Her Favorite Cowboy Page 15

  “I’ll come with you,” he told her, as she tried not to bleed on him, herself or the floor. She knew she felt a bit shaky, but the nosebleed came as a complete surprise. She hadn’t had one since fifth grade, when Tony Cerami accidentally hit her in the nose with his elbow during a rowdy game of tag.

  Once the bleeding had slowed to a minor inconvenience, she changed into leggings and a long top, put her hair in a ponytail and followed Gage back to his room, where he made her comfortable on his bed, propping up pillows behind her back so she could lean up against the antique wooden headboard.

  He had ordered dinner from room service while she’d changed, and the trays of hot food waited on the small table under the windows while Gage fussed over her. “Are you sure you don’t want to eat at the table?”

  She was finally comfortable, the bleeding had completely stopped and she really didn’t want to move. It had been a taxing day and she was about thirty different kinds of tired.

  “Thanks, but I’m not getting out of this bed until I have to.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Is that a promise?”

  “Hold your horses, Cowboy. I only meant that I’m still not ready for prime time.”

  “How you tease.”

  “You’re easily tempted.”

  “Only when it comes to you.”

  He picked up the tray that contained noodle soup, baked salmon, steamed veggies and fries, her comfort food. He brought it over to the bed, then went back for two small bottles of water and placed them on the nightstand next to her.

  Then he leaned over and kissed her, igniting the deep passion she felt for him, but she knew she’d be toying with another nose bleed if she took the kiss any further. She needed nourishment, in the worst way, and some rest.

  She decided the nosebleed was the direct result of the dry air, the altitude and way too much caffeine. If she counted all of the lattes and cups of tea she’d consumed during the day, she’d had at least six—way too much when your body is trying to adjust to a higher elevation.

  Her phone chimed, interrupting the kiss.

  “I have to answer this,” Cori said, as she pulled away and opened the message. It was a text from Gram: All okay here on train. What about there? She texted back to say everything was fine with Buck.

  She showed Gage the text. “Have you noticed anything odd about our grandparents’ feud lately?”

  He studied the message. “Apart from the name calling and crazy competitiveness, not really.”

  “Do I detect sarcasm in your voice?”

  “Only because your grandmother seems to know the exact moment when we’re kissing. And I don’t like to be interrupted when my lips are on yours.”

  “Is this better?” she asked, kissing him again. This time when their tongues touched, Cori could barely control her reaction. She wanted so much more from him than a simple kiss, and she wanted it now.

  His hand slipped down to her breasts, gently caressing each one through her shirt. She hadn’t worn a bra precisely for this reason. Her senses were heightened and she didn’t want him to stop.

  But he did, jarring her out of the seduction with a quick withdrawal.

  “You should eat something first,” he whispered as he moved away from her. “I want to be sure you’re okay before we take this any further.”

  “I’m fine,” she told him, lying. When she dabbed at her nose with a tissue, it stained pink. She knew she wasn’t completely healed yet, and even felt a bit woozy.

  Or was that pure lust for this gorgeous man?

  “I can tell you’re not being completely honest with me. You look a little pale and I don’t think pale is the color of ‘fine.’ Especially after we just kissed.”

  She leaned back on the pillows. “Okay, you’ve got me. I’m still a little shaky, but I don’t want to be. We only have a couple hours until my family returns.”

  “You’re staying right here tonight. I’m not letting you go.”

  “I can’t. Hailey will want to tell me all about Silverton and the ride back to Durango. Plus, I don’t want her to get the wrong idea. We already agreed to that.”

  He walked over to the small table, pulled out one of the two chairs, sat down and proceeded to take a bite of his burger.

  “What are you doing?” she asked. “There’s plenty of room on this bed for you.”

  “No, there isn’t. I can’t be that close to you, knowing you don’t have anything on under that shirt. It’s driving me crazy.”

  She took a bite of her salmon. “Then you better sit right there while I eat.”

  “I intend to do just that, but nothing will keep me away when you finish.”

  “Is that a promise?”

  “You have my word as a cowboy.”

  She took another bite, then another. Each bite of food seemed to restore her strength. “You’re a Wall Street trader.”

  She drank down some of the noodle soup and delighted in the perfectly seasoned broth. It was exactly what she needed...soup and Gage Remington holding her in his arms. The vision caused her to eat faster.

  “Not today, darlin’. Today I’m a lost cowboy lookin’ for his girl.”

  “I’m right here, handsome,” she told him as she slid the tray to the foot of the bed then slowly removed her shirt.

  “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Gage asked as he walked toward the bed, his eyes burning with desire for her.

  “I’ve been ready since the first moment I met you.”

  He picked up the tray and placed it on the floor, then he removed his shirt and pants. Cori slid down on the bed and watched the muscles in his chest and arms stretch and retract as he slipped out of the rest of his clothes. His chest was everything and more than she had imagined that night on the dance floor. He was magnificent to look at, every muscle defined with a whisper of chest hair.

  “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” he asked.

  “Timing wasn’t right.”

  “Is it right now?”

  She nodded as he crawled on top of her, covering her lips with his, his tongue pressing against hers, one hand caught up in her hair and the other gently caressing her breasts.

  She felt vulnerable and in control all at once. Vulnerable because she knew instantly this could never be just sex. This man had captured a part of her heart, and now he was on his way to capturing everything else about her. But she’d made an agreement with him, an agreement that their relationship would end tomorrow.

  “Are you feeling okay? We’ll take it slow, just in case.”

  “I wouldn’t want you any other way.”

  “A woman after my own heart,” he said in a deep voice, his eyes smoky with passion.

  He gently eased her out of her leggings, then he slid her panties off her hips and dragged them slowly down her legs, kissing her hips and legs as he made his way to her feet. He tossed her panties on the floor along with his briefs. Then he slowly made his way back up her legs, dragging kisses along the insides of her calves and thighs until he gently pressed his lips on her sex, then her tummy and the swell of her breasts. She was mad with desire for him.

  “And your body,” she teased.

  “But I thought we were taking this slow and easy.”

  She ran her fingers over his broad shoulders and down his arms as he kissed her neck and tickled her ear with his tongue. Reason told her she was about to lose herself to this man, and she tried with everything that was in her not to let that happen, but his lovemaking was too real, too raw. With each touch, each kiss, she knew his emotions ran deep. And despite what he’d said about them being friends with benefits, she could tell by looking deep into his eyes that he felt every inch of her in his heart.

  She tried to hold back, tried not to give herself to him as he entered her. Somehow he’d sli
pped on a condom without her noticing and now she was holding back at the last minute.

  “Relax,” he told her. “I’m here now. I won’t hurt you.”

  She lost herself in his eyes, feeling herself drift into his warmth.

  “Wrap your legs around me,” he whispered.

  She lifted her bottom and slowly did as she was told, opening herself up to him despite her apprehensions. Suddenly all reason slipped from her mind replaced by passion and pure lust. Cori could no longer focus on anything other than the way he felt inside her, her hunger for him all-consuming.

  God, why did he have to be such a good lover? Why did he have to make her want him more than anything else she’d ever wanted in her entire life?

  His movement seemed deliberately slow and methodical, as if he was a bit afraid to move with the rhythm he needed to climax.

  “Everything okay?” he asked, confirming her apprehensions.

  “Everything’s marvelous. You feel so damn good.”

  “That’s all I wanted to hear, kitten. You’re amazing. So soft. So warm. So willing.”

  He kissed her as his rhythm intensified, then he pulled away to stare down at her, causing her to feel a rush so intense and deep that her entire body shuddered from the look in his eyes. He thrust in even deeper until she groaned with pleasure.

  “Let it go, baby,” he told her, as she dug her fingers into his back and helped push him in even deeper.

  She reached up and pulled him down until their lips met and she devoured his cries of pleasure as they both soared over the cliff together, each letting go of all control until there was nothing left but raw emotion, open to each other more than either one of them had ever been in their entire lives.

  * * *

  HE AWOKE IN DARKNESS, alone in his bed. He had no recollection of Cori leaving, yet by all indications she had. He had hoped she would stay the night, despite her having told him that she would have to leave for her daughter. It saddened him to know that it would be their only time together and she had already left him for her family.

  Emotion overtook him and he rolled over on his back to stop it from spilling out like a kid who just broke his favorite toy.

  “You’re awake,” her reassuring voice said from somewhere on the other side of the room.

  “You’re still here?” he said, wiping the tears from his eyes.

  She walked over to him, wearing one of his dress shirts. He wanted to reach up, take it off her, slowly, and then make love all over again.

  “I texted my gram and told her I was spending the night with you.”

  “You told her about us?” He couldn’t believe she’d been so honest with her grandmother. Could this mean she had crossed some kind of threshold and was now serious about a relationship with him?

  “I decided she deserved the truth, no matter what she thought about it.” Cori sat cross legged on the bed, facing him. “And you deserve the truth as well.”

  He didn’t like the sound of her voice, dark and somber. He couldn’t handle her telling him how she was going to walk away, not after what they’d just shared.

  He slipped his hand under his head so he had a better view of her lovely face. “Lay it on me.”

  “You remember that night when I literally ran away from you, when you told me you were a recovering alcoholic?”

  “Are you going to tell me you’re recovering as well? Because if you are, I don’t care. We can work on staying sober together or go down in a blaze of glory. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m in love with you.”

  She nearly fell off the bed as she backed away, stood and turned on the light.

  “Don’t say that.”

  He sat up. “It’s true. I’m in love with you, and God help me, I now know I’ve never been in love with anyone until I met you.”

  She picked up her clothes off the floor and started putting them on.

  “What are you doing?” he asked, confused over her actions. Why would she leave him in the middle of the night? It made no sense.

  “Leaving.”

  He couldn’t let her go. Not like this. Not when he just poured out his feelings.

  “Why? I know you want to stay. I know you’re in love with me.”

  “You don’t understand. I can’t be in love with you, ever.”

  “Yes you can. It’s easy, just follow your heart.”

  “There’s no room in my heart for you or anyone like you.”

  Her words stung, but he refused to believe them. He knew she didn’t mean what she’d said. She couldn’t have, not after what they’d just shared.

  “Like you told Hailey, there’s plenty of room in your heart for love.”

  She pulled on her leggings and slipped on one shoe, but then couldn’t find the other one and got down on her hands and knees to look around the bed and nightstand.

  “No, I can’t. I just can’t. We had a deal.”

  She didn’t look up. Instead she kept searching.

  “I changed my mind.” He slipped out of bed and slipped on his briefs.

  “Help me find my shoe.”

  “No. Look at me,” he demanded, hoping his stern voice wouldn’t scare her away.

  She stopped searching the floor for her shoe, sat back on her feet and gazed up at him. He squatted down to her level.

  “This is our destiny. What are the odds we’d both be attending this offbeat conference, escorting grandparents who hate each other? No one could predict this. It just happened. For whatever reason, we’re supposed to be together.”

  She shook her head. “It was simply a moment in time, and tomorrow we’ll both return to our normal lives.”

  He reached out for her, grabbing her arms with his hands. “I can’t let you go. I love you.”

  “Stop saying that. Nothing good can come of this.”

  “You and I are here, together. Nothing else matters.”

  Her defiance tore at his insides. She had to see the truth, had to admit it to herself. He couldn’t understand what was standing in her way. Why she just couldn’t admit that despite all her terms and plans, she had fallen in love with him.

  “You don’t understand,” she grumbled.

  “You belong to me.”

  “I need my other shoe,” she said. As tears slipped from her eyes, he knew her conviction was breaking down, that he was winning the argument.

  “You need me.”

  He wiped the tears off her checks with his thumbs, as he gently cupped her face in his hands.

  “I need my shoe, damn it. I won’t do this. I won’t.”

  He spotted her shoe under the table in front of the window, slowly stood and retrieved it, then handed it to her.

  “Just tell me why you’re turning me down when I know you love me. I felt it when you gave yourself to me.”

  Her tears increased as she took the shoe from him and slipped it on her foot. He didn’t want to believe she didn’t feel something. Her feelings had been right there, open to him, raw and unhampered.

  No way did she not love him.

  “Because you’re...because my...”

  She sighed and he knew he’d won the battle, at least for now.

  He reached out for her. “Come back to bed. You don’t have to go anywhere. Stay with me. Sleep with me. I’m not asking you to love me, but let me love you one more time. Then I’ll drive away and you never have to see or think about me ever again.”

  She hesitated as tears streamed down her cheeks. She was holding something back, something dark that she wasn’t ready to free. He hoped his love might change her mind, and she’d tell him the terrible secret she’d been hiding.

  “Come on,” he repeated, still reaching for her. “Come back to bed.”

  “I...”

 
“Don’t go. Not like this. Not tonight. Whatever is bothering you, we can fix. I promise.”

  She sniffled and relaxed into him. He gently touched the tips of her fingers and then reached out for her other hand, spreading out her fingers with his. They touched palms and he drew her in close. A moment later he led her back to his bed, turned out the light and slipped into bed next to her.

  He unbuttoned her shirt, taking his time with each button and kissing her warm skin as her shirt fell open. When he folded it back, moonlight washed over her skin, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her lovely body. He wanted to remember this moment forever, so instead of kissing her he ran his hands over her body with the tips of his fingers, gently caressing her full breasts and her taut stomach, and then he removed her leggings. This time, he took his time examining the intimacies of her lovely body, lingering between her legs until she moaned with pleasure.

  When he finally entered her, he slowed it way down, wanting to feel her body tight around him. Not wanting to rush, he moved easily and steadily with a rhythm that brought them both to tears.

  Afterward, he rolled onto his side, and he held her close, burying his face in her fragrant hair until her breathing deepened and he knew she’d fallen asleep. If this was going to be their last night together, he didn’t want to be the one who fell asleep first. He wanted to be the one who remembered every detail and nuance of the night, including when dawn broke over the majestic Colorado Mountains.

  Then and only then would he release her from his life.

  Chapter Ten

  Cori snuck out of Gage’s room early in the morning, hoping not to wake him and that no one would see her in the hallway. She wasn’t in the mood for Steve Court or anyone else from the conference.

  When she entered her room, both her grandmother and Hailey were fast asleep. She quickly went into the bathroom, washed up and changed into jeans, a T-shirt and her boots. Then she grabbed her purse, snuck downstairs to the restaurant and hid in a deep booth with a glossy oak table, next to the entrance. The booths were angled in such a way that no one who entered the restaurant could see her unless they stepped in closer and gazed over the top of the dark wooden walls.