Lifting his mouth a fraction away from hers, he took a breath. “You feel like satin,” he murmured, nibbling her lower lip as he fondled her. “I’ll bet you feel like this all over.”
Her breathing grew shallow and she tightened her grip on his shoulders. “Let’s go into the—”
“We will.” He outlined her mouth with the tip of his tongue. “But first...there’s something...” Releasing her breast, he reached for the button on her jeans.
She gasped as he flicked it open “But shouldn’t we—”
“Shh.” He pulled down her zipper and slipped his hand inside her panties.
“Austin.”
He groaned as his fingers eased smoothly into her wet channel. “So ready.”
Her resistance ebbed away. “This...this is crazy.”
“I know. Let me.”
Of course she did. His knowing caress soon turned her bones to jelly but he held her close with one strong arm while he worked his magic. Her climax came quickly and his kisses muffled her cries.
While she quivered in the aftermath, he picked her up and carried her to the tent. Kneeling, he cradled her against his chest as he unzipped the front flap. Then he sat her gently on the blanket.
Dazed and still struggling to catch her breath, she gazed up at him in wonder. No man had ever taken direct charge of her pleasure and she was a little stunned by how easily he’d done it.
“Just a preview,” he murmured. “Be right back.” He returned in seconds with the lantern and set it beside him. Sitting back on his heels, he untied the laces on her hiking boots and took them off along with her heavy socks. When he’d tucked both her boots and socks inside the tent, he pulled her sweatshirt over her head and laid it on top of the boots. “What about your necklace?”
“I tuck it in a boot.” She lifted it over her head. As she handed it to him, she decided it was time to be less of a bystander and more of a participant. “How about you?”
He grinned. “I’m not wearing a necklace.” He tugged at the hem of her shirt.
She caught his hands. “You know I’m talking about your clothes. Let me finish so you can undress.”
“But I’m having fun taking off your—”
“I’m sure you are, but I also want you naked, cowboy.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Pushing himself to his feet, he nudged off his running shoes and began unsnapping his shirt while he stood outside the tent.
“You can come in.” She scooted over. “I can make room.”
“If I get in there, I’ll want to go back to working on your clothes instead of mine. I want you naked at least as much as I want myself in that condition and probably more. In point of fact, I don’t have to be totally naked, but it’s fairly necessary for you to be.”
Just like that, she wanted him again. “I get your meaning.” As she was about to take her top off, he leaned down and laid his hat brim up against his side of the tent.
She noticed that his shirt was hanging open, exposing that gorgeous chest. Grabbing a handful of the fabric, she tugged him closer. “But you could kiss me again to tide me over.”
His voice roughened. “I could, couldn’t I?” Dropping to his knees, he tunneled his fingers through her hair and tipped her head back. “Your mouth is one of my favorite places on your sweet body.” He settled his lips over hers.
She kissed him back with more hunger than she’d thought herself capable of. Running her palms over his bare skin, she explored the territory she’d first seen when he’d been sprawled under the sink at Thunder Mountain. She’d wanted to do this then. Now she could rub her hands all over that broad expanse of impressive muscles and springy chest hair.
She could also make him groan when she pinched his taut nipples, and gasp when she brushed her knuckles over the tight denim of his fly.
Breathing hard, he ended the kiss. “You’re a devil.”
“And you like it.”
“Yes, ma’am, I love it. But you’re still wearing way too many clothes. Are you taking off that shirt and bra or do I have to?”
“I will.” She made quick work of the job. “Better?”
“Almost.” Reaching behind him, he moved the lantern into the tent. As the light fell on her, he sucked in a breath. “Wow.”
She flushed under the heat of his stare. “Now you’re the one wearing too many clothes. You need to take care of that.”
“In a minute.” Leaning forward, he cupped the back of her head. Kissing her almost reverently, he guided her down to the blanket. Then his kisses moved to the curve of her neck, then the hollow of her throat. At last he raked his teeth gently over her breast until he captured her nipple in his mouth.
She felt the tug deep in her core. Arching into his caress, she whimpered with pleasure. Cradling a breast in each hand, he kissed, licked and nibbled until she was panting and writhing against the blanket.
“Oh, Drew.” Continuing his seductive massage, he returned to her mouth and thrust his tongue inside as he nudged her thighs apart with his hips. Locked tight against her most sensitive spot, he began to rock.
Once again, she came apart in no time at all. He made it seem so easy, this matter of letting go. When she opened her eyes, his face was in shadow but she could tell he was smiling.
She smiled back. “I only asked for a kiss.”
“I’m a guy who likes to overdeliver.” He eased away from her. “But it really is time to get serious about this program. We’ve fooled around long enough.” On his knees again, he took hold of the waistband of her jeans and pulled them off.
Her damp panties came with them and she lay stretched out before him in the glow of the lantern. As his gaze traveled over her, the look in his eyes made her feel like a goddess. She would remember it for a very long time.
At last he cleared his throat. “I had pictured this moment, but my imagination didn’t begin to... I didn’t dream... You’re incredible, Drew.”
“Thank you.” Warmed by the sincerity in his gaze, she reached over and fingered the material of his shirt. “Are you going to allow me the privilege of looking at you?”
He gave her a crooked smile. “I wouldn’t call that a privilege.”
“I would. So please finish taking off your clothes.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He left the tent.
As she lay there impatiently waiting, she heard the faint hoot of an owl. All her solo camping trips had been about lying in the dark listening for those night sounds. This experience with Austin was completely different. She wasn’t complaining.
Then he stepped into the tent, his bundle of clothes in one hand and not a single scrap of fabric on his sculpted body. She drank in the sight of him. Her imagination hadn’t done him justice, either.
As for the most private part of his anatomy, she’d certainly underestimated in that department. She didn’t often find herself speechless, but the sight of Austin’s pride and joy swept her brain clean of everything except primitive need.
He turned and leaned down to zip the flap closed. Oh, baby. Her body tightened as she imagined cupping those firm buns while he made love to her. Whew.
Next he stooped and put his clothes on the floor of the tent before unzipping his duffel. She could guess what he was after, and that was confirmed by the rustle of foil and a ripping sound as a packet was opened.
She almost offered to put it on for him but she wasn’t that bold yet. Another time. Eventually this ritual could become playful, but not tonight. His labored breathing telegraphed his eagerness. She was excited, too. Just because he’d given her pleasure didn’t mean she wanted to forgo this ultimate connection.
She’d expected him to just go for it considering how long the lead-up had been. Instead he lay down on his side facing her and she rolled to her side, too.
He smoothed a han
d over her shoulder. “I made a silly boast a while ago. Cowboys can get a little full of themselves sometimes, although if you tell anybody I said that, I’ll deny it.”
“My lips are sealed.” Amazing how he could stroke her shoulder and she could feel a pleasant zing between her thighs.
Lifting his hand from her shoulder, he rubbed his knuckle over her mouth. “Sealing these lips would be a crime against nature. I look at them and think of you eating a ripe strawberry or sipping champagne. Last night I had a very erotic dream about your lips.”
Desire hummed through her veins but if he wanted to draw out the suspense, it was fine with her. “Want to share?”
He smiled. “Maybe later, after we know each other a little better.”
“Now you’re teasing me.”
“Let’s just say that in my dream you were teasing me.”
Desire gripped her in tight fingers. “I don’t want to tease you right now. Is that what you’re doing?”
“No, ma’am. I wanted to take a little time to explain that once we get started I might... I might not last as long as I’d like. That’s part of why I decided to have some fun prior to the main event. I don’t ever want to leave a lady feeling frustrated.”
“No danger of that.” She paused. “Make love to me, Austin.”
“My pleasure.” He moved between her thighs. “Do you want the light?”
“I like it. I want to see your face while you’re loving me.” She stroked his broad chest and discovered it was damp. Holding himself in check hadn’t been as easy as he’d made it seem.
“I want to be able to see yours. Twice now I’ve missed that experience.” Slowly he moved his hips forward. “Talk to me, Drew. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You’re not.” Her pulse raced as she absorbed the sensation of being completely and utterly filled. “It’s good. Very...good.”
“Then I’m going to hold still for a few seconds, get my second wind. I want this to be special.”
“It already is.” She ran both hands down his back and felt his muscles twitch in reaction. “Don’t forget, this is my first time doing it in a tent.”
“I did forget.” Weight braced on his forearms, he leaned down and placed kisses on her forehead, cheeks and mouth. “Welcome to tent sex.” He initiated an easy rhythm.
“Mmm.” The friction felt delicious. “I didn’t think it would be so different, but it is.”
“I think so.” He kept moving. “Beds have their place, but there’s something elemental about a sexual connection when you’re surrounded by trees and animals. You can slide into their rhythm and become part of it.”
Looking up, she held his gaze as he loved her with sure, steady strokes. In the distance a wolf howled. Then another answered. Her heart raced as her climax hovered near. “Take...take me there. I want... Oh, yes...yes.” With a wild cry, she surrendered to a wave of passion.
Gasping her name, he followed her into the whirlwind of sensation and they clung to each other as they trembled from the force of it. As their breathing slowed, a breeze ruffled the tent and stirred the branches of the pines.
She reached up and cupped his face. “Tent sex rocks.”
He smiled. “Knew you’d like it.”
“I don’t just like it. I love it.”
Leaning down, he brushed his mouth over hers. “Even better.”
Chapter Eleven
Austin slept better than he had since leaving New Zealand. Camping in the wilderness was part of the reason. But mostly he credited the woman curled against him, the one who’d been so pleased with the first round that she’d happily engaged in a second one after he’d recovered his mojo. They’d heated up that tent good and proper.
Apparently in their semidrowsy state afterward, they’d each pulled a section of blanket around their bodies and cuddled together to ward off the cold. Early morning light filtered through their nylon shelter, and when a soft wind passed over them, it produced the effect of being underwater.
As he debated how long he could lie here before he’d want her again, he heard a noise outside the tent. He quickly recognized the sound of blunt teeth tearing at grass, the thud of a hoof on the ground and a snort. He shook Drew’s shoulder.
She mumbled something he couldn’t distinguish.
Putting his mouth close to her ear, he shook her again. “Drew. Horses.”
“Hmm?” She rolled toward him, looking sexy and rumpled.
He wanted to kiss her in the worst way, but she wouldn’t thank him if he did. Instead of kissing, she’d want to take a look outside. “Listen.”
She lay still and then her eyes widened.
He kept his voice low. “What now?”
“Stay here.”
“What about the hundred-foot rule?”
“I can’t help it if they came to our front door.” Moving carefully, she put on her clothes. Then she retrieved her small camcorder from her backpack and slowly unzipped the tent flap.
He held his breath as she slipped outside, but the lazy sound of horses grazing didn’t change. Dressing as quietly as possible, he kept pausing to listen. He wasn’t going out there, but he wanted to be ready if she needed him.
After about ten minutes, she poked her head into the tent. “They’re starting to move off,” she murmured. “I’m going to follow them as far as the trees. Want to come along?”
“You bet.” He crept out into the cold, pale dawn. At first he scanned the ground for loose sticks that might crack in two if he stepped on them. The way was clear so he moved cautiously toward where Drew stood with her camera trained on the herd.
The mustangs had left the camping area, but they were close enough that he could pick out details—a scar on a flank, burrs tangled in a mane, a fresh scrape on a nose. They didn’t carry an ounce of fat. Anyone who knew horses would be able to tell that they were as wild as the predators who stalked them.
They drifted slowly toward the line of tall pines, grazing as they went. The stallion stood apart, his attention on the humans. He snorted and pawed the ground.
Drew lowered her camera. “Let’s go,” she said in an undertone.
Austin nodded and they slowly retreated to their camping site. When he looked back, the horses had moved closer to the trees and the stallion was grazing.
Drew turned around, too, and sighed in relief. “That’s better. I had the feeling that if I kept filming, the stallion wouldn’t eat. He doesn’t know that this funny black thing I’m holding is harmless.” She set it on the log next to the fire circle.
“It’s probably better if they don’t get too comfortable around humans.”
“So true.” Her dark eyes shone. “But, Austin, I got some amazing footage. Between these close-ups and the cougar episode, I’d count this as my best outing ever.”
“Good.” She looked so beautiful in the soft light of dawn that it made his throat hurt. Her unbound hair was still tousled from their lovemaking the night before, which reminded him of the intense pleasure of sinking into her warm body. Naturally that affected his package.
As if she could read his thoughts, her cheeks turned pink. Then she smiled. “You know what?”
“What?” His voice was a rusty croak.
“I feel like celebrating.”
“Thank God.” Lacing his fingers through hers, he led her quickly back to the tent. After they crawled in, they had a bit of a rodeo getting their clothes off and they were laughing by the time they managed it.
“The one disadvantage of tent camping.” He gathered her close and groaned. “You feel so great. I want to kiss you all over but I can’t.”
She snuggled against him. “Why not?”
“Scratchy beard.”
“Then it’s my turn. Lie back.”
Only a fool
would disobey that order. He rolled over, bringing her with him. And...dear God, he was in heaven. She nibbled and licked until he thought he would lose his mind. As if her moist kisses weren’t enough to drive him wild, her silken hair caressed his skin everywhere she traveled on her erotic journey. Finally, he begged her to fetch a condom from his duffel.
She wanted to put it on him and he was grateful. He was shaking so much he might have fumbled the job. She didn’t waste any time doing it, either, which was a blessing because he was fighting for control. Then she was there, taking him deep as she gazed into his eyes.
His breath caught. This moment would be burned into his memory forever. Then she began to move, and the world became a dazzling blur of color and sensation. He tried to hold back, but it was no use. She took him over the edge and followed right after, her cries mingling with his.
When he stopped gasping and was able to focus on his surroundings again, he discovered her braced above him on her outstretched arms. She looked extremely pleased with herself.
Her soft chuckle was low and sexy. “Heck of a celebration.”
He smiled. “Yes, ma’am. You sure know how to party.” He dragged in a breath. “And now I’m gonna fix you breakfast.”
“That would be nice.” She combed a lock of hair back from his forehead. “I’ll help.”
“Ah, but it’s my job, remember?” He captured her hand and nibbled on her fingers. “My excuse for tagging along.”
“You can do most of it. But let’s work on it together.”
Oh, how he loved the way she was looking at him. And the way he felt when he was looking at her. He drew her head down and brushed his mouth over hers, careful not to scratch her with his beard. “That sounds great.”
It was great, too. She loved the consistency of his scrambled eggs but he’d only brought salt and she preferred pepper. They compromised on the amount of ground coffee in the pot and made it too weak for him and too strong for her. They got their signals crossed as to who was watching the bacon and burned it. They ate it anyway.
The meal was far from perfect but the mood was. They straddled the log facing each other so they could touch knees and gaze into each other’s eyes. It was a goofy thing to do but no one was there to see them acting like teenagers who’d just discovered how much they liked each other.
Do You Take this Cowboy? Page 9