So Not a Cowgirl (13 page)

From the closing of the door all the way to his bedroom, their clothing quickly littered the floor. He tugged off his shirt in the entry. She pulled off the sweater and his heart nearly stopped when he realized she’d been braless. He toed off his boots in the hallway. She kicked off some ridiculous, spiky sandals. He unbuckled his belt, unzipped his jeans, and shucked them just outside his bedroom. She started to unzip her jeans, but he stopped her and did it himself. Then he pulled them down her long, slim legs ever so slowly. After that he scooped her up and carried her into the bedroom.

They were both breathing hard, both desperate to touch one another by the time he tossed her on the bed and followed her down. Neither said a word. Their hands and mouths and other eager body parts said enough. Foreplay was unnecessary. She wanted him. He had to have her. Now.

Drew grabbed a condom from the nightstand, ripped it open with his teeth, and had it on in record time. He braced himself above her even as she lifted up to meet him. Holding her fevered gaze, he thrust deep and firm with no preliminaries.

Tanya arched up even more, moaning in pure pleasure as her muscles welcomed him, worked him.

He struggled not to move again, to just take in the overwhelming sensation of being deep inside this woman. She wasn’t patient. Her body massaged him and begged him to move. Finally she snapped, “Hey, cowboy! Get to it!”

With a cocky grin and sweat beading on his back from resisting for so long, he gave her exactly what she wanted. And more. Maybe they were nothing alike anywhere else, but they were a perfect match in bed. She gave as good as she took. He’d never experienced this kind of passion, this amount of heat before. It blew him away.
She
blew him away.

This was her first official day of running her own business. Tanya sat behind the hundred-plus-year-old desk she’d bought from an antique store that fit so perfectly with her Western theme and smiled. Atop the somewhat battered desk that had once belonged to one of the early attorneys in Dodge City sat her state-of-the-art new computer system. Not a perfect match, but they worked together. Sort of like she’d thought of her and Drew. She still wondered if… No. The time for wondering if they could work together at the ranch was over and done with. But—and now her heart raced in anticipation—they’d agreed to see if they could work together off the ranch.

She studied her office, wondering what he would think of it. Which was stupid really. He was merely her client now. How her office looked, how she dressed—and she’d picked out a very feminine dress today that he’d once said he liked—or what she did should only matter to her. Yet she was nervous sitting her waiting for him to show up for his scheduled appointment.

She leaned over to look in the shiny face of the desk clock to make sure her hair looked all right. And she remembered that she needed to call Chet Easterly later today. She’d ended up breaking her date with him Friday night, calling him at the last minute about something having come up unexpectedly. Her face heated as she thought about calling the really nice man she’d met through Annie, calling him from Drew’s bed. She was a horrible person. But they didn’t really know each other and she did intend to make it up to him. Maybe she’d ask him to dinner tonight or tomorrow night. She had a place of her own now, thanks to Annie, too.

Drew’s big pickup pulled up in front of her window and all thoughts of Chet faded away. How could she think of another man when this strapping cowboy already claimed her heart? He’d pretty much laid claim to her body the other night, too. Marked her as well. She hadn’t had a hickey in years. Nor had she been so sore in that wonderful way in a very long time. Yes, she wouldn’t mind spending a lot of serious time in that man’s bed, and she was pretty sure he felt the same way.

But… She glanced in the clock/mirror a final time as he climbed out of his truck. But they would have no future together beyond being lovers. After they’d made love the third time and had lain in his bed snuggled against one another, he’d explained about his failed marriages. He’d made it clear that he didn’t want to go through the trials of trying to please a woman, run the ranch and his foundation again. It was just beyond what he felt he was capable of. Which was incredibly sad…for both of them.

Drew had been surprised when he’d learned that Tanya had decided to stay in Dodge City, pleased but surprised. He’d expected her to move back to Sacramento. Or at least to move to some other big city. Of course, he’d been elated that she’d turned down a partnership with Peter Townsend. And he’d apologized for acting so harshly that day over two weeks ago. She’d eagerly accepted his apology, but then he’d been slamming into her with enthusiasm when he’d said the words. Hell of a time for that kind of memory! Thinking about her legs wrapped around him, holding him to her as he pounded into her sweet warmth.

He forced the memory aside and prayed his dick would calm down enough that he could walk into her office without looking the idiot. His damn jeans were getting tight. Focus on the audit. Concentrate on that irritating IRS agent. Yep, those thoughts seemed to be doing the job.

As he opened the office door, Tanya stood from where she’d been sitting behind an enormous, time-battered oak desk. He glanced around the small space, intrigued by her choice of décor. “I pictured lots of chrome and glass, maybe black and white.”

She smiled and it made his chest tighten. “That wouldn’t have fit the location. Besides, I’m kind of getting into this Western stuff.” Her smile turned warmer and he began sweating.

To keep his thoughts from wandering along dangerous lines, he looked around again. But the only thing in the room that really drew his attention was her. He recognized the dress, too. A soft pink, flowy skirt dress with a hemline that teased by stopping just above the knee. Conservative for her. Damn sexy, in his opinion. But then, he decided, she could wear a sack and he’d see it as sexy.

Sweating even more, he walked over to hand her a bulging file. “Did I mention the agent wants all my supporting documents by the end of the week?” He avoided looking her in the eye. “Or that she is really getting kind of upset with me? We don’t seem to get along very well.”

Tanya laughed and he glanced up to see the twinkle in her eyes. “Mandy mentioned you said a few things that weren’t exactly tactful.”

He frowned at the mention of his sister. She’d read him the riot act about treating Tanya so badly, and she’d laid into him about screwing up his situation with the IRS. Unfortunately she’d chosen to go nose-to-nose with him at a bad time. He’d burned her butt for interfering in his life. He was a little disgruntled that he’d done it, but they were okay now. She’d called him last night. He hadn’t apologized for spanking her and she hadn’t expected it.

“
Tact isn’t my best quality.”

She took the file and he caught a whiff of her soft perfume. It turned him inside out.

“
In case you’re wondering, I want you too.” She danced behind the desk with the file, leaving him gaping after her.

“
Tanya…” He meant to tell her that this wasn’t the kind of discussion they should be having here in her office. He meant to tell her that what they’d done the other night shouldn’t happen again. Instead he stepped around the desk and stopped directly behind her, pulling her back against him so that she could feel exactly what she did to him. “This is wrong.”

She wiggled against him and he groaned. “Stop that.”

Looking saucily over her shoulder, she said, “Going to make me behave, cowboy?” She wiggled again, moaning a bit herself.

“
Stop that! You want me to warm your bottom?” He eased back and placed a hand on her buttocks.

“
I was thinking about getting all nice and warm in another way.” She turned in his arms. “But I suppose this really is the wrong place and the wrong time for either sex or a spanking.”

She said
sex
so casually, not
make love
but
sex
. Was what they’d done just sex to her? Why did that possibility annoy him? He didn’t want a commitment of any kind, and he’d told her that. Casual sex should be just fine. But, damn, it wasn’t! And he didn’t like her thinking that way.

In his frustration, he shocked them both by spinning her back around. With a quick glance to make sure no one was walking by on the wooden boardwalk outside, he bent her over the desk, lifted her skirt, and smacked her panty-covered bottom. She glowered back at him, red faced, and hissed, “Stop it! Somebody could walk by.”

He spanked her a dozen times. “You shouldn’t have teased me.”

Rubbing her bottom, she snapped, “You were the one rubbing that cock against me. You were the one …”

Drew sucked in a steadying breath and started to pick up his file, but she slapped his hand away. “I don’t think you should…”

“
Of course I should handle this audit business for you! That isn’t the problem here, cowboy.” She raised that sassy chin and pressed, “The problem is that you have an obsession with my body. You either want to drive that hot rod of yours inside me—which I happen to enjoy tremendously. Or you want to plant your hand on my bottom—which I don’t always enjoy.”

“
You deserve more than a man
obsessed
with your body. And, yes, apparently I am obsessed with it.”

He strode toward the door, confused and frustrated. “I’m sorry for spanking you.”

Before he could walk out she stated in obvious irritation, “Just so you know, Drew Weatherford, I’m obsessed with your body, too.”

Chapter Seven

“
You know, roses might be nice.” Greg walked up next to Drew in the ranch supply store, earning a curious look from another customer.

Drew set the curry brush he’d been thinking about buying back on the shelf. “What are you talking about? What roses?”

“
Aren’t you taking Tanya out to dinner tonight? Your first real date.”

Drew was happy to see the other customer walk away. He didn’t like parading his private business in front of others. It was bad enough that Greg had been pestering him with comments and suggestions all morning, ever since Drew had made the mistake of telling his friend about the dinner during their drive into town. First real date. Guess that was right. He and Tanya had been butting heads or kissing and making up for over a month now. She’d worked for him at the ranch and now he was one of the clients in her new accounting practice. From almost her first day at the ranch, they’d been intimate in various ways. ‘Course most of those first moments of intimacy involved his hand landing on her bare butt. Pretty intimate that, just not romantic. But they’d gotten romantic, too, after she’d left the ranch. Well, maybe not so much
romantic
by some definitions. They’d had quite a few romps in his bed, or her bed, or…

“
Are you listening to me?” Greg sounded annoyed. “This is important. You need to make a good impression.”

Drew thought he’d been making some pretty damn good impressions as far as Tanya went. At least all her groaning and crying out when they made love seemed to make him think so. Still, they hadn’t actually ever gone out anywhere together. Except that time he took her to the diner, but that really didn’t count. He’d gone into town for business and she’d ridden along with him.

“
I’m not much of a flower man.” He picked up the curry brush again. “Now if she fancied a nice curry brush…”

“
Pitiful. You’re sorry ass pitiful, particularly when it comes to winning the heart of a woman.” Greg shook his head in disgust when Drew glanced at him.

“
Who says I want to win her heart?” Drew’s chest pounded with nerves. He really hadn’t courted his first two wives either. Fact was, he hadn’t been sure
how
he’d ended up getting married either time. Other than the first marriage was a result of a trip to Las Vegas and a night he couldn’t remember. He’d come home with a wife, a woman he barely knew. That lasted about three miserable months. The second marriage happened in much the same way, only he’d gone on a trip to Reno that time. That miserable marriage lasted almost six months. He’d been steering clear of Nevada ever since those disastrous mistakes.

“
Are you willing to let her go then? Let her find that happily-ever-after thing she wants with some other guy?” Greg pressed, obviously not planning on letting the subject drop.

Drew frowned. The idea of
any
other man so much as even thinking about taking Tanya out put him in a sour mood. She was
his
, dammit! They’d been getting along just fine lately. Sure the driving back and forth nearly every night so he could spend some quality time in her bed and then working hard the next day was wearing him down. But why should he mess with something that was working?

“
She’s never mentioned any ‘happily-ever-after thing’ to me. We’re getting along just fine.” He thought they were anyway. Was he wrong? Did she really want more from him? Was that why they were going out to the fancy restaurant tonight? She’d asked him if he’d go and he’d been okay with it, if she made the reservations.

Greg rolled his eyes. “You really are as dumb as dirt sometimes, just like Mandy says.”

“
We’ve got an agreement,” Drew stated stubbornly. Didn’t they?

“
Uh-huh.” Then Greg all but knocked him on his ass. “Did you know that Peter fellow has been calling her? Evidently he’s still trying to convince her to go into a partnership with him. Annie told me about it at breakfast the other day.”