by Callie Croix
He tore his gaze away from her breasts to glide his thumb across her lips. “You're beautiful."
She believed him. The way he looked at her made her feel like the sexiest woman alive.
Deke trailed his fingers down her throat to her breastbone. The pads of his fingers were warm and slightly rough, sending a rush of goose bumps over her skin. They skimmed lightly over the tops of her breasts. Her nipples tightened even more, lifting toward him. Begging to be touched. Between her thighs, a hot rush of moisture saturated her lace panties.
His expression was completely absorbed as he stroked her breasts with one hand, tracing the plump curves, ignoring her restless shifting and quickened breathing. “Look at these pretty nipples."
Jessie closed her eyes, aching for so much more than he was giving her. At last, his thumb brushed over one rigid peak, tearing a gasp from her throat as her back arched involuntarily. She'd never been so sensitive there before. Biting back a moan, she opened her eyes.
He watched her face, tracking every nuance of her expression as he feathered his thumb over her. Back and forth, back and forth, before leaving the nipple and finding the other. She pressed up against his hand, wanting more pressure, and slid her fingers into his hair to pull his mouth to her. With a dark chuckle, he leaned forward and trapped her between his hard torso and the truck door. He brushed a kiss over the top of one breast and took the throbbing nipple between his thumb and forefinger, squeezing it gently.
A broken moan escaped her, and her eyes slid closed. He rolled her nipple between his fingers, each little tug sending streamers of sensation to the damp folds between her legs, centering on her aching clit. She squirmed against the leather and tugged on the back of his head. He resisted the movement, bending to torment her with a light nibble against the side of her breast.
He made a growling sound. “You like having your nipples played with."
Apparently. Every time he touched them exquisite tingles raced through her.
Bracing on an elbow, Deke crowded in closer and rolled her other nipple with his free hand, his lips rubbing at the sensitive spot where her neck and shoulder joined. She caught her breath and pushed up harder, demanding more. His skilful fingers kept teasing her throbbing nipples as he layered kisses up her throat to the corner of her mouth. Grasping handfuls of his thick hair, Jessie dragged him to her lips and kissed him, hard.
He stayed like that, sliding his tongue against hers and playing with her nipples like they were the most fascinating things in the world and he had no plans to do anything else. Ever.
Finally unable to stand the burn, she tore her mouth away. “Deke, I..."
"What, sugar?” His lazy drawl stroked her aching body, his fingers making her crazy.
Frustrated, she tugged on his head, trying to draw his mouth to where she wanted it.
He resisted the pressure and shook his head, those endlessly blue eyes burning into hers. “Say it. Tell me what you want me to do."
Jessie fought to relax. “I want your mouth on me."
His tongue stole out to tease the corner of her mouth. “Where?"
He was going to make her say it, whether she wanted to or not. Pushing aside the scary feeling of vulnerability, she met his stare. “My...” Why was it so hard to say the words? It was only the two of them here. No one knew, and no one would overhear. “My...nipples."
"Mmm.” He praised her with a slow stroke of his tongue across her lower lip but pulled away before she could kiss him. “And what do you want me to do with them, sugar?"
Chickening out, she closed her eyes. “S-suck them."
"Then look at me and ask for it."
Her eyes flew open in shock. The implacable demand was there in his face, in his eyes. He wouldn't give her what she wanted until she gave him what he wanted. Her vulnerability. He was slowly pushing her into a place she'd never been before. It unnerved her. But beneath the flutter of unease, a wave of heat flooded her veins. She wanted this. Wanted to surrender to the unyielding dominance in him. All she had to do was give up control, if she could summon the courage to take what he offered.
Swallowing, she found her voice. “Suck my nipples. Please.” The words came out in a shaky rush.
The slow smile he gave her made her heart knock against her ribs. “With pleasure."
He bent his dark head and parted his lips over one ripe nipple. The first stroke of his damp tongue made her gasp and clench her fingers in his hair. The second made her tremble and moan. But when he finally opened his mouth and took her inside to suckle, she thought she'd faint.
"Oh, God,” she cried. Pleasure tore into her, so fast and intense it stole her breath.
Deke slid one arm behind her back to hold her while he enjoyed her, his free hand tormenting the other nipple. He sucked gently at first, then more firmly, licking and nibbling at the tortured peak. Jessie tipped her head back against the door and gave into the sensation, her whole body pulsing with unfulfilled need. She rubbed her thighs together to relieve the ache between them, but the friction only made the throb worse. She wanted his hands there, sliding between her hot folds.
He lifted his head. “You wet for me, sweetheart?"
"Yes.” And getting wetter every second. God, she was going to go crazy if he didn't do something to douse the fire he'd started.
"Good girl.” He sucked her nipple firmly, rubbing his tongue over the tip. “Give into it, Jess. Let me take you higher."
Higher? She was ready to shove him into his seat and attack him.
His mouth tugged and pleasured in a lazy rhythm while his free hand trailed down her stomach, pausing to tease her navel a moment before finding her hip. The warmth of his palm sank through her jeans as he caressed the curve of her bottom and down her thigh. Shifting in his firm grip, she parted her legs and lifted into his body, desperate for him to touch her aching pussy. His hand skimmed up the inside of her leg, the thumb sweeping oh so close to where she needed to be touched. But never close enough.
She whimpered and closed her eyes. Did he want her to beg? She would if he kept pushing her like this, no matter how embarrassed she'd be later.
Deke released her captive nipple and eased away. She reached for him, but he wound his fingers around her wrists and pressed them against the seat. He studied her glistening, swollen nipples, her heaving breasts. Under his intense gaze, the tingling got worse. “So pretty,” he murmured. Then he reached for the discarded bra and brought it to her breasts.
Jessie grabbed it in surprise. “What—"
He pushed her hands away and hooked it behind her back, lifting each breast and sucking tenderly on its tip before nestling them in the satin cups. When he drew the ties of her blouse up, she sat up, shaking in confusion. “You're not going to...do anything else?"
"Not here.” He reached up and pulled her seatbelt around her, his knuckles intentionally grazing the denim between her legs when he drew it across her lap to buckle it. She sucked in a sharp breath.
What the hell was he doing? Did he get off on torturing her or something? If so, she'd had enough. She'd rather go back to her own cabin than suffer more of the excruciating need he created in her if he had no intention of letting her come.
The silence inside the cab nearly suffocated her as he drove through the darkness. Her fingers dug into her thighs as the frustration pulsed through her. This wasn't what she'd had in mind. “I don't think I want to—"
"I'm going to take care of you, Jess, but not in the damn truck. I want to go somewhere private where I can stretch you out and enjoy every sound I pull out of you."
His words made her core clench. She licked her lips. She wanted that, more than anything. But to be alone with him in an isolated place filled her with sudden unease. She'd only known the man for two days. Not that he'd hurt her, but things were moving fast. “Are you going to let me touch you, too?"
"Maybe."
She barely noticed the car coming up behind them until the glare of the headlights in the side m
irror made her squint. She glanced over at the speedometer. Deke was doing at least seventy. He kept glancing in the rearview mirror as the other vehicle drew closer and finally pulled out to pass. A black BMW. The driver accelerated to catch up with them, and something about the way the man looked over at her made her uneasy, but he drove ahead before she could get a good look at him. Weird.
Deke distracted her by taking her hand. She looked at him and smiled. “I never thought I'd meet someone like you on this trip.” Her body still hummed with unrelieved hunger.
He grinned. “I'll bet.” He reached up to tilt something on the rearview mirror when another vehicle's headlights appeared around the curve behind them.
The BMW pulled farther away, until its red tail lights finally disappeared around the next bend in the road. Savoring the feel of Deke's strong fingers wrapped around her hand, she looked out her window at the full moon. Its pale rays painted the ground with silvery streams of light.
His thumb feathered over the backs of her knuckles. “You liked what I did to you.” It wasn't a question.
"I didn't like that you stopped."
Looking at her, he smiled. “That only makes the payoff better for both of us in the end."
She lifted her chin. “Just as long as you don't plan on leaving me hanging the rest of the night."
Raising her hand to his lips, he pressed a seductive kiss to the back of it. “I'd never leave you hurting, sugar."
"I'm hurting now."
His head turned, a flame burning in his eyes. “I'm going to take care of that. Eventually."
Around the next curve, the Beemer appeared in front of them again. Suddenly, it swung around in a tight arc, its tires squealing as it made the erratic u-turn and headed back toward them in the opposite lane. Jessie tensed. “Is he drunk?"
"Dunno.” Deke slowed a bit and moved closer to the shoulder as the other driver approached.
She tried to make out the plate number when the car got closer, but it veered over the center line at the last moment, flying right at them.
She barely had time to brace. A scream got trapped in her throat as Deke jerked the wheel and hit the brakes. They started to skid. The truck tipped as it hit the gravel shoulder. Her hands splayed on the dash in anticipation of the impact, but the BMW hurtled past them, missing them by inches. The vehicle behind them wasn't so lucky.
An instant later, a deafening bang and the screeching of tires ripped through the quiet night. Whipping her head to the side, she caught sight of the BMW's tail lights speeding away into the darkness and the mangled, smoking wreckage behind them. Cursing, Deke slammed the truck into park and shut off the engine. Before she could utter a single word, he jumped out of the truck and ran for the other vehicle.
Fumbling with the strap of the seatbelt, she followed on shaky legs. He was already inside the crumpled cab of the truck, talking to the driver. Jessie swallowed a gasp as she drew near enough to see the woman. The airbag had deployed, but her face was covered with blood, and her eyes were closed. She didn't respond to Deke's attempts at rousing her.
He looked back at Jessie. “There's a med kit in the truck bed."
She ran for the truck, located the heavy duffel, and hefted it from the truck bed. It weighed a ton. What the hell was in there, rocks? Struggling to hold the heavy bag, she rushed back to him. He handed her his cell phone and ripped the zipper open, exposing an oxygen tank. Her eyes widened. He carried an oxygen tank in his med kit?
"Call 911."
Her fingers shook as she hit the buttons, but the call wouldn't go through. “No signal,” she said, trying to calm her breathing as Deke worked on the woman.
"Keep moving around until you get through. She's going to need an ambulance."
She'd just passed the back of the wrecked truck when a plaintive wail came from inside the cab. Whirling around, she met Deke's grim stare. A baby. That crazy asshole had smashed into this poor woman with a helpless baby in the back seat.
"I can't let go of her yet,” Deke said calmly. “Can you—"
Jessie was already heading for the back of the pickup. In three strides, she was at the door, setting her leg against the truck frame to wrench it open. Her heart knocked against her ribs as the baby's cries grew louder, and when she finally saw it, her throat clenched. It had to be less than six months old. The baby was wedged in its rear-facing car seat, the seat crumpled around it.
"Shh,” she soothed as she climbed in, fighting to stay calm even though she was shaking inside. The seat was pinned too tight for her to get it out of the base. “It's okay,” she told the baby, stroking a hand over the crown of his downy head. “You'll be okay, and Deke's taking care of your mama.” He had a couple cuts on the side of his face, probably from flying glass, but other than that she couldn't see any other obvious injuries.
She looked up at Deke, who'd put a cervical collar on the woman and stabilized her position in the truck. “I can't get the seat out,” she called, trying to stay calm. “He's turning his head and kicking his arms and legs, so I think his neck and spine must okay. Can I take him out?"
"No, just leave him where he is until I can check him."
She maneuvered around until she could see into the baby's face. He continued to wail and thrash around, and just as she climbed deeper into the truck she glimpsed the pacifier lying on the floorboard. She wiped it against her jeans and offered it to him, and his chubby little hands reached out and yanked it to his mouth. In an instant, all was quiet.
Far too quiet.
Talking softly to the baby and dabbing at his cuts with her shirt, she dialed 911 again and set the phone between her ear and shoulder as she soothed him. In the front, Deke was hooking up an IV. How the hell did he know how to do that? And what was with all the equipment in his med kit? She closed her hand around the baby's fist when he grabbed her finger in a shockingly hard grip. Her heart pounded. The mother didn't look good. “She's breathing?"
"Yeah, but not well.” He expertly got the line into a vein in her arm and taped it down. He met her stunned gaze. “You get through yet?"
"Still trying.” Damn, what was with this part of the country? Where was a freaking signal when she needed one? She was eventually forced to leave the baby and stand in the middle of the road to get reception.
"Watch yourself,” Deke said. “That idiot might come back."
What? She turned to gawk at him, but her call suddenly went through. After telling the operator what had happened, she got the info on the woman's specific condition from Deke and relayed it to the woman. He knew enough that he sounded like a paramedic.
"I'm standing in the middle of the highway,” she added, “so I'll probably lose you when you I move.” A moment later headlights appeared around the curve and sure enough, as soon as she moved she lost the signal. She stood beside Deke but kept her eyes on the road just in case. “Ambulance is on its way.” The car slowed to a stop beside them, and an elderly man rolled down the window.
"You folks need any help?"
"Thanks, but help's on the way,” Deke answered, and the man drove away.
Handing her the bag of IV fluid to hold, he bandaged up some of the worst of the woman's cuts and then headed around to the back to check the baby. “Let's see what we've got here, little man."
Extending one brawny arm, he flicked on a pen light and checked the infant's pupils. Jessie held the IV bag, wishing she could help, but he seemed to have everything under control. He handled the baby with an ease that startled her.
"T-Thomas..."
At the garbled voice, Jessie looked down to see the mother struggling to turn over in her seat.
Deke placed a calming hand on her shoulder and kept her in place. “He's okay. He's right here. See him?” He somehow unlocked the car seat from its base and brought the baby closer to her.
The woman lifted a frail, blood-streaked hand toward her child. “C-can't breathe,” she gasped.
Jessie knelt beside her and shared a look with Deke.
“Probably a collapsed lung,” he told her. “Do you remember what happened?” he asked the woman.
"No,” she choked. “Was...driving to my...mother's.” The words were wheezy and speaking was obviously a struggle for her.
"What's your name?” Jessie asked.
"It's Stacey,” Deke answered. “She lives on one of the neighboring ranches."
Jessie spared a glance at him. His neighbor lay bleeding on the front seat, but he seemed completely unruffled, in full control of the situation.
"Trade places with me,” Deke said, climbing into the front so he could place an oxygen mask over the mother's face. “Don't talk for now. You're going to be fine, and the baby's okay. Ambulance will be here in a few minutes."
Jessie took the woman's hand and gently settled it against the baby's cheek. Stacey's eyes filled with tears, and Jessie felt her own sting. “He's okay,” she reassured the mother. “I think he was mostly upset at having his sleep disturbed.” She looked at Deke. “Can I do anything?"
He took out a blanket and covered Stacey with it. “Just keep doing what you're doing."
She stayed beside Stacey with the baby and talked to her until the police came, then the ambulance. Deke briefed the paramedics and helped them load the woman onto a gurney and into the back of the ambulance and handed up the baby in the seat he'd wrestled from the crumpled interior of the truck.
They pulled away, lights and sirens blaring, and disappeared into the darkness. The police asked her some questions but focused mostly on Deke before leaving. Shivering despite the warm night air, Jessie wrapped her arms around herself and stared after the cruiser. Deke stripped off his latex gloves as he came over and set an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him, grateful for the warmth. “You sure she'll be okay?"
"Yeah. As soon as they get a chest tube in she'll be more comfortable. Then they'll run a CT scan just to be sure she doesn't have a brain bleed, but her GCS score was good, so I wouldn't worry."