Tempting the Rancher Read online

  It was that acceptance that pushed her to say, “Meet me halfway.”

  He nodded and moved toward her. She moved toward him. Bailey drew in a deep breath with every step, keeping her gaze fixed on his face. That strong, square chin, those gorgeous dark eyes, his delicious mouth. He was such a striking figure of a man whose looks alone could make a woman shiver. Toss in her nightly naughty dreams and it made her bold enough to turn those dreams into reality.

  When they met in the center of the kitchen, he wrapped his arms around her with a possessiveness that took her breath away.

  “Be careful of your leg,” she warned softly after managing to breathe again. She liked the feel of his body pressed hard against hers.

  “My leg isn’t what’s aching,” he said with a huskiness she heard. “Something else is.”

  She knew what that something else was. She could feel his erection pressed against the juncture of her thighs. Even while recovering from his injury, his strength amazed her. Although he annoyed her at times by not asking for help, his willpower and independence were admirable. And the thought that this was one particular area where this strong, sexy specimen of a man did need her sent her mind and body soaring.

  He pulled back slightly to look down at her and she almost melted from the heat in his eyes. The feel of him cupping her bottom to keep their middles connected wasn’t helping matters. “Our first time making love should be in a bed, Bailey. But I’m not sure I can make it that far. I need you now,” he said in a voice filled with need.

  “I’m okay with that, Walker. I need you now, too.” She was being honest with him. When it came to sex, she felt honesty was the best policy. She detested the lies and games some couples played.

  He pulled her back into his arms when he said, “There’s something I need to warn you about.”

  Now she was the one to pull back slightly to look up at him. “What?”

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve been with a woman. A few years. About five.”

  The information, which he hadn’t had to give her, tugged at something deep inside her. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been with a man, as well. More than five years.”

  He smiled and she knew why. She’d been around the males in her family long enough to know they had no problems with double standards. They could sleep around but didn’t want to know their women had done the same.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck. “What about your leg? How do you plan for this to work? Got any ideas?”

  “I’ve got plenty and I plan to try out every last one of them.”

  His words made her heart pound hard against her chest. “Bring it on, Walker Rafferty.”

  “Baby, I intend to do just that.” And then he lowered his mouth down to hers.

  Chapter 11

  Sensation ripped through Walker the moment their mouths connected. He eased his tongue into her mouth and kissed her with a hunger that had her groaning. In response his erection pressed even harder against his zipper.

  He captured her tongue with his and did the kinds of erotic things he’d dreamed of doing. He sucked as if the need to taste her was as essential to him as breathing. He deepened the kiss and tightened his arms around her. She tasted of heat and a wildness that he found delectable.

  But then he found everything about her delectable—the way she fit in his arms, the way their bodies melded together like that was the way they were supposed to be.

  Walker slowly eased away from her mouth and drew in a deep satisfying breath, missing the feel of her already. “Take off your clothes,” he whispered against her lips.

  She raised a brow. “In here?”

  He smiled. “Yes. I want to make love to you here. We’ll try out all the other rooms later.”

  She chuckled. “Horny, aren’t we?”

  He leaned in and licked her lips. “Like I said, it’s been five years.”

  “In that case...”

  Moving out of his arms, she took a few steps back and began removing her clothes. He watched her every move, getting more turned on with each stitch she discarded. When she had stripped down to nothing but her panties and bra, he finally released the breath he’d been holding.

  He was weak in the knees from looking at her and he leaned against the breakfast bar for support. He needed it when she removed her bra and then slowly peeled her panties down her thighs. He couldn’t help growling in pleasure.

  It was only then he remembered something very important.

  “Damn.”

  She lifted a concerned brow. “What’s wrong?”

  “Condoms. I don’t have any down here. They’re upstairs in my nightstand.”

  She shook her head. “No need, unless you’re concerned about it for health reasons. I’m on the pill to regulate my periods.”

  He nodded. The thought of spilling inside her sent all kinds of luscious sensations through him. “No concerns. I’m okay with it, if you are.”

  “I’m okay with it.”

  He couldn’t help but rake his gaze over her naked body. “You are beautiful, Bailey. From the top of your head to your pretty little feet, you are absolutely beautiful.”

  * * *

  Bailey had never allowed any man’s compliments to go to her head...until now. Walker sounded so serious and the look on his face was so sincere that her heart pounded in appreciation. She wasn’t sure why his opinion of how she looked mattered, but it did. And she immediately thought of a way to thank him. Reclaiming the distance separating them, she leaned up on her toes and brushed her lips across his. Then she licked a line from one corner of his mouth to the other in a slow and provocative way.

  She smiled in pleasure when she heard his quick intake of breath, glad to know she was getting to him as much as he was getting to her. “Now for your clothes, Walker, and I intend to help you.” She intended to do more than that but he would find that out soon enough. He braced against the breakfast bar as she bent down to remove his shoes and socks.

  Now for his shirt. She leaned forward and undid the buttons while occasionally leaning up to nip and lick his mouth. The more he moaned the bolder she got as she assisted him out of his shirt and then his T-shirt.

  Wow, what a chest. She ran her fingers through the coarse hair covering it. She loved the feel of it beneath her hands. She trailed kisses from his lips, past his jawline to his chest and then used her teeth to nibble on his nipples before devouring them with her tongue and lips.

  “Bailey.” He breathed out her name in a forced whisper. “I need you.”

  She needed him, too, but first...

  She reached down and unsnapped his jeans before easing down his zipper. Then she inserted her hand into the opening to cup him. She smiled at how thick he felt in her hand. “Um, I think we should get rid of your jeans and briefs, don’t you?”

  Instead of giving him a chance to answer, she kissed him again, using her tongue to further stir the passion between them. She heard him moan, which was followed by a deep growl when she sucked on his lower lip.

  “Don’t think I can handle this much longer,” he said through clenched teeth.

  “Oh, I think you can handle more than you think you can, Walker. Let’s see.”

  She helped him remove his jeans and briefs and then stood back and raked her gaze over him before meeting his eyes. “You are so buff. So gorgeously handsome. So—”

  Before she could finish he pulled her to him, capturing her lips in an openmouthed kiss as raw as it was possessive. And when she felt his hand between her legs, she broke off the kiss to ease out of his arms.

  “Not so fast. I’m a guest in your home, so today I get to have my way,” she whispered.

  With that, her fingers gripped his hardness and gently squeezed, loving the feel of his bare flesh in her hands.

  “Don’t torture me, baby.”


  Torture? He hadn’t endured any torture yet, she thought, as she continued to fondle his thick width, texture and length, loving every minute of it. He was huge, and she intended to sample every single inch.

  In a move she knew he was not expecting, she dropped down on her knees and took him into the warmth of her mouth.

  * * *

  “Bailey!”

  Walker grabbed her head but instead of pulling her mouth away, he wrapped his fingers in the locks of her hair. He lost all control while watching her head bob up and down. Every muscle in his body trembled and his insides shivered with the impact of her mouth on him. She was pushing him deliciously over the edge. He felt ready to explode.

  It was then that he tugged on her hair, using enough force to pull her mouth from him. She looked up at him and smiled, licking her lips. “I need to get inside you now,” he said in a guttural growl. He had reached his limit.

  In a surprise move, he pulled her up and lifted her to sit on the kitchen table, spreading her legs wide in the process.

  Thanks to her, his control was shot to hell. He trailed his fingers through the curls surrounding her feminine folds. She wasn’t the only one who wanted a taste. He lowered his head to her wetness.

  “Walker!”

  He ignored her screaming his name as his tongue devoured her as she’d done to him. And when she wrapped her legs around his neck and bucked her hips against his mouth he knew he was giving her a taste of her own medicine.

  When he’d pushed her far enough, he spread her legs farther, positioned his body between them and thrust until he was fully embedded within her. Then he held tight to her hips as he went deeper with every plunge.

  Something inside him snapped, and his body moved with the speed of a jackhammer. When she wrapped her legs around his waist he threw his head back and filled his nostrils with her scent.

  They came together, him holding tight to her hips. Why this felt so right, he wasn’t sure. All he knew was that it did. He needed this. He needed her. And from the sounds of her moans, she needed him.

  They were both getting what they needed.

  * * *

  Bailey came awake and shifted in Walker’s arms, recalling how they’d made it out of the kitchen to the sofa in his living room. She eased up and tried to move off him when she remembered his leg.

  His arms held tight around her like a band of steel. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  She looked down at him and remembered why he was down there and she was on top. Upon his encouragement, she had shown him that she wasn’t only a good shot. She was a pretty damn good rider, as well.

  She glanced at the clock. It was close to eight. They had slept almost through dinner. Okay, she would admit they hadn’t slept the entire time. They had slept in between their many rounds of lovemaking.

  “Your leg,” she reminded him, holding his gaze.

  He had a sexy, sluggish look in his eyes.

  “My leg is fine.”

  “It’s after eight and you didn’t take your medicine at five.”

  A smile curved his lips. “I had another kind of medicine that I happen to like better.”

  She shook her head. “Tell that to your leg when it starts hurting later.”

  “Trust me, I will. Making love to you is better than any medicine Doc Witherspoon could have prescribed for me.” And then he pulled her mouth down to his and kissed her in a slow, unhurried fashion that clouded her mind. She was grateful for the ringing of her cell phone until she recognized the ringtone.

  She broke off the kiss and quickly scooted off Walker to grab her phone off the coffee table, being careful not to bump his leg. “Dillon! What’s going on?”

  “Hey, Bay. I was calling to check to see how Walker is doing.”

  She glanced over at Walker who was stretched out naked on the sofa. She licked her lips and then said to Dillon, “Walker is doing fine. Improving every day. The doctor is pleased with his progress.”

  “That’s good to hear. And how are you doing? Is it cold enough there for you?”

  “Yes, I’m doing good,” she said, glancing down at her own naked body. It was a good thing Dillon had no idea just how good she was doing. “There was a bad snowstorm here.”

  “I heard about that. You took plenty of heavy clothing didn’t you?”

  “Yes, I’m good.”

  “You most certainly are,” Walker whispered.

  She gave Walker a scolding glance, hoping Dillon hadn’t heard what Walker had said.

  “Do you have any idea when you’ll be coming back home?” Dillon asked.

  She swallowed hard and switched her gaze from Walker to the window when she said, “No, I don’t know when I’ll be back. I don’t want to leave Walker too soon. But when the doctor says Walker can handle things on his own, I’ll be back.”

  “All right. Give Walker my regards and tell him the entire family is wishing him a speedy recovery.”

  “Okay. I’ll tell him. Goodbye, Dillon.”

  “Goodbye, Bay.”

  She clicked off the phone and held it in her hand a second before placing it back on the table.

  “What did Dillon want you to tell me?”

  “That the family is wishing you a speedy recovery.”

  He nodded and pulled up into a sitting position. “That’s nice of them.”

  She smiled and returned to the sofa to sit beside him. “I have a nice family.”

  “I’ll have to agree with you there. You didn’t say how the wedding went.”

  Her smile widened. “It was wonderful and Jill made a beautiful bride. I don’t know who cried the most, Jill, Pam or their other two sisters.” She paused and then added, “Ian, Reggie and Quade hated they didn’t get the chance to meet you.”

  “And I hate I didn’t get the chance to meet them.”

  She couldn’t help but remember he’d left because of her. She looked at him. “Do you think you’ll ever return to Denver to visit?”

  Walker captured the back of her neck with his hand and brought her mouth closer to his. He nibbled around her lips before placing an openmouthed kiss on her neck. “Um, will you make it worth my while if I do?”

  She closed her eyes, loving the way Walker ravished her with his mouth and tongue. Desire coiled in her stomach. “I can’t make any promises, but I’ll see what I can do.”

  He pulled back slightly and she opened her eyes and met his gaze. She saw a serious glint in the dark depths as he said, “Dillon asked when you were coming home.”

  He’d presented it as a statement and not a question. “Yes. I told him when you got better.”

  He nodded, holding fast to her gaze. “I’m better.”

  Bailey drew in a deep breath, wondering if he was telling her that because he was ready for her to leave. “Have I worn out my welcome?”

  He gently gripped her wrist and brought it to his lips, placing a light kiss on her skin. “I don’t think that’s possible.”

  She decided not to remind him he was a loner. A man who preferred solitude to company. “In that case, I’ll stay another week.”

  He flashed a sexy smile. “Or two?”

  She tried not to blink in surprise that he was actually suggesting she hang around for two weeks instead of one. She glided her hand across the firmness of his jaw. “Yes. Or two.”

  As if he was satisfied with her answer, he leaned in and opened his mouth against hers.

  Chapter 12

  Walker left his bathroom and glanced across the room at his bed and the woman in it. This was the third night she’d spent with him and it was hard to remember a time when she hadn’t. A part of him didn’t want to remember it.

  He rubbed a hand down his face. Bailey in his bed was something he shouldn’t get used to. It was countdown time, and in a little less than two weeks she’d be
gone and his life would return to normal.

  Normal meant living for himself and nobody else. Garth often teased him about living a miserable life. Misery didn’t need company. He didn’t need company, but Bailey had made him realize that five years had been too long to go without a woman. He was enjoying her in his bed a little too damn much. And that unfortunately wasn’t the crux of his problem. The real kicker was that he was enjoying her...even without the sex.

  He hadn’t gotten around to working until yesterday, and she had found what she claimed was the perfect spot in his office to sit and work on the laptop she had brought with her. That way she was still connected to her job in Denver.

  They had worked in amicable silence, although he’d been fully aware of her the entire time. Her presence had made him realize what true loneliness was because he didn’t want to think of a time when she wouldn’t be there.

  Forcing that thought to the back of his mind, he moved across the room to rekindle the flames in the fireplace. While jabbing at the wood with the poker, he glanced back over his shoulder when he heard Bailey shift around. She looked small in his huge bed. She looked good. As if she belonged.

  He quickly turned back to the fire, forcing his thoughts off her and onto something else. Like Morris James’s visit yesterday. The rancher had wanted to meet Bailey after hearing all about her. Word of how she’d downed that bear had spread quickly, far and wide. Morris wanted to present Bailey with the ten-thousand-dollar bounty she’d earned from killing the animal.

  Bailey had refused to take it and instead told Morris she wanted to donate the money to charity, especially if there was one in town that dealt with kids. The surprised look on Morris’s face had been priceless. What person in her right mind gives up ten thousand dollars? But both Walker and Morris had watched her sign the paperwork to do just that.