Wildcard (5 page)

* * * * *

Trace waved her sister and new brother-in-law off as Jake’s black truck sped down the dusty road. They had a holiday party to attend in Tucson, and had decided to spend the night at a resort there, rather than making the hundred-plus mile drive back the same night. Dee had wanted Trace to come, but Trace had begged off, telling her sister that she still needed to recover from jetlag. Besides, she had to let Harold know she’d arrived safely, and she wanted to e-mail Lani and a couple of her other friends, too.

For a moment she stayed on the porch, enjoying what was left of the early evening sunshine. The December desert air smelled so fresh and clean. Over the Mule Mountains to the west, the sun hung low, teasing the sky with wisps of lavender, peach, and mauve. Blue, Dee’s Border Collie, raised his head and sniffed the wind, then trotted off toward the barn.

Trace turned her gaze to the east, to the tawny mountains rising behind the ranch. She’d explored those mountains many times with her sister when they were younger. Memories of the fun times they’d shared returned clear and crisp, like they’d happened last week instead of years ago.

A glint caught her eye, coming from the mountain. About where that little hideaway of Dee’s and Jake’s used to be—several quick flashes. Like a mirror reflecting the sunlight. Probably some campers, or hikers. Maybe even some illegals, sneaking to greener pastures.

Trace ran her palms up and down her upper arms, rubbing away the evening chill as she turned on her heel and headed back into the house. After she shut the door tight behind her, the complete quiet of the house settled over Trace, reminding her of times she’d been home alone as a teenager, and Dee had been off working the ranch. Would she ever get over the guilt of having left all the ranch’s responsibilities to Dee?

Pausing in mid-step, Trace’s gaze drifted over family photographs displayed prominently around the room. Pictures of her with Dee, of each of them alone, and with their parents. After their father took off with his new wife and left them alone, Trace had refused to contact him. He never took the time to see how she was doing, so why should she bother?

Trace moved to one of the end tables, stopped in front of her senior photo, and slid her fingers along the wooden frame. In the picture her face was pudgy, her smile soft and wistful. Despite the wire framed glasses she used to wear, her green eyes were bright and full of hope for the future.

Next to her senior photo was a recent picture of Dee and Jake. She was standing in his embrace, her face tilted up to his, and the way he was looking at her with so much love, it made Trace’s heart ache with both pleasure for her sister, and envy for herself.

She still couldn’t believe Dee was married to Jake, after all these years. Trace had to admit they made the perfect couple now, as they had a decade ago. There was so much fire and passion between the two of them then, and now…
wow
. To have sparks like that. Trace hadn’t thought that kind of passion between a man and a woman could possibly be real—just something she’d read about in romance novels.

That was, until she’d met Jess.

With a groan of frustration, Trace jerked herself away from the photographs, skirted the Christmas tree and started down the hall. Why the hell did that cowboy keep popping into her mind? Maybe what she needed was a nice, long, relaxing bath.

Better yet, a dip in the hot tub would be perfect. They’d always kept it heated and had used it year round. Knowing Dee, it still would be ready for use.

In her bedroom, Trace kicked off her Nikes and yanked off her socks, then ditched her jeans and t-shirt. After she’d donned a short terry robe over her bra and underwear, she grabbed a thick towel and headed out to the hot tub in the enclosed backyard.

The French doors squeaked as she opened them, and then again as she closed the doors behind her. There was a definite coolness to the air by Arizona standards, and the steam rising off the top of the water in the sunken tub was a welcome sign. Thank goodness Dee had the outdoor heaters set up close to the hot tub to take the chill out of the air. The pole heaters were easily six feet tall with tops that looked like woks turned upside down.

Trace tossed her towel onto a deck chair and flipped on the heaters. In moments their elements began to glow rich orange-red, the same color as the sun sinking in the west. After she turned on the whirlpool jets, Trace dropped her robe onto a lounge chair. For a moment she stood on the redwood decking in only her royal blue satin bra and panties. With one little adjustment of her hairclip, she piled her hair up on top of her head so that it would stay out of the water.

The whirlpool bubbled and frothed like a witch’s cauldron—even the lights beneath the surface appeared green and eerie, as though it truly was a magical potion. She started forward then hesitated.

What the hell.
She was alone—the backyard was completely enclosed. It was secluded and hidden from view by countless trees and bushes, so no one could see her. And Dee and Jake would be gone ‘til tomorrow.

Trace stripped out of her bra and bikini underwear, her nipples growing painfully hard in the cool air. When she walked in front of one heater, its warmth radiated along one side, the chilly air brushing her other side.

She stepped down into the hot tub and sighed in complete bliss as she sank into the warmth and settled onto the underwater bench. Jets of water pulsated along her skin while she breathed deep of the clear and clean country evening air. She’d forgotten how dry the Arizona desert was—it felt somehow lighter here than in England.

While she relaxed, for the millionth time her thoughts returned to last night.

To Jess Lawless.

Everything about the man screamed sex. Rough, wild, and hard…all that Harold couldn’t begin to give her.

No, Harold couldn’t be considered wild about anything…anything other than Wildgames, that was. He was a shrewd businessman, but he was calm and refined as a boyfriend and as a lover. There’d never been any fireworks with him, but it had always been comfortable and enjoyable.

Trace rolled her gaze heavenward and stared into the darkening sky and sighed. Here she was, thinking about her possible future husband, and she could muster up no real enthusiasm for their sexual relationship.

But when she thought of that cowboy…there was nothing remotely calm or unemotional about how he’d made her feel. In just that short time she’d been with him, he’d made her feel sexy and
alive
.

Infatuation, Trace, that’s all it is. The grass is always greener…

She closed her eyes and focused on the feel of the heaters warming the back of her head, the water bubbling at her nipples and jets pulsating along her legs. Spreading her thighs, she adjusted her hips so that one of the jets aimed right at her pussy.
Mmmm, yeah
. That felt so good. She could almost imagine Jess licking her right where the water pulsed. Maybe he’d bite her there…not too hard, but enough that it would drive her even crazier for want and need of him.

Trace slipped the fingers of one hand between her thighs and into her slit. Even through the water she could feel the creaminess of her desire, the slickness of her pussy.

She brought her other hand to her breast and kneaded and plucked her nipple. Eyes still closed, she fantasized about sucking her own nipples while Jess devoured her pussy. She raised her breast and flicked her tongue across the hard nub. A pleasant warm lick that immediately chilled in the night air until she licked it again.

Her fingers aided the jets, stroking her clit harder and harder, her tongue flicking again and again over her nipple, urging her closer and closer to climax. Imagining Jess’s tongue all over her body. Imagining Jess sliding his cock into her core—

The squeak of the French doors jolted Trace from her fantasy.

Her eyes snapped open and she jerked her head up to see the large figure of a man. He stood beside the hot tub, his face shadowed by a dark cowboy hat.

“Welcome home, Trace MacLeod,” he murmured.

Chapter Five

Jess.

Trace would recognize that deep, sensual drawl anywhere.

Omigod.

Heated embarrassment prickled her skin. She wanted to die from humiliation at being caught masturbating—by the very man she’d been fantasizing about. And darn it if her brain and mouth hadn’t taken another vacation. She slid further beneath the water so that her breasts were hidden by the bubbles and crossed her arms over her chest for good measure.

“Uh-uh.” He crouched down beside the hot tub, and pushed his Stetson up with one finger. She could clearly see his roguish blue eyes in the waning evening light. “Keep going, sugar.”

“What—” Trace swallowed, her throat incredibly dry. “Ah, what are you doing here, Jess? How did you find me?”

“Later.” He reached out his hand and ran his thumb along her lower lip, causing more warmth to spread throughout her—but this time it was from arousal. “Right now you’re gonna make yourself come.”

Trace sucked in her breath. “You want me to…in front of you?”

“Oh, yeah.” His sensual smile and the way he was touching her almost made her climax on the spot. “I want you to finger yourself while I watch. But first you’re going to move up a little higher to give me a better view.”

Face burning, she shook her head, pulling away from his touch. “I—I can’t, um, do it in front of you.”

“You can.” Jess caught her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him. “And you will.”

Trace trembled, yet managed to ask, “And if I don’t?”

His eyes glittered with dark sensuality. “I’ll pull you out of that hot tub, lay you across my knee and spank your sexy ass.”

Oh. My. God.

At the visualization of him doing just that, Trace’s eyes widened, her pussy aching with a wild urgency. The need to have Jess inside her, and to have him
now,
exploded through her like a storm
.

But she couldn’t have sex with this man, this cowboy—although for the life of her, she wasn’t able to remember why not.

His fingers slid in a slow and sensuous movement from her chin, along her jaw line. “Now what’ll it be?”

She was almost tempted to let him spank her—the thought was strangely erotic.

Trembling with nervousness and desire, Trace eased up until she was sitting on the redwood decking, her feet still in the frothing waters of the hot tub. Her nipples chilled as hard as gold nuggets, and goose bumps roughened her flesh. She quickly warmed from the heaters at her back, but it was mostly Jess’s touch that set her on fire as his fingertips skated from her lips and down her neck to the hollow of her throat where he lightly caressed the soft skin.

The night smelled of desert air and of Jess’s masculine scent and his spicy aftershave, and her senses whirled. Her blood thrummed even harder in her veins, the sound loud enough to nearly drown out the pulsing of the hot tub.

She held her breath as he moved his hand along her collarbone, and over the gentle rise of her breast. “Spread your legs,” he said in that drawl that made her clit throb.

Trace widened her thighs, her feet dangling in the churning waters, while keeping her gaze focused on Jess. It was as if she had no choice but to do as he commanded. No will of her own. Or was it that his will
was
the same as hers…what she really wanted.

“Sweet.” Jess settled on one knee as he cupped her breast with his large hand, his powerful t-shirt-clad chest brushing against her arm. “Touch your clit.”

Shivers raced through her as she braced herself with one palm behind her on the decking, and slipped the fingers of her other hand through the soft curls of her mound and into the slick heat of her wet folds.

“Yeah, that’s it.” His voice rumbled as he caressed her nipple with his thumb.

She trembled, so close to coming. Just a little more—

“Stop.” At his command her fingers came to a halt and she wanted to scream. “You’re not gonna come just yet.” He moved his hand to her other breast. “Slide two fingers into your pussy and hold them there.”

Oh, God, this man was going to kill her.

Trace’s whole body vibrated as she obeyed and pressed her knuckles against her folds. The feelings were so intense it was as if Jess’s fingers were inside her.

With his free hand, he took off his Stetson and tossed it onto a deck chair. “Thrust out your chest so that I can get a real good look at your breasts.”

Two fingers still deep inside herself, Trace arched her back. Her nipples had hardened to such sensitive nubs that the lightest brush of his fingers sent lightning bolts of sensation through her. “Jess, I can’t take anymore.”

“We’ve just gotten started.” His hand moved away from her breasts and he stood in a quick, fluid movement. She lifted her chin to watch him as he jerked his t-shirt over his head and tossed it onto the deck chair beside his hat.

Dang,
but that man had a fine chest. Chiseled muscles that made her want to run her fingers over every sculpted contour down to his flat hard six-pack abs. Thick veins ran along his bulging biceps to his large hands, hands that she wanted all over her. She’d never seen a man so up close and personal with such a fine body.

His hands moved to his western buckle, and in no time he’d unfastened it and set the belt aside, then toed off his boots and peeled off his socks.

Oh jeez. Oh cripes. He was going to get completely naked.

Hurry, darn it.

As if he’d heard her thoughts, Jess smiled and unfastened his jeans and slid them down over his hips. His thick, luscious cock sprang out at full attention as he pushed his jeans past his heavily muscled thighs.

Wow, wow, wow.
His cock was even bigger than she’d thought when she’d felt it pressed against her at the Christmas party. It curved up a bit, rather than just being straight. Dang but that would feel good…

A sense of lightheadedness swept over Trace and she realized she was holding her breath. She gulped in the fresh evening air, her heart beating faster and faster as Jess slid out of his jeans and briefs. She watched the ripple and play of his muscles while he strode toward her and stepped into the hot tub.

When he was waist-deep in the water, he moved between her thighs, pressing her knees apart, and braced his hands on the decking at either side of her hips. He pushed his cock against her hand, forcing her own fingers deeper into her pussy.

Oh, God.
She couldn’t. She could. She wanted. She shouldn’t…

“We don’t have protection,” she finally whispered.

“I can satisfy you in more ways than you can imagine.” He leaned forward and nuzzled her ear, and then ran his hot tongue along the row of earrings. “Now…,” he murmured, “back to where we left off.”

That’s all the man had to do—talk in that deep, sensual drawl, and she’d do just about anything for him.

Anything at all.

“Stroke your clit.” He lowered his head and nuzzled her breast, his warm breath fanning across her nipple as he spoke. “Nice ‘n slow.”

She slid her fingers out of her core, slick with her juices, and stroked her tight nub. Jess flicked his tongue over her nipple and Trace arched her back toward him, needing him to take her deeper into his mouth.

But he moved to her other nipple and scraped his stubble over the sensitive flesh. “While you’re fingering yourself,” he murmured, “imagine that I’m sliding my cock into your pussy.”

Trace’s breathing came quick and uneven. As her finger rubbed faster at her clit, her eyelids drifted shut.
God
. She was a trigger away from climaxing.

“Look at me,” he demanded and her eyes popped open. He smiled, and with one hand he caught the back of her head and brought her toward him. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled out her hair clip, allowing her hair to tumble down around her shoulders and to slide below her shoulder blades like a sensual caress.

The clip clattered on the decking as Jess cupped the back of her head. Her fingers continued to stroke her clit as he brought his mouth above hers. She tasted his warm breath upon her lips, bringing back a rush of memories of that incredible first kiss from last night.

“When I fuck you, sugar,” he said, his gaze locked with hers, “you’re gonna watch my cock slide into you. You’ll watch me possess you. I’ll fuck you so deep you’ll feel it in your throat.”

His words magnified Trace’s arousal. She gasped and started to cry out as her orgasm began to ripple through her. But Jess brought his mouth down hard and kissed her with such savage intensity that her orgasm multiplied. Her hips rocked against her hand, his cock rubbing against her knuckle as he pressed himself against her. Trace’s world and thoughts spun as he devoured her in a kiss she never wanted to end.

When she finally stopped convulsing, he broke away. Trace could only stare at him, tasting him on her tongue, her face burning from the scrape of his stubble, her fingers still lodged between her thighs.

He took her hand, slipping her fingers into her folds and then out, and brought it to his face. He breathed deep, and a pained expression crossed his rugged features. “I’ve got to sample you,” he said and then slid her fingers into his mouth, licking her juices from them with sensual swirls of his tongue.

Oh my God,
was all Trace could think.
Oh, my God.

Jess’s cock strained toward Trace, dying to get inside her slick heat. Her unique flavor only made him want her more, and he gritted his teeth to hold himself in check. He wanted to take her right out here in the hot tub and fuck her ‘til she couldn’t walk for a month of Sundays.

And the way she was looking at him, her jade eyes an even darker green, her skin flushed from her orgasm, and her body trembling with desire…he had no doubt she’d let him in.

If this was any woman but Trace MacLeod, he’d slide into her pussy and claim her now.

But Trace was different. He’d known it from the first time he’d seen her photo in the MacLeod living room. And when he’d met her, even when he hadn’t recognized her by her appearance, he’d known this was one special woman.

Jess had no doubt in his mind that he’d have her—he just had to make sure that she’d be ready, and there’d be not a single regret when he made her his.

And
only
his.

But for now, he had to taste her—thoroughly.

Kneeling on the hot tub’s underwater bench, he placed his palms on the inside of her pale thighs and pressed.

“Jess.” His name was a gasp on her lips as she slid her hands into his hair.

He breathed deep of her scent as he nuzzled the soft curls of her mound. “Damn you smell good,” he said, then trailed his tongue down her slit, over the fine hair to the sensitive skin between her pussy and her ass.

She clung to him as he held her thighs tight in his hands and licked the bottom of each of her ass cheeks then gave the soft flesh gentle bites.

He was feeling anything but gentle. It was all he could do to continue his slow seduction. A sexy woman like Trace would enjoy some hard and fast sex, but Jess wanted to give her more than that—and take more, too. In fact, he wanted her heart, because he aimed to keep her.

The thought surprised him, yet at the same time he didn’t question it.

Trace’s soft moans became louder and more urgent as Jess worked his way back to her drenched folds. Her fingers clenched tighter in his hair as he dipped his tongue into her slit, tasting her full potency.

Her thighs trembled as he flicked his tongue over her clit, and he pulled away. “Not yet,” he said against her flesh, and then thrust his tongue into her hot core.

That purring sound rose up from Trace as he licked and sucked at her pussy. Her taste and smell, the feel of her body beneath his hands, all made his cock so hard he could probably bench-press with it. All he’d have to do was rise up and plunge into her heat and fuck her. He could almost imagine how his balls would slap against her ass and how it would feel to be buried inside her.

His rampant thoughts added fuel to the intensity of his desire for Trace. He plunged two fingers inside her, and as she cried out he nipped at her clit.

She screamed. Her body rocked against his mouth, and she gripped his hair like she was busting a bronc. He pressed his face even harder against her pussy, licking and sucking her as she bucked, coming again and yet again.

“I want you to stand with your back to me now,” Jess said while she was still trembling with her orgasm.

Trace audibly caught her breath. “I don’t know if I can.”

“Sure you can, sugar. I’ve got to see that beautiful ass of yours.” He could barely keep his hands off her as she turned and stood on the underwater bench, facing away from him, her ass well out of the water. “That’s real nice,” he murmured as he cupped her smooth cheeks with his palms. “Brace your hands on the decking.”

His hands spread her ass cheeks apart so that he could see her puckered anus, and he could just imagine sliding into that tight rear hole. He slipped his fingers through her slick pussy juices and smoothed them back.

“Oh…my…” Trace’s voice wavered as he circled her anus, and then she gasped as he slid the tip of his middle finger inside.

Tight, but not too tight. She’d be a nice fit. “How does that feel?” he said as he slowly pushed his finger all the way to his knuckle.

“Good.” She let out a soft moan as he slowly moved his finger in and out of her anus. “Really, really good.”

“You’ve been fucked in the ass before?” he asked, then gritted his teeth at the thought of any other man sharing this with her.