Single-Dad Cowboy by Vicki Lewis Thompson
Chapter Twenty-Five
Zeke unsnapped his seat belt, leaned back and drew in a deep, cleansing breath. Nell. Every nerve and muscle in his body ached for her.
His heart ached the worst. Her words had tipped the scales tonight, nudged Matt into contacting the Babes for help, a solution Zeke hadn’t considered. The result? The Brotherhood would stand united at the arrival gate tomorrow, a force to be reckoned with. What an incredible gift.
She wouldn’t want to take credit for making that happen. She’d likely describe her part as inconsequential and insist that Garrett had made the pivotal speech. Maybe so, but nobody had leaped in to second his motion.
Nell had done that. And he loved her for it. He groaned aloud. He loved her, damn it! For so many reasons—her affection for Claire and her posse, her willingness to accept every single limitation he imposed on their relationship, her eagerness to add spice to their sex life.
But uttering words of love carried an obligation. A man who said those words had better be prepared to take next steps. He wouldn’t have a clue where to put his feet. Land mines were everywhere. He’d set off too many in the past.
Sticking with what he had was the safest bet. The ranch was a healing place for Claire. For him, too. It offered the life they craved and the close family connections they’d soaked up like sponges from day one.
Making any change to that setup carried a greater risk than he wanted to take. Nell had accepted this arrangement. He’d best do the same.
His phone pinged. Picking it up, he tapped the screen. No words, just a series of pictures—candles glowing, sheets turned back, selfies highlighting her hair fanned out on the pillow, her abundant cleavage and her creamy thighs beneath the lace-trimmed negligee.
Tossing the phone on the seat, he laid his hat on the dash, left the truck and lengthened his stride, wincing as the fly of his jeans punished him for his lusty thoughts. His feelings for Nell transcended mere sex, but that didn’t mean her sensuality was a side issue.
Right now, it was everything. Hormones saturated his brain and prompted him to shuck his boots and socks at the door and pull off his shirt on the way down the hall. Flickering candlelight danced on the floorboards outside her bedroom doorway.
Unbuckling his belt, he stripped it off and dropped it as he stepped inside. The clatter merged with his quick inhale. She lay stretched out on the chalk-white sheets, her head propped on her hand, the sheen of black satin barely covering her tempting body.
He gulped. “I could come just looking at you.”
“But you won’t let yourself.” Her voice was a soft purr. “I know you better than that. You like to prolong the moment while you drive me crazy.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He unzipped his jeans as he approached the bed. “I sure do.”
“But this time it’s my turn.”
He paused, heart thudding. “Oh?”
She scooted over and patted the bed. “Take off those jeans and come on down here.”
He kept his gaze on her as he shoved down his jeans and briefs and kicked them away. “Happy to. Just let me get—” He reached for the drawer where he’d stashed his supply of condoms.
“They’re not there.”
He paused. “Where are they?”
“Somewhere else.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want you rushing to put one on. I have some other things in mind.” She held out her hand. “Come lie down. On your back.”
Moisture pooled in his mouth. He knew where this was going, and he wanted what she was offering. That activity hadn’t fit with their other sessions because he’d always been quick to roll on a condom.
Now she’d hidden them. Much as he relished the idea of what she had in mind, he wanted to know where she’d tucked those little raincoats. “Where are they?”
“I’ll tell you after I have some fun.” She wiggled her fingers. “I want to play.”
“And I want to let you.” He took her hand and sat on the bed. “But you need to tell me where you put the condoms, so I have one handy.”
“So you can grab it before you come?”
“Right.”
“I was hoping to give you the whole experience.”
His chest tightened. He hadn’t been loved that way in… years. That kind of trust hadn’t existed in his marriage.
“You don’t want me to?”
He gazed at her and the bands around his chest loosened a bit. “I do.”
“Then you don’t need a—”
“I want it there on the bedside table.”
“Why?”
“Because nine years ago, I was out of my head with lust, couldn’t find one and had sex without it. I don’t regret that for one second, even though it caused me to marry the wrong woman. But that’s why I’m fantatical about—”
“I understand. Hang on.” She rolled to the other side of the bed and reached between the mattress and box springs. “Here are two.”
“Just two?” He laid them on the nightstand.
“The others are tucked in various places. I…” She gave him a sheepish smile. “It’s the elementary teacher in me. I like games.”
“You’re adorable.”
“I wouldn’t have done it if I’d known. So now you have access to a couple, but I don’t want you to stop me and grab a condom. Will you promise not to?”
His heart thundered. He was putting her in his hands, literally. And in her mouth, to be precise. She’d asked for his complete surrender. He took a ragged breath. “I promise.”
“Good.” She glanced at his stiff cock and licked her lips. “Lie down.”
He stretched out on the bed, anticipation tinged with anxiety flowed like lava through his body. He promised to let go of the reins. Easier said than done.
She straddled his hips, black satin brushing against various parts of his supercharged package. When she leaned over, her breasts threatened to spill out of her gown.
She started slow, with gentle licks and soft kisses. Clenching his jaw, he dug his fingers into the mattress. Could he last more than a few seconds? Would he embarrass himself by coming the minute she closed her lips around his cock?
He would if he watched. He squeezed his eyes shut. Didn’t help much. Her warm breath made him shiver. When she took him into her hot mouth, his balls tightened.
Then she began to use her tongue, apply pressure, move a little… ahh. He fought to hold back, panting with the effort. If he stopped her now, he could maintain his dignity. But he’d promised.
His control began to slip. He groaned, grasping for a shred of resistance to the pressure building in his overheated body. Not working. Losing the battle… so good… so good…
With a wild cry, he came, helpless in the grip of a climax that roared through him, a tsunami of deafening pleasure. As the pulsing gradually subsided, his ears buzzed and his breath came in tortured gasps.
She stayed with him until he grew quiet. After releasing his cock with great tenderness, she slid up beside him and gave him a deep kiss. He cupped the back of her head and kissed her back. He was drained, yet energized.
Lifting her head, she nestled her cheek against his shoulder. “Thank you.”
He huffed in surprise. “You’re thanking me?”
“You let yourself be vulnerable. I wasn’t sure you would.”
He wound his arms around her. “I wasn’t sure I would, either. But I’m glad I did. I feel… different.”
“How?”
“Like I survived going over the falls in a barrel.”
She chuckled. “That intense, was it?”
“That might be a slight exaggeration. I wasn’t afraid I would die.”
“But you were afraid?”
“I was. My life is all about keeping it together. Just now I set myself up to come completely unglued, reduced to a howling, crazy man who barely knows what he’s doing.”
“But doesn’t the same thing happen when we make love?”
“Not if you come first.”
“Oh, so you want me to become the howling crazy person so your reaction gets lost in the shuffle.”
“That’s the sad truth of it.” He stroked her hair.
“Well, now that you’ve gone over the falls in a barrel, think you’ll ever want to do it again?”
“Not tonight.”
“I wouldn’t expect that. But have you conquered your fear?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He hesitated. Yeah, he could say it. “As long as I’m with you.
