“All the better. Quint hasn’t seen it before.”
Wren had also brought two more pairs of jeans and two more shirts.
“We’re only going to be gone two days.”
“There are morning events, afternoon events, and then the other stuff at night. You’ll want to change for each one. In between, you may be in the barns, which you’ll also change for.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
Wren put one hand on her hip. “Listen, Quint is my brother, and I’ve been to plenty of these ranch rodeos. There are more women at these things who are trying to catch his eye than I can count. Who knows, maybe you’re not out to impress him. If that’s the case, take what you picked out before. If, on the other hand, you want to show these women up, take what I’m giving you.”
Darrow snapped Wren’s clothes out of her hands and began rolling them to put in her trunk.
“That’s what I thought,” winked her friend. “Here,” she said, handing her one of the pair of jeans she’d brought in. “Wear these so you can help unload.”
Darrow put her hand on Wren’s. “Thank you for doing this. I know you don’t really have a report to work on.”
“You picked up on that, huh?”
Darrow nodded and smiled.
“My brother is a good man. He may try to say otherwise, but he is. I want you to have a good time this weekend, Darrow.”
She wanted that too. She only prayed that when it was all over, Quint didn’t disappear again.
DARROW CHECKED her watch for the fourth time in as many minutes. It was a little after seven. Quint had said they’d leave at eight. Maybe she should wheel her trunk out to the porch and wait there. Or would that make her look too anxious? Thank God Wren had suggested she wear jeans. She probably wouldn’t have and what message might that have sent?
“Argh,” she growled again. Why was she doing this to herself? If only she hadn’t had dinner with Quint that night, she wouldn’t be so nervous now.
“Everything okay in here?”
Darrow sprung off the bed when she saw Quint standing in the doorway. “Fine. Everything is fine. Are we ready to go? Sorry, I should’ve wheeled my trunk out. I don’t know what I was thinking. You know, maybe I should—”
As she talked, Quint walked over until he was close enough to put a finger on her lips. “I will take care of your, uh…trunk. No, you shouldn’t have wheeled it out. We aren’t leaving for another half hour, and breakfast is ready and waiting in the kitchen. Before you say anything on that subject, I want you to know that Tee-Tee brought over some of her breakfast burritos earlier, and they’re being kept warm in the oven. Okay?”
His finger was still on her lips, so Darrow nodded.
“Finally, I want you to know how glad I am that you’re going along this weekend. The other thing I want you to know is that I’m sorry the stupid way I acted has resulted in you being so nervous around me.”
“I’ve always been nervous around you,” she whispered when he moved his fingers away.
“I’m even sorrier for that.”
“Quint? What happened that night?”
For a minute, Darrow thought he was leaving when he walked over to the bedroom door. Instead, he closed it and then came back to stand in front of her.
“I had an amazing time with you that night. Better than any other night I can remember. You yourself told me that you were here in part because your previous relationship ended. If I hadn’t backed off, I might’ve done something neither of us was ready for.”
“I wanted you to.”
He reached up and cupped her cheek. “I know you did, and while I didn’t handle it right, we’re both better off now because nothing happened between us then.”
She took a step back. “I’m worried it’s going to happen again.”
He reached out and took her hand in his. “I promise it won’t.”
“What is this, exactly? Am I going to the rodeo to help with the team? Or am I going with you?”
Instead of answering, Quint brought his other hand to her cheek and looked into her eyes before bringing his lips to hers. What started off as a soft, sweet kiss, quickly became harder, more heated when Darrow put her arms around Quint’s neck and kissed him back.
He didn’t pull away until they both heard Wren’s footsteps in the hallway.
“Does that answer your question?” he asked, resting his forehead against hers.
“Pretty much. Can we go eat now?”
13
God, this woman made him smile. He motioned for her to go ahead in part so he could watch her sweet bottom sashay in her tight jeans.
And that kiss? Lord Almighty. It was enough to make him keep the bedroom door locked and back her up against the bed. If Deck and the rest of the crew wouldn’t be waiting on them to leave in less than an hour, he might’ve been more tempted, but he didn’t want the first time he was with her to be rushed. And he sure as hell planned to be with the gorgeous Miss Whittaker. It might not be tonight, or even this weekend, but he knew it would be soon. He wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off of her much longer. When she’d said she wanted him to “do something neither of them was ready for,” he knew she was feeling the same way he was. The kiss only drove that point home further.
When they walked into the kitchen, Wren was waiting with her back up against the counter. The look on her face let him know she had an inkling as to what they’d been up to. Fortunately, she was smiling.
He opened the oven and pulled out three of Tee-Tee’s breakfast burritos and put each one on a plate. “Have a seat,” he said to both Darrow and his sister.
“You are going to love these,” Wren said to Darrow. “They’re almost as good as her margaritas.”
Quint wasn’t positive, but he thought he saw her flinch at the mention of another night he’d behaved badly. Later, when they were alone, he’d have to remind himself to apologize for that too.
“There are more if you’d like another,” Quint said, noticing Darrow had already finished eating what was on her plate.
“Are you sure?”
Quint smiled and stood.
“I can get it.”
“Let me,” he said, noticing the smirk that still sat on his sister’s face.
After they’d finished eating, Wren offered to clean up what little mess they’d made so he and Darrow could get on the road.
“Have fun,” his sister said, winking at both of them, which of course, caused Darrow’s cheeks to flame the adorable way they did when she was embarrassed.
Quint led her over to the truck that sat waiting with the trailer already hitched and loaded. He opened the passenger door and held out his hand to help her in. As he breathed in her scent, he longed to lean forward and taste her lips one more time before he got behind the wheel. The drive would take them a good, solid three hours, and he knew he’d hunger for her the whole way.
Instead of getting all the way in and sitting down, Darrow stopped, put her arms around his neck, and kissed him the same way he’d just been thinking of doing himself.
He put his hand on the back of her neck, holding her tight so she couldn’t back away before he was ready. The kiss went on and on, until he heard the rest of the team whistling and catcalling.
Darrow backed away when he released her neck, and took a seat in the truck. Quint leaned forward and kissed her bright red cheek. “I love how your skin flames when you’re embarrassed.”
The way she smiled and dropped her gaze made him want to claim her right there in the driveway. This was going to be a damn long drive.
THEY HAD the radios on between trucks, and since no one in the caravan said they needed to stop along the way, they drove straight through to Bluebell Creek, where the rodeo would start later that day.
Everyone pitched in to get unloaded, including Darrow, and when they were finished, had a couple of hours to kill before they had to get ready for that night’s events.
“I’m going to get Darro
w settled in over at the cabin,” Quint told Deck.
“That’s right, I forgot all about that place. Guess that’s why I get the rig all to myself tonight.”
“Don’t get any ideas. I’ll be here with you,” he said when he made sure Darrow was out of earshot.
“I’d lay heavy odds you won’t be.”
“Quit, Deck,” Quint growled when he saw Darrow walking toward them.
“What do we do now?” she asked in that sexy voice that stirred him up.
Quint glared at Decker, who smirked and walked away. “The King family has a cabin here on Bluebell Creek. That’s where you’ll be staying tonight.”
“Oh,” she murmured, those sweet cheeks flaming bright.
“We’ll talk about it on the way.” Quint helped her into the truck, but because she hadn’t hesitated to kiss him on the way in, Quint pulled her back off the seat. “I kind of liked the way you thanked me last time,” he told her before covering her mouth with his.
He kissed her more deeply than before and cupped her sweet bottom with his hand, giving it a squeeze before he let her go.
“You can’t really expect me to sleep alone after that,” she said, climbing back into the truck and pushing him away so she could close the door.
Quint laughed and walked around the front of the truck, his eyes on her the whole way. When he got in and saw she’d slid to the center of the bench seat, he remembered why he’d special ordered it that way instead of with the standard bucket seats. After he put the vehicle in gear and steered them out of the crowded field where the other competitors were still busy setting up, he rested his hand on Darrow’s thigh.
“I sure am glad you agreed to come along this weekend.”
“Not half as glad as I am, cowboy,” she answered, turning toward him and reaching up to plant a kiss on his neck.
He tightened his grip on her thigh and slid his hand farther up, closer to the heat he felt emanating from between her legs. “If it weren’t a qualifying event,” he groaned, “I sure as hell wouldn’t be competing tonight.”
“Why ever not?” she grinned.
“Because once we get to the cabin, I’m not going to want to leave it again until I’ve learned every inch of your sweet body.”
“Mmm,” she moaned. “I guess you didn’t bring me along just to help.”
Quint stopped the truck, took it out of gear, and released his seatbelt. He turned toward Darrow and put his hand on the back of her neck. “I need more,” he murmured before kissing her again.
He let her go and started the truck up again. The sooner he got her to the cabin, the quicker he could kiss her without an audience.
“THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL,” she said when he pulled up next to the building that was used more for fishing and hunting than romance. He should’ve thought to ask one of his cousins to come and clean it up when he called to see if he could use it this weekend.
“I have to warn you before we go inside, the cabin is mostly used by a bunch of old guys. It might need to be cleaned up a little.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” she said, smiling.
“You’re always so agreeable.”
“No. I’m not, actually. I just want you more than anything, Quint, and I really don’t care what state the cabin happens to be in.”
He came around to her side of the truck, lifted her out with a growl, and carried her to the cabin’s door. “I really don’t want to let you go, but I have to get the key.” He slid her down his body and reached up to the ledge above the door and put the key in the lock.
To his pleasant surprise, it appeared the place had just been cleaned. There were even fresh flowers in a mason jar on the kitchen table.
“Yes, it’s just dreadful in here,” she said, coming up behind him and putting her arms around his waist.
Quint turned in her arms and lifted her so her legs went around his waist. She brought her mouth to his, and they kissed.
“I’m hearin’ you loud and clear, darlin’, that you want this just as much as I do, but I gotta ask.”
Darrow pulled back and looked into his eyes. “What?”
Quint dropped his hands and let her slide down his body a second time. He shuddered with the feel of her flush against him and cupped her cheeks with both his hands.
“The reason you came to Texas. How much does the boyfriend play into what’s about to happen between us?”
“Ex-boyfriend, and not at all.”
“I need you to be sure he doesn’t, Darrow, because I don’t want you thinking about any other man while you’re with me.”
“You have no idea how overwhelming you are, Quint. When I’m with you, I can hardly hear my own thoughts. When you walk into a room, it’s all I can do not to turn toward you and beg you to take me into your arms. There isn’t room for me to think about anyone else, and even if there were, every man I’ve ever known pales in comparison to you. If you want to know the truth, I’ve never wanted to be with a man more than I want to be with you right now. And by right now, I mean this second.”
With a groan, Quint lifted her back into his arms, captured her lips, and carried her into the closest bedroom.
“Give me a moment,” Darrow said, wiggling out of his arms and sliding down his body a third time. If she continued to do that, Quint was likely to lose it before they’d even gotten naked.
“Where are you running off to?”
“Just to the loo. Don’t go anywhere.”
Quint walked the three steps back into the main open-concept room of the cabin with the small kitchen just to the right of the entry. He sat down on the sofa, his gaze resting intently on the bathroom. The moment it reopened, he planned to spring up, get her naked, and on that bed.
Instead, when the door did open, every ounce of air left Quint’s lungs. Against the jamb, stood Darrow, one hand on her hip. Rather than springing up as planned, he let his gaze move from her intense brown eyes to her blazingly red cheeks, down her long, thin neck, to her heavy breasts with their puckered nipples. Fully dressed, his body reacted to Darrow like he was a teenager who’d never been with a woman before. Seeing her naked in front of him, made him painfully mad with desire.
He took a deep breath, letting his eyes continue down the soft swell of her belly to the hint of her sex that he could barely see since her legs were crossed.
“Open for me,” he demanded from where he sat.
Instead of simply uncrossing her legs, Darrow walked toward him until she was close enough to touch. Quint couldn’t resist. He put both hands on her hips and pulled her close enough to breathe in the scent of her. When she started to move, he held her in place.
“Where do you think you’re goin’, sugar?”
Instead of answering, she took one of his hands in hers and pulled him up off the sofa. “I need you naked too, Quint,” she breathed in the sexiest damn voice he’d ever heard.
Gazing into her eyes, Quint could see every bit of her uncertainty. She’d been bold in her nakedness, but he could see her beginning to question whether she should’ve been so daring.
Didn’t she know she already owned him? Quint slid his hands around her waist and cupped both cheeks of her sweet bottom. He pulled her hard against him. “Do you feel what you do to me, Darrow?”
He didn’t give her time to answer. Instead, he recaptured her mouth, kissing her softly, slowing things down between them. As much as he wanted to be the one in control, her mouth, her body, everything about her took hold and possessed him. The rhythm of her body as it gently swayed beneath his touch tested his patience.
In an instant, he yanked her closer still, deepened their kiss, and threaded the fingers of one hand into her hair. He thrust his tongue into her mouth roughly, as passion overtook him.
When the vibration of Darrow’s moan resonated through him, he raised her leg so her sex rested on his hardness. When she grinded against him, Quint let her.
With his hands fisted in her hair, he pulled her head back so he cou
ld feast on the soft skin on her neck. He felt her swallow and lifted her other leg, finally carrying her into the bedroom where he’d vowed to take her what seemed like hours before.
With heat burning brightly between them, Quint lowered Darrow to the bed and stepped back to let his gaze linger on her, spread out before him. When she tried to close her legs, Quint rested both hands on her knees and gently forced them back open.
“Let me see you, Darrow. All of you.” It was clear by the slow gyration of her hips that Darrow liked the way he watched her. “Touch yourself, baby.”
She brought one hand up and fondled her breast, squeezing her nipple and moaning. Quint knelt at the end of the bed, mapping out where he wanted to touch her first and with what part of his body.
He took the hand resting by her hip and brought it to her sex. He leaned forward and wound his tongue around her fingers, tasting her as she touched herself.
With one hand, he reached behind him, taking the condom he’d tucked into his back pocket out and resting it on the bed, beside her.
“Quint, please.”
“What, baby?”
“You have too many clothes on.”
As hard as it was to move his mouth from between her legs, Quint stood and pulled his shirt over his head with one hand while he unfastened his jeans with the other. He picked up the condom, opened the foil with his teeth, and rolled it on his hardness.
He couldn’t wait another minute to be inside her. As difficult as it was, Quint entered her slowly, wanting to remember every moment of feeling her warmth for the first time.
“God, you feel good,” he moaned as he slowly buried himself in her wetness. She wrapped her legs around his waist and moved against him. Soon he couldn’t hold back any longer. His pace became frenzied as he drove into her. When she arched against him and squeezed him tightly, he lost all control.
14
Every muscle in Darrow’s body had gone limp. She couldn’t even lift her arm when Quint rolled her over until she was on her back. He sat up and looked at his phone.
Shadow (Military Intelligence Section 6 Book 4) Page 7