by Cat Johnson
Not Keely. He admired the man’s taste, but no way would Nick allow Jerry to put one finger on her.
“Thanks, Keely,” Jason said as she handed the paper towel–wrapped cookies to him.
“You’re very welcome.”
“Dad, I’m goin’ back outside, K?”
“Sure. Be there in a minute.”
A smile spread across Keely’s face as she watched Jason hurry out the back door. “He’s so cute.”
“Thanks. I think so, too.”
He grinned and Keely’s smile widened. A fist punched into Nick’s gut. She seemed to be enjoying Jerry’s attention. She couldn’t possibly be flirting with him. The man had nothing to offer her.
Nothing except good looks, charm, and a big bank account from owning an investment firm.
Nick wanted so badly to ask Keely to wait for him, to give him the chance to get the ranch out of the red. He knew he had no right to do that. He’d never even asked her out on a date, much less given her any indication of his feelings. In good conscience, he couldn’t stand in her way if she found a man to love.
“I’d better get back outside and supervise the boys,” Jerry said. “Thanks for Jason’s cookies.”
“You’re welcome. Cookies and kids go together.”
“Yeah, they do.” He walked toward the door. Before he turned the knob, he looked at Keely again. “I’ll be back at Christmas to see Dad. Maybe we can have coffee or lunch.”
Nick thought Keely’s smile faltered a bit, but she recovered quickly. “Sure.”
Jerry winked at her. “See you later.”
That fist punched Nick’s gut again. He could lose Keely before he ever had a chance with her if he didn’t man up and admit his feelings.
Even if he did tell her how he felt, that didn’t mean she’d be willing to wait any longer for him than she already had. He knew she cared about him. She’d cared about him ever since high school. He’d felt the same way about her, yet had never told her. He’d gone off to college to get a degree that meant more to his mother than to him. He’d barely graduated when cancer struck her. For two years, despite medicine and chemo and radiation, he’d watched her slowly deteriorate until the disease finally took her last breath.
He couldn’t offer Keely any promises while he helped his mother and worked on the ranch with his dad. After his mother’s death, his father fell apart, which put even more work on Nick’s shoulders. Any relationship he’d wanted to start with a woman had to take a backseat to getting the ranch into the black once more.
He couldn’t wait any longer. Finances still weren’t where Nick wanted them to be, but he could lose Keely forever if he waited any longer.
Tonight, after everyone left, he would talk to her.
7
Keely used the poker to adjust the burning logs in the fireplace. A roaring fire on a snowy night. Nothing could be better than that. Unless it would be curling up with the man she loved in front of that blaze.
She sighed. No chance of that, darn it.
Keely couldn’t complain about the day. She’d had a wonderful time putting together the Thanksgiving meal for Nick, Dusty, and Dusty’s family. She’d loved setting the table with Nick’s grandmother’s china, using a tablecloth and napkins that were over fifty years old. It had given her a sense of family, of history, that she’d never experienced. Her mother had always made the holidays special, but with no father to share in the joy, Keely had never been able to think of the holidays as a family time.
She’d always wonder why he’d left a wife and two small daughters who’d loved him so much to “find himself.” She’d never seen him again after he walked out the front door.
Pushing aside the bad memories, Keely replaced the poker in its stand and turned to face Nick. He sat in his recliner, his right foot propped on the footrest, his arm resting on his raised knee, staring at her. She clasped her hands together at her waist, unsure what to call the emotion in his eyes. “Is something wrong?”
“No.” He lifted his arm from his knee and held his hand out to her. “C’mere.”
She moved toward him slowly, not daring to hope for anything more from him than a few words of thanks. She placed her hand in his, let him pull her closer.
“You made today special for everyone,” he said. “Thank you.”
His low, husky voice crawled along her nerve endings, setting them all on fire. His calloused thumb rubbed the back of her hand, shooting sparks up her arm and into her breasts. She saw his gaze drop to her breasts. She wondered if he could see her nipples.
That thought heated her body even more. She had to get away from him before she did something stupid . . . like crawl into his lap and kiss him.
“It was my pleasure.”
She tried to move her hand, but he didn’t release it. Sparks shot up her arm again when he gently tugged until the chair stopped her movement. Still, he tugged, giving Keely no choice but to bend over and brace her other hand on the back of his chair to keep from falling on top of him.
“Wh-what are you doing?” she managed to whisper around the catch in her throat.
His free hand slid into her hair and cupped her nape. “Something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”
She could fight him to get away, or she could accept the pressure on her nape and bend closer to him. She chose the latter. Her lips met his in a whisper of a kiss.
Everything inside her heated and turned liquid. Keely gripped the back of Nick’s chair and held herself in place since she feared her knees would give out on her at any moment. Nick didn’t deepen the kiss or swipe his tongue across her lips. He simply let the softness of his lips caress hers, the warmth of his breath brush her cheek.
His grip on her nape loosened, allowing Keely to pull back from him. She couldn’t straighten since he still held her, but she could now look into his eyes. She no longer had any doubt about the emotion there. Desire flared, hot and intense.
“I want more,” he said, his voice gruff.
Keely swallowed. “More?”
He nodded. “A lot more.”
She didn’t have time to process that comment before Nick pulled her across his lap. His arm wrapped around her shoulders, his mouth covered hers in a kiss completely different than his first one. He cradled her jaw in his palm, held her face while he ravished her mouth.
He tasted of cinnamon and cloves from the spiced tea she’d served him a short time ago. Those flavors mixed with Nick’s unique taste urged her to part her lips for the stroke of his tongue.
No kiss had ever sent lust barreling through her body so quickly.
Keely snuck her arm around his waist. She grabbed a handful of his sweatshirt with the other hand, wishing she could touch bare skin instead of cloth. His cock hardened against her hip, proof that their kiss affected him as much as her.
She wanted him inside her more than she wanted her next breath.
Sanity returned when she realized how suddenly he’d kissed her. He’d teased her in the bar, he’d flirted with her shamelessly, but he’d never made a pass at her. He’d never even asked her out on a date. His sudden decision to kiss her made no sense.
The ability for her to think straight skittered away again when Nick’s hand dropped from her jaw to her breast. He gently squeezed the full mound, whisked his thumb across her nipple. It puckered inside her bra as if asking for another touch. Still he kissed her—long, deep, slow kisses that used Nick’s lips, tongue, and teeth to make love to her mouth.
She had no idea how long they kissed, but she had no bones left in her body when Nick finally lifted his mouth from hers. She couldn’t have climbed off him right then if a plane crashed through the roof directly over their heads.
Nick pressed his forehead to hers. “Even better than I imagined,” he whispered.
He’s imagined kissing me? The question formed in Keely’s mind while she tried to breathe normally again so she could speak.
Before she could utter one word, he kissed her agai
n.
Warm hands spread over her low back beneath her sweater. Her bra tightened, then loosened. Nick’s palms moved up and down her spine, unhindered by the strap that usually crossed her middle back. Keely wrapped one arm around his neck, dug her hand into the thick hair at his nape. She’d always loved the way his hair flowed around his head with a touch of waviness. Those waves begged for a woman’s fingers.
His fingertips danced up and down her spine a few more times before they ventured inward. Keely held her breath when his hands burrowed beneath her bra cups. She released it in a whoosh into Nick’s mouth when calloused palms cradled her breasts.
A loud moan came from Nick’s throat. He ended their kiss, pressed his mouth against her throat. Keely’s eyes slid closed as he began a gentle kneading of her breasts. Each pass of his fingertips over her nipples sent a zing of pleasure between her thighs.
“God,” he muttered. Squeezing her firm flesh, he moaned again. “These feel incredible.”
His hands on her felt incredible. He lifted her breasts, pushed them together, ran his hands all over them. He returned to her nipples, lightly brushing them with his thumbs. Keely pressed her thighs together, trying to ease the empty ache inside her pussy. Nothing would ease it completely except Nick’s cock thrusting into her sheath.
“Straddle my lap,” he said into her ear.
It sounded like an excellent idea to Keely, except for his hurt ankle. Not willing to cause him any pain, she pulled back and looked into his smoky gray eyes. They blazed even hotter now and she didn’t think that would be possible. “Your ankle.”
“It’s fine.”
“Nick—”
“I promise, it’s fine.” He touched her forehead with his once more. “Please, Keely.”
Unable to deny him anything, especially when she wanted the same, she shifted on his lap until she straddled it. Her mound bumped his hard shaft, causing him to suck in a sharp breath between his teeth. He shifted his hands to her waist, held her in place while he lifted his hips. His cock nudged her clit. A groan slipped from her lips at the bliss that flowed through her body.
Nick buried his face against her neck, kneaded her breasts again. “I can smell your pussy.”
So could she. With her legs spread wide, the scent of her arousal wafted between them. She caught her scent every time she inhaled.
Nick pulled back, gazed into her eyes. “Do you taste as good as you smell?”
Keely shivered at the thought of Nick’s tongue between her thighs . . . stroking, licking, flicking her clit. He would circle the bundle of nerves with the tip of his tongue before darting it into her channel.
Her walls contracted, her pussy wept, ready for his possession.
Grasping the hem of her sweater, Nick lifted it to her shoulders. Keely raised her arms so he could tug it over her head. It landed on the floor by his chair, soon followed by her bra. Keely straightened her shoulders so her breasts thrust forward.
He cradled the mounds again, this time without clothing getting in his way. Keely couldn’t stop her eyes from drifting closed in pleasure at his touch. He worshipped her with his hands, his fingers.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
She opened her eyes again, met his. The challenge in the gray irises dared her to tell him the truth. She wouldn’t be able to answer his question if she hadn’t sampled her juices. Keely lifted her chin an inch. “Yes, I taste as good as I smell.”
A pained expression crossed Nick’s face. He closed his eyes, let his head fall back to the chair, and blew out a breath. “Jesus.”
Feeling a bit smug that she’d blown his mind, Keely leaned forward and kissed him gently. “Surprised by my answer?”
He responded to her question by cradling the back of her head while he devoured her mouth. Keely tugged up his sweatshirt so she could touch his chest. He thrust his tongue into her mouth when she brushed his nipples. His other hand slid down her back, cupped one cheek, and pulled her tighter against his groin. She shifted on his lap, rubbing her clit against the hard column of flesh in his sweatpants.
“You keep moving like that,” he whispered against her lips, “this won’t last very long.”
A fine sheen of sweat broke out on his chest. Keely wanted to feel that dampness against her breasts. Breaking their kiss, she yanked off his sweatshirt and dropped it on the floor with her sweater and bra. This time when she kissed him, nothing separated them from the waist up.
Soon the clothing below their waists became too much for Keely. She didn’t want anything between her and Nick. He must have felt the same way, for he unfastened the button and zipper on her slacks, and pushed them as far down as he could.
“Lift up,” he ordered in a gruff voice.
Reaching behind her, Keely used his shins for balance and raised her hips. Nick jerked off her slacks, panties, shoes, and socks at the same time. His eyes flared as he gazed at her pussy. She started to straighten again, then decided to stay in the semi-reclining position and let him look as much as he wanted.
Nick laid his hands high on her thighs, ran his thumbs up and down her labia. Her juices covered his thumbs, letting them slide easily over her flesh. “Pretty.” He brushed her clit with each journey, sending little sparks of pleasure along Keely’s spine. “Pink and wet and silky.” His gaze met hers a moment before he looked between her legs again. “I like how you left hair on your mound, but shaved it here.”
She liked how his thumbs kept sliding over her clit. Keely didn’t think she’d ever been so hot, so close to coming with only a few touches.
He raised one thumb to his mouth and licked off her cream. “Oh, yeah. You taste as good as you smell.”
Gathering more of her juices on his thumb, he held it up to her mouth. Holding his gaze, she bit his thumb, then drew it into her mouth. She sucked on it while she circled it with her tongue. Nick’s nostrils flared, his eyes narrowed. He drew his thumb from her mouth, replaced it with his other. Keely licked it clean, too.
He returned both thumbs to her pussy. Keely locked her elbows and tightened her hold on his legs as his touch became bolder. He brushed over the folds, darted into her channel, rubbed her clit. Her breathing grew more ragged, her heartbeat heavier. Sweat broke out over her body. She tried to lift her hips to get her clit closer to his thumbs, but he held her in place with his hands on her thighs.
“Let it build, Keely. Concentrate on my touch and how good it feels.”
The last word had barely left his mouth when the orgasm slammed into her. Waves of pleasure flowed through her, from her pussy to her limbs and back to her womb. Keely threw back her head, bucked against his hold. He didn’t release her, but continued to gently caress her labia until she stopped feeling as if her head would blow off.
Despite the strong climax, Keely wanted more. She straightened her neck, staring directly at the large bulge in Nick’s sweatpants.
“Help me,” she said, holding out a hand to him. He tugged her back to a sitting position. Keely didn’t hesitate to rise to her knees and yank down his sweatpants to expose his shaft. Gripping the base, she started to lower herself over it.
“Keely, wait. Condom.”
She stopped. Paradise existed only a few inches away. She didn’t want to wait any longer to feel Nick inside her. “I won’t get pregnant and I’m clean. How about you?”
“I won’t get pregnant either and I’m clean, too.”
She would’ve laughed at his teasing if she hadn’t been so hungry for him. Knowing Nick would never lie to her about something as important as their health, Keely lowered herself until her pussy sheathed his cock. She moaned along with him.
“God, Keely.” He gripped her ass tightly. “Ride me.”
8
Hot, wet silk. That’s what Nick thought of as Keely lowered her pussy onto his dick. Her walls clamped around his flesh as if never to let him go.
That worked just fine for him.
She lifted her hips, slowly slid back down. Nick wr
apped his arms around her, held her close to him. He simply wanted to hold her, be one with her, for a few moments instead of rushing toward a climax.
Her warm breath flowed over his neck. Soft lips touched his jaw. Teeth tugged on his earlobe. They all combined to make it really difficult for him to stay still.
“You’re evil, Keely.”
“I’m horny,” she whispered into his ear.
Nick chuckled. He liked her directness. Pushing her hair back, he dropped gentle kisses on her shoulder. “Do you have a suggestion of what you want me to do?”
“Yes, move with me.”
Arguing with a lady would be rude. Still kissing her creamy shoulder, he gripped her waist and surged into her channel. “Like that?”
“God, yes.”
She took over then, holding his shoulders for leverage while she rode his cock, taking him a little deeper each time she moved. Her pretty breasts bounced in front of his face, tempting him to touch them again, to taste the firm, rosy peaks. Pale pink areolae surrounded her nipples. He touched one circle, watched little bumps rise in answer to his caress. The nipple pouted even more, as if jealous of the attention he paid to other parts of her breast.
Not wanting to neglect any part of Keely, Nick lifted her breast and opened his mouth over the tip. The hitch in Keely’s breathing urged him to lick, to suckle. He drew her nipple farther into his mouth. Catching it between his teeth, he held it in place while his tongue lashed it.
“I can feel it between my thighs every time you lick my nipple.”
“Feel good?”
“Incredible.”
Keely stopped moving when Nick slid his hand between her cheeks. He gathered the moisture coming from her body and transferred it to her anus. He lightly circled the puckered skin with a fingertip as he switched his mouth to her other nipple.
“Nick,” she whispered.
“Do you like this?” he asked, pressing his finger firmer against her.