by Mary Leo
When he moved back again, she stared into his ever-darkening eyes as she slid her panties down her legs, only gazing down once when she made sure she stepped out of them. Then she slipped out of her heels, and slid them to the side.
He was still staring at her when she looked up again, taking her body in inch by inch. “Move back and lean on the wall, part your legs and don’t move.” His voice, low and sexy, brought an immediate rush of pleasure through her body.
She did as she was told, feeling the coolness of the wall on her bare ass, back, and shoulders. He slowly knelt down in front of her, and at once began to lick and gently suckle her, spreading the folds of her womanhood with his tongue, then he gently inserted two fingers inside of her, causing her to collapse on top of him as she ran her hands down his back.
He moved out from under her, his lips wet and he told her to stand. “Open your legs wider, bend your knees if you have to. I want all of you. I want to be able to see and taste everything you have.”
She did as she was told, but her thighs trembled from the strain. He must have felt it because he picked her up and set her down on the edge of a chair, asking her to lean back, then placing each of her legs over the armrests. She complied, giving him everything he had asked for.
“Do it again,” she ordered. “Harder this time.”
He knelt down, and buried his head between her legs, his tongue pressing deep inside her, then rolling over her until she couldn’t take much more. When she was just about to reach climax, he pulled away and once again slid two fingers inside of her, then rotated his thumb over the nub of her center until she couldn’t hold back any longer. She stared into those emerald eyes of his as wave after wave of release swept over her body, causing her to arch her back, and groan with each passing wave. He ran a rough hand over each breast, triggering her to cry out in complete ecstasy, all the while his eyes never leaving hers.
When she was spent, he picked her up and gently put her down on the bed. Then he pulled out a condom from his pocket, unzipped his pants, and dropped them and his underwear to the floor.
She reached out and held his erection in her hand, feeling the weight of it, and longing to have it inside of her. When she let go, he slipped on the condom as she spread her legs one more time.
“My God, you’re beautiful,” he told her, gently kissing the nexus between her legs. “I love the way you’ve come into this with everything you have. You’re incredible.”
“Just tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it,” she told him, now completely under his spell.
“Bend your knees and let your legs fall open.”
She did as she was told exposing herself to him like she never had to any other man. She’d never felt like this in her entire life.
He gazed down at her for what seemed like minutes, driving her mad with anticipation, gently stroking all that she was showing him, his fingers touching every nuance of the most intimate part of her body, as if he was claiming her. Putting his mark on her.
Then he climbed up around her and he entered her slowly while he stared into her eyes, moaning with every thrust, his body on fire to her touch. By the time she wrapped her legs around his back, their bodies glistened with sweat.
Soon their rhythm met a steady pace that forced her to push down harder, wanting all of him inside of her. When the rhythm took on a faster tempo, she held onto the sheets on either side of them as she exploded in a torrent of shivers and pulses that erupted from so deep within her she couldn’t help the tears that slipped down the sides of her face.
He dropped over the cliff with her, as the last of his thrusts forced her to hold onto him with all her strength.
For the next few minutes, neither one of them moved, but instead waited until their breathing became normal again. Then slowly Reese pulled out of her, and rolled onto his back as she cuddled up in the crook of his arm, resting her head on his chest.
“Do you always make love with such intensity?” she asked, finally getting to feel that strong chest of his.
“That was the first time,” he whispered, still trying to catch his breath.
She pushed herself up and looked at him. “You mean I took your virginity?”
He smiled. “Woman, you took my soul.”
She snuggled back down onto him. “Then my work here is done.”
A deep chuckle erupted in the back of his throat. “It’s only just begun,” he said, and rolled out of bed. “Tell me you have a private shower.”
“I do,” she said. “What are you suggesting?”
“Something sinful and fun,” he said, a wicked smile on his face. “Are you up for it?”
“The question is are you up for it?”
He looked down at his now spent erection. “Not quite yet, but I will be,” he told her and she rolled out of bed, grabbed his hand and led him to her private bathroom.
She could tell this was going to be an incredible day.
IT WAS WELL past midnight by the time Reese walked out of Avery’s private bedroom door, quietly closing it behind him, and headed home. The almost moonless night served to hide his emotions about what had just happened. Even the chill in the air was a welcome relief from all the intense heat he’d experienced while in Avery’s company.
Most of the day had been spent in bed, either engaged in some rather down and dirty, sinful lovemaking or recovering from it. Never in his entire life had he ever experienced a woman so exciting and free with her body as Avery Templeton. She’d given herself over to him without reservations, without shame and without discussion. Whatever he’d wanted, she’d done. And in turn, whatever she’d wanted, he eagerly gave. Kaya had provided nourishment a couple of times when Avery had ventured out into the kitchen, trying her best to pretend like nothing other than heavy conversation was taking place behind closed doors. But Reese had a feeling no matter how Avery tried to hide it, by pinning up her hair, slipping on actual clothes, and even fixing her makeup, she couldn’t hide the sex flush that permeated her skin and the continuous smirk that she seemed to have little control over.
His phone had been buzzing on and off all day, but he’d chosen to ignore the calls, all from his siblings. He assumed it was nothing urgent. Nothing happened on the ranch that one of them couldn’t take care of, so he assumed what they all wanted was information about the meeting, which Reese was in no mood or shape to give.
It had been a day that he would never forget, but also a day he was already regretting, which was why he’d left Avery sleeping like an infant, wrapped in a tangle of sheets and blankets. He also left the blue folder with Chuck’s absurd offer sitting on the chair right outside her bedroom door.
That meeting and what had been offered had haunted him throughout the day, and contributed to the way he’d made love to Avery. He’d wanted to show her who was in charge, who was making the decisions between them, not only about the two ranches, but also about his relationship with her.
He wanted to prove to her once and for all that he couldn’t be pushed around, that Chuck Starr’s money meant nothing to him, and that she meant nothing to him as long as she was connected to Chuck.
But something happened the last time they’d made love. The last time they’d kissed. The last time she’d given herself to him so completely that something broke inside of him. Something he’d been holding onto his entire life. Something he shared with his father, and no one else.
Their deep-rooted hatred for Chuck Starr.
That hatred had begun to shatter with the tenderness Avery had showed him despite his brashness, and his dominance over her. She’d touched his soul when she gazed into his eyes, never once looking away when he did things to her he’d never done to a woman before, never thought to do. All through it, she’d shown him nothing but gentleness and a willingness to try anything he could dream up.
When she’d wanted him to tie her hands to the headboard, that’s when he’d backed away, when he realized Avery’s lovemaking was honest and genuine while
he’d been acting. Testing her. Trying to make her see just how much better he was than any other man she’d been with. How much stronger he was, and how much she needed to trust him.
But all that had changed the last time he felt her body tense then release under his. Once he allowed himself to fully accept her touch, allowed himself to completely enjoy her embrace, decided to go with whatever she had to offer him, the barrier he’d tried to keep up had cracked wide open and he’d realized that he’d been wrong about Avery’s loyalty to Chuck.
The Avery Templeton who had just made love to Reese Cooper, in the purest sense of those words, could not be wrong about Chuck.
The man who had given up his table in the restaurant for Reese and his mom, the man who had taught Avery how to ride a horse, the man who had once loved Reese’s mother, the man who had given him life, and that same man who wanted to give Reese half of everything he’d worked to achieve was in fact not the devil.
He was simply a man who wanted a relationship with his only son, and Avery had proved it in the purest form, proved that she had been telling the truth all along.
Now all Reese had to do was believe it.
ELEVEN
When Avery awoke the next morning, expecting to find Reese lying next to her, or at the very least, bathing that gorgeous masculine body of his in her shower, and didn’t find him anywhere, she nearly cried. At first, she blamed herself, trying to think of what she may have said to drive him away. When she’d gone over their relatively few conversations, she focused on the sex, but dismissed that completely. She knew enough about men and sex to know that Reese Cooper Jr. had one hell of a good time.
So had she, once Reese calmed down.
The first time they’d had sex, it was just that . . . sex. No real emotion. Truth be told, although it had been a real turn on, she hadn’t truly liked it. She’d found his touch somewhat cold and calculating, as if he knew all the right moves and all the right things to say, but his heart wasn’t into it.
The second time in the shower was at least more fun to start with, but then the same thing happened. He’d demanded things from her instead of asking. She’d gone along with his demands simply because there was a certain excitement to it, but when he’d gotten even more demanding the third time, it wasn’t fun anymore, and she thought he must have sensed it.
The fourth time, when she decided to take a more active role with his dominance and suggested that he tie her hands to the headboard, he’d backed down at first and she wondered if something had changed inside him.
“Are you doing this for me or because you like it?” he’d asked.
“With the way you’ve been making all the rules, I thought it was time to turn the tables.”
“And you really want me to tie your hands to the headboard?”
He gently pulled her arm up, and wrapped the silk scarf she’d offered around her wrist, then pulled the scarf through the metal rung of the headboard. As soon as he tied the scarf she knew this was way over the top for her, and part of her wanted to back out, but she took a deep breath and calmed down.
He gazed deep into her eyes, and something happened, something that changed his entire demeanor, and he immediately untied her hand and tossed the scarf on the floor.
“This isn’t right. Not for us.”
“I thought you would like it,” she’d whispered.
“Do you?”
“I’ve never done it before, but we did a lot of things today that were new to me,” she said. “You’re a forceful lover, Reese Cooper.”
“What do you want?” he asked, his voice sincere and tender, as if he seriously wanted to know what she wanted, what she needed.
Everything changed after that.
She slid closer to him on the bed. “This,” she said, kissing him gently. “And this.” She lovingly took his hand and placed it on her breast. “And more of this,” she told him as she kissed his shoulders, then moved toward his chest.
And within the blink of an eye, his whole disposition changed. That in-charge kind of guy had vanished and a warm and tender lover took his place. The kind of lover she’d always known he would be, the kind of lover she’d wanted him to be.
This time when he’d entered her, it was different, so different that the honesty of it scared her. She didn’t know if she was ready for all the deep emotions that swirled through her thoughts. When they’d both reached their climax, they’d experienced it together, sharing a moment she would never forget. She’d never felt this way before, and she was sure she never would again if Reese had actually walked out on her.
Reese Cooper was all she ever wanted or needed. It felt as if they were meant to be together, but she knew, deep in her heart, that she could never truly have him until whatever demons were jousting with his soul would one day set him free.
Now as she showered and dressed in jeans and a tee, she wondered if perhaps the raw honesty of those last moments had pushed him away, had caused him to feel as though that much personal vulnerability required some sort of commitment.
But she brushed that notion right out of her head knowing full well commitment issues weren’t part of Reese’s playbook. The man was all about commitments, possibly to his detriment, because when she opened her bedroom door to enjoy a cup of tea out on her private porch and found the blue folder still sitting on the chair where he’d left it, frustration mixed with anger erupted deep inside her.
“We’ll just see about that,” she said out loud, grabbing the folder and heading back into the house, then grabbing her purse off the dresser, and her keys lying next to it.
Catherine Cooper had told her, right before the meeting, that she’d be heading home that night. It was time Avery appealed to the one person she knew could change Reese’s mind.
His mom.
“CAN I GET you anything?” Catherine asked, as she and Avery sat in the Cooper kitchen while something that smelled heavenly baked in the oven. The kitchen badly needed updating. The counters, a dark brown laminate, looked as though they were part of the original house, and the cabinets had been painted over so many times Avery wondered if the hinges still worked. The white refrigerator looked relatively new, as did the stove. But the dishwasher and the sink, which could barely hold a good-sized frying pan, needed to be thrown out. Clearly, the entire kitchen should be demolished, as should other parts of the forlorn-looking house.
The Coopers were like a lot of ranching families that were experiencing hard times. The livestock was their lifeblood and everything else was simply relegated to the very bottom of the list . . . if there even was a list.
The house itself was clean and orderly, and some of the pieces of furniture were rustic looking and obviously antique, but for the most part, Avery could tell the Coopers had been in a financial crisis for quite some time.
“Thanks, if you have tea, I would love a cup,” Avery told her.
“Sure, black or herbal? And do you take sweetener, sugar or honey? Milk, cream or lemon? And do you prefer a cup and saucer or a mug?”
Avery figured Catherine Cooper must be a tea drinker, even though she saw her drinking coffee during the meeting with Chuck. Only a true tea drinker would know to offer such a myriad of accompaniments.
“So many choices. I love it. Thank you. Honey, milk, black tea and I would love a cup and saucer, just not too fancy.”
Avery sat at the large round oak table that dominated the room. A medium-sized white lace doily adorned the middle of the table and fresh flowers in a glass vase sat in the center. Somehow, they seemed out of place in this otherwise drab kitchen and she wondered if friends or family had sent them in memory of Catherine’s husband.
It was a stark reminder of the loss Catherine and the rest of the Coopers were dealing with.
Catherine busied herself with gathering everything for Avery’s tea on a pretty white tray while the electric kettle hissed and popped as the water began to boil.
Avery loved an actual table in the kitchen instead of a cou
nter with bar stools. There was something warm and inviting about a real kitchen table. It conjured up kids and homework, family breakfasts and long lunches, a safe place where a family came together both when happy or in crisis. She could only speculate what had transpired around the Cooper table in the last few weeks, and some of it couldn’t have been good.
“I suppose you’re wondering why I’m here,” Avery said, sitting forward in her chair, then pulling the blue folder out of her large purse and resting it on the table directly in front of her.
Catherine sat one chair over, in the only chair with a cushion, and Avery had the impression that this was Catherine’s favorite chair at the table.
“Not really,” Catherine said with a lilt to her voice. “As soon as I saw you standing outside my door, I knew you were here about Reese’s offer. He hasn’t signed anything, has he?”
Avery shook her head as the teakettle bubbled then clicked off. Catherine immediately poured water into an ornate deep blue teapot. Then she added an infuser filled with black tea leaves, placed the lid back on the pot, and draped it with a thick dishtowel to keep the tea hot as the aromatic leaves steeped.
Yep, a true tea drinker, Avery thought.
“No. He didn’t even take it with him.” Avery wasn’t about to add any of the details on why she hadn’t known this information until she’d stepped out on her private porch that morning. Some things were best left unsaid.
“And you think that by talking to me, I can convince him?”
Catherine removed the towel from the pot and poured the now dark tea into two lovely dark blue matching cups. She added milk and honey to one cup, presumably for Avery, then she picked up the cup by its saucer and handed Avery the steaming tea. Once Avery took it, Catherine prepared her own tea by also adding milk and honey, stirring it around, then took a sip to make sure it was perfect. She gazed over at Avery with a satisfied grin.