Rough Riders Bundle 1(books 1, 2, 3) (74 page)

“When I realized we’re all headed the wrong damn direction, Kane.”

Kane blinked with confusion. “You seem to be the only one who feels that way.”

They finished the pot of coffee in silence.

Colt’s bedroom door was still closed as they headed out. “Think we oughta wake up Sleeping Beauty?” Kane asked.

“Nah. He deserves to get his ass chewed by Uncle Carson if he shows up late.”

“Or by Colby.”

Kade grinned. “Or worse yet, by Cord.”

“Ooh, that’s just plain fuckin’ mean, bro.”

“Not as mean as me calling Aunt Carolyn and telling her what an animal her son’s become. If she sees this place she’ll blow a gasket.”

“Yeah, but then she’ll tell Ma.”

“Almost be worth it not to live in a pigsty.”

“True.”

“So which one of us is gonna talk to him about all this crap?”

Kane clapped his hat on his head. “I’ll do it, but you’ll owe me.”

“Deal. What do you want?”

“Don’t know. Let me think on it and get back to you.”

Kade scowled. “I hate it when you say that.”

He laughed. “Why do you think I do it?”

‡

“Y
ou wanna dance?”

AJ smiled at the hunky cowboy. “Thanks, but no. I’m sitting this one out.”

A hopeful gleam lit his eyes. “Maybe later then?”

“Maybe.” If things didn’t go her way.

She crossed her legs and tugged her white mini-skirt. Pulled her lacy shirt down. Damn thing kept riding up and exposing her lower back. Her boot tapped on the metal rung of the barstool in time to the music. She tried not to look anxious, but Lord, she’d been waiting for this night her whole life.

Take a deep breath. He’ll show.

What if he didn’t? What if Cord McKay spent the day over-analyzing her offer like he over-analyzed everything else? She imagined him tooling around in his truck, doing chores, a look of concentration on his handsome face as he convinced himself he was too old for her. He had a kid to raise, a ranch to run and no time to be messing with his little sister’s best friend.

But then AJ remembered how hot Cord’s eyes burned every time he’d looked at her last night. He wanted her, but he didn’t
want
to want her.

Too bad. If he did show up, she’d pull out all the stops and make herself impossible to resist.

She scanned the bar. Decent crowd tonight, lots of folks she knew. Then again, she’d lived in Sundance, Wyoming since birth; there were few people she didn’t know. She waved at Bebe shooting pool at one of the back tables. Smiled at her buddy Liza and her fiancé Noah cozied up in a corner booth. When AJ spun back around, her pulse leapt. Her sexy fantasy man was chatting up the bouncers as he paid the cover charge.

Cord glanced up. Their eyes met. He moseyed along, checking things out.

She drained her beer, hoping he’d come to check her out.

Then Cord stopped in front of her. “I’m here.”

“I see that.” Her heart thumped wildly as his big frame practically cast her in shadow.

“Buy you another?”

“Sure.”

“Don’t go nowhere.”

“I’ll be right here.”

He ambled away, gifting her with a glimpse of his tight buns and muscular legs encased in dark blue Wranglers. A plain white shirt stretched across his wide shoulders. Oh man. Just looking at him made her melt. What would it be like to touch him? Feel that rough skin all over hers?

Only a few minutes passed before Cord was back. Maybe he was anxious too. He handed her a bottle and offered a toast. “To a new attitude.”

“I’ll drink to that.”

He rested his elbow on the table and studied her face as if he’d never seen her before. “You look different.”

AJ resisted the urge to smooth her hair or wet her lips. “Bad different? Or good different?”

Cord’s forceful gaze traveled from her mouth to her breasts and back to her eyes. “Oh, definitely good. Very very good.”

Her belly quivered.

“So, AJ…you weren’t pulling my leg last night?”

She shook her head.

“You up for some fun and games?”

Her mouth was so dry she just nodded.

“Flattered as I am… Why me? You gotta know any one of the young guys in here would kill to have a shot at you.”

AJ broke eye contact and scraped at the label on her beer bottle. Shoot. How was she supposed to answer that without giving herself away?

Cord’s rough hand curled over her wrist and he idly stroked her knuckles. Her stomach jumped again. She glanced up, overwhelmed by the lust in his eyes.

“Jesus. You have the sexiest mouth I’ve ever seen. I can’t think beyond tastin’ that mole by the corner of your lips. Runnin’ my tongue over it. Kissin’ every inch of it on the way back to kissin’ every inch of your mouth.”

Warning. Don’t let him sweet-talk you until you get a chance to speak your piece
. She blurted, “Do you wanna dance?”

“Not to this.”

“Why not?”

“Because the first time I put my hands on you, I want you close. Real close. Close as we can get with our clothes on without getting kicked out for lewd behavior.”

The silence between them grew. AJ felt her confidence slipping. This was not the way she’d envisioned her night of seduction.

Then take charge.

She finished the beer and hopped off the barstool. “I want your hands on me now, Cord.” She hooked her finger in his belt loop and towed him on the dance floor to the corner farthest away from the stage.

He placed his hot palm on the small of her back, urging her lower body against his, threading the fingers of his left hand through the fingers on her right.

AJ slowly dragged her palm up Cord’s arm just to feel his muscles before she rested her hand on his shoulder. “Isn’t this better? We can make the music fit our mood, not the other way around.”

“Seems you’re in a reckless mood.” Cord stared at her, no hint of a smile. “Why’re you flirting with me like this?”

“Besides that you are one hot, sexy cowboy?”

“Bullshit. Are you playing some kind of game with me? Seeing if you can get the old man hot and bothered and then flit away to laugh about it with your girlfriends?”

“No. Geez, Cord. You have such a high opinion of me.”

“Nothin’ personal.”

“Just women in general?”

“Yep.”

AJ let her fingers trace the ridge of his collarbone. “I wouldn’t tease you. But I will admit I have an ulterior motive in flirting with you so shamelessly.”

His eyes hardened. “Why?”

“Because I want something from you.”

“What?”

“For you to teach me everything you know about sex.”

Pause. “Come again?”

“Oh, I’d like to come again and again.” She smiled triumphantly at his stunned expression.

“You’d better be explaining that.”

“What I know about sex is what I’ve seen in the barnyard.”

“That’s it?”

“Well, that and some porn.”

He gave her another skeptical look. “Is there a reason you’re sharing this information with me?”

“Yeah, but it’s sort of embarrassing. You are looking at the only twenty-two-year-old virgin in all of Crook County.”

Cord quit moving, causing AJ to stumble into him. The man was rock solid. Heck, everything about him was firm and broad and hard. Very hard. Mostly his eyes right now.

“This is some kinda joke, right?”

“No.” She predicted he’d be suspicious, but mad? Yikes. She tried to snatch her hand from his to escape, like hightail it straight for the South Dakota border and not look back.

“Oh, no you don’t, baby doll. You
don’t
get to tell me something that fogs my damn brain over and then dart away like a scared rabbit. We are gonna discuss this, in detail, right now, since you brought it up, Amy Jo.”

She lifted her chin defiantly. “It’s AJ.”

“Fine, AJ.”

“Could we keep dancing? You sorta stopped.”

He spun them so his back was to the room. His deep blue eyes locked on hers. “Lemme get this straight. You ain’t never been naked with a man. Now that you’ve decided you’re ready to spread your gorgeous legs, you’ve picked…
me
to be the lucky one?”

“Yes.”

The muscle in his jaw snapped. He opened his mouth. Closed it. Finally he said, “Christ almighty, do you know what that does to me? Hell. You don’t, because you’ve never—”

“You can just say
no
, Cord.”

His lips curled oh-so-slowly, in a decidedly predatory grin. “Here’s the deal: I don’t wanna say no.”

AJ froze.

“Keep dancin’, you sorta stopped,” he teased.

Neither spoke for a few beats as they swayed together.

Cord placed his mouth to her ear. “But before I say yes, I’m curious about a couple of things.”

His hot breath sent shivers down her neck, tightening her nipples against his chest. “Like what?”

“Like why you’re still untouched. Because if this is a religious issue and if you’re lookin’ for a preacher and a wedding ring, I ain’t your man.”

“I’m not.”

“Good.” He sighed in her hair. “Then why are you innocent? You are sexy as shit. Don’t pretend there ain’t been men sniffing around.”

AJ angled her head to feel Cord’s smoothly shaven jaw rub over her cheek. Mmm. He smelled good. Warm skin beneath a hint of spicy aftershave. By the way his body tensed she figured he liked it when she rubbed him like a contented cat, so she kept right on doing it.

“AJ? You gonna answer that?”

“Okay. When did
you
notice I was sexy as shit, Cord McKay?”

He laughed softly. “Got me there.”

“Exactly. I haven’t been with a guy before because”—
I was too busy working my ass off
—“I didn’t date in school. When Keely and I moved to Denver there were lots of guys sniffing around, but I was embarrassed to admit I’d never done it.”

“Nothin’ to be ashamed of. I still don’t get why me. Lots of young fellas around here—”

AJ stopped dancing and jerked back from him.

But his iron grip didn’t waver. “What?”

“Say no, but do
not
try to convince me that Mikey is a better choice for my first lover than you. Don’t treat me like a child who can’t choose between a grape or a cherry lollipop. I’ve thought this through. If you don’t want a piece of me, say so and walk away.”

“I want a piece of you, baby doll, like you wouldn’t fuckin’ believe. Just had to make sure this wasn’t something you decided on the spur of the moment.”

“It’s not.”

“Then c’mere. You’re gonna hafta get used to havin’ your body against mine.” Cord pulled her even closer. “Get used to feelin’ my hands on you. All over you. All the time.”

Her hormones did the happy dance.

The band segued into a slow, mournful ballad and AJ’s eyes drifted shut. She lost herself in the sensation of finally being where she’d always dreamed: in Cord McKay’s arms.

“How much experience
do
you have?” Cord murmured.

“You ask a lot of questions.”

“I expect an answer to every damn one.” His lips brushed her temple. “Where all’ve you been kissed besides your pretty mouth?” Cord’s free hand slipped up her waist to her ribcage. His thumb lightly stroked the bottom swell of her breast before sweeping higher, across her nipple, until it was a hot, tight point. “Here?”

Her breath hitched. “Ah. No.”

He twirled them, dancing backward, smoothly inserting his leg between hers. “Here?” He pressed up so she was riding his thigh. “You ever had a man’s mouth tastin’ your sweet spot?”

AJ softly moaned at the exquisite pressure and heat of his hard muscles rubbing her tender flesh. The thought of his tongue licking there made her throb with want.

“Yes or no?” he growled.

Dizzy, she managed, “N-no.”

“Has any man ever touched this pussy?”

“No.”

“You’ve touched yourself? Made yourself come?”

“Yes.”

Cord hissed. “You’re drivin’ me crazy, thinkin’ of all the things I’m gonna do to you. How many different ways I can make you come.”

“Show me.” AJ tightened her thighs around his. “Show me it all.”

“Remember you said that.” He blew softly in her ear and she shivered like a newborn babe. “Soon as this song ends, I’m goin’ outside. Meet me by my truck in ten minutes. This is between you and me. No one else needs to know what we’re doin’. Understand?”

“Uh-huh.”

The final drumbeat sounded and Cord eased away from her. AJ locked her knees to keep herself upright.

“Ten minutes. And you’d better not be wearin’ them sassy panties.”

‡