But it wasn’t enough.
The night was beautiful and he wanted to see her standing naked right in the middle of it. In the distance, a coyote howled as if approving his thoughts. Mitch sent his fingers into the stretchy band of her shorts but when he began to drag them from her hips, Gina sucked in a breath. His gaze lifted as he paused. “Are you sure? Are you ready for this?”
“I’ve never been with anyone but my husband,” she whispered. “You should probably know that.”
Shit.
“And you’re nervous?”
She nodded.
Mitch stared her straight in the eye. “Then I’d better make this good.” A smile from her would have eased the sudden tension in the air but he figured she might not be capable of it. Scared was no damn good. Hot was a whole hell of a lot better. Determined to rock her socks and prove to her once and for all that there were good men in this world, he moved close enough to feel the warmth of her body wash over him. Wrapping her up, hauling her close, Mitch made a sound of frustration when her nipples settled against ribs, her breasts soft cushions against his flesh. His palms raced over her soft, pliant torso to explore her belly, her ribs and the dip of her waist. The explorative kiss of before was just an appetizer, a simple tease, he quickly learned as he took her mouth like a man who’d been hungry for years. Maybe he had been. No woman in his memory lit a slow flame then stoked it to blazing life as Gina did.
A little cry swept into his mouth and he drank it down as she moved against him. Needing her more than his next breath, he slid a hand over her belly and settled his fingers between her thighs to feel the moist heat there. It was his turn to groan and without pause, he shoved his hands past the barrier of her shorts and panties and sent his touch over the warm seam between her thighs. Liquid need met his touch. Slipping over her drenched flesh, gathering the moisture on questing fingertips, he found her clit and gently pressed it with the pad of his thumb.
Keeping his fingers in place, continuing the exploration, Mitch broke the wild kiss and looked at her. “I want you under me in bed,” he said, his voice no more than a rasp. “Despite what you might think, I’m not a patient man.” He punctuated the words with another brush of a finger along the seam of her pussy. A whimper drifted past her lips and her lids fell to half-mast. Aware of the tremors that shook her, Mitch fisted his other hand in her hair and tipped her head back to kiss her throat and chin and the soft curve of her cheek. “My room. Now.”
“Yes.”
The softly spoken consent drew a low curse from his lips. Spurred into action, he scooped her high against his body loving the way her long legs twined around his hips. Mitch carried her into the shadowy depths of his bedroom, not pausing until they reached the side of his bed then he gently lowered her feet to the floor. It wasn’t until she stared up at him in the darkness that he picked up on her apprehension. He wanted none of that. No regrets. Only pleasure. Nothing would please him more than to banish any thoughts of her ex straight to hell where they belonged. Mitch settled his hands on her bare shoulders before slipping them down the length of her arms until her fingers were entwined with his. “Don’t think I’ve ever wanted a woman as much as I want you.”
He wasn’t a talkative man but the words he spoke were as natural as breathing. Her answering smile curled through his system like strong brandy.
Wasting another second wasn’t acceptable. Mitch released her hands then gripped the soft band of her shorts before pushing the fabric past her hips until they fell in a heap around her ankles. “Sit on the side of the bed.”
Gina paused then did as he asked, her eyes widening slightly as he gently pushed until she lay against the comforter, her legs dangling from the edge of the mattress. Mitch took her knees and spread her open, taking a moment to appreciate the sight of that delicious pink flesh now exposed to him. Moving into place between her legs, he leaned over her naked body and brushed his lips over her throat and shoulders. He teased her collarbone then took a nipple, sucking the bit of flesh into his mouth. His tongue swirled and circled, drawing, pulling the bud until it pearled impossibly tighter. Teeth scraped the delicate flesh as he shoved two fingers deep into her body. It was tight, hot. Mitch groaned against her breast and Gina moved in response, writhing against his touch, her fingers dipping into his hair to tug and pull.
He released her nipple, stroked it lightly once more with his thumb then moved lower to tease her ribs and belly. Using his teeth again, he nipped her belly then brushed his tongue over the spot.
Gina went still.
“Going to eat you out,” he murmured against the softly mounded skin moments before he went to his knees on the floor between her open legs. The dead last thing he wanted was for Gina to change her mind but he figured a woman courageous enough to leave a violent marriage, let alone a loving family and drive off into the unknown was brave enough to take a risk on him. Still, giving her a lot of time to talk herself out of this would not be helpful to his hard, aching dick, so he draped her legs over his shoulders and pressed a lingering, open-mouthed kiss on her wet flesh. Repeatedly, he slid his tongue over her, finding her clit, and prodding the swollen knot before sucking it lightly into his mouth. A series of soft gasps filled the quiet of the room encouraging Mitch to alternate the pressure with pulls and tugs and the slow steady drag of his tongue. Gina moved against him, slowly at first then faster and faster as he claimed her with this mouth. His fingers found her channel, teasing the opening, circling it before plunging deep.
Responsive.
Vaginal walls tightened and relaxed then began again as her body reacted to the assault. Mitch concentrated on her pleasure, absorbed it into his pores, and a savage satisfaction roared to life in his brain as she suddenly whimpered, going stiff for a scant second before flying apart under the lash of his tongue.
The world reeling, sensation rolling over her body like an electric wave was totally, completely, wonderfully new for Gina. Dazed from the strongest orgasm of her life, she barely blinked when Mitch gripped beneath her arms to scoot her into place on the bed. Breathlessly, she blinked as he hovered over her, his expression sharp with a passion she’d never seen before. Amazing!
He brushed a kiss at the corner of her mouth. “Hang on,” he murmured. His sudden absence was acute because more than anything, she wanted to touch his big hard body and she needed more of what he’d only begun. Struggling to catch her breath as her belly repeated clenched and released, Gina heard the sound of a drawer closing followed by a rustling sound. She slit open her eyes and, turning her head, watched Mitch step out of his jeans, fist a hand at the base of his erection, and pump it twice. Gina swallowed at the massive display of his passion. Mitch watched her too, his gaze intense, as he rolled protection into place.
Scant light that slipped between the shutters sent shadows across his rock hard body. Those men back home who possessed rows upon rows of muscle gained that kind of physique by living at the gym but she knew that wasn’t the case with Mitch. He worked hard from sunup until sundown. His hands were rough and calloused, his thighs rock hard from hours spent astride a horse.
Anthony was a big man but in him, she only saw a brute power that aimed to crush her. Mitch was different. Despite his size, his words were kind and she knew he’d never hurt her. Gina swallowed as he moved to the bed. She wanted to tell him that she’d never known this kind of world-rocking pleasure from a man. Adding that he was hotter than any guy alive was also on the tip of her tongue but speaking was impossible.
Anticipation zipped down her spine as her heart sped.
The bed dipped beneath Mitch’s weight and catching her breath wasn’t an option when he moved between her thighs. Giving in to the urge to touch, Gina sent her questing hands across his chest, teasing muscle with the tips of her fingers. She slid them lower, lower finding the line of his flat belly. He groaned, arched his back like a cat then speared her with another hard look. Telling herself she must remember this was a man who liked to be touched, s
he slid her hands up again, spreading her fingers wide over the vast expanse of his muscle, bone, and warm skin.
Mitch gripped the base of his erection, keeping his intense gaze fully focused on her, and then dragged the heavy head over her slick folds, teasing and circling the entrance to her body only to slide upward again. Her clit felt the light, teasing press before another downward glide.
“Mitch.”
He made a rough sound. “Fuck waiting. I have to get inside.” With those definitive words, he plunged deep, settling heavily inside her body, before going perfectly still. Gina struggled to catch her breath but there was no time. Mitch moved luxuriously out then returned with a force that stole every thought from her brain. Her body clenched, released, then clenched again as she grabbed at his broad shoulders, her only means of holding on for the ride to come. Pounding deep, thrusting hard, Mitch moved over her, rotating against her clit with each downward stroke. Heat rolled over her limbs to curl deep in her belly. She needed more, harder, faster, deeper and determined to keep him close, Gina wrapped her legs around his thrusting hips. “Yeah, like that.” He sucked in an audible breath and slammed his eyes shut. “Damn, Gina. Damn.”
Pleasure caught her up then carried her under as he pistoned hard and fast and before she could draw another gasping breath, a fine quivering began in her belly that grew wilder and more violent by the second. Tightening her legs, her heels planted hard against him, she cried out, unable to believe the wild, raw sound had actually come from her.
“That’s it. Come for me, Gina. I’ve got you.”
The dark words, the assurance in them, whipped through her mind at the moment her body relented. The coil in her belly tightened, tightened, tightened then impossibly sprang free. Orgasm hit her like a punch. Shaken to the core, she could do nothing but hang on when Mitch pumped again, then again, until with a savage, raw sound he finished what he’d started. Spent and shaking with reaction, Gina could do nothing but curl into his big body and hold on.
“I should go back to my bed,” she whispered moments later. Of course, she didn’t mean it. Nothing would please her more than to lay with him through the night and if she were a very, very lucky girl, they might even have a repeat of the smoldering sex they’d shared. “We both have to get up early.” She started to roll away and put action to her words but Mitch pulled her back.
“Fuck that. You’re staying right here.” To emphasize his point, Mitch turned to his side and dragged her closer, possessively against the front of his body. He settled his lips on her forehead. “Besides, I’m not done with you.” His hand slid warmly over her back.
“And maybe I’m not done with you, cowboy.” She tried her best to put her own version of a Texas drawl on the words and it sounded silly as hell. Mitch laughed.
“I’ll make a Texan out of you yet.”
“Pfft. I’m a New Yorker to the bone. Try as I might, I’ll never manage to sound as sexily southern as you.”
“You sound plenty sexy. Believe it.”
Gina went quiet, a million thoughts swimming in her brain, then sighed, infused with pleasure and the sense of safety as his arms tightened. Mitch shifted until her legs entangled with his. The heat of his body pulled her in, lulled her and then his voice went low. “Want to talk about what happened earlier tonight? In the kitchen?”
She should’ve known he’d come back to the way she’d overreacted during her little meltdown. Gina looked at him. “You raised your voice and it freaked me out. I still have a hard time with old memories and I react without thinking. Sometimes I tend to forget that I divorced his abusive ass and that I’m safe.”
“You are safe. Believe it. How long did it take you to get the hell away from him?”
“Too long. Like an idiot, I thought he’d change or maybe soften with age. Instead he just got meaner. He learned quickly that his words were as hurtful as his fists and he used both regularly. It wasn’t until he decided I should have a baby that I finally got real with my situation. Why on earth would I expose a child to that world?” She shrugged and Mitch’s arms tightened. “When he found out I was still taking the pill, he went crazy and that was it for me. I moved back in with Mom and Dad, filed for divorce and thought it was over.”
“But it wasn’t?”
“Not hardly. In Tony’s mind, I belong to him. Like a slave or something.” Gina wanted to stay curled up in Mitch’s arms and forget everything about her ex, a man who was supposed to love her, but she knew that part of her would always remember. She’d become a clique, a statistic, and that didn’t set well with her. Shame was a constant companion and a reminder that Anthony had made her feel like nothing. Worse yet, she’d let him. It was hard to live with that kind of knowledge. She’d always considered herself an intelligent woman but his control had truly messed with her head and damaged her confidence. Gina went still but then drew a breath and continued. “When he finally showed up at my parent’s place, all hell broke loose and my dad was hurt. I couldn’t take any more chances. The next morning, I got in my car and eventually wound up here. I freaked out tonight when you mentioned that people in town were discussing me. The last thing I need is for Tony to figure out where I am. He’s nothing but trouble and so persistent.”
“I can take care of him.”
“You sound awfully cocky,” she teased, managing finally to smile. “But sweet, too.”
“I can be sweet.” Mitch flashed a sexy grin but then it slowly faded. He tucked a bit of hair behind her ear. “You’re brave as hell. Know that?”
“Are you kidding?”
“I stand by my words. You left everything you knew and everyone you loved to protect them. Starting over can’t be easy. I wish my own mother had been able to do it. We’d have been a whole lot happier, I think.”
Her attention snared, she looked at him and frowned. “Your mom?”
Mitch blew out a breath. “Yeah. My old man was the meanest son-of-a-bitch in three counties. Nobody in town knew it, of course, or if they did they sure hid it well. He took his rages and his hatred out on the people he had promised to love. That was Mom, Dawson, and me.”
“I’m sorry.” Gina reached out and drew her hand along his side. “That’s a terrible thing for kids to endure and your poor mother.”
“By the time he was done with her, she had no strength left to run. She did her best to protect us but most times it wasn’t enough. He was hardest on her and on Dawson.”
“Dawson? Why Dawson?”
Mitch went quiet for a moment. “Since you’re living here, you might as well know though it’s not common knowledge in town. I’ll trust you to keep quiet.”
“Of course.”
“Dawson is gay.”
Gina widened her eyes unable to imagine how tough it would be to live a rancher’s life in such a little town and have to deal with small town judgments. “I had no idea.”
He shrugged. “Who would? He’s a big, tough badass from the word go but when he was oh, about thirteen or fourteen, he had the brass to admit the truth to Mom and I. Unfortunately, Dad overheard the confession. Damn, that man was brutal as all fuck. I think he might have suspected all along and that could explain why he was always harder on Dawson than he was on me.”
Tears filled her eyes at the injustice. It was easy, and painful, to imagine a young kid who already had the world on his shoulders, having to deal with hate from a parent who was supposed to love and support. “I’m so sorry,” she managed.
Mitch brushed her jaw with the edge of his thumb. “We all dealt with his abuse for a few more years and then one day, I grew up and so did Dawson. Kids tend to do that.” He smiled slightly but then it slid from his lips. “Guess the old man never figured we’d grow up to be so damn big. Maybe he thought we’d never be tough enough to kick his mean ass. One day we came in to find him terrorizing Mom. Believe me, sweetheart, the look on your face tonight in the kitchen is the same look I’d seen on Mom’s face for years when Dad was on a roll. Dawson and I kicked
his ever-lovin’ ass. He never touched any of us after that but it didn’t really matter. A heart attack got him a few months later.”
“I’m sorry about it all, Mitch. That’s no way to live.”
“It’s not and that’s a fact.” He leaned close, his gaze focused intently on her. A shiver of awareness swept her. “So I’ll say it again, Gina….it’s a hard thing to break free. My mother died having never achieved what you did. I’m proud of you for saying enough and getting the hell out of there. It’s called survival.”
Gina swallowed past the ball of emotion clogging her throat. “I did what I had to do. Nothing special.”
“Hell if it’s not. Like I said, you’re brave. You might be the bravest woman I know.”
Mitch knew she was gone before he finally opened his eyes the next morning. The pillow was dented and the sheets on her side of the bed had long gone cold. Mitch frowned. It was hard to come to terms with the fact that the sweet little New Yorker had become, in the space of one night, more important to him than was smart. Despite a night of sex hot enough to burn and the confessions whispered to each other, she’d never once said she would stay for good. It was obvious she loved her family and her need to protect them from her sorry ex had prompted her flight to Texas but could Texas hold her? Could he?
And did he want to keep her here?
It wasn’t all that difficult to admit that he at least wanted a chance to see how things might unfold between them but then could he take her from her home and the family she loved? She might never forgive him for that. What a damn mess!
Shoving back the covers with a low curse, he stood and stared at the mass of rumpled sheets recalling how they’d moved together, a tangled mass of arms and legs. Her mouth had felt like heaven on his body. He’d never had a more responsive lover. Last night had been the first time he’d slept an entire night with a woman since his divorce and he suspected he wouldn’t have enjoyed it quite so much had it been with anyone but Gina. Something about her moved him in unexpected ways. She was strong, brave, intelligent, and downright sexy as all hell. Feeling restless, he walked naked to the blinds and opened them to admit the gray morning light. Rancher’s tended to rise with the chickens and Gina had easily fallen into the same sleep patterns as he and Dawson. In another thirty minutes or so, the guys would start showing up for breakfast so he knew she’d had no choice but to head off to the kitchen to begin her work day. Mitch glanced ruefully at his morning wood. Nothing would’ve been better than lying in bed with her all day but that wasn’t going to happen. Several hundred head of beeves waited for his attention. But tonight? Well that was another matter altogether.
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