Page 43 of Texas-Sized Secrets

Giving in to the temptation, Mona laid her head against his chest, finding his wet clothing warmed by the hot-blooded skin beneath. He smelled of prairie, rain and leather. Her breath caught in her throat and held as wild and dangerous thoughts of unbuttoning his shirt and running her hands over his chest raced through her consciousness.

From chillingly cold to steaming hot in the space of minutes, Mona snuggled closer. Gone from her mind were the worries of the rustlers finding her, the cattle being lost and the storm churning outside. Inside the cozy little cave, a storm of much greater intensity raged.

All her resolutions to steer clear of men, her self-induced celibacy, slid from rational thought into the moisture drenching her inside, preparing her for what she really wanted. To be with this man in the most intimate way, here in the dark, in a cave, in a storm.

Reed’s hands skimmed over her back and downward to the curve of her hips, tugging her closer.

A moan rose up between them. Mona wasn’t sure whether it was her or him, nor did she care. Thick denim stood in the way of feeding her desire. She pressed nearer to him, wrapping one leg around the back of his so that she could rub her aching need against his thickly muscled thigh.

Rough fingers laced through her hair, dragging her face closer, then he claimed her lips in a slanting kiss, grinding over her teeth and plundering deep into her mouth.

She gave as good as she got, her arms circling his neck, her hands cupping the back of his head. Wanting more than a kiss, more than pressing soaked, fully clothed bodies against each other, she craved skin-to-skin contact. Her hands found their way between them, jerking at the buttons of his shirt until they loosened or popped free of the thread holding them. When she reached the waistline of his jeans, she didn’t stop there. The hard metal button proved difficult, but she was up to the challenge and soon had it loose, reaching for the zipper.

His hand closed over hers. “Are you sure this is what you want? Aren’t you afraid?” The flash of lightning blasted the dark interior of the cave, showing the sincerity in his face. The lines around his mouth also confirmed the amount of restraint he exerted to let her stop at this point.

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”Or more afraid.Her hand dragged the zipper downward. Rain, hail and thunder beat against the cliffs, echoing the thrumming of blood through her veins. She couldn’t go back now.

When he sprang free into her hands, she rejoiced that he was a man who preferred to ride commando, nothing but jeans.

His hands had risen during her desperate efforts to strip him of his clothing, working the buttons and zipper of her own. When it came to the part where Reed shoved her shirt down over her shoulders, Mona gulped, thanking the heavens for the cloudy night and the dark interior of the cave. With a protruding belly and overly large breasts, she wasn’t in the best shape.

He dragged her pants down her legs, helping her to step out of her boots and then the jeans one leg at a time, careful not to unbalance her.

Finally she stood naked in the darkness, cool air caressing her feverish body.

Reed’s hands trailed from her ankles upward, massaging her calves and thighs, his fingers working magic, steadily climbing upward until they found the sweet spot.

Mona cried out, leaning into his palm, touching her forehead to his chest, her breaths coming in labored puffs.

His fingers stopped their slow torture. “Am I hurting you?”

“Yes, in the best possible way.” She laid her hand over his. “Don’t stop now. That would hurt even more.”

Her hands explored his shoulders and chest, tweaking the hard buttons of his nipples. She wished she had more light so that she could see the muscles rippling beneath her. Instead, she explored by touch alone, a heady sensation, cloaked in mystery and unabashed wonder.

Wind howled outside their haven and rain pounded on the rocks, creating a waterfall at the cave entrance. The effect was a constant roaring to match the blood pounding in her ears, blocking out the question threatening to break through her haze of desire. What was she thinking?

Reed bent and took the tip of her breast into his mouth, sucking gently then rolling the beaded tip with his tongue.

Mona’s head lolled back, her hair brushing against her bottom. The answer to her question reverberated against the walls of the cave in a long, low moan originating from deep in her throat.

She didn’t care what she was thinking as long as Reed kept doing what he was doing to make her forget everything else.

He walked her backward until her backside bumped against smooth, cool stone. There he hiked her up, careful not to jostle her belly, wrapping her legs around his waist.

With his hands on her hips, he guided her down over him, filling her slowly. “Tell me if it hurts. We’ll stop.”

“Please, don’t stop.” She eased lower, wary of the baby inside, but unwilling to give up the sensations filling her, stretching her to accommodate his length and girth.

Only five and a half months since she’d had sex, and then with a man who’d later shown his true colors, she was tight and feeling it. Loneliness had driven her into the arms of the wrong man before. Loneliness wasn’t what drove her into Reed’s arms now. Hot, raging passion compelled her to fall into the hired hand’s arms. All she wanted was to slake her desires and be done with him. After all, she was a woman with certain needs demanding to be met by this man.

This time when she made love, she had nothing to lose…but her heart.

Chapter Eleven

Reed lay awake with Mona cradled in his arms for at least an hour after they collapsed on the pile of their clothing. She’d fallen asleep, exhausted from the chase and their lovemaking.

His hand found its way to the swell of her belly, gently stroking the soft skin. A tiny heel or elbow jabbed against his hand and he smiled in the darkness.

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