Branded as Trouble (27 page)

“Why?”

Because I love you
. Now was not the time for that confession.

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“I’ve been so rough with you. Last night. And now tonight.”

Colt angled his head and kissed the inside of her wrist. “You deserve…”

When he didn’t finish, India said, “What?”

“Tenderness.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “I can give you passion, but I’ve never given you…”

He had given her softness and gentleness; he just hadn’t realized that’s what it was. But here was the opportunity she’d wanted to show him her softer side. “Then let me give you tenderness, Colt.”

His eyes flew open.

“Let me give you sweetness. Let me make love to you.”
Let me
show you how much I love you, Colt McKay.

“Indy—”

“Please.” She traced the outline of his jaw. “If you hate it, I promise I’ll let you fuck me as hard and raw as you want.”

He managed a smile.

India threw a leg over his hip and straddled his belly. She reached up and knocked the pillows to the floor. “There. Now I have room to work.” She set her hands by his head on the mattress.

“Close your eyes.”

He did.

She pressed a soft kiss on his lips. And another. And another, until there was no break and they were kissing nonstop. Not frantically, unhurriedly. She eased back, latching onto his wrists and moved his arms up above his head so she could run her fingers across the muscles of his biceps, triceps, and forearms. Touching 274

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Branded As Trouble

him, feeling his cock jerk against her butt made her all the more determined to go slow.

India slid her lips down, flicking her tongue over the sexy dimple in his chin, trailing openmouthed kisses over his neck, past the hollow of his throat, between his pecs. She let her mouth follow the curve until the pebbled nipple brushed her lips.

Colt hissed.

“Mmm,” she said, lapping at the flat disk. She blew across the wetness and worried the pointed tip between her teeth. She switched back and forth between the two nipples until his upper body arched into her from the attention.

“I hope you’re not spending so much time licking and kissing me there because you’re secretly measuring me for a tattoo?”

Her chuckle against that sensitive flesh brought another groan from him.

“You have nice nipples.”

“Yeah? What makes them nice?”

“Big. Round.” India’s tongue drew a full circle. “Not much hair. A pretty color. Brownish-red, but not too much red.”

“I can’t believe I’m askin’ this, but nipple color matters?”

“Of course. Some guys’ nipples are ugly. They’re too small or centered weird on their chest. Or eww, they’re buried beneath too much chest hair. Yours—” she watched his eyes as she tongued the tip, “—are perfect.”

“Glad you think so.”

“So sensitive too. I know you love it when I do this.” India sucked the whole nipple into her mouth.

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He groaned.

India kissed and nuzzled every inch of his chest. Enjoying the chance to take pleasure in his body, not just his cock. She gave him credit; he left his arms above his head and didn’t attempt to seize control.

Good behavior should be rewarded.

She wrapped her fingers around his shaft and slid her hips down his belly until they were groin to groin. She pressed her lips to his as all that male hardness slipped inside her on a slow, sweet glide.

A sighing moan filled her mouth, but Colt didn’t attempt to break the kiss. India followed the contours of his arms and clasped their hands together, stretching her upper body completely across his.

She rocked on him, only allowing his shaft to withdraw halfway on each downstroke. Once he was buried balls deep, she’d rub side to side, loving the combination of the rasp of his pubic hair over her clit and the piercing.

It was a level of sexual comfort and closeness she’d never experienced, the heat of Colt’s body beneath hers, the fullness of his rigid sex filling her. The scents of sex and his cologne and her lotion mixed together. Hearing their stuttered breaths, at times in unison, at times staggered, and the whisper of rough skin on soft.

Colt finally broke his lips free. His neck arched and his fingers tightened around hers. “So close.”

“I know. Let me take you there.” She trailed kisses down the arc of his neck and sucked on the spot between his collarbone and 276

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Branded As Trouble

throat that brought his swift intake of breath. His hips pumped in a steady rhythm. He whispered her name as his cock jerked inside her, bursts of heat bathed her vaginal walls.

Her inner muscles started to spasm in time to the pulse pounding in her clit and she clenched those muscles around his cock, trying to prolong their pleasure.

He muttered, urging her to tip her head up so he could fasten his mouth to hers. God, she loved kissing him. Absolutely freakin’

loved the give and take of their kisses, sometimes passionate, sometimes flirty, sometimes sweet, but always with an edge of heat.

She released their joined hands and pushed up. “So? Did you hate that sweet, sweet lovin’?”

“You even have to ask?” His hands roamed up and down her back, from her shoulders to her ass. “You and me nekkid is always spectacular, but that felt like we were…”

“What?”

“Connected on a different level.” He paused, in speech and movement. “Did you feel it?”

“Absolutely.”

“Good.” His hands landed on her hips and he rolled with her, laughing at her surprised squeak as she looked up at him. “Now that you’ve shown me sweet, sweet lovin’, I might give the gentle approach a shot next time.”

His tenderness would be her undoing.

Colt buried his lips in her neck, sending goose bumps dancing across her skin. “Indy. I…”

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She couldn’t handle a confession from him. “Snuggle me up, cowboy. I’m cold and tired and it’s been a long day.”

Colt was gone by the time India woke up the next morning. No note, no anything. He hadn’t even made coffee. She started the coffeepot and detoured to the bathroom.

When India grabbed a towel to shower, she dislodged the

“monthly” calendar she’d shoved between the stacks.

Since she’d sobered up and since her mother’s death from ovarian cancer, and her sister’s accidental pregnancy, she’d kept track of her period and other women’s issues on a separate calendar in the bathroom.

Her gaze zeroed in on the big red X’s. She counted forward.

Holy shit.

They’d had unprotected sex at her most fertile time.

Twice last night alone. Once the night before when he’d pulled out at the last minute.

Dammit. What if she’d gotten pregnant? She unclipped the pen attached to the top and used it to mark off days. They’d had sex a lot to make up for the five days she’d had her period.

India freaked out. She counted again. No mistake. She jumped up and ran into the living room so she had more room to pace and freak out.

This was not happening. Not happening.

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God. What’d she been thinking? How could she’ve been so stupid? So irresponsible?

It takes two to tango.

Colt had brought up the condom issue right before he fucked her against the truck. She’d been so…intent on having him in his riled up state, all sexy and masculine and needy that she hadn’t been thinking clearly. Just like he hadn’t been thinking clearly the night before when he’d used the withdrawal method.

Still, they both knew better. Especially since her sister and his cousin had an unplanned pregnancy due to a moment of recklessness.

But hadn’t Skylar and Kade turned that oops into a happily-ever-after?

Yes.

So had she subconsciously wanted to get pregnant?

No. She wouldn’t do that to Colt. She loved him. She couldn’t wait to tell him how much she loved him. But she didn’t want to start the conversation with, “These last six weeks have been the best of my life and I love you like crazy…and speaking of crazy, guess what? I’m pregnant!”

The poor guy had no choice but to marry her. Seems that’s how
the Ellison women find husbands; they trap them by getting knocked
up.

Colt had suffered through enough gossip.

India sat on the floor and tried to come up with a workable plan. She had two days left of her most fertile time. If she could avoid Colt, she could avoid sex.

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Isn’t that a bit like closing the barn door after the cows get
out?

Yes, but it was the only option that made sense—even when it made no sense.

***

Late the next morning, Colt was standing outside shooting the breeze with Trevor and Edgard after they’d sorted cattle for the upcoming sale.

“Chass said Carolyn called a McKay family supper last night?”

Trevor asked.

“I think you mean a summons,” Colt said dryly.

“How’d that go? You took India, right?”

“Yep. It went fine.”

“Really?”

“Sure. It ain’t like Indy’s a stranger to anyone in the family.”

Although she had dressed and acted like one, Colt figured India wouldn’t appreciate him sharing that tidbit.

Edgard and Trevor exchanged a look.

“What?”

“I guess Chass was worried how it played out, bein’s half of ya’ll ain’t talkin’ since Cam blew up at your brothers and Carson a few weeks back.”

Colt sipped his coffee. “Seems Cam’s been avoiding everyone in the family, ’cept for me. So yeah, conversation at the dinner table was subdued. But there was enough babies cryin’ that we all pretended we didn’t notice the strain.”

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Trevor said, “What the hell did Cam say that pissed everyone off anyway?”

“Chassie didn’t tell you?”

“Chassie doesn’t know,” Edgard said. “It’s driving her crazy, which means…”

“She sent you two to get the dirt.”

Edgard grinned. “Yep.”

“You guys are such suckers,” Colt scoffed.

“Oh, she ain’t gettin’ the family dirt for free,” Trevor added.

“Me’n Ed have her repayment choices all planned out.”

“I’ll just bet you do.” Colt never would’ve thought his sweet little cousin would be living openly with two men. At first, Colt had suspected Chassie’s intimate relationship with Edgard came about only because of Trevor’s need for a sexual relationship with his former rodeo partner. Colt’d worried Chassie would do anything to keep her husband happy, including welcoming an old lover into their lives and their bed. Not that Chassie discussed Trevor and Edgard’s past, but it was obvious to him how the two men felt about each other. Yet, the more time Colt spent with the trio, the more he realized they were all truly happy together, and in his mind, that was what mattered.

“Spill the family beans, cuz,” Trevor said.

So Colt did.

When he finished, Edgard whistled. “That’s harsh, man. Does that mean things aren’t back to normal between you guys?”

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He shrugged. “Define normal. It’s about the same as it was before. We’re in the slow season so it ain’t like I gotta see them everyday, which is probably a good thing.”

“What’s India’s take on it?” Trevor asked. “Even though you just started datin’, you two’ve been friends for years.”

“India agrees with Cam. In fact, we had a huge fight about it last night after the family dinner.” He told them an abbreviated version of what she’d said.

“You’d be wise to keep her. She’s a smart one.”

“No argument from me,” Colt said. “I know Cam will come around and clear things up with Cord and Colby when he’s ready.

He’s stubborn, but he ain’t the type to hold a grudge.”

“Are you?”

“Maybe. My resentment and Cord and Colby’s distrust of me has been going on for years. Workin’ my ass off like I used to before I hit the bottle regularly ain’t changed their opinion of me.

I’m at a loss on how to fix it.”

“Ain’t your responsibility to fix it. Sure, Colby and me go way back, but that don’t mean I agree with everything he’s ever done. He and Cord’ve been outta line toward you for a helluva long time, Colt, so in my opinion, they need to do a little groveling, not you,”

Trevor said.

Edgard put his hand on Trevor’s shoulder and shoved him sideways. “Way to be compassionate, Trev.”

“What?”

“Not all families love to be shitty to each other like ours did.”

“So what do you suggest Colt does,
Dr. Phil
?”

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Colt saw the playfulness and how Trevor didn’t attempt to shake off Edgard’s touch. It meant the world to him these two gruff, private men were comfortable enough with him not to hide their feelings.

Which led him right back to the issue at hand with his brothers.

He sighed.

A big red diesel Chevy turned and barreled up the driveway.

Cord’s truck. And was that Colby in the passenger’s seat?

What the hell?

“Speak of the devils,” Edgard murmured. He ran his hand down Trevor’s back before dropping it from view. “We’d better get goin’.”

“Tell Chass thanks for the muffins.”

Edgard and Trevor chatted with Cord and Colby for a few minutes before they disappeared up the driveway.

Colt stood his ground and waited, hating that he felt nervous.

Colby climbed out first. “Mornin’ Colt.”

“Mornin’. What brings you guys by?”

The truck door slammed in response.

“Didja need something?” Did I do something wrong again?

“No. Gotta say, it’s sad the only time we show up at your place is when we need something.”

“A damn shame,” Cord added.

“You’re both welcome here any time.”