Heart So Sweet: Book 3 in the Great Plains Romance Series (5 page)

He broke from their kiss and glanced at the counter.

Susannah started pulling at her robe. “The bedroom–”

“No time.” He swept the cutting board and food into the sink in one movement, then lifted Susannah up onto the counter, pulling her robe slightly open as his mouth returned to feasting on hers. One hand held her head in place, giving him the best access to her mouth, while his other hand found its way to her breast, kneading the mound of flesh until her nipple was hard. He pinched the pink tip lightly, sending waves of burning excitement throughout her body.

She leaned back on the counter, pulling her robe even further open and giving her entire body fully to Tate. His mouth quickly shifted to her breast, and Susannah struggled to breathe against the burning desire he created as his tongue flicked back and forth. She pushed her head back and arched her back, wrapping her legs around him while wishing that she could somehow be pressed even more tightly against him even though there was no room between them.

Nothing had prepared her for the heat that seared through her body when Tate moved his free hand to her thigh, sliding it up until it reached the moist area between her legs. As his tongue flicked across her nipple, his fingers matched its rhythm, stroking her until Susannah thought she would melt into a fiery pool at his feet.

“Tate.”

His name came out as a primal moan, and he immediately shifted to press the full weight of his hips against hers. His mouth returned to hers, and she recognized his need, matching his passion with her own. She wanted him—needed him—now, and she let him know. When he slid into her, she felt her body cocooning around him, and she held onto him as tightly as she could, not wanting him to leave her. As he pulled out, she whimpered, and he immediately slid back into place. It was a rhythm they established and rode together until Tate stopped kissing her and pulled back just enough so he could watch her reactions. Susannah watched his as well, until the power that surged between them threatened to devour them both. She threw her head back as her entire body shuddered in release, then fell forward, clinging to him as she felt his release as well.

For several moments, they waited for their breathing to return to normal, their sweat-covered skin still pressed together. Susannah finally lifted her head from his shoulder, a languid smiled spreading across her face.

“The bedroom?” Tate asked.

Susannah giggled. “Don’t you think it’s a little late now?”

Tate pulled her closer to him and she realized that he was still inside her—and ready to go once more. Her body reacted immediately, and in that moment she knew she could never get enough of Tate Trudell. He was everything she had fantasized about and more.

“Just how long do you think you can keep going at this rate, sheriff?”

“We’ve got all night to find out.”

The skies outside were just starting their predawn lightening when Susannah felt the tell-tale heat spreading through her body once again. She sighed deeply, causing Tate to laugh in her ear. “It’s no use pretending that you’re asleep, sweet Annie.”

She couldn’t tell what caused her more excitement, his hot breath on her neck or the way his gravelly voice whispered the endearment.

“I wasn’t pretending, just enjoying the moment.” She looked up from the pillow to see him propped up on one elbow looking down at her. He had pulled the thin sheet away from her body and was taking the sight in while his free hand drew circles on her stomach. She half-closed her eyes again and felt his fingers making wide circles until her body was screaming for release again. How could he do that with just a touch? “You’re pretty good at this whole sex thing, you know.”

He arched an eyebrow, then leaned down to nibble on her ear. “Is that a challenge, Annie? Because I am up for it. I know I can do better than ‘pretty good.’”

Her eyes flew opened and she laughed to hide her nervousness. Better than what they had already spent all night doing? She wasn’t sure she would survive.

He shifted to move on top of her, but Susannah put her hands out to stop him. “What about me?”

“Excuse me?”

She pushed on his chest, rolling him onto his back and sat up to look down at him. “I think it’s my turn.” She pulled the sheet away from his body and took her time examining every inch of him. She traced a finger along his strong jawline, down his throat and to his chest.

A soft laughter rumbled deep in his chest. “Annie–” His sudden intake of breath made Susannah smile as she kissed him lightly, using her lips to follow the path that her fingers had made. She let her fingers play with one of his nipples while her tongue played with the other. He clasped her shoulders and tried to pull her back up to kiss him, but she pushed his hands away and moved her exploration of his body to his abdomen.

She moved to straddle his legs, then leaned over his hips until she could reach his stomach, where she let her mouth explore each of his contracted muscles while Tate’s breathing intensified. Meanwhile, her hands moved to his thighs, lightly trailing up and down until one hand discovered he was fully aroused. She grasped him, caressing him while her mouth worked across his abdomen.

“Annie.”

It was barely a whisper, and she glanced up to see him looking down at her, his eyes glassy as he watched what she was doing. She smiled and continued watching his reactions as her kisses moved lower, her hand still holding him firmly, sliding up and down in small movements. Suddenly he tensed and threw his head back against the pillow, his entire body begging for release. She laughed, a deep sexy laugh, at the power she held over him.

It was the wrong thing to do.

Susannah found herself flipped onto her back, Tate straddling her as she had done to him just seconds earlier. “Let’s see how you like it.” He dipped his head down to let his mouth cover one breast while his hand massaged the other.

“Oh, you know I like it, Tate.” She arched her back, but he was already moving lower, his mouth burning a hot trail to her belly button. But he didn’t stop there. His hand was between her legs, and Susannah was almost afraid to breathe, remembering how he had touched her there already, how it had driven her mad with desire. She waited for his touch, to feel his fingers tease her hot moistness until she begged him to take her. But his fingers didn’t move. The explosion she felt when his tongue licked that secret place instead was like nothing she had ever experienced. She moaned his name over and over as her fingers became tangled in his hair. She shook her head back and forth, as if telling him to stop, but her mouth begged him for more. A fire erupted deep within her, burning a path right to the place that Tate was torturing, first with soft, slow kisses, then rapid flicks that had her standing on the precipice.

“Tate, please, now—I can’t, no more. Oh God, don’t stop!” Her words made no sense, but she couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t understand. She didn’t know where she was or even who she was. All she knew was Tate and what he was doing to her. The fire inside her burned until it threatened to consume her. She fought it off, trying to stay ahead of it, but finally gave in and let it carry her over the precipice as her hips bucked. She gulped in air, until Tate’s mouth was covering her own, his body pressed down on hers as he slid into her and rode her wave of release with his own.

Moments later, both of them spent, Susannah said, “Yes, better than pretty good.”

The last thing she remembered before drifting into sleep was Tate’s chest rumbling against hers as he laughed.

Chapter Eight

The loud muffler from Andrew’s truck woke them up, and Tate glanced at the clock, which flashed 6:49.

Susannah sat up with a start. “Shit, shit, shit.” She was mumbling to herself as she jumped out of bed, pulling the sheet with her. “Hurry, before they realize you’re here.” She raced out of the room, mumbling to herself once again.

Tate covered his face with the pillow, trying to get just five more minutes of sleep.

Susannah returned, throwing his discarded clothes at him. “No, no more sleep. Up. We have to get you out on the couch before they come over.”

Tate pulled the pillow away and sat up. “What are you talking about, Annie?”

“They can’t know.”

“Why the hell not?” His voice was no longer clouded by sleep, and he saw Susannah flinch at his scowl, which only made him scowl more deeply.

“Tate, please don’t argue. Not now.” She dug around in her dresser, then pulled a light purple t-shirt over her head until it hung to just below her hips. She followed that with a pair of loose-fitting sweats.

“Frumpy clothes aren’t going to hide what we did last night.” Tate was pulling on his pants, trying to keep his anger in check, but already knowing that he was failing.

“What do you mean?”

In two steps he was standing beside her. He grabbed her chin and examined her face, which wore the signs of a passionate night well: the healthy flush to her cheeks and slightly swollen lips from his kisses. Damn. Looking at her, being this close to her was a mistake. Would his desire for her ever be satiated? Not being able to control his body infuriated him even more. He forced her to look up into his eyes. “Are you ashamed of what we did—of me?” His blue eyes darkened as he stared down at her.

“No!”

But her voice cracked in fear. Was it fear that her brothers would barge in, demanding answers, or fear that he would be able to see through her lie? Tate couldn’t tell.

She pulled her chin from his grip but continued to look up at him. “Tate, I don’t regret anything we did, and I never will, but I don’t want my brothers catching us here, like this.”

“Annie, you’re a grown woman. Surely you’ve had–”

“Yes, but not you! Anybody but you, Tate.”

Her eyes widened as she realized what she’d said. Tate turned away, afraid he would no longer be able to control the black anger the surged through him. Or the pain slicing through his heart. He knew she was right, that Lucas would never allow Annie to be with him. Anybody but him. The pain cut deeper because Lucas was a man Tate considered to be his brother, even after not speaking to him for ten years. All because of Mary Ellen.

Tate’s fury was nearly blinding, so he didn’t hear the banging on the front door until Annie started pushing him toward the bathroom, scooping up the rest of his clothing and tossing it in after him.

Chapter Nine

Susannah was thankful that whoever was banging—most likely Andrew—had forgotten that Jenny was with her grandparents or else he would have just walked right in. Unfortunately, the interloper seemed to remember this just as Tate stepped into the bathroom. Susannah pulled the door closed and raced to the living room, where she pretended to be folding up the sheets she had left for Tate there the night before.

“What, you don’t answer your door anymore?”

She turned to see Andrew standing in the entryway, his brown hair lightly tussled and his pale blue eyes sparkling with laughter.

She shrugged and turned back to the couch. “Why do I need to see what the cat dragged in?”

“Ouch, Susie, that hurts.” He sauntered up next to her and jostled her shoulders playfully. “Why you gotta be that way after such a good night?”

“A good night?” She threw the sheets at him. “Just what the hell did you think you were doing stranding Tate here last night?”

He laughed at her, a hollow sound that shook the entire length of his tall, lithe body. “You know what they say. When the cat’s away...Well, we knew the cat was trapped, and boy did this little mouse have fun last night.”

“Andrew Clark, do you even have a single working cell in your brain or have you partied them all away?”

She saw the hardened look appear in his eye, but she didn’t care. Andrew always reminded her of a puma: sleek and beautiful to look at but powerfully dangerous when riled up. He had never touched her in anger, but there’d been a few times when she knew he’d wanted to. And when he got really angry, Lucas was the only one who could take him down—although not without taking a beating himself. Goading Andrew now, with Tate so close, was not the smartest approach. She softened her voice a bit as she took the sheet back from him.

“Did you ever stop to think that your little prank might put Tate on the offensive? And if he is snooping around, what’s to stop him from finding out about the shenanigans with the neighbors?”

Andrew shrugged and waved her off, but the hardness in his eyes didn’t dissipate. “Aw, man, I’m not worried about that. Tate’s a good guy, for the most part.”

“He’s sheriff now,” she stressed, fuming at Andrew’s nonchalance and refusal to see the seriousness of his actions. But she hid her anger as best she could. “He doesn’t have the luxury of being one of the boys.”

Andrew whistled softly. “Why, Miss Susannah Clark, I do think you have a little crush on our new lawman.”

“Oh, knock it off.”

“What’s the matter, sis, our new lawman think he’s too good for you? Did he reject your advances last night?”

“Andrew, please!” She turned and walked into the kitchen, hiding her burning face as she remembered all the advances that she had welcomed, had nearly begged for last night. But Andrew would interpret her blushing as something else, and the only thing that made her brothers crazier than being protective of her was their determination to destroy anyone who dared hurt her.