She skirted the coffee table. “Is Landon sleeping?”“Yep. He’s been down about a half hour.”“Good. Then I timed it perfectly.”His eyebrows lifted. “Timed what perfectly?”“This.” She straddled his lap, held his face in her hands and kissed him. She tried to keep it easy, a deep, slow, wet reunion kiss. But the sensation of his full warm lips beneath hers, the glide of his tongue against hers, his taste and his scent made her wild, and she inhaled him in a blazing kiss of pure need.Heady stuff, how he met her kiss for kiss, touch for touch, breath for breath.She moved her lips along the line of his jaw to his ear. “God, Brandt. I’m dying for you. Phone sex was hot, but I want real sex. Lots of it. Right now.” She slid off his lap.Keeping her eyes on his, she circled her fingers around his wrists, tugging him to his feet. While gorging herself on his addictive kisses, she herded him down the hallway to his bedroom. After locking the bedroom door, Jessie jerked Brandt’s shirt off. S
Brandt looked stricken for half a second, then he laughed softly. “God. You’re killin’ me, woman.Yes. On your knees on the floor.”Jessie slithered down his body purposely letting her hair drift across his groin, his thighs and the tops of his feet, because she knew how ticklish he was.“Playin’ with fire, Jessie.” Brandt sat up and pressed the creases of his knees into the edge of the bed.Setting her hands on his thighs, she bowed her head over him, taking his cock into her mouth completely. Keeping her lips suctioned tight didn’t keep the saliva in her mouth. She used the wetness to move faster, letting it trickle out of her mouth and coat his shaft.“Fuck, I love it when your mouth gets me so wet I can feel it dripping down my balls.”The husky way he dirty talked made the inside of her thighs sticky. Jessie slid her hand down to fondle his sac. So tight. So ready.Then the skin on his shaft seemed to tighten even more.Brandt eased out of her mouth and she looked at him.“Enough
“I know more than you do. When Samantha lived with Drex, she talked about turning the boy over to his father’s family so she could be free. Most the time she was so wasted she didn’t remember she even had a kid, let alone knowing how to take care of him. Get used to him being around permanently, because she won’t want him back.”“That’s enough.” Brandt didn’t look away from the woman when he spoke to Jessie. “Jess. Go.”A million thoughts spun in her head as she reached the checkout line. Obviously the woman knew Landon. But not as well as she knew Landon’s mother. How much of what she’d said was true? Had Samantha just been biding her time? Brandt hadn’t said anything about his jail visit with Samantha, but Jessie knew the visit had upset him. Had Samantha already told Brandt she didn’t intend to take Landon back?It’d been easy to forget these fears when everything had been going along so smoothly. She cared about Landon, but she had no desire to be the kid’s mother. Because she nev
A while later, Brandt entered the bedroom. She heard his clothes hitting the floor and felt the mattress dip. Then his warm body connected with hers. He wrapped one arm around her waist, one arm stretched under her pillow, tangling their legs together so they were touching from head to toe.As Brandt toyed with her hair, so sweetly, so soothingly, Jessie released some of her tension.“We will figure this out, Jessie,” he said softly.She had figured it out. He just needed to accept it.Later, when he thought she’d fallen asleep, and he whispered, “Don’t make me choose, Jessie, please don’t make me choose,” she feared he already had.They both had.“It’s only for a few hours. I promise.”Jessie scowled at him. “Why do I have to go?”Brandt couldn’t resist kissing her scowling mouth. “Because I don’t wanna leave you alone on Christmas Day. In and out quickly, I promise. Landon will open his gifts from my mom, we’ll eat dinner and then we’re gone.”“Will your dad be there?”Brandt rolled
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that. I have a feeling Santa is coming a lot of times tonight.”“Merry Christmas,” Brandt whispered, nuzzling the back of Jessie’s head.“Merry Christmas to you too.” She yawned. “What time is it?”“Eight.”She groaned and rolled away from his tempting body. “I told you not to wake me up until noon.”“But somebody woke me up, so I wanted to spread the love.”“Landon is up?”“Yep.” Brandt scooted closer. “Which is a shame because I had great plans involving me tasting your sugar plum first thing this morning.” He whapped her on the rump and she yelped. “Get up. I already fed the animals. I made coffee. And a coffee cake.”She whipped around so fast they almost bumped noses. “Excuse me? I must’ve had the covers over my ears. I thought I heard you say you made cake.”Brandt smooched her chin. “I did.”“You? Made…cake?”“I have been cookin’ for myself for years, Jess, so I’m not totally helpless in the kitchen.”“I didn’t say you were. I would’ve expected you to whip u
“Yeah, I do. But it still stings. It pisses me off that he can cut me so deeply so quickly.”“He’s always had that uncanny ability to know just where to put that knife. I’m sorry.”Jessie looked up at him. “Please don’t confront him about this. It’ll just make it worse.”“I won’t. In fact, let’s just forget all about it.” He kissed her cold cheeks. “Because I believe you’n me have a date with the couch, a bowl of popcorn and a whole pile of westerns.”The shadows cleared from her eyes. “Sounds good. I need to change into something more comfortable first.” She started toward the house.“Comfortable? Like what?”“Well, I was thinking my pajamas because I’m freezing my ass off, but I might be convinced to wear something else.”“Like what?”She sent him a come and get it smile over her shoulder. “Like…just my skin.”Immediate erection.He chased her inside, down the hallway and tackled her to the bed. “Great idea. Let’s have intermission first.”“Just make sure you and Landon are bundled
Brandt returned from outside and Lexie shot out the door. Landon attempted to chase her, but Brandt caught him around his midsection with one hand. “Whoa, it’s cold and dark out there. And if Lexie’s runnin’ from you, she’s got good reason, so you need to stay put.”“Goggie!”“How about if we have that bath?”“No!” Landon became as limp as a worm.But Brandt was wise to his tricks. “Nice try, but you’re getting in the tub.”“No! No! No!” echoed down the hallway until the bathroom door shut.Jessie told herself if it’d been really bad news, Brandt would’ve told her instead of allowing Landon to distract him. She tidied up the toys, folded up the blankets, swept the floor. By the time she’d finished, a scrubbed Landon barreled toward her and didn’t stop until he’d hit her knees.“That was a fast bath tonight.”“Up!”She perched him on her hip and he curled into her, nestling his head on front of her shoulder. “I swear when you’re such a sweet-smelling, sweet-acting boy I can almost forg
“So if you’re done inspecting me…”She shrugged. “You had to expect that.”“Yes, I did. Thanks for coming early. I worried Brandt wouldn’t pass along the message that I wanted to meet you.”Jessie frowned. “Why wouldn’t Brandt—”“Because he’s very protective of you.” Samantha leaned back into the booth seat and crossed her arms over her chest, almost defiantly.The waitress took Jessie’s order and neither she nor Samantha said another word, nor did they look at each other until the waitress dropped off the soda and left.“So why the summons, Samantha? I’ll admit I wasn’t sure this was the best idea.”“First of all, I really wanted to thank you in person for all you’ve done for Landon. I…it’s so far above and beyond…”Please don’t get weepy.“Plus, I feel I owe you an explanation about a couple of things regarding Luke.”Jessie held up her hand. “Not necessary. I don’t need the down-and-dirty details about what went on between you two. Landon is proof enough for me. In fact, I’d rather
“How is it any different than sponsors fawning over you?”He scowled over his shoulder. “Big difference. Trust me.”At a loss of how to deal with his reaction to their economic disparity, she retreated to the opposite sitting area. Less than fifteen minutes ago they were as physically close as possible. Chase had looked her in the eye and assured her he knew her. Were those just babbled words uttered in a moment of lust?She’d shared every facet of herself with him. Ava never lied about her family background. Could he only deal with her when she was in his world? A transplanted city girl who had to rely on him for everything?It didn’t matter if he didn’t want her to be this Ava. Truth was, this was the real her.Chase had known her family had money.To think he’d been afraid a Hollywood actress was out of his league? That was a drop in the bucket compared to seeing her as the billion-dollar baby.He needed a drink. He correctly guessed which cabinet held the minibar and opened it, sn
That forceful statement delivered in his masculine growl sent a curl of heat through her. Yes, she’d missed this sexual part of Chase because it was such an important part of who he was. “I wouldn’t dream of horning in on your territory.”They exited the plane and wended through the crowd at baggage claim. After Chase hefted their luggage, Ava led him to the area where private transportation companies waited. A man in a black sports coat stepped in front of another guy wearing a gray pinstriped suit. “Miss Cooper?”“Yes.”“I’m Gino. I hope your flight was enjoyable.”The young man attempted to take the duffel bags from Chase, earning a dark scowl as Chase increased his grip on the luggage. “I’ve got it.”“That’s fine, sir. The car is this way, please.”The heat and stench assaulted her as they left the cool comfort of the terminal. God. The noise didn’t bother her, but somehow she’d forgotten how rank the city smelled in the summer months—garbage, urine, grease and exhaust fumes.Gino
Time passed in a vacuum of misery.After she heard the toilet flush for the third time, she curled her palm around the handle, praying he hadn’t started locking the door. The door swung open with a loud squeak.Chase sat on the floor, his face hidden in his hands. He said, “Get out,” in that dangerously low tone.She parked herself next to him, hip to hip. When he didn’t bark at her to leave, she placed her hand on his knee, wondering if he’d accept her need to soothe him.Try.“You want some water?” she asked.No answer.She counted to one hundred. “Chase? Do you need—”“I don’t need anything. Just go.”“I can’t.”“Don’t you understand? I don’t need you.”Ava ignored the sharp pang his words caused. “But I need you.”Chase slowly lifted his head and looked at her with red-rimmed eyes. “What?”The stark misery had her reaching for him without conscious thought. “Don’t turn me away. It’s ripping me up to see you like this. I need to help you. Tell me how. Please.”“You can’t.”“Can’t w
“No. They haven’t told me anything.”“Did you call someone to wait with you?”“My boyfriend is on his way. I won’t call the rest of my family until I know what’s going on. I appreciate you coming. I know Ryan will appreciate it too. It can be a group effort to chew his ass for worrying us once they let us see him.”“Anything I can get you?” Ava asked. “A drink? Something to eat? A blanket?”Jackie shook her head and continued pacing.Chase wanted to bust through the swinging doors and get some answers. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he braced his shoulders against the cement wall, his stomach too queasy to pace.Time dragged. The click of Jackie’s heels competed with the beeping machines that echoed from the nurse’s station.Ava left him alone. She left Jackie alone too. The three of them were the only ones in the waiting room, but they might as well have been miles apart.The doors opened.“Jackie Ackerman?” a woman wearing blue scrubs asked.“Yes. I’m here. I’m Jackie.”The woman
Once they’d reached Jackson Hole, Chase found a luxury resort and surprised Ava by booking a suite. She’d actually teared up when he arranged for two hours of in-room spa treatments and left her alone to be pampered.While she was getting massaged, he took his truck for an oil change and called his family to catch up. Maybe it stung a bit, their shock he’d contacted them without prompting. But Chase was determined to prove he could make changes in all areas of his life and stick to them.“What are you thinking about?” Ava asked.Chase grabbed her hand and kissed her palm. “How fantastic these last six days have been. Just me’n you seeing the sights. Hanging out with my friend. Then you rockin’ my world in bed and out of it.”She permitted a smug smile. “I did, didn’t I?”After driving through Riverton, Ava suggested they drive up to Thermopolis to see the famous hot springs. Then she surprised him and booked a room at a bed and breakfast joint that boasted a small private hot spring.
“Well, that is your job. Take care.” And she hung up as Chase entered the room.“Who was on the phone?”“Hannah.” Fibbing didn’t feel right, but Chase would insist she go back to LA. Even when he wasn’t the only reason she’d said no. Her gaze flicked to her laptop. She’d made progress on her project and hoped to have something tangible to show Chase in the next week, especially since he’d mentioned her secretiveness about it today.“Is everything all right?”“Yes. But save the soda for later. Right now I need a beer.”At the rodeo grounds they scarfed down Indian tacos and drank beer. They chose seats at the top of the bleachers, away from the main crowd.Chase watched her digging in her bag. “I’m surprised you brought your cameras.”“My cinematography efforts haven’t been solely focused on you, you know.” She wanted to video Ryan’s ride. The long angle from the stands would be a nice contrast to the rest of the footage she’d shot.She fiddled with the zoom function. Looky there. Two
He’d never seen Tell so mad. And what sucked is Chase didn’t blame him for his fury because Tell hadn’t said a thing that Chase hadn’t considered.But you discarded the guilt and did what you wanted anyway, didn’t you?“Look. I’m sorry.”“Goddamn right you should be. Does your family know you’ve done this?”He shook his head.“And why is that?” Tell let the pause linger. “Because you know it’s wrong. They’d tell you it’s wrong, and they’d kick your ass until you made it right. I look at you and I feel like I don’t know you at all.” Tell stormed off, stopping when he reached the metal fence by the livestock gate. His fingers curled around the rail and he stared across the arena, his posture vibrated with anger.Why hadn’t Chase considered he might run into his cousin while skipping from event to event in Tell’s jurisdiction?Because once again you only thought about yourself.Seemed to be a theme.Chase slumped against the corral and waited for the impending ass-chewing from his upstan
“How’d you meet? Since you all have diverse occupations.”“I graduated from high school with Lance and he met Dylan through a friend.” When Ava remained quiet, he said, “What?”She reached for his hand and threaded her fingers through his. “Is that where you were before you decided to hide out at Ginger and Kane’s?”Yeah. And I felt like a fucking loser the entire time. Sitting alone in a place as impersonal as another damn hotel room. Wishing I could go home, but feeling like I didn’t have one. Didn’t have anyone I could really talk to either. Not like I’ve learned to talk to you.Rather that share that embarrassing memory, he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. “Smart and beautiful. How did I get so lucky?”Ava laughed. “And wily, because you’re avoiding the question, cowboy.”“Oh, I ain’t the only one who avoids questions.”“Meaning what?”“Meaning…why won’t you tell me what you’re working on so diligently? Since you spend hours on it.”She gazed out the window.
“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