She pulled her legs under the blanket. “Got any more of that coffee and brandy? I’m freezing.”
Not exactly what he expected. “What happened to wanna bet?”
“Seemed like a good idea at the time, but I think it’s a window of opportunity missed. Coffee? Brandy? Hurry.”
“You look like a tent with a head.”
“I feel like a Popsicle.”
He felt horny as the town bull. “Being noble sucks,” he mumbled to himself as much as to her.
She laughed and even that sounded shaky. He cleaned up the spilled coffee from when she’d charged him and knocked him flat, then got a mug from the open cupboard. He poured coffee from the pot hanging over the fire, his body so close to hers he could smell the scent of lilac still clinging to her wet hair. Rain hammered the old tar-papered roof, making the leak in one corner a steady plink into a metal bucket. Lightning split the sky. He added brandy and handed her the mug. Her hands shook and teeth chattered against the metal rim as she sipped.
“Tastes great.”
He needed another diversion from Lillie. “What’s the dog’s name?”
“I call her Butter. Must live close by. She led me here. Finding her was a real stroke of luck.”
Stroke? That’s what he wanted to do with Lillie. Stroke his hands over her firm breasts, feel her flat abdomen quiver under his palms, touch her warm, wet sex that was hot just for him. He could imagine his fingers plunging into her, pleasuring her, making her ready for—
“John?”
“What?” he yelped as his head snapped up, jarring his brain. Good! Something had to get his mind off Lillie.
“You were a million miles away.”
Oh, how he wished that were true. Instead he said, “I was thinking of…the dog.”
“She needs a good rubdown with a big towel. Got anything like that around here?”
“Butter will be fine, but I have a towel you can use.”
He could picture himself rubbing Lillie with some of that lotion she had at her spa. Down her smooth back, over the firm rounds of her buttocks, her thighs to the backs of her knees. He loved the backs of women’s knees. And then kiss her there and work his way up, driving her crazy…just like all this fantasizing was driving him crazy.
“John? I keep losing you.”
If only he could quit thinking about Lillie, and that was not going to happen with her almost naked under a blanket right in front of him. He wanted her so much he had a headache—actually his other head ached more and he had no idea what to do about either.
Suffer! He took the bottle of brandy and gulped. Alcohol was a sex inhibitor…so why wasn’t it working now?
“Do you always drink from the bottle?”
“Seemed like a good idea.”
The fire spit and crackled behind the rusted wire screen as she raked her hands through her hair to dry it, letting it catch the firelight. He wanted to run his fingers through her curls, but then what? Where’d he and Lillie go from there? A fling? She didn’t seem like a fling sort of woman, and there was the Pete factor to consider. Pete would haunt him to hell and back if John had a fling with his granddaughter. John took another drink from the bottle and Lillie watched him, her eyes liquid, her face flushed. His desire for her faded not one bit.
Then, as if reading his mind, she pulled him down, making him sit beside her. She slid the bottle from his hand, their fingertips touching, his heart racing. She took a sip from the bottle.
“Are you still cold?”
“I’m going to get a heck of a lot warmer.”
“Thanks to the brandy?”
She gave him a siren’s smile. “I think that window of opportunity’s opening back up.”
“We haven’t known each other that long and—and this is getting involved. Maybe we’re moving too fast.”
“I lived with a guy for two years and it ended badly. We can’t do worse than that. Time isn’t everything.” She brought her delicious mouth to his in a searing kiss that melted his insides. If he got haunted by Pete, he’d deal. How bad could a ghost be?
He took Lillie into his arms as she tangled hers around his neck. The blanket slipped from her slim shoulders, falling around his arms. Her fingers stroked his nape and he leaned back on the stone hearth, sliding her torso on top of him as she planted kisses along his jawline to his ear. She nipped the lobe and desire roared through him at lightning speed. Holding on to her he tipped them from the hearth to the floor, his free hand breaking the short drop as he braced himself over her.
Looking up at him with dreamy eyes she said, “Hey, I liked things the way they were before.”
“Not much room up there and this way I’m on top.” His nose touched hers. “I want to unwrap you from this blanket.”
“Then I get to unwrap you.”
“I’m not wearing a blanket.”
“I’ll improvise.” Her eyes held a twinkle that made his stomach flip and he kissed her again, lips to lips, then to her chin. He could feel her heart beating fast against his tongue as he licked the indent between her breasts.
She wanted him. A lot. This was the biggest turn-on of all, and he captured her left breast through the thin material, the nipple hardening as he suckled the sensitive bead. “Oh, honey,” he breathed on a sigh, “you taste like heaven.”
“John, you’re driving me crazy.”
“Good.” Then he hooked his fingers under her bra and slipped it up as he looked his fill. “You’re perfect.”
“An A cup. You don’t need to feed me lines to get a roll in the hay. At this point I think it’s a given.”
He stilled. “That’s no line, I swear.” And he meant it, every word. She was perfect. “Are you nervous? We’ve done this before.”
“In a dark attic and there wasn’t time to think and sex was more of a reaction and my last boyfriend said I was perfect too, then left me for Ms. Jugs at Murphy’s Bar and Grill and I think I have a complex.” She let out a long breath. “I don’t do well at this thought-out sex thing. I’m more of a fly by the seat of my pants sex partner.”
He gave her a wicked laugh. “You need reassurance. I’m really good at reassurance.” And not just because he wanted to have sex with her more than he wanted air, but because she deserved better than getting dumped for Ms. Jugs. Hell, any woman did.
He cupped Lillie’s left breast in his palm and ran the pad of his thumb over the nipple, causing the pink nub to bead. “See?” he said, gazing into her wide eyes. “You’re perfect. Trust me, honey, more than a mouthful is a waste.”
She laughed and he lowered his head and gently licked the taut tip. She gasped again, louder this time, and her fingers tangled in his hair.
“John,” she said, on a breathy sigh, and her legs widened as she opened herself to him. He licked her other breast, taking his time, his tongue tracing paths over her heated skin.
“You’re too good.”
And it wasn’t just sex—he wanted her to enjoy this; he wanted to give her pleasure. Right now it was all about Lillie. He took her hands in his and held them to her sides as he nuzzled his way over her flat stomach to her navel. He kissed the gentle notch, then went on, stopping at the waistband of her panties.
Taking the elastic in his teeth, he dragged the lacy bit of green down—down was so very nice—exposing her soft patch of curls. “Lovely.”
She raised her head, looking at him. He could feel her eyes on him. “John?”
“I’m right here, sweetheart.” Then he slid her panties over her thighs, over her knees, and to her ankles, then off. He knelt at her feet and looked his fill. “You’re incredible.”
“You still have clothes on.”
He winked. “I know. I like it that way, at least for a while.” He could see her blush even in the firelight. Had anyone ever really made love to this woman? It excited him to be the first and not because it was some conquest but because he did it for her, and that mattered.
He kissed her ankles, the inside o
f one knee, then the other, then spread her legs…least he tried to. Lillie whispered in a self-conscious voice, “I don’t know if this is such a good idea.”
He whispered back, “It’s a great idea trust me.” Then he lay between her legs—what a fine place to be. He kissed her silky thigh, her legs trembling as he pressed them farther apart still, revealing her intimate secrets.
“John?”
Without answering he kissed his way to the soft, damp folds of her sex, making her body shudder.
“Oh, God, John,” she hissed, and then her words morphed into raw moans of sexual pleasure as his tongue stroked and plunged into her wet heat, building her pleasure till he pressed his mouth to her swollen clit. Her body trembled in climax, making him feel more complete and satisfied than he ever had before when making love.
He brought his face to hers and kissed her closed eyes and smoothed back her tousled hair. “Making love to you is an incredible experience.”
Making love…and it was that, he realized. Something beyond mutual gratification. He cared for Lillie and what happened to her and it wouldn’t end when they walked out of this cabin.
She said, “This is a little one-sided, you know.”
“Sometimes one-sided is good.”
She lay there for a minute catching her breath as he lost his. He’d never seen a more beautiful woman. Finally she managed, “But it’s selfish.” And before he knew what had happened she’d flipped him onto his back and sat on his chest.
“How’d you do that?”
“Summoned my inner strength. I think I’m better at inner strength than inner peace.” She gave him a sassy half smile. “Especially when I’ve had three cups of coffee—the extra caffeine just kicked in. Besides, I think you were distracted.”
“That was some kick. And you always distract me.”
“I can do better, and I have to do something to pay you back for getting me over the Ms. Jugs dump. I didn’t realize how much it affected me till now.” She bent down and kissed him. “In fact, think I’m cured.”
“Glad I could help. But you don’t need to repay or do anything but—”
His words were lost as she sucked his bottom lip deep into her mouth, then let it go. “Oh, but I do,” she purred. “I feel refreshed, new. I feel liberated and I need to demonstrate.”
She sat up and ran her hands through her hair, flipping it in all directions, the firelight turning it gold and burgundy, and then she bent to kiss him again, with the gorgeous mane flowing forward, surrounding them as her mouth consumed his.
Desire pulsed through his body and he fisted his hands in the blanket under him to gain control. “Lillie,” he panted, “you’re doing me in, honey.”
“Oh, I hope so.” She bunched up his shirt and stared at the crisp curly hair scattered across his muscled chest. “You are so well built.”
“I’m so turned on.”
She scooted back, his erection grazing her sex. “I can tell.” She sat on his thighs and undid his belt. “And I think we need more liberation, this time yours.”
She unsnapped his jeans, his erection swelling as much from the extra room as from the fact that she had her hand on him. “You’re different now, not the same as in the attic.”
“Sex in the attic”—she looked at him and laughed, the contagious sound filling the cabin—“sounds like a bad sitcom. But for me it was more pent-up frustration then.”
“Horny?”
“That pretty much covers it. But now”—she glanced back to his briefs, then slid them over his erection—“it’s more.” Her voice was a whisper as her fingers stroked his shaft, nearly sending him over the edge.
He gripped the blanket tighter and ground out, “Lillie, I can’t do more.”
He fished his wallet from his back pocket and took out a condom. “I’m sorry,” he said, in a ragged voice he barely recognized. “I want you too much.”
With shaky fingers he covered himself, the scent of sex mixing with pine and smoke. Her eyes shone dark and full and bright and he snagged his arm around her middle and tucked her neatly under him.
His skin burned hot as the glowing grate, every muscle aching, throbbing. She arched to meet his thrusts again and again, her legs at his waist, fusing her body to his. His climax came in a flash that knocked the air from his lungs and every thought but Lillie from his mind. She clung to him, calling his name, her sweet, sweet body convulsing in completion with his.
He collapsed on top of her, barely able to keep his weight on his arms for fear of squashing her flat. He didn’t want to let this moment go. Too intimate, too perfect, so filled with Lillie. He never felt that way before. Sex was sex and he always gave as good as he got. But not this time. As much as he tried to please her and make it good for her, she was the one who made it perfect for him. She gave him her body, her mind, and a bit of her soul. “Dear God, woman, what you do to me.”
“We just met,” she said, breathless. “How can we…Why?”
With supreme effort he brought his head up and gazed at her. “Basic sexual chemistry.”
“But we have issues. We have so many issues I can’t imagine why I’m here.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “Honey, chemistry doesn’t give a rat’s ass about issues. Besides, there’s more. We’re connected through Pete and because our grandparents cared for us more than our parents ever did, and you’re loyal as hell to your sisters and I feel the same way about Rod and Lance.”
He flopped on his back like a landed fish. Not too suave but he was completely wiped out. “The last part of that might be common ground but it’s also what’s tearing us apart. The big question is, where do we go from here, Lillie June?”
“You’re headed back to Dallas so that sort of answers our question.”
And when he didn’t respond, she sat up and looked him in the eyes, the magic of a moment ago fading. “Why do I have a feeling things between us are worse than ever? What’s happened? What did you find on the riverbank? You have to tell me. This is my family we’re talking about.”
He stood, disposed of the condom, and reclaimed his briefs and jeans, and when he turned back she’d wrapped herself in the blanket as if protecting herself against…issues. Damn the issues.
“Must be something important since you’re getting dressed, sort of like putting on your armor for doing battle?”
“I don’t want to do battle with you.”
She arched her brow. “But…You’ve got that but look in your eyes.”
He went to the coat hooks anchored to the wall, took down a vest and brought it back. “I found this on the riverbank. It’s Pete’s; everyone knows it.”
Lillie took the vest. “Guess this puts an end to wondering if Grandpa Pete was here. So what’s the problem?”
John sat on the hearth and braced his elbows on his knees, the warm glow of the fire turning his skin golden. “That vest didn’t go through any flood, Lillie. It’s not washed out enough or beat-up enough to have been exposed to the elements for four months. It was planted there recently. Someone threw a little mud on it and swiped it through the water a few times, but only recently. There’s no gravel in the pockets, like you’d find if it was tumbled in a flooding river. No rips from getting dragged over rocks.”
“Meaning?”
“Someone wanted this vest found right now. I drove here because I wanted to scout downstream but I didn’t have to go that far. The vest was on the shore almost directly in front of the cabin. Hell, if it had had a neon sign over it and an arrow directing me it couldn’t have been any more visible. The only ones who knew we were here are you and me and Jimmy unless…”
“I’m not going to like the next part am I.” It wasn’t even a question.
“You said Nina and Juliet were getting things ready for the memorial. I’m guessing you told them you were going with me today to look for clues about Pete. Right? Finding the fishing vest now proves Pete was here when I’m suspicious about his death. It’s too convenient. It
was planted to reinforce the accident, which makes me all the more certain it wasn’t a fishing accident at all but something more, something planned.”
Lillie stood. “Nice try, John, but Juliet and Nina probably told Rod and Lance and they could have planted the vest. What do you think about that? Every time you find a piece of evidence that implicates my sisters in Pete’s disappearance, Rod and Lance are in that pot too because they thought they were inheriting the bar and the ranch.”
She glared. “How could I have a sexfest with the man who thinks my sister, or sisters, are murderers?”
“Sexfest? That’s all this was to you, nothing but sex?”
“That’s all it can be, John.” She stood and tossed her hair, wishing she could toss her feelings for John right along with it, but she couldn’t. “We are the most incompatible people I’ve ever known, and in case you missed something, our situation is not improving with age.”
“I’ll show you what’s improving.” He snagged her into his arms and kissed her. “We are. You and me. And it’s not just sex no matter how many relatives and friends and spas come between us. We connect and it’s too bad if it’s inconvenient because it’s the truth. Now we’re going to find a way to make it all work.”
Five
Even though it was still raining, the Ragged Rooster was packed for the memorial. Lillie, Nina, and Juliet sat on bar stools as Jimmy played his guitar and sang about Texas and bluebonnets, the state that Pete loved and the flowers that grew there.
Melinda stared at Jimmy all goo-goo eyed, swaying to the tune, their gazes never leaving each other, even after the song ended. The owner of Sweets ’n Treats stood, cleared his throat, and told how Grandpa Pete bought the kids candy and ice cream. Doc Shelton took the floor and reminisced about how Pete picked up the tab for more than one family who couldn’t afford medical care. An old-timer with a full beard, an oversized Stetson, and a ragged voice choked with emotion told how Pete loved the town and the people in it and thought of them as family more than friends.
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