Lingerie and Lariats (Rough & Ready#7) (9 page)

The sun hung low in the sky by the time they returned to the ranch. She helped Dan unsaddle and brush down the horses. After they were taken care of, Dan and Renee walked to the west side of the house and stood on the wraparound porch to watch the sunset.

Renee studied the orange and pink tinted sky. “Arizona sunsets are so beautiful.” Streaks of purple and blue crossed through the tint and the sun was a big orange ball nested in the mountains. “I missed them, too.”

Dan took her hand as they watched the sun sink behind the mountains, until dusk settled over the land. Still holding hands, they turned and walked into the house.

The feel of his hand holding hers sent a sizzling kind electricity throughout her body. The connection between them felt charged and exciting. When they entered the house and he released her hand, she still felt a wild energy linking them.

After they washed up and changed into clean clothes, they made spaghetti with giant meatballs and homemade sauce. As they ate at the small table, he leaned closer to her and reached out and brushed her cheek with his hand. He came away with sauce on his fingertip and he licked it off. Her cheek tingled where he’d brushed it and she rubbed the rest of the sauce off with her napkin.

They cleaned up the kitchen and Dan went upstairs for a few moments while she went into the bathroom.

When she returned to the living room, he had an old trunk on the floor by the couch. “I haven’t opened this since I was a kid.” He blew dust off the top of the trunk then flipped the latch that made a scraping sound.

Hinges creaked as he raised the lid. He pulled out an old Parcheesi board that she recognized.

“We used to play that.” She laughed. “I would kick butt.”

“That’s not how I remember it.” He winked at her and she smiled as he set the board and the game box on the coffee table.

Next he pulled out a stack of old holiday and birthday cards. He took the top one off the stack, opened it, and handed it to her. “My card to you for your eleventh birthday,” she said with surprise as she recognized her girlish signature at the bottom of the card. Inside the card was a pressed dried flower. “That’s the flower you gave me that day, isn’t it?” She reached out and ran her finger along the flower that was rough beneath the pad of her finger.

“You left it here.” He took the card from her and set it back on the stack it came from. “You weren’t the only one with a crush.”

“Seriously?” She looked at him with surprise. “I had no idea.”

The corner of his mouth quirked into a smile. “Just like I didn’t have a clue that you liked me in that way.”

His smile sent a shiver of excitement through her. The sexual tension between them was strong but at the same time it was easy to be with him.

“What else do you have in there?” She peered over the edge of the trunk. “An old football, an autographed baseball, a glove, and a whole lot of other things.”

He brought out old 4-H ribbons along with rosettes and a couple of trophies from his junior rodeo competitions along with his high school letterman’s jacket. Black and white class photographs were in the box, the photos including a couple of teachers she recognized.

“Mrs. Eddie was pretty nice,” she said as she pointed to the music instructor. “On the other hand Mr. Norton was, if I can be blunt, a real bastard.” He’d been her first grade teacher.

Dan laughed. “We can agree on both accounts.”

They went through old yearbooks and he showed her kids they’d known when they were young and what they’d looked like when they graduated. “Some of them are still around, like most of the Sharpe family,” he said. “But a good many of those we knew moved away.”

“Like me,” she said and he nodded.

She found herself yawning as they put everything away. “Thanks for that.” She got to her feet at the same time he did and she looked up into his eyes. “I really enjoyed today.”

“So did I.” He picked up the trunk and carried it as they went up the stairs after they’d turned off all of the lights.

When they reached the guest room, he set down the trunk. Her stomach flipped as he took her by the shoulders. Heat radiated from his hands through her clothing, warming her skin. He kissed her forehead, his lips lingering as she heard him inhale deeply of her scent.

When he stepped back he still had his hands on her shoulders and butterflies tickled her belly. “I don’t dare do more than that. It’s hard enough keeping my hands off of you.”

“You don’t know how badly I want more than a kiss from you.” She rested one hand on his chest and felt his heart beating fast. She swallowed hard as she thought about how much she wanted him. “But you’re right. Not yet.”

“I don’t think I can sleep with you tonight.” His chest rose as he took a deep inhale and released her shoulders. “It’s too dangerous.”

Disappointment ebbed through her but she nodded. “I understand.”

He kissed her on top of her head this time then picked up the trunk and headed down the hall to his own room.

She watched him as he walked away, feeling as if a part of her was disappearing through the doorway. She wanted to run to him, to tell him she didn’t care about it being too soon. She wanted to beg him to stay.

But in her heart she knew they were doing the right thing.

One day at a time.

Now if she could just make it through the night without him there to hold her.

Sleep wouldn’t come. The moon peeked through clouds and its light glittered through tree branches outside the window, causing shadows to play across the ceiling. Renee stared up and looked at the patterns winking across the white surface as the tree moved with a light wind.

Even as she watched the shadows move, her mind was elsewhere. Dan was in her every thought. The time they’d shared so far seemed like it must be much longer than it actually was and she found herself wishing she hadn’t turned him away. She should have told him that she wanted him. Should have told him to stay.

Because she did want him, more than anything. It had nothing and everything to do with putting the past behind her.

She wanted to feel his arms around her, his hard body against hers. She wanted him in every way a woman could want a man.

Was he lying in bed awake, too? Was he thinking about her?

There was no doubt that he was as attracted to her as she was to him. It was in his looks, his touches, the way he smiled.

Before she could change her mind, she slipped out of bed. The floor was cool beneath her bare feet as she padded through the dark room that had only the silvery moon to light her way. It was darker in the hall and she ran her fingertips along the wall as she walked.

Her heart beat faster and flutters filled her belly as she neared his room. His door was partially open and she moved into the doorway.

Moonlight stole into his room, too, and she could see his features as he stared up at the ceiling just like she’d been doing. The moment she stepped through the opening, his gaze moved to her.

She moved closer to his bed. “I couldn’t sleep.”

He pushed himself up on his elbows. “Funny. I can’t either.”

When she reached the side of his bed, she sat on the mattress beside him. “I keep thinking about you…you and me.”

“So do I.” He reached his hand up and ran his knuckles along her cheekbone. “I can’t seem to stop thinking about you.” He let his hand drop to his side. “Which is a real good indication you shouldn’t be here with me. I don’t want to push you somewhere you might regret going.”

Without saying a word, she leaned forward, brought her mouth to his, and kissed him. He slipped one hand into her hair, cupping her head as he kissed her in return. He was gentle and she fell into the sensations, loving the way he tasted, loving his scent as his strong hands rested on her waist, holding her to him.

He grasped her tighter and caught her off guard as he raised her and brought her over him and onto the bed. One moment she was sitting beside him on the mattress, and the next she was on her back in the middle of his bed, looking up at him.

His features looked almost harsh in the moonlight and his eyes were heavy-lidded as he studied her. “I don’t know if you should be here.” His voice was rough as if he had a hard time getting the words out.

“This is where I want to be.” She slipped her hands up to his shoulders then linked them behind his neck. “With you. Right now.”

“If you change your mind—” he started.

“I won’t.” She smiled. “I know exactly what I’m doing and I have no reservations. There will be no regrets.”

He brought his mouth gently down on hers and she let out a soft moan. His lips were firm and he gently nipped her bottom lip with his teeth. As he kissed her, he slid his hand up the short silky nightgown to her breast and rested his palm on the soft mound.

The heat of his hand traveled through the material and she arched her back into his touch. He rubbed his thumb over her nipple as he continued to kiss her senseless. Her mind spun, her thoughts whirling as she got lost in his kisses.

Her breathing came faster as he moved his lips from hers and fraction by fraction trailed them along her jaw to her ear. His breath was warm as he brushed his mouth across her ear and then she shivered as he lightly nipped her earlobe.

“You are so beautiful, Renee.” His lips traveled the curve of her neck as he inched his way down. He darted his tongue out to taste her skin in the hollow at the base of her throat. “I love what I see inside and out.”

She tried to find the words to tell him she felt the same way, but they caught in her throat as he moved his mouth to her nipple and sucked it through the soft material.

While she tried to catch her breath, she slid her fingers into his hair, the strands soft to her touch. He eased his palm from her breast, along her side, his big hand splayed on her slim form. He reached the hem of her nightgown that had hitched up almost to her waist. He cupped her ass through her silky panties and the ache between her thighs was almost too much to bear.

Small whimpers came from her throat as she squirmed while he slowly removed her panties then pushed her nightgown up and over her belly to rest just below her breastbone. He lowered his head and licked a lazy path from her belly button to the valley between her breasts.

“So sexy.” He pushed her nightgown farther up so that her breasts were exposed and cool air brushed her wet nipple. She caught her breath as he nuzzled her breast then found her other nipple with his tongue. He licked slow circles around it before slipping it into his mouth and sucking while flicking his tongue over the hard nub. At the same time, he moved his hand to the opposite nipple and rolled it between his thumb and forefinger.

The words she finally found came out on a cry. “Please, Dan.” Fire curled through her belly and she felt like she might burn up with need. “I want more.”

“You make me crazy, Renee.” He groaned and pressed his muscled body tight to hers. She felt his cock, hard and thick against her side and another thrill rolled through her. He slid his hand from her breast, easing them down the flat plane of her belly. His fingers found the curls at the apex of her thighs.

She writhed in his arms as he slipped his fingers into her wet folds. He circled her clit with his finger then stroked the hardened bud. She gasped as his finger moved farther and he slid it inside of her wet heat and thrust it in all the way to his knuckles then eased his finger out.

His lips found hers again as he touched her, stroked her, and brought her closer to a pinnacle higher than she’d ever reached in her life. His touch was gentle, loving, but at the same time it ramped up her body’s thrumming until she could barely think straight.

She found herself whispering his name at first and then it came out more and more urgently. It was as if her hips rose of their own accord, wanting him closer and closer.

Flashes of light sparked in her mind and then her body flushed with heat as her hips bucked against his hand and her back arched. She felt like she was going to come off the bed with the power of her orgasm.

As she fought to catch her breath, she heard the sound of a package opening. Then he moved so that his hips were between her thighs, his big body partially on her. She loved the feel of his weight on her and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he placed his cock at the opening to her core.

“Are you ready for me?” he murmured.

“Yes,” she said, her throat tight. “I need you.”

He was as gentle with her as he slid into her as he’d been all along. She gasped at the feel of his hard cock pushing its way inside her. He reached her deep inside and she felt full, stretched by his thickness and length.

With slow, even strokes he started moving in and out, riding her like the cowboy he was. Their bodies were coated with perspiration and she felt the dampness in her hair. Every sensation seemed to burn her like sparks from a fire on her skin as she rose toward another climax.

She met his gaze, his eyes holding hers as he took her. Thrill after thrill went through her belly as he thrust inside her while he watched her. Illuminated by moonlight, his expression was dark, intense, focused. The tightness in his jaw told her that he was holding back, waiting for her.

Her eyelids fluttered, threatening to close as she fell into the incredible feelings swirling throughout her. She forced herself to keep them open because watching him take her made her feel as though every nerve ending was alive. She wanted to savor this, to treasure every moment of their first time together.

A ferocious expression crossed his features and he bared his teeth. It was taking everything he had not to climax before she did.

The orgasm that had been building inside her grew and grew until she knew she wasn’t going to be able to contain it any longer.

“Come for me, Renee,” he said. “Come for me.”

She reached climax and cried out like she never had before. Even if he’d had neighbors who were close enough to hear, she wouldn’t have cared at that moment. All that mattered were the waves of ecstasy rippling through her. Every rush of sensation was all the more magnified with every stroke he continued to take.

He thrust a few more times then pressed his hips tight to hers. A sound like a growl traveled through his clenched teeth as he climaxed. He didn’t take his gaze from hers as his body trembled, shaking from the power of his orgasm.

As she started to come down from the heights, back to some semblance of reality, she watched him. Every look on his face was dear to her, something precious to treasure.

He shuddered as the last of his orgasm left him. He took a deep breath before he gathered her in his arms as he rolled onto his side and brought her tightly to him.

They rested on their sides and he brushed his knuckles in soft strokes across her cheek, pushing her long hair behind her ear. For a long moment all he did was touch her as he looked into her eyes.

His expression was gentle and he gave a soft smile. “I’m falling for you, Renee. It started back when we were kids and now that we’re adults, here, together…I don’t want to even think about letting you go again.”

She didn’t answer, just studied him, thoughts whirling through her mind. Maybe she was falling for him, too, but it wasn’t something she was ready to face. So much had happened and was still happening in her life that she needed time to think it all through.

He wasn’t pressuring her, she was certain of that. He was letting her know how he felt and it was something she needed to consider. She didn’t want to toy with his feelings. Maybe she shouldn’t have—

“No regrets.” He touched the end of her nose. “You promised.”

He was right. This moment was meant to be.

She placed her hand against his chest and felt the beat of his heart beneath her palm. “No regrets at all,” she said.

A smile tipped the corner of his mouth and she smiled back at him. He brought her tighter into the circle of his arms and she sighed. Within moments she slipped into a deep sleep, wrapped in a blanket of the happiest feeling she’d had in a long, long time.