Colt moved his hands from her waist to her breasts where he cupped them fully in his hands. Her pulse thrummed as his eyes flashed with undisguised desire while he skimmed his thumbs across her hardened nipples. Elise arched her back at his touch, moving against him, causing Colt to groan in pleasure. He leaned over and circled his tongue around one nipple while he rolled the other between his fingers. When Colt sucked her nipple into his mouth, Elise closed her eyes and moaned at the erotic duet. She clenched her thighs and rolled her hips against him.
His voice sounded raw, unchecked when he spoke, “Look at me.”
Elise opened her eyes and stared into Colt’s stormy blue ones. His eyes were lustful and intense as he lowered his hands to her waist and commanded, “Ride me, Lise.”
Elise put her arms around his neck and tentatively touched her lips to his before she opened her mouth and deepened the kiss. She began to move her hips in a seductive, rocking motion until she heard Colt’s breathing pattern change and felt his heart pound against her chest.
“E-lise.” his voice broke as he said her name in a reverent tone, before he kissed her jaw and then her neck.
Encouraged by his reaction, Elise sat back and looked him in the eye. “You forget, half the horses are mine.” She gave him a siren’s smile. “And there’s only one way I like to ride and that’s full throttle.” Grabbing his shoulders in her hands, she lifted her feet off of the floor and hooked them on the lower rungs of the chair as she changed the pace of her movements. She pulled almost completely off of Colt before pushing against him once more, sheathing him fully inside her. Upon hearing his hiss of satisfaction, she threw her head back, her long dark hair dangling down her back as she arched against him.
Elise welcomed his powerful counterthrusts, the feel of his hands on her waist, helping her move, making sure she came down on him as completely and as hard as possible.
Colt whispered, “You feel so good, Lise, a tight glove made just for me.”
Her own breathing turned rampant at his further words of encouragement, and she felt the tightening of her stomach muscles as her climax built within her. Unable to stop herself, she breathed Colt’s name out in a throaty sigh as the pulsating rhythm took over.
Colt coaxed, “Scream for me, Lise,” as he thrust into her, hard and fast.
She answered his request as she experienced the most mind-numbing climax she’d ever had in her life. Right behind her orgasm, Colt tensed underneath her, calling out her name when he reached his own passionate plateau. As Elise collapsed against his chest, her heart racing, her body throbbing and a sheen of sweat on her skin, she realized she would never ride a horse again without thinking of her first time with Colt.
While she lay across his chest, panting, Colt skimmed his fingers up her spine, flattened his hands on her back and slid them back down her body.
“Good lord, Lise. I had no idea.” He sounded awed, surprised.
Elise chuckled against his shoulder. “Me either.”
Sitting up, she moved to get off of him. He grabbed her waist and stilled her departure as he looked into her eyes. “Where are you going?”
“I thought you might want to get up off the hard chair you’re sitting on.” She moved to get up once more.
“No,” Colt said as he stayed her movement once again. He shifted and effortlessly lifted them both off the chair. Elise sighed and wrapped her legs around his waist as he walked toward the bed. She welcomed the feel of his warm skin, the weight of his body on hers as they sank into her soft bedcovers.
Colt looked into her eyes, his cobalt ones searching her face as he smoothed back her hair with his hand. “You are so beautiful.”
She felt him growing hard within her as he spoke and gave a surprised gasp.
He chuckled. “See what you do to me, Lise? Instead of being doused, this fire between us is only growing. I wonder if it will ever be put out.”
Elise smiled up at him as she smoothed her hands over his shoulders and down the hollows of his chest. “I guess the best we can do is try to contain it then.”
Colt dropped his head to bury his nose in her neck and hair and mumbled, “I could stay buried in you for a week.”
Elise started to chuckle at his words when Colt rocked his hips, pushing further into her, his hard length filling her, causing delicious friction. At her sigh of pleasure, he put his hands underneath her thighs and pushed them up so her knees were bent on either side of his chest. Lifting himself up, he placed his hands beside her on the bed as he pulled out and slowly sank back in once more. His intemperate expression made her heart skip a beat.
“Come for me, Elise. I want to feel your body humming around me again.”
Elise closed her eyes and arched her back as he slid into her once more. She tossed her head and moaned at the drag of his body against hers, the feel of his muscular arms touching her legs. His hold on her gave her very little chance to move her legs, so she made up for it with her hips. She met his thrusts with accepting ones of her own, her breath hitching at the strength behind his thrusts into her. It was as if he planned to imprint himself on her, branding her as his very own.
Colt’s movements created a ripple of sensations that began to rock throughout her body. “You’re close, Elise. I can tell,” he rasped as he pushed as far into her as he could, grinding his hips against hers.
Elise opened her eyes and met his gaze. “Yes, Colt, YES!” Her fingers flexed on his shoulders as she tightened her muscles around him, trying to still his movements, keep him deep within her forever. She cried out as she surrendered to her climax and shuddered around him.
Colt knew his eyes glittered with satisfaction and fierce possessiveness when he felt the featherlight vibrations of her body as she spasmed around him. It was the hottest turn-on he had ever experienced. He closed his eyes and rocked in and out of her, once, twice, until he finally gave into his own satisfying release.
Rolling over, he pulled Elise against his chest and ran his hand through her hair as they both lay there, catching their breath. With a sigh, she laid her head on his chest and placed her hand over his beating heart as she snuggled close to his body.
Colt listened as Elise’s breathing turned even in her sleep. He rolled her onto her side and leaned up on an elbow to watch her sleep. As he ran a finger across her shoulder, she moaned in her sleep and his body began to tighten once more. Would he ever get enough of her? He gently pushed her onto her back so the moon’s light streaming through the window would land on her beautiful face.
Colt balled his hand into a fist and held it to his side to keep himself from touching her again. He wanted to touch her, to run his hand lower, wake Elise and coax her into another mind-blowing experience all over again. He couldn’t believe their explosive lovemaking. He’d known they would be good together, but he had no idea just how good! His sexual encounters with other women didn’t begin to compare with what he and Elise shared. They had a…connection. And the thought knocked him in the gut as effectively as a sucker punch.
Elise was supposed to be a diversion. Instead, he could see his need for her easily turning into an addiction. Colt didn’t want to get caught in that trap. If he forced himself to leave, he wouldn’t give himself an opportunity to get used to waking up with her in his arms.
Pulling the covers over Elise, he slid out of bed. She turned over in her sleep and made little sexy sounds. Colt ground his teeth and forced himself to look away from her as he gathered his clothes, dropped the used condom in the bathroom trash and dressed in the dark.
Chapter Nine
Elise woke with a start. She lifted her head and reached out for Colt to find an empty bed beside her. Sitting up, she looked at the clock. It was three in the morning. Her gaze roamed the room, but there was no sign of Colt’s discarded clothes. Pulling the covers back up over her cold shoulders, she laid back on the bed. Why did Colt leave? Damn, she regretted falling asleep. It just felt so right not to have to say anything with him—as if no words needed to be spoken. Now that he was gone, she’d lost the opportunity to say anything.
Rolling on her back, she stared at the ceiling as her regret turned to anger. It angered her that he’d left without a word. Elise reached over and set her alarm clock before pounding her pillow with more force than was needed. Laying her head down, she waited for sleep to come.
* * * * *
Even though it was a while before she succumbed to sleep, Elise jumped out of bed when her alarm clock blared three hours later. Since Colt drove her home, she knew he would have to come get her for work. She didn’t want to have a dulled, sleepy mind when she faced him this morning. She quickly headed for the shower.
It was almost 7:00 a.m. Elise finished the last bite of her bagel and wondered where in the world Colt was when she heard a knock at her door. She smiled and felt immediately better at the sound of that determined knock. She moved toward the door and opened it with a ready smile. Her smile faded somewhat when she saw Mace standing at her door.
“Mornin’ Elise.” Mace touched the brim of his hat as he gave her one of his sexy smiles.
Before she could stop herself, she asked, “What are you doing here?”
A wounded expression crossed his face. “You don’t have to look so disappointed.” Sobering quickly, he explained his presence, “Colt and Rick are working to ready the stables for the rodeo stock coming back today, so Colt asked me to come pick you up.” He gave her a knowing look, then continued, “He said you had car trouble, so he had to bring you home last night.” Mace stood there as if waiting for her to say something to confirm or deny the story.
She chose to do neither. What she
did
want to do was hit something. Instead, she turned on her heel, gathered her camera and followed him to his car. As he got in and Mace drove off, Elise became lost in her own thoughts. Why did Colt feel he had to make up some excuse as to why he’d brought her home? Why did he care what other people thought about them being together? Did he just want to get her out of his system and nothing more? She squared her shoulders. Well, if that was the case, she could pretend indifference with the best of them.
Elise perked up when she saw the various trailers that took up space in the Lonestar ranch’s parking lot. Horses and bulls were being unloaded. Men worked to clean out the trailers as the animals exited.
“They’re preparing for the second string,” Mace said, referring to the rodeo stock that would eventually be loaded into the trailers.
“Second string?” Elise cut her eyes over to him as he parked his car along the side of the long drive.
“Yeah, think of it like football, except in reverse. We let the least rank rodeo stock tour the high school and college rodeos, but we put our most rank stock in the professional circuit rodeos.”
She nodded her head. “And rank means, toughest to ride, right?”
He smiled. “See, you’re getting the lingo down, city girl.”
Elise returned his smile as she pulled out her camera. “I don’t want to miss this opportunity for behind-the-scenes shots.”
Mace led her over to introduce her to the members of The Lonestar Rodeo team. She locked gazes with Colt over his truck bed, now full of hay. He put his hand up and brushed his hat rim to acknowledge her but nothing else flickered in his eyes. His face remained an unreadable mask.
Elise gave him a tight smile and turned to meet Tom Hoffman, a gray-haired man in his fifties who managed and traveled with the rodeo. After she took Tom’s picture, she asked if she could interview him later for the website. While he agreed, she heard a boisterous, feminine voice call out, “Yee-haw, Colt Tanner, I’m back and yours for the takin’.” A busty woman with long blonde hair threw herself into Colt’s arms, wrapped her legs around his hips and planted a wet kiss on his lips.
Colt put his hands on her waist and grinned, “Welcome back, May.”
Elise turned to Mace and raised her eyebrow. He leaned over and whispered, “Elise, meet May Winston.”
As jealously shot through her, Elise said in a dry tone, “Let me guess. She works for the Lonestar rodeo.”
Mace’s gaze searched her face, then he answered, “Yep, she’s responsible for selling the rodeo paraphernalia at our shows.”
Elise looked down at her camera and adjusted the lens, mumbling, “Great, can’t wait to interview her.”
When Colt set May down, the woman continued talking animatedly to him. More than a little annoyed, Elise walked over to the main ranch house. As she entered the kitchen through the side door, Nan looked up from kneading dough on the counter.
“Mornin’ Elise,” she called out in her booming voice.
“Good morning, Nan.”
Nan turned her deep brown gaze to the window. She tilted her chin toward the activity beyond. “I see folks are back.”
Elise walked over and pulled a cup out of the cabinet. She turned to Nan with a grin. “I hope you’re prepared for a much larger crew than normal for lunch and probably dinner.”
Nan’s full bosom shook with her laughter. “No problem there, child. I’m always ready for a big crowd.”
Elise poured herself some fresh squeezed orange juice from the fridge and walked over to stand beside Nan. “That’s good,” she said absently as she took another sip of her drink and stared out the window. May was still talking to Colt.
Nan flipped the dough and pounded it hard.
“Not any more, Elise,” she said, her words coming from nowhere.
Elise turned and gave her a confused look. “Pardon?”
Nan jerked her head toward the window. “Colt and May. They dated for a while, but they aren’t anymore.” She pounded the dough again and grumbled in a low tone, “Despite her best efforts.”
Elise cut her eyes from the window to Nan and back. “Really? Interesting.”
She could tell Nan didn’t like May much. Well, May
was
the type women loved to hate. With her beautiful face, voluptuous figure and flirtatious ways, no wonder. But Elise knew Nan’s feelings were more maternal in nature. After all, Nan had helped to raise the Tanner boys, or so Mace told her.
“She’s only after one thing,” Nan continued.
“Oh? What’s that?” Elise couldn’t resist asking as she took another sip of her drink.
Nan looked up and gave her a how-could-you-not-know expression. “She wants the ranch, of course.”
Elise chuckled. “Considering I own half of it, she’ll have to marry both of us for her dreams to come true.”
Nan chuckled too. “Yeah, there
is
some justice in this world after all.”
She sobered as she looked back out the window and saw May place a hand on Colt’s chest. “But as my Daddy always said, ‘Nan, honey, when there’s a will, there’s a way, especially if there’s a very strong will.’” Nan turned to Elise. “Watch that one.”
She met Nan’s gaze and tried to sound disinterested, “It doesn’t really matter to me what Colt does, Nan, as long as it doesn’t interfere with business.”
Nan gave her a doubtful look and turned back to her dough. “Mmm-hmmm.”
Elise walked outside and looked over at Colt and May. They were still talking. Her spirits plummeted as she made her way over to stand beside Mace. Elise turned to say something to him when she saw a couple of people riding up on horseback. It was Josh with Ben. Excitement stirred in her heart to see the black horse Ben was riding—the one from the auction. Ben slid off Lightning and ran over to Colt. Elise had already come to think of the mare with that name since the jagged white patch on her nose looked just like a slash of lightning against the night sky.
“Colt, I’ve come to visit.” Ben was so excited he jumped up and down, a nervous ball of energy.
“I’ve come to visit too, Elise,” Josh said as he looked down at her. He touched the brim of his hat and leaned his forearm on his saddle’s horn. “Thought you might like to go for a ride.”
Elise beamed up at Josh. “Has anyone ever told you that you have perfect timing?”
Josh gave her a roguish grin, then winked at her. “Why, yes ma’am. On more than one occasion and in many varied ways.”
Elise didn’t miss the sexual undertones of his words. She just chose to ignore them. She turned and handed her camera to Mace. “Here, take a few pictures for me. I’m going for a ride.”
Mace gave her a long, assessing look then flicked his gaze to Colt as he took the camera from her hand.
Elise put her foot up in the stirrup and lifted herself up on Lightning’s back. Her gaze met Colt’s across the parking lot. He’d looked up from talking with Ben. May was still hovering by his side. Elise turned away and pulled slightly on the reins, tightening her thighs on the horse as she kicked and said, “Hee-yah” to nudge the mare into a full gallop back toward Double K property.
She must’ve taken Josh by surprise because he was a little behind her as she took the horse at breakneck speed across the plains. She felt the clip fly out of her hair, but she didn’t stop. The feel of the hot wind whipping around her felt too good. Lightning was a very smooth ride. More and more, she considered purchasing her.
Elise slowed her horse to a trot so Josh could catch up. After stopping and dismounting briefly, Josh got back on his horse and rode up beside her, his green eyes twinkling. “You ride well.” He looked down at Lightning and grinned. “You two really do go well together.”
Elise slowed the horse to a walk and then stopped as she patted her horse’s neck. She looked at Josh. “You’re right. We do seem to do well together. Maybe I’ll consider buying her.”
“That’s my girl,” Josh said with a grin. He handed her the clip that had fallen out of her hair as she rode. “Thought you might want this.” Lifting his hand to her hair, he touched a strand. “But personally, I like it down much better.”
Elise smiled and hooked her clip on her jeans’ belt loop. “Show me around The Double K, Josh.”
Josh straightened his shoulders. “It would be my pleasure.” He steered his horse toward the main ranch house.
Once they arrived at the ranch, Josh immediately jumped down and put his hands on her waist to help her down off of Lightning. “Thanks, Josh,” Elise said with a smile at his chivalry as she lifted her leg over the horse to face him, then leaned forward and put her hands on his muscular shoulders to accept his help. What she didn’t expect was Josh to pull her flush against his hard frame as he let her body slide down his own until her boots touched the ground.
When he didn’t immediately release her, she glanced up into his face with a questioning look and was surprised at the desire she saw reflected in his gaze. “Um, I’m on the ground now,” she reminded him with a chuckle.
“It’s just that you feel so perfect right where you are,” he shot back with a devilish grin, his grip tightening around her waist.
“Who’ve you brought for a visit?” An older man called over to Josh as he walked out of the stables with a horse in tow.
With a reluctant expression, Josh released her and stepped away, introducing her to his dad, Kenneth. Then he took her around the rest of the ranch where she met his brother, Ben Senior, and his wife, Lacey. Unfortunately, she didn’t get to meet his mother since she was running errands. She loved the feeling of acceptance that settled within her while Josh introduced her to his family as “a new neighbor from the Lonestar ranch”.
They walked around the main stables and were alone in the side yard when Josh stopped and grabbed her hand. Pulling her close, he sat her down on a bench against the barn, then settled beside her.
Elise smiled up at him. “Thanks for bringing Lightning over for me to ride.”
“Lightning?” Amusement shown in his eyes. “I see you’ve already named her.”
Elise laughed. “Yes, I suppose I have.”
Josh’s eyes turned serious. “Elise, you know the horse wasn’t the only reason I came to visit. I wanted to ask you out. So what do you say?”
Elise was about to answer him when a shadow fell over them. Colt stood there holding Ben’s hand.
Ben ran over and started talking animatedly to his Uncle. “Uncle Josh, man, they have some mean-looking bulls over there and those broncs!”
“Ben wanted to tell his Dad about all he had seen. I told him I would bring him back.” He looked pointedly at Josh. “Since I didn’t know when you would be returning.”
Josh flashed him an I-got-the-prize smile.
Elise stood up. “Well, I’d better get back. I have a website to work on.” She put out her hand to Josh. “Thanks again for bringing Lightning.”
Josh shook her hand but held fast when she started to let go of his. “And my other question?”
She didn’t want to hurt Josh, so she deliberately misunderstood him as she withdrew her hand from his with a smile. “I’ll think about buying Lightning from you.”
She turned to follow Colt as he walked toward the horses. Colt mounted Scout and Elise mounted Bess. She waved to Josh and Ben as well as the rest of the Kelly family, as she and Colt walked their horses back in the direction of the Lonestar.
As soon as they were out of sight of The Double K, Elise kicked her horse into a full gallop. She heard Colt call her name, but she didn’t stop. She didn’t want to be alone with him. She wanted to ask him about leaving in the middle of the night, but she didn’t dare. Maybe he really meant for it to be a one-night stand. Plus, May put a whole new twist on things she hadn’t anticipated.
Elise slowed Bess to a trot once she reached the ranch. Colt was not too far behind her. She made it to the stables and dismounted. Where was everyone? The stables were empty. She listened, then she heard laughter and realized it was coming from the kitchen in the ranch house. It sounded like Nan was busy.