Her Royal Bed (9 page)

“Ah, I see.” Abel's gaze remained on Tara, smiling at her as if she could see him. “Don't look a day over twenty-nine, but how bout this? How about I call you Tara and you can call me Abel?”

Tara grinned. “Deal…Abel.”

All of a sudden, Jane felt like a third wheel. She'd heard of such a feeling, but had never experienced it. Abel and Tara were standing close, seemingly unaware of her presence, talking quietly about the ranch and Abel's job. They seemed not to even know that Jane was still there.

Jane didn't want to interrupt them, but she wanted to find Bobby. She was glad he'd had Abel call and invite her to the ranch today, glad that he'd let his wall and his pride crumble a little and admit that he wanted to see her again. Granted, she still wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen with them, but just the fact that he'd made this step gave her some hope.

Turning to Abel she asked, “Is Bobby around?”

Abel came out of his dream-like state long enough to nod, though his gaze remained on Tara. “At the paddock. Why don't you head down there?”

“Mom?” Jane said, touching her mother's arm. “Ready?”

“I got some lemonade up here on the porch,” Abel put in quickly. “Tara, if you're interested…”

“Fresh-squeezed?” Tara asked.

Abel tried to look aghast. “This is the country, little lady. Is there anything else?”

Tara shook her head, then said, “And by the way, I like ‘little lady.' Much better than ma'am.”

They both laughed, and it was Jane's turn to shake her head. Her mother was actually flirting, full-on. Jane wasn't sure if Abel was a shark or a good catch, but she'd definitely find out the answer from his boss.

“All right,” she said finally. “I'll go and find Bobby.”

They both waved at her as she walked away, then Abel took Tara's hand and led her up the porch steps. Jane went around the side of the house and down the path.

The ranch was quiet, and she wondered where all the children were. Abel had told her they were understaffed today with an extra-large group of kids. Come to think of it, she mused, there weren't many cars parked in front of the house.

As she headed down the path and toward the paddock, she ran smack into Bobby. Surprise registered on his face. So did discomfiture and, if she wasn't mistaken, a desperate hunger.

“Jane.”

“Hi.”

He stared at her, then said a little too caustically, “What are you doing here?”

J
ane was like a breath of cool air on his hot and sweaty skin. She made the sun shine frustratingly brighter and made his gut tighten with a need he knew would only keep intensifying in her company.

“Abel said you could use another pair of hands.” She studied his face, a slow disappointment settling deeper and deeper into her wide green eyes. “You didn't do the inviting, did you?”

His jaw worked. “No.”

She said nothing, just nodded slowly, then turned around and walked away from him.

Bobby followed her. “Jane, wait a minute.”

Stumbling over a large rock, she righted herself and muttered a terse, “No.”

“Where are you going?”

“To the car,” she said, her chin lifted as she stalked down the path.

“Why? You're here now. Stay.” He cursed under his breath. “I want you to stay.”

She whirled around and eyed him critically. “Look, I don't play games. Never have. I think they're a total waste of time. You either want to see me or you don't. And after last night, I think I deserve an answer.”

Frustration seeped into Bobby's pores. He spotted the barn to his right and grabbed her hand. “Come with me.”

“I don't think so.”

But he wasn't listening. She struggled to free her hand as he tugged her toward the barn, as he kicked open the door and as he pulled her inside. Once there, he eased her back against an empty stall door, his hands falling to either side of her shoulders as he gave her no way out and only one thing to look at.

His eyes blazed into hers. “Just because I didn't do the inviting, doesn't mean I don't want you here.”

“Doesn't it?” she tossed back at him.

“Hell, Jane, I wanted you all night long. I just…”

“You just what?” she prompted brusquely, her eyes narrowed. “Because I'd really like to know why you took me home after what I thought was a really great night.”

What did he say? That he was freaked out? That their conversation had traveled a road that made him wince, that he liked her, craved her, wanted nothing more than to kick his plans to the curb and jump on this idea of him and her, together…?

Jane crossed her arms over her chest. “Either answer me or let me go.”

Her green eyes sparked with anger, her tall, toned body was rigid, and her mouth—that sexy, full mouth—quirked. Bobby struggled with the tension that was building inside him, and lost. He didn't think, just reacted. His mouth closed on hers, hard and demanding, as his hands left the stall door and curled around her waist and back.

At first, Jane remained still under him, her lips tight and closed, then she seemed to crumple, her lips parting, her breath quickening as she gave in to the pressure of his mouth.

Lightning fire shot up between his thighs at her response, and he tightened his hold on her. This was why he hadn't asked her to come to KC Ranch today. This was why he'd taken her home far earlier than he'd wanted to last night. She did something to him, made him forget who he was and what he had to do.

The ire inside him only fueled his desire further, and he opened his mouth, let his tongue explore the seam between her lips, so soft, so smooth, so tantalizing. She groaned with satisfaction and plunged her fingers into his hair, gripping his scalp.

Just when he thought she was going to press his face closer, she did the opposite. She pulled his head away, and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Was that an apology?” she asked, her breathing labored, her eyes liquid with the same desire that was running through his blood.

“Could be.”

“Better be.”

The exchange amused him, and he grinned. “Did it work? Am I forgiven?”

“I don't know,” she said slowly, the pads of her thumbs caressing the tops of his cheekbones. “The punishment for being a closed-off jackass last night should be more than a little kiss.”

“Little kiss?” he repeated arrogantly, his fingers gripping her back.

“You heard me.” She stared at him. “No more mixed signals, Callahan.”

“No.” That promise was going to be the death of him. He slid his thigh between her legs and nudged at the soft V. “You want to go riding?”

A smile touched her lips. “Are we talking horses or something else?”

He gave her a wicked smile, his thigh shifting back and forth over the core of her. “First one, then the other.”

“What about the work I was called here to do?” she whispered, her cheeks flushed.

“Next group is in two hours.”

“Two hours?” Jane repeated, smiling. “Abel failed to mention that.”

Bobby leaned in, nuzzled her neck, and reveled in the quick smack of her pulse against his mouth. “He's got a notion he needs to matchmake.”

On a soft sigh, Jane managed to say, “We're way past that.”

“Yes” he muttered, nipping, suckling his way back to her mouth. “We're into soul mate territory now.”

Jane's breath hitched.

Bobby held her steady gaze for a moment.

What the hell had made him say something like that?
After all, he didn't believe in all that romantic, greeting-card baloney.

Teeth gritted, he meditated on an alarming query. Was it possible that his two worlds were suddenly colliding—the fact and the fantasy?

He never got the time to seek an answer. Jane had snaked her arms around his neck and was pulling his mouth down, down, down atop hers once again.

 

The sun beat down on Jane's back, hot and inescapable.

Today, she had her own horse. Though she'd loved sitting behind Bobby yesterday, her arms wrapped around his waist, her cheek to his back, she'd wanted to experience something new, to learn and to impress the man beside her with her fabulous equestrian skills.

And she'd only fallen off once.

Oddly, her horse had stopped short in front of a particularly large cactus. Thank goodness they'd only been walking, or no doubt she'd have ended up with more than a scratch on the hand.

“Let's give the horses a rest,” Bobby said after they'd ridden for a while. “There's a lake just over that rise. We could have a swim.”

She grinned. “No showers out here, I suppose?”

“City gal,” Bobby needled playfully, looking entirely too sexy in his worn jeans and white T-shirt, every inch of him bronzed skin and hard muscle as he rode his gray stallion as though he'd been born atop him. “You know, if you want to be a real cowgirl, you can't expect any fancy showers on the trail.”

“Who says I want to be a cowgirl?” She tossed the
words out as they rode over the rise and down to a kidney-bean-shaped lake, its water very clear and calm.

“That's right,” he said, finding her gaze. “You're not sure you're going to end up in Texas, are you?”

She shook her head, sighed. “Not sure where I'm going to end up, period.”

Bobby turned his gaze from her, and pointed to the lake. “You know, you can't go in there with your clothes on.”

“No, I suppose not.”

“Water looks great, though,” he remarked, swinging his leg over the saddle and jumping down.

“I have no aversion to skinny-dipping, Mr. Callahan,” Jane said as Bobby helped her down from the beautiful chestnut mare. He tethered the horses then returned to stand close in front of her.

“And I have no aversion to watching you,” said Bobby in delighted, wicked tones. “Although, joining you sounds damn good, too.”

“Hmm. I don't know about skinny-dipping with company,” she teased. “That's a whole different matter.”

His mouth curved into a sexy smile as he found the edge of her pale-blue tank top and slowly inched it upward. “There's mean fish in that lake.”

“Is that so?”

He nodded, mock concern threading his tone. “Who'll protect you?”

“Good point.” She raised her arms above her head and, with her heart smacking excitedly against her ribs, she allowed him to remove her tank top.

Bobby tossed the fabric onto a rock, then shifted his gaze to the top button of her jeans. “Shall I continue?”

“I think I can handle it from here,” she said, unzipping her jeans, wondering when Bobby would follow suit, wondering how he would look naked under all this sunshine. “So, what's the probability of anyone seeing us?”

“Zero,” Bobby told her. “No one comes out this far but me and Abel and, as you said, he's pretty occupied with your mother.”

Jane forgot about her bra and panties. In fact, she forgot to breathe as she watched Bobby remove his shirt. Ridiculously, time seemed to slow, and the faint strains of an Al Green love song played in her head. Cut and bronzed, Bobby Callahan was a sight to behold. The only time she'd seen him without his clothes had been their evening in bed at the Turnbolts' where it had been dark, and she'd had to feel her way. With greedy eyes, she surveyed him—barrel-chested, with just a sprinkling of dark hair around his nipples and down to his navel. She swallowed thickly, her breasts tingling as she imagined brushing the hard tips back and forth against his chest.

Her fingers ached to grab at his stomach, so rock-hard, it looked as though he'd been slashed with a woman's fingernails. She watched his hands move lower, to his belt buckle. Off went the strip of worn leather, down went the zipper. Her throat was strained, her chest, too, as she watched him remove his jeans and the tight cotton shorts beneath. She sucked in a breath as her gaze moved up. Solid calves, powerful thighs and the thick, demanding muscle in between.

“Hey there.”

She looked up, dazed, her cheeks as hot as the rest of her.

He was grinning at her. “This ain't no peep show.”

“Right,” was all she could manage.

“Get those skivvies off and let's go swimming.”

He was at the water's edge in seconds, then dove beneath the clear blue before Jane could even register what he'd said.

Waiting until he dove under once again, Jane quickly removed her bra and panties and hurried down to the water. But she was only up to her ankles in the cool lake, when Bobby surfaced. When he saw her, her breasts moving as she walked, the dark curls between her legs, sexual awareness darkened his face.

He dove under the water again and resurfaced before her. Without a word, he eased her into his arms and held her to him, though his eyes remained fixed on hers. “I don't think I've seen you until today.”

She laughed, wrapped her legs lightly around his waist. “I was thinking the same thing.”

“Disappointed?” he asked with a devilish grin, as if he knew the answer.

“Get serious,” she said, every inch of her electrified with the sensation of his wet skin against hers, and the center of him now hard as steel at her belly.

He pushed a strand of hair out of her eye. “You know, Kimmy and I used to swim here when we were kids. Dad taught her, was real careful with her, but she didn't want any of it.”

“She sounds like she was an amazing girl.”

“Yeah. Tough girl. Real loving, too.”

“I wish I could've met her.”

His eyes went soft, and he caressed her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “She would've liked you.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Kimmy had a soft spot for funny, kind…good people, I guess.”

A bashful smile tugged at Jane's mouth. The way he talked to her, about her, made her feel so cared for, and the way he touched her, gently yet possessively, made her want only to kiss him. Her arms went around his neck and she pressed herself closer to the blunt, plum-shaped tip of him. “Do you have a soft spot, Bobby?” she whispered close to his mouth, near that slash of a scar that so intrigued her.

“I'm looking at her.”

His hand moved down her back, rolled over her buttocks and underneath where fine hair gave way to the slick entrance to her body. Jane arched her back, closed her eyes as she felt his fingers get closer.

“This is another one of my soft spots,” Bobby whispered in her ear as he slipped one thick finger inside her.

A moan escaped Jane's throat and she pumped her hips, back and forth, taking him in and out of her body. Bobby's tongue lapped lightly at her ear, a sensation that was entirely new to Jane—a sensation that had her on the verge of orgasm in seconds.

“And this,” he breathed into her ear. “This is very, very soft.”

He continued to lick and nibble at her ear as he
pushed a second and third finger inside her. He was so deep, the tips of his fingers flicking back and forth against a spot so highly sensitive, Jane thought she might pass out.

She gripped his shoulder, needed the support, then felt a desperate urge to touch him as he was touching her. Down her hand raked, over his chest and belly until she found him, his erection, thick and pulsing. She wrapped her hand around him, stroked from the base to the top, circling her thumb over the smooth hood until she felt something hot and sticky-wet, so different from the lake water, drip from the tip.

“So soft, so hard,” she uttered, feeling weak and ready to give in.

Her sex pulsed as he thrust his fingers inside her, smacked and teased and tormented at the spot that ached and felt electric. Despite the cool water, she was sweltering. She pumped him as he pumped her, and listened to his breath run ragged. She arched, hovered on the brink….

“Come with me,” Bobby whispered against her throat as he placed the pad of his thumb on the plump ridge of nerves beneath her dark hair.

Yes. Yes.

She couldn't speak. Climax was upon her. Her muscles stiffened, inside and out, and she released an unabashed cry into the sunshine and blue sky. Bobby followed, his body convulsing in ocean-like waves, his shaft throbbing in her hand.

Passion spread like wildfire over his face, made his eyes burn blue flames as he gave in, his mouth captur
ing hers in such an all-consuming way, Jane would have sworn she was having her soul ripped from her body.