Best Erotic Romance 2014 (10 page)

He leaned forward until his lips were no more than a hairs-breadth from hers. “It's too late for either of us to stop this thing, sweetheart, and I'm tired of pretending we don't want each other. Invite me in.” It was more demand than request, and his hot breath rushed over her skin as he spoke. “I'm dying to be inside you, Jamie.”

Cord. Inside her. Her sex clenched, and it took every ounce of her willpower not to arch into his body and finally,
finally
know what it was like to have his hands on her flesh.

His voice dropped to a coaxing rumble. “I need to touch you. Let me.”

“Yes,” she whispered, the word spilling out before she could stop it.

The tips of his fingers grazed her thigh where her nightshirt ended, and goose bumps broke on her limbs. She felt the light rasp of his calluses, and her knees quivered.

“Inside, sugar.” Urging her into the bedroom, he shut the door behind them. Hearing the lock snick into place made this all too real, and she put a bit of space between them, trying to catch her breath.

He grabbed the bottom of his T-shirt and pulled it over his head. Tossing it aside, he said, “Now you.”

She shouldn't do it. Nothing had really happened yet. She could call this off right now. Instead, she gathered up the folds of her gown and stripped. The flare of hunger in his gaze made lava flow through her veins, melting her resistance. It might be stupid and wrong, but just this once, she was going to give in.

A hot blush suffused her cheeks when his dark gaze roamed over her naked body. The heat spread downward until every inch of her skin felt flushed and sensitized. That he still wore jeans only emphasized her own nudity. His broad chest was
bare, sprinkled with springy-looking curls. Her heart pounded, blood rushing through her veins.

A discarded coil of braided leather rope sat on her dresser and he reached over to pick it up. Glancing up to meet her eyes, he flashed a tiny, wicked smile. “Let's make this interesting.”

“Interesting?” She swallowed. Her legs shook so badly she had to sit on the edge of the mattress. “I don't know—”

“I do.” He captured first one ankle and then the other and bound each to the footboard, spreading her like a feast on her own bed. “Trust me?”

She nodded.

This was something she'd never tried before, but the nervousness she expected to feel never surfaced. Deep down, she knew Cord would never hurt her. So when he finished securing her arms straight over her head with his belt, anticipation arced through her like lightning in a gathering storm.

He shifted around until he knelt between her legs, his gaze lingering on her breasts and exposed sex. She bit back a moan, her nipples beaded and wetness coated the folds of her pussy. The way he grinned and licked his lips told her he noticed every detail of her reaction.

“You have no idea how long I've wanted this.” His hands pressed her thighs even wider, his iron grip unyielding. She shuddered, her need winding so taut she thought she might snap. He groaned, shook his head. “I can't wait another minute.”

Then he buried his face between her legs, and she arched, a thin scream breaking from her throat. Heat exploded through her, burning like a wildfire. His mouth formed around her clit, his tongue sweeping over the tight bundle of nerves until she writhed and sobbed. Pleasure coiled within her with a swiftness that shocked her. It only took seconds for him to have her on the edge of breaking. She wanted to drive her hands into his hair
and hold him closer until she exploded. More. That was all she wanted, all she could think about.
More
.

She shouldn't want this, shouldn't like it so much. But her husband had died four years ago, and there had been no one since then. After the worst of her grief had passed, the lonely nights had been the hardest to endure. She was so hungry for a man's touch, for the weight of him pressing down on top of her. But no one had really tempted her since Travis. Except Cord.

When his fingers teased the lips of her pussy, then thrust into her sex, the sudden penetration had her torso bowing upward. The rope snapped taut, keeping her exactly where Cord wanted her. He chuckled against her swollen flesh, and the vibration made her gasp. Fire streaked down her skin, and every time he pushed his fingers inside her, her inner muscles clenched tight.

“Cord, please!”

He took her clit between his teeth, biting down lightly. She twisted against the bindings, their restriction only making her burn hotter, and a ragged cry ripped from her throat. His hand angled until he rubbed her in just the right spot, and she slammed over into orgasm so fast that stars burst behind her eyes.

“I forgot…”

She blinked slowly as the world came back into focus. “Forgot, what?”

“This.” He moved up her body until his mouth could cover hers, and she tasted herself on his lips. It made her whimper with a renewed surge of desire. He licked his way into her mouth, sucking on her bottom lip, nipping at the soft flesh just enough to make her jerk. One big palm covered her breast, his fingers pinching and rolling her nipple. It was exquisite agony, sharpening her longing into white-hot need.

He reared back, breaking the kiss as he jerked open the fly on
his jeans. It took him only a moment to sheathe his long cock in a condom. His eyes glittered with lust, a flush running under his deep tan. He braced himself on his elbows over her. “I'm going to ride you hard, Jamie.”

“Yes.” Oh, yes. She wanted him inside her, had craved it since the day she'd met him, no matter how she'd denied it. But there was no more fooling herself. Cord had stripped away any pretense tonight.

The head of his cock nudged at her opening, and she pulled against the rope to get closer. He sank into her one slow inch at a time, and the stretch was divine. He shuddered when he was hilted in her pussy, a hiss escaping from between his clenched teeth.

His throat worked. “You're so damn tight.”

“It's…been a while.” She bit her lip, wriggled under him, moaned as the curls on his chest stimulated her nipples. “Can you hurry up and move now?”

“God, yes.” Then he did exactly as he'd promised—he rode her hard. She strained against the ropes to pump her hips up and meet each downward thrust. He filled her to the limit, and she loved every second.

It was almost rough, the speed and force of their movements slamming the headboard against the wall. The mattress squeaked beneath them, and their groans echoed in the wide bedroom, a carnal symphony that ratcheted up her craving. Sweat slipped down their bodies, the humid air wrapping around them. It had already been too hot tonight, but they'd turned the room steamy. Her pussy fisted around his dick, a precursor to climax. She was so close. The thought alone was enough to make her sex spasm again.

“
Jamie
,” he rasped. His thighs shoved hers as wide as the rope would let them go, and his jeans chafed her legs as he
pistoned in and out of her, but the small discomfort only seemed to make it better.

He rammed deep and ground his pelvis against her clit. She imploded, her pussy clenching in rhythmic waves, tingles breaking down her limbs. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as he fucked her through her orgasm, forcing her to another peak. One, two, three more thrusts and he froze over her, shuddering and groaning as he came. His forehead dropped to rest against hers, his body shaking.

After a long moment, he reached up and untied her wrists. She shivered as he rubbed the tender skin, kissing her palms one at a time. Moving back on his knees, he unfastened the rope around her ankles. He massaged feeling back into her limbs, and she purred at the almost gentle stroking of his calloused fingertips.

“I'll be right back,” he rumbled. Then he disappeared into the bathroom.

She sighed, relaxed in a way that only truly amazing sex could make a woman. Her thoughts drifted, exhaustion sweeping over her.

The mattress dipped as he settled next to her, his arm curving over her hip. It should've been strange to have someone besides Travis in bed with her, holding her. She almost expected to feel a wave of guilt, but she didn't. She'd loved her husband and she missed him, but he was gone and she was a young and healthy woman with needs. What she felt was…good. Satiated in a way she hadn't been in four long years.

A little smile quirked her lips as Cord's fingers drifted in slow circles across her skin. Her breathing slowed and she closed her eyes.

“Sleep,” he commanded.

There was no other choice. She went over into unconsciousness,
his arms wrapped around her. She wouldn't mind staying this way forever.

It felt as if no time had passed when she rolled over and stretched, her muscles protesting after the hard workout the night before. Turning her head, she found the bed empty. She swallowed and sat up, refusing to give in to the sudden pain that punched through her. Of course, he was gone. He'd gotten what he wanted, hadn't he? All those conversations the last few months didn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. But their talks and those tender moments after they were done with sex just made waking up alone that much more hurtful. If he'd left right away, she wouldn't have expected him to be here now.

Frankly, she shouldn't have expected anything, shouldn't be hurt at all. Sex was sex. She was just rusty on the one-nighter protocol—she hadn't had one since she was nineteen. Still, disappointment pressed down on her chest, and she had to climb out of the bed that smelled of Cord.

He was leaving anyway
, she reminded herself fiercely. Only in her lonely, pathetic dreams would a drifter like him ever put down roots. She'd been telling herself that since she'd hired him, but apparently last night had confused her heart and her mind. Well, the stark truth showed its ugly face the morning after, didn't it?

Picking up the nightshirt he'd stripped her out of, she pulled it on and wandered out to the kitchen to make some coffee. Caffeine would make everything a bit better. While the pot percolated, she stepped over to the glass doors that overlooked Ruby Creek Ranch. Dawn was just brightening the sky, streaking it with pinks, yellows and oranges. In a million years, she would never have thought she'd live in a place like this—acres
of rolling hills, with a deep greenness that just sprawled on forever. This should have been the last place that would feel like home, but it did. She loved it here. She'd been a dirt-poor city girl when Travis had brought her here. He'd been attending UCLA and she'd been waiting tables at a diner near campus. A total mismatch, but they'd made it work. She'd come to Texas with him and never looked back.

A few horses trotted in the paddocks by the barn, and she could feel the ranch beginning to stir. The hands would be out tending the livestock soon. After she finished her coffee, she'd go help with the million and one chores it took to keep this operation running. Then she needed to meet with the ranch foreman later in the morning. It would be a busy day, but she found herself lingering.

Boot heels rang on the wooden porch and she straightened. She knew his step well enough to know it was Cord. It was disturbing to realize how aware of him she was. He paused when he came into view, his gaze meeting hers through the door. His hand hovered over the doorknob for a moment, but he didn't grab it. The hesitant gesture after his command in the bedroom last night seemed out of character.

Her eyebrows arched. “Come in.”

The door swung inward, and he removed his hat as he entered the room. “Mornin'.”

“Good morning.” She clasped and unclasped her hands in front of her, hating the way her nerves jangled. “Did you need something?”

The corner of his mouth kicked up in a smile that made her heart flutter. He turned to shut and lock the door behind him. Moving toward her with predatory grace, his dark eyes tracked her every movement as she backed up against the counter. Cornered. Bracing a hand on either side of her, he caged her,
towered over her. Her pulse tripped and raced at the heat in his gaze, excitement firing through her system. His grin stretched wider. “Yeah, I need…something.”

She made herself stiffen when her body wanted to melt into him. “Good, you can explain the details of that
something
over coffee.”

The pot sputtered as if announcing it was done perking. She poked his arm until it dropped, then sidled out from in front of him.

“Are you all right?” The edge of concern in his voice made her heart squeeze.

Ignoring her wayward emotions, she clenched her jaw and pulled two mugs from a cupboard. She decided blunt honesty was the best way to deal with this. “I didn't like waking up alone.”

“Ah, damn. Jamie…” His body heat surrounded her as he came up behind her. “I was checking on the mare that just foaled, but I planned to come back, maybe wake you up with a kiss. I'm sorry.”

“Don't be sorry.” Hunching a shoulder, she didn't turn around. Instead, she reached for the coffee pot and poured hot liquid into their cups. “Last night was…”

“Amazing,” he said firmly.

“A mistake.” Tightening her mouth, she shifted until she faced him, then pushed one mug into his hand. “I enjoyed it, don't get me wrong. But…I'm not the kind of woman who does short-term flings, Cord. And you're not the kind of man who sticks around. The season's almost over and then you'll be gone.”