by Mari Carr
He nipped the inside of her thigh. When she squealed, he soothed the spot with long laps of his tongue. Then he previewed his skills by tracing intricate patterns over the inflamed flesh. Just as he’d torture her clit in a minute.
Cindi wriggled, inspiring him to tighten his fingers on her hips to prevent her from sliding off his car, which had never looked as sexy as it did with its seductive new hood ornament. Sam spared one hand to whip the thin cotton from her, tossing it over his shoulder.
“Hey, I like those.” Her laughter took the sting from her objection.
“I’ll buy you new ones. Expensive silk from China. Handmade.”
“Seems like a lot of effort for undies.” She kept chuckling, though moans interspersed her mirth.
“You’re worth the best.” He paused to meet her gaze, hoping she realized he wasn’t toying with her. Every time they touched, this connection burned brighter. Fused them tighter. No matter how hard he concentrated on avoiding her, he simply couldn’t. Why resist nature?
He cupped her ass and tugged her closer to his salivating mouth. Before their flesh met, he blew on her sensitive, swollen pussy. When she twitched, he smirked. Oh yeah, this was going to be fun.
She kicked off her sandals and propped her feet on his shoulders. His hands ran from her thighs to her knees, as far as he could reach, before making the return journey. So pale and creamy, her skin begged for him to sample the peaches and cream complexion.
He taunted her, nibbling a path across the top of her close-shaved mound, then her inner thigh before skipping to the main attraction. Even then, he used only the very tip of his tongue to stimulate her moist lips, parting them to nudge at her swollen clit.
“Ah. Yes.” She buried her fingers in his hair and lost her inhibitions. He could easily have resisted her tiny tug. Why bother when he craved her flavor as much as she wished to share it with him?
His lips spread as he kissed her pussy. The unique aroma of her, which he’d sworn he’d caught whiffs of on himself even days after their rendezvous in the barn, returned full force. He groaned and buried his face in the succulent treat she offered, arching her hips to grant him more thorough access.
“Oh my God.” Her fingernails dug into his scalp, spurring him to devour her. “You’re really good at that.”
He angled his head to the side long enough to murmur, “Thanks.”
His chuckle must have vibrated her pussy. She groaned and clung as he took her for a more thrilling ride, this time on the Maserati. He’d never look at the vehicle the same way again. Surely, its value had doubled in the last five minutes.
Sam took his time introducing her to a number of skills from his very large bag of tricks. He tried to keep her on the edge as long as possible, but somewhere between the flicky-thing mixed with the sucky-thing topped with a swirl, she completely lost it. He drank from her clenching pussy, only sorry he hadn’t drawn out the pleasure for her.
Until the spasms rejuvenated around his tongue.
Multi-orgasmic too? Jesus. She couldn’t get hotter if she were fucking him on the surface of the sun. He soothed her with tender licks while he prodded at her slick opening with his fingers.
“More, Cin?” He paused, waiting for her approval. He shouldn’t have doubted her.
“Please. Yes.” She rocked her pelvis, inserting him to his second knuckle in the saturated tissues, which still clenched rhythmically around his digits. Her toes curled into his shoulders, making him wish he could see what her pretty-painted nails looked like against the rich blue of his shirt.
Still, he didn’t care enough to move. Not enough to stop finger fucking her while wringing climax after climax from her petite frame. Endless, gorgeous, wild—her passion awed him. The uninhibited display made him realize their night in the barn had been far from ideal for either of them. Holy fuck, what could it be like if they surrendered free of the emotional highs and lows that had battered them? With concentration undivided, he could make her soar.
Sam nipped her clit lightly between his teeth, leaving her sobbing in another release. This time, her entire body went slack. He had to act fast to catch her as she slumped, her dress falling neatly into place as if she hadn’t just ridden his face like a champion rodeo star.
“Oh.” She tried to push from his hold. Her noodle arms bounced off his chest. “My. God.”
He laughed, from deep behind his diaphragm, maybe for the first time in months. Tendrils of her hair curled in the perspiration dotting her forehead. Adorable ringlets, one of them a lovely shade of lilac, made her look far more innocent than the womanly response of her body had.
“I could say the same.” Sam lowered his head. Some women would balk at tasting themselves on his lips. Not Cindi.
She closed the gap and attacked his mouth, rewarding him for a job well done.
As much as he wished he could play the steadfast gentleman, he needed more. His cock might riot in his jeans if he didn’t let it loose and bury it in the slick heat she generated.
“Do you have any condoms with you, kitten?”
“Damn it, no.” She frowned. “I didn’t expect to be leaving the barn when I ran into you. Certainly not for this. I left my purse on my desk.”
“Shit.” He debated the merits of protection, something he’d never done before. Finally, better sense kicked in. “No, no. That’s good. Perfect. I want to make love to you in a real bed. Take our time. Go slow and easy in the gold beams of the late afternoon sunshine. Will you have me like that, Cindi?”
He crowded her, hoping she wouldn’t be able to resist although he’d alleviated some of her desire.
She placed her hands on his cheeks, gently. When her lips lingered a hairsbreadth from his, she whispered, “Yes.”
Chapter Eleven
Cindi couldn’t believe she’d invited Sam to her home. Because, really, that was the only place they could possibly find some solitary space for uninterrupted loving. Even more, it shocked her to the core that the idea didn’t terrify her. For the first time in years, she’d met a man she actually trusted enough to let inside, to share her secrets.
If he asked again, she’d spill her guts. He would understand. Hell, it might even turn him on. And the other stuff… Well, he had nothing to gain from her in that respect.
Maybe he read her absolute confidence in her unblinking stare because he shared something disturbing of his own. She saw it coming a mile away as he wrung the hem of her dress between his amazingly skilled fingers. Dread coalesced in her stomach.
“Cindi, I need to tell you something.” He sighed. “Except now, after that, it’s going to make me sound like a creeper no matter how I put it. I should have said this before we…”
“Oh boy, this sounds like fun.” She wiggled her perfectly arched brows.
His laugh had a healthy groan mixed in.
“Just spit it out, Sam.” She patted his cheek, then separated them. Though she missed the steel band of his arms around her shoulders, she figured it best to find her balance. Just in case. It wouldn’t be the first time life had ripped her feet out from under her. “I’m tough. I can take it.”
“Okay, fine.” He turned toward her, serious. “JD is taking advantage of you. You should demand a raise.”
Cindi grabbed her stomach and doubled over as though she’d taken a punch to the gut. Her shoulders shook violently.
“Oh, shit.” Sam rubbed her back. His hand spanned most of the width of her shoulders on each pass. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just… I saw what he’s paying you when I reviewed the records. It’s bullshit. You make less than some of the ranch hands, and you’re skilled. Educated.”
When she levered upright, he must have realized she wasn’t crying. Actually, she was, but the tears squeezing from her eyes were borne of laughter.
“What the fuck is so funny about that?” He glowered as his lips thinned. “I don’t like ratting out my dad.”
“Oh, Sam.” She closed the gap between them and hugged him tight
. “I think you’re right.”
“Damn straight, I am. It’s highway robbery.”
“No, no.” She could have kissed him for another decade straight. So sweet. “Not about that. We should go back to my place and talk. There’s so much I’d like to share. It’ll all make sense then.”
“Uh, okay.” He shook his head, then blinked. Several times. “I’ll never understand women. Just once I’d like to have a fucking clue. I debated for a week how to break the news to you.”
“You sure as hell have a firm grasp on the important concepts.” Her body still hummed. God, sex with Sam alone was almost as good as playing with Jake and the rest of the cowboys. What would it be like if Sam joined them?
She shuddered.
Greedy.
Unfaithful.
If they continued down this path, she couldn’t justify her affairs. At some point, she’d owe it to him to be exclusive. Some of her excitement vanished. She had to come clean. At least she had the ride home to organize her thoughts and decide on the right approach.
“Mind driving?” She smiled up at him. “I’m tuckered out.”
“You’re welcome.” How could one man so effectively mix ego with magnetism?
He handed her into the passenger seat before jogging around to the driver’s side. His heated gaze never once left hers through the windshield.
Sam dropped behind the wheel, then lifted up immediately. “What the fuck?”
He withdrew his phone from beneath his fine ass.
“Oh, shit.” He glanced at the screen, his face losing all its color.
“What is it?” She placed her palm over his free hand on the gearshift. He shook it off.
“Sawyer. He tried to call.” Sam swiped his finger over his Smartphone, then punched a particular spot hard enough she feared he might crack the screen. Speakerphone kicked in and a sexy, laughing voice filtered through the device.
“Hey, bro. Thought I’d let you know I had a little oopsy with my phone. Dropped the fucker overboard while I was saying goodbye to an unbelievably hot crewmate during the last supply stop. What can I say? The price was well worth it. Anyway, gotta run, only had a minute on shore this time. Wanted to check in. Had this feeling… Anyway, I hope all is well and that you’re sitting in your new, shiny VP chair making millions by the fucking second. This assignment is everything I hoped and more. Can’t wait to get back on the ocean again. I’ve been thinking more about re-upping and gotta say, this run isn’t helping make the choice any easier. Or maybe it is. Talk to you soon. Don’t behave!”
“Shit, shit, shit!” Sam pounded the steering wheel with each curse.
Cindi unwrapped his fist from his phone before he crushed the innocent device. “Why don’t you try to redial quick? It hasn’t been that long…”
“Most of an hour.” He shook his head. “He’s gone. I don’t need technology to know it.”
“Does that twin thing happen often?” She tilted her head.
“Enough.” He gritted his teeth. “I can’t believe I missed him because I was fucking around.”
She flinched.
“Son of a bitch. I’m sorry, Cin.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “I didn’t mean that.”
She stared out the side window, refusing to meet his stare. Great. Just fucking terrific. Maybe she should thank him. She’d almost made an enormous mistake. Before he could patch up the craters his half-cocked mouth had made in her confidence, his phone buzzed again.
He snatched it from Cindi and punched the talk button. “Saw?”
“No.” The curt response came from one of his brothers, just not the one he’d probably hoped for. “Where the hell are you? I’ve been trying to call you for half an hour.”
“I’m…” He peeked over at Cindi, seeming to note her slumped shoulders. “Up at the lookout.”
“You’re chasing ass when we need you here?” The growl on the other end of the line adopted a nasty edge.
“What’s up, Silas?” Sam surprised her when he didn’t bother to play coy. Apparently, hearing the same crap he’d spouted not long ago from someone else seemed to jumpstart his instinctive defenses.
Maybe it hadn’t been meaningless. Could the exchange have rocked him to the core, too?
“It’s JD. He, fuck, I don’t understand exactly.” Several heavy pants filled the echoing silence on the line. “We headed home for our afternoon break but before we got there he had trouble breathing. Sweat was pouring off of him and he kept clutching at his chest. Jesus.”
If she believed ranch legends, nothing scared Silas. Ever. Right now he sounded like he might shit his pants. That was enough to have ice water replacing the steam in Cindi’s veins. Sam’s too if his wide eyes were any indication.
“We’re at the hospital. You better come quick.” Silas kept talking but Sam already thrust the car into gear. He tossed the phone to Cindi and buckled up. “Find out more. Please.”
She mirrored him. “Silas? Si? Oh, Lucy, thank God. This is Cindi. What’s happening?”
Sam didn’t wait for medical jargon to pour over them. He peeled out of the narrow drive without relocking the gate and floored the gas. They fishtailed on the pea gravel before zooming down the hills toward the nearest civilization.
“Tell them we’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” he rumbled at her.
When Cindi relayed the message, Lucy objected. “It’s a half hour at least from the lookout to the hospital.”
“If Compton Pass’s sheriff has a problem with me, he can damn well try to keep up.” Sam kept true to his word, flying through the countryside. His agile, focused driving didn’t frighten her one bit.
The news from Lucy did.
“A pulmonary embolism?” Cindi tried to look at Sam but she couldn’t see through the sheen of tears in her eyes. “That’s a blood clot right? Is he…”
“They think we caught it in time. I injected him with heparin. An anticoagulant.” Lucy sniffled. “It looked bad. I’m not going to lie. Just get here safe, please. We’ll be waiting.”
She clicked the phone off and concentrated on the man beside her.
“It’s going to be okay, Sam.” She rubbed his knee. “You heard Lucy. They think he’ll pull through.”
“This time.” His solemn eyes cut to her across the intimate cabin. “Now. Later. Sometime soon. That won’t be true. One of these calls will be it.”
“Sam.” She swallowed her agony.
“How will we handle it when it’s time? How will we forge ahead when he’s not going to be okay?”
She didn’t have an answer for him.
Instead, she offered her hand.
He took it.
“I’m not ready to let go, Cin.”
“Me either.”
“That’s enough, young lady.” JD’s stern directive greeted them as they rushed along the hall, no need to check in with the nurse’s station for which way to turn. “Are you listening to me? Put the instruments down. Now. Go work on someone who can use your help.”
Sam and Cindi ran, hand in hand. They careened around the corner. Sam almost crashed into a cart of supplies outside a pale green room. A harried nurse fled the scene, blazing past them in her orthopedic sneakers.
He jammed into the crowded room, tugging Cindi after him. Silas, Colby, Lucy, Seth, Jody, Vicki, Sam and Cindi piled the room full of tension, pride and determination. All of them together were no match for the patriarch of their family.
“Never again, you hear me. Enough hospitals. Enough doctors. Enough wasting my time. There’s no point to any of this. It’s gonna happen sooner or later. Probably sooner.” JD met each of their stares as his gaze ringed the room. “None of you need me. Not even you, V. You’ve got each other. That’s enough.”
He lingered on Cindi and Sam, nodding when he spied their clasped hands.
“Well, you’d better at least wait for my wedding before kicking the bucket,” Seth snarled at their dad, making the badass laugh until he coughed. “If you disappo
int Jody, I’ll be pissed.”
“So noted.” JD reached out for Seth’s hand. “You have to know, all of you, that even if my winkled old ass isn’t around, I’m still there for you. I’ve given you all everything I have. I hope that means you’ll carry some part of me with you. Now, enough of this mushy shit. Take me home. I want my saggy mattress and my lumpy pillow instead of this newfangled piece of gadgetry. How can a man sleep in a rocket ship like this?”
It took several hours more to clear paperwork and sign releases. Sam figured JD held up well enough when he grumbled and bitched throughout the entire ordeal, though he allowed them to wheel him out to the car without pitching a fit. By the time they rolled into the lot, well past dark, Sam felt like he’d taken a baseball bat to the back of his skull.
And Cindi.
Shit.
She hunkered, half-asleep, against the door of his car. During the interminable wait, she’d fetched coffee, held hands, doled out hugs and lent her ear, even to his beastly brothers. Not for one moment did she feel like a stranger. Hell, she meshed better with them than he did most of the time.
And that’s when he’d realized the truth. He couldn’t afford to fuck this up by rushing into something he didn’t have the heart to pursue with every fiber of his being. Not now. He’d tried the distracted love affair thing with Belinda, and look how that’d turned out.
They climbed from the car as though the effort required was equal to jogging up ten flights of stairs.
“Just say it, Sam.” She sighed. “Fast and painless.”
“I feel like I owe you better than half my attention.” He shook his head, grimacing. “The timing. It’s bad. Awful.”
“I understand.” She lifted onto her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
It didn’t help his conscience that she seemed completely sincere.
“It’s too much all at once.” Her fingers lingered on his hand, falling slowly as she stepped away. “Go on inside. With your family. I’m heading home.”