by Jane Jamison
“I said it’s bullshit. Mark, Will, and Luke are real cowboys, and I’m sure you’ve met them. So why bother hunting down another cowboy? And why me?”
She tried to avoid his gaze, but his dark, teasing eyes wouldn’t let her. “I, uh, just wanted to meet another cowboy, that’s all. One that wasn’t close to Sandy.” Damn, did she sound as lame as she thought she did?
“Uh-huh. Again, I have to ask. Why? Why a different cowboy? Why me?” He tracked his fingers along her shoulder then pushed her hair behind her ear. He studied the motion as though he’d never seen an ear before then slipped his hand around to cup the back of her neck.
She was so deep in lies that she couldn’t do anything except forge ahead. “Okay, I confess. I saw you that day when you rode by the Braxton Ranch. You know, the day you saw the dark-haired woman? Anyway, I saw you and thought you looked like the perfect modern-day cowboy. All tall and dark in the saddle.”
His cocky grin grew into a wide smile. “So you saw me, huh? It makes sense now.”
“What makes sense?”
“This.”
His mouth crushed hers before she could get ready. He bit her upper lip gently, dragging it into his mouth. She moaned and nibbled on his lower lip. Falling into his arms, she couldn’t help but think how right their bodies fit together. They were like one mold that had been broken in half. Two pieces connecting to form the whole again.
He tightened his hold on her neck then slid his grip higher to clutch her hair. Tugging, he brought her head back and deepened the kiss. He pushed his tongue between her lips and circled it around her mouth. While he tasted her, she could gain the flavor of him.
Her pussy throbbed, imagining another part of him plunging into her. He plundered her mouth just as she hoped he’d take the rest of her.
Until now, she hadn’t known how much she’d needed him. Needed not just any man but a man who was her equal, her match. He was why she’d come back to Forever.
She softened against him, welcoming his kiss, his touch. Arching, she urged him to find her breast and fondle it.
He answered her silent call, palming her breast and rubbing his thumb against her already-taut nipple. Keeping hold of her hair, he broke the kiss, leaving her breathless.
She drew in much-needed air and lost it again as he skimmed his lips down her neck and into the curve of her shoulder. Tugging aside the strap of her tank top, he took her breast and lowered his mouth to her nipple.
She dug her fingernails into his shoulders and gazed at the sky above. Her pussy tightened, and she slid a leg up the side of his. When he put his teeth on her nipple then swiped his tongue around it in a circle, she almost begged him to push her to the ground. Instead, she held on, wanting him to take the lead.
He ravished her nipple as he tugged the other strap down and exposed her other breast. He moved from one breast to the next, giving both his attention. When he let go of her hair, he placed his hand on the waist of her jeans and slid his fingers under the denim to find the back of her thong. Toying with the lacy material, he let his fingers dip lower to tease the crease of her buttocks.
He sucked her nipple in again, pulling hard to give her tiny zings of delicious pain. She pushed her crotch against his, her pussy already weeping for his touch, and felt their zippers meet. She tugged on his shoulders, urging him to drop to the ground and take her with him.
“Aiden.” She made him lift his head to look at her.
Amber flashed in his eyes, lightening the brown. “What?”
His tone was gruff, as though she’d done something wrong. Instead of waiting for her to answer, he growled and lowered his head to her breasts again.
“Will you look at me?” She frowned then inhaled as he put his teeth on her nipple again. She wondered briefly how it would feel to have him nibble at her clit. “Aiden.”
He dropped his hand lower, taking her butt cheek and squeezing it. “Shut up.”
Irritation swamped her, overriding her growing lust. She jerked away from him, pulling up her tank top. “What did you just say?”
The muscle in his jaw twitched. “You heard me. More action and less talking.”
She stepped back as he reached for her. “Hey, just a minute, cowboy.”
He shook his head, and she saw the determination in his eyes. He would have what he wanted. For the first time since meeting him, a spark of fear crept into her.
“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.” She saw the amber in his eyes bleed out more of the brown, and she backed toward her horse.
“Stop acting like you don’t want this as much as I do. I’ve waited too long not to have you.” Aiden planted his feet apart, his hands closed into fists as though ready to wage war and possess what he wanted.
“Okay, now I’m sure this wasn’t a good idea.” She reached out, keeping her eyes to his as she hunted for the saddle horn.
He blinked then his body relaxed. “Wait.”
“I don’t think so.” She hauled herself into the saddle and clenched the reins. “This was a mistake.”
“No. You’re wrong.” He started toward her. “Come back here.”
“No one tells me to shut up, and no one orders me around.”
Celia held onto the saddle horn and kicked the horse as she’d seen Sandy do. The horse lurched ahead then broke into a full gallop. Alarm had her hanging onto the saddle horn and pressing her legs against the sides of the horse.
She wasn’t sure how long the horse ran. She was just happy she didn’t fall off. At last the horse slowed to a walk, and she caught her breath.
What had she been thinking to meet a man out in the middle of a pasture? She could almost hear her mother’s warnings about meeting strangers alone and cringed. Why hadn’t Sandy warned her about him? He was sexy as hell, but he was also used to taking a woman anytime he wanted.
But hadn’t she wanted the same thing? Yet she hadn’t expected him to move so fast, had she? Maybe that was the problem. She’d spent so much time thinking about the mysterious rider that she hadn’t really given any thought to what the real Aiden Carr would be like. Yet she couldn’t push away the urge to turn back and let him take her any way, anywhere he wanted.
* * * *
Aiden’s mood hadn’t improved since the frustrating woman had taken off, leaving him glaring at her back. The ride to his house hadn’t dimmed his ire. If anything, he’d grown even angrier. Once he had his mount cooled off, brushed down, and back in the barn, he stalked toward the house and ran into Trent.
“Hey, Aiden. Back from staring over the fence?”
Aiden’s inner wolf growled, scratching at his gut to be set free. He shifted enough to bring out his fangs then snarled at his friend and kept moving past him.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Trent stalked after him.
Aiden stormed into their house, throwing the back door wide. He kept going until he’d made it to the study the three men used for business. He’d already poured himself a second shot of whiskey when Trent made it to the room, bringing along their other partner, Steve.
“What put a burr up your butt?”
Aiden downed the second shot then turned to confront them. “She’s not the one.”
Trent and Steve exchanged a look. “Who’s not the one?”
Aiden scowled at Trent for acting like he didn’t know who he was talking about. “That woman. One of the ones I saw last month. I just met her, and trust me, she’s not our mate.”
“They’re back?” asked Trent.
“Just one of them.”
“But you met her?” Steve was enthusiastic about most things, but now he was really excited. “Come on, man. Tell us what she’s like.”
Trent whistled a low sound. “I can’t believe it. After all those days of you sitting there on guard, she actually showed up.”
Aiden fought back the urge to let his wolf run wild. “Didn’t you hear me? I said she’s not our mate.”
“This is fucking amazing.”
He grunted at Steve and moved to gaze out the large window overlooking the backyard and the land beyond.
“First, I can’t believe she actually showed up. But even better, she’s already got you hog-tied and ready for slaughter. Then, on top of that, you admitted you were wrong. That alone is a first.”
Weren’t they listening to him? “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Trent poured himself a drink. “I think he’s on to something. No woman has ever left you torn up like you are right now. She must’ve gotten under your skin in a big way.”
He faced them again, intent on proving them wrong. “Have you two gone loco? I’m telling you she’s not our mate. Don’t you think I’d know if she was? And I’m saying she’s not.”
“Sure, Aiden, sure. So how do you explain this effect she’s had on you?” Steve ambled over to the bar and fixed himself a strong one.
“Easy. She’s a grade-A thorn in my side. Hell, she’d be a thorn in any man’s side.”
“Uh-huh.” Trent held up his hands in supplication at Aiden’s growl. “Hey, man. I’m agreeing with you. But tell us. Who is she, and is she hot?”
“Yeah, bro. Give us the details.”
Aiden turned back to the window and could imagine her outside, sitting uncomfortably on her horse, glaring at him. “I didn’t get her name. As for hot? I could take her or leave her.”
He moved his head back and forth, easing the tension setting up shop in his neck. Take her or leave her? He’d take her in a second. Over any other woman to boot.
“What happened that you didn’t even get her name?”
He could hear the attempt in Trent’s voice to remain calm but knew it wouldn’t last long. Trent and Steve had made up their minds that the woman was their mate and the only thing left to do was to meet her and make her theirs.
“I was out at the fence—”
“As usual.”
Aiden glared at Steve. “Are you going to let me tell this or what?” He waited until Steve signaled to go ahead. “When I came up to the fence, I saw this woman get thrown off her horse.”
“And you rode to the rescue, right?”
Now Trent was pestering him to tell the story faster. “Of course. So I picked her up off the ground to see if she was hurt.”
“And? What did she look like?” Steve cleared his throat, wiping away the whine in his voice.
“She’s beautiful. Red, spiky hair, a slender body with breasts perfect for a man’s hand. Her eyes are big, like a newborn fawn’s.” He stopped, aware of how he’d described her. Since when had he ever thought a woman’s eyes were like a fawn’s?
“Did you feel anything for her?”
That was the question he didn’t want to answer. If he told the truth, he’d never convince them that she wasn’t their mate. But he couldn’t lie to his friends. “Yeah. I felt a connection.”
“Then how can you say she’s not our mate?” Trent cocked his head to the side, his eyebrows arched for the question.
“I can and I do. She’s irritating and won’t listen to reason.”
Steve sent Trent a look then chuckled. “In other words, she didn’t do what you told her to do.”
“What’d you tell her to do, man?” Trent took another shot of whiskey.
“I told her to shut up.”
Trent and Steve groaned and shook their heads. Steve held out his glass for Trent to pour him a double. “Aw, shit. What next? Did you kick her in the ass?”
Aiden pivoted on his heel, tossed his empty shot glass for Steve to catch, then stalked from the room. His wolf howled, pacing back and forth inside him as he headed for his room and the one place he could get away from his friends. He held on, not ready to turn the animal free. Later under the moon when they ran, his wolf could go wild. If he was lucky, the run would wipe her memory from his body as well as his mind.
Chapter Three
“It just goes to show you that looks are deceiving.” Celia stomped across the guest bedroom, the same one she’d used when she, Sandy, and Daniella first came to the ranch.
“I don’t get it. You’ve fantasized about Aiden for a month now, and once you meet him, what happens? You end up disliking him.” Sandy leaned back and rested her elbows on the bed.
“Detested is more like it.” Celia put her hands on the windowpane and watched as Mark, one of Sandy’s men, took care of the horse she’d ridden. She’d almost forgotten about the rude and handsome Aiden by the time she’d made it back to the barn, simply because she’d been so grateful to have made it back without falling off the horse and breaking her neck. But now the memory of the arrogant and sexy man came rushing back.
“What was it again that he did that was so awful? He kissed you?”
Celia knew what Sandy was doing. If she could get Celia to talk her anger out, she’d get over whatever had upset her and move on. Like that’s going to happen this time.
“He did kiss you, right?”
Good thing she had her back to Sandy, because she’d never be able to keep the lie from showing on her face. “Yeah.” She didn’t add the “and more” to her statement.
“Okay, I’m still confused. Did you dislike the kiss? Or the man?”
Celia pivoted around to study her friend’s practiced noncommittal expression. “Fine. I’ll admit it. Yes, the kiss was great.” Among other things. “But it was his big fat mouth that ruined it. Can you believe it? He started ordering me around like I was some 1950s Stepford wife. Told me to shut up. I don’t stand for that crap from any man no matter how hot he is.”
“The men around here are kind of bossy. But that’s because they’re strong, dominant men. And they treat their women like the strong women they are. Aiden just jumped the gun a little.”
“Seriously? You’re taking his side?”
“No, Celia, I’m not taking his side. I’m just trying to help you understand the men in Forever. They can be almost animalistic at times. At times it’s hard to take, but let’s face it. That’s what makes them so hot, too. Aiden Carr’s a strong man, and I think maybe you two just got off on the wrong foot.”
She held up her hand, stopping Celia’s next protest. “But I agree with you, too. He shouldn’t have acted so rudely to you. I’m sure he’ll think better of it once he’s had time to let it simmer.”
“He better.”
“And I hope you’ll think about what you could’ve done differently.” Sandy raised both hands to fend off Celia’s glare.
“Again, I’m not taking his side, but I don’t want you to write him off so fast. Give him another chance, okay? For me? From what I’ve heard he’s a good guy. You two just need to take a step back and start over.”
She didn’t want to give in, and she couldn’t see how the irritating man could ever be nice, but she could see Sandy’s side of things. Sandy had a way of looking at both sides of a situation. She’d give him another chance because Sandy asked her to. Besides, when he touched her it was like the Fourth of July and New Year’s all rolled into one.
“Maybe I will. For you. I guess I should take part of the blame. Things moved very fast. Probably too fast.”
Sandy’s face lit up. “Hmm. Something tells me you got more than a kiss, didn’t you?”
“Uh-uh. We are so not going there.” Not yet. She had to sort out her feelings first before she could tell anyone, including Sandy. Aiden hadn’t turned out the way she’d expected. He was handsome, that was a given. And sexy? The man could write the owner’s manual on sexy. But how could she have known what a jerk he was?
“Come on, Celia. Throw me a bone.”
“I am so not going there. But okay, fine. Like I said, I’ll give him another chance just for you. But if he tries to order me around again, I won’t be held responsible for my knee winding up in his groin.”
Celia changed the subject. “Let’s forget about him. Tell me what’s on the schedule for tonight. I’m assuming since you’re with the guys now that we won’t be playing strip p
ool like we did the last time.”
Sandy shook her head. “Not a chance. But how about we go dancing instead? I’ll let you dance with my men, but that’s it.”
“Dancing? Forever has a place to go dancing?” Yet before Sandy had a chance to answer she was already pulling several outfits out of her suitcase.
“Hey, don’t get too excited. It’s not a fancy place like in Austin. But the Moonstone Bar does have a small dance floor, and one of the local bands is playing tonight. They’re not half-bad, either.”
Celia held up a red dress and twirled. “As long as there’s music and men, I’m good to go.”
“Oh, there’ll be men, all right.”
Celia studied her friend. Sandy had a strange look on her face, like a kid who’d just finished eating an entire bag of cookies without getting caught. “Uh-oh. What does that look mean? Do you need to tell me something?”
“Nope.” But Sandy couldn’t hide the grin tipping the corners of her mouth upward.
“Sandy, what’s going on?”
Sandy adopted a who-me? expression. “Let’s pick out something amazing for you to wear.”
Bending over, she grabbed a red halter top with rhinestones covering the front. “The dress is great, but you’d stick out wearing it. Try putting this top with a pair of skinny jeans and heels and you’ll have the men drooling to meet you.”
Celia, her good humor returned, hugged her friend. “You always know the right thing to say to lift my spirits.”
“What’s a friend for?” Sandy scooped up another top and dashed out of the room.
“Apparently so the other friend can borrow a top.” But she didn’t mind. Sandy had always been there for her, so, as far as Celia was concerned, she could have anything of hers that she wanted.
Celia laughed, held up the halter top for inspection, then tugged on a pair of skinny jeans and her favorite red heels from the suitcase. “Watch out, Forever. It’s Girls’ Night Out.”
* * * *
“Sandy, I wouldn’t have believed it, but this little place is jumping.” Celia took another swig of her beer and surveyed the crowd at the Moonstone Bar. Like most cowboy bars, the music was country, the lights were low, and the beer was flowing. Another room to the right held the pool tables while a larger room in the back was where they kept the mechanical bull.