My Kind of Trouble (21 page)

"Luke I need you inside of
me...
please
." She grabbed his shoulders but he pulled
away.

Skimming his hands down her body, he grabbed
the thin bands at the side of her hips and drew her panties off,
tossing them over by the rock. The heat of his eyes felt like the
fiery sun on her nether regions then he grated, "I said I was going
to make you come twice, but I'll have to take a rain check on round
two. I need you
now
."

Cassie's mouth watered as he stood up and
unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, the muscles of his arms and
chest flexing as he worked. She saw his steely erection pushing
against the tight white boxer briefs he had on under his jeans when
he pushed them down to his ankles and stepped out. She licked her
lips thinking of how much she'd like to taste him there. Her hands
itched to touch him like he'd touched her. But the damned cast on
her ankle prevented her from being mobile, so she could
indulge.

When he pushed his briefs down and he sprang
free, Cassie gasped and her inner muscles clenched. He was just as
she remembered, her fantasies hadn't been lying to her. She'd
thought of Luke every time she was with another man while they'd
been apart, because they'd all fallen short of his glory. But she
wasn't about to tell him that. His ego was big enough.

She saw him dig in the pocket of his jeans
and pull out a small foil packet before he tossed them over by
their other clothes. He quickly fell to his knees beside her and
tore the packet open. She couldn't help herself, she had to touch
him. She sat up again and took the latex ring from his fingers and
placed it on the swollen head of his member then rolled it down in
place. She closed her fingers around him and stroked him, her other
hand going to gently cup his sac. "I want to taste you so badly,
but I know it'll have to wait."

Luke's hips moved with the rhythm of her
hand and he grasped her shoulders for balance. His breathing was
tortured and he groaned then placed his hand over hers to still her
movement. "Darlin, stop, I'm almost there and I want to be inside
of you when I come."

She swallowed hard and nodded then lay back
on the blanket and opened herself to him. With arms spread, she
welcomed him inside. He eased down into her arms and slid his hands
under her shoulders. Her head lolled to the side as he placed tiny
kisses on her throat, sending tingles of pleasure dancing along her
enflamed nerves. Her hands found his narrow waist then moved to his
firm butt to pull him closer to her. She needed to feel him inside
of her now.

Luke moaned then shifted his hips and picked
up her uninjured leg and held it over his forearm. He positioned
himself at her opening and looked into her eyes with a fierce
expression on his face. "
Mine
..." he grated before thrusting
halfway inside of her.

Cassie gasped his name, trying to relax to
accommodate his fullness. Her inner muscles were stretched tautly,
and the feeling although wonderful was one she hadn't experienced
in a long time. Moving her hips she tried to get him to enter her
all the way, but he remained still, his face a mask of tension.
"It's okay, Luke, I'm fine. You feel so good," she whispered in
desperation and lifted her hips against him.

Something inside him broke and he roared
before shoving inside her to the hilt. He was breathing heavily,
his muscles twitching from holding back. "You're so fucking
tight....so wet." His Adam's apple bob several times and he closed
his eyes as if savoring the sensation of being inside of her...the
sense of homecoming that she was feeling too.

"Luke...make love to me," she whispered to
him, looking deeply into his eyes, her love for him filling her up
to overflowing. She felt the earth shifting beneath her as he
started moving inside her in a rhythm as old as time.

The friction he created sent her spiraling
swiftly toward another release, and she regulated her breath trying
to delay it so she could go over the edge with him. He wasn't
having any of it though and lifted her hips, shifting his position
slightly, and shortening his stroke, so he hit a hidden spot inside
of her on every reentry. The feeling he created was so intense she
almost thought she'd black out, or hyperventilate from the short
gasping breaths she was forced to take. She moved her hips in small
circles with him to increase her pleasure and his.

"Oh shit...Luke, I'm..." He moved his
fingers and manipulated the bud at the apex of her thighs and she
went sailing over the edge into another mind bending release, her
inner muscles contracting around his thick length inside of her.
The sensation was expanded and intensified when he lengthened his
stroke again and increased his pace, slamming against her now, his
chest heaving. He stroked a final time and then howled his release,
his fingers digging into her hips.

He stayed there buried deep inside of her
for a long moment, until his breathing finally slowed then he slid
out of her, gently easing her hips back to the ground. Cassie was
speechless and closed her eyes and let her head drop to the side,
every muscle in her body sated and relaxed. She felt Luke kiss her
cheek then move to her side and pull her to him. He took one corner
of the blanket and pulled it over them, then snuggled his face into
her hair and hugged her fiercely to him.

Neither of them spoke, she didn't know about
him, but she didn't have energy left to say a word. She turned on
her side and threw her arm over his abdomen and cuddled into his
neck. She heard his soft breathing and felt his tense muscles relax
and knew he'd fallen asleep. Being in his arms made her feel safe
and warm...loved. Cassie reveled in the comfortable feeling and
closed her eyes welcoming a short nap herself.

A loud mocking voice woke her up from a
fabulous erotic dream. "Got a report from a boater that there were
some nudists sunning themselves out here. Would that be you
two?"

Cassie vaulted up and her hand flew to her
chest to cover her wildly beating heart. Her unfocused eyes
searched for the owner of the somewhat familiar voice. Luke stirred
beside her then opened his eyes. They widened as he looked up and
his sleepy brown gaze landed on Cole standing above them with his
hands on his hips, his legs spread. His eyes were shaded from the
early morning sun by a pair of dark aviator sunglasses.

A slight breeze kicked up and wafted across
her skin, and she glanced down and realized she was naked. Jerking
the blanket to cover herself, she uncovered Luke in the process. He
didn't seem to be bothered, because he just laid there staring up
at his friend, a sardonic expression on his handsome face.

"Well?" Cole prodded in his stern cop voice.
"What have you got to say for yourself?"

"Get the fuck out of here and leave us
alone?"

"Seems you're determined to give me plenty
of reasons to arrest you lately, or to make the mayor fire you."
Cole said then continued gruffly, "Ten years of clean living and
all of a sudden
you
, the Sheriff of this town, are my worst
nightmare...kind of ironic don't you think?" He glanced over at
Cassie his lips pinched.

Irritation bubbled up inside of her and she
harrumphed. "I am not the reason he's getting into trouble."

"You're his kryptonite, babe, his
weakness...you crook your little finger, and he's following behind
you like a dog on point, and ready to chew off the face of anyone
who crosses you."

"Shut the fuck up, Cole..." Luke snarled
then added, "And don't call her
babe
!"

Luke pushed up to his feet and stomped over
to the rock to grab his jeans. He stuffed his legs into them
without putting on his underwear. Self-conscious Cassie pulled the
blanket around her and tied it sarong style across her shoulder
then stood too.

With a smug smile Cole spread his hands in
front of him. "See, sugar? Pure kryptonite," he said to Cassie with
a brittle laugh.

"Quite needling him, Cole. We're
leaving...you can go now." Cassie said and then started to hobble
over to the clothes pile, her movement unsteady on the loose rocks
littering the ground.

Luke ran over to her and picked her up on
his arms to carry her over to the rock and sit her there. "Don't do
that!" He yelled, frustration radiating from his every pore,
agitation tingeing his voice.

She dropped her chin down to her chest and
twisted her hands in her lap. The fact that Cole, Luke's best
friend, thought she made him weak and caused him trouble, gnawed at
her. Now, Luke was yelling at her like she was an idiot, making her
feel worse. When she'd left Phoenix, Cassie had been a strong
independent woman with a good head on her shoulders, a successful
business and a good life. Now, she felt weak and dependent, her
future uncertain. If anything, Luke was
her
kryptonite.

Maybe staying in Bowie wasn't a good idea
after all, she thought. She and Luke just weren't good
together...they didn't strengthen each other as much as they set
each other on fire. If being together didn't make them stronger,
their lives better, they shouldn't be together.

"Luke, can you take me back to the ranch?"
she asked quietly as she bent over to pick up her clothes from the
ground. She worked under the blanket to put on her panties and bra,
then slid on her shorts and tank top. She only had one tennis shoe,
and Luke was going to carry her to the truck, so she didn't bother
with it.

Cassie didn't regret last night. Regardless
of Luke's arrest, it had been the best night of her life, hands
down. Being with Luke again had restored her belief in him, and in
love. He was a good man, and he deserved better than the trouble
she brought him. She didn't want him to lose the job he loved
because of her, or his best friend.

It was time for Cassie to head back to
Phoenix and get her head on straight, and let him get his life
under control again. She'd think things over while she was there
and decide if she wanted to move to Bowie permanently or not. Her
dad had a nurse to take care of him now, Luke was buying the cattle
herd...so, he didn't need her here anymore.

CHAPTER TEN

Luke argued with her out at the lake for
about thirty minutes, before he finally agreed to bring her back to
the ranch, instead of taking her to the cabin. She'd stared at his
angry profile and tense shoulders all the way home.

When he pulled to a stop in front of the
house and got out to slam the truck door, she opened her door and
slid to the ground without waiting for him. She'd had enough of his
surliness. She grabbed her hospital bag from the floorboard and had
the door shut before he made it around to her side.

He growled, then bent and swept her up into
his arms and stomped across the yard to the porch. "Stubborn
woman," he grated as he marched up the stairs to the door and
opened it, walking inside without knocking. He strode through the
house to the kitchen and then deposited her in a chair, before
pulling out another one and propping her casted leg up on it.
"Stay," he ordered and spun to stomp back through the house.

Imelda rushed around the breakfast bar
wiping her hands on a dish towel, her round face curious. "Whatcha
doing back here, sugar? I thought you were going to be at the lake
house for the week."

"Changed my mind, mama," Cassie told her
flatly.

"Your ankle doing okay?"

"Yeah, it's doing fine. Not even hurting yet
today."

"You and Luke have a fight?" she asked with
concern and put her hand on Cassie's shoulder.

"Not exactly...." She knew she was being
difficult, but she wasn't going to discuss her late night activity
or early morning eye-opener with Mama Melda...or anyone else.

Imelda walked back over to the breakfast bar
and picked up the tray of steaming food from the counter. "If you
need to talk, sugar...I'm here," she said and then walked out of
the kitchen.

Luke passed Imelda in the doorway of the
kitchen and stopped to kiss her cheek. They exchanged a few words
that Cassie couldn't quite hear, then he strode over to her with
crutches in one hand and her suitcase in the other. He leaned the
crutches against the table, and plopped the suitcase down beside
her chair.

"Think that's all," he said shortly his
whiskey-brown eyes glittering with intense emotion she couldn't
identify.

"Thanks...for everything," she told him
letting her eyes drink him in, storing the images in her memory to
tide her over when she got to missing him too bad.

He huffed out a frustrated sigh, then leaned
over to gently kiss her lips. Tears burned behind her eyes, and it
was all she could do to hold back the storm she felt brewing inside
her. When he stood back up, she put her hand over her lips and
whispered, "I love you, Luke." Even she heard the finality in her
tone and flinched.

He just stood there with his hands on his
hips, his eyes glittering dangerously. Then, as if dragged from the
depths of his soul, he finally spoke in a harsh choked voice, "I
love you too. Don't forget that." He shoved a hand through his hair
then said, "Take care of yourself. I'll try and stop by tomorrow,"
then he turned and strode out of the kitchen and her life.