Читать книгу Flirting with Fortune - Leanne Banks, Allison Leigh - Страница 30

Chapter Six

Gabi decided riding Sweet Betsy was very much like sitting in a rocking chair. The chestnut-colored mare had one speed and that was slow. Nothing interested her, not the rabbits hopping across the field nor the cattle grazing nearby.

Wherever Jude’s stallion went, the mare was content to go. Jude had smiled approvingly at Gabi’s jeans, boots and long-sleeved shirt with a jacket for the ride. Because the sun shone bright, he’d plopped a hat on her head.

She was grateful to have it. The sky was blue without a trace of clouds. A slight breeze added to the pleasantness of the day.

Though there wasn’t a palm tree in sight, Gabi found the openness of the landscape appealing. Just like the man at her side. Gabi slanted a sideways glance at the handsome cowboy, with the roll of wire hooked to his saddle.

“Do you like banana bread?” Jude asked when they drew close to a large pond.

It was an odd question, but Gabi answered truthfully. “Who doesn’t?”

“My mother made some this morning, and I brought a few slices with me.” Jude shot her a wink and slipped off the back of his horse with an ease Gabi envied. “I could be persuaded to share.”

“I’ll start working on appealing to your altruistic side,” Gabi declared. “Once I quit gazing longingly at terra firma.”

Taking hold of the chestnut’s reins, he assisted Gabi off the horse. She stood there for a moment, her hands resting on his muscular forearms.

“It feels odd,” she murmured.

He grinned. “Being on solid ground again?”

“No.” Gabi cast a wary glance at the pond where their horses now stood drinking. “Being this close to water and not being on alert.”

Jude cocked his head.

“Back home, when you see water that isn’t the ocean, you think snakes and alligators.”

The look he shot her was clearly skeptical. “You’re making that up.”

“I’m not,” she insisted. “The church I attend in Miami has a couple of lakes on their property. They got rid of the gators once but had to bring them back. Know why?”

“No clue.”

“The snake population exploded. They even got into the building.”

He gave a disbelieving snort.

“Honest to God.” She swiped a finger across her heart. “We brought the alligators back to keep the snakes under control. And not just any snakes, water moccasins, the deadliest of all.”

Jude shook his head. “You like living in such a place?”

“It’s been my home for as long as I can remember,” she said simply. “But it doesn’t feel that way so much since my mom died and my dad moved away.”

A wave of sadness washed over her at the realization that her father’s departure had changed everything. In an attempt to shake off the unwanted melancholy, she performed a couple of stretches then shook out her hands, which had been holding the reins in a death grip. By the time she straightened, her mood had lightened.

“I could have been a Texan,” she announced.

If Jude was surprised by the out-of-the-blue pronouncement, it didn’t show. “Could have been? Or could be?”

“Could have been,” she repeated. “My father and his brothers were born in Texas, but relocated to Florida when they were young.”

He slapped his hat against his dusty jeans. “That explains it.”

She lifted a brow.

“You’re a natural on a horse,” he told her. “You’re a born cowgirl.”

Gabi laughed.

The sound made Jude smile. She captivated him. As she had from the first moment he’d seen her.

“Where’s my banana bread?” Gabi asked.

“I thought you were going to persuade me to share.”

She stared at him for a long moment, a speculative gleam in her eyes. “What’s it going to take?”

He simply smiled, enjoying the game.

“A little buttering up?”

He grimaced. “That makes me sound like a tub of popcorn at the movie theater.”

She fisted her hands on her hips, considered. After a second, she took a step closer, slid her hands up his chest to the lapels of his shirt. “Oh, Jude,” she simpered. “You’re so handsome.”

He cocked his head and stared pityingly at her.

She dropped her hands, frowned. “You’re right, way too cliché.”

“But you’re on the right track,” he admitted, making her smile.

“Okay.” She took a deep breath, let it out slowly then tipped her head and gazed up at him through lowered lashes. Her voice became a sultry purr. “Have I told you that I absolutely adore your muscles?”

He appeared to consider then shook his head. “I don’t believe you have.”

“I do,” she said, all wide-eyed and innocent. “I know some women go for the starving-poet look. You know—guys with that long shaggy hair and not a manly muscle in sight.”

“I take it you’re not one of them.”

Gabi trailed a finger across his biceps, a hint of a smile curving her lips upward when the muscle jumped. “I prefer men who look like men. I like them gentle but strong. You know—the kind of man a woman can depend on.”

She stopped, as if she’d taken it further than she’d intended. But Jude liked knowing that she found him attractive, that his body appealed to her. And since they were exchanging confidences...

“Have I told you the kind of woman who appeals to me?”

Gabi shook her head, a cautious look in her eyes.

“Short women with dark hair?”

“Not just any short woman with dark hair.” He took a step closer. “You.”

She inched back. “Ah, that’s sweet.”

“I mean it.” He took her face in his hands and gave her a smile so warm it made something inside her ache. “I’ve dated women of all shapes and sizes and found many of them attractive. But none compare to you.”

She feigned a look of mild interest. “Tell me more, smooth-talking cowboy.”

“I speak the truth.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Seriously, I love the way your hair shines like dark walnut in the sun.” He touched those silky strands as he spoke, marveling at the softness. “Your eyes remind me of the finest Venezuelan chocolate.”

“They don’t make chocolate in Venezuela.”

He smiled. “They do. My mother received some as a gift for Christmas from Sawyer. I remember the rich, dark color. It was the first thing I thought of when I saw your eyes.”

She blinked. “Well, thank you.”

“And your body.” His gaze slid up and down from the cowboy hat to the tips of her dusty boots. “You’re small and muscular, but you have curves in all the right places. When you’re against me we fit together perfectly. You fit me perfectly.”

“If you were the one trying to convince me to give you a piece of banana bread, it’d already be on your plate.”

Jude let his gaze linger on her lips. “I’m not hungry for banana bread.”

Her dark eyes sparkled in the sunlight. She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue.

“I admit I’m tempted to kiss you,” she said in that sultry tone he found so incredibly sexy, “but I’m not into public displays of affection.”

Confused, Jude glanced around to see who was riding up. But he saw only cows and pastureland. “We’re the only ones here.”

Gabi gestured with her head toward the herd of longhorns eyeing them suspiciously from behind a string of fence.

He grinned and shook his head. “They don’t count.”

“Maybe.” When she looked like she might be thinking of making a run for it, Jude grabbed her hand and tugged her to him.

“Not so fast, darlin’,” he said in a deep voice with the faintest hint of a Texas drawl. “First things first.”

Gabi stood so close he could see the flecks of gold in the rich brown depths of her eyes.

“Oh, that’s right.” She gave a throaty laugh and batted those long lashes. “You owe me a slice of banana bread.”

“I want to kiss you.” His gaze met hers. “And you want to kiss me.”

“I guess we might as well go ahead and lock lips.” Though Gabi’s voice had a slightly bored edge, the flicker of desire in her eyes gave her away. “It’s not like we have anything better to do.”

“We could eat the banana bread.” He trailed kisses up her neck.

She arched back, giving him full access to her throat. “Too many fat grams.”

He nibbled on her ear, inhaling the light floral scent of her perfume. “We’ll stick with this, then.”

“I thought you were going to kiss me.” Her breath came in little puffs.

“I think that’s what I’m doing,” he said, nipping her shoulder through the fabric.

When his hands began to slide slowly upward, Gabi inhaled sharply, her body quivering.

“You haven’t come close to my mouth,” she said in a breathless tone.

“I’ll be getting there, darlin’, don’t you worry.”

When his mouth reached the V of her shirt and his tongue made contact with the hollow of her throat, she gasped.

He’d never seen a woman keep herself so covered up. But Jude had to admit it was enticing. He couldn’t wait to catch his first glimpse of the curves underneath all that fabric.

His hand slid up to cover her high firm breast, teasing the nipple through the thin cotton of the shirt. Her breath caught then released with an involuntary sound.

As he continued to lift, support and stroke her yielding flesh with his fingers, he closed his lips over hers, softly at first then slowly increasing the pressure. Soon he found himself kissing her as if she was water and he’d been in a desert. Which, in a way, was true.

Before her, there had been nothing. She filled him in a way no other woman had done. This was his future wife in his arms.

Her body hummed beneath his touch. The surprised wonder in her eyes when he hit a sensitive spot told him she didn’t have a lot of experience. This was fine with him. But it meant he needed to go slow.

Going slow became increasingly difficult. The taste of her aroused him. Hunger struck against equal hunger, creating fire. As they continued to kiss, as he caressed her, the fire became an inferno. He cupped her and she whimpered, pressing up against his hand.

If Jude was only thinking of himself, he’d take the blanket off his saddle roll, shuck his clothes—and hers—and be rolling around on the ground in seconds. But he wanted the first time they made love to be special.

She melted against him, allowing his tongue to slip inside, just as he wanted to slip inside her.

As if reading his mind, she shifted slightly, opening her stance. They came together perfectly—two halves finally made whole—only separated by clothing.

When she began to shimmy against him, Jude had to fight to hold on to control.

Up. Down. Up. Down.

Her throaty cries made his blood burn hot.

Up. Down.

He envisioned her—wet, slick and ready beneath the denim.

Her breath came in little moans. Or were those sounds from his own throat? Could a man die from raw need? At the moment it seemed highly probable.

The sun burned hot overhead but Jude barely noticed. All he knew was Gabi and the feel of her soft body against the hard length of him.

Tension filled every muscle. He couldn’t get enough of her. He dug his fingers into her hips and increased the rhythm. Faster. Her frantic response urged him faster still.

She strained toward him, reaching, needing, wanting.

Seconds later, her body convulsed in release. She cried out, pressing hard against him, her eyes going blind. Still he continued. Up. Down. Slowly now—gentling the contact until the last bit of pleasure had been wrung from her body.

Until she went limp and collapsed in his arms with a shudder.

* * *

Once Gabi’s brain became capable of forming a coherent thought, she realized anything she’d experienced before had only been a pale imitation of the real thing. She hadn’t even gotten naked yet, but she’d experienced more passion and felt more satisfaction than she ever had before.

While Gabi had enjoyed her previous sexual encounters, she’d never been swept away in the moment. Yet, only a few seconds earlier, she’d been willing to do anything to ensure Jude kept touching her, kissing her.

She now stood cosseted in his arms, sated and content. A slight breeze ruffled her hair as she rested her head against his chest and listened to the comforting beat of his heart.

Gabi inhaled deeply. She loved the way he smelled—a woodsy mixture of cologne and soap and maleness that kept heat percolating low in her belly.

Jude’s lips brushed the top of her head. “You,” he said, “are amazing.”

The feeling beneath his gentle tone and the answering emotion it aroused sent red flags popping up. How could she feel so close to a man she barely knew? Things were moving too fast and in a direction she couldn’t afford to go.

If it was only the physical aspect drawing her to Jude, she’d be safe. But Jude Fortune Jones was the total package. Which was why it made sense to put a little distance between them. But when Gabi moved slightly back, he tugged her close.

Her fingers itched to reach between them, unzip his jeans and give him all the pleasure he’d so generously given to her. Then round two could begin, only this time sans clothing.

The mere thought of his talented fingers and mouth on her bare skin sent anticipation coursing up her spine and heat pooling between her thighs.

She’d let it go this far. What would be wrong with taking it all the way?

Yet, even as temptation beckoned, there were things they needed to settle first. She could be Jude’s friend and even entertain the possibility of a friends-with-benefits relationship while she was in Horseback Hollow.

But she couldn’t become involved in a serious relationship or plan a life with him. Not with her future so tenuous.

She’d witnessed firsthand the toll that losing her mom had taken on her father. It wouldn’t be fair to fall in love, marry and knowingly put a man she loved in that same situation.

Though Gabi had done well since her surgery, she knew that could change without warning. She’d seen that happen with Mary and Kate, a couple of her transplant buddies.

While she may have told her father she was “all better” and didn’t have a “condition,” she knew she’d always be a heart patient. She’d always be on antirejection medication. And she’d always be at an increased risk of a health crisis that could take her life.

Of course, she might be making a big deal over nothing. Not all men who pursued a woman did it with a serious relationship or marriage in mind. If Jude was indeed a man who “liked the ladies,” a few weeks of fun and sex before she returned to Florida could be all he was after.

If she knew that was his mindset, Gabi would rip off his clothes and have her way with him right now. Even the knowledge that the cows would get an eyeful wouldn’t slow her down.

But what was going through his head was a mystery, so Gabi determinedly stepped from his arms and pretended sudden interest in straightening her clothing.

When she looked up, his blue eyes, so often filled with good humor, reminded her of a stormy windswept sea. The expression on his face was serious as his eyes searched hers. “Are we good?”

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize he wanted to know if their momentary interlude had screwed things up between them.

Easy-breezy, she told herself and smiled. “Stellar.”

The tenseness eased from his shoulders, but a hint of worry remained in his eyes.

“The air between us was hot enough to combust.” Jude shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I hadn’t planned—”

“On a make-out session in front of the bovines?”

Jude laughed then cocked his head. “We could take it to the next level and really give them something to look at this time.”

His wicked smile tempted, but she shook her head.

“You have to check on the fence,” she reminded him, keeping her tone light, fighting for casual. “Besides, I’m in the mood to ride.”

It sounded plausible. Practical. Believable.

If she could have kept her eyes from straying to the bulge below his belt buckle. If her breath hadn’t hitched.

She heard him chuckle, jerked her head up.

The stormy eyes now held laughter and what she recognized as the hot glint of desire.

“A horse.” She moved quickly to Sweet Betsy’s side even as the image of her riding him painted bold, fiery strokes across her brain. “I want to ride a horse.”

The knowing look in his eyes told her he wasn’t fooled. “Need any help mounting the...horse?”

Gabi’s throat went dry as dust. If he touched her now...

“Got it covered,” she managed to croak before pulling herself up onto the mare with the ease of an experienced rider.

In seconds Jude was on the stallion. He shifted a bit as if trying to find a comfortable position.

Though it wasn’t at all charitable, especially in light of how generous he’d been with her, Gabi stifled a snicker.

Instead of giving the horse a light tap of his heel, Jude stared with those enigmatic blue eyes, his gaze lingering on her mouth.

Gabi licked the lips that were now as dry as her throat.

As if satisfied, his molten gaze dropped to her chest. Her breasts had begun to tingle when his gaze lowered again.

One look was all it took. A river of heat rushed through her to settle at the apex of her thighs. She squirmed, trying to find a position that didn’t intensify the ache between her legs.

The smile Jude shot her stopped just short of a smirk. Then he pressed his lower legs against the horse and took off across the field toward the fence line.

Now he wasn’t the only one who wanted, the only one left with unrequited yearnings. As he disappeared over the ridge, Gabi realized with a pang that letting him ride away was exactly what she’d soon face.

But not today. Not yet.

She pressed her heels into Sweet Betsy’s sides and raced after him.