Page 23 of Hometown Cowboy

Darby breathed deeply. “You know I do.” The last was only a murmur, but he heard it anyway.

Deep-seated satisfaction coursed through him. Who would have thought she would actually admit it, outside of his bedroom? He cupped her shoulders and ran his hands slowly down her arms. Her breath sighed from parted lips. She pressed back into his body, his now obvious erection pressing into the curve of her back.

She turned her head to look at him as he lifted his from her neck. Her mouth was mere millimetres from his, he could feel her heated breath on his skin.

“We shouldn’t. I mean, not here?”

He slipped his hands around her waist beneath her arms, and up to cup her breasts.

Hell yes.

He dreamed about being with her again. Constantly. He’d tried to stay away as much as possible, hadn’t wanted her to think he was just chasing her for sex. And if he was completely honest with himself, to make sure he didn’t get too attached to what was building between them. He wasn’t a good prospect. He didn’t do long term. People who placed too much faith in him tended to get hurt, and he refused to hurther. But she’d wormed into his brain so deeply that all he thought about was her.

Would she pull away, or would she go with it?

“Maybe not, but that doesn’t change the fact that we want to.”

She pushed into his hands. He took the hint and massaged her through her dress. Her head fell back onto his shoulder. He kissed her neck slowly, his mouth fully against her warm skin now.

Darby turned to face him and pressed her lips to his. He stroked her cheek and kissed her properly. He hadn’t been able to get her out of his head at all the last few weeks. This would probably make the craving worse, but he was damned if he could stop. He moaned slightly as her mouth opened to him.

“You feel so good,” she whispered. She splayed her hands over his chest. “So strong.”

Ryan tried to control the shiver that ricocheted down his spine, but it was impossible. He spoke against her mouth; he couldn’t stop kissing her. “Would you like to see more?”

Darby pulled back a little. Her wide, glazed eyes stared back at him. She nodded slightly. Ryan didn’t wait for her to change her mind. He opened the buttons on his shirt as fast as his shaking hands would let him. Darby hesitantly placed her hand on his bare skin. It took everything he had to stand still and not react, when all he wanted to do was lose himself in her.

He held his breath and she pushed the edges of his shirt wide apart. Warm hands skimmed over his chest. When she brushed over his nipples he gasped but managed to stay still. Her knuckles grazed his stomach, his muscles clenching tight and hard in their wake.

She looked up then and the desire in her eyes almost floored him. He swallowed to relieve his tight throat. “Would you like to look lower?”

As if involuntarily, she glanced down. The front of his pants stretched so incredibly tight it was impossible to miss how hard he was.

Her sharply indrawn breath only added to his rapidly declining control.

“Do you want me, Darby?” he whispered.

Her cheeks flamed bright red and her hand clenched on his stomach. She sucked in a deep breath. “Yes.”

“Then do it. Undo my pants.”

He couldn’t believe his voice was so damned low, so husky. His breath caught as her hands brushed the front of his pants and snapped the button out of the hole.

Oh hell. She’s really gonna do it.

The zipper slid down inch by agonising inch until it hit bottom. By then he was panting. She pulled at the front of his trunks and slid her hand beneath the material.

“Fuck. Just,fuck,” he whispered.

A soft, strangled laugh left her. She cupped him and he grabbed the vanity counter to hold himself upright. She stroked up his length, so damned slowly, right to the end.

“You’re so… perfect.”

Ryan lost the fight with the growl in his throat. He grabbed her and shoved her up onto the countertop and pushed between her knees. He hauled her to the edge, right where he wanted her. Their mouths clashed, desperation making him rough. He couldn’t stop kissing her, touching her. He needed to be inside her.

He shoved the skirt of her dress up her thighs to her hips and yanked her underpants down and off, dropping them to the floor.

“I need you so badly.”