Cowboy's Bride (16 page)

"Something smells good." Trace stared at
Kalli, questioning.

"I made brownies, Dad!" Becky said
excitedly.
"Do you want one?"

"Sure do.
I didn't know you knew how to make
them." He took a large one from the plate and bit into it, his eyes
drawn to Kalli.

"I didn't before now.
Kalli showed me how,"
Becky said, watching for his reaction.

"Want some milk to go with it?" Kalli asked,
sitting up a little straighten Suddenly she felt exhilarated, the
pleasure of the afternoon magnified by his presence.

"I'll get it." Becky put the pan of brownies
down and went to the refrigerator.

“
These are great, Bec,”
Trace said around the brownie in his mouth.

"Get some milk for us, as well.
We'll join
your father," Kalli said.

"You haven't had any yet?" Trace asked,
sitting next to Kalli.
He let his eyes roam over her, noticing the
quickened breathing, the long legs in shorts again.
He looked away.
He'd be glad when she was back to jeans.
Closing his eyes briefly,
he remembered how she'd filled out the denim.
Maybe it wouldn't be
an improvement for his equilibrium, after all.
Damn!

"Well, we did sample a couple, just to make
sure they weren't poison," Kalli said slowly, her eyes
twinkling.

Becky giggled, placed glasses on the table
and poured the milk.

"Kalli knows how to cook and said she'd
teach me," Becky said, sitting happily beside her father and
reaching for a brownie.

"Oh, so you can cook as well as nurse?"

"Sure.
My mother made sure all of us knew
how to cook.
Though I have to tell you I don't do much on my own.
And once my brothers moved out, not one will step foot inside a
kitchen.
Mostly I know how to cook for a crowd.
With all of us at
home, you learn to prepare a lot of food.
Then we always had
company.
A couple of my brothers had best friends that we thought
we had adopted, they were over so much."

"And did you have friends over, too?" Trace
asked, watching her talk about her home and family, enchanted with
the sparkling happiness reflected in her expression.
He'd like to
see her in her parents' home.
Would have liked to see her as a
little girl.

"Sure, but not at every meal.
And not if I
was cooking.
Then I wanted as few people over as possible."

"What's your specialty?"

"Anything Italian, what else?
Mama always
had the best pasta.
She made it herself, you see.
Then we learned
how to make all the rich sauces that curl your toes, they're so
good.
Daddy would always judge our efforts, and proclaim Mama the
winner."

"Sounds as if you have a close family,"
Trace said.

"We are.
We get together every month, the
whole crew, and eat and talk and visit.
It's fun."

"You'll miss it."

"Well, yes, I will.
But they can come to
visit.
After all, it isn't as if I had still been living at home.
And my brothers all have their own lives, as well."

"Still, Wyoming is a long way from
Boston."

Kalli narrowed her gaze.
"Forget it, Trace.
I have my phone.
We can text, or email or even use video calling.
I
can visit once a year and they can come here.
It's not that far.
I'm—"

"Here to stay," he chanted with her.

She laughed.
"Do you like the brownies?"

"They're very good.
You did a good job,
Becky."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Your family's pretty close, too, Trace,"
she said softly.
She liked the relationship between them.
It was
warm and loving.
While Becky might miss her mother, she had not
lacked for love from her father.
She clearly adored him.

"We're all each other has," Trace said with
a warm smile at his daughter.

Kalli felt a twinge of jealousy.
She didn't
like the fact, but there it was.
She wished he'd consider including
her in their warm, close family.
Shocked at where her thoughts were
leading, she took a hasty sip of milk.
Granted, she felt different
around Trace than any man she'd known, but she couldn't be falling
in love with him.
He'd made it so clear he wasn't interested.
He
saw her only as the obstacle to be overcome to acquire the
ranch.

She held still, hoping the feeling would
fade.
It didn't.
It grew stronger and stronger until she felt
swamped, overwhelmed.
Her heart almost burst.
She loved him!
He was
dead set against her and she loved him.
Oh, God, how had that
happened?
When had it happened?
She flicked a quick glance at him,
afraid it would show in her face.
The last thing she dared do was
let him know.
He'd laugh her all the way back to Boston.
She had
been so sure she could control her emotions.
So sure she could have
a wild affair with a cocky cowboy, then continue blithely along her
merry way.
Now she wanted more.

She wanted him to love her.
She wanted him
to ask her to stay, to forget about her ranch and his belief she
wouldn't fit in.
She wanted him to love her back.

Stunned at the churning thoughts that spun
around and around, she was almost unaware when Trace ordered Becky
to clean up and asked to see Kalli in the office.

Rising slowly, she led the way, conscious of
him only inches behind her.
Conscious of his height towering over
her, of his strong arms and shoulders that had carried her
effortlessly several times.
Conscious of his stern look and
determined goals.
Warmed by his fierce love for his daughter.
Loving everything about him.

Closing the study door behind him, he
reached out and pulled her into his arms without a word.
His kiss
was magic.
Kalli dropped the crutches, ignoring their clatter as
she wound her arms around his neck and moved as close as she could
for the ecstasy of his kiss.

"If I call you tonight," he said, his lips
moving against hers, "I want a clear yes or no to my
questions."

His tongue swept into her mouth, claiming
her for himself.
Learning her, tasting her, mating with her tongue.
When she accepted his invitation and pushed her tongue into his
mouth, he felt the heat flood through him.
He wanted her.
It was
nothing short of amazing how he wanted this little slip of a
woman.

He broke the kiss, moving back an inch, but
keeping her against him so tightly not even a breath of air could
separate them.
"None of that bit about other parts of you hurting.
I'll kiss them better now, and that'll have to carry you over,
understand?"

She nodded, lost in the bliss of his
caresses, his teasing tone seeping through her like fine wine.
It
was fun to be part of a couple, fun to tease and be teased.
One arm
held her up while the other came around and slipped between them.
His fingers sought the buttons on her shirt, released them slowly
one by one.
His mouth continued to merge with hers, his lips doing
wonderful things as she reveled in the sexy, sensual sensations
that poured through her.
She could no longer think, only feel.
Feel
the love she had for this man swell in her as his embrace
captivated her.

When her shirt was unfastened, he spread it
wide and traced kisses down her throat, across the delicate bones
of her shoulders, down, down until he captured a rosy tip through
the lacy bra.
He wet it, blew on it, pulled it into his mouth.

Kalli floated on a sea of sensuality, his
mouth fanning the fire between than.
Every suckling action drew her
deeper into the flame, every nerve ending tingled in longing, every
fiber of her being craved closer contact.

Her hands scrambled for his buttons,
frantically ripping them apart in her haste to feel his taut
muscles against her bare skin.
Her fingers trailed across the
strong muscles of his chest, finding and savoring the feel of his
hard, tight nipples.

When he unfastened her bra, she shrugged it
and her shirt off, moving back to his embrace.
Closing her eyes in
delight at the fed of his hard chest against her swollen breasts,
her mouth sought his.
She sighed in soft satisfaction when he met
her lips with his own and kissed her long and hard.

His roughened hands rubbed along the soft
skin of her back, sending shivers of pleasure racing through her.
He was so hot and hard.
She shimmered with the thought of him
crushing her beneath him, mastering her with his love and taking
her through the spinning vortex that threatened to consume ha.

"Dad?
I'm finished," Becky called from the
kitchen.

Trace spun Kalli around, pressing her
against the door, holding her as he held the door closed against
his daughter.

"I've a few things to finish up here,
punkin.
Why don't you get started for home and I'll catch up in the
truck." He was breathing hard, making every effort to have his
words sound normal.
Perspiration glistened on his forehead.

Kalli stared at him, her eyes glittering
with desire and yearning, her body relishing the feel of his weight
against it as he pressed her into the cool wood.
The danger of
discovery by Becky only heightened her awareness of their
situation.
His skin was hot, damp, slick against hers.
His weight
held her against the door, the pain in her ankle forgotten.

"Okay.
Bye, Kalli, thanks for teaching me to
make brownies."

It was her turn.
She cleared her throat.
"We'll do it again soon." Surely she didn't sound that weak.

They didn't move, standing still as statues.
Kalli held her breath, straining to hear Becky, wanting to lean
forward and touch her lips to the pulse beating heavily at the base
of his throat.
She cherished every inch of his hard body pressing
against hers, his hot, bare chest against hers, his long, muscular
thighs against her softer ones.
She felt the cool wood on her back,
his soft breath caressing her cheeks as he waited, his eyes never
leaving hers.
Finally they heard the soft clop of a horse outside
the window.
Gradually it faded.

8

Kalli remained still, gazing into Trace's
heated eyes as the horse's hoof beats faded.
She could hear the
ticking of the clock on the wall.
She could feel the racing beat of
her heart.
Her skin burned where it touched his.
Her breath mingled
with his as he bent over her, his face only inches from her own,
his gaze locked with hers, his dark eyes gleaming.

He, too, waited.
She watched as he remained
as motionless as a statue, pressed against her, the rapid pulse
point at the base of his throat the only sign of life.

Her legs trembled.
Heat swirled between her
thighs, and her breasts ached for his touch, for his caressing
hand, for his hot mouth.
She couldn't stand it if he stopped now.
She wanted him so much.

"Don't go," she whispered.

"I'm not going anywhere," he said in a low
voice.
His hand came up to brush a few strands of hair from her
face, cupping her cheek, his fingers tracing the curve of her ear.
He stared into her liquid eyes, almost drowning in them.
He had
never felt so alive.
Slowly his mouth moved to cover hers.
Slowly
he brushed his lips against hers, open, damp, warm.
She was like
honey and sunshine.
He kissed her again, feeling her frustration,
the desire flaring in her like a hot beacon drawing him nearer,
nearer.

Her hands tightened on his back, her fingers
brushing against his spine, longing to learn every inch of his
body, longing to touch every inch of him.

With a soft groan, Trace pulled back and
picked her up.
"Our first time is not going to be on the damn hard
floor," he growled, moving to open the door.
In seconds, he was
striding down the hall to her bedroom.

Kalli's senses spun.
Happiness flooded her
when he deposited her on her bed and came down right on top of her.
Their first time?
Did that mean he wanted lots of times when they'd
make love together, sharing each other, learning each other?

His mouth was hot and demanding.
His fingers
were soft as feathers, yet she felt his touch to her soul.
He
hurried, which was fine with her, she was burning up for him.
The
sooner the better, as far as she was concerned.
Her hands searched
his back, stroking him, learning him.
When she met the barrier of
his jeans, she tried to slip beneath the waistband, but they were
too snug.

His hand captured one rosy nipple, his thumb
slowly stroking it, pressing against it He watched as she
responded.
Her eyes were glazed with passion, her mouth swollen and
damp from his kisses.
Her tongue darted out to capture his
taste.

Slowly, he caressed her breast, teasing it,
tormenting it, until Kalli's fingers were clawing his back, urging
him to do more.
Deliberately he extended the foreplay.
Methodically
he brushed against her, pressed against her while she twisted and
moved urgently beneath him.

"Please, Trace, you're killing me," she
panted.

His hot mouth moved to draw the tip of her
nipple in his mouth.
His tongue brushed against her, savoring her
special taste, savoring the hot feel of her skin.
His ears caught
her whimper of pleasure and his body hardened for her.
He drove
against her, sucking hard, feeling her buck and writhe as the
tension escalated, stretched taut.

His hand found the fastener on her shorts
and slid down the zipper.
She was hot and wet and wanting.
The heat
scorched his hand.

Struggling to help him, Kalli shimmied out
of her shorts and panties.
She was naked and had hoped the air
would cool her heated flesh.
But the flame he built was too hot,
too intense.

"You, too," she said.
She wasn't going to do
this alone today.
"You, too," she chanted, tugging on the waistband
of his snug jeans.
Trying to slip the button through the hole.

"Yeah, me, too." He sat up for a minute and
quickly shucked off his jeans.

Kalli let her passion-glazed eyes sweep over
him.
He was beautiful.
Strong and muscular, masculine in the most
glorious manner God had designed.
She could see his desire before
her, and her heart sped up even more.
The emptiness in her cried
out to him.
Her body was quivering with anticipation, demanding a
release only he could give.

Snatching up the jeans, Trace retrieved a
foil packet from the back pocket.
Quickly he was ready, leaning
over her, trailing his fingers over her, stroking her feverish
body.
Building her craving, raising the tension higher, ever
higher.

"Now, Trace.
Now!"

He knelt between her legs, his hands rubbing
slowly, erotically against the soft skin of her inner thighs.
Gently he nudged than apart, seeing the glistening welcome awaiting
him.
He slowly pushed into her, covering her with his hard body,
catching her face in his hands as his eyes held hers in a gaze that
was as hot as the Wyoming sun.

Kalli caught her breath, held it as he
filled her.
Filled her more than she'd ever been.
For a moment she
knew she'd found the rest of her.
She'd never be alone again.
She'd
never be incomplete again.
She loved him and she was sharing that
love with him.
She'd give him everything she had.

For a long moment his dark eyes stared into
hers.
She could scarcely breathe, but she smiled slowly, her heart
spilling with love.

"Is this it, cowboy?" she whispered,
laughter and longing dancing in her eyes.

"Not by a long shot," he replied, moving
against her.
He set the pace, and it was fast and wild and hot,
just as he'd promised.
And Kalli kept up the entire way, her eyes
never leaving his, her love reflected for the entire world to
see.

When the vortex swirled and caught them,
Kalli gave in to it.
The splintering satisfaction was white-hot and
intense.
The shock waves were electrifying, stunning her with the
pleasure that coursed through her every cell.
The momentum built
and built then flashed through her.
On and on the stunning waves
crashed, burning her, melting her, until she could no longer see
Trace, could no longer feel anything but the rapture he brought,
the ecstasy of their love.

Trace held off as long as he could, but the
feelings were too intense.
He exploded in her, reaching the summit
with her, feeling her hot body achieve pleasure when his did.
He
imprinted her slight frame on his mind as he gave in to the
pleasure she brought.

Collapsing on her when they were sated, he
breathed in the scent of strawberries, and woman, and love.
He
couldn't move He knew he was too heavy, he was probably crushing
her, but he couldn't move.
He'd never felt such satisfaction when
making love with any woman.
Never felt so at peace.
So
complete.

Kalli lay still, her hands smoothing across
his back, her breathing erratic and harsh, her body humming with
the afterglow of perfection.
She closed her eyes and held onto the
moment.
It was perfect.
Trace was perfect.
And she loved him even
more now than before.

Suddenly a shadow dimmed her happiness.
What
was she going to do?
He didn't love her.
He didn't even want to try
to love her.
He wanted her gone.

Slitting open her eyes, she turned her head
to see him.
Would he change his mind after this?
Would he see that
together they could build something wonderful?
Something lasting?
Would he see the possibilities before them, or only remember the
painful past and associate her with the woman who had been his
wife?

He rolled over, bringing her with him,
pressing up into her to show her he was still there.
She smiled and
lay her head against his chest, savoring every moment she had with
him.
It had been glorious.
The best thing to ever happen to her,
beyond even inheriting the ranch.

"You okay?" he asked, his hand sweeping down
her soft back, cupping her rounded bottom, pressing her into
him.

"Never better." Kalli lifted her head,
resting her chin on her stacked hands against his chest and looking
at him.
Her smile was beautiful.

"Yeah, me, too." His face was still harsh,
all angles and planes.
But his warm eyes thrilled her.
He looked as
pleased as she'd ever seen him.

The breeze blew the curtains slightly,
passing over their cooling skin.
His hand continued tracing random
patterns on her back, stopping at her bottom each time to press her
closer.
Stroking to her shoulders, her neck, tangling languidly in
her silky hair.

"Are you getting cold?" he asked.

"Are you kidding?
You're like a furnace."
She stretched in contentment, rubbing against him like a sated cat.
I love you, her heart whispered to his, wondering if he could feel
it through osmosis.
Maybe if she sent thought waves-

He shifted.

"Don't go," she protested.

"I'll be right back," he said, lifting her
chin and dropping a quick kiss on her mouth.

She frowned when she heard the shower.
He
would be gone longer than a few minutes.
She debated whether she
should join him, but rolled over and curled up instead.
She was too
tired, too lethargic to move.

He had only been gone a moment, yet Kalli
already felt bereft.
How could she stand it when he left for the
night?
When he left for good?
She didn't want to think about it.
She'd take one day at a time.
Maybe she could find the secret to
his heart.

When he returned, he drew back the sheets
and slid beneath than, drawing her into his arms.
With a grateful
sigh, she snuggled closer, her arm across his chest, her thigh
resting on his.

"I should have showered before."

"Why?" She couldn't keep her eyes open.

"I know I must have smelled of horse and
cattle and sweat."

"I don't remember, but now you smell like
soap and shampoo."

"Yeah, strawberry shampoo," he said in
disgust.

She laughed softly.

"Want to sleep?" he asked.

She nodded, feeling replete, safe,
cherished.

Kalli awoke later, after dark, to feel
Trace's mouth against her throat, his hands already working to
arouse her.
Her response was immediate.
He was ready.
She could
feel him hard against her soft belly, his thigh pressed between
hers.
Smiling sleepily, she turned to him, to embrace him and draw
him into her.
They made love slowly, gently, deeply.
It was as good
as the first time, maybe better.
It lasted a long, long time.

"Stay the night," she whispered, her mouth
loath to leave his.
She wanted to fuse to him and never be
separated.

"Honey, I can't.
My truck's outside, plain
as life."

"So?"

"So, you have four men working for you that
live a stone's throw away.
I don't want to jeopardize your
reputation."

"Let me worry about my own reputation.
I'm
their boss.
They're not going to say anything."

"No.
I'm not staying." A hint of steel
sounded.

"Maybe you're more worried about your own
precious reputation," she said sulkily, moving away from him, angry
he didn't want to stay when she wanted him to so badly.

"What do you mean by that?" His tone became
razor sharp.

"Wouldn't want to jeopardize your lone-wolf
reputation, the one where everyone thinks you don't want nor need a
woman.
Leave then, and show everyone how tough you are."

His hard hand gripped her shoulder, pulling
her to face him, pressing her hard into the mattress.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"You're a loner and you love it.
You don't
want anyone to think you need a woman.
You don't date.
You don't do
anything as far as I can tell but work on your ranch and covet
mine.
So I figure even though you're one