Page 79 of The Cowboy and the Stray

She didn’t fight it, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes, a quick dart to the door. I kissed her again, soft, then harder, not stopping until her lips parted for me and she moaned low in her throat. I wandered my hands up her ribs, down her stomach, across the waistband of her jeans. I unbuttoned them, pulled the zipper down, and hooked my fingers inside, and peeled them down, slow enough to let her say no if she wanted.

She didn’t. She lifted her hips, letting them slip away, then sat up and tossed her shirt so now she was naked under me. She wasn’t embarrassed, but she watched me, waiting to see what I’d do.

I kissed down her stomach, pausing at the patch of skin just above her hipbone where the tan lines met. I circled her navel with my tongue, then dipped lower, until my face was pressed between her thighs.

She moaned repeatedly as I licked her pussy slowly, careful at first, not wanting to startle her. But the second my tongue touched her clit, she bucked up into my face, grinding herself against my mouth. I laughed, the vibration making her shudder.

She threaded her fingers into my hair and pulled, desperate for more. I buried my tongue in her, fucking her with it, then switched back to her clit, back and forth until she shook, every muscle locked up tight. I didn’t stop when she came, just kept licking, slow and easy, until she came again, sobbing my name into the pillow.

When I pulled away, her face was streaked with tears and sweat. She looked at me, wild and unguarded, and for the first time since I’d known her, I saw what it looked like when Tess gave in.

I crawled up beside her, propped her leg over my hip, and lined my cock up with her pussy. I went slow, just the tip, waiting for her to give the okay. She didn’t say anything, just grabbed my ass and pulled me in.

She was wet and hot and tight, squeezing me so hard I almost lost it. I moved slowly, as hard as it was, savoring every inch, watching her face for signs of pain or fear. There were none. Only hunger.

She met every thrust, grinding her hips against mine, chasing her own pleasure like she was afraid it might stop. I fucked her, picking up the pace until she screamed out, biting my shoulder to stifle the sound.

I flipped her over, taking her from behind, her ass up and her face buried in the pillow. She pushed back, taking me deeper, clenching around me until I thought I’d break.

I slipped my hand under her and pressed on her clit, teasing it until she came again, her whole body shaking, and I followed, spilling inside her with a groan so loud I was sure the neighbors heard.

We collapsed in a heap, limbs tangled, the sheets twisted around our ankles. I rolled onto my back, gasping for air. She curled into my side, her head on my chest, her leg thrown over mine like she’d staked a claim.

We didn’t talk for a long time. I just stroked her hair, listening to her sleep.

When I thought she was asleep, she whispered, “Is it always like this?”

I considered. “Never with anyone else.”

She snorted, the sound muffled by my chest. “You’re full of shit.”

“I swear,” I said. “Never.” Not one word was a lie.

She didn’t reply, just squeezed me tighter.

39. CALDER

The second Tess stopped shivering and settled into a deep sleep, I left. I waited another full minute after getting up to make sure she was out, then shut the motel room door behind me and crossed the cracked pavement to the next one over.

Ash was up, perched sideways on the bed, one bare foot hooked around the little rickety desk chair. She had her shirt half buttoned and was balancing a silver flask on her knee cap. At the sound of the door, she looked up, squinted at me, then grinned. Well, more like leered.

“I take it you found her,” she said. She yawned, real wide, like a housecat. “Did y’all kiss and make up, or am I still on deck for the bloodbath?”

I ignored her. The room was barely cooler than outside, with the faint stink of old smoke in the carpet. It was better than some places I’d stayed, but not by much.

“She’s asleep,” I said. I tossed the keys to her. Ash caught them left-handed and started spinning them on her finger.

“Good. ‘Cause I was about five minutes from breaking in there with a fire extinguisher. That woman was howling.” She unscrewed her flask, took a swallow, and eyed me over the top of it. “You look worse than when you left.”

“I don’t feel it.” I gave her a wry grin and sat down on the bed’s edge. It groaned under the new weight, and the mattress caved toward her side.

She leaned over and rummaged in the backpack on the floor, pulled out a bag of beef jerky and offered it up. I shook my head. She shrugged and tore into it with her teeth. “What’s the play?”

I watched her work her way through a piece the size of a shoe tongue. I didn’t know how much of the Maddox family story Ash really understood, but she had a good nose for trouble and no loyalty to the Hill Country besides her next paycheck.

“There’s a man looking for Tess. He’s not like the regular type. Private security, army before that. Name’s Lance Creed.” I reached over and grabbed the second pillow, laying back. “He’s got resources. Could be watching the roads, maybe has contacts local.”

She stopped chewing for a half second, then wolfed down the rest. “Cartel?”