by Mari Carr
Sam didn’t hesitate to show affection despite his audience of one. He slapped his palm on Dee’s shoulder and hugged her neck. He rubbed along the powerful muscles until he could scratch between her ears, then laid a smacking kiss on her nose. “I missed you too.”
Cindi’s eyes stung at the reunion. “Every couple months an offer comes in on these horses. People telling JD they’re too good to waste. Solid figures. I see now why he never considered selling. They’re part of your family.”
“Yeah.” Sam grew quiet. He trailed his fingers around the edge of the star on Dee’s nose. “JD’s really the glue, isn’t he? What’s going to happen when he’s gone?”
“Your dad’s leaving?” Cindi’s stomach dropped to the floor.
Sam blinked as if he hadn’t heard her.
All thoughts of retreat vanished. Instead she set Peaches on a stack of blankets, then advanced, invading his space. “Is he selling the ranch? Retiring? I never imagined he’d do that. This land is part of him.”
“Ah, no.” Sam gave Dee one more pat, then stepped into the hallway, snagging Cindi’s wrist in the process. Heat infiltrated her suddenly freezing skin. “Fuck. I shouldn’t have said anything. Forget I mentioned it, please?”
“As if that’s possible.” She tried to stifle the panic making her heart beat triple time. “What’s happening? Is this why you came home?”
“Sort of.” He looked toward the door as if he wished he could make a break for it.
“No, you don’t.” Cindi gripped his hand. “Sam, you can’t leave me hanging.”
“It’s not my news to share.” When his gaze met hers, the misery there knocked the wind from her chest.
Pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. JD’s persistent cough. The work he’d done with Colby and even her, transitioning duties he used to own. Silas’s rush to dive into the mix even though his injuries should have required another month in bed at least. The arrival of three legends in the span of a single week. Proof stacked too high for her to ignore.
“No.” She stumbled backward and would have fallen if Sam hadn’t reached out.
“I wasn’t thinking.” He murmured into her hair as he tucked her close, enfolding her in his arms as though he needed someone to hold on to as badly as she did. “It’s still unreal to me. That’s not how you should have heard.”
“You haven’t told me anything.” She refused to believe the doomsday scenario screaming in her brain. An odd mix of numbness and violent denial attacked her nervous system. He held her up.
“You know,” he groaned.
It couldn’t be true.
No. No. No. She shook her head.
“Shit. It’s hard to say. Like, if I do, it’ll be real.” Sam steadied her, himself too, by holding her at arm’s length. He spoke soft and clear. “JD has stage three pancreatic cancer. He’s d—”
“No!” She fought him then. If he didn’t finish uttering that bullshit, maybe it could still be a product of her imagination.
“Shhh.” He hugged her to his chest, smothering the flail of her arms. When she couldn’t break his hold, she surrendered to the stroking of his fingers through her hair. “So sorry. Shouldn’t have done that. Shit. It hurts. I know. Trust me, I know.”
Rage alternated with agony and disbelief. She cursed, sobbed and shook her head. Over and over. Not again. She couldn’t stand to bury another father. Especially the one who’d loved her most.
Her knees quit supporting her. Peaches scampered from the tumble of their bodies when Sam guided them to the pile of blankets in the corner as though he couldn’t manage to stand either.
Cindi didn’t give a shit if she’d just met this man. She knew what he was made of, and she needed to borrow some of that strength and integrity. She let him hold her as she cried her heart out on his broad chest. His arms surrounded her. The jerks of his torso echoed hers, and she realized she wasn’t the only one breaking down.
Tracing bold swirls across his muscled back helped soothe her pain and the shock of what lie ahead. Every time she thought she might recover enough to untangle herself from his generous embrace, another wave of pain assaulted her.
For JD. For Vicky. For their sons. For herself.
Where would she go from here? What would happen to the ranch? Would JD’s sons honor the arrangement she had with their father?
Cindi squirmed from Sam’s cradling grasp. She climbed to her feet and dropped her hands to her knees while she caught her breath. A hint of quality cologne flavored each of her pants. She couldn’t sort the mixed signals battering her mind.
“I can’t believe that just happened.” She started to walk away, then turned back as Sam also stood.
He buried his face in the crook of his arm and swiped the moisture from his eyes.
“Did you really say…?”
“Yes.” He spun in a flash and kicked a bucket. The metal pail banged as it tumbled down the aisle. “Son of a mother fucking bitch! It’s true. JD is dying. My dad.”
She couldn’t abandon him there, his chest heaving, his cheeks nearly purple and his fists balled at his sides.
This time it was she who offered solace. She approached him with tiny shuffles until they stood toe to toe. He flinched when she settled her fingers over his white knuckles.
Cindi didn’t bail. She covered as much of his hands with hers as she could, then massaged the tension from them. “Breathe, Sam. Deep. With me.”
The spicy scent of him filled her lungs when she regulated her respiration. After the second inhalation, he began to sync up with her.
“That’s right.” She sent him a weak, watery smile. “There you go. It’s okay to feel however you feel. But fury probably isn’t going to help right now. Take another breath. Let it out slow.”
He closed his lids as they shared the silence for another minute or two. When he opened his eyes, they were focused and pure. They complemented his high cheekbones and the golden tones of his skin and hair. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” She stood on her tiptoes for a better view of his face. Their shared grief bonded them together.
His chin dipped as he regarded her more closely.
Cindi yearned to comfort him in the most natural way possible. She licked her lips.
He closed the gap between them.
Her shallow sigh bounced off his lips and buffeted her own face, making her realize exactly how close their mouths had gotten.
She averted her face. “I should go.”
He kept possession of her fingers. “Don’t.”
“Staying isn’t wise.” Liar. Her body ached to linger.
“I know.” His dimples deepened. “Do it anyway.”
Refusal would have been a knee jerk reaction. Cindi opened her mouth to decline. Instead of a polite rain check, she found herself mumbling her feeble resistance against soft, skilled lips. And by the time she could have separated their mouths and uttered halt, she no longer cared to stop him from transporting her from a nightmare to the fantasy they manufactured together.
She wrapped one leg around his trim hip, assisted by his thick fingers, which supported the crook of her knee. When standing on her tiptoes no longer sufficed, she hopped, trapping him right where she preferred him with her other thigh.
“Mmm.” He slid his hands to her ass, cupping her easily in his palms. He guided her, helping her ride his muscled torso as she devoured his exploring tongue. Her back met the worn-smooth wall of the stable when he intensified his barrage of passionate touches. Friction heated her where his pelvis ground against hers.
Christ, chemistry had never sparked a reaction this strong before. Everywhere she ached, he soothed. Everywhere she burned, he built the flames higher. She touched as much of him as she could reach from the nape of his neck to his impressive shoulders to his back. He leaned into each caress, improving the contact between their bodies.
Some part of her insisted it was wrong to share this level of desperation with a stranger. The pesky voice of reaso
n was drowned out by the storm of their shock and grief as well as the solace they generated in perfect harmony.
Cindi had taken plenty of lovers. A couple of them she’d known no better than Sam. Their reputation had preceded them. She’d trusted Jake to guarantee the men he invited to join in their sessions would respect her. Grounding herself—in this place, in the security of the men who’d adopted her as one of their own—she allowed them to use her as part of their symbiotic exchange. Everyone benefited. For that she owed them more than she could repay.
Still, none had affected her like this. Fun, flirty, dirty—sure.
Imploding in Sam’s arms was so much more. So far beyond.
He took what he craved and satisfied her hunger in the same motion.
Cindi snaked her hand between their torsos, relaxing the tension in her legs to allow her room to maneuver. He groaned when she cupped his erection through his jeans.
“Hell yes.” His eyes slammed closed for a moment.
She tucked her fingers in his waistband. She didn’t have to reach very far for her prize.
“No underwear? Naughty boy.” Cindi giggled when he laughed despite the strain cording his neck and the ghosts haunting his eyes. More of that. Please. His contagious mirth buoyed her from the pit of despair threatening to swallow her whole.
“You’re the one with your hand in the pants of a guy you barely know.”
When she paused, the deficit of sensation seemed to strangle his good humor. “Should I stop?”
He growled and nipped her chin. “You should do what feels right. And, kitten, I have to tell you that feels perfect to me.”
“Not too shabby from where I’m hanging either.” She hummed as she measured his length with a bold stroke from base to tip. “Very nice.”
His grip on her slipped a fraction. She squeaked, then laughed. Relief coated the ulcerous lesions his news had ripped open. What kind of luck did it take to meet the only man who’d ever made her forget all her problems exactly when she needed him most?
How could someone as amazing as Sam be here, with her and available? She shook her head to clear some of the lust so she could form a string of coherent thinking.
“It’s okay if this is enough for you.” He rubbed his cheek on hers and whispered in her ear, “You’re so warm. So different from Belinda. You’re bright in my arms. I’m happy to hold you. Kiss you. Like this.”
He demonstrated so thoroughly she almost forgot what he’d said. Belinda. No matter how she racked her brain, Cindi couldn’t recall hearing about someone with the unusual name. If it wasn’t a woman from his past… “Slow down a second.”
“Too much? Shit, sorry.”
She clung when he would have deposited her on the floor. “No, it’s just…”
“Insane?”
“Yeah, that too.” She nibbled on him between phrases of her explanation. “I’m wondering if you have a girlfriend—someone you should think about before doing this.”
“All I have are a set of bloody claw marks from the beast who stabbed me in the back this morning.” He shook his head. “Short answer, no. No one that matters.”
“Wow, you really have had a horrible day, haven’t you?” She laid her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
He hugged her tight, his arms shaking.
“Nothing you did. In fact, you’re proving how little it mattered. Ten minutes or less and I feel closer to you than I did after months of chasing…her. I can’t even remember her name right now.” He drew another sultry kiss from her. “And you? Do I need to be on the lookout for any pissed off cowboys raring to kick my ass? I could use a good fight. Haven’t had one in years.”
“I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you.” She rubbed the swollen tips of her breasts on his flat chest. Embarrassing or not, she refused to evade the truth. He should make an informed decision. Besides, she didn’t care to deal with the ramifications if he found out later. On Compass Ranch, she had no doubt he would hear rumors sooner or later. “I won’t lie, Sam. I take lovers. You’re not the only one who was with someone earlier today. No one who requires an exclusive claim, though.”
Cindi stared into his eyes, daring him to reject her. His rock-solid erection, squeezed gently in her hand, throbbed instead of wilting.
“You had another guy tonight?” His pupils dilated, and he breathed deep against the curve of her neck. “I think I can smell him.”
Them, Sam. Them.
“Does that bother you?” No excuses would pass her lips.
“Fuck, no. I must be more screwed up than I thought. The idea of you with two men… Damn. Is he still around?” The feral glow of his eyes had shivers running up and down her spine. What if Sam had joined their group?
Cindi swallowed three times. Her voice deserted her.
Instead of responding, she shook her head. Negative.
“Too bad.”
He must have detected her enormous sigh of relief.
“Don’t worry. I’m not looking to tie myself down again. You’re safe with me.” He grinned. “Unless you believe it’s possible to overdose on orgasms?”
“No.” She chuckled as she unbuttoned his pants. “Never had that problem before.”
“Me either, but we can try our best. In that case…” Sam knelt on the pile of blankets and laid her on her back.
In less than ten seconds he’d stripped himself bare.
Chapter Six
“Holy cow.” It didn’t make Cindi proud, but she stared. Had she ever seen a man as handsome as Sam Compton outside of the movies? Definitely not.
“Thanks.” He beamed as he tugged her blouse over her head and shoved her skirt up around her waist, eying her bare breasts. “I could say the same.”
He petted her softly rounded abdomen above the loose cloth. She wished she’d spent as much time as he obviously had at the gym. Not that he seemed to mind. His reverent stroking lulled her.
Without the furnace of his body snugged against her, the night air chilled her skin. Her nipples beaded, firming until they begged to be rubbed. Cindi arched her spine.
“Is this what you would like?” His lips curved against her breast. A teasing kiss landed on the top swell of the left mound.
“Evil.” She moved her hand, intending to take care of business herself. The last time she’d come without manual manipulation to supplement her lovers’ touches, she’d been sixteen and over the moon for Bobby McAldon, who’d dumped her the day after stealing her virginity. At least he’d taught her a valuable lesson in exchange for a thin sliver of her body.
She’d traded much more for security since then.
“No, wicked would be if I took what you’re offering, then abandoned you without returning the favor. I don’t plan to disappoint.” He slid lower, planting kisses on her hip, then her inner thighs. “Let me make up for…what I did. How you found out.”
“It’s not your fault.” She rubbed the crown of his skull. “The facts aren’t any more or less true because you informed me JD is—”
Oh God, could it be true? It hadn’t sunk in completely yet.
A fresh sob bubbled from within.
“Shh.” He rained sympathy over her in a flurry of licks, kisses and gentle caresses. The more he calmed her, the deeper into their spell he seemed to fall. Knotted muscles in his shoulder melted as he devoted himself to her pleasure.
Cindi closed her eyes and relaxed. Her knees drifted open.
He didn’t hesitate to nestle between them. “So pretty.”
She zeroed in on the humming vibration that grew stronger with every trip of her pulse. Sam conducted the energy, intensifying it with bold probes of his blunt digits at her entrance. He dipped his head and swiped his tongue through the moisture gathering there.
She yelped when he jerked and cursed.
“Sorry.” His groan seemed two octaves deeper. “It caught me off guard, that’s all. I can taste the latex on your skin.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks burned. After sev
eral years of unconditional acceptance at Compass Ranch, she worried about perceptions again. Would he think her a slut? How could he not? Would he take her anyway? Hell, maybe it would be easier for him to fuck her if he thought she did this with every man she met. Suddenly, she didn’t think she could stand it if he deserted her there, on the soft blanket covering the ground. Naked. Alone. Unfulfilled. She wouldn’t hold it against him, though. “I understand if that’s…too much.”
She lowered her hand and tipped his chin upward. The seal between his mouth and her pussy broke, eliminating the risk of misunderstanding the desire in his stare.
“Are you kidding?” He dropped his forehead on her tummy and breathed deep. “I almost lost it over here. It’s hot. Picturing you with another guy. Sexy. I love that you’re not closed-minded. Wild as a summer storm. Honest about your needs. It’s refreshing.”
“Are you sure?”
“Let go of me, and I’ll show you.” He didn’t waste a single heartbeat. The moment her fingers released his face he dove into the saturated folds and worshiped her.
His eager dedication amplified her arousal. When he pressed two fingers inside her and accompanied the slow circular motion he initiated with the swirl of his tongue around her clit, she nearly exploded.
“Not quite yet.” He retracted his skilled tongue. “Savor it, Cin. Build it up, then come on my face.”
“You’d better stop talking if you mean that.” She squirmed, trying to align his mouth where she preferred.
“Then again, if you come quickly I can always take you there again and again.” He punctuated each promise with a flick of his tongue in the spot guaranteed to shatter her. Funny how Jake had never noticed. Not that he was a bad partner, not at all, but he didn’t seem to have Sam’s instinct. No man she’d been with had made love to her like he did.
Raw and earthy with a razor-sharp edge of skill, he startled her with his precision.
Pressure built. The rings of her channel hugged his fingers, which rocked inside her with slow and patient progress. Several minutes of similar treatment spiraled her closer and closer to the pinnacle. She fought tumbling over the edge. Falling from higher up would prolong the ride down.