His gaze flickered over my face as his mouth set in determination. He ran his fingers along the nape of my neck and leaned into me. “Then let me fix you,” he whispered.
Unexpectedly, his mouth crashed against mine, sending my heart scrambling around inside my chest, searching for purchase. Sweet warmth pooled low in my belly as he parted my lips and sank deeper into me with his tongue. I plunged my fingers into his thick, wavy hair, knocking his white Stetson off his head. But even then, he didn’t stop kissing me.
The hand he held over my breast twitched, but he quickly moved it to my waist. I had no doubt it was to keep himself from shifting a little lower and stroking the pebbled nub pressing into his chest. Because he undoubtedly would look like a fool if he told me this wasn’t sexual for him one minute, then fondled me the next.
But no matter what lies I’d told him earlier, I craved his touch. Wanted it more than the air I breathed. No one had ever made me feel as alive as Cowboy, and I needed to feel his warmth against my bare skin. Just once…
In that moment, my reservations slipped completely away, no longer allowing me to keep myself at a distance. I grabbed his hand and moved it back up, covering my left breast.
Cowboy’s mouth murmured against mine. “What are you doing, sweetheart?”
Hell if I knew. “I need to feel your hands on me.”
“Christ,” he groaned. He pulled his head back and searched my face for answers. “You sure about this?”
“God, yes,” I rasped. In a gutsy, liberating move, I grabbed him by the collar and pulled his mouth back to mine, eager to have another taste.
It was a mistake, losing my composure that way, letting him tamper with my heart. But I couldn’t stop myself. He forced me to feel things I didn’t want to feel. And it was soul-shattering.
But Cowboy didn’t do things half-assed. His hand dove under my shirt, roughly pushed my bra up, and cupped my naked breast. He thumbed over my sensitive nipple and gave it a pinch that stopped somewhere short between pleasure and pain, sending chills through me.
As I gasped, he took full advantage of my open mouth and plunged his tongue inside. A small whimper escaped my throat. He pulled back a little, allowing his lips to move against mine, as he whispered, “Fuck. I’m addicted to the way you taste. You don’t know how beautiful you are.” Then his lips claimed mine once more.
His hand grew more persistent as my nipple tightened beneath his calloused fingertips. I moaned into his mouth, pleasure zinging through my veins with every touch. His ravenous hunger consumed me, leaving me dangling limply in his arms.
By the time his teeth moved to nibble on my ear, I was panting and clinging to him like static, half out of my mind in some weird, altered state. And he must’ve known because he used it against me.
“Anna…?”
“Mmm-hmmm.”
His lips brushed against my earlobe as his warm breath caressed my neck. “Dinner with me. Tomorrow night.”
And just like the colt he’d whispered to, I was tamed into submission, unable to speak. I meant to shake my head, but instead found myself nodding. The moment I agreed, he released me and I staggered backward, swaying on my feet while feeling a little frayed around the edges.
He only looked more pleased with himself. “You okay there, sweetheart?”
No. “Yes.”
He chuckled and gave me a wolfish, smug grin. “Good. Then I’ll see you tomorrow night.” Cowboy lifted his hat from the floor, placed it on his head, and then tipped it as he gave me a quick wink. “Pick you up at seven.” With that, he turned on his heel and walked out.
What the hell just happened?
After spending three hours on the computer trying to figure out the puzzle of Chief Swanson’s missing brother, I sighed, turned off the screen, and headed to bed. For a second, I thought I’d found him, but quickly realized my mistake. The old photograph had been of Chief Swanson when he was younger and his name had been misprinted. That small setback had cost me precious time and frustrated the hell out of me. I was starting to doubt if I would ever find Ned Swanson.
Which was the exact reason I hadn’t bothered to mention it to Cowboy. I hadn’t wanted to get his hopes up if I couldn’t find the man before I left town. With only a few short months to go, I’d have to pick up the pace. Otherwise, Cowboy would have to go at it alone.
Like I’d be when I leave this place. Alone.
I slid under the covers and turned off the bedside lamp, plunging myself into darkness. Unable to get comfortable, I rolled over onto my stomach and huffed. Did he mean what he’d said about seeing what was between us? I mean, he had me right where he wanted me…yet he still backed off. Annoyed, I leaned up and punched my pillow and then flipped over onto my back. Maybe I should call the whole date-thing off.
Hell, when it came to Cowboy, there were just no guarantees. I’d learned that lesson back in summer camp while living vicariously through Kelly Deter’s tales of her intimate moments with Cowboy. Only one day after he’d had his hands up her skirt, he’d dumped the poor girl and moved on to some other unsuspecting victim of his charm.
As I imagined the other women had been, I was too easily distracted by the crook of his finger and that sexy smirk of his. He’d made me feel special, and I hadn’t been able to ignore the burning-hot desire bubbling under my skin. Before I even realized what he was doing, he’d turned me into a hopeless puddle of confusion and I’d accepted his offer of a date. Damn him.
But I wasn’t naive enough to think the moment he talked me out of my panties he’d stick around for anything resembling a relationship. Hell, he’d be gone before my breathing regulated. But if that’s what it took for him to get me out of his system, then so be it.
The mere thought of having sex with Cowboy had me blowing out a hard breath. From the first moment he’d kissed me, I’d spent countless hours struggling to control my impure thoughts.
Even now, a warm, tingling sensation spread throughout my lower body and my forehead broke into a full-on sweat. The room suddenly had become unbearably hot, sweltering even. Jesus. The man wasn’t even here and he had me all hot and bothered. I kicked the bedspread off and rose from the bed.
If I planned to get any sleep, I needed to erase the memory of what his hands and mouth had done to my body. As if I even could.
I staggered toward the back door in search of some fresh air. I opened the door and stepped out onto the back porch, smiling at the sound of an owl hooting in the distance. My hair swayed in the balmy Texas breeze as my gaze followed the silver sheen of moonlight slanting across the wooden deck and onto a pair of…cowboy boots?
My smile deteriorated as my heart pounded furiously against my rib cage, plundering my sense of security. The scent of mint and tobacco overwhelmed me. I didn’t want to look up, but I had to know if what I was seeing was real. I swallowed hard as my eyes lifted.
About five feet away, lurking in the shadows, stood a dark-skinned man with long black hair. He stared back at me, piercing me with his intense golden eyes. The frown he wore turned into more of a sneer. I gasped.
Then he reached for me.
I didn’t even have a chance to run before the stars in the night sky swirled in my vision and the darkness overtook me.
The repetitious scratching irritated me, but it was the sulfuric odor that had awakened my senses. He was here. I could feel him beside me, even if I couldn’t see him. I blinked in the dark, searching for his figure, but was unable to find him. The scratching sounded again and fire exploded in front of my face in the form of a lit match.
A familiar fear rushed through my veins as the flame was extinguished with one alcohol-infused breath. The same breath I remembered from my earliest childhood memories. But was he gone?