by Cat Johnson
What the hell. Might as well take this experience all the way. Casey found a can opener and a spoon and for the first time in years, began to cook dinner.
All right, she couldn’t really call it cooking since all she did was open a can and put it in a pan on the woodstove, but she did add a log to the stove just to make sure the fire kept going, so that increased the degree of difficulty.
Cooking without benefit of electricity or gas—that was pretty impressive if she did say so herself.
She’d just stirred the chili in the cast iron skillet, much like the Maverick Western one she owned in New York except this one looked like it had actually been used, when she made out the faint sound of a dog barking.
Misty.
Casey couldn’t help but smile. Bonner was back. She strode to the door and out onto the porch.
The sun’s rays as it sunk lower in the sky highlighted the cloud of dust in the distance. Through it she could make out about half a dozen cows, running, while Bonner rode behind them. As they got closer, she could see Misty as she wove from side to side behind the herd of cattle, barking and nipping at their hooves.
But it was the figure on horseback, the man who occasionally swung a rope and yelled to the animals, who drew and held her attention once again.
She couldn’t keep her eyes off Bonner. God, he was extra sexy when he was doing cowboy stuff.
The scene before her was like a Western movie come to life.
No, more accurately, Casey felt as if she’d stepped into an episode of the Cowboy Cody show. She was the little woman holding down the homestead waiting for her man with a hot meal and even hotter sex. While he was the man riding home after a long time away tending the herd at the summer pasture.
By the time Bonner had slowed the herd to a walk and funneled them into the fenced in area bordered on one side by a pond, she was ready to tear his clothes off and mount him on the front porch.
As he carried a bucket of water to the cabin, and she saw his smile and the color in his cheeks from the ride, that idea was sounding better and better to her.
“Welcome back.” Casey heard the breathless quality in her own voice again. Bonner did that to her.
“Told you I wouldn’t be long.” He pushed past her and set the bucket on the floor next to the stove. He glanced back. “You started dinner. Good. I’m starving.”
“Then let’s eat.” There was only one thing Casey wanted to eat, but she’d better feed the cowboy first. He’d need his strength for later.
Bonner grabbed two bowls and another spoon off a shelf and carried them back to the table.
With a leather glove he pulled from his belt, he took the hot pan off the stove and put it on the table. She couldn’t do much more than watch as he served them both. Her stomach was so twisted with need, she wouldn’t be able to eat much of the chili, but that didn’t stop her from enjoying watching him.
He’d emptied his bowl before he glanced up at her. “You all right? You’re not eating.”
“I’m not hungry right now.” At least not for what was in the bowl. Casey stood and, facing him, straddled Bonner in his chair.
He supported her with a hand on each cheek of her ass. “Not that I’m complaining, but what got into you?”
“You.” She planted a hand on each side of his face and kissed him, deep and thorough.
With a groan he picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he walked them both to the bed.
He laid her on the mattress and rolled to lie on his side as he gazed down into her face. “If this is the welcome I’m going to get, maybe I’ll let the stragglers loose and go round them up again tomorrow.”
“Sounds good to me.” She pushed him onto his back and unbuckled his belt. He smelled of leather and horse and the outdoors.
“Let me take my chaps and boots off.” Bonner moved to sit up.
“Oh no. Those stay on. The spurs too.”
His eyebrows shot up, but he reclined again without complaint.
It took a bit of doing, but she freed him from the fly of his jeans.
Leaving the rest of his clothes on Casey leaned low. She took his length between her lips and tasted the salty flavor of him.
Bonner groaned, low and deep in his throat. “Damn, girl. Are you living out some city girl-cowboy fantasy with me?”
Casey lifted her head. He slipped out of her mouth with a pop. “Yup. That a problem?”
“Nope.” He reached out and nudged her head down gently. “Go right ahead.”
She did, lowering her mouth while making sure her teeth grazed him the whole way down. He was hard and smooth, like steel covered in satin.
Bonner hissed a sharp breath and tangled his hands in her hair.
She lifted off him again, using plenty of teeth, and glanced up. “I like rough.”
“Me too.” Bonner’s hold on her head tightened and he thrust into her mouth. That was the last talking they did for a while.
CHAPTER 8
Bonner couldn’t say he’d slept, more like he dozed. He also couldn’t say that he cared that he didn’t get a solid night’s sleep. The reason for that was lying next to him now, her chestnut hair tickling his nose as they shared a pillow in the narrow bed.
He’d dare any man to try and sleep while Casey’s naked body was pressed against him all night. Warm. Soft. Tempting.
The fire was nearly dead. He should get his lazy ass out of bed and build it up again so she’d be warm when she got dressed and they ate breakfast, which he’d have to break to her would be canned hash, not all that much different from the canned chili they’d had for dinner. But he couldn’t bring himself to leave the bed while she was still in it.
She’d slept fine though, and still was sleeping, judging by the slow steady breathing.
He supposed he should leave her be. That thought entered and left his head as he ran one palm over the curve of her hip. She lay on her side facing away from him. It was the perfect position for him to nestle very happily against the soft flesh of her ass.
He’d been admirably restrained all night, if you asked him. Not one of the times he’d awoken hard as a rock had he woken her to relieve it.
Now though, the sun was up and so was he. All bets were off now that it was daylight.
Running his lips over her shoulder, Bonner worked his way to her ear, where he nibbled. Meanwhile, he snaked one hand around and cupped her breast.
Shame she wore sweaters all the time. He could appreciate a nice chest even though he was primarily an ass man.
Speaking of ass… He pressed his erection a little more firmly against hers.
“Someone’s awake.” She sounded all warm and sleepy.
“Mm, hm. All of me.”
“Yes, so I feel.” Casey laughed and then stretched. “Wow. I’ve never slept so well.”
Bonner shook his head. At least one of them had. She was doing better in the cabin than he ever expected a city girl to. “Good. I’m glad of that and I owe you a compliment.”
“Compliment. For what? The blowjob?”
He laughed. “Yeah, that was good, but what I was fixin’ to say was, you’re doing real good being away from all your computers and cell phone.” Not to mention running water, and heat, and electricity.
“Thank you. I appreciate you noticing. You uh, distracting me has helped tremendously.”
“Maybe I’ll hide all that stuff when we get back. When you start to get twitchy, you’ll have to come find me for some more…distraction.” He pressed closer.
It was mind boggling how he could want her so badly again after the number of times he’d had her yesterday.
Soon they’d be back under the watchful eyes of the other guys and the old man. Bonner wasn’t sure about what they’d do then. He couldn’t take her to the bunk house with the others, but he didn’t want to be rolling around in her bed under the same roof as the old man either.
That would seem even more disrespectful than what they were already doing. B
ut here and now, they were alone and she was all his.
One small move of his hips and Bonner was nudging at her. A bit of pressure and he slid into her slick warmth. Casey let out a sigh. “Mm, this is a nice way to wake up.”
Oh, hell yeah it was. He could easily do this every morning.
“Mm, hm.” Bonner pushed in deeper as Casey pressed back against him. He reached around and found the spot that would drive her crazy. He circled it with the tip of one finger and felt her muscles tighten around him.
It made him crave so much more with her. That should scare him. The more frightening fact was that it didn’t.
“I’m close.” She was breathless and gasping but he heard her loud and clear.
Bonner groaned and drove in, and then out of her. She tilted her hips forward, pressing against his hand. He pressed deeper while working her with his hand harder.
Her body convulsed around him as she cried out. That was all it took for him to lose control. He pounded hard and fast and then held deep, coming inside her as her body gripped him.
They both lay, panting, until his body slackened and slipped out of her. He squeezed her tighter, not wanting to let go even though he knew he’d have to eventually. First to clean themselves up, then to leave here and go back to the real world.
He’d never be able to walk into this cabin again without remembering this. Her.
Bonner pressed a kiss to her hair. “Thank you.”
She smiled. “You’re welcome.”
He laid his head against hers. “I mean it.”
“I know you do. I just never had a man thank me for sex before.”
“It was really good sex.” He smiled too.
“Thank you. And you’re welcome.” Casey sighed. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to go experience that lovely outhouse again.”
“Want me to come with you?”
“No, I think I’ll brave it on my own this time.”
He rose on one elbow and looked down at her. “I’m sorry things aren’t a little nicer for you here.”
She rolled onto her back to face him. “Don’t. Outhouse aside, this was absolutely perfect. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”
The sincerity in her voice made him like her all the more. His little city girl, warming canned chili over a fire, braving the outhouse, sleeping like a log in a cabin.
Trying not to think about how fast the day she’d be leaving was bearing down on them, Bonner squeezed her with one more hard hug before he released her.
Casey got out of bed and padded across the room, naked except for socks until she slipped on his blue shirt. The sight tightened something in his chest. He’d never be able to put on his own damn shirt again without thinking of her and remembering this time.
Boots on, his shirt hanging nearly to her knees, and the roll of toilet paper in her hand, she looked adorable as she shot him a smile and then disappeared through the door.
Maybe he should go buy some new shirts. Red ones.
CHAPTER 9
Bonner sat at the table and concentrated solely on his lunch of chicken thighs swimming in barbecue sauce with a side of buttery rice, afraid if he dared glance up everyone would read in his expression exactly what he was trying to hide. That he and Casey had basically done not much more than have sex in every position imaginable the entire time they’d been alone together at the cabin.
The old man shoved his plate of grilled chicken breast and plain rice away from him and sighed. “So Bonner, how was she?”
Bonner looked up, his eyes wide. He cleared his throat. “What?”
“How did the city girl do on her first cattle drive?” The old man chuckled. “You must have rode her hard if she’s too tired to even eat lunch.”
Justus and Dakota both snickered as Bonner’s chest tightened.
They couldn’t know. Of course they didn’t know.
Fighting the rising guilt, Bonner reminded himself everything said would sound perfectly innocent if he hadn’t done exactly that, rode Casey hard, three times, four if he counted taking her mouth.
“She did good. Better than I expected. She finally took to Thunder, so the ride down was smoother than the one up.” Bonner shrugged.
“How’d she like the outhouse?” Dakota grinned.
Bonner smiled, remembering that first time. “It was pretty interesting.”
“I bet.” The old man chuckled. “Thank you. I know you didn’t want to take her. I appreciate that you did.”
“No problem.” Bonner nodded and kept his eyes focused on the chicken bones on his plate.
“You sure took your time. Left us here alone to handle things. Didn’t expect you to take two damn days to round up half a dozen stragglers.” Justus, hands covered in sauce as he held a chicken leg, looked unhappy.
“I wouldn’t have alone, smart ass. Yesterday was the first time she’d ever been on a horse.” Bonner raised a brow. “And what I see you’re really telling me is that you two can’t handle things without me. Guess we know who carries the weight around here now, don’t we?”
Dakota shot Justus a look. “We handled it just fine. Just sucked to have you gone yesterday and half of today, and you’ll be out all damn day tomorrow too.”
“Tomorrow?” Bonner frowned until it hit him. “The bull riding school. I forgot all about that.” He glanced at the old man. “What am I going to do with her tomorrow?”
“Bring her with you.”
“No. No way. The trip to the pasture was one thing, but this is different.”
The old man watched him for a bit. “All right. I’m sure she’ll be happy to have a day off from ranching anyway.”
“We can take her with us for the day.” Justus looked up hopefully.
“Oh no, you won’t. You two can finish fixing that stretch of fence we didn’t get to the other day. I’ll show her the computer in the office. That’ll keep her busy all day.” Bonner figured once Casey got some technology in her hands after all this time, she wouldn’t even notice he was gone. Which was exactly what he wanted.
He didn’t need all the questions that her knowing he was a rodeo champion would bring. That part of his life was in his past, and that’s where he wanted it to stay.
It was crazy he’d even let himself get talked into being a coach at this one-day bull riding clinic one of the local guys was throwing at his place. He must be getting soft in his old age.
Dakota sighed. “All right.”
“And if she asks where I am, just tell her I’m helping out at a neighbor’s. Got it?” It wasn’t a lie. Just not the whole truth. So why did he feel kind of bad about it?
“Why?” Justus frowned.
“Yeah, Blue, why you always getting mad when people bring up your rodeo days?”
“Boys. Leave him be and do as he says.” That one sentence, delivered in a tone that the old man had perfected from years of bossing people, shut both of the kids up.
Bonner nodded thanks and tried not to think about how her absence at this meal, and the prospect of not seeing Casey tomorrow either, had made him feel as if a cloud had just blocked out the sun.
~ * ~
Casey had never been so happy to see a shower in her life. After not even twenty-four hours at the cabin, hot running water seemed like a luxury worthy of kings and queens.
When she came out of the shower and found a tray with a hot meal waiting on the desk in her bedroom, she’d thought she’d died and gone to heaven.
She pulled on her Maverick Western flannel lounging pants and matching brushed cotton long-sleeved T-shirt. After shoving her feet into her Maverick natural fur, rubber soled slippers she sat to devour the lunch of barbecued chicken and rice.
Her tablet was powered on and propped in front of her just in case the signal decided to work today. Even if it didn’t, the moment she was done with the chicken and had washed, or possibly licked, the tasty sauce off her fingers, she’d start making notes, recording her thoughts about the past two days.
&nbs
p; Well, maybe not all her thoughts. Parts of her felt deliciously sore, a physical reminder of her many incredible hours with Bonner in the cabin.
She certainly hoped he and his cowboy code didn’t have any delusions that now they were back and under Jake Maverick’s roof and scrutiny they wouldn’t be repeating those encounters, because she had other ideas.
Determined to nail down this marketing campaign and Bonner Blue Boyd, Casey cleaned up from lunch and grabbed her tablet.
Tingly with excitement about both her work and Bonner, she crawled onto her bed and settled in to do some work—and maybe daydream about her cowboy.
If Bonner needed her for anything, he’d have to come upstairs and get her.
Mmm. She liked that idea.
She must have fallen asleep, because though she’d lain down while the afternoon sun had been streaming through the panes of her bedroom window, she awoke to the grey light of pre-dawn. She had been more exhausted than she realized if she’d slept straight through dinner and through the night.
The one good thing about life on the ranch was that everyone woke early, and hot coffee was the first order of business.
Casey could get onboard with that schedule. She glanced down at herself, considering if she really needed to get dressed just to sneak downstairs and grab herself a cup. She compromised and threw on a bra under her T-shirt in case she ran into any of the men and then she headed down the back staircase. It led directly to the kitchen where she hoped Mrs. Jones and her blessed pot of caffeine were.
Down in the kitchen she didn’t find Mrs. Jones, but she did find her boss.
Surprised, but not unpleasantly so, she said, “Mr. Maverick. Good morning.”
“Please, call me Jake.”
She couldn’t help but warm to the old man. He was so completely down to earth, even though the name Maverick had become a household word, at least in this country.
Casey smiled. “Okay, I will. You’re up early.”
“I have to be if I want to grab a cup of real coffee before the caffeine Nazi forces that decaf crap on me.”
Sympathizing completely with the old man, Casey laughed. She’d probably curl up in a ball and die if the doctor cut her off cold turkey from real coffee. “I won’t tell.”