Kickin' Up Dust: Operation Cowboy, Book 1 (11 page)

She giggled at the mental image. “What we did today felt good.”

His arms flexed around her, bringing her closer. “Everything about today has felt good, darlin’.”

His words burrowed deep into her soul and joy spread through her. “So how do we hold onto that feeling?”

Skimming a kiss over her brow, he said, “We have that town meeting you mentioned.”

“Hmm.”

“You sound disappointed. Did you have another plan in mind?”

“Yes, I do.” Walking her fingers around his hip, she stroked her thumb down his cock, slowly to the tip. His shaft stirred and it began to elongate.

She was going to kill him. He’d survived bombs and bullets only to come home and suffer a slow, erotic death.

He caught her wrist as she began to stroke him. “Hold up. You’re not in charge here, darlin’.”

As a soft coo bubbled past her lips, a wild need to tame and claim her settled over him. He reached for his abandoned shirt.

“What are you doing?”

He caught her wrists and began to twine the long sleeves of his Western shirt around them. She quivered when he tugged the knot tight. “Can you feel your hands?”

“Yes.” She wiggled, proving she had enough room but couldn’t escape.

A crooked smile stretched his mouth. “Perfect.” He raked his gaze over her. She was better than perfect. God, when had she grown up? He didn’t care—he was going to take full advantage of that
and
the second condom he’d stuffed in his wallet.

When he rolled her onto her hands and knees, splaying a hand on her lower back, she twisted to see him. “Brodie, what—”

“Shh.” He caressed her rounded ass cheek. Then the other. The flesh bounced deliciously, and his cock bobbed against his abs. “I know you’re wet for me, darlin’. Spread your legs apart a little and let me see.”

She did better than that. She rested on her elbows and arched her back, sending her tight ass into the air.

“Fuck yeahhhh.” He gazed hotly at the crease of her ass and the tight little pucker beckoning to him. And farther down, her wet pussy folds. “Hold that pose.”

Without warning, he dipped his head and kissed the seam of her ass. She gasped. When he pressed tiny kisses upward then snaked his tongue around her pucker, she gulped back a cry.

Damn, she was so receptive. Fireworks of excitement burst behind his eyes as he lapped a circle around her ridged entrance then moved swiftly lower to plunge his tongue into her core. Her walls clenched around his tongue. They both groaned. Juices coated his mouth.

Reaching beneath her, he located her hard nubbin and trapped it with his thumb. Harsh noises left her, and she pushed against his hand and mouth.

“Fucking sexy little wench. Are you going to come so soon?” He sucked her wetly until she couldn’t hold still. The movements of her body were voice enough. Gently he stroked her clit while drawing on her pussy with his lips and tongue.

She trembled more and more. He backed off, and she pushed out a ragged breath. “Noooo.”

“I’m not ready to let you come yet, darlin’. You’re a greedy girl and you’ve already had what? Three orgasms?”

A muffled noise of discontent came from her, which only fueled his need. What was it about handling her this way? Taking charge of her body and pleasure was giving him much more than a swollen cock.

He scraped his teeth lightly over the curve of her ass, and she jerked backward for more. But he lifted his head and wound an arm around her middle. As he flipped her onto her back, he caught her gaze. Her eyes were fever-bright and her lips swollen as if she’d been biting them.

Rubbing the thumb he’d circled her clit with over her lower lip, he said, “Taste yourself.”

Her tongue darted out to skim his thumb.

Barely harnessing his growl, he dipped his thumb into her mouth and let her taste. Then he pulled his wet thumb free and painted her nipple until it stood erect in the cooler night air.

“Brodie, please. I need to touch you.”

“Not yet.” God, he loved hearing her beg. He wanted her screaming for mercy as he gave her a tenth orgasm. He trailed his fingers up her inner thighs. She parted for him, but not wide enough. He needed her splayed to him.

“Put your foot up here.” He patted the side of the truck. Her face registered surprise, but she was willing. Fuck, this was going to kill him when he left her at home tonight.

When she settled her heel on the side, he strummed her wet folds. Her pussy grew wetter. He needed her spread wider. “And up here. Can you stretch?”

Her truck wasn’t one of the massive ones often seen on ranches, but the bed was wide enough that it was good she had long legs. Her toes pointed as she struggled to give him what he wanted.

Which was a view of her scorched into his brain. A photograph he could take away and pull out again and again. Holding her gaze, he rumbled, “Good girl,” and plunged two fingers into her hot, wet sheath.

Danica was melting beneath his electrical gaze and the ferocious desire inside her. Having Brodie at all was amazing, but finding he was kinky surprised the hell out of her. Her experiences seemed lame in comparison to this night with Brodie. Maybe she’d always known she needed something more with men.

He locked his gaze on her face as he finger-fucked her with deep, fast strokes. Each pass of his fingertips over her G-spot made her flood with juices. In seconds he had her hanging from the edge of a monumental drop.

She tightened, quivering.

When he pulled his fingers free, she cried out with displeasure—and gained a light spank on her pussy for her insolence.

She cried out as white-hot desire pushed her higher.

“You like that, little wench?” With his palm over her pussy, she craved the heat as well as the pleasure-pain.

“Uhhhh.” Forgetting her hands were bound, she reached for him.

He slapped her once more with just enough sting to steal her breath. Her pussy flooded.

And he began to finger her again. Slowly this time, using his entire body it seemed. His shoulder muscles flexed and he grunted as if it pained him to fill her with only his fingers. She begged with her eyes until she saw some cord in him snap.

“Come for me, darlin’. Come on my fingers.” He added a third and wedged it high in her pussy. Being stretched sent her overboard. As waves of ecstasy pulsed around her, she clung to the life raft that was Brodie.

Still gasping, she didn’t realize he’d removed his fingers until the fat head of his cock smoothed over her folds. He hovered over her and claimed her mouth at the same time he took her body.

“Keep your legs spread. Open yourself to me.” His gritty words were flames in her soul. She’d do anything to please him.

Spreading her thighs, she jerked against each thrust. Taking him to the hilt, her inner walls closing around his every withdrawing movement. When his eyes grew as dark as sin, she surged upward for his kiss.

“Can I put my arms around your neck?” Her breathless question must have pleased him, because he stiffened. His body gleamed blue in the moonlight, and cords stood out in his throat with the effort to hold back, it seemed.

“Yes,” he said roughly.

The minute her bound wrists were looped around his neck, he caught her hip in one hand, hitched her leg over his shoulder, and began to slowly send her off the deep end. He moved like an erotic dancer, rolling his hips. Then he kissed her, and she couldn’t hold back another second.

She yanked him close, his name leaving her as he pounded her into a mindlessness she never wanted to recover from. As his body quaked and a roar passed his lips, she floated down, down, knowing this was far more than a simple fuck in the bed of a truck.

This was life-altering. Soul-binding. This was her future.

Chapter Eight

The scuff of a boot on the worn barn floor shouldn’t affect Danica so much. But knowing the man who’d made that sound was near sent her into a whirlwind of emotion.

She poked her head out of the stall to see him walking down the center aisle. Too easily she could see him in combat—face fierce, eyes alert. He looked as though he was on a mission.

Maybe that mission’s me.

They’d parted in the wee hours. Nothing had been said about their time together. Speaking would ruin the moment. Besides, there was plenty of time to discuss their encounter.

He spotted her. When she realized he wasn’t smiling, she carefully set her shovel against the wooden wall and stepped out.

“Hey, cowboy.” She tried for lighthearted, but he looked anything but.
Shit.

“We need to talk about last night.”

No dancing around the subject. And definitely no grabbing her and shoving her against a barn wall while he kissed her boneless.

She dragged in a breath of barn air. Some stale, some not. But the scents of home fortified her, which was good because she had a feeling she was about to do battle with this sergeant.

He stopped before her. “I need to know if you’re okay.”

That surprised her enough to scramble her thoughts. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“What happened…between us…” He pushed out a noisy breath. Agitation was written across the lines of his shoulders, but she wasn’t about to help him along. He was a grown man—let him speak his mind.

“Last night,” he went on.

“What about last night?”

“Dammit, Danica, don’t play that with me.”

She arched a brow. “I’m just seeing where your head’s at, Brodie.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You go all Rambo on me, stomping up the center of the barn and saying we need to talk about last night. Am I supposed to believe you’re coming to give me a repeat performance?”

Something shivered over his features. For two heartbeats, the flow of his expression was disrupted. Then abruptly it settled into a mask. “What we shared was—”

In one long step she came up against him. “Passionate, sexy…fun as hell?”

His throat worked. “Danica.”

She skimmed his shirt buttons with one fingertip. “Don’t ruin last night by overthinking it, Brodie. It was just sex.”

“What?” he barked, face reddening. “Just sex?”

“Well yeah. Isn’t that what you were about to say? Lust, physical release and all that horse crap?”

He stared at her. Beneath his gaze her nipples hardened and a heat began to build, low. “Son of a bitch,” he said so softly she might have missed it if she hadn’t seen his mouth move.

She took a step backward. He stalked forward. Her inner playfulness popped up, ready for a game of chase. And this was definitely the man to play with. Taking another step backward, she said, “Please go on, Brodie. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

A big arm snaked out and snagged her around the middle. She squealed as he ripped her off her feet and planted her before him. Not a sliver of hay could fit between their bodies, which meant she could feel every solid muscle in him

And especially one in his jeans. She tipped her face up to meet his gaze.

“It was not just sex, Danica, and you know it.”

“’Course I do, cowboy. So you’re admitting it?”

“You always did talk too damn much.” His eyes were hooded as he swooped in and claimed her lips.

* * * * *

Brodie walked through the glass doors into the cool interior of the bank. Since this branch was in the adjoining town, he’d never been inside, but the cool air made him breathe a sigh of relief. His father’s truck didn’t have air conditioning, which meant his shirt clung to his spine and his hair was damp beneath his hat. But he couldn’t complain when he was borrowing the truck. It was a little depressing to think in about four minutes his bank account would be wiped out, with no hope of buying a vehicle of his own.

He sidled up to the teller and recognition flared in her eyes. He stared at her for a second, riffling through the files of his mind until one popped out.

Pointing at her, he said, “You were friends with Danica Pope in high school.” Visions of oversized glasses and a messy ponytail flashed through his mind.

“That’s right.” She nodded enthusiastically. Her ponytail had been replaced by a sleek bob that graced her jaw, and the glasses were a thing of the past.

He read her name on the gold plate. “Nice to see you again, Kendall.”

“Welcome home, soldier.”

“Thank you. Are you living in town here?”

She smiled but there was a sadness in her eyes. “Not many places to live or work in Los Vista.”

Pressing his lips together, he nodded. “That’s true.”

“I heard you’re working the ranches—yours and the Popes’.”

“Yep. We’re hoping to do some building, get some houses for people who never left. And hopefully we’ll bring people back.”

“Really? That would be great.” Her white smile went on for miles.

“So you think Los Vista residents would want to come home?”

“I do. A lot of them dream of it, but it’s easier, faster, and sometimes cheaper to buy an existing home than to build.”

“That’s a problem for sure. But we can’t let our town disappear, can we?”

“I hope it doesn’t, though I don’t have much to contribute, I’m afraid. I need to work and living close to the bank makes sense.”

A weight slipped into his stomach. He’d realized restoring their town wouldn’t be easy, but her words were discouraging. Hundreds of people must feel the same way she did. And how many with families had just taken their insurance money straight to the next town and paid for a home?

There had to be a way. He wasn’t going to watch Los Vista fill up with tumbleweeds.

He made his transaction and a cashier’s check was cut. With it in hand, he went outside into the oppressive humidity again. When he got to his pa’s truck, he spotted one of the old-timers who was good friends with his father leaning against the side.

“Aha!” he said as Brodie approached. “I knew this truck belonged to a Bell!” He came forward to pump Brodie’s hand and slap his shoulder. “Welcome home, young man. Glad to see you whole.”

We don’t all have the luxury of being whole.

“I appreciate it, Mr. Callahan. So you’re living here now?”

“Yeah, I miss the old place, but ranchin’ was getting beyond me. With no children willing to take over, it was time to hang up my reins. But I sure miss the land. Sure do.” He looked off into the distant park with manicured shrubs and a monument to past war heroes.

“So you wouldn’t consider coming back even if you had a new house on your land?”

“Considered it. But in the end, I was ready for a change of scenery and Margaret was interested in one of those condominiums with a pool. In this weather, that water is welcome.” He leaned near and spoke from the corner of his lips. “Besides, there’s a lot of honeys who live around us. The view might not be fields and cattle but it’s nothing to turn your head from!”

Brodie chuckled at the old man’s joke though that weighty feeling was back and it had brought ten friends. He listened to Mr. Callahan talk for several more minutes before parting with the excuse he had work to do on the ranch.

He wasn’t lying—he and Danica were finishing the enclosure. And one of his goals would be realized later that day with a shipment that would surprise Danica. Things were taking shape on the ranch.

But really it pained Brodie to talk to people of Los Vista who weren’t willing to make their lives there again. Maybe he was naïve for believing the town was savable.

Suddenly he wanted to talk it out with Danica. To tuck her against his chin and tell her his worries.

He snorted as he got behind the wheel and started the engine. When he looked up, he knew he’d done it again—lost track of time. He’d been staring for long minutes while his mind roamed over so many troubles—his and Danica’s, all of their parents’, his friends’, and so much more.

When he rumbled up the drive to the Popes’ place, Danica was on the porch with a dark figure at her feet. Crow. The dog gathered himself and walked to the steps. Happy to see the old hound, Brodie found himself smiling when he got out of the truck.

Danica drifted to the steps too.

Brodie looked up at her, chest tight with emotion.
You look like an angel this morning.

He couldn’t say that—he needed to keep his distance for her sake. Sooner or later they’d need to talk about their slip-ups. Their crazy-hot, passion-filled nights he couldn’t erase from his memory.

She cocked a brow and a hip, thrusting it forward and tapping a foot. “You’re late. Don’t think I don’t know you were avoiding cleaning stalls with me today.” She scolded him about the stalls but her tone held a note of worry.

“Damn, I did miss it. I’m sorry. I had to run into the next town.” She stood so close, wearing yet another pair of Daisy Dukes. It seemed she’d cut off every pair of jeans in her closet. He was wrapped in her spell once again.

I’ll stop lusting after her this afternoon.

He wrapped his fingers around her warm thigh. Electricity zapped between them, but it didn’t stop her sass.

“Well, you’re not too tired to finish the enclosure?”

“No.”

“Where were you?” she pressed.

“Had something to do in town.”

Her expression grew solemn. “Oh.”

Her cool word held a world of meaning. She drew from his touch and put distance between them. Immediately he wanted her back. He ached to press her against the wall of the house and give her what she wanted—what they both needed.

Mounting the first step, he held her gaze.

“I know you’re brushing me off, Brodie. It’s not going to work.”

When faced with her direct stare and bold words, he took the coward’s way. Scuffing his boot on the step, he said, “I’m not trying to do or not do anything. I thought you were helping your ma in the garden this morning.”

Danica’s lovely face shivered with an emotion he couldn’t name. Until she said, “She won’t get out of bed. I’ve done the weeding.”

They exchanged a somber look. Danica’s eyes were dark with pain.

“C’mere.” Brodie tugged her off the top step into his arms. She came easily, warm and pliant against his chest. When her hair caught on the scruff on his jaw, his heart did a flipping thing. More and more that was happening, but he was trying not to think about what his feelings for Danica were.

She was everything he needed right now—she was happiness, light, and comfort. Besides being a smart and capable rancher with sex appeal for miles.

Before he could act on the urge to pin her to the porch support and sink into her tight body, he let her go.

“So, Man of Five Words, do I get to know what you were doing in town?” She directed a tendril of hair behind her ear.

“You’ll see soon enough.” He checked his watch. “You finish all the chores this morning?”

“Yeah, no thanks to you. I thought we were a team, Brodie.” Her teasing tone held an undercurrent, and he looked closely at her face.

“Just how upset are you with me?”

“Depends on how willing you are to make up.” She leaned in, her full lips as inviting as sin.

He was having a hard time keeping his hands off her and she knew it. From deep inside he dragged up a grain of self-control—just one. A little one. But it was enough.

“Let’s get to work on that fence.”

She shot him the same crestfallen look she’d given Matt and the guys when they told her she couldn’t tag along.

To soften his words, he reached for her hand. She took it, and they crossed the yard to the barn. There they saddled their horses in silence and then rode out. Her quiet mare still didn’t like the horse of his choosing, but she was becoming more tolerant. When Brodie rode beside her, the animal kept her ears on alert but didn’t dance away.

“I ran into your friend Kendall in town.”

Danica swung her head his direction, and once more the breath was punched from him. He’d never get used to seeing her in full cowgirl glory, shoulders straight and hair streaming.

“Oh?”

“Yes, I asked if she’d come back to Los Vista and she said it would be nice but her job keeps her there.”

“That’s too bad, but it’s only one person from Los Vista, Brodie.” It was so like her to read between the lines and realize he was worrying about more townspeople refusing to come home.

“Actually it was two. I ran into Callahan too.”

As they rode, they discussed some of the old-timers not wanting to start over again. It was understandable—they were settled. But that meant the foundation of Los Vista was crumbling. Without the people who’d held it together, would they ever be able to build or was the ground too shaky?

“I think we’d best hold that town meeting,” Brodie said.

“Soon.”

They reached the enclosure. A few bits of fencing and a gate had been deposited in the grass, waiting for them to finish. Today was the day. Fully merging the two ranches wouldn’t bring back the whole town but it was a start.

Danica swung from her saddle with so much grace that his heart surged. When she bent to lift one of the fence posts, he bit off a growl at the sight of her fine curvy ass. Hearing it, she twisted and shot him a come-hither look, her behind still pointed his direction.

“Jesus, woman. You trying to kill me?” He rubbed a hand over his face even as he drifted toward her like a parched horse to water.

“Am I succeeding?” She wiggled her hips.

He was on her in a blink. Cupping her ass, he jerked his distended cock against the roundness. “Insatiable wench. I fucked you last night.”

“And for three nights prior to that. Doesn’t mean I’ve gotten enough.”

Okay, so his self-control was dust. He was doing a piss-poor job of keeping his hands off her.

Reaching around her, he trapped one nipple between his fingers. He pinched hard enough that she whimpered but simultaneously shimmied her hips back into his cock.

“God, if I wasn’t on a tight schedule, I’d make you scream four times.”

“Only four? And what’s the hurry?” She gave a slow, lazy roll of her hips that made his eyelids flutter.