Chapter Six
“I’ll be right back,” she said, leaving him in the bedroom and going into the bathroom to change into the negligee that her mom had included in the wardrobe redo. It was one of the few things her mom had purchased that Sierra had kept. Her mom knew what men liked.
Talking about family hadn’t lightened the mood at all and she had the feeling that Gage was on the edge of bolting, not just from her room but from the AEBR Tour as well. The demons he’d been running from earlier were back and she wanted to chase them away.
She looked at herself in the mirror, smoothing her hands down the sides of the cream satin shift. It had black lace on the bodice and ended at the top of her thighs. And though she had balked at it when she’d seen it at first, it was really comfortable and when she wore it she felt like a lady.
She looked at herself in the mirror. It was late and she’d had a lot to drink earlier and then the cheeseburger so she thought brushing her teeth again was a good idea, which she did. Then she ran her hands through her hair trying to fluff it up so that it looked less like her normal hair and sexier.
Except it didn’t really look sexy to her; it just looked sort of messy. She patted it back in place and then took a deep breath.
She was nervous.
How ridiculous given that they’d already hooked up, but this was different. Earlier in his truck it had all been lust and attraction burning out of control. This was definitely deliberate. She couldn’t say she got carried away by the moment the way she had in the truck or even that he had either. He was waiting in her bed and she was standing in here trying to figure out how to go out there and be normal.
She picked her robe up from where she’d left it on the floor, hung it on the hook on the back of the door and then she got the bug to straighten all of the towels until finally she stopped herself.
Enough.
It was time to go into the bedroom. In fact, there was nowhere she’d rather be than in that bed with him. If only she could be cool until she got there.
Now that she started worrying about that she was afraid she’d trip on her way to the bed…oh, great. Now she had to worry about clumsiness.
“Sierra, darlin’?”
He called her by her name. Not just darlin’. He wasn’t subbing her for another woman.
“Yes.”
Dang. Her voice squeaked up a little on the end of the word. Just when she was feeling like she was owning this moment, the real Sierra shone through. Nerves had always betrayed her and this evening was no different.
“Are you coming out of there or should I come in and get you?”
“I’m coming,” she said. She ran her hands down her hips and then opened the door. He was lying on his side watching the door. Naked.
She swallowed hard as her heartbeat accelerated and everything feminine in her came to attention. Which sounded silly to her own ears. She had always been her own woman. Very confident of herself on her own, but now she realized there was a part of her that could easily belong solely to Gage.
Gage Powell who was more complicated than she’d expected. Grief and survivor’s guilt, she’d figured on him carrying around, but there was something else. Something more she couldn’t see or understand.
He quirked one eyebrow at her.
“Darlin’?”
“Hmm.”
“You okay?”
She flushed. Here she was staring at him like she’d never seen a naked man before. But he was different. There wasn’t a thing about Gage that felt like any other guy she’d been with. She wanted more from him than she’d wanted from them.
And not just sex.
Though the sex was explosive and shook her to her core. She’d never have thought she’d do it in a vehicle. But dang that hadn’t even fazed her.
Nothing with him did.
She realized then the change was inside of her. Being with him brought out impulses and desires she normally ignored, but she didn’t plan on ignoring them anymore.
She needed to own this night. Make the most of it. She pushed aside the image of the two of them driving together down the coast to the next tour date in San Diego. There was nothing more to this than the night they were sharing right now.
She was trying to prove something to herself and the world… She hesitated for a second. Gage really had no place in her life. She shouldn’t be doing this. But then she looked over at him.
He was relaxed lying there naked on his side, watching her with a smile playing around his lips, and she knew she wasn’t going to walk away. She might have been arguing with herself out of nerves or to make herself feel better later but she didn’t care if this was a one-night stand.
“What do you think of this?” she asked. “It’s not my usual style.”
She put her hand on her hip and stood there in the doorway realizing that there was still some of the shyness she thought she’d gotten rid of.
*
The nightgown that Sierra wore hugged the curves of her breasts and skimmed over her hips. The heated coupling they’d had in the front seat of his truck hadn’t satisfied his soul-deep need to explore her body. There was still so much of her he hadn’t explored. He rolled to his back and sank deeper into the pillows, watching her as she walked toward him.
She moved like she had earlier in the promotion tent—all easy long-limbed grace. Each step was slowly measured and confident. She was a woman who knew what she wanted and he was the lucky guy she was coming after. Her shoulders were back and her hips swayed sensuously.
His blood felt hotter in his veins, like that moment when he stood next to the chute waiting to get on the back of a bull. Anticipation and excitement roiled through him. An expression of intent spread over her face and he had the feeling that he was not going to be in control of this. He wasn’t one for giving over the reins but he might be able to at least let her believe he was in control.
“Finally. I thought you weren’t going to come over here,” he said.
“I needed to make sure you wanted me,” she countered.
“There was never any doubt,” he said.
She sunk down next to him on the bed, and as the hem of her negligee rose, she tugged at it revealing a hint of shyness in her eyes.
He knew he needed to lighten the mood. He didn’t want her nerves to get the better of them both. He’d always been a live for the moment sort of guy but tonight he sensed that Sierra needed more from him.
More.
Hell and damn. That had almost always been where he failed. He knew it and anyone who’d ever crossed his path did too. But he wanted to be better for Sierra.
“Want me to show you how to mount a bull?” he asked.
Her eyebrows shot up and she gave him a quizzical look. “Uh, what?”
“Climb on my lap and I’ll show you,” he said.
“Oh, no, not yet,” she said.
He arched one eyebrow at her. “Do you have something else in mind?”
“Uh, well, how about you stay there and I do this?”
He growled deep in his throat when she leaned forward to brush kisses against his chest. Her lips were sweet and not shy as she explored his torso. Then he felt the edge of her teeth as she nibbled at his pecs.
He watched her, his eyes narrowing and his erection hardening. Her tongue darted out and brushed against his nipple. He arched off the bed, and put his hand on the back of her head, urging her to stay where she was.
She straddled him and rested her weight on her hands against his shoulders. Their eyes met and then she slowly let her hand drift down his body, touching him so lightly that he almost felt like it wasn’t real. All of his life had been so hard and now there was Sierra with her soft and shy touches.
He tried so hard to just sit back and let her have her way with him. When she reached the edge his belly button, she ran her finger around the rim of it and he felt an answering excitement lower as his cock stirred. Sierra lifted her fingers from his body, looking up at him.
Her touch drifted lower, going to his erection, brushing over his straining length. “I guess you liked that.”
“Hell, yeah,” he said, pulling her to him. He lifted her slightly so that the tips of her breasts brushed his chest.
“Now it’s my turn,” he said.
She nibbled on her lips as he rotated his shoulders so that his chest rubbed against her breasts.
“I like that,” she said.
Blood roared in his ears. He was so hard, so full right now that he needed to be inside of her body.
Impatient with the fabric of her shift, he shoved it up and out of his way. He caressed her thighs. God, she was soft. She moaned as he neared her center and then sighed when he brushed his fingertips across the crotch of her panties.
The cotton was warm and wet. He slipped one finger under the material and hesitated for a second, looking down into her eyes.
Her eyes were heavy-lidded. She bit down on her lower lip and he felt the minute movements of her hips as she tried to move his touch where she needed it.
He was beyond teasing her or prolonging anything. He plunging two fingers into her. She squirmed against him.
He pulled her head down to his so he could taste her mouth, which opened over his and he told himself to take it slow, but just like when he drew a bull that was unpredictable, he couldn’t stop his gut instincts.
Which demanded he take her as hard and deep as he could. He didn’t want to make it last. He was holding on for the ride of his life.
He caressed her back and spine, scraping his nails down the length of it, following it to the indentation above her backside.
She closed her eyes and held her breath as he fondled her, running his finger over her nipple. It was velvety compared to the satin smoothness of her breast. He brushed his finger back and forth until she bit her lower lip and shifted on his lap. He wanted to give her this pleasure because he wasn’t too sure of anything beyond this moment. He’d been living from one second to the next and now he felt a pang in his heart at the thought of not spending more time with her. But who knew how much longer he could keep up the charade.
She moaned a sweet sound that he leaned up to capture with his mouth. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close to her as she shifted against him, rubbing against him.
He held her still with a hand on the small of her back. He buried his other hand in her hair and arched her over his arm. Both of her breasts were thrust up at him. He wanted Sierra more than he had wanted any other woman in a long time.
He kept kissing and rubbing, caressing her nipples until her hands clenched in his hair and she rocked her hips harder against his length. He lifted his hips, thrusting up against her. He bit down carefully on her tender, aroused nipple. She screamed his name and he hurriedly covered her mouth with his, wanting to feel every bit of her passion.
Rocking her until the storm passed and she quieted in his arms. He held her close, her bare breasts brushing against his chest. He was so hard he thought he’d die if he didn’t get inside her.
He glanced down at her and saw she was watching him. The fire in her eyes made his entire body tight with anticipation.
He didn’t want to break the mood so he just reached for the condom he’d brought with him and put it on. He’d thought of the many things going on his life at the moment and he didn’t want to bring Sierra into the mess, but he hadn’t been able to leave her either.
He needed to be inside her now. He shifted and lifted her thighs, wrapping her legs around his waist. Her hands fluttered between them and their eyes met.
He held her hips steady and entered her slowly. Thrust deeply until he was fully seated. Her eyes widened with each inch he gave her. She clutched at his hips as he started thrusting. Holding him to her, eyes half closed and her head tipped back.
She started to tighten around him. Her hips moving faster, demanding more but he kept the pace slow, steady. Wanting her to come before he did.
He suckled her and rotated his hips with each thrust and he felt her hands in his hair, clenching as she threw her head back and her climax ripped through her.
He wanted to plunge into her again and again until everything exploded around them. But he knew if he could hold on to his control he’d give her more pleasure and that mattered more to him at this moment. He’d been running for so long he craved someone to hold on to. Damn. Could that person be Sierra?
Leaning back on his haunches he tipped her hips up to give him deeper access to her body. He felt the bite of her nails on his back as she drew them slowly down his body, making a mockery of his control. His hips jerked forward with more strength than before. She cupped his ass and held him closer to her. His pulse pounded in his ears and he stopped thinking, could do nothing more than feel Sierra. She was it.
He groaned deep from the center of his soul and then collapsed on her, trying not to crush her. He rolled to his side, holding her closer than he should.
She’d brought him completely out of himself and into a spot where he’d never thought he’d be. He felt like he was enough. That he didn’t need to keep searching, but he knew that was just because she was different from other women.
She shifted away from him, curling onto her side as she drifted off to sleep and he wondered if once again he was projecting his emotions onto someone else.
The truth was he still hadn’t found a home. He’d found good sex. That was different and he needed to remember that.