Long Hard Ride (22 page)

“He brushed the dirt from his jeans as he moseyed toward me. The whole time he kept coming at me, taking those slowly measured steps; his eyes never left my face. It was like I was the only one in the arena.

Like I was the only one in the world. And then I knew.”

“That you loved him?”

She smiled again, but it was wistful, slightly sad. “That came later, but not much later. No. I knew then that quiet power and understated grace were the true measure of a good man, not the size of his belt buckle or his intentions.”

“What happened?”

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“He stopped in front of me. He reached out and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. Then he ran his rough fingers down the line of my jaw. It was the first time he’d ever touched me. So softly, yet, so…confidently.

Like he knew just what I needed. He said, ‘Gemma Mae, don’t you think it’s time you quit foolin’ yourself and come on home with me where you belong?’”

Tears pricked Channing’s eyes and she swallowed hard.

“I went home with him that night and never looked back.”

“Omigod. I think I’m gonna cry. That is the most beautiful, romantic story I’ve ever heard.”

“Yeah, it is. Come to think of it, you’re the first person I’ve ever told that to.”

“Now I’m really gonna start bawling.”

“Well, you can understand why I’ve been a little reluctant to bring another man into my life and into my bed.” She grinned saucily.

“Especially when gentleman Steve Jansen had moves between the sheets, in the barn, on the kitchen table and anywhere else the mood struck him that’d probably give your Colby a run for his money for inventiveness.

The last thing Steve ever was, in or out of bed, was boring. God, he was good. With one look he could heat me up like fire and melt me like butter.”

“I’m sorry that’s he’s gone, Gemma.”

“Me too. Not only do I miss Steve every goddamn day, I miss that daily physical connection. I miss sex. But when you’ve had twenty-five years of bust-the-bed-frame-scream-out-loud-raw-and-sweet-and-raunchy sex, I’m afraid anything else would be a let down. But what I wouldn’t give for a second chance to have it again.”

Channing wasn’t the least bit embarrassed by Gemma’s brutal honesty. The answering silence between them wasn’t clumsy, just thoughtful.

The grass crunched behind them and Gemma craned her neck.

Cash Big Crow stepped around the heap of beer cans and leaned his shoulder into the side of the horse trailer. “Evenin’, ladies.”

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“Cash, were you using your Indian stealth again to sneak up on us and listen to our private conversation?” Gemma demanded.

“Gemma!” Channing said, appalled.

Cash didn’t smile. In fact, he had the oddest expression on his face.

He didn’t look at Channing either, but at Gemma, even as he addressed his comments to Channing. “Don’t mind Gem. She knows I wouldn’t show her my secret Indian tricks unless she asked me nice.
Real
nice.”

“Keep dreaming,” Gemma said.

He chuckled. “I will. Channing, I tracked you down to tell you Colby is lookin’ for you. You want me to walk you back?”

“No, that’s fine. I can find my way.” She stood and stretched. “Thanks for the beer and the girl talk, Gemma.”

“Anytime. See you bright and early, right?”

“Right. I’ll be here with bells on.”

“Have a good night. Ride ‘em hard, girl.”

Channing snickered and gave Gemma a high-five.

Cash cocked his head and looked from Channing to Gemma. “I’m afraid to ask what
that
meant.”

“You should be.” Gemma sailed to her feet. “Then again, it’s more of a

‘hands on’ thing anyway.”

“Yeah? Well, luckily I ain’t got nowhere to be right now. You could demonstrate by puttin’ your hands on me all you want.”

Gemma laughed, a trifle nervously.

Cash took another step closer and frowned. He lifted his hand and rubbed his fingertips across Gemma’s forehead. Gently. Three times.

“What are you doing?”

“You got a smudge of dirt right there, and a piece of grass stuck in your hair. You been rollin’ around in the hay?”

“There’ve been no rolls in the hay for me for a long time,” Gemma retorted.

“That’s a damn cryin’ shame,” Cash said softly.

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The air thickened. Channing held her breath, feeling like an interloper.

“Ah. Well, good night, Cash.”

“’Night, Gem. Sweet dreams, sweetheart.”

Cash turned to Channing. “Come on, I’ll walk you over anyway.”

After they’d reached the horse trailer, Channing said, “You know, Cash, you really should take a more direct approach with Gemma. The Indian stealth stuff isn’t working. She doesn’t have a clue that you’re so crazy about her.”

Before his face could turn any redder, Channing blew him a kiss and closed the door in his face.

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Chapter Fifteen

The lights were off inside. Neither Trevor nor Edgard were stretched out on the floor. Where were they? She peered at the sleeping area.

Chances were slim Colby was asleep if he’d sent Cash looking for her.

“Colby?”

“’Bout damn time you came back. Where’ve you been?”

“Talking to Gemma. Why? Did you miss me?”

Pause. “What do you think?”

“I think if you’re gonna be a jerk to me I’ll turn around and leave and go back to drinking beer with Gemma.”

“Sorry. I’m just bored. A bit lonesome. And yeah, I missed you, okay?”

She smiled in the darkness. “Okay. You need anything before I come up there? Ice for your hand?”

“Nah. I’m fine.”

Channing climbed up and flicked on the wall lamp at the head of the bed.

Immediately, his left bicep covered his face. “Ow. My eyes. Shut that damn thing off.”

“Poor baby.”
Click
. Back into shadows. “How do you feel?”

“Honestly? My hand hurts. My ribs are tender. And I’m so goddamned horny I’ve been layin’ here, thinkin’ about whackin’ off for some quick relief. Except my right hand is all bandaged up and I ain’t so good at goin’ lefty.”

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She laughed and leaned over to nuzzle his neck. “How about if I offer you some relief? I ain’t so good at going lefty either. Maybe it’d be better for both of us if I used my mouth.”

“Uh. Yeah. Your mouth. Uh. Yeah. That’d be good.”

Colby? Tongue-tied? She didn’t know whether to be touched or nervous. “Since it’s dark in here and I don’t want to hurt you, guide me to where you want me.” She placed her fingers on his lips, tracing the warm fullness.

He kissed them, briefly sucked her index and middle finger into his mouth, then he wrapped his hand around hers and shifted the covers back to set her palm on his erect penis. At some point he’d taken off his boxers so she just felt him. Long. Thick. Hard. Hot. Ready.

Channing scooted down Colby’s body, avoiding bumping his upper torso. She’d rather take a shortcut and trail soft healing kisses and touches over his bruised ribs. But she knew he’d rather have a trail of hot, hungry kisses down his cock. A couple of quick hard strokes and she brought him into her wet mouth.

Colby groaned and arched, trying to shove his dick in deeper. Which lasted about a second because he winced in pain and dropped back to the mattress, letting his cock slip free from between her lips.

Channing knew Mr. Take Charge preferred to grab her hair and direct her mouth to where he wanted it. But since Colby was banged up, he didn’t get to be in charge. His immobility would give her a chance to decide on the level of participation she’d allow him. For once, this was all
her
show.

Heh heh. This was going to be
so
fun.

“Channing, darlin’, I can’t move much, so you’re gonna hafta—”

“Do whatever
I
want. My, my. Isn’t this a turn of the tables?” She flicked the stiff tip of her tongue back and forth over the magic spot under the cockhead. Then she retreated to blow a stream of cool breath on the moist area.

He hissed.

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She played with him. Sucking him deep into the slippery recess of her mouth until her lips brushed the base of his cock. She built a seductive, calculating rhythm with firm strokes of her hand and teasing tugs of her wet mouth that almost sent him soaring over that dark edge.

Twice. But she stopped both times to nuzzle his balls. Lapping at the tight sacs like a cat. She’d roll them in her mouth like she was sucking a lollipop.

When his whole body started to shake she knew it wasn’t from a fever. Powerful stuff, being in charge. She’d have to try it more often.

Her firm lips nibbled up and down the sides of that straining length of rigid flesh until it quivered against his belly. A little lick here, a little lick there. She avoided the tip weeping for her attention.

Colby groaned and shifted his hips slightly. “Now you’re just bein’

mean.”

“No. It’d be mean if I stopped entirely. And if you complain again, that’s what I’ll do.”

“You wouldn’t.”

Channing made as if to leave.

“Okay, okay! I believe you. Jesus. Don’t go, darlin’. I’ll behave.”

She smirked and let her hair drift up his battered body, over and over—a thousand little lashes of pleasure on his sensitized skin.

He shuddered and said, “That feels so good. Everything you do to me feels good.”

She licked his neck, much like she’d licked his cock and he moaned.

After toying with his earlobe with her tongue and teeth and breath—

which drove him crazy—she whispered, “Where’s the lube?”

One-handed, Colby frantically patted the area beside him and then pressed a cold metal tube against her arm.

She drew back. “You already had the KY up here? Pretty confident, aren’t you, cowboy?”

“No. Just hopeful. I’m an optimistic sort of guy; I think you forgot that about me, shug.”

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Optimistic. Right. The man was just plain cocky. Channing flipped the cap open on the lube. Instead of warming the gel in her hand first, she squirted a cold line of it straight down his dick.

“Jesus Christ!” He shot up and froze at the sudden pain the movement caused before he flopped back down. “Shit. That’s cold.”

“You’ll get used to it,” she murmured and began to work him methodically with the slippery friction of her palm.

“I deserved that, didn’t I?”

“Yep. But you deserve this, too.” Channing kissed the blunt end of his cock, opened her lips wide and slid that glorious smooth male skin past her teeth, over her tongue until his shaft was buried as deep as possible in her mouth.

With one hand she feathered her fingers over his balls as her hungry mouth pumped him faster and faster, letting the lube and saliva mix together until he was sopping wet everywhere, as she knew he liked it.

She liked it, too. God. She loved going down on him, as evidenced by her own thighs, sticky from arousal.

Colby began to pant and grind his hips into her face, whispering,

“Please, please, yes, God, don’t stop, yes, ah, like that, more, oh, baby. I fucking love this. Goddamn you’re good at that. YES.”

The second his balls lifted, she swirled her middle finger around the wetness coating him between the legs and slid it into his anus.

“Fuck!” He sat up, grabbed her hair and held her in place as he started to come.

She kept her lips wrapped around his cock as he pulsed and exploded in her mouth. She hollowed her cheeks and sucked, swallowing every hot spurt, losing herself in his taste. In the power of making this strong man relinquish control. To her.

“Channing, my God what are you doin’…”

She lovingly lapped the tip of his semi-erect cock and wiggled and thrust that digit harder, deeper inside his tight back channel. Colby went utterly still, then he clenched his muscles, bore down hard, grinding his ass into her hand and he came again around her pumping finger.

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Colby grunted but stayed upright as she pulled back completely.

“You’re gonna fuckin’ kill me. That was so goddamn good that if I died tomorrow, I’d die a happy man.”

It hit her then. Colby really could die tomorrow. Something could go wrong with the broncs or the bulls or even his horse and he could be dead in a matter of less than eight seconds.

Oh God. The thought of this resilient man being a bag of broken bones. The thought not seeing him ever again. The thought of him cold, dead and buried. She remembered the sad look in Gemma’s eye when she talked about losing the love of her life. And the fact that Channing felt exactly the same way meant…

She was in love with Colby McKay.

She scrambled back on her knees.

Of course Colby sensed her distress. “Chan? Darlin’, what’s wrong?”

“Um nothing. You should lie down and rest.”

“Not until you tell me why the sudden change from red hot to icy cold.” He paused. “You aren’t ashamed of anything we’ve done, are you?”

“God, no. It’s just…you’re hurting and you should be resting not wasting time screwing around with me.”

Colby snagged her by the shirt and hauled her up short until they were nose to nose. “That’s about the dumbest, goddamn thing I’ve ever heard you say. Nothin’ we do when we’re alone together is a waste of time.”

“Let go.”

“No.”

Channing jerked away, and Colby winced, but he gritted his teeth and held on to her.

“See? You’re hurt and you’re in pain and I can’t stand it. And what’s worse is I can’t stand the thought that this will keep happening to you.

Next time maybe something even worse—” Her voice broke.

“Ssh. Take a deep breath.” He brought her forehead to his lips.

“That’s what this is about? Me gettin’ hurt today?”