“Put that aside for a second,” he suggested. “The real question is do you want to be with me?”
“Yes,” I whispered because I couldn’t deny it.
“Good.” He smiled, and that flutter only got stronger. “Then we won’t let them watch. We’ll keep this private until we figure out where it’s going. No more public dates unless it’s related to the rodeo or we’re with your friends and you’re beingfriendly,” he emphasized.
Cal was full of surprises, and I added this to the “Unlike Luke” list. Luke had often treated me like a trophy, showing me off to his friends and frat brothers in college. He’d even told me how to dress. I’d been too young and in love to realize how controlling it was, how invested he was in making sure I looked good on his arm. The same had been true when we’d come to Poplar Springs after our wedding. Cal didn’t seem to have that kind of ego. He didn’t need me to be on display. More notably, he encouraged me to stand out. He seemed to love that I was better than him at axe throwing while Luke would’ve pitched a fit and insisted we leave.
“Give us a chance, sweetheart,” Cal said. “We’ll be discreet.”
He really didn’t care if we kept our deepening relationship a secret until I was ready. That made him even more special in my mind, so Ireached out and grabbed his jacket, bringing him closer before kissing him.
My body hummed with desire and all I could think was that I wanted him in my bed. “Stay the night with me,” I whispered when we finally parted to take a breath.
“I’d love to, but…” He didn’t need to finish the thought.
I lived with my dead husband’s family. My bedroom was isolated on the opposite side of the house from Laura’s and Jake’s rooms, but the morning would be the problem. That was a complication. I thought quickly. There had to be a solution.
“We can say you slept on the couch because you had one too many or you were too tired to drive back to town. Brian does it sometimes when he and Jake hang out. In fact, Laura keeps blankets and a pillow in a basket in case it happens.”
“I should say no, but I can’t seem to do that with you,” he said and kissed me again. The decision made, we went inside and took off our shoes, so we wouldn’t make any noise on the hardwood floor. Holding his hand, I led him through the dark house, guiding him around furniture and quietly passing Henry’s closed door. Fortunately, he always slept heavily.
Oh, God, I was sneaking a man into the house. I never did anything like this as a teen but here I was, at thirty, doing exactly that. A nervous giggle escaped me as I reached my bedroom door and led him into the room.
“Something funny?” he asked, softly closing the door behind him.
“No, I’m just…” Before I could finish, he pulled me into his arms and started a kiss that wiped out my nerves and any final misgivings. Everything faded except for the two of us. I pulled his hat from his head and tossed it aside so I could run my fingers through his hair. It was thick and soft.
“Unbutton my shirt,” he whispered against my lips. “I’ve been dying to feel your hands on me.”
With trembling fingers, I unsnapped his western style shirt until it was open down the front. He shrugged out of it, dropping it to the floor at our feet. My hands molded the firm muscles of his chest and shoulders and lingered over his toned stomach.
“So good,” he said, kissing me again, and worked the zipper of my dress down my back. I felt the tug and waited for him to finish removing the garment, but he paused, his hands coming to my face. “Amy, tell me again that you want this.”
“I do. I want you,” I said and wiggled my shoulders, so the dress slithered down my body.
He held me at arm’s length from him, his gaze traveling over me. “So lovely. Every part of you.” His fingertips trailed along the tops of my breasts and then went lower until they found the waistband of my panties. “We should get in the bed. I want to love you.”
He scooped me up and placed me in the center of my bed. I sat up to watch him shed the rest of his clothing. He caught me watching and grinned at me. “You’re beautiful.” As soon as I said it, I wanted to take it back. That wasn’t something you said to a man, but he truly was. His muscles were shaped from long hours in the saddle and the rodeo competitions he participated in. He was long and lean in all the right ways.
He looked pleased at the compliment, preening a bit as he pulled down his boxer briefs and kicked them off. My mouth dried.Everypart of him was long and perfectly formed, and I shuddered in anticipation.
Cal reached for me, his hand landing on my ankle. He rubbed the top of my foot, then did the same to my other foot. Pushing my legs wider apart as he knelt between them. He stroked my calves, working his way up. The calluses on his hands from roping added to the sensation and tension spiked at the base of my spine when he swept his thumbs over the backs of my knees.
I’d had no idea that was an erogenous zone, and I desperately wanted to find out how many I had and where. He touched another when his palm brushed against the inside of my thigh and I collapsed back on the bed, feeling my body tingle in anticipation. If he felt this good now, what would happen when he… “Oh!”
Cal kissed everywhere he touched and I shuddered. “Oh, oh, oh!That’s… don’t stop,” I whispered. He smiled against my leg and kept going rubbing his stubble up my leg before blowing warm air across the top of my panties.
He worked his way up my body, my back bowing with each intense sensation. He explored every inch of me as if he couldn’t get enough.
“I’m going to slip this off you now, sweetheart,” he said when he reached under me to unhook my bra and pull it off. He cupped my breasts, his thumbs brushing across my nipples, which stiffened nearly to the point of pain. Nothing had ever felt better. “Just as beautiful as I imagined.”
“You thought about this, about me?” My words came out breathlessly.
“Oh, yeah. Couldn’t stop myself.” He plucked at my nipples, causing an intense spread of warmth between my thighs. When he finally lowered his mouth to my breasts, I arched up into him, our bodies rubbing together intimately and making me tremble with need. “Feels good,” he said when my hands stroked down his back to cup his butt.
I wanted him closer. Needed him inside me. My body would surely combust if it didn’t happen soon. I’d never been this turned on before.To my dismay, he leaned back putting some distance between us. “Don’t leave,” I pleaded.
“I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart. Just getting rid of these.” His fingers caught the sides of my panties and moved them slowly down my legs. “And getting this.” He reached down to his jeans and fished a condom out of his wallet. I watched him tear the wrapper and roll the condom on, anticipation threatening to send me over the edge before he even made it inside me.
