Into the Arms of a Cowboy (15 page)

Her eyes widened. She spoke before she could stop herself. “Well, my goodness.”

“Something wrong?”

“No. No, of course not.” She swallowed hard and averted her eyes.

“Haven’t you ever seen a naked man before?” he teased.

“S-sure I have.”

Well, she had. A photo of Michelangelo’s David, during art school. Kevin Costner, from the back, during that bathing scene in “Robin Hood.” And once, years ago, she’d rifled through a Playgirl magazine belonging to an older foster sister. So she’d seen naked men. But never in the flesh.

And he’s got such an awful lot of, um, flesh.

“Lie back,” Jess directed huskily, and she lowered herself onto the bed while he peeled off her dress, then her panties. His eyes swept over her body, from her toes to her burning cheeks. “God, you’re beautiful.”

“No, I’m not,” she said. The words sprang automatically to her lips.

He stared at her in disbelief as he stretched out beside her on the
nubbly
chenille spread. “How can you even say that?”

“Well, I’m not.” She glanced down at the thighs she hated and the extra padding on her hips. “I’m too fat, and--”

Jess shushed her with a groan and a shake of his head. “You think I want a skinny woman in my bed? You’re everything I’ve ever dreamed of,
darlin
’. If you don’t believe that, just look at what you’ve done to me.”

Cassie stole another peek at Jess’s erection. Yup. He was telling the truth, all right. Her thoughts rattled through her fevered brain like pebbles in a tin can.
What if I’m not sexy enough? What if we make love and he’s disappointed? What if. . . .

Before she could fully explore her doubts, though, Jess began to caress her again. He planted small, stinging kisses from just under her earlobe and down her neck to her collarbone. His rough fingers traced a path from her breasts to her belly, lingered on her tummy, then stroked the sensitive skin of her thighs.

Exquisite tremors quaked through her body as Jess’s expert fingers found the center of her femininity. Her breath came in tiny gasps, and her heart hammered double-time. His body burned against hers, all that muscle and sun-bronzed skin, as his thumb
sought and found the right place. Cassie cried out again and again. She couldn’t help herself.

In response, his mouth took hers again, roughly, as his fingers moved deeper into her moist, heated center. She’d never known her body was capable of such pleasure. It was a waterfall cascading through her. Every nerve was alert, raw, and ready. Her body was opening up like a flower, petal by petal, under Jess’s experienced hands.

Jess swept his eyes over her beautifully flushed face and chest and knew she was ready for him. He couldn’t wait much longer himself. With each and every beat of his heart, his erection throbbed and hardened. He felt like a teenager again, so heedless and wild, spinning out of control.

It was Cassie who’d sent him into this loop, Cassie who broke through all his defenses. He couldn’t take his eyes off her luminous face, and those clear, trusting eyes even as he reached for his discarded dress pants and drew a foil packet from the wallet in the back pocket. A moment later, he was still watching her face as he entered her.

She’d closed her eyes. Her mouth curved into a sexy smile as her body moved to accommodate him. God, but she felt good. She fit him like they were made for each other. She was ready, but tight, so tight. He frowned as he thrust deeper inside her. No, it couldn’t be. . . could it?

He began to pull out, but she arched her back and drove him deeper. Jess groaned and hilted himself in her. Though she bit her lip, a small, pained exclamation escaped. He stared down at her. “Don’t tell me you’re--”

“A virgin?” She nodded, smiling, and wriggled provocatively. “Past tense, actually. I think I just, uh, lost that distinction.”

He brushed his lips over the arch of her eyebrow, then down to the tip of her snub nose. “You could have told me.”

Her fingers explored the bunched muscles of his back and shoulders. “But I was afraid you wouldn’t--”

“Wouldn’t what?”

She grinned, wrapped her legs around his thighs, and pulled him even further into her. “Wouldn’t do this.”

He sucked in a deep breath, almost undone by her squirming. “
Darlin
’, there’s no way in hell I’m stopping now. Do you have any idea how good you feel?”

“
Mmm
. Not half as good as you do, I’ll bet. I had no idea sex would be this much fun.”

“Baby, we’re just getting started,” he growled. He caught her wrists and pinned her arms above her head as he began moving into her. She tipped her head back, her eyes closed, and caught his rhythm with her hips.

Her enjoyment magnified his own, until he wasn’t really too sure where her body ended and his began. Her tiny sounds of delight drove Jess to the edge of reason. But he needed to wait. He wanted to watch her reach the summit of pleasure, wanted to savor the expression on her lovely face.

With each of Jess’s eager thrusts, Cassie climbed higher and higher, scrambling toward a sensation she craved, at that moment, beyond anything else in the world. Still, the power of her climax surprised her. She clung to Jess, hips bucking as wave after wave of sensation swept over her, as powerful as the surf crashing against a Pacific cliff, as undeniable as the tug of the moon on the oceans.

“Jess, oh, Jess,” she whispered, and he was saying her name, too, somewhere above her. His face was a rigid mask, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he clung to her like a storm-tossed sailor to the mast of his ship.

They collapsed together, their sweat-slicked bodies entwined. Jess’s breathing still came rough, and his heartbeat was a thunder she could feel against her own chest. Her limbs felt weighted, her blood rich and heavy with satisfaction.

She didn’t speak. Neither did he. As they held each other in the aftermath of their lovemaking, there was--at least for the moment--no need for words.

Outside, the rain began to fall.

“Good morning,
darlin
’.”

At the lazy sound of Jess’s voice, Cassie murmured a reply and snuggled closer. A steady downpour still battered the cabin roof, but under the covers she felt warm, safe, and drowsy. A slight, not unpleasant soreness between her thighs reminded her of the previous night’s events. Memories flooded her mind, memories that made her blush and smile at the same time.

She stretched, luxuriously, like a cat in the sunshine. Like a cat who’d just dined on cream and licked her whiskers clean. Jess had opened up a whole new world for her. It was more than the physical pleasure, though there’d been plenty of that. Their intimacy had also bound them together and forged an unbreakable link. He’d possessed her body and taken command of her heart. Whatever the future might bring, she belonged to Jess now--just as he belonged to her.

The future. Had she made a mistake in loving Jess? It would hurt worse than anything to lose him now. But she wouldn’t think of that. She would savor the sweetness of each moment and let the future take care of itself.

Jess watched her, a tender, faintly amused smile on his face. Sleep still tousled his hair. “Sleep well?” he asked.

Cassie yawned and stretched again. “Very well, once you let me.”

His brows shot up. “Once I let you? The way I remember it,
darlin
’, you were the one demanding a repeat performance.”

“
Mmm
. And what a performance,” she said, laughing. Her slid one hand shamelessly over his bare chest and down to his taut abdomen. “This judge gives you a perfect 10.”

“Why, you little vixen, you.” He reached under the sheet and caught her wrist in his steel grip. His brown eyes danced with amusement and a rekindled fire. “I think I’ve created a monster.”

“That’s right, Dr. Frankenstein.” She leaned forward and kissed him smack on the lips. “An insatiable monster.”

“I hate to distract you, but speaking of insatiable. . .” He inclined his head toward the animal carrier on the bookshelf, just as the baby raccoons began to
churr
and growl. “I think our babies want their breakfast.”

Cassie’s hand flew to her mouth. Guilt stabbed at her as she remembered Scamp and Rascal. “The kits! I completely forgot.”

He chuckled. “Luckily, I remembered. Actually, they woke me around 2 a.m., and then I remembered.”

“I didn’t even hear them. What a lousy mother I’d make.”

Jess’s expression softened as he gazed down at her. “I doubt that. I think you’d probably be wonderful. Have you--have you ever thought about having children?”

Cassie averted her face to avoid meeting his eyes. She’d always wanted kids, ever since she was a kid herself. Three of them. Two girls and a boy, preferably, and she’d even picked out the names: Sofia, Celeste, and Nathan. Now that she’d found the ideal father, she could even picture them. They’d have Jess’s brown eyes, and--but it was only a dream. She could hardly raise children from a prison cell.

“Cassie?”

“If I ever have a child,” she said carefully, “it will have two parents, a real home, and all the love and stability I missed.” Her throat constricted, and she changed the subject. “I’m going to heat some milk now.”

She flung off the bedcovers and swung her feet off the bed before she realized she was naked. Even after their intimate night, and the inhibitions she’d shed, Cassie wasn’t quite ready to strut around the cabin in her birthday suit.

“Excuse me,” she said primly, as she yanked the sheet out from under the bedspread. “I’ll just borrow this, if you don’t mind.”

Jess shrugged as he watched her transform the sheet into a makeshift toga. “Go ahead. And while you feed the little ones, I’ll grab a shower.” He threw off the blankets and jumped up, apparently less modest than Cassie. She eyed his retreating form with considerable appreciation.

Nice buns,
she decided.

By the time she’d pulled on a skirt and blouse and tended to the raccoons, she heard the shower go off, but Jess still hadn’t emerged. She knocked on the bathroom door. “Jess? You almost done in there? I’d like to brush my teeth.”

He opened the door, releasing a cloud of soap-scented steam. He wore nothing but a skimpy towel around his waist. A thick layer of shaving cream coated his cheeks and chin. “Come on in,” he said. “I’m almost finished.”

She stood shoulder to shoulder with him as she brushed her teeth. This kind of intimacy--a shared domesticity, the little everyday routines--was much different from the sexual bond they’d formed the night before, but somehow, to Cassie, it seemed even more poignant. Her heart squeezed painfully. If only she could count on more moments like this. A month, a year, a lifetime of entwined lives. . . . She plunked her toothbrush next to Jess’s, pushing it into the slot so hard it nearly broke the plastic holder.

Jess paused with his disposable razor halfway down his cheek. He shot her an apprehensive look. “Something wrong?”

She shook her head and forced a smile. “Just thinking how good you look.” Impulsively, she reached up and touched the strip of newly shaven skin, baby-soft under her fingertips. “And how good you feel.”

Cassie studied him as he raised his chin and drew the blade up from his neck, skimming off creamy foam. “I’ve never watched a man shave before, you know. Aren’t you afraid you’ll cut yourself?”

He laughed out loud, a welcome, throaty sound that instantly lightened her mood. “I’ve had years of practice.” Jess glanced at her, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. He handed her the razor. “Why don’t you try it?”

“What, on you? No, I couldn’t.”

He wrapped his hands around her waist and, despite her squeak of protest, lifted her so she perched on the edge of the bathroom sink. He wedged his hips between her thighs and offered his left cheek. “Go on. You’ll do fine. Pretend you’re shaving your legs.”

“I always nick myself when I shave my legs. I keep a box of Band-Aids next to the tub.” She set the razor’s blade against his cheek. “Are you sure about this?”

His eyes caught hers and held them. “I trust you.”

It was the sexiest thing she’d ever heard a man say. Cassie steadied her hand, bit her lower lip, and drew the blade down his cheek, leaving behind a new swath of smooth skin.

“Good,” he said. “Again.”

She finished his cheeks, then let him take the razor again. He peered over her shoulder into the mirror as he quickly finished the job.

Cassie took his face in her hands and rubbed her own cheek against his. “
Mmm
. Nice. Very nice,” she purred.

His hands back on her waist, he pressed himself against the juncture of her legs and gave her a long, sweet, searching kiss. His masculine hardness jutted against her, and she felt a sudden aching emptiness, a need only Jess could fill. His mouth on hers grew rough, urgent, and she responded with a matching urgency.

“Cassie, what have you done to me?” he murmured against her mouth. “I can’t get enough of you. I’ll never get enough of you.”

What a rush! Cassie loved that she could make him so hot. His ready responses made her feel feminine, seductive, and enormously powerful. She’d never imagined that her own power over a man could be such a turn-on.