Golden light of a new morning spilled through the shutters and onto Clay’s eyelids, but he was too comfortable holding his little wildcat. He kept his eyes closed, enjoying the feel of her in his arms, filling his lungs with her perfume of vanilla musk and the scents of their mingled sex.
Rylie stirred next to him, her hip rubbing against his hard-as-iron length. “Better watch it,” he murmured, his voice thick with sleep. “Or I might just have to wake you properly.”
“Oh, yeah?” Her tone was light and teasing as she caressed his forearm.
But then he heard a familiar metal click at the same moment cool metal clamped around his wrist.
His eyes shot open and he yanked his arm, only to have metal dig into his flesh. He was handcuffed to the bed rail.
Rylie giggled, rolling away from him and off the bed before he had the chance to grab her with his free hand. She dragged the comforter along with her so that he was completely naked, then dropped it to the floor as she said, “I told you that you’d pay.”
“You sure did.” Clay couldn’t help but grin at the sight of her eyes glinting with laughter. But his smile faded as his gaze traveled down her length, from her tousled hair to her pert nipples, on past her flat stomach and below.
He was so hard he was afraid he wouldn’t last but a few seconds. “Over here. Now.”
Her grin widened. “Don’t you know? Paybacks are a bitch, sugar.” Letting her gaze linger on him, she licked her lips. Something told Clay he just might enjoy her version of paybacks. But then again, when it came to Rylie Thorn, nothing was a certainty. And nothing was easy.
“I have to teach you a lesson.” She walked around the bed, studying him like a buyer examining a bull at an auction. “Now, I could just leave you locked up... Take your truck and go on home.”
Clay frowned. “Uh, honey—”
“Hold on, I’m thinking here.” Rylie held up her hand, a look of serious consideration on her face. “Or, I could force you to have wild sex with me.”
“That’d be a hardship.” Clay’s cock jumped against his belly, and he held back a grin. “But I think I could manage.”
“Hmmm.” She strolled closer to his side of the bed, but kept her enticing body out of reach. “Of course, I could always get my revenge in another way.”
A rumble of sheer lust rose up in his throat, and he bit the inside of his cheek so hard he tasted blood.
“Do you want to touch me, Clay?” Slowly, deliberately, she ran her tongue along her lower lip while she cupped her breasts in her palms, her chocolate eyes focused on him.
“Yeah.” His voice was hoarse and he swallowed, hard, then swallowed again as she pulled at her nipples. Nipples he wanted to suck, and lick, and nip at with his teeth.
A sensual smile teased the corner of her mouth as she let one of her hands drift down her flat belly to her silken sex. “Would you like to see me touch myself?”
“Rylie…” Clay groaned and pulled against the restraint, wondering if he could bust the rail, snatch her before she knew he was loose, and take her ten ways till Sunday. He was so hard his erection practically pointed toward the ceiling.
“How about if I make myself come while you watch?” She widened her stance and slipped her fingers lower. Her lips parted and her eyelids fluttered as she stroked herself with one hand while tweaking her nipple with her other. “I like how you feel inside me, Clay.” Again she licked her lips, this time her gaze focused on his erection. “Would you like to be inside me now?”
“Hell, yes.” The cuff rattled against the rail as he strained against it.
“What if I sit on your face?” Rylie seemed lost in the sensations of taunting him while stroking herself. “Would you like that?”
He clenched his fist and practically growled at her. “Why don’t I show you?”
She turned her back to him and bent over, her legs parted so that he could clearly see her beautiful shaved skin, and her fingers teasing, teasing, teasing. Looking over her shoulder, she said, “Would you like to take me from behind?”
Clay roared and slid his legs over the side of the bed, trying to grab her with his free hand. The cuffs slid along the rail and held fast, keeping Clay only inches from reaching Rylie.
She taunted him as she looked over her shoulder and gave him that sexy smile. “Yeah, that’s it.”
He yanked so hard against the restraints that the bed moved a good six inches.
Rylie gasped as Clay hooked his free arm around her waist and pulled her ass tight against him. “You need to be punished, woman.”
“I have been a bad girl.” She bent even lower, rubbing her ass against him. “So what are you going to do about it?”
“Ride you until you can’t walk straight.” Clay stepped back against the bed, dragging Rylie with him. In a quick motion, he flipped her around. She squealed as she found herself sprawled on the bed, her ass sticking up in the air. It was a tricky maneuver, considering he was handcuffed to the rail, and it didn’t leave a lot of room for error. But he was a man on a mission.
He guided himself into her wet folds, nudging her legs farther apart. The walls of her core gripped him tight and he damn nearly came.
She moaned as he sank deep inside her. Gripping the bed sheet in her hands, she pressed her ass back against him. “I’ve been a real bad girl. I think you’d better take that into consideration.” The cuff yanked against Clay’s wrist as he powered himself within Rylie’s slick depths. Her passionate cries added even more fuel to his frenzied thrusts.
He didn’t have much more time before he came. This woman drove him crazy, made him so damn hot with lust he couldn’t think straight. As he pumped in and out of her, he reached around her hips and stroked her swollen center.
That was all it took. She screamed into the bed sheet, her body tensing against him, the muscles of her core clenching him tight. Clay bit back a shout as he came. He throbbed and pulsed as he collapsed against her backside, doing his best to keep his weight off her.
“Mmmm.” Rylie sighed, enjoying the feel of Clay’s muscled body pressed along her length. She wiggled her hips and was rewarded by the feel of him hardening inside her. “What’s for breakfast?”
Clay chuckled and pressed his lips to her hair. “Depends on whether or not you unlock this cuff.”
“And if I say no?”
“Then I keep you right here where I’ve got you.”
“That’s not so bad.” She shimmied her hips again. “I kinda like it.”
“Uh-huh.” The cuff rattled against the bed rail as he shifted. “I’m getting a cramp here.”
“Ahhh, poor baby.” Rylie tried to move out from under Clay’s weight, but he had her pinned tight to the mattress. “Okay. Let me go and I’ll get the key.”
“How do I know I can trust you?” Clay withdrew from her core and eased his weight to the side, but still kept his free arm around her waist. “After all, you are a real bad girl.”
“Well, next time you can spank me.” Her remark was flippant, but in the next second Clay smacked her ass with the flat of his hand. “Ow!” Surprise shot through Rylie. His hand was so large compared to her butt that both cheeks stung, yet the sensation made her ache.
“If you’re bad, that’s what you can expect.” He nuzzled her nape, his breath warm across her shoulder blades.
Rylie moaned. “Don’t forget. This bad girl always gets her revenge.”
“I’m counting on it, little wildcat.” Low laughter rumbled through Clay’s chest. “I’m counting on it.”
Clay asked Rylie to spend all of Sunday with him, but she insisted she had to get home and take care of her share of chores around the ranch. He had a feeling, though, that it had more to do with her fear of getting too close to him. Even after all that they had shared since last night, he could sense her pulling away from him, trying to distance her emotions and her heart.
After a leisurely breakfast, Clay drove Rylie back to her ranch, and then walked her up to the front porch. She paused, her fingers gripping the handle of the screen door, and raised her eyes to meet his. “Thanks for the hot time, cowboy.” Her tone was light, but her eyes were so dark they were almost black. Like she wanted him right this minute.
He reached up and caught a wisp of her blond hair, fingering the soft strands. “How ’bout I take you out for dinner tomorrow night. I know a great Mexican restaurant.”
She shivered, as though unnerved by his nearness. “I thought you were worried about being mobbed in public.”
“It’s not so bad early in the week.” He moved in closer, pressing her up against the screen. “It’s easier to tell a few people to go to hell, rather than a large crowd.”
“I... I’m busy Monday.” Rylie swallowed, her throat working. She put her palms against Clay’s chest, as if she was trying to bolster her determination. “Actually, the whole week’s pretty tight.”
“Sure it is.” He brushed his lips across her forehead. Even though they’d taken a shower together, he thought he could still smell the scent of their sex. “Change your plans.”
“Can’t.” Her response was barely a whisper as his mouth trailed from her forehead to her ear. She clenched her hands in his shirt and tilted her head back, a soft moan rising in her throat.
“My dad always taught me there’s no such word as ‘can’t.’ ” Clay moved his lips over hers. “Anything you truly want, you can have. Anything you put your mind to, you can do.”
“And you put your mind to taking me out?” Her breath was warm against his mouth, her gaze focused on his lips.
“Uh-huh.” Clay took possession of Rylie’s mouth, his hands sliding around her slender waist and drawing her tight along his length. The woman was fire in his blood, singeing him, until she’d burned a permanent hole in his heart. No way was she getting away from him, no matter what she might think.
Her fingers gripped his shirt tighter as their mouths mated. His tongue gained entrance to her willing mouth, and her sweet taste swept through him like the warm rush of rain in a summer thunderstorm.
“Where the hell have you been?” A man’s voice growled from the other side of the screen door.
The sound of her brother’s voice startled Rylie. She jerked her head back, breaking the kiss, but Clay held on to her, keeping her pinned to him.
“Dammit, don’t sneak up on me like that, Levi.” Her tone was slightly breathless as she turned to look at her brother through the screen door.
She glanced back up at Clay and saw a predatory look in his eyes. “ ’Morning, Thorn,” Clay said as he pulled her away from the door, giving Levi enough room to open it and step through.
Levi glared at Clay, that protective-older-brother look in his blue eyes, then turned his frown on Rylie. “Since when do you stay out all night without calling home?”
“You knew where I was.” Rylie straightened to her full five feet four inches, and raised her chin. “I’m twenty-eight years old. I certainly don’t need to report in to you.”
“Well, how about a bit of common courtesy?” He brushed past her and Clay, and headed to the far end of the porch where an enormous box stood that she hadn’t noticed before. “You had me worried.”
“You could have called.” She pushed away from Clay, and felt relieved when he let her go. “What’s that?”
Levi dug in his front pocket and pulled out his pocket knife. “New water heater.”
“We can’t afford a new heater.” Rylie put her hands on her hips and frowned at her brother. “How in the hell did you pay for it?”
He shrugged and used his knife to slice the plastic straps around the cardboard. “Don’t worry. It’s taken care of.”
“What do you mean, don’t worry?” If there was one thing Rylie couldn’t stand, it was to be told to butt out of something she considered to be her business.
“I said, don’t worry about it.” Levi spoke through clenched teeth and gave her “the look” that said they’d discuss it when they didn’t have company.
Her gaze shot to Clay. He had his thumbs hooked through his belt loops and was watching Levi cut open the box. “Need some help getting that inside the house?” Clay asked.
“Sure.” Levi gave a quick nod. “If you have the time.”
“I’ve got all day.” Clay winked at Rylie. “I can help you install it, if you’d like. I’ve got some experience there.”
Rylie raised her hands in exasperation. Here she thought she’d be escaping his incredible masculine magnetism, at least for the rest of the day. Sure, the sex was great, but she needed time to gather her wits. Needed space away from this man who turned her inside out and made her feel like a simpering little fool.
“All right.” She moved to the screen door and propped it open. “You two men enjoy tearing up the place. Just don’t expect me to serve anything fancier than a pitcher of iced tea and a box of macaroni and cheese.”
Clay flashed her a quick grin. “I like mine extra, extra cheesy.”
“I’d like lemon but no sugar in my tea, Ry,” Levi called out as he ripped the cardboard away from the new water heater.
Shaking her head, Rylie headed into the house and let the screen door slam behind her.
Men.
***
Clay worked with Levi in companionable silence for a while, debating various ways to ask him a few casual questions without putting him on the defensive. In the end, it was Levi who broke the ice after spending ten minutes cussing a pipe fitting without ever saying the same word twice.
He pulled up, wiped sweat off his face with his glove, and tossed Clay a half-sheepish glance. “Sorry. My temper gets away from me sometimes. I got it from my father.”
Clay sat down on the floor outside the closet where the water heater was trying to refuse to fit. “Rylie’s mentioned a little about that guy. Sounds like a real prince.”
“Dad was a shit, but I know he tried to love us.” The focus in Levi’s blue eyes sharpened, and Clay thought he caught a trace of U.S. Marshal in the man, the natural sureness of a hunter who could stalk and kill bad-ass villains without much remorse. “How about you, Wayland? You got a temper?”
And just like that. I’m the one being interrogated. Clay knew the man wasn’t posturing, but he was definitely making an implied threat. Or, more like a promise. It didn’t rattle or offend Clay in the least. He appreciated the fact that Rylie’s brother looked after her. “I’ve got a little bit of a temper, but my job requires me to keep a cool head.”
Not good enough. Clay could tell by the frown stamped on Levi’s serious features. “Would you ever turn that temper on my sister?”
“Never.”
That, Clay saw, was good enough. The frown eased into a more relaxed expression as Levi heard the truth in Clay’s voice. He stepped out of the closet and sat on the floor across from Clay, and for a few seconds, they gulped iced tea in silence.
“Ry’s tough as nails,” Levi said, looking directly into Clay’s face, “but she’s soft, too. I take it personal when somebody steps on her.”
“Won’t happen. Not with me.” Clay put his tea down, his muscles tightening as instinct told him Levi might be on the verge of saying something more important than the whole big-brother routine.
Levi let out a long breath, then stared up at the ceiling. “She told me about getting in Francisco Guerrero’s face. I think she may have stepped in it with that asshole.”
Clay felt his tension slowly converting to anger and wariness. “What makes you say that?”
“He sent some boys around to rattle her... more than once, I think. I headed them off the last time, even went and had a word with Guerrero.” Levi’s blue eyes drilled into Clay. “I’m not sure he listened, if you get my drift. Maybe he’d listen to you a little harder, since you’ve got a badge and a gun to back it up.”
The anger in Clay’s gut grew until he knew his face had to be turning red. He picked up his tea again, clenching his fist around the glass and fighting an urge to plow out of there and pound on Guerrero until the sneaky little shit couldn’t bother anyone ever again. “No problem. I’ll make sure your message gets through.” Levi nodded, and Clay felt the common ground between them getting firm.
“If he comes after Rylie, I’ll take him down.” Levi’s expression was earnest and intense. “You can do whatever you have to do to me after that—I’m just letting you know, man to man.”
Clay put down his tea and stood, and Levi got to his feet and faced him. Clay put out his hand to the other man, and made sure to keep his gaze steady. “If he comes after Rylie, I’ll be standing right next to you, Levi.”
Levi hesitated for a second, then shook his hand. “Okay, then. And thanks.”
Clay wanted to tell the guy not to thank him, not yet, but he didn’t want to destroy the small amount of trust they had just built unless he absolutely had to. He liked Levi, both as Rylie’s brother and as a potential friend. Maybe even as a deputy if he could talk the man into living for law enforcement again.
I sure as shit don’t want to arrest him.