Disobedient Cowboys [Lone Wolves of Shay Falls 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (14 page)

What the hell was she doing? Women didn’t orgasm from kissing a guy, her least of all. It was a myth. A myth, a myth, a myth
,
her thoughts chanted, even as her pleasure climbed perilously near a peak. An image of him pushing his hard cock inside her drove her even higher, and she was about to topple over an impossible edge when she panicked and pushed Caleb away.

“Stop,” she blurted, wiping her wet lips with the back of a hand. “That’s enough.”

Her body clenched and shouted in protest, and she grabbed for the branches again to keep her quivering limbs steady.

Caleb stood back, folding his arms as he watched her in silence. He didn’t look mad at her for stopping him, though. On the contrary, he looked mighty damn pleased with himself.

“Admit it,” he said, shifting his hips uncomfortably. A glance down showed the thick erection straining against his black jeans. “You ain’t immune to me. In fact, you’re as ready for me to claim you while you’re spread wide in that tree as I am to do it.”

Her thighs were still gapped open, sitting the way she was. It was a scant drop to the ground, and she jumped while still holding onto one of the branches. Good thing, too, since her legs weren’t entirely cooperating.

“Deflowered in a flowering
cherry
tree?” she asked, glancing upward. “Way too derivative. Not quite what I had in mind.”

“Thought you didn’t have losin’ your virginity in mind at all.”

“I don’t.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Admit that you lost this bet.”

“Oh, fine.” She kicked at the cherry blossoms lying at their feet. “You’re the bomb at kissing, okay? Happy? That still doesn’t change anything.”

“No?”

“I’m not staying, Caleb. I told you, my original contract was only thirteen weeks. Now I don’t even have that. If I can’t get another local assignment, I’ll be leaving much sooner. Possibly days.”

He looked at her for a moment, silent. Then he picked up his hat and brushed off leaves and cherry blossoms before turning away. “Come on.”

Caleb strutted back the way they’d come, and she stared after him for a moment. “Where are we going?”

He turned, snuggling the hat down on his head. “We’re joggin’ back to your place.”

She folded her arms. “Oh, no, we’re not. Just because you won this little challenge doesn’t mean it’s time to play ‘your place or mine.’”

He shot her a wide grin. “I’ve got to get goin’. I’ve got a haulin’ job today, and I’d reckon you have some things to do as well.”

“Oh.” Her insides split down the middle evenly, half relieved beyond belief, the other painfully unhappy that he was leaving. “You’re right. I do.”

“Let’s get to it, then. Oh, and I’ll be back at one o’clock to pick you up.”

The painfully unhappy side perked up while the rest panicked. “Is that so?”

Caleb bolted, and he somehow wound up several trees away. His speed dropped her jaw.

“How the hell did you do that?” she asked.

She was still gaping in shock when he turned with a grin. “You comin’ or what? I’ll try to keep up with you, what with you bein’ a seasoned jogger and all.”

Rose pursed her lips at the sarcasm and picked her way through the trees at a fast walk. “Why do you think you’re picking me up at one o’clock?”

“Because I’m takin’ you on a picnic to Shay Falls.”

That fluttered in her chest. “I just told you I’m leaving, and now you want to go on a date?”

He shrugged and waited for her to catch up before heading toward the road. “I reckon I don’t have much time to show you the sights. Thought you might want to see that waterfall of yours before you bid this town farewell.”

As soon as they got back to the highway shoulder, she broke into a jog. “As a matter of fact, I was thinking about it this morning. Thank you.”

They stopped talking, but her mind was whirring a mile a minute. A picnic would be just the thing to take her mind off things—and with any luck, they would be celebrating her landing another job nearby. Then she could take advantage of the remaining time on her apartment lease. The fact that this would also keep her close to Caleb—and yes, Stephen, if she’d let herself admit it—for a while longer had nothing to do with her sudden desire to hang on to that hope. Not one bit.

A ridiculous grin was plastered to Rose’s face as she put the finishing touches on the bruschetta and snapped the plastic storage container closed. When a knock at the door stirred the butterfly nest in her stomach, she pulled off her apron and smoothed her skirt.

Caleb had showered and changed clothes, too, and he looked more edible than the food she’d spent the past hour preparing. He wore a black button-down shirt that was open at the throat, along with matching denims that were too snug to be legal. The ever-present Stetson was in his hand.

There was an awkward moment when she realized they’d both been too busy devouring each other’s appearance for a proper greeting. Even then, it was Caleb who rallied first.

“No way,” he said in a tone of disbelief. The violet in his wide eyes was bright and clear as they traveled over her chosen attire.

She frowned down at her dress. “I’m dressed all wrong, aren’t I?”

“No. It’s perfect.”

“I knew I should have worn jeans. I just figured it’s so warm that a dress would be nice. I get tired of pants when I wear uniform scrubs all the time.”

“You look beautiful.”

He stepped inside when she let him pass, but he turned around to trap her between him and the front door she’d just closed. As he kept eyeing her up and down, he fiddled nervously with the brim of his hat. It was an odd little quirk that didn’t seem like him.

She kicked herself mentally for the sudden, wild impulse to wear her favorite spring dress. The A-line halter was the pale yellow of frothy egg yolks, a shade that set off her burgundy hair rather dramatically, and the bodice was low enough to show cleavage without advertising herself as a giant slut. The skirt fell from the waist in wide, innocent folds that hit just above her knees. From the way he devoured the seemingly innocent dress, however, she might have been better off in a high turtleneck and baggy flannel pants.

“Maybe I’d better go change,” she said.

He shook his head. “You know how you dreamed about the waterfall?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve dreamed about that dress.”

She gave him a warm chuckle. “Nicely put. You cowboys sure know how to charm a lady.”

The cherry tree flashed to mind, and she pushed past him before the memory could play for long. “I made a couple things to take along,” she said, bustling to the kitchen.

“You didn’t have to cook,” Caleb said, following her. “The picnic was my invitation, so I brought food and wine.”

“Then we’ll have extra,” she said, slipping a salad container inside a paper bag. “Sorry I don’t have anything fancy to carry it in, though. I travel light on assignment.”

“I’ve got that covered,” he said, leaning in to take the bag from her. Heaven’s mercy, she thought, he smelled good. Her stomach tightened at his masculine scent. “All you need to bring is yourself, an appetite, and your sketchbook.”

“Along with pencils and a sweater,” she added. “I come well prepared.”

Even as she said the words, she knew that wasn’t quite true. She wasn’t prepared for this “date” at all. Just handing over the bag had shaken her insides to jelly, yet there was little point to letting anything develop between them, even if she wanted to.

“I almost forgot,” he said, holding out a ring of car keys.

She smiled. “Forgot what, that you can’t drive?”

“My way of saying sorry about your car.”

Rose stared at the keys. “I don’t follow.”

“Your car got totaled. Now you have a new one.”

“What?”

“Let me show you.”

Caleb took her out to the carport, where sure enough, a blue mid-size that looked exactly the same as the one she’d wrapped around a tree sat in the visitor parking area.

“You can’t give me a car!” she exclaimed in shock.

“Why not? It’s my fault you lost your other one. It’s only fair that I replace it.”

“It wasn’t your fault. You were running away after getting shot.”

“Tell that to the car sittin’ in the junkyard, waitin’ to get melted down.”

She shook her head. “This is beyond generous, Caleb, really. But I can’t take this from you.”

“Yes, you can.” He pressed the keys into her hand. “I could have gotten you killed, Rose, and don’t think that hasn’t fucked with my head every hour of the day since it happened. The least I can do is set your transportation to right. If your insurance ever gets around to payin’ the claim, you can bank the settlement in exchange for the wages I lost you durin’ recovery.”

She stared at the shiny, blue paint. “I don’t know what to say.”

How could she take such a gift? Was it truly just reparations from the accident? Or were there invisible strings attached? Maybe he thought if he gave her a car, she wouldn’t be so eager to leave him behind.

Those thoughts were shunted aside as they left. They made small talk on the drive, which was surprisingly short. However, where they had to park was a distance from their eventual destination, and getting to the picnic spot involved a trek through the woods she hadn’t foreseen.

The first leg of the trip took them through gently sloping woods. When the terrain dropped sharply, however, she stopped with a frown. “Now I am sorry I didn’t wear something more appropriate,” she said, glancing down at her creamy-yellow flat shoes. “I’m not sure I can make it down there.”

“I told you, the dress is perfect,” Caleb said. “Not to worry, darlin’. Just hang on to your sweater and art supplies. I’ve got you.”

Caleb draped the red blanket he’d brought over his shoulder and hooked their picnic basket over his arm. He swept her up off her feet, quite literally, and carried on with the rugged journey like it was no bother at all. She held her items in her lap and hugged his neck, thinking of other times she’d recently been carried like baggage. She’d been unconscious the last time Caleb had done so. But there’d been Stephen on that confusing, delusional night when she’d run off. Just thinking about him sent a pang through her stomach, and she wondered what he was doing. Probably sitting at the nurses’ station, grateful to not be getting ice water dumped all over him. She had a sudden picture of him joining their picnic, smiling as they all sat together to share the meal and view. As mad as she’d been, she sure missed him.

She wondered whether Caleb was thinking of Stephen’s absence too.

He pushed through bushes and past tree branches for a short time, and she heard the sound before she saw anything. The
whoosh
of rushing water fanned an air of excitement around her, and she was suddenly anxious for him to set her down. The roaring sound grew louder as her impatience swelled, and she strained to see through the trees. She thought she caught glimpses, but she couldn’t nail anything down.

The ground leveled after a while, and although they were still out of view, Caleb lowered her onto her feet. “Wait here,” he said in a reverent whisper as he turned her to face forward. “Just a few more steps.”

“And I’m waiting why?” Her voice came out soft and low, too, just because his was.

“Because I want to be far enough ahead to watch your reaction when you see it.”

She smirked at his boyish expression and waited patiently while he made his way through more leaves and around rocks and trees to where a tall, narrow boulder stood. He stopped beside it and nodded. “Okay,” he said. “Come on.”

Rose had almost come up beside him when the falls came into view, and she stopped dead. Her mouth fell open as her eyes traveled up the several-story drop, mesmerized by the white veil of water tumbling gracefully from the ridge overhead. Plumes of spray erupted like clouds where the falls met the water below. Golden sunlight sparkled and played over the river’s surface, like thousands of tiny water sprites dancing in delight on top of the flowing current. The very air was alive here, vibrant and stirring with the motion of the falls. No other living soul was in sight, just the majesty of nature. It was all she could do not to burst out into tears.

“Oh, my God,” she whispered. “It’s unbelievable.”

“That look on your face says it all,” Caleb said. “You recognize it, I can tell.”

She shook her head slowly. “I can’t say whether or not it’s the waterfall I drew. It doesn’t matter, though. Just being here feels nothing short of miraculous.”

“That it does.” He was watching her carefully.

She gripped her sketchbook tighter. “I’m dying to draw it.”

“Go for it. I’ll find a spot for our picnic.”

They wandered along the open riverbank for a short stretch, and the whole while she couldn’t take her eyes off the falls. Near the top where it crested over, the water seemed to move in slow motion as the frothy sheet slid down. At the base, however, it sped up and churned rapidly. What was it that she found so compelling about waterfalls?