Hearts Are Wild (17 page)

Chapter Six

Nicole snuggled in the blankets, feeling sore all over like she’d had a good workout. The sheets smelled of Kev’s masculine essence and the lusty scent of their sex.

She opened her eyes to early morning sunlight spilling through wooden blinds shading windows to either side of the oak bed. She rolled over, expecting to find Kev asleep beside her, but the bed was empty.

Well, duh. He was a rancher, and ranchers tended to get up at the crack of dawn to do whatever it was that ranchers did.

She eased out of bed, cotton sheets sliding over her bare skin and rasping her nipples. With a satisfied yawn, she stretched and caught sight of her reflection in a mirror over the bureau. She looked like a well-fucked woman, and she also looked like hell.

Fifteen minutes later, Nicole had showered and was standing before Kev’s closet, trying to find something to wear. She finally pulled on a pair of old Levi’s and cinched them around her waist by tying a braided belt in a knot, the buckle dangling down her abdomen. Despite her efforts, the Levi’s kept sliding down her hips, but it was the best she could do. Of course the jeans were too long, even though she was a fairly tall woman, so she had to roll them up a few times just to reach the tops of her feet. She slipped on the same shirt he’d given her last night and let it fall over her jeans and down to her thighs.

For shoes, she was just plain out of luck. She’d have to go barefoot for now. After she tied her hair back in a ponytail, using a scrap of cloth she tore off her ruined dress, she went in search of Kev by heading out the back door.

Outside the rain-washed sky was a clear blue, reminding her of the color of her grandmother’s favorite mixing bowl, the one she used to make cakes in when Nicole was a little girl. The air smelled clean and fresh from the rain. The back lawn was soft and wet beneath her bare feet and a cool breeze brushed her cheeks.

Not too far from the house were the corrals with a herd of white-faced Herefords. To the right was the bunkhouse and just to the side of the house stood the huge weathered barn.

In the distance she heard the sound of male voices. Nicole shoved her hands beneath the shirt, in the front pockets of the Levi’s, and the jeans almost slid over her hips. She had to wrangle them back up around her waist while she walked toward one of the corrals behind the barn.

When she ran out of lawn, she walked across damp earth, avoiding puddles and mud the best she could, but it still squished through her toes. She laughed. The water did feel good over her toes and the mud made her feel like a kid again. Like she’d been when she’d first met Kev.

She could still remember his mischievous grin and the spark in his hazel eyes every time he teased her. Once in third grade he had pulled up her dress during recess and she’d started wearing shorts under her dresses to avoid the embarrassment of showing her underwear to everyone in elementary school again. In fifth grade he’d teased her about her first boyfriend, Greg Davis, who happened to be the smartest kid in the class. Then there was her freshman year, when he’d decked her prom date. She’d been so mad at Kev she could have spit fire. She never did find out why he’d given Ryan a bloody nose.

She stared up at the sky and watched a hawk circle over the corrals. Kev’s teasing had started when she was in first grade and he was a couple of grades ahead of her. What was it? Oh, yeah. The Dancerina doll incident. Or was it the time he stole the cupcake her grandmother had made for her? No, it had to be the time he spread mud all over her face.

Nicole had to grin. Kev Grand had been a real pain in the ass. Hell, he still was.

She reached the wooden railing of one of the corrals and climbed up on it, the wood rough under her bare feet. Her gaze took in cowboys on horseback working cattle in the east pasture. Was Kev out there? She squinted, trying to make out his form, but she didn’t see those broad shoulders and lean hips that she now knew intimately. The mere thought of just how intimately made her body flush with desire and her pussy wet.

Big hands grabbed her waist from behind, startling her, and causing her to yelp.

“Looking for me, hon?” Kev’s deep voice rumbled in her ear.

“Admiring the view.” She held onto the top rail and leaned back against his broad chest, confident he wouldn’t let her fall.

She shivered as his lips moved close to her ear. “How would you like me to make you come now, while you watch my men at work?”

Liquid heat rushed between her thighs. “You wouldn’t dare.”

He slipped his hand beneath the huge shirt she was wearing, and around to the baggy waistband of the Levi’s. “Want to bet on it, sweetheart?”

A low moan was Nicole’s answer as he slipped his fingers into her wet folds. She knew his men wouldn’t be able to tell what he was doing to her under that shirt, but it heightened her arousal beyond belief.

“You are one wicked man,” she managed to get out, despite the fact he was fingering her clit, bringing her to the brink of orgasm in just a few strokes. She gripped the railing tighter, but at the same time her body sagged against Kev’s muscular chest.

In the distance she saw the men riding their horses, rounding up cattle. She heard their whistles and shouts. But her vision began to blur and her hearing faded, and all she could do was feel. A violent orgasm took her and a cry left her lips before she could hold it back.

Dimly she became aware of her surroundings and Kev’s low laughter. Heat rushed to her cheeks and her body gave a jerk as he gave her clit another tweak.

“
Kev
,” she said under her breath as a couple of the cowboys turned their heads. “Get your hand out of my pants.”

He slid his fingers up her belly and she felt the trail of moisture he left behind. She was afraid he was going to go for her breasts and that the cowboys would see, but he slipped his hand from beneath her shirt.

He brought his palms up to her shoulders and began kneading them through the shirt and she relaxed into the massage. “Anything else you’d like to bet me?” he said close to her ear.

She shook her head and felt her ponytail brush his face. “Not on your life.”

Kev slipped his right hand from her shoulder, up her neck and to her nose. “Smell your desire for me. Even after all the times I’ve already fucked you since last night, you want more.”

She breathed in the sweet and salty scent of her own juices on his fingers and her belly flipped. He moved his hand from her nose and she turned just enough to see him slip his finger into his mouth.

“Damn fine tasting, too,” he murmured.

Nicole’s stomach was doing some major somersaults now.

He lifted her off the railing and turned her so that her chest was flush against his. “Let’s go have breakfast.”

This time Nicole cooked for the two of them. She didn’t have much to work with as far as Kev’s supplies, but she was the owner of a bed-and-breakfast and an excellent cook. She could make do.

Kev took a shower while Nicole whipped up a potato, egg, and cheese breakfast casserole. While it was baking, he came back into the kitchen and sniffed the air like a man who hadn’t eaten in a month of Sundays.

“Something smells damn good.” He came up to Nicole and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You look terrific in my kitchen.”

“I’ll just bet.” She pushed him away and snatched up a couple of potholders she’d dug out of a drawer earlier. “You’d like having someone around to cook for you.”

Kev winked and grabbed a couple of mismatched plates from a cabinet, along with a pair of forks out of a drawer. “Can you blame a guy who can’t cook worth crap?”

Nicole never saw a man eat so much so fast in all her life. She had a decent-sized portion that was enough to fill her up, but Kev had at least five times as much and she swore he would have licked the pan clean if she hadn’t been sitting there watching him eat.

After his last mouthful, Kev settled back in his chair looking like a man who’d just had the best blowjob of his life.

The corner of Nicole’s mouth quirked. “Had enough?”

He shook his head. “Still hungry.”

When she raised an eyebrow he stood and drew her up out of her chair. “I’ve a mind for a little something more.”

With a quick movement that caught her totally by surprise, he picked her up so that his arms were wrapped around her legs and her hands were braced on his shoulders.

She couldn’t help it. She laughed. “What do you think you’re doing, Kev Grand?”

He gave her a dark and sensual look. “Finishing off breakfast.”

Kev carried her into his bedroom and tossed her on the bed. She laughed again as she bounced on the mattress, but her laughter turned into a groan as he shucked off his jeans and underwear, and stood in front of her. His cock was erect and her mouth watered at the thought of slipping her lips over his length and taking him deep.

He jerked her jeans off, which slid easily over her hips. Next went her shirt, and then he was braced over her, his hot male body pressed to her. Again he caught her by surprise when he grabbed her and rolled so that she was on top. Her long blonde hair spilled over her shoulders and he ran his fingers through the length of it.

“Sixty-nine, hon.” Kev’s voice was a low rumble. “I want to taste you.”

Fire licked Nicole’s insides and she eased around so that her mouth was over his cock, and her pussy against his mouth.

She cried out the moment his tongue swiped her folds and he thrust two fingers inside her. With the way he was licking her pussy and finger-fucking her, it was all she could do to concentrate on slipping her mouth over his delicious cock. He smelled so good as she took him deep. She worked his erection with her hand, from the wiry curls around the base of his shaft to her mouth, and back again.

Nicole moaned around his cock and squirmed as Kev devoured her folds. Damn, but he was good. He licked, he sucked, pounded her pussy with his fingers—shit. So close to orgasm, so close—

And then he stopped. She slipped his wet cock from her mouth, “Goddamn it, Grand, don’t stop now, you bastard.”

He gave a low growl, and in a fast movement flipped her over again and in a smooth movement rearranged himself so that his face was now over hers.

Whoa. “You’re a man of many talents,” she murmured. And she wasn’t talking about the way he’d just turned her around. “Now, show me what else you’ve got.”

Kev kissed her. He still tasted her juices on his tongue that mingled with the flavor of her sweet mouth. He’d never get enough of her sweetness. No doubt in his mind that she was becoming just as addicted to him as he was to her.

His tongue probed the depths of her mouth and she made those moaning sounds that he loved. Her pebble-hard nipples rubbed against his chest and the curls of her pussy caressed his balls.

Nicole grabbed his cock as they kissed and brought it to the opening of her wet channel. She arched up at the same time he drove into her.

Gasping, Nicole broke away from his kiss and her eyes nearly rolled back in her head. “So deep. So damn good.”

“Your tight pussy feels like heaven around my cock,” he said as he thrust into her. “I could just fuck you all day.”

She raised her hips to meet his. “God, it turns me on when you talk dirty.”

Kev hooked his arms around her knees and moved her legs so that her ankles were around his neck. “Do you want me to tell you what beautiful tits you have, hon? And your pussy. So hot and so wet, just for me.”

Nicole’s cries became louder the harder he thrust into her.

“I like the feel of your ankles around my neck.” He pounded into her and the headboard banged against the wall. “And I love how deep you take me when I fuck you like this.”

“I’m going to come.” Nicole’s voice trembled as her gaze locked with his. “Don’t stop fucking me.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He increased his strokes, slamming his cock into her core, his balls slapping against her pussy and their flesh smacking together.

Nicole went rigid and let out a scream like he’d never heard before.

“That’s it, hon,” he said as he continued his thrusts. “Ride it out.”

Her body bucked against his, her eyes wide, and she kept making those sexy cries that drove him closer to the edge.

A few more thrusts and he gave his own cry of release. Black spots swam before his eyes, his climax was so powerful. He continued working his cock in and out of her pussy until he was drained, then rolled onto his side, taking Nicole with him.

“We’re all sweaty again. And sticky.” Her breathing was still ragged. “And we smell like sex.”

Kev tried to catch his own breath. “Hon, you better plan on plenty of sweat and sex when you’re with me.”

She grinned. “You’ve got a deal.”

Chapter Seven

Come Sunday afternoon, Nicole truly was so sore she could hardly walk straight.

Even after Kev finished fixing her car, for some crazy reason she found herself procrastinating. She should have been heading back to Bisbee and to her bed-and-breakfast first thing that morning, but she and Kev had gone another round, this time in the hayloft. Over the weekend they’d used every position she could think of, and a few she’d never imagined.

But when it came down to it, she knew she needed to keep her distance from the man. She was not about to get seriously involved with anyone. Sex and sex only—that was it. For one month.

And what a wild month it promised to be.

After showering and dressing again in Kev’s shirt and jeans, and grabbing her purse, they headed out to her ‘vette, now parked outside the front yard of the ranch house.

She was barefoot, her spiked heels and dress fragments already stowed in the trunk, thanks to Kev somehow managing to get her keys out. He walked her to the car and caught her by the arm before she could slide behind the wheel. She almost dropped her purse in a puddle of water beside them.

“Hey.” His tone was low and husky as his hazel eyes met hers. “Dinner tomorrow night. You pick the place.”

Nicole tossed her long hair over her shoulder and gave him an appraising look. “You just want another good fuck.”

He raised his hand and brushed his knuckles across her cheek. She shivered at the intensity in his gaze. Not a look of lust, but a look of caring. A look that scared her absolutely to death.

“Seven. I’ll pick you up.”

Even as she started to shake her head, words spilled through her lips she didn’t intend to say. “We’ll eat in. My B&B.”

His hand moved from her cheek to cup the back of her head. Their lips met in such a slow and completely sensual kiss that it literally stole her breath away. They’d never seemed to be able to slow things down between them and their sex had been wild and rough, the way she liked it.

But that kiss…it thrilled her. She couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if he took it slow and easy with her.

When he broke the kiss, her breathing was shallow and uneven. She couldn’t take her eyes from his. “Don’t be late.”

He ran his thumb along her lower lip. “Never.”

It took a lot to tear herself away from that touch and to slide into her car. Kev waited until she started the engine, and then he shut the driver’s side door and stepped back. He hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and watched her, a serious expression on his face. As she drove away she checked the rearview mirror to see him striding away, back into his house.

She must be going out of her mind.

Nicole braced her hands on the vanity dresser in her bedroom and counted to ten.

She was
not
nervous, and she was
not
thinking anything but carnal, lustful thoughts about Kev Grand. This was all about sex for a month, and no strings attached. She was Nicole Landford, the woman who did not get seriously attached to any man, the woman who enjoyed sex for the sake of sex, and was unapologetic about it. She got a kick out of men, loved everything about them, but she never had a problem separating sex from emotion.

Then why hadn’t she been able to get the man off her mind from the time she left him until now, fifteen minutes before he was supposed to arrive? She kept getting lost in thoughts of what they’d shared this weekend. That day she’d managed to screw up a reservation, put double the amount of coffee beans in the grinder, water a fake plant, and put sugar instead of salt in the omelet she made for one of the B&B’s guests.

And here she was, dinner set up on the round table in her huge bedroom, with enough food to feed all the B&B’s guests, including herself and Kev. She’d cooked and baked all day. She had settled for more traditional fare, rather than anything too fancy. For appetizers she’d made extra-spicy hot wings, and stuffed jalapeños, since she’d learned Kev loved hot foods. For dinner there were barbequed baby-back ribs with her own spicy sauce, her special creamy mashed potatoes, fresh corn on the cob, hot corn muffins straight out of the oven, and a huge salad. For dessert there was her famous death-by-chocolate cake that everyone in Bisbee raved about.

She only hoped she hadn’t used salt instead of sugar in that recipe.

Nicole rolled her eyes to the ceiling of her bedroom. She really was losing her mind.

Today she’d e-mailed her cousins Bri and Lily to tell them how things were going on her part of the bargain. All she’d written them was she had found someone to have a real good time with. One thing she wasn’t about to tell them was how she kept thinking about Kev, after just one weekend. Instead, she’d been her usual flippant self. Of course she mentioned that she still didn’t think Lily would hold up her end of the deal. That girl was seriously in need of some good fucking. She was way too uptight.

When she couldn’t put it off any longer, Nicole smoothed her hands over her red thigh-length skirt then adjusted the matching button-up blouse that had a princess neckline. It was another favorite outfit and she hoped Kev wasn’t going to ruin it, too.

The mere thought of Kev ripping her blouse off shot a thrill from her belly to her pussy. She really should wear something else.

Nicole took a deep breath and headed down the stairs to the quaint reception area.

Kev stood just inside the doorway, his gaze focused on her as she made her way down the staircase. He looked so good in his western denim shirt, Wranglers, boots and his straw Stetson. Damn but the man was built. And those strong, calloused hands, she could just imagine him touching her everywhere with them.

Her belly flipped. Why was she nervous? This wasn’t like her at all. She raised her chin, determined that this man wasn’t going to get to her.

When she reached him, Nicole tossed her hair over her shoulder and gave him a teasing grin. “About time you made it—” was all she managed to get out before he cupped the back of her head and brought her to him for a rough and wild kiss. His masculine scent of male musk, sun and wind filled her senses, and his taste drove her crazy with need. She slipped her fingers up his chest and leaned into him, thrusting her tongue into his mouth. His body was so hard and muscular against her softness and she could feel the outline of a growing erection against her belly.

When he finally raised his head, Nicole’s head was spinning. All she could say was, “Wow.”

Kev gave her a sexy grin that about made her melt. “I’ve been dying to do that all day.”

“Dinner’s waiting upstairs.” She let her fingers slide down his chest to his waistband. “Don’t want it to get cold.”

“‘Cole’s been cooking up a storm,” came Joshua’s voice from behind the old-fashioned registration desk.

Nicole startled—she hadn’t even noticed him when she came down the stairs, she’d been so intent on Kev. She tried not to glare at the ponytailed clerk as she tossed him a look over her shoulder. “I wouldn’t exactly say that.”

“You two enjoy that, er, death-by-chocolate,” Joshua added with a mischievous grin.

Kev raised an eyebrow and the corner of his mouth quirked. “Sounds interesting.”

“Come on up.” Nicole gave Joshua a look that said
you’ll pay later
and headed up the stairs. She felt the heat of Kev’s gaze on her backside, and she wondered if he could see up that short skirt she was wearing. Her nipples tingled and her pussy grew moister. She wasn’t wearing any underwear, and if she got any hotter, her juices would be sliding down the inside of her thighs.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she paused to wait for him.

“A private dining room, I hope?” he said as they started to walk side-by-side down the hallway.

Nicole gave him what she hoped was a sultry smile. “You could say that.”

When they reached her room, she let him in and the door closed behind them.

Kev’s gaze landed on the four-poster, canopied bed first. “I think I’m gonna enjoy this dinner.”

Those damn butterflies went berserk in her belly again.
Argh!

When he saw the spread she had laid out on the mahogany table, he said, “Damn, woman. You know how to feed a man.”

Kev’s stomach growled so loud Nicole could hear it and she couldn’t help but grin.

After he took off his Stetson and set it on her bureau, he settled in one of the mahogany high-backed chairs and dug into the meal like he hadn’t eaten in ages.

A strange warmth settled in Nicole’s belly as she watched the man eat. She felt unbelievably comfortable sharing a meal with him, chatting and arguing so easily. It had to be because she had known him forever. Not any other reason.

Kev managed to put away two racks of ribs, three cornbread muffins, a hefty helping of mashed potatoes, a couple of ears of corn on the cob, and a good portion of salad. You couldn’t help but like a man who showed so much appreciation for a good meal.

“I have a question for you.” Nicole laid her fork on the table beside her plate, her gaze fixed on Kev. “Why did you deck Ryan when he was my date for the prom?”

Kev paused as he was about to bite into a cornbread muffin. “You really want to know?”

She nodded. She sure as hell did. “Yeah.”

He set the muffin down and eyed her straight on. “Ryan bragged to all the guys about how he had fucked you all night.”

Hot fury washed over Nicole and her spine went ramrod straight. “That bastard. I never screwed around in high school, especially with him.”

“I had a thing for you since the moment I met you.” Kev’s hazel eyes were dead serious. “I wanted to kill the sonofabitch.”

“Wow.” Nicole picked up her fork and pushed her food around her plate without looking up at him, but then glanced up. “I don’t know what to say.”

With a shrug he bit into his muffin, then finished clearing his plate. They chatted more, but she couldn’t believe he’d done that for her, all that time ago. She’d never given Kev the time of day, no matter how many times he’d teased her and had asked her out. She’d always thought he was just trying to rile her up.

“You are one hell of a cook, Nicole Landford.” Kev brushed his lips with a napkin then tossed it aside before meeting her gaze. “I’m really looking forward to some after- dinner sweets.”

That damn fluttering sensation in her belly wouldn’t go away. She reached out her hand and ran her finger over his mouth. “You missed a crumb or two.”

Kev slipped his lips over her finger and sucked. Nicole caught her breath and her nipples and pussy ached at the promise in his eyes.

When he let her finger slide from his mouth, he murmured, “Let’s try some of that dessert.”

Kev’s cock hardened at the thought of what he planned to do with whatever chocolate dessert Nicole had come up with. He tossed his napkin onto the table and pushed back his chair. He folded his arms across his chest, his gaze focused on her.

“Strip.”

Her eyes widened slightly and then a sensual smile curved those sexy lips of hers. “Dessert coming up.” With a little wiggle of her hips, she stood, a few inches away from him.

“Your blouse first,” he commanded.

Eyes focused on Kev, Nicole reached for the top button of her blouse and paused. He narrowed his gaze and she bit her lower lip. With slow, torturous movements, she unbuttoned the blouse, revealing a matching red bra. Her large breasts strained against the lace and he could see a hint of her nipples.

She paused after the last button. “What now, cowboy?”

Kev held back a groan and resisted rubbing his aching cock through his jeans. But he couldn’t help the huskiness in his voice. “Drop your blouse.”

Nicole let the red material slide down her arms to land around her red high heels. Kev could already picture her in nothing but those heels, her ankles around his neck.

He cleared his throat. “Pull your bra down, and leave it under your tits.”

With movements so slow that he knew she was trying to drive him out of his mind, Nicole pushed down one strap of her bra and then the other. When the straps were off her arms, she brought her hands up to the lacy cups and pulled down, her breasts spilling out into her palms.

Kev bit the inside of his cheek. Hard. “Play with your nipples.”

Nicole’s tongue darted out and she slowly ran it over her lips. She pinched and pulled her nipples at the same time.

“Suck them,” he nearly whispered.

Never hesitating, Nicole pushed up the large pale globes of her breasts and flicked her tongue from one nipple to the other.

It was all Kev could do not to reach across the few inches that separated them, yank up her skirt and fuck her right then and there.

He cleared his throat. “Are you wet, hon?”

Nicole raised her head but kept playing with her nipples, pinching and pulling them. “I’m so wet I can hardly wait until you fuck me.”

Shit. He couldn’t either. “Drop your skirt.”

She released her breasts and moved her hands behind her. He heard the soft sound of a zipper and then the skirt slid over her hips and landed at her feet.

Nicole wasn’t wearing any panties. Her curls glistened with her juices and her pussy lips begged for his mouth.