hollow of her throat—“we fit together so well.”
He slid down her body. Placing a kiss on her breastbone. Her sternum. Her belly button. Then her bikini line. His eyes danced with mischief. “Ever had a man’s mouth down here?”
She shook her head.
He moved south until his face was level with her groin. He dragged his tongue from hipbone to hipbone. One. Twice. Three times.
Her belly muscles rippled, inside and out. “I—I . . .”
At the first swipe of his wet, soft, hot, determined tongue, Tierney decided she’d died and gone to heaven. He licked. Sucked. Tortured her with his mouth until her body nearly vibrated off the bed. Then he really unleashed all his oral tricks. She cried out when the vortex of pleasure dragged her in and spun her around, upside down, inside out, until she couldn’t breathe.
As she floated down from an orgasmic high, Renner was back on her. In her. Watching her eyes as he fucked her. Gauging her reaction to every little thing he did to her. Fast. Slow. Long. Shallow. Hard. Teasing. It didn’t take much for that thundering need to build again. Pulse hammering, hips slapping, sweat-slicked arms and legs fought for purchase on the slippery sheets as she detonated again.
As she came to, Renner stopped and pulled out quickly. He panted, “Dammit, no condom,” spilling his liquid heat on her belly.
Tierney never imagined the proof of his passion cooling on her skin would be such a turn-on. She arched, forcing their lower torsos to glide together in the sticky wetness.
“Sorry,” he murmured. “Won’t happen again.”
“I liked it. It was sexy.” She pressed her lips to his Adam’s apple. “Umm . . . is this where I tell you I take shots so I only get my period four times a year, but it also covers us for birth control, so you don’t have to pull out?”
He lifted his head. Smiled. Kissed her crazily. “Yes, this is the perfect time because I freakin’ hate condoms.”
“You do? But you’ve used them? You’re . . . safe?”
“I haven’t been with anyone for months, Tierney. And I’ve always been vigilant.”
“Good.” She studied him, debating on whether to say something possibly very dorky, or to let it go.
“What?”
“Thank you. This has been beyond what I ever expected. You were . . . this was perfect.”
He smooched her nose. “We’re just getting started. And I intend to give you a whole new definition for the term ‘all-nighter’.”
Tierney traced the shape of his smiling mouth. “I can’t wait. Let’s start now.”
Renner laughed. “Insatiable. I like that. But come on, let’s get cleaned up first.”
“Why can’t we stay here like this?”
“Because we’re sticky. Plus, I’m dying to see what crazy kinda shower curtain you picked for your bathroom.”
Chapter Twenty
When Renner saw Tierney meandering toward him, he hid in the shadows. She carried a clipboard, absorbed in flipping through the pages. Each time she inserted the pen in her mouth and pursed her lips around it, his dick pulsed into his zipper.
He’d intended to stay away from her last night and allow her body recovery time. He hadn’t been rough the first night, but he’d been thorough. Very thorough. That good intention had been blown to hell when he’d found himself at her front door and Tierney pounced on him. Pawing at his clothes. Begging him to touch her everywhere in a husky female whisper that fired a primal need. He’d obliged her, since it was a total rush to be on the receiving end of such unbridled lust.
They hadn’t made it to her bedroom. Renner stripped her, pinned her to the floor and used his mouth to get her off. Driving her higher until she gasped his name as she exploded against his tongue. Then he’d stretched out, bringing her on top to ride him. She had no hesitation at trying whatever he suggested or he demanded. When he focused on her nipples, while manipulating her clit, another powerful climax rocked her, and he got off just watching the surprise of ecstasy on her face. As soon as he stopped coming, her mouth was all over him. Sucking his nipples, mapping every dip and hollow of his body—throat, chest, arms, rib cage, abs, hips, quads—all while verbally marveling at his musculature.
The woman made him feel like a sex god.
So it didn’t sit well that Tierney might be embarrassed to face him. Or worse—had regrets for her uninhibited response to him.
Lost in concentration, she didn’t notice him until he moved in, curling his hands around her hips. “Hey. Are you avoiding me, Miz Pratt?”
“Stop it,” she hissed. “Discretion. Remember? Someone might see us.”
“Fine.” He herded her into an alcove that housed a janitor’s supply closet. Since she’d worn her hair up, his mouth automatically zeroed in to taste that tempting nape. “God, you smell good. I haven’t seen you today.”
Tierney clutched the clipboard to her chest. “Well, I’ve seen you.”
He stopped kissing the section of her hairline above her ear. “When?”
“At the corrals. Almost getting your melon trounced by fifteen hundred pounds of pissed-off bull.”
“You saw that?”
“Yes. And after you were tossed on your butt, you hopped on the back of a bucking bronc without a saddle.”
“I was ridin’ bareback. Saddles are for saddle bronc ridin’.” His thumbs caressed the lower curve of her back. “You chewing me out? I didn’t get hurt.” He noticed her breathing had changed. “Tierney? How long did you watch me?”
“Long enough to get all . . . hot and bothered. Highly distracting seeing you strutting around in those chaps. Then I couldn’t tear my eyes away as you rode.” She shivered. “Such control. Such strength. Such determination. Such concentration. Reminded me of last night.”
A possessive growl broke free. He needed to stake his claim on her again. Right. Fucking. Now.
“I had to stay away from you today. I tried to focus on doing my job, but all I can think about is doing you. I’ve never been the type to go overboard on anything. I don’t overeat. I don’t overspend. But now that I know firsthand how intense a physical relationship with you is? All I can think about is going overboard on you. You and me naked. All that delicious friction of interlocking body parts as you’re kissing me stupid.”
“Jesus, Tierney, you want me to drag you into the janitor’s closet and fuck you like an animal?”
“I’d rather you fucked me like an animal in our office where the door locks.” She turned that liquid gaze on him and he couldn’t help but capture her mouth in a savage kiss. Finally, he released her lips and softly snarled, “Go. I’m right behind you.”
Renner remained in the alcove, despite the temptation to watch her ass sway in that swishy black skirt. He waited five excruciatingly long minutes before he strolled down the hallway.
No one lurked in the main lodge but he cautioned himself not to take the stairs at a dead run. Not to act like he’d rip into anyone who stood between him and the paradise that waited behind his office door. He’d reached the third tread when he heard, “Renner?”
Never fucking failed.
He turned to look at Janie. “What?”
“Do you have a minute? I have a couple of questions—”
“Can it wait?”
She eyed him suspiciously. “I guess. But what’s going on? You’re acting awful tense.”
“I’m tense because Tierney summoned me to the office.”
“Want me to go with you and run interference?”
Fuck no. “Nah. I can handle it. Just keep everyone away.”
Renner didn’t wait for Janie’s response. He blew into the office. Shut the door. Locked it.
Tierney had pushed her chair aside and leaned over her desk.
Oh hell yeah. Welcome to his biggest fantasy. And she even wore those four-inch black and white polka-dotted stilettos.
He unbuckled his belt as he crossed the room. “Stay like that.” Then he was behind her, inserting his foot betwee
n hers, with a terse, “Spread ’em wider. If you don’t want this, say so now.”
“I want it. I want you. Makes me crazy how much I want you.”
His heart pounded. Every inch of his skin was stretched tight. He yanked his jeans and boxers down. Letting his fingers trace the backs of her thighs, past the sweet curve of her ass, he pulled aside that inconsequential thong and slid his index finger inside her. His brain registered wet, hot, ready. Renner flipped her skirt up. Spread her pussy open as he sited his cock and sank into her.
Tierney arched with a drawn-out, “Yes.” She squeezed her cunt muscles and threw her pelvis back.
That movement unleashed the beast. He wrapped his fingers around her hips and slammed into her. Hot as hell, seeing his cock disappearing into her pussy with his every powerful thrust. Next time he took her from behind he’d pull her butt cheeks apart, watching the rosebud of her ass clench as he fucked her.
He hammered into her, lost to everything but the sound of his flesh meeting hers. Of her heat and scent and need. Of her grunts competing with his.
“That feels... I’m so close.”
Renner changed the angle, allowing for deeper penetration.
“That’s it. Yes!”
Her voice had escalated with each word. Hopefully no one lingered outside the door because Tierney didn’t hold back when she started to come. And he’d never tell her to tone down her passion. Never. Made him cocky to know he was the only man who knew this passionate side of her. Her sexual greed and curiosity equaled his. Who would believe the brainiac city girl and the crude cowboy were so well matched?
One. Two. Three thrusts and she exploded. She didn’t scream; the noise was more of a wail, punctuated with yes yes yes. But it was loud. It was hot as sin.
The unrestrained sound of her pleasure, seeing her half-dressed, stretched over her desk—it was too much. He pounded into her snug pussy, coming so strongly the orgasm rocked him from his heels to his eyelashes.
He slumped over her, bracing his palms on the desk next to hers, gasping for air. As he nuzzled the back of her head, the scent of sex and flowers returned him to reality.
“Was there an earthquake?” she panted. “Or did we just shake the rafters?”
“You definitely shook me.” He slipped his cock free and turned Tierney into his arms. “Thank you for takin’ the edge off, but sweetheart, I’m not nearly done with you today. You . . .” Consume me. “Are too much temptation for me to resist.”
“Will I see you later?”
Not needy. Not expectant. Not accusatory. Just a simple question. “Yep.”
“After you chat up the guests. I could... cook.” She seemed very focused on the buttons on his shirt.
Renner tilted her face up. He loved the soft way she looked after she’d gotten off. “Want me to bring anything?”
“Just yourself.” Her kiss was sweet, but firm. “Now shoo. Since you’ve handled my distraction problem I might be able to get some work done.”
How hard could it be to throw a couple of pork chops in a pan?
Plenty hard, she found out.
She burned them to a crisp. While she was tending that fiasco, the potatoes boiled all over the stove. The only part of dinner she hadn’t managed to ruin? The salad. Simply because even she could rip open a bag of lettuce.
So Renner looked a little perplexed seeing her shivering on the living room floor, polishing off a bottle of cabernet.
“Tierney? Why are all the windows and doors open? It’s twenty degrees outside.”
She waved distractedly with the bottle. “The smoke detectors were beeping. I thought it’d clear the air faster since the wind blows so freakin’ hard in Wyoming. The smoke is mostly gone now.”
“Smoke from what?”
Tierney squinted at him. “Did you know that pork chops can actually catch fire?”
That factoid seemed to startle him.
“The potatoes . . . let’s just say burned cheesy potatoes could be used as tile grout.” She swigged directly from the bottle. “Or what’s that stuff they slap on the outside of houses?”
“Adobe?”
“That. Except it’d be yellowish orange instead of red. Or in the case of my potatoes—black.” Tierney closed her eyes in total mortification. “I hope the burned food thing doesn’t remind you of your ex-wife.”
“That’s what worries you?”
“Maybe. If you haven’t guessed by now, my attempt at dinner was monumentally fucked.” She hiccupped. “Bet you thought after I whipped up the brownies and saved the day I’d be an excellent cook.”
“You can’t cook?”
“No, I cannot. The brownies were a fluke.”
“So you lied to me?”
Without looking at him, Tierney held her thumb and index finger apart about two inches. “I just stretched the truth a tad.” And wasn’t that a true statement on more levels than was wise to contemplate when she’d been hitting the bottle.
Renner’s fingers caressed her cheek. “Why?”
“Because I didn’t want you to think I’m a dork who can’t cook a simple meal. But the truth is: I am a dork. I can decipher financials from ten companies at one time, but I cannot follow one recipe card.” She opened her eyes. “I’m sorry. Not only did I flambé dinner, I drank all the wine to calm my nerves after I had to throw my smoking pans in the snow and now I’m a little tipsy.”
He smiled. “So you are human. Good to know.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Tierney, darlin’, you’re intimidating as hell. You rarely make mistakes. You seem to know everything. It’s sweet that you wanted to impress me. It’s even sweeter yet that you failed. Hell, I’m impressed that you even bothered to try.” He adjusted her glasses. “And I like you tipsy. I bet you’re cuddly as a kitten.”
“You confuse me.”
“Good.”
That statement confused her even more.
“I’ll shut the windows so we don’t freeze to death.” Then he took her hands and pulled her to her feet. “You hungry?”
“Why? Can you cook?”
“Not worth a damn.”
“Oh.” They stared at each other. It wasn’t a particularly comfortable moment.
He gently asked, “I see the wheels churning in that big brain. What’s going through your pretty head?”
“I don’t know how to do this.”
“I know. To be honest, it’s been a while since I’ve done this too.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You do know I’m not talking about cooking, right?”
“Yes, I caught that.” Renner grinned. “You get more literal when you’ve been drinking too. It’s cute.” He traced her lips with his thumb. “No pressure. Let’s just hang out.”
Tierney flattened her palm on his chest. Then both palms. Would she ever quit marveling at his hunky, muscle-bound body? Probably not. Now that they were lovers, would Renner just let her touch him however she wanted? Actually, when she really thought about it, he’d been a little stingy giving her equal opportunity touching time.
“If you don’t quit lookin’ at me like that, I’m dragging you to bed.”
“Okay. Can I take your shirt off this time? Slowly? And kiss you all over? Because I really really like your body. A lot. A whole lot. I could spend days touching you.”
Renner groaned. “How about if you hold that thought and we snuggle up on the couch? It’s still damn cold in here.”
Once she and the big cowboy were cuddled together beneath a fleece blanket, his chest to her back, their legs entwined, she sighed. “This is toasty.”
His warm breath stirred her hair. “Wanna take bets on how long before you’re snoring in my arms?”
“I could think of a couple of ways you could keep me awake,” she purred.
“I’ll take it under advisement for later.”
“So what are we supposed to do? Just lie here and think happy thoughts?”
He chuckled. “You don’t ha
ve much downtime in your life, do you?”
“More here than I did in Chicago.” Tierney brought his knuckles to her lips for a kiss. “Although, I do find myself watching the sky change and drinking in my surroundings in ways I never have before since I moved here.”
“The way you say moved here almost sounds permanent.”
I wish. “Why did you move here? Was it really just owning your