Chapter Ten
A few days later, Haley was working alongside Cord, still mending fences, and trying not to think about the fence she’d forged with Cord the other night. Their crazy chemistry had blazed out of control until they’d given in, and now it seemed to have forged something stronger, hotter…solid.
Even though they hadn’t given in again, she couldn’t get the damn man out of her head. Or their incredible night. Or the fact she wanted more. Dammit. But their deal had been for one night, and other than those extra few kisses she stole the following morning, she’d held good to her word and fell into an easy working relationship with her guest.
That was what he was. Her guest.
Not the hot hunk of a man who gave her mind-blowing orgasm after orgasm in the space of one night. Nope. That was the past. Now, he was her guest there to help out around the ranch until the end of the month.
She glanced at him from under her lashes. The lines around his mouth were less rigid. Same with his broad shoulders, which were now rippling with lean muscles under a T-shirt stretched tight across his back with each swing of the sledgehammer that drove the post home. She ripped her gaze away and inhaled as her mind wanted to go to that naughty place, but she behaved. The man was there to get the ranch in shape for her grand opening, not become her sex slave. She smiled at the thought. As if anyone could make the mighty Cord Brannigan do what he didn’t want to do. That’s why it made her feel good to know the ranch wasn’t the only thing benefiting from his stay. Cord was improving, too.
He’d loosened up enough to crack a smile once in a while, and even converse more than a few words. And the biggie…he remained in a room with her for more than twenty minutes now. Apparently, the idiot realized she wasn’t coveting a relationship with him. In fact, he kind of seemed a little put out about it, as if he wondered why she didn’t.
Haley smiled. It was kind of empowering to keep such an alpha, virile guy off balance. Certainly healed some of her battered ego. She had a long way to go, but it was a start. Still, she didn’t let it go to her head. If there was one thing she knew about Warlock, it was his ability to adapt to any situation. Her time with the upper hand was running out. Fast.
But that was okay. She wasn’t sure she wanted to seduce him again. Why couldn’t he seduce her? Why couldn’t he want her as bad as she wanted him?
Misgivings began to ripple through her gut.
He did, her self-preservation side insisted, quelling her fears. It’d been written in the fierce, intense pleasure on his face when he drove in and out of her the other night, over and over, like he wanted to prolong his release, as if being buried inside her had been the most incredible feeling in the world.
It had been for her. So incredible.
If she closed her eyes, she could still feel the pressure of him on top of her, feel him moving inside her. See the ecstasy on his face when he thrust deep and climaxed. Her insides quivered just thinking about it.
Once hadn’t been enough. God, she’d been so greedy. Her mind replayed the things she’d done to him, and things she’d let him do to her, and warmth flooded her cheeks. By rights, she should be embarrassed, and probably would be…if it hadn’t felt so freaking amazing.
For years, she’d put her desires second. Her mistake. Maybe if she’d acted on them with Drew more often, he wouldn’t have looked elsewhere. The point was moot now.
Not that night. Not with Cord. No. She’d dropped her inhibitions and given into the need to finally experience their chemistry. Again and again. Thankfully, he’d been filled with the same need and had a ton of stamina. The amazing man had accommodated her wishes until she’d worn him out. But he’d fallen asleep in her arms with a smile on his face.
She’d had one on hers, too, and it grew as she’d listened to his steady breathing. It was so nice to see him relaxed for once, and not on alert like he seemed to be whenever he was awake. The guy walked around completely aware of his surroundings and everyone in it. Hell, he probably awoke at DEFCON 4 the second he cracked an eye open in the morning.
It was the reason she’d slipped out of his bed before dawn. One look at her and he would’ve noticed her uncertainty. Detected her worry and drilled her until she’d admitted her fear that the light of day might have changed his opinion of her prowess the night before. This would’ve led to unwanted questions about Drew. Or worse.
God, what if he’d awoken and declared the night a mistake like he had their first kiss?
No. There was no way she could’ve stayed. Her fledgling wings would’ve broken, and she would’ve died of mortification. And shame.
After Drew, she’d promised herself never again.
“You okay?” Cord asked, sledgehammer resting on his shoulder, attention solely on her.
“Yeah.” She nodded. “Why?”
His keen gaze narrowed. Great. He was doing his “Warlock” thing. “First, you looked like you wanted to strip me naked and lick chocolate off my body.”
Damn. She inhaled deeply. Now she was never going to get that image out of her head.
“Then a second later, you looked like you were in pain.”
All the pain was behind her, and she was determined to keep it that way. “No. I am thirsty, though.” And hungry for something that probably wasn’t good for her. And chocolate. Damn him. “We should take a break. Go hydrate.” She motioned toward the house, suddenly in dire need of a cold drink.
He hesitated but finally glanced around at the fifty feet of fence they’d installed so far that day. “Yeah.” He nodded. “I could use a drink.” He dropped the sledgehammer with a thud before falling into step with her. “Some cold water sounds good about now.”
Although she tried not to let it, the fact he was stringing a few sentences together and putting more words in them since his arrival last week, warmed her heart. Some of the old Cord was showing. And that, she decided, was definitely a good thing.
With lightness in her step, she entered the house and headed to the sink to wash up before grabbing two bottles of water from the fridge and handing one to Cord. He practically downed his in one gulp. The guy was even proficient when he drank water. She knew firsthand that proficiency followed through to the bedroom.
Memories of his aptitude brought heat to her face and places farther south. Good places where he’d bestowed his expertise. Her knees wobbled just thinking about it.
Damn, he was potent. Or was she pathetic?
Both. Definitely both.
After he crushed the air out of the bottle and tossed it in the garbage, he turned to find her watching him, and raised a brow. Great. He probably read all that on her face in one glance. Before he could grill her about which illicit idea she was entertaining now, she offered him the rest of her water. Heat entered his gaze, but instead of walking away and ignoring his wants like he usually did, he surprised her by stepping close until the bottle met his chest.
The air around them stilled while her heart beat out of control. In a slow, sure move, he reached for the bottle, but instead of removing it from her grasp, he wrapped his fingers around hers in a sensual move she felt clear to her core. So deep she trembled. And with that smoldering gaze boring deep, he placed his mouth on the rim and took what she offered. Finishing every last drop.
“Damn, Cord.” Her voice came out breathy. “Now it’s hotter in the house than outside.”
“Not my fault,” he claimed, letting go of the bottle but not her hand. The plastic bounced off the floor with a light, hollow thud. The complete opposite of the erratic pulse pounding in her ears. “It’s your fault for not quenching my thirst.”
She swallowed, watching his thumb caress her skin. “I gave you my water.”
He cupped her face and held her gaze, his dark and full of the need consuming her body. “Not what I’m thirsting for.” Then he was kissing her with a slow, thorough precision that had her toes curling in her boots and her good parts quivering.
Haley had no idea what changed, what prompted Cord to make the first move this time, but she wasn’t complaining. Except maybe that they had on too much clothes. She snuck her hands under his shirt and brushed the ridges of his abs. God…he was hot. His skin was on fire and moving under her touch.
“So good,” he mumbled after releasing her mouth to dip his head and kiss his way down her throat.
She let out a low moan in agreement and slid her hands up his arms, thrilling to the feel of his biceps hard beneath her fingers. “Every time.” It got better and better. Or maybe it was because she’d been pent up since leaving his bed the other morning.
His breath was warm on her skin, and by the time his lips found her collarbone, she had mush for brains.
She cleared her throat, hoping it would clear her mind enough to hold onto a thought. “So…what is this?”
His soft chuckle huffed against her skin. “Think it’s obvious.”
“No, not that.” She smacked his arm but didn’t push him away. “Another night?”
He hoisted her up onto the counter. “How about a ‘right now’?”
“Works for me.” She’d barely gotten the words out of her mouth when he ripped the tank top over her head and tugged her bra straps down her arms.
“God, you’re hot.” Satisfaction glittering in his gaze, he trailed his hands up her ribs, stopping just below her breasts. “Damn hot.”
She agreed with a sigh, and a second later, he captured her mouth in a delicious, wet kiss that had the pulse pounding loud in her ears. He was such a great kisser, but she needed more. Ever the mind reader, he cupped her aching breasts with his wonderfully callused hands and brushed his thumbs over her tight peaks. The combination had her moaning and hooking her legs around his hips to draw him closer.
A groan rumbled in his throat. He thrust against her, and she saw stars. How could he make her so hungry and needy so damn fast? Haley was about to encourage more when the sound of a car door slamming echoed in the distance.
Cord stilled. “You expecting company?”