How to Rope a McCoy (Hell Yeah!) (15 page)

“How?”
She wailed, then Cato realized what he’d said. “Really?” she sniffed. Maybe the
image had been fuzzy and indistinct—one could hope!

Heath
smiled. “Yea, you were incredible. I have never been more turned on in my life.
When you came, baby, I came with you. And I would have torn the door down to
get to you, but about that time I finally figured out you had no idea I was
watching.”

“You
thought I was performing? Oh!” A fresh screech of humiliation escaped her lips.

Heath
was chuckling by now. He glanced around, it was a good thing this was an
isolated area.
Him
near naked and her having a hissy
fit would be quite a sight. “Get over here, Cato.” He pulled her to him.
“Listen to me.” She calmed a bit and let him hold her. “The rooms are connected
because my dad had a nurse who monitored him constantly. Somehow you flipped on
the equipment.”

She
buried her face in her hands, remembering how she’d flipped switches and
twisted knobs, having no idea what she was doing. “Damn, I did. I thought it
was just a media center for videos and music. I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry?
Are you kidding? I’m not sorry. I have never wanted a woman more in my life
than I want you.”

Heath
was holding her tight and the feelings he was awakening in her were stronger
than the embarrassment over the striptease. Cato guessed she had a choice, she
could be upset or she could be happy.

She
chose happy.

“So,
I guess my little show is why you changed your mind. Isn’t it?” She glanced up
at him shyly but with amusement in her tone.

“Damn
right. You brought me to my knees.” He had moved his hands up and was now
weaving them through her hair, touching her as if he enjoyed it.

Cato’s
heart jumped in her chest. “I think you made the right decision.” Boldly, she
let her hand slide down his abs to the waist band of his shorts—and stopped.
“I’ll do my best to be what you need right now.”

A
knot formed in Heath’s throat. Was she for real? If she was, she was worth her
weight in rubies and he was one lucky son-of-a-bitch to be the one she wanted.
“I’m done talking. Are you?” He closed his eyes as she stroked him, the touch a
tender promise.

“Yea,
I’m ready to have a good time with you.”

A
heavy weight lifted from Heath’s shoulders. “Me too.” With one smooth move, he
picked her up. “Let’s go tubing.”

Cato
clung to him, giving him a heart-stopping smile. “So, you’re the experienced
one. Tell me, how does a fling work?”

“You’re
asking me?” Heath waded into the river, then pretended he was going to pitch
Cato in the water, loving how she squealed and held on to him tighter. When
she’d stilled, he added. “This was your idea. I thought you had a plan.”

“I
have ideas but no real practical experience. What is the normal methodology for
your sexual escapades?” Letting her slide down his body, Heath took some
satisfaction when her eyes got big and her cheeks
pinkened
despite the cool temperature of the water. Where they were standing was only
about four feet deep, but she still grasped onto his arms to steady herself.

“My
sexual escapades have been limited to one night stands for a number of years.”

“Oh,
that’s sad,” Cato responded before she thought.

“No,
it’s not sad, it’s smart.” Heath stiffened beneath her hands. She felt the
reaction in his muscles. “You’re not about to renege on our deal, are you?”

“No,
no, absolutely not,” she countered. “I’m not ready to settle down. I want to
sow some wild oats.” Cato instinctively petted him as she spoke. She didn’t
know if it was because she felt bad for his previous experience or if she felt
guilty because she wasn’t exactly telling the truth. If she were absolutely
honest, she would have told him that this proposed affair wasn’t exactly casual
for her. After all, this would be her first time with a man. She would’ve been
lying if she said she didn’t want their time together to mean something to
Heath.

“Good.”
He didn’t know what he would’ve done if she changed her mind, not in the shape
he was in. “So, if you’re asking my opinion, I guess we just pick a time we can
agree on and meet up somewhere and have sex.”

Cato
hesitated. That wasn’t how she saw this situation at all. “No, I don’t think
that’s how I want to approach it.”

Heath
looked at her suspiciously. “What do you mean?”

“Well,”
she spoke slowly, thinking it through as she went. “Of course I’m not
interested in anything long term, but I can’t be that off-hand about this whole
‘affair.’ I think I’d be more comfortable if we spent time together, enjoyed
one another, did some fun things and had sex as part of the package—a lot of
sex—all kinds of positions. I want to try everything. I’m even up for being
submissive if you think you could be dominant.”

Heath
lost all train of thought when she started talking about sex. “Hell, I’m
naturally dominant. So, you want to be adventurous?”

“Yes,
I do.” She held his gaze, a wave of heat warming her cheeks. “So, how about
it?”

All
of his arguments went out the window. Heath didn’t want this whole thing to
work itself into a relationship, but he didn’t want to be a total horse’s ass
either. Maybe there was some middle ground, a safety net so to speak. “I don’t
really have a problem doing something besides just sex, to set the mood or
whatever. The only thing that’s worrying me is what that would be. I never have
had much imagination about what girls like to do. If I take one out to eat or
go to a movie, I’ve about hit my limit of what might please a female…except in
bed, I’ve got that part handled.”

His
grin made Cato’s knees tremble. The man was lethal. “Okay, let me think.” She
lay back in the water and floated. Pity, but she had just enough body fat to
make that possible.

Heath
knew Cato had no idea how she was affecting him, or if she did, she was a
scheming little
priss
. He sank into the water beside
her and put his hands under her back, giving her a little extra support. This
way, he was close to those magnificent tits. When she protested, trying to
rise, he calmed her. “Just float, I’m helping. I want to hear your ideas.”

“You
make it hard to think, cowboy.”

“You
have no idea how hard,” he drawled.

Choosing
to ignore him so hopefully she’d make sense, Cato offered her solution. “I like
planning things. Why don’t you leave the details up to me? After all, my job is
to know a lot about the area, maybe I can find us things to do or events to
attend that you’ll enjoy. It just doesn’t have to be about me. I want you to
have a good time too.”

Heath
liked the sound of that. As far as he knew, this was an unusual concept coming
from a woman. “Agreed.” Now to clear one more pesky detail up. This was akin to
taking out an insurance policy. “You said I could say when the affair was over,
how long it would last.”

Cato
was lying there with the sun in her face. She started to pretend she didn’t
understand him, but that would be dishonest. “I did say that. What is your best
estimation of how long it will take to sate ourselves, sexually speaking?”

Just
watching the woman talk about sex was painful. His cock was near to bursting.
“This is complicated,” he began and Cato rolled away from him and stood up in
the water, facing him.

“Go
ahead, I’m listening.”

With
a smirk, he confessed, “I have a sneaky suspicion that sating myself on you
would be an impossibility.” When a pleased look came across her face, he was
quick to add, “But I also don’t think it would be wise to make this a long,
drawn out affair either. I don’t want you to get hurt, you know, in case you
start having feelings for me or something.”

“
Arg
!” She pushed him back in the water, so quick, Heath
lost his balance and landed in the river with a splash. “How rude of you to
assume I would fall for you first. What if you fall for me? Huh?” She stomped
her foot, which did absolutely nothing underwater.

Heath
came up sputtering and snorting. “Just hold on now…” he held up his hands.

“You
don’t have to worry about me. I’m not
gonna
fall for
you.” She glared at him. “I only want you for your body!”

Heath
smiled. “You’re such a spitfire. Okay, so you’re not going to fall for me. Good
to know. So, would a month be reasonable?”

“Fine.”
She cut across the air with her hand like she was doing a karate chop.

“Good.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “I’m glad we got all that worked out.”
Seeing she was miffed at him, he tried to make nice. “To tell you the truth,
I’m looking forward to what you come up with. I’ve always been the one to plan
things. Sometimes it’s nice when the woman takes control.”

Obviously,
Heath had no idea that when a woman says ‘fine,’ it’s anything but. However,
there was something showing on his face that caught her attention, a brief sad
look in his eyes. Sometimes not being able to hear had its advantages. Because
she couldn’t discern a person’s voice, she had to pay closer attention to what
they were saying. For Cato, listening was done more with her mind than her eyes
or ears. And what she was hearing Heath say was that no one had ever been
concerned with what he wanted. No one had ever done things strictly to please
him. “I’ll try not to bore you.” She teased.

“Oh,
don’t worry about that. I’m mostly looking forward to the sex.”

Playfully,
she slapped his arm. “You’re bad.” Then, she smiled at him. “But for your
information, I plan on turning you every which way but loose.” God, she hoped
she could live up to her hype.

Heath
smiled. “Should I up my health coverage?”

“Ha!”
Cato laughed. She felt like her heart had taken wing. “No, but you might
increase your Viagra dosage.”

“I
don’t need no damn Viagra.” Heath snorted, thinking of Jimmy’s Texas-T and
wondering if he needed to call him up and order a bottle, just in case. “Time
to get you wet, girl.” Grabbing Cato, he unceremoniously picked her up and
dipped her in the river, laughing as she clutched him tighter. Making his way
to the tubes he’d thrown in, he began to steal kisses from her lips, neck and
the upper swell of her breasts.

“I
think you’re succeeding. I feel wetter already.” She gasped as he swung her
into the air and set her on top of the big, round rubber tube. It was warm from
the sun and felt good to her back and legs. “Yea, take your vitamins, I’m
gonna
wear you out.” The sight of him, water droplets
glistening on his massive tanned shoulders, a happy smile on his face, just
took her breath away. He was happy and she was glad. God, it would be so easy
to fall in love with him.

“Brave
talk for a little virgin, Cato.”

“Hey,
I’ve been cramming,” she protested. At his confused expression, she giggled.
“People learn languages without visiting foreign countries. Kids learn how to
drive by playing video games. Pilots learn how to fly in simulators. I’ve
learned about sex from books and film.” She paddled closer to him, loving how
the water felt on her fingertips. “Now, I’m ready to test out my knowledge.”

“Ah,
I’m a guinea pig.” He teased.

“Pig.
You said it, I didn’t.”

The
next thing she knew, she was in the water, Heath had flipped the entire tub.
Rising to the surface, she spit water out of her mouth and pulled the hair from
her eyes. “Why, you!” Taking her hands like she was about to wield a bat, she
hit the sparkling surface and sent a wall of water right in his face. Seeing
his surprised look and the water dripping made her laugh. “Gotcha!”

Yea,
maybe she did, but not in the way she thought. “I don’t think so, mermaid.”

Cato
started to dive and swim away, but he caught her foot. Turning, she barely had
time to appreciate the perfect male body towering over her before he took his
palms and began to thrust the water at her in giant splashes.

“This
is war!” she declared with an ecstatic squeal.

If
someone had been watching, they would have had to smile with joy to watch the
man and woman play. They jumped and dove, cavorted and frolicked, hands and
mouths catching opportunities to touch and tease. Laughter rang out and walls
tumbled down. Neither could remember ever having experienced the pure elation
of enjoying the company of another person so much.     

Finally
exhausted, Cato found her tube and crawled up through it. Heath picked up his
and threw it to one side. “I think I’ll just share yours.” Trying to catch his
breath, he placed one hand on the warm rubber and dog-paddled beside her.
Tubing had been an activity he’d enjoyed since moving to Texas. The slow moving
rivers were ideal for floating and swimming in, unlike the alligator and snake
infested bayous of Louisiana. But being with Cato was a trip. She made him feel
things he hadn’t felt in a long time—if ever. At first he thought it might be
hard to remember to look at her when he spoke, but looking at her was such a
pleasure that he didn’t even really have to think about it anymore.

“Good,
I like the idea of sharing.” The very air shimmered with promise. She couldn’t
hear the birds, but she presumed they were singing. Raising herself up, she
slid into the water so she could let her legs dangle into the depths. “Thank
you for bringing me here, Heath. I love it. I’ve had a wonderful time.”

He
moved closer to her, entranced by the sight she made. The ends of her hair were
damp and curling and the way she was hiked up over the tube showcased the
delectable mounds of her breasts. There was no way he could keep his distance.
“I’m glad.” Facing her, Heath pushed his legs forward in the water until they
found hers, then he hooked his feet behind her knees, tangling their limbs
together. “God, you are soft as silk.”