Second Burn Cowboy (Second Chance Series Book 6) (16 page)

CHAPTER TWELVE

ELSA’S HEART WARMED. She felt so good. Deckland felt so good. She couldn’t imagine anywhere else in the world feeling safer than being in the arms of a cowboy who coaxed her into revealing bits and pieces of herself. He trusted her enough to reveal his heart condition, so why couldn’t she divulge secrets? She longed to spill her past, expel the demons that, like he said, chained her.

Sighing
heavily, she looked up into his magnificent blue eyes. They filled her with calm and serenity. Or maybe the alcohol soothed her apprehension. Whatever it was, her wall crumbled, at least enough to disclose some.  “Deckland, I was married before.”

He kept a poker face. “You
and about half the population. No surprise.”

Deckland wasn’t her normal type of man, but the description of what she found attractive blurred. She’d had a pattern of dating bad boys, over and over. It was time to break that pattern. There was a helluva lot of
sparks between her and Deckland. What woman could resist a man as good-looking as he was? Beautiful eyes, charming smile, shoulders that were broad enough to carry the world. But there was more to him than his looks—a lot more. He was a man that could make a promise and she could trust him. Trust was a strong word, something she knew nothing about. He treated her so well and he was so kind. She’d never met a man like this and it scared the hell out of her.

Once upon a time, she wanted the American dream. Marriage, kids, dog and a happy home. It didn’t t
ake long for her to realize there was no dream happiness. At least for her. Yet, Deckland made those old feelings surface again, made her wonder if it was possible to have everything she’d wanted—even children.

When loud laughter came from behind her, she jumped. Deckland chuckled. “It’s okay, sweetheart.
I’ve got you.”

Hi
s words threaded holes through her resistance. She melted into him, soaking in his warmth and protection.  “I could lose myself here, with you.”

“No worries
. I won’t bite, but I’ve been known to nibble at times,” he whispered next to her ear, sending shards of desire through her. His words made her remember what it’d been like lying naked in his arms as he brought her to orgasm.

Tom’s bitterness pushed through her bliss.

“You’re cold and useless in bed!”

He’
d spoken the words enough that they’d grounded into her brain. She didn’t want to allow her ex to take up space inside of her mind. He didn’t deserve it. But she wasn’t sure how to extricate all of the bad things. Deckland seemed to like her in bed, but Tom’s words remained fresh in her thoughts.

She pulled away. “I—I should go.”

“Elsa?”

Without a glance his way, she started for the door. Once outside, the humid air made sweat moisten between her breasts.
A few seconds later, she heard heavy footsteps and knew they were Deckland’s.

“Forget something?”

Turning, Deckland held her shoes in one hand and her purse in the other. “I don’t need you to take care of me.” A gust of wind swept across her, sending grit over her face and in her mouth, making her sputter.

“So you say. Let’s get in the
truck before you choke on dirt.”

As stubborn as she was, she knew when it was
useless to argue. She couldn’t walk home, wherever that was, because a crack of thunder warned a storm was brewing. He opened the passenger door and waited. With an exhale of pure frustration, she marched the short distance and slid in. She was hot, buzzed and tired. Now she was coated in a layer of dust. Could things get any worse?

When he slid into the
driver’s side, she lifted her chin and caught his grin. Yes, they could get worse. “What is that look about?”

“What look?” H
e stretched his gaze across the seat.

“The one of gratification. I think you like being the hero.” She knew she should be grateful that he was helping, and yet she couldn’t control the anger that sliced
through her. Relying on someone else wasn’t easy.

“Damn, Elsa. Accept m
y help for what it is. Would you rather I let you walk in this?” Just as soon as his words left his mouth, the sky opened up and unloaded a waterfall of rain.

“I guess not, but I could have gotten a ride with Tucker,” she snapped.

“Tucker left, remember? And he was the one who called and told me where I could find you.” He didn’t make a move to start the engine.

“I’m not a child. I can take care of myself.” His brow lifted in doubt
, and more frustration raced through her.

“W
hen a woman says that she can take care of herself, when it’s evident help is needed, she’s usually hoping someone will voluntarily help.”

Huffing, she rolled her eyes. “
I’m capable of doing things myself!”

He took off his hat and tossed it up on the dash. She could see the harsh line of his jaw in the dim
outside security light. “What I’m saying is that you have had a string of bad luck here. It’s not a sign of weakness to allow others to help. Do you always take things in a negative way?”

“Pretty much.” She laid her head back on the headrest.

He started the engine and a burst of cold air washed over her heated skin. “Feel better?” he asked.

“Some.”

He leaned forward and adjusted the vents. Lightening lit up the night and thunder boomed. The inside of the truck took on a new atmosphere. “When will you stop pulling away?”

She swallowed th
e constriction in her throat. “Never. It’s who I am.”

“No, it’s who you choose to be as
a method of protection. You’ve been hurt and you think by keeping others out you can keep from getting hurt again. Being alone isn’t the answer.”

“Deckland, you have no clue why I am who I am. Trust me when I say, you sho
uld make things work with Aspen. She’s beautiful and it seems she has her life in order. And I’m, well, not.”

“Fine!” He threw the
truck into reverse, backed out, throwing rocks. “I’m done trying to convince you that you should do a lot more feeling and a lot less thinking. Have it your way, Elsa.” Her name sounded like a curse on his tongue. He slid into drive and slammed the accelerator.

They drove in
silence. Staring out the window as the raindrops pelted the window, she dared not look at him. If she did, she knew she’d bleed every word of her pain. She’d probably expose too much.

From here on out, she needed to be careful.
She didn’t want anything bad to happen to Deckland at the hands of her maniac ex. Deckland didn’t deserve the cobweb she had spun around him.

She clasped her hands in her lap,
wringing them together as frustration dribbled across her nerves. Tom had possessed her with his cruelty, and she was tired of living under his thumb. He’d hypnotized her into believing she was nothing. It had to stop!

The storm had passed as they p
ulled into Brooke Creek. She stared through the window as the clouds passed and the moon had a special glow.

“Stop, Deckland!”

“What?”

“Pull over h
ere.”

He barely had the truck in park before Elsa opened the door and jumped out. Barefoot, she raced thr
ough the wet grass.

“What are you doing
? Where are you going?” Deckland yelled from the truck.

“You coming?”
she called over her shoulder.

“Where are we going?” He was next to her in no time.

“I’ve never skinny dipped, but I’ve always wanted to.” Laughter bubbled up in her chest.

“Skinny dip? You have bad timing. The air’s a bit nippy.”

“I don’t care. For the first time in a long time, I want to feel—just feel and not think. This was your idea, remember?”

He sighed
. “Yeah, I did say that. But I wasn’t referring to a midnight swim.”

She stopped and turned on her tiptoes, crossing her arms over her chest. “Are you chicken, Deckland Brooke?”

Laughing, he shook his head. “Chicken? Nope, not the problem.”

“Then what is it?” Cocking a brow, she
waited, tapping her foot against the grass.

“You’ve been drinking. Hell, you might drown.”

“Pathetic excuse. You know as well as I do I’m only tipsy, not drunk, and it’s fading fast.” She dipped her fingers to the hem of her shirt and dragged it over her head. “So, let’s make this quick before I sober and think this through.” She dropped the shirt at her feet. “Unless you’re scared.”

“Is that a challenge?” His husky voice sent goosebumps across her skin.
He bent and picked up her shirt.

“Call it what you will, but I’m going in—with or without you.” With a saucy flip of her hair, she swirled and took off for the edge of the water.
Once there, she undid her jeans and slid them off her legs, giving them a toss with her big toe. Casting a quick glance over her shoulder, Deckland was standing a few feet away. Testing the water with one foot, she shivered. “Yup, it’s cold.”

“Told ya,” he said
grumpily.

“But not too cold.” Without
further ado, she stepped in and, at a turtle’s pace, walked until she was swathed to her hips. “Aren’t you coming?”

A frog croaked and crickets chirped.

“This was on your bucket list, not mine, sweetheart. I’ll watch from the sideline and let you get your fill.”

“Fine, suit yourself. That means you can hold this for me.” She reached be
hind her, unclipped her bra and gave it a toss. He caught it against his chest. With a wink, but uncertain whether he saw it, she dunked into the water.

****

Thank you, moonlight.

Deckland skimmed hi
s hungry gaze over her almost-nude body. He couldn’t see much but a silhouette, but he’d explored her body enough to know every curve, every dip and cranny. Once she removed her bra, his imagination worked harder and his mouth watered. He brought the wisp of material to his nose and dragged in her sweet scent and his cock twitched, stretching the confines of his jeans.

To hell with cold water…

He dropped her intimate garment and quickly removed his clothes, including boxers. He hesitated at the edge of the water, knowing his gonads were going to shrivel like raisins, never a good thing for a man. The only way to do this, just like when he was a kid, was to dive in and suck it up.

So he did.

The initial shock of cold on his warm body took his breath away, but once he adjusted, he waded up next to Elsa and grabbed her thigh. She squealed and splashed him, but he was already ducking his head and swimming around her, pinching her bottom.

When he emerged, she was still standing in the same spot
, laughing. “Don’t go under like that. It scares me.”

He laughed. “Really? Can’t you swim?” She gave her head a shake. “Seriously? And you wanted to
get in the water and swim?” He swam back to her side.

“I didn’t say
I wanted to swim. I said I wanted to skinny dip. Big difference.”

“None at all.”
He rolled his eyes. Her teeth clattered and he smiled. “Let me ask, have you fulfilled this adrenaline rush for tonight?”

“Y-yes.”

“Good. Let’s go.” He took her hand and together they walked back to the grass. Once they were on dry land, he gave her a side-glance. Her teeth were still chattering. Without thinking, which was the theme for the night, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the truck. “I’ll turn the heat on and we’ll warm up in no time.”

Depositing her in the passenger seat, he
hurried around the front and slid into the driver’s side, his naked ass chilled against the leather. Turning on the engine, he adjusted the vents toward her as the heat kicked in.

“We forgot our clothes.” Her teeth had stopped
rattling.

“Yes, we did. I’ll grab them when
I dry some. In the meantime,” he reached behind her seat, “I have a blanket.” He unfolded it and spread it over her. “Better?”

She gave him a ragged nod. “I can’t believe we did that. But I’m glad we did.”

Once the cab was warm and his body parts were no longer shriveled, he relaxed some. “Well, here we are, naked in my truck. This doesn’t happen often, I assure you.”

“Ahhh, but as a
teenager I bet you were the target of many young girls’ desires.”

He lean
ed against the door, moving his gaze to where the edge of the blanket grazed the tops of her breasts. “I had too many other things on my mind…football, college, helping at the ranch.”

“If I’d known you back when we were teens, I’d have lusted after you.” Her voice danced over his skin like the
whispers of a cherub.

“How about now?” His voice was thick and
constricted.

“Can I be brazen enough to say that if my panties weren’t already we
t, they’d certainly be moist?” Her gaze tumbled down his body and stopped on his groin. “I see you’re warming up everywhere.”