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Her pretty blue-green eyes darkened. It was heady stuff seeing her nod and murmur, “Yes, I’m sure.” Then she chewed her lower lip and added, “Aren’t you?”
Her question caught him off guard. He nearly laughed, but held back. Didn’t she know how much he wanted this? He’d picked her out of a crowd at the Dark Horse, hadn’t been able to take his eyes off the sweet blonde in tight jeans and a gold blouse the exact shade of her pretty hair. A woman who’d appeared completely out of her element. She’d intrigued him from the get-go.
Now she was in his bed. “Absolutely.”
Relieved, her expression softened.
“You didn’t really doubt that, did you?”
She smiled, a stunner that made his body go completely rigid. He was through talking and ready to give Erin a much better ride than she’d had on that bull.
* * *
Erin was taking a risk, making a memory she’d bring back to Seattle when her time in Texas was up. She wasn’t going to dwell. She wasn’t going to admonish herself. She was all in. Dan’s size thrilled her. He towered over her, all brawn and muscle, solid and sure, yet his touch was tender. She placed incredible trust in this man already. She loved his hands on her, his fingertips caressing her face as he kissed her. She responded to him carnally, soft murmurs of approval and pleasure parting her lips.
Dan kissed a path down her throat, his hot breath searing the slope of her breasts. In just a second, he had her blouse unbuttoned and his mouth moved over her, teasing her nipples to rosy points. She moaned, relishing the laps of his tongue on her skin. Her bra disappeared magically, Dan’s talent making her head spin. She loved this feeling of being loose, unbridled and unaware of anything but the man spreading heat and excitement through her body.
Her zipper was down, her jeans pulled off and Dan was there, cupping her panties in his large palm. The warmth seared through her, the pressure unbelievably perfect. He lay beside her on the bed, making her dreams come true. And just then, she stopped, a coherent thought pressing through the pleasure. His shirt was still on. He was fully clothed and that just wasn’t fair. She needed to touch him, to make him lose all thought the way he was doing to her. She needed her hands on him and pulled at the snaps of his shirt. They opened easily, and with his help wrestled him out of his shirt.
Oh wow. His shoulders, squared and broad, were massive in size. There was just so much of him to touch and she didn’t hesitate. She laid her palms on him and his eyes shuttered closed. “Sweetness,” he rasped.
She explored eagerly, sinking her hands over his taut muscles, the ripped cords of his skin and lower still until she met with the fine hairs below his torso.
His erection pulsed against her.
“Dan,” she murmured, and pressed over the bulge.
“Hang on, woman.” He gritted.
Instantly, she was on her back again, his one hand tying her wrists above her head, while the other worked her panties down her legs. When he touched her folds, her eyes squeezed shut and her hips arched. The strokes of his fingers were like music, each one bringing her to sighs and moans and desperate whimpers. He played her sweetly and then the strokes came stronger, harder and her breaths hitched higher and higher.
She was ready. So ready.
She cried out, her release overpowering. And Dan was there, kissing her, stroking her hair and making it all so much better. She came down slowly and dared to look in his eyes.
They were dazzling, gleaming and hungry.
“That was a beautiful thing,” he whispered.
She had to agree.
She’d poked the bear and he wouldn’t be denied.
Thank goodness.
He kicked off his boots and she reached for his belt buckle. He was all too willing to help her divest him of his clothes.
Naked now, Dan’s raw power excited her all over again. His beauty lay in his solid strength, his massive frame, the tenderness in how he made love and as she gazed below his waist for the first time, she took a big gulp of air.
Dan caught her eyeing him and concern wrinkled the corners of his eyes. He said so much in his expression and she heard him loud and clear in the nonverbal way he seemed to like to communicate. Relieving him of any worry, she rained kisses on him again and tucked her body under him.
Her explanation went a long way in making him understand and he wasted no time in searching through his jeans to pluck out a condom. Then he rose onto his knees, this beautiful man towering above her and the image seared her brain, not to ever be forgotten. Ready now, she pulled him down and dipped her tongue into his mouth. It was heady to be the aggressor, to show him how much she wanted him, to hear him groan and whisper her name.
Dan took over from there and she followed his lead as he feather-touched her breasts until she was ready to scream, nudged her legs apart, grabbed on to her hips and guided himself home.
Two (#uf8cdb051-4482-56b0-a172-2fa64f38a55d)
Erin opened her eyes thirty minutes later and found herself alone in Dan’s king-size bed. Her entire body was one sweetly serene sigh. If only she could bottle that feeling and keep it close, she’d be satisfied forever. It was truly luck and her clumsy attempt at the bull that brought her here, to Dan. She smiled and rolled over and came face-to-face with a gray-and-white fur-ball of fluff. “Hello,” she said to the cat sitting in a regal pose on the nightstand beside the bed. “Who are you?”
The cat blinked several times.
She chuckled. “A big talker, I see. Just like your owner. So where do you suppose he is?”
She didn’t wait for the cat’s reply. She grabbed Dan’s shirt from the floor, laced her arms through the sleeves and fastened a few snaps.
She rose to check out her appearance in the mirror and was happy she didn’t find a bad case of bed head. Considering how often Dan had run his hands through her hair, she took it as a good sign and strode out of the room. As she made her way down the hallway, she was met with a cocker spaniel mix of some sort with short stubby legs who was doing his best to keep up with her. The dog was much too animated for this time of night. As she reached the top of the stairs, she looked into the soulful eyes of a friendly black Lab. Friendly, she assumed, because his tail had started wagging as soon as he spotted her.
“You’re a pretty one,” she said, giving the dog a pat on the head. Then she made her way down the stairs with her entourage following behind.
She entered the kitchen and found Lucky sound asleep on his cozy bed. He was just as they’d left him, dozing calmly, and it did her heart good to see him resting. Then her gaze drifted to the other end of the room, where she noticed Dan by the counter, filling a bowl of fresh water for the dog. His concern for Lucky was touching and incredibly sweet, but nothing, and she meant nothing, compared to how her breath caught at the sight of him.
The dim kitchen light illuminated his very tanned, very bare chest, the dip of his low-slung black jeans and the sharp, almost too rugged planes on his face. Handsome to a fault, she thought. She wrapped her arms around her middle, suddenly a bit shy. “Hi.”
He strode over to her, his eyes narrowed on the shirt she wore that touched her midthigh. His brows lifted in an approving way. “Hi.”
Then his hands came to her waist and he gave a little tug, drawing her closer, and kissed her softly on the lips. Her shyness disappeared and she smiled. “Checking on Lucky?”
“Yep.”
“How’s he doing?”
“Seems fine,” he answered, never taking his eyes off her. “I like you in my shirt.”
“Oh, um, I hope you don’t mind.”
“Hell no, I don’t mind.” He dipped his head to meet her eyes and gave her waist a squeeze. “Everything okay?”
“Mmm, everything’s fine,” she assured him. “I met some of your friends.” She pointed to the two dogs sniffing around Lucky’s bed. The cat began rubbing her cheek up against the edge of the bed tentatively, wary of the sleeping animal she had yet to meet.
“That small cocker spaniel lapping around is Buggy. This big guy is Rio,” and just as he offered that, the black Labrador sat down beside him and nuzzled Dan’s leg.
“What about the cat?” she asked.
“That’d be Juliet.”
“Juliet?”
“Yep, Romeo is probably sawing logs right now with the others.”
“You have quite a family here.”
“I suppose I’m the Pied Piper of stray animals.”
“And of stray women?”
Dan blinked. “No, never have gathered stray women, Erin. I don’t think of you that way.”
She set her palms flat on his chest and his gasp filled the silent room. “I’m very glad about that.”
“Are you?” His eyes flickered and moved over her body lazily, as if physically touching her again, as if thinking of new ways to please her.
Goodness, she was asking for trouble.
He bunched the material of her shirt in his hand and slowly tugged her closer. “I like you touching me,” he rasped, his voice deep and low.
She gulped down a big noisy breath. Her body immediately transformed from sated and relaxed to crazy tingling bouts of tremors. She moved her hands on him, her fingertips grazing over his pecs, and her breathing sped up.
He let her shirt drop and reached up to cup her face in his hands, his eyes two dark pools of deep blue. “You want this?”
He didn’t have to say it, again. She knew what he was asking. “Yes. I want you. Do y—”
“Just for the record, sweetness,” he interrupted. “The answer is hell yes.”
She barely had time to smile before his mouth came down on hers and she was being lifted off her feet, his big hands holding her cheeks from behind. Automatically her legs came around his waist and she clung on to him. Her core pressed against the rigid length of his erection. The impact had her moaning and Dan too was affected. A guttural groan coming from somewhere deep in his gut, sounded in her ears. They were lost in each other, mouths wet and hot and devouring.
He strode forward until her back was against the wall. “Like this?” he asked.
“I’ve never... Yes.”
He crushed another kiss to her mouth and as soon as she opened to take a much-needed breath, he dipped his tongue inside and a hot spiraling fire erupted, melting her bones. Sensation after sensation ripped through her body. She was so ready for him, she could hardly stand it. It was amazing how much she craved being with Dan. He couldn’t have done anything more, said anything better to her, than he wanted her again and again and again.
An awkward second passed as Dan maneuvered his jeans down and sheathed himself and then, he was nudging her entrance, his large hands driving her body closer, into him, until he was there again. Thrusting into her, silky hot tension grew stronger and stronger. He fit her and she fit him and it was the very best. She matched his pace, absorbing the bulk and feel of him as he gave her his heat.
She opened her eyes to see the gritty determination on his face, the carnal lust that belied his tender lovemaking from before. She relished each move, each explosive thrust of their joining. His hair was slicked back, curling at his nape, his eyes nearly closed, his mouth grinding out curse words she could barely hear, words that normally would shock her, but now only served to heighten her pleasure.
Her body seized tight, sensitized by each potent thrust. Each calculated move shot her closer and closer to the brink. “Dan,” she called out.
“I’m right here, sweetness.” He gritted out the words. “Don’t hold back.”
And it was the pleasured pain in his voice and not the words themselves that caused her to shatter, pulsing out a release so strong her body began to tremble. Dan held her tight and joined her, squeezing out every last ounce of power he possessed.
They stayed joined for a long moment, clinging to each other, holding on to something that would never be equaled. At least it was the case for her.
And finally, once their breathing slowed and their bodies cooled, Dan whispered, “Let’s go to bed.” He kissed her lightly on the mouth and carried her up the stairs.
* * *
Erin woke up before dawn. She’d gotten very little sleep during the night and as the big man beside her rolled over to spoon her, she smiled at his light snoring. She could stay in his arms all day, naked as she was, and drift peacefully in and out of sleep. But she wouldn’t be the woman he couldn’t get rid of in the morning. She knew how these things worked. She’d stay through morning coffee and then take off. Dan obviously had a ranch to run, and she had...well, she didn’t have her job as nanny anymore, since Will Brady had fallen deeply in love and little Faye soon would have a loving stepmother in Amberley Holbrook. She couldn’t fault them their new future.
She’d been hired in Seattle and when Will was summoned to Royal to find Maverick—the creep who’d been harming good upstanding members of the Texas Cattleman’s Club by spreading their secrets and blackmailing them via the internet—Erin had taken the trip with him to help out with Faye. Caring for the baby had been a blessing and being her nanny had helped Erin heal, or at the very least distracted her from the pain of Rex’s betrayal. Sweet, busy little Faye had kept Erin on her toes. In the very best way.
Erin didn’t know too much regarding the facts in the case Will was working on, but this Maverick guy seemed to be wrecking people’s lives. Will’s help here in Texas had been essential.
Her boss had been generous in paying her salary until the end of the year so she could stay on at the guest quarters of the Flying E Ranch until the time she’d have to return to her studio apartment in Seattle. And recently, her thoughtful employer had had a keyboard delivered to the cabin too, so Erin could continue playing music when she felt like it. Up until this point, she hadn’t the heart to play again.
She was hoping the scandal with Rex Talbot that nearly ruined her reputation would’ve blown over by now and she had vowed to never put herself in such a vulnerable position again.
And if that meant saying goodbye this morning to Dan she-didn’t-even-know-his-last-name, she’d do it. If he was interested in her, he’d have to make the first move.
Erin gently unclamped Dan’s arm from about her waist and slowly sat up in bed. Last night, Dan had been adept in popping each of the snaps on the shirt she wore, insisting they both sleep in the buff, promising her he’d keep her warm. She had no doubt he would and sure enough all during the night he’d kept her cradled in the heat of his big beautiful body.
Giving the sleeping man another glance, she sighed and plucked up her clothes from the floor and then tiptoed into the master bathroom to shower.
She was sore in all the right places and the warm spray eased some of the aches. She hadn’t had such a vigorous night of sex in forever. Once she was cleaned up and dressed in her street clothes, she ambled down the hallway with Buggy and another little runt of a dog—this one looked more like a poodle mix than anything else—following behind. She entered the kitchen, finding Lucky awake. She went to him and crouched down. “Hey, boy. How’re you doing this morning?”
The dog’s tail began to wag. Relieved he was looking much better, she stroked his coat a few times and the dog’s wet tongue came out to lap at her hand. Sweet. Lucky was truly lucky he’d been rescued and taken care of by Dan.
After petting the dog, she set about making coffee. She’d watched Dan last night and was pretty sure where to find things in the massive kitchen. Seemed everything about Dan was large. She grinned, thinking oh, how much that really was true.
The dogs huddled around her feet as she measured out the coffee. And when she turned to grab two mugs, she jumped and gasped. A middle-aged woman, dressed in black and wearing a white apron, entered the kitchen.
“Good morning,” the woman said, giving Erin a pleasant smile.
She was obviously Dan’s housekeeper. Oh Lord. Had she been in the house last night? Had she heard them going at it in the kitchen in the middle of the night? Heat rose up Erin’s neck and her cheeks burned. “Hello. I’m, uh, Erin.”
“Erin, glad to meet you. I’m Darla White. What would you like for breakfast? Dan always eats eggs, bacon and toast. If you’d like anything else, I’m happy to make it for you.”
“Oh, no, thanks. Coffee is just fine. I, uh, got it started.”
Mortified, Erin wanted to fall into a sinkhole.
The woman didn’t take exception to her. She went about her business, pulling out frying pans, getting eggs out of the fridge. Was she used to having strange women show up in Dan’s kitchen? Or was she just unusually tactful?
Dan walked into the kitchen then, his hair wet and combed back and the scent of freshly showered man and musky shampoo wafted in the air. He hadn’t bothered to shave and the facial scruff today was darker, more pirate-like, sending chills up and down Erin’s body. “Mornin’,” he said.
Despite the effect he had on her, she wanted to bop him over the head for not warning her that aside from his menagerie, they hadn’t been alone last night.
Dan scoped out the scene and arched a brow at Erin’s state of embarrassment. “Darla, I’d like you to meet, Erin. Erin, this is Darla. She lives in the guesthouse on the property with her husband, Ted. Ted is foreman on the ranch.”
Darla did her best to hide a smile, yet the silent communication going on between the two didn’t fool her. And Dan’s expression was bordering a grin. The rat. He’d known all along what she’d been thinking, but he’d also been quick to relieve her embarrassment.
Erin’s cheeks began to cool as she sat quietly at the kitchen table while the housekeeper served the coffee. Dan walked over to the dog’s bed in the corner of the room, crouched down and gave the animal a once-over. Lucky was already terribly in love. As Dan gave his head a pat, the dog scooted closer, licking Dan’s hand, arm and face. Dan ate it up, displaying a killer smile. “Hey, boy, looks like you filled your belly a bit.”
The water in his bowl was almost gone too. And when Dan straightened his body and stood, Lucky was right there, curling his body around his legs. He shot Erin a quick look. “Excuse me. I’ve got to take him out to deal with nature.”
“Of course.”
Dan walked out the back door leading to a beautifully sculptured garden. Lucky had limped behind him to relieve himself in the tall grass and then follow Dan back inside the house. As he took his seat facing her, Lucky camped out beside Dan at the table. Maybe they should’ve named him Shadow.
