The Cowbear's Curvy Valentine (Curvy Bear Ranch 5) (6 page)

“That’s weird,” she said.

“We saw one the other day.”
Way to compound the lies
, he chided. He hated being deceitful, but he couldn’t exactly come out and tell her, “By the way, I turn into a thousand-pound bear and I’d be happy to pose for you.”

“I’ll stake out the picnic table. Maybe I’ll spot one later today,” she said.

“Sounds like a plan,” he said.

Relieved that she’d bought his story, he made up an excuse to leave and hurried through the house. He wanted to circle around the front through the woods so she wouldn’t see him shift. He would be taking a huge risk and would have to be careful not to get caught, but he needed to see that stunning smile of hers again. If shifting and prancing around the lake would do the trick, then he was happy to oblige.

When he reached the woods, he wound a path through the trees until he was far enough from the house that he couldn’t see it. He called to his bear, and in a cracking, snapping display of power, he began to shift.

Long, sharp claws sprouted from his fingertips. Hair thickened on his arms to form a coat of light brown fur. As his face elongated into a snout, his teeth lengthened. He dropped to all fours as his hands and feet morphed into paws.

After the transformation was complete, he roared. Nearby trees shook snow from their frozen branches. He cocked his head to one side and sniffed the air. The scent of pine filled his lungs. He hadn’t shifted in several days, so he wanted to run full speed through the forest. But he’d have to wait until after he posed for Abby.

He lumbered to the tree line and sat back on his haunches. When two hours had passed with no sign of her, he stood and paced. Eventually, he’d stomped the snow into an icy crust. As he turned to make another pass, he slipped on the well-worn path.

Dammit. He couldn’t wait anymore.

Rather than risk getting caught, he shifted back to his human form before exiting the woods. He’d wasted half the day already. Where the heck was she?

As he stalked back toward the B & B, he noticed a small form crouched down near the edge of the lake. His bear went on alert. As he moved closer, he recognized Abby’s hair. Hunched over, her shoulders quaked. Was she crying?

He picked up the pace and hurried toward her with renewed determination. No matter what, he was going to find a way to cheer her up.

Chapter 6

Abby squatted at the edge of the lake and stared into its icy depths. Even though chilly air pierced the thick insulation in her snow pants, she couldn’t bring herself to move. Phone calls with her mother usually ended with Abby agreeing to her demands. This one didn’t. She still couldn’t believe she’d had the courage to stand up to her mother and tell her that she wasn’t coming home until she was ready.

But instead of feeling elated, a heavy burden gripped her heart. Guilt ate at her soul. Was she being selfish? Her mother had yelled at her for not considering how her behavior would reflect on her father. Abby was sick of worrying about every decision she made. Even the most mundane choice required getting their opinion.

Until now, she’d never stopped to think about why she kept caving in to their demands. The conversations she’d been having with Cody and Vicki were giving her a new perspective. She’d never defied her parents before—not when she’d wanted to pull her paint set from the trash, not when she’d secretly dreaded her first day of law school, not when she felt like throwing up before her first court case. Never.

But now… now she wasn’t sure what to do. Paralyzed by the stress of the situation, she couldn’t even decide whether or not she wanted to stand up and walk back to the B & B. She needed a break from the warring thoughts in her head. If she could just get a few minutes of peace, she could figure everything out.

A sound startled her. She turned to find Cody walking toward her.

“What are you doing out here?” he asked. “I thought you’d be painting.”

“That was the plan until my mom called.” She didn’t even try to keep the annoyance from her tone.

“Rough conversation?”

“The worst. She acts like I need to jump every time she tells me to do something. Well maybe I don’t want to jump anymore.” She put her hands on her hips. “Maybe I don’t want to be a marionette.”

“People will treat you the way that you let them. If you don’t want her to treat you like a child anymore, then you need to start standing up for yourself. You need to take control of your life instead of letting her control you,” he said.

Late afternoon sunlight glowed like flames across his wavy brown hair. His skin radiated vitality and warmth. She wanted that feeling. She wanted to project the same self-assuredness that Cody possessed. Every time she talked to him, shivers of awareness raced down her spine. She was attracted to his confidence. He knew exactly what he wanted and took action to get it. If she could even have half of his confidence, she’d be able to stand up to her parents.

She flashed back to the sultry kisses Cody had spread across her neck in the spa. She’d dated plenty of eligible bachelors, courtesy of her mother, but no one like him. The few boyfriends she’d had all spoke in the nasally voice of old money. They didn’t have the deep, sexy voice of a cowboy. God, she could listen to Cody talk all day. Low and rumbly, his voice rolled through her like thunder.

Her exes had all been scrawny stickmen. She’d be surprised if any of them could lift more than twenty pounds. Cody could probably carry a horse across the field. Even through his shirt, she sensed ambient power in his strong arms and ripped chest. For the first time in days she knew exactly what she wanted—him.

“You’re giving me that look again,” he teased.

“What look?”

“The one that makes me think you want to lick me from head to toe and back.”

Normally she’d be embarrassed by his statement, but not this time. He gave her a hot, hungry look. Every last thread of propriety melted as her gaze raked down his body. Whatever genteel manners her mother had tried to instill in her vanished the second he took a step forward. She tilted her chin up, knowing exactly what he wanted, because she wanted it too.

When he cupped her face and stared into her eyes, the intensity of his gaze made her knees buckle. His expression radiated pure, unadulterated lust.

“You’ll be leaving in a few days,” he said. “Are you sure you want to start something we’ll have to stop?”

“The last thing I want right now is to get tied up in another commitment,” she said. “I swear I’m not normally like this, but if you’re ready for a few days of discreet fun, then so am I.”

“I can tell this isn’t something you do a lot.”

“Never,” she said.

“Then why now?” he asked as he brushed his thumbs across her cheeks.

“Have you ever wanted to do something completely out of character just to see what it would feel like?” she asked.

“Well,” he paused as if considering the question. “Not really. I’m pretty content with my life.”

“I’m not.” She slid her hands around his waist. “But we’ll never see each other again after this week, so why not have a little fun?”

“That sounds like a line my brother Logan would have used before he got married,” he said.

“It’s not a line I’ve ever used before.” She cocked her head to one side and gave him a coy smile. “Are we going to keep talking, or are you going to sneak up to my room?”

“Let’s go through the back door.” He grabbed her hand and led her toward the house.

She’d never been so bold, so reckless. But in that moment, she didn’t care. She was sick of passing up opportunities in favor of the antiquated notion of respectability her parents loved to uphold. She’d be dammed if she’d miss a night of hot sex with Cody.

As she scurried up the steps to the back porch, she checked to make sure no one was around. Inside the B & B, they passed through the living room on the way to the staircase. When they made it upstairs without running into anyone else, she breathed a sigh of relief. Okay,
maybe
she wasn’t quite as carefree as she was pretending to be. She couldn’t exactly undo a lifetime of parent-dictated morality in the span of a couple of days.

After stepping into the bedroom, she closed the door behind them. She turned to find Cody eyeing her with a questioning gaze, as if he wasn’t convinced she’d go through with her bold plan.

“Come here, cowboy,” she said.

“Yes, ma’am.”

He crossed the room, closing the distance between them. As he gathered her into his arms, twilight filtered through the window to cast long shadows along the wall. His seductive eyes shimmered with carnal intent. She could hardly take a breath. Her heart pounded in anticipation. As he bent to kiss her, pure pleasure exploded across her lips.

In an instant, the constant chatter in her mind went silent. A rush of adrenaline surged through her as his tongue parted her lips. She moaned against him, tangling her fingers in his shirt. Every brush of his tongue against hers served to draw her deeper into the fantasy.

In his arms, real life didn’t exist. She didn’t have to worry about the trial, her parents, or what she was going to do with her life after this week. She only had to worry about when to take a breath, and even that became automatic.

He pulled away. In a husky voice he said, “I can’t stop kissing you.”

“Then don’t.”

As his lips reclaimed hers, she pressed her hips against his body. The rigid length of his cock pushed against her soft belly. She couldn’t wait to expose every inch of him.

As she tugged his shirt out of his jeans, he released her and started unbuttoning it. Inch by glorious inch, he revealed his firm chest. She ran her fingers across the fine smattering of hair before trailing them lower. When she reached his abs, his muscles contracted. He sucked in a breath and yanked the shirt over his shoulders.

She reached for his pants but he beat her to them. After unzipping his jeans, he pushed them over his hips. They fell to the floor. A second passed before she had the courage to drop her gaze from his abs to his boxers. He wasn’t wearing any.

“Oh,” she whispered in surprise.

“Sometimes I like to go commando.” He flashed a naughty grin.

“I approve.”

“I thought you might.”

She chuckled. There was no way he could have known that she’d fling herself at him, but she didn’t contradict him. Why take a stab at his ego and risk ruining things?

“I still have all of my clothes on.” She arched a brow.

“I don’t.”

She tossed her head back and laughed hard enough to jiggle her stomach. For a split second, that evil little voice that told her she was too big tried to kill her joy. She quickly silenced it. He’d already seen her almost naked in the spa, so he knew what her belly looked like. If he didn’t care, then why should she?

As he peeled off her layers of clothing, she trembled in anticipation. He wasted no time stripping her down to her bra and panties. When he stopped to look at her, the self-conscious voice tried to rear its snarky head.
This is where he’s going to stop and tell you that you’re a heifer.

“You’re so dammed sexy,” he murmured as his eyes raked across her curves.

Ha! The stupid voice was wrong.

“Take the rest of it off,” he said. “I want to watch you.”

“You’re quite the voyeur.”

She unhooked her bra and let it slide down her arms. After tossing it onto the growing pile of clothes, she hooked her fingers in her panties, then stalled. Why not have fun with it?

“Don’t stop now,” he said in a husky voice.

“Do you want me to take these off?” she asked with wide-eyed innocence.

He growled in response.

“Maybe I’ll leave them on,” she teased.

“I’ll just shove them out of the way.”

“Will you?”

“Can’t you see how much I want you?” he asked with a glance at his growing cock.

She swallowed, unable to look away. He was so big, so hard. The urge to wrap her hand around his cock was overwhelming. She couldn’t wait to touch him.

After shimmying out of her panties, she tossed them at him. He laughed and batted them away. His expression darkened as he advanced. With the stealth of a predator, he stalked toward her. Each step made her tremble. Slick heat coiled in her pussy. He hadn’t done more than kiss her and she was ready for every inch of him.

“Take me to bed,” she whispered.

He scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed. After setting her down, he crawled to cover her with his body. She wrapped her thighs around his waist, expecting him to push into her without preamble.

When he didn’t, she opened her eyes. He dipped to kiss the side of her neck. Between licks and nibbles, he murmured increasingly erotic comments in her ear.

“You smell good enough to eat,” he whispered. “I can’t wait to taste your soft lips.”

“You’ve already kissed me.”

“Here.” He brushed a thumb across her bottom lip. “But not here.” He reached between them to glide his fingers across her pussy.

“Cody,” she pleaded. “I want you now. Don’t make me wait.”

“Mmm…” he sighed as he dropped lower to cup one full breast in his hand. “Not until I taste all of you.”

She whimpered as his mouth closed over her hardened nipple. His other hand claimed the soft folds between her thighs. She arched against him, overwhelmed by his touch.

After sucking and lavishing her breasts with kisses, his lips left a damp trail across her belly. The closer he moved to her pussy, the more she quaked. When he lay between her thighs and looked up, she laced her fingers with his.

“I’ve wanted to do this since the moment I met you,” he said.

“You did?”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t let me stop you,” she whispered.

The shock of his tongue across her swollen lips sent tendrils of need straight to her core. Her body jolted, but he quickly grabbed her hips. With nothing left to hold onto, her fingers dug into the sheets. Every lash of his perfect tongue brought a new wave of tension. As he swirled tiny circles around her clit, she cried out.

She slapped a hand over her mouth. If she kept screaming like this, everyone on the ranch would know what they were doing. She didn’t want to expose their naughty little secret, so she shoved her palm against her lips.

He pushed her legs apart and licked her with long, deep strokes. Intense yearning built between her thighs. Sensual energy coiled like a hurricane, ready to unleash a torrent of pleasure. When he captured her clit between his lips, she broke open. She barely masked the mind-shattering scream as waves of euphoria crashed over her.

She was still twitching uncontrollably when he crawled up and pushed his long, thick cock into her.

“Ohhh,” she gasped.

He clung to her shoulders, driving into her with measured strokes. She struggled to form a thought. Lost in a state of total bliss, she raked her nails down his back. He roared and mashed his lips against hers. She wrapped her legs around his back and tilted her hips to give him even more room to move. The front of his thighs slapped against the backs of hers.

She wanted it harder, deeper, more.

“Please,” she moaned.

“You feel so good,” he gasped.

“Oh, God. Yes…”

His hands slid from her back down to cup her ass. He plunged into her over and over until she couldn’t tell where she ended and he began.