Microsoft Word - DeadHeat_wrp356.doc (32 page)

Jenna hunkered down on the couch where she'd been

napping. After four days in the hospital, she'd been home

almost a week and still couldn't muster up the energy to

do much of anything.

She yawned and patted the cushion next to her. “Sit

beside me and tell me all about your morning at the

track.”

Rye relaxed on the couch, his nearness disturbing

and exciting. She'd accepted how much she loved him.

He'd shown her nothing but concern and light-hearted

affection since the kidnapping. No matter how much she

hinted at wanting more, he remained a gentleman.

What she didn't know, and couldn't bring herself to

ask, was if his feelings were strictly those of a friend.

Perhaps he no longer wanted to be her lover. There'd been

times she thought she'd seen hunger in his eyes and was

convinced he still wanted her. Perhaps today was the day

to find out.

“Well, Rising Sun misses you,” Rye said. “No doubt

about it. Each morning he hangs his head out of the stall

and watches for you to come down the shed row. Doesn't

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give up his vigilance till about ten o'clock.”

Jenna laughed. “He's probably looking for alfalfa.”

Rye turned toward her, reached over and tucked a

loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Has the doctor

mentioned when you can return to work?”

“Beginning of next week.”

He quirked his eyebrow. “So soon?”

“Not soon enough for me. I'm getting antsy. My

bruises have almost faded. I can see out of my eye now.”

Rye's eyes twinkled with amusement. “For sure. I see

a big improvement. You've gone from black and blue to a

pale mellow yellow.”

She punched his arm. “Very funny.”

“Actually, I want to run something by you.”

“Shoot. I'm listening.”

“There’s a two-year-old stakes coming up next week.

Think the two super colts are ready to make their racing

debut?”

“Stakes race?” I was thinking more of an allowance

race.” Jenna chewed her bottom lip. “Think they're ready

to run with the big boys?”

“Every entry is a maiden, except one. He won a race

down in Arkansas. That hardly counts.”

“Okay, then. Why not? Let's go for it.”

“Good. That's settled. What would you like for supper

tonight? I'm buying. We'll have it delivered. How about

Vietnamese?”

“I'm not hungry right now.”
At least not for food
.

“Want to play a game of chess?”

Jenna shrugged. “Not really.”
How about strip poker?

“I guess that leaves the television.”

“Can't we just talk?”

“Sure.” Rye yawned and reached down to pull off his

boots.

Jenna rose. “You look tired. Take a short nap. I've got

some things to do in the bedroom.”

****

the plunge? Pulled her into his arms and kissed the life

out of her. He knew damn well that the minute their skin

came into contact, they'd be all over each other. Why was

he hesitating?

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Because he wanted more from her than sex. He

wanted her love, her trust and her respect. Things that

needed to be earned. And he honestly didn't know how to

begin.

He used the remote to turn on the TV and surfed

through the channels. He'd been here on this very couch

every night since Jenna was released from the hospital.

They'd shared supper, played cards, talked and

sometimes just sat in a comfortable silence.

Rye had reached the end of his tether when it came

to keeping his hands off Jenna. The intensity of his

hunger scared the shit out of him.

“Rye?” Jenna's sweet voice floated from the bedroom.

“Could you give me a hand?”

“Sure thing,” he answered. “Be right there.”

The bedroom door was partially closed, so he

knocked.

“Come in.” Jenna's voice sounded breathless. “I need

your help.”

Rye entered the room and almost fell to his knees. He

swallowed a groan. An instant hard-on bulged in his

jeans. “What are you doing?” he managed to croak.

“I'm trying to hang this damn print.”

Jenna stood on her bed, arms stretched over her

head, holding a Degas print of
A Day at the Races
against

the wall. Her feet shifted back and forth on the mattress,

trying to maintain balance.

Christ. When she left the living room she'd been

wearing baggy sweats and a T-shirt. Now she had on a

silk camisole top and the skimpiest pair of shorts he'd

ever seen.

“Well?” she asked impatiently as she attempted to

tap her foot.

He stood there, staring at her body. Abruptly, he

shut his mouth and controlled the urge to wipe his chin in

case he'd been drooling.

“Why don't you get off the bed, give me the picture,

and I’ll hang it for you.”
Go stand in the corner of the room

out of my sight.

“I've got it right where I want it. Come stand beside

me, and I'll hold the nail in place while you pound it in.”

Rye almost groaned at the double meaning he read in

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her words.
Get your mind out of the gutter.

Against his better judgment, he grabbed the hammer

off the dresser and climbed on the bed. Did she smell

sweeter than when she'd sat beside him on the couch?

“Ready?” he asked. The sooner he pounded the damn

nail, the sooner he could make his escape back to the

couch. He drew back the hammer, and tapped the nail,

careful not to hit her finger. “There. Happy now?”

“Not quite.”

Rye's gaze dropped to her face. His heart flipped. The

heat in her eyes started his blood boiling.

He swallowed hard. “This was a hoax. An excuse to

get me in here.”

Jenna's eyes sparkled. Her fingers traced his mouth.

“You're right. I got tired of waiting for you to make the

first move.”

“Is that right?” Rye tossed the hammer on the floor.

Hooking his foot behind her knees, he pulled. She

tumbled to the mattress. He dropped beside her.

“I want you, Rye.” Jenna's nails dug into his arms.

“Now. Deep inside me. Make me feel whole again.”

“Anything you want, baby. All you have to do is ask.”

His mouth closed over hers. Passion ignited. His toes

curled.

Jenna locked her fingers in his hair. He wound the

front of her silk camisole around his hand and fought the

desire to rip it from her body.

He dragged his mouth away from hers and left a trail

of kisses on his way to her nipple. He suckled its pebble

hardness through the silk. Small whimpers came from

Jenna's mouth and raised his temperature even higher.

His thumbs eased under the thin straps of the camisole to

slide them off her shoulders.

Their gazes held as he used his teeth to pull the lace

away from one breast. She gasped when he captured a

puckered nipple in his mouth.

****

clutched handfuls of his hair and tugged his head away

from her breasts.

“Jenna, I want to love you with my mouth.”

“Later.” Jenna got to her knees and wiggled out of

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her shorts and camisole. “Your turn,” she said, her gaze

hungrily devouring his face.

She chuckled as he fumbled with his clothes. “Let

me.” Pushing his hands away, she deftly undid the

buttons on his shirt. He shrugged out of it, while Jenna

unsnapped, then unzipped his jeans. She dragged the

denim material down to his knees, then scooted off the

bed to yank them off.

Blood pooled between her legs, making her very

center throb with need. She ached with wanting for this

man. Straddling his calves, she lowered her head and took

him into her mouth. His body jerked and thrust his penis

deeper.

He held her head while her tongue teased and

tantalized. “God, Jenna. Enough. Are you trying to kill

me?”

She slid her tongue over his penis, holding its tip in

her mouth as she looked into his eyes, now almost indigo

with hot need.

Rye growled and grabbed her shoulders. He

maneuvered her onto her back and under his body. A knee

between her thighs pushed her legs apart.

Jenna lay back spread eagled and sighed. “I've

wanted to do this for days.”

“Do you always get what you want?” he teased.

“No,” she whispered, “not always. This time I was

determined. I love you, Rye Cameron.” There. She'd said

it. The three small words that might lose her the one love

of her life.

The hands tightened on her shoulders. He buried his

face in her neck, his breathing harsh. “Jenna, you're my

world. The words I love you don't touch how much you

mean to me.”

Jenna tried to drape her mind around what he'd said.

Rye loved her? Was this coming from the heat of passion?

“You don't have to...”

“Sshh.” He placed a finger over her lips. “I'm in love

with you. Have been since I first laid eyes on you. I

planned to tell you the night we danced. Then I screwed

up. You left in a huff. And Casey took you...” He broke off.

The pain in his baby blues touched Jenna's soul.

She wanted to erase all the pain. “That's all in the

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past.” For long moments they lay close, not talking, not

moving. Jenna ran her fingers over his back and

shoulders, trying to memorize every ripple of muscle. She

nuzzled his neck.

Rye shuddered in response. Electricity arced through

her and passion ruled. He lifted and pushed into her.

Jenna raised her knees and planted the soles of her

feet on the bed to better meet his thrusts. Her nails dug

into his shoulders. His hands gripped her hips.

On the brink of climax, she moaned her pleasure. Rye

slowed his rhythm.

“God, Rye! Don't stop now.”

His body stiffened. She could tell he held back his

own climax. “I want it to last.”

She wrapped her legs high on his back and tilted her

hips for deeper contact. “I say we don't need to make it

last. We just do it again in an hour.”

Rye gave her a crooked smile. “Whatever the lady

wants, the lady gets.”

He plunged deep, increasing the pressure on her

clitoris. Jenna picked up his pace, meeting his fierce

thrusts with ones of her own. When she cried out her

release, Rye's moans of pleasure accompanied hers.

Rye turned to his side, his arms wound tight around

Jenna. She snuggled into him and breathed deeply of

their musky scent.

“When do we leave for California?”

“California?” Jenna squeaked, too relaxed in the

aftermath of sex to focus on what he'd said.

“You don't think you're moving to California without

me? We'll pack up the barn and head out whenever you're

ready.”

Jenna couldn't believe what she was hearing. “You're

willing to pull up stakes here and move to California with

me?”

“I sure as hell will not be separated from you. Not

now, not ever.”

“We can stay here. I was going to California to get

away from...” Jenna trailed off.

Rye chuckled. “To get away from me?”

Jenna nodded. “I thought...I was afraid...I couldn't...”

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“We belong together, Jenna.”

“I've been yours since the beginning, Rye,” she

confessed. “I wouldn't admit it, because I didn't want to

give you the ammunition to hurt me.

“It's official now. We're partners. Both on and off the

racetrack. And if you want to ship out to California, we'll

ship out. If you want to stay here, we'll stay here.”

Jenna chuckled. “Sure you're up for being partners

with me? I've got a feeling there'll be some hot and heavy

fighting when we disagree.”

He grinned. “Fighting isn't the only place where

things will get hot and heavy.”

Jenna shivered with anticipation when his penis

grew hard and twitched against her belly. His fingers

moved down her spine to her rear. The delicious tingling

at the apex of her legs started all over again.

“Is that right?” she asked, as she hooked her leg over

his hip. His penis naturally slid where it belonged. Jenna

smiled when Rye's hands tightened around her butt, and

he emitted a loud groan. ****

Jenna breathed deeply of the scents she'd missed for

the past two weeks. The aroma coming from a load of

fresh alfalfa dropped off earlier that morning

overshadowed even the smell of liniment.

Every horse in the shed stood at the front of the stall,

ears pricked forward. They knew the alfalfa had arrived.

The bruising she'd sustained in her shoulder when

she fell would prevent her from doing any physical work,

but she damn well could still train horses. God, it was

good to be back. The racetrack was in her blood, and she

wouldn't have it any other way.

The camaraderie around the barn warmed her heart.

Other grooms willingly had taken on the extra

responsibility of caring for Casey's horses. The many