One Stubborn Cowboy

by Barbara McMahon

  “That’s wonderful about your book, Kelly,” Molly broke in, trying to calm the storm that seemed to be brewing. She looked at Kit to concur, but he remained silent. Finally she gave a small sigh.

  “I’ll be going. I guess you two want to be alone.”

  Kelly smiled and said goodbye, watching as the older woman walked back to her own house.

  “Do we want to be alone?” she asked once the back door had closed behind Molly Benson.

  “Come closer, Miss Sassy-mouth, and see what I want,” he said, placing his glass on the grass beside his chair.

  Kelly studied him for a moment, trying to gauge his mood. Feeling on top of the world because of her visit to San Francisco, she slowly stood and walked over, daring to sit in his lap.

  Kit was surprised, but only for a second. His arms came around her and he pulled her down against his chest, her head nestling against his shoulder and neck.

  “I’ve been alone and on my own for so long I didn’t even think to let anyone know I was going into the city for a couple of days.”

  “We all worried about you. Sally didn’t know why you hadn’t been out to see the pony. Molly didn’t know where you’d gone. I asked everyone that knew you.”

  “You weren’t worried about me, too, were you?” she asked lightly, breathing in the scent of him, warm and masculine. Her heart rate increased.

  “No.” One hand slowly slid up and down her arm while his other hand held her hip firmly. “This dress feels as soft as your skin,” he said quietly.

  “It’s silk,” she said closing her eyes. Was this heaven? Had she taken a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in heaven?

  “It feels like you do all over.” His voice was low and Kelly felt a surge of desire sweep through her. She remembered every touch of his hands and fingers and mouth that day of the picnic. Her body heated in response and she shifted uneasily, not wanting him to know.

  “Is this for Molly Benson’s benefit?” she asked.

  “I rather think it’s for mine.”

  She looked up at him at that and smiled, her finger gently tracing the outline of his mouth.

  “I couldn’t wait to tell you the news about my book,” she said shyly.

  “I’m proud of you, honey. You’re so talented. I wish I was.”

  “I think you are, only in other areas.” She pulled his lip a little and slipped her finger into his mouth. His tongue greeted her and his lips closed over the finger.

  Kelly tilted her head, pulling her hand away, only to reach behind him and urge him toward her.

  He needed no coaxing. His mouth covered hers in a rough kiss, full of desire and passion. She reveled in his touch, conscious his hands were still, holding her close to him, feeling the strength of his chest against has, the power of his shoulders and the growing hardness in his lap.

  Pulling back, breathing hard, she gazed up into his glittering eyes.

  “Was that enough for Molly, do you think?” Kit asked lazily as he brought the brim of his hat down to shade his eyes.

  Kelly struggled to get up. But he held her hard against him. She hit him with her fist and he chuckled. “Damn you. Let me up. That’s plenty for Molly,” she said through gritted teeth. He made her so mad.

  “Good, then the rest is for us.” He swept his hat from his head and gathered her closer, his mouth plundering her halfhearted resistance and sweeping her along with an intensity that threatened to flame out of control. It was hot and exciting and demanding. She moved against him, responding, rising to the passion he built between them. Kelly wanted to float on the cloud of delight and bliss that his touch brought. All thoughts of ending the charade fled. Not yet. She wouldn’t stop just yet.

  But his kiss eased, ended. He cradled her head against his shoulder.

  “You look pretty. Is that how you dress in the big city?”

  “Yes.” Her breathing was ragged, her heart pounded, heat washed through her. She wanted him, she ached for him. Closing her eyes she tried to imprint every inch of her skin with the feel of Kit. His breathing fanned her cheeks, her heart pounded beneath her breast, his hands burned through her skin. Would he come inside with her?

  “Do you miss the city?” he asked, his voice sounding almost hollow.

  “No.” How could he carry on a conversation? She wanted to scream. Taking a deep breath, she tried to act normal. “In fact, I felt quite the country bumpkin when I was there. We ate at a different restaurant for each meal and I enjoyed that. But the traffic was awful. The street people are panhandling worse than ever and no one was friendly. I was glad to visit, but happy to come home.”

  “Umm, good. I got the cart from Beth’s dad. Come out to the ranch and see if Sam can use it.”

  “I can’t today. I’m too tired. It was a long drive and the traffic was worse than usual because it’s Friday. Can I come in the morning?”

  “Sure, though Clint and Sally are driving down to Sonora in the morning for some serious shopping.”

  “I’ll come in the early afternoon, then.” Slowly she pushed herself up and stood, trying to straighten her hopelessly wrinkled dress. Reluctant to bid him farewell, she was already anticipating tomorrow.

  The yard surrounding the Lockford house was deserted the next afternoon when Kelly arrived. Kit’s truck was parked to one side, and the one that Clint used was gone. The day was sunny and hot, with a slight breeze from the west to make it tolerable. She sat in her car for a long moment, expecting Kit to come to greet her.

  But there was no movement, only the silence of the hot afternoon.

  Climbing out, Kelly headed for the front door. It was open. Kelly peered through the screen, but the house was empty. Kelly rapped on wood and waited.

  Looking around, she wondered if Kit was in the barn. She walked around the house and called him. No answer. The entire place seemed deserted. Had he gone with Clint and Sally?

  She went back to the front door and rapped again.

  She could hear music quietly playing down the hall. Opening the screen door, she stepped inside. Walking toward the music she came to Kit’s room.

  He was lying on a big bed, clothed in shirt and jeans, an open Stockman’s Journal lying across his chest. He was asleep.

  Kelly glanced curiously around his room. There was a trapeze-like contraption over his bed, a wheelchair nearby, and the crutches leaned against the headboard. His room was decorated in dark blues and browns, masculine and cozy. There was an elaborate stereo system along one wall, and a big screenTV positioned to be watched from bed.

  Her heart ached. How many hours had he lain in bed, not able to be outdoors, as he liked? Not living on the edge as he had done before, but confined to a room?

  She walked over to the bed. It was higher than a normal bed, long and wide. She leaned over and brushed her lips against his.

  His eyes opened.

  She glanced down the length of him, looked back up to meet his eyes. “So this is how cowboys work, huh?” she said, smiling down at his look.

  He let his eyes roam over her in the insolent manner that infuriated her so much. His eyes darkened as he took in the fullness of her breasts, the way the white top clung lovingly to her figure, tapering to her slim waist before flaring to her softly rounded hips.

  “Know me again,” she said, reaching out to cup his chin and raise his face to hers, tingling all over from his look.

  His grin was pure wickedness. “Don’t you knock?”

  “I did. Don’t you stay awake when you expect company?”

  “I was reading up on range management.” He indicated the magazine.

  “I could tell. If now isn’t convenient for me I can come back another time.”

  “Now’s fine.” Kit ran the fingers of one hand through his hair in exasperation. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep. He’d just been killing time until her arrival.

  “Are you sure you’d rather work with the pony than read up on range management? What do you want to do?” she asked, her eyes twinkli
ng.

  Chapter 8

  “What do you want, Kelly?”

  “You,” she whispered, feeling brazen and daring.

  He flung the magazine away and reached for her, drawing her across his chest to lie beside him on the rich brown coverlet. Propping himself up on one arm, he looked down at her, his right arm pinioning her to the bed. Kelly made no protest, only smiled at him. She wasn’t afraid. Her arms came up to reach around his neck and pull him down on top of her.

  She saw his eyes spark with a deep flame before his head blocked the light as his warm mouth covered hers. His touch was light as he placed small kisses against her mouth, her cheeks, her throat.

  Kelly delighted in his gentle touch, savoring the anticipation that built. He wouldn’t be gentle for long, she knew. Desire flooded through her, excitement and expectation swamped every inch of her. She tightened her grip, toppling him over to lie heavily against her as his mouth roughly covered hers, seeking the smoldering heat he knew waited beneath her surface.

  His tongue evoked an involuntary response from her, as he ravaged all resistance. Her senses reeled as she was taken by surprise at the intensity of feelings that overwhelmed her. His heat swept through the light cotton top and the jeans she was wearing, searing her flesh as he had that day on the hilltop. Her mouth moved beneath his as she sought to build the same fiery intensity in him as he built in her.

  When his hand brushed down from her hair to her side and tugged the shirt from her jeans, her heart lurched. Her own hands were frantic to open his shirt. She wanted his chest against hers, wanted to feel that wiry hair against the sensitized tips of her breasts. Wanted to feel his hard muscles against her yielding softness.

  Ah, his hand was on her bare midriff. Her nerve endings tingled with his touch, longed for more. She pulled back a little to give him access to her breasts, her hand pulling his up her body.

  “You’re wearing a bra,” he said as he leaned back and rolled her onto her side to unfasten it.

  “I do sometimes,” she said testily. Damn, why had she today?

  With the release, she sighed and rolled onto her back, pushing his buttons through the last holes and spreading the shirt from his shoulders. Kit sat up and whipped off his shirt, flinging it across the room.

  He pulled her up and stripped off her shirt and bra together, pulling her against him, her softness covered by his strength as he gently lay back down on top of her.

  “If you don’t want to get into more trouble than you can handle, we’d better stop now,” he said as his mouth moved over one throbbing mound, his tongue licking the satiny texture of her skin, tasting the essence of her. He moved up the slope to the thrusting tip and hesitated, his eyes looking up into hers.

  “I don’t want to stop,” she whispered, threading her fingers into his thick hair and urging his face down to her. She moaned softly as his mouth captured the aching nub and gently began to torment it. Sensations flooded through her as his touch excited, intoxicated. His mouth was seething with banked fires, passion she’d known only once before—in his arms.

  He eased up and moved to the other breast while her hands moved lovingly over his strong shoulders, feeling the muscles tense and relax beneath her touch. When his hand moved across her abdomen and down to the edge of her jeans, Kelly moved her hips, twisting and raising up, wanting his touch all over her. His hard hands trailed fire in their wake and she wanted more. Heat rose from deep within her, and she was losing cognitive thought as her body began to float on an unexplored sea of sensuous delights, buoyed by emotions and tactile sensations never known before. Tantalized by the promise of wonders to come, she moved against him, dying for him to love her.

  When he slipped down the zipper of her jeans and peeled the tight denims off her hips, a jolt like an electric pulse caused her to arch against him. She was drowning in the deep pleasure of her own body, the pleasure he alone brought.

  She arched against him again, her hands learning his back, coming around the strong side of his ribs to rake her fingers against the crisp hair that covered his chest. Finding his own dark nipples, she caressed them, moving beneath him on the bed, wanting more, more.

  His hand cupped her bottom, lifting her slightly, sliding over the smooth taut skin. Coming around to the front, he traced the junction of her thighs with her hips, slipping between them, fingers tangling in the soft curls that guarded her femininity.

  Kelly’s mouth opened wide for his kiss, tasting him again, drinking in the pleasure he offered. She functioned only at a sensual level now, his body in control, reveling in the touch of his skin, the hot male scent filling her nostrils, the taste of his mouth in hers.

  Her hands roamed lower over his chest, down the hard muscles of his belly, finding and fumbling with the catch of his jeans. He paused and Kelly held her breath. She’d die if he stopped now. Dimly she remembered his warning at the picnic, that his scars were bad. But she didn’t care. She wanted him—she couldn’t stop now.

  Ignoring his hesitation, her hands continued. Sighing in relief when the zipper was down, she pushed against the top of the jeans.

  Kit hesitated only a moment, then he assisted and was soon as naked as she. Kelly opened her eyes to gaze into his. She was surprised at the passionate glaze in his look, the depth of the blue in his eyes drawing her in, bathing her with awareness, heightening the electric pulse that seemed to throb deep in her soul. She smiled seductively, slowly letting her eyelids drift down as her hand drifted lower on his body. Encountering the rough, scarred skin, she skimmed over it, seeking the heart of his being at the moment and gently encircling him.

  She was hot and damp and ready. She moved against him to let him know how much she wanted him.

  “Hold on.” He reached across to his nightstand and withdrew a foil packet from the drawer. In only a second he was ready.

  “Now, darlin’,” he said, and moved over her.

  The seething flame of his passion transferred to her as she was caught up in the storm of his lovemaking. His hands evoked rippling waves of erotic excitement through her nerve endings, his tongue mated with hers and her body met his thrusts, rising and falling in the rhythm as old as mankind.

  He captured her hands and held them on either side of her face as he plunged into her, withdrew slightly and plunged again. She was alive, tingling with pure sensation. She had never felt like this before, never known there could be such heights. Knowing she would melt into a fiery mass of shivering ecstasy, Kelly reveled in the enchantment. She gloried in the feel of him deep within her, the spiraling sensations taking her higher and higher until she exploded into fragments of pure gossamer and light. Shuddering again and again, she moaned her release, never wanting the moment to end.

  He drew his head back, arching against her as he reached his own climax, and Kelly gloried in his pleasure, deeply moved she could bring satisfaction to so virile a man.

  He collapsed on top of her, both breathing hard. Releasing her hands, he slipped his hands beneath her back, arching her a bit so her breasts wore raised, and sank his head against her neck. Kelly encircled his damp skin, her fingers idly rubbing against the strong muscles of his back, her eyes closed, imprinting each separate sensation in her mind—the feel of his strong arms holding her, the hot breath puffing against her neck, the weight of him pressing her into the bed, the warmth where they were joined. She never wanted to forget. She knew she never would.

  “Incredible!” Kit said softly against her skin, his lips nibbling the column of her neck. He raised up on his elbows, tilting Kelly tighter against him, and looked down at her.

  She was floating wanting only to savor the magic they’d just made. She looked up at him, knowing the love that consumed her must be reflected in her eyes, but unable to hide it. She smiled and nodded slightly, slowly, her lids drifting closed. She could stay like this forever.

  Kelly slept.

  Kit watched her, fascinated by every move she made. He never should have gone so far. Not that it
hadn’t been wonderful. Incredible, just as he’d said. But now he was in a fix. Slowly Kit withdrew and rolled over on his side, his eyes still on the sleeping woman beside him. She was incredibly lovely, flushed rosy from love, sleeping so trustfully beside him. He reached across her and drew the side of the coverlet over her to keep her warm. Punching up his pillow, he scooted against it and crossed his arms over his chest. What would she do when she awoke, though? When she saw the extent of his scars, when the irrationality of passion had waned and cold hard reality faced them.

  His stomach tightened. He knew. She’d try to pretend it didn’t matter, but he knew better. He looked with frustration at his jeans and shirt, scattered across his room with the force of his throw. There was no way to get them and put them on by himself without waking her.

  And he hated the thought she’d see him.

  Yet there was nothing he could do except steel himself against the pain, try to pretend it didn’t matter. That he only wanted one time with her. That he wouldn’t give all he owned to be a whole man who could love her to the end of time.

  She murmured in her sleep, turning to her side seeking him.

  He had to be ready when she awoke, but he had until then to pretend things were normal. And he was only human, he thought as he gazed at her with a deep hunger in his eyes.

  Gathering her close, he lay down, resting her head against his shoulder, draping one of her arms across his chest. He flicked the covers so they sheltered them both. And closed his eyes, relishing the feeling of this soft, sexy woman in his arms.

  When Kelly stirred, Kit was awake. He tightened his arm a second before relaxing and moving away. The time was here and he still wasn’t ready.

  Her hand moved against his chest, moved lower and dipped into his navel. “Are you going to show me how to hook Sam up to the cart?” she asked softly, loving the feel of him against her skin, the steady rise and fall as he breathed, the heat that still burned her.

  “Hitch. Yeah, that’s why you came, isn’t it?”

  She kissed his chest and tilted back her head to see him. “Maybe.”