Almost a Cowboy (4 page)

Utah awakened every damn nerve ending in her body.

She yanked her hand back and tossed the money at him. “On the house.” With that, she spun from the cowboy bearing the stern expression and sending the confusing signals.

By the time she’d waited on half a dozen more customers, she realized the spot where he’d been standing was empty. A hole had opened up where his broad shoulders had been.

Her soul cracked and wept for what coulda, shoulda, woulda been.

So many mistakes. All of it before and more now.

She finished her shift, closing down the bar with Sandy, the busboy, and the owner who came out of the back to pay Caroline from the till. When he handed her a wad of cash, she pulled two dollars from her tips.

“I bought a friend a beer.”

“Appreciate your honesty,” the owner said, giving her the once-over that meant if she wanted to stay a bit longer, they could finish the night together.

Caroline left the bar, carefully checking the dimly-lit parking lot for any drunken lingerers—namely Jeremy. But her car stood in a ring of light under the pole, and no one was around.

Within minutes she drove up in front of her small house, two blocks from the one where she’d spent her childhood. Tonight over an early dinner, her ma had complained of arthritis in her knees and elbows while Caroline nodded and fought for patience.

Why
had
her parents talked her out of eloping? She’d been old enough to promise herself to Utah forever. Yet they’d convinced her she’d hold him back, and in doing so would hold herself back too. She needed to follow her own path.

Yeah, that trail had led all the way into a well of tequila-soaked despair. Now she suffered angst of another kind—regret.

Double regret since Utah had all but seduced her tonight with those killer eyes, and she’d turned away.

While sitting in her car for a spell, she issued two sighs…then three. “You’re an idiot, Caroline Wilks.”

She climbed out and went inside. The simple modern décor did its job by plying her with calm. She smelled of alcohol and was sweaty from the closeness of the bar—not to mention the panty-soaking hot moments spent under Utah’s gaze. A shower was in order.

Long minutes under the tap didn’t dispel her restlessness. It was after three a.m., and she was farther from sleep than after the funeral. She pulled on panties, tucked a soft cotton robe around her nude form, ran a brush through her wet hair, and started down the stairs for a cup of hot tea when a faint knock sounded.

Oh God.

Heart throbbing in her throat, she gripped the handle and slowly opened the door. She might be faced with a bar stalker, but the gooseflesh on her body told her different.

Utah took up the whole doorstep, more ruggedly handsome than even a hardened woman could withstand.

“Took you long enough,” she said breathlessly. The cooler night air washed over her too-hot skin.

He glanced at his watch. “It’s been seventy minutes since the bar closed.” A hint of a smile danced over his lips.

She locked her gaze on them, hungry for a peek at that chin cleft. Stepping forward, she hooked an arm around his neck and pulled him down. “I know,” she rasped. “Took you long enough.”

He wrapped an arm around her waist and lowered his head, bringing his woodsy scent into her world once again. “Too damn long.” He growled and stretched his grin right across hers.

She didn’t even care when she missed the first glimpse of his dimple.

Need hummed in Utah’s veins as he walked Caroline backward into her house and kicked the door shut. She melted under his kiss, as sweet and sassy as ever. Damn, was that the smell of wildflowers clinging to her hair?

With a possessive groan, he swept the seam of her lips with his tongue, demanding entrance. She slipped her other arm around his neck and clung. A soft noise burst from her, and he took advantage by plunging his tongue into her mouth.

His balls clenched tight to his body, throbbing with fullness. His cock swelled two clicks past rock-hard in a blink. After a single flip of their tongues, his dick head wept pre-come.

Reaching behind him, he searched for the door lock. She smiled again and fumbled for it. Their hands met, fingers tangled, and finally he heard the
snick
of the lock.

He drowned in her flavors as he roved his hands over her tiny waist, the soft flare of her hips, and around to cup her firm ass. No wedding ring circled her finger, and he’d confirmed this information with her ma before coming here.

“Need you,” she moaned against his mouth.

“Not as bad as I need you, baby.” He sank his fingers into her ass and whirled, shoving her against the door.

She arched against him.

Utah rocked his erection against her lower belly, throbbing with the need to sink into her tight, wet sheath. Her femininity had always overflowed his palms, and goddammit, she was sexier, riper, and more delicious now.

She pushed into him, and he sagged at the knees, poising his cock right between her round thighs. They spent a dizzying moment kissing and grinding.

“Feels like old times.”

“I think it feels bigger than old times,” she panted, pushing her crotch down on his swollen cock.

He couldn’t stop the grin from spreading over his face again. It was so foreign it made his face muscles hurt. He nipped her bottom lip. “Which way’s your bedroom?” His voice sounded as if he’d drunk a mug of nails and chased it with something stronger than draft beer.

She stared at him, eyes like a blue denim sky, peaches in her cheeks, and lips swollen from his kisses. Before dawn touched the sky, he planned to mark every inch of her body.

When she didn’t respond to his question, worry settled in his chest. Maybe he’d misread her cues. She wasn’t going to let him past her living room. Wasn’t going to let him love her.

Hell, he had no right to try, did he?

He put an inch of space between them. “Caroline—”

She stretched on tiptoe and crushed her mouth against his. Desperation, desire, and pure female.

Growling, he plucked her off her feet. She wrapped her legs around him and angled her head to give him deeper access to her sweet mouth. Flicking his tongue against hers, his emotions mounted as he carried her through the house. A sofa that looked soft enough stood five feet away, but he didn’t want her on a sofa. They’d spent their youth making out, trying not to get caught by either set of parents.

Now Utah would claim her in a bed. And he planned to ruin her for all men who might come after him.

He bounced off a wall with her, and she giggled. Shooting a hand out, she pointed. “That way. Room at the top of the stairs.”

His pulse pounded in his ears as he tightened his grip on her ass and followed her direction.

“How’d you know I was at the bar?” She snaked out her tongue and traced his lip, making him almost come in his pants.

He stopped dead, battling for control. When the throbbing in his balls lessened, he placed a boot on the first step. “Didn’t. I came in for a beer.”

She raked her short nails over his shoulders. Fuck, he wanted this bad. The wildcat from long ago had transformed into a tigress. They were both older—knew what they wanted and how to get it. Again, the need to erase her past and any glimmer of a future with anyone but him fed into his veins.

“How’d you know where I live?” Dark lashes lowered over smoldering blue eyes. She oozed want. ’Course, she always had with him.

“Didn’t. I paid a visit to your ma. She wasn’t happy about the late hour.” As she let another giggle escape, he dipped his head and latched on to her earlobe. Her laughter faded on a gasp.

Worrying her flesh between his teeth filled him with memories of a porch swing on a hot summer night. The first time she’d let him get to second base.

She wriggled as he batted her sensitive lobe with his tongue. His hat had long ago fallen off, probably stomped underfoot, and he didn’t give a damn. He navigated another step while planting kisses down the golden column of her throat.

When he nuzzled the fragrant spot between neck and shoulder, he couldn’t take it anymore. He dropped to his knees and stretched her beneath him on the carpeted stairs. He cradled her spine with his hands.

“Utah.” She quivered.

He stared into her tumultuous gaze for a full minute. “I wanna make it clear this could never be a one-night thing.”

She folded her bottom lip inward. The strain etched on her features spoke of unhappy experiences with men since him, confirming what her ma had said. He didn’t plan to not only wipe that slate clean but to smash it to pieces.

When she didn’t speak, he nudged gently. “That clear, Caroline?” He leaned away from her, and she locked her muscles around his waist to hold him. He didn’t bother to fight his crooked smile.

Taking the squeeze of her thighs as agreement, he captured her lips. The first brush was tender, seeking. Passion and love that had never died rose in his chest. His nose stung with emotion, and he poured it into their kiss.

She pressed her breasts against him, rubbing restlessly. He slipped a hand from beneath her and fondled one, massaging in the way she adored. Quiet rasps burst from her, and he located the hard tip of her breast.

Her cry echoed up the stairwell. Throwing her head back, she breathed heavily. He rolled her nipple in his fingers, plucking lightly. After teasing her for several tooth-grinding seconds, he pinched her bud.

“Utah!”

Suddenly he wanted to laugh. Not with teasing but with joy. But he didn’t want her to take it wrong, so he clamped down on the urge. He ground his stiff cock into the
V
of her legs. Dark heat engulfed him. Only a thin barrier of silk and his own jeans and boxers stood between them.

“Sweetheart, we have on entirely too many clothes.”

“Then let’s—I—” She blinked at him, eyes filled with bald desire.

He gripped her and rocked back to his feet. They stumbled up two more steps before she reached between their bodies and rubbed the ridge of his erection.

“Jeezus,” he grated out. He shoved her against the wall. Balancing her on his knee, he slid both hands inside her robe. A hard jerk of the cloth exposed her breasts to his questing mouth.

Wet strands of her hair brushed his face as he nuzzled her full mounds. She dug her fingers into his scalp and guided him to one. Parting his lips on her straining bud seemed as natural as breathing.

“Bite it,” she rasped.

Well that’s out of the ordinary.
For the first time he realized she wasn’t the same innocent young girl he’d taught the art of loving. He ran his tongue around the baby pink tip, hesitant to do her bidding.

She twisted his hair in her hands. “Utah!”

He sank his teeth into her sensitive flesh. A bolt of lust stole all thought. He lightly dragged his teeth over her nipple. She seemed to flame hotter.

“Fucking hell. I need you right fucking here. Now.” He flipped open his belt buckle, and she reached for his button and zipper. She shimmied the bulk of fabric down his hips, and his cock sprung free.

An arrow pointing his way home.

He eased a finger inside the leg of her panties and groaned at how wet she was. He stroked her slippery pussy, and she panted hard in his ear. Ruffling the folds, he gathered more wetness on his finger.

“I want to taste this. Worship it for two hours at least. Make you come like you did that day in the hay loft.”

She shuddered.

“But I can’t go slow just now, baby. I want to, but I can’t.”

Caroline cupped his face, skimming the cleft of his jaw with a soft thumb. “Don’t try, Utah. We’ve held back for too long.”

She gripped the base of his cock and ran his length through her tight fist. He convulsed, ready to come. He pushed a finger into her tight sheath, and she released a garbled cry. He curled his finger, found the rough spot on her inner wall, and applied pressure.

She came apart. Rocking into his finger, breath sobbing as her pussy clenched and released around his digit. Juices spilled from her, coating his palm. “That’s it, baby. For me. All for me.”

Before she came down from her high, he withdrew his finger and painted her cream over her swollen clit. Her legs jerked around him with hypersensitivity, but he pushed her on. Gently pressing back the hood on her nubbin, he located her center. When he ground it into her body, she threw her head back and issued one of her ego-inflating cries.

Grinning now, he claimed her lips. With deep plunges of his tongue, he fucked her mouth. Between velvety-wet passes and finger strokes over her swollen nubbin, he said, “Guide me in.”

“Thought you’d never ask.” She bit into his lip hard and clutched his shaft. His cock head rested at the plump lips—the gate to heaven.

Control was a pinprick of light fading in the distance.

He shoved hard. Wet heat surrounded him as he sank balls-deep in her tight sheath. He squeezed his eyes shut and bit off a bray of ecstasy. He wanted to stay rooted in her forever, but his traitorous body demanded more.

With a swivel of his hips, he dug his cock deep. He opened his eyes in time to see hers roll back in her head. Pleasure that was almost pain tightened his groin. He watched bliss cross Caroline’s beautiful features.

As he withdrew and thrust five times, six, the roar of release rushed in his ears. Swirling his thumb over her engorged clit, he muttered against her lips. “Come with me, baby. Caroline, take us over the edge.”

He bit down on her nipple, and her pussy clamped around his cock. Roar erupting, he slammed his cock so deep he felt her whole body give. Contractions gripped and released him, and hot jets shot into her body.

The pressure in his groin mounted, but the feeling of fullness in his chest was maybe better.

He locked his arms around her and found her mouth. Their heated kiss grew slower, softer.

“Utah.”

He opened his eyes and met her intense gaze. “I wanted that to take place in a bed for once.”

A huff of throaty laughter escaped her. She smoothed his too-long hair out of his eye. Her full pink lips bowed up. “Why break tradition?”