The door to the barn was open, and she glanced inside to find Lonny drawing a halter over his horse’s head.
When her feet crunched in gravel, his head swung her way. “Drew gone?”
She nodded, feeling nervous excitement rising, but still too awkward to know what to say.
Lonny’s glance slid lazily down her body. “Don’t you need to take care of some things?”
His sexy, rumbling baritone made a shiver creep down her spine. Charli shrugged. “I always have things to do.”
He grunted. “I’m talking about girl things. A long, hot bubble bath. I like things smooth, Charli.”
She swallowed hard, getting his meaning in an instant. Her pussy clenched. “I haven’t said yes.”
“Wasn’t asking. Just letting you know how I like it, ma’am.”
Jutting her chin, she gave him a scowl and pivoted on her heel, but she was smiling as she walked away. She hadn’t fooled anyone. She was more than ready to hand over the reins and find some pleasure.
So, she would have a little fun with a sexy cowboy. Didn’t have to lead to anything. She wasn’t in love with him, or he with her. Having sex with Lonny wouldn’t be like it had been with Daniel. Daniel hadn’t had any rules about body hair. She laughed at the thought. Then her smile melted slowly away.
Her husband had been her first serious high school crush. Her first kiss. Her first everything. When he’d made love to her under the stars in the bed of his pickup, it had been after he’d promised her the moon and his heart.
Now, she was all grown up. A mature woman. And women her age had casual sex all the time.
“Yeah, keep tellin’ yourself that, Charlene Kudrow.”
Casual would be the last thing Lonny would give her. Hard, intense, mind-blowing…
Yeah, never casual, but it still didn’t have to mean a thing. And she’d never risk her heart on another cowboy.
Chapter 5
Lonny combed his fingers through his damp hair and strode toward the sound of music playing softly in the living room, following the trace of floral perfume that drifted in the air. At the doorway, he paused. Candles burned in small hurricane lanterns set on the mantle and on the end tables beside the couch, lending the room a golden glow.
Charli sat on the sofa, dressed in jeans and a soft blouse, her legs curled beneath her and her hands wrapped around a glass of red wine. She wore her hair down, and it gleamed in the candlelight. It looked soft, and he couldn’t wait to bury his nose in it to see whether it smelled like fruit again or flowers.
There were so many things he couldn’t wait to discover about Charli Kudrow, first being what had put the faraway look on her face. She seemed sad, and he wasn’t having it. The last thing he’d allow was for her to have any regrets that he would be the man sharing her bed this night.
“Evenin’, Miz Kudrow,” he said softly so as not to startle her.
She wrinkled her nose. “You just tryin’ to get a rise out of me?”
He waggled his eyebrows. “Maybe I’m hoping you’ll return the favor.”
Her lips curved into a sweet, shy smile. Her rosy blush was prettier than anything that could come from a bottle or a brush. He noted the soft strawberry color she’d dabbed on her lips and groaned, because he knew it matched the color of the intimate parts he’d be touching soon—if she didn’t lose her nerve.
“There’s wine on the sideboard,” she said, gesturing with her glass.
“A little Dutch courage?” he murmured but sauntered toward the cabinet and poured a glass for himself before joining her on the couch.
They sat turned toward each other but not touching. He took a sip of the fine, dry wine then set the glass on the table in front of them. “No second thoughts?” he asked, glancing her way.
“You really want to talk about this?”
He leaned forward, elbows on his thighs, his head turned toward her. “A woman should have some expectations—about a man’s intentions, about what she wants.”
“I thought I’d leave that to you.”
“You trust me that much?”
“No, but I’m trying to tell you I have no expectations.”
“No expectations…” He shook his head. “You must not think a lot of me or of yourself.”
Her features screwed up in a grimace. “Did I insult you again? I was tryin’ to make this easier.”
Lonny couldn’t say why her need to keep this casual made him angry, but anger wasn’t an emotion he wanted anywhere in this room. “Charli. Stop it. Now.”
She swallowed another sip. “Sorry. Guess I’m a little nervous.”
“Of me?”
“I’m not a player.”
He grunted. “Like me?”
“You have experience romancing women.”
“I do. But you seem to think this doesn’t mean very much, you agreeing to be with me.”
She blew out a long stream of air before locking gazes with him. “Lone Wyatt, I’ve been with exactly two men my whole life—”
“Three. I assumed you and Drew—”
“Once,” she said, her voice firm. “However, I wasn’t counting—”
“What happened at the motel. You weren’t counting me. Why’s that, Charli?”
“It’s not that you don’t count, it’s that—”
His teeth ground together. “This doesn’t mean anything. I don’t mean anything…to you.”
Her eyes filled. “I didn’t say that,” she whispered.
He swallowed. “Be sure what you say. Words do hurt.”
“But they shouldn’t. This isn’t…” She waved her hand, seemingly at a loss for the right word.
“This isn’t what? Real? Serious? You’re only taking me for a test drive, because you’re lonely and I’m a willing dick?”
She slid her feet off the sofa and started to rise, but he couldn’t let her leave. At last, she’d shown some fire, some emotion other than cautious fear and stubborn reserve. He grabbed her wrist and yanked her onto his lap.
When she fell against him, she pushed against his chest. Once. Then she settled, tears stubbornly welling but not rolling free. Light from the lanterns made them glitter and appear larger, more vulnerable.
She bunched his shirt in her fist and pounded his chest. “Dammit, Lonny. This is just supposed to be fun. A chance to let our hair down, and get whatever it is between us—”
“Gone?” he asked softly
Her eyebrows furrowed over sorrowful eyes. “Yes.”
Lonny swallowed down the lump in his throat. “What do you think happens come Sunday night, Charli?” he asked, his voice gruff. “Are we gonna pretend nothing happened? I don’t think I can do that. If you’re not half as into me as I am you, tell me now. I’ll head back to my room and do my best to pretend I haven’t watched you come apart in my arms. That I haven’t been sunk so deep, I could feel your heart beat from inside.”
Her gaze wavered beneath his. “I want you.”
“But you don’t want to love me, do you, Charli?”
“You’re not Daniel,” she said, her voice cracking.
And there it was. The real problem. Lonny’s stomach clenched like he’d been kicked by a mule. “You think he’s the only man you’re ever gonna love? He’s dead, Charli,” he said, keeping his voice flat so it didn’t shake. “I’m here. I don’t know where this is leading, but I’m not gonna keep my heart closed off so I won’t be hurt. I’ve had my share of thrills. I’m looking for something more.”
“Maybe I don’t have it to give.”
“But you do. It’s written on your face every time you look at me. You want more. You just have to decide you’re willing to give this a try.”
She sniffed, her glance falling away. “This isn’t where I saw this evening going.”
He sighed. “I had no expectations.”
She snorted. “You told me to shave. I think you had a few.”
A smile tugged at his mouth. “Did you?”
Her mouth twis
ted, and then a small smile turned up the corners. “Guess you won’t know if all we’re gonna do is talk.”
“Just as long as you know I’m not just playing around.”
She nodded, her expression shy. But he was satisfied because he saw a glimmer of hope in the look she cast him from beneath the fringe of her tear-spiked lashes.
“We’ll talk later, sweetheart. Hold on.” That was all the warning he gave as he lunged off the sofa, holding her in his arms.
Hers encircled his neck, and she leaned her head against his chest as he carried her to her bedroom. She didn’t redirect him to his room, which made his chest ache. She was letting him lie next to her in the bed she’d shared with her husband. Did she know how much that simple gesture betrayed?
Inside the room, he kicked the door shut behind them. A narrow strip of light shone from the bathroom door, enough he could find his way to the large four-poster bed. He carried her there, crawled onto the edge and laid her down, coming over the top of her, but supporting most of his weight on his elbows.
He’d wanted to go slowly this time and ease her into intimacy. However, his Charli wasn’t the patient sort. Without hesitation, she leaned up and pressed her lips against his, hungrily devouring his mouth.
The kiss was hot, her tongue pushing between his lips to stroke his tongue, her lips suctioning, making him think of places he’d like that slick, strong mouth of hers work its sexy magic. His balls hardened, his dick pulsed. A heady rush of joy sent him straight into full-on arousal.
When her teeth bit into his lower lip, his control snapped. He growled and ground his lips against hers, sank his tongue deep and swept hers, while he slid his hands beneath her to clench around the curves of her firm ass.
Her body undulated, her mound pushing against his growing erection, and he broke the kiss, gasping. “Dammit, Charli. I wanted to take this slow.”
“I’ll let you lick my toes later. Right now, I ache, cowboy.”
“Where?”
Her hips curved upward, and she ground against his dick. “Right where you think.”
But he wasn’t thinking. He rolled away, wrestled off his T-shirt, boots, socks, and jeans. When he turned back, she was naked as well, an arm wrapped over her breasts, her hand between her legs. Only she didn’t appear to be hiding; her fingers were moving, rolling over her sex, making moist, nasty sounds in the slick heat he couldn’t wait to feel consuming his cock.
Kneeling beside her, he pushed her gently to her back then clasped her wrist and dragged her arm from her breasts. “Keep playing with that pussy. Did you shave it?”
Her teeth captured her bottom lip then let it slip free. “Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”
“In a minute.” He dove down, still holding her hand to the side while he flicked his tongue across her soft skin, tasting her neck, the delicate curve of her collarbone, the quivering tops of her breasts. When he circled one tightly beaded tip, he moaned. “So damn soft. Never felt anything so damn soft.” The dark pink areola felt like the softest suede as he lapped. He cupped the underside of the small swell, plumped up her breast, then opened his lips and sucked all that softness inside. He mouthed it, gobbled it up, circled his head and pulled it around, drawing off slowly until he held only the tight little tip between his teeth.
When he glanced up, he found her wide gaze staring back. He bit again, saw her tiny wince, but also saw the way her eyelids fluttered down and up again. Her breath caught then shuddered outward. He smiled, pleased her breasts were so sensitive. He transferred his attention to the other soft globe and nibbled and licked while her fingers got busier. The lush, wet sounds she drew from her body only made him harder, more determined to stay the course.
Again, he dove down, licking and nibbling a path along her abdomen. “Keep those fingers working, sweetheart,” he muttered, pausing to rim her belly button, then moving steadily southward. At last, he pushed aside her hand, bringing her fingers to his mouth to clean them. Her sea-fresh flavor forced another groan from him, and he let her hand go to stare down at her pretty, bare mound. “You follow directions well,” he said, glancing up to catch the naughty arch of a dark brow.
“Who says I did this for you?”
She had, but he let her little evasion go for now. Shifting, he came between her legs, lifting her knees, settling her heels just right so that when he pushed her thighs outward, she opened. Her juicy, pink inner folds parted. Her engorged clit winked from beneath the thin hood. He scraped the side of his thumb over the hard knot, eliciting a sharp gasp.
When he bent toward her sex, he noted the flare of her pert nose, the pursing of her lush mouth, the faint, delicate quivers rippling across her feminine belly. “Charli, don’t close those pretty eyes.”
“Jesus, Lonny.” When he stuck out his tongue and lapped at her clit, she whimpered.
“Yeah, I like the sound, baby. Give me more like that. No holding back.” Then he opened his mouth and caressed her soft, fleshy mound with his lips and tongue, rode the length of her slit with wicked flutters. He burrowed into her entrance, tasting her, coaxing more fluids to trickle down as he circled his head and licked around and around her sweet, hot pussy.
“Fuck, your cunt’s pretty, Charli.” It was no exaggeration, not a line he fed a woman to get her hot. She was soft, wet, pink, fragrantly aroused, and the attention he lavished there had her writhing, her entire body shivering, her head tossing side to side as her cries grew stronger.
The moment he returned to her clit, she stilled but for the shaking of her thighs, which closed around his head. When he suckled the hard knot, she came apart, her hips bucking. He cupped her ass, latched his lips firmly around her engorged nubbin, and held on, drawing on her, sucking harder and harder until she shouted and her back arched. She held there for a long moment while he continued to torture her, then fell back, her chest shuddering with her short, rasping breaths.
He gave her velvety-soft mound a kiss, and then slowly slid up her body until his cock was lodged at her drenched opening, and his chest was cradled against her soft, quivering breasts. He ducked and kissed her, transferring her flavor to her lips.
His kiss was gentle, his mouth glazing hers, and then drawing away. “Catch your breath?”
She shook her head. Her face was reddened, her eyes a little wild. “I’ve forgotten how to breathe.”
“It’s overrated. I’m gonna fuck you now,” he said softly.
Her teeth flashed with a quick, strained smile. “’Bout damn time.”
“Complaining?”
Her fingers wrapped around the corners of his shoulders. “You talk too much.”
Without lifting his hips, he scooted up, rubbing on her skin, then drove his cock inside her an inch or two. He wagged his hips side-to-side to sink a little deeper. He growled against her neck. “I like the way you feel. Like how wet you are for me. How tight. You and Drew…you didn’t do this much.”
Her body stiffened. “Not now, Lonny. Please, not now. Drew’s not up for discussion.”
Lifting his head, he speared her with a hard glance, a sudden flare of jealousy making him feel mean. “How many times, Charli?”
A fierce scowl furrowed her forehead. “I told you already, although you’ve got no right to ask.”
“I’m not gonna be polite about this. Tell me the truth.”
A shiver racked her body. Her scowl relaxed, her expression turning softer as she submitted. “Once. Just once.”
Lonny nodded then pushed up another inch, knowing his weight was keeping her breathless, but wanting her vulnerable enough to be truthful. “Did you think you loved him?”
Her head turned to the side. “I do love him, just not the way he wanted.”
Lonny’s jaw tightened, but he forced it to ease. “That’s good. He’s been decent. He as much as told me you were free to be with me. I had to know you felt the same.”
She swallowed. “We done?”
“Not even close.” He rose on his arms and sl
owly slid his cock free. Then, kneeling between her legs, he said, “Baby, I’m holding back by a thread. I need you on your knees.”
She sat up and slowly turned, letting him arrange her. He palmed himself, sliding his hand up and down his rigid shaft, while taking in the sight of her smooth, lush ass, the cleft that parted as she spread her knees.
Flipping back her hair, she glanced over her shoulder, her eyes once again round and wild. Her gaze dropped to his cock, and he stroked himself again, coming off the tip. Then he came toward her, his hands settling on her hips, his cock aligning with her slit. “Could get rough,” he said, his voice so thick it sounded like gravel had lodged in his throat.
“I’m no sissy.”
His smile was strained. His teeth ground together as he flexed forward and thrust inside her.
Her channel was a hot, wet glove, which got tighter when she squeezed around him. Her butt wiggled and eased backward, taking him deeper, encouraging him to begin to move.
His fingers bit into her skin. “Gimme a minute.”
“Don’t have that much time, cowboy. You gotta move now.” Her tail gave another sexy little wag, and then her back sank, giving him the angle he needed for a straight shot toward her core.
His balls were so tight now, they cramped. His cock was so engorged, the skin cloaking it felt ready to burst.
Charli Kudrow was on her hands and knees. He should have been the one in control, but the feel of her surrounding him held him at the edge of violence. Her pussy clasped him again, and he growled, “Witch!”
Her chuckle was a whiskey-throated challenge.
Lonny steadied his knees, dug his fingers into her fleshy ass, and held tight to his frayed control. “Fucking hell.”
Chapter 6
His vehement curse didn’t scare Charli one bit. Lonny had her in a position of masculine control, but her mind was clear after he’d blown the cobwebs free with the passionate way he’d eaten her out.
No, his fingers might be digging bruises into her butt, but she had the control. She wondered how far she could push until he broke. She liked the way his body shook, savored the crush of his strong grip. Lonny was all man but not nearly as cocky and sure about himself now.
Lone Heart Page 5