"Tucker," she whispered.
He lifted his head to stare at her, his gaze intense. The blue of his eyes seemed almost swallowed by the black of his pupils. "Tell me you want this."
"God, yes. I haven't been able to think of anything else since we met."
"I'm glad I'm not alone."
Her craving for him spiked hard as he swept his thumb along her bottom lip. "I love the feel of your skin under my hands."
"Touch me."
"Oh, I plan to. Everywhere."
The snaps on his shirt gave way with little more than a sharp tug. Belt buckle and jeans disappeared once he’d shucked his boots, but his black boxers did nothing to hide his impressive length from her gaze.
"Oh my." She grazed his cock with the tip of her fingernail. A throaty moan came from deep in his chest.
"Not fair."
"Mmm? Why?"
"You still have too many clothes on."
"Well, we’ll have to rectify the situation shortly then, huh."
"You bet, darlin'. I wanna see if the real thing is anything like my imagination."
Trepidation raced down her spine with the memory of her ex’s words. "You don't know how to be a woman, Jacie. You'll never be anything more than a tomboy trucker who gets her jollies behind the wheel of a big rig. They say men compensate with big toys. You don't know how to turn a man on." Tucker obviously thought she was woman enough to satisfy him. Didn't he?
"Hello, Jacie. Come on back, honey. Don't leave me hangin' here," Tucker said, skimming his thumb across her nipple even though her shirt kept them from skin-to-skin contact.
"Sorry."
"Where'd you go? Your eyes got all glassy. I know it wasn't from my touch."
"Something someone said to me once just got in the way for a minute. That's all."
"It must have been unpleasant judging by your frown," he murmured. The pressure of his hand on her breast never lessened while his thumb continued to massage her nipple.
"Let's not talk about it. All right? I need this. I need you," she said against his mouth.
"My pleasure, darlin'. I want everythin' from you."
Both hands grasped the bottom of her shirt to pull it over her head.
"Nice." He sighed, making her almost believe he liked what he saw.
Two fingers flicked the clasp of her bra sitting between her breasts and it fell at their feet.
Shivers raced down her arms at the heat in his eyes. Her nipples tightened. Her clit throbbed. Both knees wobbled, almost giving out except for his grip on her waist.
"God, you're beautiful," he whispered as his fingers danced along her ribs.
Her breath rushed from between her lips in a heavy sigh. Maybe he does like what he sees.
He pulled her tight against him. Skin-to-skin, breast to chest, and everything in between touched, molded, and she felt the rush of desire she couldn't control. His lips brushed against her shoulder before they worked their way up to her neck. She tipped her head to the side as a soft whimper escaped her lips when he nipped at the sensitive skin.
"So soft."
Good Lord, the man knows how to make my body sing. "Please."
"Please what, darlin'. Tell me what you want.”
"Lick me. I want your tongue."
"Where?"
"Everywhere you can reach. Eat me up."
A soft chuckle left his mouth. His eyes smoldered with his own need. Her knees hit the bed and then they tumbled backward across the mattress in a tangle of arms and legs, much to the disgruntlement of her cat.
Meow!
"What the hell?" Tucker yelled, rolling off her.
"Sorry. It's my cat," she replied with a giggle. The furious feline beelined for the bathroom in a flurry of fur and angry yowls. "She'll stay in there now for a while."
"I hope so. I really would rather have your fingernails down my spine than hers."
"Oh, I like the sound of that." She nipped at his jaw. "Where were we?"
His fingers plucked at her belt buckle, unsnapped her jeans, and then skimmed over the edging of her pink satin thong. "Right about here, I think." He sat up and grabbed her jeans at her hips. With a gentle tug, he had them down her legs in nothing flat and piled on the floor. He took a long lustful look at the scrap of fabric hiding her sex. "Like these things, do you?"
"Yeah. You?"
"I love 'em. Nothin' sexier than a woman's ass cheeks." The rough pad of his tongue slipped from her knee, up her thigh only to stop on the elastic edge of the small swatch of pink. Her breath hitched in her throat, and a sexy grin spread across his face. His warm, moist breath skipped over her skin as his nose brushed against her abdomen. His tongue flicked the dangling belly button ring at her navel. "Love these too."
He played for several moments at her belly button, before continuing his journey up until he reached her nipple. The nub ached for the touch of his mouth. One quick swipe at the tip and she thought she'd lose it. "Don't tease, please."
The soft hum against her flesh sent her desire spiraling out of control. He pulled her nipple between his lips and sucked hard.
An annoying jingle of a cell phone, cut through the whimpers and moans of their passion. Jacie didn't recognize the ring tone.
"Damn," Tucker swore, sitting upright to reach for his pants.
"Ignore it," she said, smoothing her palm down his back.
"I wish I could. It's the main phone at my ranch." The phone appeared in his hand as he tossed the pants to the floor. "If they are calling, it's trouble." He flipped the top open and said, "Hello?"
The loss of his body heat and scrape of his hair-roughened skin over hers, brought reality back into sharp contrast.
What the hell am I doing? She rolled off the other side of the bed, grabbed her clothes from the floor without glancing at Tucker and disappeared into the bathroom. The reflection in the mirror showed a young, fairly attractive woman in her opinion. Her hazel eyes were bright with sexual arousal, her lips looked more rosy and puffy from his kisses. Her skin had whisker burn from his cheeks. Over all, she looked like a woman who should be in there riding that cowboy’s hips like a bucking bronc, but she wasn't. She stood in the bathroom in front of the sink in a cheap motel, second-guessing having sex with one hot cowboy.
Tucker's voice came through the wooden panel as he knocked softly. "Jacie?"
"Yeah."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, but I think you should go."
Uncomfortable silence met her ear for several moments as she wondered what thoughts might be running through his mind. Would he go? What did he think of her since she was pulling the plug on their sexcapades?
"If you want me to."
"I think it’s best."
"All right. I'll go to the shop and find out about the tires."
She didn't hear anything for long minutes, until the door slamming shut echoed in the now silent room.
* * * *
After a long, hot shower, she felt better—more in control. Resolved to keep the relationship with Tucker strictly business, she pulled on her jeans and a T-shirt, stomped her feet into her boots and pulled open the door of her room only to come face to face with the object of her deepest fantasies of late.
"Oh, hi," Tucker said, dropping his hand back to his side.
"Hi. Did you find out anything?" she asked, keeping their conversation on something other than what happened earlier.
"Yeah, the truck is already done."
"What? Are you serious?" She gasped, rushing by him to see for herself.
"Yeah," he replied, coming up beside her. "When I came out here, the truck was gone so I walked on over to his shop. He had it inside already and two of the four tires were already replaced."
"I'm going to kill him," she growled, stomping toward Kyle's shop until Tucker grabbed her arm.
"Wait."
"Wait what? The asshole had a set of tires the whole time! This whole thing between you and I only took a couple of hours. He had to have
started them when he hightailed it away from the arena." Her breath came out in rasping pants. The anger rushing through her scared her. She wanted to drop Kyle to his knees more than anything on earth, but the hold Tucker had on her arm, prevented her.
"It doesn't make any difference. We've got the tires. We can leave, right now if we want to."
"I hate lying, manipulative men. He's at the top of the list right now," she replied before grinding her teeth together, trying to hold her temper in check.
"I bet a lot of your passionate nature comes out between the sheets."
His words put a halt to her tirade as she stared at him, wondering what he meant by his remark.
"Since you are finally listening to me, let's get the bull and your horse loaded and get out of Dodge. With a little luck, we can be in Vegas in three days. What do you say?"
"But I really want to give him an earful at least."
"I know, darlin'. We'll take care of Kyle some other time. Right now, we need to get to Nevada."
"All right. Fine. Let's get my gear. We can put my horse in the front of the cargo area and bull in back."
Her anger would dissipate in time. She knew it better than she knew herself. Her temper always ran hot. Maybe she could find a different way to let off some steam, but probably not. Getting on the road would take care of the white hot rage rushing through her.
They got her checked out, picked up her small suitcase, the cat, and were on their way to pick up his trailer in no time.
"Wow. This is bigger inside than I thought," he told her, glancing around inside her truck.
"I forgot you'd never been inside a big rig. I'd give you a tour, but this is all there is." Her anger had slowly begun to wane. Each shift of the gears made her feel a little better. The open road calmed her down and soothed her nerves like nothing else could—except for maybe one thing.
"I can't imagine staying in here twenty-four seven."
"How big is your place?" she asked. His eyes narrowed into slits. She wondered why he looked irritated at her question. "Never mind. It's none of my business anyway."
"Let's just say it's pretty good sized. I breed American Bucking Bulls. I also run cattle and breed Quarter Horses."
"Damn. What don't you breed?"
"Wives, girlfriends, or lovers."
"Whoa, wait a minute. I'm not looking for any kind of a relationship. I like my life on the road. I sure as hell don't need a man on a permanent basis. They are nothing but a pain in the ass."
"Good because I don't need an undying relationship either. Casual sex is good for me when I need it."
A quick exhale blew the hair off her forehead. "I'm glad we're on the same page. Traveling partners for a few days, right?"
One dark eyebrow shot up when she glanced his way. He looked like he wanted to say something more except he refrained simply by saying, "Yes, ma'am."
"Wonderful." Then why all of a sudden do I feel so alone?
Silence encompassed the cab for the rest of the ride to the park. Images of the two of them sprawled across the bed in the trailer, naked and enjoying each other's bodies sped across her mind. Need spiked hard. Both nipples beaded into tight little nubs and she thanked the stars above for the oversized shirt she'd donned before they left the room. Her clit throbbed with her ever increasing heart rate. The tips of her fingers itched to smooth over the hard planes of his chest.
With every breath, she prayed she could walk away at the end of the trip and go on about her business as if nothing had happened. Somehow she didn't think it would be quite so easy.
* * * *
Within two hours, they had both animals loaded as the buildings of Littleton, Oklahoma faded fast into the distance in her rearview mirrors. Tucker sat quietly in the passenger seat and she wondered what thoughts might be going through his mind. Her cat had made friends with Tucker the minute they started driving, by parking her butt in his lap, curling up into a ball and going to sleep.
"You’re in her seat."
"I guess so," he replied while his hand stroked Macy’s head.
"She likes you, otherwise she wouldn’t be curled up in your lap."
"Wonderful. I’ve made friends with your cat."
"Well it’s better than what happened in the motel room, isn’t it?"
They hadn't really discussed what had happened between them earlier. It wasn’t like there was a whole lot to discuss anyway. He definitely knew his way around a woman's body. The way his tongue had…
"Jacie?"
"Uh…sorry. I didn't hear you."
"I asked you where you want to stop for the night. You know this road a lot better than I do."
"Yeah. Well, I usually spend the night in rest areas, but there are a few pull offs we can use. I know a few farmers on the way where we can stop and let the animals out," she said, glancing across the cab.
"We'll have to stop for dinner at some point."
"What about fast food? We should make whatever miles tonight we can."
"You're the boss."
She captured her bottom lip between her teeth. Never in her life had a male simply trusted her to make the decisions. There had always been the strong-handed type that wanted to tell her what to do all the time. Tucker's personality intrigued her. She’d always thought it took a really confident man to not feel threatened by a woman. The problem was, she’d yet to meet one—until now.
The rumble of the engine lulled her into a peaceful state of mind. This was the part of her job she loved. The endless miles from one side of the country to the other, seeing different landscapes every day, meeting new people, but still having the quiet time to think, dream, and plan her future.
Her CB crackled as a deep voice said, "Hey, baby girl. What's shakin’? Haven't seen you in awhile. Come back."
She chuckled and grabbed the microphone. "Hey, big daddy. Not much on this end. Some trouble in Littleton, but on the road now."
"You come into some money lately, baby. You got one hell of a trailer behind your rig."
"Not me, sugar. It's cargo."
"Must be some pricey freight."
"You could say so, yeah. PBR bull ridin' there."
"Bull?"
"Big old white thang." One look at Tucker and she almost burst out laughing. A small wrinkle creased the skin between his eyebrows as his eyes narrowed into irritated slits. What the hell is he getting so irritated about? I'm only kidding.
"He's a papered American Bucking Bull," Tucker added to the conversation.
"Somebody ridin' shotgun, babe?"
"Yeah. Big boy's owner."
"You let some dude in your cab?"
"No choice."
"Dayum! I never thought I'd see the day, Jacie Hawkins, when you would allow some man in your cab. I'll have to shake his hand."
"Stuff it, big daddy."
A roar of laughter echoed over the airwaves and she smiled.
"Back off the hammer, honey. You in a hurry?"
"Yeah. Gotta make Sin City in three days."
"Bear trap twenty miles ahead of you."
"Thanks."
"See ya on the flip."
"Ten-four."
"What the hell was that all about?" Tucker asked as she replaced the microphone on the metal clip.
"Nothin' why?"
"Were you even speaking English, because I don't think I understood a word of the whole conversation."
"Trucker talk," she replied with a shrug.
"I guess so."
"I'm sure you'll pick up on some of the slang since you'll be sitting up here with me for three days."
"Do I want to?"
"You might. Conversations go on all the time. We pass on information to each other." A quick check of her mirrors revealed only empty road behind her. "You heard him mention back off the hammer?"
"Yes."
"He meant slow down. There's a cop approximately twenty miles ahead."
Tucker shook his head and smiled. "You amaze me."
"Why?"
"All of this," he replied with a wave of his hand. "You take to it like a fish to water. A job some men wouldn't do and here you are, a very beautiful woman taking on something so opposite of who you are inside."
Anger made heat flush up her neck. She fastened her gaze on Tucker. "Don't think because we are traveling together that you suddenly know me inside out. You don't know me at all."
Chapter Four
"Easy, Jacie. It wasn't an insult. I'm fascinated," he replied, turning sideways in his seat. "Let me tell you what I think."
"Great," she snapped, returning her gaze to the windshield.
"I think you're hidin' behind this persona. You keep your hair up in a dirty ball cap. You wear big shirts to hide your curves. You talk the talk and walk the walk, but honey, you are all woman under there. You still like your perfume, thong underwear, and pink bras. What would your trucker buddies say if they knew?"
"Forget it, Tucker. This is the real me. I'm stubborn, independent, loud-mouthed when I get drunk and I wish I could pee standing up."
A roar of laughter bounced off the walls of her truck. The irritation racing through her, increased.
The laughter went on for a moment, but she really couldn't find the humor in the situation.
"Do you know what else?"
"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me."
"You also have very sensitive lips."
She clamped her thighs together to stop the sudden streak of heat settling between them.
"You'd like my tongue…everywhere. I love your breasts. They fill my hands just right."
Damn the man! "Okay. Let's get something straight here. Business only until we reach Vegas. Got it?"
"If you insist, but you have it and I want it." Before she knew what he was doing, he reached across the cab to slide a finger over her nipple. "We still have a bet to work out the details on."
The torture of his touch rerouted the signals of arousal in her brain. "Bet?"
"The handcuffs." The teasing smile returned as desire pooled in her belly.
Right. The handcuffs. Mmm.
"You didn't forget did you?"
Trouble With a Cowboy Page 6