Second Song Cowboy (Second Chance) (4 page)

He turned his
head, catching her dipping into the eye-candy jar. A man like Dante knew he was a target for a woman’s stare, so she didn’t bother to show any mortification. She cleared her throat as she slipped out of her boots then made her way to the small refrigerator. Inside, she found a dozen or so mini bottles of whiskey. “Jackpot.” Grabbing as many as she could hold, she carried them to the bed and dropped them into the center. “Take your pick.”

He took one,
popped the lid and drank. His eye stayed on her as he rolled his tongue along his lips, lapping up every drop. “I’d expect a more luxurious room for a star.”

“I’d just as soon stay in a cheap room.” She
randomly grabbed her own bottle and took it with her to the high-backed chair. “I’m only here long enough to sleep anyway.”

He sat on the end of the bed and stretched his long legs. “Where to next?”

“Oklahoma.” Bringing the bottle to her lips, she took a sip and the amber liquid burned its way to the pit of her stomach. She’d never been much of a drinker so the stiff alcohol was a shock to her insides.

“Sounds like fun,” he said as his piercing gaze
oozed into her skin.

“Loads.” Lifting the bottle, she emptied it, squinting at the prickles of heat that followed.

He chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drink before.”

“
I do but only on occasion, like a special event. I won’t drink before a performance, and when I’m done, I hit the sack. No time for socializing.”

“
Seems unreal, sitting here with
the
April Rayne.”

“No big deal. I’m just like every other woman.” She tucked her feet up under her bottom.
“You should know that better than anyone.”

“That’s an exaggeration. I can only imagine how many cowboys would fight for this opportunity.”

“
You know what surprises me?” His brow came up. “That you’re not married.” A man like Dante couldn’t hide from the ladies for too long.

“Close, but nope.” He drained his bottle and recapped it.

“So, you were
almost
hitched. Yee-haw…a woman almost roped Dante Brooke. She must be some woman.” A suspicious tightness crept through her. Jealousy? She had no reason to feel anything. They’d parted ways long ago.

“Yeah,
‘some woman’ she is.” He winked as he reached behind him and grabbed another bottle. “I’m better without her.”

She blinked. “Good thing you found that
out before you slipped the band on her finger. I wasn’t so fortunate. It took me a hefty settlement to understand the greed of some folk.” She saw the curiosity in his eyes. “Are you shocked that I actually got married?”

He shrugged. “I
find it harder to believe that the bastard cheated. Some men just don’t get how lucky they are until it’s too late.”

Warmth s
pread from her hair roots to the tips of her toes. Was there hidden meaning to his words? “Well, he found his ass from the hole in the ground, a little too late though.” She relaxed into the soft welcoming cushion. “When did you break up?”

“A
lmost a year ago.”

Not long at all. In fact, she’d say he was in reboun
d stage.

Then again, men were different when they broke up. They bounced back, rising like a star. Women, on the other hand, allowed their heart to bleed for far too long. She knew this from experience, and it wasn’t at the han
ds of her loser ex. “Sorry to hear about the loss.”

No, she really wasn’t.

“I’m over it.” He scanned the room and she wondered if he didn’t want to make eye contact with her after his disclosure?

A blanket of
silence washed over them. When it became too much, she asked, “You okay?”

Gazes connected. “I’m great. Why?”

“You look like a man who has been sucking on a lemon,” she said with a sigh. “Is
she
the reason why you searched me out? Hoping you could find some revenge relief with a woman from the past?”

His gaze narrowed
. “That wasn’t my intention.”

“No?”

“Not at all.”

She laughed.
“Maybe I was hoping.”
Oh sheesh
. The whiskey had washed away her filter. The slow smile that curved his lips sent her juices flowing and the vibrator in her suitcase wouldn’t satiate her at this point.

Time slowed down as she watched him, losing herself in his masculinity. She’d always wondered what he was doing. How he was doing.
Who
he was doing. Wondering if he’d gotten married to the woman of his dreams.

He was a big man with wide shoulders and broad chest, covered by a silv
er-buttoned shirt. She could have the material parted and ripped off his body in a matter of seconds. Her pink parts quivered at the mere fantasy of removing the annoying fabric. She forced her gaze to move upward and their eyes clashed. The man was a lethal combination of virility and sin. And she wanted to get wicked.

Chapter
Two

DANTE LAUGHED AS April squirmed and batted her lashes under his stare. Amazing how she could shock the boots right off him with a naughty remark only to blush pearl pink. She’d changed, but he saw that not everything was different. That would have been a real disappointment.

He shifted his legs, hoping to ease the discomfort in his zipper, but it wasn’t happening.
Just like old times.

Why the hell had he come
? To scratch the scab off old wounds?

Truth was, he’d never expected
that he’d get this far tonight. He’d enjoyed watching her on stage, connecting with the music, but seeing her in concert was one thing. Sneaking backstage had been nothing but stupid, and yet, no one had stopped him to toss him out on his ear. So much for the burly security who was hired to keep her safe.

He’d
gotten even a bigger surprise when she’d agreed to let him drive her to the hotel. He hadn’t even entertained the idea that this would lead anywhere but her saying goodnight. Even now, as she sat across from him, twirling a curl around her finger and eyeing him with a sultry green gaze that spoke volumes, he expected that any second she’d come up with some excuse and ask him to leave.

If that happened, so be it. He’d gotten what he’d come for anyway. She was doing fine—at least semi-fine—and his curiosity was
appeased.

No, not really.

He’d been sporting a hard-on since the second she pulled open her door backstage at the arena.

Now
she all but propositioned him. Or was she teasing? It could go either way. Although, he’d never known her as the teasing type.

“Cat got your tongue?” she asked with a milky grin.

“Just admiring the view.” If he’d felt half of this much attraction for any other woman, he’d jump at the chance for a romp in the sack, but April was different. He’d never seen her as a sex object or summer fling, although she’d accused him of that once or twice.

Once upon a summer years ago, she’d lit up his world like a ray of sunshine
and he’d let her go because he’d loved her enough. His future was on a ranch and she had worldwide dreams to follow. If he’d held her, preventing her from a career, she would never have forgiven him. He couldn’t have taken the risk of her ever regretting meeting him.

He wasn’t sure what hold the woman had over him, but even now, older and more mature, she still wielded an invisible power that he couldn’t quite understand.

Focusing his concentration on her full, kissable pout, his axis tilted slightly as he wondered what she tasted like, felt like. He could smell a trace of her vanilla scent and it made the hair stand erect on the back of his neck. He wanted to sample her mouth, mold her curves against his hard body, and hear her call his name, like she did long ago.

He absorbed every feature on her lovely face. Her smooth skin, the gentle tilt of her nose, and her mouth that begged for
kisses. A soft moan escaped those beautiful lips and his dick twitched. Their gazes held and his heart thumped faster, threatening to break a rib. Her eyes were the green of an untouched forest. They were huge and piercing, full of curiosity and glimmer. Her thick lashes swooped against the tops of her blushing cheeks.

She
blinked and he knew she expected him to say something, but his brain refused to engage. He was a card shy of a full house.

“I think I’ll die of hunger if I don’t touch you.” Her words rasped against
his every nerve ending. Was she serious?

His question was
answered.

She stood up
, hips swaying as she stepped across the carpet. Damn, she was beautiful.

Climbing on his lap, a
nchoring her knees on each side of his hips, she nestled her backside against his aching crotch. No longer could he hide the fact that he had a boner, and by her playful smile, she found his painful predicament entertaining. She even rotated her warm core around the bulge and his erection cocked sideways, suffocated by a zipper.

“Y
ou little minx.” He cupped her cheek with one hand and brought the other around the back of her neck. The silky hairs at her nape tickled his palm.

“Glad to see you
still have no problems in this area.” Her breath swept across his cheek.

“What do you want, sweetheart?”

“Kiss me, Dante.” she demanded.

“Still an impatient imp
, huh?” He slid his hand over her collarbone, stopping at the mounds above the swoop of her low neckline. Then he gave her what she wanted, what he wanted. He crushed his mouth against hers and buried his tongue deep into the warm cave, tasting whiskey and mint. He could lap her up she tasted so good, and soon he would. He could bet on that.

Wanting to touch all of her
, and fast, he found the hem of her shirt and tugged it over her head, tossing it on the floor. He took in pale globes spilling over red lace. She’d filled out to more than a mouthful and he couldn’t wait to taste. He undid the clasp at her back and the bra fell away, exposing her lovely breasts and pearly, erect nipples. He wasted no time in dropping his head and licking, rolling his tongue over the buds and suckling her deep into his mouth. They were as sweet and succulent as they looked.

She dug her fingers through his hair and nicked his scalp
with her nails as she tugged him closer. Dropping her head to one side, a passion-filled moan rumbled her chest, a mating call.

My G
od, she was potent. He could bask in her beauty and radiance. How was it possible that age had made her lovelier?

She rolled her hips and he sucked in air.

He needed to touch and taste all of her.

Moving
her onto her back, he pressed her against the flowered comforter as he lifted himself on elbows above her. Their heated gazes met for a mere second and an unspoken word passed between them—tonight would be all that remained. He’d make the best of it. That was for damn sure.

He lowered his head and kissed her neck, licked her
smooth skin, left a moist trail along her perfect breasts. He dragged his body lower, nibbling her soft stomach, inhaling her sweet scent as he dipped the tip of his tongue inside of her belly button. Her body arched against his face. Unsnapping the button of her jeans, he hooked his fingers into the waist and tugged them off her hips, down her silken legs, and she helped by using her toes to push them off her ankles.

“
You are sexy, sweetheart,” he mumbled against her warm flesh as he dragged her panties away from the hidden treasure. Her musky scent taunted him like a forbidden fruit, only he was allowed to sample and he wasted no time. He buried his face between her thighs and slid his tongue along the moist pink folds, gaining a breathless “Yes! Yes! Yes!” from her.

Rolling the t
ip of his tongue along each wet curve, he drew the hard bead between his lips and suckled, her moans became deeper, needier.

As she bucked
and writhed under him, he braced his hands on her firm thighs, holding her steady. Her creamy scent grew richer and her juices became thicker. She was close and he wanted to take her through the glistening gate of release. He drove his fingers deep inside of her, pumping in and out while licking the slit.

She tangled her fingers in his hair
as she rode his mouth like a cowgirl rides a horse. Her pink delicacy trembled against his chin. He puckered his lips and blew against the nub, vibrating the sensitive flesh. Her back arched as a deep, satisfying groan escaped her parted lips.

He brought h
is face up, licking the nectar from his mouth. “I could do this all night, sweetheart.”

“That’s good because that was only the beginning.”

He smiled, feeling a lot like the cat who drank the cream.

****

“My turn!” April sat up, pushed him back onto the mattress and quickly removed his shirt. Buttons popped and seams tore. Gaze meeting bare flesh, she splayed her fingers over his wide shoulders and along his broad chest. His warm, smooth skin felt blissful against her sensitive palms. How could one man be this delicious? Her body throbbed along every bend and curve.