Shine Not Burn (11 page)

“Where’s home?” asked Candice, sliding on her shoes.
 
I noticed with a trace of bitterness that they were lower than the ones I’d been subjected to.

“Baker City, Oregon.”

“You’re a long way from home, cowboy,” she said, standing up straight and pushing her boobs up in her bra.

“That I am, ma’am.”

Candice’s face fell and she ceased her wiggling around, her shoulders drooping down.
 
“He just called me ma’am.
 
I’m going to go drown my sorrows.”
 
She grabbed her little purse off the table and walked to the door, all hunched over.

“Where are you going?” I asked, mystified.

“I’m going out to find me a man.
 
A younger one
 
with a big dick.
 
Keep an eye on Kelly if you feel like it.
 
Otherwise, just lock her in.
 
She’ll be fine.
 
She’s sleeping it off in the bedroom on the left.”
 
She stepped out the door.

“But … wait, Candice!
 
You don’t have to leave!”

She stuck her head in the door, her smile back.
 
“Sorry, babe, but three’s a crowd.” She winked.
 
“I’ll catch you later, kids.”
 
The door shut behind her with a click.

“I think your friend just green-lighted me,” he said.

I grinned big.
 
“I think she did too.”

He swept me off on my feet again, only this time the spinning wasn’t nearly as bad since I was staring into his eyes the entire time.
 
“Which way to the empty room?” he asked.

I pointed over my shoulder.
 
“That way.”

Chapter Twelve

I SAT ON THE EDGE of the bed so I could watch the show.

The first thing he did was take off his shirt, button by button.
 
I thought for sure that the cowboy hat was going to go flying first, or maybe that he’d set it down on the table before starting the strip tease.
 
But no … it was the shirt that he started with, and damn, was I glad for that.
 
Never in my life have I seen a cowboy with his shirt off and his hat on, but I decided right then and there that I wanted to experience that on a regular basis for the rest of my life.
 
It made me wish I had a video camera going so I could re-live the scenario over and over again.
 
This event being just a one-night stand really started to suck in that moment.

The boots were next.
 
After taking them off along with his socks, he was standing in the middle of the room in just a pair of well-worn jeans and a straw-colored cowboy hat.
 
A large, brass-colored belt buckle rested at his waist.

“Good Lord have mercy,” I said in barely a whisper, unable to look away.
 
Somehow a southern accent had trickled into my speech.
 
It just seemed appropriate, seeing him standing there in all his country-boy glory.
 
I hiccuped again.

“That good, huh?” he asked, his grin going wide.
 
He took several steps towards me, and I moved back just a little.

“Where are you going?” he asked, his voice low.
 
I was reminded of a predator and its prey.

“I … I don’t know,” I said, stuttering through my sudden attack of shyness.
 
He was too gorgeous for words.
 
I was afraid to be naked in his presence.

“You don’t need to be afraid of me,” he said, still advancing.
 
He held out a hand, palm down, in a calming gesture.
 
“Shhh, come here, babe.
 
Let me just hold you.
 
You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

His words warmed me to my toes.
 
I had a feeling I now knew exactly how a skittish horse would feel in his presence.
 
This man meant me no harm.
 
Walking away would be the stupidest thing I could possibly do.
 
No way was I going to live with that regret.

I put my hand out and let our fingers lace together.
 
“I’m just a little nervous.
 
One-night stands have never really been my thing.”
 
Okay, that was kind of a lie.
 
In college they had been, but not since.
 
Six years of dedicated relationships, all with total jerkoffs.
 
I’m nothing if not consistent.

“It’s the hat, isn’t it?”
 
He took it off and put it down gently on the floor near us, never taking his eyes off me.

“It wasn’t the hat,” I said, my voice feeling strained.
 
It most definitely was not the hat.
 
My pulse was picking up the pace and my fight or flight instinct was kicking in.
 
Or maybe it was my fuck or flight instinct; that was probably more appropriate considering the look he was giving me.

“Is it the buckle?” he asked, gripping it in his fingers and angling it towards me.

“It’s not the buckle,” I whispered, staring at the letters engraved in the front of it … something in Latin over a coat of arms, maybe.
 
I was too distracted to give it much thought. He was getting too close for me to think straight.
 
I was way too dizzy from all the alcohol, so I stood, hoping that would help.

He stopped just inches away, not quite as tall without the boots on, but still so tall I had to angle my head up to look in his eyes.

“You are the prettiest lady in this entire town, you know that?”

I laughed a little, not falling for the schmooze but letting it warm me nonetheless.
 
“I know that you drank about six beers in the space of an hour or two, so I have to think that may be interfering in your judgment.”

He shook his head.
 
“Nope.
 
I’ve got all my faculties.”

“Damn, you’re just full of those quarter words today, aren’t you?”

He pulled me up against his chest in one quick move, reminding me what a strong man he is and how much restraint he’d shown so far.
 
“What’s a quarter word?”
 
He dipped his head down and kissed the side of my mouth.

“It’s … it’s…”
 
I tried to answer, but then I forgot the question.
 
The small kisses he was feathering around my mouth were making me go air-brained.

“Hmmm?
 
Quarter word?” he prompted.

“It’s a … big word … worth twenty-five cents…”
 
I opened my mouth and tried to turn and meet his lips, but he moved away, leaving me hanging.
 
His mouth moved to my neck where his lips put a little suction to my skin.
 
He licked the tender spot and then blew on it a little, making goosebumps come up all over that side of my body.

I strained to get closer to him, my breasts pulsing with need.

“I want to see you naked,” he whispered, his hands going behind me to move my hair out of the way and slowly unzip my dress.
 
His fingertips trailed behind the zipper, sliding along my skin from the top of my spine all the way to the small of my back.
 
The cool air of the room whispered across my skin as the shoulders of my dress went slack and slid down my arms.
 
The heat of my desire banked and my face burned with the fear of him seeing my body and judging it as less than worthy.
 
I stood there in bra and panties, my face going bright red.

“Jesus, woman …”
 
He pulled me against him roughly again, the hardness of his desire slamming into my pelvis.
 
It was the sweetest pain I’d ever felt.
 
A moan escaped my lips and urged him on.

He pushed my dress down until it pooled at my feet.
 
I stepped out of it and kicked it lightly to the side, clinging to him the entire time.
 
I didn’t want us to get too far apart, but he had other ideas.
 
He pulled back abruptly, pushing me away slightly by my upper arms.
 
“Wait … just for a second.
 
Let me look at you.”

I dropped my gaze to the floor, unable to meet his eyes.

He said nothing for so long, I had to peek, unable to stand the pressure of not knowing.
 
He was scanning my body from head to toe, and the dim light shining in from the attached bathroom told me nothing.
 
His expression was serious.
 
Dangerous, even.

“What?” I said, wanting to cross my arms over my body.

“No, wait … don’t cover yourself.
 
Please.
 
Let me just admire you for a little while longer.”

My face went red again.
 
All I could think about were my too-small breasts with two rubbery booby-hikers hidden under them, my wide hips, and my big butt.
 
“What are you talking about?”
 
I felt like I was stuck halfway between feeling awkward and feeling sexy.
 
I could have fallen over to either side with a single word from him.

He shook his head.
 
“I thought bodies like this were only alive in my fantasies.
 
I didn’t realize they existed in reality.”
 
He ran his hand down my ribs and hip.
 
“Curves everywhere.”
 
He looked into my eyes.
 
“The body of a real, honest-to-God woman.”

I pushed on his chest, laughter bubbling up from my throat as the fear disintegrated and then disappeared completely.
 
He likes curves!
 
“Get out of here, you lunatic.”

He grabbed my hands and pulled me up against him.
 
“Heck no, I’m not going anywhere.
 
You lured me up here to your lair and now I’m going to let you take advantage of me.”

My mouth dropped open in mock offense.
 
“I lured you up here?
 
Are you kidding me?”
 
I tried to wrestle away, but he held on tight, walking us over to the bed.

“Don’t play with my heart, Andie.
 
Tell me you didn’t bring me up here just to strip down to your gorgeous bits and then kick me out.
 
I don’t think my ego could take it.
 
And neither could my … other parts of me.”

I lifted my chin to sass him back, but he took advantage of his height and came down to my lips, silencing me with his mouth.

The idea that he found my body so sexy lit some kind of fire inside me.
 
Whatever misgivings I might have had about bringing a man to my room who’d I’d never see again after tonight?
 
Yeah … they went flying out the window and into the hot Las Vegas night.
 
Any second thoughts that might have been brewing about my own attractiveness?
 
Yup .. they joined those misgivings, leaving in their place a very horny, very excited
me
.
 
Andie the party girl was definitely back.
 
I shimmied out of my underthings as he kissed me and then stepped away from him when I was totally naked.

“Wow.”
 
He stared at me, his eyes taking in every detail of my body.
 
“Talk about getting lucky.
 
The blackjack table was nothing compared to this.”
 

My heart soared with his compliments and a sudden surge of energy burst through me.
 
“Woo hoo!” I yelled, pushing him down onto the bed and jumping on top of him.
 
My leap was a little too enthusiastic though, because I misjudged my landing and fell to the side.
 
I tried to catch myself on the edge of the bed but the stupid satin cover gave me nothing to grab onto.
 
I tipped off the bed and fell onto the floor with a loud thud.
 
I stayed there for a few seconds, waiting for the room to stop spinning.
 

“Holy shit,” he said, trying to cover up his laughter as he leaned over the edge of the bed to look at me.
 
“Are you okay?”

I jumped to my feet and smiled, determined to keep having fun regardless of the fact that I was a complete idiot.
 
I held my arms above my head and stretched them to the ceiling. “How’s that for a dismount?” I said, giving him a superstar smile.

He grabbed me around the waist and yanked me down onto the bed, jumping on top of me.
 
“Gold medal worthy.”
 
His jeans pressed into my nakedness, ratcheting the erotic sensations up another couple notches.
 
I had feared my goofiness would destroy the mood, but all it did was make me realize that we had the same sense of humor.

I pushed him over and scrambled to get on top of him.
 
“I’m on top,” I declared.

“Whoa, girl,” he said, laughing while fighting to sit up.
 
He grabbed me around the waist and flipped me over onto my back in one smooth motion.
 
He was on top now and looming over me.

“Take off those pants,” I ordered. “And stand there in the middle of the room so I can check you out.
 
It’s my turn to gawk.”
 
If I’d had a whip right then, I would have cracked it.
 
Something about being with Mack tonight had gotten me totally fired up.
 
If there’d been a bull in the room, I would have held up a red cape and waved it at him.

He backed up as he got off the bed, never taking his eyes off me.
 
“Yes, ma’am.”

Unlike Candice, I didn’t mind being ma’am-ed.
 
He could ma’am me all night if he wanted to.