Cowboy Redeemed Page 9

  Pure, absolute pleasure washed through him. “That’s it, baby. Take all you want.”

  His hands moved to her head, not-so-gently guiding her as she worked him with excruciating precision.

  His balls tightened as her clever fingers fondled them with a confident grip. She held his cock with her other hand, firmly working it in tandem with her mouth.

  His girl was a quick study. Too quick. She’d had him on the brink from the moment she’d hit her knees.

  Just when he thought he couldn’t take anymore, she backed off. Slowed down. Let him slide from her mouth until only his tip remained. She swirled her tongue around the sensitive ridge.

  “Jesus, that feels good.” Clay kept his eyes glued on the action. Sexiest goddamned thing he’d ever seen—Ainsley’s thick lashes resting against flushed cheeks as his cock stretched her lips.

  As though bolstered by his praise, she gripped him harder, then took him to the back of her throat. His hands tightened in her hair, holding her there.

  Fucking heaven.

  She didn’t fight, didn’t try to pull away. Instead, she scraped a fingernail along the sensitive ridge behind his balls.

  A string of curses fell from his lips. “Unless you want me to fill your pretty mouth, keep that finger still.” He was fighting release as it was, without the added sensation.

  Her muffled response vibrated along his dick. Her lips tightened. She cupped his sac, her finger still working the sensitive flesh underneath.

  And he lost his fucking mind. His spine sizzled. Sweat formed at his temples as he pumped into her mouth.

  She opened her eyes, glanced up at him with liquid desire, and he let go. He came with a force that rocked him, threatened to ass-plant him on the ground—and he would have if she hadn’t been there to anchor him. She held on to him, milked him, took what he gave her until his thighs wobbled.

  Her movements slowed. She released him and rocked back on her heels, a satisfied smile on her lips.

  “Ainsley.” Yeah, that was the extent of his vocabulary right now.

  He touched her cheek, ran his thumb over her swollen lips.

  Damn, she was gorgeous.

  Clay stripped off his pants and shorts. He helped Ainsley to her feet and wrapped her in his arms. He cupped her head as she nuzzled close, her hum of contentment mirroring the feeling in his chest.

  This was so much more than pleasure. He enjoyed being around her, listening to the eclectic mix of north and south in her accent. Watching her eyes dance with merriment after an experimental trot with the horses. From the moment they’d met, he hadn’t stopped thinking about her.

  She was a temptress. A tough-as-nails woman with a determination to rival most men he knew. Her life hadn’t been a picnic. Instead of wallowing in the shit, Ainsley stayed strong. Persevered. The world might’ve hardened her will, but the rest of her—her smile, her body, her heart—was softness personified.

  Ainsley was so much more than he’d been prepared for.

  Jesus.

  He was straight up, no holds barred, falling for this woman.

  ***

  Ainsley wasn’t an innocent little girl. She’d had a few sexual partners over the years. But she’d never, never been so bold as to suck a man off in broad daylight. Chances of them being seen were slim-to-none, yet as he peeled her clothes from her body she felt wonderfully daring. Adventurous.

  And drenched in her own arousal.

  Her face heated the moment Clay knelt, slid her panties over her hips, and noticed for himself.

  “Ah, now there’s a beautiful sight.” She shook when he blew a warm stream of air over her sex, gasped when his tongue darted out for a quick lick. “Did sucking me turn you on, sweetheart?”

  She lifted a foot to allow him to remove her panties. Between having him at her mercy and his dirty commentary, Ainsley hadn’t stood a chance in hell of being unaffected. His raw approach to sex enticed her, made her desperate for more.

  His lips brushed along her ribcage. He nuzzled the underside of her breast. “Answer me, Ainsley. Did sucking me turn you on?”

  She resisted the urge to squeeze her thighs together. “See for yourself.”

  He stormed to his feet, eyes dark with lust. He pointed to the blanket, a smug smile in place. “Down on your hands and knees.”

  Excitement surged through her, and without hesitation, she was back on her knees. Another second and her palms hit the blanket. The prickly ground under the course fabric irritated her skin. She wiggled to dig in, smooth out the grass under her.

  “Is this how you want me?” She tossed what she hoped was a look of sultry challenge over her shoulder.

  A low rumble came from his chest. “I want you any way I can get you, baby.”

  His fingers played along her back, tracing her shoulder blades, the line of her spine, the curves of her hipbones. “Very nice. Lean down on your elbows, Ains. Arch your back. Show me what I want to see.”

  She did as he commanded. Her most private areas open and exposed. Maybe she should reconsider the level of trust she instinctively gave him. Something she’d never given any man before. Instead, she absorbed his praise, drew strength from knowing he wanted her, and felt the power of being the one to give this rugged man the satisfaction he craved.

  Time played a strange game with her. She felt so at ease, so comfortable with Clay. As though they’d known each other a lifetime, not days. Being with him felt good. Right.

  He didn’t give her any more time to analyze, to question what they were doing. What it all meant. His touch kept her on edge, electrifying her skin as he ran his work-roughened hands over her ass and down the backs of her legs.

  “I love the way your skin feels. Soft and delicate. Love it almost as much as I love knowing you’re stronger than you look.”

  He avoided touching her sex. His fingertips ventured so close she felt the heat of him. She stretched her arms forward on the blanket and pushed back with her hips, seeking his touch where she needed it the most.

  Clay’s hand between her shoulder blades stopped her. “Stay there. It’s okay, Ainsley,” he soothed. “You’re okay. You’re fucking beautiful, if you want to know the truth. You take my breath away.” He knelt beside her, his big body casting a shadow across the blanket. “Look at me.”

  She lifted her head. Her heart stopped, kicked hard, started again. His gaze bore into her, intense and steady, stripping her naked in a way that had nothing to do with clothes.

  “I won’t hurt you. Ever. I’m demanding, but I think you like that, don’t you?” he murmured, his fingertips still moving, still touching.

  She stilled, holding his gaze, allowing him to touch her as he wished. “I like it. Oh god, Clay. I more than like it.” Letting go, not having to think or make decisions … he had no idea how much she needed the relief.

  “Goddamn, Ainsley. The way you give me what I want drives me all kinds of crazy.”

  He reached under her body to play with her nipple. A quick flick. A pinch. A tug. The sting reverberated through her like an echo, tightening her muscles, igniting pleasure as it went. Good lord, the way he touched her, gave her what she wanted…

  “You’re driving me crazy. I need you inside me, Clay. Please.” She knew she had him the minute the last word left her lips. It hadn’t taken her long to learn her gruff, demanding cowboy couldn’t resist her pleas. A dirty trick, but a useful one when he seemed intent to tease her to insanity.

  He moved behind her. His erection hardened as he rubbed against her. “If I do anything that makes you uncomfortable, you need to tell me. I’m not interested in lone satisfaction here, Ains. What we do when we’re naked isn’t about you or me. It’s about you and me. The pleasure we give each other. Together.”

  Oh, this man.

  “You with me?” he asked.

  “I want to be with you. That’s the point. I’m not scared of you or anything you want to do with me.” She shifted, captured his length between her legs. She rocked h
er hips, slid over him, coated him with her arousal. “Or to me.”

  “Jesus.” His hand gripped her hip, stopping her movement. “Behave a second, before I lose my fucking mind.”

  She watched over her shoulder as he stretched back and wrestled a condom from the pocket of his jeans. With quick movements, he tore open the package and rolled the latex down. He moved between her legs, shoved his knees wide between hers, and lowered her pelvis to his lap. The head of his cock parted her, nudged her tight knot of nerves until she groaned.

  “Enough teasing, Clay. I can’t stand—”

  He lined up and entered her with a hard thrust, stealing her words, her voice, her ability to do anything but feel. She rocked her hips, silently begging for him to finish it, to sink to the hilt, fill her completely.

  He didn’t oblige. His hands continued to roam as he moved his hips in short strokes, working his way inside her one excruciating inch at a time. A gasp escaped when he slid a hand down and tapped her clit. The soft drumming set fire to her veins.

  “Harder, Clay. I need…” She clamped down hard around his cock. “More.”

  “Ah, fuck. You are hell on my control, woman.” He pulled all the way out, leaving her cold and empty.

  “No! What’re you—”

  “Turn over.” He used his hands, urging her hips to move before the words were out. “I want your mouth. Wanna see your eyes when I make you come.”

  The predatory look he gave her almost finished the job.

  Ainsley rolled. The second her back hit the blanket, Clay hooked her legs, jerking her to him again.

  His touch changed. Gentled. Slowed. He leaned over for a long, deep kiss that curled her toes.

  No. No, no, no. Wild, fast, hard. Those were the things she needed. Not the sweet cupping of her cheek, or the heart-fluttering softness in his eyes.

  “I love your mouth.” He nipped her bottom lip. “I do believe I could spend an entire day doing nothing but kissing you.”

  “How about we make a deal? Finish what you started, and you can kiss me all you want.”

  “Anywhere I want?”

  She shivered in anticipation. To get him back inside her, she’d damn near agree to anything. “Anywhere.”

  His lips curled into a sinful grin. “Hot damn. You’re on. Come here, baby.” He draped her legs over his hips. He trailed his crown through her slit and circled her entrance.

  “Watch.”

  He waited until she glanced to where they would join. He pushed in. One long, slow stroke that caused them to groan together.

  “I’ll never get tired of that. Of how wet and fucking amazing you feel around me. Of that sexy little noise you make when I first enter you.” He pulled back, easing from her body for a heartbeat before sliding back in.

  A half sigh, half whimper escaped her throat.

  “That. Holy hell. That. Noise. Right. There.” Each word punctuated by the powerful flex of his hips as he drove into her. Hard, fast, unyielding.

  Perfect.

  Curling her fingers around his biceps, Ainsley hung on for the ride. The darkened hunger in his heavy-lidded gaze fed her own, drowning out everything around them.

  In Clay’s arms, she wasn’t flailing, wasn’t alone in a world that didn’t care about her. Being with Clay gave her a sense of peace and—when he reached between them to stroke her tender nub—pleasure. Her eyes drifted closed. Oh god, Clay knew all about giving pleasure.

  “Stay with me, Ainsley. Let me see your eyes.”

  She forced her lids open.

  “That’s it. Keep your eyes on me. Show me how much you enjoy having me inside you. I wanna see you fly.”

  She fixed her gaze on his face. The tight set of his jaw. The heightened color of his cheeks. The raw, blazing need staring back at her.

  Holy shit. She’d done that.

  Stars floated in front of her eyes. Her spine sizzled and Ainsley let go. She cried out. Her muscles squeezed him until he grunted, pumped deep, and held as he found his own release.

  He sheltered her body with his, planting kisses along her neck. Nuzzled her ear as the lingering pulses of her orgasm died away.

  He kissed the tip of her nose before easing back and getting to his feet.

  Ainsley enjoyed the view of his naked ass as he dealt with the condom, then fell to the blanket beside her.

  Clay traced her lips with the tip of a finger. “That dreamy expression on your face is sexy as hell.”

  “Mmm. Guess I’ve got my answer about kinky outdoor action.”

  “What answer is that, baby?” He wrapped his hand around hers and linked their fingers.

  “I’m definitely into it.”

  He laughed and raised her knuckles to his lips.

  She stared at the sky streaked with hues of blue and purple. There were few things more beautiful than a Texas sunset. The perfect backdrop for what they’d just shared.

  Almost perfect enough to make her forget how close they were to Shadow Maverick land, and ignore the nagging feeling she had about Clay’s reasons for bringing her here.

  Chapter Ten

  By Saturday, Ainsley had gotten used to having Clay in her bed. There was something quite delicious about having all that warm, male flesh at her disposal. And she wasn’t the only one doing the enjoying. Even in sleep Clay’s hands were on her. Holding her, cupping her, caressing her.

  He touched her as though he never wanted to stop. Fine by her.

  “You awake?”

  But, damn. Adjusting to the ungodly hour he rose each morning would take some getting used to.

  “Hmm.” She pressed back, rubbed her naked ass against him, and found him hard.

  “Don’t tempt me, baby. I gotta get up.”

  Ainsley shifted, arched into him again. His length nestled against the crevice of her ass. “Who’s tempting who here? My hands aren’t the ones roaming wild this morning. And for the record, you’re already up.”

  Clay plucked at the nipple he’d been teasing. “You’re a wicked, wicked woman, Ainsley Russell,” he said against her ear. With a kiss to her cheek, he rolled from the bed.

  She groaned at the loss of his heat. She stretched her arms over her head, exaggerating the movement when she noticed his gaze locked on her breasts. “You sure you can’t stay in bed a little longer?”

  “If I get back in bed now, it’ll be hours before we crawl out again. Maybe days.” He glanced down at his erection. “I’m about to take the coldest shower of my life. I hope you know you’ll be responsible for the hard-on I’ll have every time I think about the way you look right now. All mussed and sleep-pretty.”

  She kicked off the covers. “Don’t forget naked.” And shameless.

  “And so gorgeous I can hardly take my eyes off you.” His brows pinched with indecision. “If I didn’t have to meet Pax…”

  Ainsley missed the rest of his mumbled words as he disappeared into the bathroom. The sound of the shower coming on dashed any hope he’d be back to give them both a little relief.

  She stared at the ceiling and listened as Clay brushed his teeth. She didn’t understand why he was still coming around. From what she’d heard, he wasn’t the stay-for-breakfast kind of guy. Either his reputation was over-exaggerated, or … well, no or about it. She certainly wasn’t special enough to warrant such a dramatic change in behavior. The fact he’d spent the last six nights in her bed was evidence enough her information was nothing more than small-town gossip.

  She was relieved, actually. One night would’ve been a cruel joke—not near enough to scratch the itch she felt whenever they were together. It had been the best week of her life.

  With his laid-back attitude, Clay was fun to be around. He liked to take his time, whether they were sharing a meal, or getting naked. He was quick to smile—each one a panty-melter if she’d ever seen one—and when he laughed, holy shit, the sun shone a little brighter.

  Ainsley had been tempted to confide in him. To tell him about the problems she’d inheri
ted. She didn’t know how much longer she could breeze over his questions about her operation before he called bullshit. Didn’t know how to go about communicating what she felt. She still had a nagging sensation there was something he hadn’t told her.

  She felt they were becoming friends. Hoped they were. She couldn’t stand it if he were using her to place his family into a better position to take over her ranch.

  Jesus. Why couldn’t she just trust him? She wanted to. So much it hurt. She’d had her fill of people using her for their own advantage. For once in her life, she wanted to know what it felt like to be on equal ground, to have a real relationship.

  Ainsley rolled from the bed, threw on the cami and shorts she no longer slept in, and went down to the kitchen. After setting the coffee to brew, she went about collecting the things she’d need to make breakfast. By the time she heard Clay on the stairs, the bacon and eggs were almost done.

  Ainsley turned to see him drop his ever-present duffle bag and work boots by the door.

  “Watch out for the—”

  “Son of a bitch!”

  “—jagged spot.”

  Clay hopped a few steps and planted himself in a chair. He crossed the injured foot to rest against his thigh, bending over to pull off his sock and inspect the damage.

  Ainsley left the bacon cooking and rushed to his side. “Are you okay? Here, let me see.” She wiped away the line of blood on the arch of his foot. It quickly reformed.

  He snatched the dishtowel from her shoulder. “Damn it, Ainsley. I wish you’d let me fix that. One of these days, you’re going to slice your foot wide open.”

  “I’m not the one sitting in a chair bleeding. And it’s not your responsibility to keep fixing things around here, Clay.” She grabbed a bottle of peroxide from under the sink. “The porch. The roof of the barn. Timber’s stall door. I appreciate it, I really do.” But, enough was enough. He refused to take money for supplies or his efforts, and she hated that his actions made her question his motives.

  She set the bottle on the table beside him and leaned over his foot.

  “I’ve got this, thanks.” He opened the peroxide. He drizzled it over the area, holding a towel to catch the excess. Fast and efficient, he cleaned the injury. Ainsley wondered how many wounds he’d tended in the past. Working on a ranch, probably quite a few.