Kickin' Up Dust: Operation Cowboy, Book 1 (10 page)

At that moment, their mother called them both to eat at a picnic table. Leaving him alone with Danica.

“Nice negotiations, Sergeant.”

His stomach twisted at her form of address but he smiled at her. “An argument’s no good on an empty stomach.”

“Is that your excuse?” She twitched her head toward his abandoned hamburger.

“I’ll get back to it in a minute.”

She didn’t even respond to his lie, and for that he was grateful. He was mighty embarrassed about the things he’d admitted to her in the dark of the treehouse. That he couldn’t eat or sleep? Hell, he might as well tell her that his guts were knotted from echoes of gunfire in his memory. And from the sound of Matt’s sharp intake of breath before he’d fallen.

He shook himself, but Danica was looking at him too closely. She knew.

“Are we ready to get back to work?” Wydell stood and tucked his hammer into his tool belt. A noise of agreement ran through the group, and for the next few hours they ignored the hot sun and focused on the grins of the Kent children.

Yes, this was the town he remembered. The one he loved and couldn’t wait to resurrect. How was still a huge question mark in his mind, but the moment little Hallie was settled on the swing with her brother pushing her, Brodie’s hopes rocketed.

Maybe he and his friends could do something to restore dreams for other people in the community. Even those not living here right now. Yes, there were things to do outside of the ranch.

Danica strutted by with the baby in the crook of her arm. Brodie watched the pretty picture with a tight throat—and tighter jeans. Whatever they did to help, he prayed she wore those shorty shorts.

* * * * *

With the heat of the bonfire projecting over Danica’s bare legs and arms, she was plenty warm. In fact, she was too hot. Brodie was seated across the fire from her, his gaze riveting her to the wooden bench she was sitting on.

Whatever was happening between them couldn’t all be in her head, could it? He’d touched her. Kissed her. The way his gaze latched onto her thighs wasn’t her imagination. He’d been looking at her all day.

She made a mental note to wear every pair of cutoffs in her closet. She hid a smile.
Whatever gets the job done.

Being close to Brodie only solidified her belief that he was the man she’d been waiting for. Today his smarts and the humor she’d missed so much had surfaced, and he’d lost a little of his pinched expression. He still hadn’t eaten as many calories as a man of his size should, but Los Vista wasn’t built in a day. She’d take the blessings as they came.

“Are you cold, Danica? I’ve got a jacket in the truck.” Garrett leaned near, and Brodie’s eyes narrowed.

She looked away from the man she couldn’t get out of her thoughts and thanked Garrett for looking out for her, but she didn’t need a jacket. She was fine right there—in front of the dancing flames. She didn’t say Brodie’s stare was keeping her far warmer.

She tipped her head to the sky, watching sparks dancing upward. She followed their paths all the way up until they burnt out. She focused on the velvety blanket of sky and twinkling stars.

For the first time in forever, a strange contentment stole over her. It might have to do with two hot dogs in her belly along with a toasted marshmallow, but she didn’t think so. Since the storm, this was her first joining with townspeople. When she was growing up, the camaraderie in Los Vista had been taken for granted by all. But after the storms and then Matt’s death… Well, she felt almost normal right now.

In the back of her mind she knew she should get back home, but her father had handled chores. Besides, it was nice to be part of something that was the dead opposite of her home life.

Two of the guys joked back and forth, and a child remarked, which made everyone laugh. Danica stopped looking at the stars and met Brodie’s gaze.

It was bright, hotter than the fire between them. As they stared at each other, the group discussed the whereabouts of some of the Los Vista families and what would bring them home.

When Brodie added his deep drawl, all the hairs on Danica’s body stood on end, and it had nothing to do with being chilled.

“If people aren’t living here, there’s little need for businesses to return. We need to bring people back with the promise of shops and gas stations.” He didn’t look away from her.

Suddenly she had the urge to stretch like a cat, to run her hands over her body and arch under the caress of his eyes. That one orgasm he’d given her hadn’t been nearly enough.

“The question is how, Brodie. I believe most people want to come home. They just don’t know where to begin,” one of the guys said.

“We need some cash flow first. Construct a few homes, sell them, and then put any profits into building more houses and office buildings. In time, I think we can be a town again.” The conviction in his voice fueled the fires of his friends and the pastor and his wife. They all started throwing out ideas until they’d built spires and castles for all the Los Vista families.

Their enthusiasm was contagious. Danica didn’t have much to add because she was too busy basking in the sound of hope. They might as well be listening to a Sunday sermon from the pastor. Brodie’s voice carried a fervor that was almost religious.

“How do we bring this all about?” the pastor was asking, his own tone resonating through the group.

Danica stood. “We can visit our friends in the next towns and speak with them. We have to spread this excitement.”

Brodie’s stare traveled from her face over her body. When it ticked back up, she gave him a slow smile. Then she turned from the fire and sauntered away. If luck was on her side, he’d follow.

Chapter Seven

Brodie was on his feet before he could think. Moving toward Danica as if she held an invisible line and he’d been hooked. Sweet Jesus, he had. Every look and touch had been driving him crazy.

Her long legs had carried her to her truck already. Jogging, he caught up with her. As she opened her door, she glanced at him. It was too dark to make out her expression, but he was pretty damn good at reading her body language.

“Wait.” He grabbed her hip and spun her away from the open door and into his arms. Walking her backward until her spine was against the truck, he stopped resisting his urges and threaded his fingers into her mass of thick hair.

“Something you needed, Brodie?”

“Yeah, this.” He crushed his mouth over hers at the moment he cupped her breast. She made the sweetest fucking noise he’d ever heard and arched against him.

As he plundered her mouth, Matt’s voice in his head became quieter and quieter, replaced by the one telling Brodie what Danica wanted—needed. In a flash he had his hand inside her top, plucking at her nipple. It beaded into a delicious gumdrop he was powerless to resist.

Lowering his head, he swiped the tip with his tongue, wetting her top. Once, twice, he licked her.

“Brodie, you’d better not say you can’t this time. I need you.”

A full-body shudder gripped him even as his balls clenched. “No, not this time. Get in the truck.”

Her chest heaved but she didn’t budge. “No.”

He did a double take. “Did you just tell me no?”

Damn she was beautiful when she was uncertain. Her eyes darted and she wet her lips. “If you get a chance to think, you’ll stop again. I’ll end up home alone and fingering myself.”

A growl escaped him. “That picture in my head is going to kill me. But I have no intention of letting that happen, gorgeous. If anybody is touching this pussy, it’s me. Get in the truck.”

He led her around to the passenger’s side and put her inside. Then he got behind the wheel and found her keys dangling from the ignition. He guessed there was nobody left in town to steal it. When he started the engine and drove a short distance away to a dirt road, he shot her a sidelong look. She was right to be nervous about him cooling enough to think. Without his hands on her, Matt’s voice was too loud. And it was easy to remember all the reasons he should keep his distance. He parked the truck, keeping his hands on the steering wheel to stop himself from grabbing her and doing the dirty things revolving in his head. As if realizing his mind was already working overtime, she angled her body his direction and pulled off her top. Her tits were ripe peaches spilling from the confines of her lacy bra.

His cock grew to its full length in a blink. His eyelids drooped as he looked her over. “You like touching yourself, darlin’?”

“I prefer you touching me.”

He took the truck out of park and started driving again. Wanting distance and darkness in order to ravish her. “Soon enough I’ll have my hands, lips and tongue all over your body. I’ve gotta keep my eyes on this deserted road. But I want you to take off your bra and show me how you like your pretty breasts touched.”

Why wasn’t this happening during the day? He ached to see better as she filled her palms with her round breasts, her thumbs working back and forth over the straining tips. Her hair tumbled forward, and he reached across to ease it over her shoulder.

Through the darkness, her eyes burned.

“Tell me how you finger yourself, Danica.”

Her breathing grew uneven. “I stretch out on my bed.”

“Naked?” His tone was ragged, and in the back of his mind he realized just how out of control he was. But he wasn’t about to stop now. He needed this woman on a basic level, like air or water.

“Yes, nude.” She trailed her fingers around each pouty nipple. “I play with my breasts for a long time. I like to build.”

Ffffuck.
He whipped the truck onto a side street.
Good enough.
Nobody would see them there. The first benefit of having your town wiped out by a tornado—sex in the open was easier.

She arched, bringing her breasts into sharp relief. He shoved the truck into park and reached for her. When her tight peaks were trapped under his fingers and her mouth was under his, he was in his private acre of heaven.

Why settle for an acre when I can have the whole ranch?
He was free, she was free. There wasn’t a brotherly thought in his whole skull.

She gathered her legs beneath her so she was kneeling on the seat, her arms around his neck and her tongue driving him mad. Feeling her hair slip against her bare skin sent him into paroxysms of need.

With a groan, he yanked her across the console into his lap. She squeaked as her ass thumped into his erection, and the damn little hellcat started to wiggle as if trying to screw his cock into her.

He pummeled her mouth with his kisses even as he pinched, twisted and stroked her nipples. She managed to work the buttons of his shirt. When her warm flesh met his, he couldn’t take it another minute. He yanked open the door, gathered her against his chest and carried her to the back of the truck.

She was savvy enough to open the tailgate, and then he dragged her up the bed like a big cat hauling his prey into a tree. When she made a strangled noise, he broke the kiss.

“What is it?”

“The truck’s freezing.”

“Damn. I’ll get a blanket.” Every cowboy—and cowgirl—had a flashlight, matches, and a blanket in his truck, but why was his so far away? It took precious seconds to go to the cab and locate the soft fleece behind the seat. Longer to spread it beneath Danica, but she stretched out immediately.

“Glad to see you haven’t cooled off too much.” He latched onto her throat, sucking until she writhed. With one hand, he unfastened the shorts that had been driving him up a wall—even without a wall left in Los Vista.

“Not on your life. I’ve been waiting weeks for this.” She tugged his shirt down his arms, and he maneuvered to let her strip it from him. Pressure mounted in his groin with every passing second. He ground his cock against her thigh even as he dipped his fingers into the opening he’d made in her shorts.

When he found her pussy dripping wet, he dropped his face to her breasts and prayed for strength. He didn’t know how long he could hold back, but he was damn well going to make her scream twice before he took his ease in her tight body.

He gained his knees. “Put your arms over your head. That’s a good girl. Don’t move them.”

Her eyes glittered as she obeyed. The glint of her belly ring made his cock stretch farther.

With quick, efficient movements, he stripped off her Daisy Dukes and her scrap of panties. The shadow between her legs made him feel like a kid on Christmas morning, opening his long-coveted package.

Seeing her bare at last, spread under the stars for him…it was too good to be true. He nudged her thighs apart. Then hiking his knee against her pussy, he leaned over her for a kiss. The minute her searing, damp heat engulfed his knee, he grunted. She issued a feminine moan that drove him crazier.

Dragging his mouth away, he grated out, “Rub yourself against my thigh. Let me see how you take care of yourself, darlin’.”

A mewl left her as she arched into his leg. Even through the layer of denim, she was burning hot. Ripe and needy. He wished he were naked too, but having his cock anywhere near her would drive him off the cliff of control.

With a hand on her ass and one on her breast, he guided her slow, rolling movements against his thigh. The scents of arousal fogged his brains. In conjunction with the clean country air, he couldn’t get enough. He filled his lungs as she ground her sweet pussy against him.

“That’s it. Take what you need. I know you’ve been aching all day just like I have.”

She made a noise of agreement, her nails blunt in his back. When he met her gaze, her lips popped open in an O and her panting breaths came faster.

“Come on, darlin’. Come for me.”

His command sent her flying. As shudders racked her body, he held her gaze, refusing to let her look away.

A final groan left her, and he swallowed it with his kiss. Twining his tongue with hers and tasting her passion. When she bit into his lower lip, he reared back and did what he’d been throbbing to do for days—he whipped open his fly and shoved his jeans and boxers down his hips.

She reached for his cock.

“No, little wench. Not yet. You’re at my mercy right now because as soon as you put your hands on me, I’m going to give up control. We do this on my terms. Okay?”

Her labored breathing made her breasts rise and fall. “Yes.” Her voice was faint with desire.

“Keep your arms over your head or I’ll tie them up.”

“What if I disobey you?”

He gave her a wolfish grin as he tugged off his boots. “Then I’ll spank you. Now keep your hands above your head.”

Her eyelids shuddered as he took his cock in hand. “I want to taste you, Brodie.”

Liquid heat threatened to erupt, but he bit back his need. “You want my cock in your throat?”

“God, yes.”

His skin prickled as he knee-walked up the bed of the truck and angled his cock toward her pretty lips. She extended her tongue to reach him.

Fuck yeah.
“Open your mouth, darlin’. Take me inside.”

She didn’t waste a heartbeat. As his cock was sucked into her hot depths, he threw his head back with a guttural moan. She drew on his length and did something with her tongue on the underside that almost sent him over the ledge. He didn’t want to think about where she’d practiced such a trick, but he wasn’t going to complain.

His balls tightened against his body. Rocking his hips, he sank into her throat. Heart drumming, he reveled in the feel of being inside her. It was only going to be better once he was buried in her sweet pussy.

She sucked his throbbing head like the greediest of women. Oh God, he couldn’t last if she kept that up. He pulled free of her mouth. “Don’t move.”

She gave a quiet sound of disappointment but stared up at him and waited for her next instruction.

Hell, he could get used to this. He’d never been with a woman this way, and he had no idea where his dominating nature was coming from now. But he wasn’t going to question it—she was giving him exactly what he needed.

“Brodie.” His name came out as almost a plea.

He grabbed his jeans and removed the wallet from the pocket. Thank God he located the condom the first try because his hands were shaking with lust. If he didn’t get inside her soon…

“Open your legs wide for me.” His order was immediately obeyed as he slid the condom over his aching length in one smooth glide. When he lowered himself between her luscious thighs and looked into her gleaming eyes, he stopped thinking about the why-nots.

As Brodie sank into her pulsating folds, she cried out. Latched her legs around him and without asking his permission, put her arms around him too. He didn’t protest—just started to move.

Each ridge of his steely cock against her inner walls was felt in every corner of her body. Wild to connect him to her further, she found his mouth and kissed him. Tongues swirled as he jerked his hips. Bringing his cock deep, deeper.

And when he eased a fingertip over her clit and ground it into her body, a wave of pleasure rushed her. A release struck, towed her into the hot depths of ecstasy. She barely dragged in a full breath before he was lifting her ass to meet his thrusts, his face fierce as he took what he needed from her at long last.

Watching his face contort sent her flying. “Brodie!” She clutched him to her as he claimed yet another orgasm from her. Contractions stole over her.

His roar filled the night. In the back of her mind, she wondered if they were really far enough away from the Kents and their friends. Then she stopped caring as Brodie turned his lips to hers and delivered such a tender kiss that tears jumped into her eyes.

She squeezed them shut against the happy sting and accepted everything this man could give her. What she could give him. He’d lost so much but she would do all in her power to restore him. If that meant he tied her up and had his way with her in every empty corner of Los Vista, she was on board. Small sacrifices and all that.

As her smile spread beneath his kiss, he made a huffing noise and drew away. She tightened her thighs around him, but he didn’t attempt to leave her.

“What are you smiling about?” he rumbled.

“You. The stars. The way this blanket feels against my skin. I haven’t had pleasure like this in so long, Brodie.”

She felt him shift and stretch, as if preening at her words. Her smile grew. “I hope there’re more condoms in your wallet because we don’t have a convenience store anymore.”

He snorted and held his rubber in place as he rolled off. She leaned onto one hip to gaze at his carved muscles in the moonlight. It wasn’t her imagination that the lines of his shoulders were more relaxed. When he’d dealt with the condom and turned to her, she sucked in a sharp breath.

Concern lowered his eyebrows. “What is it? Cold again?”

“No,” she choked out. “You’re beautiful.”

“Oh Danica.” He curled into the blanket and drew her against him. With the heat of his body, she was far from cold, and it wouldn’t be long before she was hot again. Rubbing herself off on his thigh had been a huge turn-on. She’d never had a man ask such a thing of her.

As he stroked her hair over and over, she clung to him. Pressing small kisses against his salty skin and learning his contours in the darkness.

Long minutes passed and neither spoke. Her mind worked fast and furious, though. Galloping ahead into a future. From the beginning, she’d known having Brodie in her life was right. Now that she could fully admit it to herself, she felt bad about giving Wayne another chance. She’d probably just confused him. The man wasn’t what she was looking for. He didn’t inspire her to go after a better life. Brodie did.

“Do you think the Kent children will ever go to sleep? They were so excited,” she said.

His chest vibrated under her ear as he chuckled. “They were. I bet little Hallie gets out of her tent tonight and they find her on the swing in the morning.”