Page 72 of Make Me Crazy (Loco, Texas 2)

Rand had been planning this move since she’d called Jamie yesterday and asked her for advice. Jamie had brought her the dress today, which she called her “sure thing” dress. She had told herself over and over for so long that she didn’t want to love him, and she didn’t want anything to change. But from the first time he’d kissed her it was too late for her.

She had changed. She had fallen in love with her best friend; she just couldn’t admit it to herself and set herself up for heart ache. But listening to Earl talking about her mother had convinced her that it was worth it. It had to be worth it. She had to tell him how she felt.

Now here she was, standing as buck naked as a baby and he stared there like a drooling idiot. Suddenly self-conscious, she raised her hands up to cover her breast and said, “I thought I would surprise you…”

“You did.” He strode toward her purposefully and the hungry look in his eyes stopped her explanation. He slid his hand up and into her hair, pulling her against his hard chest. She melted into him and he bent to kiss her lips like she was a steak he wanted to devour. She shivered as he ran his free hand down her back and butt, and her naked breasts and belly rubbed against the rough cotton and denim of his clothes. The sensations made her quicken and she struggled to get closer.

He didn’t stop kissing her all the way back to the bedroom, even as he unbuttoned and discarded his shirt. Once they reached the bed, he toppled her onto the mattress and untied his boots, throwing his socks across the room. He stood up straight and slipped his jeans down his hips, kicking them off impatiently.

“Jake…” she started.

When his mouth found her breast, she couldn’t form any other words.

After. I’ll tell him after.

The sun streamed through the bedroom window and Jake watched the light dance across Rand’s skin and cast a golden hue to her brown hair. Her mouth was parted softly and her hair covered half her face, the blanket down around her hips so her whole back was exposed. He ran his hand over the soft skin.

He slid out of bed and headed for the shower. He laid his head against the cool tile and let the hot water flow down his back as he went over every little detail of being with Rand. She was so passionate. She’d been teasing and shy, and he wished he could spend the day peeling back more and more of her new layers. It was amazing that he’d known her for twenty years but he felt like he was getting to know her all over again, a new surprise every day. And he loved it.

He shaved and brushed his teeth, the sight of her toothbrush next to his making him laugh. Who would have ever thought he’d be here, living in Rand’s house, sharing a bathroom, a bed…

He wrapped the towel around his waist and opened the door to sneak down to the other bedroom. He’d hung his clothes up there because Rand’s closet was so small it barely held her meager wardrobe.

His emotions were confusing as much as they were exhilarating. He wanted to be with her, liked the way she made him feel, but it also scared the shit out of him. He’d gone into this thing thinking it would be temporary, a way to help Rand and have her until this crazy attraction to her went away. But if anything, he just seemed to be getting deeper and deeper. He loved watching her eat, sleep, laugh…he watched her when she didn’t know it and felt protective. Possessive. A word kept rattling around in his head that he’d never used with a woman. He’d dated, had girlfriends even, but never had he thought of a woman as being his.

He heard a noise in the doorway as he was pulling on a pair of boxers and there stood Rand, wrapped in a sheet, her brown hair tousled and looking sleepy. “What are you doing?”

He smiled at her bleary eyes and got up to pull her close. She snuggled against him and he felt her mouth rain soft kisses on his chest. He held her against him and kissed her hair and her bare shoulder before answering. “Getting ready for work.”

Her hands caressed his back and she murmured, “It’s early. You should come back to bed.”

He grinned and reached up to tilt her head up. “Insatiable woman, I have inventory to do. And don’t you need to be out wrangling some cattle?”

When Rand pouted, honest to God pouted like she’d been doing it for years, he almost changed his mind. Something about her protruding, plump lip made him want to take it into his mouth and suck.

He realized she was talking and said, “What did you say?”

She rubbed against him like a cat and said sweetly, “The cows can wait around a few minutes.”

He raised his eyebrow. “I can do better than a few minutes.”

She slipped her hands into his boxers and gripped him. “Then come on back to bed, and show me.”

He pulled back and dipped her over his shoulder. She laughed as he hauled her back to the bedroom and dumped her unceremoniously. He grabbed a condom from the bathroom cabinet, lost his boxers and flopped onto the bed, rolling it on. He lay down on his back and brought her over him so she straddled his hips and he rubbed against her.

“How bout it cow girl? You got me right where you want me. Do with me as you will.”

Rand’s cheeks were sweetly pink as she sat above him, looking unsure. He took her hands and slid them over his chest. “I love it when you touch me.”

Her big brown eyes met his in the early morning light and her hands roamed over his chest and abdomen, those callused palms making his erection jerk. He slid his hands up to cup her breasts, and enjoyed the way her head tilted back and her eyes closed. Just watching her, being able to really see her responding to everything he was doing, was the hottest thing he’d ever seen.

His hand dipped down until he found her core and he slid a finger over the little nub, making her tense. He continued until he slipped his index finger inside her, feeling her readiness. He grasped her waist and lifted her, shifting his hips forward until the tip of him rubbed against her warmth. He caught her surprised look and said, “This way you can control everything.”

She sat above him for a moment. He reached up and touched her face teasing, “Trust me, you’ll like it.”

She leaned her cheek into his hand and smiled. “I believe you.”

There was no more hesitation as she slid down over him and he groaned when she finally encased him in her silky sheath. She adjusted herself then moved her hips a bit. By her gasp, he figured she’d found something she liked and he grasped her hips and moved her forward again.

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