Her Cowboy Lover (Pleasure Ridge Ranch) (2 page)

"Is it okay if I come closer?"

She nodded then remembered he couldn’t see her. "Yes."

He approached slowly, and Lily found herself straining to pick out anything about him that might tell her more about this man who’d been sent to fulfill all her fantasies. She listened as his boots clonked against the wooden front steps. When he reached the top of the steps, he stopped and held out his hand. She tried to focus on what he held but couldn’t make it out.

"I brought you something I think you’ll like," he said.

"What is it?"

"Why don’t you take it and find out?"

She glanced at his face but couldn’t make out his features beneath the brim of his hat. Confident that he couldn’t see hers either, she took a step out onto the porch, just enough to be able to reach what he offered. A zing of awareness traveled from her finger up her arm as he placed his hand beneath hers to steady the transfer. She was so focused on the warmth and slightly rough texture of his hand that it took her a moment to realize he’d hand her a small plate. She lifted it close enough to make out white icing and what appeared to be fruit atop it.

"Strawberry shortcake?" she asked.

"The best you’ll find in Nevada."

She looked up at him again just as Connor tipped the front of his hat up a bit. She still couldn’t see his face, but she thought she saw him smile. And no matter what he looked like or the fact that he was on the clock right now, his simple gesture touched her.

"Thank you. It’s one of my favorite desserts."

"Lucky guess on my part then."

Lily looked down at the dessert and fought back tears. She shook her head at her foolish reaction. For all she knew, Connor brought desserts to all the women he bedded. Still, she couldn’t shake the light feeling in her heart.

"Would you like to come in?"

"It’s up to you," he said.

He hadn’t said much, but already she liked his voice. It was the kind of deep, masculine voice that made a woman’s body tingle. The kind that made you believe you could listen to him read legal contracts and swear up and down it was the most fascinating thing you’d ever heard.

Finally remembering that it was her turn to speak, she took a step back and said, "Sure."

He followed her inside, and her nerves fired up like they were at a clogging competition. Connor halted just inside the door as she walked across the room to place the miniature cake on the dining table. Wanting to put off figuring out how to initiate the sex part of the evening, she turned halfway toward him in time to see his movements as he placed his hat on a hook by the door.

"Would you like to share this with me?"

"I brought it for you."

"And I don’t want to eat it alone." She hoped her words didn’t sound as desperate and lonely as she felt inside. It still amazed her sometimes how she could feel so lonely when she had good friends, a loving family, and work she enjoyed. But there was a hole that none of those things could fill. Most likely Connor wouldn’t fill it either, at least not long term, but for just this one week she wanted to pretend that he could.

Connor moved toward the kitchen and retrieved two forks. The ease of his movements made her think about how many times he’d likely been in this cabin and others like it, how many times he’d been with other women. But that shouldn’t matter. He wasn’t her boyfriend, her husband or even someone she knew. After this week was over, she wouldn’t know him if she passed him on the street. He was a fantasy man, a dream, here to make her forget the real world.

When Connor pulled out her chair, she smiled and sank onto the seat. "Thank you."

"You’re welcome." He slid onto the chair across from her, allowing the table between them to give her a barrier she still needed.

Not knowing what to say, she instead took a bite of the cake. The sweetness exploded on her tongue. "Oh, my God. This is awesome."

Connor chuckled. "Chef Andre strikes again."

"Be careful, I might trade you in for him."

This time, Connor barked out a laugh. "I’m afraid you might be disappointed. You don’t have the right parts."

"Who said anything about sex? I’d just have him make me desserts all week."

Connor laughed again, and she found herself joining in.

"You have a nice laugh," he said.

Her first thought was that he had to say that, but she caught herself before she voiced that. "Thank you. Yours is nice, too." It was true. The sound of his laugh made her smile, something she didn’t do often around men. That alone made her believe this trip was a good idea.

They ate in silence for a couple of minutes. When Connor set aside his fork and leaned back in his chair, she glanced up at him. Though she couldn’t see his eyes, she knew that he was watching her and she forced herself not to fidget.

"Is there something you’d like for me to call you?" he asked.

"I’m sorry?"

"A name you’d like to use."

She scrunched her forehead, wondering if people used false names when they came here. She’d never thought about that being an option, despite Heidi’s assurances of privacy. "My name is fine."

"Which is?"

Heidi must not have told him. "Lily."

"Pretty name."

"Thanks." Suddenly uncomfortable with the falseness of the small talk, she stood and carried the cake to the refrigerator. Keeping her back to Connor, she placed the remainder of the cake in the fridge and quickly shut the door, extinguishing the light it let out into the cabin.

When she turned around, she noticed Connor was standing.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked.

The note of sincerity in his voice caught her off guard, especially after her thoughts that their conversation had been wrapped in a layer of falseness. "No. Sorry. I’m...just not used to compliments."

"I wasn’t saying it just because you’re a guest here," he said. "Lily is a pretty name."

She bit her bottom lip, not knowing what to say or how to move forward. In that moment, she wished she was one of those women who were forward and carefree, the ones who could grab a man and drag him to bed, have wild and crazy sex with him and walk away afterward. She’d half convinced herself that she could do it, but now serious doubts were creeping in.

"We can take this as slowly as you want," he said.

"I don’t know if I can do it at all," she said, hating how her voice quavered.

"That’s okay, too," Connor said as he took a slow step closer to her. "But you came here for a reason. It’s possible that this all might be easier if you stop thinking about who you are in your real life. This isn’t real life, not on this ranch, not in this cabin."

As she listened to his words, she suddenly wondered if he was talking about himself as much as he was her. Who was he? What was his life like outside of who he was here? Why did he do this for a living?

She closed her eyes and lowered her head. She couldn’t think about those types of things. Instead, she needed to focus on what he’d said, that this wasn’t real life. That who they were here had nothing to do with who they were beyond the confines of this ranch. She deserved that much, to be able to do whatever she wanted with no consequences, no questions, no regrets. Before she could tell herself why she shouldn’t, she lifted her gaze and walked toward him. She settled her hand on the back of his head and dragged his mouth down to hers.

There was a moment of surprise on his part, but only a moment. Then his mouth moved over hers, and his tongue slipped against hers as he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer. He tasted of coffee and strawberries, and the solid warmth of his body against hers caused her to moan into his mouth.

As if they had a mind of their own, her hands slid through his hair. In return, his hands roved over her back then lower, lower until they rested against the top swell of her hips. His fingers pressing into her flesh, bringing her closer to his arousal. The feel of what their contact was doing to him sent a thrill of power through her, something she’d felt very little of in the past three years.

Connor’s words echoed in her head again, and she decided to wait no more. She wasn’t Lily Gibson here. She was just Lily, a woman who wanted to feel ecstasy and abandon and freedom from the restraints of her daily life.

"Make love to me," she said against Connor’s wet lips.

"You’re sure that’s what you want?"

His question surprised her again, but oddly it made her want to be with him even more.

"Yes. It’s why I came here."

Connor’s hands shifted away from her hips. He took her hand in one of his and led her toward the bedroom.

* * * *

Once they were in the bedroom, Connor turned and immediately started to unbutton her blouse. To keep her nerves at bay, Lily tugged on Connor’s belt, slipping it free then releasing the button below. Her hands halted when Connor spread her blouse wide and lowered his lips to the swell of her breasts.

Lily gasped just as he slipped the front clasp of her bra free. She let her head drop back, inviting Connor to taste as much as he wanted. He wasted no time in letting his tongue blaze a trail toward the tip of her breast then taking it fully in his hot, wet mouth.

"Oh, yes," he said. She pushed aside the flush of embarrassment at her wantonness, determined to think about nothing but the delicious sensations vibrating throughout her body. She grabbed the back of Connor’s head, digging her fingers into his scalp and pushing his mouth down harder on her.

Connor opened wider and took more of her in. His tongue danced around the tip of her breast in fast circles, driving her mad with desire. And then he began sucking, eliciting a moan from her worthy of a porn flick.

Wanting to feel more of him, she grabbed the two halves of his shirt and yanked them apart. Buttons pinged off the floor. "I’ll pay for a new shirt," she said between ragged breaths.

Connor lifted his mouth from her breast. "I’ve got more."

She ran her hands up his smooth chest then over his shoulders, ridding him of his shirt. She couldn’t see his chest, but it felt like perfection. Nicely sculpted muscles. Warm, taut skin. A raw sensuality that she didn’t have to be able to see to feel.

Connor tugged her close and lowered his mouth to hers. Her head spun as she kissed him back, long and deep and hungry. Her core began to throb, and waves of heat pulsed outward over her skin.

She wanted him, wanted him now before the person she was outside this ranch came roaring back and made her stop. She grabbed his zipper and yanked it down. Connor followed her lead, and within moments they were both standing in a pool of their jeans, their shirts tossed who knew where. Only underwear remained, a thin layer of fabric that barred the point of no return.

Connor’s lips left her mouth to trail a parade of kisses down her neck to her breasts. She imagined a path of tiny flames left in the wake of his mouth’s passage. He pressed one hand firmly against her back as he took her breast into his mouth again and resumed the wonderful sucking sensation. He skimmed his other hand across her stomach. When his fingers slid below her panties, she arched against him.

"You like that?" he asked, sounding as if he were asking permission.

Oh, yeah, she did. But it wasn’t enough. "Don’t stop." Her real self tried to make her doubt what she was doing, but she shoved it ruthlessly away. "Don’t talk. Just do."

Her words still hung in the air when he slipped two fingers inside her, spreading her wide. It was enough to make her feel wetter than she had in longer than she could remember. Even pleasuring herself, when she’d been in total control, hadn’t made her this wet.

"Oh, I’m going to come already," she said, sad that it would be over so quickly.

Connor’s breath wafted past her ear. "Don’t worry. We’ve got all night. Plenty of time for it to happen more than once."

More than once. That had never happened. Just the thought of it caused her temperature to go up what felt like several thousand degrees. She gripped Connor’s shoulders as his hand moved faster and faster. Without thinking, her body started moving against his hand, bucking like a wild horse. When she came, she held on tighter to Connor’s arms for fear she’d fall and make a fool of herself.

"Don’t worry," Connor said next to her ear. "I’ve got you."

Lily’s heart turned over. She closed her eyes to try to stop the crazy thought that he cared. He didn’t. He was just a man she’d paid for sex, and judging by what had just happened he was very good at his job.

She would not think about how deep down she wanted this to happen with someone she loved, with someone who loved her.

With a growl of frustration at herself for her inability to stop thinking so damn much, she shoved Connor backward until he bumped into the bed. Another nudge and he fell back onto it. It didn’t take her long to get rid of her panties and his underwear. Before she lost her nerve, she climbed atop him and let his length slide inside her.

Connor let out a primal moan of male pleasure, and she’d swear her insides tingled at the sound. He lifted against her, and in the next moment they’d found what felt like the most natural rhythm. She rocked against Connor, safe in the knowledge that he couldn’t see her face, that she was anonymous beyond her first name.

His big hands came to rest at the bend of her legs where her thighs met her hips, and his thumbs rubbed against her mound each time she surged forward. The sweet friction only added to the pleasure of feeling the hard length of him slip in and out of her center. She threw her head back, her long hair swaying against her bare back as she gave herself over totally to the sensations that could only come from the joining of a man and a woman.

The moment her muscles began to contract around him, she sensed he was getting close to release as well. He lifted himself to face her and wrapped her in his arms. Together they rode out the waves of their releases.

Afterward, Connor collapsed back onto the bed, bringing Lily with him.

"I think you’ve killed me," he said with laughter in his voice.

"You seem very much alive to me."