A Cowboy's Charm (8 page)

Then his fingers clutched at her hips and jerked her so close she felt she’d shatter into a million pieces. He ground himself against her, creating wave after wave of pleasure. She cried out with the exquisite sensations that rippled throughout her body.

His rough, masculine cry of completion followed hers and she collapsed against him, her strength completely drained. He clasped her tightly against his chest and their hearts drummed as one. They barely had time to catch their breath when a flash of headlights careened across the cab of the truck. Rylan glanced at the rearview mirror and cursed softly.

“Someone’s coming.”

Callie was beyond caring and too weak to respond. He tugged her blouse down over her bare breasts and pulled her skirt down over her thighs as he shifted her off his lap. She leaned limply against the seat while he adjusted his jeans, opened his door and slid out of the truck.

He was waylaying whoever had stopped. She realized what was happening yet wasn’t too concerned. At that minute she couldn’t have cared less who knew she’d been making passionate love to Rylan. When he reopened his door she found the strength to turn questioning eyes on him.

For just an instant, while the cab light was illuminated, his gaze roamed over her possessively. She felt the blood rush through her veins again. Her pulse quickened.

“Chuck, on his way home from Jessie’s,” he explained. “Saw the truck and thought he’d better check.”

She nodded, giving him a slow come-hither smile. Rylan’s eyes darkened. He reached behind the seat, pulled out a heavy blanket and walked around to her side of the truck. Then he opened the door and lifted her into his arms.

She rested her head on his shoulder as he carried her into a shadowed clearing. He set her on her feet long enough to spread the blanket over a cushion of thick grass. Then he lay down and drew her on top of him.

“Once isn’t nearly enough,” he murmured against her lips. “It barely took off the edge.”

Callie rested her weight on her hips, gently grinding them against his groin. She reached for the buttons of his shirt and unfastened them one by one. His fingers sank into her hair while she bared his chest. Scattering warm, moist kisses over the darkly bruised flesh, she crooned her apologies between kisses, begging his forgiveness for the damage she’d unwittingly done.

Eventually her tongue found the tight male nipples. She felt a wild thrill at the way his body quivered when she flicked them to taut nubs. Rylan toed off his boots and her fingers slid to the snap of his jeans. She helped him shed his clothes and he returned the favor. The cool night air chilled her bare flesh, tightening her nipples and intensifying every tiny sensation.

Naked, unashamed and uninhibited in the moonlight, they explored each other in torturously slow motion. He turned her onto her back and kissed his way down one side of her body and up the other, leaving no areas unloved. Then he turned her on her stomach and started with her shoulders. He kissed his way down her spine, over her hips and down each leg. His hands were never still as he kneaded and caressed.

Callie’s hands clutched fistfuls of blanket as one exquisite sensation followed the other. She’d thought she was sated but he was stirring all new, hotter fires. His mouth and hands were relentless, driving her higher and higher.

When he finally turned her again and covered her body with his, she grasped his head and dragged him close for a kiss. She thrust her tongue into his mouth while undulating beneath him in demand.

Rylan sucked her tongue and offered his to her. She sucked greedily and felt him shudder. Spreading her thighs wantonly, she wrapped her legs around his hips and shifted until his thick cock was securely buried in her again.

He swallowed her moan of pleasure and then stilled to concentrate on deepening their kiss. His tongue swept the tender skin inside her cheeks and challenged hers to a sensual duel. She tasted the sharp tang of beer and Rylan. Callie clutched at his shoulders, holding tight as she drowned in waves of sensual pleasure. She’d never felt so complete, so physically attuned to another human being. She’d never wanted so badly or been so eager to please.

She lifted her hips in demand and Rylan’s control finally snapped. His flesh pounded hers in a powerful, driving rhythm that soon had them both panting and breathless. They toppled over the edge together, hot, slick with sweat and utterly sated.

For just a few minutes they rested. They stayed locked in each other’s arms until the chill night air sent a shiver over them. Then Rylan began gathering their clothes. He finally lifted her into his arms and carried her to the truck, kissing her deeply along the way. She felt bereft when he left her to climb behind the wheel.

All too soon they were home. He parked near the front porch, jumped out and came around to her side. She slid down his body and he pulled her close again, his mouth finding hers in the darkness. She wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled close to him, utterly content. Their mouths brushed, nibbled, locked. Neither wanted the kisses to end but Rylan finally swept her into his arms and carried her into the house. He didn’t stop again until they were standing beside her bed. He laid her down and pressed another lingering kiss on her lips. His big hands cupped her breasts for one last caress, making her wish he could stay with her all night. She didn’t want him to leave yet she knew he wouldn’t share her bed.

When he finally straightened he swayed slightly. Concern lanced the haze of euphoria Callie’d been experiencing. She reached out a hand to steady him.

“All right,” he insisted but his words were slurred and she felt a resurgence of panic. Could he be having a delayed reaction from his accident?

“You’re sure?” she whispered as he shrugged off her support.

“Too much beer.”

She watched, shocked, as he headed down the hall to his own room. He stumbled once and she heard him curse. Rylan never stumbled, she thought.

Falling back against the pillow, she stared blankly at the ceiling. He was still feeling the effects of the beer. Was he really drunk? She’d never seen him that way. He’d seemed in perfect control earlier.

Well, almost. If he hadn’t been a little under the influence, would he have made love to her so tenderly? He’d been very successfully avoiding her until tonight. She knew people did things when they were drunk that they’d never consider when sober. Had Rylan been that drunk? Could he still have functioned so well? His driving hadn’t been impaired. At least she didn’t think it had. She really hadn’t been paying much attention to the road.

What if he didn’t realize what they’d done? What if he reverted to his usual hostility tomorrow? Would he be even more distant with her?

She was emotionally and physically exhausted yet sleep eluded her.

It was just before dawn so it surprised him to find Callie in the kitchen already, nursing a cup of coffee. She glanced up, their gazes locked and he cringed. He hated the wary, haunted look in her eyes. Her flawless skin was pale with dark circles under each eye. It made him want to scoop her into his arms like he’d done last night. They needed to talk.

Collecting his thoughts, he headed for the coffeepot. “You’re up early,” he said, pouring himself a cup. He kept his back to her while searching for the right words.

“I didn’t sleep well,” she confessed.

Rylan turned slowly and leaned back against the counter. Cup in hand, he studied her. Although he’d explored every inch of her last night, he wanted to do it all over again. He fought the sharp, piercing hunger that racked his body and tried to concentrate on the emotional consequences of the incredible sex they’d shared.

He wished, uselessly, that he could read her mind “My fault?” he asked.

She surprised him by answering with a question. “Do you remember much of last night?”

The question caught him off guard. He remembered everything, from the scent and feel of her skin to her passionate generosity. Was she hoping he’d been too drunk to remember? “I didn’t have
that
much to drink.”

Callie searched his features. “You warned me that your defenses were low,” she reminded, dropping her lashes to conceal her eyes. “How low were they?”

He wasn’t following her train of thought. “What exactly are you getting at?”

“I’m dealing with a heavy load of guilt,” she amazed him by saying. “You’ve made it very clear that you aren’t interested in a serious relationship yet I followed you to the bar. I was worried but I also wanted you. Pretty selfish of me.”

Rylan could only stare at her, stunned by her reasoning. He hadn’t known what her reaction to their loving would be yet the last thing he expected was an apology. Anger, insults and accusations he could have handled but remorse?

“Are you saying you’re sorry we had sex?” he demanded. “You didn’t apologize the first few times.”

“I’m not sorry about making love,” she said. “I’m only sorry if you feel like I took advantage of you.”

Rylan had battled to keep his feelings for her buried but her apology stirred up every tender emotion he’d ever felt. She was something else, so open and honest. So caring and sweet. He’d never known another woman as special. Never met another woman who could compete with her in his heart.

He still loved her. It hit him deep in the chest. Unexpectedly yet passionately. He’d never really stopped loving her. The admission shook his control, fired his blood and sent a tremor quaking through his body. He turned to set down his coffee cup before his shaky hands betrayed his emotional turmoil.

For one long minute his lungs constricted so much that he couldn’t seem to get enough air. Instincts urged him to escape, to get out of the house, to hole up somewhere private until he could come to terms with the emotional upheaval. Like a wounded animal, he wanted to deal with this alone and at his own pace.

“Your regrets are tame compared to mine.” He said, turning to watch hot color brighten her cheeks and then fade again. He’d said that all wrong but didn’t know how to make it right.

She shifted her attention from him and spoke in a soft, yet firm tone. “If that’s the case maybe I’d better find somewhere else to stay.”

Panic clutched him but instead of begging her to stay he taunted her. “Going to run back home because things aren’t working out the way you planned?”

For a minute Callie just stared at him. She seemed to be carefully weighing her next words. He held her gaze without flinching.

“That won’t be an issue,” she finally explained in a slow, hesitant tone. “I won’t be going back east to live. I’ve decided to move out here permanently.”

Rylan went still, his gaze scouring her features. A thousand questions whirled in his mind. “Care to explain? Last I heard you’d be leaving when Molly gets home.”

Callie dropped her gaze, fidgeting with her spoon and cup. Since she wouldn’t look at him and she wasn’t the nervous type he assumed she didn’t really want him to know her plans. That stung too.

“I’ve decided to buy the Karner ranch down the road. I’ve been making plans for quite a while to start my own wildlife sanctuary and it’s an ideal location,” she finally admitted in a rush.

He just stared at her, hardly believing his ears. His silence prompted more hurried explanations.

“I’ve worked out most of the details and I have enough money for several years of funding. I’ve been waiting for the Karner estate to be settled so that I can finalize the purchase. I’m signing the final papers this week.”

Rylan was stunned. Nothing she could have told him would have shocked or shaken him more. “You’re what?” he exploded.

Callie visibly flinched yet she continued to explain. “I’ve been planning this for a while. I found a realtor who located some property in this area. As soon as he told me the Karner place would be for sale I put a down payment on the property. There’s a lot of work to do but I hadn’t planned to take possession until Molly had recuperated.”

“Just like that?” he growled. “Just a simple business deal that will affect your whole future yet you waited until now to mention it?”

She shoved back her chair and rose to face him, annoyance clearly overriding nervous jitters. “When was I supposed to discuss it with you, Rylan? When you were punishing me with sex? Or when you were ignoring me altogether? Even if I would have liked your advice you’ve made it clear you weren’t interested in anything I had to say.”

She was right. And he resented it all to hell and back. Anger and frustration ate at him but it was directed mostly at himself. He wanted to know more about her plans. Was she following the dreams they’d spun together? Did she still care enough about him to want to see the dreams come true? Or had she ruthlessly cut him from the fantasy future?

“You’re the out-of-town buyer who’s causing all the speculation with area ranchers?” he charged. “I’ve heard every possible horror story. They think some greenhorn from New York is headed out here to ravage the land or something equally intolerable.”

“I’m not going to destroy anything,” she assured him, picking up her cup and carrying it to the sink.

He was still leaning against the countertop. When she was close enough for him to feel her warmth and smell her sweet, unique scent he had to fight a compulsive need to touch her.

“I told you I changed my major,” Callie continued. “I plan to make a career of protecting endangered species and Wyoming is an ideal place for a sanctuary.”

“You’ve never spent a winter here,” he reminded, having worried about that the first time he’d considered proposing marriage. She’d always thrived here in the summer yet the winter months were harsh. Born and raised city girls could have a hard time adjusting.

“I plan to start slow. I have a lot to learn and experience but I’m totally committed to this project.”

Rylan didn’t doubt that she’d make a success of anything she put her mind to. She was a natural with animals and she had the determination of ten normal people. She also had the financial backing to smooth the way for her.

“The purchase is a done deal?”

He and several neighboring ranchers had tried to buy the Karner place. He wasn’t sure how the rest of them would like being outmaneuvered by a woman. He wasn’t even sure how he felt about the whole situation.

“The final contract signing is Wednesday.”

“So you’ll still be raising crops for your orphans and endangered species but expanding the pastures and holding areas closer to the house?”

Callie finally turned and lifted her face toward him. She was so lovely that his breath caught in his throat. Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. He could tell she was delighted by his grasp of her plans. For some reason he was also insanely jealous of that enthusiasm.

“That’s exactly what I plan to do,” she said.

He didn’t know if she realized she was leaning toward him but he definitely noticed. He lost track of the conversation for a minute then mumbled something about lots of work involved.

“I’m just thrilled to finally be inching my way toward my long-term goals.”

Rylan wanted her mouth. Wanted it with a desperation that clawed at his insides. He wanted her in his arms, pressed snugly against his body. He wanted to be part of her short-term and long-term goals. He lifted her chin so that he could look into her eyes again. “Do you want to be the totally independent woman or is there room in your plans for a partner?”

“I guess it depends on the partnership,” she replied with candor. “I don’t want a partner who resents our relationship to the extent that you do and always have.”

Rylan scowled, his gaze searching hers. They’d been wild for each other four years ago and he’d abruptly ended it. Since then he’d treated her like a fallen woman. He’d repeatedly pushed her away to protect himself. He had a lot of bridges to mend and he didn’t even know where to start.

Last night had been a fragile new beginning for them but just the tip of the iceberg. There was still too much emotional baggage between them and too many unresolved issues. He needed some time, space and a clearer head to decide what was best. Right now his hormones seemed to be raging out of control. All he could think about was burying himself deep inside her.

“Maybe we both need a little more time and space,” he suggested and then cringed at the flash of pain in her beautiful eyes.

“I don’t think there’s enough time in the world to get you past your resentment of me,” she said. Then she turned and left the room, spine stiff and head high. Rylan watched her with a heavy heart. He’d never been any good with words. He’d never seemed to know what to say to her. He’d always cared too damned much. Over the years he’d realized that it was partly his fault she’d turned to his brother when he’d rejected her. Maybe, just maybe, he could get past that old hurt and anger to nurture a new start.