Chapter 19
Dax kicked out of his muddy boots and left them on the porch before walking through the front door. With his business complete, Frankie pranced past him then found a spot to curl up on the floor, his eyes closing as soon as he was settled.
Vanessa chuckled. “You’d think he was the one feeding animals and mucking stalls.”
“I’m sure he had a rough day of napping,” Dax said.
Vanessa snorted. “Poor guy. Any chance you found some wine earlier when you stumbled upon my grandpa’s whiskey? After today, I could use a drink, but I don’t think I can handle anything that strong.”
He grinned down at her. “There might have been a few bottles of red in the cabinet. A drink sounds great, but can I grab a shower first? After working with the horses and taking care of your flock out there, I smell a little.”
“That’s cute that you think it’s just a little.”
He wrapped an arm around her waist. “Oh really?”
Laughing, she playfully shoved him away with one hand while plugging her nose with the other. “Seriously, it’s too much. Go wash off that stink.”
Letting her go, he lifted his palms in surrender. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. But I hope you don’t think you smell like a fresh flower.”
She opened her mouth wide in mock outrage. “You better get up those stairs before I hurt you.”
Pulling her close again, he lowered his mouth to give her a quick kiss. He kept his face close to hers. “Don’t worry. A little stink won’t scare me away.”
“You really know how to sweet-talk a lady, don’t you?”
His grin widened. “I try my hardest.”
“Try harder,” she said on a laugh. “Use the bathroom off my room. I haven’t checked on the other bathroom to see if the shower has any toiletries. I’ll find that wine.”
“I’ll be quick.” He gave her another kiss then jogged up the stairs.
His smile stayed in place as he hurried through her grandpa’s old room to the bathroom.
Slipping back into the easy banter with Vanessa had loosened the tension wrapped around his neck since their earlier accident.
Between the danger and the mass of information they’d uncovered, the day had been heavy.
Knowing they could unwind and decompress, even joke around with one another, lightened his mental load more than he thought possible.
Turning on the shower, he adjusted the knobs so warm water rained down. He shed his dirty clothes and tossed them aside before stepping under the spray. He let out a long breath and stood for a few minutes, appreciating the rising steam enveloping him into its comforting cocoon.
He closed his eyes and images of Vanessa overwhelmed him, causing an inferno of heat to spark to life in his core.
Damn, she was something. He wasn’t sure if she was more beautiful covered in dirt and taking care of a damn cow or standing in the kitchen with messy hair and wearing pajamas.
Hell, he’d take her any way he could get her.
He gritted his teeth. If he went down this path, he’d be in the shower a lot longer than he’d planned—and he’d have to douse himself in cold water. Instead, he summoned all his self-control and focused on what needed to be done. He squirted shampoo in his hand, the floral notes tightening his gut.
Damn, he had a problem if he couldn’t even wash his hair without being turned on by reminders of Vanessa.
Rushing through the rest of the process, he rinsed off and stepped out of the shower. He grabbed the towel hung on the rod and dried himself off then stared down at the dirty pile of clothes on the floor.
Well, damn.
He’d forgotten to grab the bag he’d brought from home. He’d wrap the towel around his waist and dash across the hall to find clean clothes from where he’d left them in the other room. Stepping into the bedroom, he found himself staring into Vanessa’s wide eyes and his world stopped.
Her gaze dropped to his abs then shot back up to his face. Pink tinged her cheeks, and she swiped her tongue across her lips. “I…um. Sorry. I brought you this.” She extended her arm, offering him his duffel.
He swallowed past the lust burning his throat and shoved a hand through his wet hair. “Thanks. Appreciate it.”
He grabbed the handle, and when she didn’t let go, he gave a gentle tug to pull her closer.
She kept her gaze locked on his and finally dropped the strap. She lifted her hand and tentatively placed it on his chest.
Trapping her hand under his, he studied her slightly parted lips and heavy-lidded eyes. Fire shot across his skin. Words stuck in his dry mouth. He wanted to hold her close, to feel her soft skin and taste every inch of her body.
But he didn’t want to scare her or move too fast. What they were building could be different. Could be special. He didn’t want to mess anything up.
“Well?” she asked, eyes wide.
The side of his mouth inched up. “Well, what?”
“Aren’t you going to kiss me?”
Her directness turned the heat building inside him into a raging inferno. “I want to. Damn, I want to more than I want my next breath. But I don’t want to make the wrong move.”
“Kissing me could be the wrong move?” she asked, frowning.
“Never.” His voice was soft, cracking with desire. “It’s what would come after. My self-control is on a very thin leash right now. If I kiss you, that leash will tear in two. If you want to take this slow, I better throw some clothes on before things go too far.”
She tucked her bottom lip between her teeth and roamed her hand to rest on his abdomen. “What if I don’t want you to do that?”
His heart pounded and he dropped the bag, curling his arm around her waist. If this is what she wanted, he was all in.
And not just for tonight. This was a woman he could see his whole future with.
Tonight would be the beginning of something beautiful, and he’d make sure to show her all he had to give.
Pinning her against him, he felt every inch of her against his body—memorized every curve. “Then we’re in for one hell of a night.”
* * *
Vanessa’s breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t stand one more second without her mouth on Dax’s. Rising on her toes, she sealed his lips with hers and circled her arms around his neck. The hard wall of his chest pressed against hers and his palm slid down to cup her butt.
The cotton towel did little to hide what lay beneath, and her belly tingled in anticipation.
It’d been so long since she’d been with a man—since before her mom got sick.
She’d dedicated so much of her life to caring for her mom that she’d closed the door to anything else.
Since then, no one had sparked her interest.
No one but Dax.
Dear Lord. This man was protective and caring, sweet and supportive, and damn was he sexy as hell.
In only a few days he’d been there for her in a way that no one ever had, and even if she was a little scared at the intensity of her feelings so quickly, she wanted nothing more than to be with him. To show him how much she already cared.
Deepening the kiss, her tongue dueled with his as she took tiny steps backward toward the bed.
A husky laugh rumbled from his throat. “I feel like I’m chasing you down.”
“Just trying to get us to a better location,” she said, pressing her lips along his jawline. His skin was still warm from the shower. The subtle scent of soap invaded her senses.
He skimmed his hands down to the backs of her thighs, lifting her off her feet.
Squealing, she wrapped her legs around him as they fell onto the bed. “Well, that’s another way to do it.”
He hovered over her with his forearms anchored on either side of her head. “In this situation, I thought it’d be better to pick up the pace.”
She struggled to keep her face straight. “I hope that’s not your outlook on the rest of this adventure.”
He grinned, dimples flashing, and her heart melted into a puddle. “Don’t you worry, darling. I plan on taking my sweet time with you the rest of the night.”
He swooped down to take her mouth in his, and her body arched up to meet his—demanding his attention. She roamed her palms over his broad shoulders then inched them lower, reveling in the feel of every muscle.
When she reached the top of his towel, he lifted away from her and shook his head. “Not yet.”
She faked a pout as disappointment ebbed with a thrill to see the impressive bulge tempting her from under the cotton.
His grin widened and he pressed his lips to hers then trailed them down the side of her neck. He stopped at her collarbone and traced his finger along the sensitive skin. “I’ve wanted to kiss this spot since I saw it.”
She smiled as heat swirled in her belly.
“I never thought I’d be so excited about my birthmark.
” Her pulse slammed against her veins as he moved lower, his kisses smattering her warm skin.
When the neckline of her T-shirt stopped his progress, he grabbed her hemline and lifted a brow, as if seeking permission.
Wanting to take away any doubt lingering in his mind, she yanked the shirt over her head. She settled back on the bed, resting on her forearms as she put herself on display for his benefit.
Dax sat up on his knees, the towel rising high on his thighs, and sucked in a sharp breath. “You don’t play fair. No way to control myself when you’re looking at me like that.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He growled and nipped her bottom lip then continued his lazy trail down the side of her neck. Each second, each tender kiss, raised her heart rate and heat inside her body. When his tongue dipped into the black lacy bra and circled her nipple, a moan caught in her throat.
He groaned. “You’re killing me.”
“Let’s make this a little easier,” she said, reaching around to unclasp her bra. The lace fell away, and she shimmied the straps down her arms then tossed it on the floor.
“Much appreciated.” His tongue found her puckered nub again as his hand molded around the other breast, flicking his thumb around her sensitive spot for double the pleasure.
Leaning back, she closed her eyes and got lost in the moment. She savored his touch, the difference between his moist tongue and callused skin causing shivers of anticipation to ripple through her body.
His hand stayed in place as his head moved south. He bit the top of her pants and, my God, if it wasn’t the sexiest thing she’d ever experienced. She lifted her ass off the bed to help him glide her pants and panties down her legs, exposing all of herself to him.
He rested both his palms on her hips and pressed his lips to the insides of her thighs.
She sucked in a breath, her body voluntarily squirming from his attention.
But she wanted more.
“Now you’re the one killing me,” she said on a small moan. “Forget what I said about not going too fast.”
He blew hot breath in the apex of her legs as his thumb stroked her slippery folds. “Oh, trust me. It’s worth the wait.”
He took her center in his mouth, and her hips bucked up as shimmers of pleasure made her see stars behind her eyelids.
Pressure built in her core as his tongue licked inside her in a steady rhythm, his finger joining his thumb as he wound her up, taking her higher and higher until ecstasy exploded, making her body shake with her release.
She threaded her fingers through his hair, fisting the strands then yanking them up. Needing his mouth, his body, his entire being on hers. He hovered over her and his towel finally fell away, revealing nothing but his raw masculine glory.
She reached for his erection. Her fingers brushed against the velvety skin at the head, and he climbed over the bed, staying out of her reach
Frowning, she sat up. “What’s wrong?”
“Not a damn thing. I just need to grab something.”
She couldn’t complain about the view as she watched him walk across the room to his bag.
He rummaged through the contents then stalked toward her with a foil packet in his hand.
“You were that certain you’d get lucky, huh?”
“Honey, never in a million years did I think I’d ever get lucky enough to find a woman like you.”
The words hit her square in the chest like a missile, and she held her arms open for him. She swallowed words of devotion and commitment, but his statement was enough to reassure her that they were on the same page. That what they’d found went beyond logic and words.
Dax ripped open the package and slid the condom over his impressive member before falling back into her arms. His mouth found hers and he brushed the hair off her face to stare into her eyes. “Ready?”
“I’ve been waiting a lifetime for you,” she whispered.
“You don’t have to wait any longer, baby.
” He pushed inside her, filling her completely until she stretched around him.
Fitting him like a glove. He moved in a steady rhythm, her hips rocking with the motion as he went deeper and deeper.
Took her further and further to the precipice of blinding pleasure.
Before she exploded, he captured her hands and pinned them above her head. Smirking, she shook her head. “Two can play at that game.”
In one swift motion, she yanked her hands free and shoved at his chest. Without severing their connection, she rolled on top of him.
She ground against him, creating a new sensation that threatened to undo her.
She moved her hips back and forth then leaned over his body, trapping his hands with hers.
The tips of her breasts brushed against the hair on his chest, causing a tingling sensation to shoot from her core.
Another orgasm ripped through her and sweat dotted her brow.
Dax groaned and gripped her hips. He locked his gaze with hers and the lust burning the blue of his eyes threatened to singe her.
He moved her back and forth, fast and faster, pummeling inside her until he gritted his teeth and gripped the back of her neck.
He pulled her to him and moaned into her mouth until his body went lax.
“Holy hell, woman,” he said between labored breaths.
She smiled down at him, her hair spilling over her shoulders brushing against his arms. “That was pretty amazing.”
He spun her to lie beside him on the bed then slid an arm around her shoulders, holding her against him before pressing a kiss to her temple. “You can say that again.”
She curled against him and struggled to steady the frantic beating of her heart. Joy filled her to the brim, spreading her smile. She was happier than she’d been in a long time and Dax was a large part of the reason why. No matter what other chaos held her hostage, he held her in his arms.
And she never wanted to be anywhere else.