The Billionaire Cowboy: A Billionaire's Club Story (7 page)

Ryder might have been a lowlife for buying her horse, but Lara admired his love for his family. And there was something about a nostalgic man that made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. If he cared enough to save his grandma’s sink, maybe there was more to him than the heartless womanizer she’d sized him up to be.

“Well, let’s get to cooking.” Excitement pooled in Lara’s stomach at the prospect of putting Ryder’s kitchen to good use. “Though I have to admit, I half-expected to see a team of professional chefs waiting to cook our meals to order.”

Ryder rolled his eyes at her ribbing, a half smile curving his lips, and it only intensified the butterflies swirling in Lara’s stomach. “I know how to cook, thank you very much. Sit down, and I’ll whip us up something.”

“Uh-uh,” Lara said with an emphatic shake of her head. “No way am I not going to take this opportunity to play in a kitchen like this.”

“All right.” Ryder flashed her a wide smile that went straight to her head. How could a man make her feel giddy from nothing more than a grin? “We’ll cook together, then. You grab the steaks and veggies from the fridge and I’ll rustle up the pans.”

“Deal.”

Ryder’s “fridge” was a double glass door, industrial Frigidaire that looked like it belonged in a five-star restaurant. Stocked full of pretty much anything she could possibly want, Lara dug through its confines, worried that she might get lost before she managed to gather all of the ingredients for dinner. After some hard-core foraging, Lara managed to retrieve a couple of T-bone steaks, onions, mushrooms, and a trio of peppers.

“There’s rice in the pantry,” Ryder said as he pulled a pan from a baker’s rack above the island. “Unless you want beans or pasta, or something else.”

“Rice is fine.” She set her haul on the counter next to the stove and riffled through the walk-in pantry left of the refrigerator, marveling at the neat rows of sundry items. Really, Ryder’s kitchen was better stocked than the local grocery store.

“Why did you turn me down when I asked you out last month?” Ryder asked out of nowhere as he tore into the package of steaks and seasoned them. He didn’t make eye contact, just focused on the task at hand. Huh. A little out of character for the usually self-assured cowboy.

“You know why,” Lara said. She filled a pot with water and set it to boil on the stove. “Why did you buy October when you knew I wanted her?”

Ryder paused as he set one of the steaks aside. “You know why.”

She probably deserved that. A heavy sigh escaped her lips and she said, “I turned you down because I knew what people would say about me if I went out with you. I’ve worked hard to rebuild my family’s reputation. Once I get my stable up and running, I don’t want anyone to have a reason not to do business with me.”

“And you think a date with a successful cattle rancher would’ve tarnished your reputation?”

“You know what I mean.” Lara grabbed a knife from the butcher block and went to work slicing peppers. “It’s different for a man. You can date as many women as you want with a revolving door into your bedroom and no one would bat a lash. Your reputation as a businessman is good and intact. But the second a woman acts like she might want to play the field, everyone treats her like she’s a leper. Not exactly the best way to start a business. Plus, I didn’t want people to think I was …”

“What?”

Lara cringed. “A gold digger. I’m not exactly rolling in money, you know.”

Ryder set aside the steaks and turned toward Lara, his light brown eyes alight with a heat that she wished she could ignore. He stalked toward her, and she took a few steps back until he’d effectively pinned her against the island counter. The intensity of his gaze stole her breath and Lara tried to avert her eyes but he held her captive. “I don’t give a good goddamn what anyone says about me and neither should you.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Lara remarked. “You’ve already made your fortune.”

“And I could lose it tomorrow.” The warm timbre of his voice shot straight through her, settling between Lara’s legs in a slow thrum that stirred her desire. “Life is short and I refuse to waste it on a lot of needless worry. I’m not going to deny myself the things I want because of some nosy assholes who don’t know how to mind their own business. I do what I want, when I want, and the rest of the world can go fuck itself.”

“And what do you want, Ryder?” It was a dangerous question, one Lara wasn’t sure she wanted him to answer because she was looking for an excuse to disregard her own coached detachment. Her breath hitched in her chest, her body hyperaware as he reached up and smoothed his thumb across her cheek.

“I want
you
.”

***

Dinner took a backseat to a more primal hunger as Ryder stared into Lara’s bright blue eyes. His hands found their way to her hips and he gripped her tight, hoisting her pert little ass onto the countertop. The thought of laying her out, savoring every inch of her like she was his last meal made his head spin and his cock swell in his jeans. And Ryder could think of no better way to put the wide marble countertop to good use.

He reached up and without a word stripped Lara’s shirt up and over her head. Her chest rose and fell with her breath and he stared greedily at the soft round flesh swelling above her bra. With his eyes still locked on hers, he took a step closer and she spread her legs as though in invitation. Ryder cradled himself against her and placed a lazy kiss between her breasts as he reached behind her and released the clasp.

With the straps clutched in his grasp, Ryder leaned back and paused. It took all of his restraint not to jerk the garment free of her skin, but that was the point, wasn’t it? To test the limits of his control, see how long he could hold out. For a moment, he simply stood there. Drank her in. Let his eyes roam over the flesh his fingers itched to reach out and caress. And when his hands began to shake from the effort of restraint, Ryder slowly dragged the straps down Lara’s arms and pulled her bra away to reveal her breasts.

Mary mother of god
.

Her nipples puckered tight as they were exposed to the air and Ryder reached out, cupping the delicious weight of one breast in his hand while he took the other into his mouth. He sucked deeply, swirling his tongue over the pearled peak and Lara arched into him, her breath catching in a desperate gasp. His cock responded to the sound, growing almost painfully hard and throbbing against his fly. He wanted inside of her so bad, he didn’t know how long he’d be able to wait. But he was going to do his damnedest to make sure she was screaming his name long before he dove into her sweet, wet heat.

Goddamn
. If having her was half as good as the anticipation, Ryder doubted he’d be able to let her leave once the weekend was over.

As he suckled her, he rolled her other nipple between his thumb and forefinger, stopping to give her a light pinch before he resumed the rhythm. A slow whimper worked its way up Lara’s throat and she braced her arms behind her on the counter as she rolled her head back on her shoulders. She spread her legs wider, inviting him even closer.

Well, don’t mind if I do
…

Ryder eased her back until she was lying on the countertop, legs dangling over the edge. With much less restraint than he’d previously exhibited, he unbuttoned her jeans and peeled them off of her—along with her underwear—in a single swipe. If her naked breasts were enough to drive him to a near-frenzy, the sight of her bare, glistening sex sent him completely over the edge. He traced the pad of his finger over her mound, the skin soft and nearly bereft of hair. He paused for a moment, remembering the man she’d been with at the benefit and wondered if she’d groomed her gorgeous pussy for him.

It didn’t matter now. After this weekend, Ryder was going to make damned sure that no other man laid a hand on Lara Montgomery ever again.

She was ready for him, so wet the evidence of her arousal had spread over her thighs. He ran his finger down her soft skin and up, taking some of that sweet honey onto his finger as he worked it into her folds and the swollen knot of nerves at her center.

Lara’s back arched off the countertop with the first tentative touch and her hands balled into fists at her sides. She came alive from that one touch, her body so responsive to him that she trembled. It was a heady thing, one that Ryder enjoyed almost more than the sex itself: the knowledge that he was responsible for her pleasure. That
he
awakened that response in her. As though her body lay dormant until he provided what she needed to spark to life. It was that power that Ryder craved. Needed. And with such a strong-willed woman as Lara, the rush he felt pleasuring her intensified by leaps and bounds.

While he stoked her soft pink flesh, Ryder’s free hand traveled up Lara’s torso, pausing to grip the curve of her hip before passing along her ribs. His palm closed over her left breast and a contented sigh escaped Lara’s lips. He slowed his ministrations, eyes locked on her face. Her little pants of breath caused his own to speed in his chest. Lara spread her legs wider and urged her hips toward his hand and Ryder took the cue, circling her bud with the pad of his finger. He took her nipple between his fingers and teased the already stiff peak, plucking at it, all the while gauging Lara’s reaction.

It was instant and intense. She cried out from the contact, her back bowing off the countertop. The sound of her voice, ragged little sobs of pleasure, shot straight through Ryder’s body and tightened his balls to the point that he was aching for release. But he promised himself that first she’d be screaming his name and he was going to make sure that happened before he allowed himself to enjoy her.

When he abandoned her breast, Lara whimpered in protest. A smile curved Ryder’s lips. He’d give her whatever she needed—and maybe even a few things she didn’t know she needed—in good time. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to taste her, to work her into a frenzy so that when he finally took her, they’d both be mindless with need.

Ryder pressed his palm, fingers splayed, on the flat of Lara’s stomach. Her muscles flexed beneath his hand as he traveled upward between her breasts to her throat. He cupped the back of her neck, his grip firm as he stroked his thumb along her jawline. She was so responsive, so fucking beautiful it damned near stole his breath. “Oh god, Ryder, I need to come.”

Lara’s heavy-lidded eyes locked on his and her tongue darted out to lick her lips. He imagined her soft pink tongue swirling over the head of his cock and he let out a groan. She was everything he wanted in a woman: sensual, strong-willed, intelligent. She knew what she wanted and how she wanted it. Unlike the other women he’d bedded, she didn’t give a shit about his money and likewise, she didn’t judge or measure him based on the numbers in his bank account. She told him she wouldn’t sleep with him in exchange for the horse and he believed her. And knowing that she was here, naked, and willing because she wanted to be and not because she thought she’d get something out of the deal meant more to him than any conquest in his past.

Ryder leaned over her and put his mouth close to her ear. She nipped at his earlobe and the contact was electric. If he didn’t fuck her soon, he was going to explode. “I want you, Lara. I want you so fucking bad I can’t stand it,” he said, low. “I’m going to touch you, taste you, lick every inch of you and then fuck you until you can’t even imagine having another man’s hands on you.”

“You talk a good game.” Lara’s voice was a husky murmur that vibrated through Ryder’s body. “Now, let’s see you back it up.”

So much for sticking to her guns. Lara should have been ashamed at how easily she managed to succumb to Ryder’s charms, but when he touched her she couldn’t seem to remember why. His heated, almost crass words in her ear only managed to prove that when Ryder Blackwell set out to do something, he gave it his all. He didn’t want her thinking of other men? No. Problem. He was so unlike any man she’d ever been with. As though he’d made it his life’s ambition to learn the intricacies of her body and how to give her pleasure. And if she did say so herself, the man was a freaking master at his craft. If he could evoke so much from her with a simple touch, she could only imagine what he’d be like buried deep inside of her.

She sure as hell hoped he was a man who kept his promises.

Her body vibrated with need, every inch of her skin sparked into awareness. He circled her clit with the pad of his finger and a shudder traveled the length of her spine and settled low in her core, a deep throbbing need that drove her past the point of reason. “Make me come, Ryder.”

As though repeating herself would spur him into action. Lara knew better. No one pushed Ryder Blackwell or made him do anything before he was damn good and ready to do it. His breath was hot in her ear as a satisfied growl rumbled in his chest. Knowing which places on her body were the most sensitive, his mouth brushed the skin at her throat and then moved lower across her collarbone. Each contact was a brand, the heat traveling through her veins like liquid fire. His tongue dipped at her belly button and Lara gasped at her sensitivity there. Their eyes met for the briefest moment and a satisfied smirk spread across Ryder’s lips. He gripped her thighs, the rasp of his calloused hands on her skin a delicious torture as he dipped his head between her legs and paused.

Oh god, yes
.

“Tell me what you want.”

Apparently the powerful Mr. Blackwell enjoyed having her boss him around. He’d been the same way with her in the stable, holding off, teasing her until she gave him a command. Not that Lara had any problem voicing what she wanted. On the contrary, her previous partners had practically needed a detailed map and voice-activated GPS to bring her to orgasm.

But not Ryder.

“I want you to make me come,” Lara said, her voice breathy with anticipation.

“How?”

“You know how.” He brushed his thumb against her clit and Lara’s hips bucked at the intense sensation. Damn him. Once again, he refused to go further until she played his game.

“Maybe I don’t,” he teased. “How will I know what you like if you won’t tell me?”