“Especially compared to the feast of instant noodles you had planned instead, right?” Sierra said with a laugh.
“Knew I was going to regret telling you that,” Eva said, flashing his sister a bright smile.
He couldn’t help remembering the way Eva had laughed last night as she flirted with him over burgers at the diner, which naturally led to the memory of her on top of him, her head thrown back as she gave herself over to pleasure.
Get a grip, dude.
Determined to distract himself, Casey reached for the water jug and filled everyone’s glasses, focusing on the small task with everything he had.
“So, Eva, I take it you’re going to be painting a mural on the old Clarke grain elevator?” Jed said, dusting off his best company manners to make their guest feel welcome.
“Oh, no. At least, not yet,” Eva said with a small laugh. “I’m in the running to create the mural, that’s all. They want to see and hear more, so they’ve given both of us a week to prepare a more detailed pitch.”
“So it’s like a competitive tender, but for art?” Jed asked.
“Exactly like that, except her competition is her ex,” Sierra said.
Jed took a pull from his beer before responding. “So I guess you’re fixing to slam dunk this thing, then?”
Eva smiled. “That’s the plan.”
“Well, good luck to you. Hope you get what you came here for,” Jed said.
“Thanks. And thanks for letting me stay for the week.”
Casey kept his eyes on his plate, grateful for possibly the first time in his life for his reputation for quietness. He’d always been reserved around people he didn’t know, and neither Jed nor Sierra would think it was strange he wasn’t rolling out the welcome mat for their visitor.
It was a small blessing, but he’d take it.
“You should hear her ideas,” Sierra said. “Tell them about your pitch, Eva. It’s so cool.”
Eva shifted in her chair, and Casey could tell she was uncomfortable with his sister’s suggestion. “They don’t want to be bored by my mural ideas.”
“They’re not boring, they’re amazing,” Sierra said. “That idea about representing the past, present, and future of Marietta is pure genius.”
“Well, thanks, but it’s still just an idea at the moment. I need to flesh out the concept, put together some proper studies.”
Casey frowned down at his plate. Was that what she’d been doing last night before he left? Sketching studies?
“You’re as bad as Casey, refusing to toot your own horn,” Sierra said. “Being modest is practically un-American, you know that, right?”
“I’ll try to be better,” Eva said meekly.
Sierra laughed. “I knew I liked you. If you don’t want to brag about your amazing concept, tell me what Australia is like. You said you did a commission down there a couple of years ago, right? I’ve always wanted to go there.”
“Hot. And dry. And scary,” Eva said. “But also beautiful and wild. And the coffee…some of the best coffee I’ve ever had in my life.”
Casey listened as they talked about Eva’s travels in Australia for the next fifteen minutes, allowing himself an occasional glance in her direction. She was a good storyteller, and not afraid to tell a joke against herself. When she laughed her whole face lit up, transforming her from attractive to stunning.
She had charm to spare, and he was uncomfortably aware of the tug of continuing attraction. Apparently it didn’t matter that she was done with him, he still wanted her.
The realization made him claim he didn’t want any of his sister’s truly excellent apple pie, and he made an excuse to leave the table early.
Only when he stepped outside did his shoulders climb down from around his ears. He made a point of checking on the mares, just in case Jed followed up on his manufactured excuse, lingering over the chore as long as he could. Then he collected his guitar from his room and made his way round to the very back of the house where the porch was protected by the branches of the big pine tree and he could look out across the darkened fields for miles. He kept an old chair out there for nights like this, and he sat and stared into the darkness, his fingers sliding restlessly over the guitar strings. A rhythm came to him, a collection of notes that swiftly arranged themselves in his mind. He gave himself willingly over to the music, channeling his disappointment and confusion into the work.
After a while, his noodling resolved into a grinding, dirty rhythm and ideas started to spark. After ten minutes, he stopped and pulled out the battered notebook he always carried in his back pocket and scribbled down the lyrics floating in his brain. Then he went back to playing, refining his ideas, searching for a bridge, finding a chorus.
It was a boozy, sexy song, meant for late nights and dark bars, different from the stuff he’d been writing lately, but it captured the essence of last night perfectly. The promise, the flirtation, the lust, the gratification. The earthy, consuming realness of being with a woman who’d grabbed his attention and held it from the moment he first laid eyes on her.
He was going over the bridge again when he caught the scuff of shoes on wood. He knew straight away that it was Eva, even though it was too dark to see anything that wasn’t up close and personal—there was a sudden vibration in the air, and within himself, and his hands stilled on the guitar.
“I didn’t meant to interrupt,” she said.
“It’s okay,” he replied.
“Cool song. Is it one of yours?”
“Maybe, if I get it right.”
“Sounded pretty amazing to me.”
She moved closer, and he could see the gleam of her eyes and the outline of her body.
“Am I invading your special place? Is this your songwriting corner?” she asked.
“No, and yes. But it’s not a tree fort. Girls are allowed.”
Her teeth showed briefly as she smiled.
“I wanted to talk to you about last night,” she said, and his stomach was suddenly as tight as a drum.
“Okay,” he said, and he could hear the wariness in his own voice.
“I can get caught up in my own head sometimes, and it wasn’t until you left that it occurred to me I’d just done the equivalent of wham, bam, thank you ma’am. And that was not cool, at all, and I’ve been feeling like crap about it all day. So I wanted to say I’m sorry for being rude.”
It was so not what Casey had been expecting and it took a moment for her words to sink in.
“You don’t need to apologize,” he said, even though her words had taken a weight off his mind.
“Yeah, I do. You gave me such a good time, but then I was so inspired by what you said about your folks and this place, I had to get my ideas down on paper before they disappeared. And you tried to remind me you were still there, but my head was somewhere else entirely and I didn’t realize until after you’d gone.”
He tried to remember what he’d said last night that might have been inspiring, but he’d been so wiped after climaxing twice in quick succession that all he had was a vague memory of talking about the accident.
“You don’t remember what you said, do you?” She moved closer, parking her butt on the porch railing so she was directly in front of him.
Almost within reach.
“You told me that keeping this place going was about preserving and honoring your parents’ legacy, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how special that was, which led to me thinking about Marietta’s legacy, and then I needed my sketchpad. And then I disappeared down a rabbit hole and didn’t come back up until after you’d gone.”
“I’m glad it helped,” he said. “It’s great you’ve got a real chance at the commission now.”
She sighed. “Okay. I guess I deserve all that politeness. I’ll let you get back to your song. And don’t worry, I’ll be working twenty-four seven on this proposal, so you’ll hardly ever see me.”
He blinked, taken aback by her words. She pushed away from the porch rail an
d he shot out a hand to catch her forearm before she slipped past him and disappeared into the darkness.
“You think I regret last night?” he asked, barely able to believe it.
“I could understand why you might. If a guy was that dismissive of me, I’d probably want to key his car.”
Her arm was warm in his hand, and he could feel the sinewy strength beneath her soft skin. Even though he wanted to keep touching her, he forced himself to let her go.
“I’ll admit, my ego took a hit, but I get it. Sometimes when I’m writing a song, I tune out so much, Sierra claims she has to jump up and down in front of me to get my attention.”
“Except we’d just had earth-moving sex and you were naked in my bed. Slightly different situation.”
He felt a stab of gratification at her words. “Define earth-moving for me.”
There was a small pause before she responded. “Fishing for compliments, Carmody? I didn’t scream loud enough to tip you off last night?”
“Maybe I just want to hear you say it.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. You’re a little distracting, and I need to stay focused.”
“I thought about you today, too,” he said, and she laughed outright.
“You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”
“Funny, I thought I was bending over backward to be easy.”
She laughed again, then she took a step closer, almost as though she couldn’t help herself. “Funny, and hot. How am I supposed to resist that?”
“Don’t know why you’d even try,” he said, shamelessly offering her his best lazy smile.
She shook her head. “I thought we talked about you using that smile for good instead of evil.”
“I promise my intentions are nothing but good.”
Reaching out, he hooked his finger into the belt loop on her jeans and pulled her closer, only stopping when she was standing between his legs. She watched as he slipped his finger free of the belt loop before tracing her skin along the top of her waistband. She shivered subtly when he stopped at the stud on her jeans.
“You’re probably wondering how good I can be, right?” he asked.
She closed her eyes in a long blink. “The thought did cross my mind.”
He slid the stud free.
“When I do something, I like to do it properly.”
She swallowed audibly as he gripped the tab on her zipper and slowly slid it down.
“That sounds very…thorough.”
“Thorough. That’s a good word for it,” he said, then he shifted forward in the chair.
He pulled her jeans open and leaned forward to press his lips to the soft, warm skin of her belly. Her hips rocked forward a little and he opened his mouth and tasted her skin.
As he already knew, she tasted good, and he wanted more.
She made a small, low sound as he gripped her hips and pulled her closer still, peppering kisses across her smooth belly to the lacy top of her panties. Her hands found his shoulders, her fingers digging into the muscles there as he continued his journey south, kissing the gentle rise of her mons through the delicate lace.
Her jeans impeded further progress so he kissed his way back up, opening his mouth hungrily when he reached her bare flesh again.
“Oh, God, that feels so amazing,” she whispered brokenly.
She sounded so lost in pleasure, it went to his head. All he could think about was getting her clothes off so he could make her lose her mind entirely. Gripping the waistband of her jeans, he started peeling them down, past her hips—just as he heard the unmistakable sound of the kitchen door opening around the corner. The distinct sound of footsteps made Eva jerk with alarm, then she brushed his hands aside and yanked her jeans back up in a lightning-fast move. By the time Sierra rounded the corner, Eva was leaning against the porch railing again, arms crossed over her chest.
“Case, I know you said you didn’t want pie, but I saved you a piece anyway because I’m a good and kind sister,” Sierra said.
Her steps slowed when she realized he wasn’t alone and Casey could practically hear the wheels turning in her mind as her gaze went from him to Eva and back again.
“Thanks, appreciate it,” he said.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Sierra said.
“You didn’t. I just heard Casey playing out here and stopped by for a free performance before I headed back to the trailer,” Eva said. “Speaking of which. I’ve got a ton of work to do.”
She stepped away from the railing, clearly keen to be gone.
“Don’t go on my account,” Sierra said. She took a step backward, signaling her intention to return inside. “Make sure he plays ‘Montana Dreaming’ for you while you’ve got him cornered. It’s one of his best.”
Then she pivoted on her heel and disappeared back around the corner of the house.
Casey waited until he heard the door close behind her before catching Eva’s eye.
“Come here.”
“No way.”
“Didn’t take you for a chicken.”
Her chin came up. “I’m not, but you can’t be trusted. And apparently neither can I when I’m around you.”
Casey smiled and reached down to collect his guitar. Then he stood and closed the small distance between them. She had to tilt her head back to continue looking him in the eye as he lowered his head to capture her mouth in a short, hot kiss, just because he could and because he was that freaking desperate to be close to her.
She could pretend all she liked, but they both knew where this was headed.
“Here’s what’s going to happen—I’m going to go inside, put my guitar away, and grab a shower. Then I’m going to come out to the trailer, and you’re going to be naked on the bed, ready for me. Got it?”
Her eyebrows rose and she gave him a look. “Bossy, aren’t you?”
He answered her with another kiss, pressing his body against hers this time so she could feel exactly how much he wanted her. They were both breathing hard when he came up for air.
“Not a stitch on. Got it?”
Then he left her standing in the darkness.
Chapter Seven
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Eva lay in the dark, the sound of her own heartbeat loud as a tom-tom in her head as she waited for Casey to come to her. In line with his orders, she was naked and the warm night air caressed her bare skin as she counted down the minutes.
She’d thought about defying him, just to see what he’d do, how he’d handle it. She’d thought about meeting him at the door fully dressed and telling him she’d changed her mind, that this was a distraction she didn’t want or need.
But that would have been a lie, and she was done with denying her own wants and needs. She’d pushed down her ambition for five years to support someone who was never going to reciprocate. She wasn’t about to deny herself the intense pleasure she knew she’d find in Casey Carmody’s arms. Maybe that was stupid, given everything that was at stake, but that didn’t change her decision.
She wanted more of him. It was that simple.
And so she waited, on the alert for the sound of his approach, her breathing ragged as she anticipated what he was going to do to her, what they were going to do together.
Last night, he’d teased her breasts until she was aching with need. He’d sucked and kissed and licked her until she’d seriously thought she could come from breast play alone.
She wanted him to touch her like that again. She wanted it to last for hours.
She also wanted him pounding into her again, his body hard and hot with urgency. Her inner muscles clenched as she remembered what it had been like to be filled with his beautiful cock. He’d been tireless, driving her higher and higher with every thrust of his hips.
She shifted on the bed, squeezing her thighs together. She didn’t need to check that she’d fulfilled the second part of his command: she was so aroused it almost hurt.
The scuff of a shoe on cement mad
e her tense, and she held her breath as she heard the door open. She was so ready for this, so hungry for it, she was trembling, her mouth dry, every nerve straining.
“No lights? Don’t tell me you’re shy.” Casey’s voice was low and deep in the darkness.
“Didn’t want to intimidate you,” she said.
“Baby, I love a good challenge. I’m going to turn the light on, okay?”
“Knock yourself out,” she said, drawing her bent knees up and rolling them to one side in a classic pinup pose a second before the light came on.
As she’d hoped, he laughed when he saw her.
“See anything you like?” she asked in her most sultry voice.
He’d kept her waiting, now it was her turn to tease.
Holding his gaze, she slowly peeled one thigh away from the other, opening herself up to him. The smile dropped from his mouth, hunger flaring in his eyes.
Casey pulled his T-shirt over his head and let it fall to the floor.
“Lucky the Airstream is tucked in behind the barn the way it is,” he said, his hands making short work of his belt buckle. “Because I’m going to make you scream so loud.”
He pushed his jeans down and she saw he was already hard, his cock jutting proudly. Suddenly the trembling was back and she was almost scared of how much she wanted him, how much she wanted this.
Almost.
He walked toward the bed, six feet of prime male, then the mattress shifted beneath his weight as he climbed on board. His gaze was fixed on the heart of her, taking in everything she had to offer with an avid, appreciative intensity. A shiver ran through her as his hands landed on her knees, his work-roughened hands smoothing up her thighs but stopping just short of touching her where she was aching for him.
“You ready for this?” he asked.
“Are you?” she countered.
“I’ve been ready for this since I rolled off you last night. I’ve been thinking about it all day. Wondering how you taste, how much you can take.”
“I can take anything you’re offering,” she said boldly.
His fingertips pressed into the soft skin of her thighs as his grip tightened briefly. “Let’s see.”
The Rebel and the Cowboy (The Carmody Brothers Book 2) Page 9