In Too Deep (5 page)

Shock made her rigid as she came apart in a blinding instant. Her back bowed. She dug her head into grass and sand. Her eyes squeezed shut and light exploded in her head, pinpricks stinging the backs of her eyes. Lena gave a muffled shout.

Her cowboy disengaged with her mouth, rising on his arms as he continued to pound inside her, drawing out her pleasure until she keened and moaned and then at last lay limp beneath him.

His body sagged against hers.

She huffed a laugh, amazed she’d been so consumed with her own orgasm she’d missed the moment of his.

When a kiss landed on her cheek, she opened her eyes to find him grinning down.

“Not disappointed?” he asked, his voice a soothing rumble.

Lena shook her head, too weak to form words. A moment later, her pleasure faded as she realized she’d heard those exact same words from another younger cowboy years ago. She stared for a long moment as her body grew chilled.

Icy fury spilling over her, Lena dug her nails into his shoulders and shoved. “You bastard!”

Chapter Four

When Lena began slapping his chest, Gabe grabbed both hands and forced them to the ground beside her head. “What the hell?”

Her mouth twisted in a snarl. “Get off me.”

Gabe glared down, wondering why the sudden change. One moment she’d melted beneath him. The next she was a writhing wildcat. And the fact he was still eight inches deep inside her only made him more confused. “What’s wrong, Lena?”

“Liar,” she roared, the sound so raw his heart stuttered.

All fight left her. Her body relaxed beneath his, but her expression worried him even more. Tears welled in her eyes. The corners of her mouth turned down.

“Did I hurt you?”

She shook her head, sniffing as moisture filled her eyes. “What kind of game are you playin’, Gabriel Triplehorn?”

His stomach lurched. He bowed his head, breathing deeply for a moment before forcing his gaze to meet her accusing one. “What gave me away?”

“I’m a fool,” she rasped. “You’re all grown up. Nearly unrecognizable. But I knew those eyes.”

Gabe released one of her hands and cupped her cheek. “I’m sorry I lied about my name. I’m not sure why I did. I guess I just wanted to be some guy you’d never met.” At her continued glare, he sighed. “I didn’t mean any harm. I just wanted the chance to get to know you again, without you thinking about that clumsy boy.”

“You weren’t clumsy,” she muttered. “You were sweet. Energetic, but you were utterly perfect.”

“And that makes you sad?”

She blew out a gust of air. “It makes me an idiot. The one man I should never have anything to do with…” She closed her eyes. Another tear leaked from her eye.

Gabe still didn’t get it. So she’d figured out who he was. Why was she so damn against him? “Why not have anything to do with me?”

She snorted. “Not enough time or tears to explain.”

Gabe frowned. “Lena, I’m not movin’ until you tell me what’s wrong.”

Her chin jutted. “Isn’t the fact you got me here under false pretenses enough?”

“This was fun. You enjoyed it. If it’s not something you wanted, all you had to do was tell me to go to hell.”

“I didn’t get the chance to say that to Mr. Triplehorn, did I?” she said, her voice getting a little louder.

“All because I’m not some stranger?”

“Don’t look at me like that. You don’t know me.”

“But I want to,” he ground out in frustration.

“It’s a little too late. Now, please. Get off me.”

Gabe dreaded doing that. So long as he was locked inside her body, she had to keep talking to him. He sensed once he let her go, she’d withdraw and he’d never understand what went so wrong. “Sweetheart—”

“Don’t call me that.”

Gabe dropped his glance. “Lena…” He swallowed and then lifted his gaze again. Triplehorns weren’t cowards. “I’m afraid if I let you go, you’ll run.”

Her hard stare would have had his brother Colt backing away, but Gabe held firm.

“I know I was dead wrong not tellin’ you up front. But that doesn’t mean there’s not something here between us. Tell me the truth. You feel it too.”

Her mouth formed a tight line, and he almost relented.

But then her eyes filled with tears. “This is all wrong.”

“Doesn’t have to be,” he said, adopting a more soothing tone. “Lust always took the lead with us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make this about so much more.”

“It’s too fucking late. Years late to make this into anything but a really bad dream.”

“I don’t understand. Was it something I said back then? Something I did?”

“It’s what you left,” she said, bitterness roughening her voice. “Let me up.”

“We’re not done.”

As though taunting them both, his cock twitched inside her, surging again inside her steamy heat. He chose to ignore it.

But a moan seeped from inside her. Her bottom lip trembled, and her pussy gave away her state of arousal. It clenched, cinching around him to keep him deeply embedded.

Gabe narrowed his eyes as he studied her expression. He noted the deepening of her breaths, the tension quivering through her frame. Slowly, he lowered his head, giving her one last chance to say no.

But she never did.

Their lips touched, softly at first. He rubbed her mouth, gently circling, and then suctioned to pull at her lips.

She dug her fingers into his skin, raked his chest and then dragged her hands around his sides to his back.

He’d have the marks there for anyone to see but didn’t care. He ended the kiss and jerked his hips to dig inside her, tunneling hard.

Her eyelids fluttered then closed. Her mouth gaped as her head tilted back. The sweat on her cheeks gleamed in the bright sunlight.

Gabe straightened, pushing up on his arms, pulling away from her tight embrace. Without breaking their connection, he went to his knees, stuck his arms beneath the crooks of each of her knees and raised her bottom. With his arms controlling her movements, he continued thrusting, jerking her against him in opposition. He dropped his gaze down to where their bodies joined and watched his reddened cock glide between her swollen vaginal lips.

“Let me see your clit,” he ground out.

Without hesitation, her hands smoothed down her soft belly and pulled up on the top of her folds, exposing her engorged nubbin. Slick and bright red, he wished he could dip his head between her legs.

“Tonight,” he said, with another glide into her silky hot depths, “I’ll come to your room. Don’t lock your door. I’ll suck on that pretty little button until you come. Then I’ll spank your pussy until it’s wet and your legs are shaking. I’ll make you come again like that.”

“Shut up. Just shut up,” she groaned, but her hips fought his hold, her bottom bounced.

He raised his curled arms tighter and spread them to open her as he pounded deep and hard, each thrust thudding against her body.

Lena cupped a breast with her free hand and pinched her nipple. Then her belly undulated in uneven motions as her cunt squeezed around him. “Jesus, Gabe. Fuck me. Fuck me harder!” She stuck two fingers into the top of her folds and rubbed hard. “Jesus, oh, fuck.”

Gabe was so deep, so fucking hard, his teeth hurt. His balls drew up, hard as rocks, banging against her ass. He gave everything he had in a violent flurry of motion. Not relenting even after a long wail erupted from her.

Gabe banged her with more force, wanting to mark her, make sure she never forgot what it was like to be truly taken by a man who wouldn’t accept anything but complete surrender. He wouldn’t let her refuse him again, wouldn’t ever let her go.

At that thought, something inside him snapped into place. Joy exploded at the same time his cock erupted, spewing inside the condom. Whatever grievance she had against him couldn’t withstand his sheer determination. He’d make it up to her, make her see that no other man would ever be as good, ever want her as much.

He gritted his teeth as the last surge of come spurted. Lowering her thighs, he came down on top of her, his heaving chest resting against her soft breasts. “This was good, Lena. We’re good together. That’s not changed.”

She covered her face with an arm and turned her head to the side. “This was never the problem. It’s even better now.”

“Forgive me for lying?”

“It’s not for me to forgive.”

She eased her arm away and gave him a look filled with so much emotion it nearly killed him.

“You’re gonna hate me.”

He didn’t believe her. With her warm, pliant body cushioning his own, he held still. “Tell me.”

Tears filled her eyes and tracked down the sides of her face into her hair. She held his gaze as if silently begging for understanding before she whispered, “We have a son.”

Gabe blinked. He shook his head, sure he’d heard wrong. “What?”

“We have a boy. He’s nine.”

He’d been so hot a moment ago, but now the sweat dripping from his hair felt cold as ice against his skin. He pulled free, scrambling away to kneel beside her. “A boy? My son?” He heard the hoarseness in his voice. Felt his throat close up, unable to utter another sound.

Lena moved, also coming to her knees.

She reached out a hand toward him, but he jerked back.

“You were just a kid. Still in high school.”

“You think I wouldn’t have wanted to know?” he whispered harshly. “It was my right.”

“I was afraid. Alone. Except for Grandpa. My mother and father were furious. Cut me off. When I went back to school, I had to do it on my own.”

His lips curled up in a snarl. “You didn’t
have
to do anything on your own. One damn call would have fixed it.” Gabe pushed up to his feet and quickly rolled the condom off his cock. He dropped it to the ground.

“Um, we have to pick up our trash,” she said, vaguely waving at the condom.

He gave her a glare, shaking his head as he backed away. “You do it. I have calls to make.”

“Wait,” she called after him.

But he was already moving to the clothes they’d flung away.

“Gabe.”

He gave a sharp shake of his head but didn’t look back. Moments later, dressed, he crashed through the brush, heading down the sunlit trail, his chest tight, his mind completely blown.

He didn’t want to be anywhere near her. Didn’t want to talk. Beyond shocked, fury shook his whole body. He had a kid. One he’d never met. Didn’t even know his name. He wanted to curse her but couldn’t make himself stoop that low.

She’d had her reasons. He’d been a teenager. But he didn’t buy that one. His parents had married young and look how many years they’d had together.
 

No, he could think of only one really good reason she hadn’t told him. She’d been scared of his family, no doubt. Thought maybe she couldn’t fight him and keep custody of her child.

But she was dead wrong. He wouldn’t have stripped the boy from her. He’d have been there for her.
Married her.
Damn her to hell. He’d been in love with her, missed her—for fucking years—until he’d built a shell around his heart and learned to be with women without giving a damn about their emotional needs.

He’d played and caroused. Shared women with his brother, Tommy. He’d become a goddamn whore, fucking anything with tits because he hadn’t found that same feeling of connection, of completeness, with anyone else.

He’d half-convinced himself he’d been operating on teenage lust, that he couldn’t have really been in love with her. That love was a myth dredged up by too many hormones.

Until he’d seen his brother with Zuri. Watched Colt’s anger and disappointment melt beneath an all-consuming hunger. And he’d remembered what that felt like. Knew exactly why Colt hadn’t been able to give up on Zuri. Not for a minute. Not even when he thought she’d robbed a bank.

He stomped into the clearing and ran up the steps, passed Kayla at the desk, but ignored her greeting. When he got to his room he went straight for his cell phone.

“That you, bro?” Colt asked on the first ring.

“Colt.” Gabe’s throat closed again, but he cleared it.

“Anything wrong?”

Gabe sat on the edge of the bed, dropping his elbows on his knees as he dragged in deep breaths to calm his racing heart. “I have a kid. A boy.”

After a long pause, Colt asked, “Lena Twohig the mom?”

“Yeah.”

“That boy’s a Triplehorn,” Colt said, his voice dead even. “Bring him home.”

“I can’t… Jesus, I’ve probably already blown it,” he said, remembering her face, the crushing disappointment that had clouded her eyes when he’d jerked away from her.

“No, Gabe,” Colt said, his tone firm. “I don’t care what you have to do. You bring that boy home.”

“He has a mother. One who didn’t want anything to do with me. Never bothered to tell me even though she knew where to find me.”

“Doesn’t matter. You know now. You have to make it right.”

Gabe shook his head. He was sick to his stomach, his head still reeling and unable to think. “She can’t just pick up and leave. She’s got a campground to run.”