Chapter 14 #2
Dani glanced back out the window. Several other cowboys were riding away, and Wade had turned to go back into the barn.
He stopped and looked at her again, and unable to help herself, she looked back.
She felt it, through the windowpane and the thirty or more feet separating them ─ a primitive force of sexual energy that suddenly overwhelmed her.
Knowing they had to stop staring at each other, she broke eye contact and looked down at her laptop. Minutes later, after turning her computer off, she looked out again and saw that he had gone into the barn.
Dani stood and packed up her things. It would probably be best if she was gone by the time Wade finished for the day.
Wade pulled up in the Mercer’s driveway.
He had been disappointed when he had finally left the barn and noticed Dani’s car was gone, which meant she had left.
Upon entering his home, he’d read the note she had left on the table in the foyer that thanked him for allowing her to use his internet, and that she had finished the project a day early, so she wouldn’t be there tomorrow.
The note didn’t offer any opportunity for him to see her again.
Well, he had news for her. Whatever this thing was that they were feeling, it needed to be explored.
The attraction between them was too intense, too volatile.
Wade had taken a shower before leaving his place, and the night air had him tightening his jacket around him.
Taking the steps two at a time, he knocked on the door.
He figured she had seen his truck come up the driveway.
Was she going to pretend she wasn’t home?
He had raised his hand to knock again when the door opened.
She stood there in one of those short caftans, and her hair was tied up on her head as if she’d recently gotten out of the shower. “Wade.”
“Dani.”
At least she hadn’t asked why he was there. “You left,” he said softly.
“I left you a note.”
Yes, she had. However, he had expected more than that.
He had wanted to see her again before she left.
Instead of commenting on what she had said, he met her gaze through the haze of desire that he knew covered them both.
Why were they fighting this thing between them?
They were adults and way too old to play games. So why were they?
Evidently, she had asked herself the same question because she released a deep breath and then asked, “Would you like to come in and share a glass of wine with me?”
He wanted to share more than a glass of wine, but he’d take what he could get for now. “I’d rather have one of Rich’s beers.”
A smile touched her lips. “That can be arranged,” she said, stepping aside to let him in.
Wade put his hat on the rack by the door and watched her stroll toward the kitchen. He followed. “I’m glad you finished your project.”
“It’s a relief,” she said, over her shoulder. “Tomorrow, I’m just taking the day to rest and relax.”
“Good thought. I plan to do the same.”
She glanced at him when they entered the kitchen. A bottle of wine was sitting on the counter next to a glass, which meant she’d been ready to enjoy a drink before he got there. “Don’t you have chores to do on the ranch tomorrow?” she asked, opening the refrigerator.
“Not too many. After branding or a cattle drive, I give the guys two days off. They won’t be back until Monday. My ranch will be deserted until then.”
“Oh,” she said, handing him a beer.
Their hands touched, and he felt a zing of chemistry. The sudden heat that flashed in her eyes told him she felt it too. “I want you,” he growled, putting the beer can aside and reaching out for her.
“I want you, too,” she replied, coming to him willingly. He captured her mouth, then swept her into his arms.
As he moved toward the stairs, she was already undoing the buttons on his shirt. It felt good to know this crazy need between them was shared. When he reached the landing, he glanced down at her and asked, “Which room is yours?”
“The one at the end of the hall on your right.”
He nodded. Like his place, Rich’s home had wings. He knew the master bedroom was in a wing by itself, and the five guest rooms were on another. He had spent many nights here as a kid, and it sounded like her bedroom was the same one he’d long ago claimed as his.
Opening the bedroom door, the first thing he noticed was how different the room looked. Libby had obviously had some say in decorating. His gaze traveled over the flower-printed bedspread and frilly curtains. He much preferred the prior ones, with the Marvel theme.
The moment he placed Dani in the middle of the bed, she whipped the caftan over her head and tossed it aside. As he’d guessed, she wasn’t wearing a bra or panties. He couldn’t help but stand there in awe, staring at her naked beauty. Every single inch of her was perfect.
“Hurry and take your clothes off, Wade.”
Her words had him tugging off his belt and removing his shirt. He pulled a condom packet from his wallet and tossed it on the nightstand before sliding his jeans and briefs down his legs. He then stood before her naked.
“Wow,” she said, looking at the area below his waist and then back at him. “Libby was right.”
He lifted a brow. “About what?”
“She said everything is bigger in Texas.”
He grinned.
“And you know what, Wade?”
“What, Dani?”
“I’m going to pretend I’m a cowgirl, and wrangle with it.”
He couldn’t wait.
Dani’s mind was made up about what she wanted to do now, and more than anything, she wanted to do the naked man standing by the bed.
The sexual hunger in his gaze made her heart stop and her breath catch.
As soon as she opened the door to him, she knew there was no way she could ignore the carnal attraction blazing between them. It was already out of control.
Every part of her was aware of him ─ every pore, every cell.
Even the air he breathed seemed to surround her, and her desire for him left her lightheaded.
She recalled advising her mother, after she’d met Jeremiah, to take things slow and not to rush.
But here Dani was, after knowing Wade for less than a week, ready to jump on him. She wanted and needed him now.
Easing up on the bed, she offered him her hand and he took it, then leaned down and kissed her in a way that was even more intoxicating than the one they had shared last night.
He released her mouth and took a step away from the bed. “I need to grab a condom.”
The texture of his voice, deep and throaty, felt like an intimate caress on her skin. “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.”
He smiled and snagged their protection off the nightstand.
Then, while she watched, he sheathed himself.
Since she had been taking birth-control injections for years, it had been a long time since she had seen a man do this.
Even during those early days, when she and Steve had first begun dating, he had preferred to put it on without an audience.
But watching Wade protect her seemed to heighten the level of intimacy between them.
He aroused her as no other man ever had.
“I’m dying to taste you, baby,” he said, standing there looking totally awesome with masculine thighs, a broad chest, powerful-looking shoulders, and the most gorgeous pair of bowlegs a man could possess.
She could imagine him mounting and riding a horse.
Even better, she could imagine him mounting and riding her.
She knew exactly what his words meant, and the thought of him making love to her that way had her heart racing. “Just as long as you know that when it’s my turn to taste you, for every lick you give me, I intend to give you two.”
She saw the immediate flare of heat in his eyes, and from the way his shaft reacted, it seemed to appreciate her words.
Easing onto the bed, he slid an arm around her waist and pulled her to him, easily lifting her legs over his shoulders.
Then he leaned in and began kissing the folds between her thighs.
He raised his head and whispered, “You’re so hot there, baby.”
And then he eased back and sank his mouth into her.
Dani’s hips nearly shot off the bed at the first feel of his tongue inside of her.
Then he began licking her in earnest. She moaned and thrashed, and the more she did, the more vigorous his tongue became.
Within minutes, she screamed his name as an orgasm washed over her and all through her.
Before she could recover, she felt the head of his shaft as it slowly entered her.
It was as if he intended to savor every inch of the journey.
When he had gone as deep as he could, he began pumping hard, thrusting his throbbing manhood back and forth inside of her with a rhythm she thought was perfect.
It was as if he was giving her vulva the beat-down it needed.
“Wade!”
Her body began to convulse with pleasure again, at the same time that he threw his head back and hollered her name.
His thrusts continued, and she arched her body up to meet his every downward plunge.
She felt herself coming again, and she dug her nails into his shoulders.
She was on fire, and at that moment, he was the only man who could put it out.
And he did, but only after a third climax exploded inside of her.
Moments later, when he slowly eased off her, she heard his ragged murmur of satisfaction. As she lay there in his arms, surrounded by the intoxicating scent of him, she knew she’d never have enough of this man. It was a good thing she was going to be in Texas for a while.
A couple of hours later, Wade returned to bed. He’d gone out and put his truck in the garage, remembering Dani’s words about the neighbors’ reactions. Then, after tossing his clothes, he slid back into bed beside her.
She turned in his arms. “I’m glad you didn’t leave.”
He smiled. “I would never do that, Dani. I just moved the truck into the garage.”
“Thanks for doing that.”
“Of course.” He tightened his arms around her. “Spend tomorrow with me.” Honestly, he wanted her for the entire weekend, never far from his sight. He would ponder why he felt that way later.
The sound of Dani’s chuckle made him glance down at her. “Spend tomorrow with you doing what?” she asked.
He grinned. “We could sleep in late,” he said, knowing they wouldn’t spend time sleeping. “Then we can go back to my place, and you can help me with a couple of chores I need to do. Then I can take you out to dinner and a movie.”
She smiled. “I’d love to do that, Wade.”
“Then on Saturday, we can check out the county fair,” he suggested.
“That sounds like fun.”
“Good,” he said, happy, and a bit relieved, that she wanted to spend so much time with him. As he leaned over and captured her mouth, he doubted he would ever get enough of her.