss her gently. “Make love.”
“Oh, Burke...” Any kiss of his could make her practically dissolve. During the night he had covered every inch of her in kisses. She again nestled her head on his chest, so happy.
“Cara?”
“Mmm?”
“What made you decide to ask me to make love to you?”
“Do you have to have a reason? Isn’t how we react to one another reason enough?”
“I used to think it was.”
“Then let it be. Let’s just enjoy what we have now and when it’s over, let there be nothing but happy memories.”
Burke gathered her closer. That wasn’t the answer he wanted, but for now he wouldn’t push the issue. No matter how she felt, they had made love, truly made love.
“Are you hungry?”
“Not really, but I guess one of us should put in an appearance at breakfast. Bridget’s already worked herself into a state over the fact that I’ve been staying up all night and sleeping all day. If we don’t show up, she’s liable to come looking for us and get the shock of her life.”
“I don’t think we need to worry about Bridget. If Cougar isn’t here yet, he will be soon. And with him here, she’ll have more to think about than the two of us.”
“That’s right! I’d forgotten he would be here today. I can’t wait to meet him.” She turned her head along his chest. “Why is he coming anyway?”
Burke hesitated. “Just some routine business that needs to be taken care of.”
Guilt crept into her voice. “I’m keeping you from your work, aren’t I?”
Using the pad of one finger, he tilted her head back so that he could see her face. “You aren’t keeping me from anything I don’t want to be kept from.”
“Yes, but surely you’re going to need to get back to work soon. All of a sudden I feel pretty selfish. I wanted you all to myself.”
“And you’ll have me.” He planted a kiss on her parted lips. “There’s a board meeting in Tucson that we’ll have to fly back for, but—”
“We?”
“You don’t think I’m letting you out of my sight, do you?” He kissed her again, although softer this time and a lot longer. When he opened his eyes, he saw that her gray eyes looked as if they had been drenched in morning dew. His voice came out on a ragged breath. “I’m not saying things won’t crop up that I’ll have to take care of. But I am promising you that there will be time for us. A lot of time.”
* * *
When they finally made it down to breakfast, it was lunchtime. Cara entered the kitchen in front of Burke and then stopped in her tracks. The most amazing man she had ever seen was sitting at the kitchen table. He was big, massively built and, she gauged, somewhere in his midfifties. His white western shirt stretched across his immense shoulders, and his black pants revealed bulging muscles unusual in a man of his age. His skin was a deep red-clay color that reflected his Indian ancestry. A black, flat-crowned hat with a turquoise-and-silver headband was resting on the table beside him.
He was indeed a remarkable man, managing to convey both a stately dignity
and an untamed air. But if Cara had been pressed to pick out the one thing that was the most extraordinary about him she would have to say it was his hair. It was full, salt and pepper, and hung to within two inches of his waist.
He had been watching Bridget’s back with considerable enjoyment, but as soon as Cara came into the room, followed by Burke, his night-dark eyes switched to them, alert and ready.
“Cougar!” Burke advanced into the room, his hand held out. “It’s good to see you.”
“Burke.” Cougar rose and met Burke’s hand with his own.
“Have you been here long?”
“A couple of hours. Bridget’s been nice enough to keep me company.”
Bridget’s face reddened, and Cougar’s lips twisted into a grin. Cara noticed that the shirt-waist dress Bridget had chosen to wear today was nicer than what she usually wore while working around the house.
Burke reached for Cara and drew her to his side. “Cara, this is Cougar Jones. Cougar, this is Cara Winston.”
She offered her hand while smiling warmly. “I’m glad to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
His gaze slid to Bridget, who was busy wiping down a spotless counter. “I’ll bet.”
“Let’s sit down,” Burke suggested. “Cara and I are starved, and you can tell us all about your trip here while we eat.”
“I can sum that up in one word,” Cougar muttered, as the three of them sat down at the table, “terrible.”
Bridget brought two cups of coffee to the table and placed them in front of Cara and Burke. Then she smoothed her apron over her stomach and stared fixedly at the opposite wall.
“Cougar hates flying of any kind,” Burke explained to Cara. “He believes a man’s feet should be placed firmly on the ground at all times.”
“Except, of course, when he’s in bed,” Cougar said unexpectedly, causing Bridget to wheel away from the table and to become engrossed in making a fresh pot of coffee.
“Why this is a charming bouquet of violets on the table,” Cara exclaimed. “I don’t remember seeing any violets on the ranch. Where did they come from?”
With her back to the group, Bridget mumbled something.
“What was that?” Burke asked.
The housekeeper turned around, but she looked everywhere but at the three people sitting at the table. “Cougar brought them to me.”
“How thoughtful.” Cara switched her attention to the big man sitting across from her and noticed that a deep stain of color had risen along his cheekbones. He had also taken a sudden interest in his coffee cup, studying it with apparent absorption. “Cougar is a very unusual name. Is that your given name or is it a nickname?”
“A nickname.”
Cougar obviously wasn’t the talkative type so Cara turned to Burke for a fuller explanation.
He exchanged a congenial glance with Cougar. “As a boy he lived on a reservation here in Arizona, and that’s where he was given the nickname, but if you can get the true story out of him, you’re doing better than a lot of people.”
Cougar smiled enigmatically.
“I can’t stand it,” she exclaimed. “How did you get the name Cougar?”
Cougar remained silent, so Burke went on. “Legend has it that when he was just a boy, he disappeared up into the hills. Several days later he came down out of the hills wearing a cougar skin and claw marks on his face and body. But he never told anyone what happened.”
Three heads swiveled toward the impassive Cougar, and there was an expectant silence. With a perfectly straight face, yet with the merest suggestion of a twinkle in his dark eyes, he murmured, “The cat picked the wrong day to jump me. I was in a bad mood.”
Cara stared, then burst out laughing. “That’s wonderful!”
Bridget looked as if she, too, wanted to laugh, but made do with a quick half smile. “What can I get you to eat, Mr. Burke? Breakfast or lunch?”
Burke deferred to Cara with a questioning raise of his eyebrows.
“I don’t care what it is, but I want a lot of it. I’m starved!”
They settled down to companionable conversation with Bridget eventually unbending enough to join in now and then. It was Cougar who finally suggested that he and Burke needed to talk. Reluctantly Burke agreed.
He drew Cara to one side and spoke softly. “This won’t take long. “I’ll meet you in a hour, and we’ll go for a ride.”
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. “I’ll be waiting.”
* * *
Cara never knew an hour could be so long. It was a new experience for her, wanting to be with someone so badly. Unpracticed as she was in the art of sharing intimacies, she supposed she should have felt awkward in Burke’s presence. But she didn’t. After hours and hours spent in his arms, she wanted only to spend more of them there. Being held closely, sharing words in the darkness—it had all been an experience that transcended anything she had ever imagined.
And now she had lost track of time. She had no idea whether a half hour or an hour had passed, and she didn’t care. Impatience, wanting to be with Burke again, made her footsteps quicker than usual. But as the heels of her boots clicked across the back patio and she drew closer to his study, raised voices that she recognized as Burke’s and Cougar’s stopped her in her tracks.
“Dammit, Burke! You pay me remarkably well for my expertise. Let me do my job.”
“I won’t have Killara turned into a fortress!”
“I haven’t. I’ve just taken reasonable precautions.”
“I won’t be guarded!”
Cougar’s voice carried intensity. “This man is dangerous, Burke.”
Cara heard an expletive that made her wince. “He’s been sending me notes for weeks and nothing’s happened yet, has it?”
“The notes have become more and more threatening. I’ve looked into his background. He was a demolitions expert when he was in the service and he’s an expert marksman. Put those facts together with the knowledge that he’s crazy as hell, and you’ve got yourself a whole lot of trouble.”
“Cougar, I’ve handled trouble all my life, as have my brothers. You know better than anyone that my brothers and I have been targets for this type of thing before. It goes with the Delaney name and position.”
“Dammit, Burke, I wish you would take this seriously!”
“I do, and believe me, I appreciate your dedication to me. It’s just that right now Cara is my main concern. I don’t want her to be frightened if she notices the added security measures. Besides, we both know that if Davis wants me badly enough, he’s going to get through any defense you’ve got set up. So what’s the point? If—and I stress the word if—he makes a move, I’ll handle it.”
“Just exactly what is it that you’ll handle?”
Burke swung around toward the glass doors. “Cara! How long have you been there?”
“Long enough. What’s all this about?”
Cougar spoke up. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some things I need to check on.”
Burke waited until Cougar left the room, then walked around his desk and settled his hips on one corner of it. “I’m sorry you overheard that, but it’s really nothing to concern yourself about.”
“Suppose you tell me and let me be the judge of whether or not I should be concerned.”
His eyebrows rose and his eyes twinkled. “Stubborn lady.”
She sat down in a chair in front of him and crossed her legs. “Very.”
He sighed. “Okay, but I warn you. It’s not a pretty story.”
“I can take it.”
“A few months back a young girl who worked in the typing pool of Delaney Enterprises became pregnant. She wasn’t married, and when she told her brother, I gather he came down on her like a ton of bricks. Enough to scare her out of her wits. He demanded to know who the father was and made all sorts of threats both at her and at the unknown father. At any rate, as I understand it, in her panic she decided to name as the father someone so powerful, her brother
would be unable to touch him: me. She was even creative enough to tell him that we met for our little trysts in the Delaney Tower gym in the middle of the afternoon when everyone else was at work. I suppose she thought an added detail or two would give her story more believability, and he would drop it.”
“That’s terrible.”
“Tell me about it! The case went to court and of course, I was exonerated. But the brother seems to have some sort of unnatural attachment to his sister. My guess is that he was unstable before, but his sister’s pregnancy drove him right over the edge. After the trial the girl ran away. Now I’m all he has left to vent his wrath on. He’s refused to accept the court’s verdict and has been sending me threatening notes ever since.”
“And Cougar thinks you should pay attention to them.”
He grinned. “Cougar takes his job too seriously.”
“You’re making it hard for him to do his job, Burke! Why don’t you let him do it?”
He reached for her and drew her out of her chair to him. “Because I don’t want this to interfere with us.”
She framed his face with her hands, and even though she knew he had shaved just a little while before, she could feel the scratchy beginnings of his beard. She remembered how its roughness had caressed her own skin during the night. He had apologized, but she hadn’t minded. “What would really interfere is if something happened to you.”
“Nothing is going to happen to me.”
She almost smiled at his unconscious arrogance. “Burke, whatever precautions Cougar thinks you should take, we need to go along with them. It’ll be worth it in the long run.”
His dark green eyes studied her for a moment. “You’re really worried about me, aren’t you?” he asked with wonder.
“Of course I am!”
He gathered her to him. “All right then. I’ll tell Cougar he can do whatever he wants, as long as it’s not too restrictive.”
* * *
Cara came up out of a dream and for a moment was disoriented. She tried to move her head, but found her hair caught. She opened her eyes and realized that she was snuggled securely against the solid form of Burke. His arm held her tightly to him, and her head rested in the crook of his shoulder so that her hair was trapped beneath him.
Burke, the Kingpin (The Shamrock Trinity) Page 9