Beauty and the Bull Rider (13 page)

“I've been thinking a lot about what happened at the clinic yesterday,” she said. Her hand tightened on his thigh. His muscles contracted reflexively. He tried not to think about how that hand had felt wrapped around his dick. A glance at her face had him wondering if she was thinking about that too. Their eyes met, but she didn't pull her hand away. Instead, she inched it higher. Any lingering doubts about her intent flew out the window.

“It's only Thursday,” he said slowly.

“I know that,” she replied. “I read this really interesting article yesterday while we were at the clinic. It said sperm quality improves when a man ejaculates frequently. They claimed it improves motility.” She slid her hand still higher, perilously close to his balls.

His hand clamped over hers. “Is that so?” he countered evenly, all while losing his fight with a burgeoning erection. “Well, I read somewhere that multiple orgasms relax the cervix and help women conceive.”

“Is that so?” She cocked a brow. “Then I think we should do whatever it takes to improve our chances.”

He eyed her narrowly. “Didn't your mama teach you that it's dangerous to play with fire?”

“What if I'm looking to start one? You complained only this morning that I'm not spontaneous enough.”

“I don't mind spontaneous,” he said. “Matter of fact, I love it, but there's a time and place for everything and driving down the highway at eighty-plus miles an hour isn't the time for a hand job.”

“I just thought you might appreciate some relief after yesterday.”

“Damn it, Delaney! A man can only take so much.”

“
How much
, Zac?” she asked. Her eyes flickered as he slid their still joined hands back down his leg to rest just above his knee. “Move your hand again,” he warned, “and we won't make it to Albuquerque.” He didn't know what had gotten into her, but he had a helluva time concentrating on the road after that.

 

Zac and Delaney arrived at the Lazy Q several hours later. It was too early to retire to bed, though that was about all Delaney could think about for most of the drive. The easy camaraderie they'd enjoyed earlier in the day had been replaced with nerve-stretching tension. By the time they pulled into the ranch, she feared she'd snap.

Zac's buddy Chase Quinn was there to greet them with a broad, toothy grin as they pulled up to the main house. “Zac McDaniel! It's been too damned long.” He clapped Zac on the shoulder the minute he climbed down from the cab. “Missed you at the invitational last week. Where ya been hiding?”

“I've retired from bull riding,” Zac replied. “I took a job at Tom Brandt's place over near Frederick, Oklahoma.”

Chase removed his hat at the mention of Tom. “I was damned sorry to hear about his passing. Tom was a good man. Bet Ty took it real hard, huh?”

“Yeah. Tom was like a father to him,” Zac said. “The ranch is Ty's now. Speaking of which, have you ever met Delaney McCall? She's half owner of Ty's spread.”

Delaney stepped forward and offered her hand, glad that Zac hadn't elaborated on the specifics of her relationship to Ty. Chase accepted it in his larger, calloused one. “Miz McCall. Don't believe I've ever had the pleasure.”

“Just Delaney,” she said. “Nice to meet you, Chase.”

“I know y'all have had a long drive. Why don't you get yourselves settled and then c'mon up to the house to meet the folks. You're in the Alamo cabin,” he told Zac. “You know where that is, right?”

“Sure do.” Zac nodded.

“I'm s'posed to take some folks out for a sunset ride in an hour,” Chase said. “You're welcome to join us if you're up for it.”

Zac looked to Delaney. “Your choice.”

“I'd love to,” she replied.

“Great.” Chase tipped his hat. “See y'all in about an hour.”

Zac threw their bags over his shoulder and led Delaney down a meandering path past several quaint split log cabins that surrounded the main house, finally stopping at the most isolated of the cluster. Zac opened the door and gestured for her to go inside. The cabin was a single room with a loft, sparsely but tastefully furnished with a fireplace, kitchenette, and a queen bed.

“This one is considered the honeymoon suite 'cause it has a private bath,” Zac said, nodding to a door on the far side of the room. “Most of the others share a communal bath house. Thought you might like a little time to yourself to freshen up.” He dropped her bag by the bed.

“What about you?” she asked, confused by his abrupt change in demeanor. Only hours ago he'd laughed and teased. Now his manner seemed suddenly so curt and his words almost terse.

“I'll catch a quick shower in the bath house,” he replied. “After that, I've got a few calls to make. Signal's a little iffy out here so I'll need to use the landline at the main house. I'll be back to get you in half an hour or so.”

Delaney stared after Zac. She'd anticipated this moment for a seemingly endless drive only to be left all alone? Had her forwardness in the truck turned him off? Is that why he'd rebuffed her? Was he one of those control freaks who needed to dominate a woman to get off? It sure hadn't seemed that way yesterday when she'd given him head at the clinic. He'd even said it was incredible. Her throat thickened. What the hell had gone so terribly wrong?

 

He wouldn't have a shred of control knowing she was naked in the shower, so Zac chose to leave Delaney in privacy. He hadn't lied about the calls. He needed to touch base with Ty and let him know he was running a day behind. He also had to call his brother. He'd asked Kade to make some arrangements for him. He still didn't know if things were going to turn out as he'd hoped, but he wasn't about to lose the opportunity simply because he hadn't thought ahead. After grabbing a quick shower, he circled around to the stables, where he'd hoped to find Chase. As expected, his buddy was saddling horses for the trail ride.

“Need a hand?” Zac asked, nodding to the horses.

Chase looked up as he tightened a girth. “Nope, got it all covered. Where's Delaney?”

“Back at the cabin. I thought she'd want some privacy.”

“I'm guessing that little lady had something to do with your sudden retirement?”

“Mebbe,” Zac confessed with a shrug.

“Why else would you take a ranch job when you've got your own place?”

“Had,” Zac corrected. “I'm selling it. I'm going into business with Ty.”

“How's Ty doing anyway?” Chase asked. “I heard a rumor that the Hotel Rodeo's shutting down. Is he bankrupt?”

“Far from it. You listen to too much gossip. The fact is he's shutting down only to rebuild.”

“You're shitting me.”

“Nope, it's a fifty-million-dollar overhaul. He's planning to get back into stock contracting too, although I don't know all the particulars. That's part of why I'm headed to Vegas.”

“Only part? What's the other reason?”

“A wedding,” Zac said.

“Oh yeah?” Chase asked. “Who's gettin' hitched? Anyone I know?”

“Yeah,” Zac said. “Me.”

Chased looked like he'd swallowed his tongue. “You and Ty's ex? What does he say about you taking up with his ol' lady?”

“So you know about that? I wondered.”

Chase laughed. “Everyone knew about Ty and his beauty-queen bride. Have to wonder now that I've seen her why he ever left.”

“Ty was too fucked up to know what he was doing,” Zac said.

“You didn't answer my question. How's he gonna take it when he finds out?”

“He already knows. Matter of fact, he encouraged it.” It was a half-truth, but it was past time to shut this subject down. Ty would know all soon enough. Zac even hoped he'd stand up with them—that is if Zac could ever get up the nerve to ask Delaney.

R
ather than waiting for Zac to return, Delaney made her own way to the main house, where Chase introduced her to his large and boisterous family. Zac appeared shortly after, but remained unusually aloof and conspicuously quiet as Chase led them out to a string of saddled trail horses waiting for the paying guests.

They set out at a leisurely pace, with Delaney intentionally hanging back to study the two cowboys as they rode. Both sat confidently in the saddle, but Chase was smaller, lean and wiry compared to the brawny Zac McDaniel. The contrast didn't end there. Always joking and nearly bursting with kinetic energy, Chase was almost a foil to the calmer and quieter Zac. She wondered how they'd become such good friends. Then again, the cowboy world was a universe unto itself, with a culture and creed shared by all.

Chase guided them out to the top of a bluff that offered a commanding view of the majestic Rio Grande as it meandered through a valley of leafy cottonwood trees. His pride in their piece of this high desert landscape was evident as he pointed out the various landmarks that identified the boundaries of the Lazy Q ranch.

Zac pulled up beside Delaney just in time to watch the setting ball of fire cast shadows of pink over the rocky peaks of the Sandia Mountains. “What did I tell you about that sunset?”

“It's incredible,” Delaney said. He hadn't exaggerated the magnificence of it. The show was nothing short of spectacular. Too bad she was too uptight to truly appreciate it. “What's wrong, Zac?” she asked, unable to stand the silent treatment any longer.

“What do you mean?”

“The way you left today. Your remoteness. I don't understand it. Did I do something to piss you off?”

He jerked his head back in surprise. “Is that what you think?”

“Frankly, I don't know what to think.”

“We'll talk. I promise,” he said. “Tonight.”

Dark was settling in fast. Chase signaled the group to turn back toward home. They arrived back at the ranch just as the last rays of sun dipped below the horizon. After a quick wash-up, Zac and Delaney joined the Quinns and their guests for supper in a rustic dining hall with Mexican tile floors and exposed beam ceilings. The meal consisted of several savory dishes of beef and wild game, accompanied by beans and rice, all prepared with a distinctly Southwestern flair. The meal was good, but once more Delaney's low spirits were less than conducive to fully enjoying it.

After dinner, they had drinks around an outdoor fire pit. As expected, Chase was the life of the party, telling jokes and sharing rodeo stories, while Zac continued as before, unusually subdued, sitting with his boot heels propped on the edge of the fire pit and his hat tipped back, nursing a beer, and stealing occasional heated looks in her direction. Delaney couldn't comprehend the mixed signals. Yet, each time he looked her way, she experienced a tightening in her belly that three glasses of wine had failed to dispel.

It was around nine o'clock when Zac finally rose and made his and Delaney's excuses to their hosts with an apology about having to rise early. Delaney followed his lead, exchanging smiles, handshakes and more pleasantries, all while hyper-aware of Zac's big, warm hand lightly resting on the small of her back. They exchanged no words as they followed a xeriscaped luminary-lit path back to their cabin. But this time, when he opened the door, long-stemmed red roses graced the table and fireplace mantel, with lit candles creating a soft, romantic glow.

“Roses? Candles?” Delaney paused on the threshold. “Whose idea was this?”

Zac's face colored slightly. “It must be a mistake. Told you they use this for the honeymooners. You can take this bed. I'll take the loft.” He pointed. “There's a twin up there.”

“So there are
two
beds?” she remarked.

“Yup,” he grunted.

“It doesn't seem right that you should take the smaller one.”

“Doesn't matter to me,” he said. “Give me a pillow and I can sleep anywhere. Hell, I've spent more nights in bathtubs than I ever care to recall.”

“Zac,” she began slowly, her stomach knotting. “I don't understand any of this. When you told me we were coming here, I had the distinct impression that we were going to . . .”

“I'm sorry.” His laid his hands on her shoulders, meeting her gaze with an almost grim look. “When I suggested coming here, I had a plan. I had it all worked out to the last detail. I knew exactly how I wanted to do this. Had a perfect vision of how it would all play out . . . but now that we're here, it just doesn't feel right.”

Had he changed his mind? After all they'd been through, he didn't want her anymore? “What do you mean? Isn't this what you wanted?”

“I'll tell you what I wanted. I made this crazy baby-making deal with you in the belief that if we spent enough time together, you'd eventually see how well we fit. And I'm not talking about baby partners. I've tried to be patient, to give you time and space in hope that you'd come to see what's plain as day to me, but I don't know if that's the case. Before we do this, Delaney, before anything can happen between us, there's something I have to know.”

“What is it?” she asked softly.

“What I want . . .” He shook his head. “No. Let me rephrase that. What I
need
to know is whether or not
this
—and I mean you and me together—means anything to you?” His gaze was earnest and intense as it probed hers. “I need to know that you want me for
me
, and not just for the baby you'd hoped to make.”

Delaney gaped at Zac as if she were seeing him for the very first time. Her heart hammered against her chest at the realization that she'd misread everything.

“Yes, Zac,” she whispered, her throat thick with emotion. “I wouldn't be here with you if it didn't mean anything to me. You're the only person who hasn't passed judgement on me, the only one who seems to understand me, and that means everything to me.”

How could she ever have thought of him as rough and insensitive? Zac had been there for her from day one, just as he'd said he would be. He'd been supportive and encouraging and a better friend to her than anyone outside of Rosa, who'd practically raised her.

Her hands crept up his chest to slowly entwine behind his neck. She grew breathless as they stood breast to chest and heart to heart. “I won't deny the physical attraction. I've tried all along to ignore it, but I can't. I also can't ignore that it goes much deeper than skin. Yes, I do feel something for you, Zac, and now that I've said it, what I want most is to feel you
inside
me.”

A smile spread slowly over his mouth. “Damn. I'm sure glad we got that straight.”

 

Although Zac answered glibly, there was nothing glib about what he was feeling. His heart galloped wildly at the realization that Delaney McCall, the woman he'd only fantasized about for eight long years, was about to become his. Although she'd stopped short of saying she loved him, she felt
something
, and that was good enough to keep him hoping for more.

He poured his heart and soul into the kiss, praying that his body might reach the part of her she still held back. She melted into him with a soft, sweet sigh of surrender. Their mouths melding, their tongues tangling, he backed her slowly toward the bed. Breaking from her lips, he pressed fevered kisses to her warm skin. Tangling his fingers in her hair, he sought her sensitive neck, licking, sucking, inciting sharps breaths and soft sighs.

He continued kissing, sucking, stroking, caressing, as his hands worked her blouse buttons free. He drew back only long enough to appreciate the view of the ripe mounds of mouth-watering feminine flesh spilling from her bra cups. Staring back at him with blue eyes filled with passion, Delaney shrugged out of her blouse and reached wordlessly behind her back to unhook her bra. She let it fall to the floor. Her gaze never breaking from his, she cupped the generous globes, offering them up to his hungry gaze and even more ravenous mouth.

Zac reached out to claim them, burying his face in her lush mounds with a moan. Kissing, biting, gently squeezing, he laid her back on the bed, intent on worshipping every inch of her lush, womanly body with his own. His desire for her ran marrow deep. He'd never wanted to please a woman as much as he wanted to please her. He leaned over her body, covering it with his while rooting between Delaney's ripe breasts and rosy nipples. He tongued and teased both nipples before sucking one fully into his mouth. She clutched his head to her breasts and arched her back. With one gasp, her pleasure became his own.

He inhaled the heady essence of vanilla and honey as he worked his way down her body with his lips and tongue while his hands mapped the full, feminine curves of her hips. Sweeping his hands slowly up her thighs, he unzipped and peeled down her jeans, throbbing with anticipation of the moment he'd slide his fingers into her slick, wet heat. Licking and sucking, he worked down to that heavenly place that reminded him so vividly of peaches and cream.

She exhaled a hiss at the first long swipe of his tongue along the upper edge of her panties, and squirmed under his mouth as he teasingly traced the folds of her slit with his fingers through the delicate fabric. He removed her panties, licking and kissing his way back up her legs, paying special attention to the erogenous zone behind her knees. He worked his way back to her sweet spot with hot open-mouth kisses and lazy licks of his tongue. Nudging her trembling legs apart, he moved between them and spread her lips to gaze at the most gloriously erotic vision. Unable to hold back the powerful urge, he nuzzled his face into her. Stroking, kissing, licking, teasing, ramping her higher until she whimpered and begged.

“Please, Zac.” She dug her fingers into his scalp and pulled his head up. “I want . . . I
need
. . . you . . . inside me. Now. Please.”

The needy look in her eyes ruptured the dam of his self-control. With eyes locked on her beautiful naked body, he stripped to his skin. His eyelids fluttered as she licked her lips in invitation, but it wasn't her luscious mouth he'd dreamed about for eight years. He ached to have her long legs tangled around him, locked at the ankles, as he plunged into her over and over until they were mindless, boneless, and spent.

Her gaze dipped to his jutting erection as he took himself in hand. “Last chance, Delaney. Do you want me to use protection?” he asked in a gravelly voice.

“No, Zac. I want you. Only you with nothing between us.”

He murmured a prayer of thanks as he lay over her, kissing her wildly as she wrapped her hand around his staff and guided him to her entrance. He shut his eyes on a long shudder of sheer, unadulterated pleasure as he sank himself slowly into her hot, sweet center. She broke from the kiss with a gasp at his first deep thrust and began moving in counterpoint with undulations that perfectly matched his rhythm. His world contracted to friction, slick, wet, sinful, and sweet.

She gripped his ass cheeks, urging him deeper, harder. Plunging and retreating, he moved like a piston while she lay beneath him, golden hair lay splayed out on the pillow, blue eyes heavily lidded and lips parted in panting passion. Her breaths came sharper and faster, her gasps piercing the air, mixing with the erotic slap of flesh on flesh. Surrounded in her slick, hot flesh, his cadence intensified to a frantic frenzy at the finish. His lungs burned. His balls throbbed with the intense need for release, a need that had become the essence of his being.

“Please don't stop, Zac.” His chest seized as she whispered his name. “Don't ever stop. Promise me you'll never stop . . . loving me.”

Her words crashed over him like a tidal wave. Madly pumping, he poured himself into her body and soul. She released a sob as her legs clamped tightly around him, then trembled convulsively as her climax overtook her. He shut his eyes on a primal roar, as her inner walls squeezed him with pulsatile contractions that milked him to a state of utter sated repletion.

 

Delaney never wanted to open her eyes again. She wished she could lie here forever, totally and completely immersed in Zac—in the taste of his lips still lingering on hers, in his musky, heady scent filling her nostrils, in the sounds of his passion still echoing in her ears, and most of all, in the sensation of his body joined with hers. She'd never felt so at peace and complete as in this moment, lying cradled in his big, strong arms. After a while he stirred, rousing her out of her reverie. She opened her eyes to find him staring intently into her face.

“What's wrong?” she asked.

“You asked me to make a promise I can't keep.”

“What promise? What are you talking about?”

“When we were making love,” he said. “I was buried to the hilt in you and you asked me to never stop loving you. You asked for my promise.”

She swallowed hard and looked away. Once a fool, always a fool. She'd thrown her heart away once more. “It was spoken in the heat of passion, Zac. It doesn't mean anything. I won't hold you to it.”

“It's not that I don't
want
to make that promise,” he continued. “It's that I can't.”

Her chest constricted. “What do you mean, you
can't
? What are you saying?”

He cupped her face. “I'm saying that I
want
to make you that promise, but I can't love you if you won't let me.” His voice was husky with emotion as his gaze held hers. “I'm saying that I love you and I want to love you every day for the rest of my days. I'm asking you to let me, Delaney. You told me you feel something for me. Is it only friendship? Respect? Those are at least foundations to build on.”