Chapter Three

Dean fought the burn threatening to rush down his cock as he entered Lori with one thrust. Warm, wet and tighter than he remembered, the instant pleasure was so intense it was painful. He still hadn’t recovered completely from the blow she gave him to the balls, but there wasn’t anything in this world that would stop him from taking her. She locked her ankles around his hips and drew him deeper, sending a shudder through his body. If he lost control, came before she did, Lori would know this moment meant more to him than anything in this world.

He had missed her so much. Only his anger—oh, who was he kidding—his hurt had helped him to survive without her. He was as guilty as she was for what happened.

Moisture touched his eyes. He quickly bowed his head on her shoulder to hide his emotions.

Damn her for turning him into a bundle of raw nerves. Only when the strain against his erection eased could he begin to rock, gliding in and out between her slick slit.

She gasped and moved against him.

“Fuck.” It felt so good. Before he could say something damaging like “I love you”, he took her mouth in another kiss. But this one was tender. He attempted to rein in his tormented feelings, tried to take hold of himself and the situation.

Dean just about had everything under control, until she cried. “More, Dean. Harder.” Her desperate cries threw him over the edge and he lost it.

He tore his lips from hers. Air escaped from his lungs in a single gush.

Blood rushed to his groin. His balls slammed tight against his body. Grinding his teeth, he held on to his climax—barely.

As he withdrew, his cock hardened even more, making his toes curl in his boots. With a savage thrust, he buried himself deep into her warmth. Flames licked his moist skin.

Her inner muscles clamped down then rippled across him, lighting the fuse to his orgasm. He exploded. With one more grind of his hips against hers, he paused, unable to move as he came.

With a sudden jerk, she threw back her head and screamed, following him into the arms of heaven. A series of spasms made her twitch and writhe against him.

Damn. It drove him crazy when she did that.

A low, sated sigh brushed the damp hair at his neck and sent goose bumps across his arms.

In the afterglow, he held her, unwilling to release her. Not now. Not when his nightly dreams were finally coming true. But the sound of the bar door opening and the rise of voices yanked him back to reality.

He had just fucked Lori Dayton in the parking lot of the Hillside Bar.

Without a second thought, he let her slide down his body. His breathing was labored, rapid pants. He frantically started to gather her clothes. He threw her jeans at her. She flinched, catching them before they whacked her in the face.

Mitch was going to kill him. “Get dressed,” Dean barked.

“My panties?” Panic touched her breathy words.

“Can’t find them.” He scrambled to locate her other boot. Then he opened the Jeep’s door and threw them inside. When he glanced in Lori’s direction, he saw that she had found her shirt. She finished slipping it over her head when Mitch and Will turned the corner, heading straight for them.

Dean pivoted, his back to them. He tucked his flaccid cock inside his pants and fastened the zipper. There was dead silence, but he finished tucking his shirt in and clasping his belt. He steeled his shoulders, readying himself to face the music as he turned toward Mitch.

Mitch’s jaw clenched. His gaze shot to Lori leaning casually against her car, but the rapid rise and fall of her chest revealed she was anything but calm. He leveled his hot glare on Dean—if looks could kill.

Mitch focused back on his sister’s disheveled condition. Mussed hair and barefooted, except for her shredded nylons, she appeared like a woman who had just been thoroughly made love to. “Lori?”

“Yeah?” Her voice squeaked, but she straightened her backbone.

His frown deepened. “Everything okay?”

“Of course.” She cleared her throat, working way too hard to appear casual, as she thrust a hip out and placed her palm against it.

He narrowed his eyes. “If you’re heading home, you might want to turn your shirt right side out before Mom sees you.”

Lori’s eyes widened before she looked down and saw the seams showing.

Then Mitch bent down and retrieved something. Dean knew he was a dead man when Mitch rose with Lori’s silky red panties hanging off one finger. “Lose something?” He shook his head. “Fucking in a fucking parking lot?”

Will chuckled. “C’mon, big brother. Looks like everything is okay out here.”

Dean snatched the panties from Mitch’s hand and stuffed them into his pocket.

“Make sure she gets home safely.” Mitch’s voice softened to a menacing level. “Don’t forget what I said, Wilcox.”

Fuck the man. Mitch could threaten all he wanted, but tonight Lori was his.

“She’s going home with me tonight,” Dean said before he realized it. With a swipe of his hand he retrieved his Stetson from the roof of the Jeep and placed it firmly on his head. Next he grabbed her jacket and threw it inside the car.

“Keys.” He held out his palm, waiting on a needle’s point to see if she would refuse him. A breath of relief filled his lungs when she dug in her jean pocket and placed them in his hand.

Mitch was still glaring at them when they got into Lori’s Jeep and spun away.

 

No one spoke as they drove the back roads to Dean’s ranch. Maybe it was because it was the first time since that fateful night that Lori had truly felt whole. Maybe it was because once again she had screwed up. Both of them had been so caught in the moment that neither had realized they hadn’t used a condom. It was like a replay of a very bad movie.

It took everything she had to hold back the tears. He hadn’t really wanted to marry her back then. He sure as hell wouldn’t want to now.

For a moment she was lost to the memory of that night. Mitch had deceived her. Dean knew she was pregnant. Lori had no doubt that the proposal came as a result of her brother’s none-too-gentle persuasion. It hurt that Dean hadn’t loved her enough to ask before he knew a child was involved. He hadn’t even tried to stop her from going to San Diego.

Memories forced her eyes shut. Lori curled her fingers into fists, nails biting into her palms. She hadn’t known what to do that night. She wanted the baby, but without a father what kind of life could she offer? And then the decision was taken from her. In a flash, her life spun wildly on its axis and left her with nothing, not the life growing inside her or the man she loved.

Dean glanced at her. “You okay?”

A tight breath squeezed her lungs. She opened her eyes, a false smile on her face. “Fine.” She rolled down her tattered knee-high nylons and tossed them in the back of the Jeep.

He stared blindly into the dark, headlights leading the way. “I’m sorry.”

Her heart stopped. “Sorry?”

“Darlin’, I should have never taken you like that. You deserve better.”

She wanted to laugh with relief. He wasn’t apologizing for the sex, but where and how it happened.

Instead of making a right to his ranch, he turned left passing several homes lit with Christmas lights.

A moment of panic struck. Was he going to turn around and take her home? “Where are we going?”

“Watson’s.”

Her chest tightened. Watson’s Wash Hot Wells was northwest of town, a party location, and the first place they had made love. Was it just a coincidence or did Dean still feel something for her?

With a glide of his hand over the steering wheel, he turned the Jeep into a sandy wash. A few hundred yards inward the dry riverbed gave way to large cottonwoods, salt cedar trees and tamarisk bushes—a variable oasis in the desert. Cacti and shrub grass grew sparsely, and then the two-person stone tub appeared. Vapors rose from the heated pool as its warmth met the cool air. A rush of saltwater flowed from the spill-pipe casing into the manmade heaven. At a hundred and one degrees, the inflow and outflow rates promoted a natural cleansing effect. The water was pure enough to drink with a slight saline taste. But that was not what drew partiers to this obscure place.

Carved in the cement where people entered the tub were the words, “NO SWIM SUITS”. It was a favorite place for adventurous couples and the occasional nudist seeking to commune with nature.

The Jeep came to a stop and for a moment they both sat quietly, unmoving. Dean shifted the gear into park and killed the engine. Lori didn’t wait for him to speak. She opened her door and slipped from the Jeep, shutting the door with a thud. A pebble dug into the bare sole of her foot as she moved toward the pool. The musky smell of desert shrubs and dust stirred by the breeze touched her nose.

The whine of the Jeep windows rolling down joined the splash of water. And then she heard Dean flip the radio on. The country version of “I Saw Momma Kissing Santa Claus” filled the night. A full moon hung in the dark sky, a scattering of stars joined to set the scene.

Nervous and chilled from the cool weather, she hugged her chest and brushed her palms rapidly over her arms. Behind her, she could hear the thump of one boot and then the next as Dean began to undress. When he passed her, heading for the stone steps of the pool, she scanned his luscious body. His youthful form had bulked with muscles that rippled beneath his skin. His ass was taut, driving her wild with the need to touch him.

With one foot on the upper step, the other on the lower one, he turned to face her. His cock jutted out from the nest of curly, black hair. She couldn’t help staring. A chuckle of male satisfaction greeted her. “Are you coming?”

Oh yes.

Shadows fell across his face, but she could see his full lips. “Strip for me, darlin’.” His voice was sensual, stroking her as effectively as his hands could.

Catching the rhythm of the Christmas music, she crossed her arms and grasped the hem of her shirt. She let her hips sway before she took one step closer to him. He smiled, his cock rewarding her with a jerk. It helped to ease the tension inside her. Slowly, she raised her shirt up, revealing her breasts, already heavy with need.

When she threw the shirt aside, he groaned, “You’re killing me.”

They had attempted this play before. Each time he had grown impatient, stripping her naked before she could complete the dance.

But not this time.

Easing into the warm water, the lower half of his body disappeared beneath the depths. He leaned casually against the cement and stone ridge, his arms stretched wide on the bank of the pool.

A breath caught in her throat. He was so damn sexy sitting there and watching her. When she raised her arms high above her head and stretched, her breasts rose invitingly. Cupping the sides of her neck, she lifted her hair. A cool breeze caressed her skin, feathering her hair across her shoulders. With a gentle shift of her feet, she undulated her hips in slow, sensual movements.

She reached for the button of her jeans and unfastened it, swaying her hips, dancing, as she eased her zipper down.

“Sonofabitch.” Dean growled, a low, deep sound that made a shiver race up her back.

She laughed. Her thumbs slid beneath the band of her jeans and gradually began to drag them down her hips and legs.

When they fell around her ankles, he groaned, “Get your ass over here.”

Elated with the break they had made, she wasted no time to oblige him. He still hadn’t moved from where he sat, watching—waiting.

The rocky surface was cool beneath her feet as she climbed the stairs. The warm water was welcoming. She eased next to him, but found herself pulled into his lap. For a moment all he did was hold her. Inhaling, she breathed in Old Spice and rested her cheek against his chest.

Then his lips found hers.

Gentle and tender, he moved his mouth over hers. His tongue traced the seam of her lips and then thrust inside. She angled her head, deepening the kiss, and flicked her tongue against his.

When he released her to feather kisses down her throat, she arched, loving the feel of his mouth on her skin.

An owl screeched high above them. The hot water combined with the burn simmering through her veins made her twist so that she straddled him. She raised and impaled herself on his rock-hard cock.

“Fuck, woman. You’re tight.” He nipped her shoulder.

She leaned back and let the buoyancy of the water keep her afloat. He cupped her breasts and kneaded. With a slow, easy pace, she rode him. Eyes closed, she relished the moment until he pinched her nipples hard, forcing a gasp from her lips and her eyelids to rise.

Fire flickered in his eyes. “Dammit. I need more.” He moved her off his lap. Her hair felt wet and heavy against her back. “Place your hands on the bank.”

Cool air whipped around her as she stood, turned around and placed her palms on the gravelly surface. Before she could get cold, he spooned her from behind. His rigid cock slipped between her legs. He pressed his palm on her back and guided her forward. Then pushed his foot between hers and spread her legs wide.

He must have held his cock in his hand, because she felt it tease across her clit to her anus and then back again before he entered her.

With hard, fast thrusts, he began to fuck her. She had to lock her elbows to keep from falling forward. The water rippled around her thighs, then began to splash over the banks as he pounded in her time after time.

When his fingers found her clit the knot inside her belly tightened. “Dean.”

He was breathing hard. Masculine moans and groans told her he was close. For that matter so was she. Every nerve in her body tensed. They had already tempted fate once tonight.

“Dean. No condom.” Her warning came out breathy.

“Holy shit.”

He jumped away from her like she burst into flames. The jolt almost sent her over the rocky ledge, but she caught herself just in time

“Not again.”

She shot a glance over her shoulder. His words and the panic widening his eyes was a punch to her stomach.

A moment of sorrow struck hard. Her hands drifted to her side. Then anger flared.

Dammit. This isn’t all my fault. Squaring her shoulders, she raised her chin and quickly moved toward the steps. “I’m out of here.”

“Lori?” He grabbed her arm, but she jerked away.

“Just take me home,” she snapped.

“Not on your life, darlin’.” There was a snarl in his voice. “We have some talking to do and we’re not leaving until things between us are settled.” The determined look in his eyes was unwavering.