Read Naked Desire: Naked Cowboys, Book 5 Online

Authors: Desiree Holt

Tags: #Cyn-Sational;hot sex;naked bodies;sexy tattoo;erotic;small town;texas;cougar;older heroine;younger hero

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

BOOK: Naked Desire: Naked Cowboys, Book 5
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She watched as he took his wallet from the pocket of his jeans and extracted a condom before dropping the garment to the floor again.

“I’d like to take a lot more time here, Cyn.” His voice was thick and hoarse. “But I know you’re good and wet, and I’m so ready I think I could come from no more than looking at you. Next time we’ll take longer, darlin’.”

Next time? There would be a next time? Or did he mean next time tonight? Cyn’s head was spinning.

Then Jesse was kneeling between her thighs and every thought disappeared from her brain. He bent her legs so her knees touched her breasts, her cunt now wide open to him. His eyes darkened as he traced the line of her slit with a forefinger, up and back. Up and back. She shivered in a fit of delight.

When the head of his shaft touched her opening, she cried out with pleasure. “More. Please.”

Was that her? She never talked during sex.

“All you want,” he promised, his gaze locked with hers.

Inch by inch, he filled her, stretching her tissue, his passage eased by the copious flow of her juices. When he was in so far his balls slapped against her buttocks, he drew in a deep breath before beginning a steady in-and-out movement. Push. Retreat. Push. Retreat. Slow. Then faster. His eyes never left hers, as if he was reading hidden signals. Deep in the core of her body, her release began to build again, a tightening of muscles that spiraled up and up through her.

Jesse moved one hand between them, found the hot button of her clit and rubbed in cadence with the thrust of his hips.

Oh, yes, oh, yes, oh, yes.

Cyn wrapped her legs around him and pulled him in tighter to her. He increased his tempo, the clench of his jaw a sign that he was at the brink of his self-control. She was almost there. So close. So close.

Jesse gave her clit a tug and a hard pinch, and she screamed, exploded, and Jesse followed her down the spinning tunnel. Every muscle contracted, every nerve was on fire. Her body shook from head to toe as Jesse’s cock pulsed hard inside her. She dug her heels into the small of his back to drag him as close to her as possible while she rode the whirlwind.

Five minutes or five hours could have passed before Cyn finally opened her eyes and tried to kick her brain into gear. Jesse’s body was covered with sweat, but no more than hers. Her heart thumped in her chest and she struggled to drag air into her lungs.

Jesse wasn’t much better. He moved in slow motion as he eased from her body and made it to his feet. He disposed of the condom, wrapped it in a paper towel and threw it in the trashcan in the corner. Then he stretched out beside Cyn again and tugged her head until it rested on his shoulder. He caressed her cheek with idle strokes.

“I wanted a much more romantic place for this than the back room of your store on a paint-spattered tarp.” He scattered kisses on her forehead. “You deserve satin sheets and roses and soft music.”

She stared up at him and her mouth curved in a tiny grin. “Why, Jesse, I didn’t realize you were such a romantic.”

He brushed a light kiss over her lips. “There’s a lot about me you don’t know.”

She was sure his words were meant to be teasing, but in an instant, the warm, satisfied feeling was replaced by a cool shiver. She tried to sit up but he tightened his hold on her and frowned.

“What is it? What’s wrong? Did I—”

She shook her head, trying to tamp down the sudden flood of unease. A man who wore sex appeal like a second skin had just made love to her more thoroughly than ever in her life. Had treated her as a precious gift rather than a means to an end. She was still recovering from the aftereffects, but she knew how people were. She needed to think about Jesse and his life here, even if he didn’t.

“No. It was fine.
You
were fine.” She bit her lip. “More than fine. And isn’t that such an inadequate word for what happened here.”

“Then what’s the problem?” He continued to stroke her cheek and her forehead. A grin tugged at his lips but his eyes were serious.

“What have we done, Jesse?” Anxiety flooded her as she was hit by reality. “What did we just do?”

“If you have to ask then I obviously did
not
do it right.”

She pushed at him until he released his hold and she could sit, ignoring the fact that she was half dressed and Jesse was completely naked.

“My God.” She shoved her fingers through her hair. “What was I thinking? Jesse, I’m so much older than you are. I’m forty-two years old. How old are you, Jesse?”

His eyes narrowed. “Thirty-four, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“That makes me eight years older than you.” She blew out an exasperated breath. “Don’t you realize that?”

He nodded. “I can count, Cyn. But what’s the point?”

“I’m making a mess of this. I’m sorry.” She tugged the edges of her blouse together as if they’d offer some protection. “I should have been more responsible. Not taken advantage of the situation. Not—”

“Cyn.” He touched his fingers to her lips. “Stop. Don’t say another word.” He blew out a breath. “First of all, I know how old you are. Do you think it’s anything but a number to me? If age was the only important thing, there’s a lot to choose from out there. I’ve had that. I want a woman.” He cupped her face, pulled her down to him and slicked his tongue over her lips. “I want you.”

He took the kiss deep, stealing her breath, and she had no resistance to him. When he finally released her, she tried to unscramble her brains again.

“Second thing. You didn’t do this by yourself. I’m not some kid here. I knew exactly what I was doing and I hope you did too. Because it was amazing. Awesome. Beyond description.”

“Jesse, people will talk. You—”

“Let ’em. We’ve done nothing wrong.” Anger flashed in his eyes. “We’ve got nothing to hide. Right?”

“No, but people gossip. I don’t have to point out to you Saddle Wells is a small town, and you have a reputation as a contractor and craftsman. I don’t want this—” she gestured between the two of them, “—us, to affect that.”

He took such a long time to answer her she was almost afraid of what he would say. The tension vibrated between them, made worse for her by the fact she couldn’t tear her eyes away from his glorious body. Then he took one of her hands and laced his fingers through hers.

He took her hand, rubbed his thumb lightly over her knuckle. “Do you think I care even a little bit what people think about this? Us? Do you think anything could affect what we have here? What I feel for you?”

“But—”

“More than that, do you think I want anything to affect
you?
” There was a hint of anger in his voice. “Is that how little you think of me?”

“No, I—” This was not at all going the way she expected.

“Don’t you think I’m smart enough to have given this some thought? Waited for the right opportunity so you didn’t think I was pouncing on you? Jesus, Cyn.” A frown of irritation creased his forehead and a tiny muscle twitched in his jaw.

Cyn swallowed, hard. She had not meant to make him angry, only to make him see the reality of their situation. At least as she viewed it. Despite the naked desire that had sizzled between them since day one, it had never occurred to her that Jesse might actually want her. Lust for her. Feel the same things she did.

She was dizzy with the reality of what he said.

“You are an amazing, sexy, desirable woman and I am honored that we finally have something going between us. Can you get your head around that?”

“Oh. I—” She wet her lips. There had never been a man in her life who said that to her or made her feel the way Jesse Orosco did. It made her giddy…and even a little bit afraid. “I’ll try.”

“Fine. So here’s the thing. I’ll make a deal with you.” A tiny grin curved his lips. “You okay with making deals, Cyn?”

Was she? This was a new start for her and she didn’t want to screw it up. But Jesse was so amazing, so—she realized now the difference between having sex and making love.

She nodded.

“Okay then. I am not giving you up. Not for a minute. But we’ll keep this under wraps until you get the store going and feel more comfortable with our situation. It will be our private thing until then.” He burrowed his fingers in her hair. “I can’t say I’m happy about it. But I want you, Cyn. I’ll take you any way I can get you. So all right. We’ll keep it between us. For now.”

Cyn didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath until it whooshed out of her. She threw herself at Jesse and hugged him.

“Thank you, Jesse. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

His arms came around her and pulled her against his naked body. Idly, she traced the very sexy tattoo on his shoulder with the tips of her fingers.

He’s mine. And he wants me. Oh, please don’t let this be a mistake.

Chapter Five

“Damn, that smells good.” Jesse walked into the back room and sniffed the air. “I’d better get the first taste of whatever it is.”

Cyn lifted the pan from the oven and set it on top of the stove.

“Riblets,” she told him. “Seasoned with the rub.”

He reached toward the pan to pluck one out but she slapped at his hand.

“Hold it. At least let me put it on a paper plate for you and get you a napkin.” She opened the door of the minifridge he’d taken her to pick up the night before. “And a cold drink.” She took out a bottle of water.

He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. “Can I put you on a plate too? And take a drink of you?”

God, he loved the way she blushed when he said things like that.

She ducked her head and reached for a paper plate on the shelf next to the stove. “Jesse, you have to quit saying stuff like that.”

“I do?” He deliberately moved closer to her. He loved teasing her this way, but it was a lot more than that. He fought a constant battle to keep his hands to himself whenever she was within three feet of him. “That’s no fun.”

She shifted away and glanced through the door to the front. “What if someone came in and saw us?”

“So what? We’re not exactly doing anything. Anyway, the front door is locked.”

“But I’m about to open it and pass out some of these samples.”

He leaned down and nipped the lobe of one ear. He couldn’t help himself. She looked so sexy in her jeans and tank top with a chef’s apron tied around her. A flush crept up her cheeks and he hoped it was more from him than the heat of the oven. He was having his own problems keeping his cock under control. Just being in the same room with her seemed to set it off.

Immediately, memories of the previous evening slammed into him. They’d hardly been able to keep their hands off each other. If the first time had rocked his boat, last night had about blown his ears off. It gratified him that despite battling shyness, Cyn got as turned on as he did. She was an incredibly responsive woman. He planned to make sure she understood that.

If he could figure out a way get her to stop worrying about the age thing. He understood her concern about public opinion, and that was the only reason he’d agreed to keep this to themselves. For now. But once her store opened and people in the community got to know her, the real Cyn Dellinger, he meant to persuade her to bring it out into the open.

This wasn’t a woman you took for a quick roll in the hay. He’d known that the moment he’d laid eyes on her and something had pierced him to his very soul. He planned to do whatever it took to keep her.

“Jesse!” She shoved the paper plate between them. “Here. Sink your teeth into these.”

He laughed and picked up one riblet and bit into the meat.

Holy crap!

Flavor exploded in his mouth, the combination of sweet and spicy bursting on his tongue. He scraped the rest of the meat off the tiny bone with his tongue and let it just sit on his taste buds for a moment before chewing.

“Well?” Cyn looked at him, eyebrows drawn together, desperation in her eyes. “Are they okay?”

“Okay? Okay? Jesus, Cyn. People will be beating down the walls to get this stuff. It’s incredible.”

“Really?” her eyes widened. “You’re not just saying that?”

“Hell, no.” He grabbed another riblet. “I’ve had barbecue damn near all over Texas and never tasted anything this fantastic.”

“I, um, added a little extra something to the original recipe. I wasn’t sure if it would help it or hurt it.” Again, she blushed. He didn’t think virgins blushed as much as she did.

“Whatever you did, don’t change it.” He stole two more pieces out of the pan before she slapped his hand.

“Go back to work before you eat up all my samples.”

He kissed her and then licked the trace of seasoning off her bottom lip. “Yes, ma’am. Whatever you say, ma’am.”

He watched while she arranged little paper cupcake holders on a large metal tray, grabbed a pair of tongs and put two sample pieces in each one, adding a tiny wedge of corn muffins to each little holder. She picked up a small pile of cocktail napkins and fanned them open at one edge of the tray. Finally, satisfied with the tray arrangement, she plucked a small box from the counter and pulled out a stack of business cards. She held one up for Jesse to see.

“Nice. Got everything on there you need.” He ran his gaze over her. “But are you sure you want to keep that apron on?” he pointed to the legend written in flowing script on the bib. “Taste me? Really, Cyn?”

There went that blush again. “It’s only a little play on words.”

“As long as your words are all they play on. Now go get ’em.”

She unlocked the front door and stepped out onto the sidewalk. There was a decent amount of foot traffic and Cyn managed to coax a few of the people to take one of her samples. It made Jesse smile to see each person react as he had. Apparently, those people passed the word, because he noted people crossing the street to see what Cyn was offering and take samples for themselves.

In less than fifteen minutes, she was inside again.

“Jesse.” Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “All my samples are gone. Everyone loved them. It’s a good thing I made three pounds of these. And even that might not be enough. Oh, Jesse.” She set her tray on a sawhorse and threw her arms around him. “They love it! They love it!”

“Of course they do, darlin’. You’ve got a real winner there.”

She picked up her tray and danced into the back room. He watched her go, his eyes fastened on her sweet ass. His cock seemed to be swollen past decent proportions and he took a moment to adjust his jeans. Not much help though. Shit. He thought he had better control than that. Apparently not where Sinful Cyn was concerned. With determination, he turned back to applying the stain to the countertop.

“Hey, Cyn! I heard you’re giving away edible treasures here.”

Cyn turned away from the stove, tongs still in hand. Amy stood in the doorway, crowding the space with Reenie and Jinx, all of them grinning.

“Oh, good.” She plucked three more paper plates from the shelf and dropped a few samples onto each one.

“I was in the hardware store picking up something for Buck when someone came in raving about, and I quote, ‘The best damn rub I’ve ever tasted in my life.’” Amy held up her cell. “I texted Reenie and Jinx, they were both in town and here we are, checking out the rumor.”

“Oh, good.” Cyn thought her grin would split her face.

“So we want a taste,” Reenie said.

Cyn passed a small sample to each of them. “Everyone who took a sample seemed to like it.”

“Like it?” Reenie wiped sauce from her lip, turned and pointed to the front window. “Your fan club is waiting for the next serving.”

Cyn stared. Sure enough, a crowd had gathered outside the store. They were all pressed against the big display window, hands cupped to cut the glare.

“Wave to them,” Amy prompted.

“Better yet,” Jinx said, “go serve them something. I’ll take pictures with my phone and we’ll run one in the paper.”

“They liked it,” Cyn repeated the words in wonderment. “Oh, God. I sound like Sally Fields.”

Amy giggled. “Not on your worst day.” She bit off some of the meat in the tiny riblet she held. “Ohmigod, Cyn. This is way beyond amazing.” She closed her eyes and hummed with satisfaction.

“God, Amy.” Reenie waved a hand in front of her sister-in-law’s face. “If that’s all it takes for you to have an orgasm, I’ll have to tell Buck he can stop working so hard.”

“Bite your tongue. No, better yet. Bite this.” Amy pointed to the paper plate in Reenie’s hand.

“Oh, good Lord,” Reenie moaned. “I see what you mean. Cyn, is there some sort of secret ingredient in this rub? Something you aren’t telling us?”

Jinx, who had just taken her own taste, closed her eyes and licked her lips. “Holy cow. No wonder Frank married you for this. What on earth is in it?”

Cyn swallowed a smile. The recipe for the rub certainly stood on its own, but in a fit of devilment, she had added her own secret ingredient. She hoped it wouldn’t cause problems. The old notebook with the handwritten recipe in it had mentioned the use of damiana to enhance the flavors of the other spices. But her ancestors had chosen not to use it after the first few batches. It turned out damiana also had a tendency to spike the libido. Not always, her great-grandfather had written. Still, no one had wanted to take a chance.

Cyn, however, had dared herself to take the chance. What could it hurt? How much could it affect anyone’s sex drive anyway? Maybe they wouldn’t even notice.

She hoped.

“Hey.” Amy snapped her fingers in front of Cyn’s face. “Wake up, sleeping beauty. Your customers await. Come on, we’ll help you.”

Cyn blinked. Customers. Yes. She held the tray while Amy and Reenie efficiently loaded it with more paper cups and filled them with samples. Then two pairs of hands propelled her past where Jesse was staining the counter and out the front door.

“Here,” someone shouted. “I want a taste.”

“Don’t forget me.”

“Hey, don’t give them all away before I get mine.”

The babble of voices surrounded her. Cyn stood there, tray balanced on her hands while Amy handed out the cups. Reenie distributed business cards and Jinx, auburn hair now tucked up in a Houston Texans’ cap to keep it out of her way, snapped photos. Before Cyn could blink, the tray was empty again and her friends hustled her back inside.

“Come on.” Amy guided her back to the stove. “I think there’s enough left in the pan for one more tasting. And speaking of tasting—” She looked at the writing on the apron bib and wiggled her eyebrows. “That message meant for anyone in particular?”

“Of course not.” Cyn had found it online one night when she was surfing the ’Net and thought it would be great advertising. Somehow, the double meaning hadn’t occurred to her. “Maybe I should take it off.”

“Not on your life,” Jinx insisted. “It’s a great gimmick. It will look great in the photos.”

“You need to make a triple batch of this stuff tomorrow,” Reenie pointed out. “Maybe more once the paper hits.”

“We’ll help,” Amy promised, filling the tray one last time. “Georgie will too.”

“She’s got the B&B,” Cyn reminded them.

“She can leave Cade in charge for a while. We can’t let her miss all the fun.”

More people had gathered on the sidewalk outside the store, eyes alight as she held out the tray.

“Someone came into the bank raving about this,” a man off to her left said. “Had to get out here and try it for myself.”

“Yes,” the woman beside him agreed. “I’m so glad you didn’t run out.” She bit down on the meat, closed her eyes and moaned so loud Cyn was embarrassed. “When will you be open and ready to sell this stuff? I want to be here the first day.”

“Yes, when’s the big day?” someone else asked.

“I haven’t set an exact day,” Cyn began.

“Four weeks,” Jinx announced, interrupting her. Then she leaned close to Cyn. “You said Alfredo told you three more weeks and he’d have your first shipment for you, right?”

“Well, yes, But—”

“No buts. You’ve already placed the orders for the other stuff you want to carry. We’ll have a set-up party when it all arrives and help you get ready.”

Cyn’s tummy flip-flopped. It was suddenly so real. The store was almost ready, her rub was drawing raves and her merchandise was on the way. She gripped the edges of the tray as if the flimsy item would stabilize her.

Amy squeezed her arm. “Smile. Your public loves you.”

Then she and Reenie got busy again handing out samples and cards while Cyn smiled until she thought her face would crack. Jinx took pictures and talked to people, getting quotes on the taste of the rub. Cyn loved the relaxed feeling in this small town, the easy acceptance of people. She hoped and prayed she knew what she was doing. That she wouldn’t fall on her face and embarrass herself. Where would she go if she did?

“You left a lot of disappointed people out there,” Jinx told her when they locked the front door and retreated to the back room.

Cyn ran her fingers through her mane of curls. “I thought I might actually have to tackle people to get them to taste this. Instead, they all but mowed me over. Go figure.”

“I swear.” Reenie sighed. “There’s not a barbecue rub anywhere in the country that will compare to this. When you get your inventory in, I want to buy a year’s supply.”

“I can’t wait until Buck and I can have that barbecue to introduce this to everyone.” Amy grinned. “You’ll be able to charge whatever you want for this.”

“A fair price,” Cyn told her. “I want to sell a lot of it.”

“Meanwhile, I’m going to head on home and see what my hunky husband is up to.” Amy fanned herself. “I think I need to jump his bones. That must be some extra spice you’ve got in there, Cyn. Whew!”

Cyn looked away, afraid her face would give away too much. Had she put too much damiana in the mixture? Would
everyone
have the same reaction?

Will Jesse?

“Cyn?” Reenie’s voice drew her out of her internal discussion. “Hey, girl. You okay?”

“What?” Cyn rubbed her face. “Oh, sorry. Zoned out a little there. Um, glad you like my rub. Thanks for coming by. And for all the help.”

Jinx stashed her phone in the outside pocket of her purse. “I’m headed back to the paper. I want to get this in the edition we’re working on. Talk to you later, sweetie.”

“I’m off with Amy.” Reenie squeezed her shoulder. “I think I might drag my own hubby off for a little, um, barbecue play.”

Heat flashed over Cyn’s body. Good Lord. She hoped she hadn’t created a monster here. And what about all the other people who’d taken samples? All she could do was wait and see.

“I’ll have Matt email you the name of a good meat wholesaler. At this rate you’ll go broke shopping in the supermarket.” Reenie glanced at Cyn’s apron. “And you might want to take off that apron. Unless you’re planning to parade in front of Jesse wearing it.”

Cyn looked down again at the
Taste Me
on the bib. Despite what had already happened between them, she was still shy about initiating anything with the man. And continued to harbor reservations she couldn’t seem to rid herself of.

BOOK: Naked Desire: Naked Cowboys, Book 5
10.81Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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