Hard Lovin' (3 page)

Erin swallowed a gasp.

He was perfection, lean and hard muscles, with a thick nest of curls surrounding a cock that stood impressively at attention. Tentatively she reached out a hand and wrapped slim fingers around his shaft and stroked him from root to broad tip. A bead of fluid winked from the slit in the head and her thumb rubbed it over the soft velvet.

Her other hand reached down to cup his sac, lying heavy against his thighs, caressing the soft, fine hair. He sucked in a breath but stood there letting her get the feel of him.

She felt the tension radiating from his body, pleased that he was still willing to stand there and let her keep touching him without…

No! Don’t go there.

“Erin?” His voice was strained. “I need to get you on the bed, darlin’.”

Without waiting for her to answer, he scooped her up and laid her down on the coverlet. Spreading her legs wide, he knelt down and licked her cream, his tongue the brush of a flame on her hot, hot cunt.

“Ohhh,” she sighed. Then, “You don’t have to—”

“I do.” He lifted his head to look at her. “Yes, darlin’. I do.”

And he went back to his task, licking and nipping, tugging at her clit with his lips and his teeth, fucking her pussy with his tongue, his fingers stroking over her labia. She was drifting on a cloud of pleasure, lost in the sensation of his touch. But when one finger drifted down to touch the tight ring of her anus the cloud dissipated and she flinched.

Grady stilled. “Erin? It’s all right, darlin’. We won’t do anything you don’t enjoy.”

He returned his attention to her pussy, eating at her like a starving man, working her clit and her quivering tunnel until she was rising toward the peak again.

“Ohhh,” she murmured again. “Oh, Grady.”

“Right here, darlin’.”

He rose and lifted his jeans, pulling out his wallet and fishing for a condom. It took him only seconds to roll it on and then he was pressing at her opening, the thick head of his cock pushing into her.

“Now, sugar,” he rasped, and drove into her.

“Yesss,” she cried as his hips pistoned, moving in a strong tempo.

His forearms were braced on either side of her and she clutched them for dear life, riding the wave of erotic desire that swamped her. Again and again his cock thrust into her, the muscles of her pussy tightening around him. Her orgasm rose up like a tidal wave, just as Grady shouted, “Now, Erin. Now.”

And they tumbled into the darkness together.

She left her father’s castle gate, left her own fine lover

Left her servants and her estate, to follow the gypsy rover

It was five o’clock in the morning and Braddock Ranch was in utter chaos. Had been since T.J. Elliott discovered Erin was missing. In the backyard the white tents set for the wedding stood forlornly empty, the staff from the caterer and the florist long gone. Inside, the guests who hadn’t returned to their homes or hotel rooms gathered together in shock. Uniformed sheriff’s deputies were still taking statements from people and Nelda, the housekeeper, moved silently around the rooms serving coffee.

Rance Braddock angrily paced the great room, cell phone clapped to his ear, coffee mug in his other hand, boot heels thundering on the hardwood floor.

“I don’t fucking care if you have to call out the National Guard,” he shouted into the phone. “I want my daughter found and I want her found yesterday.

T.J., shirt collar open, sleeves, rolled up, hair disheveled, leaned against a wall working his own cell phone, his expression a mixture of anger and disbelief.

“She has to be somewhere,” he repeated to the person on the other end. “Wake up everyone in town if that’s what it takes, but find her. You understand me?”

The one thing everyone knew was that Erin Braddock had left home last night and not returned and her truck has been found this morning in the deserted parking lot at Smoky’s.

“Didn’t anyone see her leave last night?” Diana Franklin whispered to the other three bridesmaids bunched in a corner with her? “Where did she go?”

Vanessa Crawford gave an unladylike snort. “Where do you think? I’ll bet she went back to Smoky’s. Who wouldn’t go back to see Grady Sinclair?”

“But she’s supposed to get married today,” Diana protested.

“Yeah. To Mr. Oatmeal. I’d say she had second thoughts.”

Vanessa covered her face with her hands. “Lordy, lordy. We never should have taken her there.”

Lili Cardwell was thinking the same thing, hyperaware of the text she’d received from Erin. A text she wouldn’t reveal unless she thought it absolutely necessary. Maybe Erin was finally coming back to life, and all this opulence at the ranch, the suffocating presence of her father and T.J. were enough to choke her.

“Listen to me.” Lili grabbed Vanessa’s wrists. “She needed some diversion.

Something to shake her up. She was sleepwalking through everything.”

“Well, who wouldn’t,” Vanessa protested. “Especially after—”

“Don’t even mention his name,” Lili warned.

“Lili, do you know something?” Vanessa demanded.

“If I did I’d tell.” Like hell. “And hush up. Here comes T.J. again.”

“Ladies.” T.J. had disconnected his call and was standing in front of them. “I need to ask you one more time. Y’all were with Erin the last four nights. Was she upset about anything? Unusually troubled?” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Her daddy and I were hoping this wedding would be a new starting point for her.”

They all shook their heads. Lili clasped her hands in her lap. “She was just like she’s been, T.J. Quiet. Sort of withdrawn. You know, into herself. Nothing different from the past few months.” She gave Rance a weak smile. “Something we were all hoping would change with the wedding.”

“We told all that to the sheriff,” Vanessa put in. “The last we saw her she said she was going out to get a breath of air. This house was jammed with people at the party and you know how she’s been about crowds lately.”

T.J. raked a hand through his hair. “I can’t believe she just took off like that. Rance thinks someone took her but that wouldn’t explain the ranch truck left at Smoky’s.”

“Unless they stuffed her in the truck when no one was looking and made a switch at the bar.” Rance had come up beside T.J., lines of anger and distress carved into his face. “There was so much noise here last night no one would have heard her call for help.” He gestured with his cell. “I called the governor’s office and he’s getting the Texas Rangers on this. Damn, damn, damn. She’s been through so much, I just wanted to see her safely married and out of harm’s way.”

T.J. glanced at Rance, a strange look washing over his face. “I’d like to think my marriage was a little more than that, Rance. Not that my top priority isn’t helping Erin get past her nightmares but I think marriage needs a little more than that. Like love.”

“Of course, of course.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I didn’t mean otherwise.

I’ve just been so damn worried about her. And now this.”

“I know I asked this before,” T.J. said, “but do you think Cal might have had anything to do with this? He’s not exactly a happy camper these days.”

Anger flashed in Rance’s eyes. “I don’t think he’d have the balls for something like this. Anyway, he’s the first person the cops checked with. He’s in Dallas at a business conference where he’s been visible almost every minute. Not enough time for him to get here and back without someone noticing.”

“And what about the people in the bar last night?” T.J. persisted. “Anything there?”

Rance blew out a breath of frustration. “Sheriff Danby’s talking to Joe Roberts, the owner, himself, to see what he remembers. He said he’d call the minute he’s through.

Had to yank him out of bed.”

The cell phone in his hand rang and he punched the Talk button. “Yeah? Oh,

Governor, sorry to be so short. Yeah, yeah. Okay, good. Thanks very much.” He disconnected and looked at T.J. “Ranger Company D in San Antonio is sending someone out. Should be here in a couple of hours.”

“I can’t just stand here and do nothing. Maybe I can run into town, scout around the bar myself.”

“You just stay put,” Rance told him. “Let the experts do their jobs.”

“Oh,” T.J. snorted, “like you’re not just itching to race out there and start looking for yourself?”

“And I will. But first I want to get my ducks in a row. When I find the bastard who took her he’ll wish he was dead before I get through with him.”

* * * * *

Erin woke to the gray light of dawn filtering in through the blinds at the windows, the color of the sky before the first rays of sunlight painted it. She blinked her eyes twice, not sure at first where she was. The room was totally unfamiliar. Had she somehow woken up in an alternate universe?

Then she realized in quick order that a warm male body was spooned against her, a strong male arm was around her waist, and a very masculine leg was draped over hers.

And it all came crashing back like a building imploding. The party. The noise. The crowd of people. The desperate need to escape. Smoky’s and the singer with the let-me-fuck-you voice.

And the best sex she’d ever had in her life.

Grady Sinclair.

Holy shit, what had she done?

She shifted slightly, wondering exactly what the morning-after etiquette was in a situation like this. She’d never picked a guy up in a bar before. She’d gone home from a party with Cal but that was different. That had been more of her rebellion. And of course, look how well that had turned out.

She waited for the fear to sweep over her, the panic, the desperate need to escape, but all she felt was a throbbing in her pussy and an unbelievable need to feel this man inside her again.

So now what?

As if reading her thoughts Grady’s arm tightened around her and he pulled her close enough to him that she could feel his hard cock pressing against the crevice of her 24 buttocks. For a moment she tensed, but when he shifted enough so his shaft rested against one cheek of her ass, she relaxed again and let the heat bubble up inside her.

Without saying a word Grady moved one hand so it cupped her breast, and the other to slide down her tummy to the curls covering her mound. His fingers drifted idly through it until he found the hot button of her clit and just like that lightning speared through her. She clenched the muscles of her pussy against the sudden surge of need and a moan drifted from her mouth.

“Feel good, darlin?” he breathed in her ear. “Sure feels good to me. You’re already dripping wet.”

Erin wondered if she should be embarrassed at how quickly and easily she responded to him, but she felt so good she just couldn’t care.

Grady stroked her clit while a thumb and forefinger squeezed and tugged on a nipple, and twin sparks of pleasure ignited her nerve endings. Tug, tug, stroke, stroke, his arm holding her in place even as his hand probed her slit. She rocked her hips against his touch, silently urging him to rub faster and harder.

“That’s it, sugar. Ride my hand. Go on. Let me feel you.”

He nipped at the lobe of her ear as she pushed herself into his touch. The touch of his tongue licking a path along her neck was like a brush of flame dusting against her.

She groaned in protest when he hooked one leg over hers and pulled it back so she was spread wide open. When she tried to squeeze her thighs together he tightened the pressure on her leg.

“Uh-uh, little girl. Just like this.”

Rub, rub, rub. His fingers were doing wicked things to her cunt, stroking the lips, the clit, rimming the opening to her channel. Oh, god, she wanted him inside her.

Needed to feel him there, with a desperation that threatened to consume her. But he was relentless, merciless, holding her open as he drove her to completion. She shuddered as the muscles of her pussy clenched on air and Grady squeezed her nipple and licked her skin.

The intense rush and fading tremors of the orgasm hadn’t even taken the edge off her need. When Grady loosened his hold on her she shifted and turned to him, reaching for his cock.

“I want you,” she murmured, wondering when her boldness had returned. She couldn’t remember ever wanting this strongly this fast. Feeling as connected to anyone.

Not any man who had come into her life until now. “I need you inside me. Now.” As if to give emphasis to her words she reached between his legs to cup his sac, rubbing her fingers over the skin with the soft dusting of fine hair. She scraped her fingernails lightly over the surface, feelings his balls heavy inside and smiling at the groan it drew from him.

“Okay, okay,” he rasped. “Give me a minute here.”

He reached into the drawer of the nightstand and fished around until he pulled out a condom. Tearing the foil with his teeth he dressed himself one handed and rolled Erin beneath him.

“Give it to me, darlin’.” His voice was low, smoky, wakening the lust coiling rapidly in her belly.

She widened her thighs and bent her knees, opening herself to him. “Hurry, hurry, hurry,” she urged.

Grady slid his hands beneath the cheeks of her ass to lift her to him and drove home with one strong thrust. Erin came again instantly, a small climax that had the walls of her pussy flexing against his shaft. He held himself braced on his hands while she spasmed around him, Her eyes were closed but she felt his gaze on her face just as if she’d been looking at him.

When she lay panting beneath him he bent his head and took her mouth in a kiss that was both tender and predatory. She’d never been kissed like that before, greedy and taking, yet giving at the same time. His tongue swept inside, tasting her everywhere, and her own tongue dueled with his. He drank from her mouth ravenously, sucking on her tongue, fusing his lips to hers.

When he felt the slight change in the rhythm of her breathing that told her unbelievably she was riding another crest of arousal, he began a slow rocking motion of his hips.

“Wrap your legs around me,” he urged.

She did as he asked, locking her ankles together at the small of his back, drawing him even deeper inside her. He bent his head and captured a nipple in his mouth, pulling on it and lightly biting down on the pebbled point. She arched herself up to him, trying to urge him to pick up speed, but Grady seemed intent on slow, sensual torture.