Rough Rider Read online

  “I’m hungry all right.” She licked her lips and slid his hand a little bit higher. “Matter of fact, I’m about starved, but I always like to think about what’s on the menu ahead of time. Don’t you?”

  He didn’t have to. His mind had been stuck in that one gear almost from the moment she’d shown up.

  He snatched back his hand and pulled off the road, cutting the ignition and yanking her across the bench seat. He groaned in surrender as his mouth claimed hers for a searing kiss.

  She opened to him with a soft moan and their kiss deepened, their tongues dueling, every slick stroke sending surges of sensation rippling through him. She guided his hand deeper between her thighs. He jolted in surprise when his fingertips came into direct contact with her wet sheath. “No panties, Red?”

  She flashed him a half smile. “Call me optimistic. I’d hoped to get lucky tonight.” She squeezed her thighs on another soft moan when he sank his fingers inside her. He released her to adjust the seat, sliding it all the way back, but there still wasn’t room to get her on his lap.

  “Fucking steering wheel’s in the way,” he growled. “Put yours back. All the way.”

  Her gaze widened. “Right now? In the truck? What about our dinner reservation?”

  “Guess we’re gonna be late. I warned you where this was headed.”

  “But somebody could see us!” Janice cried with a look of panic.

  “You started it, Red. You’re gonna have to finish it.”

  “I don’t think so, cowboy,” she replied. “You’re gonna have to deliver on that steak dinner first.”

  He mumbled a stream of curses. “I never counted you a cock tease, Red.”

  “I’m not a tease,” she protested. “You just said yourself not a minute ago that anticipation is half the pleasure.”

  “Anticipation? I’ve lived like a fucking monk for the past four years. If you think I’m gonna drive the rest of the way with a stiff dick, think again.”

  “I’m sorry ’bout that, but you’re gonna have to feed me first.”

  He started the truck up with another mumbled curse.

  “How far away are we?” she asked a minute later.

  “Still thirty ball-aching minutes,” he ground back.

  “You know,” she began with a sly smile, “if this really is such an unbearable trial for you, maybe I can alleviate your discomfort.” She unsnapped her seat belt and slid closer, her hands working deftly on his belt, then popping his fly button. “Of course, I’m pretty sure this is all kinds of illegal.”

  “What the hell are you—” He sucked in a breath as she eased his zipper down and slipped her hand inside his jeans, wrapping her fingers around his swollen dick.

  “Keep driving, Dirk.”

  He was rock-hard and finding it harder to keep his eyes on the road as she slowly jacked him up and down, squeezing and stroking.

  “Better?” she asked.

  “Damn, Janice,” he hissed. “You’re gonna kill me.”

  “Oh, I doubt that.”

  Next thing he knew, her head was in his lap. Her mouth and hot, velvety tongue were moving up and down his shaft, rasping along his length, circling his head and lapping at the slit, turning his mind into jelly. The lines on the road blurred when she closed her lips around him, sucking him into the hot wet cavern of her mouth.

  Holy shit! He released one hand from the wheel and curled the other around her nape. She drew harder with her lips, working him deeper into her throat. Her lips and throat muscles contracting, milking him. He was drowning in sensation, in mindless pleasure. He was losing it fast. Maybe he was already lost. Either way, it felt so fucking good to give himself up to her.

  His balls contracted. His hands squeezed the wheel. He was panting with the effort to hold back. He pulled off the road again as the urge to come swelled inside him.

  “You gotta stop now, Red…right fucking now…unless you plan to finish me off.”

  “Oh, I’ll finish you all right.” She sucked him even deeper, swallowing harder.

  His eyes fluttered shut as his orgasm came crashing over him, his cock pulsing in a long series of body-wracking eruptions that left him physically spent.

  A moment later, he opened his eyes to gaze down at her through a helpless haze. Her soft brown eyes met his and her mouth curved into that slow, shy smile that always crushed his lungs and left him heaving for breath.

  * * *

  To Janice’s dismay, Dirk was quiet the rest of the drive, almost too quiet. Although she’d managed in only a couple of weeks to penetrate his first lines of defense, the question remained whether he’d ever let her all the way in.

  They pulled off I-90 at the Trident and Three Forks exit and then headed toward town. “Three Forks?” Janice asked. “What’s in Three Forks?”

  “You’ll see,” he answered her cryptically.

  A few minutes later he pulled up in front of an elegant white clapboard building. “The old Sacajawea?” she declared in surprise. “I thought it closed years ago.”

  “It did. But then a new owner bought it and completely restored the place while you were away,” Dirk explained. “It’s now on the register of historical hotels, and the food is top-notch. Good as anything you had out in Vegas.”

  He handed her down from the truck and then led her through an elegant foyer to the entrance to Pompey’s Grill. Greeting Dirk by name, the maître d’ guided them to a cozy booth near the massive stone hearth where a welcoming fire blazed. The hotel restaurant was dark-paneled, candlelit, and intimate, the perfect setting for a romantic dinner.

  The maître d’ smiled. “Your server will be with you momentarily with a wine list.”

  “I’m not much for wine myself,” Dirk remarked to Janice, “but they have a respectable selection if you’d care for a bottle.”

  “Not for me, thanks.” Janice gave an embarrassed smile. “I admit I’m more of a beer girl.”

  Their waiter arrived almost instantaneously to present the wine menu and take their drink orders.

  “A Blue Moon for the lady and I’ll take a Bud,” Dirk said.

  “Very good. Would you care to hear tonight’s dinner specials?” the waiter asked.

  “Sure.” Janice nodded.

  “For starters, we have a crab harumaki, which is a Japanese-style spring roll with red crab, fresh cilantro, napa cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, and fresh ginger, served with a spicy ponzu. Our entrée this evening would be the USDA Prime dry-aged American Kobe tenderloin, locally supplied from the Flying K Ranch.” He presented the full menus. “I’ll be back in just a moment with your drinks.”

  “The beef is from the Flying K?” Janice cocked her head in surprise.

  “Yup.” Dirk nodded with pride. “Been doing a bit of test marketing in some local places. I hear it’s become one of their most popular entrées.”

  “That’s fantastic!” Janice exclaimed.

  He beamed back at her. “I admit I’m encouraged. I’m working on something even bigger now. I have some serious interest from a gourmet foods company, but I can’t hope to bid for the contract until I can show that I can meet the demand. That means growing the herd, which will require more investment in breeding stock.”

  “That’s the expansion you were talking about.”

  “Yes.” He nodded. “They are only interested in organic, grass-fed beef, which means I also need more grazing pastures. Wade and I have gone head-to-head over this for the past couple of years.” Dirk’s brows met in a scowl. “He’s too damned shortsighted to see the new opportunity.”

  “Then you can’t give up.”

  “I don’t intend to.”

  The waiter returned with their drinks. “Do you have any questions?”

  “Mind if I order for both of us?” he asked Janice.

  “Not at all. Please do.”
>
  Dirk never even opened the menu. “The crab hamaruki to share, two wedge salads, and two of the Wagyu tenderloins.”

  “Excellent,” the server replied and disappeared.

  The service was exceptional and the entire meal superb, especially the beef. In truth, it was the best she’d ever tasted, which only confirmed in Janice’s mind that Dirk really was onto something. On top of that, Dirk appeared more relaxed than Janice had ever seen him. They lingered over dinner, laughing and talking until they were the only patrons remaining in the restaurant.

  “Would you care for coffee or dessert?” the waiter asked.

  “Nothing more for me,” Janice groaned, near bursting. “But it was all fabulous.”

  Dirk’s blue gaze met hers. “I agree. It’s been the best night I can recall in a very long time.”

  It was almost eleven o’clock when they finally left the restaurant. Dirk walked her to the passenger side of his truck and paused before opening her door. “It’s just occurred to me that I’ve gone about all of this completely ass backwards.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “I just realized this is our very first date.”

  Janice stared at him for a moment and then cracked a smile. “You’re right. It is at that.”

  “Mind if I kiss you?”

  “You’re asking?” She laughed outright.

  He grew suddenly serious. He cupped her face with both hands. “A man should never take a woman for granted.” His lips met hers, gliding over them with a toe-curling and breath-stealing tenderness. He released her slowly and then stepped back to open the truck door.

  “I s’pose that goes both ways,” Janice said as he handed her in. “But after that meal, I promise you I’m a sure thing.”

  He held her gaze for a long moment. “That so?”

  “Yeah.” She licked her lips, tension coiling deep in her belly. “I told you I left the house tonight with a certain optimism.”

  “Then I’d hate to disappoint you, Red.” The words were barely out of his mouth before he spun back toward the inn. “Wait here,” he tossed over his shoulder.

  Dirk returned a few minutes later, room key in hand. “Last one,” he explained. “There’s a big wedding party.”

  She stared at the key. “You got us a room?”

  “I want us to do this right for a change. I don’t want a quick and dirty fuck in the truck like a coupla horny teenagers. You deserve better than that.”

  Janice swallowed hard, the significance of his act and his words nearly overwhelming her. It seemed a monumental step from him.

  “I admit I’m nervous as hell right now,” he confessed, as if reading her mind. “I haven’t had a woman in a bed since before… Shit! I’ve never felt this anxious before.”

  Although he was accustomed to taking charge, she could see he was facing a major crisis of confidence. She twined her arms around his neck. “There’s no reason,” she said. “All I want…all I need…is you inside me.”

  He withdrew a few inches, searching her face. “I want that too, Red. So you wanna go inside now?”

  “Yeah. I do,” she replied.

  Moments later, Janice slinked through the lobby, acutely self-conscious about her lack of luggage and knowing she’d feel far more embarrassed when they left after a couple of hours. She hoped they’d be able to sneak out without anyone noticing. As if reading her thoughts, Dirk walked on the inside as they passed by the check-in desk, wrapping his arm protectively around her. He punched the button to call the old-fashioned elevator and pulled her inside the moment the doors opened.

  Once they closed again, he hit a button for the second floor and then pinned her to the wall, his thigh wedged between hers. His mouth descended on her neck, licking, sucking, gently biting. Desire bloomed until she thought she’d melt into a puddle on the floor. Her legs were almost ready to give way when the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

  * * *

  The scent of vanilla had enveloped him the minute the elevator closed. She smelled so damn good that it made him light-headed. She tasted even better. When the bell dinged, he peeled her arms gently but firmly from around his neck, forcing himself to break the kiss before he lost himself in it…in her…completely. He guided her down the hall with his hand poised just above her ass, unlocking the door, his heart pounding erratically with a mix of fear and anticipation. It wasn’t their first time together, but this was different. By taking her to bed, he’d be letting his guard down. Completely. And it scared the shit out of him.

  The room was dark, but he intentionally bypassed the light switch. He could barely stand to look at himself in the mirror. The thought of seeing revulsion reflected in her eyes terrified him.

  Without breaking the kiss, they backed unevenly across the floor toward the bed. Her hands matched the eagerness of her mouth, unbuttoning his shirt and peeling it back to explore his torso. He experienced another instant of panic when she reached for the bedside lamp.

  “No.” He stayed her hand. “One step at a time, Red. If this is gonna happen, you’ll need to grant me a few small concessions.”

  As if reading his fears, Janice rose up on her toes and cupped her hands around his face. “This is about trust, Dirk. You told me you want to make this work between us. If that’s going to happen, you need to trust me.”

  Holding him, she brushed her lips over his, then worked her way over the scar that marred his face. He stiffened beneath her touch, but tamped down the urge to wrench away.

  “Please, Dirk,” she whispered, her brown eyes pleading. “Just let go. Let me prove to you that your injuries don’t matter to me. Show me we can do this…that we can have this.” She feathered more light kisses over the mangled flesh before pressing her warm, lush body against him and sealing her mouth to his.

  He kissed her back, his mouth melding with hers, exploring, tasting, growing hungrier when her tongue darted out seeking his, spiking his desire another notch. Edgy as he was, she still had him hard as a post in no time.

  She stripped off his shirt, but he knew it was too dark for her to see very much. Even with their eyes adjusted, the dim light wouldn’t reveal the worst of it. She tugged his jeans and boxers off his hips, but stopped shy of pushing them all the way down. He sprang free into her warm and eager hands. She caressed his length as she trailed hot and humid kisses down his torso. Lust had him swaying drunkenly on his feet by the time she was face level with his swollen dick. He had to clasp her shoulder for balance.

  His lids fluttered shut on a low moan as she drew him into her mouth. She took him deep, gently rolling his balls between her fingers. They tightened beneath her touch. He rocked his hips. She gripped his flexing buttocks and he was gone, his mind blurred to all but sensation. He realized with annoyance that once more he’d let her take control. It wasn’t what he wanted, not how he’d planned for this to play out, but it still took a supreme force of will to withdraw from her mouth.

  * * *

  As she’d sucked, stroked, and caressed, his pleasure became hers. She was quickly caught up in his salty taste, his musky scent, and the guttural sounds emerging from his throat. He had to be close to coming. His eyes were shut, the muscles in his neck straining, his chest rising and falling erratically when he abruptly withdrew.

  “What’s wrong?” She looked up at him with surprise.

  “Nothing,” he growled. “I appreciate the gesture, but it’s not what I want.”

  “I thought it would help you relax.”

  He brought her back to her feet. “Not this time, Red. This has gotta happen on my terms.”

  She’d gone down with the single thought of making him forget his fears, but if he needed to exert control, she wasn’t about to balk. He’d never be able to handle any kind of relationship until he reclaimed his sense of manhood. And that would never happen until he regained his
confidence in bed. She was determined to do whatever it took to help him.

  “And what are those?” she asked.

  He pulled her close, rocking his pelvis into hers and squeezing the globes of her ass. His big hard erection pressed into her belly. He kissed her deeper, licking up her neck and then around the shell of her ear. He sank his teeth into her lobe. “Take off the dress and I’ll show you,” his voice rumbled low and deep. “Leave the shoes on.”

  “I need help with my dress,” Janice said.

  He spun her around and unzipped it. The black sheath slid down her shoulders, over her hips, and hit the floor. She wore nothing underneath. He grunted in approval. “You have one beautiful ass, Red.”

  He stepped into her from behind, nuzzling along the juncture of her neck and shoulder with his lightly bristled jaw. His breath was hot and moist on her skin. She shivered. Her breasts were heavy, her nipples painfully erect. His every touch had her aching with want. Cupping and molding her breasts in his hands, he continued kissing, licking, and biting her neck and shoulders while teasing her nipples with his thumbs. Cranking her need tighter. Higher.

  His chest hair tickled her back as he nestled his hard cock between her ass cheeks. He felt so damned good—all big, hot, and aroused male. Her sex throbbed like a beating heart, her inner walls convulsing with the excruciating need to be filled.

  “Please,” she whispered, grinding her backside into him.

  “On the bed,” he said, ripping back the covers. “I want you on your hands and knees.”

  His commanding tone sent ripples down her spine. She kicked off her heels and climbed on top of the bed, kneeling with legs apart. Her body thrumming with the anticipation of penetration, only to be surprised by his mouth instead. Her skin stung with sharp nips of his teeth on her butt cheeks, soothed by hot wet kisses and long raspy licks.

  He explored her deeper with his tongue while his hands slid over her hips, stroking and circling the dimples of her lower back and then farther south, fondling her ass and then sweeping up and down the cleft. His finessing fingers excited every nerve ending, pushing her closer and closer to the brink of climax.