Kissin' Tell: Rough Riders, Book 13 (42 page)

Poor woman had such deep pockets of sadness inside her. “I could’ve gone with you.”

“I know. And I appreciate the offer. But it was something I had to do on my own.”

She smeared A&D on the surface and he covered it with gauze. He kissed each side of the tattoo. When he glanced up at her, tears pooled in her eyes again.

“Thank you. It feels better already.”

Tell tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then followed the line of her jaw to the other ear. “Let me love on you a little while, Georgia.”

“Do I look like I need extra TLC today?”

Yes.
“Maybe after seeing you like this…I’m the one who needs it.”

Her sweet, lopsided smile nearly undid him. “Okay.”

He kissed her softly. Slowly. Waiting for that moment when she swayed into him. When that happened, he lifted her in his arms and carried to his bedroom. He kept his mouth on hers as he undressed her, his hands lovingly caressing every section of skin he exposed. “Lie back.”

While she stretched out, he stripped and rolled on a condom.

He positioned himself above her, loving how her arms immediately circled his neck, pulling him closer. His cock needed no guidance; it connected with her opening and he eased inside on a slow, wet glide. Resting his forehead to hers, he stayed still, losing himself in this moment.

Then Georgia’s hands were gripping his hair, pulling his head back to look into his eyes. “Hey. I’m okay.”

I’m not.
She had no idea how everything had changed for him today. Realizing he loved her and hoping a part of her was attuned enough to him to sense the change. He held her gaze as he started to move, her tight channel such a perfect fit.

She rolled her hips up to meet his easy thrusts, not in an attempt to get him to increase the pace, but showing him this wouldn’t be him making love to her—but them making love together.

Even when her climax was within reach, she didn’t lock her legs around his waist, grab his ass and grind into him. She just let him, let the connection of their bodies take her there.

Tell watched her beautiful face awash in pleasure. When he couldn’t hold back another second, he threw his head back, feeling her mouth on his throat, sucking in time to the pulses shooting out of his cock.

It was glorious, this love thing.

His damn legs almost wouldn’t hold him when he scooted off the bed to ditch the condom. He scrutinized himself in the mirror as he washed his face and hands. Wondering if being in love made him look different.

Nope. He looked the same, except for the huge fucking hickey Georgia had given him on the side of his neck. He’d never understood the appeal of those marks until now. For the next couple days, he’d remember the woman he loved had given it to him in a moment of passion.

Georgia was propped on the pillows, the sheet clutched to her chest when he returned. Some of the shadows were gone from her eyes, and she smiled at him. “Hey.”

He pounced on her. “You.” He pecked her lips. “Rocked.” Another peck. “My.” One last smooch. “World.”

“And thank you for… Omigod, is that a…hickey?” Her cheeks turned the same color as the mark she’d left on his skin. “
I
did that?”

“Yep. And I’m pretty sure it’s what made me come so hard.”

She blushed deeper. This woman was such a contradiction, Bold one second, shy the next. He loved that about her.

You love everything about her, you fucking sap.

“So what else do you wanna do tonight? We could hang out in bed. Watch a movie. I’ve probably got frozen pizza. There’s beer and soda in the fridge.”

Georgia set her hands on his face again, touching him with such tenderness and gratitude. “Thank you, Tell. I don’t care what we do as long as I do it with you.”

If he didn’t keep it light, he might fall at her feet and beg her to stay with him every night. “Now that there are no limits, I’m thinking about breaking out the cuffs.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Georgia watched from the medical tent as Tell chatted with a group of guys before the performance started.

The man was magnificent. Not just his physique. Not just his face. Not just his charm. Not just his ease with people that put them at ease. All those things by themselves were pretty impressive, but were powder-keg potent wrapped up in one hunky cowboy package.

This was the last event they’d work together before the Devil’s Tower Rodeo next weekend. That would be a tense situation since Deck was also scheduled to judge.

Not that she’d told Tell about it.

Not only that, she hadn’t let him know she’d be leaving in two weeks. Every time she thought about broaching the subject, fear would overtake her. Imagining the accusations and hurt in his eyes sent a shiver of dread zipping up her spine.

She had no choice but to go back to Dallas. Her position wasn’t freelance; she couldn’t do it from here. She doubted there were any jobs for her in her field in Sundance, Moorcroft or Hulett.

If you could find work here, would you stay?

In a heartbeat.

Georgia couldn’t think along those lines. Barbara was pleased enough with her job performance that she’d scheduled a review for two weeks after her return to the office to discuss her promotion.

What would a promotion mean? More money? Couldn’t be much; she was still a lower-tier employee, which was why Barbara’s insistence that Georgia relocate to Wyoming for the summer had come as such a surprise. A couple coworkers had been jealous, even when they had families and couldn’t take the job anyway. Maybe it stung a little that the people she’d considered her friends hadn’t bothered to call her in the last eleven weeks.

But Roxanne and Leah called her. So did Stephanie. She’d had lunch with Chassie. Domini made time for her when she dropped in to Dewey’s. India called to see how she’d fared after getting a tattoo. Even AJ called and nagged her to come in for a massage.

What a change from when she’d first arrived in town.

She no longer dreaded going to the grocery store, worrying who she’d run into, even after she’d run into Tara-Lee. She could talk to people about RJ without breaking down. She liked exploring her domestic side, cooking dinner for Tell and working in her tiny garden. She looked forward to hanging out with the friends who’d become more than just drinking buddies. She’d discovered that volunteering gave her a sense of purpose as well as satisfaction.

The sobering part was when she realized that she wouldn’t have any of that when she returned to Dallas.

But mostly, she wouldn’t have Tell.

So she would have him now. She’d take him as many times as she could get him, in as many ways as possible.

Georgia felt the other men’s eyes on her as she approached Tell. “Gentlemen, can you excuse us? I need to talk to Mr. McKay.”

“Lead the way, Miss Hotchkiss.”

Their formal use of titles wasn’t fooling anyone, not that they’d tried keeping their relationship under wraps.

Wanting privacy, Georgia wandered to the far side of the corral, away from contestants and other rodeo officials.

The scenery was spectacular. Breathing in a lungful of clean air, she knew she’d miss the scent of sage and how scorching hot days were tempered into cool mountain nights.

When she turned around from admiring the view, another amazing view greeted her.

Tell’s back rested against a corner section of the metal corral. His head was cocked at a jaunty angle, shadowing his face beneath the brim of his hat. “Did you need something official, Miss Hotchkiss?”

She shook her head. “You still pissy with me?”

His blue eyes trapped hers. “Maybe.”

She’d broken down the night before last, guilt-ridden by her inability to give him the truth on any level. His immediate need to comfort her had increased her feelings of guilt and she’d taken off without explanation. She’d called later and apologized, making up a story about work stress, but she sensed he hadn’t believed her.

She sauntered forward, wearing a you-want-it-bad-boy smile on her lips. “Will you let me make it up to you?”

His big hands curled around her hips and he yanked her against his body. “What do you have in mind?”

Her lips met his in a slow slide. She wanted a gradual shift from sweet kisses to fiery. But as usual Tell wrested control. Kissing her passionately. Trying to push her to the point where her need for him overtook her common sense.

Not this time. In a moment of spontaneity, she decided to see just how far she could push him. Georgia broke the kiss with a murmured, “Bad boy, McKay.”

He smiled against her cheek, but didn’t apologize.

She shifted her stance. Her right hand trailed down his vest, stopping at his belt. A quick tug and the buckle was out of her way, allowing access to his button and zipper.

“While I appreciate your intent to make this right between us, we should hold off—”

“Oh, I don’t intend to hold off. I intend to get you off. Right now.”

“Georgia. We’re in public. Anyone could wander back here and see what you’re doin’.”

“Then you’d better keep an eye out, hadn’t you?” She lowered the zipper and slipped her hand between his boxers and his warm skin until she found her prize. Tell’s cock wasn’t completely hard—she’d soon fix that. “Besides, it looks like we’re having a private, intense conversation. No one will bother us. Westerners are polite that way.”

“What’s gotten into you?”

“A sense of adventure. My own personal brand of fun.”

He groaned. “I deserved that.”

“And more.” She loved how his shaft swelled in her hand and she kept squeezing until he was fully erect. Then she began to stroke. Not slow and easy. Quick and hard, exactly how he liked it. She let her lips whisper across his ear. “I wish my hand was slippery with lube.”

“Sweet baby Jesus,” he hissed.

“Maybe you should kiss my neck a little, so it looks like we’re making up from a lover’s spat.”

“You are gonna pay for this bossiness,” he murmured, nuzzling the side of her face.

“Will you force me to my knees? So you can feel this—” she jacked his shaft twice, “—gliding across my tongue as you fill my mouth with every inch?”

“You’re yanking on the devil’s tail here.”

“Really? I though I was yanking on something else.” The tip of his cock leaked steadily and she moved her hand faster. She lost herself in the moment—she’d actually taken Tell by surprise.

“Goddamn that feels good.”

“Don’t throw your head back and look like you’re about to come.”

“Don’t squeeze so hard unless you’re tryin’ to keep me from coming,” he shot back.

“I want you to come. I want to feel those pulses that make you groan and your body shake.”

“Won’t be long. You rev me up in record time, hot lips.”

The husky voice wound around her body like a velvet caress. “Give it to me, Tell.”

He let his head fall forward. His grip on her hips increased but he didn’t buck his hips into her hand. He was completely passive, letting her control his pleasure. Trusting her.

She increased her rhythm. As soon as she heard a catch in his breath, she smashed her mouth to his. Swallowing his groan of satisfaction. Kissing him crazily as he spilled warm and wet over her fingers.

The pulses in his shaft stopped and he released one last shudder. Several tender kisses later, Tell leaned back to gaze into her eyes. Everything she’d ever wanted was right there.

Her heart seized up. How could she ever leave him?

“Georgia, what’s wrong?”

She carefully removed her hand. “Nothing. You’ll have to deal with fastening your jeans. My hand is a little sticky.”

His laughter morphed into a masculine growl when she brought her fingers to her mouth and sucked. One by one.

Then he kissed her. His way. With such sweet deliberation tears threatened, and when he finally released her mouth, she was shaking.

“I don’t know what’s put that sadness in your eyes, sweetness. But you can talk to me about anything.”

Tell’s tender loving care the day he’d tracked her down at the cemetery had rocked her to her very foundation. He hadn’t offered platitudes or tried to cajole her out of a mood. He’d just seen to her, accepting her pockets of sadness, offering her his comfort until she took it.

Just say it, Georgia. Flat out. I love you, Tell McKay.

The announcer’s booming voice came over the loudspeaker, shattering their moment.

And when she retreated, Tell let her.

The sun beat down. Dust clogged his nostrils. Last he’d heard, the temperature had hit the one hundred degree mark. Usually the dirt in the rodeo arena registered ten degrees hotter, so it was a damn oven. Everyone suffered when it was this hot. The animals, the competitors, the crowd. His shirt was soaked clear through. Even his jeans were moist from sweat streaming from every pore on his body in an attempt to cool off. He mopped his face with a towel every chance he got, but it didn’t help much.