The Cowbear's Curvy Christmas (Curvy Bear Ranch 2) (5 page)

A flood of desire rolled through his body. What did that look mean? Was she thinking about their hot, frantic sex in the truck? And more importantly, did she still want him?

He shook his head. He shouldn’t be thinking these kinds of thoughts. She was off-limits. He’d have to keep reminding himself, and his bear, of that fact.

“Do you have family in Seattle?” Hank asked.

She pushed a spoon through the eggs on her plate. “Not really.”

Mack cocked his head to one side. “What do you mean?”

“My parents live there, but we’re not close.”

“Ever been married?” Logan asked.

A beat later she responded. “Nope.”

Mack watched her intently. Something was off about her responses.

“I’m surprised some lucky man didn’t snap you up yet,” Hank said.

A blush rose up from her neck. “What about you? Are you married?”

Hank smiled. “No.”

“Why not?”

“I haven’t found the right woman yet.”

“We’re all single except for our brother Brady,” Mack said.

Hank asked, “Where is Brady?”

“He took Rachel and Jimmy into Bozeman to do some Christmas shopping. I think Rachel wanted to look at wedding dresses too,” Mack said.

“Ahh. If I had a kid, I’d probably spoil him rotten,” Hank said.

“Are they engaged?” Madison asked.

“Yep. They just got engaged,” Mack said.

“That’s nice.” She swallowed and looked away.

“They went through hell recently. Their son Jimmy was really sick, but he’s getting better each day,” Hank said.

“That’s good,” she said.

“Ever have kids?” Mack asked.

She blinked as if surprised by his question. “No.”

“You don’t have to be married to have kids. Brady’s proof of that,” Hank said.

“True.”

Madison stood. “I’ll start clearing dishes.”

As she hurried into the kitchen, Mack reviewed the conversation. He really didn’t know much about her. In fact, she seemed somewhat evasive. Although he didn’t want to spend too much time around her tempting curves, he did want to get to know her better. He couldn’t have a complete stranger running the B&B. He’d just have to make sure he only talked to her when other people were around.

He pushed back from the table. “I’ll see everyone out in the back pasture. We need to get that fence finished today.”

“Sure.”

“Sounds good.”

Mack picked up his plate and walked into the kitchen. Now was as good a time as any to try to get to know her better.

She stood at the kitchen sink staring out at the snowy landscape. “I can’t believe how beautiful it is here. Nothing like the city.”

“Doesn’t it snow in Seattle?”

“Sometimes, but not like this.”

“Did you grow up there?”

She turned on the water and started to scrub the plate. “Yep.”

“What was it like?”

“Nothing special. Just a regular life.”

Mack picked up a dish towel and held out a hand. “I’ll dry.”

“I can use the drying rack.”

“I’ll help clean up the kitchen.” He set the towel on the counter.

“That’s not necessary. I can handle it.”

He sighed. “Okay. If you need any help, let me know. We’ll be on the far side of the ranch today. I’ll leave a walkie-talkie for you in case you need to call us.”

“Sounds good. Lunch will be ready at noon.”

He moved closer and whispered, “I left the fire extinguisher for you, just in case.”

She frowned. “I won’t burn down the place.”

“If you need help, call me.” He grabbed a walkie-talkie from inside one of the cupboards.

“I’ll be fine.”

“I hope so.” As he walked away, he prayed he wouldn’t be eating lunch standing atop the ashes of the kitchen.

Chapter 5

Madison climbed the ladder to the loft in the barn. The fresh scent of hay drifted through the crisp winter air. She sat on the edge of the ledge overlooking the stables below. Horses covered with blankets stood in several stalls, but the majority of the enclosures were empty.

She hooked her ankles together and leaned back on her hands. Lunch had been much more successful than breakfast. She’d managed to bake a lasagna casserole without burning down the house. So what if the edges were a little crispy? No one had found out. She’d been careful to stuff the charred edges deep into the trash can.

The conversation during lunch played through her mind. Slices of pain cut her heart as she recalled the brothers’ conversation about Brady’s upcoming wedding. She didn’t begrudge the couple their happiness at all; it just hurt to think that she would be married right now if Ben hadn’t betrayed her.

The memory of walking into his bedroom to find her best friend’s legs wrapped around Ben’s naked ass forced bile into her throat. How could they do that to her? She’d been a good friend and would have been a great wife. Why hadn’t she been enough for him? Why couldn’t he keep his hands to himself?

She chucked a piece of hay over the edge, then grabbed another bunch in her fist and squeezed. Sharp edges cut into her hand but she didn’t feel it. Nothing could be more painful than the weight of sadness around her heart. She’d thought that throwing herself into a job would help ease the pain, but it hadn’t. If anything, she hurt even more because now she was isolated and had nothing but time to think about their betrayal.

Tears gathered along the bottom rim of her eyes. She sniffed, trying to keep them from spilling. After crying an ocean of tears, she didn’t think she had anything left. But she did. Sometimes, she didn’t think she’d ever stop crying. And then she’d start torturing herself with endless questions that could never be answered. Why had he turned to her best friend? And why had her supposed friend betrayed her?

She choked back a sob, but couldn’t hold back the flood of tears. Deep wracking sobs tore up from the depths of her heart. She’d planned a fairytale wedding with five hundred guests. Champagne should have flowed like water. She should have been licking cake off of her faithful husband’s fingers. But instead, she was left with a ring she’d never wear and a gown she’d love to burn.

The squeak of the ladder caught her attention. As Mack’s face came into view, she quickly turned away and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

“What are you doing up here?” he asked softly.

“Just looking at the horses.”

He sat down next to her and swung his legs over the edge. “You picked an interesting angle.”

“Sometimes you need a different perspective on things.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him turn to study her. Great. She was in that shaky state in which she’d confess everything if he asked what was wrong.

As a preemptive strike she asked, “How did the fence repairs go?”

“Good. We cleaned up a section of the fence that was listing. Last year, some of the horses escaped and we spent three days rounding them up.”

“I’m glad it went well.”

A horse whinnied as silence stretched between them. Finally he asked, “Are you okay?”

She turned to find him leaning toward her. A look of concern shadowed his eyes. But beyond that, an animalistic magnetism flowed between them. For a second, she forgot all about her problems with Ben and focused on the soft lines of Mack’s lips. Then she realized what she needed: him.

“Kiss me,” she whispered.

He groaned and cupped her face in his hands. “We shouldn’t.”

“Don’t you want me?”

In that moment, she needed reassurance that she was still sexy, that she was still desirable. If he said “no,” something would break inside her. She’d never felt so desperate for acknowledgement. All of a sudden, she needed to know that she wouldn’t be alone forever. She needed confirmation that she could still capture a man’s attention.

The bar didn’t count. They were drunk. But right now, in the middle of the day and completely sober, if he refused her advances, she’d have confirmation of her deepest fear—that she wasn’t sexy enough to deserve love.

“Oh, Madison,” he murmured a second before brushing a feathery kiss across her lips. “I don’t think we should be doing this.”

“But you want me, right?”

He growled. “More than you could ever know.”

“Then show me,” she whispered as she lay back into the hay.

He lay on his side next to her and pulled her into his arms. “You’re one temptation I can’t resist.”

“Then don’t resist.”

She gasped as he crushed his lips against hers. His hand slid down the side of her body and across her hip. At first, his mouth consumed her with fiery kisses, but then he slowed to brush kisses across her throat.

His tongue darted out from between his lips as he nuzzled her neck. “Why can’t I stay away from you?”

“I don’t know,” she murmured.

But really, she didn’t care why he couldn’t stay away. What was important was that he wanted her. A big, strong, sexy, virile man wanted to peel her clothes off and make love to her in a barn. If that didn’t mean she was still attractive, nothing would. But she wasn’t above fishing for compliments.

“Maybe you just can’t resist my curves,” she said.

With one hand, he deftly unbuttoned the top of her sweater. “I love a woman who’s soft and smooth in all the right places.”

His compliment heated her flesh in a way she could never have imagined. She wanted him naked. Without preamble, she yanked his jacket off and tossed it onto a nearby bale of hay. After making quick work of the buttons on his shirt, she pulled it off and tossed it toward the jacket. Seconds later, his pants were added to the pile, but when she reached for his boxers, he grabbed her wrists and pinned them overhead.

“Shh. Slowly. You’re always in such a rush.”

“I want you inside me.
Now
.” Her voice held a hint of desperation. She hoped he hadn’t heard it.

His gaze raked across her skin as he unbuttoned her pants. “You’re so incredibly beautiful.”

She reached up to run her hands across his rock-hard abs as if to confirm her power over him. Little shivers followed in her wake. If she could reduce the cowboy to trembling with a single caress, then what could she do to him with her mouth?

The wicked thought took hold and became an obsession as she pushed him onto his back. She rolled to cover him and settled her cotton-covered pussy over his rigid cock. With only their thin underwear to separate them, every inch of his heat pressed against her moist center.

She writhed against him, teasing him. “You want this?”

He grabbed her hips and arched against her. “What do you think?”

A wry smile crossed her face. “I think that I want to taste you.”

“Oh, hell.”

“Mmm,” she murmured as she slid between his legs.

After hooking her fingers into his boxers, she slowly pulled them down. His cock sprang out. She hadn’t really gotten a good look at him in the truck, but now she could see every vein, every ridge, and every inch of his huge cock. Her mouth turned to cotton. How had she taken him the other night? He was huge.

“Are you just going to stare at me?” he asked with amusement.

“You’re just so…”

“Yes?” He arched a brow.

To stop herself from saying something stupid, she leaned forward and licked him from base to tip. He shivered and moaned. Encouraged, she wrapped her lips around the head and sucked gently. He pushed her hair out of her face, probably to give himself a better view.

She dragged her lips up and down. With each pass, she took a little more of him into her mouth. She liked a challenge, but even more so, she liked the whimpering sounds of pleasure he made as she sucked.

“Oh, Madison. Jesus.”

She closed her eyes and relaxed into a luxurious pace. As she reached the tip, she swirled her tongue across the head and took a breath before sliding him back into her mouth. His hands tangled in her hair as she increased tempo. Soon, his hips moved in time with her mouth. Each thrust filled her with a sense of pride. She still had the ability to drive a man crazy.

He moaned. “Come here.”

She yelped as he grabbed her under the shoulders and dragged her across his chest. She’d never been with anyone who could lift her up as if she weighed nothing. As a curvier woman, she’d always been self-conscious about her weight while in bed, but Mack made her feel lighter than a piece of hay. For once, she felt delicate and feminine in a man’s arms.

Her thighs spread as he pushed up to fill her with every inch of his cock. As a rush of pleasure tightened her body around his, she bit his shoulder to keep from screaming. He responded with a growl and a rough thrust. She loved the carnal depth of his voice. She could listen to him whisper sweet nothings all night.

Not that he would be doing that. This was just sex. Meaningless, emotionally empty sex. She pressed her face into his shoulder. It didn’t matter. She didn’t need him to love her; she only needed him to prove that she was still worthy of being touched.

But the more she tried to block out the errant thoughts, the more her heart emptied. She gazed into his glassy-eyed face and tried to pretend that the look of lust was enough. Blood rushed through her ears, giving her something to fixate on other than her thoughts.

Stop trying to make this something more than it is
, she warned herself.

Mack slowed his pace. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.”

She groaned as he surged into her. As she clung to him, every inch of her tensed at once. For a second, she couldn’t breathe. Then the whole world exploded around her in undulating waves of release. When she fell limp against his chest, he rolled her onto her back and plunged into her again and again. She rode waves of orgasmic bliss, blotting out everything but the feel of their bodies joined as one.

Mack thrust one last time before spilling into her. He collapsed against her with a soft growl of pleasure. The pressure of his body against hers brought back her heart’s longing for more than just sex.

She’d waited her whole life to love someone, but in an instant, her dreams had been shattered. The heartache had nothing to do with Mack. She couldn’t blame him for readily taking what she so easily offered.
What a mess.

After rolling onto her side, she crawled to gather up her clothes.

Mack sat up. “Where are you going?”

With her back to him, she steeled her heart. “I’m leaving. Did you think we’d cuddle afterward?”

“I thought you’d want to at least lie here for a minute.”

She took a breath and blew it out. If she let Mack hold her now, she’d burst into tears. She couldn’t let him think he’d hired an unstable, hysterical woman, even if it was the truth.

“I need to start prepping dinner.”

As she pulled the sweater over her head, he stood and took her hand. “Did I miss something?”

“No. I wanted you. You wanted me. We had sex. End of story.”

“Madison.”

She gave him a sharp look. “Don’t. Please, just take it for what it was—meaningless sex.”

He frowned. “I don’t appreciate being used like a stallion.”

“That’s such bullshit. You wanted me just as bad as I wanted you. But you were right about one thing.”

“What?”

“We need to stop doing this,” she said.

“Sex?”

“Yes. I don’t understand why it’s so easy to want you, but I need this job. Sex will just mess everything up.”

He slowly drew on his pants. “If that’s what you want, fine. But don’t pull this crap of seducing me and then pretending you didn’t want me. At least give me the courtesy of not being a liar.”

She drew back as if he’d slapped her. “I’m not a liar.”

“Aren’t you?”

He pushed past her and climbed down the ladder. When he reached the bottom, he scowled up at her and opened his mouth as if to say something. He shook his head, pressed his lips together, and stomped off.

The pit of her stomach dropped. She’d acted like a crazy bitch, and for what? Mack didn’t deserve to be pulled into her mess. She shouldn’t have taken her frustration out on him. She’d be lucky if he didn’t send her home tonight. And why not? Who would want an unstable crazy person running their business?

***

Mack avoided looking at Madison through the first half of dinner. He didn’t comment on the dried-out mashed potatoes or the tough-as-hell steak. He ignored the mushy carrots and burnt dinner rolls. But he couldn’t ignore the anger and confusion swirling in his belly. He wasn’t one to misread a woman’s signals, and he never would have had sex with her if she’d given him any indication that she wasn’t completely into it. So why the hell had she pushed him away?

“Please pass the butter,” Madison said.

Mack picked up the small tray and handed it to her. As she grasped it, their fingers brushed. Their gazes met for a second before she looked down.