Catie glared at him. “Supposing I’m gonna kick your ass, cowboy.”
Keys jangled as he returned. He held them in his palm, a wicked look in his green eyes. “How about we strike a deal?”
“Jarrod…” She swallowed back her retort as his gaze swept over her naked form from her arms stretched over her head, on down, settling on her shaved mound. While he studied her his cock lengthened, and her mouth watered to taste him again. He looked magnificent, his body so muscular and sculpted. Catie’s nipples hardened and her core flooded as he smiled and met her eyes.
He sat on the edge of the bed, and brushed his lips over hers. “I’ll let you go if you promise to stay the night.”
Catie stilled and her heart pounded out a strange cadence in her throat. “I don’t stay the night with anyone.” It was one thing to enjoy sex, it was another to wake up with a man and have breakfast with him.
“Stay with me.” His words were a demand, definitely not a request.
She shook her head, but when she spoke, the word barely came out in a whisper. “No.”
“That’s my condition, little wildcat.” Jarrod pressed his forehead to hers. “I aim to tame you.”
Chapter Five
The man was serious—Catie could see it in Jarrod’s eyes, could hear it in his tone. Yet at the same time she couldn’t believe he intended to keep her cuffed to the bed until she agreed to spend the night with him.
“What’ll it be, honey?” Jarrod brushed his lips over hers, and sparks skittered through her belly like a dozen firecrackers. “I’ll feed you in bed if you’d rather be cuffed all night.”
All right.
Fine
. If he wanted to play rough, she’d give him as good as he dished out.
Like hell he would tame her. And before sunrise she
would
get her own revenge.
When he drew back, Catie glared at him the best she could manage. “I’ll spend the night, but only because I don’t particularly feel like being cuffed to the bed.”
A smug smile crossed Jarrod’s handsome features as he reached up, removed the cuffs and tossed them on the comforter. He massaged her wrists, the sensation of his touch soothing and arousing all at once. Passion burned through Catie, coupled with warmth from the caring she witnessed in his expression.
Even though she barely knew him, somehow this man stirred emotions and longings within her that she didn’t want to admit, and had never allowed herself to consider.
Like a possibility of happiness and a future with one man.
No, dammit.
Make believe and fairy tales—she didn’t believe in either.
Jarrod pressed his lips to the inside of one of her wrists, and flicked his tongue against her pulse point, sending a shiver throughout her body. “You ready for some chow?” he murmured.
“S-sure.” She frowned at the way her voice trembled. What the hell was he doing to her?
Satisfaction curled in Jarrod’s gut as he took her by the hand and helped her off the bed. He’d always been able to trust his instinct, and that instinct had told him from the beginning that Catie shied away from real intimacy. Why she was afraid of a serious relationship, he didn’t know, but he was determined to find out.
And by the time all was said and done, she’d be his.
Catie took her hand from his grasp and scooped his shirt from the floor. Her voice was muffled as she pulled it over her head. “So what’s for dinner, other than steak?”
When she reappeared, static caused her hair to poke up all over her head in a blonde halo. She was so petite that his shirt reached her knees, and she looked like a woodland pixie. Jarrod grinned, holding back a laugh.
“What?” Catie put her hands on her slim hips and narrowed her gaze.
“You.” Shaking his head, he took her by the shoulders and kissed her forehead, then drew back to look at her again. “You’re adorable.”
“Hmph.” She tried to look grouchy, but in his gut Jarrod knew it was all an act. For some reason she preferred to keep an emotional distance, which was something he’d have to change.
He released her shoulders to grab his briefs and jeans off the floor, then pulled them on. “How about rolls, tossed salad and mashed potatoes? I might even be able to come up with something for dessert, too.”
“I have to warn you, I’m not into cooking, so I won’t be much help.” Catie walked at his side as he headed out of the bedroom toward the kitchen. “If it wasn’t for pre-packaged meals and the microwave, Steve and I would probably starve.”
At the mention of her brother, a cloud passed through Jarrod’s consciousness. It probably wasn’t real smart of him to fuck a suspect’s sister, but when it came to Catie, Jarrod had to make an exception.
“Dinner’s my treat, so sit your pretty ass down,” he said as they reached the kitchen. He took a package of t-bones out of the fridge and brought them to the grill built into the center of the stovetop. “My mom saw to it that my sisters and I learned how to cook.”
“Ooooh, a man who’s great in bed
and
knows how to whip up a meal.” Catie moved to the breakfast bar and eased up onto a stool. “If you clean, too, I think I’ve struck pay dirt.”
Jarrod grinned as he turned on the grill, then grabbed a stoneware plate out of the cabinet. “I have a housekeeper who comes in a couple of times a week.”
“Even better.” Mischief sparked in Catie’s eyes. “Leaves more time for all that great sex.”
His gaze met hers. “Better watch it, honey, or dinner’ll be late.”
“Promises, promises.” Her voice was teasing, but her nipples poked through his shirt. He had no doubt she’d love it if he fucked her right there in the kitchen.
She cleared her throat. “So…you actually like to cook?”
With effort, Jarrod reined in his lust and took the steaks out of the package. “I have nothing against going out for a meal or heating up something in the microwave.” He slapped the steaks onto the stoneware plate and seasoned them liberally with salt and pepper. “But sometimes I find it kinda relaxing to cook up a good meal, like Mom makes.”
Catie enjoyed watching Jarrod as he fixed their dinner. The man was powerful and sensual, in command of his environment no matter where he was. Even in the kitchen.
He looked so damn sexy in only his jeans, his chest bare and hair mussed. Her palms itched to touch him again, and she couldn’t wait to breathe deep of his masculine scent, or to feel his cock plunging inside her pussy. She grew wetter by the moment as she remembered how it had felt to have him inside her core, and her ankles up around his neck.
For awhile she was silent while she studied him, his muscles rippling in the soft lighting. With efficient movements he cut up potatoes and placed them in a pot with water to boil, then started putting together a salad with fixings he grabbed from the fridge.
Cocking her head to the side, she asked, “I’ve been wondering what you were doing on my ranch that night we, ah, met.”
The corner of his mouth quirked into a smile as he chopped a tomato on a cutting board. “When you were being a Peeping Tomasina?”
“Peeping Tomasina, huh?” A giggle escaped her before she could stop it. “Don’t tell me you were being Tom.”
“Not intentionally.” He tossed the tomatoes into a bowl with lettuce greens. “I was out doing investigative work. Trying to see if I could come up with some leads on those damn rustlers.”
“Ah.” Catie propped her elbow on the breakfast bar as she watched him, her chin resting in her hand. “So, tell me about your family. Like how many sisters you have.”
“Three.” Jarrod gave her a quick grin as he tossed the steaks onto the grill. “I’m the oldest. I think that’s what got me interested in law enforcement—I was always on the lookout for those girls. They were bound and determined to get into as much trouble as possible, and I was determined to keep them out of it.”
“Uh-huh. An overprotective older brother.” Catie smiled at the thought of Jarrod chasing off his sisters’ boyfriends. “I have one of those. Steve made it known that if any guys messed with me, he’d kick their asses.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Needless to say, it was not real good for my social life, considering Steve was one of the buffest jocks in school.” Of course he’d done saved her ass once, too.
Was it her imagination, or did Jarrod’s eyes narrow at the mention of her brother’s name?
But Jarrod just nodded and gave her a quick grin. “I bet he had to kick a lot of ass to keep the guys away from you.”
“Yeah, right.” Catie snorted. “I didn’t develop as fast as most girls, so I was more like one of the guys. At least until I was a junior and my boobs actually decided to grow, even if it was just a little bit.”
Jarrod’s eyes shot from the steaks to Catie. “You’re perfect.” He set down the fork he’d been holding, and in just a couple of steps, he was at her side. She caught her breath as he lifted the shirt she was wearing and captured her breasts in his hands. “Pert, beautiful nipples. And more than a mouthful.”
He ducked his head and suckled one of her hard nubs. Catie gasped as he flicked his tongue over her nipple, then gently pulled at it with his teeth, before moving to the other breast. Her pussy flooded with moisture and she squirmed at the feel of him licking and sucking her nipples.
In the background she could hear the sizzle of the steaks on the grill and the hiss of water on the stovetop as the potatoes boiled over. But Jarrod didn’t seem to care. His thumb found her clit and he thrust his fingers into her core.
Catie slid her hands into his hair and held on, lost in the feelings he stirred within her. A moan escaped her lips as he sucked and gently bit at each nipple while his thumb teased her clit, his fingers still deep inside her pussy.
The orgasm flamed through her body, and she cried out from the searing pleasure of her release. Her hips jerked against Jarrod’s hand as he continued to move his fingers in and out.
“Stop.” She put her hands on his shoulders, her body throbbing. “No more.”
Jarrod eased his fingers from her core and raised his head. His eyes fixed on her and he licked his fingers. Every slow stroke of his tongue was like he was licking her pussy, tasting her. Even though he was no longer touching her, it felt like he was, and she couldn’t stop trembling from her climax.
“Damn you taste good.” He brushed his mouth over hers, his mustache tickling her lips, the warmth of his breath adding heat to her blood. “I’d better see to dinner before something burns,” he murmured, then turned back to the stove.
Too late,
the thought went through Catie’s fuzzy mind. She was burning all over.
After they’d eaten a bowl of chocolate fudge ice cream for dessert, Jarrod took Catie on a tour of his ranch style home. He enjoyed showing it to her, and how she seemed to appreciate the custom-built house. He’d had it built only a year prior, and it was his sanctuary away from the demands of his job and the political aspects of being the county sheriff.
They ended up in his den, where he worked at home from time to time. He flicked on the track lighting which illuminated glossy oak furnishings and floor-to-ceiling shelves lining two walls. Books on Arizona, Native American, U.S., and world history lined the shelves, along with professional journals and handbooks, biographies and anything else that had caught his interest. Navajo artwork that he’d collected over the years covered the walls as well as dotting the shelves, along with pictures of his family. The room smelled of books, lemon oil polish, and of the case of cherry pipe tobacco that he kept to remind him of his dad.
From off the oak credenza, Catie picked up a carved wooden caricature of an old cowboy with a drooping mustache and a ten-gallon hat that looked like it had a hole shot through the top of the crown. “This is great. Who’s the artist?”
“I am.” Jarrod smiled when her gaze cut to his, her eyes wide. “Wood carving is a hobby of mine. I have a little workshop in the back of the house.”
Wrinkling her nose, she placed the cowboy back on the shelf. “That’s disgusting.”
He raised a brow. “You don’t like it?”
“Love it.” Catie poked his chest with one finger. “What’s disgusting is that you’re not only a good fuck, know how to cook, have great taste in decorating and are well read, but you’re artistic too.”
His mouth curved into a grin. “Don’t forget kind to animals and small children.”
“So I see.” She walked away from him to the shelves and ran her fingers along one of the framed photographs. “Whose kids?”
“Between two of my three sisters, I have six nieces and nephews. That’s Brian, the youngest of the bunch. They’re good kids.” Jarrod eased behind Catie, gripped her shoulders and nuzzled her neck. “Do you want to have rug rats of your own one day?”
A tingling sensation sparked in her belly, but she refused to dwell on it. Instead she shrugged and moved her hand away from the picture. “I don’t plan on ever getting married, so likely not.”
Jarrod turned her around and moved her so that her butt was backed up to the massive oak desk. “What’s spooked you?” He hooked his forefinger under her chin and raised it so that her eyes met his. “Why are you afraid of getting serious about anyone?”
“Because relationships never last.” Catie’s gaze was defiant, but her hand went to her earlobe and she tugged on the gold earring. “I wouldn’t put any kid through what I grew up with.”
With a gentle hand, he swept a strand of blonde hair from her face. “And what’s that?”
“Being torn between parents who hate each other while they play tug of war with you.” Her jaw hardened and she pulled harder at her ear. “Having your mom take off with some man and never seeing her again because she’d rather fuck than be around her own kids. Watching your dad marry and divorce so many times you can’t remember the names of all your stepparents or stepbrothers and sisters.”
He brushed his knuckles along her cheek to her ear and captured her hand in his, pulling it away from her lobe. “Honey, just because they didn’t know how to make a relationship work doesn’t mean you’ll follow in their footsteps.” Jarrod released her to let his hands slide down to her waist then drew her closer. “You’re not your parents.”
Catie could hardly think with his cock pressed against her belly. Now was not the time to think about her history, or her future. She wanted him again, and she wanted him
now.
Bracing her hands on the desk behind her, she widened her stance. “Shut up and fuck me.”
Jarrod’s green eyes flared. In a quick movement that left her breathless, he raised her up and placed her on the desk, its polished surface cool beneath her bare ass. He yanked the shirt over her head and tossed it on the floor, then unfastened his jeans and shoved them with his briefs down his hips, releasing his cock.