In the Cowboy's Bed (Pleasure Ridge Ranch) (4 page)

Their bodies slapped together in a rhythm that wasn’t sex in the least. She had the right of it. This was pure, desperate, animal instinct fucking. As his climax built, he joined her in not staying quiet.

"You feel so fucking good," he ground out as he increased his pace and nearly slammed her back against the wall.

"You...do...too," she said, punctuating each word with a breath and a moan after each of his strokes.

He dropped his mouth to her wet breast and sucked hard.

She cried out, and her heels dug into his hips. "I’m coming. Oh, I’m coming."

So was he. He didn’t think he’d ever stroked so fast, but nothing seemed fast enough. As he came, he didn’t hold back his own cry of intense pleasure.

Erin’s hands slipped off the handles, incapable of holding on any longer. Though Justin was still breathing hard and looked like he could collapse at any moment, he still managed to catch her and set her carefully on her feet.

"That was amazing," she said, meaning every word. She’d enjoyed sex before, but sex with Justin was light-years beyond the best sex she’d ever had before meeting him. "I’ve never done that before."

He smiled. "Not too many showers have handles like this."

"No, but I mean I’ve never..." She hesitated, suddenly embarrassed by what she was about to say. But what kind of sense did that make considering everything she’d done in the past twenty-four hours?

"Asked someone to fuck you hard?"

She laughed. "Yeah, there’s that." She lifted her hand and ran it over his wet chest. "But I was referring to having sex in the shower."

He pulled back a little in surprise. "Really? Never?"

She shrugged. "Nope. Guess I wasn’t very adventurous." And maybe that was why Adam had been screwing that girl doggy style.

"Look at it this way," Justin said as he skimmed one of his big hands over the swell of her breasts. "Here with me you can make up for lost time. And you’re off to a good start."

She found herself smiling and realized suddenly that Justin had made her smile more in less than a day than Adam had in the last month.

Justin took her hand and guided them both under the spray of the shower then tilted his head back to soak his hair and let the water run over his face. He reached for the soap and stepped aside so she could wash her hair. She squirted some shampoo in her hand then closed her eyes as she worked it through her hair. She jumped when she felt Justin’s hands on her breasts.

"What are you doing?" she asked as her eyes popped open.

He waggled a bar of soap at her. "Helping you out."

She was perfectly capable of soaping her own body, but suddenly she didn’t want to. So she let him run the soap and his hands wherever he wanted. When his soapy travels took him between her legs, she inhaled sharply. But then he spun her around and worked on her back. For a moment, she imagined him taking her from behind as the water poured down on them like rain. But she didn’t know if she was ready for that, if she ever would be. Not with the image of Adam and that girl still fresh in her mind.

To rid herself of that memory she took the soap from Justin and returned the favor, letting her hands glide over his fantastic body. That six-pack, the corded muscles in his legs, his strong arms, the part of him that had given her so much pleasure. As she watched the soapy water flow down his chest, she suddenly had to put some space between them. She plopped the soap in his hand and stepped toward the shower door.

Justin grabbed her hand, stopping her escape. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing. It’s just that if I stand here looking at your wet, naked body any longer, I’m going to want to do you all over again."

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"Nothing other than the fact that if I don’t get some food, I’m not going to have the energy to breathe let alone have sex eighty different ways."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Eighty, huh?"

She laughed and lifted on her toes to plant a lingering kiss on his mouth. When she lowered herself, she squeezed his hand. "Take your time." And then she stepped with noodly legs onto the bath mat and wrapped herself in one of the huge, plush towels.

She didn’t look at Justin. Despite her exhaustion, the desire he ignited in her might have her stepping back into that shower and perhaps never getting out.

* * * *

By the time Erin dressed, she felt only marginally stronger. With each step she took, she wondered if it would be the one where her legs finally gave way and dumped her in the floor. As soon as she stepped into the kitchen, a ravenous hunger for a huge breakfast slammed into her.

The shower continued to run as she pulled bacon and eggs from the refrigerator. She cracked several eggs into a pan and scrambled them with shredded Cheddar cheese. She was so hungry that she ate the first two slices of bacon to crisp up as she shoved thick slices of bread in a toaster and retrieved strawberry jam and grape jelly from the fridge.

As she sat all the food on the table as well as two fresh cups of coffee and two glasses of orange juice, she noticed that the shower had finally cut off. She’d been on the verge of checking to see if Justin was still upright in there or if he’d collapsed from overexertion.

When she heard the bathroom door open, Justin strode out in the same clothes he’d been wearing the day before but bare feet. His hair was still damp, obviously just towel dried.

"Never did get around to bringing my bag in yesterday," he said, a crooked grin on his face. "Someone kept me busy."

In the broad light of a new day, a little of her normal self rushed to the surface along with a surge of heat. Holy crap, she’d behaved like a sex-starved maniac. Maybe that’s what she was, what she’d never allowed herself to even think about being. When she went home, how was she ever going to go back to her everyday routine and dating normal guys?

She shook her head, not willing to think about that depressing scenario right now. She had six more days with Justin, and she was going to make the most of them.

Justin slid into the seat opposite her, and from the way he dived right in he was as hungry as she was. They were halfway through their food before either of them spoke.

"You want to go for a horseback ride today?" Justin asked before taking a bite of bacon.

"I’ve never been on a horse."

"Lucky for you, I have."

She took a drink of coffee as she watched him. When she placed the cup back on the table, she said, "The guys here aren’t really cowboys, right? I mean, that’s like a theme, an archetype that women fantasize about."

"It is. And I don’t know about the other guys, but I actually grew up on a ranch. So you have yourself a real cowboy."

"You grew up around here?"

He shook his head. "Wyoming."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Really." That layer of authenticity made him even sexier. "So, you up for giving riding a try?"

The memory of her riding him in the middle of the night caused her to stare down at her plate to hide her thoughts as well as how they heated her cheeks. "Sure."

After they ate, Justin went out to his truck to retrieve his bag. He changed into clean clothes while Erin did the dishes. When they both stepped out onto the porch, Erin breathed deeply of the fresh air. Maybe a day out in the sun would help ease the aches throughout her body brought about by all the vigorous lovemaking.

She faltered a little bit going down the steps at that thought. It wasn’t lovemaking. No, it was sex and only sex. But a little twinge told her that wasn’t entirely true. Though she knew next to nothing about Justin, the real man and not the part he played for her, she got the sense that she would like him. She already liked the man she saw now, and instinct told her that he didn’t suddenly have a personality transplant when he went home from the ranch.

Justin’s hand touched her elbow, aware of her bobble. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just slipped a little."

"Be careful. Can’t have you injuring yourself before you even see the horses."

He drove her down the winding road she’d taken to the cabin then past the office where she’d picked up her key. He turned down another road and eventually came to an area filled with barns and corrals. Several beautiful horses stood in the corrals, and a guy was leading another horse out of the front of the barn.

When Justin parked and opened his door, Erin stayed in the truck watching the guy with the horse and the couple standing next to him. She jumped when Justin opened her door.

"You nervous?" he asked.

"Maybe a little."

"I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ve been riding almost since I could walk."

He stepped back so she could get out of the truck, but instead her eyes went back to the three people next to the barn.

"Can we wait until they leave?"

Justin directed his gaze where she was looking. "Why?"

"Because...I feel like they’ll take one look at me and know what I’ve been doing."

A wide smile stretched Justin’s lips, and he stepped closer to her. "There’s a pretty good chance they’ve been doing the same thing." He grabbed her knees and spun her toward him. He stepped in between her legs and ran his hands up the inside of her thighs. "I guess I could always pull down these jeans right here and really give them something to talk about."

She throbbed at his suggestion and for a split second wanted to dare him to do exactly that. When had the idea of having sex where someone might see her gotten so exciting? She gave him a playful slap on the shoulder and pushed him back so she could get out of the truck.

"You are a bad, bad boy," she said as she walked past him.

"I do try."

* * * *

Justin took a moment to appreciate the shape of Erin’s body in her jeans and simple red, long-sleeved T-shirt before falling into step beside her. Up ahead, the other couple headed away from the barn toward one of the trails.

"Hey," the tall, Native American guy left behind said as they approached.

"Erin, this is Adam Blackwood, our local horse guru," Justin said.

Erin’s eyes widened for a moment, and he got the distinct feeling it wasn’t because of Adam’s good looks. But she recovered quickly and extended her hand.

"Nice to meet you," she said, offering up a very pretty smile, a genuine smile.

"Likewise," Adam said.

As she and Adam shook hands, Justin found himself wondering what that little jolt had been about. And that was new, too. Most of the time, he wasn’t really curious about the women who came to the ranch. And most of the time, they didn’t ask about him either.

"What can I get for you?" Adam asked Justin.

"Erin’s not a rider, so we’ll just need one."

Adam nodded. "Daisy then." He looked at Erin. "She’s a sweet, gentle horse, not easily spooked."

"Sounds good to me," Erin said.

It didn’t take long for Adam to prep Daisy and lead her out of the barn. At the widening of Erin’s eyes, Justin found himself wanting to comfort her. He took her hand and squeezed it, enjoying the soft, warm feel of her small hand in his much bigger one. She gave him a tentative smile and squeezed his hand back.

"They look way bigger up close," she said as Adam halted Daisy next to them.

"Yeah, but Daisy here is a sweetie-pie," Justin said as he stroked the side of Daisy’s shiny, deep brown neck.

Erin didn’t look so sure but then she reached out and Daisy’s neck, too. Daisy turned her head and rubbed her nose against Erin’s shoulder, causing Erin to laugh.

"She likes you," Justin said as an all-too-real smile tugged at his own lips.

After a couple of unsuccessful tries, he managed to help Erin into the saddle, swing up behind her and take the reins from Adam. The other man gave him an odd look Justin couldn’t identify, so he looked away.

"Anyone up on the Amber Ridge Trail?" Justin asked.

"Nope. All clear."

With a nod, he urged Daisy forward.

"Don’t like to share the trails, huh?" Erin asked as he maneuvered Daisy past the sign that indicated the Amber Ridge Trailhead.

"Some people do a little more than ride out on the trails," he said. "But you should know that."

"Oh."

He imagined her cheeks going hot and smiled again. For the next hour, he let Daisy set an easy pace as they steadily climbed up the trail. He answered Erin’s questions about the vegetation, the wildlife and the various mountains they could see in the distance. He could tell from the layer of enthusiasm in her voice that she was genuinely interested, that she appreciated the beauty this land had to offer. He liked that. Sometimes the women who came here never wanted to leave the cabins. Of course, that was their right. They paid for the right to indulge their fantasies, even if that meant never looking beyond those four walls to the incredible natural beauty outside.

When they reached the high point on the trail, he reined Daisy to a stop.

"This is incredible," Erin said. "It’s so beautiful up here. Peaceful, too. Makes you never want to go back to the real world."

In that moment, he knew she wasn’t talking about endless rounds of sex with him. And he was okay with that. Not that he didn’t enjoy the sex. In fact, he’d be plenty okay with pulling her off this horse and having her again out here below the wide, blue sky. But the fact that there was more to her, that she was not blind to other pleasures that had nothing to do with sexual fantasies, caused something to shift within him. To lighten in his chest.

That thought freaked him out enough that he dismounted. He allowed himself one deep breath before he extended a hand to help her down to the ground.

As her body slid down the front of his, his penis jumped to attention. Down boy.

Justin stepped back but didn’t release her hand. He was amazed how comfortable that felt, just holding the hand of this virtual stranger. He led her to the edge of the rocky outcropping that jutted out from the ridge.

"Is this place named for someone, or does the Amber Ridge refer to the redrock’s color?" she asked.

"The rock. This is my favorite trail on the ranch."

"I can see why." She shaded her eyes with her free hand and slowly scanned the land spread out beyond them. "I like living near the ocean, but I have to admit the land here does have a bit of a siren’s call."

He stared at her profile, marveling that he’d thought much the same thing not all that long ago. He had to force himself to look away from her, from what she was making him remember. Things he’d come here to forget.

"Can I ask you a question?" he said.

"Sure."

"Back at the barn, when I introduced you to Adam. You acted like something was wrong for a moment."

"Nothing important."

"You sure about that?"

She didn’t say anything for a moment then took a deep breath. "The guy I was seeing before I came here, his name’s Adam. It was just a little shock to hear his name, that’s all."