Borrowed Cowboy Read online

  “No need to get all excited.” He finished off his beer and went to get a couple more. “You’re right. While Gavin went off and became a desk jockey, leaving wasn’t an option for me. Working this ranch is all I’ve ever wanted to do. I did finish college, though. Degree in animal science.”

  She finished off her beer as he set another in front of her and resumed his seat.

  Pax couldn’t help himself. She was so goddamned pretty. He had to touch her. He caressed his fingers down her arm and took her hand, turned it palm up, let the warmth of her skin seep into his. He brushed his thumb across her skin and almost groaned at her softness.

  “What are you doing?” Her voice was quiet, breathless.

  “Not sure.” Blood rushed to his cock at a speed that left him a little woozy.

  “Hey, Pax, Jared and I…” Jade came into the kitchen and stopped in her tracks. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know we had company.”

  Reese jerked her hand out of his grasp.

  Pax bit back annoyance at the interruption when he realized Reese had never met the younger twins. They’d only been six or seven the last time he’d seen Reese, and since she and Pax hadn’t hung out at each other’s houses, she wouldn’t have had the opportunity.

  “Jade, this is Reese Jameson. She’s the woman planning Gavin and Lauren’s wedding. Reese, this is my sister, Jade.”

  Reese’s smile disappeared.

  What had she expected him to say? That she was a friend? Jury was still out on that distinction. Lover? If he had anything to say about it, but not something his baby sister needed to know. So, wedding planner it was.

  “Hi, Jade. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Jade moved forward and shook Reese’s hand. “Nice to meet you too.” She turned to him. “Jared and I are heading to a baseball game, okay?”

  He nodded. “Then what?”

  She let out a dramatic sigh. “I don’t know. Hanging out.”

  “That’s specific,” he said dryly.

  “I can’t give you details I don’t have. Who knows what we’ll end up doin’?”

  “It’d be nice if I knew. Regardless, no later than midnight,” he reminded.

  “But it’s Friday night!”

  Here we go.

  Mentally cracking his knuckles, Pax folded his arms, assuming the position of authority. “You wanna do this, now?”

  Jade shot an embarrassed glance toward Reese before continuing, “We’re almost eighteen. We don’t need this much active parenting,” Jade answered with a bit more huff than Pax appreciated.

  “You’re barely seventeen,” he corrected. “And I don’t care if it’s Christmas. Curfew is curfew. Period.”

  “One o’clock,” Jade countered.

  Reese snickered and tried to cover it up by drinking her beer.

  Pax fought to keep his expression stern. He’d played the curfew haggle a time or two. Strange, being on the other side of it.

  “Only if y’all don’t plan to go anywhere for the next two weeks.” And he wouldn’t lose a wink of sleep over grounding them.

  Jade’s hands landed on her hips so hard, he’d be willing to bet she’d have bruises later. “Twelve-thirty.”

  Now he did grin. Big and wide. “Eleven-thirty.” Oh yeah, this was much more enjoyable from the deciding side. When she scowled he added, “Bring it on, Jayden. I can do this all night.”

  He glanced at Reese. Pax wondered if she recalled arguing with his little sister wasn’t the only thing he could do all night.

  “Fine,” Jade huffed. “We’ll be home by midnight. You’re such a hard ass.”

  “I don’t make the rules, sweet pea.”

  Jade shot him a look that warned it’d be wise to check his boots before he put them on in the morning. “I suppose we should be thankful for that small favor,” she muttered on her way out of the kitchen.

  A door slammed a moment later, signaling he and Reese were alone. Alone for the next several hours, in fact, if he could talk her into sticking around.

  “Sorry. Teenagers.” He figured that was explanation enough.

  “What was that all about?”

  Pax finished his beer. “You want another?”

  “Sure.”

  He was tired of trekking to the fridge, so this time he grabbed a full six-pack and set it on the counter between them. “That was nothing. You should see her when her hackles are really up. Damn girl can shout the paint off the ceiling when she’s pissed off.”

  “I remember you mentioning her. I guess I expected her to still be a little girl. And Jared is her twin?”

  “Yep.”

  “And you still live here?”

  Pax tried not to take her tone personally. At thirty-one, he understood how it looked for him to be living in his parents’ home. “Only while my parents are on vacation. I have a house.” He wasn’t sure why it was so important to clarify that point, since he hadn’t been to, let alone slept at, his house for well over a year.

  “Tell me something. You got someone special in your life?” Her ring finger was naked, so he was pretty sure she wasn’t married. If she was, her husband was a dumbass for not making sure the world knew she was taken.

  She hesitated, making him wonder what her secrets were. “Guess I’m still waiting for the right guy to sweep me off my feet.”

  He could’ve been that guy once. He stared at her fingers working havoc on yet another label, dumbfounded she’d made him consider what it would be like to be that man again. To have someone who belonged to him as much as he belonged to her.

  “What are you really doing here? You can’t tell me you didn’t recognize Gavin’s name when they hired you.”

  “I did. I’m not really sure why I said yes. I guess I’d hoped to see you.”

  That excited him more than it should. He pulled her stool forward until her knees were nestled in the vee of his legs. “You guess?”

  “I didn’t have a plan, if that’s what you’re wondering. If your brother hadn’t hired me, I wouldn’t be here right now. But he did.”

  “Yes, he did.” He’d have to thank Gavin later. Much later. He had the house to himself for once, and a beautiful woman within his grasp. He couldn’t think beyond the need that held his balls in a vise.

  He traced his fingertips down her bare thigh. Her shoulders twitched, not quite a shiver, but close enough to make his dick pulse in anticipation.

  She grabbed his wrist, her short, well-manicured nails digging into his skin. He wanted those nails scoring his back, biting into his ass as he pushed into her.

  He stilled, waited to see if she’d shove him away.

  She didn’t.

  Her eyes drifted closed, thick lashes resting beautifully against her skin.

  She pulled his hand across her flesh to the hem of her shorts, which caused an eruption of tiny bumps to form across her skin. Her nipples peaked, pressed toward him, all but begged him to tongue, tease, and suck.

  He took over from there, following the line of her shorts to her inner thigh, allowing the backs of his fingers to brush where he wanted his mouth.

  She made a noise, a soft sound of consent that about killed him. Heat radiated from the denim that stood between his hand and heaven.

  “I’ve got nothing to offer you, Reese. Pleasure, nothing more.” She had a right to know where he stood, had a right to walk away if he didn’t suit her needs. Although if she turned him away now, he had a feeling one shower—a hundred showers—wouldn’t be enough to rid him of the desire burning through his veins.

  She nodded, her dreamy expression giving his ego a shot of adrenaline. Hell yeah. He’d keep that look on her face all damned night.

  “Tell me you understand, Reesey. I need to know we’re on the same page here.”

  She licked her lips. “I understand I want you. We�
�ve been here before. I didn’t expect anything of you then, and I don’t expect anything of you now.”

  He dismissed the tug on his guilt strings, not in the mood to revisit the past when his immediate future looked so promising. Plenty of time to talk later.

  Pleasure. That’s what he could give her. Would give her.

  He prayed it’d be enough.

  “Let’s go upstairs.”

  Chapter Four

  Reese slipped her hand into his and eased to her feet.

  Her head spun, from the alcohol or the insistent throb between her thighs, she didn’t know. Didn’t care.

  God, she’d come here to apologize, to make things right with Paxton. Not to sleep with him. But somewhere in the back of her mind, she’d known she would.

  What kind of person did that make her? That she’d thought him married, yet knew she’d give herself to him.

  She knew how painful divorce could be. She’d watched, helpless, while her parents had torn each other apart. She hoped Paxton didn’t carry ugly wounds from his divorce, but she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t glad he was single.

  Paxton had been her first, the lover she’d compared all others to. Others, being the three men she’d taken to her bed over the course of the last ten years. Three men who’d all been lacking by comparison. It hadn’t been their fault. She’d had years to romanticize her experience with Paxton, years to embellish the memory, as only a young woman could do.

  And standing in the middle of the kitchen, his wicked smile promising a plethora of naughty delights, she couldn’t be sorry. Paxton wouldn’t offer something he wasn’t able to give. No matter how he might’ve changed, honor wasn’t a disposable trait, but one deeply embedded.

  There was nothing, no one, standing in their way. She deserved a chance to put her past to rest so she could move on as he had.

  She wanted everything. Love, marriage, kids. The works. She could’ve had those things. Todd Harper was a decent man. Smart and good-looking. He made a comfortable living as a CPA at an accounting firm in Houston. He’d make a good husband. He was kind and gentle. Stable and trustworthy.

  Yet, when Todd had taken her to bed … he got the job done, but they hadn’t set the sheets on fire.

  Reese wanted her sheets to burn.

  Todd wanted her. She’d turned down his proposal because of a memory no man could possibly live up to. Probably not even the man who’d created the memory in the first place.

  It was time to set the record straight. Apologize, and then get Paxton Mathis out of her system once and for all.

  “You with me, darlin’?”

  Pax tugged on her hands, encouraging her feet to move.

  “Wait.” Shit. How many beers had she drank? Not enough to cause the euphoric sizzle lighting up her nerve endings as though each one vied for personal attention. Her senses honed in on the pulse in her sex. Oh yeah, she was with him, all right.

  How did he do that? No kiss, barely a touch, and she was drenched.

  A knuckle pressed against the underside of her chin, and she met his gaze.

  “I’m dying here, Reese.”

  When was the last time someone looked at her with such open lust? His hunger stole her breath. To hell with apologies, there’d be time for that later. To hell with anything that didn’t include his mouth on her.

  She traced the line of his collarbone with her fingertips. The muscles in his neck tightened as she smoothed her palm down his chest. His heart pounded under her hand. He was holding back, waiting for her next move.

  Even in his bare feet he towered over her five-feet-seven. She rose up, wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “Let’s see what we can do about that.” She nipped at his bottom lip and then soothed it with her tongue.

  A rumble vibrated his chest. Sparks of sensation shot from her scalp to her sex as he hooked an arm around her, pressed her against the hard expanse of his body. His eyes turned dark, heavy lidded, as one hand worked the hem of her shirt, inching it up until the warmth of his skin enveloped her as fingers from his other hand pulled the band from her hair.

  “Much better.” His hand tangled with her freed curls. A whimper escaped her throat as he tugged her head back and took her mouth. His tongue pushed past her lips, demanding entrance. Demanding her response.

  She met the thrust of his tongue, drew him into her mouth, until his taste consumed her. A hint of beer behind warm, earthy male. He kissed her as though starved for her. Hard and thorough. Nimble fingers unhooked her bra.

  This wasn’t the Paxton she remembered. There was an edge to him, a hardness that didn’t have anything to do with the packed muscles under her hands.

  He broke the kiss to pull her shirt over her head. Her bra slipped down her arms, exposing her breasts to his hungry gaze. Cool air caressed her heated skin as she shook her bra to the floor.

  He cupped her breast, his thumb grazed over her rigid nipple. He didn’t stop there. Back and forth, his thumb flicked the bud, then he leaned down and sucked her into his mouth, his tongue taking up where his thumb left off.

  Holy hell. “God, Pax. That feels so good.”

  He smiled against her breast. His sun-kissed face looked darker against her pale skin, reminding her of how different they were. He’d rocked her world at twenty-one. She had a sneaking suspicion this version of Paxton would destroy her.

  Oh, what a way to go.

  Curling her fingers through his hair, she arched back in a silent plea for more.

  The hard length of his erection pressed against her stomach. The undeniable proof of his arousal was a stout aphrodisiac. She tilted her hips in an invitation. One he accepted by bending his knees, pressing his cock against her sex.

  He left her breast, kissed a hot trail up her neck, and nipped her ear.

  “You’re burning me alive. I remember how good you felt. How tight and hot you were when I took your virginity that night. Do you remember? How my cock felt as I slid into your pussy. Your ass? How many times I made you come?”

  Reese shivered, surprised that he remembered. His raw, rough words sparked a powerful response in her body. Her womb contracted hard. If he hadn’t been holding her, she’d have doubled over with the pain of her arousal.

  “You didn’t take anything.” She’d given herself to him … with abandon. She’d gladly do it again. Sooner rather than later. “But I might need a refresher. My memory isn’t as sharp as it used to be.”

  “I’ll bet your body remembers.” He popped the button on her shorts and turned her, pulling her back against his chest. She sucked in her stomach, giving him room to slide his hand under her zipper. He breached the elastic of her panties. Her knees threatened to buckle when he touched her, squeezed her flesh, and eased a finger through her wet slit to tease at her entrance.

  “Shouldn’t we go upstairs?”

  “We’re alone. And I don’t want to wait.” She looked over her shoulder to see him grin, fast and wicked. “Seems you don’t either. Jesus, you’re so wet.”

  “Well, you do have your hand down my shorts. What’d you expect?”

  His arm tightened around her, supporting her as he pressed a finger against her swollen clit. “I expect you to come for me. Over and over, until you’re hoarse from screaming my name.”

  “You’re about to get your wish,” she panted, arching into his talented hand.

  “It’s gonna take hours to fulfill my wish, darlin’. This is just the preview.”

  God, she’d missed this. The passion, the fire she’d only found with him. She’d been a fool to believe it wouldn’t be the same now.

  He stroked her again, sliding his fingers deeper, then pulling back to circle her sensitive nub. She was so close. Her legs quivered. Her veins sizzled, along with her brain. With his other hand, he kneaded her breast, rolled and pinched her nipple between his fin
gers until she couldn’t breathe. Then he gave the same treatment to her clit. The slight sting was enough to send her over the top.

  “Paxton,” she cried out as she came.

  As her body shuddered, flew apart in his arms in the middle of the kitchen, Reese knew once wouldn’t be enough.

  God help her. A lifetime wouldn’t be enough.

  * * *

  Paxton had never seen anything as beautiful as watching Reese come. Although her sexy, fully-satisfied grin was pretty amazing too.

  She jerked as he eased his hand from her panties, a tremor he felt all the way to his balls. He was hard as granite, and dying to get inside her.

  Reese uttered a squeak when he scooped her up, but she was quick to wrap her arms around his neck. Her head fell to his shoulder as he carried her to the living room and set her on the couch.

  “Don’t you have a bedroom?” As though she’d just realized she was topless, she blushed and rested her hands over her breasts.

  He chuckled. “If you think that’s going to work, you’re wrong. Watching you touch yourself is just as much a turn on as staring at your naked breasts.”

  “Is that right?” She spread her fingers, allowing him to see her nipples peeking through.

  “And yes, smart ass, I have a bedroom. Got a great bed too. I’ll introduce you to it later.” He reached back, got a handful of cotton tee, and jerked it over his head. His cock ached as she gave up covering herself and moved lower, swirled a fingertip around her belly button.

  He reached for her shorts. “Lift up, sweetheart. I want you naked. Right now.”

  “What about you?” she asked as he stripped her to reveal the strip of reddish-gold hair on her mound that led to the glistening, bare lips of her pussy.

  Fuck. He ground his teeth. If his balls got any tighter, they’d disappear.

  “Right behind you.”

  “I think I’d like you behind me,” she said as he stripped out of his jeans and boxer briefs.

  “I think I like that dirty mouth of yours.” Her nostrils flared as her gaze dipped to his heavy erection.

  She licked her lips, and he damned near lost his load. When she gripped him, he sure as shit lost his mind.