Do you want me to touch you like that? “I’m…” India blew out a frustrated breath. “Dammit, Colt. I’m sorry. So freakin’ sorry. I’m such a klutz. I didn’t mean to shoot you in the butt.”He merely stared at her.“What?”“You could kiss it and make it better.”“Funny. Does it hurt?”“Like you wouldn’t believe.”She winced. “I’m sorry.”“If you’re not gonna pucker up, I’d be grateful for some Motrin.”India leapt to her feet. “No problem.” She hustled to the nightstand for a glass of water and shook out two orange pills.“Here.”“Thanks.” Colt popped the pills and took a big drink. The second gulp left him sputtering and water droplets clung to the bristle on his cheeks.Without thinking, she wicked the moisture away with her fingers.“God. Your hands are so cold.”“Sorry.” India moved her hand but Colt caught her wrist.“Don’t stop. It feels good.”“It does?”“Yeah. My face is on fire.”When she stroked his face, from his forehead to his chin, he expelled a long sigh. India couldn’t tea
Colt’s cell phone vibrated. He checked the caller ID. Cam.“Hey. You out keepin’ the peace?”“Trying to. It’ll be a challenge later since it’s Saturday night.Got my fill of drunken cowboys fightin’ last weekend.”“That part of your duty ain’t gonna end anytime soon. Maybe you should’ve taken Dad up on his offer of workin’ with us.”“Fuck off.”He smiled, regardless if Cam couldn’t see it. Amused the hell out of him to tease his younger brother, just because he could.“This is the thanks I get for keeping your humiliation under wraps?”“Come on, Cam. Ranchin’ with the family ain’t that bad.”Cam snorted. “That’s rich, coming from you. How you feelin’?”“Sore.”“Could be worse.”“True. I could’ve been facin’ forward and she could’ve shot me in the dick.”“Ouch. Anyway, thought I’d give you a heads up. Blake will be there tonight.”“Be where?”“In India’s apartment.”“Why? Is he doin’ some remodeling for her after hours?”“No. They, ah, have a date.”The muscles in Colt’s gut tightened.
India threw the hairbrush in the sink. She snatched the gel from the cabinet and squirted the orange goo in her palms, rubbing it vigorously into her hair. Bah. It didn’t help. She still looked like a porcupine who’d lost a fight with a weed whacker. Plus, she needed to recolor the tips. The fuchsia was fading into a hideous bubblegum pink.What the hell did it matter what her hair looked like? It wasn’t like they were going to be in public.She froze. Was that why Blake wanted to cook for her at his place? Because the colorful tats and piercings were what most folks noticed and he was embarrassed by it?Not Colt.Why had everything circled back around to him?Because you hurt him. And not just from shooting him in the butt with the nail gun.That stupid voice in her head was mistaken. She had not hurt Colt McKay’s feelings by agreeing to a date with Blake. She and Colt were friends. That was it.Right?Wrong. Colt’s been more to you than just a friend, no matter how you slice it. And
“At my age, player behavior in a bar is considered a rite of passage.” He waggled his eyebrows.“How old are you?”“Twenty-six. How old are you?” He shook his finger at her.“And don’t pull that ‘never ask a woman her age’ crap.”“I’m thirty…something.”“And yet, you don’t look a day over twenty.”“Did you attend the same cowboy charm school as your cousin Colt? Or is it inbred?”“Cowboy charm is part of our DNA, darlin’. None of us can help it.” Blake’s smile faded. “Speaking of Colt…can I ask you something?”“Sure,” she lied.“Why haven’t you two dated? I mean, you are together all the time.”All the time was stretching it…wasn’t it? “We’re just friends.”“Might sound like I’m pandering to you, bein’s we’re on a date and all, but that’s probably a good thing you’re staying just friends.”That got her back up. “Why?”“Stubborn people like you two would kill each other.” He smiled. “Colt’s a good guy. He’s a great friend, actually, but I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that.”No, she
Her skin had warmed the metal. He traced the tiny ring with the very tip of his tongue, then drew the beaded nipple into his mouth.With his each rhythmic suck, she dug her fingernails deeper into his skin.As Colt kept nuzzling her breasts, kissing a line up her bared throat, using his teeth and his tongue and his lips, somehow one of India’s hands had moved to his groin.His breath stalled and he groaned.She took that as a positive sign and she went from rubbing the length of his shaft, to curling her fingers around the base and stroking upward.The softness of the fleece beneath the heated grip of her palm felt good, too damn good, because it’d been too damn long since he’d experienced a woman’s touch. She had to stop.Colt attempted to knock her hand free, but she’d latched onto his hip with her other hand and held him in place.That tingling sensation started and his balls tightened.No, no, no, no. Too soon. He couldn’t blow this fast. He couldn’t embarrass himself by shooting
A beautiful woman was getting ready to visit her late husband's grave for the very last time. She had decided to move on with her life after a couple of years, despite her initial vow not to fall in love with anyone else after his death. She had loved him with the whole of her heart and soul, and she had clearly decided that even in death, she won't stop loving him.He’d given her everything she could have ever wanted. His love. His respect. Everything but the one thing she needed most, and it was something she could have never asked him for. She’d loved him too much to ever demand of him something he couldn’t give her.She shook away the heavy veil of sadness, determined to get through the day and on with her life. Her new life.She picked up the flowers, her favorite, and brought them to her nose, closing her eyes as she inhaled. They were what he always gave her. Every birthday. Every anniversary. Or any time just because. Today she’d place them on his grave and walk away. This ti
She took a deep breath and forged ahead. “I’ve found a place that specializes in . . . dominance. I need to know if it’s what I’m missing. If it’s always been what I’m missing. Maybe I’ll find the answer. Maybe I won’t. But I have to try. I have to know. And I couldn’t go without telling you. Without explaining that I never lacked for anything when we were married. I never doubted even for a moment that you loved me, and you would have given me the moon if I asked. But this . . . This I couldn’t ask you for. And right now I need something to fill the void. There’s a hole in my soul, Clement. One that I may never fill again. But right now I’d take even a bandage. Temporary solace, if you will. I just wanted you to know. I’ll be okay. I’m not going into a dangerous situation. I’ve made certain that I’ll be safe. And as painful as it is for me to say this, I’m finally letting you go. I’ve held on to you for too long now. I can’t do it anymore. Life is happening around me. Life goes on. T
“I’m not going blindly,” Sandra said gently. “It’s something I’ve given a lot of thought to. I’ve researched endlessly, which was what brought me to The House. I’ve toured the premises. I’ve been there during its busiest times. I know what to expect. And Damon has assured me that, especially for my first visit, I will be very carefully monitored.” They were interrupted when the waiter brought their entrées, but food was the last thing on the women’s minds now. Their plates sat in front of them untouched as their conversation continued. “I just wanted to know what it was like for you and Ken,” Sandra said softly. Again, pain glittered in Karla’s green eyes. She pushed her dark hair behind her ear in an effort to disguise her hesitation, but Sandra didn’t miss it and she wondered what the hell was going on with her friend. She seemed . . . unhappy. And maybe it had been there for a while now, but Sandra had been so self-absorbed that she hadn’t paid attention to the people around her.