“A-A—sn-snake. I saw a snake.” She lifted a hand and pointed. Paint dripped from her arm and finger.
He cleared his throat and shifted in his dusty boots. “You saw a snake and you poured paint over your head? I have to say, I’ve never witnessed that sort of reaction before.” Her eyes shot daggers at him through gray paint.
“No, I didn’t pour paint over my head, thank you very much!” She looked like she wanted to throttle him. “I saw it, got scared and somehow it splashed it all over me.” She blinked. “Do you find this funny?”
“No, of course not! But you’re a sight.” Her green eyes were so bright surrounded by gray. And she was as sexy has hell. Her hair that must have been in a pile on her head was falling around her bare shoulders.
She crossed her arms over her chest like a good temper tantrum could help the situation. “You should look for the snake. I’ll stand right here and be very still.”
“Sure.” He turned to hide his smile and strolled over to the hutch, opening the two doors and peering inside. He didn’t see a thing. “Are you sure it crawled into the hutch?”
“Yes. No. Maybe. It was staring right at me.”
He almost felt sorry for her.
“This house hasn’t been lived in for a long time. I’ll have to look for any holes that rodents and snakes can get in and out of. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled. Do you know what color it was?”
“Green. No, maybe yellow. Or black. I can’t remember anything except those beady eyes.” She shivered dramatically.
“You know what I think? You need a distraction.”
“A distraction? This isn’t enough of one?” She lifted the hem of her shirt, the only clean spot on the material, and wiped the paint from her face.
“I’m heading to the campground here in a bit to check on Sam. You want to come along?”
She blinked as if she was confused at his offer. “You mean, take time off work? Are you okay?” She crossed the two steps dividing them and pressed the back of her paint covered hand against his forehead. “You don’t feel like you’re running a fever.” He felt the wetness on his skin and wiped his fingers across his forehead. “Thanks.”
“Oops, sorry.” There was a hint of her smile returning.
He pulled his rag from his back pocket and wiped the spot. “Happy now?”
“That’s what you get for laughing at me.”
“So, is that a yes?”
“Can you give me enough time to jump into the shower? It might take some scrubbing.”
Thinking of her naked with water rushing over her skin, soapy hands sliding over her body did completely crazy things to his body—but it wasn’t her soapy hands he wanted on her body. He squeezed his hands into fists, cleared his throat, then shuffled his boots. “Take your time. I’m going out to kiss…I mean, put my tools away. Come out when you’re done.” He hurried to make his exit like a teenage boy with a hard on.
Twenty minutes later, she met him outside. She was wearing one of those feminine dresses that flowed around her amazing curves. This one landed a few inches above her knees, showing off nice legs.
Instead of heading to the driver’s side, he did what any gentleman would do and opened the passenger door, which gained him a curious glance form her. “I’m beginning to think you’re not used to a man opening the door for you.” He raised a brow.
“Not in a long time and especially not you.” She climbed up into the seat and he resisted the urge to make sure she was buckled in.
Rounding the back, he strolled to the driver’s side and joined her, glancing over at her with a need to just see her again. “I see you managed to get the paint off.” Her hair had been left down and it hung in soft, damp coils over her shoulders. Her face was bare of makeup except for a smidgeon of lip color. In his opinion, she didn’t need anything to make her more beautiful. Her skin had taken on a natural glow which made her eyes stand out like gems. When she pushed on a pair of sunglasses, he dragged his gaze where it belonged, started the engine and backed out of the driveway.
“It took some time, but I managed. I wasted an entire can of paint. That snake is done for!”
There was that image again. His zipper stretched and she shifted in the leather, giving him a long look before a Cheshire grin covered those amazing lips. He focused on the road ahead. “Feel free to turn the music to whatever you like to listen to.” The truck took the curves like a smooth race car. The windows were down and the air flowed in. He was glad he’d invited her. Even without conversation he enjoyed her company.
After some scanning of radio stations, she found an oldies station and turned up the volume on the popular song about an American boy. “I love this. Reminds me of my carefree days.” She brought a knee up against her chest and patted her hand rhythmically against her thigh.
“This is the life.” He whistled. “Windows down, cruising the backroads, and listening to some good music.” He wanted to add “With a beautiful girl in the passenger seat” but he bit his tongue. It was too early in the trip for him to start revealing his inner turmoil.
“I need to get out more often. I love this place.”
He resisted the need to journey his gaze up her long legs to the hem of the sundress that had settled on firm thighs, but of course he couldn’t resist long enough. He took in the sight like a starving man at a buffet.
She turned in the seat, tucking her legs under her. “You told me I was becoming a country girl. What does that mean exactly?” She dragged off her glasses.
“Well, when you first came you had long, neat nails. I have noticed they’re cut and unpolished.” He had a vision of those short nails scraping down his back during a hot night.
Damn!
He shifted, feeling more movement behind his zipper.
She held up her hands high and wiggled her fingers. “I kept chipping them, so they had to go. In fact, I like them better short.” She laughed. “And? What else?”
“Your skin. You’ve got color that no bottle or bed could accomplish.”
“Thanks to SPF I’m getting it safely.” She laughed.
“We don’t want to overlook the guns.” He flexed his bicep. “Hard work pays off in big returns.”
Her laughter was different. “I’ve never once been told I have guns. But I like that.” She showed them off playfully. Of course, they weren’t large, but she had a nice toned body. “Anything else?”
“I personally believe every woman should own one of those dresses.” His mouth salivated. If he weren’t such a gentleman, he’d make a reference to the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra, and if she were, it had to be sinfully thin.
“I can tell just how deeply you mean that.”
“Huh?”
Her perceptive eyes slipped down to his crotch and one corner of her mouth lifted higher, but not as high as a part of his body that wanted to make itself known.
Ruger wasn’t one to get embarrassed often, but he felt the flame in his cheeks. He gave a shrug and muttered, “Take it as the utmost compliment.”
“I’m flattered.”
He liked this new, impetuous side to her. He liked a woman who didn’t have any qualms about telling a man exactly what was on her mind. “I’m glad you’re pleased and not offended. It seems these days a man can breathe too heavy and be called a dick.”
“Oh, you’ll know if you cross the dick line.” She propped her feet up on his dash. He wouldn’t let just anyone get so comfortable in his ride.
He chuckled. “You know, you don’t have to go back to the city.” He tossed that little seed out and hoped she planted it. What the hell though? Did he want her to stay?
She stayed quite for a bit. Did it take that long to answer? “Stay here in Cooper’s Hawk?”
“At least you didn’t cringe when you said the words.”
“Why would I cringe? This town is amazing. The people are friendly. The views are extraordinary.” She looked over at him, giving him a promising smile.
“I could see you living here.”
“And do what? Stay at the ranch? I’m sorry, as much as I love it there, I can’t see myself being a cook. I like it, but I’m not good at it.”
“What do you want to do?”
She twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “Honestly, I’ve really enjoyed decorating the house.”
He wagged his brows. “Call me crazy, but even Cooper’s Hawk could use a decorator.”
Her nose wrinkled. “Ruger, are you being serious?”
“Sure. When I flip houses, I could use some professional help from a designer.”
A moan escaped her. “Oh my. I can see my sister’s face if I told her I was staying in Montana.”
“Who are you wanting to please more? You or your sister?”
“I love Emily, but she can really bury herself under my skin sometimes.”
“Maybe distance would do you both some good.”
She tapped his shoulder. “I want the lowdown on you. I’ve heard you’re quite the playboy. True or false?”
He swiped a hand down his whiskered jaw. “That’s very hurtful.”
“You’ll be okay.” She winked.
“Nope. Not a playboy.”
“Ah, so people perceive you wrong?” She played with a loose thread on her dress.
“Definitely.”
“So Flora was…what? Friends with benefits?”
“What makes you think we have one of those?”
“Come now, Ruger. A woman who lifts her top to show off her breasts certainly isn’t doing it for the breeze.”
“Since you’ve beaten it out of me, we were once seeing each other but things have since changed.” He flipped on his turn signal and they drove toward Trip Ease Mountain. The scenery transformed from ranch land and homes to wide open spaces.
“So, was she slow to get the memo or was it a rash decision on your part?”
Scratching his temple, he thought his words over carefully. Grace was a slick one. “She thought I would change my mind. That’s why she visited.”
“She thought one look at her breasts would break all your defenses? Are you that weak?”
“Did I invite her in?” He raised a brow.
“Touché.”
“It was the new piercing she thought would persuade me.”
“Oh. Okay. That’s interesting.”
“You should get your law degree. I really feel like I’m sitting on the stand with my balls being squished in a vice.” Hell, maybe she was a lawyer. What did he know about her?
“Forgive me and please let me remove the vice from the parts being squished. I was simply curious. Anyway, I think it’s admirable for you to go and check on the little boy Sam. I’m sure his mom would like to see the hero who saved his life.”
“I’m not a hero,” he growled.
“You don’t like that, do you?”
He shrugged. “Hero means that I did something outside of what I would normally do. I signed up for the S&R team to save people. It’s my calling. There’s nothing heroic about it. More people should want to help others.”
“Okay. Well, you are great at what you do. Do they know how Sam got lost?”
“Conley interviewed Sam, but he didn’t say much.”
“Ah, you think Sam could be in an unsafe situation?”
“I think his mom’s boyfriend is a real piece of work. He’s one of those people you get a bad vibe from before they even speak.” Ruger knew he needed to change the subject. “You ever think about having kids?” He felt the tension across the space between them. “If I said something I shouldn’t have—”
“It’s okay. There comes a point when I have to stop echoing sadness when that particular subject is mentioned.”
“Maybe it’s none of my business but I can be a damn good listener even if I haven’t proven that this far.” He found himself wanting to know what made her tick. Who was she? What secret pleasures were hidden inside her?
There was a long hesitation until she finally sighed in release. He glanced at her expression and something whipped through him and tugged at his heart. The pain he saw there made him want to pull over, sweep her into his arms and tell her everything would be okay.
“I’ve always wanted to be a mother, but I guess some dreams aren’t meant to happen.”
“Hey now. We should never give up on our dreams. You’re young yet.”
“After losing my daughter I gave up on hoping.”
“Hold on a second.” He jerked the wheel to the right and pulled into the gravel turn off, slamming on the brake. He shut off the engine and turned in the seat to face her. Some conversations deserved a person’s full attention. “I’m sorry. You lost a daughter?”
She stared down at her tightly clasped hands in her lap. “Yes. Caroline. She was only hours old.”
“Oh, God, Grace. I’m sorry. I am. I can’t imagine how painful that must have been.” Some of the darkness she’d brought with her to Montana returned to her eyes. So, this was her story?
Her tongue came out to sweep along the plump curve of her quivering bottom lip. “We’d genuinely wanted a family. So much that I started on fertility drugs and finally, the test came back positive. We were looking so forward to having our first child. Eight months in I started having some trouble and my blood pressure got high. I was on bed rest, I did everything the doctor told me to do, but nothing could stop her from coming too soon. She was too weak, and she passed away.”
He noticed the glassiness in her eyes before she turned away to look out the window. “I hope I’ve never been insensitive.” He could kick himself in the ass. “I had no clue.”
When she looked back at him the moisture was gone from her eyes. “I don’t wear a badge that announces to everyone that I’ve lost a part of myself.” She brushed her finger over the tattoo on her wrist which now made perfectly good sense to him “In a world that keeps on turning the injured must adapt. I’m getting there. Slowly. Being here as helped me. So, to answer your question, I want kids but again it’s probably not in the cards. There’s always a risk of a premature delivery again.”
He blew out a long breath, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry.”
“Ruger, you don’t have to keep apologizing.” She laid a hand on his knee and he felt the touch all the way into his gut. He wouldn’t make a move although he wanted to hold her.
But this time she took control.
She scooted across the leather of the seat, stretching over to press her lips against his. Surprised, he sat there like a bump on a log. She pulled back a few inches and the corners of her lips were lifted into a sweet grin. “I had to do something to keep you from saying sorry again and making me feel like a charity case.”
“I—” He cleared his throat. “I mean, you’ll have me apologizing after every sentence if you promise to kiss me every time.”
“I’ll tell you what, you promise to not apologize when it’s not necessary and we might have to make kissing a daily activity.” Her eyes twinkled.
And there it was. A statement that would change everything.
He leaned in, cupped the back of her head and drew her in to kiss her with less surprise this time and more need. She tasted so good and felt much better. This kiss was on a whole different plateau than the last one they’d shared. He felt her muscles relax and her mouth open in silent invitation. Soaring his tongue inside, he lapped up the heavenly pleasure he found there. Her arms came up around his shoulders and a desirable moan escaped her. Yeah, she was into this as much as he was…
Things heated up inside the truck, but he didn’t care—didn’t care that anyone could drive by and see them. He could take the heat. In fact, he’d jump into a fire to have her next to him.
She pressed her hands against his chest and with an aggressive shove, she pushed him back against the seat. He groaned in pleasure when she climbed over his lap, straddling his hips. She looked down at him with flushed cheeks and rosy, freshly kissed lips. In a throat
y voice, she said, “I bet this is illegal, you know, to take a man while he’s seated behind the wheel. Do you have any complaints?”
“Not a damn one,” he groaned and pulled her down to take those amazing lush lips again.
She took the lead, tugging his shirt high on his chest so she could run her fingers across his flat, hardened nipples.
“You make me crazy,” he breathed the words against her silky skin.
Slipping his hands inside the sundress, he lifted it higher and higher until he cupped her bare breasts. He became so hard he felt his lungs deflate.
“Your hands, they feel so good. I want this. So bad.”
“Me too.” Rolling his fingers over her nipples, she was fully aroused.
“You have perfect breasts,” he whispered against her mouth. “Perfect scent. Like fresh whipped cream. Taste like it too.”
“You mean you don’t mind that I don’t have any piercings?” she teased.
“You think you’re funny, don’t you?”
“Very.” She kissed his cheek. His neck. Upward to drag his earlobe between her teeth, giving the skin a gentle tug.
“I think you need a spanking.” He could barely fill his lungs with air. He hissed when she bit down a little harder. Who would have known this angel would turn into an imp? Hell, he knew. He could sense that she had a lioness aching to get out of those sheep’s clothing.
“Is that a promise?” Her irises were like green flames.
“Oh, so we have a freaky bone, huh?”
“One or two…or three.” She spread her palms wide over his chest. “Don’t let the lack of fake breasts and no piercings fool you. I can get very wild.” Her gaze promised moves he’d never get over.
Wrapped up in her seduction, he completely missed hearing the engine and tires on the road. The beeping of a horn brought both Ruger and Grace jumping in alarm. She struck her head on the ceiling as he jerked his hands from under her sundress.
She whispered something inaudible and slid back to the passenger seat as Ruger looked out the open window to see the grinning face of none other than his friend, Hank Hawke.
Cowboy Wilde (Cooper's Hawke Landing Book 2) Page 15