HorsingAround (5 page)

She entered the room and immediately recognized Jake’s earthy scent and the cowboy boots in the corner. A tiny ball of orange fluff wound around her foot and stared up at her with bright green eyes.

Her heart squeezed at the sight of the kitten. Bending to pick it up, she spied a bowl of food and another filled with water nearby.
And a plush pink pet bed.
Someone had a soft spot for kittens.

She lifted the animal to eye level. It had to be the most adorable thing she’d ever seen. She snuggled it to her shoulder a moment, before setting it down on the cat bed. Jake definitely harbored his share of surprises.

He still lay sprawled across the bed in all his naked glory when she returned to her room. A ray of moonlight peeked through the curtains and painted him in shades of purple and blue. Desire swept through her. She neared the bed.

His eyes fluttered when she slid under the covers beside him. He smiled, threw an arm over her and sighed contentedly. “Where’d you go?”

“Bathroom.
I found the most adorable kitten on my way back.”

His eyes opened wide.
“Where?”
He sat up and threw the covers aside.

“Your room.”

His shoulders slumped as if she’d caught him stealing a cookie or something. “Oh.”

She waited for him to elaborate, but he just leaned back on his elbows, eying her.

“She’s precious. Does she have a name?” She couldn’t resist climbing over him and nipping his chiseled chest, licking his erect nipples.

“
Mmm
.
That feels good.”

“So?” She stopped playing and leveled a questioning stare at him.

“What?”

“What’s the kitten’s name?”

He coughed dryly.
“
Creamsicle
.
Okay?”

Why did he seem embarrassed that he had a cat? “Where’d you get her?”

He gave his shoulders a slight shrug. “One of the mousers that
lives
around the stable had a big litter. She was the runt and the mom wouldn’t take care of her. Satisfied?”

“That’s so sweet.”

He rolled his eyes then grasped her waist, eased her off him. Moving off the bed, he shook his head. “I didn’t want her to starve. No big deal.”

“So that’s why she has a cushy pink bed and a bunch of toy mice on the floor in your room?” Why wouldn’t he admit to his softer side? Maybe he didn’t think it very masculine, but she found it downright hot.

Scrubbing a hand over his face, he sighed. “I don’t want to talk about
that
pussy.” He stalked back to the bed and sat on the edge. “I’m not through with yours.” Grabbing her arm, he pulled her onto his lap, facing him. “Last night was…”

“Amazing.”

He planted a gentle kiss behind her ear. “I want an encore.”

A shudder of anticipation rolled over her skin. She hooked her fingers together behind his neck. “Mind if I take a shower first?”

“I do. Actually, I have a better idea.”

She quirked an eyebrow.
“Oh?”

“Have you ever gone skinny-dipping under the stars?” He trailed a finger between her breasts, followed with his tongue.

The notion heated her from the inside out. “Can’t say I have, but it sounds…sexy.” In truth, she’d
never
been skinny-dipping, nighttime or daytime.

He helped her hop off his lap. Hand in hand, he led her downstairs. Before they arrived at the pool, he disappeared inside the downstairs bathroom and came out with two towels.

The house was cool as midnight, quiet as a secret. What if Jake hadn’t been staying there? She’d have freaked out here all alone, in the middle of nowhere. Of course, he was way more than her security guard. He’d played her body like a musical instrument and she knew the concert had just begun.

Outside, she drank in the peaceful atmosphere—the rhythmic beat of the crickets and the blanket of stars in the sky. No car horns blasted, no engines hummed, no people spoke. The dark enveloped everything and she had to hang onto Jake for fear of falling.

“Isn’t there a light inside the pool?” she asked.

He chuckled.
“Only for show.
Unless you want to be carried off by the mosquitoes.”
He set her hand on the railing. “Stay here. I have an idea.”

She heard him moving things around nearby. Moments later a flame lit the area. She sucked in an excited gasp at the sight of the torches. At least six feet tall, half a dozen circled the pool. Jake lit them one by one, creating a Hawaiian atmosphere.

After he’d finished, he joined her at the steps, pulled her into a strong embrace. “How’s that for light?”

She softened against him, marveled at how their curves fit together like two long separated puzzle pieces. “It’s perfect.” She brushed her lips along his, slid her tongue inside his mouth, over his teeth, tasting and exploring. He cupped her cheek and she leaned into his touch.

A chill breeze whispered past. Desire engulfed her like a favorite soft blanket. Jake took her hand and they stepped into the pool. Once the water reached her waist, she wrapped her legs around him and curled her fingers into his shoulders. Jake held her hips, forced her closer and she felt his growing erection between them. The cool water did nothing to quench her burning hunger, a hunger only he could satisfy.

Jake stared into Paige’s dark eyes. He’d never met another woman who’d turned him on so much. If he wasn’t careful, he’d develop feelings for her.

What am I thinking? I just met her.

But his body responded to her as if they’d been lovers for a long time. She touched him as if she lived inside his head, knew exactly how, where and when. He closed his mouth over hers, tasted her sweet tongue.

She tightened her arms around his neck, ground her sex against him. His cock grew heavier with need. Molten lust collected in his loins like a simmering volcano. The full swell of her breasts pressed into him. He cupped one, kneaded and tweaked. She squirmed and purred. Dropping his head, he flicked his tongue over an erect point. He backed away and stared at her nipple, stoked by how red and glossy he’d made it. She lifted the other breast, fed it to him.
So sexy.
He suckled and licked, incredibly turned on.

Shifting a hand under her, he eased her folds apart, drove a finger inside her creamy entrance, then another. Rubbing along her cleft, he grinned when she started moving in time with his strokes. The surface of the water rippled with her gyrations. A low moan started deep in her chest and slowly moved higher. She bucked and bobbed. Her needful whimpers filled the humid air and her slick depth gripped his fingers tight.

He couldn’t resist her erect nipples another second. The moment he suckled one into his mouth, Paige released a strangled cry and leaned her head back. She writhed with a pounding intensity. Her pussy clenched and twitched around his fingers.

He held her to him, luxuriating in her pleasured moans. When she dropped her head onto his shoulder, he carried her across the pool and up the steps. She purred softly as he deposited her on a lounge chair. He grabbed the towels he’d left on the table and covered her with one, then wrapped another around his waist.

“Moonlight skinny-dipping is fun, huh?” The satisfaction on her face glowed in the firelight.

“Yes, ma’am.
What did you think?”

A laugh, like the tinkle of wind chimes.

“I think I like it. Love it, actually.”

He kneeled on the chair, crawled toward her. “I’m not through with you yet.”

Her eyes widened. “No?”

With a shake of his head, he lifted the towel off her and dropped it onto the deck. He spread her legs apart, smoothed back the dark tuft of curls shielding her sex.

Paige clamped her legs together and backed away. The man aimed to kill her with pleasure. “No more. Not yet.”

He lifted a brow in challenge. “I’m not through with you, Paige.”

The honey in his voice tempted her. “I won’t be able to walk if we…” Her cheeks heated. “You’re awfully well endowed, you know.”

A slow smile split his handsome face. “I’ll settle for another taste of your sweet pussy.”

Renewed desire washed over her. Her resolve shattered. She let Jake push her legs open. His teasing nips on her inner thighs chased away the last vestiges of her resistance. Lust burned inside her pussy as he moved his attention to her hard nub. He flicked and gently sucked, swirled his tongue around it.

She shuddered as the lush sensations flooded her veins. The heat of his clever tongue rocketed straight to her core. He laved her clit, stroked rough fingers through her furls. The intensity of the pleasure snatched her breath away, led her up the precipice of bliss. She grasped handfuls of his thick hair, soaked from the pool.

Just when she thought she’d approached the point of no return, Jake stopped and settled a stiff hand over her pussy.

She stared down at him, questioning him.

He smiled wickedly. “I’m not ready for you to come yet.” He crawled along the cushion until he straddled her. Holding her breast, he laved her flesh, slid his teeth over her nipple painfully.

She shoved him away. “That hurts.” But it also felt good.
Too good.
Something he seemed to know instinctively.

His gaze met hers for an instant. The power of their attraction stole her breath. All she’d envisioned was a casual fling, yet the way he touched her, the intensity of her desire rocked her to her core.
And made her want to run screaming for her life.

Yet she couldn’t turn him away. She needed this, needed him.

No!

This couldn’t be anything but a vacation fling. Needing Jake, needing any man was out of the question. Particularly one she’d have to do business with. What had she been thinking?

She gripped the sides of the cushion and inched back in the chair. “Jake, I think—”

He silenced her with a finger to her lips.
“Stop thinking.”

He had a point. Her brain’s built-in brakes had derailed every spontaneous thing she’d ever set out to do.

He kissed her bellybutton, nipped and tickled her skin. Desire surged anew and all thoughts of stopping him disappeared into the starry night. She lay back and unclenched her fists.

“That’s better.” He gave her one of those sexy winks. Scooting lower, he settled between her legs again and glided his finger along her pussy. Her pulse quickened and her muscles tensed as she braced for the onslaught of more pleasure.

Jake parted her lips and slid the tip of his tongue over her clit. She lifted to him, sighed when a blissful shudder swept through her. He drove his tongue into her, lapped at her juices, followed with his fingers. Stroking them in and out, he hit that spot where her delight bloomed. She squirmed against the approaching orgasm, coaxing it closer.

She slipped over the edge and let the ecstasy pull her under. Powerful waves of pure satisfaction shook her body, rolling with a pounding intensity. She curled her fingers into his hair as a loud moan broke from her lips, filled the quiet night air. As her satisfaction ebbed, Jake moved higher, smiled at her.

“Your eyes are
glittering
brighter than the stars.” He planted a sweet kiss on her lips and she tasted her sensual essence there. Through the afterglow of her pleasure, a troubling thought emerged.

I have to say goodbye to him soon.

But she didn’t want to. No man had ever touched her the way he did. Somehow she knew, deep in her soul, every other man would pale next to Jake.

Chapter Five

“Breakfast is ready.” Jake’s silky voice tore Paige out of her blissful sleep. She opened her eyes and squinted against the bright sunlight filtering through the blinds.

Jake leaned over the dresser with his back to her. “
Owen’s
lawyer called to confirm your meeting with him at eleven.”

She stiffened. But she could hardly put off the business she’d come all the way down here to handle. “Thanks.” She sat up.

“I have to take a group of tourists out after you come back. I’d appreciate it if you’d join me.” He carried a tray to her and set it over her lap.

She gasped when she saw the sumptuous meal. Speechless, she could only direct a questioning stare at him.

He pointed to the plate as if it were nothing special.
“Cheddar cheese omelet, hash browns, biscuit and bacon.”

“Wow.” Had he actually cooked all this? No one had ever done anything so sweet for her before. “Are you real?” She poked a finger at him, touched his muscled forearm.

“No big deal.” Turning his wrist, he glanced at his watch. “I’ll be back to collect you in an hour.” His gaze slid over the length of her body.

She shivered in response. “Where are you going?”

His wink sent a zing of desire to every nerve ending in her body. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about it.”

She bit back the annoyance at his words until she saw his grin break through.

Without giving her a real answer, he started out the door. “One hour.” And he disappeared.

Paige ate every bite of the delicious breakfast. She indulged in a long, hot shower then slipped on a sundress. By time Jake returned, she’d washed the dishes and mentally prepared herself to face the lawyer.

Jake hardly spoke a word during the fifteen-minute trip into town. She wondered if his furrowed brow had to do with whatever errand he’d run earlier.
“Everything okay?”

He threw her a quick glance and shrugged. “Sure, fine. Why?”

“You seem preoccupied.”

A slow grin lifted one side of his lips, yet the tension etched into his forehead remained. “If I am, it’s probably because of that hot filly I roped last night. The one I can’t keep off my mind.” He pulled into a parking lot and shut off the engine.

She glanced at the row of quaint-looking shops lining the street, but didn’t see anything that looked like a law office. “Where are we?”

“We’re early. Thought you might like to have a quick look at the town. See the place with a native.”

A pleasant sort of ache spread through her abdomen. The more she got to know the man, the more she liked. But she’d be gone soon enough. She ought
not
encourage the feelings percolating inside her.