UlteriorMotives (3 page)

The heavy, metal fire doors slammed down with enough force
that they made the ground shake under them. As soon as the barn was sealed the
sprinklers would stop so a thick layer of suffocating foam could blanket the
entire barn and choke the fire. There wasn’t anything they could do now but
wait. He took off her mask and then his own before pulling her into his embrace
again.

Small tremors shook her body but instead of leaning into him
for comfort, she tried to push away. He only tightened his grip on her. “It’s
okay. You need someone to lean on right now.”

“No. I won’t have anyone accusing me of influencing the
report.”

He smiled as he rested his chin on her head. Stubbornness
seemed to be a common trait on this ranch. “There is no report, remember? I’m
your future husband as far as anyone else is concerned.”

“But we both know the truth. I won’t have anyone saying I
manipulated you.”

He ran his hand over her hair in an attempt to soothe her.
“The truth I see is a young woman grieving. Don’t tarnish that by implying it’s
something it’s not.”

As the ranch hands started to make their way over to them,
their private conversation had to be put on hold. She told each person what she
needed him or her to do and then went over the next day’s schedule while tucked
safely into Jasper’s embrace. When she’d covered everything that needed to be
addressed, she sent them on their way. Realistically they could only accomplish
so much that evening. The sheriff had been apprised of the situation but his
men would be able to do a much more thorough investigation in the morning,
after the suppression system had the fire completely out. It wasn’t ideal but
as long as no one tampered with the site it would work.

When everybody else had dispersed, he leaned down and
whispered, “You look tired. How ’bout I escort you back to the house?”

She answered him with nothing more than a slow nod.

They walked in comfortable silence. He’d learned a lot about
this woman and her ranch in the past day. Much more than he had imagined
possible when he stepped off the shuttlecraft. And, as he examined everything
he’d learned, he was surprise to find that what had started out as respect for
her strength and dedication had deepened into admiration over the past couple
of hours.

“Thank you for rescuing Blackie,” she said softly when they
stepped through the back door into the house.

“I’m happy I could help.”

They took off their fire gear and hung everything neatly in
a tall cabinet near the door before continuing into the house. He planned on
making his way to the guestroom, but she stopped him by wrapping her arm around
his waist and then directing him toward her room. His pulse picked up at the
possibility of being invited to spend the night with her but he quickly
dismissed the idea. Although it held a lot of appeal for him, she hadn’t so
much as flirted with him. The notion that she’d proposition him seemed a bit
far-fetched. Her hip brushed against his as they walked, sending a delightful
tingle up his spine.

Then again, maybe the idea wouldn’t be so far-fetched if he
gave it a little nudge. A couple of kisses, maybe a strategic caress or two and
they’d be on the same page.

When she sniffed quietly and buried her face into his side,
though, he quickly shut down the train of thought. Yes, he wanted her. But he
was leaving in a couple of days and she’d just been through a traumatic
experience. He refused to take advantage of her.

“You seem like an honorable kind of guy,” she said as if
reading his thoughts. “For the most part.”

He didn’t try to stop his laugh. After the night they’d had,
they needed some humor. It dulled the ache not kissing her created. “Thanks.
That’s a lofty compliment coming from you.”

She elbowed him in the ribs. “You laugh, but it’s a big
improvement from how I felt about you earlier this evening.”

“Of that I have no doubt.”

At her door, she turned and looked up at him. “I know you’re
not looking for a wife but I do think you’ll make a good husband someday.” Her
shoulders were drooped in fatigue and probably a little defeat. It made her
seem somehow vulnerable.

“And you’ll make an excellent wife and partner to whomever answers
your next ad.” Was he imagining it or did his chest just tighten with that
thought?

“That may be, but for tonight I’m no one’s wife and you’re
not a husband.” She reached up and ran a fingertip down the side of his face.
“I know why you’re here. I understand why you lied to me. But it still hurts.”

The tightening in his chest had just become painful. “I am
sorry that I hurt you.”

She placed her fingers on his lips to silence him. “The
thing is, that fire near tore my heart out. After that, one little lie doesn’t
sting so bad.” She paused as if working up the courage to finish her thought.
“I love this life, but it does get kind of lonely and I really don’t want to be
alone right now.”

His heart stopped. He wouldn’t take advantage of her or
seduce her, but if she wanted his company as much as he wanted hers, that was
something else completely. “Are you sure?”

She went up on her tiptoes to kiss him. Her lips were firm
and hungry against his, awakening a raw need deep inside him. “I’m sure.”

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against
him. Her warm breath caressed his neck as he leaned over to nibble on her
earlobe and he reveled in the sensation. She was so tiny next to him. She had
to be a full six inches shorter than his six-three but he hadn’t realized it
until just now. Her personality made her seem larger—tougher. And, though he
really liked her strength, he found he craved her vulnerability.

He ran a hand down her hip to pull her closer to him. His
cock was already hard and he needed her as close as possible. She arched her
back and rested her head against the door as she tugged her shirt off. He
couldn’t ignore that invitation. His hand glided over skin so smooth that it
left him with the craving to feel and taste every inch of her body. She seemed
to have the same thought as she leaned forward to lick the sensitive spot
behind his earlobe.

He cupped one of her breasts in his hand and she whimpered
softly. The sound made a shiver race down his spine and caused his skin to
break out in goose bumps. He dropped his head so he could take one of her
nipples into his mouth and she rewarded him by wrapping a leg around his so she
could grind against him. Without releasing her breast, he moved his hands to
her waist and lifted her so she could straddle him. It didn’t hurt that that
position also made it easier for him to have access to her lush breasts. He was
content to kiss, lick and nip at the creamy mounds while she moaned and rocked
against him for a few moments, but then he needed more.

“My room,” she suggested, her voice husky with desire.

He opened the door without any hesitation and carried her
into the room. After he pushed the door closed with his foot, he crossed the
room and then laid her gently on the bed. He wanted to stare at her for hours
but her jeans blocked his full view. Thankfully that problem had an easy
solution. After taking off her shoes, he quickly stripped her of the piece of
clothing and then he could admire her lovely body.

Her work clothes hid the lean, yet very defined, body earned
by hard work. Every inch of her showed the demanding nature of her life and he
wanted to taste it all before the night ended. But no area caught his attention
more than her clean-shaven pussy. He tingled with anticipation at the thought
of feeling the silken skin against his face. But that would have to wait.

“You have a remarkable body,” he said as he leaned over to
claim a kiss.

“And you’re wearing too many clothes.”

Damn the woman for being right. He wanted to touch her, run
his fingers over the planes and curves of her body. Undressing seemed like a
waste of time. “Your state of undress is much more interesting to me right
now.”

“Fortunately for you, I’m pretty good at buttons,” Kat said
as she moved to kneel on the bed.

“That is fortunate.” He nuzzled into the crook of her neck
while she started taking off his shirt. And, as it turned out, she did have a
gift for undressing people. Her fingertips caressed him with each button she
undid. She didn’t press hard enough for it to be a touch, just a whisper of
sensation that drove him mad with wanting more. While her fingers tormented
him, her mouth tempted him with sultry kisses. By the time she reached his
chest, his hands were impatiently exploring the flare of her hips and the curve
of her ass. And when she finally undid the last button, he was running a finger
along the desire-slicked lips of her sex.

Heat radiated from her skin, beckoning him, but he did his
best to stand still as she continued. As soon as she tugged his pants and
briefs over his hips, though, he pushed her back against the bed. It only took
him a couple of seconds to get his clothes the rest of the way off and then he
stretched out over her.

She’d had her turn to play. He wanted his. And he knew just
where to start. Collecting both of her wrists in one of his hands, he stretched
her arms above her head and then held them against the bed. Now he could do
whatever he wanted with her. And there was a lot he wanted to do.

Desire tried to rush him, but he held it at bay. Everything
about this moment, especially the woman under him, deserved to be savored. But
she squirmed as she spread her thighs for him and the friction of her skin
against his sent a delicious shiver of need through him. His body shook with
hunger from the onslaught of sensation, but he gritted his teeth against it.

“If you don’t want this to be over before it starts, I’d
suggest you hold still.” His voice was husky but still managed to hold an
authoritative edge. At least he thought it did. Right up until the moment she
arched her back to rub as much of her body against his as she could. “Did you
not hear what I just said?”

“Oh I heard you. You feel good though.” She pressed her body
against his again. “If you want me to stop, you’re going to have to make me.”

He dropped his lips down to her breast and pulled the nipple
into his mouth. The move had the desired effect as her whole body went taut and
she moaned softly. Before she could regroup and launch another assault on his
control, he made his way over to her other breast, making sure to leave a
smattering of kisses across her skin on his way. As his mouth closed over her
other nipple he captured the first breast in the palm of his hand and began
massaging it.

Her throaty moan went straight to his groin and made his
already hard cock pulse painfully. But he ignored his own condition in favor of
stoking her desire to new heights. He released her wrists and she immediately
buried her fingers in his hair but she didn’t try to stop him as he nibbled and
licked his way down her body. She didn’t wear perfume or expensive lotions but
the light scent of water and soap mixed with a hint of smoke that clung to her
had an intoxicating edge to it.

When he reached her hip, he nipped her lightly. She tugged
at his hair and rolled her hips in reaction as her skin broke out in goose
bumps. But his goal lay just inches away. He wouldn’t let her distract him.
Grasping her hips with his palms, he tilted her so he could admire the soft,
pink skin of her bared sex. Her folds were slick with need and plump with
desire. The sight was so breathtaking he could stare at her for hours. But
staring wouldn’t get him what he really wanted. He looked up to catch her
attention before lowering his mouth to her center. She gasped as he slid his
tongue over her clit but kept her thighs spread for him.

He ran his tongue over her again but he kept the pace slow
and the pressure light. He didn’t want to sprint to the finish. Every second of
torment served to push them both higher. She whimpered as he rolled his tongue
over her clit and then spread her thighs farther.

“Please,” she panted. “I need more.”

He wouldn’t give her the release she sought—not yet, at
least—but he did take the invitation to push one of his fingers into her warm,
slick pussy. She tightened her inner muscles around him and the sensation made
him groan. He could too easily imagine how wonderful it’d feel when those
muscles clutched his cock.

He crooked his finger so he could rub the top of her channel
in search of the sensitive spot that hid there. She gasped as he passed over it
the first time. The second time he sought it out, he sucked on her clit at the
same time. She tightened her hold on the back of his head and groaned loudly
but still didn’t crest. She teetered on the cusp of orgasm and he planned on
keeping her there as long as possible. His own erection was becoming more
difficult to ignore though. Especially since her spicy musk surrounded him.
With every breath he brought her scent into his lungs and with every swipe of
his tongue, he took away more of her addictive flavor.

He added another finger to the first and then pumped them
into her at an agonizingly slow rhythm as he lapped up more of her essence.
When she pulled his hair sharply, the last of his control slipped. “Condom?”
The word was husky and rough as it left him.

“Nightstand drawer.”

It only took a moment to find the protection and to sheathe
himself. He then thrust into her. Her body was tight and hot as her muscles
clamped around him. He’d taken them both too close to the brink and he couldn’t
hold back any longer. He pulled almost all the way out of her before thrusting
into her again as he leaned down to lick one of her pebbled nipples. She arched
her back in encouragement and ran her nails down his sides. Her thighs trembled
against his hips and her breathing was harsh and shallow. Bracing himself on
one elbow, he pushed his free hand between them. As he continued to thrust into
her, he rubbed her clit with the pad of his thumb. When she called out and her
sex contracted around him he allowed himself to let go and followed her into an
intense release.