“And we’ve never abandoned a job just because it got awkward.” Maverick winked at her and her insides warmed up. “Besides, we always finish what we start.”
The awareness that had simmered in the air sprang to life, re-igniting the fires she’d tried to douse the previous night. She had no defense left. She’d wanted the men since she’d laid her eyes on them the previous day. Maybe if they got the sex out of the way, she’d stop fretting about restoring her reputation and be able to focus on doing what she loved best—being an incredible photographer.
Excitement stirred in her veins. “I hope you’re ready for some hard work today.”
Wade removed his foot from where it rested on his knee. “Don’t change the subject. You’re not opposed to the idea?”
Adrian shook her head. No use pretending she didn’t want them. “I’ll leave the details up to you.” She got up from the chair. “Just so you know, I like creative men.”
“Yeehaw,” they replied in a chorus, and Adrian laughed.
“So what are you waiting for? Get your gear, and let’s head out.”
The sun had started to lighten the sky during their conversation and the temperature had dropped a few degrees. Already she could see frost forming on the ground close to the house. She shivered and pulled her jacket closer to her body.
Maverick stood and sipped on his coffee. “I don’t know much about the weather here, but I sure as hell hope it’ll warm up during the day.”
Adrian wanted to smack her forehead for her oversight. The men came from summer in Texas to winter in South Africa. “It will. Our mornings are chilly, but it warms up nicely after a couple of hours, and between eleven in the morning and three in the afternoon it can be quite pleasant.”
“Pleasant as in you don’t freeze your butt off so much, or pleasant as in I can take my shirt off?” Wade enquired.
“Both. By eleven you won’t need a jacket if the wind doesn’t pick up.” She indicated toward the mountains. “However, the weather in the mountains can be very unpredictable, so it’s better to be prepared. You can have both winter and summer in one day.”
Maverick nodded. “Great. Where to today then?”
“I thought you guys could get used to the saddles, and I’ll follow in the Cruiser. If I see a good spot for a photo, I’ll stop you. That way we get to accomplish two things at once.”
“Sounds fair to me.” He drained the coffee in his mug and turned to Wade. “You ready to saddle up?”
“Just waiting on you to move your ass.”
Adrian watched the men disappear into the house only to emerge minutes later with their Stetsons in place and well-worn leather chaps protecting their jeans. After the semi-darkness swallowed them, she finished her coffee and dragged her equipment to the car. Once she’d filled the vacuum flask Marie had left on the counter with fresh coffee, she buttoned her jacket and closed the door behind her.
Dawn fully arrived as she steered the Cruiser through the narrow gate at the start of the trail up the mountain. In front of her, she could just make out the silhouettes of the riders. Not wanting to spook the horses, she kept her distance and watched the men going through their paces.
As the day progressed, Adrian’s respect for the two cowboys grew. They knew what they were doing and judging by the snippets of conversation she’d overheard, they liked the saddles. Not once did they complain when she stopped them and arranged them into poses to take some photos. They were courteous to a fault, although neither of them let the opportunity to touch her pass. By the time the sun touched the horizon, her libido was roaring into overdrive from their stolen kisses and seemingly accidental touches.
She arrived home well before the riders. The photo-shoot for the day had been a success. She liked them, and they were fun to be with. Not once did they make her feel incompetent or stupid, although she must have sounded half-witted with her lack of knowledge about the horses.
As she alighted from the car, her stomach growled. All of them had agreed to skip lunch in favor of using the available time to work. The kitchen was empty and Adrian hurried to her room to shower and change into a fresh pair of jeans and a sweater. By the time she entered the lounge, both men had showered, built a fire and were lounging on the oversized chairs. She poured herself a glass of wine and sat on the couch opposite Wade. The air crackled with the awareness that had brewed during the day.
Wade scooted over and placed his arm over her shoulders. “One way I’ll stay awake until dinner is if I kiss the breath right out of you.”
He didn’t need to kiss her to accomplish his mission. His presence so close robbed her of her ability to breathe quite thoroughly. He lifted her chin, swiped his tongue over her bottom lip, and Adriane decided breathing was overrated in any case. She slid her arms over his shoulders and pulled him closer. Somehow, tomorrow didn’t matter. They all needed a little release.
Wade took the glass from her hand, placed it on the side table and lowered her against the cushions. Adrian’s heart rate thundered in her ears as his warm body partially covered hers while his mouth claimed hers in a searing kiss. He teased her lips apart and she obliged without hesitation, causing her world to spin out of control. His tongue duelled with hers, both demanding and giving pleasure. His hands roamed over her body—a body sorely overdressed for the occasion. She wanted his hands on her skin, sliding over her heated flesh.
Shocked by the fierceness of her need, Adrian forced her mind to clear. She pushed at Wade’s chest to gain some distance between them. He complied immediately but frowned.
“This is just sex—nothing more?”
Wade nodded. “No strings attached. I find you incredibly attractive and beautiful, but neither of us is in the market for a serious relationship.”
Why did her heart pinch at the thought of merely a one-night stand with them? Could she keep her emotions out of the equation and let the men leave once the assignment was over? If she couldn’t, she had to get up now and say goodnight. The idea of the cold, lonely bed awaiting her sobered her thoughts. Previously she’d managed perfectly fine to keep the sex to just that—sex. Why would this be different?
“Good, neither am I.” Adrian tugged at his shirt. “What are you waiting for, cowboy?”
Grinning, Wade flattened his palm over her breast, making small circles to stimulate her nipple to nearly unbearable tightness. His fingers kneaded the soft flesh while his other hand skimmed up her thigh, electrifying each nerve-ending and sending want and need straight to her core.
“Mind if I join you?”
Maverick’s voice penetrated a fog of desire and Wade shifted his weight to allow him access. A burst of adrenaline rushed through her veins. Their hands roamed her body, some pulling her sweater from the jeans while the others took off her shoes. Wade caressed the exposed skin of her midriff, his big hand almost spanning the width of her waist, and her mind short-circuited. She closed her eyes as someone fumbled with the button of her jeans.
“I want to see you. I need to see you.”
Wade’s gruff demand fueled the fire the pair had ignited in her veins and she lifted her hips. He inched the pants over her thighs, his mouth trailing his hands and burning a path of ecstasy down her legs.
Maverick ran his hands over her feet, moving upwards to caress her calves while Wade lifted the blouse over her head. The tiny scrap of lace she called a bra offered little protection against the heat in Wade’s brown eyes.
“You’re beautiful,” Wade groaned as he lowered his head toward the erect peaks.
His mouth closed over her nipple and Adrian’s breath stalled in her throat. She’d had sex before, good sex, but never like this. Never had someone’s touch caused such an inferno without even touching her pussy.
He nibbled gently and sparks of pleasure shot through her body. She wanted more and pressed her breast farther into Wade’s mouth. He chuckled and reached behind her to unclasp the bra. The lace fell away and he buried his face between her breasts. Adrian tugged at his hair, drawing him closer, but then warm, moist heat fanned her pussy and she forgot about Wade.
Maverick nudged her legs wider, nibbling on the inside of her thigh and blowing warm breaths over her pussy. She fidgeted beneath his face, wanting him to remove the lace between his mouth and her flesh. As if reading her thoughts, he yanked the thin string off her. His tongue laved her labia, while his shoulders kept her legs from closing. He avoided her throbbing clit until she felt like grabbing his head and pushing herself into him.
Instead, she pulled Wade’s head to her and took what she needed from his mouth, plundering him like she ached for Maverick to plunder her pussy. When Wade tore his mouth from hers, she clung to his shirt. “Take this off. I want to feel you, touch you, taste you.”
Wade stared into her eyes. “God, woman, do you know what you’re asking for?”
She nodded. She didn’t know exactly, but with their hands on her body, she didn’t care. She wanted skin on skin, flesh on flesh, and preferably, flesh in flesh. With her mind more than half-gone with desire, she ripped Wade’s shirt open and buttons pinged on the tiled floor. He shrugged out of his shirt and she buried her fingers in the smattering of dark hair on his muscled chest before trailing her fingers over his shoulders.
Maverick chose the moment Wade’s chest touched hers to run his tongue over her engorged clit and Adrian lost control over her limbs. Her hips came off the couch, her nails dug into Wade’s back. Sensation upon sensation robbed her of coherent thought and she fought for breath as Maverick nibbled on the bundle of nerves. Wade rubbed her breasts, flattening them against his chest and scouring her hardened areoles with his hairy roughness. One hand roamed her side while the other was buried in her hair. Then he changed position, moved to the side and took her nipple in his mouth, sucking and nibbling until her world spun out of control.
Then Maverick inserted a finger into her moist pussy and she screamed with pure pleasure.
“That’s it, baby, ride it.” He buried the digit deeper in her, crooking it to find the other small bundle of nerves, and succeeded in driving her wild. She bucked under his touch, groping for something to hold on to as the room tilted on its axis.
“You’re so warm and wet. Come on, baby, ride it.” Maverick carefully placed another finger into her vagina, moving them in a scissoring motion before he started thrusting into her, deeper and deeper with every stroke. Wade closed his mouth over hers, mimicking the intimacy Maverick played out, whilst rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger.
Wade caught her cry in his mouth as she tumbled over the edge. Wave upon wave of pleasure crashed over her. Her legs quavered in time with the spasms pulsating through her vagina, milking Maverick’s fingers. Some time later, the spasms receded and he removed his fingers, licking each one clean of her juices and smacking his lips.
Maverick dropped to the floor. “Lady, you pack one hell of a punch.” His voice was unusually deep.
Although spent and sated, without the protection of the men’s bodies, a chill spread to her limbs and she shivered.
“You’re cold. Here, let me help you.” Maverick reached for her clothes and held out her blouse to her, but before her hand could close on the garment, a door banged shut somewhere inside the house.
“The chef,” she whispered and scrambled to her feet, a blush heating her cheeks. If the woman found them like this, she’d die of shame.
Wade chuckled, scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. When he turned to toe the door shut, Maverick stood behind them with her bra slung over his shoulder and twirling her G-string round his finger.
“It wouldn’t do for her to find your underwear draped over the lampshade in the lounge, would it?”
Adrian hadn’t thought her face could get any hotter, but she felt the blush rise from her neck to her ears. She reached for the garments, but Maverick sidestepped her and shut the door.
“Not so fast, honey. I believe we still have some unfinished business.”
He arched an eyebrow at Wade who deposited Adrian on the bed, grabbed Maverick by the collar and shoved him toward the door.
“I think Adrian needs some time alone. Besides, the whiskey is warming next to the fire. It wouldn’t do to waste it.”
Adrian watched with her mouth agape as they walked out of the room. The door clicked behind them and she drew her knees to her chest. What had she missed? Had she somehow offended Wade by not offering them their own release? Why would he want to give her space? She didn’t need space—she needed a psychiatrist for having a roll in the hay with her models.
Upon their return to the fire, Maverick forced his mind off the discomfort in his pants and retrieved his glass nestling on the mantelpiece by the fire. As Wade had predicted, the amber liquid had warmed significantly during their absence and he grimaced, depositing the glass once again on the shelf.
They were playing a dangerous game. Marie could have walked in on them at any time. Despite his inability to keep his hands off Adrian, he didn’t want to cause more trouble for her. He might not buy Marie’s insistence that she was sent here as chaperone, but it was still possible that she was telling the truth. If he could just find out what bothered him about their resident chef…
Maverick shoved his hands into his pockets and turned toward Wade. “I know Marie from somewhere, but I can’t seem to place her.”
Wade chuckled softly. “Marie? The chef?”
Maverick nodded and scowled. “It’s not what you think. I’ve seen her before or someone resembling her.”
“How? We arrived in South Africa yesterday and Marie only had eyes for Adrian—both last night and this morning.”
Maverick reached for the liquid again but remembered the foul taste of warm whiskey and dropped his arm. He stared into the flickering fire. Although Marie had concentrated on Adrian, it felt as if she she’d been actively avoiding his gaze. Come to think of it, she hadn’t paid Wade any notice either, but at least she’d looked Wade in the eye when she’d talked to him. No, she was hiding something—from him.