Authors: Cerian Hebert
“You are one tempting woman.”
Quinn pulled herself up onto the new
counter. “Sweet talker. Now, can I come over and give Marisol her lesson?”
“Nope. She’s at Bonnie’s for the night.
I took her over about an hour ago.”
“Oh. I’m sorry I missed her. I hope she
wasn’t mad.”
“She was eager to get over to her
friend’s house. They’re heading to the drive-in tonight.”
“I’ll have to make it up to her.” Quinn
tried not to be disappointed. She loved going to the Shady H, and not just for
Craig’s sake. She truly enjoyed training Marisol. But she had plenty to keep
her busy here.
“I’m sure she’ll find a way.”
“I’ll let you get back to your work,” Quinn
said reluctantly.
“Okay.” His voice was soft.
“We’ll talk.”
“Bet on it.”
Quinn hung up the phone, slid off the
counter and didn’t stop until she sat on the floor. She wanted to make love to
him. No matter what. She loved him and it didn’t even matter if he didn’t
return the sentiments. He wanted her, he cared about her. That would be enough.
For now.
Raging hormones weren’t going to get
things done around the ranch. There were hungry horses waiting for her outside.
She’d have a chance to spill her heart out to him soon.
Fire apparently hadn’t forgiven her and
turned his back on her as soon as she carried out his dinner.
“It’s okay, I forgive you,” she called
out to the horse. “But that doesn’t mean I’m giving up. I’ll be back tomorrow
and we’ll try again.”
With the horses fed, watered, and the
mothers and mothers-to-be in their stalls, Quinn took a broom to the center
aisle of the barn, cleaning the wood shavings and dirt tracked from the
outside. The feeling of being watched suddenly overwhelmed her. She looked up
and saw the silhouette of a man at the entrance to the barn.
Craig didn’t come further inside.
Instead, he paused, his tall frame dark against the late afternoon light.
Quinn leaned the broom against the wall
and strode toward him. She needed him. Now.
There was no meeting half way. Maybe she
took Craig off guard when she reached him, gripped both his arms and pushed him
against the wall. She didn’t say a word when she slid a hand behind his neck
and brought his face down so she could kiss him.
God, she loved him. She’d loved him forever.
Only in her wildest dreams did she imagine he’d love her back. But if he
didn’t, she’d take what he could offer and cherish it.
He hesitated as she pressed against him
with her entire body, but then his arms closed around her.
No words were necessary, just the feel
of his mouth against hers, opening up to her. Each lightning-strong touch
struck her heart and sent showers of desire, like thousands of sparks
throughout her body.
Nothing held them back. They were
completely alone, no one waited for them. She could’ve slowed, cooled the
passion to make it last, but she was on a headlong gallop toward a cliff.
Adrenaline and Craig’s touch drove her onward.
His hands smoothed down her back, then
lower until he picked her up, his mouth moving over hers. His hat fell off his
head and Quinn took advantage and dug her fingers into his thick, wavy hair.
In his arms, she wound her legs around
his waist. She wanted to touch every part of him, kiss every part of him. She
broke away from his mouth and pressed her lips against his neck, nipping at his
ears, and eliciting a groan from him.
They were out of the barn before she
realized they were moving toward the house. He carried her as if she weighed
nothing, managed the door without letting her go for more than a fraction of a
second.
“My bedroom. End of the hall. Right,”
she said against his mouth without relinquishing the touch of his lips.
There’d be no discussions about should
they or shouldn’t they. Her mind was made up and from the passion in Craig’s
kiss, the fire in his caressing hands she knew he wouldn’t turn back.
In her room, he eased her onto the bed,
stilling the raging storm by several degrees. She opened her eyes and allowed
herself to gaze at him. In doing so, she lost some of the overwhelming
confidence that sent her into his arms in the first place.
What replaced it was no less potent, no
less important. And it certainly didn’t shake her resolve.
Craig lay next to her, staring down at
her. His eyes burned with a glowing sensuality that turned her body to liquid.
He caressed her cheek, trailing his fingertips along her throat. Quinn let her
own hand roam, exploring the contours of his shoulder, down the long, straight
muscles of his back.
They could’ve rushed through this like a
wildfire, she certainly wanted him enough, but somehow this slow journey was
better, holding out for the ultimate pleasure.
She pushed under his tee shirt, shoving
it upwards, exposing smooth skin over taut muscles. Leaning forward, she
pressed kisses against his warm flesh and felt his heart beat.
All she wanted was to feel his skin
brushing against hers. No barrier of clothing. Never in her life had she felt
this alive, and wanted.
Their touches became bolder. Craig
peeled her shirt off and next her bra. His gaze drank her in, as physical a
touch as any, and it brought her flesh to life.
“Oh God, Quinn,” he murmured. He hadn’t
yet touched her but she longed for his fingers to explore her skin.
“Touch me.” She couldn’t manage more
than a hoarse whisper.
He moaned and lowered his mouth to hers
as his palm skimmed over her aroused nipple. His lips feathered a sizzling
trail along the line of her throat to her shoulder before they took possession
of her aching breast. Now it was her turn to call out his name as she arched up
to meet him. He tasted and teased until she couldn’t take anymore. Her whole
body cried out for his satisfying touch, not just the tight buds he so sweetly
tortured.
While he lavished her with erotic
sensations, she did her own work. Every muscle on his torso was well earned,
she knew. His body wasn’t the result of any high priced gym and she prized
that, worshipped it with every touch. His back was smooth and she ran her hands
down to his waist, easing the tips of her fingers into the waistband of his
jeans. If only they were off. They needed to be off, but she didn’t want him to
stop what he was doing to her long enough to remove them.
Still it had to be done. He had set fire
to her and only one thing would soothe her. His body, their bodies wrapped up
together. There was no room for clothes in this equation.
Quinn breathed his name and let her
fingers undo his belt then the button of his jeans. Stay cool, she heard her
mind say, don’t rush. She ignored the words because her head was full of him,
his scent, his taste. Each sensation added to the golden haze of passion. She
hardly noticed that Craig was already sliding her jeans over her hips, then
pulled away long enough to strip his own jeans off.
If she had her way, she would’ve pulled
him right inside her body, but Craig had other things in mind and thank God he
did because she didn’t want to miss anything, miss any moment or stroke. His
mouth gently suckled each breast while his hands traced the curve of her hips
and thighs before sweeping back up to her belly. Lower, her mind screamed, but
she could barely speak an intelligible word while he did his best to drive her
completely mad.
She could, however, do her best to drive
him out of his mind with want too. She pressed her palms against the hard
contours of his chest, teasing his pebbled nipples before smoothing her hands
around to the muscled planes of his back to narrow hips and didn’t stop until
she came in contact with his tight buttocks. As she splayed her fingers across
his taut flesh, she heard him groan against her neck where he’d been raining
kisses.
There was absolutely no ignoring his
arousal, nor did she want to. She moved against the hard pulse of his erection
and smiled when she heard him groan again. This time she eased his head away
from her.
“Protection,” she whispered. “In the
drawer. Can you reach?”
She closed her eyes and felt Craig move
across the bed to retrieve a condom she stashed in the drawer. For a moment,
embarrassment for being so presumptuous flooded over her, but when Craig kissed
her on the mouth and whispered “smart woman” against her lips, she couldn’t
help but grin.
“I want to look in your eyes when you’re
inside me,” she told him when he took care of the protection and leaned back
into her.
Craig’s eyes widened. She had more
surprises for him. She was no shy virgin, no shrinking flower who would lie
back and let a man do whatever he pleased. No, she wanted to give pleasure as
much as she wanted to receive it. She loved Craig too much not to give him her
best. Besides, she wanted him to come back for more.
He didn’t ask her if she was sure,
whether she wanted to go on. There was no stopping now. Quinn parted her legs
to him, and even though she looked at him steadily, her entire body quivered
with expectation and desire. Anticipation of what this man could do to her. Her
want had never run so deep.
Craig pressed himself against her, not
entering her yet, but fulfilling her request of keeping his gaze on her. The
room glowed in a gentle red and golden light as sunset filled the sky. It gave
him a brooding look, made his eyes appear black, but passion smoldered there.
As he buried himself deep within her, her breath caught in her throat. She
released it in choppy measures and arched upwards to take all of him as Craig
lifted her hips. Her mind and body swayed beyond reality as he delved deeper
into her with each rhythmic push. Primal need grew, setting fire to her body.
Craig leaned over her, pressing his torso against hers as he moved his mouth
hungrily, the kiss as voracious as each stroke of his virile manhood.
“Touch me,” she begged against his
mouth. As if the thundering tempo of their lovemaking wasn’t enough. She pulled
in a harsh breath as his fingers found their way between her thighs and circled
against her slick bud. There was nothing keeping her from going over the
precipice of pure bliss. The slide began where his fingers worked in tandem
with the push and pull of his thick arousal and it burst free with glorious
explosion after explosion. Ecstasy filled her entire body, from her toes right
up to her mind. She couldn’t focus on anything but fighting for more oxygen as
she rode the wild wave that hit her like a tsunami.
He kept going and now she heard his own
ragged breath and her name as he fought to give her what she needed before he
convulsed against her. But not before he drove her on to one more dizzying
climax.
“Quinn, Quinn,” he whispered against her
skin, kissing and saying her name over and over while she came down from the
stars.
She trailed her fingers up his back. He
was wet with sweat, his flesh still on fire but cooling in the evening breeze
that bled through the window.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. She felt
like laughing, crying, dancing and making love to him all over again.
Quinn buried her face into the crook
between Craig’s chin and shoulder and smiled. He traced his fingers against her
side, sending sparks through her body. How easily he could do that, bring her
body to life after so entirely satisfying her. Yet that’s exactly what he was
doing, whether he meant to or not.
“What are you grinning about?”
Quinn chuckled, lifted her body. Craig
pulled her so her torso rested on his and they were face to face. She traced a
finger along his dimples.
“I’m amazed we’re here right now, you
and me.”
“Oh? Why is that?”
Quinn drew in her breath and held it for
several seconds. “Because I’ve wanted it since the moment I saw you on the
prairie the day I found your daughter. I still half believe I’m dreaming.”
“No, darling, don’t say that.”
“I have to because it’s the truth.”
Though he didn’t admit it, this
situation amazed Craig as much as it did Quinn. He never expected to find
himself in her bed, though it had been on his mind since the moment they kissed
at the barbeque. He’d put it down to being a guy thing, but those thoughts
weren’t in his nature. Not anymore. Quinn brought out overwhelming lust, but it
wasn’t that basic, that animalistic. If it had been just lust he would’ve
steered well away from her. He would never use her body to slake his needs so
thoughtlessly. He cared a great deal for her. How much, he wasn’t sure, but
enough to understand that their lovemaking was far from casual, and far from a
one-time deal.
“I’m lucky to be a part of your dream,”
he whispered.
In a swift motion, Quinn pulled herself
up and over him, straddling his waist. Her hair spilled down her back, over her
shoulders, curling sexily against her creamy skin. A late afternoon ray of sun
caught a lock and cast it in glowing copper.
He slid his hands over her hips to her
waist. So much woman in this tiny package. There was nothing tomboyish in her
lush curves or the sultry smile on her beautiful face.