Cowboy 12 Pack Page 4

  When she hummed quietly along with the tune, he pulled her tighter against him, insanely pleased that she knew the song, which was totally ridiculous on his part. Still, he tightened his hold, pressing her full breasts against his chest. His heart galloped a little faster, and it wasn’t because of the song’s tempo. How crazy was it that here he was, thousands of miles from home, and the one woman who tripped his trigger lived only a little over four hours from him?

  She had to know he was attracted. Hell, the evidence was cradled between them. Even as the thought occurred, he felt his cock growing harder, but she didn’t pull away. Instead she moved in, letting him know she knew.

  Slipping his leg between hers, he moved her slowly around the sandy dance area. Sadly, he knew the song well enough to recognize the final musical notes.

  The next song had an upbeat tempo which didn’t require holding on to Natalie and, damn, he hated the feeling of separation as he pulled his arms away. She seemingly felt the same as her limbs untwined slowly from him. As they moved apart, she gave him a smile that sent all his blood rushing from his head to below his waist, then she laughed and whirled around, shaking her luscious booty to the beat of the music.

  Brock laughed and danced, two actions that’d been sorely lacking in his life for years. But this woman made him feel like he was eighteen again, with his whole life ahead of him, instead of a thirty-two-year-old man with all his family obligations.

  The next couple of songs were fast, but as soon as the slow tempo of “Let’s Make Love” started, they moved together as though drawn by magnets. As they wrapped arms around each other, he danced her off into an area with less lighting. Her head rested on his shoulder, her breaths puffing soft caresses of air on his neck. He wanted to kiss her. Hell, needed to kiss her, but he wasn’t sure how she would react.

  Nonetheless, as they reached a shadowed spot, he lifted her chin with his fingers until their gazes met. Her breath caught as she looked into his eyes. He leaned forward and gave her a soft kiss. When she didn’t pull away, he went back for a second and then a third taste of her mouth. As their lips met for the third time, she moved closer, and her mouth opened slightly. Brock took advantage to sweep his tongue through the opening and into the heat of her mouth.

  They shared breaths as the kiss got deeper and wetter until he finally pulled away and rested his forehead on hers.

  “Damn, woman.” His heart kicked like a mule against his chest. “Your mouth is like a drug. I can’t get enough.”

  He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, threaded his fingers into her satiny hair, and sealed his lips to hers again. At the same time, he walked her backwards, deeper into the dark niche he’d found for them.

  NATALIE’S LEGS QUAKED with nervous sexual attraction, so weak she feared they wouldn’t hold her upright. Brock Wade’s kisses were like sin and heaven rolled into one. His tongue slipped into her mouth to stroke and taste everywhere. Their tongues twisted together, their individual tastes mingled until Natalie wasn’t sure where she stopped and Brock started.

  She let him back her into a dark corner, fully aware of what she was doing. Fun Natalie was in control now, completely shutting down any possible protests from Accountant Natalie. The area between her thighs grew hot and swollen with unresolved arousal. A whirl of heavy-duty lust spun in her gut, and she pressed her achy sex against his hard cock.

  Finally, sanity forced its way to her brain’s forefront. What was she doing? She barely knew this guy, and yet her body burned with need for him. She hadn’t had sex since her divorce two years ago. She wanted sex. She missed it. Craved it. Wasn’t that what she promised herself? A wild and crazy time?

  But she didn’t know this guy.

  Her body didn’t seem to mind that fact, but still…

  She lost her train of thought as he ran the tip of his tongue around the rim of her ear, then down the large tendon in her neck. He worked his way back up with kisses and nibbles. Chills marched down her spine, as fire leapt from nerve ending to nerve ending.

  Grabbing his ass with both hands, she pulled his hardness against her. His butt was tight and firm and, heavens, she wanted to touch the flesh there.

  His hand slid up her ribs until it brushed the underside of her breast. She moaned low in her throat and fought the urge to shift until his palm covered her breast completely.

  From somewhere deep inside, she found the resolve to stop this. She was minutes from screwing him right here on the beach within feet of other people.

  She moved her hands to his waist and pushed him a couple of steps back until they were no longer touching.

  “I’m sorry,” he said with a strained voice. “I totally lost my mind.”

  She smiled and realized their breaths were coming in heavy pants. “Yeah. I know what you mean.” Taking another step backwards, she said, “It’s late. I was up early this morning, and I think my brain is a little fried.”

  He nodded. “Me too. Can I walk you to your car?”

  “I’d like that.”

  They found their shoes and walked to the small sandy parking area.

  “This is me,” Natalie said, stopping alongside her miniature Hummer.

  Brock chuckled. “Cute.” Hiking his thumb toward a black Model-T, he said, “I’m the black truck.”

  Natalie gave a little laugh. “I do love these cars. What a clever way to get around the resort.”

  “I agree.”

  They stood facing each other for a minute, both waiting for a signal from the other. Finally Natalie said, “It’s late. I’d better go.”

  Her heart sank in disappointment. She didn’t really want to go, even though her rational mind knew it was the right thing to do. She wanted him to ask her to stay a little longer or maybe dip his head down and give her another of those kisses that made her toes curl.

  “Okay. Thanks for the dance.” Brock took a tiny step toward his car.

  “My pleasure.” She slid onto the seat of her electric car.

  “Natalie.” His deep voice rattled in his chest and sent an arrow of lust into her gut.

  She looked up at him.

  “Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?”

  The butterflies in her gut took flight as her mouth turned up into a grin. “I’d love to.”

  His face lit up with a smile. “Great. Here? Seven?”

  She nodded. That sounded safe. A public place just in case he was a serial killer or something. If she’d learned nothing else from her past two years of singlehood, she knew it was smart to meet strange men in public places.

  He leaned in and kissed her. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

  Natalie backed out of her space and headed for her cabin. In the rearview mirror she watched Brock climb into his electric truck and pull in behind her. He followed her until she pulled over to the side.

  “Are you following me?” she asked with a grin.

  “I’m not, but where are you going? What cabin are you in?”

  “Twenty-three. Where are you?”

  “Twenty-one. Seems we’re neighbors.”

  “Race you home,” she said, and slammed her pedal to the floor. The Hummer leapt forward and charged down the lane. Behind her, she could hear Brock’s laughter.

  Chapter Five

  ‡

  BROCK ROLLED OVER in bed, his internal alarm going off at its usual four a.m. The darkness of outside filled the slit in the drapes. He shut his eyes, but they popped back open. Years of habit were impossible to break overnight. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and looked at the clock. Caribbean time was an hour later, so it was actually five instead of four. He threw on a pair of jogging shorts, a T-shirt, and his running shoes and headed for the road. At home most of his exercise came from the daily ranch grind, and he missed the simple joy of running.

  The crunch of shoes in the sand of the unpaved road broke the quiet of the morning. A smile crept onto his lips as Natalie Diamond jogged up.

  “You’re u
p early,” he said.

  “I could say the same about you.” She continued to jog in place as she spoke.

  “Just starting or finishing?”

  She laughed. “At this hour, starting. Want to come?”

  “Sure. How far are you going?” he asked, as they began a slow jog up the road.

  “I usually do about five miles. I haven’t clocked anything here so I guess I’ll go up to the castle and back, which should be at least three miles. You?”

  “Don’t get to run much anymore. Too much to do around the ranch. By the time I’m done for the day, I’m done, if you know what I mean.”

  She nodded. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I sit all day so if I didn’t run or do something, my ass would be as wide as the Grand Canyon.”

  He dropped back to study her backside. “Looking good, in my opinion.”

  Laughing, she turned and ran backwards a couple of steps. “Stop that and get back up here.” She turned back around, and he was at her side within a couple of strides.

  They ran up to the castle and then past it, onto a road that led down the other side of the resort. These cabins appeared larger, with more ornate external features.

  “I think we’ve jogged into the rich neighborhood,” Natalie whispered, echoing his own thoughts.

  “My thoughts exactly.” He pointed past one of the cabanas. “That one has a boat. Do you think it comes with the place or what?”

  “No clue but, wow! What a boat.” She looked over at him. “Are you a boating kind of guy?”

  He smiled. “Fishing mostly. Used to ski, but those days are long past. You?”

  “Love it. I love the rock and sway of a boat. I went on a cruise a few years ago. I was afraid I would get sick, but nope. I was in heaven the entire time.” She looked at him. “You ever been on a cruise? The food is incredible.”

  He shook his head. “Nope. I’m embarrassed to say this is the first vacation I’ve been on in quite a while. Ready to turn around?”

  “Sure.”

  They started back toward the main resort.

  “Got breakfast plans?” he asked.

  Her lips arched up into a smile that he knew he’d never get tired of seeing. “I don’t know. Do I?”

  “You do. Breakfast with me at Surfside. Race you.”

  “You’re on,” she said and kicked in her boosters, leaving him behind.

  He caught up with her as she jogged in place next to the moat bridge.

  “This was loser buys, right?” she asked with a laugh. Being as this was an all-inclusive resort, meal costs had already been covered.

  “I think I can afford that.”

  They found a table on the stone terrace. The umbrella had been extended, which kept the glare from the rising sun off their faces. They weren’t alone, as there were two other tables occupied at the moment. But the expansive area spread the diners apart, giving each table plenty of privacy.

  The breakfast buffet stretched along one wall and, from what Brock could see, comprised every breakfast item a guest could want. A chef at the end would prepare a fresh omelet or waffles upon request. Otherwise, eggs, biscuits, bacon, sausage, ham, muffins, English muffins, breakfast potatoes, and a variety of fruit and yogurt fill the span.

  He loaded his plate with an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink omelet, bacon, sausage, biscuits and potatoes. If he ate all this, he’d be jogging twice a day. As he rejoined Natalie, he noted her simple meal of yogurt and fresh fruit.

  “Is that all you’re eating?” He waved a waiter over to request coffee.

  She flipped her coffee cup over as a signal to the waiter. “This is my usual when I’m home,” she said. “Most mornings I’m in a rush after my run to get dressed and to work.” Glancing back to the buffet, she added, “But now that I think about it, I’m heading back for the Belgian waffle calling my name.”

  Over breakfast, she asked about his family and ranch. They talked about the changing cattle industry—of which she knew very little—and ideas he had about increasing production. She was sympathetic to his financial woes and emotionally touched by his parents’ unexpected deaths and his raising of his siblings.

  He was surprised to discover that she’d had riding lessons as a teen.

  “I loved the riding,” she explained, “but we lived in the city. Stabling a horse in our backyard might have upset the neighbors.”

  He laughed. “But think of all the fertilizer you could have offered them.”

  “Yeah, well, I don’t think old lady Painter would have enjoyed having a horse eating her prize roses.”

  “Couldn’t you have stabled a horse close?”

  “Sure, but you know how teen girls are. We’re on to the next thing at a whim.”

  Brock thought about Lauren and nodded. He’d been through lots of “but Brock. Everybody else is doing it,” phases with her.

  “So how long did you ride?”

  “I took lessons and rode for about four years. Then I made cheerleader, and all my focus went there.”

  “I bet you looked great in that short cheerleading skirt.”

  Natalie laughed. “They were short, that’s for sure.”

  “Can you still do a cartwheel?”

  “You betcha, and the splits too.”

  He grinned at the mental picture forming in his head. “I think I’d like to see that.”

  “Not enough bourbon on the island,” she replied with a chuckle.

  “So what are your plans for today?”

  “Hmm. Well, I have a hot date tonight, but that’s about it.”

  “A hot date? That sounds promising.”

  She hiked an eyebrow. “Could be.”

  “How would you like to do something crazy today?”

  “Crazy like what?” She lifted her coffee mug to her mouth. Just watching her lips wrap around the cup’s rim made him lose his train of thought. “Brock? Crazy like how?” she repeated.

  “Parasailing.”

  Her eyes opened wide. “Like up in the air?”

  “Yeah. I’ve always wanted to, and I noticed that it’s available here. But I’d love some company.”

  He could almost see the cogs and gears of her brain grinding, churning through the pros and cons. Truth be told, he’d dragged up the idea just because he wasn’t ready to leave her side yet. She was funny and sexy and he was having a hell-of-a-good time talking to her.

  She nodded. “I’m scared to death, but let’s do it.”

  Two hours later, they climbed into a speedboat along with another couple. The driver took them away from land and obstacles before slowing the boat.

  With assistance, Natalie climbed into the leg openings of the harness. The guy helping her pulled them up her legs to her hips and then secured the waist strap. A flare of something—jealousy maybe—stabbed Brock. He didn’t want another guy’s hands on Natalie.

  But then the same resort employee helped him. When he noticed the routine for him was identical to the actions taken with Natalie, he had to laugh a little at himself.

  “Okay,” the boat assistant said. “Up here.” He indicated a large platform at the rear of the boat. “You don’t have to do anything. Just sit back, and you’ll be lifted off.”

  Brock would never admit to anyone that his legs were a little shaky climbing onto the deck. He’d been the one to suggest this. He put on his “can’t hurt me” face and stepped up.

  Natalie took his extended hand and stood beside him. She looked at him, licked her lips, and said, “Here goes nothing.”

  The boat’s speed accelerated, and they gently lifted. Brock had expected a jerk or pulling sensation, but it’d been more like floating upward. As the boat sped up, the assistant let out more of the line tethering them. The boat looked smaller and smaller as they climbed higher and higher.

  Natalie let out a loud laugh. “I love it. Oh my God! It’s like flying without a plane.”

  He smiled at her. “Not what I expected at all. You?”

  “Nope. Better.
Much better. Better than sex.”

  Brock arched his eyebrows. “Nothing’s better than sex. I’d say you haven’t had the right partner…yet.”

  She giggled and looked away, a blush tinted her cheeks. “Maybe.”

  Her reply was soft, but it was so quiet up in the air, he could hear everything. He reached over, took her hand, and squeezed.

  “Look.” He pointed to his left. A pod of dolphins swam below them, rising and dipping in the ocean’s swells.

  “How high are we?” Natalie asked.

  “I read we’d go to about five-hundred feet. I’m thinking we’re probably at the end of our rope.”

  “Feels like we are a mile in the air. Look. You can see the Sand Castle from here.”

  For the next twenty minutes they held hands, floated in the air, and pointed out fish and islands to each other. There were other boats in the area but none close to where their boat was cutting through the water. Brock decided this must be what heaven was like…holding hands with a beautiful woman high above all the world’s chaos, without a care. Quiet and calm. So different from his real life where everyone needed him and, it seemed like, all at the same time.

  The flying time was over too quickly. As the crew reeled them back into the boat, the ocean rose quickly to meet them. Natalie had asked the boat captain to skim them along the water as they came in for the landing. He did just that, lowering them to right above the waves, close enough they could dip their feet in. Natalie screamed with laughter as Brock caught a swell just right and was able to splash her.

  But too quickly they were lifted off the water and reeled back to the platform on the boat. Natalie’s smile was so wide and so happy that Brock had to laugh.

  “Have fun?”

  The boat crew unharnessed them, and Natalie threw her arms around Brock’s neck.

  “Ohmygod, Brock. That was so awesome. I feel like I’m high.”

  He caught her around her waist and hugged her.