HOLY MOTHER OF all that was good! Monica was turned on. She was standing ten feet away watching Cull brush one of the horses and it was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen. He’d removed his shirt and each time he moved his muscles would flex under tanned skin. His large hands were deft and capable. He spoke softly to the horse and scratched her neck as he continued the task. The cowboy was a mixture of bad ass and gentle, and it was intoxicating.
The temperature turned up a notch and a heat wave happened between her inner thighs. How could one man possess so much masculinity and virality to make her squirm without even touching her? Not one itty-bitty touch and she was drooling.
She could fall for Cullen Cade easily. Everything about him was interesting and desirable. Falling couldn’t happen but did she have control over her heart?
Mesmerized in him, she smoothed her tongue over her quivering lips and counted to ten—backward and forward, trying to get back on track. There was no going back after meeting him, so why try? Why keep denying herself?
He looked over his shoulder at her. “Ready to try?”
She snapped up a brow. “You’re doing such a good job.”
“Yeah, but I’m the teacher and you’re the student for today. Let me teach.” His grin reached in and tickled every feminine pink part of her body. “Come here, I’ll help you.” He cocked his chin, motioning for her to come.
Oh. My. God!
She’d come alright.
Forcing her body to move, one step at a time, she felt like a zombie out for brains. Instead of brains, she wanted Cull. By the time she made it across the ten feet of space, she was sweaty and quivering. He handed her the brush and their fingers touched. She sucked in a breath, needing a splash of cold water, but why did he seem unaffected by the accidental brushing of fingers? Was she just some desperate poor woman who took every caress and glance as a come-on? She’d stop that instant. Yes…maybe…but could she?
The wood was still warm from his hand which made her wonder even more what his touch would feel like on her sensitive body. And if that wasn’t enough, he took a step behind her, his hard body pressed hers, his breath on her neck and his wide chest against her back. This unleashed a second round of heat.
“Here, let me show you how she likes it,” Cull’s soft words were said close to her ear, tickling her. He took her hand that held the brush and led it to the horse’s back. Their bodies were pushed close as he guided her long strokes along the equine’s smooth back. “See, she likes long, fluid strokes. From neck to ass.”
“Yes,” she whimpered.
“Imagine your own hair being brushed. Long, gentle strokes.”
Soaking up the warmth of his body, she allowed herself to lean against the stability of his chest, his hand laying gently on hers as they continued to brush together. This felt so good, having him close and feeling his heat. His intoxicating scent teased her nostrils and turned her blood to fire. She was certain the horse was brushed very good…
****
She smelled like honey and musk and so damn warm and seductive that Cull couldn’t manage anything but to stay close to her. He craved her warmth as much as he desired her delectable curves cushioning the hard planes of his body doing something other than brushing a horse.
His heart beat so fast, something similar to running a marathon. What the hell was he doing? He shouldn’t be wanting her, needing her, and yet she seemed willing and wanting his touch. The woman was more intoxicating than alcohol and more invigorating than a skinny dip. Her scent was ethereal. He breathed in, inhaling her. The tiniest trace of sweat from working the ranch mingled around their bodies and he’d never found a hard day’s work sexier. He closed his eyes, nestling his nose in her hair, loving the coconut scented shampoo she’d used. How could she still smell so damn sweet and he probably smelled like he’d been run through a pig’s pen.
Goosebumps scattered his skin. He’d never been this affected by any woman. A fiery chill raced through him, clear into his bones.
He could lose himself right here. Allow nature to run its course and press her against the barn wall and take her fast and hard. Then slow and easy.
Then a thought burned through him. What would she do when she got her memory back? The bigger issue, she had a perilous history. That meant there was no chance for a future, unless he could prove that she didn’t have anything to do with Yate’s death. What the hell? When did it change from him taking her in to the authorities to now proving that she was innocent. He could hear his brothers now, “Damn bro, have you lost your ever-lovin’ mind?”
Maybe he was, slowly but surely, but he couldn’t risk losing the most important part of his body. His heart.
Fear trickled down his spine like sprinkles of icy water, and he stepped back. “Brushing is finished. I think we’ve done enough for today.
She turned and looked at him in that certain way that drove through him. She must have felt the sudden distance because her expression sucked every bit of warmth from him. He wanted to apologize, say something, but what could he say?
“Cull…?”
He forced a smile to his lips. “I don’t want to overwork you. You’ve done a lot today.” Poor choice of words. They worked his brain down a path where it didn’t belong. Hell, was there anything at this point that he could say that he wouldn’t relate to sex? That’s why he needed some detachment from her before he did something he regretted.
She nodded and handed over the brush. His gaze naturally fell to the shadows of her nipples in the thin top. His cock pushed his zipper and he took off his hat, swiping a hand through his hair. “I’ll talk to you later.” He didn’t wait around. He turned on his boot heels and disappeared as fast as his feet would carry him. What he needed was a cold shower…hell, he needed to jump into the pond.