Lies And Lullabies: Courting the Cowboy Boss

The drapes at the windows were open wide. In the ambient light he saw enough of her smile to be reassured that she wanted the same things he did, though she didn’t obey his demand for her to speak.

Gently, he set her on her feet and spun her around until he could reach the single fastening at the nape of her neck. He slipped the beaded button free of the buttonhole and eased the entire bodice of the dress to her waist.

The room was hushed, every molecule of air quivering with anticipation. Opposite them, the mirror over his dresser reflected a ghostly tableau. When he embraced her from behind and dragged her back against his pelvis, they both groaned.

It was torture to shape her bare breasts with his hands. He wanted to see her fully, but there was something wickedly sensual about their dim, shadowy figures in the glass.

At last he turned her to face him. A few inches of zipper at the base of her spine gave way beneath his questing fingers, and then he held her hand as she stepped out of the dress.

She tapped his throat with a fingertip. “Your turn.”

He had to wait, chest heaving as she fumbled with his bow tie and unfastened the studs down his front. When that was done, he shrugged out of his jacket and shirt and tossed them aside far more recklessly than he had her soft gown.

With Mellie standing in front of him clad in nothing but stilettos and undies, he was a wreck. “Time out,” he croaked.

At this particular moment he didn’t have either the patience or the fortitude to make it through a slow undressing. He kicked off his shoes, ripped off his socks, and shucked his pants and boxers in short order.

Totally nude, he snagged her wrist and drew her back into his embrace. “Leave the shoes on,” he begged.

“Whatever you want, cowboy.” Her voice was warm as honey on a summer day. He heard arousal and humor in equal measures.

His erection bobbed eagerly against her belly, but she didn’t seem to mind. He ran his hands over her satin-covered butt, imagining all the ways he was going to take her. “This first round might be fast and furious, but we’ve got all night.” It was a promise and a reminder to himself. He could afford to be patient...maybe.

One last time, he indulged in the pleasure of carrying her, this time to the king-size bed. He flipped back the covers and deposited her on the mattress. After striking a match to the small candle on the bedside table, he lowered himself at her side and splayed a hand against her flat belly. “I have condoms,” he said flatly. “I would never take chances with you.”

He wanted her to know she could trust him.

Mellie wasn’t shy. At least not anymore. One hand closed around his shaft and stroked lazily.

He sucked in a sharp breath, mortifyingly close to embarrassing himself. “Let’s save that part for later, darlin’, when I’m not so trigger-happy.”

She released him. “If you say so.”

The only reason he’d been at all able to hold himself in check was that he’d let her keep her last item of clothing. But now it was time for the panties to go. When he slid them down her legs, the nylon snagged on the sharp heel of one shoe. “I’ll buy you more,” he swore. “A dozen pairs in every color of the rainbow.”

Without warning, she rolled to her stomach, arms cradling her head. “You could massage my back,” she said, her voice muffled. “All that standing and dancing in heels isn’t easy.” She bent her knees and crossed her ankles in the air, taunting him with the sexy pose.

At least he thought that was what she was doing. Maybe she didn’t understand how damned sexy she looked. Telling himself he was no rookie kid in the bedroom, he straddled her waist and settled his thumbs on either side of her spine. With firm pressure, he moved from her bottom to her shoulders in steady increments.

Mellie’s hands fisted in the sheets. “Damn, you’re good,” she mumbled. “This is better than sex.”

He caressed every inch of her back. Up and down. Back and forth. “Not even close.”

When her body was lax and warm, he reached for the handful of small foil packets he’d put in easy reach. He sheathed himself rapidly, then flipped her to her back and positioned himself between her legs.

Mellie watched him, eyelids drooping, cheekbones flushed with color, arms over her head. “You’re a very beautiful man,” she said quietly, her gaze raking him from chest to groin.

Gripping her hips, he shoved deep in one forceful thrust. He didn’t realize he had closed his eyes until he saw tiny yellow spots of light that pulsed in time with his heartbeat. The fit was perfect.