Sweet Melody (Rock & Rodeo Romance #1) (8 page)

H
unter reaches
behind me and pulls on something. He flips me over with his strong arms. A soft pillow cradles my knees.

The unmistakable sound of ripped foil crinkles in the air. His hands lift my hips, and he coaxes my legs open. With his fingers, he dips into my soaked core and spreads my arousal all over my folds and opening. Without a word, both hands grip my hips with force. He drives his hard length into me with a grunt.

“Damn, Mel. You’re so fucking tight.”

Hunter fills me to capacity. I pant as my slippery core adjusts to his deep penetration. My inner muscles squeeze him, and I relish the responding twitch and groan from him.

“Mel, don’t. I won’t last if you do that.”

Heady from the power I possess over his body, I take advantage of my kneeling position, pulling away from him before grinding back to his root. The friction from that small but deliberate move rocks both of us.

“Again,” I demand, hungry to drive him crazy.

Before he stops me, I repeat the same motion, impaling myself on his cock and squeezing against him. My insides quake.

Hunter pulls out of me completely. The sudden void of his absence shocks my body. Over my shoulder, I see him silhouetted against the night sky lightened by the moon and stars. Shadows hide his face, but his shoulders move with rapid breath.

“Woman, when will you stop trying to control things and just give in?”

“When will you just pound me?”

“When you stop being such a smartass.”

I reach my hand between my legs and tease him again with finishing the job myself. “So that will be never?”

His cock duels with my hand for position. “I can’t say never. Damn it all, you know I love it.” With an open-handed smack to my ass, he enters me again.

Like a true musician, Hunter knows the song he intends to play. With short strokes moving into long, slower ones, he builds me into another climax until my groans of ecstasy become the chorus. He reaches his hand around to finger a repeat of the same.

“One more time,” he dictates.

Sure that our song can’t last forever, it surprises me that he hasn’t found his release yet amidst all of the rounds of the chorus he teases from me. After my last orgasm shudders through me, he withdraws slowly.

Sure that the fault of his lack of climax lays at my feet, I turn over intent to finish the job with my mouth. But Hunter, ever the one to maintain control, stops me again.

At some point, he’s shucked his jeans in the sand. His entire naked being makes me drool. “It’s not fair. You’ve taken care of me. Now let me take care of you.” If I can’t be the one to make him happy, then the entire experience will be ruined.

“We’re not done yet.” Hunter strokes my cheek. “In song terms, we’re building to the bridge.” He kisses me with slow deliberation.

“So you were writing a song.”

He shifts the pillow until it rests under my head and pushes me back. The truck dips under his weight as he moves on top of me. His minty breath blows on my face as he cradles my cheeks with so much tenderness that tears pool in my eyes. How can I handle any more of everything he’s given to me tonight?

“I was getting you ready.”

“Ready for what?” I whisper.

“For this. Right now. Mel, you’re my song. My sweet Melody. And I intend to play you again and again.”

I writhe under the weight of his body and his words. No one in my entire life has ever spoken words so full of care and sincerity that didn’t want to fuck me over later. And I don’t want to lose Hunter.

In desperation, I grab the back of his head and pull him into a passionate kiss in an attempt to deny the gravity of his statement. Hunter gives in to me for a few moments, his cock hardening between my thighs.

I spread my legs and hurry to erase the honeyed words and replace them with dirtier ones. My right hand lowers to grasp his ass and pull him into me.

“Stop pushing me away, Mel.”

“That’s the opposite of what I’m trying to do.” I wriggle into a better position to pull him inside me.

Hunter reaches down and takes my hand in his, moving it above my head. He takes my other hand and pulls it up too, holding them both together. He nips and kisses the tip of my nose.

“Impatient wench. You can’t rush a song to its end. You have to ride it out.” He grinds his crotch into mine, and my head bends back in enjoyment. “It seems I need to fuck you into submission. When you’re on the brink of an orgasm, you give me everything I need.”

“What’s that?” I breathe.

Our hot cores meld into each other with one push of his hips.

“You.” Hunter covers my mouth with his to capture my moans, and thrusts deep inside.

My legs wrap around his back and hold on tight. I focus on making sure he hits a home run, sinks the ball, makes a touchdown, or whatever guys with muscles need to do. But each of his strokes rips my concentration back to my own body and how his touch—or how he—makes me feel. I close my eyes, tears rimming them. Now that I’ve found someone like him, I know with each stroke he strips my ability to go back to the way things were in my life.

“Open your eyes.”

Amidst the crests of pleasure, I shake my head. A tear escapes and rolls down my cheek.

Hunter wipes the moisture from my face while covering me with gentle kisses. He slows down his pace.

“Melody. Open your eyes for me.”

Prepared to obey him one last time, my eyes open, and more tears trail down my cheeks.

“Are you okay?” Concern etches his brow, and his motions slow to a stop.

I give him half-hearted reassurances with a simple nod.

“What’s wrong? Am I hurting you?”

I shake my head no.

“Then what?”

The tears stream out of my eyes as I let him in and feel everything. This man has torn down every barrier I’ve built over the years until I lay beneath him, naked in every way.

“It’s just too much,” I admit. “It can’t be this good.”

Relief wipes away his worry lines. “I’ve been thinking the same thing. But I’m not going to hold back anymore. All of me. Do you hear me?” He kisses the tears off my face and links his hands with mine. “You can have all of me.”

Hunter thrusts inside of me, and for the first time, my mind and body connect every dot together until the full picture comes into view. His face in front of mine becomes the only landscape I care to stare at. Instead of kissing each other stupid, we lock eyes, our bodies tumbling in the ebb and flow of our connection.

As my body can no longer deny another building climax, my hips match his movement power for power, knocking our breaths with each contact.

When it all engulfs me again and I close my eyes, Hunter grunts short commands. “No. Here. Stay with me. Not yet.”

His face strains under the effort to maintain control, sweat dripping off him and raining on my face. Our guttural groans escape from us in increasing harmonic intensity.

As I reach my peak, I beg. “Hunter!”

He leverages his body so that his last few thrusts plunge deeper. He pounds hard and fast before grunting, “Now.”

With permission, my body quivers and vibrates like a snapped guitar string. His heavy body quakes on top of me as my insides milk him dry. Our sweat fuses our slick bodies together as we ride each crashing wave of euphoric pleasure.

As my hot depths twitch, Hunter’s body jerks. The trembling slows, and I squeeze once deliberately to make him jump.

“Smartass,” he breathes into my ear.

“Control freak.”

I rub his back, and we both enjoy the afterglow. When the cool air sends chills over our heated bodies, he withdraws with a reluctant sigh. He deals with the condom, and opens the creaky toolbox behind us. Something soft and warm covers me as he adjusts the pillow so we can share, and pulls me into his body to cuddle.

“Blankets and pillows? This is starting to feel a little like a moving fuck pad.”

Hunter tickles me before embracing me again. “Brat. I’m a musician. I haul equipment in the back of my truck that has to be cushioned. Hence the pillow and blanket. I’ve got some rope in there as well if you feel like some light bondage in a little while.”

He fake-cries in pain when I pinch his arm. “Maybe later,
sir
. But if anyone’s getting tied up, it’s you.”

“You’ll get no complaints from me.”

My smart mouth plays a good game, but a familiar pang of doubt hides underneath. If anyone’s getting tied in knots right now, it’s me.

W
e relax in a comfortable silence
. Hunter’s fingers rub my arm. For the life of me, the smile on my face won’t go away. How in the hell did I get here? This country singer god has sexed all rational thought out of me. The realization makes me giggle.

“What?” he asks.

“I think you fucked me stupid. I can’t stay on a coherent train of thought.”

We both laugh. Hunter kisses the top of my head and hugs me tighter against him. He doesn’t answer one way or another. His touch and hold on me is enough.

Stars sprinkle the sky. The moon has dipped lower, but shines bright enough in a clear sky. The wind blows salty kisses. The crashing waves beat against the sand in a rhythm that mimics my heartbeat. The pure romantic fictional scene of it all hits me.

Those books that Bethany reads excerpts to me from her phone describe scene after scene where the man takes his time to give pleasure to the woman. They aren’t real. Sex doesn’t last more than a chapter. As wound up as he twisted me, I hardly lasted more than a paragraph.

No way do men like those hot Alpha males exist. Except, my own evidence to the contrary lays right under me, his heart thumping under my ear. Doubt creeps in to replace my after-sex euphoria. We’ve played out our song to great success. Reality waits to come crashing in on our peace.

“What just happened?” Hunter asks. “You were all relaxed and mushy against me two seconds ago. And now, your body stiffened right up. What are you thinking about, Mel? Do I need to sex you up again?”

He tickles me, and I squeal like a little girl. “Don’t you dare,” I sputter, slapping his arms. “I don’t think I can come again for at least a week.”

“I’d like to take that bet.” He kisses my back and scrapes his stubble across my skin. His hands soften to caresses again.

I shrug off his touch and sit up. “Seriously, Hunter. This has been…” What words can follow that and cover everything enough so he won’t hate me tomorrow? Or the next day. Or any day after that as I send him on his way. No way does a night like tonight move on to something that looks remotely like a happy ending.

He waits for me to finish on my own, his hand rubbing my back with reassurance. His patience with me stands out against the bitch move I’m going to have to pull. Instead of waiting for reality to smack me in the face, I’ll control what comes next.

I sigh. “Hunter, I think you should take me home, and we should say goodbye.”

His hand stops. “Why?”

And how am I supposed to answer that question? If I tell the truth, that he scares the shit out of me, he may not understand that my hesitance and fear stem from years of learning that I’m not worthy of love or consideration from another person, especially from ones who are supposed to teach the first lessons and love unconditionally.

Sure, I can fall back on my own insecurities. Ones I know are half-truths. Of course I’ve battled my own demons, and I have the few special people I’ve let in who I know care about me. Shit, Bee fights for me all the time. What would she say to me right now?

So is it really my own dredged up issues? Or a fear of me, insignificant bartender, being left behind by him, country star sexy god, while he moves on to another state, another city, another girl, another night under the stars? What right do I really have to ask him not to have everything he has coming his way?

Hunter sits up and scoots himself so that his toolbox supports his back. He gasps as the cool metal touches his skin, but motions for me to slide back and lean against him.

No thank you, Cowboy. I can’t dive in any deeper. I’ll jump out of the back of the truck, scramble to find my clothes, and walk the miles back to my place. That’ll go over well, right?

Sighing, I give in to his embrace. I can’t deny that I want as many minutes as possible with him before it all has to end.

Hunter lets out a hard breath. His thumb worries soft circles on my arm.

“Listen,” I start. “I should explain some things. Then maybe you’ll understand why it ends here, and you go on to Nashville.”

“Is that what’s bothering you? That I’m leaving?” His deep voice rumbles inside his chest.

“That and other things.”

“Okay. What else?”

I shrug. Hunter’s hand sweeps my hair off my shoulders. He plants a firm kiss at the base of my neck. His lips rest there as he waits.

“It’s… you know… all this…” I stammer, my hands gesturing in the air. I draw my knees up and wrap my arms around them, unsure if it’s possible for me to give him all my reasons.

He rocks forward and shifts me until my balled up body nestles into his hard chest. His hand strokes my hair as he kisses the top of my head.

“Let’s see if we can compartmentalize things. All you have to do is tell me if I’m on or off track.”

I nod into his chest.

“Okay. Do you generally regret what just happened between us?”

I quickly shake my head no. In no way do I want him to think that what happened between us doesn’t equal a bag full of Skittles, a day of binge watching stupid sitcoms, a glass of very expensive bourbon, or a foot massage. Fuck that. He’s all of them at once plus some. What we’ve experienced together has become the Mt. Everest of experiences in my life.

“Good.” His chest moves up and down under my head, his breathing becoming more even. “Then, are you afraid that what we have between us might be more than just a one-night stand?”

I bury my face into his chest and breathe in his masculine scent laced with a hint of my own aroma. I nod in affirmation.

“I feel the same way, you know.”

My eyes pop wider in surprise. A man never admits to such romantic notions
after
doing the deed. Although technically, we’re still in his “bed.” Maybe it’s empty pillow talk. Or back-of-truck talk.

“Another question. If I promise you that, despite all odds, you already truly mean something to me and that I’d like to see where this could go, would you trust me?” His heart beats fast underneath my ear pressed to his chest.

I bite my lip, pondering the loaded question. He’s been asking me to trust him all night. When I gave into him earlier, he didn’t betray me or let me down. In fact, he knows better than me what I need and how to get me there, despite my occasional rebellion.

“Yeah, I guess I do.” The admission surprises me, but I taste the truth of the words.

Hunter releases a breath he holds in anticipation of the answer. “Good. Then why don’t we stop overthinking things? Stop asking too much of each other tonight. We don’t have to make promises of forever or exchange rings.”

My body tenses with those words. He slaps my arm with gentleness.

“Oh, lighten up. I’m saying that, despite my future move out of state—”

“Very-soon-to-be future,” I interrupt.

He pinches my arm. “Despite my moving out of state, I’m interested in seeing where you and I could take things.” He laces his fingers through mine.

I smirk. “Do you want me for my body or my awesome voice?”

“Would it be wrong if I said both?”

We both chuckle. I unfurl my body and melt into his.

“Then I agree. No contracts signed tonight. For now, we don’t say goodbye. But you will have to take me home eventually. I can’t live the rest of my life with no panties. You tore mine off.”

“I don’t know. I think a ‘no-panties clause’ should be added for consideration.”

“If we’re moving into negotiations, we need to add in a ‘blindfold’ clause as well.”

“For or against?”

I turn my head and brush my lips against his. The taste of him refuels the glowing embers of craving, and I claim his mouth as mine. He returns the kiss with matched desire.

When I finally pull away from him, breathless, I whisper, “What do you think?”

His hands pull me into him until he almost crushes me. I playfully beat against his strength.

“Can’t. Breathe,” I joke.

We both quiet down into a peace unknown to me before. The night sky moves in small increments as we hold onto each other. At one point, his voice reverberates under my ear as he hums a tune. It changes a bit from when he started, but it eventually works its way into a pattern.

“You writing a song?” I ask.

“Mm-hmm.” His humming starts again.

I listen to him for a while, enjoying his timbre, following the tune as it gains structure. When he gets to the part I figure must be his chorus, I add a low harmonizing hum with his.

He stops. With quick moves, he surprises me with a passionate kiss.

“You never stop amazing me, always knowing how to join me in exactly the right way. I don’t give a shit if this scares you, but you have to know how rare that is.” He covers my lips with his again and kisses me hard.

When he stops, my thoughts scatter in the wind again, leaving me with a dopey grin.

“So, who’s the song for, Cowboy? Some sexy woman?”

Hunter shifts his body until he lies on his back. He lifts me with ease until I lay on top of him. My hair cascades over his face, and he brushes it away as he frames my face with his hands.

“It’s my melody. And I will spend as much time as possible trying to figure it out. With. You.”

He kisses me after each emphasized word, and any reservations I have about him, the night, or what will happen when the sun comes up evaporate into the night air. My body melts into his as we start our song all over again.