Cowboy Truth: Cowboy Justice Association #3 (32 page)

“That’s good because I intend to say it all the time. I love you. I’ve never said that to any woman before, Ava. I’m going to need to hear you say it every day. Will you do that for me?”

“How can you doubt how much I love you?” she asked, holding him extra tight. “But I’ll say it at least twice a day if it will make you feel better.”

“That should do it.” Logan nodded in satisfaction. “There’s no way any doubts could seep in if you do that.”

A terrible thought occurred to her.

“What about our geographic situation? I live in Portland.”

“I’m well aware. Don’t put up barriers, honey. We’ll figure it out, and we have a lifetime to do just that.”

The certainty in his voice made her believe in miracles, and the love shining from his eyes pushed away her last doubts.

Logan Wright loved Ava Hayworth.

If anyone had told her at that fateful wedding reception that she would be planning a future with a rakish playboy she would have laughed until she cried. But something deep and profound had changed this man’s mind about himself and she could only be grateful and happy.

“What happens now?” she asked, laying her head on his chest so she could hear his steadily beating heart. It made it all seem so real, so grounded.

Logan swung her up into his arms and headed straight for the bedroom. “Now we make love. Tomorrow we keep working on the case. I like working with you, good girl.”

She had no objections to that turn of events. He dumped her onto the bed and began to pull off his clothes, revealing his drool-worthy body to her hungry gaze.

She didn’t know what she’d done to deserve this man. Maybe she’d eaten all her vegetables or helped an old lady cross the street. Whatever it was, she thanked the heavens above and began tugging off her own clothes.

It was time to get down and dirty with the man she loved.

Chapter Twenty-Four

L
ogan had known Ava loved him but he hadn’t expected it to feel quite this good. He’d been expecting there to be some trepidation or fear but if anything he felt free and unencumbered. The shackles of his past were gone and he wanted to put them firmly behind him. Looking back was a waste of time for the most part and he’d spent too much doing just that.

Lying on his back, he pulled her on top so she was straddling him. Her silky skin brushed his leaving a trail of heat wherever she touched him. He reached up and cupped her generous breasts with his hands, teasing the nipples with his thumbs. Her thighs tightened on him in response.

“You are a bad boy,” she gasped when he pinched the taut peaks with his fingers. He chuckled at her predicament. She might be on top but he was in the driver’s seat. His favorite place to be.

“Then how come you’re getting the spanking?” he teased, giving her a quick smack on her round bottom. Her breath quickened and her eyes sparkled. He did it a few more times before tangling his fingers in her golden brown curls and pulling her down for a kiss.

He took his time, exploring the warm cavern of her mouth, not wanting to rush this moment. His cock ached to be inside her but it would have to wait. He lifted his head and pulled on a curl, watching it spring back into place. An image of a round faced toddler with those same curls and blue eyes flashed in front of him.

A thought like that should have sent him running for the nearest exit but he wasn’t even tempted. Instead he folded that picture away in a file titled “Someday Soon”, tucking it away for the right moment. Their love was too new to ask Ava to consider something so life changing. Already he was going to have to ask her to move to Corville. If she wasn’t willing, he’d quit his job and move to Portland. But it would be nice if they could settle here. He loved the wide open spaces, plus Ava had her parents and sister. It wasn’t a bad place to raise a family.

Her palms skated down his torso and she slid until she was perched on her knees between his legs. Dipping her head, she snaked her tongue around the head of his cock. A bolt of electricity shot from his balls to his toes dragging a groan from his lips. She gave him a saucy smile.

“Like that? I can do it again.”

“Again,” he growled. “Don’t think you’re in control just because you’re on top.”

She caressed his balls sending shocks of pleasure through his body. “I think I have your undivided attention.”

Scrunching the sheets up in his fists, his breath hissed out as she engulfed the head of his cock with her mouth. She flitted her tongue on the underside as her head bobbed and he had to grit his teeth together to keep from cursing.

“Where did you learn to suck cock like that?” he asked, barely able to breathe.

She giggled and her cheeks turned a pretty pink. “From my friend Kaylee’s books. She writes erotic romance and we critique each other’s work.” She fluttered her eyelashes. “I aim to please.”

He reached down and hauled her up his body by her arms. He couldn’t take any more torture.

“You please very well but I don’t want to come yet.”

Ava leaned over and grabbed a condom from the nightstand. “I know exactly what you want.”

Logan sat up – this was going too fast. “Easy, honey. I’m not ready to saddle up and ride.”

“I’ve never tried riding a bucking bronco.” Ava kissed his chin and let her tongue trace his bottom lip. “Will you throw me off?”

He wouldn’t hurt her for the world but a hard and fast ride wasn’t how two people should seal their love.

“We should do this soft and slow. No broncos.”

Ava ran her hands up and around his neck. “Why? I love it no matter how you give it to me.”

“Dammit, Ava, I’m trying to be romantic,” he huffed. This woman was going to be the death of him.

“You are romantic,” she assured him, leaning forward to whisper in his ear. “Now fuck me like you mean it. I’m ready for you, bad boy.”

There hadn’t been nearly enough foreplay but it was impossible to deny her when she was in this mood. He plucked the condom package from her fingers and tore it open with his teeth. He had to stifle a moan when her fingers joined his to help roll it on.

Clutching her hips, he positioned her on top of him. If she wanted to ride a bronco, he’d damn well give her what she wanted.

“Do it,” she said huskily.

He entered her in one mighty stroke. The sensation of being balls deep in her hot tight pussy almost sent him over the edge immediately. He gritted his teeth and dug his heels into the mattress as they started out at a canter. Her hips were grinding against him, undulating in a rhythm designed to drive them both out of their minds.

The movements sped up, their breathing becoming increasingly ragged. A fine sheet of sweat covered their bodies and the air was perfumed with the musk of their arousal. Only the sounds of their gasps and moans could be heard.

He tried to hold on as long as he could but the pleasure was too great. He reached between them and ran his thumb over her swollen clit. She screamed his name and threw her head back. Her body arched, thrusting her breasts out as she leaned back and braced herself on his thighs.

His own orgasm was wrenched from his soul, shattering him into a million pieces. Making love with Ava was more. More beautiful. More pleasurable. More satisfying. Everything that had come before had simply been a rehearsal for the real thing.

She collapsed on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her, stroking her back, while their hearts still raced out of control. Eventually he pulled away, missing her warmth immediately. He tucked her under the covers so she would stay comfortable.

“I’ll be right back.”

He quickly took care of things and headed back into the bedroom. Ava was a lump under the covers, the blankets pulled up to her chin.

“Room for me?” He yanked at the comforter and she giggled, scooting over. He curled his body around hers and nuzzled her neck.

“I love you, good girl.”

“I love you, bad boy.”

“Are you going to make me dinner?” He loved to tease her.

“Since I’ve promised to make breakfast, I think you should make dinner.”

She’d kept that promise since the day she made it. He really should let her off the hook.

“You don’t always have to make breakfast. I’ll make breakfast sometimes too.”

“I’m not going to argue.” Ava yawned. “How about we take a nap and then we both make dinner?”

He nodded and let himself relax for the first time in a long time. There was much to be done but it felt good having made some decisions about his life. The most important decision was lying right next to him.

*   *   *   *

Logan’s voice pulled Ava from a deep sleep. They’d gone to bed late last night after a good meal and a deep conversation about the case. They’d vowed to go back to the beginning and go through the guest list for anyone who might have had an opportunity to know about the Bryson family sins.

She rubbed her eyes and tried to focus on what Logan was saying. He was sitting upright on the bed with his cell to his ear, a serious expression on his face.

“Thanks, Jared. I appreciate all the work you did. I know I dumped a lot on you.”

Logan hung up the phone and tossed it on the mattress. She waited for him to speak but whatever Jared had said had him lost in his own world.

“Did Jared find anything?”

Logan nodded, rubbing his chin. “He found a gas purchase just a few blocks from one of the vigilante murders in Reed’s town. It was in the window of the possible time of death. He also found a restaurant receipt for lunch the day of one of the murders in Griffin’s town. It’s hours before the actual time of death but it could still be significant.” He leaned back on the headboard, his hand covering his eyes. “He decided to look further and found two of the three brothers have a .38 registered to them. That’s the same caliber that the vigilante uses.”

Realizing the seriousness of what Logan was saying, Ava took a deep breath. “All three of them? Then which one is it?”

Her heart beat fast in her chest and a strong sense of foreboding took over. She couldn’t see Logan’s face but she knew it wasn’t good.

“Christ, all three of them might be working together. Wade and Aaron have the credit receipts and Wade and Lyle both have guns registered.” Logan’s voice was hushed as if saying it out loud somehow made it truer.

Ava’s heart plummeted to her stomach. She hadn’t realized how much she’d been hoping Logan’s friend wouldn’t find anything on the Bryson brothers.

“They must have known about their father. Wade saw him kill his mother, after all. All of them would have had opportunity at the wedding,” Ava reasoned. “Can they shoot a gun?”

Logan pulled his hand away from his eyes. “Yes. Their dad taught them. I remember when Wade got his first rifle. I got one too from my dad that year for Christmas.”

She rubbed his thigh through the sheet. “I’m sorry, Logan.”

His eyes were bleak, his mouth a grim line. “So am I. Although we don’t know for sure. This will give us enough for search warrants. I want that gun for a ballistics match.”

Logan was holding out hope still and she prayed he was right. There wasn’t much left to say. They showered and dressed, eating a quick breakfast before packing the truck and getting on the road. They deliberately kept to neutral topics, talking about when they would visit Helen again and what kind of house Logan should buy when he sold the current one.

By the time they arrived back in Corville, Ava’s nerves were stretched thin. She wanted to scream in frustration. When she was this close to the end of a book she got the same way. She would write day and night, eschewing eating and sleeping until she wrote
The End
.

There was no such option this time. The wheels of justice grind slowly and Logan would need to get a warrant before anything else could happen. There wasn’t anything she could do to speed this process up in the least.

Her phone buzzed in her purse and she pulled it out with a sigh. “Hi Mom. What’s up?”

“I’ve been trying your phone for the last few hours, sweetheart. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. We must have been in some dead spots on the drive back, that’s all.”

It felt strange to be talking about such mundane matters as cell phone coverage when a huge issue hung over their heads like this.