Layers of them if you know what’s good for you, he thought as he watched her go. The more clothes the better. Because she was too damn tempting and he sure as hell didn’t intend to stick around Lone Tree once summer ended. And a woman like Caitlin deserved a stick-around-kind-of-man.
*
Caitlin looked down at the streak of barn red paint on her thigh, then back up at Dalton who was working on the roof of the Stoney Brook’s cafeteria in a pair of show’em what you got jeans. And boy did he have.
And no shirt. This was at least the third time his half-naked, hunky state had distracted her from her painting. At this rate, she was going to end up with more stripes on her than the American flag.
Setting her brush down, she reached for her near empty water bottle, bringing it to her lips. She tried not to stare at the sun glinting off Dalton’s broad back as he moved, or the muscles rippling in those powerful shoulders and arms as he lowered a sheet of plywood to the sagging roof.
He glanced over his shoulder, smiling at her from beneath the low riding brim of his cowboy hat. The simple gesture set her heart to racing.
Kneeling on the sheet of wood, he raised his hat and dragged a forearm across his sweat-dampened brow. “The Weather Channel forgot to mention the morning was gonna be a scorcher, too.”
“It’s a good thing we got an early start.”
“You can say that again.”
She got to her feet and walked over to the ladder, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked up at him. “Can I get you another bottle of water?”
He shifted to peer down at her from the roof’s edge. “That’d be great. Thanks.”
She walked over to the wheeled cooler they’d brought with them that morning and grabbed two chilled bottles of spring water from the mountain of ice inside.
Setting her bottle down on the ground by the freshly painted picnic table, she walked back to the ladder that was propped against the side of the cabin.
“More work than you thought it would be?” she asked as she started up the ladder’s rungs.
He looked down at her. “What? Keeping from kissing you?”
She missed a step and found herself being rescued by Dalton once again.
“Careful there.” He steadied the ladder with one hand, holding onto her with the other. “You okay?”
Her gaze moved from the fingers curled about her wrist, up the sun-bronzed arm, finally coming to rest on Dalton’s worried face. She managed a nod. “My foot slipped.”
“Remind me to buy a new ladder, one with wider rungs. This old thing’s about had it anyway.”
“We are not buying a new ladder,” she told him. “This one is just fine. Your brother’s not gonna be happy as it is with us putting in those new windows.”
Dalton shrugged. “He’ll get over it. Besides, we’re upping the property value.”
She held out his bottle of water, one she had somehow managed to hang onto during her near fall. “Here you go.”
He slowly released his grasp on her wrist and sat back, patting the roof beside him. “Come on up. Take a break.”
She pointed to the picnic table below. “My water’s down there.”
“That’s okay. I’ll share mine.” Smiling, he unscrewed the lid and brought the bottle to his lips.
“I don’t think… I mean I really need to finish painting that table.”
“You know, Caitlin, things might go a little faster if you actually painted the table.”
She looked down at the brush streaks across her shorts and upper thighs. Blushing, she lifted her gaze to his. “I’m a psychologist, not a professional painter.”
He laughed. “I’d say you chose the right occupation. Come on. I’ll help you up.” He held out his hand.
She wasn’t overly fond of heights, but she took the offered hand anyway, feeling completely safe as he helped her up onto the roof beside him.
“Just don’t look down,” she muttered to herself.
“Pardon?”
“Uh, I said I can almost see town.”
“You can?” His gaze shifted that direction. “Well, you’ve got a hell of a lot better vision than I do.” He held out his bottle of water. “Or, you’re dehydrated and hallucinating. Drink?”
She took it, looking down at the spout which had just moments before touched Dalton’s lips. And was about to touch hers. It was almost like sharing a kiss. That is, in a roundabout sort of way.
Oh, can you be any more pathetic? She gave herself a mental head slap. He’s offering you a drink of water, not a trip to his bed. Freud would have had a field day with her completely irrepressible thoughts.
“Thanks.” She brought it to her lips. Maybe Dalton was right. She’d been in the hot sun far too long.
Out of the blue, Dalton reached out to caress her cheek.
She jumped at the unexpected touch, the mouthful of water she’d just taken going down the wrong pipe. Choking, she said, “Dalton, I don’t think—”
“Paint.”
“W…what?”
“You have paint on your face. I was just trying to wipe it off before it dried.”
“Oh.” Darn it, did she have to sound so disappointed? So he hadn’t exactly been trying to put the moves on her. His touch was enough to jump-start her heart and then some.
There was a glint of humor in his eyes as he watched her from beneath the low-riding brim of his hat. “What do you say we go for a swim?”
“A swim?”
“Sure,” he nodded. “It’ll help cool us off.”
She fixed her gaze on Dalton because looking down made her lightheaded. Who was she kidding? Looking at him made her lightheaded.
She shook her head. “I didn’t bring my suit.”
He shrugged, drawing her attention to his bare, broad shoulders. “You don’t need one.”
She practically shot to her feet. “Okay, breaktime’s over.”
If he hadn’t of reacted so quickly, grabbing her hand, she might have fallen right off the roof. “You’re just an accident waiting to happen, aren’t you?” he said with a low chuckle.
She plopped back down onto the sun-warmed shingles and looked determinedly up at the sky, a far better choice than looking down. “I’m afraid I’m not very good with heights. Or skinny dipping.”
“Who said anything about skinny dipping?”
Her gaze snapped down to his. “You—”
“I said we didn’t need swimsuits. I meant we could swim in our skivvies.”
“In our underwear?”
“Sure. It’s not much different than wearing a swimsuit. And it’s hot enough out that they should dry pretty quickly once we’re done swimming. But, then again, if you’d prefer to go in naked…”
“In your dreams, cowboy.” Or was that in hers?
Laughter rumbled in his chest. “Didn’t reckon so.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Face it, Caitlin, you just don’t come across as the skinny dipping type.”
His words were playful, but there was an underlying challenge to them that couldn’t be missed. “For your information, Dalton Barnes, I can skinny dip with the best of them.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “That so?”
She thrust her chin upward. “Yes.”
“Have you ever?”
She hesitated for a moment and then shook her head in resignation. “No.”
The cocky grin returned. “See, I rest my case. Now let’s get you off this roof before we have to make another run into town to the doctors.”
“Good idea. I haven’t finished paying off the bill for my ankle yet.”
His expression grew serious. “Are you telling me you don’t have insurance?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“It’s too expensive.”
“That should come with the job,” he growled.
“Not all jobs. And certainly not mine.”
“Have you spoken to Brandon ab
out it?”
She shook her head. “No, my dealings have always been with Alan Martinson. I asked him about it, but he told me Brandon made it clear he was not putting any more money into the running of the retreat than he already had.”
“I have to say that I’m surprised by my brother’s attitude, despite our differences. Maybe people are right about him being an ogre.”
“I don’t mind. Really. I’m one of those fortunate souls who are rarely sick.”
“Just injured?” he teased.
“So I’ve been a little accident prone lately.” Ever since he had come into her life.
“Well, you work for me now. And as soon as I can take care of it, you’ll have insurance coverage.”
“Dalton, you don’t have to—”
“And a raise.” He stood and started down the ladder. He stopped partway and held out his hand to her. “Come on. I’ll help you down.”
Dalton Barnes was almost too good to be true. Not at all what she’d imagined a big rodeo star to be like. He was funny and kind, and put a hundred and ten percent into everything he did.
Easing onto the ladder, she started down with his help. “Something tells me your brother isn’t gonna be too thrilled about that.”
“Is he ever thrilled about anything?” He didn’t let go until she was safely on the ground below. “Let me worry about my brother.”
Fearless. He was definitely fearless to even consider taking on the Ogre. She took a deep breath, gathered up her nerve, then turned to Dalton. “I’ll do it if you do it.”
“Do what?”
“Skinny dip.”
His dark eyes widened. “This is a joke, right?”
“Nope. But you have to close your eyes and you can’t open them until I’m safely in the water.”
“Caitlin, I was only teasing you.”
She took a step back, propping her hands on her hips. “Dalton Barnes, I never figured you for a chicken.”
He arched a brow. “Chicken?” That was all it took. He was already shirtless, so his hands went to the buckle at the fly of his jeans. “Not this man.”
She couldn’t believe they were actually going to do this. See where their playful teasing had taken them. Caitlin couldn’t take her eyes from his large, sun-browned hands as he unzipped his jeans.
Her mouth went dry.
He paused in his task to look at her. “Turnabout’s fair play, Caitlin. If you get to watch, I do, too.”
Her mouth snapped shut and she spun away, throwing up a hand. “I’m not looking!”
His husky laughter followed her as she walked away and slipped behind a nearby tree to undress.
“I’ll give you to the count of a hundred,” he called after her.
When she got down to her underwear and bra, she considered stopping there. It would be no different than wearing her bikini. But she had already razzed Dalton about being a chicken. She couldn’t be one either. Truth was she wanted to do this. It had been a long time since she had allowed herself to do something wild and crazy. Well, aside from kidnapping Dalton. And that hadn’t turned out so bad.
She hurried to remove her bra and panties and prepared to make a dash for the water.
“Time’s up.”
Letting out a shriek, she spun around to find Dalton standing there. Heart stopping, pulse pounding hunk in the flesh kind of glory.
“You said a hundred.”
“I count fast.”
She braced a hand against the tree to steady herself, the sight of him in all his glory made her legs weak. Unable to help herself, she took in those broad shoulders and perfectly sculpted chest. His muscular arms were mouthwateringly defined by all those years of riding. Her perusal didn’t stop there. Pushing aside the urge to turn away, she continued her visual tour, taking the narrow waist that framed Dalton’s taut, touch-me-now, abs, and then lower to the erection that jutted out quite impressively from the thatch of dark curls between firm, muscular thighs.
“Dalton…”
His blue eyes held an undeniable spark of desire. His gaze traveled down her naked form making her shudder. “You’re every bit as beautiful as I’d imagined you’d be.”
Her heart leapt. He’d been thinking about her. “I…I thought we were gonna swim.”
“We are, but first I have to do this.” He stepped forward, drawing her into his arms and then lowered his mouth to hers.
Hot flesh against hot flesh. The feel of it was unbelievably arousing. She slid her hands up his broad chest and then around to his back and the corded muscles she’d been admiring when he’d been up on the roof. The sensitive peaks of her breasts brushed against the crisp hairs on his chest, sending a rush of warmth down between her legs. Her breath caught.
“What you do to me,” he groaned. Cupping her bare backside, he drew her up against him. Against that thick, impressive arousal.
She closed her eyes, melting into a puddle of need as his lips moved down the curve of her neck. Closer to where she wanted them to be. Needed them to be. Threading her fingers through his dark hair, she urged him to an aching breast.
He took his sweet time getting there, making her hips writhe wantonly against his erection. Finally, his mouth settled over a heaving breast, making her whimper. And when he drew the extended nipple into his mouth, suckling it with exquisite tenderness, she nearly went over the edge. What was it with this man that made her a walking orgasm-ready-to-happen?
“The swim,” he muttered in a voice husky with need as he lifted his head to look at her.
“Can wait,” she finished for him as they sank down to the soft, green grass below.
For this single moment in time, Dalton Barnes was hers and hers alone. It didn’t matter that they came from two different worlds. That he had grown up surrounded by wealth and family, while she had grown up alone on the streets. All that mattered was feeling alive, feeling wanted. And he gave that to her.
He lowered her back slowly onto the springy grass. “So much for not kissing,” he muttered with a grin as his lips brushed over hers.
She smiled up at him. “It was a dumb rule anyway.” Slipping her arms around his neck, she pulled him to her.
It took every ounce of strength Dalton had not to sink into the welcoming heat between Caitlin’s legs. He had never wanted any woman as badly as he wanted her right now. But this was different. She wasn’t just some rodeo circuit conquest. She was…Caitlin.
He settled onto the ground beside her, propping himself up on one elbow as he lay looking down at her. Lord, she was beautiful, even with those tiny smudges of red paint on her face.
Pressing his lips to her hair, he dragged in a long breath. “I wanna love every inch of you.”
She ran a finger along his jaw, then over his lips. “I’d like that. A lot.”
That was all he needed. Lowering his head, he nipped lightly at a puckered nipple while his hand skimmed down the smooth, feminine flesh to the thatch of red-gold curls between her thighs.
Her quickening breath urged him on. “Open for me, Caitlin. Let me pleasure you.”
She looked up at him with dazed green eyes as she parted her legs, welcoming his touch. The evidence of her arousal greeted him as he slipped a finger between the silken curls.
He groaned. “You’re so wet.”
She nodded, blushing. “And we aren’t even in the water yet.”
“And we aren’t gonna be anytime soon.” He pushed to his feet.
She rose up on her elbows. “Dalton?”
“I’ll be right back. We need protection.” He walked back to where he’d left his clothes lying and scooped them up. Then he hurried back to where Caitlin lie waiting for him.
He pulled a foil packet from the pocket of his jeans and then tossed his clothes aside.
“You came prepared.”
“Boy Scouts usually do.”
She shook her head, both desire and amusement reflecting in her eyes. “You’re not a Boy Scout.”
With a chuckle, he rip
ped open the foil packet and quickly sheathed himself. “Lucky for you, I’m not. Otherwise, I’d be off somewhere helping old ladies across the street instead of doing this.”
He moved over her and captured her mouth in a long, hungry kiss. He could feel her heat beckoning him as his erection pressed between her parted thighs.
Her nails bit into his back. “I need you.”
Her passionate plea was his undoing. He sank into her with a low groan and then stilled, fighting for control. “So tight.”
She responded by raising her hips and taking him in even deeper.
Each and every thrust was a mixture of pleasure and torture. Breath ragged, he made love to her with an abandon he’d never known before. And when he felt the beginnings of her climax, he fought to hang on to his own.
Two more firm strokes and she cried out, her body quaking beneath his as she clung to him. With one final thrust, he followed her over the edge.
CHAPTER NINE
The most incredible thing to ever happen to him in his life, making love with Caitlin, had become the biggest secret Dalton had ever been forced to keep.
He watched as she paced the gravel road at the entrance to Stoney Brook, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the troubled teens. She had no idea how sexy she looked in those curve-hugging jeans and clingy cotton T-shirt.
Too good.
His thoughts went back to that afternoon by the lake when they’d made love. He’d been with other women in the past, but that time it had been different. It had nothing to do with the sparks that flew between them and fly they had, but everything to do with the fact that for the first time in his life his heart was involved.
He fought the urge to frown. He’d been so ready to let the world know he had more than a passing interest in Caitlin, but she had begged him not to. She was afraid of how Brandon would react to the news. Of what it might mean for the retreat. No amount of reassuring had convinced her otherwise. So for now, there was no ‘them’.
He was trying really hard to respect her wishes, but damn if this wasn’t the first time a woman had pushed him away. On the circuit, they flocked to him and the other riders like flies to honey. You couldn’t pry them off with a crow bar.
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