Two, Nash went through women like he changed his socks.
Three, the only commitment she had ever seen Nash make during all the years they had attended the same schools together and hung out in the same circle of friends, was to Gus his yellow Labrador retriever.
Four, Nash was the reckless son of her father’s sworn enemy. The guy who showed his hatred for her father more than anyone else in the Blackshaw family. The guy who very likely only wanted her as a dig at her father.
Even so, all those reasons no longer mattered. She could have this one night to sate her hunger, he could finally win against her father, and the game would be over. That was the reasoning behind why, after their obligatory wedding party slow dance, she had headed to the last cabin, far away from the guests at the wedding, knowing full well he would follow.
When he finally closed the distance, he pressed his hands next to her head against the wall. A devilish smile arched his mouth as he leaned in close. He smelled like pine and pure man. “Got any other snappy one-liners, or can I finally kiss this sassy mouth?” he asked.
Usually she’d have a smartass response. Those words never came. She shivered as heat invaded her like a high-grade fever. Between her thighs, she pulsed, desperate for him to sink in deep. “This one night,” she told him. “That’s it. Never again.” Because her heart had no defense against the likes of Nash Blackshaw.
A brow arched slowly. “Not even up for a negotiation?”
“There will be no negotiation,” she stated firmly. “Take tonight or get out.”
His mouth twitched. “Oh, Freckles, I’m certainly going to have you tonight, let there be no doubt about that.” His low, smooth voice all but vibrated through her when he brushed his nose down the side of her neck. She shivered as he dropped a soft kiss behind her ear. “Any other demands before I shut off that busy mind of yours?”
God, that touch . . . his lips . . . She moaned.
He leaned away, leveling her with his cocky smile. This time, she saw the slight tremble of his body. She understood the ravenous need, feeling the same sensation running rampant through her own veins. To give him the answer he sought, she slid her hands along his forearms, relishing the sculpted muscles beneath her fingers, and up his white dress shirt to his wide shoulders. She rose to her tiptoes, pressing her mouth to his, and his lips were heaven.
For a single heartbeat she owned the kiss, but that all changed when a ragged growl rumbled from deep in his chest. His fingers gripped her legs, pulling them up and around his waist. His big hands cupped her bottom and her back met the wall hard enough to make her gasp. But not out of pain. No, this was pure unadulterated pleasure.
Nash Blackshaw knew how to kiss a woman into mindless satisfaction. His tongue swirled with hers, skilled and masterful, and the unexpected emotion he poured into his kiss sent her tumbling into sensation. Needing so much more of what he was offering, she ground herself against his hardened length pressing against the junction between her thighs.
His low chuckle prickled goose bumps across her arms when he backed away. He gripped her hips tight. “I have waited a long time to have you. You will not rush me.”
She reached for his belt and had his beige slacks open in a second flat. “Wanna bet?”
He gave his panty-melting grin. “Yeah, I’ll take that bet.” He placed both hands on her hips and turned her slightly, urging her back toward the bunk beds.
Soon, she met the wooden stairs, and he reached for the thin fabric of her light purple satin gown and began lifting. She expected him to remove her dress fully. Instead, he twisted and turned the fabric until he had used the dress to tie her to the wooden stairs at her back.
The heady amusement in his eyes flipped her belly a few times over. He gently slid his hands down her arms to settle on her hips. “Are you comfortable with this?”
“You know I am.”
He brushed his nose against her neck and inhaled deeply. “Always so tough, Freckles.”
With the charm he exuded matching his determination to win her, she needed to stay strong. Always. Sure, she was in a situation that could get her into trouble if he left her like this, but she would never show him weakness. Because that was their game. He would push a little. She would push back hard.
But tonight, she wanted to let go. Sure, she could blame it on the four glasses of wine creating the slight buzz in her body. But that would be a lie. For this one night, she simply could not fight against what her body and heart so desperately wanted.
Him.
Until tomorrow. Until she saw once again the demons Nash carried after the spine injury that had ended his professional bull-riding career. Until she saw that all he wanted to do was win against her father. Until she was reminded that if she let him in, all that she would be left with was her heart in tatters.
Just tonight. Only tonight.
He stole her thoughts when he pulled her bra cups down beneath her breasts, exposing her taut nipples to the warm air. His wet, cool tongue circled each one before he drew the bud up to the roof of his mouth and sucked hard. He nibbled and played, teasing her to madness before moving onto the next one, leaving her gasping and wiggling in the binding on her wrists. He traveled lower, kissing along her stomach until his fingers tucked into the rim of her panties and pulled those down. Keeping those gorgeous eyes—that somehow only looked sexier when he was aroused—on her face, he lowered to one knee. Then he leaned in and slid a slow lick across her sex, making her knees weak and her mind blank.
“Fiery and sweet.” He groaned against her most sensitive flesh. “A deadly combination.” He circled his thumb over her bundle of nerves, and her eyes fluttered shut as she moaned against his skilled touch. “But that soft moan makes me crazy.” He sucked on her clit hard, and she thrust her hips forward, grinding against his mouth. His low chuckle brushed across her sex, and every nerve ending awoke. “And you make me want to make you fall apart in my arms.” His teeth pressed against his lower lip and he began pumping his fingers in a steady rhythm.
Sensation flooded her, and her head fell back as a ragged moan slid through her lips.
His fingers stilled. “Look at me.”
She dropped her head, and he began pumping his fingers again. Harder. Faster. She held his stare somehow, knowing now that if she looked away, he would stop. Because this was more than about pleasure. This was a statement that he finally won the prize he had been trying to snag all through high school and even after college. Her. A statement that echoed in her entire body. She didn’t care anymore. She didn’t want him to stop. She wanted him to get her there. To take her higher. To push her over the edge.
And then he did.
She came against his fingers with a hard shudder. And by the time she realized he was back on his feet, he was already inside of her. His condom-covered cock thrust firmly. His one hand threaded in her hair, the other holding her hip while he drove deeper.
“I need to see those eyes.”
She forced herself to look at him, and the moment she connected with him, she tumbled into all the promises there. Every barrier she had up against him crashed and burned. For a moment, everything was easy. Nash was not fighting against his personal demons. His cockiness had vanished. His need to prove he had won was gone.
For this one second, there was only the perfection where two souls touched and knew each other wholly. And in that pure moment, her climax hit, and she free-fell into the pleasure. She came against him in a hot rush of emotion and satisfaction, with Nash following right behind.
Many minutes later, she opened her eyes. Everything beautiful and sweet vanished at the arrogance coupled with determination in his expression. She knew that look well. She hated that look. “Just tonight,” she told him firmly, trying so hard to find her ironclad walls. “This can never happen again.”
She caught his smug grin before his lips sealed across hers again. He feverishly kissed her, returning all that heat in an instant, and then he chuckled against her m
outh. “Good luck with that, Freckles.”
Acknowledgments
To my family, friends, and bestie: it’s easy to write about love when there is so much love around me. Big thanks to my readers for your love and support; my editor, Eileen, for believing in me and my cowboys and for making me dig deep every time; my agent, Jessica, for always having my back; my copy editor, Christa, for making my work shine; the kickass authors in my sprint group; and the entire Swerve team! This book couldn’t have happened without all of you.
About the Author
Author photograph © Hilary Gauld-Camilleri
Stacey Kennedy is an outdoorsy, wine-drinking, nap-loving, animal-cuddling, USA Today bestselling romance author with a chocolate problem. She writes sexy contemporary romance with a dash of suspense and a sprinkle of heart and humor, including titles in her wildly hot Kinky Spurs, Club Sin, and Dirty Little Secrets series. She lives in southwestern Ontario with her family and does most of her writing surrounded by lazy dogs. To keep in touch with Stacey, get updates right to your inbox at staceykennedy.com/newsletter/.
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue
Excerpt: Hard-Riding Cowboy
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright Page
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
SWEET-LOVING COWBOY. Copyright © 2019 by Stacey Kennedy. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Mimi Bark
Cover photograph: man © Alan and Vicena Poulson/Bigstock
ISBN 978-1-250-16843-6 (ebook)
ISBN 978-1-250-30768-2 (trade paperback)
First Edition: October 2018
Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, ext. 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].
Sweet-Loving Cowboy--A Kinky Spurs Novel Page 24