“Sorry, I didn’t mean to run off.”“But you did.” Pause. “What were you doing in that closet?”Crap. They were so busted.“Because someone told me they saw you and that tattooed woman sneaking in there together.”That tattooed woman.“Who told you that?”“About half a dozen different people. Are you denying it?”“Who’s to say those people might’ve been mistaken about what they’d seen, or what they thought they’d seen?” he countered.Not exactly a lie on Colt’s part.“Tell me the truth. Were you in there alone?”The tension crackled through the wooden door slats and India held her breath.“No.”“That’s what I thought. You were in there with her. When you were supposed to be on a date with me. People warned me about you, ‘Don’t go out with Colt McKay, he’s a womanizer and a player of the worst sort’ but did I listen to them? No.”India’s stomach churned.“Did you honestly believe no one would see you taking her into a supply closet for a quickie? Are you that much of a sex maniac?Good
“If you don’t wanna do that, I’m sure Cam’ll let you bunk with him for the duration.”Cam wouldn’t look him in the eye.And right then, Colt had enough. “I appreciate it, but it ain’t gonna be necessary.”Cord frowned. “That’s a long damn drive. Especially with the weather bein’ shitty that time of year.”“I’m sure you guys’ll handle the weather and the calvin’ just fine without me.”Shocked silence. Then, Colby said, “Without you? What do you mean?”“I ain’t gonna be here.”“Where you gonna be?”“I’ll be in Hawaii.”His dad demanded, “For how long?”“For a month.”“What are you doin’ over there for a month?”“Sittin’ on the beach, whale watchin’, surfing. Maybe I’ll learn to scuba dive. Or golf. Whatever people do when they’re on vacation.”“Very fuckin’ funny,” Cord said.“Might be if I was kiddin’.”They all stared at him.“You can’t just schedule a damn vacation durin’ the most important time of the year in the cattle business.”Colt shrugged. Maybe it was childish, but he felt th
“That’s your first mistake. Never show ’em fear.” Colt gave Eliza a smacking kiss on her cheek and she giggled. “You wanna color at the table while Auntie Indy and me feed your sisters?”“Yay!”He looked at India over Eliza’s head. “The coloring books are…?”“All over the floor in the living room. There’s some on the stairs I think.”Colt swung Eliza around for a piggyback to the living room and she squealed with delight.India tried to put Shannie in her high chair, but Shannie arched her back and held tighter to the big hoop earrings in India’s ear. The kid was part crow; mesmerized by shiny objects. India took out two jars of pureed green beans and two jars of carrots and put them in a shallow pan of water already on the stove.“Okay, Eliza, here you go. Your colors and your favorite ‘My Little Pony’ coloring book. Make me something purty as you.”India turned and Colt was right there. In her face. Close enough to kiss.He cringed when he saw Shannie’s death grip. “Holy crap—”“Hol
“We start dating. Official like.”“Dating? Like you pick me up at my place, hold the door for me and take me out for dinner?”“Something like that.” Colt paused. “How long has it been since you dated?”Would Colt be pleased or pissed if she told him the last relationship she’d been in was purely sexual? When India thought about it…had she ever really just “dated” a man?No. She’d had sex with plenty of guys, hooked up with more than her fair share, but flowers, dinner, and moonlit walks? Not so much a priority in her younger years when she was drunk or high.Since she’d cleaned up, fixing herself was more a priority than getting fixed up with some man. And in the three years since she’d starting hanging out with Colt, she’d been content to be with just him. She hadn’t needed or wanted any other man.So what did that say about their friendship?It’s always been more than just a simple friendship and you were too stubborn to admit it.“Indy?”“Sorry. I don’t think I’ve done the dating t
“I might’ve been a drunk, Indy, but I ain’t never been blind to the fact you’re all woman.”“Sweet-talkin’ cowboy. There’s been no one since.”“No one? Not even a one-nighter?”“Nope. To be crude, I’ve been getting off with BOB, my battery operated boyfriend, or my own hand.” She gave him the same questioning look he’d given her. “What about you?”“I’m well acquainted with my own hand.”“Been dating Rosy Palm, have you?”He laughed. “Exclusively.”“But I’m talking about when it comes to sex with a person.You’ve made no bones about the fact you were a serious horndog with a bad reputation before you had a drinking problem.”“I was. I didn’t particularly care which woman I ended up fucking at the end of the night, just as long as I got laid. Just as long as I satisfied her to the point she’d tell every other chick in four counties what a stud Colt McKay was, so I wouldn’t have to work at all to coax any woman I wanted into my bed.”“Whoa.”“Yeah. And it worked. For years. Might sound c
“Twins were a surprise, that’s for damn sure. Not that I’m complainin’.” He smiled. “Much as I love our girls, I love spendin’ time alone with my wife, so thanks.”“You guys deserve it.” She picked up her overnight bag. “And you’re welcome. See you later.”“Huh-uh, not so fast. Tell me about this goodbye kiss Uncle Colt laid on you that impressed Eliza.”Dammit. “It was no big deal.”“So, it ain’t gonna bother Colt if I tell him you said that kiss wasn’t a big deal?”India spun around. “Don’t say that to him.”“Your words, not mine.”“Fine. It was a big deal, okay? A very, very big deal. And while I’m confessing, you should know he spent the night here too.”Kade’s eyes narrowed. “Were you two havin’ wild monkey sex while you were supposed to be watchin’ our kids?”“No! Colt and I aren’t having sex, which is why the kiss was such a big deal.” She took a deep breath. “Colt and I have had our…issues come to a head in the last two weeks. We’ve been friends for so long that it shocked bot
“A slow kiss,” he said, acting like he hadn’t heard her.“Five bucks.”He erased the gap between them, forcing her to meet his twinkling eyes. “One slow, deep, wet, kiss, for as long as I want.That’s my final offer.”“Do I get to pick where you kiss me, slow and long and deep?”“Ornery woman. You’re hell on my intention of bein’ a gentleman.”“If I preferred a gentleman, I’d be dating your cousin Blake.”Shit. That was the wrong thing to say. “I’m sorry, I didn’t—”“Think? Yeah, I get that a lot from you. Just forget it.” He scowled, shoving a hand through his hair. “Let’s just play the damn game and have some damn fun.”For the next ten minutes, India watched him from the corner of her eye. Didn’t seem like he was having fun. At all . He cursed every time the ball landed in the lowly five-point hole, which was a lot.She had to do something to make up for her bout of bitchiness.She could be fun. Playful.As Colt was about to toss the ball, she tickled his left side, from his hip to
She was nervous. Interesting.Colt pulled up to the back of the building.India said, “Is this where you tell me you had a great time and you’ll call me?”“No.”“You didn’t have a great time?”“I had a fantastic time.” He curled his hand around her jaw and turned her face to his. “I’d like nothin’ better than to come in, but we both know it’s better if I say goodnight here.”She kissed him with sweet regret. “I’ll see you at the meeting tomorrow night?”“Yep. And afterward, I want to do something with you.”“Not do something to me?” she teased.“Hold that thought for another twelve days. How about if we go out for ice cream?”A devious smile lit up her face. “With the no sex rule, you seriously think you can handle watching me lick an ice cream cone for more than thirty seconds?”The reality of her pink tongue lapping. Her mouth sucking.Watching her throat muscles as she swallowed the creaminess. No way. “Point taken. How about a—”“How about if you leave it up to me?”Colt frowned.
“No way,” she sneered. “I hate that whining, puntastic drivel.”“And ‘Poker Face’ is what? Pure musical artistry?” Chase sneered right back.“Yep.” Ava cranked the music a notch higher.He turned it back down. “You’re starting to piss me off.”“The feeling is mutual.”How had they survived these last two weeks?Wait a second. Hadn’t Chase told her he’d rarely made it past the two-week mark with any lover? Maybe this was how he intended to end it. By picking fights.But you started it. Be the bigger person and let it go.“I wish I had your damn camera pointed at you right now so you could see your diva side, a side which you claim ain’t there, because darlin’, it sure as hell is.” Spit. Spit.That smart comment totally screwed him for her being the bigger person. “I wish I had my damn camera pointed at you right now so you could see how ridiculous you look with your mouth crammed full of sunflower seeds,” she mimicked. “Ooh, and the bonus? You’d get to hear how fucking irritating it is
“What? Why?” Recognition lit her eyes and a secretive smile appeared. “Really, Chase? Right now?”“Yep.”“But I’m all sweaty. Can’t I take a shower first?”He growled, “No. Seeing your hot, bendy body stretched out over that ball does it for me in a bad way.” Using a single rough-edged fingertip, he leisurely traced the waistband of her yoga pants, low on her hips. But not nearly low enough. “Take. Them. Off.”She stood and peeled the stretchy black fabric down her legs. She began to remove her bra, but he said, “Leave it. Same position you were just in. Arched over the ball, hands on the floor behind you, feet on the floor, legs spread.”With effortless grace, Ava returned her body to its previous pose.Goddamn she was beautiful like this. Not just her bared body, but also her willingness to cede control to him. His hands skated up the outside of her thighs, still trembling from her workout. Or were they trembling in anticipation? He palmed her hips and squeezed, stopping to stroke t
He growled at the visual feast before him. Ava bound, at his mercy.Chase rocked his hips faster, driving his cock against that pliant skin, pinching her nipples in time to his thrusts. When his balls lifted, his hands fell away and almost told her to open up and swallow him to the root. But he stopped.Too soon. Not about you. About her. She needs this.Ava whimpered at the loss of contact.He caressed her cheek as he leaned forward to grab his supplies off the nightstand. “You’re beautiful. Incredible. Christ, Ava, you undo me.”She twisted in her bonds. “I want—”He placed his fingers over her lips. “In time. Now hold still.” He scooted back until he straddled her pelvis. Holding open the old-fashioned, spring-loaded wooden clothespins, he simultaneously attached them to her nipples.When she arched and emitted a surprised cry, he murmured, “Seems you have some feeling there after all.” He hopped off the end of the bed. Tapped her ankles. “Spread your legs for me. Wider. Nope wider
“Thanks.” Ava sat up and drank all the water. “So I crashed for over twelve hours. Guess I missed the rodeo last night. How’d you do?”Chase wore a stoic expression.“What? Did you have like a ninety-nine point ride or something?”He snorted.“Seriously. What happened?” Her gaze swept over him. “Did you get hurt?”“Nothin’ happened, Ava. I didn’t compete last night.”“What? Why not?”“Do you really think I’d just leave you here alone when you were so goddamn sick?”She froze.Chase grabbed her hand and rubbed her knuckles against the razor stubble on his cheeks. “I was freaked out about you. I wasn’t exactly sure what to do. I’m not…well, I don’t have much experience taking care of sick people. My first response has always been to get the hell away, so I sort of winged it.” A sheepish smile curled the corners of his mouth. “You don’t look too worse for the wear.”“I can’t believe you didn’t compete last night.”“There are more important things in life than bull ridin’.”This tough man
“The camera showed you that?”“Ava. I don’t need to look through a viewfinder to see you’re upset.”Damn intuitive man.“The camera is off. Talk to me.”“My grandfather commissioned a necklace for my sixteenth birthday. A tiny beautiful Swarovski crystal rose with a gold stem artfully twisted into an ‘A’. The one time I didn’t take it off before I jumped into the ocean? I lost it. I don’t know if the chain broke or what, but I was devastated because it happened about a month after he died.”“Aw, sugar, I’m so sorry.”Evidently Chase had enough taping. He returned the camera to the case and faced forward, wiggling to get comfortable.“Before you nod off, tell me why we’re backtracking. You planned a route through Montana and now we’re back in Cornhusker territory.”He rolled his eyes. “South Dakota is not Cornhusker territory. The reason I’m not goin’ to the event in Billings is because Ryan told me a former PBR bull rider who switched to the PRCA circuit will be competing. I don’t wan
He’d known the second he touched her he was done for. Ava needed him in a way no other woman ever had. He was a different man when he was with her, regardless if they were naked. So maybe that’s why he couldn’t freakin’ wait to get naked with her again, day after day after day.Seemed to take forever to check-in. He ditched the bags in the corner of the room. In the mirror above the sink, he saw Ava flop on the bed and heave a huge sigh.“Before you get too comfy, maybe you oughta see if you got the door shut.”She popped to her feet and resituated her skirt as she crossed the room, those fucking sexy little pleats teasing the back of her legs.When he’d gotten a look at her outfit this morning—short plaid skirt, plain white blouse, black ballet shoes—his cock had been hard all day as his head conjured up bad-schoolgirl-needing-a-spanking scenarios.Ava tested the door by pushing on it. “I don’t know why you were worried it wasn’t shut—”“Lock it.” He put his mouth below her ear and p
He stirred, moaning as his cock hardened. Lengthened.When Ava started sliding his shaft over her tongue, his hand landed on her head.Immediately it snapped back and Chase scrambled upright. “Ava? What the devil are you doin’?” He inhaled a sharp breath through his teeth when she tongued the tip. “Hell. I thought it was a dream.”She pulled off his shaft long enough to say, “Nope. I want to make this buff body to squirm.” She licked him like a lollipop.“Oh, I’ve no doubt you can make me squirm. You probably could get me to beg.” He brushed her hair back from where it’d fallen in her face. “But—”Again, Ava eased off and met his gaze in the near darkness. “But nothing. You don’t get to direct this.”If she thought he’d lovingly pet her, agree, and murmur encouragement, she was mistaken. Chase’s big hands were on her face, gripping her jaw. “Yes, I do.”His answer turned her panties damp. As did his explicit command, “On the floor. On your knees.”As Ava moved, so did Chase. He perche
She loved his reaction to the scrape of her teeth, the sucking kisses, the feather light placement of her lips in random spots on his neck. Goose bumps spread across his arms and up his nape. He shifted on the bed, not thrashing, but wiggling enough she knew he liked what she was doing to him. She reveled in this immense power of worshipping rather than being worshipped.Ava immersed herself in him. The scent of his skin. The tangy taste of his sweat. The way his muscles strained beneath her tongue. She kissed, licked and nibbled her way down the center of his throat, from his square jaw to his breastbone. And could she get a halleluiah that he had chest hair? Talk about manly, masculine goodness. She rubbed her face over the dark patch of hair, breathing him in, listening to the pounding of his heart, warmed by the heat from his skin, and knowing his body’s response to her was echoed in her body.Bracing herself on all fours above him, she watched his face as she tongued his nipple.
She pushed her hips back, meeting his every hard thrust with a soft grunt. The fringe on his chaps swung forward, the leather connecting with her skin.Even as his cock plunged into her fully, even as his balls drew up, aching for release, even as his legs shook and sweat coated his skin, he planned for the next time he fucked her. The next hundred times.Chase closed his eyes; his hands yanking her body back to meet his escalating thrusts. Faster, harder, deeper, the only words echoed in his head as primal need roared. Impossible to hold off his orgasm, no matter how much he wanted to prolong the sensation of sinking into her soft, wet, flesh.He threw back his head, groaning as his cock emptied in hot pulses. Groaning louder when he felt Ava’s pussy contracting around his dick as she came again.Heart thumping, mouth dry, lungs lacking air, Chase fell forward onto Ava’s back, bracing himself on his hands. Although this rendezvous was supposed to’ve been a dare, a fun, wild slap and