bringing fantasies of being a fancy lady back East, the kind of woman who wore silks
and satins and had a maid to do all the hard work.
“Mmmmm…” she murmured, rubbing the fragrant soap into her hair. She worked
up a good lather, then ducked under the water to rinse it off. When she rose back up,
she knelt up in the tub, rubbing the soap around her breasts. The cool spring air made
her nipples stand up hard, but she didn’t shiver. It felt good. She rubbed the tiny peaks,
enjoyed the tingles that ran through her body, and then opened her eyes to look at
Wade.
The expression on his face more than satisfied.
His eyes had gone dark, the hand resting on his knee clenched so hard that his
knuckles turned white.
“Like what you see?” she asked. He nodded his head slowly, not bothering to
respond with words. She let her hands trail down across her stomach, the soap
smoothing her way until she reached the cleft between her legs. She’d touched herself
before, of course. Alone in her bed at night.
Never with another person present.
44
Catherine’s Awakening
The air hung thick between them as she slid her fingers into the thatch of hair,
rubbing it sensuously and burrowing her fingers down to the little nubbin of her clit.
She gasped as her fingers ran across it the first time, the delicious slide sending desire
running through her body. Her nipples grew hard, and she tilted her head to one side.
Holding it up straight just seemed like too much work.
“Open your eyes,” Wade said, his voice grating. “Look at me.”
She obeyed, unable to resist. His gaze bore into hers, dark with need and a desire
terrifying in its depth. He was like a giant cat, a predator poised to leap on its prey, yet
he held himself back with a visible effort.
Still holding her eyes, he unbuttoned his shirt, each button revealing more of his
hard, bronzed chest. He must work without his shirt sometimes, she thought, wishing
she could be there to see it. As the fabric fell open, he ran his fingers across his chest,
rubbing against his tiny nipples. Catherine reached up with one hand and touched her
own breasts, mirroring him. His low groan carried across the kitchen, the need in his
voice raw and filled with pain.
“Show me more,” she whispered, desire overwhelming common sense. “I want to
see all of you.”
Wade responded by opening the fly of his Levi’s and slowly pulling out his
enormous, erect penis. The head glistened, hard and red, and a tiny pearl of moisture
gleamed at her in the light of the lantern. Without thinking, Catherine licked her lips
and rubbed between her legs again, sagging as little as her knees threatened to give out.
She wanted that shaft in her, thrusting hard into her softness. She wanted him to fill her
up and shoot her with his hot seed, and she wanted him to do it now.
Instead she watched as he gripped his rod with one hand, sliding it slowly and
steadily up and down the length as he watched her. After a few strokes it grew
impossibly bigger. Catherine started caressing herself again, every slip of her fingers
near-painful with the intensity of the sensation. Pleasure mixed with need rippled
through her body, her nipples hard as rocks. They felt connected to her clit with an
45
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Joanna Wylde
invisible string that pulled harder with every movement, until she felt tight and on the
verge of breaking.
Oh heavens, what had she gotten herself into?
Wade rubbed his cock up and down, each time his fingers pulling and squeezing
harder. Looking at her hurt him, caused him actual, physical pain—he wanted to fuck
her that badly. He wanted to rise out of his chair, pull her out of the tub and throw her
across the table. He’d screw her until she screamed, until every muscle in her body was
clamped tight around him, and push his seed so far into her body that she’d never
forget his claim on her.
Instead, he simply watched, touching himself and pretending it was her hand on
him, even as she slid her fingers in and out of the hot slit he should own. He already
knew how good she tasted, how warm her juices were for him. But this—watching Cat
stroke herself with her own fingers—that was something he’d never dreamed he’d get
to see. Her breath came quickly now, her breasts heaving as her fingers flew faster and
faster. He let his own hand copy hers, pulling so hard on his cock it would have hurt if
he wasn’t so damn close to exploding. His gaze held hers, and as her eyes darkened he
felt his own responding. He’d never needed a woman more, never imagined one
woman could be so desirable. The pounding of his pulse, the heat of his cock, the
pressure building in his loins—all of it was completely centered on her. He’d never
wanted a woman this much, not even as a teenage boy.
She started to gasp a little, mewling cries that sent shivers down his spine. She dug
her fingers in harder and then she came, still watching him, her body convulsing as she
sank to her knees in the water. Wade pulled his cock hard, allowing his own climax to
wash over him. He saw her brows rise as the white fluid of his seed flew out of his cock,
leaping for her. His hips bucked, and he gave a low groan. Then it was over, and he
tucked his penis back into his pants slowly and deliberately.
46
Catherine’s Awakening
He’d meant to confront her, to pressure her again about marriage. He hadn’t
expected this, the vulnerability he felt after exposing himself to her. He stood up
abruptly, fastened his pants and tossed the length of toweling toward her. Then he
grabbed a rag and cleaned up the mess he’d made, stalking out of the room without a
word.
Catherine sat back in the cooling tub, dazed and stunned. Her limbs felt limp and
flaccid after her powerful arousal, and she couldn’t imagine how she’d ever face him
again. The moment had been out of time, surreal and strange, and she hadn’t felt any of
the shame or embarrassment she knew she should. Up until now it had been a sort of
game for her—she wanted Wade, but she didn’t
really
want him. Not forever. But what
they’d just experienced together, she’d never dreamed it could be like that. What would
real sex be like with him? How would it feel to have those intense eyes following her
every day?
What would it feel like to have a little boy look up at her with Wade’s green gaze?
Catherine surged up and out of the tub, splashing water on the kitchen floor. She
couldn’t let herself think anymore. She needed to remember her goals.
To be independent. To be a teacher.
To never rely on a man again.
47
Joanna Wylde
Chapter Five
Wade left unexpectedly to check on the stock early the next morning, and Catherine
didn’t see again him for three days. To her surprise, she enjoyed having Maria around
to help. The girl worked hard, she liked to laugh and her English was good enough that
they could really talk.
Unfortunately, the only person Maria wanted to talk about was Wade.
“
Señor
Masters is very handsome,” she said as they hung wet laundry up behind
the house. “And he isn’t courting anyone, is he?”
“Not that I know of,” Catherine replied, trying to keep her tone light. She didn’t
have a right to be jealous, she reminded herself. After all,
she
didn’t want to marry him.
“I think he likes me, I saw him looking at me,” Maria said, blushing faintly. “José
says he’s a good man, and that he’s going to be very important someday. José says that
Señor
Masters is the best boss he’s ever had, and that he wants to ride for this brand
forever. Do you think
Señor
Masters is happy with the work I’m doing? Do you think
he’ll want to dance with me on Saturday night at the party?”
Catherine shook her head, wishing the girl would be quiet. Maria misunderstood
her gesture, and tears started to well up in her eyes.
“Is it because I’m Mexican?” she asked, her voice soft and hurt. “I’m a good girl,
señora
, and my family has lived here for six generations. Do you really think he only
likes American girls?”
“Of course not,” Catherine said, feeling even worse. “I wasn’t shaking my head at
you, I was thinking about something else.”
“So you think he likes me?” Maria asked, her face lighting up. “I have a special
dress I want to wear to the dance. It’s very pretty—he’ll want to dance with me, I’m
sure of it!”
48
Catherine’s Awakening
She started humming a happy tune, gliding through the hanging sheets with the
exuberance of the very young. Catherine stood, bemused, wondering how the
conversation had gone so many places so quickly.
Maria was a fine girl, she thought. And she knew for a fact that Wade wouldn’t
hold her nationality against her. Lots of cattlemen married Mexican women, and she
supposed the young woman would be good for him. She was sweet, pretty,
hardworking and she knew everything there was to know about living on the range.
Just the thought of them together made Catherine feel sick to her stomach.
She didn’t want Wade with another woman—she wanted him for herself.
The thought had been creeping up on her at odd moments lately. The man was
insidious, and while she hadn’t seen him since the night in the kitchen, he filled her
imagination. She wanted him to come home, she wanted to see him and smell him and
touch him. And she definitely wanted to sleep with him. Her body ached with need
every day. And the most tempting, horrible part of it was that she knew she could have
him, have all of him, if she could just bring herself to trust him.
But what kind of fool stuck her head into the same noose twice?
* * * * *
Wade rode up to the barn, dead tired from ranging the farthest bounds of the ranch,
but not even exhaustion dented his desire to see Cat again. He’d wanted to get some
distance between them, to try to convince himself that he didn’t need her. She was
slipping away from him, and if she took the teaching job it would be so much harder to
court her. He wouldn’t give up, he wasn’t a quitter. But every step she took toward
town would make it that much more difficult to win her over.
“
Señor
Masters!” Maria waved vigorously at him from the porch as he walked
toward the house. “We’re so happy that you’re back. Tomorrow night is the dance in
town—José said everyone will be going. Will you come with us?”
49
Joanna Wylde
Her bright smile cheered him. Then he realized she waited for his answer with
more than casual interest. Well, shit, that was the last thing he needed, some little girl
with a crush on him. He should have gotten an old lady to help Cat, he thought dourly.
But José had been lonely for his family, and she was a good girl. She’d probably end up
marrying one of the ranch hands, and before long he’d have to build them a house. That
would be perfect—he liked the idea of stable, family men riding for the brand.
“I’ll be at the dance,” he said, stepping up onto the porch. “But right now I could