Twenty Times Tempted: A Sexy Contemporary Romance Collection

by Petrova, Em

  “Sh-shouldn’t you do something? Shoot it or something?” She wrapped her arms about herself.

  “Nah, you probably scared it with your scream.”

  “I really don’t like snakes,” she whispered, and Luke felt a stab of remorse for his grin.

  Unable to resist, he bundled her shaking form into his arms, and she sank against him. He gulped as delicate breasts flattened against his chest and that age-old sense of protectiveness filled him. The primitive man in him always liked the idea of having a woman depend on him but none ever took well to him doing so. Too independent or too needy. He’d never quite found the one who struck the balance.

  Maybe Sophie could…?

  He shrugged off the thought. No, a relationship with a tourist was a bad idea. Even if it lasted more than her short stay, she’d soon realize he wasn’t the cowboy of her dreams.

  When she tilted her head up to his, he found himself caught up in her pretty dark eyes. He heard her sharp intake of breath and a shudder wracked her. He hoped it was no longer fear that made her shiver.

  Lips parted and he knew he had no choice. He had to kiss her.

  Dipping his head, he skimmed his mouth across hers experimentally. When she didn’t pull back, he tried again, pressing harder this time. She released a tiny moan and shocked him by slipping her tongue in his mouth.

  Luke’s body responded immediately, and he grazed his hands down to cup her ass and rock her into his arousal. She gasped. Had he scared her? Apparently not, as she looped both hands around his neck and twined her fingers in his hair.

  Damn, the woman could kiss. So much for the stiff British upper lip. She explored his mouth, tangling her tongue greedily with his. Her ass gave way under his fingertips when he molded his hands around them and squeezed. Blood rushed through him and all he thought of was stripping her bare and feasting on every inch of her.

  A squawk from above broke through his lusty haze as she jolted in his arms at the sound and he prized himself away. Dammit, she was here to see the sights. To see the blasted wildlife, not kiss him. Lips flushed and soft, she gazed dreamily at him, cheeks pink. Too roughly he thrust her back and her dreamy state snapped quickly away.

  “Sorry,” he muttered. “Unprofessional of me. Didn’t mean anything by it.”

  Sophie scowled and tugged her askew T-shirt back into place. “What did you expect? That I’d fall head over heels for you? It was just a kiss, nothing more.”

  Just a kiss? Luke righted his hat and stared at her. Just a kiss? Yeah, a kiss that boiled his blood. A kiss that made him forget all reason. A kiss that made him want to pin her to the dusty ground and take everything she could give. Like hell was it just a kiss.

  But maybe it was to her. Maybe she always got that reaction off men.

  With a grumbled curse, he turned his attention to the horses. “I need to get them some water,” he told her without glancing back. “There’s a stream just over there.” He pointed over the brow of the hill. “Try not to scare any more snakes.”

  ~* * *~

  Sophie fumed as she followed Luke and he pointed out various sights. They’d even spotted an eagle, but she couldn’t bring herself to be excited. Though he remained totally professional, she already missed their easy camaraderie.

  It was all her fault for behaving like a sex-starved teenager.

  Didn’t mean anything by it.

  Bloody man. How could he just kiss her and then be so cool and distant? Her cheeks heated as she considered her response to him. She remembered the press of his arousal against her juncture, and a dart of longing gathered between her thighs. Maybe she was sex-starved.

  All she knew was it would be hard to forget the feel of his firm lips and strong body pressed against hers. But then he doubtless had women throwing themselves at him all the time. He likely thought of her as an inconvenience. Having swooning tourists pawing all over him probably got tiring after a while.

  As the sun began to set he brought them to a stop. Sophie sat for a moment and admired the golden steaks across the sky. Then Luke came to her side and she had to stop and admire him too.

  “It’s beautiful,” she breathed, unsure of whether she was talking of him or the sunset.

  “Yep,” he agreed, though his gaze lingered on her. Was he having similar thoughts? Her chest constricted as his gray eyes darkened. “Beautiful.”

  Unable to bear the heat building between them, she darted her gaze away and propped her chin on her knees as she watched the sunset. Luke got to his feet with a sigh, wiped his hands across his jeans, and set about making camp.

  “Do you need a hand?” she called to him.

  “Nah, I got it under control.”

  Sophie shrugged. She liked doing everything for herself normally. It was the only way of making sure things were done properly, but she enjoyed watching Luke efficiently putting up the tents and making a camp fire. Something teased at a primeval part of her that took pleasure in seeing a man working. And there was no doubt Luke worked hard. The muscles that flexed against his flannel shirt spoke of the physical labor he did but running the ranch required brains too.

  Smart and gorgeous, how unfair was that?

  Once Luke had set up two small blue tents, he turned his attention to their supper. Sophie’s stomach growled, and he lifted an eyebrow toward her, making her giggle.

  “Hungry?” he asked.

  “Starving. Not often I have someone cook for me.”

  “For you, darlin’, I will prepare something extra special.” He pressed his fingers to his lips and made a kissing noise, as if cooking cordon bleu instead of a simple canned stew.

  Sophie laughed again, feeling the tension of the afternoon drain away. Hopefully he’d forgotten all about their kiss and they could continue the next few days like this. It would be nice if they at least came out of this trip as friends.

  Once the food was heated, he spooned in into two bowls and offered her a drink. Sophie took the bowl gratefully and sucked in the smell of meat and veg. Delicious.

  “You should cook all the time,” she said with a nudge of her elbow into his side as he positioned himself next to her.

  “I can’t take much credit, I’m afraid. I only heated it up.”

  “Well, whatever, it’s still yummy.”

  “You are definitely easily pleased.”

  Sophie shook her head. “My ex didn’t think that. Too much of a control freak for him.”

  Luke tilted his head and studied her. “Funny, you don’t seem the control freak type to me. Not now anyway.”

  She considered this as she blew at the stew. “I don’t think I am really. But life with David seemed to suck all spontaneity from me. I think I’ve forgotten how to be any other way.”

  “Well,” he said between spoonfuls, “maybe this trip will help you remember.”

  She grinned. “Fingers crossed.”

  “Uh, Sophie, you have a little…” He pointed to her chest.

  “What?” She glanced down at her top. “Have I spilled something?”

  He coughed and shifted. “Just, uh, there…on your…cleavage…”

  She peered down again but couldn’t see anything. Was he teasing her? “Where?”

  “Between…” his voice came out strangled as he motioned to her breasts again.

  “Luke,” she exclaimed, exasperated, “are you making it up? There’s nothing there.”

  Time seemed to freeze as he moved closer and his hand hovered over the exposed flesh at the neckline of her T-shirt. A question hung in his gaze and, swallowing heavily, Sophie thrust her chest forward. She closed her eyes as a rough fingertip grazed the curve of one breast.

  Willing him on mentally, she remained perfectly still as the finger continued its exploration, tracing the top of her other breast. He probably felt the pounding of her heart.

  “Is it all gone?” she whispered.

  “What?”

  “The—the stew…”

  His finger stopped, and she gulped dow
n her disappointment. Then his shirt rustled, and she felt the heat of his body nearby. His palms came upon her knees. She whimpered, realizing he was knelt in front of her. Thighs spread wide, she dropped her bowl to one side, inviting him in, and he took what she offered, moving close until he hooked both hands around her back.

  The shock of his mouth against her collarbone galvanized her, making her arch into him. His tongue darted out to lick at her skin and she tingled from head to toe with sensation. Sophie unfurled her tightly clenched fists and speared them through his hair, knocking his hat from his head. Finally opening her eyes, she gazed down at his golden head as he licked his way across one breast to the other.

  The sight of golden hair brushing her pale skin made her shudder with need. As if understanding that need, Luke took his hands from her back and thrust them under her shirt, fingertips skimming over her stomach and pressing beneath her bra.

  His fingers closed over her nipples as he watched her reaction carefully. She sighed and clutched his shoulders, hoping it would be enough to keep him there. If he stopped touching her, Sophie was fairly sure she might die of disappointment.

  Rolling her nipples into hard buds, he plucked and played with them and palmed her breasts. Never had something as simple as just being touched turned her on so much.

  “Sweetheart, you taste so good. I could eat you up.”

  “Oh, yes,” she moaned.

  Luke shoved her T-shirt up under her arms and pulled down the cups of her bra before settling his mouth over one nipple. The exquisite heat of his tongue made her sex clench. She rolled her head back and stared at the darkening sky.

  He laved his tongue over her other nipple and blew gently over it, causing it to tighten further.

  “Luke,” she groaned as he teased her some more with mouth and teeth. If he didn’t do something else soon, she swore she would explode. “More, I need more.”

  Slowly, he scattered soft gentle kisses across her breasts before pulling up her bra and tugging down her top. Sagging, Sophie brought her head back up to see his regretful expression. His lips tilted as he reached out and ran a finger down her profile.

  “I can’t, Soph. I shouldn’t be trying to seduce a client. It’s really unprofessional.”

  “You weren’t seducing me,” she protested. “I want you, Luke. I don’t care if it’s just for one night or whatever. Why can’t we enjoy one night together? It’s not like I can report you to the boss!”

  “But I am the boss and I’m meant to be running a business. I don’t make a habit of sleeping with tourists, and I’m sure as hell not going to start now. No matter how tempted I am.”

  Sophie sighed. She had no right to demand things from him. Luke had worked hard to create a successful business, and she didn’t want to screw that up. At least she knew he didn’t sleep with every girl that came out on the trail with him. That soothed her bruised ego a little.

  “Come on, eat up. Your food’s getting cold,” he ordered as he came to his feet and settled next to her again. This time he put more distance between them.

  Letting loose another long breath, Sophie picked up her bowl, reluctantly resuming her meal. How could she possibly eat after that?

  ~* * *~

  Bolt upright, Luke listened, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Yep, there it was, the rasp of a zipper. Heart thudding, he watched as the front of his tent parted and Sophie ducked her head in. He blew out a breath.

  “Luke?”

  “Sophie? Is everything ok?”

  “Can’t sleep,” she mumbled.

  He raked a hand through his hair and shifted over. Sharing a tent with a client was definitely not the done thing, but he didn’t have the willpower to send her away. He patted beside him in invitation.

  “Come here.”

  Stepping into the two-man tent, she turned briefly to zip the entrance back up, enclosing them in gloom once more. He just made out her outline as she crawled across to settle next to him. Luke tucked his sleeping bag around her and laid back, hands under his head.

  No way was he going to get any sleep tonight.

  Sophie nuzzled into his side, and he tensed. In fact, his entire body tensed. He groaned inwardly as he listened to her soft breaths while her hand snaked across his bare chest. Had he ever been this attracted to a woman before? Even though he’d met his last girlfriend when he’d taken her on a horse drive, he hadn’t slept with her until her holiday was over. Eve had hung around for a while but quickly discovered she couldn’t handle him going off for a week at a time or all the overtime he put in getting the books up to scratch.

  How would he ever erase the memory of Sophie’s sweet little breasts in his hands?

  Damn, now he was as hard as a rock.

  “Luke?” Her voice tickled his ear, and he realized she’d moved even closer. And now her leg was snaking between his.

  “Yeah?”

  “You asleep?”

  He chuckled. “No.”

  “I don’t want to mess things up for you.”

  “What do you mean?” He gulped as the hand on his chest traced lazy circles across his skin.

  “I want you,” she whispered. “I know you said you can’t…and I’m glad you’re not the kind of guy who sleeps with anyone…but I want you. I’m not sure I can stand another four days without knowing.”

  His heart stopped, then smashed against his ribs. “Knowing what?” he grated out.

  “Knowing what it feels like to have you hard inside of me,” she spilled out.

  “Damn, woman,” Luke groaned. “Do you realize what you’re doing to me?”

  “What am I doing to you?”

  He snatched her hand and flattened it against his throbbing cock.

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah.”

  Gentle fingers curled around the fabric of his briefs, tracing the shape of him. He hissed as blood roared in his ears. Oh God, he was in trouble.

  Abruptly, he rolled over, pinning Sophie beneath him. She gasped but caught on quickly, hooking her legs around his hips and rubbing herself against him. Luke clasped her face and claimed a brutal kiss, plundering her mouth until she was breathless.

  Adrenaline thundered through him as he fumbled down between them to work on the buttons of her pajamas. Some cotton type ones, he concluded. He longed to reach up and turn on the little battery-powered light so he could see but he couldn’t bring himself to break away from her.

  Finally parting the cotton, he spread a hand across her breasts and traced the indent of her ribs to her stomach. So soft, so fragile. Sophie moaned as he slipped a hand beneath her pajama bottoms. A small voice in the back of his head warned him to take it slow but it was quickly drowned out by his craving for her. Swiftly pressing into her wet heat, they both groaned as she closed in over his fingers.

  He worked in and out of her pussy quickly, the scent of arousal filling the small tent, and she trembled and pulsed in response. With his thumb rubbing at her clit, Luke felt the beginnings of her climax already stirring.

  “You are so hot, sweetheart,” he told her as he nipped at her neck and shoulders. Though unable to see her properly, each little reaction, each small sound of pleasure filled him with pride. She was so damned responsive.

  “Luke, I can’t wait. Please,” she begged.

  With a growl, he thrust her bottoms down and off, and swiftly removed his briefs, flinging them God knows where. Her nails dug into his ass as she coaxed him forward.

  “Shit!”

  “What is it?” Sophie asked.

  “I haven’t got any protection.”

  “I have.” Luke heard the embarrassment in her voice. “In my pajamas.”

  “Shit.” He felt around for her pajamas, shouting out in victory as he found them and rummaged in the pockets.

  Quickly ripping open the condom packet, he sheathed himself and smoothed his hands down her thighs, enjoying the feel of her supple skin.

  “What are you doing carrying around condoms?”
he asked lightly as he eased her legs around him once more and teased her channel with his erection. She was hot and wet and so ready.

  “Just. In. Case,” she forced out between deep gasps as he pushed into her entrance.

  With one swift, smooth lunge, he was buried inside her. “Damn, Soph.”

  Luke’s thoughts went a little hazy as he got used to the sensation and she rocked up against him. Her body welcomed his cock as if made just for him. She fit perfectly around him, her pert breasts prodding his chest.

  Sophie gripped his ass again. “Don’t hold back. Please.”

  As if he could. One hand under her neck, the other bracing himself, he plunged into her relentlessly. With each push, her body grew tight around him, and he was pretty sure she took a piece of his heart with each sound of satisfaction.

  She leaned up into him and spread frantic kisses across his chest until he buried his head in her hair and she sucked at his ear, making him groan. He ravaged her body, taking everything until they were both slick with sweat.

  Heavy breathing echoed in the confines of the tent and she moaned his name. His heart contracted with the sound while sharp pleasure threatened to consume him. Determined to make it as amazing for her as it was for him, he shifted to slip a hand between them and circled a thumb over her clit. She bucked in response and he continued, somehow keeping up his rhythm of hard, fast thrusts.

  Her uninhibited cry drew emotions from him he didn’t think he’d ever experienced before. She spasmed around him, burying her head into his neck. Luke bundled her to him as his own orgasm built. The sharp pleasure was almost insignificant to the outpouring of feeling that threatened to spill. Instead he uttered her name and went over the edge, the intense release making him quake as it seared through him.

  Sophie’s legs sagged to her sides and he slumped against her, rubbing his lips over the softness of her cheek.

  “Damn, Soph.”

  He felt her grin. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

  Luke brushed a hand up her arm and over one tight nipple, noting her instant response. “Think you can sleep now?”

  “Sleep? No, I don’t think so. I might need tiring out some more.”

  Laughing, he nipped playfully at her neck. Hell, he’d already broken his own rule about not getting involved with a client. He might as well go all in. Sophie was definitely worth breaking the rules for.