The Cowboy's Gamble: Destined For Love Series (19 page)

He didn’t understand the excruciating tension swelling in her, the exquisite pressure she needed to relieve. Her breasts were fully and achy, her belly quivering, her skin hot and tight.

She needed . . .

“Touch me,” she whispered, expressing her greatest need.

His eyes glowed with a primal brilliance. “Show me where you want me the most.”

Feeling no hesitancy with him, and not allowing any inhibitions to intrude on their night together, she took his hands and pressed his open palms to her breast. “Touch me here,” she said in a barely audible voice. She was certain he could feel her wild heartbeat, certain he could sense her escalating desire. “Touch me everywhere.”

He rasped his thumbs across her silk covered nipples, and she closed her eyes and moaned in pure pleasure. She shivered when his mouth skimmed her throat, swayed against him as he strung damp kisses along her neck, and automatically parted her lips for him as he settled his mouth over hers for a languid, seeking, and devastatingly thorough kiss.

And then his hands wandered, touching her everywhere as she’d requested. His fingers glided over her belly, over her trembling thighs, stroked along her back, then circled around to grasp her hips and pull her close. Even through silk and denim there was no mistaking how much he wanted her.

The heat and friction was more than she could stand. She whispered that she couldn’t wait, and he growled in response, moving her back toward the bed. He stripped off her chemise, and didn’t stop touching her until he’d charted every bare inch of skin with his hands, then his mouth. Somewhere along the way he’d managed to tug off his boots, his socks, and hastily shed his pants and briefs.

She only had a handful of seconds to admire his honed body before he was gently pressing her onto the mattress, following her down. Automatically her legs parted for him, and he settled himself in between. Crushing his fingers into her hair, he angled her mouth more firmly beneath his, and she returned the kiss with eleven years of accumulated passion, need and desperation.

And then he was pushing inside her, his hips rocking urgently against her. A sharp gasp caught in her throat at the burning sensation spreading within her, and she arched and wrapped her legs around his hips to ease his entry.

Still, a whimper managed to escape her.

He immediately stopped and lifted his head, his expression taut and startled. “Am I hurting you?” His voice was gruff, but still tender with concern.

She held on to his broad shoulders, feeling warmth suffuse her face under his scrutiny. “I, uh, it’s been a long time . . .”

He stared down at her, as if he wanted to ask just how long, then the question ebbed from his gaze. Josie was grateful, because she didn’t want to have to lie to Seth, not here, not now when they’d finally managed to put the bitterness of the past aside.

Not when he was in the process of claiming her so completely.

A warm, private smile brushed his mouth and he gently ran his fingers down her cheek, a feather touch so tender it made her breath catch. “We’ll take it slow and easy, then,” he said in a deep drawl.

He spent the next half hour perfecting slow and easy, using his mouth and hands in sensitive places, until she softened and relaxed enough to accommodate him in one smooth thrust. Pulling her legs tight around his hips, he slid deeply, and their delighted moans mingled.

Then the wondrous climb toward a shattering orgasm began.

The final culmination was rich and breathless.

Seth groaned, burying his face in the crook of her neck as his body shuddered hard against hers. “Josie . . .” His voice was anguished, and awed.

She understood. She clung to him as the same emotions poured through her, and something profound happened to her in that moment. Something she was helpless to prevent, despite the foolishness of taking such a huge risk.

Her heart opened up and let Seth inside.

Sighing deeply with total contentment, he tucked her naked body against his chest and wrapped his arms securely around her. He nuzzled her neck, and found her ear. “I’m gonna burn that damned flannel nightgown of yours,” he murmured humorously.

She smiled and cuddled closer, absorbing the heat of his body and the gentle strength of his embrace. “No, you aren’t,” she argued lightly. “It keeps me warm in the winter.”

“Not anymore,” he said with more than a touch of male arrogance. “You’ve got me for that.”

She didn’t argue, and for the first time in her life she found herself looking forward to cold winter nights and all the sensual ways Seth would generate heat.

Sunday morning dawned bright and warm, with shafts of sunlight streaming through the bedroom window. Josie slowly rolled to her back and stretched languidly, attempting to ease her taut muscles. She felt deliciously sated and surprisingly rested considering Seth had kept her up for half the night. No one could claim that they weren’t well and truly married—their vows had been suitably consummated. Numerous times, she thought giddily.

The man beside her didn’t so much as stir, and she smiled at how incredibly handsome her husband was, how virile and sexy. Deep in sleep, the hard line of his jaw had softened, and his mouth curved into a slight smile. She longed to touch him, awaken him with a slow, familiar caress, but decided she’d rather surprise him with breakfast in bed. They had the rest of their lives to make love, and her heart fluttered at the thought.

Quietly, so as not to disturb Seth, she eased out of bed and went into the adjoining bathroom to take care of necessities. While she was there, she brushed her teeth and ran a comb through her tangled hair. She debated whether to braid the strands, and decided not to.

And then she caught her naked reflection, and her face flushed. Good Lord, she never strutted around in the nude!

Tip-toeing back into the bedroom, she picked up the first article of clothing she spied, Seth’s shirt, and slipped it on. She worked on the buttons swiftly and efficiently.

“Mornin’, Wife.”

Her pulse leapt, at the surprise of being startled, and in pleasure at Seth’s husky greeting.
Wife,
not bride. She’d finally earned her rightful title. As silly as it seemed, something about the sentiment warmed her.

“Hi,” she said, suddenly feeling shy, which was ridiculous considering all the naughty things they’d done the night before.

“What’re you doin’ up so early?” His voice was raspy from sleep, the provocative sound tugging at her feminine senses.

He casually tucked his hands behind his head, and she couldn’t help noticing that he’d nearly kicked the bed covers off. In the light of day, his chest looked stronger, wider, more well-defined. His hips were narrow, his belly lean . . . she followed the arrow of dark hair to where it disappeared beneath the sheet and felt a flood of heat and lust course through her limbs.

She forcibly glanced away from that particular distraction. “I, um . . .” She grappled for her train of thought and miraculously found it.
What was she doing up so early?
“It’s nearly 8 AM.” Late for them, considering during the weekdays they woke as early as 4 AM to get an early start on the day.

A dark brow arched. “You gotta be somewhere today?”

She toyed with the hem of his shirt, not trusting herself to move closer to the bed. “Well, no, but I was thinking of making us some coffee, and breakfast. I’m sure you’re hungry.”

He rolled to his side, propping himself up on his elbow. She gasped as that thin sheet slithered over his hip, uncovering a taut buttock but strategically concealing more masculine parts. “Oh, I’m plenty hungry,
wife
, but not for food.”

The melting began, starting in the pit of her stomach and radiating outward toward her thighs. “Seth . . .”

“Breakfast can wait another hour. After all, we’re on our honeymoon.”

She laughed when she realized that his assessment was correct. They were over a month behind schedule, but they were still entitled to a few days of private indulgence. “Yeah, I guess we are, aren’t we?” And since Kellie wouldn’t be home until that afternoon, they had the house to themselves for a few more hours.

She started toward the bed, then stopped as something caught her eye. Sometime during the night Seth had hung his new tan Stetson on the bedpost nearest her side of the bed, across from the other hat she’d confiscated the day he’d come to claim her, and the Golden M, over a month ago.

Amusement curled through her. “What’s this?” she asked, spinning the hat on the post the same way Seth had done to the mangled Stetson when he’d first seen it hanging on her bedpost on their wedding day. “An addition to my collection?”

“Yep. After last night, I’d say you earned it, Josie, darlin’.”

A delicious heat washed her entire body, but she couldn’t stop grinning. His words, and his sweet gesture, were a wonderful compliment.

He feigned a stern look. “Now you just have to promise not to ever shoot it off my head.”

She laughed, and unable to resist temptation, she plucked the Stetson from the post and put it on her head. “I’ll be happy to share it. You can wear it during the day, and I can were it here, in the privacy of our bedroom.”

A wolfish smile lifted his lips. “Yeah, I like the idea of having my own private cowgirl.” His gaze captured hers, and in the next moment he grew serious. “I’ve got something else for you that you’ve earned.”

He looked nervous, a little uncertain, and she found that bit of vulnerability in Seth endearing. “Oh? Was I that good last night?”

“Better than good.” Still lying in bed with that sheet barely covering him, he nodded toward the dresser they shared. “It’s in the top drawer, left hand corner.”

Curious, she rummaged past his folded briefs and socks until she discovered a small black velvet box tucked away in the corner. Heart pounding, she retrieved the gift and turned to face him. “What’s this?”

He didn’t move, his entire body seemingly taut with an anxious kind of energy. “Open it and see.”

She moved to the bed to be near him. Tentatively, she opened the lid, and gasped when she unveiled a beautiful diamond ring surrounded by bright, fiery emeralds. It was gorgeous, and judging by the size of the single diamond and the dozen or so emeralds around it, the piece of jewelry had to have cost him a small fortune.

Mouth still gaping in shock and unable to speak, she lifted her gaze to his.

He sat up, and with the sheet still tangled around his hips, he grasped her left hand. “I know it’s not your traditional bridal set, but the emeralds match your eyes, and I couldn’t resist.”

Tender, hopeful emotions crowded her chest as he slipped the sparkling ring onto the appropriate finger, claiming her as his. Nothing had ever felt so perfect. So right.

He looked up at her, and she lost herself in his smoky blue eyes and gorgeous smile. “I was waiting for the right time to give you the ring. No better time than the night after making you my wife.”

The significance of his gesture wasn’t lost on her. She was well and truly his wife. Bound and committed to him forever, as he was to her.

“It’s . . . too much,” her more practical side couldn’t help but protest. She would have expected a simple gold band, but he’d obviously spared no expense. “Certainly more than I need and more money than you should have spent.”

Reaching up, he tugged playfully on the brim of his hat. “Worrying about money should be the least of your concerns, Josie.”

She could feel a frown forming on her brow, because she couldn’t help but wonder if Seth had frivolous spending habits she didn’t know about. She’d spent years trying to thwart her father’s carefree ways with money, did she have to worry about Seth squandering money needlessly, too?

He seemed to have read her mind, and addressed her concern. “I’m a saver by nature, honey, but when I buy things, I buy the best. Since I didn’t have anything to spend my paycheck from the Paradise Wild on, I’ve got quite a fat bank account accumulated. The money is ours, to use as we like, or as we need.”

She didn’t want to rely on him and his money, but she knew in his own way he was making this marriage an equal union. What belonged to him now was hers as well. He was trusting her with everything he owned.

It made her own deception all the more vivid and disturbing, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to share her own private secrets just yet. Wasn’t sure he’d accept the truth, when he’d always believed the worst. And, ultimately, the thought of his total rejection after they’d finally established a fragile truce made her shudder inwardly.

“You’re thinking too much, wife,” he said, and rolling to his back, he finally tossed off the covers, thoroughly scattering her troubling thoughts and replacing it with the thrum of thrilling awareness and need.

He crooked a finger at her, wicked intent in his gaze. “C’mere and ride me, cowgirl,” he cajoled sexily.

Shaking off her unease, she went to her husband, unable to deny him anything. Taking off his shirt, and leaving his Stetson in place on her head, she straddled his waist, taking his deep inside her body.

It didn’t take long for the languid slide of his hands along her inner thighs to sooth her uncertainties, and the thrust of his hips to replace her fears with an all-consuming passion.