His Hometown Cowgirl (14 page)

Cool it, Lafferty. Just cool it
.

A rumble of thunder in the distance broke the
silence. Kelsey glanced toward the window, and so did Pete.

"Sounds like it might rain after all," she
said. "I sure hope it does."

"Yeah, we really need it." Pete popped a chip
in his mouth. "I've been called out to fight three wildfires this
week alone, two the week before. We need rain bad. It's dangerously
dry out there."

"Tell me about it. They finally issued a
burn-ban in the county, so no more campfires at Farmtime Trails.
Luckily, it didn't take effect before closing day."

She took another bite of her sandwich. "This
is nice," she said, "us eating lunch together like this . . . as
friends. We can do this, right?"

Was she trying to convince him or herself?
Pete dragged his eyes from his plate and focused on Kelsey, who was
staring at him over her half-eaten sandwich. "We can . . .
if
that's what you really want," he said.

Those sapphire eyes widened. "That's what
you
want . . . isn't it
?"
she asked in a soft
hesitant voice.

"I don't know." Pete pushed away his plate,
his heart hammering in his chest. He wiped his mouth on a napkin
and set it aside. "All I know is I want you with a desperation
that's frightening."

Kelsey swallowed hard. "But . . . but I
thought we agreed we were all wrong for each other--"

"We did . . . only that doesn't stop me from
wanting you."

Then that made two of them, Kelsey thought.
The raw yearning in Pete's deep voice tugged low in her gut,
igniting a flame in her blood. Her appetite fled, and she set what
was left of her sandwich on the plate, fisting her hands to stop
them from trembling. This thing between them was frightening
indeed. Her love for him only made it that much more
frightening.

She cleared her throat. "We've been through
this before, Pete. You know how I've been an emotional wreck,
although I seem to be doing better. The fact still remains that
you've never had a steady girlfriend for more than three months at
a time, four tops. I don't want to begin something with you, then
end up as one of your castoffs."

Pete actually winced. "I don't want that,
either. I don't want to hurt you, Kels."

"I don't want to get hurt. We'll just have to
tough this out. I probably shouldn't have stayed for lunch. I'll
leave." Pushing back her chair, she stood. A lump clogged her
throat, and she felt the surge of tears threatening. She clenched
her jaw. She would not cry. She was tired of crying. Tired of being
sad. Tired of being alone.

"I'll walk you out." Pete shoved back his own
chair and stepped past her to lead the way.

A whiff of his aftershave teased Kelsey's
senses, taunted, tormented. Damn. How she longed to feel Pete's
strong arms around her, holding her safe in his embrace. He could
help her to forget the sorrow that had swallowed her up every day
since Chris had died. Life was going on without her, and Kelsey
wanted to join the human race once again. Besides . . . she loved
Pete. She wanted to make love with him. Wanted to explore this
strong attraction zipping between them.

Could she find the courage to . . .?
Just
do it, Kelsey.

"Pete?"

The sound of Kelsey's soft plea froze Pete in
his tracks. He glanced over his shoulder. He stood two steps away
from her and temptation. Kelsey McCade was his own particular siren
song, luring him to a place he didn't want to go. At least, he'd
never wanted to go there before.

Slowly, he turned toward her and looked down
into her beautiful face. "Yes?"

She lifted her stubborn chin, holding his
steady gaze. She licked her bottom lip with the tip of her pink
tongue; his stomach jolted in response.

"I want you to make love to me. Please?"

Pete's stomach nosedived. Had he heard her
right? "I thought you just said we'd have to tough this out. You
said you just wanted to be friends."

Kelsey slowly nodded, her big blue eyes wide
and wary. "I know I did, but . . . I want to feel alive again,
Pete. When you kissed me the other day, I felt more alive than I
have in a long time."

He stepped closer, took hold of her shoulders
and searched her face. "Are you sure this is what you really want?"
Because he sure as hell wanted to make love to her. Only, he didn't
want to cause her more pain.

"Yes," she said, her voice almost a whisper.
"I know it's dangerous, but I'm willing to take that chance. Help
me, Pete. I need you to help me."

"Shh." He touched his finger to her bottom
lip and moved it back and forth. "It'll be okay. I'll protect you.
Trust me."

Before she could say anything more, he leaned
down and brushed his lips over hers. For one heartbeat, two . . .
she held herself stiff and unyielding. Pete pulled her closer,
deepening the kiss,

Another second ticked by before she finally
surrendered to the passion that had been building between them for
so long. She looped her arms around his neck and plastered herself
against the length of his body. She kissed him back, giving her
all, surrendering to the burning desire threatening,
promising,
to consume them. He'd never felt anything so
sweet, so hot before in his life.

The impact clawed at his groin, and he spun
out of control; sensations hit him head on, robbing his lungs of
oxygen. Adrenalin flooded his bloodstream, and his body pulsed with
fierce need. Without letting go of her, he backed up and sat down
on the hard kitchen chair, pulling Kelsey onto his lap.

Kelsey closed her eyes and gave herself over
to the passion flaring hotly between her and this man who'd
fascinated her for most of her life. Her brain still warned her she
should resist because she was risking her heart again, but her body
refused to take heed. His touch evoked an instinctive reaction that
was both instant and violent in its intensity. Her body thrummed
with anticipation, and all of her defenses melted away.

Pete's kisses definitely made her feel alive
again. He tasted like heaven, and dear God, she couldn't get
enough. She felt powerless to resist the sensual pull and the bond
she shared with Pete Lafferty. Or the newly acknowledged love she
felt for him. He'd always been a part of her life; he'd always
owned a little piece of her heart. If she couldn't trust Pete to
keep her safe, who in the world could she trust?

Two strong hands grabbed her under the arms
and lifted her. "I want you to straddle me, honey. It'll be good; I
promise."

In a fog of desire, Kelsey nodded, easing
herself over his lap until she was sitting with a leg on each side
of Pete's muscular thighs. His arms tightened their hold, and she
gave herself up to the wonder of his touch. The rigid bulge beneath
his fly nestled against her hot feminine core, and she couldn't
resist wiggling closer, desperately seeking contact against that
one tiny sweet spot where her desire gathered, ready to explode in
release.

Pete's fingers clamped on her thighs to still
her movements. "Whoa, sweetheart. Slow down. We don't want to be in
a rush."

"I want . . . I need . . ." Her eyes
fluttered shut; she tilted her head back, focusing all of her
attention on that one small pinpoint of sensation.

"I know." Pete quickly recaptured her lips in
a searingly brutal kiss, and she responded hungrily, refusing to
think, only wanting to feel, only wanting
him
. She leaned
closer and rubbed her aching breasts against his solid muscled
chest. The hot yearning coiled low in her stomach. It had been so
long since she'd felt passion. Too long.

She heard the first raindrops plunk down on
the metal roof of the apartment, the sound both welcomed and
comforting. Then the rain began to fall in earnest, beating down
steadily, closing them off from the rest of the world.

Pete pulled back a moment, breaking the kiss,
listening to the rhythm of the rain. Kelsey felt the loss of
contact stab at her heart. She didn't want to stop kissing and
touching. She didn't want to think, didn't want time to change her
mind. She wanted Pete to fill the emptiness inside of her, needed
him to fill her empty soul.

"Pete?"

"I know, honey." He looked deeply into
Kelsey's passion-glazed eyes, and she tightened her hold around his
neck, offering her lips for another kiss. They stared at each other
for a minute, their breaths heavy between them.

Pete knew they needed to move to the bedroom
. . . fast. His body was burning hotter than any wildfire he'd ever
fought. And the woman in his arms was the only one to douse the
flames. That thought would have scared the crap out of him six
months ago. But now it was just a part of his reality.

"Hold on," Pete commanded as he stood up,
holding Kelsey close. "Wrap your legs around me . . . yes, like
that." He kissed her again and with his mouth fused to hers, he
carried her down the hallway to his bedroom. She kissed him back
with a fervor that matched his own. He didn't know why fortune had
suddenly shone down on him. All he knew was that Kelsey wanted him
as much as he wanted her. And he'd wanted her for a long time.

Kicking closed the bedroom door; he walked to
the bed and set her down. He quickly got rid of her boots, and
before she could begin thinking instead of feeling, he stretched
out on top of her and proceeded to drive them both mad with desire.
He felt her hands all over him, and then move between them; it took
a minute to realize she was trying to unsnap his shirt buttons.

Pete raised up a little to accommodate her
ministrations. He cupped one full breast in his palm, rubbing the
taut nipple with his thumb, back and forth, back and forth, kissing
her forehead, her eyes, her cheeks.

"God, that feels good. I can't seem to . . .
Well, damn!" Kelsey grabbed both shirt plackets at his neck and
ripped the garment open. She caught his eyes and smiled. "There.
That's better."

Pete felt the impact of her smile all the way
down to his toes. He took her mouth in a savage kiss, drinking in
her sweetness, exploring, learning, possessing.

She was busy pealing the shirt from his
shoulders, and he shrugged out of the sleeves and tossed it to the
floor. He leaned on his elbows and stared down into her beautiful
blue eyes. In all good conscience, he couldn't do this without
making sure it's what she really wanted. Granted, he might die if
she wanted to quit, but when all was said and done, this
was
Kelsey. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her.

He leaned down and kissed the tip of her
nose. "You sure about this, honey? Sure you want to make love? With
me?"

Her eyes turned somber, but she rose up and
kissed him on his chin. "Yes, I'm sure. Make me feel alive, Pete.
Make me feel alive." She bumped her lower body suggestively against
him and brought his head down, kissing him hard, hungrily,
passionately.

He wasn't completely convinced that this was
the smartest thing to do, but his body was on fire, and he wanted
her with an urgency that nearly scared the shit out of him. He'd
just have to make sure to keep her safe and promised himself he
wouldn't hurt her.

When they came up for air, Pete hastily
unbuttoned Kelsey's shirt and exposed her lace-covered breasts. His
breath stalled in his lungs at the beauty he'd revealed.

He traced a finger along the edge of the
silky bra over the curve of the breast, feeling a primitive
satisfaction when she trembled beneath his questing fingers. "So
beautiful. So very, very beautiful." He ran his tongue along the
lace, nudging the gossamer fabric closer toward the dark areola,
but staying well away from the beaded nipple.

"Pete?"

"Yes, darlin'?"

"You're killing me."

"Am I?" He nipped the lacy edge between his
teeth and moved it slowly over the dark crest, flicking his tongue
quickly over the sensitized bead, smiling when Kelsey arched her
back, offering herself to his delectable pleasure.

He eased his arm beneath her, urging her to
arch more fully, blowing on the turgid nipple, placing his opened
mouth over it, exhaling a hot damp breath, teasing, taunting, but
never touching that sensitive peak.

"Oh God, Pete.
Please!
"

"What do you want, honey? Tell me what you
want."

"I want . . . I want . . . Touch me!
Please, touch me!"
She grabbed the bed sheets in her fists,
twisting, writhing beneath him. Her breath came out in short
gasping pants.

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined
she'd be this responsive to his touch. Hell, they weren't even
naked yet and they were both ready to explode and fly off the cliff
into paradise.

"You want me to touch you . . . like this?"
Pete watched her face as he laid the flat of his tongue against her
nipple.

Her body nearly bucked off the bed, and she
moaned loudly. "Oh God, yes! Yes. Like that."

Pete hastily withdrew the pressure of his
tongue, hovering above the wet nipple, blowing on it. With his
other hand, he unfastened the bra clasp, and the satin cups slipped
from both of her breasts. As he continued to tease one nipple with
his tongue, he began a similar torture on the other with his
fingers.

Kelsey's body was burning up. She arched her
back as high as she was able, silently begging Pete to take her
nipple in his mouth. Damn him. She wrapped her legs around his
waist, rubbing herself against him with panties damp with
desire.

Suddenly, she felt his hot mouth close over
her nipple, and he sucked hard. Immediately, her world exploded
into a thousand shards of sparkling lights.

Her eyes flew open and she stared at the man
who held her in his arms. Pete's eyes were heavy-lidded with
suppressed passion, but he gathered her close as she floated down
from her sudden climax. She felt warm all over, but on alert as if
every nerve ending were standing at attention. Waiting . . .
Wanting . . .