“I don’t think you’re wearing your lace underthings, are you?”
“You’re about to find out.” She stuck out her tongue and reached for the remaining buttons on her dress with one good hand. Tyler took pity on her fumblings and finished unbuttoning them for her.
When he pulled her dress off over her head, Tyler found that his wife was only wearing a pair of stockings and garters. It seemed she’d been nearly naked under that dress the whole time. His cock screamed to be let loose. She laughed after she caught a glimpse of his face.
“You have too many clothes on.”
After Tyler was nude, she straddled him again, rubbing her wetness up and down his hardness. He closed his eyes and reveled in the hot slide of skin on skin. When she bit his nipple, his eyes popped open and her mischievous grin made him grin back.
He captured one perfect breast with his mouth. As he suckled the hardening bud, she slid backward until he was poised at her entrance.
“Put it in, magpie.”
Nicky did as she was bid and he groaned at the perfection of being held so tightly by her body. It was pure bliss, plain and simple.
“God, you feel good.”
He chuckled against her nipple. “I was thinking the same thing.”
She rocked slightly, pushing him that much deeper. “You’re going to have to let that go.”
“Don’t want to.” He nibbled on the pink peak.
She clenched hard around his cock and he shuddered at the pulse of pleasure that rocketed all the way to his toes. He lost his mind for a moment. Before he knew what had happened, she was sitting up and had her hand braced on his chest. Little minx.
“Now I’m ready to ride.”
Tyler had never been one to let the reins go easily, but for Nicky, he simply handed them over. She already owned his heart.
Nicky surely knew how to ride. She rode him like he’d never been ridden before, sliding up and down to her own slow rhythm, carrying him along. He held onto her hips, pushing himself deeper toward her center. She met his thrusts with her own, but she didn’t increase her pace. She was torturing him.
“Lord have mercy, woman.”
“Mmmm, no mercy for you.” She leaned forward and licked his lips until he opened his mouth. Tyler wrapped his arms around her back and with a quick flip, she was under him.
“Cheater.”
He suckled her neck. “All’s fair in love.”
Tyler pulled her legs wide, then laced his fingers with her good hand and gently cupped her sore one as he slid in and out of her core. The golden hay surrounded her head like a halo, her cheeks were flushed, and her mouth open.
“Love,” Nicky repeated, then she whispered his name fiercely as she contracted around him, quivering and pulsing.
Her pleasure proved to be his. When he came, it roared through him so hard, stars sparkled in his vision. He gripped her hand tightly, as tightly as she gripped his. Their hands were as entwined as their hearts, their bodies, and their souls.
After he caught his breath, he withdrew and lay down, and tucked her under his arm.
“You are so beautiful.” He picked up a lock of her sunset-colored hair between his fingers and marveled again at the silky texture. “You take my breath away.”
Her brows drew together in a frown.
“You still don’t believe me?”
“No one has ever told me I was beautiful, or even pretty. I’m just so tall, with gangly arms and legs. And this hair. Ugh, and the freckles across my nose.”
Tyler proceeded to kiss each freckle. “I love your freckles. They taste like cinnamon. And I love the fact that you don’t have to break your neck to kiss me. You fit right into my arms like you were made for me, darling. You’re perfect, and the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
She sighed contentedly as Tyler continued his ministrations. “Mmmm. I like that.”
“I can’t believe these Wyoming boys are that blind. No more old boyfriends for me to pummel, like Nate?”
“No,” she laughed. “Not a one, but…”
“But what?”
“There might be a new flame soon.”
“What new flame?”
“Why, the next member of the Calhoun gang, of course.” She smiled as she pulled his hand to her flat stomach.
Understanding dawned. “A baby? Are you telling me we’re going to have a baby?”
“I think so, but I’m not certain. I missed my monthly last week. Mama says it’s possible. It must have been the first time we, well, you know, the morning after our wedding.”
He blanched at the thought of her in Hoffman’s grasp when she was pregnant. He could have lost more than he ever thought possible. He gripped her shoulders.
“Don’t ever take a chance with your life like that again. You didn’t need to confront Hoffman like that.”
“Yes, I did.”
After a few moments pause, he let loose a large sigh as he tucked her under his arm. “I hope you like Texas.”
“Why?”
“That’s where we’ll live. Of course, we’ll take Noah with us. It’s not much, but my house is there and—”
“There you go again. Making up my mind for me.” She sat up and starting rearranging her clothes.
“Don’t yell at me, woman,” he bellowed right back.
“Don’t take me for granted, oaf.”
“Never,” he whispered as his mouth met hers in a fierce heat.
“First thing we’re going to do is visit with my family for a while,” she said when she finally pulled away from him. “Then we’ll decide where to live. And, yes, Noah can come with us.”
“Pushy witch.”
“Sorry you married me?” she whispered.
“Never. I love you, Nicole.”
“And I love you, Tyler.”
As he thoroughly kissed his wife, Tyler heard the sound of boot heels in the stable. He froze in place. Nicky stared into his blue eyes with apprehension.
“I tell you, I saw him come in here.” It was Ray’s voice.
“Are you sure?” That was Jack. “I don’t see them anywhere.”
“Maybe they went for a walk,” said Brett.
“Maybe they rode away,” said Trevor.
“No, his horse is still here, and so is Nicky’s mare. They wouldn’t go anywhere without their horses,” Ethan observed.
Nicky stifled a giggle as she heard her brothers’ conversation. Tyler’s brows grew together in a frown at his wife’s obvious enjoyment of the situation. Even if they were married, he was naked, rolling in the hay with their nearly naked baby sister. Five against one weren’t the best odds.
Why were they looking for them?
“Shit. Mama said we couldn’t eat until we found them. Nicky’s done it again. And I’m hungry,” complained Jack.
“Me, too.”
“So am I.”
Tyler had to assist Nicky to hold back her giggles.
“What should we do?”
“Split up and start looking for them.”
“I’ll go to the house. Come on Trevor.”
“I’ll take the barn.”
“I’ll check the bunkhouse. Why don’t you come with me, Brett?”
As the footsteps faded, Tyler released his grip on Nicky’s mouth.
“What was all that about?”
“When I was little I used to hide at dinner time because Mama wouldn’t start eating without me. As the baby sister, it was one way I could get back at them for all their teasing. Sometimes it would take them an hour to find me.” She grinned impishly.
“Somehow I’m not surprised.” He frowned. “We should get dressed and get out there if everybody is waiting for us.”
She shrugged and let loose a little giggle that went straight to his nether regions.
“Keep doing that and they won’t eat until Christmas.”
After they quickly pulled on their clothes, he stood and helped her to her feet, kissing her thoroughly as he buttoned
up her dress.
“You might want to get the hay out of your hair.”
Tyler froze at the sound of Ray’s voice. They both turned to find all five brothers leaning against the stall door.
“And button up your pants before you give Pa apoplexy,” said Brett.
“H-how did you…” Nicky stammered.
“We know all your hiding places, Sissie.” Jack grinned.
Tyler surveyed his brothers-in-law for hostile intent as he buttoned his pants, and Nicky pulled the hay from her curls. There was a moment of silence when he thought for sure it was going to end with fists.
“We wanted to tell you that we missed you, Nicky,” said Ethan.
They each echoed the sentiment. Tyler was nearly taken aback. How lucky his wife was to have a family that loved her so unconditionally.
“Ray and Jack told us about how you thought we wouldn’t forgive you. Please, next time, come to us for help,” Brett continued.
“We’d never turn our backs on you, little sister,” Trevor said softly.
“We love you, sprite, believe us when we tell you, there’s nothing to forgive,” said Ray.
Her eyes misting with tears, Nicky looked at each of her brothers in turn. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I do. Let’s eat,” Jack quipped.
Laughing, four of them turned and walked back toward the party. Only Jack remained.
“I’m glad we found you, Sissie,” said Jack softly. His words carried more meaning than their simple message.
“Me, too,” she said thickly as she embraced him quickly. He turned and strode out of the barn but not before they noticed the suspicious sheen in his eyes.
“Me, too,” said Tyler.
As he gathered his wife into his arms, he realized how glad he was that he’d taken on Nicky Malloy’s bounty. It had brought him to a place in his life that he’d never thought he’d be. And more bounty than he would need for the rest of his life.
Beth Williamson
To learn more about Beth Williamson, please visit www.bethwilliamson.com. Send an email to Beth at [email protected] or join her Yahoo! group to join in the fun with other readers as well as Beth http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cowboylovers.
Can’t get enough of The Malloys? Here’s an excerpt from THE PRIZE, book two in the Malloy Family series by Beth Williamson, available May 16, 2006 from Samhain Publishing.
The ground was too frozen to bury the foal, so Jack took stones from the pile behind the barn and brought them about twenty yards away. Rebecca didn’t want to think the pile had been gathered for that express purpose. He shoveled a makeshift path to the burial site, and then brought the blanket-wrapped bundle. She walked behind him saying a prayer under her breath for the foal and its mother. Losing a baby, for any reason, was the worst kind of heartache a female, human or horse, could endure. This reminded her of her own pain, her own shame, and her soul-damaging decision three years ago. It still hurt so much it could snatch her breath away. She couldn’t let Jack know how distressed she was, though. He must never know what she did. The shame would be too great.
Lying the bundle down on the snow, Jack went back to the barn for a moment.
“I’m sorry, baby,” she whispered, hastily wiping frozen tears as Jack returned with a rifle.
“Can’t be too careful,” he said.
Setting the rifle down, he used the shovel to clear a larger patch in the snow, then picked up the foal and gently laid it down again.
He looked up at her as he started to pile the rocks in a circle around the blanket-wrapped bundle. “Did you want to say anything?”
She shook her head. “I said a prayer for it already.”
That seemed to satisfy him, as he nodded and continued to pile the stones around it, making an oval-shaped pyramid of sorts. Leave it to a man to know how to pile stones together as a grave.
In a split second, she found herself violently shoved from behind, face first into the snow. An inhuman scream split the cold night air followed by a rifle shot. Rebecca cautiously moved her head and tried to regain the breath that had been knocked from her.
“Becky?” came Jack’s horrified voice. “Oh my God! Becky?”
His hands were turning her over in the snow. She blinked up at him as he wiped the snow from her cheeks. She was finally able to suck in gulps of the frigid air.
“Are you okay? Did she hurt you? Say something, dammit!”
“Please don’t curse,” she whispered.
He tried to smile, but failed. “Goddamn cougar. I’m sorry. I should’ve been more on my guard. Those big cats are hungry this time of year. She was after the foal and squashed you like a flapjack.” He cradled her face in his hands. “Sweet Jesus, are you hurt?”
She mentally surveyed her body. “No, just winded I think.” She sat up with Jack’s assistance. He started to brush the snow off her back and stopped suddenly. He uttered a curse she had only heard once in her life, and it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
“What is it?” she asked with no small alarm in her voice.
He pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. The feeling of being in Jack’s arms again was incredible. She could feel the frantic thumping of his heart beating against hers. And he was so warm!
“Thank God you’re okay,” he whispered. He pulled back slowly and his eyes reflected many emotions, not the least of which was worry. Then he lowered his mouth to hers in a bruising kiss that managed to steal the breath that she’d just regained. But oh, for such a different reason. His lips were strong, not insistent. His tongue roughly invaded her mouth and she was lost. Utterly lost. Twining her arms around his neck, she moaned and pushed herself closer to him. His grip tightened as the kiss grew deeper, hungrier. She felt as if she were caught in a whirlpool, spinning faster and faster. Her breasts were tight, her nipples hard nubs that she ground into his chest. Wanting to be even closer, wanting much more.
“House, let’s go. House,” he ground out.
Rebecca was about to agree heartily when Jack was ripped from her arms. The scream of another cougar singed her ears. A huge, tawny cat was biting and clawing Jack as he struggled for his life. Becky screamed and shouted his name. She scrambled backwards, searching frantically for the rifle. It was lying on the ground beside the grappling man and beast. The slurping, growling noises the cougar was making were quite possibly the worst sounds she’d ever heard. Jack was cursing and grunting and the snow was turning red with blood. His blood.
“Leave him alone, you bastard!” she bit out as she aimed and squeezed the trigger. The shot went wild, but the cat let go of Jack, screamed again and lunged for her with Jack’s blood dripping from its mouth along with a puff of warm breath in the cold night.
This time, somehow God was guiding her hand, and her aim was true. The big cat was felled by the second shot, sliding the last two feet to land at her feet. She was breathing hard, gulping air like a small child drinking cold milk on a hot day. She was also shaking so badly the rifle dropped from her hands into the snow.
“Jack!” Rebecca cried, running to his side. Kneeling down she willed herself to not be sick at the sight of so much blood. So much blood. “Can you hear me?”
She ignored the tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked into his glazed eyes. “Please, Jack. Say something.”
Noah came running toward them from the barn.
“Noah, help me get him into the house. He’s bleeding so badly.”
Jack smiled at her. “You are so beautiful, Becky. Like an angel.”
“Don’t speak of angels, Jack. It scares me and I really don’t need to be any more frightened that I am at this moment,” she said, grabbing his hand and pressing the palm to her lips.
His eyes began to close. “My angel.”
“Jack, dammit, don’t you die on me!”
Want more hot historicals? Here is an excerpt from a Red Hot read—LEARNING CHARITY by Summer Devon, available now from Samhain Publishing.
His large dark eyes sparked with a light of something. Curiosity? Humor? For the first time on meeting a customer, she felt a stirring within her.
No wonder. What a glorious man. On closer inspection, she understood that some of his features—a large mouth, slightly crooked nose, circles under the dark eyes—might be considered flaws. The whole effect of his appearance caused her body to prickle with the same joyful attraction she’d felt long ago for the curate in her village.
Pure pleasant excitement.
Only now she knew too well what men and women did and she knew he’d pay to do just that with her. Yet instead of feeling that strange distant sensation or revulsion, her two most common responses, she grew dizzy with something new. It took a minute for her to realize the heavy sensation and her quickening breath was anticipation. She imagined him undressed and her stomach gave a tiny flip and an aching heaviness began to throb within her.
He hadn’t even touched her.
A hint of panic cut through her. Charity must keep apart once his hands reached for her. Cherry would take charge, though at the moment she felt too rattled to take on that confident persona.
She dragged her attention back to Madame, who had adopted her ‘customer manners’. The older woman gave a high-pitched imitation of a governess with the faintest trace of a false French accent. “My dear, the gentleman only wants to ask you a few questions about your interests.”
“No,” she whispered to Madame. “I do beg your pardon, but I-I—”
Madame’s dark brows knit. “I don’t think we have asked for too much from you.” A veiled threat. And no wonder. Cherry balked at standard house requests such as threesomes. She remained too shy, even after several weeks of employment.
“I understand.” She made a last attempt. “Madame, you have been very generous. I can’t explain.” She risked a glance across the room at the customer. He watched her, amused. Charity stumbled back into speech. “That is, I don’t wish to offend, but I am not at all sure I have anything of interest to say—”
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