She glanced up, her eyes shining. “Drake, this first one is beautiful.”
“I...um...thanks.” Dear God, he was blushing. He could feel it.
“It’s as if I’m there in the pasture with you in the early morning light, with dew on the grass, and the horses chasing each other, their hooves tossing diamonds through sunbeams. I love that!”
He swallowed. “This is way more embarrassin’ than I thought it would be.”
“Please don’t be embarrassed.” She closed the journal and held it against her chest. “You can’t know how honored I am that you’re willing to let me read what you’ve written. But you’ll have to help me with some of it. Your handwriting is atrocious.”
He chuckled and the knot of tension in his stomach eased. “Thank God for bad handwriting. This moment was just cryin’ out for some comic relief.”
“Bringing the journals was very brave.” She walked toward him, still holding the journal close.
Holding it against her heart. Her reaction left no doubt that she understood what showing her those journals had cost him, would continue to cost him as she read through them. “I decided if you could step out of your comfort zone, then so could I.”
She came right up to him, then. Still holding the book clutched against her breast, she wrapped one arm around his neck. “Lean toward me, cowboy. I want to kiss you hello.”
He put down the knife and the head of cauliflower. “My hands are wet.”
She smiled. “I didn’t ask you to hold on to me. I’ll hold on to you. Just lean down like I asked you to. Last night you put me in charge, and I’ve discovered I like that. A lot.”
“I really have created a monster.” But he rested his wet hands on the counter and bent toward her as instructed, so that his mouth was available for her hello kiss, the one he’d thought he wouldn’t get.
Ah, but he got it now. She started out soft and light, but before long she’d invaded his mouth with her sassy tongue, and he’d returned the favor. When she began to suck on his tongue, his blood flowed south to the area he would love to have her suck on next.
They hadn’t gotten around to that particular game last night, and from the way she was kissing him, he’d bet money she was thinking about it now. He considered wiping his hands on his jeans so he could grab hold of her and carry her down the hall. Or hoist her up on the kitchen island. It was sturdy enough.
Just when he’d lifted his damp palms from the counter to take action, she broke away and stepped back. He opened his eyes, hoping to see her put down the book and unbutton her blouse. Or put down the book so he could undress her.
Instead she continued to hold it tight against her heaving bosom. “We can’t right now.”
The sound of their breathing was loud in the otherwise silent kitchen. He finally did wipe his hands on his jeans. “The way I’m feeling, it wouldn’t take long.”
Fire burned in her dark eyes, and her moist lips were temptingly parted as she gulped in air. Then slowly her gaze lowered to his protruding fly. Her voice was pure temptation. “Promise?”
His heartbeat went from fast to rocket speed. He didn’t pretend to misunderstand. He couldn’t even bring himself to turn down her unspoken offer. He’d been semiaroused all day thinking about her, and one kiss had tipped the balance. He ached with a fierceness that could last a while, unless...unless he surrendered. He looked into her eyes. “Promise.”
Her slow smile of anticipation was all any man could wish for. She’d not only offered. She wanted to. Setting the journal on a tall stool next to the island, she knelt in front of him and reached for his zipper. Blood sang in his ears as she drew it down. She found the opening in his briefs and freed his eager penis.
Trembling, he braced himself for the first slide of her mouth. Fast was one thing. Coming the second she began was not his idea of cool.
As she wrapped her fingers around his girth, she lifted her head and looked up at him. “You have a beautiful cock, Drake Brewster.”
Once again, she’d left him speechless. That soft groan had probably come from him, though. His brain lacked a normal blood supply, so he couldn’t be sure of anything.
She gave him that sultry smile again. “I look forward to paying my respects to it.” With that, she dipped her head and took him in.
The woman didn’t mess around. She took him deep, so deep that the sensitive tip bumped the back of her throat. He gasped and fought the urge to come. He was so glad he fought that urge, so glad he’d held on for the next part.
That first move was only the beginning of the ride. Next she used her tongue to massage the front ridge. After that she hollowed her cheeks and slid her mouth up and down in a rhythm guaranteed to make him a happy man. And all the while she used both hands to squeeze, stroke and pet him until he was delirious with pleasure.
He shoved his hands into her glossy hair and sent hairpins flying. His moans increased as she moved faster and sucked harder. At last those moans blended into one triumphant cry as he erupted. As his cock pulsed in the warm haven of her mouth, his lust-soaked brain swirled with one overarching thought—he’d never had sex this good.
She stayed with him to the end, her swallows the kind of erotic sound men dream of. Shuddering with the force of his orgasm, he gripped the edge of the kitchen island for support.
Gently she rearranged his briefs and carefully pulled the zipper back in place. “There.”
His laugh was more of a croak, but he mentally saluted her for getting in one more cheeky comment relating to their joke from last night. Besides being an enthusiastic lover, she was just plain fun. When he’d first met her at the Spirits and Spurs, he hadn’t guessed that. Then again, she’d disapproved of him. Judging from what had just happened, she no longer did.
He recovered enough to help her to her feet. “You’re incredible.”
“You inspire me.” She picked up his journal and held it as before, pressed against her heart.
He met her gaze. “If my poetry affects you that way, I’ll devote my life to it.”
“Let’s put it this way—your poems didn’t hurt your cause any. Women are suckers for a poetry-writing man. I’m surprised you’ve never shown it to other women.”
“Maybe I should have trusted them more, but I didn’t.”
She studied him for several seconds. “Why me?”
“I’ve asked myself the same thing.” He cupped her face in both hands and looked into the unexplored depths of those beautiful eyes. “For some reason I feel safe with you. I didn’t expect I ever would, especially after our blowup at the dinner table. But you explained why that happened, and then...then you put yourself out there, took the risk.” He smiled. “I guess you could say you put your money where your mouth is. Not everyone has the guts to do that.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “I didn’t used to. You came along at the perfect time, when I was ready to grow. You sprinkled on some fertilizer, and I blossomed.”
He grinned. “Are you telling me I’m full of shit?”
“Yeah.” She laughed and gave him a squeeze. “And that was exactly what I needed, apparently. So what do you say? Ready to finish feeding the critters and go buy a hat?”
“If I wasn’t before, I am now. If I’m worthy of what you just did, I’m sure as hell worthy of a hat.”
“Excellent. Then let’s get to it.”
Less than an hour later, they’d fed everyone and made sure Dottie and Sprinkles were progressing as expected. Tracy had fixed the hair arrangement he’d destroyed and settled into the passenger seat of his SUV.
She’d wanted to bring one of his journals for the road, but he’d talked her out of it. He couldn’t handle having her read snippets of his work to him while they sailed down the highway. And she would have. He’d already figured that out.
When
they were finally headed toward Jackson, she leaned back into the leather seat, anticipation glowing in her eyes. “If you want, we can grab something quick for dinner before we look for hats.”
He set the SUV on cruise control. The sun was low on the horizon and traffic was light. Easy trip. “I do want food at some point. A really good orgasm makes a man hungry, and you, ma’am, gave me a really good orgasm.”
“Glad to hear it. You probably won’t believe this, but I’ve never initiated something like that. I’d do it if a guy asked me, but I wasn’t bold enough to suggest it on my own, especially in a kitchen.”
He couldn’t resist teasing her. “How about in a dining room? Is that any better?” She started to laugh, and he kept going. “What about the laundry room? Or the hallway? I personally think a blow job in the hallway would be—”
“Stop!” She punched him playfully on the arm. “I just meant that I’ve never had oral sex anywhere except in a bedroom.”
“Are you talking about you doing it to him or him doing it to you?”
“Both. Either. Only in bedrooms.”
“We have to remedy that. I didn’t realize last night was a damned cliché.”
“Trust me, it wasn’t.”
“You’re sure?” He shot her another look and discovered that her cheeks were pink. “I mean, we were in a bed, so how special could it be for you? Been there, done that.”
“Not with such...finesse.”
“Ah.” He liked the sound of that.
“Or concentration. I’ve never come twice in a row during oral sex.”
“Then maybe it wasn’t such a cliché after all.”
“You’re fishing for compliments!”
He shook his head, although he totally was. With great effort he managed not to laugh. “I just don’t want to be redundant.”
“You are absolutely fishing, but I don’t mind telling you that the oral sex with you is the best I’ve ever had.”
Now that was enough to make a man’s chest puff out, for sure. “I’m glad to hear that. I—”
“And now that I’ve stroked your male ego, it’s—”
“Stroked my ego? Do you mean you were lying?”
“Not at all. You rocked my world in a way no man ever has, but if you can fish for compliments, so can I. How would you rate my blow job?”
He almost drove off the road. “Rate? What do you mean, rate?”
“On a scale of one to ten. Obviously you’ve had much more experience than I have, so I don’t expect you to score me at the top. I can put you at the top of my chart, because, to be honest, you don’t have much competition.”
“So I’m in a race with losers?”
“Not losers. Just men who were unimaginative in bed, and like me, probably didn’t have a lot of experience. Since you’ve had plenty of experience, I’d be curious how I did with that episode in the kitchen.”
The discussion was making him cranky. “First of all, you make me sound as if I’ve had dozens of women, which I haven’t.”
“Okay, how many?”
“A gentleman doesn’t discuss specifics with a lady.”
“Ballpark figure, then. More or less than twenty?”
“I’m not answering that.” Because he couldn’t. He’d have to sort through his entire sexual history, which would take some time. But he was afraid it was more than twenty, and that...sounded like a man who had superficial affairs.
At this moment, he didn’t want to confirm what Tracy probably already suspected. He’d never had a serious relationship. Not ever.
“I’ll assume it’s more than twenty,” she said, “because if it had been less, you would have said so. Okay, forget about the count. Let’s get back to rating my performance in the kitchen. You can tell me the truth. As I said, I don’t expect to outrank everyone. I’m too inexperienced for that.”
“Damn it, it’s not a sport.”
“You’re afraid to hurt my feelings. Really, you won’t.”
Just the opposite, he thought. He was afraid to tell her how strongly she affected him, for fear she’d make assumptions about a future that was unclear to him.
He began by hedging. “If I tell you the truth, I don’t want you to put too much importance on it.”
“Was I that terrible?”
“No,” he said quietly. “You were that wonderful.”
She was quiet for several seconds. “Thank you for telling me. That’s nice to know.”
“Tracy, I’m at a very uncertain point in my life. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You’re an exciting lover, someone I trust with my deepest secrets, and you make me laugh more than anyone I know. You’re perfect. But I may not be ready for you.”
Another long silence. “That’s pretty close to what Josie said today.”
“Josie? You talked to her?” He envisioned their current discussion going quickly downhill. Maybe this was why she’d come home looking frazzled. Finding his journal had caught her attention, and the sexual chemistry between them had distracted her even more. But now they were getting down to it. “What did she say?”
“Kind of what you said, that you don’t have a clue what you’ll end up doing with your life, and that a person in your position isn’t ready for a relationship with someone like me.”
“Josie’s a very smart lady. You should probably listen to her.”
“I found out she asked you to stay away from me, and you told her you’d already decided to do that.”
He stared at the road ahead. “That was the plan. Then you showed up in a red silk bathrobe and boots.”
“I know, and I don’t blame you for going back on your promise to Josie. But she knows about the mare and foal now. She pointed out that Jack could probably handle them from here on out. You’re under no obligation to stay if you think it would be easier on you if you left.”
His jaw tightened. “Not easier on me. Probably easier on you, though.”
“So you’re ready to make that decision for me, just like Josie?”
“Tracy, you’re rooted to this place. I’m not. I worry about how it will affect you if I end up leaving, after all.”
“Well, don’t worry about that! Just don’t!”
He glanced at her in surprise. “I can’t help it. I care about you.”
“I understand that. But you have to try.” She sounded resolute. “You and Josie have to quit worrying about how I’ll survive if you and I don’t work out. Let me worry about that, okay?”
“But—”
“I’m serious, Drake. You’re the most exciting man I’ve ever met. If I want to enjoy every possible minute with you, if I want to say damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead, that’s my privilege.”
He thought about that. “I guess it is.”
“It sure as hell is. I want you to stay at Peaceful Kingdom until Regan and Lily come home. If you’re still here at that point, I’m inviting you to share my apartment, which, to answer the question in your note, is above Spirits and Spurs.”
His brain was still spinning from her unexpected determination to carry on, no matter what. But he managed an appropriate response. “That sounds cozy.”
“It is. However, if we don’t get that far, then please know that I’ll be fine. I’ll be grateful for what we’ve shared, and I won’t wail and gnash my teeth when you leave.”
He risked another quick glance at her face, to see if he saw any humor there. He did, so he decided to nourish it. “Not even a little wailing and gnashing?”
“Oh, all right. A little bit. After all, I’ll miss the sex.”
“Yeah. Me, too.” He reached over and took her hand. “Me, too.” He’d love to think that they’d ease into a lasting relationship, but in his present situation, that seemed so unlikely. Ye
t she’d told him exactly what she wanted from him—as much fun as he could provide until it was time to leave. He’d do that for her. But he’d still worry.
12
TRACY SUGGESTED A little hamburger joint she’d tried on her last trip to Jackson, because for the rest of the week they’d be eating vegetarian meals.
“You could also come into the bar when I’m working during the dinner hour this week,” Tracy said as they finished their burgers and sipped the rest of their draft beer. “I’ll serve you up a juicy hamburger even better than this, and this was darned good.”
“It was.”
“Thank you for buying me dinner, Drake.” He’d already paid the bill, but neither of them had made a move to leave. Sitting and talking had been nice.
“It’s been my pleasure, ma’am.” He picked up his remaining pub fry. “When’s your next evening shift?”
“Tomorrow night. Maybe you should come in.”
He chewed slowly. “Depends on whether you think Josie will be there. Did you tell her I’m staying at Peaceful Kingdom?”
“No. I should have.” She felt like a wuss for listening to all of Josie’s warnings without admitting they were superfluous now. The horse was out of the barn, so to speak.
“You don’t have to if you’d rather not. It’s really none of her business.”
“She said that, too, but I’m not sure she believes it. Josie’s protective of the people she loves.”
“Nothing wrong with that.” He shoved back his empty plate. “As long as we’re getting this all out on the table, I’ll tell you that Regan was convinced you and I would get together while they were gone.”
“Why would he assume that?”
“I admitted that I thought you were hot.”
“You did?” She flushed with pleasure. “I didn’t realize that. You never really flirted with me.”
“Tracy, I never flirted with anybody in Shoshone. When you’re the guy who seduced his best friend’s fiancée, and you’re in that guy’s hometown, you don’t flirt. Period.”
Riding Hard Page 12