Badge and a Saddle (Heroes in the Saddle Book 2) (7 page)

He smiled, the
transformation on his face turning him instantly into the most handsome,
sexiest human she’d ever seen. “Mina.” He tugged her close, wrapped his hand
around the back of her neck, and pulled her in for a kiss.

She sucked in a
breath as his lips swept over hers, then his tongue teased one corner of her
mouth. Her hands slid up his belly to his chest as she opened her mouth for
him, inviting him in.

His hand pressed
at the curve of her lower back, bringing her tight into contact with the hard
length behind his zipper. He kissed like he was hungry, starving, ravenous.
Tasting her, teasing and licking her lips, then sucking her tongue into his
mouth. He groaned.

She wrapped her
arms around his neck.

He slid one hand
under her sweatshirt and tank top, up the bare skin of her belly and over her
ribs to find her breast, no bra, just skin tingling for his touch.

“Aw, Doc.” He
groaned the words against her lips. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

Rex knew he shouldn’t.
He was the detective on her case, she was the woman in danger he should be
protecting, not seducing. He wanted her though, and with both their lives
hanging in mid-air, they needed the release of something this normal and human.

That’s what he told
himself. It was
not
that he was fascinated by her, inspired by her
strength and intelligence, and aroused by her resilience. No, none of that. He
was just here for sex, and he’d keep telling himself that until he believed it.

His groin ached,
his balls tightened, and the pulse of blood through his cock beat like the
drums at a powwow.

She kissed him
back, like she was looking to touch his soul. Soft and gentle, then taking the
lead and stealing what she wanted from him. After long minutes, Rex’s knees shook,
and the ground seemed to move under him.

He pulled back. “I
brought a blanket.”

She licked her
lips, panting, her eyes unfocused, and darker blue than he’d ever seen them.
“Let’s use it. I want you to take me, Rex.” Mina brushed the fingers of one
hand down the front of his jeans, leaving no room for misinterpretation.

Her touch sent a
flash flood of lust to his brain, her words echoed in his head until all he
wanted to do was take her down and… “Shit.” He slapped his back pocket.

Her eyes opened
wide. “Uh, you want me to spank you?”

He chuckled. “No.
Left my wallet back at the house.”

She frowned.

“Wallet with a
condom in it.” He hadn’t planned on this. Or maybe he’d left the condom behind
so
this
wouldn’t happen.

“Oh.” She gave him
a naughty smile. “Well, I know a few other ways we could—”

He grabbed her
hand and pulled her with him toward Merle. “Doctor, you’re too wicked for me to
resist.”

Her laugh, low and
sensual, shot sprays of hot blood to every nerve in his body. He tugged the
saddlebags from the horse and set it on the ground, then pulled out the thick
blanket Bennet had sent with him out to the barn. Damn interfering old coot.
Rex would have to thank him for this.

They settled on a
grassy clearing where the sun found spots to shine through the tree canopy, and
quickly undressed each other, one piece of clothing at a time, peppering kisses
on warm skin.

Rex looked at her,
tall and thin, but her slender form suited her. Her breasts were teardrop
shaped, tipped with pink nipples, her waist curved femininely, and lower, her
hips were softly rounded. Below, between her legs, the red hair of her trimmed mound
drew him forward.

He fell to his
knees in front of her, his hands on her hips. “Pretty, Doctor. So very nice.”
He kissed her softly there, nibbling and breathing deep to take in her musky
sweet scent.

She grabbed his
shoulders and tipped her hips forward, pressing herself into his mouth. He
loved that she wasn’t shy. This would be amazing. He snuck the tip of his
tongue into her cleft and she melted.

He laid her on the
blanket, kissing her belly, her mound, then tipping his head to urge her thighs
apart and take a long lick of her pussy.

Mina cried out,
startling a bird from a branch above them.

He suckled her
labia into his mouth, then the opposite side, doing the same, tasting sweet
woman, so pure and slick, he could eat for hours. He wanted this to last,
though, since there was no protection for him to use to slide his hard shaft
into her perfect slit. Rex trailed kisses up her side to her breast, then
latched on and sucked.

“Rex.” She said
his name with so much need, he wanted to please her a dozen times.

Rolling onto his
back, he took her with him, laying her on him, still loving on her breast.

She straightened
her arms, he lost contact with her nipple, and she looked down at him. “There’s
something I’d love to try.” She bit her lip. “Will you let me lead today?”

While it was
against everything he’d been planning, for some reason, he would let her do
whatever she wanted to him. “You’re in charge, Doc.” He spread his arms out to
the side and laid his head back. “Tell me what you want me to do.”

She sat up, her
legs bent next to his sides, pressing her wet, hot core onto his stomach
muscles. Reaching back, she gently stroked his cock. “I think you’ll be able to
figure this out.” She stood and turned around, getting on all fours over him,
her mouth at his cock.

The sight of her
tongue lapping at the top of his shaft, her red hair shining in the sunlight as
she tipped her head, fed the flames in his belly, shooting hot washes along his
spine to his brain. Her breasts hung ripe and firm, jiggling with her
movements, teasing him with their perfection.

He had to get
busy, or he’d be losing his fight to hold back. He focused on her. So sexy, her
long, slim legs and round bottom, her pussy displayed before him like the
perfect indulgence. That red hair of hers drew him in like nothing he’d
experienced before. His hands slid up her thighs, his thumbs pressing into the
soft inner skin.

She moaned and
shifted, sending her scent through the breeze to him. He needed a taste. Using
his thumbs, he gently parted her pussy lips, loving the view of pink, soft
flesh that pulsed a hard slam of desire down to his cock.

Mina wrapped her
hand around the base of his shaft and sucked harder, took him deeper, so deep,
he felt the back of her throat.

“Doc, oh jeez.”

She eased off him,
the suction intense. “I’ve come to believe…” She flicked her tongue on the spot
at the base of his knob, sending his eyes rolling back. “That I just may have
some super powers.”

“You do. Out-of-this-world
super powers.” Lifting his upper body, he gave her the attention she needed. He
licked and sucked, nibbled and kissed, until every inch of her beautiful pussy
was wet with her juices. He could picture it, pushing her down and sliding his
shaft into her opening, hard and fast, and the vision made his balls tighten
until they ached with the need to empty into her.

He had to keep Mina
safe, though. She deserved better than to have him lose control that way, and
risk getting her pregnant. When he looked down at her mouth on him, her breasts
wiggling seductively with her movements, he knew he wouldn’t be able to have
her pussy, then pull out in time. He was right on the crest, ready to spin into
climax.

Pressing his face
deep into her slick opening, he lapped from her clit to her channel, back and
forth, again and again, giving her wide tongue thrusts up into her opening. In
his hands, her body began to shake, her movements on his shaft growing faster
and wilder.

He pushed his nose
into her opening, worked his tongue on her clit, and spread her wide to give
her everything he could.

In seconds, she
jerked and cried out, her core warming as slick juices ran onto his face. God,
this was heaven. She didn’t leave him out, though, and cupping his balls, she
took him deep, way down her throat, holding him there and swallowing around him
in an amazing motion that threw him up and over the wave.

He went under, his
brain disconnecting in a swirling vortex of deep seas, his body heated like it
was dunked in boiling water. A burst and a flood of hot cum raced from his
balls to his shaft. He cried a warning to her, but she kept him in her mouth,
taking his cum and swallowing while pumping him with her hand, keeping him under
a wash of heat.

His mouth worked
on her clit, his lips sucking, his tongue flicking, as she shivered and
shimmied in his hands. Perfection. Holding her up as she collapsed, he felt
himself easing back to consciousness, his body shivering as the last waves of
his orgasm sloshed around inside him.

Rex eased Mina down
onto her side next to him, and she rested her head on his thigh, her hand still
touching his shaft. A vision he would never forget.

“You good, Mina?”
He should have said something more romantic, but that was all that came out.

“I’m good, Rex.”
She palmed the base of his shaft softly. “You?”

He let himself
smile. “Good here, too.” Better than ever before, but he wasn’t going to throw
that out there.

“Rex.” She pushed
herself up and swung around, laying her head on his outstretched arm, her leg
and hip tight alongside his, her arm carelessly thrown over his belly as if she
didn’t have the energy to do more.

“Mina.” He moved
just a few inches and kissed her temple, then lay back, his eyes closing as the
sleepless night caught up with him.

“I should tell you
something.” She sighed.

Man, he hated
those words. How many women had started breaking it off with him using those
very words? He wanted this moment with Mina to last, just a short time—keep reality
from oozing in and destroying their connection. “Doc, just let me hold you a
while longer. I’m still enjoying the aftermath of your super powers. Let’s
just...for a minute…” He couldn’t stop himself from drifting off.

****

Mina should wake
him, tell him the whole story of the night she’d witnessed the murder, but the
truth had waited this long, another hour or two wouldn’t hurt. She eased her
head off his arm and rolled onto her side, propped up on her elbow. Handsome.
She wanted to touch the strong, square pecs and run her hands along his abs.
Down lower, a trail of dark hair led south to become a nest for his beautiful
penis.

Beautiful. That’s
the only word she could come up with for the long, thick cock with a
mushroom-shaped head. Would he be offended if she named it, and called it
Beautiful whenever they…

What was she
thinking? That was long-term stuff, and this thing between them would be quick
and done, a blip on the radar, then disappearing in a streak of light. Once he
found out the truth she’d been keeping from him, there was no chance that he
would forgive her. She’d be just another one of the women who’d disappointed
him in his complicated life.

Did she want more
from him?
Be honest with yourself.
Yes. He had qualities she hadn’t
found in other men, ones she’d unsuccessfully looked for in each of her
boyfriends. And compared to this man, they
were
boys.

She sat up and
crossed her legs, pulled a blade of grass from the soft soil, and brought it to
her nose. Fresh and untouched, not like the chemically-enhanced grass in the
city. She looked around at the trees, the creek silently making its way
downhill, and old Merle, off in the distance, one leg cocked, looking like he
was asleep. Like a postcard, naptime for a cowboy and his horse.

A smile came from
deep inside Mina. The ranch would make a wonderful weekend retreat, halfway
between Austin and Fort Worth, she’d meet Rex here Friday nights…

No. It wouldn’t
happen. She tossed the blade of grass. Looking back at him, she wished things
had been different. She admired his slightly hooked nose, strong jaw, lips that
only lost their tightness when he slept, or when he kissed.

The sound of a
shot rent the air.

Mina gasped and
reached to wake Rex, but he sat up, tipping his head.

Another shot,
followed by a third, from the direction of the ranch.

He leapt to his
feet as her heart jumped to light-speed. “What is it?”

“Get dressed.
Fast.” He already had his jeans on, and his boot in his hand. “Bennet is
warning us.” He whistled loudly, and Merle’s head lifted, and the horse
galloped toward them.

“Should we call
the sheriff?” She scrambled to dress, leaving her socks and underwear on the
ground by the blanket and untouched picnic bag, next to his socks and
underwear.

“No service here.”
Rex shoved the blanket in one side of the saddlebags, the food and their
leftover clothes in the other, and jumped onto Merle’s back. He helped her up
behind him. “Hold on tight.” Giving the horse a two-booted kick, he shouted,
“Hee-yaa!”

The horse went
from zero to warp speed in seconds, and Mina could only hang on to Rex and
squeeze the horse with her legs. The hundred questions she had would be whipped
away from her mouth by the wind rushing by them.

In minutes, he
pulled up to a copse of trees on a sharp ridge. “Mina. Stay here.”

“But I might be
able—”

“No. I won’t be
able to work if I’m worried about you.” He wrapped his arm around her and
pulled her from the horse.

She landed on her
feet. “But what if—”

“Listen.” His
black eyes held deadly seriousness. “You can see the ranch from the top of the
rise, but stay low, and for God’s sake, do not scream, no matter what you see
or hear.” His hand worked on the saddlebag laces.

She nodded,
sufficiently embarrassed by her last, and recorded, response to a dangerous
situation.

Rex handed her the
saddlebag. “Eat something, use the blanket to stay warm.” He touched the rifle.
“I want to give you this, but I think I might need it.” He looked conflicted.

“I’ll be okay. I
know self-defense.”

He huffed out a
breath, and almost cracked a smile. “Great. That makes me feel better for
abandoning you here.”

She wanted to
reassure him that she trusted his decision to leave her here, but she was
starting to shake with fear, and had to clamp her teeth together to keep them
from chattering.

Turning, he
pointed across the creek. “If I don’t come back for you in an hour, go across
the creek, in about a half-mile, there’s a fence that runs the whole property.”
He pointed left. “Go north until you see a gate with a dirt road cutting
through it. Follow the road on the other side of the fence and you’ll get to
Treven and Delta’s.”

“An hour?” She rubbed
her palms on her arms. “What do you think will happen down there?” Mina’s worry
was for him, not herself.

“I don’t know.” He
stared into her eyes. “I’m going to protect you, Mina. Just promise me you will
do exactly what I just told you. Promise you won’t do anything stupid that’ll
get me killed.”