CHAPTER SIX
Slade
I leaned against the shadowed corner of the equipment shed a hundred yards away from where the weekly campfire was about to begin, a cold bottle of beer in my hand. From here, I had a perfect view of the woman who had spent the last few days turning my world upside down.
Jamie was sitting on a well-weathered log, tucked between Lucinda and an older woman.
She was laughing at something they said, her head tilted back to expose the pale, delicate line of her throat.
Seeing her out here, surrounded by the grit and dust of the ranch, made my gut tighten.
She was too soft for this place, but the sudden, possessive urge to haul her off that log and claim her right there almost doubled me over.
Across the way, Carl was gathering logs to start the campfire, a few of the guests helping. He caught my eye and gave me a lopsided grin. He didn’t have to say a word. He’d seen me like this before—focused with an intensity that meant I was either about to set a record or break another bone.
I waited until I saw my opening. Lucinda got up to help Carl, and the other woman went with her, leaving Jamie alone.
“You look like you’re trying to figure out how to escape without leaving footprints.”
Jamie looked up, her glasses perched atop her cute little nose. She didn’t flinch at my sudden appearance, but I saw the way her throat moved as she swallowed.
“I do not run away.”
“Oh, yeah? You seem to do that every time I come near you, Jamie.”
I waited, but she didn’t make her usual snarky comeback. She just watched me with those wide, brown eyes, her mouth slightly parted. Like she wanted me to kiss it. Which I sure as hell wanted to do.
Carl lit the fire just as a sharp gust of wind rolled over us, sending the smoke directly into our faces. The logs were far enough away from the fire that you usually didn’t end up with a lungful of smoke, but Jamie started coughing. Within seconds it wasn’t just a cough. She started wheezing.
“Damn it,” I cursed, seeing her face turn red and a panicked expression cross her features. I tossed the beer aside and reached for her. I knew that sound—that wasn’t just a lungful of woodsmoke. That was an allergy hitting her hard and fast.
I didn’t wait for her to find her feet. I stepped into the cloud, hooked one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, and swung her up into my arms. She was heavy in the best way possible—solid, soft, and a perfect fit against my chest.
“I’ve got you, Jamie.” I carried her away from the fire and didn’t stop until we were deep in the shadows of an old oak grove, where the air was cool and clear.
I set her down gently, but I didn’t let her go. I pressed her back against the rough, gnarled bark of a massive oak, my body acting as a shield from the rest of the world. She was taking deep, ragged gulps of air, her chest heaving against mine.
I reached up, using my thumbs to wipe away the tears that had leaked from the corner of her eyes. Her skin was hot, flushed from the fire and the panic.
“Breathe, Jamie,” I murmured, my face inches from hers. “You’re safe. Just breathe for me.” It took her several minutes before her breathing returned to normal.
“Why were you at a campfire if you’re allergic to smoke, sweetheart?”
“Because I wanted to join in, damn you.” She fisted her hands and thudded them against my chest. There was no real anger behind it. “I hate the outdoors. I hate that every time I turn around, Texas is trying to kill me.”
“Not all things in Texas are bad, darlin’,” I said, my gaze dropping to her mouth. Her lips were pink and trembling.
She looked up at me, her eyes wet. “Oh yeah? What’s so good about it?”
“Me.”
The word was a growl. I didn’t give her a chance to argue.
I slammed my mouth down onto hers, and for the first time, I felt her give in completely.
My tongue slid into her mouth, tasting the wild, frantic hunger she’d been trying so hard to hide every time I got near.
Her arms wound around my neck, pulling me closer just as she had in the corral, her fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of my neck.
My hand dropped from her face, sliding down the front of her blouse, needing to touch her in some way.
I didn’t rush it. I traced the line of the buttons first, feeling the furious thud of her heart through the fabric.
I undid one, and then another, until I could push the soft fabric aside.
My palm cupped the heavy weight of her breast. She was so full, so soft, and her nipple was a hard, demanding point that I rolled between my thumb and forefinger.
I groaned into her mouth, my other hand finding the curve of her hip and hauling her tight against my cock.
It was throbbing, pulsing against my jeans with a need that was bordering on painful.
Her body softened and melted against the leg I’d thrust between her thighs.
I didn’t need bare skin to know she was getting soaking wet.
The intense heat blooming through her denim and the frantic, seeking way she started grinding against my thigh told me everything I needed to know.
I broke the kiss, my breath coming in jagged hitches. I buried my face in the crook of her neck, inhaling the scent of her skin. I wanted to take her right here against the tree, but the sounds from the campfire drifted toward us, a reminder that we weren’t alone.
“Slade,” she breathed, her fingers digging into my shoulders. “We... we can’t. Not here.”
Her glasses were crooked, and her lips were swollen from my mouth. She looked thoroughly kissed.
I wanted to see her looking thoroughly fucked.
“I know, but I want to.” My thumb traced her lower lip. “Go to your cabin, Jamie. Get some sleep.”
“Are you ordering me around now?” she whispered, though there was no heat in the protest.
“I’m trying to be a gentleman for five more minutes. Don’t test me.” I stepped back, letting the cool air settle between us. “Go on. Before I change my mind and carry you to my place instead.”
She didn’t argue. She turned and headed toward her cabin, her hips swaying in a way that made my vision swim. I watched her go, my blood on fire and my cock throbbing with every step she took.
If she thought tonight was intense, she had no idea what was coming. I wasn’t going to be playing nice anymore. I was going to take her to my bed.