Naked Desire: Naked Cowboys, Book 5 (4 page)

“So? I married mine, you know.”

Cyn stopped in the middle of the aisle and turned to the other woman. “You did?”

“Uh huh.” Georgie took her elbow and urged her to keep moving. “I was brand new in town and counting every penny to get that old place in shape to open. Cade Hannigan had fallen into the gutter from the golden throne his daddy had built. He’d been such an asshole no one would give him the time of day.”

“But you did.”

“Uh huh. He showed up with his hat in hand and begged me to hire him. To give him a chance.” She gave a soft laugh. “What else could I do? And then we got married.”

“Somehow, I don’t think it was quite that simple.”

“It never is. One night, I’ll tell you the whole story, but right now we’re looking at stoves.”

“Were you scared when you bought that place?” Cyn ran her hand over the surface of a smooth-top electric range.

“Shitless. And then some.”

“But you got it done. And done very well.”

Georgie stopped at the end of the row of appliances. “I didn’t have a lot of choices. It was either that or find a dead-end job someplace and waste my life away.”

“But you had skills,” Cyn reminded her. “I’m not sure if I do. Or what they might be.”

“Honey, you’ve got a brain and you’ve got guts. You told that asshole you were married to he could take his restaurants and stick ’em where the sun don’t shine. And drove halfway across the country to make a fresh start.” She tapped Cyn’s forehead with one finger. “I’d say you’ve got a lot more going on in there than you give yourself credit for.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“And I’ll bet Jesse thinks so too.”

“He doesn’t even know me,” Cyn protested.

Georgie’s mouth curved in a sly grin. “I bet he’d like to if you give him half a chance.”

They turned the corner to browse the displays in the next aisle.

“It would be totally inappropriate.”

And don’t I sound like the tightest tightass.

Georgie snorted. “Big deal. Let yourself go, Cyn. You’ve earned the right.” She gave Cyn a sly look. “You should drop in on him every day to see how things are going. After all, you’re the client. You need to keep an eye on things.”

“Actually.” Cyn made a pretense of studying the stove in front of her. “I, um, picked up lunch and brought it to him today. Just to see how he was coming along,” she added hastily.

“Uh huh.” Georgie gave her a knowing look. “That’s a start, girlfriend. Now you need to keep it up.”

“God, what would people think? What would they say?”

“They’ll say there’s a woman who knows how to live life and how soon do we get to taste that damn rub of hers.”

Cyn burst out laughing. “Georgie, you are truly the best medicine for me. Come on. Help me pick out a really good stove that won’t break my budget. Then I need some pots and pans.”

“And they’re delivering the stove on Saturday.” Cyn was bubbling with enthusiasm. She had to raise her voice slightly to be heard over the buzz of conversation and the jukebox in the corner. But the table they’d scored in a far corner gave them at least a semblance of privacy. “The salesman was even able to schedule the installation for late in the afternoon, which is really unheard of. Usually, you have to wait weeks.” She took a swallow of the cold beer. “They aren’t charging me any extra for the weekend either. I can’t believe it.”

It was ladies’ night at the Lone Star Bar, and as usual, Georgie had insisted Cyn come along. It was a warm, informal atmosphere that made Cyn feel unexpectedly at home. How could she ever tell these bright self-confident women how eternally grateful she was they had taken her under their wing? They were her anchor. Her life raft. She would never be able to repay them for the intangibles they gave her.

Jinx caught her excitement. “I think I should stop over with Lew and have him take a couple of pictures.” She sipped from her beer glass. “And do a little tease with it. Get people’s juices flowing.”

Cyn frowned. “You think they’d be interested in a range and a half-finished store?”

“Trust me. With the teaser I’ll write, they’ll be lining up.”

“I can’t wait to try it out.” Cyn took a swallow of her own beer. She’d never been much of a beer drinker, preferring wine. But since coming to Saddle Wells, she was beginning to acquire a taste for it. Especially Lone Star beer. When in Rome, she thought. “I’m picking up some of the rub and the sauce from Alfredo on Friday, so on Monday morning, look out world.”

“I see big things on the horizon for Cyn’s Cyn-Sational Rub.” Amy grinned.

The women all raised their glasses and clinked them in the middle of the table.

“When do you want to meet to discuss your website?” Reenie asked her. “You can come out to my office at the ranch or I can come to you with my laptop. What works for you?”

Cyn nibbled her bottom lip. “I think we need to discuss costs first.” She hated how tentative she sounded. “I’m really trying to keep to a strict budget, and I have Alfredo to pay and accessory items to order.”

“Cyn,” Jinx interjected, “a website’s the way to go today. You can reach endless customers that way.”

“Yeah,” Amy added. “Today Saddle Wells, tomorrow the world.”

“But then I need to think about packaging, labor, all the stuff that’s not in my initial budget.”

“How about this.” Reenie hitched her chair a little closer. “Let me design the site and get it ready to launch for you. We can discuss price and work out whatever fits your budget.”

“I can’t ask you to do that. I’m sure you get a lot of money for your work.”

“Depends on your definition of a lot.” Reenie laughed. “Besides, we’re friends, right? So let me do this for you.” She lowered her voice. “Everyone at this table is what I call an asshole survivor. We prop each other up, help each other out. Consider this my contribution to your new life.”

“How will I ever—” Cyn’s throat tightened as tears threatened. She had never had this kind of support before.

“Okay.” Amy topped off everyone’s glasses from the pitcher in the middle of the table. “Enough with the mushy. I officially declare this a celebration.”

They clinked glasses again and Cyn took a big enough swallow to drown the butterflies dancing around in her stomach.

Chapter Four

Cyn stood back and watched as the installer double checked all the hookups and made sure the range was securely in place. Jesse stood to the side, watching, making himself available if his skills were needed for anything. But the stove fit exactly into the space Cyn had designated for it, beneath the hood Jesse had built and hooked into the vent pipe that extended up through the roof.

“This was probably a bad idea,” she commented. “I didn’t realize it would take all this extra stuff.”

And why would she? In Memphis she’d moved into an existing home. And when Frank had bought a larger one, and then one even bigger than that, he’d taken care of all those details.

“If you didn’t do this, how would you make your tasty tidbits?” Jinx asked.

“Jinx is right.” Jesse was standing right beside her now. “Those samples are what are going to draw people in here.”

Lew, the photographer from
The Hill Country Herald,
was busy snapping pictures. When the appliance men were finished and stepped away, Jinx nudged Cyn over next to the stove.

“One of you getting ready to bake,” she teased. “Or roast. Or whatever.”

Cyn laughed. “I can tell cooking isn’t your greatest strength, Jinx.”

The publisher shrugged. “What can I say? Thank God, Dillon’s good with the barbecue and we have every takeout on speed dial.” One corner of her mouth turned up. “But he loves my other attributes. Okay, Lew. I think that will do it. Cyn, this will go in next week’s edition. With some hot copy, so get ready to make your samples.”

“Well, you’re actually in business,” Jesse told her when everyone had left. “You may not be open for sales yet, but I’m sure people will line up for your—what did you call them?”

“Bite-size samples. I picked up a serving plate and a carton of muffin cups to put the food in.”

“And I hope a proper pair of boots to wear when you’re out in front of the store.”

“Boots?” Cyn stared at him. “I, um, never thought of boots.”

“You’re in Texas now,” he teased. “Get with the wardrobe. Meanwhile…” He reached for the paper sack he’d stuck in a corner. “I thought we should do a little celebrating.” He pulled out a bottle of wine, two plastic wine glasses and a corkscrew.

“Wine?” Cyn was astounded. “You brought wine?”

“Sure. Gotta properly christen the place.”

She watched in amazement while he filled the two glasses and handed one to her. Who would have thought he’d do something like this? She hoped he wouldn’t notice the slight trembling of her hand as she lifted her glass.

“To you, Cyn. I wish you outstanding success.”

“If my product turns out half as good as what you’re doing to the building, there’s no doubt about it.”

She sipped from her glass, watching Jesse carefully. There was something different about him tonight. Something…bolder? She couldn’t put her finger on it. She did know that being so close to him was making every pulse point throb. Her panties were so damp she was afraid he’d catch the scent of her musk and her breasts ached for his touch.

And something else. The kind of connection she’d never had with Frank. Affection. No, much more than that. An emotion that she was afraid to name.

Holy cow, Cyn.

She had never been what she considered a sensual woman. Sex with Frank had gone from routine to obligatory. So who was this person who’d hidden inside her all these years? And who was the woman who wanted this to be about more than mere casual sex? Where had she suddenly appeared from?

“Why don’t we sit down?” Jesse set his glass down on the stove, plucked a tarp from the pile in the corner and spread it out on the floor. “You might need some furniture in here,” he joked.

“I don’t plan to do a lot of drinking in the back room,” she pointed out. “Not if I want to stay in business.”

Jesse took the wine bottle and his glass, settled cross-legged on the tarp and reached a hand up to her.

“Come. Sit next to me.”

The moment her hand made contact with his, she knew she’d made a mistake. Electricity shot along her arm as if she’d touched a live wire. Her nerve endings did an accelerated tap dance and tropical heat washed over her skin. Butterflies danced in her stomach as she lowered herself to the canvas.

When she looked at Jesse, his gaze was fixed intently on her face, fire blazing in his eyes.

“You are such a beautiful woman.” His voice was low and deep and vibrated through her. When she tensed, he stroked a finger down her cheek. “Don’t freeze up like that. Surely men must be paying you compliments all the time.”

Cyn snorted. “Yeah, right.” She drained the wine from her glass, refilled it and drank half of the newly poured liquid.

Jesse cupped her chin and lifted her face to him. “Seriously. The minute I laid eyes on you in the restaurant, I thought to myself, there’s a gorgeous woman with a lot of class.”

Cyn looked away. “You don’t have to say things like that.”

“Damn it.” His voice had an edge to it now. “It’s the truth. Who’s been telling you otherwise?” He forced her to look at him again. “Tell me, Cyn. Who made you feel bad about yourself?”

Maybe it was the wine, maybe it was the way Jesse looked at her, as if he wanted to lick her body all over. She opened her mouth to tell him he was wrong and the story of Frank Dellinger rolled out as if someone had tripped a switch. Jesse sat quietly, sipping his own drink, listening while she poured out all the anguish and self-doubt she’d kept bottled up for all the years of her marriage. When she finished, she drained her glass again, but when she went to refill it Jesse put his hand on her arm.

“Let’s hold off on more of that for a while.” He took the glass from her and set it on the floor, his eyes searching hers as if he could see right inside her. “For what I have in mind, I want you in control of your senses. At least at first.”

The walls of her pussy contracted, thrumming with sudden need. God, deep down inside her, she’d wanted this from that first day in the empty store. But common sense had kept telling her how stupid that would be. “Jesse, don’t you have some beautiful young girl out there waiting impatiently for you to pay attention to her?”

“I’ve had my fill of beautiful young girls. I want a woman in my life. A real woman.”

Before she could say anything else, he leaned his head down and touched his mouth to hers. His lips were firm and cool from the wine. His contact was light at first, his lips just brushing hers like the touch of an angel’s wing. Then he eased out his tongue and traced the seam of her mouth, danced at the corners before licking the entire surface.

Shivers skated along her spine and her skin suddenly felt too tight for her body.

Jesse shifted slightly and threaded his fingers through her hair, twisting the curls. His mouth never left hers, coaxing and tempting until her lips parted enough for him to ease his tongue inside. She tensed at the intrusion, but the kiss was so seductive it blunted any intrusive thought. His tongue danced with hers, slowly at first, then increasing the tempo as her body softened and leaned into his.

He lifted his mouth from hers but kept her molded to him, one hand cupping her head, the other stroking her neck. Cyn couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. Her brain was shouting at her to get up, get away, run. But her body was shouting more, more,
more
.

“I’ve wanted this since the minute I laid eyes on you.” Jesse’s voice was husky with need. “If you don’t want this too, this would be a good time to tell me.”

Tell him! Tell him!

But she did want it, even if in the end it cost her a good contractor.

When she didn’t say a word, Jesse lowered them both to the tarp, cradling her against his shoulder. While his mouth enticed hers again, he slid one of his hands up from her waist, beneath the thin cotton of the blouse she wore until he captured one breast in his palm. Even with the fabric of the bra separating his touch from her skin, she felt branded by his fingers. When he captured a nipple between thumb and forefinger, she moaned into his mouth and pressed herself into his hand.

He licked every inch of the inner surface of her mouth while he teased and plucked at her hardened nipple. She knew her panties were soaked by now. This contact alone had raised the temperature of her body and made every erogenous zone ready to beg for attention and satisfaction. Still tantalizing her nipple, he shifted enough to insinuate one of his legs between hers and press his thigh up into her cunt. She rocked on it slowly, enough to cause exquisite friction.

Jesse’s mouth finally left hers and he trailed soft kisses along the line of her jaw, licking the hot spot behind her ear before tracing the line of her neck to her shoulder. He bit lightly at the juncture of muscle and then soothed with a soft kiss.

Cyn gripped his upper arms to steady herself, loving the feel of hard muscle beneath taut skin. Pressing her nose to his jaw, she inhaled his rich, masculine aroma, a heady combination of earth and sweat and pure male. She knew she could easily get drunk on his scent alone.

“You taste like sin…Cyn.” His low chuckle vibrated against her, jangling her nerve endings. “I want to lick you all over.”

Her breath caught in her throat and her bones went suddenly liquid. “Y-You do?”

“Uh huh.” He slid his hands up the length of her body. “But first I have to get rid of these clothes in my way.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” She crossed her arms in front of herself and clutched her blouse as if it was an armored shield.

“For what?” He cupped her cheek. “I can’t wait to unwrap you.”

“I’m not…I don’t…You might…”

He cupped her chin and tilted her face up so she was forced to look at him.

“What is it, Cyn?”

She wet her lips. “I’m not…as young as I used to be.”

Heat bloomed in his eyes. “Thank God for that.”

“But—”

“But what? You think I won’t like your body?”

Yes. I’m forty-two, not twenty-four.
“It isn’t…”
Damn! Why can’t I stop stammering?

“It’s exactly what I want. I promise.”

Gentle pressure eased her hands back to her sides. With one arm wound around her to cushion her from the hard floor, he brought his free hand up to her throat and slowly undid the buttons of her blouse. As each one popped free, he placed a soft kiss on the exposed skin. With an easy flick of his fingers, the front clasp of her bra was disposed of and her breasts were now open to the full assault of his mouth.

His lips were everywhere, on the swell of her breasts, the valley between, the nipples now so diamond-hard they ached. He drew her soft flesh into his mouth, pulling with a gentle suction that she felt clear to her core. Low moans split the air and Cyn realized they were coming from her. And why not? She was more aroused, her body more awakened than ever in her life.

And she forgot to worry about any physical shortcomings she might have.

More, more, more. Hurry, hurry, hurry.

She wanted to shout the words, yet at the same time she wanted the exquisite torture to last for a very long time. And Jesse didn’t seem to be in any hurry at all.

When he’d kissed and licked every bit of her from her waist to her neck, he opened the top button on her jeans and eased the zipper down with a hiss that sounded loud in the silence of the room. A silence broken only by the heavy sounds of their breathing.

Go on touch, me.

Again, she wanted to cry out the words to him, yet again she didn’t want this to end. The deliberate touches. The special attention to those places on her body that pulsed with unfulfilled desire.

With the gentleness of a man dealing with the most precious thing in the world, he slipped his arm from beneath her, taking care to arrange her on the tarp with as much comfort as the thin cloth provided. She wanted to tell him at the moment she didn’t care if she was laid out on a bed of nails as long as he didn’t stop what he was doing.

He looked at her and gave her a languorous smile as if he could read her thoughts. Then, with the same careful attention he’d given to her blouse and bra, he eased her jeans down her legs. As the fabric slipped down inch by inch, he followed its path with a trail of kisses that heated her body like kerosene on fire. She wanted to help him rip the damn things off, but he seemed determined to do it all his own way, so she held herself back with tremendous effort.

When the jeans and shoes had been tossed to the side, he applied that educated mouth to each leg. Who knew ankles could be so sensitive? Or knees? Or that place where her hip and thigh were joined? Jesse took so much time with each spot that by the time he finished, her pussy was sending her distress signals.

She’d had a couple of lovers before Frank, men either inexperienced and fumbling or selfish and quick. Apparently, she chose very poorly, because Frank hadn’t been much of an improvement. But Jesse had apparently stepped straight from the pages of an erotic romance novel, right out of her dreams. He knew exactly where and how to touch, when to go slow, where to tease.

Her body was aflame, every pulse pounding insistently. She was so wet she could smell her own musk. When Jesse nudged her thighs apart and took a slow lick at her pussy through the dampness of her thong, she couldn’t stifle the scream of pleasure. One long press of his tongue and she erupted. The climax was so intense it made even her skin shiver and tremble. The walls of her cunt contracted over and over again, protesting the emptiness of the channel.

“Feel good, sweet thing?” Jesse pulled her against him while the last of the quakes faded away. He idly stroked her arm, her hip, her thigh.

“T-Too good,” she whispered.

“No such thing as too good.” His grin was positively lecherous. “But let’s see if we can make it even better.”

He rose lithely to his feet, toed off his boots and disposed of every stitch of his clothing so fast it made Cyn’s head spin. Her jaw dropped when she saw the length and thickness of his cock, swollen now, it’s head a rich purple. The sac with his balls hung heavy between his legs. He was magnificent, a sculpture come to life with his broad shoulders and lean hips, flat stomach and pecs with their light dusting of dark hair. Her hands itched to reach out and touch him, to feel every inch of him.