It's In His Heart (A Red River Valley Novel) (18 page)

He reached out and caressed her cheek with his thumb. His fingers feathered across her neck, and his thumb found her lips, traced them, taunted them, and they opened for him. She took the tip between them and suckled, gentle and slow. Her tongue flicked over the tip, and he couldn’t help himself. He wanted her, more than he’d ever wanted any woman.

Coop covered her mouth with his and drank her in. She tasted so good, so sweet, like one of her fancy gourmet coffees mixed with coconut lip gloss.

With both hands, he framed her face and deepened the kiss with an intensity that almost consumed him. He’d never wanted a woman more than he wanted her right now. It wasn’t wise. Stupid, even, but he didn’t just want her. He needed her.

He pulled away just enough to graze her nose with his. Nipping at her bottom lip with his teeth, he stared at those plump lips, swollen from his kiss.

“Jesus, you’re beautiful.”

Her big green eyes searched his. “Let’s go inside,” Ella whispered, inviting, offering.

Oh, yeah.
But he had to be sure. And he wanted her to be rock-solid certain, too. His life was already a hot mess; he wasn’t about to screw it up even more with misguided assumptions.

“Are you sure this is what you want?”

Staring up at him with a lusty gaze, she nodded. “Yes, I want this.”

“I’m not Bradley.” He cupped her cheek with a flushed palm and ran his thumb across that plump bottom lip of hers. It parted for him, calling him, drawing him in with a magnetic pull. “Not even close.”

She nodded, just one gentle dip of her head. “And I’ve never been a one-night stand.”

His gaze swept over her pretty face, and he breathed in deeply, because that was the fly in the lip-glossy ointment. “I know.”

C
hapte
r
E
ighteen

Coop led Ella up the stairs, his fingers laced with hers. He let go to unlock the door, her impatience growing without his touch. Her flesh tingling for the warm feel of him. Pushing the door open, he let her go in first. When she turned to face him, his expression darkened with hunger, his stare devoured her. He pushed the door closed and locked it, his smoky gaze staying locked with hers.

He walked toward her, his eyes caressing the length of her body. Burning a trail of hungry need all the way to her toes, which curled against her bedazzled flip-flops. “I’ve been wondering something all night.” His voice was husky with desire. He stopped a breath away from her, but didn’t lift his hand to touch her.

“Wondering what?” Ella tried to control her quickened breaths, but the butterflies in her stomach . . . well, there was nothing she could do about it. And the throb between her legs—she hoped very much Coop was about to do something about
that
.

His gaze dropped to the sash at her waist and he reached up, taking the narrow strip of fabric between two fingers. “What would happen if I did this?” He tugged the sash until the knotted bow released.

Oh, yeah. That was a good thing to wonder.

As he dropped the strip, half her dress fell away with a swish, and his potent stare lowered to her purple-and-black lace bra. He swallowed, his gaze growing thunderous with want. Her skin sizzled under his stare.

Mouth dry and thighs wet, Ella found the smaller bow at her hip and pulled at one of the strings. It slid from its knot and freed the other half of her dress. With a slight wiggle of each shoulder, the black garment descended to the floor. Two quick little kicks and her fashionable flip-flops skittered across the room. Ella stood in front of Coop wearing nothing but a matching pair of expensive lacy undergarments, an ankle bracelet, and a toe ring.

Grandma’s swimsuit, my ass.

A thought came out of left field and knocked the air out of her lungs. She hadn’t been naked with anyone but Bradley in nearly a decade. And since Bradley, there’d been no one.
No
.
One.

Oh. My. God.

For a fleeting moment Ella wanted to bolt from the room. Until she looked deep into Coop’s hazel eyes and saw a depth of emotion she’d never expected. Not just carnal lust, but something deeper, something real.

Coop slid a hand around her waist and pulled her to him.

Before she lost her last nerve, she stepped into his arms and grabbed for him. His mouth found hers, and she opened to him, tasted him, melted into him. One hand traced up her spine, and she shuddered under his touch, his fingers finding a home at the back of her head. The other hand dropped to the top of her bikini panties, and he inserted the tips of his fingers under the elastic, flexing them into her flesh. Those magical, beautiful fingertips stroked her skin, soft and gentle. Then his entire hand dived beneath the black lace and her bottom filled his warm palm. He kneaded and caressed until she couldn’t breathe for wanting more.

Ella wanted to see him, touch his bare skin, feel his muscular body pressed against hers with no barriers in between. She gathered his shirt in her fist until it pulled free of his jeans, then she set to work on the buttons. Finally she slid her hands onto his ripped torso, the muscles dancing underneath her touch. Hot and sleek and utterly, wonderfully male.

She sighed. As girls back in Texas would say, “daaaayum.”

“Ella, I want you,” he breathed against her ear, and shock waves lanced through her entire body, the epicenter between her legs threatening to erupt.

Oh, yeah, the gears of her nether regions sprang to life. No worries there. A little rusty maybe, but they were turning and churning nonetheless. Still, it had been so long.

“Coop, it’s been a long time,” Ella panted. “I’m not on birth control.”

“Maybe,” he panted even harder. “Maybe, I have something.” He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and fumbled through it, his breath heavy.

Please, please, please let him have something.

“Yeah, I have a few.” He pulled three gold squares from his wallet.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

“Three will do for now.” Ella reached for him again, and he smiled at her, a lazy, sexy quirk that lifted one side of his mouth.

“I’ve heard nothing but good ideas out of you all night.” He lowered his head, but she pulled her head back.

“I . . . I just hope you’re not disappointed.”

His brows knit together and his eyes darkened.

“I haven’t . . .” Ella bit her lip.

“How long’s it been, Ella?”

Ella looked toward the ceiling, trying to mentally count the months, which quickly mounted into years.

“Ah.” One corner of his mouth turned up into a satisfied smile. “Has there been anyone since Bradley?”

She shook her head and leaned her forehead against his chest.

He circled her shoulders with one arm, and the weight made Ella feel safe.

“Hey, hey.” He placed a finger under her chin and angled her face upward so she could look into his eyes. “It’s a lot easier than rafting.”

She laughed.

“And I’ll make sure you enjoy it a whole lot more.”

He brushed a soft kiss across her lips, and angled her head so his mouth fit in the curve of her neck. He suckled and feathered kisses up to her ear, and her knees gave way a little.

Coop caught her and held her weight against him.

“Your bedroom or mine?” she managed to ask.

He lifted her off the floor. “We’ll get to that later. Wrap your legs around me.”

When she complied, he carried her to the bar and sat her on the edge, shoving a bar stool out of the way.

“I’m too close to the edge. I’m going to fall.” Her voice held a note of panic.

“No, you won’t. I’m not going to let you.” He tugged at her panties. “These need to go.” He found her mouth again and kissed her fear away. Clinging to him, she lifted her bottom, and he pulled the panties off, tossing them in a corner.

For the first time since they arrived, the dogs made themselves known. Her panties dangled off one side of Winston’s head, and he growled.

Ella and Coop both laughed.

“They’ve been having all the fun. It’s our turn.” He stepped between her legs, and she wrapped herself around him.

Slowly, she traversed the hard angles and planes of his arms, his chest, over his rib cage. Exploring his beautiful body with her fingertips, his muscles twitched and warmed under her touch. A body she’d admired for so, so long. She found his button and zipper and relieved him of his pants and boxer briefs. He sprang toward her, pulsing and searching, while he kicked his clothes and boots to the side.

Oh, yeah. Definitely more fun than rafting.

Coop’s weight shifted, and he slid hot, flexing hands up both her thighs, then around to grasp her bottom. With a quick, firm tug, he pulled her to the edge of the counter against him. She grasped the edge of the counter with one hand, the other digging into his back.

“You need to trust me.” Coop nipped at her earlobe.

And unbelievably she did. Slowly she let go of the counter, giving Coop full control over her body, and a chunk of her heart went with it. She found his pulsing member with one hand. While she stroked his length with slow, methodical sweeps, she threaded the other hand through his hair and guided his mouth back to hers.

His hands smoothed up her back to the clasp of her bra. With a quick flick of his skilled fingers, it came loose, the straps sagging at her shoulders. His palms came around to mold over the mounds of aching flesh, and he massaged. The silk fabric and lace trim of the bra created enough friction over her taut nipples to drive her insane as he worked her breasts into two smoldering peaks. Her insides coiled like a clock wound too tight and ready to unfurl. She made an indiscernible sex sound as he pulled her bra off and found a pink and throbbing nipple with his teeth, tugging gently.

She panted out his name, and he smiled against her flesh. Then devoured the peaked bud with his wet lips and flicking tongue.

“Where’s the condoms?” she asked in an incoherent pant, both hands buried in his hair.

“Not yet,” he breathed against her throbbing nipple, then covered it with a hot, wet kiss, suckling her into a whimper. Releasing it, he moved to the other side and showed that the same attention.

Ella flexed her searching fingers across his muscled back and swallowed.

“Oh, God,” she panted. “You’re . . . you’re so good at this.”

His response was a splayed hand against her chest that pushed her gently back until she rested on both elbows. He tugged her aching nipple between his teeth, and she nearly sobbed. When his expert mouth started to descend, indulging her pebbled skin with slow, moist kisses, she squirmed.

“Coop,” she rasped out. “I want you in me.”

“No,” he said and circled her navel with his tongue.

She tugged at his hair, too self-conscious to let him go any further. It’d been so long. So very, very long.

A sensual sound just below a scream ripped from her when he sank to his knees and buried his tongue between her thighs. He hooked one of her thighs over his shoulder and laved at her swollen cleft.

She arched and writhed and begged until he inserted two fingers into her, and she fell to pieces.

A climax rolled over her like waves pounding the shore in a storm. When the convulsions wracking her body started to subside, Coop trailed hot kisses up to her neck and gathered her into his arms, laying a soft but deep kiss on her lips.

Her brain still foggy from the aftershocks of orgasm, Ella swallowed, her throat dry and gravelly. “Now can we get a condom?” she asked, cocooning him inside her arms and legs.

He produced one out of nowhere like a magician pulling a coin from behind her ear.

Her gaze ate him up. “Put it on.”

With his teeth, he ripped open the gold square and rolled it on fast and sure.

Curling one set of fingers under her bottom, he pulled her to him, anchoring her against the impressive package she’d admired so shamelessly since the first night she arrived at the cabin. He nudged her legs farther apart, his magnificent erection pulsing at her slick entrance. He pulled back a little and rubbed the tip of his nose with hers.

“Ready?” he asked and nipped at her lip.

He was giving her an out, but she didn’t want it. She just wanted him. All of him.

“
Yes.
” The raw desire in her voice made Coop chuckle with satisfaction.

He drove into her with one fluid movement, and a husky sex sound that communicated her approval wrenched from the back of her throat. And oh, his package was even more impressive then. He moved inside her, reaching between them with one hand to stroke the small point of ecstasy that’d been ignored for far too long. His expert fingers circled that small throbbing spot until her body tightened around him, and she arched into a cataclysmic orgasm that had her calling his name through the euphoric fog of sated desire.

When she could breathe again, he rested his forehead against hers.

“Keep your legs around me. I’m going to lift you again.”

“But what about you?” she panted out. “You haven’t . . .”

He laughed. “We’re just getting started,” he said, lifting her off the counter and carrying her to the sofa still buried deep inside her. True to his word, they
were
just getting started.

After laying her on her back, he sank into her so deep, the fit so perfect that she arched against him and her body inconceivably started to tighten around him again. A hiss swooshed out of him.

“Jesus, Ella.” His words were strained with almost painful self-control. “It’s like you’re made for me.”

Ella gave herself to him fully and completely. On the sofa, in his bed, in the shower—until all the condoms were gone. With all three gold packages of bliss used up, Ella trailed kisses down his stomach and took care of him in a whole different way. Her technique must have inspired him, because he did the same to her again until she whispered his name.

She might’ve even heard herself beg him to do that thing with his thumb again, but she really wasn’t sure. And when their hunger had finally been sated in the early hours before dawn, they drifted off into a peaceful sleep entwined under the soft quilts on Coop’s bed.