Rough Riders Bundle 1(books 1, 2, 3) (42 page)

A
loud snort
burst in Macie’s ear, startling her. A hard male body spooned hers. Strong, male arms snaked around her waist. A steady stream of air drifted over her temple.

Where was she?

Her father’s camper. Then she remembered the storm and Carter showing up.

She was in bed with Carter McKay. Oh man. She squirmed. The arms tightened. And something nestled firmly against her ass tightened too.

Macie’s pulse spiked.

Carter groaned, but made no move to release her. Instead, his right hand swept her belly to span the area between her hipbones. Just the very tips of his work-roughened fingers stroked the skin where the top and bottom of her pjs left a gap.

The continual, sensuous, rhythmic touch heated her blood. Tingles raced over her flesh, from her neck to her thighs, sending a rush of moisture between her legs. A man’s simple touch on her skin never caused this intense reaction.

She waited, expecting him to stir. Her mouth opened. Then closed. Did she really want to wake him? Did she really want him to stop touching her, whether it was conscious or not?

No.

His breathing didn’t change even when his hand dipped beneath the stretchy waistband of her pajama bottoms. The tip of his long middle finger breached the curls on her mound, and slid right between her pussy lips.

And stopped.

Macie bit her tongue to keep from crying out. Before she chickened out, she widened her thighs slightly.

Immediately Carter’s fingers slipped further down. Another soft groan rumbled from his throat as he found her wet. He rubbed his fingers through the juices gathering at her entrance and glided them back up.

At the first contact with her clit, she nearly shot straight up in bed.

He drew light circles, drawing out that elusive little nub of pleasure until she whimpered.

Then Carter’s first two fingers slid back across her swollen sex and slipped inside her.

This time she couldn’t help it; she gasped.

His husky voice whispered, “That’s right, darlin’, let me hear you.” Carter scraped his teeth across the cord straining in the back of her neck. “Let me make you feel good.”

As his fingers moved in and out of her, the base of his palm pressed her clit, creating the perfect amount of friction. Her eyes nearly rolled back in her head from the burst of pleasure. Still, she was afraid to speak, fearing if she did, he would stop. Or she’d wake up.

“Don’t be shy. You want this.” His fingers plunged deep. “I can’t wait until it’s my cock pushing inside you. Hearing my name as I make you come.”

His words, coupled with his hot breath and kisses dampening her skin, made her pump her hips harder into his hand.

“Let go. Let it happen.” Carter curled his fingers and stroked the magic spot on the inside of her pussy. The heel of his hand ground into her clit and the combination set her off.

Macie turned her head and opened her mouth to cry out, only to have Carter’s lips covering hers in a soul-stealing kiss. The pulses throbbed; inside her sex, outside under his hand, in her blood, in her head, in her mouth. The spasms multiplied in intensity with every searing stroke of his velvety tongue across hers.

Then he slowed and sweetened their first kiss as her orgasm ebbed to a faint, but steady throb.

Carter removed his hand, allowing a leisurely caress up the trembling center of her body. His damp lips drifted to her ear. “Good mornin’, darlin’.”

She felt so pliant she couldn’t find the strength to stretch her arms. She murmured, “That wasn’t a dream this time, was it?”

“No.” A soft kiss teased the nape of her neck. “What’s ‘this time’ mean? You been dreaming about me?”

“Will you get cocky if I say yes?”

He chuckled against her shoulder. “I’m already cocky.” He shifted his pelvis. The unabashed male hardness caused her belly to clench with want. “In more ways than one.”

Carter rolled Macie flat on her back. Leaving his bare leg draped over hers and their dark gazes locked, he brought his fingers—those long, clever fingers that had driven her over the edge—to his mouth and sucked them clean.

This time Macie’s pussy clenched, not her belly.

“Mmm. My favorite breakfast. But one sweet taste of you leaves me craving more, Macie.”

“Carter—”

He fastened his mouth to hers and his hot tongue swept inside to thoroughly share her taste.

She clutched his shoulders, yanking his full body weight onto hers. Macie jammed her hands through his hair and arched her hips against his erection.

The kiss grew desperate. Hungry.

Carter rocked his pelvis from side to side, rebuilding her sharp ache of desire. She raked her nails down his naked back, gripping the firm butt cheeks to do a little grinding of her own.

He broke the kiss on a soft, frustrated moan. “Macie.” He whispered, “Touch me. I’m dying to feel your hand around me.”

Macie said, “Yes.” Just as she reached between them, three thunderous raps sounded on the camper door.

Carter went absolutely rigid above her.

“Macie?” was shouted outside the window.

“Shit. It’s my dad.” She tried to shove Carter aside, but he wouldn’t budge. “Okay, don’t panic. We’ll pretend we were sleeping.”

The lust cleared from his blue eyes. “Why? There was nothin’ wrong with what we were doin’, when we both wanted to do it. Besides, you are an adult and—”

“—and he’s still my father. Catching us sleeping is a lot better than catching us dry humping, don’t you think?”

“Good point.” Carter jerked the covers over both of them and spooned against her.

“Macie? It’s me. I’m coming in.” A gleaming ray of sun cut through the camper walls and disappeared into shadow as the door shut.

Bootsteps thumped as loud as her heart.

“Honey-girl? Sorry ’bout leaving you alone last night. I tried calling you…” Then, “Christ Almighty, what in the
hell
are you doin’ in my daughter’s bed, McKay?”

Macie and Carter both sat up. “Carter came to check on me last night during the storm because the electricity was off. I asked him to stay.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t want to be alone.”

Cash frowned. “But—”

“That’s all you need to know, Dad.” She watched his braid swing as he automatically retreated a step. “Did you and Gemma run into any problems on your way back?”

“Yeah. Lots of trees are down. I think the electricity is still off, but I’ll fire up the generator for the camper.” He directed his glower to Carter. “Soon as you’re decent I need your help in the barn.” With that, he left.

Macie slumped back in bed as Carter used her toothbrush at the tiny bathroom sink. He didn’t bother to glance in the mirror or comb his hair. She admitted the curls looked cute all mussed up from her fingers.

He faced her. “Duty calls.”

“I heard.”

“If I’m lucky he won’t line up all the shitty jobs for me, after finding me in your bed.”

“Don’t count on it.”

He smiled. “So, when I’m done with chores today, will you come to my place?”

“To do what? Finish what we started before my dad interrupted?”

Carter lifted his eyebrows. “Don’t pretend it was one-sided.”

“I’m not.”

“Good. But the main reason I want you to come over is because I need you to pose for me.”

Not the answer she’d expected. “Seriously?”

Carter pulled on his jeans and she couldn’t help but stare at his ripped abs. Damn. She’d been so close to letting her fingers do the walking down that yummy muscled torso and beyond.

“Seriously. I never kid when it comes to art.”

Her gaze flew to his. He’d gone from playful to deadly serious. “I suppose. I’m not scheduled to work today anyway.”

“Work here on the Bar 9? That could be fun. You and me—”

“I’m not working here on the ranch.”

“Then where?”

Would a polite look of distaste cross his face when he discovered she was just a cook? “I took a job as a cook and a waitress at the Last Chance Diner.”

Carter’s eyebrows lifted again. “When did you do that?”

“The day we met at the rodeo. Dad and I stopped for supper and I saw the help wanted sign.”

“Ah. So are you any good?”

“At what?”

His hot gaze lingered on her mouth before a mischievous smiled curled his lips. “At cooking of course, what did you think I meant?”

“Can you blame me for being suspicious? Especially after all the innuendos dripping from your silver tongue?”

“Baby, those aren’t innuendos, but the gospel truth. And I can’t wait to show you all the tricks my silver tongue has in store for you.” The tight black T-shirt went over his head, covering up his abs of steel. Dressed, he grinned and leaned over her. “I’ll be back as quick as I can. Be ready.”

He brushed his lips across hers and vanished out the door.

*

Carter had to
remind himself no matter what went on with Macie, Cash was still essentially his boss. Surprisingly enough, he and Cash worked well together—albeit in complete silence. They unloaded the new mares and helped Gemma pick up the debris from the storm.

The morning was muggy. The wisps of clouds didn’t stifle the heat. Luckily the night’s rainfall kept the dust to a minimum. With three of them working, it didn’t take long to clean up the broken tree branches. By the time they finished, the electricity was back on.

After Gemma and Cash drove off to check cattle, Carter moved his truck from the ditch where he’d been forced to leave it during the storm. Before he climbed out, Macie emerged from the camper, twirling her car keys in her hand. It pleased him to think she’d been waiting for him.

He smiled and let his eyes roam over her. “Darlin’, you look—”
good enough to eat
“—great.”

Macie fussed with the straps on the long gauzy white dress. “Is this all right? I didn’t know what to wear.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Her gaze snapped to his. “No nudes. If this is where you tell me I’m supposed to get naked—”

“No. I’ll be working on portraits. Pen and ink or charcoal; I haven’t decided which. I’ll wait to see how the light is today.” She’d look stunning in any light. As he studied the angles and lines of her beautiful face, that intriguing expression appeared again.

“What? You’re staring at me.”

“Get used to it, ’cause I’ll be doin’ it a lot.” His comment seemed to make her more uncomfortable so he backtracked. “Doesn’t look like you’re ridin’ with me.”

“I’ll follow you in my car, that way I can leave when I want.”

He didn’t like it, but he managed a bland, “Fair enough.”

Carter’s place was a couple of miles up the road—shorter on horseback. Driving the potholed gravel road on autopilot, he imagined Macie riding bareback, a beaded buckskin dress sliding up her slender thighs, her curtain of silky hair flowing behind her as she rode wild and free across the Wyoming prairie.

The image froze in his mind. It would work as a still life as well as a medium-sized sculpture. He’d need to capture the texture of the fringe and the beads, the smooth line of her leg, the flexing muscles of the racing horse and the proud set to her chin.

So intent was his brain on cataloging the minute details that he jumped when a loud knocking echoed next to his head. The fog lifted and he saw Macie frowning at him through the driver’s side window. Carter glanced around. Whoa. He hadn’t realized he’d stopped the pickup.

Carter offered her a guilty smile before he hopped out of the truck. “Sorry. I lose track of time when I get to thinking. Come on. The studio is in the barn.”

Macie trailed after him without comment.

He gathered his supplies and attempted to create professional distance. “I want to take advantage of this light. So we’ll start outside.” He threaded the strap to his camera over his head and caught her staring at it.

“Are you going to take pictures of me?”

“Yeah.”

“So once I’m done posing for them I can leave?”

“Technically…yes.” His eyes searched hers. “But I want you to stay. Will you?”

After a moment she nodded.

“Good. Grab that stool.” By the time he’d arranged her, gazing across the field comprised of red dirt, gray rocks and acres of sagebrush, he’d entered the zone where everything boiled down to light and shadow. Nothing existed but curves, lines, and angles used to fill the blank white space on his sketchpad.

Carter expected her nervous chatter. But she may as well have been a statue. She didn’t speak. She scarcely moved. A couple of times while she’d been lost in thought he quietly snapped pictures. He’d managed a good outline when her soft sigh drifted to him on the wind.

Absentmindedly he asked, “Need something?”

“Yeah. To use the bathroom.”

He glanced at the timer clipped to his bag and cursed. Three hours had passed. “Sorry. We can take a break.”

Macie slid off the stool and ambled toward him. Automatically he closed his sketchbook—a move that wasn’t lost on her.

She frowned. “I’m beyond a break, Carter. I’m tired. I think I’ll head back to the ranch.”

“You can’t.”

She gave him a droll stare. “What do you mean I ‘can’t’?”

“I need you here. I’m behind on this portion of the show. I told you earlier I need you to stick around and you agreed to stay.”