* * * * *
Elise let Bess follow Colt and Rick’s horses out of the stable. She lifted the camera strap over her head so it was on one shoulder while the camera bag lay against the opposite hip. As they made their way across the range, she took pictures of the scenic view. Colt and Rick moved their horses across the plains, shifting cattle from one grazing area to another. Elise lifted her camera and snapped a couple of pictures of Rick and Colt working as a team to keep the cattle in line.
She even got a picture of Vaquero, the Border collie that worked the ranch with the men. He paced back and forth, his head held low, barking occasionally if any cattle strayed. And just to be fair, she clicked a picture of Caboose, the dog that, well…was always trailing in the rear as if he would rather be doing anything else other than working the cattle, but she could tell he didn’t want to be left out either. She had to chuckle as she realized how these dogs got their names. She guessed their mannerisms more than anything else was what earned them their names.
They were almost done for the day when one of the calves moved away from the herd and trotted off. Vaquero started to go after him. Rick whistled the dog back, causing the calf to bolt. Rick looked at his watch and said to Colt, “You’re on, boss.”
Colt gave him a huge Texan grin. He put a short rope between his teeth and took off after the calf, already swinging his other rope. Elise slowed Bess to a stop and readied her camera, thankful she had a long-range lens. Through her viewfinder, she watched in fascination as Colt managed to rope, jump down, flank—a term she had read about on the website, which basically meant put it on its side—and tie the calf in mere seconds. The fluidity in which he and his horse worked together was amazing to watch. She had never seen a person move so fast. Clicking shots, she lowered her camera. She knew her expression was full of awe.
Rick pulled up beside her. His brown eyes twinkled as he showed her his watch. “Yep, he’s still got it in ‘em. Just under eight seconds.”
Elise turned surprised eyes to Rick. “In reviewing the old website, I read that Colt did a bit of rodeoing but…wow, that was impressive.”
Rick nodded. “He was the reigning world champion for three years running in the calf roping and saddle bronc riding events, until…” Rick cleared his throat as if realizing he was saying too much. “Um, until his dad passed away and he was needed to run the ranch.”
Elise nodding her understanding to Rick, then laid her camera against her hip as she walked Bess over to where Colt had untied the calf. The animal jumped up and Colt swatted his hindquarters, sending him in the general direction of the herd. The calf happily trotted back to its momma.
“Now that was a sight to see,” she said looking down at him, her eyes full of appreciation.
Colt looked up at her as he began to wind the rope back up in his hands. With his hat on the ground, he squinted into the afternoon sun. “Didn’t I mention I was pretty handy with a rope?”
“No, you forgot to mention that little tidbit,” Elise said with a smile as she watched Rick move on with the cattle. She turned her gaze back to his face.
She saw a knowing grin tilt the corners of his lips before Colt looked down at his hands to finish winding the rope. “Must’ve slipped my mind.”
Elise chuckled. “What other surprises do you have in store for me?”
Colt raised his face to hers, his blue eyes full of fire. “Oh, I can think of a thing or two I can show you that you might never have seen before.”
Elise felt the heat of his laser gaze penetrate her body, causing a singeing sensation to spiral through her. She had to fight to clear the lustful fog from her mind.
“Do you miss it? The rodeo?”
Colt raised his eyebrow at her question then let his gaze roam the land around him.
“No. I don’t miss it. I have all I ever wanted right here.” His eyes landed on her as he said the last words, “Well, almost.”
If she thought her body couldn’t get any hotter, all she had to do was look into Colt’s eyes. The man had a way of making her body feel constantly on fire. The promises in his eyes made her a mass of quivering, sensitized nerves. She needed to get away from him before she launched off the horse and right into his arms, no matter what ranch hand happened to be riding by. With a smile she turned her horse away and called over her shoulder, “See you back at the ranch house, Colt.”
Colt watched her ride away on her horse. He smiled at her straight back, the curve of her hips as her body swayed in motion with her horse. She looked so right riding Bess, the Texas plains and cattle in the background a beautiful backdrop behind her. He thought he could spend the day away from her, but that afternoon his resolve had broken and he decided to track her down for lunch. When he hadn’t been able to have lunch with her, it had eaten at him more than he cared to admit.
Finally, he gave up and went and got her. He wanted Elise by his side. He wanted her to experience the range, the fresh beauty of it, the peacefulness it could bring. The hot Texas sun had him reaching for his hat, dusting it off and plunking it on his head. He gave a wry smile. Then, there was the sweltering Texas heat, the dust and loneliness that can sometimes accompany one on the range as well. Who was he kidding? Elise, and what was between them, was only temporary. But he was tired of waiting. He wanted to know exactly what
was
between the two of them.
Chapter Eight
It was late in the day. Most everyone had gone home and the ranch hands were currently at the ranch house eating dinner. Elise had spent the rest of the day taking pictures and talking to the ranch hands, finding out what they do. She even took a picture of Nan in the process of making the evening meal.
Elise took advantage of the quiet around the place as she leaned on the fence near the stables just as she had done her first day on the ranch. The sun was sinking low in the sky, making the beautiful scenery before her too irresistible. She snapped the last few pictures left on the film and was in the process of lowering the camera from her face when something landed on her shoulder.
Elise drew in her breath as Colt’s warm, hard body pressed fully against her back. His frame touched her from the top of her shoulder blades to the back of her thighs as he leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Just wanted to show you how handy I can be, Princess.”
She glanced down and saw a rope lying on her shoulder. She chuckled that he was throwing the same words she’d said to him on her first day on the ranch back at her. But the amusement died on her lips as she watched the length of rope drop to the ground in front of her. She used the camera strap to slowly lower her camera to the ground as Colt slid a hand between her legs from behind her, causing her body to tense in anticipation.
Instead of touching her, he reached for the rope dangling in front of her and pulled it through her legs and upward between their bodies, effectively looping the rope around her body from her shoulder to her crotch. As the rough ridges of the rope slid against the denim of her jeans, creating a humming rub right against her most sensitive area, Elise sucked in her breath. She was so turned on from the feel of his body against hers and his suggestive words, she almost climaxed from the mere friction it caused.
Colt chuckled as he pulled the rope tighter. “I think you like my skill with a rope.” Elise moaned at the pressure the tightening of the rope caused. While he held the rope with one hand, he skimmed his other hand down her side. Placing his palm on her thigh, he held it there as he had done that morning. When Elise turned her face to the side, wanting to be closer to him, he kissed her temple with a tender brush of his lips. She realized what he had meant by his touch. It was his promise of what was to come. After a few seconds, he slid his hand upward across her hip and back down across her taut stomach. She throbbed painfully, wanting the contact, needing his touch.
Elise watched the rope drop to the ground as Colt let it go to slide his hand lower so he could cup her fully through her jeans, his touch possessive and sure. She gasped at his touch, bucking at the contact, wanting to press herself closer. Colt skimmed his lips down her neck as his fingers applied pressure in just the right place. When he used the heel of his hand for good measure, she bit her lip as her body thrummed in response to his touch.
Colt wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her full against him, whispering in a husky tone, “Let go, Lise. You want this as much as I want to give it to you.” He put a booted foot between her legs and nudged her boot’s heel across the dry dirt, opening her legs as he slid his hand down and back up, applying oh-so-perfect pressure. Elise’s breath hitched in her throat and she was lost—lost in a maelstrom of spiraling desire as her body finally succumbed to the sexual tension that had been building since she last felt his intimate touch.
When she tried to turn her head into his neck to muffle her cry of pleasure from her orgasm, Colt captured her lips with his. Once the tremors stopped, she turned in his arms, wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. Closing her eyes, she absorbed the sensations assailing her, the warmth of the setting sun, the smell of outdoors and Colt’s own natural scent permeating her senses, the feel of his hard body pressed against hers, the sound of her own heartbeat as it slowed from her climax and Colt’s steady heartbeat under her ear. It was a special moment in time she would never forget.
After a few minutes she looked up into his deep blue eyes. They were filled with longing and hunger as he gazed at her.
“I want to know, Lise,” Colt said.
She knew what he meant. He wanted to know if they were as good together as he thought they’d be. Elise gave him a saucy grin. “What are you waiting for, Cowboy?”
His expression turned serious as he grabbed her hand. Elise barely had time to scoop up her camera before he dragged her behind him with a determined gait. As they passed her car and headed toward his truck, she laughed and said, “Leaving my poor car behind again, are we?”
“Damn straight,” he mumbled in response, not once breaking his stride.
Once they settled into his truck and he started the engine, Elise reached over and tried to slide her hand up his leg.
He cut his gaze over to her and said in a gruff voice, “Keep your hands to yourself, darlin’, if you want to make it back to your apartment. I’m too on-the-edge right now.”
Her body tingled all over at his intense comment as she leaned back against her seat. While he drove, she noted that he never looked her way the entire trip. When they arrived at her apartment, she hopped out before Colt had a chance to come around her side. Walking ahead of him, she’d almost made it to her apartment door when she stopped dead in her tracks. Crap! She didn’t have her keys. Lovely, now they’d have to drive back to the ranch to get them. She wanted to scream in frustration.
Elise had stopped so abruptly, Colt almost ran right into her. He chuckled as he took a step back. “What’s the matter? Wondering where these are?”
She turned as he dangled her keys between his fingers. Giving him a winning smile, she took the keys and moved to her apartment’s burgundy door to unlock it. As she tried to insert the key in the lock in the dim evening light, Colt slid his arms around her waist and down the front of her thighs while he pressed his hard length against her backside.
His movements caused her hands to shake, making it all the more difficult to unlock the door. Standing on her hunter green welcome mat in front of her door, her heart racing, Elise smacked at his hands as he moved them upward toward her breasts. “Colt, you’re distracting me. I can’t unlock the door.”
Without a word, he pulled the keys from her hand and turned her around until her back was against the door. Her breath caught in her throat as he leaned over and kissed her full on the mouth. Elise thrilled in his warm lips and tongue darting past her lips, seeking a response. When he pulled away, he turned the key in the lock and opened the door.
Once they’d entered her apartment, Colt pushed the door shut behind him. Elise set her camera down, flipped on the entryway light and turned to face him, her nerves making her insides jangle in tense excitement. They both stood there, staring at each other. Now that they were alone, it was as if neither one wanted to make the first move. She licked her lips and said, “Well, do you want something to drink?”
She turned to walk toward the kitchen when Colt’s hand snaked out and grabbed her arm, propelling her back against his hard body.
His eyes held that hungry look in them again. “Uh-uh. I’ve got all the sustenance I need right here, darlin’.”
He put his hands on her upper arms and pushed her against the wall as he lowered his mouth to hers, giving her the hottest kiss she’d ever experienced. There was just something about his warm lips moving over hers, the evening stubble chafing her face while his tongue thrust seductively against hers in a sensual dance that mimicked the sexual act—the heated kiss singed her nerve endings all the way to her toes.
Elise kissed him back with all the pent-up passion she’d been holding back since he left her leaning against the barn wall. While their tongues tangled for dominance, she mumbled between kisses, “This time you’d better not leave me hanging or I’m liable to do you some real damage.”
Colt lifted his head and stared deep into her eyes as he moved his hands to the wall on either side of her body. He pressed his erection between her thighs, rocking his hips upward against her mound, lifting her slightly off the floor. She gasped at his aggressive, sexual movement.
“Don’t worry, Elise, you and I aren’t going anywhere until this fire between us has been thoroughly doused.”
She gripped the tight muscles in his upper arms to steady herself, since her feet were barely touching the floor. Colt moved back from the wall, lowering her to the floor once more. He put his hands around her waist and pulled her closer.
As he leaned over to kiss her, he slid his hands down her back and tugged her lavender cotton shirt out of her jeans. Splaying a large hand against her lower back underneath the material, he ran his palm across her skin.
“Your skin is so soft, just as I knew it would be,” he said in appreciation as he moved his lips over her jaw and down the column of her neck.
Elise shivered at his touch and his words. She let her head fall back as he kissed the hollow in her throat. Before she could offer to help, he lifted her shirt over her head and dropped it on the floor beside them. Reaching out, he traced the swell of her breast that peeked out over the curve of her silky bra.
Elise bit her lip at the sensations his slightest touch evoked. She gave a soft whimper when he dipped a finger inside her bra and brushed the rough pad against her nipple. She’d moved to unhook her bra but stopped when he said, his voice hoarse with desire, “No, I want to do it.”
She lowered her hands and waited as he leaned his tall frame close and skimmed his lips across her bare shoulder. Goose bumps gathered on her skin at his touch, the heat of his nearness, so close but not touching her except for his mouth. He slowly slid one strap down as his lips followed its path across the curve of her shoulder.
Elise grasped his blue chambray shirt tight in her hands. She wanted him to hurry but the man seemed to want to take his sweet time. What was wrong with him?
When she was about to voice her opinion, she felt her bra give way around her as Colt unhooked it and slid if off her arms. He devoured her breasts with his heated gaze then moved to touch her. Before he made contact, Elise batted his hands away and gave him a sultry look. “Uh-uh, Cowboy. My turn.”
Sliding her hands up his muscular chest, she enjoyed the firm hardness underneath her fingers. When she reached the opening of his shirt, she gave him a sultry grin saying, “I love western shirts.” The snaps gave way as she quickly pulled his shirt apart, revealing his thick, sinewy chest.
Colt chuckled at her aggressive act, but his chuckle turned into a groan of pleasure as she ran her hands over his chest and up his shoulders to push his shirt down his arms until it fell in a heap behind him. Elise skimmed her fingers back up his arms and across his chest before she dropped her hands to his taut, flat abdomen. His body was perfection. Not an ounce of fat, nothing but pure muscle jumped under her touch. She moved closer and slid her hands around his waist to press her breasts against his chest.
“I’ve wanted to know what it feels like to have my skin touching yours, Colt,” she whispered as she laid her head on his chest.
Colt wrapped his arms around Elise’s body and drew in a jagged breath when she planted a kiss on his upper chest. He didn’t bother asking, but leaned over and quickly scooped her up in his arms, making his way back to her bedroom.
Once he set her down, Elise didn’t bother turning on the light in her room. Enough filtered from the hallway. She worked at the buttons of his jeans as he kicked out of his boots and pulled off his socks. Colt snapped the button of her jeans and slid them down over her hips while she stepped out of her boots and peeled off her socks.
Colt stripped off his boxers and watched as Elise slid out of her panties. They stood there, naked, inches apart, staring at each other. Colt lifted his hand and ran a finger down her chest, over her breast to stop at the tip of a puckered nipple. He circled the taut nub. The rough skin on his finger was a tactile, erotic sensation against her soft flesh. Elise reached out, grasped his rigid flesh in her hand and used her hold on him to pull him flush against her heated body. “Let’s find out just how good we are together,” she boldly said, before she kissed him full on the mouth.
Colt kissed her back. Hard and demanding before he abruptly broke the kiss, stepped away from her and picked up his discarded blue jeans to retrieve a condom. He pulled out a nearby straight-backed, wooden chair from the desk and sat down to roll the condom on. Even in the dim light, his dark, burning gaze stayed locked with hers. All she could think of while he stared at her was…his expression was so hungry and possessive.
God, the man makes me melt.
Elise expected Colt to walk over to her once he put the condom on. Instead, he beckoned her with his hand and a promising look in his eyes. “Come here.”
She walked over to stand beside him and let out a squeal of surprise when he quickly grasped her around the waist and effortlessly lifted her in the air until she straddled him across the chair. He held her there, the tip of his erection touching her heated center and said, “I got damn tired of seeing these beautiful thighs wrapped around my horses, Lise. I want to know what it feels like to have your firm thighs wrapped around me.” As he spoke, he slowly lowered her over him. Inch by inch, Elise thrilled as her body stretched to accept his gradual entry.
She moaned at the stimulation zinging through her while Colt slid into her body. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she held herself steady as he pushed into her. It seemed like an eternity before he finally filled her to the hilt, but she drew in her breath as her body came to a sliding halt. She’d never felt so completely filled. When he rocked his hips for the first time, his muscles bunched and contracted under her fingers. She thrilled at her body’s reaction to him inside and out as she reflexively gripped his shoulders.