Using her own feminine wash, she scrubbed her body with the purple loofa Stryker had said Lilly picked out.
Finished, she shut off the water, dried off and didn’t bother dressing before she went into the bedroom. Since she’d crawled out of his bed that morning, she’d anticipated the moment when she’d crawl back in with her cowboy.
She wasn’t sure how long she’d lain there, drifting in and out of slumber, before she heard his booted footsteps as he made his way up the stairs and down the hall toward her. Her stomach fluttered as she situated her body in what she hoped was a sexy Marylyn Monroe pose—breasts out, tummy tucked in and one leg angled.
The door opened and she watched him enter the moonlit shadows. She could see him, but his eyes hadn’t adjusted to the darkness yet. Her heart raced and her breathing sounded loud in her ears. She tried her best to relax.
He moved across the floor and flicked on the table lamp. His gazed locked with hers and then raked over her naked form. A deep growl sounded from deep within his chest. “Damn, a man could get used to greetings like this.”
“After a perfect day, I thought we deserved dessert in bed.”
“I like the way you think, sweetheart.” Something in his gaze made her nipples tighten and her skin quiver. Goosebumps marred her flesh as she grew eager to have him close. He slid one boot off, then the other, and it thumped across the floor. “Always have liked your adventurous side.”
Anticipation growing, she controlled her need to slide across the bed and grab her cowboy. He started unbuttoning his flannel shirt and her senses heightened. She enjoyed the feeling of having her own private stripper as he dragged the material from his brawny shoulders. She hoped he was ready to engage himself in a night of hot sex because after years of a dry spell, she couldn’t seem to get enough and he seemed more than willing to fill her every need.
Pants unsnapped…zipper released…jeans pushed down strong, powerful legs…and she all but salivated. Her fingertips ached to rip the boxer briefs off his tight ass, but she reminded herself that they had all night. She couldn’t help that she desired him between her thighs, yet it couldn’t hurt to play a little hard to get.
“Let’s see the package.” Her voice gave away her urgency.
He tucked his thumbs inside of the elastic band and moved his underwear downward. Growing impatient, she smoothed her palm over her tingling breasts, along her stomach and stopped at her aching core. Her juices moistened her fingers and she heard the sharp intake of his breath. They held gazes as she circled a finger around the throbbing nub.
“You’ve been waiting a while?” His husky voice spoke of his inner havoc. He tore a hand through his thick hair and settled a heated stare on the apex of her thighs.
“I can’t get enough.” She brought her wet finger up and crooked it, motioning for him to come to her as she spread her legs wider.
He climbed onto the bed, the mattress sinking under his weight and she shifted. He took her hand into his and brought her digits to his mouth, licking the cream from each. Her insides quaked as she became wetter.
“Your taste is addictive.” He plucked her up and she found herself atop him, straddling him between her thighs. His large erection teased the lips that craved his satisfaction.
The man still resided inside of her heart—she couldn’t deny the truth. He consumed places only he could explore—places where only he was invited to discover.
His hard tip nestled inside of her and she circled her hips, drawing him deeper, seducing him with her body. He closed his arms around her and pulled her closer, bringing their mouths together. Tongues dueled as they met each other’s passion. He tasted of mint and it made her heady. She took his lower lip between her teeth, nibbled and played, before licking the gently assaulted skin. A growl penetrated his throat and she lapped it up with another kiss.
She sat up straight and his palms found her breasts. He fondled each mound, caressing heated flesh and rolled his thumbs across the pink tips. She moaned and bent her head to one side. Her long hair fell over her shoulder, tendrils sweeping across her sensitive skin.
“You’re fucking beautiful, darlin’.”
She chocked back a sigh as she realized how crazy she still was about him, even after years of separation. At the moment wasn’t probably the best time for the revelation, but she knew her heart and what it was telling her. She loved him, from his coal black locks to her painted toes—she was in love.
Her timing sucked. She was between crying and screaming.
He must have read her unease. He looked at her in curiosity. She couldn’t allow him to see her emotions; she needed to protect the innocence of her passion. She blinked away any signs of disorder and smoothed her hands over the taut planes of his chest and abdomen.
“I love this—the way you fit inside of me. The way you drive me across edges of ecstasy.” Not one man should be equipped with such virility.
He grasped her hips as she rode him, swirling her pussy around his cock. She lowered her body against his and kissed his neck, leaving a trail as she made her way to his ear, suckling the lobe until he jerked.
In one quick motion, he maneuvered her onto her back and he was above her, bodies still connected. “Yes!” she whimpered.
His eyes glowed like blue granite and his long lashes swooped along the tops of his tanned cheeks. She moved her hands around to his back, liking the feel of his warm, smooth flesh as she pulled him closer. The tips of her nails scraped him and she resisted the urge to dig.
“I needed this, baby.” He stroked her insides with smooth, long pumps. She kissed his shoulder and inhaled his musk scent. “A man could never grow tired of this—of you.”
“Who knew it could only get better,” she whispered.
He lowered his mouth to her chest, licking one pert nubbin and then concentrated on the other. He lifted his head. “Perfect breasts.”
They weren’t much more than a handful, but he’d always told her how he liked her thirty-four A’s. He was a charmer and was skilled at making her feel beautiful, even on her worst days. Once upon a time, back when fantasy still lived in heart, he was her best friend, lover and hero. He probably still was.
“My God. You smell like cotton candy. The kind we’d get at the county fair.” He licked a moist trail between her breasts and back up to her collarbone. When he lifted his head, one corner of his mouth was curved, a mischievous grin that she remembered from when he was a kid.
He impelled her and she took all of him into her tight channel. She brought her hips up and met his, together they matched a rhythm that soon left them panting. She planted her nails into his toned muscles, fearing she would draw blood, but his groans of satisfaction told her he liked the infliction. A bittersweet ache throbbed in her pussy and she was close—so close that she couldn’t hold back. “I’m cumming.”
His body jerked and his back stiffened. His neck arched as he released.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE MIDDAY SUN baked Stryker’s bare back as he pounded another nail into the railing. He stood up straight and swiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He looked up into the blue sky and squinted at the brightness.
He dropped the hammer onto the grass and went to sit under the shade of an oak tree with a bottle of ice cold water he’d gotten from his cooler. He deserved a break. He’d been out working on the fence since daylight and he guessed it was around noon.
Hell, who was he kidding? Since Leslie had left two days ago he’d drowned himself in work. He missed her and he’d wanted her to stay, but he wasn’t a begging man and he wouldn’t beseech anyone—even a beautiful woman—to stay when she wanted to leave. He hadn’t chased her when she left the first time and he wasn’t about to do it now, no matter how his heart ached to see her.
He scrubbed a hand through his moist hair and groaned—it made one of the horses in the pasture look up and across the field. “Sorry, fellow. Go on about your business. You don’t want to hear my tale of w
oe.” Stryker chuckled.
Inhaling a deep breath, he caught the scent of sweet grass and something sweeter. He brought his hand to nostrils and inhaled. He swore he could still smell Leslie and it drove him wild.
Fuck! He hated feeling out of control. The loose emotions reminded him of how he’d been when he’d realized she’d left for good. He didn’t want to meander down those memories— not now, not ever.
A vibration in his front pocket made him jerk. He reached in and grabbed his phone, checked the Id, feeling a little disappointed when Leslie’s name didn’t pop up. Instead, it was a private number. He started to hit ignore when a gut feeling warned him that it could be important.
“Stryker here.”
“Thank goodness you answered.” Beth’s panicked voice sounded from the other end.
“Slow down Beth. Is Lilly okay?”
Before Tessa’s receptionist finished telling him that Lilly had fallen while playing on their gym equipment and they’d called an ambulance, he was already grabbing his shirt from the wooden post and running for his truck.
“Let Lilly know I’ll meet her at the hospital.”
He clicked off as he jumped behind the steering wheel and jetted out of the driveway. By the time he reached the highway, he tested the truck’s ability for a high rate of speed. His mind raced as he made his way to the local hospital.
He needed to get to Lilly. Fast. He couldn’t bear the thought of the little girl being alone and hurt. His next thought targeted the one person he wanted here too.
He sped up into the valet parking entrance, jumped from his truck and stomped toward the door. He ignored the man holding the ticket. He grabbed his phone, still racing toward the emergency department and sent Leslie a text…
“Lilly is in the hospital. Just found out. I’ll let you know when I find out what’s wrong.”
****
Leslie stepped into the sanitary hospital room. Lilly was lying on the bed, dressed in a blue checkered gown, and she was asleep. Movement in the corner caught her attention. Stryker was getting up from the chair. She sent him a confident smile, but she felt anything but assured.
“Hey there,” he said. Dark circles rimmed his eyes and a layer of beard covered his cheeks.
“I came as soon as I got your message. I was at the Swift Wind.” She set her purse on the end of the bed and went to stand next to the bed. “What happened?”
“Tessa took her to the playground and she fell off a swing and hit her head. The doctor ran tests, a cat scan, MRI and it all looks okay. He said she has a concussion, which she’ll recover from, but he wants her to stay overnight for observation.”
“I was scared to death. I came as fast as I could.” She lifted her fingers to her still quivering lips. “I tried to call twice on my way, but I didn’t get an answer.”
“I’m sorry. My phone died and I didn’t want to leave her.”
“I understand.”
“I’m glad you came. Maybe I shouldn’t have left you the information by text. I wasn’t thinking, only feeling.”
She nodded. “I probably would have done the same. How are you holding up?’ she asked.
“I’m fine. Now. When I first got here they had already taken her in for a test and I had to wait to see her. Longest fifteen minutes of my life. She was a trooper though. Tessa said she’d cried for a few minutes but after that she was okay.”
“Did I hear my name?”
The familiar female’s voice made Leslie look up. Tessa came into the room carrying two paper cups. She handed one to Stryker.
“I was just telling Leslie how great Lilly handled the situation.” Stryker stroked his chin.
“She certainly did.” Tessa frowned. “I feel horrible. I hope you two can forgive me.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Tessa.” Stryker wrapped his arm around Tessa’s shoulders and squeezed. “It could have happened to anyone.”
“What exactly happened?” Leslie asked.
“She was swinging and the next thing I know she let go of the chain and fell.”
Leslie swallowed. She wanted to be upset, but she could see Tessa was shaken up over the incident. And it was true what Stryker had said, accidents happen with anyone. “She’s going to be fine. We all have misfortunes on playground equipment. I fell a few times myself when I was a kid.”
“I’m sorry you had to drive all this way, Leslie. Do you have to go back this evening?” Tessa sipped from her cup.
Leslie looked at Lilly’s sleeping figure. “I can cancel my appointments. That is if it’s okay I stay for a few days?” She glanced up at Stryker.
“No problem at all. In fact, I think our girl here would be disappointed if you left.”
Leslie hoped she imagined it, but she thought she saw a flicker of disappointment in Tessa’s dark gaze. Leslie couldn’t blame the other woman if she felt a sense of displeasure. Stryker was a great catch and, no doubt, Leslie wasn’t the only woman who recognized that fact. Men this good didn’t come along often.
Leslie couldn’t help but wonder if things would have blossomed between Tessa and him if she wouldn’t have entered the picture.
“Would you care for a cup of coffee?” Tessa offered.
“No, I don’t drink coffee, but I may find the little girl’s room. Between nerves and not stopping on the way, well…you know…”
In the bathroom, Leslie did her business and stopped at the sink to wash her hands. She checked her reflection in the mirror and grimaced. Stryker wasn’t the only one with dark circles. She hadn’t slept a wink since she’d left Hollyville to go back to Shelby.
Splashing her face with cold water, she hoped it’d help.
Leslie finished and pushed through the door to find Tessa waiting by the hall leading into the Emergency Department.
“Can I speak to you a minute?” Tessa asked.
“Sure.”
“How about over here?” They moved to the seating area and sat down on the couch. Leslie could see the concern in Tessa’s gaze. “We’re both ladies so I’m going to speak frankly.”
“I’d hope you would. I’m sure this regards Stryker, right?” Leslie wasn’t a mind reader but she was a woman and knew when another female’s feathers were ruffled.
“I figured sooner or later we’d have to talk. Maybe this isn’t the right time…”
“What time would be better?” Leslie asked.
“You’re right. I hope you won’t take this the wrong way, Lord knows I’m not a rude woman, but you must know by now that I’d hoped my relationship with Stryker would have grown into something more. I’ve developed feelings for him and I care for Lilly.”
“I understand. Stryker is a gentleman and Lilly is a sweetie. What’s not to care for?”
Tessa nodded as she rolled a tendril of her hair around her finger. “But I see the way he looks at you. He’s never looked at me like that.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Oh now, come on. It’s obvious he cares a great deal for you.”
“We have a history, and now an obligation together. I think what you’re seeing is something—”
“No, Leslie, he still cares. It’s more than the history excuse.” She dropped her hand to her lap and sighed.
“What exactly do you want to know, Tessa?” Leslie got the idea that the other woman was fishing.
“Are you two getting back together?”
Leslie opened her mouth to answer, but stopped. After all, how would she answer? If she said yes, it’d be a lie. If she said no, it could also be considered a lie. Of course, neither she nor Stryker had even spoken about such a thing, but they had been sleeping together and to some people that was a relationship. As much as she liked Tessa, she wasn’t going to get into the dirty details of things with her. “Tessa, I’m not sure what is happening between Stryker and me. This is all sort of roller-coasterish for me, and for him too I’m sure. Right now, I think we are both concentrating on Lilly and her needs.”
; Tessa exhaled. “I’m glad you have Lilly’s best interest at heart. I feel much better. I’m not sure I have much of a chance with him. I probably never did, but a girl can hope. He’d talked about you before and how you’d left him. I think he holds a lot of resentment and it has somehow stumped his future, as if he couldn’t get over the clinching hold of the past.”
“You care a lot about him, I can tell.”
She nodded. “I do. After all, he is an easy man to fall for, isn’t he? And, if he would decide he’d like to give me a chance to make him happy, I know I could.”
“I’m sure you would.” The longer they spoke the more confused Leslie became. Tessa seemed hopeful, making Leslie wonder just how close Tessa and Stryker had been before. He’d made their acquaintance seem like a casual dating one and nothing more. In the long run, it didn’t matter and it was none of Leslie’s business. “You need to understand that I’ve grown to care for Lilly a great deal and I won’t be running away, not from her. I hope you respect that.” Leslie would fight tooth and nail for the child, and she most definitely wouldn’t be pushed away. Stryker brought her into the child’s life and she wouldn’t be going anywhere, even if that meant that he found someone to share his life with.
“Then we are on the same page. She deserves to have people watching over her and it’s nice that she has you,” Tessa said.
“And I feel the same about you.”
****
Night had fallen and only a dim light lit Lilly’s hospital room. Stryker was sitting on the end of the bed and Leslie was in the chair. She played with her hair as if she were in deep thought.
“You seem preoccupied.” Stryker noticed she’d seemed different after coming back from the restroom an hour ago.
“No, just the events of the day had my adrenaline rushing and now I’m fizzled out.”
“Can I get you anything?” He wanted to hold her and tell her how much he’d missed her, but he held back. A man couldn’t divulge too much of his soul at one time.
“No, I’m fine.”
“You can go to the house and rest. I’ll stay,” he offered.
Second Round Cowboy (Second Chance Series) Page 11