BROKEN (3 page)

It wasn’t that Jessie liked hearing the horrible stories, but it made her feel special knowing she was the only one
Kincaid
confided in about it.
 
For whatever reason he trusted her, and in telling her what happened, he was able to release the demons that haunted him.
 
Until the next time, she thought ruefully.
 
She hated how badly those missions tore him up inside
,
but she cared for
Kincaid
a great deal and as long as he needed her, she
would
be there for him.

Jessie sighed and sat up, resigning herself to another sleepless night.
 
The idea that she should have gone into town with the boys had just flitted through her head when she heard the distinct sound of a truck engine.
 
She glanced at the clock.
 
It was way too early for them to be returning.
 
Most of the time they drank so much they just spent Saturday nights in town and didn’t return until early afternoon on Sunday, so it didn’t bode well that they’d come home so soon after leaving.
 
It usually meant one of them had gotten a little too rowdy and ended up with a split lip or some other minor wound she
would
be expected to stitch or patch up.

Jessie crept down stairs to sneak a peek out the front window.
 
She wasn’t in the mood to play doctor
.  W
ith any luck, the damage would
be minor and they would opt to bypass waking her rather th
an
endure the lecture that inevitably accompanied the bandaging.
 
Jessie
swore under her breath when the pickup continued on up to the house instead of veering off towards the bunkhouse
.  She
was just about to run upstairs for her robe when something made her stop and take another look out the window.

He was nothing more than a shadow when he stepped out of the truck, but Jessie had spent enough time pressed up against that rock hard body to know who it belonged to.
 
With a squeal of happiness, she sprinted for the door and was racing down the stone pathway in a matter of seconds.

“Lord, have mercy,” Mitch muttered when Jessie came flying out of the house in her nightgown.

He had just enough time to brace himself for impact before she threw herself in his arms and claimed his mouth with a searing kiss.
 
His heart thumped wildly in his chest as she pressed herself into him and every ounce of blood in his body made a mad dash south and pooled in his loins.
 
A low groan of pure agony rumbled deep in his throat when her
tongue found his
,
and for all his doubts on the ride to the ranch, Mitch could think of nothing else at that moment but burying himself inside her soft body.

“God, I’ve missed you,” she said breathlessly before reclaiming his mouth.

Never in his life had Mitch been greeted like this by a woman and he had to question his brother’s sanity at ever being able to leave her.
 
His entire body was on fire from the feel of her satiny skin and
her
soft, feminine scen
t.  And
when she rolled her hips invitingly against him, Mitch wasn’t altogether sure he
would
survive an entire night with Jessie Buchanan.
 

Attempting to
regain
some
self control by putting a little distance between them,
Mitch
drew his head back.
 
It was a monumental mistake.
 
It was bad enough that she was so damn beautiful his insides shook just to look at her, but her parted lips were an open invitation no red blooded man could even hope to resist.

He crushed her to his chest, whispering her name just before his mouth sought hers once more.
 
Jessie let out a helpless whimper and melted into him, instantly sending his senses into overload
. 
The searing heat of her passion ricocheted through him,
fueling
a ravenous hunger like nothing he’d ever felt before. 
As Jessie’s tongue
darted between his teeth to conduct a slow, sensuous exploration of his mouth,
Mitch sent up
a
fervent prayer that he
could hold out long
enough to make it inside the house before he took her.

Jessie smiled up at him dreamily.
 
“Did I mention how much I’ve missed you?”

“You may have, but it’s hard to hear anything with the sound of my heart thundering in my ears like a herd of horses.”

“You’re in a lot of trouble if just a few little kisses have you this hot and bothered.”
 
She pressed her hips into him, widening her eyes in mock surprise.
 
“Oh my, Mr. Kincaid, you really did miss me too!
 
If you follow me inside, I’ll see what I can do to take care of that for you.”

Enticing as she was, the knowledge that Jessie thought he was his brother made Mitch falter.
 
“I…I thought we could talk for a little while first.”

Jessie laughed as she extracted herself from his arms.
 
“That’s very funny, Kincaid.”
 
She grabbed his hand and tugged him towards the house.

“What about my bags?”

“They can wait.”
 
She glanced back him with a sexy smile.
 
“You won’t need any clothes for quite some time anyway.
 
And if you’re hungry, that will have to wait too because I intend to keep you occupied for at least the next two or three hours.”

H
is eyes feast
ed
on Jessie’s perfectly shaped bottom as she led him up the stairs to her bedroom
.  Food was the last thing on his mind, although
he most certainly had an appetite.
 
A ferocious appetite that would very shortly be fed.
 
It felt like a dream, being invited into her bedroom, watching the sultry look in her eyes as she reached for his belt buckle.
 
But reality hit him with a jolt when she finished undressing him then stepped back and let her robe and gown fall to the floor.

Jessie blushed beneath his heated gaze.
 
“Well?”

“My God,” he said in a hoarse whisper.
 

His body trembling with desire, Mitch’s eyes followed Jessie as she stretched out on the bed, her glorious mane of hair spilling across the pillow.
 
His gaze raked over the fullness of her perfect breasts, her flat belly, and finally to golden triangle of curls nestled in the vee of her
slender
thighs.
 
A scorching heat
burned
its way from his loins outward when Jessie held out her arms in an unspoken invitation.

Mitch went to her, a low groan of pure pleasure issuing from his lips when he lowered himself over her.
 
He had every intention of taking it slow, of savoring her kisses and heightening the sexual tension between them with soft caresses to her delicate skin
.  B
ut the moment bare flesh met bare flesh
,
he knew that wasn’t going to happen.
 
He’d
barely begun the foreplay, scarcely touched the swell of her breasts with his lips when she pulled his mouth back to hers and wrapped those long, sexy legs around him.

“Now,” Jessie breathed, “I want you
now
.
  Kincaid…
”
a soft moan vibrated in the back of her throat
when he pressed into her tight opening
. 

Mitch
pulled back
and
filled her again
, gritting his teeth against the exquisite sensation of being sheathed
within
the warmth
of
Jessie’s
body. 
Her muscles clasped around him as he sank deeper and deeper into her inner heat, the pleasure so intense
,
Mitch
knew he
didn’t have a shot in hell of lasting more than a few minutes
.
 
He’d
never been anything but gentle with a woman, never taken his own pleasure before seeing to hers, but there was no holding back with Jessie, no possible way he could have stopped now that he was so close to the peak.
 
He drove himself into her, mercilessly impaling her with short, rapid thrusts.
 

Through hooded lids, he watched her head thrash from side to side, her breath coming out in ragged gasps
that gradually progressed into a series of desperate pleas.
 
Slipping his hands beneath her bottom, he tilted her hips
to gain a better angle, then plunged into her once more. 
A raw, guttural moan tore from
Jessie’s
lip
s
as she
arched
her back,
straining against him for a few seconds before
she finally snapped.  H
er body convulse
d
as a powerful climax erup
t
ed, engulfing Mitch in a surge
of liquid heat
that instantly triggered his
own
explosive release
.

Jessie clung to
Kincaid’s
broad shoulders, riding out the enormous waves until at last the violent trembling subsided.
 
She kept her legs locked around his thighs as he continued to thrust into her,
the muscles in
her abdomen clenching as a second climax
took her by surprise and sent them both tumbling over the edge. 
Lost in a timeless sense of euphoria, her mind barely grasped the idea that his love making had somehow been different before he was kissing her again.

When he finally lifted his head, allowing them both to draw in much needed air, he grinned like a drunken sailor just back from a thoroughly satisfying binge.
 
Jessie’s heart squeezed in her chest.
 
Had he always been this breathtaking after making love?
 
Had it been so long that she’d forgotten how magical it felt to have his body joined with hers?
 
He’d never left her anything but completely satiated before, but the feelings he stirred in her now went beyond sexual satisfaction, beyond anything that was within her realm of comprehension.

Jessie combed her fingers through his hair, a soft smile curving her lips.
 
“That was incredible.
 
So incredible in fact that I might be tempted to fix you something to eat if you’re hungry.”

Mitch braced himself on his elbows, studying her face for a moment.
 
Eyes the color of a clear blue ocean held the dazed look of a woman who
had
been loved and loved well.
 
Her face was flushed, her lips swollen from his ardent kisses.
 
Her smile tugged at his
heart, made him wish they could stay this way forever; their bodies locked together with the heat of passion still hovering just beneath the surface.

He lowered his head and planted a soft kiss to her lips.
 
“You are the most
extraordinarily
beautiful woman I
have
ever laid eyes on.”

“Does this mean there’s going to be a second act before intermission?”

“Sweetheart, the way you look tonight, there may not
be
an intermission.”

Jessie drew in a sharp breath when she felt him growing hard again.
 
“Oh my,” she rasped then closed her eyes.
 
It was going to be a very, very long night for both of them.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                    
***

Jessie yawned and stretched, a feline grin tipping the corners of her mouth when she opened her eyes to find herself curled against the warmth of
Kincaid’
s body.
 
He’d been insatiable, reaching for her time and time again during the night, and it had been nearly dawn before they’d both fallen into an exhausted sleep.
 
Jessie’s heart
ached
at the sight of him.
 
Only in sleep did the hard lines o
n
his face relax
,
making him look almost vulnerable.
 
Her eyes moved over every handsome feature; the dark hair and high cheekbones, the square jaw and full lips, the nose that had a slight crook from where it had been broken during one of his excursions.

Jessie frowned when she spotted a new scar; a long, thin line that ran from his ear and curved down under his jaw.
 
How many fresh battle wounds had he acquired this time?
 
She hated knowing there would always be new ones to discover.
 
Adam
Kincaid
, however, found a great deal of pleasure in letting her search for them.
 
Her smile found its way back to her lips.
 
She
would
find them and kiss them
,
just as she’d done in the past, and
Kincaid
would shiver with each feathery touch as he always did.
 
Until he couldn’t take it any longer.
 
He’d let out that husky groan, the one that told her she
was driving
him half crazy with desire, and then he
would
make wild, passionate love to her.

With heartfelt regret, Jessie pushed the images aside and slipped out of bed.
 
Kincaid
needed his rest and she didn’t think her sore muscles could handle another round just yet.
 
She grabbed his shirt from the floor where it had been tossed the night before and pulled it over her head.
 
For now she
would
have to be content with keeping the scent of him close to her as she padded downstairs to make breakfast.
 
He
was going to
be ravenous after the night they’d shared
,
and since she
had
been the one to drain all his energy, it was only right that she replenish it.

She bustled around the kitchen, frying up bacon, flipping pancakes, and scrambling eggs just the way
he
liked them.
 
When they were done, she set them in the oven so they wouldn’t get cold and started a pot of coffee.
 
Jessie was just finishing her first cup when a sleepy-eyed
Kincaid
wandered into the kitchen.
 
Shirtless and wearing just his
jeans, which he’d managed to zip only half-way, he looked so incredibly sexy she could almost hear her hormones crying out for him.

“Morning, beautiful,” he said, gathering her in his arms for a long, lingering kiss.

“Keep that up and I’ll haul you back to bed without breakfast,” Jessie warned.

“If I had an ounce of energy left, I might be tempted.”

She smiled up at him.
 
“It’s all part of my evil plot to keep you docile as a kitten.”

Kincaid chuckled
.
 
“Keep me zapped of strength so I’m not a bear to live with?”

“Something like that.
 
Now sit so I can get breakfast on the table.”

He drew her closer, dipping his head so that his lips lightly brushed hers.
 
“In a minute, I haven’t gotten my fill of you yet.”

Jessie parted her lips, her body already tingling with anticipation.
 
The kiss lasted all of three seconds before they were interrupted by the thump of heavy footsteps making their way toward the kitchen.
 
He dropped his hold her
,
and she had only a moment to wonder at the guilty look on his face before Del rounded the corner and came to an abrupt halt.

“Del, what a surprise.
 
I thought you and the boys spent the night in town.
 
I’m afraid I didn’t make enough breakfast for everyone, but I’d be glad to…”

“Thanks, Jess, but I’ve already had lunch.”