Summer's Wicked Cowboys [Casanova Cowboys 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Rhea Regale

  There, in the floor of the closet beneath Mr. Ryder’s belongings, a small square cut-out sat unevenly in its space. She pulled the wood up and held back the clothes dangling overhead to allow light to pass into the shadowed area. A metal box sat snug in the space. Summer’s lips twitched as she pulled the box out of the hiding space and placed it at her knees.

  “Well, well. What were you hidin’, Mr. Ryder?”

  Summer flipped up the latch and lifted the lid. A faded orange envelope about the size of a sheet of paper sat on top. She removed it and opened the flap. She didn’t need to pull out the glossy papers to know what they were, but she did and found herself staring at exact replicas of the photos Katie found at her shop.

  “Oh shit.” Summer dropped the photos and turned back to the box. She shuffled through the papers, looking through the check books, the reconciliation books, and came to a handwritten letter. Short and sweet, and straight to the point.

  Business is bad right now, and if you want me to keep the bastard, and our agreement, a secret, you better be compensating me to keep my mouth shut. I’m expecting payment by Friday, and not a penny less than our new terms.

  Summer’s shoulders dropped. She read over the letter again, turned the yellowing paper over, looking for more clues. No name was signed, but she would bet her shop that the handwriting belonged to a woman. She laid the letter down and dug deeper, discovering two more letters. One was simply a day and time, dating back almost ten years. The other was a threat to tear apart his family and ruin him, his name, and the name of Ryder to everyone.

  “My God, you were being blackmailed,” Summer said. Again, no signature accompanied the letters. She went back to the checkbook reconciliation and scrutinized the entries. Each check had been made to JHP, LLC.

  “Summer?”

  Summer startled at the sound of her name echoing down the hallway. She shoved the papers into the box, all except the first letter that she shoved into her pocket, and dropped the box into the hole. Shaking, she jumped to her feet, kicked the rug over the opening, shoved the wood toward the back of the closet, and snatched up the photos as the bedroom door opened.

  Carter stepped into the room, his brow deeply furrowed. His eyes held hers for a long, silent moment then drifted around the room. She watched his expression drop for a brief minute before folding up behind a wall of indifference. Summer moved at a brisk pace, corralling him back into the hallway. She closed the door behind her.

  “What were you doing in there?” Carter asked. She looked him over, inhaling the scent of her soap and shampoo from his skin.

  “You and Braden get a little frisky?” she teased unsteadily, trying to slow down the erratic pace of her heart. Her arms and legs were as weak as a babe’s.

  The corner of Carter’s mouth curled upward. He pointed to the envelope in her hand. “What did you find, Detective Summer?”

  “I found how your father knew about you and Braden.”

  She handed over the envelope. Carter opened the flap and pulled out the photos. His expression remained masked as he shuffled through the three sheets. He slid them back into the envelope and lifted his gaze to her. His calmness made her uneasy. Carter’s self-control was one thing she always knew to watch. When something bothered him, his cool demeanor intensified ten-fold, as it did now. Energy, potent and dense, pulsed off him.

  “I’m curious. Why did you think to look in my parent’s room for anything at all?” Carter asked slowly, his voice low. Summer sighed and dug out the copies of the photos from earlier. She handed the crumpled paper to Carter, who opened them and barely spared them a glance. “Where did you find these?”

  “They were taped to the windows of my shop when Katie got there this mornin’,” Summer said. His calm front cracked and his eyes widened slightly. “She doesn’t know who put them there or how many people might’ve seen them before she got to work.”

  “Why the fuck didn’t you call me?” Carter demanded. Heat welled up in her cheeks. He grabbed her shoulders and lowered his face to hers, Guardian Carter coming out full force. “I went to my attorney this morning to try and begin the process of transferring assets to my name and discovered someone has been trying to claim them in my absence. Angel, whoever is doing this isn’t messing around.”

  Summer narrowed her eyes. “Are you serious? Who would be so brazen as to try and do that? They’d get caught.”

  “I have my attorney trying to figure that out.” Carter pressed a kiss to her forehead. “When I find out who’s behind this, he better be far away from Ryder because if I get my hands on him, I’ll show him fear like he’s never known. No one brings my angel into this.” He rustled the papers next to their heads. “This is bullshit.”

  “Carter, don’t start thinkin’ about takin’ the law into your own hands.” She reached up and rested her palm against his cheek. His jaw ground beneath his firm flesh and his eyes held a dangerous glint. “I don’t care who saw those pictures and what people might think. Let them wonder about us. I love you, and no pictures will make me change my mind.”

  “This might be bad for your business, Summer.”

  “If someone decides to go somewhere else because they saw a bunch of pictures and made assumptions from them, then let them. I don’t want their business.” As the swirling anger began to subside in Carter’s eyes, she was happy she decided not to share the rest of what she found with him. “You and Braden are all that matters to me.”

  “Sweetheart,” Carter breathed, pulling her into his arms. She closed her eyes, soaking in his warmth, his strength, and thanking God for bringing him back to her. He kissed the top of her head, his hand curling around the back of her neck. “I’m so blessed to have you, Summer. I’m not giving you up, ever.”

  “I sure hope not.” She tipped her chin up and met his lips with a short kiss. “Where’s Braden?”

  “Downstairs with the crew watching the tie-down.”

  “And you’re not in on the games?” she teased, drawing a single finger down his scarred cheek. She felt the hard nudge of his cock between them.

  “Games come second to you. In fact”—Carter smiled—“I’ve been given permission to kidnap you for a night.”

  “Oh?” She caressed his neck with the tip of her nose. “Who gave you permission?”

  “You know who gave me permission, but of course, it’s only if you want to spend the night with me.”

  “And where do you plan on taking me?”

  “Away from this house, these pictures, the threat.” Carter’s hot breath spread over her mouth. A new wave of trembling took hold of her, weakening her at the knees. She clung to Carter’s collar, leaning into him for support. “We can go down by the lake.”

  “And stargaze like we used to?”

  Carter chuckled, his lips grazing her top lip. She swallowed the lump that appeared in her throat. “We never did much star gazing.”

  “No, we didn’t.” She snaked her arms around his neck and held fast to him. “The weather’s callin’ for snow tonight.”

  “A dusting.”

  “Plannin’ on camping in the cab of Colton’s truck?” She could taste his mouth so close. Her panties were damp with her sudden arousal, her body craving Carter’s every possible way she could have him.

  “Say yes or no, angel.”

  Summer leaned back slightly, enough to meet Carter’s gaze. Love brimmed shamelessly in his eyes. Her heart sputtered. If ever there was a person she’d hand her heart to twice, this was the man.

  “Yes,” she whispered, pulling her hand away from the back of his neck and trailing her fingers over his lips. “Yes, yes, yes.”

  Forever and ever, yes.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Summer watched Carter from the warm cab of the truck as he finished pitching the small tent. Clouds covered the night sky, the first snowflakes floating down to the ground. They melted instantly on the hood of the truck, but in the headlight beams, she could see they clung to the tent.

>   He returned to the truck and flashed her a smile, pulling two sleeping bags and a lantern from the back seat. Without a word, he went back to the tent, disappearing inside this time. Summer writhed in the seat, her body humming with anticipation, her heart singing with love. She needed this night with Carter, to sew together the last patches of her soul, to make everything right. She held no guilt for leaving Braden, no guilt for spending the night with one man and not two.

  Carter returned to the truck and grabbed the last items, a small cooler packed with snacks and a large thermos of hot chocolate spiked with peppermint schnapps—a personal favorite of Summer’s—and brought those to the tent.

  At last, Carter came to her side of the truck and opened the door. “Want to cut the engine for me?”

  Summer leaned over the console and twisted the key, tugging it out of the ignition. She stretched through the steering wheel to turn off the headlights, leaving them in a wintry darkness where the sky’s gray haze made the earth glow among the falling snow.

  She dangled the keys in front of Carter. He snatched them and tossed them on the floor then scooped her off the seat. She laughed, clinging to his neck, tipping her face skyward and letting the cold flakes dot her feverish skin. Carter kicked the door shut and carried her to the tent.

  “A castle fit for my snow angel,” Carter said, placing her on her feet. He unzipped the tent and beckoned her into the small quarters. She sat on the large bag he had made by zipping the two smaller ones together, and tugged off her shoes, placing them in the corner. Carter slid in beside her, dropped his boots next to her shoes, and closed the door. He leaned across her lap and switched on the electric lantern. “Cold?”

  “Whatever cold I have, it won’t last,” she said, rubbing her hands together. Carter smiled, the lantern light highlighting the dimple in his left cheek. “I feel like a twenty-four-year-old all over again.”

  “We’ll keep building on those memories. We’ve got a lot more to make, starting tonight.” With one hand, Carter skillfully unbuttoned her coat and gently slipped it from her shoulders. Summer licked her lips, trying to control the sudden trembling that threatened to take over her body. She and Carter were alone for the first time since his return, and it felt like he never left. Each airy touch of his fingers warmed her a degree until she burned. The sweater she wore suddenly turned hot and burdensome, her pants constricting. The space was so enclosed, but Carter still felt so far away.

  Dear God, she was a hopeless mess for him.

  Carter pressed up, his mouth sliding along her throat. His breath was hot and moist, leaving a trail of coolness and an eruption of gooseflesh in his wake. She moaned, letting her head fall to the side, baring her neck to his hungry lips.

  “Last night was wild, wicked, and fun,” he murmured along her ear. “Tonight, Summer, is about what’s in our hearts. I want to savor your skin against mine, the taste of your body on my tongue, the feel of you bearing down on my cock when I’m inside you.”

  He traced the shell of her ear with his tongue. She bit down on her bottom lip and closed her eyes, drowning in the tender prelude. Cold didn’t touch her, not with the heat pouring off his body and covering hers. He was her drug, her toxin, and she happily gave herself to the high that he provided.

  His lips brushed over hers, but didn’t linger. His hands lowered to her feet and she opened her eyes. Slowly, he worked off each sock, draping them neatly over her shoes. When he turned back, he caught her gaze and held it as he unfastened the button on her pants, lowered the zipper tooth by tooth, making her body ache and cream, her clit pulse a maddening beat. There was nothing humorous in his face, not like last night. Desire smoldered his eyes and smoothed over his expression, calming the carnal beast lying just below the surface.

  One hand slid around her hip, the rough pads of his fingers forming to the swell of her rear and easing her pants down. Her eyelids were so heavy, but she wouldn’t look away from Carter. The air was electric, nearly sizzling. Her nerves were alive and her clit throbbed with each rapid beat of her heart. Carter’s hands molded around her thigh and slowly pushed one leg of her pants over her knee, down her calf, and off her foot. His gaze dropped to her aching wet pussy before he turned his face into her knee and began a trail of warm kisses up her thigh. His lips feathered her skin.

  “Your skin is like snow. Soft, silky, and cool until I warm it up,” Carter murmured. He licked a path from mid-thigh up to the edge of her panties. “Your scent is sweet and rich.”

  He glanced up at her. His nostrils flared and despite the soft light, she noticed his eyes darkening. He turned his face down, the tip of his nose running along her seam. She moaned, dropping her head back and spreading her knees. When his tongue pressed against her panties and followed the slit of her pussy, she whimpered.

  Teeth scraped her lower belly, snagging the lacy top of her panties. She clung desperately to her composure and watched Carter work her thong from her body using his teeth in one of the most erotic sights she had ever seen. He tugged her pant leg off then slipped the damp fabric from her body. The cold air kissed her wet pussy, igniting her arousal to a higher level.

  Carter pushed up onto his hands and knees once every item from her waist down was stashed in the corner of the tent. He caught her knees when she began to close her legs and gave his head a small shake.

  “No,” he said quietly, his voice deeper, huskier, and rolling over more gravel than usual. He situated himself between her legs, glancing down at her exposed pussy as he sat back on his heels. Summer clenched her pussy muscles but it only succeeded in adding more fuel to her fiery clit and throbbing core. “I still know how to make you wet.”

  “I don’t think there’s any question about that,” Summer said, allowing her knees to fall open. Carter shrugged out of his coat before he took to her shirt, unbuttoning each pearl from the middle row. He spread her shirt open, reached around her back, and unsnapped her bra. Summer straightened off her hands and let him remove the last of her clothing. Carter cupped one of her breasts and circled her hard nipple with his thumb.

  “Are you cold, angel?” he asked.

  “A little,” Summer admitted, arching into his palm. He lowered his hand away and crawled over her leg, coming up behind her.

  “Lift that pretty rear for me.”

  Summer did and Carter turned down the sleeping bag. The flannel interior was far warmer than the satiny exterior.

  “Settle back against me,” he cooed. She obeyed, leaning into the hot cavern of his body. “Put your arms around my neck and open those legs for me again.”

  Summer turned her head toward his and caught his eye. “You still have your clothes on.”

  “They’re for you to remove, but not right now.” He kissed the corner of her mouth as his arms came around her. Two fingers pinched her nipple. She sucked in a sharp breath as he toyed with the sensitive bud, rolling it before giving it a taunting tug. His other hand crept down her belly, his fingers brushing over the small patch of hair. “Look, sweetheart. Watch how I touch and play with your pussy.”

  Summer let her head fall forward as his fingertips traced her outer labia, spreading her cream. His short breaths caressed her ear, sparks of pleasure shooting from his rough handling of her nipple straight into the pool of molten delight churning in her clit.

  She gasped when he played a single finger over her clit like a bow. Her legs jerked and her stomach clenched. He traced the wet flesh around her bundle of nerves until she swelled. Summer rolled her hips, pressing against his hand when he slid his fingers through her slit, spreading her lips. He circled her entrance, then gently pressed a finger into her cunt. Summer gasped, trying her damnedest to focus on the hand playing with her pussy, building the pressure that bore down between her legs. He slid his finger knuckle-deep and rubbed his thumb over her clit.

  “Oh God, Carter,” she whispered.

  “Yes?”

  “I–I’m so hot for you. The lightest…ohh, that feels so nice.” Su
mmer sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and dropped her head back on his shoulder. His thumb backed off her clit and his finger drew out of her body. She rolled her head against his shoulder and looked at him. “I could never hold out long with you.”

  “I’m not asking you to hold out tonight. I’m going to give you pleasure over and over until you tell me to stop.” He nipped her shoulder, two fingers easing into her pussy. “But I want you to watch. You can ride, fuck, squeeze my fingers. You can scream my name when I shatter you.”

  “How do I feel, Carter?” Summer asked on a sharp breath. His skilled touch stroked her G-spot, sending a thunderous ache colliding into her worked-up clit. His thumb when back to work, slowly circling her nub. He reached across her chest and pinched her other nipple hard. She moaned, shivers of pleasure spiraling down her body.

  “Slick and hot. Wet as all hell.” He nipped the tendon in her neck. Her brow furrowed, her mouth opening in a silent O. “Tight as hell.” He shifted and twisted his fingers inside her, pressing deeper. Summer shook, taking him in, giving herself over to the powerful arms of delight. “That’s right, my sweet angel. I’m making you come.”

  “Carter,” she whimpered, gripping her hands tightly around his neck. He twisted again, his thumb coming back to her clit, this time in quick lashes. Summer arched, the seam of her soul splitting apart, consuming her in startling white bliss. “Carter!”

  “Come, Summer. Come hard, honey.”

  She bowed, tossing her head back, pressing down into his hand. Pleasure ripped through her, suffocating her in everything delightful, everything potent and magical. The world shattered, her mind broke, and all she knew was the hot ecstasy that consumed her body, the man cradling her as he filled her with his fingers, and the stark love that exploded from her racing heart.