Rough Riders Bundle 1(books 1, 2, 3) (75 page)

C
ord hadn’t known
what’d happen tonight. Hadn’t been entirely sure she’d even be here. He hadn’t expected AJ to ask him to teach her about sex and he sure as hell hadn’t expected her to be a virgin.

A virgin.

Sweet baby Jesus. Had he ever been with a virgin?

Not that he recalled.

So why was he considering bedding the virginal AJ? She knew nothing about taking and giving pleasure. In truth, who was he to talk? Cord hadn’t been in a steady sexual relationship since his ex-wife left him. Sure, in the last couple of years he’d slaked his lust on rare occasions, but did that qualify him to teach her?

Hell yes. Actually, it offered the perfect chance to prove to AJ (and himself) that screaming-raw-hot sex owed nothing to love—just to lust and opportunity, both of which had been sadly lacking in his life lately. With Ky gone for the next few weeks…and AJ home temporarily…it was a win/win situation for them both.

Plus, being the first man to stroke that baby soft skin everywhere, to fuck that tight pussy with his fingers, his tongue, his cock. Those possibilities stirred primitive instincts he’d never believed he owned.

Cord heard bootsteps to his left. He watched AJ’s approach with open appreciation. Damn. Her breasts swayed provocatively. Every roll of her slender hips sent the miniscule white skirt brushing across the tops of her thighs. Would she move that sinuously under him? On top of him? On her knees before him?

“I thought you might’ve changed your mind,” he said softly.

“Not at all. It’s just…” Her gaze flicked from him, to the cab of his pickup, to the tailgate and back to him. “Where are we doing this?”

“Baby doll, I ain’t gonna throw you up against my truck and fuck you senseless for your first time.” He grinned. “But that don’t mean it ain’t a future possibility.”

AJ stared at him with those beautiful big silvery eyes.

“C’mere. Can’t touch you when you’re standing so far away.”

Cord offered his hand and walked backward until they were hidden in the space where the cab of his truck ended and the truck bed of his diesel pickup started. He curled his hands around her face, bringing her lush mouth to his.

She started to twine her arms around his neck. Cord growled, “Keep those hands by your side ’til I say otherwise.”

“Okay.”

He brushed his lips back and forth over the curved warmth of hers, then kissed a path to the tempting mole. A couple of light tongue flicks and he returned to her succulent mouth.

AJ’s breathing was erratic. She’d licked her lips, leaving them moist and slightly parted. Cord darted his tongue inside, groaning at the sweet taste of mint and AJ. He angled her head, nibbling, licking, coaxing her tongue to play with his. She let him do whatever he wanted, but she wasn’t the eager participant he’d anticipated. “You gonna kiss me back, AJ?”

Her eyes were a stormy gray. “Not if you don’t let me use my hands.”

“Fine. You can use—”

Then her hands were gripping his hair and she smashed her mouth to his.

No gentle exploratory kiss; she thrust her tongue in and devoured him. Tasting, sucking, God,
biting
, taking him to a whole new level of need with her hunger. AJ held nothing back, she kept kissing him harder, urging his mouth open wider, feeding him long, deep, wet kisses, touching his face, tugging his hair when he attempted to move away, stoking the fire higher until he was afraid he’d combust in his Wranglers.

Cord ripped his mouth free. “To think I was crazy about your mouth before I knew you could use your mouth like this.”

“Don’t stop,” she panted against his throat. “Please don’t stop. I want you. Kiss me again. And again. And—”

He cupped her face and took her mouth in a brutal show of possession.

AJ met his demands with unrestrained passion.

He bit a path up her jawline to her ear, keeping his body against hers. “Need to touch you.”

“Yes.”

“Hands back by your sides. That ain’t a request.” Cord teased her with fleeting, soft kisses, his hands slid down her throat to the buttons on her blouse. He unhooked them one by one, dragging his callused fingertips from the smooth skin of her belly to her bra. He sprung the front clasp and peeled the lacy cups back. Her heavy breasts filled his waiting hands.

She shuddered. “Cord—”

“Let me.” His rough thumbs strummed her nipples. “God, you’re so pretty. All creamy and soft and sweet.” He rubbed his goatee and openmouthed kisses across the upper swells of her breasts. Cord curled his tongue around a rigid tip.

AJ arched into him.

“Like that?” He lapped and licked and blew a stream of air across the wet buds, but never sucked them completely. He glanced up at her when she made a frustrated noise.

Her top teeth dug into her bottom lip in her effort not to cry out. Yet her curious gaze remained on him.

Cord bent his head and suckled her. Hard. Deep. Thoroughly.

“Oh. I really like that.”

He switched sides, taking his time, losing himself in her taste and the feel of her in his mouth. She writhed when he pushed the soft mounds of flesh together to tongue both nipples at the same time. “I wanna suck these as you’re riding me. I wanna feel these tips digging into my thighs as you put your mouth on me. Do you want that, AJ?”

“Yes.” She bumped her hips to his; her body knew what it needed even if she wasn’t sure how to get it.

As Cord kissed his way up to her neck, his hand inched down to the hem of her skirt. A few teasing strokes and his fingers crept up the inside of her silky thigh.

AJ’s whole body tensed.

“Open your legs for me, baby doll.”

She closed her eyes, allowing her head to fall back against the truck as her knees widened.

His fingers brushed her naked, damp sex. “You did take off them sexy panties. Good sign that you obeyed me.” He nibbled on her ear. “You are wet. Means you like what I’m doin’ to you.”

“Uh. Yeah.”

“Look at me.”

Her eyes fluttered open.

Cord swirled his middle finger around her opening, coating it with her juices before he pushed it inside, greedily watching her face to see her response to the intrusion.

She gasped.

“Does that hurt?”

“N-no.”

He pumped his finger in and out a couple of times before he added a second finger. “You like that?”

“Yes…but…”

“But what? Tell me.”

“I-I…don’t know. It feels good, but I want…more. Even when I don’t know what more is.”

He thrust his fingers deeper and swept his thumb across her clit. “This kinda more?”

“Oh. That feels so good.”

Cord latched on to her right nipple, suckling strongly, twisting his fingers inside her, increasing the friction on her clit. His cock was hard as a baseball bat, and he was tempted to grind it into her hip, but the only thing he cared about was making her come. Watching her come.

Her legs shook. She started to moan. He softly bit down on her nipple. And AJ lost it. Her clit throbbed beneath his thumb. She squeezed her legs together trying to shove his fingers deeper into her channel. Her fingernails pierced the back of his neck as she urged his head closer.

It was one of the hottest things he’d ever seen and he’d forgotten her hands were supposed to be by her sides. So fucking unbelievable he was the first man to touch her this way.

Cord waited until she’d caught her breath before he removed his hand from between her legs.

She peeked at him from beneath lowered lashes, smiling shyly. “Wow.”

He pinned her arms by her side and kissed her for several long minutes. “Come home with me. There’s lots more I can wow you with tonight.”

“I can’t.”

“I thought you wanted—”

“I do want this, and I want you. I’m not playing hard to get, Cord. But the reason I’m home is to take care of my mom. Jenn and I trade off, depending on her schedule. She’s been there all afternoon and she’s leaving at eleven. Someone has to stay with Mom in case she needs something and tonight that’s me.”

Cord stared at her as she refastened her bra and buttoned her blouse. “Why didn’t I know this?”

“I’d planned on talking to you earlier, but I forgot while we were dancing. And then we came out here and, Lord, I couldn’t think straight when you started touching me. See?” She laughed and pointed at the crooked row of buttons. “So I understand if you’ve changed your mind and wanna back out.”

“Hell no, I’m not backin’ out. I have a ranch to run during the day anyway. Can you come to me at night?”

“Probably right after supper.”

“Tomorrow?”

She nodded.

“And every night after that?”

“If that’s what you want.”

“Oh, I want all right. We need to talk about something else anyway.” He shoved his hand through his hair and paced. “I ain’t about to ruin your reputation and mine because once we start this, I know I can’t keep my hands off you.”

“That’s bad?”

“Jesus, yes that’s bad. I can just hear the goddamn cradle robber jokes. So what happens between us stays between us and will be conducted in private. No exceptions. We ain’t gonna go dancin’ or out to dinner. And it’s all gotta end when Ky comes home.”

“I’ll be headed back to school around then anyway.”

“Good enough. As far as birth control?”

“I’m on the pill.”

Cord stopped moving. “A virgin on the pill? Why?”

“About six months ago I was having some female issues and our school health clinician advised I get on the pill.”

He smiled. “No condoms. I’m down with that.”

“You are…clean?”

“Yes.” Cord slapped his hands beside her shoulders, caging her in. “Something else you oughta consider, AJ. I’m demanding in bed. Very demanding. Since we’ll only be spending a few hours a day together, I’ll expect all that time will be naked time. And you better be prepared to say yes to whatever I ask or tell you to do.”

“Within reason.”

He lifted a brow. “Got a few conditions?”

“Yes. I won’t be cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, dishes or floors—even if you have some master/slave fantasy and command me to do it naked.” Her silvery eyes narrowed. “And don’t think I haven’t heard the rumors about the wild McKay men and their appetite for kink, threesomes and whatever. No multiples. Just you and me. That’s it.”

“Deal. But that means you
will
give me control. If I’m teaching you, we’ll do it my way. Anything I want, any way I want, any time, any place.” Cord layered his body to hers, rubbing his cock into the soft notch between her thighs. “Feel how hard I am? You did that to me, baby doll. I’m gonna have to go home and jack off in the shower, imagining it’s your hand around my cock. So when you come to me tomorrow, you’ll owe me one.”

“I can’t wait to pay up.” AJ gave him a flirty kiss and vanished into the night.

‡

“S
weetheart, what time
did your sister say she’d be here?”

AJ glanced at the clock. Jenn was over an hour late. “You know she always runs behind.”

And of all the times for Jenn to be late…AJ should’ve been at Cord’s house thirty minutes ago. Just thinking about what he might have planned made her heart race.

She slapped a lid on the goulash and wiped down the counters. Done. She’d be in her Jeep the second Jenn and her kids arrived.

AJ carried the mug of tea to the living room, which had become a hospital room since her mother’s accident. A big adjustable bed inhabited the space, seeming out of place in a room fraught with doilies, lace, and ruffles. AJ’s stomach clenched to see her stalwart mother bedridden. She’d never thought of Florence Foster as old—even though she’d recently turned sixty-one.

Age was merely a number, but AJ couldn’t deny her mom was getting on in years. Her mother looked at least a decade younger than her biological age, but AJ noticed Florence slowing down when she’d come home for visits in the last year.

Work-roughened hands reached for the mug. “Thank you. You’re the best daughter ever.”

“You’re just saying that because I don’t fight over the remote with you the way Jenn does.”

“What does she see in those blasted reality shows?”

“Beats me.” AJ smoothed the bedcovers and straightened the stack of
Western Horseman
magazines. “You need an extra pair of socks?”

“Stop fussing, child. Lord, you’re as bad as me. Now I understand how smothered you must’ve felt all those years.”

AJ looked up. “What years?”

“When you were growing up, but your daddy and I couldn’t help it, sugar. We were just so thrilled to have you in our life, our surprise baby, my early menopause gift. And how did we repay you? By slaving you during your teen years.” Her mother’s eyes teared up behind her glasses.

“Mama, you trying to make me cry?”

“No. Just feeling like an old fool. You finally get off the ranch to start your life and now you’re back here again, stuck taking care of me.”

She handed her a Kleenex. “My life didn’t ‘start’ when I went to school in Denver. My life has always been right here. So stop feeling guilty or I’ll gorge on all the brownies to comfort myself.” AJ kissed her crinkled brow. “
Stuck
. As if. Glad I still have you to take care of.”