Page 36 of Overdue for a Cowboy

“I think you’re amazing,” he said. “And sexy as hell. You think you’re getting everything wrong, but everything you are doing is exactly right, and any guy would be lucky to have someone like you. But I’m just not that guy. I’m not what you need.”

His words were a jumble of contradictions. Maybe she just needed to convince him. “Yes. You are.”

His expression was pained, as if it physically hurt him to speak. “I promise you, darlin’, I’m not.”

She’d come so far. She wasn’t ready to give up now.

There was something in his tone that told her he still wanted her but couldn’t let his guard down enough to take what she wasoffering. Maybe he was scared too. “But what if you’re what I need forright now? What if I’m not asking for anything more than tonight?”

“I don’t know.” His hand lifted, and his thumb barely grazed the edge of her jaw, as if her skin was burning hot and he was afraid to touch it. “It doesn’t seem fair to you.”

Not fair to me?

She let out a long-suffering sigh. “What’s not fair is that I have you in my house, in my bed, and I can’t do anything about it. So, why don’t you let me worry about what’s fair to me. This ismydecision. This is whatIwant.”

He gave the smallest shake of his head, his expression still pained. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Hurt her? Did he mean emotionally because he wasn’t planning to stick around or physically because of her injuries?

Neither one mattered.

“What’s hurting me is not being able to touch you. And not having you touch me. I don’t care about all that other stuff. I don’t care about my injuries or what might happen tomorrow. I only care about right now, in this moment. If you only knew what it’s taking for me to say these things…” Her voice was shaking now, but she had to press on. This was her leap. “But that doesn’t matter. I’m not trying to make you feel guilty. I’m just being honest and telling you that I want you. And that I’m fairly certain I might die if you don’t shut up and kiss me right now.”

The hand that was stroking her jaw rose and cupped her cheek as Dodge stared hard into her eyes.

Then with a low growl, he pulled her to him and crushed her mouth in a kiss. A wildly glorious passionate kiss that curled her toes and sent waves of heat curling to her core.

She kissed him back with everything in her then moaned into his mouth as his hands were finally on her…skimming under her shirt and over her skin.

Everything in her ached for him, but she was still unsure of what to do. Apparently, her body overruled her mind, as it took over, knowing just what to do. Her hand slipped under his shirt, loving the feel of his hard muscled back as her body writhed under him.

It wasn’t enough, and she pushed herself off the bed and onto him, straddling his waist as her hips pressed against his hard bulge, creating the friction she desperately craved.

He sat up, holding her in his lap as he carefully pulled her shirt over her head and around the sling then tossed her shirt to the floor. Her breasts were tight and heavy, aching for his touch as his gaze dropped to them, hunger in his eyes. He filled his hands, and his mouth, with them, lavishing them with attention as he caressed and teased then sent her into dizzying torture as he swirled his tongue around one tightened nipple, sampling the tip before sucking it between his lips.

She let out a moan as she arched her back, craving more of his attention for her throbbing breasts while still moving her hips over his.

Yanking at the strap of her sling, she pulled it off and tossed it behind her, sighing at the freedom and feeling wanton at sitting on top of him with her bare breasts now both so exposed.

His gaze traveled over her, a low growl in his throat as he flipped her over in a move that was both rough and gentle as he protected her arm. She could care less about her wrist though and splayed it out to her side, clawing the sheets with her fingers and biting back a moan as his hand slid into her shorts and between her legs. The slightest touch of his fingers made her light-headed. But she wanted more.

She arched up again, offering more of herself to him. He responded by stripping her pajamas and panties down her legs, leaving her completely naked, her body and soul bared to him. And his for the taking.

He stood and jerked his T-shirt over his head and dropped it to the floor. Then he undid his jeans, the soft whisper of the zipper sending a thrill coursing through her. He was wearing black boxer briefs, and Maisie didn’t think she’d ever seen anything sexier.

His body defied description, so much muscle and bare skin. His abs were hard and defined, and he had those little indents on either side of his hips that created a vee pointing down to the next thing she couldn’t wait for him to undress.

Need and hunger filled her with a desire to touch and caress, to explore every part of this man’s body she’d been fantasizing about for years.

But he was apparently just getting started with her, and she let herself sink into the feeling of being wanted and desired and hungered for as his mouth and hands roamed over her body, discovering what she liked and what made her cry out for more.

Then she got her turn, her body frantic with a need to touch and kiss, to explore and learn every part of him. And she loved thefeeling she got when something she did caused a reaction in him, whether it was a moan of want or just a tightening of his grip on her.

As they discovered each other, she discovered a part of herself. A part that she didn’t even know existed. Apparently, taking the leap was the hardest part, because now that she had, she reveled in the act of swimming around the pool. Some buried part of her, the part that she was too timid to reveal, was set free as Dodge’s touch and attention brought out a wanton and sensual side of her.

Her confidence wavered as Dodge pulled away, then got out of bed and reached for his jeans.

“Are you leaving?” she asked, dread settling in her belly. “Did I do something wrong?”

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