Come Closer, Cowboy Page 13

  He managed a grunt. Working his hands between her and the wall, he cupped her butt and pulled her against him. He was nuts, and too hard to be torturing himself like this.

  “See?” Eyes drifting closed, she let her head fall back and he accepted the invitation to kiss her throat. “Line dancing agrees with you.”

  Pausing briefly, he murmured, “Bullshit,” and then went back to kissing the side of her neck, her jaw, her chin, before moving on to lick the hollow above her collarbone.

  “Come on,” she said with a soft laugh. “You had fun. Admit it.”

  “I liked being with you and I liked seeing you happy.” But suffering through three damn songs? Nowhere close to fun.

  “The Full Moon isn’t big enough, is it? Maybe buying Fanny was a mistake. Maybe I—”

  “Maybe,” he said, lifting his head just as she opened her eyes, “you should worry about my fragile ego and quit talking about the bar.”

  She stared for a moment and then burst out laughing.

  “For a bartender you can’t hold your liquor worth shit.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “I didn’t drink that much.”

  He kissed the tip of her nose. “That’s my point.”

  “Look, I’m not even tipsy. I’m just happy, Gunner. Really happy. That’s all.”

  She smiled at him.

  He smiled back, but he couldn’t help wondering what exactly was making her eyes shine like she’d just cashed in a winning lottery ticket.

  Was it because she was starting a new life? Or maybe it was because she was finally having a life, period. Was it possible he had a little something to do with her newfound joy?

  He wanted to believe he did, and he knew he’d contributed some, but no sense fooling himself. Mallory didn’t think she could count on him when it mattered. She’d proved that when her car had broken down and she’d called Grace.

  The toxic mix of anger and disbelief he’d felt when he’d had to hear about it from Ben still got to him.

  Jesus, they’d just made love the night before and yet she’d called Grace and not him. He couldn’t seem to get past that.

  Hell, it had only happened yesterday, he thought dryly. He’d probably get over it and live.

  “What’s wrong?” Mallory asked at the same time the elevator dinged.

  He stepped aside to let her out first.

  “It’s the lobby,” she said, frowning. “How did we end up back here?”

  Yep, it was the lobby all right. Not a soul in sight. It was after 1:30.

  No one boarded and the doors closed.

  He pushed the button for the twelfth floor and trapped her in the corner, grabbing a handful of her dress. “Let’s see if I remember...”

  “What are you doing?” she asked, slapping at his hand and giggling.

  “What am I doing?” he echoed, moving slowly, enjoying the growing excitement in her sparkling eyes. “Shriek like that again and I’ll be sitting in the security office answering a lot of unnecessary questions.”

  She laughed and turned her face when he tried to kiss her mouth. “We’ll miss our floor again...” Her protest trailed off into a breathy moan as he slid a slow hand up her leg.

  Smooth as silk and so soft. He felt a shudder ripple through her body. He wanted her so damn much his own hand trembled against her skin.

  “Gunner?” she said softly, framing his face with her small hands and waiting for him to look into her eyes. “We’re here.”

  He just nodded and held the door back while he pulled himself out of the fog. She was already waiting in the corridor before he trusted himself to join her. With a sweet smile she slipped her hand in his and they walked in silence to the room.

  They each had their own key card but neither of them could find theirs. All Gunner wanted to do was touch the wisps of honey-colored hair curling around Mallory’s face. She kept swatting them, and him, away from her cheeks as she searched inside her purse.

  He stood there, useless as could be, trying to sort out something he’d thought about earlier. Something that was nagging at him.

  And then it registered, nearly clobbering him.

  They’d made love.

  A few minutes ago his exact thought had been that they’d made love the other night. Not just had sex. A first for him. Because he’d never...

  Hell, he wasn’t even sure he knew what love really meant.

  But Jesus H. Christ. He was pretty damn sure he was in trouble.

  * * *

  MALLORY OPENED THE door with her key card, wishing she knew what was wrong with Gunner. Whatever the problem was it had come on suddenly. She doubted he’d even looked for his key at all. He’d just stood there as though something had hit him upside the head.

  “I promise never to keep you out this late again,” she said in a teasing tone, hoping to jolt him out of his trance and get him inside the room without making a big deal of it.

  He shook his head, chuckling and looking more like himself as he closed the door behind him. “To think I used to be able to party most of the night and make it to the set ready and alert no matter what time they were shooting.”

  “Ha. You still do.” She tossed her purse onto the wing chair. She hated carrying it but the dress had no pockets. “Party, anyway. I wouldn’t know if you make it to work on time.”

  “Where did you get your information? The thrift store?” Pulling her close, he banded his arms around her until not even a sigh could slip between their bodies. “When was the last time I stayed up late partying?”

  His gray eyes nearly as dark as midnight, Gunner studied her face with that damn half smile that always gave her a shiver.

  Logically, it should’ve been offset by the sudden surge of heat she felt when his erection pressed against her belly, but all that did was make her weak-kneed. “I don’t know specifics.”

  “So, you don’t know, period.”

  “Probably when you were in Argentina.” Oh, hell, why had she brought that up? From the look he was giving her, the same thought occurred to him. “You know what? It was a dumb remark. Forget it.”

  “I was too busy worrying about unreturned phone calls to be having any fun.”

  “I know. It was unfair. I’m sorry.”

  He seemed to be waiting for more detail, but she couldn’t go there. Now wasn’t the right time to talk about it, if there even was such a thing. His mood had shifted on their second elevator trip. She couldn’t pinpoint how or why, but she hadn’t imagined it. In fact, he still wasn’t quite himself.

  But she owed him a truthful explanation. If only for him to have closure, because that’s what he really needed, whether or not he understood that.

  She’d finally figured it out, and was ashamed it had taken her so long. The way she’d suddenly disappeared—it was like when her mom had left. Without warning. She’d just packed a bag and hopped on the back of some guy’s Harley. Mallory had struggled so hard to understand why. How could it have been that easy to leave her child behind? As if Mallory hadn’t meant anything more than the pair of shorts her mom had abandoned because they couldn’t fit in her bag.

  Mallory had managed to make some peace with it over the years, but sometimes she still had bad days wondering and making up excuses...

  Gunner was watching her closely and she drew in a long breath, looking for calm. Who knew what he’d seen in her face? Instead of forcing her to elaborate, he kissed her.

  She would tell him. Eventually. Before he left Blackfoot Falls, which was a certainty she couldn’t bear to think about. Of course she’d leave out the part about how she might be in love with him. It was too humiliating. For now, it wasn’t a crime to simply enjoy each other.

  Gunner kept the kiss lazy and G-rated, and it was kind of nice not to be rushed. Though the action i
n the elevator had been pretty damn hot.

  She slid her hand down the front of his jeans, paused to cup him through the denim and reveled in his sharp inhale, in the slow sexy way he moved against her palm.

  Using her own hips to keep the fever burning, she went for his buckle.

  He broke the kiss but didn’t try to stop her. “I’m different now, Mallory,” he said, urging her chin up so they could look at each other. “Sure, I might have a beer or a shot with the guys, sometimes even a few drinks after we’re done shooting. But I’ve only been doing that when I’m on location. When we’d shoot around LA, either I went to the Renegade after work, or I was at home sleeping because we knocked off so late.” He brushed a stubborn curl away from her eyes. “Didn’t you notice?”

  “I did,” she said slowly, unsure how much she wanted to admit. Like how she’d sometimes driven herself crazy wondering if it was only wishful thinking or if Gunner really was spending more time with her. No, not her personally. That was the kind of daydreaming that got her into trouble. Even now, he’d just mentioned the Renegade. Not her.

  “Why did you think I was hanging around so much?” His voice was casual. His arms had loosened around her, and his body was more relaxed. And for the first time that she could remember, he made no effort to hide his thoughts. He let her see how deeply invested he was in her answer.

  And it scared the hell out of her.

  God, how tempted she was to finish unbuckling him, pull off his jeans, distract him with sex. To do anything to ensure tonight wouldn’t be ruined.

  Gunner took the decision out of her hands. He kissed her again. Hard. Leaving no room for doubt that he was staking his claim. She wound her arms around his neck as his tongue stroked hers, swept along her teeth, brushed the roof of her mouth, plunged deeper. He seemed to be on a mission to leave nothing untouched.

  The more he kissed her, the more she wanted. He kissed her harder and deeper and she wanted even more. Her muscles quivered with longing and the rest of her body felt close to meltdown.

  She rubbed against his erection until he groaned and scooped her up into his strong arms.

  She held on tight as he carried her to the bed. But instead of laying her down he left her standing on wobbly legs as he scattered kisses across her throat, down the side of her neck. When she swayed, he tightened an arm around her waist.

  “Tell me what you want, baby,” he whispered, his breath warm and moist and seductive. “Anything you want.”

  You.

  What if she just went ahead and said it out loud? What was the worst that could happen? He was going to leave no matter what. Go back to his life in LA. Anyway, he’d probably think she only meant sex.

  “Everything,” she said finally. He could do whatever he wanted with that.

  He smiled and pressed his mouth to her throat. Mallory’s heart pounded faster with each long slow stroke of his tongue down the slope of her neck. When he got to the strap of her dress, he caught it with his teeth and drew it off her shoulder. His free hand slid along the curve of her backside, squeezing gently.

  She clung to him, digging into taut skin and hard muscle, praying he wouldn’t release her. Her body was already limp, her legs unsteady. As he worked the strap down her arm, every random scrape of his teeth made her knees even weaker. A few more inches was all it would take to bare her breast to his mouth...

  If only he’d hurry.

  He pulled up her dress and stripped down her panties before she knew what he was doing. The unexpected move knocked the wind out of her. She swayed to the side but Gunner caught her, wrapping her in his arms and then laying her across the bed.

  His hand felt rough and hot on her skin as he pushed the dress up to her waist. Resting his palm on her belly, he paused to take in what he’d uncovered, his mouth curving in a satisfied smile. As his gaze moved over her, fire blazed in his eyes. His fingers lightly brushed the sensitive skin at the top of her sex, before he lifted her left leg and kissed the inside of her knee.

  He worked his way down her calf to her ankle, using his lips and tongue, then retraced the moist trail until he reached the inner flesh of her thigh.

  “Ah, Mallory,” he murmured between slow, damp kisses. “I’ve wanted this all night.” The hushed richness of his hypnotic baritone soothed even as it excited her. “I’ve wanted you. I always want you.”

  His voice had barely risen to a whisper as he raised his head slightly to meet her gaze. In his eyes, mixed in with the raging want, was a tenderness that tugged at her heart.

  She touched his face, then moved her hand to his hair. Burying her fingers in the thick softness, she cupped the back of his head and urged him down and pressed her lips to his mouth. The warm smell of his skin, the smooth firmness of his lips, they filled her senses.

  “Your clothes, Gunner,” she whispered. “Take them off...”

  With slow reluctance, he straightened away from her and unsnapped his shirt, his eyes on her the whole time. His buckle was undone and he got rid of the belt, flinging it aside with the shirt, then pulled off his boots. Fighting her sudden lethargy, she refused to allow her heavy lids to close. She wanted to watch him, study the dusting of hair across his tanned chest, the ridges of muscle that defined his flat belly.

  Every part of her woke up when he got on the bed. “Wait,” she said, her voice rising. “Your jeans.”

  Gunner smiled. “Shh, baby, I’ll get to it,” he said, and rubbed a soothing hand up her calf as he moved in between her thighs.

  He leaned down to kiss her as he grabbed a pillow and tucked it under her head. She saw then he wasn’t all that steady himself. He spread her thighs wider and his mouth sank down on her.

  The amazing feel of his tongue slipping past her lips stole her breath. His muffled moan sent heat searing through her veins. Whimpering, she caught a fistful of his hair but that didn’t stop him. It seemed to excite him.

  His pointed tongue probed deep while his finger slipped around her sensitive flesh. He lingered on her clit while she writhed and inhaled great gulps of air that weren’t enough.

  He sucked hard, blew lightly and licked her with his long flat tongue.

  She arched against his mouth, soaring nearer and nearer to orgasm. It was too soon. She wanted it to last. Just a while longer...

  The first glimmer of sensation flared in warning. Mallory couldn’t have held out if she’d wanted to. She gasped, moaned, whimpered. No matter how hard she bucked, Gunner’s mouth stayed on her, ruthlessly pushing her to the next level, his tongue and warm breath fanning the flames that threatened to consume her.

  Her heart pounded wildly, her skin tingled and the rest of her soared.

  Everything blurred after that, as though she’d lost a measure of time. Vaguely aware that he was now sitting next to her, she blinked at the hand he offered.

  He helped her into a sitting position, then tugged her dress up and over her head.

  “Be careful,” she said, catching his arm as he was about to toss it. A small self-conscious laugh escaped her. “I love my dress. Thank you.” She put her arms around him, and rubbed her beaded nipples against his back. “You’re probably sick of seeing me in jeans.”

  “That’s not why I bought it,” he said, his voice gruff as he twisted around and sucked a nipple into his mouth.

  He tried urging her to lie back but she wasn’t about to let him have his way. It was her turn.

  “I want to be on top.”

  He sucked harder, and she shuddered.

  “Fine by me,” he said and she jumped in to help him undress.

  With his belt gone, it was easy to undo the top button of his jeans, but getting the zipper down was something else. He ended up doing that part, but she tugged the jeans down, along with his very sexy boxer briefs.

  But now, she wanted him on his back.
With a flat palm to his chest, his heart pounding hard and fast against her hand, she pushed him back, skittering away so he could bring his legs up.

  He adjusted the pillow as she got ready, making sure he was in a position to watch.

  When she didn’t immediately climb on board, he frowned. “What are you waiting for?”

  “Shh, baby,” she mimicked, teasing him by dragging the tips of her fingernails up the inside of his thigh. “I’ll get to it.”

  He narrowed his darkened eyes and gave in to a smile.

  She straddled his thighs and he jerked his hips up to meet her. “Easy, cowboy,” she whispered, thrumming with excitement and not sure how long she could play this out.

  Finally, she raised herself over him.

  She started her very slow descent and the moan he let out thrilled her to her toes. To think she could make Gunner putty was almost unbelievable, although she wasn’t far behind. She sank down another inch and tightened her inner muscles, squeezing as hard as she could.

  Gunner’s head went back into the pillow, his jaw clenched, his groan deep and raw, rumbling from way down in his throat.

  He grasped her hips, trying to control her movements. But she wasn’t ready to sink all the way down yet and wouldn’t be hurried.

  He surged up.

  She was breathless for a moment, startled by the unexpected impact. What started out as a soft gasp morphed into a whimper at the sensation of being utterly and completely filled until she thought she might explode. Every muscle in his body was like steel, tense and straining, his fingers digging into her hips. Mallory had the vague thought that it just might be the only thing keeping her intact.

  She gave up any illusion of control. Neither of them fought the rhythm that came as naturally as it would have if they’d done this a thousand times. They wouldn’t last very long. She knew that, and yet when the first wave overtook her, she gasped, completely unprepared. Her reflexive arch pulled him deeper inside her. Each spasm robbed her of more air.

  Gunner moaned, a harsh, rough cry that sounded as if it had come from someplace so deep and primal it had never existed before this moment. His possessive grip on her hips tightened as he thrust up past the hard clench of muscle convulsing around him. His final moan could’ve woken the dead.