“But—”
“It’ll go faster that way.”
“Good point.” By the time he was naked, he probably wouldn’t want to dawdle. He popped the snaps on his cuffs. “I suppose this is when I should confess that I pictured you naked from day one, too.”
“I know.”
“You do not.” Taking off his shirt, he hung it on the stall door near his hat.
“Yes, I do. I saw that gleam in your eyes. Women can tell what guys are thinking. You tried to be subtle about it, but you obviously liked my breasts.”
“I like them even better now. You feel like satin and taste like raspberries.”
She drew in a shaky breath. “And you...you are even more gorgeous than I imagined you’d be. I want to lick you all over.”
A jolt of desire sent him in her direction. “And I want to kiss every sexy inch of you. Let’s forget this little striptease and—”
“Not yet.” She backed away and held up her hand. “Take off the rest. There’s something incredibly sensual about watching a man unbuckle his belt and unzip his fly when he’s got sex on his mind. I’ll get to watch you do it a lot in the next week, but...this time is special.”
There, she’d admitted it. She was making memories, but he wasn’t going to point that out to her. Not now, anyway. And if she wanted a memory of him taking off his jeans, he’d do his best to make it a moment she wouldn’t soon forget.
He couldn’t see her expression very well as he slowly unbuckled his belt, but he could hear the steady sound of her breathing. He pitched his voice low. “You’re right. This shouldn’t be rushed.”
“Exactly.”
He unfastened the metal button at his waist and drew the zipper down. “No matter how much I want you, no matter how desperate I am to slide my cock into your hot body and make you come, we need to take it slow and easy. Let’s draw out the pleasure. Let’s make it last.”
“Mmm.” Her breathing wasn’t steady anymore.
He distinctly heard her gulp, and although he couldn’t be sure in the dim light, he thought she was trembling. He located the condom in his back pocket. “I need you to take care of this until we’re ready for it.” He tossed the packet in her direction, and she caught it with both hands. Obviously she wasn’t about to let it go missing.
After stepping out of his jeans, he shoved down his briefs and managed to swallow a groan of relief. He’d aroused himself as much as he seemed to have aroused her. All he wanted was to take the condom back and get enough of her clothes off to do the deed.
But this time was special and he intended to make sure that she’d remember having sex with Liam Magee in the barn. “My turn,” he murmured as he moved toward her.
She was definitely trembling. “I feel as if I could come right this minute.”
“That would be okay.” He dipped his head and gave her a kiss with a little bit of tongue as he unbuttoned her shirt and slipped it off her shoulders. Then he lifted his mouth from hers. “I’m sure that won’t be the one and only climax you’ll have.”
“You’re very good at this.”
“Undressing you?”
“Driving me insane.”
“Glad to hear it.” He moved away and draped her shirt next to his clothes. By the time he turned back, she was dangling her bra on the tip of her finger.
“I thought I’d speed things up.”
“Excellent idea.” He grabbed her bra and flung it away, not caring where it landed. She was topless, and her perfection claimed all his attention. He was through playing games. “Hope, I need...you.”
“Then let’s cut to the chase. Put this on.” She handed him the condom packet.
While he ripped it open and rolled on the condom, she shimmied out of her jeans and panties. He lowered her to the blanket and moved between her creamy thighs, but then she wrapped her legs around his and he felt her soft socks pressed against his calf muscles.
Despite the intensity of the moment, the notion made him smile. Braced above her, his cock touching the moist entrance to paradise, he looked into her eyes. “You’re still wearing socks.”
“Want to stop so I can take them off?”
“Hell, no.” And he pushed deep into the most welcoming spot his happy Johnson had ever known.
She pressed her fingers into his back and moaned. “Good,” she crooned. “So good.”
“Heck, yeah.” At sometime in the near future, he’d actually be able to see her face while he loved her, but it wasn’t in the cards tonight. The faint glow from the lights along the aisle allowed only a shadowed view as he began pumping.
But he could hear her just fine, and she was panting and calling his name. He could feel her body clench around his cock and knew that the rhythm he’d created was going to make her come. It could make him come, too, but he decided to hold off.
This connection between them was brand-new, but it didn’t seem that way. He’d known in his heart that it would be familiar. Although he couldn’t explain how he was linked with Hope, he accepted that the link existed. He was supposed to be with her now, and maybe longer. She’d be the one to decide when their story would end.
For now, every stroke of his cock brought her pleasure, and in a few seconds she’d surrender to an orgasm they’d created together with the sweet friction of their bodies. He was greedy enough to want another chance to do that for her. As he’d sensed tonight in the meadow, she needed that release. The more times she allowed herself to let go, the greater her chance of overcoming her grief.
There. Her body arched upward and he bore down. Pressing her hand over her mouth to smother her cries, she abandoned herself to the sweet convulsions of her climax. And all the while he continued his steady thrusting as he coaxed her toward a second release.
She moaned. “I can’t.”
“You can. Stay with me.”
She gripped his shoulders. “You’re asking for...more than I can give.”
“No, I’m not.” He chuckled. “You’re filled with passion. Dive into it. Wallow in it. You’re safe with me.” Even in the absence of strong light, he knew her gaze was focused on him.
“I believe you, Liam.”
“Then let me give you joy.” Sliding his hands under her backside, he lifted her so that he had a slightly different angle. Then he increased the pace, his thighs slapping hers until they breathed in ragged gasps.
Her soft wail came a moment before he felt the undulations of her climax. Closing his eyes in gratitude, he slipped the leash on his response and drove into her with a guttural cry. His cock seemed to pulse endlessly, but at last his body quieted.
Without realizing it, he’d let his head fall on her shoulder and had drifted into a semiconscious state. Her soft caresses and murmured words brought him back to reality. Startled, he lifted his head. “Damn. Did I fall asleep?”
“Not completely, but I think you were headed in that direction.”
“We can’t fall asleep here. We don’t want Herb or Cade to come in tomorrow and find us like this.”
“Considering Cade provided the condom, it would serve him right.”
That made Liam chuckle. “So true, but chances are good that Herb would be the first one down here.”
“That would embarrass me.”
“Me, too.”
“You? A big strong cowboy?”
“Actually, it would embarrass Herb, which would embarrass me. I could live with Cade finding us here, but not Herb. He’s the dad I never had, which means we have to make our way back to our beds before daybreak comes.”
“I get that.” She pulled his head down for a soft kiss. “Let’s erase the evidence.”
“In a minute.” He smoothed a strand of hair from her cheek. “We need a little pillow talk.”
“Just our luck we d
on’t have any pillows.”
“You are the most literal woman I’ve ever come across.”
“I know. I drove my folks crazy.”
“But you loved Ladyhawke. You must have known that couldn’t be literally true.”
“This is really complicated pillow talk, Liam. Isn’t this the time we’re supposed to say how much we enjoyed the sex?”
He chuckled loud enough to startle a whinny out of one of the horses. “Whoops.”
“I’m glad I make you laugh.”
“You do. I didn’t realize you were such a kick when I used to talk to you at the hotel. You always seemed serious and quiet.”
“So it really was all about my breasts. Otherwise I was kind of dull.”
“No. I like serious and quiet, too. But laughing with you is a bonus I didn’t expect.”
“And the sex is pretty good, don’t you think?”
“The sex is world-class. It’s so good that I’m trying to imagine how I’ll stay away from you for the next couple of days.”
“Well...” She traced his lower lip with the tip of her finger. “I’ve been thinking about that, too, and I’ll bet Rosie’s hearing isn’t quite as sharp as you remember it. Back then she was riding herd on a bunch of horny teenage boys. She might be rusty.”
“She might, but I doubt it. Thinking of sneaking out and meeting me at the barn tomorrow night?”
“Only if you’re willing to let Grady know what’s going on. I’m sure his hearing is excellent.”
“I was planning to tell him about us, if that’s okay.”
“Absolutely okay.”
“Then midnight tomorrow night, same stall?”
“I’ll be here.” She touched the corner of his mouth. “When did you get this scar?”
“That, my sweet lady, is a story for another time.” He gave her a quick kiss and eased away from her warmth. He would have been sadder about leaving her if they hadn’t promised to revisit this spot tomorrow night.
“Then it had better be a really good story, if you’re going to make me wait for it.” She picked up her jeans and panties.
“It’s an embarrassing story, and I want you to have a good opinion of me.” He struggled into his briefs and jeans and zipped up. Too bad he didn’t have a better view of her as she dressed, although a better view might get him hot and bothered again. If only they had...lanterns. He groaned.
“What’s the matter?”
“We’ve been fumbling around in the dark, not able to see each other, and all I had to do was bring our two lanterns into the stall. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it. What an idiot.”
“All your blood had drained south. You couldn’t be expected to think of anything.”
“Sure, but...did you?”
“Yes, but when you didn’t bring them with the blanket, I was mostly glad. It meant I couldn’t see you quite as well for the stripping part, but overall, having dim light for this first time was better. Kinder.”
He stopped fastening his shirt and walked over to her. Bracketing her cheeks with both hands, he looked into her shadowed face. “Hope, are you shy?”
“I didn’t used to be, and I won’t be next time. But it’s been a while, and like I said, my last relationship was...unpleasant. You’re my first lover since then. I’ve discovered that I still love sex, especially with you, but being allowed to ease into intimacy really helped me relax.”
Liam’s jaw tightened. “Did he hurt you?”
“Not physically, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
He was comforted, but not by much. “Words can leave scars, too. Is he in Cody?” If he could get a name, he just might pay the jerkwad a little visit.
“No. When we were together, we lived in Cheyenne. But he’s left the state, which is fine with me. He’s not worth worrying about.”
He is if he’s standing between us. But Liam didn’t push for more information. He had a week to let her tell him what had happened. Unless she did, they’d never get past it.
She slipped her arms around his neck. “What I’m saying is that if you want to bring the lanterns into the stall tomorrow night, that would be more than okay.”
“I’d like that.” He shoved thoughts of her ex away so he could concentrate on the present and the bright promise of the woman he held in his arms. On Hope.
9
THE BARN BORE no sign of their presence by the time Hope walked out into the night with Liam. They kissed once more but made themselves stop before heavy breathing set in. He headed toward the cabin he shared with Grady, and she mounted the steps to the ranch house’s front porch.
What a night. What a man. She did feel safe with him, partly because he was so kind, but mostly because he’d agreed that this affair would last only a week. She didn’t have to worry about things going bad. They wouldn’t have time to mess anything up.
As she crossed to the front door, she briefly wondered if she’d been locked out. Probably not. Rosie would have checked her room and discovered she wasn’t home yet. Judging from prior conversations, locking doors wasn’t a big priority around here, anyway.
She started to open the screen door just as a light came on inside the house. Her instant response—anxiety—passed quickly and left her laughing at herself. She was twenty-seven years old, and she wasn’t about to get in trouble for staying out too late.
But she’d feel guilty as hell if her host or hostess couldn’t sleep because they were worried about her. Opening the door, she called out a soft “Hello?” so she wouldn’t startle whoever had turned on that light, which she could now see came from the kitchen.
Rosie poked her head out from the kitchen doorway. “Hope!”
“Please tell me you aren’t up because you were worried about me.”
“Heavens, no. You were with Liam. He wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”
“That’s very true. So...a midnight snack?”
“Sort of. Herb’s snoring like a band saw, and I decided to come in here and have a little decaf laced with Baileys. After a couple of cups I can sleep through anything. You’re welcome to join me, but you probably want to turn in.”
“I’d love to join you. Let me make a quick trip to the bathroom first.”
“Okay! See you in a minute.” Rosie beamed at her, obviously pleased to have company.
Hurrying through the living room and down the darkened hall, Hope ducked into the bathroom that had been designated for her use. Fortunately she’d left her toiletries in there. One look in the mirror told her she’d made the right call. Bits of straw were stuck in her hair, her lipstick had been completely kissed away and her shirt was buttoned up wrong.
But Rosie might not have noticed, because the living room had been fairly dark. Either way, Hope began to reassess the plan to keep her involvement with Liam a secret, especially from Rosie. That seemed unfair to her hostess. Confessing the situation to Rosie would eliminate any worry about sneaking around.
Once she felt presentable, she returned to the kitchen, where the scent of brewing coffee reminded her of her parents’ house in Cheyenne. She’d had a few late-night chats with her mother over cups of decaf, but her mom hadn’t added Baileys to it. Hope had visited her parents a few times since leaving, but she’d avoided those late-night chats. She wasn’t ready to discuss why she and Tom broke up. She might never be ready.
“Did you have a nice ride?” Rosie took a couple of generously sized mugs from the cupboard. Her definition of a cup of coffee was probably more like three.
“We had a great time.” She debated how best to explain her situation. “Liam and I have discovered that we’re...that we have a lot in common, so we...”
“Sweetie, say no more.” Rosie turned toward her. “You have a little romance going on. Am I right?”
“Physical attraction is nothing to be ashamed of.”
Hope laughed. “I can see why those boys all love you.”
“I was a lot tougher on them when they were teenagers. Didn’t want any unplanned babies showing up, but they took that lecture to heart, thank goodness. Now they’re healthy young men, so of course they like sex.”
“Um, yeah.” Hope’s cheeks warmed.
Rosie gazed at her and smiled. “Ah, I see how it is. But you don’t have a particularly great setup for spending time alone, do you?”
“Well, there’s the barn.” The minute she said it, she wished she hadn’t. Rosie didn’t need to know where they were getting it on. She had to be aware only that Hope would be leaving the ranch house in the wee hours to spend time with Liam...somewhere.
“That won’t do. That won’t do at all.”
“Please don’t worry about it. This is our problem, and we’ll figure it out.” And now she was probably beet red. Terrific. “It’s only a temporary inconvenience, anyway. After the wedding, I’ll be staying at Damon and Phil’s.”
“So you will.” Rosie seemed cheered by that thought. “And Liam’s staying on for a bit. Perfect. But I can understand why having him visit you here would be a little awkward.”
Hope groaned. “This is becoming way too embarrassing. I just wanted to alert you to the fact I’ll be slipping out of the house late at night.”
“And that’s very considerate of you.” Rosie poured the coffee and a considerable amount of Baileys into each mug. She handed one to Hope. “Drink up. It’s easier to have this kind of discussion if you’re slightly toasted.”
“Makes sense.” She took a sip, and then another. “This is delicious.”
“Glad you think so. Not everyone is enamored of my favorite drink. Finn’s special lady, Chelsea, loves it. Others may be pretending enthusiasm to please me.”
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