Quinn (28 page)

“Quinn. Please—”

He cut off her words with a kiss that spoke of hunger, of loneliness, of desperation. And thrilled when she returned his kisses with the same fervor.

He continued kissing her until they were both gasping for air.

His fingers found her, hot and wet, and he brought her to the first sudden, shattering peak. Before she could get her bearings, he took her up and over again.

With their breathing harsh and ragged, the heat rose up between them, leaving their bodies slick with sheen.

Quinn was desperate to end this madness. But not just yet. One more honeyed taste. One more touch of the perfect body that was his to explore now at will.

The world beyond the cabin slipped away. The cares
of the world, the endless ranch chores, the danger lying in wait for them, all were forgotten.

Here there was only the sweetest of pleasures. Here, caught in a storm of their own making, they embraced it.

The wind sighed in the trees, but the two people locked in one hot, hungry kiss heard only the sound of their own ragged breathing and the thundering of their two hearts. Birds sang outside the window, but they were unaware of anything except each seductive touch, each heady taste, and the dark, musky scent of passion. It clouded their vision. Clogged their throats. Drove them to the brink of insanity. And still they clung together, seeking relief yet keeping it just out of reach.

Quinn knew he’d slipped over the edge. He wanted desperately to slow down and savor. To stop the madness. But the need for her had become a wildfire that was out of control, scorching everything in its path, and he was being consumed by it.

“Cheyenne, look at me.” He gripped her by the shoulders, his eyes fierce, his voice little more than a whisper.

She looked into his eyes, seeing herself reflected there.

“I’ve wanted you for so long. So long,” he managed as he entered her and thrust deeply.

“Quinn, I…” The feelings were too intense to put into words.

Instead, as he drove her to the very edge of sanity, she showed him the only way she could, moving with him, climbing with him.

He whispered her name, over and over like a litany, as they stepped into the very eye of the storm until, together, they were swept into the maelstrom.

“You all right?” Quinn leaned against Cheyenne, his forehead pressed to hers.

She was grateful for his strength. She was feeling weightless, boneless. Without his support, she would surely drop to the floor like a dishrag.

“Fine.” It was the only word she could manage over the lump in her throat.

Because she wanted to weep, she blinked rapidly and swallowed down the tears that threatened to choke her.

He lifted a hand to her face and stared into her eyes. He pressed his lips to the corner of her eye, kissing away the tiny drop of moisture. “You’re so beautiful.”

“So are you.”

That had him smiling. “I’ve been called a lot of things in my life, but never beautiful.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck, anchoring herself to him. “Then you haven’t looked in a mirror. I think you’re beautiful, Quinn.”

“And I think you’re amazing.” He leaned in to run hot, wet kisses from the corner of her eye to her cheek, and then to the corner of her mouth. “You absolutely take my breath away.”

“I guess we’re just a mutual admiration society.”

He threw back his head and laughed. “Yeah. That’s us.” He shifted and drew her a little away. “Sorry about being so rough.”

“That’s all right.” She laughed, a clear, musical sound. “I’ll let you pick the splinters out of my backside later.”

“It would be my pleasure.” He scooped her up into his arms and headed across the room, where he laid her gently on the big rustic bed.

The mattress, she realized, was unbelievably soft.

As he stretched out beside her he drew her close. Against her temple he whispered, “Let me make it up to you.”

“How?”

“By spending the rest of the day making slow, lazy love with you.”

“Why, Mr. Conway, despite your single-mindedness, you do have a way about you.”

“You don’t mind, Ms. O’Brien?”

“As long as we have this big old bed, I think we ought to make use of it. But this time, I hope you’ll take the time to whisper sweet nothings in my ear.”

With a laugh he leaned close to whisper, “I’ll do better than nothings. How about sweet somethings?”

“I can deal with that.”

“All right. Let me start with this.” He traced a finger along the slope of her shoulder. “That night we first met…”

“The night you wanted to skin me alive?”

He chuckled. “I guess I did come off like an old Western gunslinger.”

“Or an avenging angel.”

“Whatever.” He continued tracing the line of her arm. “Even in the middle of all that anger, I remember being so surprised by you.”

“You were expecting an irate, tobacco-chewing rancher who hated the reintroduction of wolves into Wyoming territory? And instead you got a very tired rancher who just wanted to get in out of the snowstorm.”

He nodded. “But you proved to be so much more. The more I could see, the more I realized that you’re able to do
the work of half a dozen men all on your own, and doing a damned fine job of it, I might add.”

Flushed with pleasure, she decided to keep things light. “Ah, shucks, you’re just saying that to keep me in this bed.”

He threw back his head and roared, “You got that right.” He bent low and brushed a quick kiss over her lips. “I’ve been wanting you in my bed since that first night.”

“Really?” She fluttered her lashes. “Because I’m such a raving beauty while mucking stalls?”

“There is that.” He grinned. “And there’s the way you fill out a pair of jeans. I do admire a woman who can wear faded denims and an old work shirt and still manage to look sexy.”

Her eyes danced with amusement. “You think I’m sexy?”

“Sexy as hell.” He dragged her close and growled against her lips, “As if you don’t know it.”

She placed a hand on his chest and could feel the wild thundering of his heart. “Are you just coming back down to earth? Or are you already planning the next flying lesson?”

“Baby, you just say the word and I’ll be happy to take you flying.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew his head down. “Quinn Conway, I believe I’m just going to lay back now and allow you to have your way with me.”

They were both laughing as he levered himself above her and pressed hot, wet kisses down her throat and across her shoulder.

Minutes later their laughter turned to sighs of pleasure as they took each other on a slow, easy ride to paradise.

“You comfortable?” Quinn drew the blanket around Cheyenne’s shoulder.

“Mmmm.”

“I’ll take that for a yes.” He slid into bed beside her. He’d added another log to the fire, and the flames hissed and snapped, filling the cabin with the fragrance of evergreen and woodsmoke.

She plumped the pillows and snuggled closer to him. “I like your place.”

“I’m glad.”

“Does the land belong to your family?”

“To me. Big Jim gave it to me on my twenty-first birthday. He wanted each of us to have our own, so that we’d have a sense of pride in ownership.”

“That’s really generous of him.”

“He’s a generous guy. But he also let me know that I’d earned it. I’ve been working this land since I was old enough to hold a pitchfork. I was driving a tractor before I was old enough to drive a car. Big Jim admires anyone willing to work hard to get what they want.” Quinn brushed his mouth over hers. “That’s why he thinks so highly of you.”

“He does? How would you know that?”

“He said so.”

“He did? Because I work hard?”

“Because you enjoy your work.”

Cheyenne felt a warm glow at his words. “I really do. I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life except ranching.” She glanced around. “Did you do all the work here yourself?”

“Yeah. At first I just wanted something simple where I
could store my gear while I was out on the trail. But then I decided that I wanted more. My own private retreat, where I could be comfortable spending as much time as I wanted.” He looked around with pride. “It took me years to finish, but it was worth it.”

“I can see you living here. It suits you.” She traced one of the designs on the blanket. “Is this Ela’s work?”

He nodded. “Isn’t it amazing?”

“Really beautiful. I can’t even imagine how many hours this must have taken her.”

“Ela spends every night on her handwork. It’s her relaxation and her passion. Her rooms are filled with it.”

“She ought to open a store. Or offer it for sale on the Internet. I bet there’d be a market for something this authentic and unique.”

He shrugged. “I guess you could run the idea by her.”

“You don’t sound very enthusiastic.”

There was that grin, quick and deadly. “Frankly, I’m more interested in”—he lowered his face to hers and brushed her lips with his—“another flying lesson. This time you can be the teacher.”

“Careful.” She tossed her head. “I’m very demanding with my pupils.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll do whatever you say, ma’am.”

“Anything?” Her eyes gleamed.

He dragged her so close she could feel his heartbeat inside her own chest. “I aim to please, Ms. O’Brien.”

And then, with long, slow kisses and those big, clever hands, he proceeded to do just that.

C
heyenne’s lids flickered, then opened. She found Quinn beside her, his arms pillowing his head, watching her with a look of interest.

“I can’t believe I fell asleep. In the middle of the day.”

“My fault. I didn’t give you much time to catch your breath.”

“As I recall, we had other things on our minds.”

“Yeah.” His gaze swept her, from her tousled hair to her eyes, heavy lidded from sleep. “The same things are still on my mind.”

“Not until you feed me.” She sat up, unmindful of her nakedness.

He gave her a wolfish grin. “Sorry, but when I see a naked goddess in my bed the last thing I’m thinking about is food.”

“In order to fulfill those fantasies of yours, Mr. Conway, I need fuel.” She placed her hands on his shoulders, urging
him out of bed. “Do you keep any supplies here? Cereal? Soup?”

“Soup.” He stood and pulled on his jeans before ambling barefoot across the room to the kitchen area, where he began opening cabinet doors. “I have tomato, chicken noodle, vegetable…”

“Tomato soup sounds perfect. Any bread and cheese?”

He opened a refrigerator and nodded. “Yes to both.”

“Excellent.” She climbed out of bed and slipped into his plaid shirt, which fell to her knees.

She nearly stepped on her cell phone, which was lying forgotten on the floor amid a pile of her clothes. She picked it up, turned it on, and dropped it on the night table before crossing the room. “I’ll make grilled cheese sandwiches while you heat the soup.”

They worked side by side. When all was ready, they sat at the wooden table eating their meal while watching a steady parade of wildlife outside the windows. Squirrels chased one another up and down trees. A hawk landed on the very top of a dead tree and stared around, watching for a careless field mouse. Deer, which only minutes earlier had been completely invisible in the woods, now stepped into the open to graze on the large patches of land where the snow had melted. A profusion of birds visited the ears of corn that had been hung from various tree branches.

Cheyenne gave a deep sigh of pleasure. “Oh, Quinn, the more I see of your private refuge, the more I like it. This is like a little slice of paradise.”

“Yeah. It grows on you, doesn’t it?”

She touched a hand to his. “It’s been such a long time since I’ve had the luxury of just stopping the world long enough to enjoy what’s right outside my window.”