In the Ranger's Arms (The Men of At Ease Ranch)

by Michaels, Donna

  And when his mouth closed back around her in a rhythm opposite of his fingers, she flew apart, bursting into a million pieces, calling his name in a low guttural tone she barely recognized as her own.

  The bliss continued for several seconds, minutes…hours. Jovy wasn’t sure how long Stone prolonged her orgasm with his magical strokes, stretching her ecstasy until she ran out of strength and slumped back on the table, chest heaving, tremors still racking her body in tingling waves.

  Holy smokes. She worked to get her pulse under control and eventually found the strength to open her eyes. Funny, her legs were still there, but she sure as hell couldn’t feel them. “Stone…what just happened?” She sucked in a few more breaths. “That was crazy.”

  “Just crazy? Or crazy good?” He smiled at her while he stripped in quick, economical movements.

  Dayam.

  Her body woke up and quivered with a fierce round of need. “Crazy good,” she replied, lifting on her elbows to watch the show. Breath immediately clogged in her throat. The man was magnificent. His body was hard, everywhere. Muscles led to ridges and a sexy trail that cut through the center of a vee that had her mouth watering and pulse kicking up again. But it was the treasure at the bottom of the trail that stole her breath.

  Big and thick and proud, his erection stretched toward her as if wanting to be inside her as much as she needed it to. “Damn, Stone…you take my breath away.” Heat rushed through her body, reigniting her desire, throbbing almost painfully as she watched him roll on a condom.

  That was new. Jovy had never recovered this fast between rounds with her ex. Stone was different. Her mind recognized this, and now her body. She wasn’t sure what it all meant, only that it was something significant. And as scary as it was exciting.

  …

  Stone wasn’t going to last, especially with Jovy staring at him like he was a chocolate bar waiting to be devoured. He’d never survive if she put her mouth on him. Hell, he had no fucking idea how he’d lasted this long. All he knew was he’d had to taste her, and now that he had, it was time to drive inside her slick warmth and lose himself to the heaven he knew awaited.

  Foreplay was over.

  He took her hands and helped her slip off the table, loving the look of her standing naked in those sexy black heels. “Now, about that thank-you you started at the Beer and Steer…”

  “Mmm…yes, I like where you’re going with this.” She pushed him down on the chair. “We’re finally both naked in my apartment. Well, except for these.” She placed her foot on the chair between his legs. “Shall I take them off?”

  “No. Hell no.” He ran his hands up her calf, over her knee and thigh to settle on her hip as she swung a leg over him to straddle the chair. His dick pulsed in anticipation of the slick heat centered above him. But he didn’t want to hurt her, so when she gripped his shoulders and started to lower herself, he stopped her. “Wait. I need to make sure you’re ready.” He slid his hand between her thighs and slipped his finger inside. Ah hell, she was so warm and wet.

  She sucked in a breath and squeezed his shoulders. “I’m beyond ready. Trust me. I need to have you inside. Now.”

  As soon as he removed his finger, she started to lower again. This time, he held both her hips and guided her onto his aching erection. Stone wasn’t sure what he expected. He knew it would be good, but the mind-numbing ecstasy that nearly caused him to black out when she sank onto him had never crossed his mind.

  Fuck. She felt good. Too good. His groan mingled with her cry of approval that echoed through her apartment. Hot. Slick. Silky. So damn silky. He held her still and closed his eyes, clawing his way back from the edge. Not yet. He needed to make this last longer than some pubescent teenager getting his rocks off for the first time.

  But she was exquisite. Her walls hugged him tightly and without mercy. And heaven help him, she continued to slowly sink down, taking him in inch by mind-fucking-boggling inch.

  “God, Jovy, you feel so damn good.”

  When she didn’t respond, he opened his eyes to find hers blazing and dark with a desire that mirrored the fierce fire burning through his veins. She opened her mouth but nothing came out, so she nodded and started to move.

  Ah, hell. She was killing him. “Jovy. Stop. I can’t hold on. Give me a minute.”

  She shook her head and swallowed. “Now.” Her whispered breath washed over him as she leaned in, gorgeous nipples poking his chest while her wicked tongue darted out to lick his lips. “Fast. Hard. However you want.”

  Stone groaned and grabbed the back of her head to angle her for better access as he plunged his tongue inside her mouth. Okay, she wanted fast and hard, he was more than happy to comply. He ran his free hand down her back, his mind registering the incredible feel of the suction of their bodies, flesh scraping flesh, heat rising over their skin as their pace increased.

  Breaking the kiss, he fought to hang on, wanting to see everything he was feeling. God, she was beautiful. Her hair brushed her breasts bouncing wildly, while her fingernails dug into his shoulders as she rode him hard. Her eyes were glazed and hooded, and his heart stopped when a wicked smile curved her lips.

  Unable to keep his mouth off her, he leaned forward to capture a gorgeous nipple in his mouth, tugging until she moaned.

  “You feel good, Stone.” Her eyes drifted closed and she arched back, her mouth falling open.

  She looked so fucking hot, taking what she wanted from him. Somehow, he found the restraint to hold on a little longer, wanting to prolong her pleasure. He lifted a hand to capture her other breast, rolling the tight bud between his fingers.

  “I’m close.” She panted. “I need…”

  Heat skittered down his spine while a telltale tightening rippled through his groin. He was close, too. Releasing her breasts, he trailed his hands down her quivering curves to grip her hips.

  “Jovy. Look at me.”

  She blinked her eyes open, and when her gaze cleared, he slid a hand between them to add pressure just above where they were joined.

  Air hissed into her mouth. “Yes…Stone…” She clutched his shoulders, and he watched her fly apart again, bucking with such crazed abandon he lost his control.

  Grasping her hips, he thrust up all the way into her quaking heat, calling her name as he came hard, losing his vision as her walls continued to milk his release long after he’d exploded.

  Son of a bitch. What the fuck just happened? That wasn’t normal. It had gone beyond. Taking him down and bringing him back. Better. Stronger. More.

  When she stopped bucking, she slumped against him, body spent, ragged breaths warming his neck. Tiny aftershocks rippled through her body, zinging straight into his.

  Incredible.

  He held her sweet ass in one hand while the other slowly caressed up and down her back, feeling her strength return with each shared heartbeat. His mind tried to make sense of what just happened, while his body didn’t care about specifics; it was grateful for the release. And holy shit, what a release. He was grateful his vision had returned, too.

  After a few minutes, she drew back to stare at him, hair sticking to her damp temple and neck, lazy smile curving her sexy, swollen lips.

  “Good thing we agreed to that no-touching rule.”

  Stone laughed. Her humor was refreshing. Warmth spread through his chest and he relaxed, really relaxed, for the first time in well over a year. Hell, he didn’t think he’d ever felt this completely at ease in his adult life. He let joy shove some of the darkness from his soul.

  “You’re something, you know that?” Lifting a hand, he gently pushed a strand of hair back from her face. “Really something.”

  “Me?” She blinked at him, grin twitching her lips while her palms slid off his shoulders down to his chest. “You’re the one who’s magic.” Her fingernails scraped his nipples and his dick stirred back to life. “See? Magic,” she sighed, sliding her hips back and forth. “Stone?”

  He leaned forward to kiss the cu
rve of her neck. “Yeah?”

  “Do you have another condom?”

  Smiling, he nipped at her ear. “Yes. Three more. Thanks to the guys.” He owed them big-time.

  “Oh?” Her hands stroked his abs, trailing deliciously lower.

  “They shoved them at me when you disappeared into the bathroom at the bar.”

  She moved back and smiled. “I grabbed two from the machine in that bathroom.”

  A big grin split his lips. “Hopeful, were you?” He held her waist and brushed his thumbs over her belly.

  “God, yeah,” she said, shifting back and forth on his lap.

  He sucked in a breath and lifted her from his body, already heading to full tilt. “Hang on. I need to get one of those condoms.” He walked farther into her kitchen to grab a paper towel and dispose of the old one.

  “I was wondering.” She held on to the table and removed her shoes one at a time. “Can I…uh…put in a request?”

  A request? For sex?

  His heart rocked against his ribs. “Sure.”

  She had a demand. He loved that. Most women he’d been with had been happy to lie there and let him choose the location, position. Time frame. He was beginning to realize this wasn’t going to be the case with Jovy. It was almost as big a turn-on as her smoking body.

  “I’ve never had shower sex. Well, um…not successfully.”

  He raised a brow? “Define ‘not successfully.’”

  “My ex kept slipping out.” She closed her eyes and shook her head as color flooded her face.

  A swift shaft of emotion sliced through Stone at the thought of her having sex with another man. Which was stupid. They were adults. Both had a past. No reason to feel this burning in his gut.

  “Anyway…” Her eyes reopened and she held his gaze. “I…uh…heard shower and up-against-the-wall sex works best if the guy is more like you.”

  He raised a brow. “Like me?” Stone knew what she meant, and shouldn’t lead her on, but damn, she was adorable.

  Jovy nodded, blush deepening as she pointed to his crotch. “Yes, in this case, size does matter. Uh…length, to be exact.” She sucked in a breath. “Or, so I’ve heard.”

  He bent to retrieve a condom from his jeans on the floor, then stood. “I guess you’ll just have to test me, since you’re the one who experienced slippage during shower sex.”

  A smooth shoulder lifted as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Maybe it was me. I don’t know.”

  Shit, he hadn’t meant to cause her self-doubt. “It definitely wasn’t you. You’re perfect.” He stepped right up to her, set the condom on the table, and slid his hands down her incredible curves. “So damn perfect it should be illegal.”

  Then he crushed her close and kissed her, long and deep, loving the way she fit against him. Shower sex with her was sure to be amazing. There would be no crick in his neck when he bent down to capture a pert nipple in his mouth while he pounded into her hot flesh. Not the way her tall body lined up with his. No slippage for her, either. Anticipation heated his blood, and need took over. Mouth still on hers, he scooped her into his arms, and her startled gasp broke the kiss that had him hard and throbbing.

  It was official. Stone had no control when it came to this woman. Not over his body or his heart. He wanted to make Jovy happy. Make her smile. Make her scream his name as she shuddered around him.

  Shit. He needed to be inside her again.

  “Grab the condom,” he ground out, grazing her jaw with his teeth, brain cells already starting to shut down. “Let’s go test that theory.”

  And his strength.

  Chapter Eleven

  Jovy woke the next morning, body wonderfully sore, extremely satisfied—and deliciously tingling where a certain sexy, naked Texan pressed against her skin.

  Mmm…Stone. The cowboy. The Ranger. The reason she was wonderfully sore and extremely satisfied.

  A thrill shot through her. He was still here. She opened her eyes and focused on her alarm clock. It was barely midmorning. He hadn’t left after they used the last condom just before dawn. Some unknown emotion warmed her insides. She hadn’t asked him to stay or leave, kind of left that up to him. After all, they hadn’t really discussed what they were doing.

  Not true, exactly. Stone seemed to take inordinate pleasure in whispering what he was going to do to her right before he carried it out with great care and precision. Desire stirred, then flamed low in her belly. How could she possibly still want more? The man satisfied all of her hunger. He had stamina, was beautifully packaged, and knew exactly what to do with that…package.

  Without trying, Stone Mitchum set the bar quite high for other men.

  But she wasn’t going to worry about other men or her life in Philadelphia. She was in Joyful right now with Stone and intended to enjoy whatever the man wanted to give. There would be no morning walk of shame. She had been very aware of what she was doing last night and was prepared to own up to her transgressions.

  Starting now.

  With a big stretch, she let out a long sigh and smiled when Stone’s hands immediately slid over her body, those wonderful calluses doing crazy things to her nerve endings.

  “’Morning.” He nuzzled her ear. “Sleep well?”

  She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of him. Everywhere. “Mmmm…yes, indeed. How about you?”

  “Very well. Thanks to you.” He nipped her shoulder, sending shivers over skin. “I haven’t slept that solid in months. Hell…years.”

  Her heart immediately squeezed. “Because of your friend, or the war?”

  He stiffened and blew out a breath that ruffled her hair, but remained quiet. Jovy knew she should back off. After all, they were just friends who barely knew each other and weren’t likely to. She was leaving in a little less than four weeks. Keep it light and fun, her mind insisted. Yet she couldn’t let it go. That hollow look that came into his eyes whenever he stared at Leo haunted her. So did her conversation with Cord telling her Stone had put his personal life on hold to help out a friend.

  “Have you really not dated in a long time?” she asked softly, running her fingers lightly up and down the muscled forearm he pressed against her belly. She could feel the tension coiled in him.

  He swore under his breath. “Brick talks too much.”

  “It wasn’t him,” she replied. “Your buddies are worried about you.”

  She felt his nod against her head. “I know. They don’t need to be.”

  “Sometimes talking about it helps,” she quietly urged.

  The hand brushing from her hip to her belly stilled. “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”

  Crap. She’d rather talk about him. But if it’d get the stubborn Ranger to open up, then she’d bite the bullet. “Yeah. When I got my Dear Jane letter last year, I kept it to myself for a bit, trying to process what had happened. The confusion. Devastation. The anger. What I could’ve done differently. Wondering why I wasn’t enough.”

  Stone’s hold tightened and he pulled her against him, his possessive, protective nature giving her the warm-and-fuzzies. “The man was obviously an idiot. Trust me, it wasn’t anything you did, Jovy.”

  Dammit, now her eyes and throat burned at the conviction in his tone. The man was too damn nice for her own good. She squeezed his arm and sighed. “You’re sweet, but we both know that’s not true. It takes two to make a relationship, and apparently he found what he wanted in a female MP. She must be the assertive risk-taker he wanted.”

  “Idiot,” he grunted, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “You were quite assertive last night.”

  She laughed. “You bring that out in me, but we’re not changing the subject. Adam and I weren’t right for each other, and I wouldn’t have come to that conclusion if my friend hadn’t badgered me into talking about it. Once I did, I saw things so differently. Clearly, and I was able to come to peace with it and move on.” She patted his hand. “I want that for you, Stone. You need to talk about it. The we
ight you’re carrying around, whatever it is, isn’t healthy. It’s suffocating.”

  “I know.” Warm breath washed over her as he exhaled and nuzzled her neck. Just when she thought he was going to leave it at that, he continued in a low voice. “Leo called me for help last year…and I blew him off.”

  Jovy immediately shook her head. No way. No way would this loyal man do that. Never. He obviously had things distorted. “I find that hard to believe, Stone.” She tried to turn around to look at him, but he held her in place.

  “It’s true,” he said so low if it weren’t for the words rumbling in his chest pressed against her back, she wouldn’t have known he’d spoken and they might not have sunk in.

  It didn’t make sense. Neither did the anger she could feel rolling off the rigid man.

  “What happened?” she asked softly.

  Stone grunted.

  “If you don’t want to tell me, it’s okay. I know we barely know each other,” Jovy said, and was met with complete silence. “Just…please talk to someone.” She didn’t care, as long as he got it out.

  “I was with a woman when Leo called. Too busy worrying about myself to answer.” His words painted a clear picture.

  “Stone, I highly doubt anyone would’ve answered if they were having sex.” She trailed her hand down his arm to entwine their fingers. “When did you return his call?”

  “About a half hour later,” he replied in a dull tone. “But by then, Leo was in an ambulance. He’d taken a ton of pain meds on top of drinking.”

  Jovy squeezed her eyes shut, overwhelmed by the grief and anger he directed at himself she could feel emanating off him. It was misdirected, but she understood the guilt and needed him to know. “Two years ago, my college roommate’s fiancé committed suicide three months after returning from deployment. It felt like it was out of the blue, but my friend blames herself, claiming to have missed the signs.”

  Stone’s hold tightened. “No. The people who are hurting the most usually hide it best.”

  God, was he speaking from experience? She ached for this man. Which was bad. What she felt for him was a hell of a lot more than she should for a casual relationship. Jovy cleared her throat and opened her eyes. “The same applies to Leo.”