A momentary wave of panic swept through Cheyenne when Nick’s mouth covered hers. But she quickly ceased thinking of why it was so important that she call a halt to their affair or the risk she was taking of losing what was left of her sanity. Nothing mattered but the fact that she was in his arms once again.
When he eased his lips from hers to capture her gaze with his, the heat in his deep blue eyes caused her insides to hum with an anticipation that robbed her of breath. “I want you, Cheyenne.” Low and slightly rough, his voice wrapped around her like a warm velvet cape and sent a wave of goose bumps shimmering over her skin. “I want to sink myself deep inside you and make our bodies one.”
She knew she was playing a dangerous game and there was a very real possibility of losing what was left of herself. But if all she could allow herself to have with him was this one final moment, she’d cherish the memory of what they shared, no matter how much heartache she suffered later. Right now, she needed to taste the desire in his kiss and feel the strength of his passion as he claimed her one last time.
“Make love to me, Nick.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, he swept her into his arms and carried her up the stairs to his bedroom. When he set her on her feet at the side of his bed, his sexy smile chased away the last shadow of her doubts and she knew in her heart she’d lost her internal battle the moment he’d touched her.
After bending to quickly remove their boots and socks, he straightened, giving her a look that threatened to melt every bone in her body. “As much as I want to make love to you, I need to know. Are you still sore, sweetheart?”
Her cheeks heated at his intimate question. “The soreness went away after a day or two.”
“Do you have any idea how pretty you are when you blush?” he asked as he removed the elastic band holding her ponytail.
“I’ve never associated embarrassment…with feeling attractive.” Her pulse sped up and her breathing became shallow when he trailed his fingers down her throat to her collarbone.
“I think you’re pretty when you’re happy, sad, angry—” he lightly ran his fingers over her shoulders, then down her arms to catch her hands in his “—and I even think you’re pretty when you’re embarrassed.” Smiling he brought her hands to his lips to kiss each one. “When we were young, I thought you were the prettiest girl I’d ever seen. Now that we’re grown, I know you’re the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen.”
Before she could get her vocal cords to work, he placed her hands on his shoulders, then reached down to tug the bottom of her tank top from the waistband of her jeans. Slipping his hands beneath the hem, the calluses on his palms sent waves of delight straight to the core of her as he caressed her ribs and the underside of her breasts.
“Raise your arms for me,” he whispered close to her ear.
When she did as he commanded, he swept the lavender garment over her head and tossed it to the floor. Then, cupping her cheek with one hand, he kissed her with a tenderness that brought tears to her eyes as he reached behind her with the other hand to make quick work of unfastening her bra.
“How do men…do that?” she asked, feeling more than a little breathless.
“Do what?”
“Unfasten a bra one-handed faster than most people can snap their fingers.”
A frown marred his handsome face as he leaned back to look at her. “How do you know—”
“Girl talk with some of my friends.”
His rich laughter made her warm all over as he tossed the scrap of lace on top of her tank top, then nibbled kisses from her ear around to her throat. “Never underestimate the talents of a man on a mission, sweetheart.”
At the feel of his lips on her sensitized skin, Cheyenne closed her eyes and let her head fall back to give him better access. A tingling excitement began to course through her veins, heating every inch of her as it made its way to pool in the pit of her belly. When he used his tongue to soothe the fluttering at the top of her collarbone, then kissed his way down her chest to the slope of her breast, she felt as if she’d melt into a puddle at his feet.
Caught up in the delicious sensations Nick was creating deep within her soul, her heart skipped several beats when he took her nipple into his mouth to draw on it deeply. Certain she’d burn to a cinder at any moment, she gripped his shoulders as the pooling of need in her lower body intensified.
“Do you like that?” His moist breath against her breast felt absolutely wonderful.
“Mmm.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Turning his attention to her other breast, he treated the hardened peak to the same delightful torture.
Wave after wave of desire washed over her and it came as no small surprise when she realized that Nick had unsnapped her jeans and lowered the zipper without her knowledge. Sliding her jeans and panties down her thighs, he quickly added them to the growing pile of her clothes on the floor.
“This isn’t fair. I’m completely naked and you still have all of your clothes on,” she said, reaching out to unfasten the metal snaps on his Western-style shirt.
Knowing it would be their last time together, she forced herself to go slowly, to savor and enjoy the exploration of his magnificent body. She wanted to memorize every moment, commit every detail of their lovemaking to memory.
As she unsnapped first one gripper, then another, she kissed every inch of newly exposed skin and by the time she parted his shirt, Nick looked like a man in pain. “I think you’re killing me.”
“Do you want me to stop?” She grazed his flat male nipples with the tips of her fingers and was rewarded by his low groan of pleasure.
“Hell no, I don’t want you to stop.”
The hungry look in his dark blue eyes encouraged her and pushing his shirt off of his broad shoulders, she tossed it aside, then placed her hands flat on his bare chest. His warm male flesh felt absolutely wonderful beneath her palms and as she mapped the ridges and planes of his muscular physique, he took several deep, shuddering breaths.
Smiling, she trailed her index finger down the shallow valley dividing his rippling stomach muscles. “Your body is so beautiful, so perfect.”
“It can’t hold a candle to the perfection of yours, sweetheart,” he said, shaking his head as he cupped her breasts with his hands.
The feel of his thumbs lightly chafing her tight nipples as he gently caressed her fullness sent her temperature soaring. He continued teasing her and by the time she unbuckled his belt and reached for the stud at his waistband, her fingers trembled from a need deeper than anything she’d ever experienced. Working the metal button free, she paused as she toyed with the tab at the top of his fly.
“It appears that you might have a bit of a problem.”
“You caused me to be like this, sweetheart.” The smoldering heat in his cobalt gaze caused the butterflies in her stomach to go absolutely wild and sent a shiver of anticipation up her spine.
Slowly brushing her hand across the faded denim, she smiled when he sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m responsible for this?”
“Yeah.” He leaned forward to nibble kisses from her shoulder, up her neck to just below her ear. “Now, what are you going to do about it?”
Carefully lowering the zipper, the sight of his arousal straining against his cotton briefs filled her with an irresistible urge to touch him. Running her index finger along the hard ridge, she felt a moment of panic when he jerked as if he’d been shocked with a jolt of electricity.
“Is that uncomfortable?”
“Sweetheart, if you don’t get the rest of my clothes off…it’s going to be damned near unbearable. Real quick.”
Cheyenne couldn’t get over how empowering it felt to know that she’d brought him to such a heightened state of need. “That wouldn’t be good.”
“No, it wouldn’t.”
The hunger in his steady gaze encouraged her and, sliding her hands beneath the elastic at the top of his briefs, she slid them and his jeans over his narrow hips and down his powerful thighs. When he stepped out of them, then kicked them aside, the sight of his fully aroused body caused her heart to stall.
Crooking his index finger, he gave her a sexy smile. “Come here.”
When she stepped into the circle of his arms, the feel of woman against man, skin against skin from shoulders to knees caused a delicious shiver of anticipation to slide through every part of her. But when he cupped her bottom in his large hands and lifted her to him, a sizzling awareness swirled from the top of her head to the soles of her feet, leaving her slightly dizzy from its intensity.
The honeyed heat deep in the most feminine part of her quickly changed to the empty ache of unfulfilled desire and she couldn’t have stopped a moan of frustration from escaping if her life depended on. “I need you. Now.”
“Easy, sweetheart.” His kiss was filled with pure male passion and awakened a yearning in her deeper than she’d ever dreamed possible.
By the time he broke the kiss, she felt as if she would go up in a blaze of glory at any moment. Nick must have experienced the same sense of urgency because he reached into the bedside table to remove a foil packet and quickly arranged their protection. Then, settling himself on the side of the bed, he guided her to straddle his lap.
“Put your legs around me,” he whispered hoarsely as he lifted her to him.
When she did, she reveled in the exquisite stretching of her body as he slowly eased her down onto his aroused flesh. Closing her eyes, Cheyenne felt a completeness that she knew in her heart she could never feel with any other man as he joined their bodies and made them one.
“You feel…wonderful,” she said, wrapping her arms around his wide shoulders.
“I was about to say the same thing about you.” His voice sounded strained and she could tell he was holding himself in check, making sure she was ready before he continued.
Opening her eyes, she raised one hand to thread her fingers in his thick, dark blond hair. Her heart ached with the need to tell him how special he was to her, how much she loved him. But knowing he didn’t feel the same, she swallowed back the words and chose to show him how she felt about him.
“P-please…make love to me, Nick.”
His gaze held hers as without a word he guided her in a leisurely rocking motion against him. When he slowly increased the pace, her head fell back as wave upon wave of exquisite pleasure radiated over every cell in her body. His lips caressing the sensitive skin of her throat and collarbone escalated the building tension deep inside her and all too quickly, she felt her body begin to tighten as the coil of need prepared to set her free.
He must have sensed her readiness because he tightened his arms around her. “I’ve got you, Cheyenne. Let go, sweetheart.”
If she’d been able to find her voice, she could have told him that she didn’t have a choice, that her body demanded she turn loose and reach for the completion they both sought. But her release from the captivating spell overtook her and she was cast into a vortex of incredible sensation.
Quivering from the waves of satisfaction flowing to every corner of her being, Cheyenne felt Nick’s body move within her one final time, then stiffen as he found his own shuddering liberation from the passionate storm. As she clung to him, they both made the journey to a place where they basked in the perfect union of two bodies becoming one heart, one mind, one soul.
Tears filled her eyes and she tightened her arms around him in an effort to make the moment last. But as she slowly drifted back to reality, she knew the time had come to end the madness. She only hoped she had the strength to carry through with her decision and tell him their affair was over.
Nick couldn’t believe the myriad of emotions tightening his chest. The possessiveness he’d been battling since seeing Cheyenne the first day of his return to the Sugar Creek ranch had grown into a force he could no longer fight. And it scared the living hell out of him.
He’d been a damned fool to think he could engage in any kind of physical relationship with her and not form some sort of bond. But to his relief, she’d apparently been just as affected by their affair. It hadn’t been lost on him that she’d stopped referring to their coming together as having sex and started calling it what it was—lovemaking.
His chest tightened further and he suddenly found it hard to breathe. Had he done the unthinkable? Had he fallen in love with her again? Had he ever really stopped loving her?
Thirteen years ago, he’d been an infatuated teenage boy with a case of raging hormones and an inherent sense of honor. And in his attempt to avoid being anything like his irresponsible father, he’d confused lust for love and decided they had to be married before he made love to Cheyenne.
That explained his feelings for her in the past. But what about the way he was feeling now? Was he once again mistaking lust for something deeper, something far more meaningful?
His heart pounded hard against his rib cage and he had to force himself to breathe. The last thing he needed right now was to complicate his life by falling for Cheyenne again.
Deciding it would be better to sort everything out later when he was alone and could think more clearly, he kissed her satiny cheek and concentrated on the present. “Any discomfort this time?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Good.”
They sat holding each other for some time before she started to pull away from him. “What’s your hurry?” he asked, tightening his arms around her.
“I need to…get home.” The tone of her voice warned him that something had upset her.
He lifted her from his lap to sit beside him on the bed. But instead of snuggling against him, she quickly stood up and started gathering her clothes from the pile on the floor.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
Instead of answering, she hurried into the bathroom. When she came out a few minutes later, he was waiting for her. There was no way in hell she was leaving until she explained what the problem was.
Placing his hands on her shoulders, he shook his head. “You’re not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.”
“Nothing…everything.”
She looked about two seconds away from crying and it twisted his gut into a painful knot to think he might have caused her distress. “Slow down and tell me what’s bothering you.”
“I can’t do this again.” Her voice was so soft and tremulous, he almost hadn’t heard her.
His heart stalled. She’d said there was no discomfort, but had he unknowingly hurt her in some way?
“Are you all right?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” Her sad smile caused his gut to twist.
“Then what’s wrong?”
A lone tear slid down her pale cheek. “You can’t change what happened any more than I can.” She wouldn’t look him in the eye when she motioned toward his clothes on the floor. “Will you please put something on? It’s very distracting to try holding a conversation with a naked person.”
“What do you mean we can’t change what happened?” Frowning, he turned her loose to reach for his jeans and briefs. “If I did something that’s upset you, I’m sorry.”
As he started pulling on his jeans, she walked out into the hall. Turning back, the sadness in her aqua eyes just about tore him apart.
“It’s not what you did, Nick. It’s what you can’t do.”
“Dammit, Cheyenne, wait a minute. You’re talking in riddles.”
In a hurry to follow her, he struggled to get his fly zipped, then started after her. But the sound of the front door closing behind her stopped him halfway down the stairs.
He had no idea what had just happened or why, but he had every intention of finding out. Turning, he went back to his bedroom for his shirt, then sitting on the side of the bed to pull on his boots, he thought about what she’d said.
For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what she’d been talking about. What didn’t she think they could change? And what was it that she thought he couldn’t do?
If she’d been referring to what happened thirteen years ago, she was right. He couldn’t change the past. But he could damn sure explain what happened that night and why he and his mother had left Wyoming under the cover of darkness.
But as much as he wanted to set the record straight once and for all, he decided to wait until they drove back from the auction tomorrow evening to tell Cheyenne the truth about that night. She was too upset right now to listen to what he had to say and he wanted her full attention when he told her the role her father and the sheriff had played in one of the darkest days of his life.
By the time Cheyenne parked her truck in front of her house, she had her emotions under control. But only just barely. She knew she’d handled the situation with Nick badly. But that couldn’t be helped. She’d done the best she could under the circumstances and if he didn’t realize that she was ending their affair, he’d figure it out soon enough.
He’d probably wonder why she’d changed her mind. He might even question her about it. But after a time, he’d accept that it was over and move on to find a woman who could keep her emotions in check. Considering that he didn’t love her, that shouldn’t take too long.
“You look tired, princess,” her father said as she let herself into the house through the back door. He was sitting in his wheelchair at the kitchen table with several of his old case files spread out in front of him. Slipping several of the papers into a folder, he stacked them on his lap. “Aren’t you feeling well?”
No. She wasn’t sure she’d ever feel good again.
“I do have a bit of a headache, but it’s nothing. I’ll be fine.”
His eyes narrowed. “You had to work close to that blackhearted excuse for a human being again today, didn’t you?”
“Daddy, please.” She rubbed her throbbing temples. “I’m really not up to another lecture on how reprehensible you think Nick is.”
His expression hard, he shook his head. “I just hate that you have to work for that illegitimate son of a—”
“Daddy!”
His features softened a bit. “I’m sorry, princess. But you’re too good to be anywhere near Daniels, let alone have to work for him.”
She knew her father only wanted the best for her and found the entire situation extremely frustrating. But neither one of them could change the fact that she had four more years on her contract with the Sugar Creek Cattle Company and there was no sense in belaboring the issue.
“Please, let’s not talk about it now.” She moved to take the files from him. “Do you want me to put these in your office?”
To her surprise, he held on to the files and shook his head. “Sit down and put your feet up. I’ll put these back in the file cabinet, then we can talk about driving down to the Bucket of Suds Bar and Grill for supper. My treat.”
“But I’d planned on making a meat loaf,” she said halfheartedly. She really didn’t feel like cooking, but she hated for her father to use what little spending money she gave him each month on her.
“We can have meat loaf another time.” He turned his wheelchair around and started rolling it toward his office. “You deserve a night off.”
Two hours later, as she and her father sat at a chipped Formica table at the back of the Bucket of Suds, enjoying plates piled high with spaghetti and meatballs, Cheyenne felt as if the world had come to a grinding halt when Nick walked through the entrance. Hadn’t she suffered enough turmoil in her life for one day? What on earth was he doing here? And what would her father do if he saw Nick?
As she stared at him, her chest tightened. She loved him so much she ached with it. And seeing him day in and day out without being held by him, loved by him was going to make the next four years drag out like a life sentence.
“Princess, did you hear what I said?”
Turning her attention to her father, she shook her head. “I must have been daydreaming.”
“I said we should eat out like this more often.” He smiled. “It feels good to get out of the house for a while.”
She was glad to see that her father was enjoying his night out. Because of the demands of her job, she didn’t have a lot of time to take him places and she knew he had to get bored staying at home all the time. She just hoped that he continued to enjoy himself and didn’t recognize Nick. Fortunately the restaurant was packed with the usual Friday night crowd and the chances of that happening were fairly good.
Keeping an eye on Nick sitting at the bar, she did her best not to let on that anything was out of the ordinary. “I don’t think our budget will allow us to eat out every week, but I think we can afford to do this once a month,” she said, smiling.
Her father nodded. “It’s something we can look forward to.”
Aware of every move Nick made, Cheyenne knew the second he rose from the bar stool and headed toward their table. She tried to dissuade him with a surreptitious shake of her head, but she could tell by the determined look in his eye her effort was futile.
He nodded a greeting as he passed their table on his way to the jukebox. “Good evening, Judge Holbrook. Cheyenne.”
“Who is that young man?” her father asked. “He looks familiar.”
Cheyenne took a deep breath. “That was Nick Daniels, Daddy.”
Her father’s congenial expression quickly changed to a glare. “What’s he doing here?”
“Probably for the same reason we are. His housekeeper went to Denver for the weekend and I assume he’s here to eat dinner.”
She swallowed hard when she recognized the beginning notes of the song she and Nick had always called theirs in high school. Why had he chosen that particular song out of all the ones on the jukebox?
“Housekeeper?” her father interrupted her thoughts. “Where’s his mother? Didn’t she come back to Wyoming with that whelp of hers?”
“Linda Daniels passed away about twelve years ago, Daddy.”
“Linda’s gone?” She could have sworn she saw a hint of sadness cross his face. But just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.
Deciding she’d only imagined the change in his demeanor, Cheyenne nodded. “Nick said she knew she didn’t have long to live when they left here to go to St. Louis.”
As he walked back toward the bar, Nick stopped at their table. “When you left this afternoon, I forgot to tell you that we’ll start loading the cattle we’re taking to auction after lunch tomorrow.”
Before she could respond, her father slammed his fork down on the table. “It’s a damn fool idea to be selling off good stock the way you’re doing. Of course, you never did have a lick of sense.”
“Daddy,” Cheyenne warned. Creating a scene in a public place would make the day go from difficult to unbearable.
“It’s all right, Cheyenne.” Nick smiled, but it was anything but friendly. “Your father has a right to his opinion.” Although he’d spoken to her, his gaze never wavered from her father’s.
“If you’ve said your piece move on, Daniels. You’re ruining my appetite.” As an afterthought, her father added, “And from now on, unless my daughter is on the clock, I don’t want you anywhere near Cheyenne. Is that understood?”
Nick shook his head. “In case you hadn’t noticed, she’s an adult now, Judge. Who she does or doesn’t see is her call. Not yours.”
The level of hostility between Nick and her father shocked her. “I think you’d both better calm down. This isn’t the time or place to be having a conversation like this.”
“I was leaving anyway.” When Nick finally turned his attention her way, the heat in his sensual gaze robbed her of breath and sent a shiver of awareness all the way to her soul. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, Cheyenne.”
As he walked away, her father continued his diatribe, but Cheyenne had no idea what he was ranting about. There had been a wealth of meaning in the look Nick had given her and there was no mistaking his intention.
He had questions and he wasn’t going to rest until he had the answers.