Her Unbridled Cowboy (Harland County Series) (28 page)

Brandi looked at Kade. “What kind
of ranch is it?”

“A horse ranch,” he replied.

Her friend’s brown eyes warmed. “Do
you board?”

He nodded. “Yes, ma’am. We do. Why?
You have a horse needs boarding?”

The designer nodded. “Yes. I do.
He’s up north until I can find a good place around here.”

“Feel free to check us out,” Kevin,
said, handing Brandi a card. “We’re on the net. I designed the site myself. And
the card.”

Jordan chuckled. “Okay, down boy.
Give the girl some room.”

“Sorry. My bad. Is lunch ready?”
Kevin asked, smile lighting his eyes. “I know the restaurant isn’t open yet,
but I heard it through the grapevine Kerri has several batches of prototype
chili on her hands.”

“True,” she said, gaze straying to
the tall cowboy with warm brown eyes standing next to her, still driving her
crazy with that moving thumb.

After their shower, having worked
up a bit of an appetite, they’d sampled her chili. He’d proclaimed it perfect,
and since she’d agreed, she made up a few more batches this week. Just to make
sure she got it right.

“You’re in luck, I happen to have a
pot simmering on the stove,” she told the blue-eyed devil. “I’ll go get a few
bowls.”

“And I’ll help,” Connor said,
falling into step as she made her way to the kitchen, body tingling in
anticipation.

Stupid body
.

It was just a friendly gesture. He
was helping her out. And it didn’t mean anything except…

Oh boy, it was about to happen. Her
first private meeting with the cowboy since they slept together.

K
erri had never been
in the situation before. Was this the walk of shame? No. She didn’t think so.
She’d always thought that was right after sex. Not several days later.

What was this, then? Because she
was certainly walking and well, not ashamed, but…nervous. Yes, she was very
nervous and anxious. But was he?

She pushed through the swinging
doors with one wish in her head…
Please don’t be awkward
.

It’s only awkward if you make it
awkward.
And she wasn’t going to make it uncomfortable. Everything would be
fine. And it was. Better than fine.

As soon as the doors closed behind
them, Connor gently shoved her into the nearby pantry and shut the door. Before
she could ask what was wrong, he had her up against the wall, bodies pressed
tight, mouth on hers in a hungry, demanding kiss.

All thoughts of anxiety, lunch and
the people in the other room shot from her mind as heat and need took over.
Dang,
the cowboy can kiss
. She clutched him, her knees buckling, moan low in her
throat as she rocked into him.

He broke the kiss and buried his
face in her hair. “God, I thought about doing that all week.”

She trembled, forehead resting
against his collarbone.
Then why didn’t you come over
, she wanted to
ask. But didn’t. “Me, too,” she said, instead.

He began placing open-mouthed
kisses on her neck, while his hands started to roam. One skimmed over her hip
and the other cupped her breast, brushing the tip back and forth through her
bra, and sending a wave of heat straight to her core.

“Sorry I didn’t get to see you this
week, darlin’,” he said against the curve of her neck, nipping, biting,
licking, until she could hardly breathe. “I’ve been busy at the ranch, and now
I’m about to head to a horse auction with Kade for a few days. I only agreed to
come into town with the guys because I heard they were stopping here.”

Her hand found its way under his
shirt, and she was enjoying the feel of his skin quivering under her touch.
“I’m glad you did,” she managed to say before he completely stole her breath by
slipping a hand down her pants. “Connor…”

“I know,” he said, kissing her
lips, his tongue dipping inside her mouth in slow, languid thrusts.

Both of his hands were on her
jeans, unbuttoning, and the rasp of her zipper pulled her out of her daze. She
freed her mouth and sucked in air.

“W-what are you doing?”

“You,” he replied. “In a few
seconds.”

Sexy, sneaky bugger turned her
around, positioning her back to his chest, pushed her jeans to her knees, and slid
a hand in her thong. Her heart about stopped. Then he reached further down and slipped
a finger inside her.

His inhale cooled the back of her
neck. “So wet…”

Kerri gasped and would’ve fallen,
but he shoved his knee between her and guided her onto his leg.

“Relax,” he said, holding her up
with his body, kissing her neck, hand under her shirt cupping her breast
through her bra while his wicked, wonderful finger slid in and out of her at
the perfect pace. Her pace. He knew it already, and within no time he had her
shuddering and panting his name.

“God, I love to hear you say my
name.”

His hold on her tightened, and she
could feel his erection pressing against her backside as she rocked against
him, matching the rhythm of his magical hand.

And as he captured her nipple with his
fingers through her bra, crazy sensations shot through her body. He had her
leaning back against him, supporting her completely because she was lost. Done.
Couldn’t feel her legs. She just trembled, and shuddered, and rocked. A deep,
sexy sound rumbled in his throat as he bit her neck while he brushed the
outside of her wet folds with his thumb.

And just like that, Kerri went off,
clenching her jaw to keep the moan inside so the others wouldn’t hear. Her body
shook, and she had a death grip on his hips.

When she finally came back to
herself, she turned, needing to see him. But her legs were still shaky, and she
slid to the floor.

“Careful, darlin’.” He caught her
and pulled her close.

She was okay with that, because he
was hot and hard. And even though he’d just given her a mind-blowing orgasm,
she wanted him inside her. Now.

Sliding her hands down his chest
and abs, reveling when he groaned, she trembled at the feel of firm, solid
ridges under her palms. Lifting on tip-toe, she brushed her mouth over his jaw
while her hands traveled south to her prize.

“Your turn,” she said, outlining
his erection, and she smiled when he sucked in air.

“Hey? How’s that chili coming
along?” Kevin’s voice wafted in from the dining room, stopping her cold.

Holy crow.
She’d forgotten
about them. And their lunch. Dang, sexy cowboy zapped her brain cells with startling
efficiency.

Connor cursed and held her away
from him. “We’d better get that lunch.”

“But.” She glanced at the bulge in his
jeans. “What about you?”

He brushed her lower lip with his
thumb, face strained, but his eyes were warm. “What about me?”

“It’s your turn. I can’t just...leave
you in this state.”

“You can if you don’t want them to
find us in here.”

She blinked, not at all happy about
leaving him hanging. Or the prospect of the others walking in. Still, she’d
never let her ex down. Sure,
she’d
gone without, but she didn’t do the
hanging. And she didn’t want to start with Connor.

“I’m not—”

“Shh…” he said, finger to her lips.
“I’ll be fine. Let’s fix you up and get out of here before Kevin comes
looking.”

And because she knew she couldn’t
handle the feel of his big, warm, calloused hands on her skin, Kerri quickly
righted her clothes, then followed him back into the kitchen.

He bent down and gave her a quick
kiss. “Where are the bowls?” he asked, gaze full of heat, regret, and
affection.

She pointed him in the direction and
smiled as he limped away. The man was something else. Giving. That’s what he
was. Connor gave without taking.

It tugged at her chest. Softened
something inside.

And as they left the kitchen, each
carrying a tray, Kerri was struck by how something as common as a pantry could hold
such significant moments in her life.

Two different restaurants.

Two different states.

Two different pantries, and yet
she’d felt the earth move in both. Knocked her off kilter. Turned her world
upside down.

Changed her.

Given a choice, Kerri had to admit,
she’d much preferred the Texas
earthquake
.

I
t wasn’t working.

No matter how busy he was, how many
chores he did himself, Connor couldn’t stop thinking about Kerri and the look
on her face yesterday as she gave Jenny’s son Cody a piggy-back ride. He’d run
into her on his way back from the horse auction when he’d helped Kade unload
his stock.

 She’d smiled over her shoulder at
the little boy, her expression happy and carefree and so damn natural it tore
his gut in two.

She’d be a great mom
. And
thoughts like that were killing him. Because he wouldn’t be the dad. No. Some
slick, city dude would have that honor once she moved back to the west coast.

But she’s not there yet
, his
mind whispered. And although it was true, he knew it was also inevitable, so
pretending otherwise was foolish.

He had to think of her as his
current…what?
Special
friend? Lover?

Christ. He ripped his hat off and
shoved a hand through his hair while he walked back into the cattle barn
Saturday afternoon. The sexy cook was driving him nuts. He needed his head
examined.

Sure she seemed to fit in and get along.
She was born a Texan, but the newness of her re-acquaintance of her hometown
would soon wear off. It always did with city girls.

And that’s what she was. He’d do
well to remember that the next time he was lost in her heat and softness. The
woman had real talent. She belonged in the big city, creating dishes for the
famous, not slinging barbeque in some small Texas town.

Their time together was temporary.
It was simply a fling. She didn’t fit in with this lifestyle. Didn’t belong
here.

So imagine his surprise when he
walked into the break room to find the city girl sitting down eating chili with
his ranch hands.

But that wasn’t the most startling
part. No. That would be the fact she was wearing jeans, cowboy boots, plaid
shirt and a white cowgirl hat.

A hat!

His insides fisted so tight he
stopped dead in his tracks. And, oh yeah, he was hard. Very hard, damn it. Not
the best state to be in with five other guys in the room.

“There’s the boss now,” Pete said
unnecessarily.

“Yeah.” Joe nodded at him. “Look
who stopped by with enough lunch for everyone.”

Again, more unnecessary talk, but
he was grateful because it gave him the chance to get his head out of his ass
and move like he had a purpose. He headed to the sink to wash his hands, then
to the old fridge in the corner for a bottle of water. Right now, he needed a
gallon he was so friggin’ parched.

“I see,” he said, smiling at the grinning
woman. “Hi, darlin’. This is a nice surprise.”

Okay, that was good. It was true
and didn’t reek with overt sentiment. He took his water and sat down across
from her since the spot miraculously became vacant when his back had been
turned.

He wasn’t about to look a gift
horse in the mouth. He’d much rather look at hers. Touch hers. Taste hers. God,
she was beautiful. Her face flushed and his insides warmed at the sight.

“Hi, Connor,” she said, her gaze
briefly dipping to his mouth before meeting his gaze once more.

His insides fisted again. Heat
lurked in her warm brown eyes.

“I brought over the last of the
chili.” She motioned to the pot in the middle of the table. “I think everyone’s
going to be chili’d out by the time the cook off comes around next week.”

“No way,” Pete said.

Hank shook his head. “Not a
chance.”

The rest of the guys agreed.

Connor helped himself to a bowl.
“See? There you have it. Never too much chili in a Texan’s diet.”

She laughed, a light, happy sound
that filled the building with cheer. He found himself smiling for the first
time that day.

And a half hour later, when he was
done eating and knew he should leave to get back to the hundred and one chores
on his list, Connor lingered.

Most of the men had gone back to
work. Only Hank remained with them in the lunch room, talking to Kerri about one
of her recipes his wife had tried.

“It was delicious, and she was so
happy with the results she’s going to make it for her family reunion next
month,” his foreman told her with a satisfied grin. “Thank you, miss. She’d
been sweating this reunion, but now she’s looking forward to it.”

Kerri smiled broadly. “That’s
wonderful news. I’m only too happy to help.”

“Speaking of help.” Hank rose to
his feet and nodded. “I’d better go help Cal check on the cows. It’s birthing
season and several of them are getting ready to go.”

As soon as his foreman left, Connor
reached across the table and grabbed Kerri’s hand. He’d only waited because he
didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable.

“This was a nice surprise. Thank
you.” He watched her blush again and smiled. “The chili was great as usual, but
you taste so much better, and darlin’, I really need to taste you.”

He tugged her to her feet and held
onto his control. “Not here,” he told her, voice sounding strained. Because he
was. Big time. “It’s too open, too public.”

Still holding her hand, he tugged
her into the walkway, then over to the ladder leading up to the loft. Once
there, he continued to lead her to the far corner behind a pile of hay.

“This is better,” he said, pulling
her into his arms and getting his first taste of her since their hot foray in
her pantry earlier in the week.

Seemed like forever. Because it
was. Much too long for him to go without her sweetness. And apparently, she
felt the same because damn, she was kissing him back with such hunger and
demand he was having a hard time keeping up.