How to Rope a McCoy (Hell Yeah!) (19 page)

She
moaned, “God, Heath,” wanting more. Cupping her own breasts, she pushed them
together so he could go from nipple to nipple, licking and sucking.
    

Taking
a breath, he asked, “How does it feel?” He needed her assurance. He craved her
approval.

“I
love it! I love it!” she cried, unabashedly.

“Come
higher,” he bid, licking his lips, his eyes blazing with frenzied lust.

It
took her a moment to understand his request, but when she did, Cato shivered.
Swinging her thigh over his neck, she settled herself over his face, holding on
to the wooden head of the bed.

“Now,
Cato, please,” he begged. Without hands, he had to depend on her to come to
him, but she was gracious, benevolent, lowering her sex down to his starving
mouth. Burying his face in her delicious pussy, he lapped and licked, eating
her out. Heath ravished her with lips and tongue, spearing deep up into her
channel, tongue-fucking her until she was chanting his name. She rode him, her
hips undulating as she raised and lowered herself, flexing and arching, until
he broke free with one mighty jerk and held her down while he took her clit
between his lips and sucked.

Cato
screamed as she shattered, jerking in his arms while he anchored her down,
forcing her to accept the ecstasy only he could give her.

Only
him.

No
one else.

He
couldn’t fathom it.

Needing
to be inside of her, Heath rolled over, placing her beneath him, so that his hips
were cradled between her thighs. She spread her legs farther, softening, making
him welcome and he felt his control slip farther. “How does it keep getting
better?” he whispered against her face, knowing she would have no idea of what
he said. And right now, he was glad. Because Heath didn’t want her to know what
effect she was having on him. The only way he could hold it together was to
kiss her, keep her occupied until he could get a grip on this overwhelming
flood of emotions that was making him feel things he never intended to feel
again. If she saw his eyes, she would want the words and he couldn’t give her
that, so he closed his eyes, took her mouth and tried to tell her with his kiss
what he wouldn’t tell her with his words.

Awed,
he kissed her, communicating with every touch, every caress of his lips how
thankful he was to have her in his arms. Nuzzling her neck, he sucked at her
flesh, wanting to leave visible proof of his possession.

“This
isn’t what I expected,” she whispered.

Heath
could tell she was as confused as he was, so he sought to lose them both in the
oblivion of pleasure. He worshiped her body, the lush, magical landscape of
feminine dips and curves, suckling, licking, swirling his tongue around her
nipples until she was breathless and desperate.

“Please,
please…” She tugged at his arms, bidding him to move back up. “I need to kiss
you. I need you.”

Kissing
a path back up, he held up, staring into her eyes as he sank into her creamy
softness. “You’ve got me, baby.” This, this was the way it was meant to be.
Heath shook his head from side to side, the heaven of her pussy milking his
cock almost more than he could handle. Cato clasped him around the neck,
pushing her hips up, every move a parry to his. A powerful, desperate need enflamed
him
and Heath sought to assuage the greedy longing.
Placing his hands under her knees, he pulled her legs up until she was exposed.
He looked down at where they were joined, the pink flower of her sex flushed
and swollen. The sight of his cock sliding in and out of her pussy only
escalated the hunger rising in him.

“Now,
now!” she urged. Cato was quaking with unbearable excitement.

Her
desperation incited him. Heath rose over her and began to jack hammer into her,
his hips driving and pounding, giving her what they both wanted. The pleasure
was excruciating and their release came fast, furious and complete. Her pussy
fisted around him as he jetted his cum deep within her.

Aftershocks
sparkled through her as Cato cradled him close, stroking his back, his neck,
kissing the beads of sweat from his shoulders. “You are a generous lover.”
Heath was collapsed on top of her and she bore his weight gladly, loving the
feel of him pressing her into the mattress.

Heath
could have stayed where he was forever, still intimately connected with this
woman who was proving to be exactly what he feared she would be—a threat to his
heart. Steeling himself to put distance between them, he pulled out and rolled
to his back and even though his mind was telling him no, his body ignored him
and he held her close, kissing the damp tendrils of hair on her forehead.

She
raised her head so she could see him. “Is it always like this?”

Heath
weighed his words. If they were to continue—and God knows he wanted to—he
needed to set some boundaries and draw some lines. The lie stuck in his throat,
but he fought to say the words. “Yea, I always enjoy a good romp in the
morning. Keeps the blood
flowing.
” Giving her a
carefree grin, he eased out from under her and bounded from the bed.

Okay,
then. Inaudibly, Cato heard a crackling sound of something shattering. She knew
what it was—the delicate dreams she had already started building in her heart.
She’d wanted to say more, tell him how she was feeling—the tenderness, the
hope—but now she was glad she hadn’t. Heath’s off-hand, light-hearted take on
their lovemaking effectively brought her back down to earth, like a sharp tug
on a kite string. This was temporary. They had an agreement and she couldn’t
let herself forget it.

“Let’s
get dressed. I’ve got some things to do this morning.” Heath kissed her, he
couldn’t stop himself.

Reaching
for her wrap, she covered herself. “Sure. I’ll go back to my room.”

“Can
we meet up later?”

He
was acting strange. Cato got the feeling he was pulling her closer with one
hand and pushing her away with the other. Talk about mixed signals. “Of
course.” She almost let it go, but she couldn’t. It just wasn’t her way.
“Heath, do you regret this? Do you want to forget our plans?”

An
out. Now that it was offered, he didn’t want it. “No regrets.” He touched her
face. “I enjoyed being with you more than I could ever tell you. I want our
time together. I think it will be the experience of a lifetime. Don’t you?”

She
let out a long breath. “Yes.”

“Good.”
He’d jerked on underwear, a pair of jeans and a blue western shirt, the same
color of his eyes. “I’ll see you at lunch, if not before. And you’re sleeping
in here with me again tonight, just in case you were wondering.”

She
had been—wondering. “Okay.” She gave him a tremulous smile.

“And
turn off the monitors in your room, just in case the maid wanders in there
while we’re playing here.”

“Good
idea,” she agreed. With that, he was gone, leaving Cato alone to assimilate how
she was feeling and how she was going to get through the next month without
having her heart broken in a million pieces. Oh well, she had no one to blame
but herself. She had made her bed and now she had to lie in it.

At
least she wouldn’t be lying in it alone, she would be sharing the space with a
man capable of gifting her with multiple orgasms.

As
Cato gathered her things to head back to her room, she walked by the wall of
photos and stopped to look at them, hunting hints of what made Heath tick and
what she could do to make their time together more meaningful. Several things
stood out. Heath and his family on a boat, it looked like they were fishing.
There was also a beautiful shot of them all at what appeared to be a hot-air
balloon race. A few showed prize winning livestock and Heath’s old truck seemed
to play a starring role. She let her imagination flow free and was glad when a
few ideas took root. Maybe this wouldn’t be so hard.

Turning
to leave, she walked by his desk and something caught her eye. Lying on top of
the mammoth mahogany surface was a well-worn copy of
Heart of Texas
. Her
hand went out slowly to touch it. How odd, she thought. She ran her finger over
the tattered cover, remembering her childhood hero. Just like she’d promised
herself, Cato had read the book and a favorite point came to mind, one that
seemed applicable to her situation with Heath—if you want something too much,
you’ll probably end up being disappointed. Perhaps she should take the wisdom
of Laurence
Culhane
to heart. As she closed the door
behind her, an odd feeling came over her, like she’d just missed something
important. Oh well, she shrugged her shoulders – she’d think more clearly after
her morning coffee.      

*  *  *

“What
did you find out about where
Arness
was headed to
yesterday?” Heath asked Jaxson as they stood around the coffee pot in the bunk
house. He didn’t know why everyone gravitated out here for breakfast. The same
food was served in the house. Helena just made sure there was enough for
everybody. Hot trays of food were carted across the brick patio and down to the
big dining hall. Some people might think it was odd seeing Gruff, their old
blacksmith, talking shop with celebrities and famous athletes, but they all
seemed to be enjoying it.

Jaxson
joined him. Heath noticed he was only using a cane this morning. “Funny thing,”
Jaxson pointed to their foreman. “Cameron went after them, met them coming back
from the whitewater area of Sandy Creek, not far from Longhorn Caverns.”

“What
did they say?” Heath felt his ire rise.

“Said
they were just ‘browsing,’ was the word they used.” Seeing his brother looking
like he was in pain, Heath pulled a chair around. He took the hint and sat
down. “Cameron said he couldn’t be sure, but it looked like the fellow with him
had one of those fancy portable surveying tools with him, the ones with a
built-in GPS and lasers.”

“That
son-of-a-bitch is up to something, I just don’t know what it is.” Heath took a
sip of hot coffee. “I don’t know what he expects to achieve surveying my land,
there’s no way in hell he’ll get his hands on a grain of Highland soil as long
as I’m alive.”

“Speaking
of being up to something,” Jaxson spoke slyly, “what’s up with you and Cato?”

Heath
had the good grace to chuckle. “We’ve come to
an…
arrangement.”

Jaxson
stood up to slap Heath’s back. “Good for you! When did this happen, exactly?”

Heath
didn’t understand what his sibling was getting at, but he answered, “Yesterday,
right after lunch we had a little talk.”

“Ha!
I knew you two couldn’t stay away from one another, you just had that natural
chemistry. We’ll have to have her over for a family dinner so we can really get
to know her without all of these people around.”

“Just
slow down, this is a casual affair.” Heath frowned, trying to get his point
across.

Tennessee
joined them. “What are you grinning about, Jaxson?”

Heath
snorted. “Your brother likes to play cupid.”

“No.”
Jaxson tipped his hat back on his head. “I’m happy because I won the Heath
Hook-up Love Pool, one thousand dollars!”

“Well,
shit.” Heath shook his head and walked off.

Back
in the kitchen, Cato sat down across from Ryder, who was staring out the window
as if she’d seen a ghost. “What’s wrong?” she asked her new friend.

Ryder
put a hand over her face, for a moment Cato thought she was about to cry. Then
she realized Ryder was laughing. “I can’t believe he came.”

“Who?”
Cato watched, realizing her first assessment had been fairly close. She got the
feeling Ryder was laughing to keep from crying. Cato leaned forward to gaze out
the window and saw a man riding up on a huge snow white horse. He was dressed
in buckskin and had long blond hair to his shoulders. “My God, he looks like—”

“A
Greek god, a conquering hero, a rock star?” Cato couldn’t hear Ryder’s voice,
but her face looked like every word she said caused her pain.

“Well
yeah, he’s gorgeous.” Heath was her first choice, but she wasn’t blind.

“His
name is Samson Duke.” She threw a dishrag on the table that she’d been using to
polish silverware. “I swore I’d never say his name aloud again, but I didn’t
expect him to come riding up to my door either. I told him I never wanted to
see him again.”

Putting
two and two together and coming up with ten, Cato figured this was someone
important to Ryder. “Do you want me to go get Heath for you?” Ryder didn’t
appear to be afraid, but she didn’t want to take a chance.

“No,
I can’t bear to involve my brothers. I’ll handle this my own way.” She stood
up, giving Cato a quick hug. “I’m happy you and Heath are getting closer.” She
smiled a sad smile and walked out the back door and straight toward the man who
dismounted as soon as he saw Ryder approaching. Cato wanted to watch, but she
realized this was a private moment. She didn’t know what was going on, but it
wasn’t her affair.

Speaking
of an affair, her thoughts turned to Heath. She didn’t know where he was. In
fact, there was no one in the house. In a few minutes she’d go look for
everyone, but right now she needed caffeine and a clear head. Heading to the
counter, she poured a cup and stirred in cream and sugar. Taking a sip, she
walked around the room admiring the copper accessories, the marble floor and
the granite countertops. The big sideboard drew her, she could just imagine it
laden with pies at Christmas or a huge Thanksgiving turkey. Being a part of
this family would be amazing. Cato had never really known what it was like to
be a part of something so grand. Her mother fed and clothed her, but there was
really no pretense of holiday celebrations or conversation around the dinner
table.

She
ran a hand over a huge soup tureen made from bisque pottery. Cato could imagine
serving a seafood gumbo from it. In some ways she missed Louisiana. As she
drank her coffee and walked around the kitchen, her eyes fell on a large family
portrait hanging over the table. She hadn’t noticed it before. Stepping nearer,
she saw it was the whole family, standing on the porch of a beautiful home
which was a larger version of this one, painted yellow and graced with large
pillars and a wide gallery. There was a woman in the center and Cato knew it
was Heath’s mother. They had lost her in a storm, she remembered Ryder saying.
Moving her finger lightly over the glass, she looked from one face to the
other. They were certainly recognizable. Pepper looked so young and pretty, she
couldn’t be any more than twelve or thirteen. Cato smiled. Ryder appeared to be
a tomboy, her hair up in a ponytail and wearing pants. And there was Tennessee,
looking like he had the world’s biggest secret. Jaxson had his hand on the head
of a golden retriever and Philip stood next to his father, looking more like
him than any of the others. Savoring the moment, she prepared to gaze at Heath,
knowing he would be next. At last, she moved her finger and stepped closer and
what she saw stole her breath. My God! Why hadn’t she seen it before? It was
Heath, obviously a young Heath McCoy.