Hot for You (25 page)

Carilyn said goodbye and Leigh watched them
as they climbed into Cody’s truck. Leigh waved as Cody started the
truck and pulled away from the curb. Carilyn waved back.

She turned to Cody. “So where are we
going?”

“I’ll never tell,” he said with a grin and
she lightly punched his arm.

They chatted about his new home—the builders
would be starting on it soon. Just days ago, Carilyn had surprised
Cody with a new guitar that she’d bought him to replace the one
that had been lost in the explosion.

As for the explosion itself, and everything
else bad that had happened, she appreciated that he didn’t bring it
all up. She still had nightmares over the bastard who’d nearly
killed her. Not a day had gone by since then that thoughts of all
that had happened hadn’t flitted through her mind. But she was
getting better, one day at a time. Time would heal the wounds as
the memories faded and became more and more distant. Eventually,
anyway.

She glanced out the window as he drove. After
a while, her eyes widened. “Oh, my gosh. The red rocks are so
beautiful.”

He gave a nod. “Yep.”

“That’s your surprise!” She gave an excited
bounce in her seat. “We’re going to Sedona.”

With a smile he said, “You’ve guessed
right.”

“I’ve been wanting to go since I arrived in
Prescott.” She looked in wonder at the scenery. “This is absolutely
incredible.”

He pulled off the road into a scenic outlook.
“We’ll stop so you can take a look.”

Before she could climb out herself, like
always he was there to hold the door open for her. She walked up to
the overlook and gazed at the gorgeous rock formations and felt the
spiritual pull of the place.

“It’s amazing.” She looked at him and smiled.
“Thank you for bringing me here.”

After she’d had her fill of the view, at
least temporarily, they climbed into the truck and were back on
their way. They went through what felt like a dozen roundabouts as
they headed through the Village of Oak Creek and into Sedona.

When they drove into the town, she looked in
delight at everything around them. Soon he was pulling up to a
rustic bed and breakfast nestled amongst juniper and pine trees.
Manicured gardens surrounded the place.

“It’s beautiful,” Carilyn said in a
breathless voice as Cody parked. Once he’d helped her out of his
truck, he grabbed her small suitcase and his duffel bag and carried
them into the B & B’s lobby.

Inside there were so many things to look at.
Native American artwork decorated the cozy lobby. Cody checked them
in and it wasn’t long before they were in their own room with a
private patio. The room had a king-sized bed and a jetted tub in
the large bathroom that was tiled with red stone.

“It’s wonderful.” She wrapped her arms around
his neck after they looked around the room. “You are amazing.”

“Get ready, and wear the dress I told you to
pack,” he said with a smile.

She felt almost giddy as she dressed and
touched up her makeup. When they headed out, the day was waning and
cool shadow lay over the land.

“It’s wonderful here.” She breathed deeply of
the fresh air and stretched her arms wide. “More than this Kansas
girl ever expected.” She closed her eyes and let the power of the
place soak into her skin, soak into her soul. “I love this
place.”

She opened her eyes and caught him grinning
as he watched her and she grinned back.

They left the B & B and he took her to a
lovely restaurant where they were seated in a corner at a table for
two and given elegant menus. Cody ordered a bottle of Chardonnay
and it arrived before they’d even had a chance to look at their
menus.

After pouring each of them a glass, the
server set the bottle down and started to light the candle at the
middle of the table. Both Cody and Carilyn held out their hands in
a stop gesture and said, “No!”

The server looked surprised but gave a slight
bow and turned away. Cody and Carilyn looked at each other and
laughed.

Carilyn shook her head. “I’ve had enough fire
to last me a lifetime.”

The corner of Cody’s mouth quirked. “I’d say
the same, but my career won’t let me get away from it.”

She studied him. “I don’t think I could go a
day without worrying about you every time you went to work.”

He reached across the table and put his hand
over hers. He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb in slow
circles. “You don’t need to worry about me, Carilyn.”

“But I do.” She looked down at their hands
before meeting his gaze again. “After everything, I feel even more
like I’d worry every time you’d leave for the fire station.” She
turned her hand up and they linked fingers. “But at the same time
I’m so proud of you for doing something that saves lives. What you
do truly matters.”

He raised her hand and brushed his lips over
the back of it, causing her to give a little shiver.

She studied him before she said, “I booked a
flight back to Kansas on Wednesday.”

He went still but his hand gripped hers
tighter. “You’re leaving?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Carilyn,” he said with urgency, “I can’t
imagine life without you.”

With a sly smile, she said, “Well I have to
go back. I need to pack up my apartment if I’m going to move to
Prescott.”

Cody let out his breath in a whoosh and his
face split into a grin. “Thank Heaven, because it wouldn’t be so
easy to sell my property and follow you to Kansas.”

Her eyes widened. “You’d do that for me?”

“Hell yes.” He took both her hands in his and
held them tightly. “I love you so damned much, Carilyn. I don’t
want to ever live without you. I won’t live without you.”

“I love you, too, Cody.” She gripped his
hands just as tightly. “I can’t imagine not having you in my
life.”

When he leaned forward, she met him halfway
and they kissed. It was sweet and wonderful, and she couldn’t
remember ever being so happy in all her life.

He released one of her hands, picked up his
glass of wine, and raised it. “Here’s to us and a future filled
with new possibilities.”

She smiled and raised her own glass. “To us,”
she said softly and clinked her glass against his, excited for the
future and everything to come.

# # #

***

Cheyenne McCray

The afternoon was growing long as she reached
a stock tank, not too far from a small thicket of oak and mesquite
trees. She dismounted and let Poca drink from the tank.

Ella felt a prickling along her spine and
looked around to see a horse and rider approaching. Clint. A
strange combination of irritation and pleasure traveled up and down
her spine. Irritation that he had followed her, and pleasure that
he was there. Then irritation at her pleasure.

Frowning, she turned her attention to Poca,
ignoring Clint. Out of the corner of her eye she watched him
dismount Charger when they reached the tank and then lead his horse
to the water. She noticed a blanket rolled up on the back of
Charger’s saddle.

She glanced at him. “What are you doing out
here?”

“Checking up on you.” He said the words
casually.

She scowled at him. “What right do you
have—?”

In the next moment he gripped her upper arms
so tightly that she caught her breath in surprise. The look in his
brown eyes caused her heart to pound and she dropped Poca’s reins
to brace her palms on Clint’s chest, ready to push him away.

He had never looked as handsome as he did
that moment, his expression so intense that she felt as if she
might be consumed by the need she felt emanating from him. A raw,
powerful need that she shared with every part of her being.

She swallowed as flutters traveled through
her belly. “Let me go, Clint.”

His expression turned serious, but he didn’t
let her go. “I have one question for you. Whether or not I let you
go depends on the answer to that question.”

She raised an eyebrow. “And that would
be?”

“What’s your relationship with Johnny
Parker?” he said slowly.

Confused by his question, she blinked. “We’re
good friends. Why?”

“That’s all I needed to hear.” He dragged her
up against him and his mouth came down hard on hers.

Completely caught off guard, she let out a
startled gasp, but he swallowed it with his kiss. It was powerful
and demanding as he slipped his tongue into her mouth and he
gripped her ass in his big hands. His cock was hard as he held her
tightly to him.

The thought of struggling came to a quick
death as she fell into the kiss. She gave a soft moan as he ground
his erection against her belly and she felt an answering tingle
between her thighs. Not just a tingle but a full on explosion of
need and desire. She thought about the night he had touched her and
brought her to orgasm and she gave a soft moan.

She grew lightheaded, as if she needed more
oxygen. When he drew away she stared up into his eyes. “I need to
finish checking the fence line.” The words came out in a husky
whisper, as if she wasn’t sure about herself, not at all like she’d
intended.

“You need to stay right here.” He moved his
lips to her ear. “With me.”

A shiver traveled down her spine. “No.” She
swallowed. “I need to—”

He took her mouth hard again and she felt
every bit of resolve slipping. How many times had she dreamed of
his kisses? And now that she was a grown woman, here she was, in
his arms.

Her whole body felt like soft clay, as if he
could mold her, shape her, make her a work of art with his touches
and kisses. He groaned deep and low in his throat and she shivered
again as he moved his palms from her ass to her waist and back
again. His hands felt sure and strong, and she felt a sense of
possessiveness running through him, as if she belonged to no
other.

No, he was just trying to change her mind and
she couldn’t allow him to get away with that.

She shoved at him hard, breaking the kiss,
severing the fire that had made her feel connected to him in ways
she couldn’t have imagined. “That’s enough.”

“I’m just getting started.” He caught her up
in his embrace so that his arm was beneath her ass and she was
halfway over his shoulder.

She struggled in his arms. “Put me down,
Clint.” He was so strong that she could barely move.

He held on to her with one arm and with his
other he unbuckled two straps holding the rolled up blanket on the
back of Charger’s saddle.

It occurred to her then exactly what he
planned to do with that blanket. She tried to get away but he
carried her to the thicket of oak and mesquite trees. He unfurled
the blanket on the ground with his free arm, at the base of a group
of rocks that were beneath the trees.

He turned and twisted her in the air and she
let out a surprised cry as he sat on one of the big rocks. In the
next moment she found herself laying facedown, over his knees, her
arms pinned behind her back, her hair hanging over her face.

“You deserve a spanking for being so damned
difficult,” he growled.

A spanking? Hell no. “Let me go, Clint. Or I
swear you’ll regret it.”

“Be still.” He held her wrists in one hand
then swatted her hard with his other.

The sting caused her to cry out and her eyes
watered. “Don’t!” Again he swatted her and again she cried out.
“Stop it!”

To her shock, she felt a tingling between her
thighs as he spanked her. She didn’t know how it could be, but with
every swat she pictured him thrusting inside her. Her breasts ached
and her nipples were hard nubs. She wriggled and felt his rigid
cock against her body.

He paused and rubbed her ass with his palm.
“Will that make you be quiet and listen?”

“You’re a big bully.” She realized her
breathing had quickened and a thrill had coiled deep in her belly.
“I’ll never be quiet with that kind of treatment.”

“Is that so?” He swatted her again, harder
this time, and she felt a greater tingling between her thighs. “I
think you like it.”

“Never.” The more she fought him, the more
turned on she was getting.

He moved his fingers between her thighs and
she caught her breath. He had to feel her heat and maybe even how
damp she was through her jeans.

Her head spun, her hair flying around her
face, as he swept her up and held her to him. Automatically she
wrapped her arms around his neck and her thighs around his waist
and held on.

He laid her on her back on the blanket. She
started to scramble away but he grabbed her leg and pulled her to
him. She tried to kick free but he was on her, pinning her legs
between his thighs and holding her wrists above her head as his big
body pressed her to the makeshift bed.

She was pinned so securely that there was no
struggling now. Before she could utter another word, he kissed her
hard. At first she refused him, but she melted and gave in to the
kiss and answered back with the same intensity he showed her.

He kept her arms above her head with one hand
and pushed up her T-shirt with his other. She gasped as he moved
his mouth to her cloth-covered nipple.

His mouth was hot and wet, his tongue
teasing, and he lightly scraped her nipple with his teeth. She gave
in completely and barely realized he had let her arms go as he
moved his mouth to her other breast.

He rose and tugged her T-shirt up, yanked it
over her head, and laid it over the rock he’d been sitting on. He
reached beneath her and unfastened her bra and pulled it away from
her. The air was cool on her nipples and she felt an amazing sense
of wickedness at being bare outside on the range.

After he tossed the bra aside to land on top
of the blouse on the rock, he moved over her and braced one hand to
the side of her head.