Almost a Cowboy (14 page)

Caroline lingered in the dining room. Utah caught her gaze and gave her a faint nod. She turned away, but not before she saw Utah extend a hand and Bennett take it.

“I’m glad to call you brother,” Utah said low enough Caroline almost missed it.

“You sure know how to crash a party,” Caroline drawled as they drove away from the house.

Utah snorted and gave her a hint of a grin.

After the emotional tornado of the evening, he wanted to let loose. Rolling in the sheets, settling Caroline over his cock, and drilling into her seemed like the only pursuits he could wrap his head—or her thighs—around.

He arched a brow. “Hotel? Or should we drive on to Kansas and see about Hays?”

She slid a hand over his hard thigh, right up to his crotch. “Don’t you dare. Drive me straight to a hotel, Utah Davies.”

“Yes, ma’am.” His hat was back in place, riding low over his eyes. With his hat, his truck, and his girl, he almost felt like himself.

They rode in silence for the better part of an hour. Words were unnecessary after the lengthy conversations they’d shared at Bennett’s home. The meal had been good down-home cooking—baked chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and green bean casserole. For dessert Deirdre had brought out a small chocolate cake dusted with cocoa and curls of chocolate.

They’d learned Hollis had only ever made it to two of Bennett’s birthday parties. Utah had rifled his brain for memories of his own family parties and counted a dozen birthdays his father had been present. The knowledge made guilt settle in his chest.

Caroline pressed to Utah’s side, all warm, sweet woman. Dark need shifted in his groin, and he couldn’t resist running a hand over her golden thigh. She’d stuck by him and offered comfort and distraction when things had gotten rough back there.

“Thank you for tonight, baby.”

She tilted her head up to stare at him. “Why are you thanking me?”

“For being here. I couldn’t go on and face more irate siblings without you.”

“Not to mention their wronged mothers.”

“Christ, no. Deirdre’s pain was almost worse than Rory’s and Bennett’s.”

She nodded but said no more.

By the time they reached a hotel in Limon, Colorado, he was aching with the urge to throw Caroline on the seat and drive into her tight little body. Leading her by the hand through the maze of hallways, smelling the chemicals of an indoor pool, only ratcheted up his desire.

Inside the room, he switched on the bathroom light and nothing else. Then he sank to the edge of the bed and pulled her between his knees.

She curled against his body and shoved off his hat. When he eased his hands down her waist and rested them on the flare of her hips, his cock shoved painfully at his fly.

When he dug his thumbs into the hollows above her hipbones, she squirmed. He nuzzled her breasts and clamped his teeth around one nipple through the cloth of her sundress.

A groan oozed from her as he worked the bud with his teeth, gently plucking. She gripped his head and forced him harder. Electric fire ripped through his veins. He moved to the other nipple and bathed it with his tongue until her dress was wet.

“Take it off me, Utah.”

He took his time stroking her bare thighs before he pinched the hem of the dress and pulled it overhead. She shivered, and goose bumps broke out all over her arms and belly. He grasped her waist and flipped her into the spongy hotel bed.

She stretched out in only panties and bra.

“You look good enough to eat.” His voice sounded hoarse.

“Thought you’d had your fill of Deirdre’s chocolate cake.”

“Nope. Nothing can make me hungrier than this.” He let his finger ride low, right over the wet lace covering her mound.

She shuddered and arched into his touch. She had a tendency to drive him too fast, when he wanted lazy summer days again. He hovered over her and captured her lips for a long kiss.

They rolled their tongues against each other until need dizzied him. But still he kept her from pushing him to touch, lick, bite, and fondle her. Only the contact of their mouths would start the fire.

He angled his head and drove his tongue deep—deeper with every pass. The kiss went from carnal to tender and back again in a blink. She moved restlessly against him, and his erection was about to bust his zipper.

“Utah…” She traced his lips with her tongue.

With a growl, he claimed her wholeheartedly. Their caress was soul-binding. Did she feel it? Sooner or later he’d march into a jeweler in one of the small towns on this journey and buy her a ring.

He trailed a fingertip down the seam of her pussy. She cried out and tried to spur him on by thumping a heel on his back, but he teased her.

“My pace, baby.” He nudged her entrance and felt the moisture of her arousal seep into the lace of her panties. Tamping down another growl, he pressed the cloth into her pussy.

“Oh my…God.” she rocked against his hand. He shoved his finger and the cloth in deeper, wanting to work her up good before letting her come down.

“These panties are the bacon of clothing. I’m going to savor taking them off you.” He withdrew his finger. When he pushed on the cloth again, a new flood of juices greeted his finger.

He slid down her body and poised himself right between her thighs. Then he opened his mouth over the lace and soaked it with his tongue. She tasted of flowers and womanly musk. He was going to make her come on his face two times at the very least. More if he could hold off.

He dragged his teeth gently over the lace covering her clit. She bucked and cried out. Scrabbling for the sides of her panties, she tried to push them off.

He pinned her hands to her sides and took his time laving her pussy. She alternated between squeaks and pants.

When he thought she’d had enough torment, he burrowed his tongue under the leg of her panties and tasted soft, wet flesh.

“Fuck! Lick my pussy. Make me come.”

The Caroline of his youth never would have said that. While it disturbed him, it also threw him into a whirlpool of want. His cock wept pre-come. He snaked his tongue over her velvety outer lips and tunneled right into her soaking folds.

She shattered. The spill of juices on his tongue almost stole all control. He locked his hands on hers and fought to keep from ripping off both of their clothing and thrusting into her.

She quivered on his tongue, hips rotating in a maddening dance. When she tore one hand free, she shoved her panties aside. The sight of her slender digits against the wet lace, and her wetter pussy, raised a primal groan from him.

He sank his tongue into her sheath, tasting her release. Then he trailed a path up to her clit. Teasing a circle around the straining nubbin, he slipped two fingers into her pussy.

As her breathing came in short, rough gasps, he curled his fingers and found her G-spot. Need mounted in him. He tongued her and finger-fucked her, unable to stop from nudging his cock into the mattress.

“Come up here. I want you in my mouth.”

White hot shivers raced down his spine at the thought of her pretty little lips closing around his mushroomed head. He couldn’t do it, though. He’d unload, and he wasn’t about to waste his release outside of her pussy.

He wagged his head
no
, dragging his tongue side to side. Her inner walls flexed around his fingers. She pulsed once…twice…

With a wild scream, she came. He ground her clit into her body with his tongue while applying pressure to her G-spot. She raked his shoulders with her nails as her release extended on and on.

When she finally collapsed against the bed, breathing hard, he raised his head.

“Get inside me. Fuck, fill me up,” she begged.

He took his time tonguing her juices away, and then straightened and pulled off her bra and panties. Passion zipped between their gazes. He removed a condom from his back pocket and tossed it to her.

She watched him with hooded eyes as he stripped off his shirt, jeans, boots, and socks. When he thumbed down his boxers and stepped out of them, she groaned. He fisted his cock at the base, holding the slick head in her direction.

Sitting up, she only had to dip her head slightly to take him in her mouth. But she instead stretched the condom over the tip. And very slowly fitted her lips around the rolled edge.

For a mind-blowing minute he feared he might come. Heat enveloped him, searing a path to his balls. She pressed downward, and the condom rolled with her mouth. She eased it with teeth, lips, and tongue until it was stretched as far as she could take him in her mouth.

With a jerky movement, he stretched the rest into place. “On your knees, baby.”

He’d always loved taking her from behind. Seeing her round globes hugging him so perfectly as he plunged his cock into her pussy made him want to roar in satisfaction. And besides, he had a fascination with her rosette. He wanted to tongue it for an hour, loosening her to his fingers and then his dick. He’d dreamed of taking her ass more than one night of his lonely life.

Hell, maybe she wasn’t the only one with surprises.

She tipped her ass in the air. Her glistening pussy folds beckoned to him. First he smeared her juices through her pussy and up to her ass. In a swift thrust, he rooted his finger in her ass. She gave a garbled cry, and he drove his cock home.

As he slipped his finger in and out, he matched the rhythm with his hips. Insatiable desire roared in his ears. He only heard the staccato of his pulse and felt the crushing pressure rising up from his balls.

“Come with me. Come. Come now,” he barked the order.

Her body clenched tight. He rode over the edge, a wild mustang hell-bent on getting to the other side. Cum jetted into her body, and she tipped over the ledge with him. They tumbled together for long moments.

When he came back to himself, he was collapsed against her, two fingers in her ass now and his mouth on her throat.

She quivered underneath him.

Dozens of love words welled on his tongue, but he bit them off. Stating his love for her would only send her running. She was as skittish as a new foal when it came to love, and he needed to go slow. First he’d gentle her with kisses and caresses, and then he’d force pleasure on her.

Maybe later they’d get to the soft words.

And the rings.

She was everything he wanted in a woman. Losing her now would be the end of him. He wasn’t so stupid he believed he could return to his solitary mountain life. No, he’d have her on the ranch as his wife.

 
•●•

The dim blue light of her laptop screen pooled across Caroline’s fingers as they flew over the keys. Until she released the words in her head, she’d never sleep. And right now, the story of Utah’s reunion with his family members bled from her.

Emotion, as thick as she’d felt when she witnessed their meeting, still burned in her chest. When was the last time she felt this much fervor for writing? No exposé on budget problems in the police force instilled these kneejerk reactions.

On the king-sized bed behind her, Utah slept like a dead man. He lay face down with the long soles of his feet pointing in her direction. His head was turned hard on the pillow, and he’d probably have a neck ache in the morning. The safe haven his bare chest offered inspired her to climb into bed and take her rest too, but not yet.

This story needed told. Tomorrow she’d think of something for her feature article. Maybe they’d run across a small town with a secret or poor conditions at a county fair. Yeah, tomorrow was soon enough. This time, her editor would just have to wait until the deadline.

Caroline shifted on the hard chair. Her body still hummed from the peel-her-off-the-ceiling orgasms Utah had given her. Thinking about the sensations he’d forced on her, and then extended for what seemed hours, made her break out in aroused gooseflesh again.

And the way he’d kissed her…damn. He was so good at it. With only hands and mouths joined, she almost felt more need than when he moved inside her.

Because of the emotion. You know…the emotion you don’t want to feel.

If she were honest with herself, she was terrified to admit she loved him. Though she’d never stopped, she’d managed to stuff down the feeling for ten years. Now it was a bright spot hanging over her. Like a personal sun.