Champagne and Cowboys

by Donna Michaels

  “No.” She shook her head. “That’s not what I want. I’m fine now that you explained. I just didn’t like the idea that you’d taken me for granted.”

  He shook his head with a soft laugh. “Believe me when I tell you I would never take a woman like you for granted.” It was the truth. She was everything he found desirable in a woman—smart, sexy, impulsive, and funny. She was also soft, sweet, vulnerable, and almost completely unaware of how gorgeous she was. He was attracted in a way he’d never experienced with any other woman. He wanted her, but it went much deeper than that.

  “Now that we got that settled. Wanna go inside?” he asked. She suddenly looked tense, and far too much like a skittish filly ready to bolt. Had she changed her mind? “Second thoughts?” he asked.

  “No.” She offered up a weak smile. “Just jitters. It’s been a long time for me too. “Probably over a year and a half.”

  “But I thought you’d only divorced ten months ago.”

  “Yes,” she said. “But the romance ended well before that. By the end, we’d both lost interest in intimacy.”

  “What a fucking fool he was not to appreciate you.” He couldn’t understand how any sane man would ever have let her go.

  “It was as much my fault as his,” she said. “Relationships are a two way street.”

  “Did you refuse him?” he asked.

  “No,” she sighed. “I never exactly refused, but I stopped trying. When his hours got longer he didn’t seem interested. I didn’t like feeling as if I pressured him for sex.”

  “Wait a minute.” He shook his head with a scowl. “Are you saying you were the one to initiate it?”

  “More often than not,” she said.

  What a dick. What man wouldn’t want to have this incredible woman in his bed every night?

  “No wonder you left him.”

  “It wasn’t only about sex, Griff… or lack of it.”

  “Maybe not, but if he was really doing right by you… or maybe I should say doing you right, you would’ve felt more appreciated. Hell, if he’d applied himself properly to making you feel loved, you wouldn’t have had the strength to dial a lawyer.”

  She responded with a dry laugh. “I doubt he would have had to put that much effort into it. I’m not that hard to please.”

  That remark said a lot. “Aren’t you?” he asked. “Or have you just learned to settle for whatever you can get?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Given the selfish prick you were married to…I just gotta wonder….”

  “Are you asking if he satisfied me?”

  “Did he?” Griff asked. “Did he give you everything you wanted?”

  Her cheeks colored. “I don’t really see how that’s any of your business.”

  Her reaction told him everything he needed to know. “You’re wrong there, sweetheart. I’m about to make it my business. Matter-of-fact, I plan to spend the next few hours in single-minded dedication to it.” He was almost salivating to get his hands and mouth on her luscious naked body. The thought of it filled his mind with erotic visions of her splayed out on her back with her mile long legs hugging his flanks, of him taking her on all fours and watching himself pump in and out of her…

  “Hours?” she asked.

  “Yeah.” He grinned. “Given our recent histories, it seems we both have a lot of lost time to make up for.” He’d already mapped it all out in his mind during the drive. The plan was beautiful in its straightforward simplicity—he’d get her home, into his bed, and then fuck them both into a coma, but now it seemed she might need a little more finessing. He’d be happy to start by burying his whole face in her sweet little neglected puss. That thought was almost more than he could take.

  “It’s cold out here.” He nodded to the cabin. “Ready to go in?”

  “Griff? What about the morning?” she asked.

  “What about it?”

  “When you don’t show up at the house. Won’t they wonder about you and me?”

  “They can wonder all they like,” he said. “I think Denise already suspects something, but I promise there won’t be any embarrassing questions. You don’t have to meet them if you don’t want to.”

  “It’s not that I don’t want to. I just don’t want it to be awkward. I don’t want to give them a bad impression of me.”

  “I’ll take care of it, Cassidy. Please trust me. I want to take care of you.” His warm lips brushed over hers, sealing his promise with a kiss.

  I want to take care of you. Her throat tightened as Griff’s softly spoken words echoed in her mind. It felt like he’d answered her deepest need—to be cared for and cherished, for once in her life to have someone who put her needs and desires first.

  She glanced down with a frown when he opened the passenger door for her. The snow was halfway to his kness and she wore only one boot. Before she could even ask him, Griff lifted her into his arms. Instead of protesting as she had the first time he carried her, she threw hers around his neck, clinging tightly to his big, strong body. Still holding her, Griff fumbled to unlock the door with a mumbled curse.

  “You can put me down if you like,” she suggested. They were under the shelter of the porch where she didn’t have to worry about the snow.

  “I like you just where you are,” he answered. Pressing her back against the door, he gave her a kiss that left her reeling. The door finally gave, with the assistance of his booted foot. He stomped the snow from his boots and entered the single room cabin, setting her down on the bed that occupied one wall. “Are you warm enough?” he asked.

  “It’s a bit chilly.” She shivered.

  He turned his attention immediately to stoking the banked fire. While he worked, she took in the room. The cabin was small and sparsely furnished with a full-sized bed, a small wooden table with matching chairs, and a worn looking wing back by an old-fashioned wood burning stove. As soon as the fire came to life, Griff hung up his hat, shrugged out of his coat, and kicked off his boots. He then turned to assist her with hers. Her stomach had knotted with anticipation the moment they crossed the threshold into the cabin, but now her nerves were ready to snap. Would they both regret this later? Or worse, would she disappoint him?

  He kissed her again as he helped her out of her coat, and kept kissing her as he began methodically removing clothes, alternately his and hers. Her hands joined his in the effort of peeling away the layers. When she was bared to her bra and panties, Griff paused to stroke her exposed skin. His warm hands caressed up her arms to rest on her shoulders. Wordlessly, he dipped his head to the hollow between her collarbones and then proceeded to kiss up the side of her neck. His hot tongue on her bare throat sent a rush of wet heat between her thighs. His hands dropped from her shoulders to her breasts, inciting a shudder of exquisite sensation as he glided over them with the backs of his fingers.

  The intensity of his blue gaze warmed her exposed skin as he reached behind to unhook her bra. She made no move to cover herself as that too, hit the floor. Griff made her feel desired in a way she’d never felt before. She glanced down at the pile of discarded clothing, an apt metaphor for the inhibitions and insecurities he was so effortlessly stripping away.

  He cupped her breasts, strumming her nipples into hard peaks that throbbed to feel his hot mouth. She reached for him with a moan that became a gasp of pure pleasure as he closed his mouth over her nipple and then gently tugged it with his teeth. She clenched her fingers in his hair as he licked and suckled, working his way from one breast to the other, so in tune with her yearnings that it was almost as if he read her mind.

  He wore only his jeans. She reached for his zipper. He caught and held her wrist. “But—” she protested with a needy sound. He squelched her protest by bringing her hand to his mouth, plying a hot, wet kiss to her palm. The tender intimacy of the gesture incited an excruciating ache deep inside her belly. She was already aroused to the point of agony. Now it wasn’t just a matter of want anymore. She needed him. “Please,
Griff.”

  “It’s all right, sweetheart. I’ll take care of you.” He dropped to his knees, working his hands and mouth slowly down her belly.

  She shut her eyes as he ran his tongue along the band of her panties, sucking in a gasp when he pressed his open mouth to the silk-covered apex of her thighs.

  She squirmed with a needy noise “But I want—”

  “Shh…” Griff hushed her as he peeled away her panties, inhaling the pungent essence of her arousal. The scent of her struck him like two by four. Holy shit! It’s been too long. He delved his tongue into her folds for a long, slow sweep, the first tangy taste of her temporarily obliterating his other senses. She was feminine perfection and tasted like heaven—and made him ache like hell. But his need would be satisfied soon enough. Right now this was all about her. Her passion, her pleasure. Showing her how much he wanted her.

  He spread her wider, wedging his shoulders between her sleek thighs. He lowered his head, kissing, sucking, licking, swirling—immersing himself totally in teasing tiny tremors from her body. He continued to take her to the very brink, then eased her back again until her pleasure became his whole world.

  Her body tensed. She reached out for him with a moan. She was on the edge again. Decision time—finish her off now with his mouth or make them both happy by driving his aching cock balls deep into her sweet, wet core.

  “Please, Griff. I need you inside me.”

  She didn’t have to ask twice.

  “I’m right here, sweetheart.” Griff shed his jeans and rifled the nightstand, thanking God that he found condoms. She watched, wide-eyed as he encased his flesh. She looked so ripe and ready with her hair mussed and face flushed, a vision straight out of his most erotic fantasy. He joined her on the bed, kissing her long and deep, thrusting his tongue into the warm wet cavern of her mouth. She kissed him back, matching his hunger, nipping at his lips and sucking his tongue. He felt her hands come around him, stroking his erection. He continued to kiss her face, throat, and breasts, as she guided him to her entrance. Poised to pierce her, he stroked himself in her slickened folds until she whimpered again in need. “Now, Griff. Please.”

  Primed and pulsating, he reared back and thrust into her, long, slow, and deep. Griff shut his eyes on a moan as slick friction squeezed him, assaulting all of his senses. He seated himself to the hilt, and opened his eyes to find her staring up at him, a look of wonderment shining in her beautiful hazel eyes. Her lips curved, forming a soft smile that tugged deep in his gut.

  It was too perfect how they fit, how in sync they were to each other, so perfect that it almost frightened her. She’d never experienced this before with anyone. Not just the passion, but the feeling of mutual possession, as if they belonged together. Griff gazed down at her and her heart ached. How could she feel this way about a man she hardly knew? It was indescribable and inexplicable. But it was also real. She pulled his face to hers, kissing him with wild abandon as he began to move inside her.

  Her climax came suddenly and overwhelmingly. Her release racked her body with almost violent orgasmic waves, obliterating the months of aching loneliness, of sorrowful disillusionment, of dashed hopes and shattered dreams. Moments later as she lay in Griff’s arms, with her head resting over his strong and steady heart, she knew it was the beginning of something beautiful, honest, and true.

  Chapter Eight

  The door flew open with a blast of arctic air that sent it slamming against the wall with a bang. Cassidy bolted upright with a gasp, clutching the quilt to her breasts.

  “Uncle Griff! Uncle Griff! Wake up!” cried the little boy.

  “Close the damned door, Kaden!” Griff demanded. “You’re freezing us to death.”

  Kaden’s eyes locked on Cassidy. “Who’s that?”

  “Dang boy!” Griff mumbled. “Don’t you have any manners? Shut the door and then come and introduce yourself properly.”

  While Kaden rushed to do as his uncle commanded, Griff slipped out from the warm sheets and jerked on his jeans. Once Kaden closed the door, the boy turned back to address Cassidy. “My name’s Kaden Alex Stone. Who are you?”

  “Um. My name’s Cassidy Elizabeth Cantrell.” She glanced at Griff as if uncertain what to say. “I’m a … friend of your uncle’s.”

  “Jessica was his friend too. They were gonna get married. Weren’t you, Uncle Griff?”

  “That’s history that’s best forgotten, Kaden,” Griff replied with a stern look that went completely over the six-year-old’s head.

  “Why? Are you going to marry her instead?”

  “No one’s taking about marrying anyone right now,” Griff replied.

  “Then why is she here?”

  “She’s come to stay with us for a couple of days,” Griff explained.

  “I know that, but why is she sleeping in your bed?” He frowned in Cassidy’s direction. “You were pesosed to stay in my room last night, Uncle Griff. I was even going to let you have the top bunk. But you didn’t come.”

  “I’m sorry ’bout that pardner, but it was really late when we got in. I didn’t want to wake anyone so I decided to sleep in my own bed.”

  “Oh. Okay,” Kaden said, thankfully accepting the explanation. “I’ll let you have it tonight.”

  “Thanks,” Griff chuckled. “Now what has you so excited that you burst in here without even knocking.”

  “Mama wants to know if you’re coming up to the house for breakfast.”

  “She could have just called me for that,” Griff grumbled.

  “But Daddy said the phone wasn’t working.”

  “Daddy? Do you mean Derrick is back?” Griff asked.

  “Yup! When I asked Mama if she’d make me some pancakes. Daddy was in the bed with her. He was naked like you, Uncle Griff. Don’t grownups like pajamas?”

  Griff chose to ignore that question. “So it was your dad who sent you down here?”

  “Uh. Huh. He said I should come and ask if you wanted pancakes too.”

  “Now it all makes sense,” Griff mumbled. His brother was making up for lost time with Denise. He turned to Cassidy with a grin. “You like pancakes?”

  She returned a warm smile that made his chest tighten. “I love pancakes. They’re one of my most favorite things in the whole world, especially with a thick slice of bacon on the side.”

  “Me too!” Kaden exclaimed. “With blueberries and real maple syrup.”

  “Great,” Griff said. “We’ll all have pancakes. Now that we got that all settled, why don’t you go tell your mom she can expect two more for breakfast.”

  Kaden flashed a big toothless grin. “Ok, Uncle Griff.” The little boy tromped out, leaving a trail of melted snow behind. Griff shook his head with an exasperated sigh as he closed the door.

  Cassidy threw herself back with a fit of giggles. “He’s absolutely adorable!”

  “He’s a royal pain in the ass.”

  “You don’t mean that for a second. Anyone can see that you love that kid… and he adores you.”

  “Yeah.” He chuckled. “I wouldn’t mind having one like him one day. Do you want the first shower?” He nodded toward the bathroom.

  “I’d hoped we could share it,” she said. “But I guess blueberry pancakes can’t wait.”

  “So you’re okay with coming up to the house?”

  “Yes. I’d really like to meet your family. Do you have just one brother?” she asked.

  “Yeah. It’s just Derrick and me. My parents wanted more kids but my mom got cancer and had to have a hysterectomy. It didn’t stop it though.”

  “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I didn’t realize you’d lost both of your parents. How old were you?”

  “When Mom died? I guess I was about Kaden’s age.”

  “How horrible.”

  “We got by,” he said. “But my ol’ man was never the same after we lost Mom.”

  “He must have loved her very much,” she said softly.

  “He did. We all did. Denise has been
a godsend to all of us. There’s a place in the home only a woman can fill. How ’bout that shower?” he said.

  Cassidy had just finished dressing when her phone rang. Her breath caught in her throat when she recognized Doug’s number. With all that had happened last night, she’d almost forgotten she’d called him. “Hello, Doug,” she answered.

  “Hey Cass. Just got your message. You must be telepathic.”

  “Why’s that?” she asked.

  “Because you’ve been on my mind all week. So what’s this urgent favor?”

  “It’s for Liz,” Cassidy said. “Or rather her dad. He had a major cardiac episode. The heart cath says he needs a triple bypass.”

  “If she wants me to do it, all she needs to do is call the office,” he said.

  “She tried that, but you’re booked until after the holidays.”

  “Because I’m sailing to the Abacos,” Doug said.

  “Could you squeeze him in before you go?”

  “It’s not just me, Cass. The hospital tries to give the surgical staff a break this time of year. They are instructed not to schedule non-emergency procedures. He’s on meds, right?”

  “Yes, but we both know that doesn’t guarantee he won’t have another heart attack.”

  “A week isn’t likely to kill him, Cassidy. He’s probably had this condition for a few years.”

  “I know, but what if he does have another one? I couldn’t live with myself. Please Doug,” she begged. “It’s for Liz. She was your friend too.”

  “No can do,” he replied staunchly. “I made my plans months ago. Tell you what, since you asked so nicely, I’ll make a call and see if one of my partners can do it.”

  “But she wants you, Doug. You’re arrogant as hell but everyone knows you’re the best. Can’t you postpone the trip for just one day?”

  “All right, Cass,” he replied with a sigh. “I won’t do it for Liz, but I might be persuaded to do it for you.”

  “Persuaded? What do you mean?” Her instincts told her she wasn’t going to like his answer. “What do you want, Doug?”