Outlaw (29 page)

She nodded. “Good.”

Cole looked at her, wondering if hospital details
was why she’d really come to his room. Hoping it wasn’t.

“So, you know, you may not be able to ride for a
week or two. But we’ll take good care of you until you’re-” she broke off as he
approached her, slowly.

“You’ll be my own personal nurse?” He smiled. “Does
that include sponge baths, darlin’?”

She looked away, unable to meet the look in his
eyes. Afraid he would see in her eyes, what his nearness was doing to her. “I
hardly think that will be necessary.”

“I guess we’ll just have to see how I do.”

She looked back to the things on the dresser, and
began to fiddle with them. “I…I just wanted to thank you again for what you’re
going to do for us tomorrow.”

“She’s my daughter, too, Angel. You don’t have to
thank me for anything. It’s what I’m supposed to do. What I want to do.”

She nodded, looking down. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean
to sound-”

He slowly closed the distance between them. Stopping
just in front of her, so close she had to look up at him. His hand closed over
hers, stilling its movement.

Her eyes traveled over his bare chest, his arms
hanging at his sides, the jeans unbuttoned, showing the line of hair that ran
from his navel, and disappeared into his jeans.

Cole watched her gaze move over him, and a ribbon of
desire snaked through him. His hand withdrew from hers, and he made no further
move to touch her. She was going to have to make the first move this time.
Although considering she had just come to his room dressed in only a football
jersey, maybe she was making the first move.

Angel hesitated, looking up at him.

His eyes darkened.

There was so much she didn’t know about him anymore.
That girl she’d seen him with, was he with her? Was he with anyone?

He saw the uncertainty in her face. “You don’t need
an excuse to come to me. You know that don’t you?”

She looked in his eyes. “Don’t I?” she asked in a
whisper.

He shook his head. “No,” he murmured.

Her eyes skimmed over his muscles. My God, but he
was beautiful.

He took a deep breath, letting her look her fill.
“You gonna touch me with your hands, the way you’re touching’ me with those
eyes, sweetheart? Cause the anticipation is drivin’ me wild.” He took a step
toward her, and she backed up. He followed, until her back came up against the
wall. He stared intently into her eyes. “Touch me.”

She stared back at him, and swallowed. “I…I don’t
think that would be such a good idea.”

He watched the rise and fall of her chest as her
breath quickened. His gaze moved back to her eyes. She was staring at his
chest. “You want to. You know you do. I can see it in the way you’re lookin’ at
me, Angel.”

She shook her head. “No, I should go. I-”

He slid his hands up on the wall on either side of
her head, trapping her. “Look. See, no hands.” He stared down at her, their
mouths just a few inches apart. “I won’t touch you. I promise.”

She turned her head, her nose practically touching
his bicep. Her eyes followed along his arm, across his shoulder, up his neck,
to his eyes. “You’ll keep your hands on the wall?”

He held her gaze, and whispered, “I swear.”

“No matter what?”

He grinned. What did she have in mind? “No matter
what. Until you say different.”

She took a deep breath, and reached up with both
hands. She touched his wrists, and moved her hands gently over his forearms,
his biceps, and then his shoulders. She watched the muscles in his neck move as
he swallowed. Her hands caressed his neck, one on either side, sliding up to
cup his face.

His eyes slid closed, and he turned his face into
the palm of her left hand, touching her the only way he could, rubbing against
it, pressing a kiss to the center of her palm. He turned back, and looked at
her.

He dipped his head down to kiss her mouth, but she
pulled back, and shook her head. “Uh-uh. I’m in control this time.”

He pulled back, and looked into her eyes, waiting.

She leaned in, and kissed his neck right below his
left ear.

He groaned, and his eyes slid closed. He tilted his
head to the side, giving her more access. Her lips were soft, and then her
tongue flicked out, and touched his skin, and he groaned again. He felt her
hands move down over his chest, and his eyes came open, and he looked down,
watching her hands move over him. My God, he didn’t realize how difficult this
was going to be. He already wanted to pull his hands away from the wall, and
pull her into his arms, wanted her body pressed up against his.

She bent her head, and followed her hands with her
lips.

His eyes slid shut again.

Her hands moved slowly down along his sides, and
then across his stomach.

He instinctively sucked in as her ticklish touch
moved to his navel, and then he opened his eyes, and watched as her fingers
followed the line of hair that disappeared into his jeans. His eyes connected
with her. He held her eyes as she slid her hands to his zipper, and unzipped
it. Then her hands slid inside, and pushed his jeans down. He wore nothing
under them. She bent, and pushed them all the way down. He stepped out of them,
kicking them aside. Her hands slid up his legs, and he sucked in his breath.
She stood back up, her hands running up along his bare hips, touching him
everywhere but where he wanted her to touch him most.

He looked into her eyes. “You’re killing me, babe.
Let me touch you.”

She smiled at him, enjoying the affect she was
having on him. Glad her touch was able to arouse him this much. She wanted to
drive him wild with desire, until he wanted her as much as she wanted him. It
thrilled her to know the power she welded over him at this moment. “Not yet.”

She saw the muscles in his jaw move.

“Do you have any idea how hard this is?” His palms
clenched into fists.

She looked down over his body, and then back into
his eyes, and smiled. “I can see how hard it is.”

“Yeah, and it’s all for you, sweetheart. Let me give
it to you.” He leaned into her, and nuzzled her neck, inhaling her intoxicating
fragrance.

She shook her head, and stepped under his left arm,
moving around behind him.

He started to pull his arms from the wall, thinking
she’d quit this game.

“Put your hands back. You swore,” she said sharply.

He complied, glancing back over his left shoulder at
her. Watching her. He felt her hands moving over his back, and then lower, over
his ass. She clenched her hands, kneading him. Then she reached around him,
running her hands along his pelvis bones, and down his inner thighs, teasing
him mercilessly. Driving him to the brink with wanting. A tremor ran through
his arms as he leaned on them, pushing against the wall. “Be careful,” he
warned, with one eyebrow raised.

She pulled her hands back around to his sides, and
kissed her way along his back, moving around to his right.

He turned his head to look over his right shoulder,
following her with his eyes.

“Or what?” she asked.

“Or you’ll be sorry, when I finally get my hands on
you, baby doll,” he whispered with a grin.

She ducked under his right arm, standing in front of
him again. She slid her hands up his chest again, pausing ever so briefly on
his nipples. She leaned up, and kissed her way up his neck. She whispered in
his ear. “How will I be sorry?”

He looked down into her eyes, and then leaned down,
bringing his mouth to her ear, and whispered, “I’ll tell you how. I’ll bring
you to the very edge of an orgasm, baby. And I’ll keep you there, not quite
letting you have it. For every minute you make me wait, I swear I’ll make you
wait an hour.”

She stared up into his eyes. Did he mean it?

“I keep my promises, Angel.”

The thought thrilled her, and she pulled his head
down for a long kiss. When they came up for air, she whispered, “What would you
do right now if I let you touch me?”

He leaned down, bringing his mouth to her ear, and
whispered back, “I’d yank that jersey over your head. I’d spin you around to
face the wall, and I’d drive into you, hard, all the way to the hilt, baby.”

Her breathing quickened. “But you won’t do that,
will you? That’s not what I want.”

He lifted his head from her ear, and he looked deep
into her eyes. “I could make you want that.”

She saw the smoldering look in his eyes, the desire
burning in him. She shook her head. “No,” she panted.

He nodded, “Yes. You know I could.”

She stared up at him, knowing he was right.

He watched her tongue dart out, and lick her lips
nervously. It was his undoing. “Tell me what you want then, and I’ll give it to
you,” he hissed through clenched teeth, his forehead dropping to press against
hers. “Whatever you want, baby. I swear.”

“I want it gentle, Cole. I want you to be gentle
with me.”

“Then I’ll be gentle. I swear. Fuck, I’ll do
whatever you want, baby. Just let me touch you, please.”

“Yes.”

“Yes?” His head came up, and he studied her eyes.

She nodded.

His hands slid from the wall. He was breathing hard
now. She’d teased him to the brink. And still he made no move to touch her. Now
that she’d released him from his vow, he hesitated.

She looked up at him questioningly. She touched his
face with the palm of her hand, and leaned up, and kissed him softly. Her mouth
moved to his neck, just below his ear. “Do you know that kissing you on that
spot, right there, really drives me wild?” she whispered, pulling back to look
up at him.

He looked down at her with glittering eyes. He
couldn’t stop himself from taking her face in his hands, and claiming her mouth
with his.

Her hands ran over the muscles in his upper arms.

He lifted his head, and looked down into her eyes.
There was something he had to know first. “Tell me you didn’t come here out of
gratitude, that this isn’t some type of payment for tomorrow.”

She shook her head. “I’m here because I can’t stay
away. Because I lay in my bed, and can’t stop myself from thinking about…” she
swallowed. “About your hands on me-”

His kiss cut off her words. It was all he needed to
hear. He kissed her with all the pent up need he’d felt since she’d walked back
into his life, since he’d first seen her standing there, next to that SUV a
couple of weeks ago. He broke off long enough to whisper, “You look about
sixteen in that jersey.”

She reached up to kiss him again.

“Take it off,” he demanded, his voice husky with
need. And then, before she could respond, his hands were reaching for the hem,
and pulling it up over her head.

She sucked in a breath at suddenly being exposed.
She watched his eyes darken with desire as they moved over her.

His eyes came back to hers, and he swallowed. “Turn
around.” He couldn’t resist. He had to know. He needed to see if the tattoo was
still there.

She slowly turned around.

His gaze dropped to the small of her back. He
smiled. “It’s still there. You didn’t remove it, or cover it.”

She looked back at him, and shook her head.

He ran his hand over it, his fingers lightly tracing
the outline.

Angel’s eyes slid closed at his touch, and her mouth
opened slightly.

His eyes followed his fingers. “I’m glad. I
wondered. That night in the motel room, it was all I could do to keep from
pulling your blouse up to look.” He looked up at her then, and saw the affect
his touch was having on her. He turned her back around, and gathered her to
him, tossing the shirt aside. They met chest to chest. Bare skin to bare skin.

Angel’s hands came down on his shoulders.

He leaned down, and kissed her, his hands running
over her. He turned, and backed her up until her legs hit the bed, and then he pushed
her back onto it. He came down on top of her, kissing her deeply.

As she felt his weight on her, she gasped.

Cole felt her suck in a breath as she pulled back
from the kiss. He rose back slightly, and looked into her eyes. He gently
brushed the hair back from her face, and whispered, “I’ll be gentle, baby. I
swear.”

She nodded. “I know. It’s just that…it’s been a
while for me.”

“You mean sex?”

She nodded.

“When?” He studied her, waiting for her answer.
“When was the last time? Tell me.”

“You,” she whispered.

He sucked in a breath, as the joy her answer gave
him surged through him. And suddenly this became all about her. Her needs. Her
pleasure. Vowing to himself to make her long wait worth the while, he lowered
his mouth to hers, kissing her softly, trailing kisses down her throat to the
valley between her breasts. And then his mouth was climbing to her nipple. Her
hands ran over his hair, and framed his face, pulling him closer. He sucked on
it, and her back arched off the bed. His strong arms slid under her back,
holding her bent back over them, exposed to his mouth. He took his time,
driving her to the brink, over and over.