She was already wet, wetter than she could ever remember being and they hadn't done anything but kiss. She slid her own hands beneath the fabric of his shirt and ran her fingers through the soft pelt of fur covering the solid, well-defined chest. When her nails raked his flat, hard nipples she heard the sharp intake of his breath.Against her mouth he said, "How about if we take this into the next room? I have a big bedroom with a huge bed, that believe it or not, I've never had a woman in.""You haven't?" She stared at him through a sensual haze."Nope. This is my private place and I haven't found anyone before this I wanted to share it with. So how about it?"She nodded and he lifted her in his arms as if she weighed nothing, carrying her through a door to a bed that looked like acres of soft comforter and sheets. B.J. pulled the covers back and laid her gently on the bed, a smile curving his lips."You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this, Miranda." He pressed a quick k
Part Three: Hot to TrotOkay, I've done it this time. What we talked about at the erotic romance convention? Totally changing our lives? I know I've always been the safe one. The prim and proper one. The one who held back. But we agreed to make a change and wait until I tell you the change I made.I bought a ranch on eBay!That's right. A cattle ranch in South Central Texas. Cashed in everything I had, sold my condo, quit my job and headed for Bypass, Texas. And let me tell you, a more fitting name for a bump in the road could never be found.But I get to the ranch, finally, and I nearly turned around and left. The pictures on eBay must have been taken someplace else because the ranch is the sorriest broken-down place you've ever seen. I barely was able to find one bedroom to stash my gear.It does, however, have Mitchell Brand, the former foreman who would make anyone's mouth water. I could barely keep from drooling. Six foot four of hot hunkitude, with dark brown hair, whiske
The sensuous mouth broke into a grin and a laugh rumbled up from somewhere deep inside him. "Mitchell Brand. Mitch. Good old Henry didn't tell me that A. Kelley was a woman. And a gorgeous one at that."Autumn made a face. "Good old Henry and I never met in person and I'm sure he didn't care what I looked like.""Tell me." If she could have seen his eyes clearly she was sure they would have been looking her up and down. "Is it true you bought this place on eBay?"She sighed. "Yes. What gave me away, the idiot sign on my forehead?"Mitch Brand chuckled. "No, darlin', not at all. It's just that...""It's just that no one in his or her right mind would buy this place, right?" Autumn swallowed back the bitter taste in her mouth. "But I'm here, for better or worse. And it sure looks like 'worse' is the operative word.""Well, then. Welcome to..."His grin widened..."what's left of Sweetgrass Ranch.""Thank you. I think." She looked around. "Where are the others? I don't see anyone els
Her first sight of the inside of the house almost made her want to cry again. Then she remembered the pact, squared her shoulders and dug in. Mitch had been very blunt about what it would take to put the ranch on its feet again but he'd also helped her draw up a budget she could afford. And he'd been right about sniffing out bargains for her. She listened to him on the phone with one supplier and was sure he came from a long line of con artists. While he'd gone about ordering new fencing, checking cattle sales, ordering building supplies and looking to see what men he could rehire, Autumn had attacked the house from top to bottom.When she finished she realized it was only dirt and grime that had made the place look so dilapidated. Once she had everything cleaned and polished, she could appreciate the wood floor, the furniture gleaming with age and furniture polish, the windows everywhere that gave her magnificent views of the ranch. Two of the men Mitch hired scraped and painted the
Mitch had barely headed back to his own house before she raced to the little den, opened up her laptop and went directly to her Instant Messenger list. No time now for the blog or even email.Please, please, please let someone be online. Ohmigod, you'd think I was a fainting virgin.Still, the realization that tonight would probably be The Night had her shaking with nerves. There was a big difference between talking and doing. She checked the list, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw Rachel was logged in. What a stroke of luck. Good, solid practical Rachel. She'd tell it like it is.Flexing her fingers, she typed frantically.Autumn: Help! Help! Help!Rachel: Okay, what do you need? Autumn: The gorgeous hunk I blogged about has asked me out to dinner. Tell me quick what to do.Rachel: Shower and bathe every crevice in your body and douse yourself with that jasmine scent you love. He'll love it when he peels you out of your clothes. Wear one of your tank tops so he can get a
They were mostly silent on the drive home. Mitch found a country music station and turned it on low volume."You need to learn Texas-style music," he told her, letting the deep baritone of a familiar voice fill the silence in the truck cab.By the time they reached the ranch, between the beer, the dancing and the music, Autumn was feeling as mellow as she ever had in her life. She dug into her purse for the keys to the house but Mitch shook his head."Uh-uh. I've got a better place for you to spend the night."Butterflies did the two step in her stomach and her palms were suddenly damp. She knew what he had in mind. The same thing she did. Could she actually go through with it?When he helped her out of the truck, it seemed the most natural thing in the world for her to take his hand and let him lead her around the barn to his house. On the porch he looked hard at her, eyes boring into hers."We both know what's going to happen, Autumn. We've been building toward this since you g
He lifted her up and carried her into another room. Autumn had her eyes closed, her head against his shoulder, unaware of where she was until she felt Mitch dip and use one arm to move something. Then she was lying on crisp cotton and she opened her eyes to find herself in his bedroom. A click and the bedside lamp came on, throwing soft light and shadows.Mitch stood beside the bed, looking down at her, a hunger in his eyes she'd never seen before from any man she'd been with. All her insecurities came charging back and she had to resist the urge to cover herself."Please turn off the light, okay?" She tried to smile. "I like the dark."He sighed even as his gaze continued to travel over her. "Autumn. Darlin'. You have a very sexy body. I want to see every bit of it. You have nothing to hide, trust me. I have no reason to lie to you."She tried to pull her thoughts together and not make herself sound like an idiot. "I know all the women you've been with are much younger than me. My
At first Autumn thought the pounding she heard was in her head but forcing her eyes open she realized someone was at the door.The door? What door? Where the hell was she?She looked around at strange surroundings, bewildered. Lifting the covers, she realized she was completely naked. And sore in strange places.Then it all fell into place in her brain with a loud thunk!She was in Mitchell Brand's little house. Thirty-two year old Mitchell Brand. Her very own boy toy. She hoped. Exactly what she and her blog ladies had talked about. Jesus! She'd actually gone and done it and the sex had been beyond anything she could have imagined. And if she remembered the bits and pieces of what he'd said, he planned for them to do this again.But now someone was knocking on the door in a manner that said whoever it was, wasn't going away.Mitch rolled off the bed and yanked on his jeans. "I'll take care of it," he said in a low voice. "Don't worry about a thing."He disappeared into the livi