“Naked,” she whispered against his mouth.
She wasn’t sure if she meant him or herself. Nor did it matter. He pulled back enough to allow her to drag off her T-shirt.
While his gaze devoured her bare chest, he worked the buttons of his shirt, then jerked off the garment. She had already unfastened her jeans and quickly pushed them and her panties off. Even as he reached for his belt, he scrambled off the bed and headed for the bathroom. Seconds later he was back, naked and clutching a handful of condoms.
“Don’t ask,” he said when she glanced at them and raised her eyebrows.
She decided it didn’t matter how or where he’d gotten them. All that was important was that he put one on and get inside of her right now!
She moved to the center of the bed as he flung himself beside her. The square packets of protection went flying. One landed on her belly, and she grabbed for it.
Zane raised himself on an elbow and bent over her. His mouth brushed against hers before moving lower to her neck. He licked and kissed and nibbled his way to the sensitive skin below her ear, then lower still to her chest. At the same time, he ran his hand down her belly.
She parted her legs long before he arrived. His fingers found her center at the exact moment his mouth closed over her left nipple. Breath escaped as she moaned her pleasure.
Tongue and fingers moved in tandem, circling, rubbing, teasing, pleasuring. She reached between them and took his erection in her hand. He was already rock hard. As she closed around him, he shuddered. His touch between her legs slowed slightly, then the pace resumed.
He shifted so he could rub her with his thumb while pushing two fingers inside her. At the same time he kissed his way up her chest and neck until he reached her ear.
“I want you to come for me,” he whispered. “Now. I want to feel your muscles contract around my fingers. I want to hear your breathing catch, and I want you to scream.”
The erotic image of his words made her shiver, then tense. She opened her eyes and realized that, unlike the previous night in the tent, this time she could see him. All of him. And that he could see her. And that he was looking.
Their gazes locked as he continued to touch her. He moved a little faster, pushed a little harder until she felt herself losing control. Then he kissed her, dipping into her mouth, mimicking the actions between her legs.
It was just enough to send her over the edge. She felt her eyes flutter closed as her release claimed her.
Pleasure rushed through her in waves of contractions. She arched her body toward him, sucked in her breath and maybe even screamed. Fortunately the sound was muffled by Zane’s kiss.
He continued to touch her, gentling the contact, slowing, until every last shudder had stilled, and she could think again.
“You’re so beautiful,” he told her when she looked at him. “All of you.”
She made a leisurely, visual exploration of his muscled chest, his flat belly, his jutting erection. He was a man who worked hard, and it showed.
“So are you.” She touched a scar on his thigh. “Want to tell me how you got that?”
“Not right now.”
He knelt between her legs, and she handed him the condom. As he ripped open the package, she brushed her fingers against the tip of his arousal. He flexed in response.
Anticipation filled her. She wanted him inside her. She wanted to feel him getting closer, even as she lost herself in what they were doing. She wanted to touch him everywhere, to be held by him. She wanted to love him.
Words clogged her throat, and then he was pushing inside her and speaking didn’t matter anymore.
Her body stretched to accommodate him. She drew her legs back to bring him in deeper. More. She wanted more.
When his arms came around her, she clutched his hips. They kissed. The rhythm of his body filling her made her pulse her hips. Anticipation spiraled to tension. He moved harder and faster, making her suck on his tongue. She dug her fingers into him.
The bed creaked, and outside thunder shattered the silence of the night. Phoebe didn’t care. There was only the moment, the man and what they were doing together. Then she lost control. Her orgasm claimed her, shattering her. She could only cling to him as he called out her name and sank into his own release.
* * *
LATER, WHEN THEY’D turned out the lights and found their way under the covers, she snuggled close to him. The sound of his heartbeat filled her with contentment.
He was asleep. She could tell by his steady breathing. By the way he stirred in his dreams. While he slept, she laced their fingers together and spoke the words she hadn’t found the courage to say any other time.
“I love you.”
The arm around her tightened. His leg moved against hers, and he sighed.
“Love you, too, Phoebe.”
His voice, thick and barely audible, made her heart stop. Her eyes popped open, and she couldn’t seem to catch her breath.
Had he really said the words or had she imagined them? If he had said them, was it something he’d mumbled in his sleep? An almost automatic response? Or had he meant them?
The questions haunted her for hours, until sometime before dawn when exhaustion gave way to slumber, and she finally relaxed against him.
* * *
A LOUD POUNDING pushed Zane into consciousness. In less than two seconds he was aware of a very naked Phoebe curled up against him and the sound of his brother’s voice calling his name.
“Hold on,” he yelled back and reached for his jeans.
As he stumbled from the bed, Phoebe stirred. “What is it?”
“Trouble.”
Zane knew Chase would never leave the cattle if something wasn’t wrong.
He collected his jeans and pulled them on, then walked to the door.
“What?” he asked as he opened the door and slipped into the hallway. He was careful to make sure Chase couldn’t see Phoebe in his bed.
His brother looked wet and miserable. “The water’s rising,” he said quickly. “Fast. Cookie’s moving the wagon. We need to get some men out there right now, Zane. We’ve got an hour at most.”
Zane swore. He’d been aware of the steady rain, but he hadn’t thought the rivers would swell up so fast. Must still be some runoff pouring in, he thought.
Up and down the hallway, doors opened. Martin stepped out of his room, as did Thad. Maya stumbled out, as well.
“What’s going on?” Thad asked.
“Water’s rising,” Chase said. “We have to move the cattle.”
“I’ll talk to Reilly,” Zane said. “Get some of his men to help.”
The old man appeared. He’d pulled a bathrobe over pajamas. “I heard,” he said when Chase started to explain. He shook his head. “Zane, I’m sorry, but I sent two crews out to repair fences and gave everyone else a long weekend. There’s no one here but me and old Danny who looks after the horses. He’s so bent with arthritis, he can’t ride anymore. But I’ll come help.”
Zane groaned. The three of them weren’t enough to get fifty head of wet cattle moving. Not when they had to cross a river to get to safety.
He looked at Chase and saw panic in his brother’s eyes. “That’s not enough,” Chase said.
“Should I call the Strykers?” Eddie asked, her phone at the ready.
“Yeah, call them, thanks. But we don’t have time to wait, and I don’t know if they’re going to be able to find us in time. They can’t come in Jeeps this time. They’re going to have to ride, and we’re clear on the other side of the spread.”
“I’ll go,” Thad said.
Zane looked at him in surprise. “I appreciate the offer, but this isn’t part of your vacation. This is hard, dangerous work. Cold and wet, too.”
Thad shrugged. “I want to help. I can ride and point the steers in the right direction. Will that be enough?”
“I’ll go, too,” Martin said.
“Me, too.”
The last voice came from b
ehind him. Zane turned to see Phoebe leaning against the wall.
Maya groaned. “Dammit, Phoebe, if you go, I’ll have to, as well. Do you know what this weather is going to do to my hair?”
Phoebe smiled. “Wear a hat.”
“Oh, yeah, that’ll help in this rain.”
“You don’t have to do this,” Zane said. “Not any of you.”
“We know that,” Thad said. “We’re all in this together. Now I say we head out and save us some cattle.”
Chase nodded. “They’re greenhorns, Zane, but there’s plenty of them. Without them, we can’t get the herd to safety.”
Zane knew his brother was right. He didn’t have a choice. Not if he wanted to save the steers.
“Get the horses saddled up,” he told Chase. “We’ll be out in five minutes.” He turned back to everyone else. “Dress warmly. Make the top layer as waterproof as you can.” He nodded at Eddie and Gladys. “We’ll need some food.”
Eddie nodded, then grabbed Andrea and C.J. and pulled them toward the stairs.
Zane turned to Phoebe, who smiled at him. “They’re going to help,” she said.
He frowned. “I know.”
“They like you. We all like you.”
“Oh. My. God.”
He turned and saw Maya staring at him.
“I just got it,” she said. “You had sex with Phoebe.” She looked at Phoebe. “You had sex with Zane. I can’t decide if this is great or too gross for words.”
Phoebe laughed.
Zane walked toward his room. “Just get dressed.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
PHOEBE KNEW THAT it had to be after dawn. There was a milky quality to the horizon that hinted at light somewhere above the thick, gray clouds, but she was beginning to feel she would never see the sun again. She was also wetter and colder than she’d believed possible. Her clothes were soaked, and her body temperature had dropped from freezing to pain. She found it difficult to hold on to her reins, even with the gloves Reilly had given her to wear.
Water dripped off her hat and splashed onto Rocky. She’d given up apologizing to the horse. She knew he was as miserable as she was, and there weren’t any words to make up for that.
But still she followed Martin, who followed Zane. She forced herself to stay positive, to think about last night rather than the moment. To remember the passion she and Zane had shared. To recall him saying he loved her. Even if he hadn’t meant it, those were words she would treasure forever.
Finally, after what felt like hours, they reached the cattle. Phoebe was stunned to find the animals standing in knee-deep water. She could see the rushing current as the area flooded, and for the first time, she was afraid.
“Gather round,” Zane yelled, motioning for them to get closer.
When everyone had huddled together, he called out their instructions over the drumming of the rain.
“The cattle are restless from the water,” he told them. “Stay alert. Given the choice between losing one of them and losing one of you, I want you to save yourself.”
“Good to know,” Maya muttered from Phoebe’s left. “What if it’s the choice between me and two steers?”
Zane either didn’t hear her or ignored her.
“We’re going to head for higher ground. We have to cross a stream and then head through an open pasture. The pasture slopes up, and we’ll be safe once we’re there. But to get there, we’re heading downhill.”
Phoebe glanced at the swirling water all around them and swallowed hard. Downhill would not have been her first choice.
“We’re going to work in groups,” Zane said loudly. “Reilly will take Martin and Maya. I’ll take Thad. Chase—” he looked at his brother “—you’ve got Phoebe.”
Phoebe was about to ask why she needed her own personal escort when Zane swung around to face her. “I want you up front with Manny. You and Chase are going to lead the herd. Manny knows you and Rocky, and he’ll follow you. It’s dangerous, Phoebe. You’re going to have to be careful. No stopping to talk to trees. I mean it.”
She nodded.
Zane turned to his brother. “Chase, you know what you’re up against.”
“Yeah.”
He jerked his head in her direction. “I’m counting on you to keep her safe.”
Phoebe felt her heart stumble over a beat. A thousand thoughts flashed through her mind—all thrilling, all wonderful. Zane wanted her kept safe? He was trusting his brother with her? Feelings of love and happiness rose faster than the water, but before she could dwell on any one, Zane yelled for them to move on out. Suddenly Chase was at her side and pointing in the direction they were to go.
As she turned her horse, she realized they were going to ride into the rain. The driving cold water found her nose and eyes, no matter how low she pulled her hat. Her feet were painful blocks of ice, her thighs ached.
They circled the herd until they were in front, then Chase cut in and found Manny. He gave the steer a push with his foot. Manny didn’t budge.
Chase swore loud enough for Phoebe to hear, but Manny wasn’t impressed. The steer just settled his shoulders into what looked like a very stubborn stance and mooed pathetically.
Without thinking, Phoebe swung down from Rocky. The water came past the top of her boots and poured inside. It was colder than she would have believed possible—so cold that she couldn’t breathe. But she forced herself to wade through it toward Manny, dragging her horse with her.
She could feel a current sucking at her with each step. Once she nearly went down, and she had to grab on to Rocky to stay standing. Finally she reached Manny and got right in his face.
When he saw her, he reared back and got a really mean look on his face. Phoebe panicked for a second, then remembered she was wearing a hat. Quickly, she tore it off and tossed it away, letting the rain pour directly on her head.
But Manny recognized her, which was all that mattered. He sniffed at her wet coat, then lowered his head and bumped against her. She nearly fell on her butt.
“We have to get out of here,” she told him, yelling directly into his ear. “I’m not kidding. If you stay here, you’re going to drown.”
Moisture dripped down her cheeks, and she realized she’d started crying.
“I don’t want you to die. You hear me, Manny? So we’re leaving. Right now. Come on.”
She grabbed the collar around his neck and pulled. Without his cooperation, she knew it was an impossible task, but surprisingly he took a step, then another. Soon he was walking next to her, and the whole herd fell into place behind him.
After a couple of minutes, Chase moved in and dismounted. He swore as he sank into the water.
“Goddamn weather,” he muttered. “Get on your horse, Phoebe.”
“What if Manny won’t follow Rocky?”
“You can’t stay in the water. You’ll die.”
She tried to answer, but her teeth were chattering too hard. So when Chase laced his fingers together to give her a leg up, she stepped into his hands. Water splashed in an arc out of her boot as she swung her leg over the saddle.
Rocky didn’t need much urging to head through the water. She watched over her shoulder and sighed in gratitude when she saw Manny following her. They were moving again. They were going to save the cattle.
It was only then that she realized how much she was shaking. There were no words to describe the level of cold she felt. Each breath was painful.
Chase pointed toward a grove of trees. “Go that way,” he yelled. “To the left of them.”
She nodded because she couldn’t speak.
And so they rode for what felt like days. The rain lessened, then stopped altogether, but the water kept rising. In a way, that was more terrifying, because she had no idea where it was coming from or how much more was coming.
On and on, with Zane coming up to check on them every fifteen minutes or so. Hours passed. As he paused by her, she did her best to smile and say she was fine, even though she knew
she was never going to be warm again. All that mattered right now was getting the cattle to safety. So, as often as Chase glanced toward her to make sure she was still there, she looked over her shoulder to see Manny walking behind Rocky.
Finally the sun broke through the clouds. Phoebe sighed in relief as the bright light heated her, although she was surprised by the position of the sun. It was later than she thought. Still, her spirits lifted as she realized they were climbing, and the water was quickly falling off.
“Are we there?” she asked Chase. “Have we done it?”
He shook his head. “We’re nearly at the creek. Once we’re on the other side, it’s a straight climb up to safety. But we have to cross while we still have light. We don’t have a choice. All this will be underwater by morning.”
Underwater? She didn’t like the sound of that. She was about to tell him when she realized she could hear something. Rushing water. And it sure didn’t sound like a creek to her.
Phoebe nearly fainted when she crested the rise and saw the raging river in front of them. Water raced south, ripping at branches, pulling small trees into the bubbling, muddy flow.
“We can’t cross that,” she said.
“Sure we can. No problem.”
Chase said the right words, but his voice told her he was more than worried. He was afraid.
Zane rode up. “How does it look?”
“There’s no way,” Phoebe said, pointing to the wide, angry river.
Zane looked from her to Chase. “I’ll see if we can cross it. You stay here. If something happens...” He stared at his brother. “Leave the cattle. They’ll have to swim for it as the water rises. Ride south as fast as you can. You’ll be able to find a place to cross farther downstream.”
Phoebe stared at him. “Zane, no! Don’t do this. We’ll all go downstream. Together.”
“We don’t have much time. We have to try to save the cattle.”
She didn’t like this. Not any of it. But as she turned, she saw Manny and knew she couldn’t abandon him. Not without trying to save him and his friends.
Then Zane was gone, heading toward the water. Phoebe held her breath as he entered the swirling, muddy current.
Kiss Me (Fool's Gold series) Page 26