A Christmas to Believe In (25 page)

at stud?"

"No, and I don't know. Won't know until the leg heals. I'm

a disappointment all the way around, Jesse, and you don't

need to be mixed up in this. My father hated the horses. He

always wanted me in an office job, head of some company or

the other. My mother's never said anything, but she thinks

they're frivolous too. Hell, my barn manager thinks I ought to

get out, as does everyone in my county back home."

Leaning forward, she rose to her knees and caught his face

between her hands. "Don't. You're wrong. About your family,

at least. I've been here, Clint. I've heard all the things they've

said about you. Your father was proud of the fact you didn't

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give up. Proud you didn't take the easy way out when you

could have."

He tried to look away, but she held him fast, refused to let

him dip his chin. "Your mom adores you. Sure, we all know

Alex is her baby. But Clint, you're the one she knows she can

count on, even if you're miles away. She knows if she needs

anything, all she has to do is pick up the phone, and you'll be

here."

She moved closer, brushed her lips across his. "As for me,"

she murmured. "You're stronger than anyone I've ever know.

Unfalteringly loyal. Smart, dedicated, and determined. Exactly

the kind of man I hope Ethan becomes."

When doubt filtered across his eyes, she sucked in a deep

breath and took a leap of faith, hoping the only thing she had

left to offer wouldn't drive him away. "I love you, Clint. I'm

not ashamed to say it either."

Everything inside Clint ground to a halt at Jesse's

whispered words. His heart skipped a beat, lodged in his

throat. Deep inside, something began to tremble. He

swallowed with effort, held her unwavering gaze. He'd just

told her how pitiful he was, and what did she do? Give him a

speech on self-worth, then top it all with a confession of love.

He opened his mouth to speak, but words eluded him.

Before he could train his thoughts to another attempt, her

mouth settled over his. Slowly she urged. Gently she coaxed.

Asked him to believe, in himself, in her, in this crazy thing

they'd stumbled onto.

He couldn't fight her. Didn't want to. Wanted nothing more

than to bask in the warmth of her love and be the man she

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believed he was. With a contented sigh, he surrendered. He

caught her lower lip, nudged her mouth open, and slipped

inside to savor her sweet flavor. She claimed he was strong—

she couldn't possibly know she had the real strength. That

every mighty ounce of her made him believe in the

impossible. Nothing seemed insurmountable or futile when

she wrapped those slender arms around him. Nothing

appeared meaningless when she lifted those blue eyes and

looked at him as if he could move mountains.

To her, he could. For her, he'd believe.

He wound an arm around her waist and hauled her into his

lap. He kissed her eyes, her cheeks, the tip of her nose, then

trailed his lips along the side of her jaw to the delicate skin of

her neck. She wrapped her legs around his waist, twined her

arms around his neck and hung on tight. Her fingers tickled

through his hair. Her pulse bounced beneath his mouth.

"Jesse," he breathed against her throat. "I want to give

you everything I can."

Eyes closed, she arched into his arms, inviting him to

sample the alluring hollow of her throat. "Just give me you,

Clint." Her hips pressed forward, grazing his straining

erection. "Just you," she murmured.

He splayed his hands across her back and laid her down on

his bed. Lifting to his elbows, he pushed the hem of her

sweatshirt up to expose her taut belly. He teased her navel

with the tip of his tongue, then gave her side a nip.

Squirming, she fisted her hands into his hair. "That

tickles."

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Clint looked up at her with a grin. For effect, he grazed his

teeth over her abdomen once more, chuckling when she

wriggled sideways. "That's for the hundred or more toes in

my side while arm wrestling."

Her light laugh erased the lingering tendrils of melancholy.

As Clint wended his way up her body, dragging her shirt along

with him, he wondered how he'd ever thought of walking

away from her. It seemed as if he'd waited an entire lifetime

to love her. And now, as she lay beneath him, her nails

scraping lightly over his shoulders, all the feeling he'd fought

last night swept through him like a tidal wave.

He eased her sweatshirt over her head and dropped it on

the floor. Dipping his head, he used the tip of his tongue to

tease the soft flesh of her breast. Her nipples tightened,

begging for equal attention. Obediently, he swept one into his

mouth and suckled.

Jesse's gasp cracked through the air. She lifted off the

bed, her fingers tangled in his hair. At her response, he

pinched the sensitive bud with his teeth. The low moan his

bite provoked sent liquid fire shooting through his body. It

surged down his spine to pool in his cock, and he sank his

hips into hers to temper the slow-burning ache.

Releasing her breast, he lapped his way to the opposite

twin and loved it just as thoroughly. The undulation of her

body flooded him with sensation. His skin felt hot, his chest

too tight for air. She came alive in his hands, and Clint

struggled to temper the rising call of wild need.

He worked his way back to her mouth and paused to etch

her soft features into his mind. Eyes closed, her head turned,

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she breathed in hard, short gasps. Neat white teeth clamped

into her lower lip. Color flushed her angelic features. So

damnably beautiful. She fulfilled every dream he'd ever had,

and some he hadn't recognized he wanted. All woman. All

heart. He couldn't help but smile.

Her lashes fluttered open, and his heart stuttered under

the intensity of her sky-blue gaze. She caught his face

between her palms, rubbed the stubble he'd neglected with

her thumbs. "Tell me this is what you want."

His smile vanished. He searched her gaze, willed her to

hear the truths in his heart. "Yes." Pressing his hips into hers,

he pushed her into the mattress and pinned her there with a

rough kiss. "I want you, Jesse. No games." Again, he sampled

her mouth, swirled his tongue with hers until breathless, he

pulled away to whisper, "I want to be inside you."

The shudder that rolled through her body vibrated into him

and stoked the rising fire in his blood. As his cock throbbed

with the sensation, he held his breath and told his body to

wait. He wanted to explore every inch of her. Taste the heady

flavor of her skin, the sweet musk of her arousal. Take his

time and commit every pleasured gasp, every tormented

mewl to memory.

But Jesse had other ideas in mind. She pushed at his

shoulders, urging him to give her room. When he lifted to his

arms, her hands slipped between their bodies. She dipped her

fingers beneath his sweats to take him into her palm. One

squeeze, and Clint ground his teeth together. He struggled for

air, tensed as she worked her fingers up and down the length

of him. Her touch burned. The firm pressure taunted. He

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surged into her palm, trapping her agonizing hand between

them.

One wayward finger, however, escaped his control. The

pad of her thumb swirled around the tip of his swollen length,

a lazy caress that turned his body into hewn stone. On a

moan, he gave up all pretenses of withholding and lifted his

hips, surrendering to the need to move against her firm yet

gentle strokes.

Sensation rose, became too much. As his balls pulled tight

and release threatened, he jerked away with a hiss. Grabbing

her hand, he tugged it free and pinned it on the pillow beside

her head. Then, he sank into her and let out a shaky exhale.

But his body wanted nothing to do with his attempt at control.

His heart raced, perspiration broke out over his skin. His cock

throbbed so painfully he let out an agonized groan.

Knowing only one way to remedy the delirious strain on his

system, he rocked back on his heels and unfastened her

jeans. She lifted her hips, giving him the freedom to pull

everything off at once. He dumped her clothes on the floor

then shucked his own. So much for the idea of taking his

time. Jesse had him so worked up he'd never survive the

attempt.

He looked at the woman in his bed. Long dark hair

splashed across his pillow. Smooth skin slid against his dark

green sheets. Legs bent, knees spread, a touch of moisture

glistened along the inside of one muscular thigh. It called to

him like candy. He caught her ankle in his hand, traced her

firm calf, the back of her knee. His fingers caressed the inside

of her leg, and Jesse shifted. Opened to him a little more.

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He bent into her and flicked his tongue against her

sensitive feminine nub. At her hip, her hand clawed into the

bedding.

Jesse's body tensed in anticipation. White-hot fire raced

across her skin as Clint's moist breath washed over her

quivering flesh. Time passed in agonized heartbeats as she

waited for him to do something, anything, other than hover

over her and tease. Yet, nothing prepared her for the shock of

sensation as he slipped his tongue between her swollen folds

and caressed her in one, long, never-ending stroke.

She dragged in a breath and held it. Beneath his mouth,

she writhed. A cry built, rose, and escaped. She clamped her

teeth into her lower lip, cutting it short, and clutched at the

bedding. Sweet torment. Damning bliss.

"Clint," she managed on a gasp.

His soft chuckle danced against her skin. "Does that

tickle?"

"No." Searching for the heavenly contact, she lifted her

hips closer to the flutter of his mouth. "God, no."

Stifling heat blanketed her as Clint swept through her once

more. His tongue teased, his lips soothed. Need raged inside

her. Wild wonton desire that left her pleading for him to stop,

and for more all at once. The sensations intensified, taking

her higher. So high she trembled. Another searing sweep, and

she did just that.

She searched for his shoulders, found his hair. Her nails

scraped against his scalp as she gave him an insistent tug. No

more. She'd crumble to pieces if Clint continued. And when

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she hit that all consuming plateau, she wanted him to

plummet down the treacherous height with her.

He allowed her to coax him back to her mouth. When their

lips touched, his body crashed into hers. She rose up to meet

his seeking hips, and in one hard surge, Clint embedded

himself inside her. Their voices mingled, hoarse with shared

ecstasy. She held on tight, riding the storm of emotion that

raged between them.

Each slide of his flesh against hers nudged her heart open.

Each deep thrust drove him in to touch her very soul. She

moved with him, chasing the rivulets of pleasure until

something inside her shattered. Climax tore through her.

Wave after wave of sensation crashed together, and Jesse

cried out with the force of her release. She clung to Clint,

hung suspended in his arms.

She felt him stiffen. His hips spasmed. On a roughened

groan, he buried his face in her neck and followed.

Spent and breathless, they lay entwined together unable

to move. His weight was comfortable. The feel of being one,

incredible. She bathed in the sensation, luxuriated in the heat

of his body, the rasp of his breath.

When at last she found the strength to move, Jesse traced

the hollow of his spine with her fingers. Smiling, she turned

her head to look at him and pressed a kiss to his lips. The

faint taste of her arousal lingered on his mouth, filling her

with a strange sense of pride. She belonged to him. For a few

terrifying moments, she'd thought she'd lose him this

afternoon. Instead, their bond deepened.

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He brushed his mouth against her cheek, then laid his

head back on her shoulder. "Don't go yet," he murmured.

"I can stay a bit. But I have to get home to make sure

Ethan's ready on time."

He tucked her beneath him tighter, snuggled close. "I'll

take what I can get."

A knock on the door shattered the tranquility.

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