Surrender

by HELEN HARDT

  “Uh…” Dusty searched for words. Angelina was up to something for sure, but Dusty wanted only to see Zach. She’d deal with Mary Ann later.

  “You should be proud. Women have been chasing him for years. Who would have thought a cute little cowgirl from Montana would be the one to steal his heart?”

  “Angelina, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I hardly know Harper. He and I have a business relationship. He bought my horse.”

  “For Catie. Yes, I know. She’s going to love you, and I know you’ll be an excellent influence on her. You can teach her all you know about barrel racing.”

  “Exactly how will I teach her from Montana?”

  “You silly! I mean after you and Harper are married, of course.”

  Dusty’s mouth dropped. “Excuse me?”

  “I didn’t stammer, did I?”

  “I’m not sure what Harper has told you, but we’re not getting married. We’re not dating. We’ve hardly had a conversation. Now if you don’t mind, I need to see Zach.”

  “I suppose I’ve put the cart before the horse.” Angelina smiled. “I tend to do that. I just know you’re the one to tame my brother, though. There’s something in his eyes when he talks about you.”

  “Truly, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now about Zach.”

  Angelina compressed her lips into a thin line. “He’s asleep.”

  Dusty walked past her. “I’ll wait if you don’t mind.”

  “Actually, under the circumstances, I think—”

  “Who is it, Angie?” came another female voice.

  Dusty turned to see Zach’s mother, Laurie McCray. She was still tall and beautiful, her sleek black hair now salted with silver and cut into a stylish wedge.

  “Dusty O’Donovan.” Laurie smiled, the laugh lines around her eyes adding character to her lovely face. “I couldn’t believe it when Zach and Chad told me you and your brother were here. Last time I saw you, you were knee high to a grasshopper. What a gorgeous woman you’ve become.”

  The woman embraced Dusty and rubbed her back. Dusty trembled slightly.

  “What’s the matter, sugar?” Laurie asked.

  “It’s wonderful to see you again,” Dusty said. “I-I just want you to know. I never would have intentionally hurt Zach. I know this is all my fault.”

  “Don’t be silly.” Laurie squeezed Dusty’s arm gently. “Zach doesn’t blame you, and neither do I. In fact, I’m quite impressed. He says you stayed on his bull for six seconds.”

  “Yes, I did. But that’s not important right now. How is Zach?”

  “He’s fine. Nothing keeps that boy down. He’s a little sleepy, but he’s going to be just fine.”

  “I’d like to talk to him, if possible.”

  “I’m sure he’d love to see you.”

  “Actually,” Angelina said, “I just told Dusty he was asleep.”

  “No, he’s awake,” Laurie said. “You go on in, sugar. Angie and I’ll stay here in the living room and give you all some privacy.”

  “Are you sure this is a good idea, Laurie?” Angelina asked. “He shouldn’t be upset.”

  “This sweet thing won’t upset him.”

  “I’m not so sure,” Dusty heard Angelina say under her breath.

  “What?” Laurie asked.

  “Nothing.” Angelina sat down on the sofa. “By all means, go on in.”

  Zach was lying on his bed when Dusty entered the bedroom. On top of the covers, his chest bare, his legs clad in plaid lounging pants. He still hadn’t shaved, but his hair had been combed back over his forehead. Dusty wanted to thread her fingers through it and let it fall in soft waves around his face.

  “Hey, darlin’,” he said.

  “Hey yourself.”

  “I thought I heard your voice.”

  She nodded. “How are you?”

  “Better, now that you’re here.”

  She warmed, and imagined rosiness creeping up her neck. Why was he always so sweet to her? “I need to talk to you.”

  “Talk away.”

  She cleared her throat and sat down on the edge of the bed. “About my hospital bill—”

  “I know what you’re going to say. But I wanted to help. I want to be there for you. I want to be with you.”

  “What about Angelina?”

  “I tried to explain that yesterday, but you wouldn’t let me. There is no Angelina.”

  “You kissed her.”

  “She kissed me. Not the other way around. Inopportune timing, I admit. I’m so sorry about your race. And I told her I wasn’t interested.”

  “My losing the race wasn’t your fault, Zach.” Dusty feathered her fingers over his cheek. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you about it.”

  “You were upset.”

  “Yeah. But it was still my fault. I was in control, not you. I shouldn’t have let anything break my concentration.”

  “Why’d you look up?”

  “I always do, around the third barrel. Seeing the crowd cheering always gives me a rush to finish. I just didn’t expect to see you kissing Angelina.”

  “I know. I’m sorry.”

  “She wants to get back together with you?”

  “Evidently.”

  Dusty rolled her eyes. “Well, that’s explains a few things.”

  “Like what?”

  “The sales pitch she just gave me.”

  “Huh?”

  “She told me Harper is just nuts about me. She’s probably trying to get me off your trail.”

  “No way. I want you on my trail.” Zach’s body tensed. “Harper can just stay the hell away from you.”

  “I don’t think he’s interested in me. We hardly know each other.”

  “Oh, he’s interested. Who wouldn’t be?”

  Dusty broadened her smile. “Well, I’m not interested. In him, that is. He’s a nice man and all, but…”

  “But what?”

  “Nothing.” Suddenly she felt shy. “If you’re not interested in starting things up with Angelina again, why is she here?”

  “Because she’s a damn stubborn fool.”

  “Can’t you kick her out?”

  “I’ve tried. But my ma’s here, and she and Angie’s ma are best friends. So I’m in a bit of a bind.”

  Dusty couldn’t help the little smile that edged its way along her lips. “Be that as it may, I can’t let you pay my bills, Zach.”

  “It’s already done, darlin’.”

  “You’ll just have to undo it.”

  “Why can’t you let me do this for you? I only want to help.”

  “I know.” Dusty threaded her fingers through his thick locks. “But this whole thing is my fault. I should be paying your bills.”

  “I’m insured.” He grinned at her. “Don’t stop,” he said, when she took her hands from his hair. “It feels good.”

  “I don’t want to owe you anything.”

  “You don’t.”

  “I feel like…because of what we did, that you think you need to… I don’t know… Do stuff for me.”

  “That’s the silliest thing I ever heard.”

  “Good. Because I want you to know, I slept with you because I wanted to, not to get your money.”

  “You don’t have to say any of this.”

  “I just don’t want you to think—”

  “I don’t.” He touched her cheek and ran his thumb over the tip of her nose. He curled his hand around the nape of her neck and pulled her toward him. “Come here.”

  “Zach, I don’t know.”

  “Just a kiss. One kiss.”

  He brushed his mouth gently over hers. “You have the sweetest lips,” he whispered. “Full and cherry red and delicious.”

  He nibbled across her upper lip and then her lower. She shuddered, the sensation filling every cell in her body. When his tongue probed for entrance, she granted it, moaning softly and responding. Her hand crept across his chest, and she laced her fingers through the dark curls and car
essed the taut muscle underneath. His mouth tasted even sweeter than she remembered, and she explored more deeply, kissing him harder, faster.

  They both finally broke away to breathe. Then he took her lips again.

  “You said one kiss,” she rasped against his chin.

  “I lied.” He thrust his tongue into her mouth again.

  The pleasure, the sweet, sinful joining of mouths. She could kiss him forever, she was sure of it. She melted into him, sighed into his mouth softly, sucked and bit at his lips, his tongue.

  “Zach?”

  Angelina’s voice. What a mood killer. Dusty broke the kiss and looked toward the door.

  “Jesus, Angie,” Zach said. “Can’t you see we’re busy in here?”

  “You shouldn’t be straining yourself.”

  “I’m not. I’m kissing my woman.”

  Dusty’s heart leaped. His woman. It couldn’t last, but oh, she loved the thought of it. She loved that he said it in front of Angelina.

  “And if you’ll excuse us,” Zach continued, “I’d like to get back to it.”

  “Well—”

  “Go on. Go shopping or something. Take my mother with you. I’d like some privacy.”

  Angelina turned with a huff and shut the bedroom door behind her.

  “Your mother, Zach, I don’t want her to think—”

  “I’m a grown man of thirty, darlin’. I don’t give a flying fuck what my mother thinks. Now kiss me.”

  Dusty breathed, her pulse pounding. “Why do you do this to me? Why do I want you so much?”

  “Because you’re mine. You always have been. I think in some innocent childish way I knew it the first time I laid eyes on you.”

  He pulled her against his body and kissed her again, a deep kiss this time. A firm, relentless meeting of mouths. A kiss of possession. He was marking his territory. Marking her. She felt it all the way to the tips of her toes, and she liked it. She liked it very much.

  He nibbled and licked at her face, her neck, her ears. “Come to bed with me,” he said huskily. “I need you.”

  Dusty shook her head, her lips pressed to his neck. “No,” she whispered. “You’re weak. We both are. It’s not a good idea.”

  “It’s a great idea.”

  “Oh my God.”

  “You want me. I can feel how much you want me.” His whispers were soft caresses against her cheek. “Please.”

  “Yes, I want you.” How could she lie? He knew, anyway. She had never known such wanting, such desire, such incredible depth of feeling.

  “Slide my pants over my hips, darlin’. Be careful of the bandage.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “God, you won’t. I promise you won’t. Right now I feel like I’ll die if I can’t have you.”

  Dusty leaned down and circled her lips over one fleshy nipple, twirling her tongue in Zach’s chest hair, as she slid her hands down his ribbed abdomen to his pajama bottoms. She felt him suck in a breath as her fingers slid under the waistband. She dived in farther with one hand, the hardness of his erection too great a temptation to resist. She touched it tentatively, and he groaned, jerking slightly.

  “I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you?”

  “God, no.”

  “I just wanted to touch you.”

  “You can touch any part of me.” He chuckled softly. “Especially that part.”

  She gathered her courage and grasped his cock. He was so big and so hard, yet smooth. Smooth and velvety and perfectly formed. Magnificent.

  “That’s great, darlin’, but it’ll work better if we lose the pants.”

  “Oh.” Dusty chewed on her lip and wiped her clammy hands on her jeans. “Right.” The pants. That’s what had started this in the first place. She gently eased the soft fabric over his hips and beheld his arousal springing from its black nest. Her sense of touch had been right—perfectly formed and magnificent.

  “You’re beautiful,” she said.

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.” He laughed.

  “Oh, it is. It so is. I… I want to put my mouth on you.”

  He groaned. “Oh, God. Please.”

  “I think it’s only fair to tell you,” Dusty hedged, embarrassed. “I-I don’t exactly know what I’m doing.”

  “It’s okay. You’ll be perfect. I know it.”

  Dusty nodded, and then pressed her lips gently to the head. A drop of clear liquid emerged, and she smeared it over the head with her thumb and licked it off.

  Zach began panting. “Dusty. Go lock the bedroom door. Then take off your clothes.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Zach McCray’s cock was in her mouth. It was smooth. And hot. And salty. And delicious. And she was enjoying every minute of it. Judging from the moans coming from Zach, he was, too.

  Such power. Such complete recklessness. She could get used to this.

  “I want to taste you too,” he rasped. “Come here.” He pulled her to him and turned her around, positioning her over his head. “Sit here.”

  “Zach…”

  “Sit here, darlin’. We can both have our fun.”

  His tongue found her and drove into her. She squirmed on him, too timid to push down with her weight. When he grabbed the cheeks of her bottom, spreading her, pulling her tightly against his face, she figured it would be okay to grind into him as she desired. She wasn’t disappointed.

  Between his legs, his cock beckoned. Yes, they could both have their fun. She leaned forward and took him into her mouth, and suddenly his assault on her became more urgent, more relentless. As she climaxed, she forced her mouth down upon him, taking as much as she could. He ripped his mouth from her, his breath coming in rapid puffs against her damp thighs.

  “Come ride me. I need to be inside you.”

  Dusty crawled forward, turned, and positioned herself over his massive erection. Slowly she eased herself downward until she had completely sheathed him.

  Oh, the sweet sensation of being filled to the brim. Of being stroked and caressed so perfectly.

  “That’s right,” he said. “Move on me.”

  She slowly rode him, up and down, circling her hips so he touched every inch of her moist walls.

  “You’re so tight, darlin’. So sweet. Come here.”

  She leaned forward for his kiss, continuing her motion, wanting him deeper, harder. She thrust downward as he thrust upward, their bodies meeting, the slapping, sticky sounds of their lovemaking a sensual symphony to her ears.

  She broke the kiss and sat straight up, taking his full length inside of her. She closed her eyes and cupped her breasts, sliding her nipples between her fingers and tugging on them.

  “God, you’re beautiful,” Zach said. “I love to watch you touch yourself.”

  Dusty panted and breathed. “I wish it were your tongue on my nipples, Zach.”

  “Bring ’em here then.”

  She obliged, and he took a nipple between his teeth. The jolt from his attack went straight to her sex. She came with a startling vibration.

  “Oh, yeah,” Zach said, his mouth still pressed to her breast. “Ride me hard. I want to come with you.”

  She pounded on top of him, digging her fingernails into his chest.

  “That’s it, that’s it,” he groaned. “Damn. Damn, that’s good.” He thrust into her, and the spasms of his orgasm fluttered against her walls.

  She fell forward into his arms. “Zach, Zach,” she whispered.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.” She lifted herself from him, the wetness between them making little suction noises. She nestled herself into the crook of his arm, and then remembered his wound. She rose into a sitting position and turned to look at the bandage.

  “Are you all right?” she asked. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

  “Are you kidding? This is the best I’ve felt since the last time we did this. Damn, I’ve missed you.”

  “I missed you too. But shouldn’t we take care of your bandage? Do you need it
changed?”

  “It’ll be okay for a while. Come lie with me for a few minutes. Then we’ll order some dinner.”

  “Zach, your mother and Angelina will be back soon. We should really get dressed and invite them to join us for dinner.”

  “I don’t want to have dinner with them. I want to have dinner with my woman.”

  “Your woman.”

  “Yeah.” His beautiful eyes twinkled. “I like the sound of that. I like that you’re my woman.”

  “Zach…”

  “Don’t you want to be my woman, Dusty?”

  More than she wanted to breathe, at that particular moment. But, “Zach?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Did you and Angelina…sleep together?”

  He sighed into her hair. “What was between Angelina and me has nothing to do with us.”

  “Yeah, I know, and I also know it’s a stupid question. I mean, you’re thirty, and you were engaged to her.”

  “I haven’t lived like a monk, darlin’.”

  Of course he hadn’t. He was amazing. “I never thought you had.”

  Zach took her hand and caressed it. “Dusty, let me be serious for a minute, okay?” His gaze darkened, and his tone lowered. “I’ve never made love lightly. I always had feelings for the woman. But I can tell you, honestly, that what I felt for Angelina isn’t anything compared to how I feel about you.”

  “But you were engaged.”

  “So?”

  “You made a commitment to her.”

  “It was a mistake.”

  “And she broke it off, not you.”

  “If she hadn’t, I would’ve.”

  “What happened?”

  “It’s a long, boring story, Dusty. A story of two families and a lot of money and a lot of land, and I promise I’ll tell you sometime, but right now, can we just be together and not talk about Angelina?”

  Dusty smiled, lay down next to him, and buried her face in his shoulder. “I suppose so.”

  “You’re the only woman I want.” He entwined his fingers through her thick golden hair. “I love your hair. It’s so beautiful. It’s like silk in my hands.”

  Her hair.

  What a shocking jolt back to reality. Her long, beautiful hair. Would he still love it when it was falling in clumps in the bathroom?