Cowboy Take Me Away (Rough Riders 16)

Finally he stood; the water rolled down his impressive chest. His arms were clenched at his sides.

“Do you care if you get wet?”

“What?”

He stalked toward her, the water no longer hiding his lower half. Didn’t look like his dunk in the lake had cooled him off at all.

“Do you care if you get wet?” he repeated.

“No, as long as you’re not hauling me into the lake.”

“Good.”

Then he was on her. Every hard, wet inch of his body plastered to hers. One hand held the back of her neck while he seized her mouth in a scorching kiss. His other hand clamped onto her butt.

Carolyn barely registered the wetness of his boxers against her underwear. Her entire focus was on that jutting piece of male flesh pressing against her.

In a state of shock, she didn’t protest when Carson picked her up and carried her to the picnic table, carefully setting her on the end. He stepped between her thighs and broke the kiss. He nuzzled her ear. Some instinct had her arching slightly to offer him her throat.

“I swear by all that’s holy, you are a work of art.” He left a trail of kisses down her neck. “Let me touch you. Let me put my hands and mouth all over this beautiful body of yours.”

“Yes.”

A rumble vibrated against her neck. Then he kissed her so perfectly, so hungrily, so reassuringly, so sweetly, that he could’ve asked for anything in that moment and she would’ve given it to him.

Carson’s hands were cool as he dragged his fingertips up and down her arms. He pushed her hair over her shoulder and guided her to set her palms on the picnic table, leaving enough space that he could grip her hips.

Her belly quivered when his thumbs traced the edge of her panties. Just a slow brush of his skin on hers and she felt like she couldn’t breathe.

He kissed the corner of her mouth. “Easy.”

“Sounds as if you’re trying to gentle a skittish horse.”

He chuckled. But he didn’t dispute her statement.

Then she forgot about everything except more of that skillful mouth of his as he dragged kisses to the top of her breast. He nuzzled and kissed that section of skin while his thumbs kept up the caress between her hipbones.

His lips wandered to her other breast, treating it to the same teasing exploration. He followed the edge of her bra cup with his tongue. Even without touching her nipple it was already rigid, nearly poking through the lace insert.

The instant Carson’s mouth enclosed around that hard tip, and he sucked it through the lace, she gasped. She gasped again when he suckled harder. He pulled the cup away and there was no barrier between his mouth and her bare flesh.

“Oh. I…” Had no idea that would feel so good.

Carson’s magic mouth continued to tease and torment. Focusing on her br**sts and then he’d kiss her neck in that deceptively lazy way that made her burn.

At some point his hands had migrated to the tops of her thighs and he was running the backs of his fingers from her knee to her inner thigh. Each stroke got bolder.

The first time his thumb connected with that bit of flesh at the top of her mound her entire leg twitched.

His hands returned to her face and his eyes searched hers. “Do you want me to stop? Yes or no.”

“No. Please. Don’t stop.”

His lips met hers. “Lean back on your elbows.”

Carson mired her in a maelstrom of need. His hands were never idle, worshipping her every curve from her shoulders to her hips. His mouth was in constant motion, kissing, licking, tasting her thoroughly.

Carolyn tingled from head to toe. Her head was muzzy. Coherent words were impossible. She’d just moan softly when Carson did something she liked. And she liked it all.

But she reached the point where she needed more. More body contact. Her hands on him, her mouth on him as he moved against her.

“Carson. Please. I want to feel it all tonight. Everything. I don’t want you to stop.”

He gently pulled her to a sitting position. “You talkin’ about us havin’ sex? Right here?”

She nodded.

“Just strip you bare and don’t give a damn if you get bruises and bug bites when I’m on top of you? That’s not…dammit, Carolyn, no.”

Stung, she shrunk back away from him.

“Shit.” He turned, took half a dozen steps and stopped with his back to her.

Retreat.

She quickly put on her blouse and had just zipped her skirt when he returned.

Without saying a word, he started to get dressed.

Rather than stand there suffering through his silent anger, she slipped on her shoes and picked her way through the vines covering the ground, stopping to lean against the big cottonwood tree. She gazed across the lake, now an ominous black. Although she wasn’t a fan of the water, she liked the soothing sound of the waves hitting the shore. With the way her cheeks burned with humiliation, she welcomed the cool breeze.

Carson’s boots crunched the vegetation and Carolyn automatically tensed up when he moved in behind her.

He set his hand on her shoulder and she jerked away. “Oh hell no. You ain’t gonna ever cringe when I want to touch you.”

“But it’s okay for you to yell at me when I want to touch you? Wrong. I want to leave.”

“You got more than a little sass in ya, doncha, sugar?”

“You’ll see a whole lot more of it if you don’t take me back to my car right now.”

“Look me in the eye.”

She shook her head.

“Turn around and look me in the eye when you let me have it.”

Such a condescending… She whirled around and stood toe to toe with him. “Happy?”

“Not even f**kin’ close to happy right now.”

“Good.”

He lifted the one eyebrow that managed to be both sexy and annoying. “Why’s that good?”

“Let’s just forget tonight ever happened.” Although I doubt I’ll ever forget how mad you got when I threw myself at you.

Then his hands circled her upper arms and he yanked her close enough to get in her face. “That’s what you think? I got mad at you because you asked me to have sex with you tonight?”

She’d said that out loud?

“Well?” he demanded.

“Well, what else was I supposed to think when you yelled at me and stormed off? I don’t have any experience with this, Carson.”

“You think I don’t know that? You think maybe I’m feelin’ guilty for lettin’ it get that far out of hand in the first place? When I said you could set the boundaries as to how far you were willin’ to go with me? Then the second I put my hands on you I lost my goddamned head. The next thing I know, you’re askin’ me to fu—make love to you. And I see you—this perfect, beautiful angel, layin’ there half-dressed, with love bites on her chest and I got pissed off at myself. Not at you—never at you.”