“That’s very… pleasant.”
He lifted his head. “Pleasant’s not good enough.” Wrapping her in his strong arms, he lifted her up and took her nipple more firmly into his mouth.
How she loved those he-man tactics. Only a man with a physical job like his would have the strength to lift and hold her while he enjoyed the bounty of her breasts. After Jack, she was completely ruined for wimps. She wrapped her legs around his hips and abandoned herself to the joy of his mouth and tongue.
But wrapping her legs tight around him made her aware of the hot ache in that part of her pressed up against his belt buckle. She’d wanted the whole enchilada, and that would have been wonderful if Jack still carried an emergency condom. But knowing he’d only done that when he was with her really did make her feel special. She couldn’t fault him for not having one now. He’d meant well.
But the longer he played with her breasts, the more tension built inside her, causing her to want his attentions to be a little more specific. She might have to settle for a little less than she’d originally hoped for. “Jack…”
“Hmm?” He paused in the middle of his most excellent caress.
“Maybe… you could undo my belt and unzip my jeans.”
His low, triumphant chuckle should have irritated her, but she was too far gone. As he eased her back onto her feet and unfastened her belt, she held onto his shoulders and whimpered. “Hurry.”
“I will. Just don’t go ahead without me.”
She might, she realized. The moment he shoved his hand inside her drenched panties, a spasm hit. “Oh, Jack.”
“I’ve got you.” With his other hand splayed against the small of her back, he pushed deep with two fingers and pressed his thumb against her clit.
A few quick strokes with those talented fingers and she came, crying out in relief and gratitude.
“Look at me, Josie.” He rotated his thumb over her flash point.
She lifted her eyes to his as tension coiled inside her again.
“Once more.” He began an easy rhythm, sliding his fingers back and forth, creating a sound both erotic and elemental. “It’s been a long time.”
“Yes.” Her voice was breathy, her willpower entirely gone. No one had ever brought out this kind of abandon in her until Jack. He awakened something primitive in her psyche, and she surrendered to it once again, letting him stroke her body to readiness as his dark eyes made love to her soul.
She moaned as the moment drew closer.
“Good?”
“You know it is.”
“Tomorrow, I want my mouth there.”
The mere suggestion catapulted her into another climax. She arched her back and gasped his name. He held her steady as the tremors rolled through her.
“That’s it,” he murmured. “Let go. Let go.”
And she did. She let go of her anger, her fears, and her inhibitions. Jack had that effect on her. Tomorrow she might decide indulging her craving for him was a really stupid idea. But for today, she felt sensuous, fulfilled, and gloriously free.
That couldn’t be all bad.
Chapter Seven
Jack was extremely grateful that no one happened to be around the barn area when he and Josie rode in. He wasn’t sure how someone else might interpret Josie’s pink cheeks, unruly hair, and wrinkled clothes, but he’d rather not test it. Josie was safely in her Bronco and headed back toward town when Gabe rode up on Finicky, a chocolate and white Paint Gabe used for cutting horse competitions.
“How’d it go?” Gabe dismounted and wrapped Finicky’s reins around the hitching post.
“Fine.” As Jack pulled off Destiny’s saddle and saddle blanket, he thought about Josie climbing back on Destiny after she’d done up her clothes.
She’d wiggled in the saddle and smiled down at him. “I’d rather ride you,” she’d said with a wink. “So don’t forget the condoms, cowboy.”
As if he would. All his noble intentions had been swept away by the prospect of having sex with Josie every morning for a week. He’d already thought of all the secluded places within a half-hour’s ride. A couple of spots were only about fifteen minutes from the barn, which would give them bonus time.
“Hey, Jack.”
“What?” He glanced up to find Gabe staring at him.
“I don’t mean to tell you your business, but you just took the saddle off that horse. I’m a little confused as to why you turned around and put it back on. Destiny looks a little confused, too.”
Heat climbed up from Jack’s shirt collar. Sure enough, he’d re-saddled Destiny and was busily tightening the cinch. The horse had turned his head to regard him with curiosity.
Jack reached for an explanation — any explanation. “I remembered as I took this saddle off that the cinch wasn’t quite right, like something was ripping loose. I wanted to check it out.”
“That’s usually best done in the tack room.”
“I like doing it on the horse.” He made a great show of crouching down and examining the cinch and buckle from all sides. “Looks okay, after all.” He gave Destiny a pat. “Thanks, son.”
Gabe’s snort of laughter told Jack he hadn’t fooled his brother at all.
“A little distracted, are we, Jack?” Gabe unsaddled Finicky.
“It’s possible.” Jack did his best to avoid Gabe’s knowing glance as he hauled the saddle off of Destiny for the second time.
“Good thing you’re hanging out with Josie now. Maybe in a week or so you’ll be desensitized enough to have a working brain.” Gabe carried the saddle and blanket into the barn.
Jack plopped Destiny’s saddle on the hitching post so he wouldn’t have to follow Gabe into the barn and put up with more ribbing. He had to get a grip. If he continued to wander around in a daze, people would notice, and they might start asking questions.
Questions could lead to assumptions, which could lead to everyone paying more attention to what he and Josie were up to. Jack didn’t want anyone to know about this new arrangement for obvious reasons. His family was already watching to see whether he and Josie would make it through the wedding without an incident. If they had any idea that he and Josie were going off into the woods for something besides riding lessons, Jack would never hear the end of it.
Josie was already behind the bar serving happy hour drinks when her brother came back from his day hike. When he walked into the bar wearing shorts and a Cubs T-shirt, several of the women there gave him the once-over. Josie sometimes forgot that her brother was a hunk, because to her he was just Alex, her beloved and also pain-in-the-ass big brother.
But with his blond good looks, broad shoulders, and lean hips, he could easily be one of the movie stars that vacationed in the Jackson Hole area. Yesterday Josie had answered a couple of questions from customers who wondered if Alex was from Hollywood.
They could tell he wasn’t from Shoshone, Wyoming. Men from Shoshone wouldn’t be caught dead in shorts and a T-shirt. Jeans, boots, and long-sleeved western shirts were the uniform around here, whether a guy was a true cowboy or only hoped to look like one.
Alex wasn’t a poser. He rejected the idea of trying to be something he wasn’t, so he stuck with his shorts and T-shirts during the day and only switched to jeans if the nights were chilly. Josie had offered to buy him a cowboy hat while he was here as a souvenir of his visit, but he’d told her that was silly because he’d never wear it. He favored ball caps.