“Which is so not me.”
“I get that, Tyler.”
“I know you do, which is one of the reasons I asked you to bring me out here. You may be the only person from that dinner-table crowd who truly understands that I’m not ready for a husband and kids. Morgan says she understands, but I can see in her eyes that she’d love to have me find a guy and settle down, maybe even in Jackson Hole.”
“That’s natural. I’m sure she misses you when you’re gone for long stretches.” He didn’t want to imagine what his life would be like after she left, either. He was afraid the joy would leach right out of his days and nights.
“And I miss her, too, but that’s the nature of the job. On the upside, I get to see amazing places all over the world, and the passengers are terrific, for the most part. Many of them have invited me to visit, and I’m sure their homes are gorgeous. You couldn’t afford this type of luxury cruise if you didn’t have plenty of money.”
“Do you think you will visit them?”
“Probably not. The little time I have off I’ll want to spend with family. Morgan’s the first one to establish an actual home somewhere, but I’ll bet the others will, too, eventually.”
“And your parents? Will they finally stay put somewhere?”
Tyler chuckled. “I doubt it. I picture them waiting until we all have places of our own, and then they’ll make the rounds. I’ve figured out that my dad is ADD. He can’t stick with one job or one place for more than a month or two before he gets bored. I inherited the wanderlust, but I’ve been able to keep this job for almost six years. And I love it. It’s perfect for me.”
“I’m sure it is.” And yet…now he wasn’t so sure. She kept saying how much she loved her lifestyle, almost as if she needed to keep repeating her dedication to the job to ward off any change to the plan. Or maybe that was wishful thinking on his part.
Tyler peered out the window. “It’s very dark out here, isn’t it?”
“Especially tonight, with all the clouds. I’m afraid you won’t see the moon glittering on the quartz unless I use a flashlight.”
“You have one, though, right?”
“There should be one in the glove compartment.”
As she reached to open it, he remembered what else was in there. She’d waited on the porch while he’d brought the truck around, and he’d used that opportunity to shove a handful of condoms into the glove compartment. A handful was excessive, but he hadn’t had time to figure out how many he might need, so he’d just grabbed some.
Sure enough, the minute she opened the compartment, several condom packages tumbled out and fell to the floor of the truck. She began to laugh. “Are the ranch trucks normally stocked with these?”
“No. That was me doing the stocking.” And the sight of them had jump-started his libido.
“I see. That’s quite a supply.”
“I didn’t want to run out.” But as eager as he felt to have her, even those might not be enough.
“Is that so? I don’t remember needing that many in August. Have you shortened your recovery time?”
He wouldn’t doubt it. She seemed to be affecting him more strongly than she had last summer. “I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?” And soon, very soon.
“That depends on whether there’s a flashlight in here. It wasn’t snake season when I lived here as a kid, but last summer I distinctly remember being warned about walking around in the dark without a flashlight because of snakes.”
“It was warmer then. August.” He didn’t want her to get distracted thinking about wildlife. He wanted her mind to be firmly where his was—on sex. “It’s too cold out for varmints to be out moseying around.”
She glanced over at him. “Listen to you, sounding like Yosemite Sam! I’m beginning to think you have turned into a real cowboy, after all.”
He lapsed into a slow drawl. “In that case, ma’am, could I interest you in going for a little…ride?” He wanted her so much he could taste it.
She reached over and stroked his thigh. “Sounds like fun.”
“I guaran-damn-tee it.” Ah, that single touch was all it took for his c*ck to strain against his fly.
Moving her hand, she rubbed his crotch.
He drew in a quick breath. “You might want to be careful, ma’am. That gun is loaded.”
“I can tell.” She continued to fondle him. “Are we there yet?”
“We’re close, and I’m not talking about the sacred site, either.” Clenching his jaw, he brought the truck to a stop and switched off the engine.
“Why are we stopping?”
“Honey, we’re just getting started.” He opened his door and the overhead light flashed on. He turned to her and raked her with his gaze. “By the time I come around to your side, I want your jeans and your panties off.”
“Are all cowboys as bossy as you?” Her eyes darkened and excitement trembled in her voice.
“Don’t know. Don’t care. Just do it.” He couldn’t remember ever being this desperate to have a woman. He’d hoped to hold out until they reached their destination, but he couldn’t see himself driving another ten feet, let alone another mile, without some relief.
When he opened the passenger door and the dome light came on again, he was greeted by the welcome sight of Tyler shoving her jeans and panties over her ankles. She’d already taken off her shoes and socks, which left her dressed only in her shirt and green hoodie. He didn’t need those off right now.
She glanced at him, her cheeks rosy with excitement. “I did it, but I think you’re crazy.”
“Most likely.” He scooped up a condom packet from the floor at her feet and unbuttoned his fly.
“I don’t know how you plan to manage sex under these conditions.”
“I’ll figure out the logistics as we go.” The situation was fast approaching the critical point. He got the condom on in record time. “Turn toward me.”
But as she did that, he could see it wouldn’t work to take her that way. With the first thrust, he’d knock himself out cold on the roof of the cab. He leaned in and cradled the back of her head with one hand so he could kiss her, although a kiss would only make things worse for him. But he needed to kiss her, needed to feel that plump mouth moving against his.
He could go on kissing her forever, if only he weren’t ready to explode. He used his free hand to explore the wonders between her silky thighs, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and started moaning softly.
He lifted his mouth a fraction away from hers. “Wrap your legs around my waist. I’m going to pick you up and reverse our positions so I’m sitting on the seat.”
“Where will I sit?”
“On me, little lady.”
“Okay.”
As fast as she was breathing and as wet as she was, she probably would have said okay to any suggestion he made, including doing it on the hard ground. But he wasn’t that frantic…yet.
Putting one arm around her shoulders, he slid the other one under her bottom and lifted her out of the truck. Fortunately he remembered to bend his knees, which gave him better leverage and kept him from throwing his back out or banging her head on the same truck roof he was trying to avoid. He thought longingly of the king-size mattress in Jack’s bedroom, but he’d make do with the conditions he’d been given.
He only staggered once as he turned around, but she gave a little cry of alarm and tightened her grip.
“Everything’s fine. Keep your head down.”
“If you drop me, Alex Keller…”
“I won’t.” He made contact with the seat and slowly sank back, propping his butt against it. They were almost in a doable position, except she was still mostly out of the truck.
She nibbled on his lower lip. “So what’s your next move, Houdini?”
“I’m thinking.”
Keeping one arm around his neck, she reached down and took hold of his dick, condom and all. “I know where this belongs.”
His voice was hoarse. “Me, too. I’m just not sure how to…”
“This is turning into a number from Cirque du Soleil.”
“I know.”
“Let me maneuver a bit.”
Unwrapping one leg from around his waist, she held on to his c*ck as if needing it for balance while she propped her knee on the seat next to his hip.
Her grip threatened to send him over the edge, so he started counting backward from a hundred to distract himself.
“Are you doing a countdown?”
“If you don’t hurry, that’s exactly what it will turn into.”
“Scoot back a little.”
He obeyed and kept counting.
She managed to get the other knee in position so she was straddling him. “Move back a little more.”
He followed her directions and then, miracle of miracles, they were there. His c*ck was poised at the entrance to all things special. Her mouth found his, and she suckled his tongue as she slowly lowered her hips, taking his throbbing penis bit by torturous bit.
He resisted the urge to thrust upward. She’d engineered this feat, and she had the right to tease him. He took satisfaction in knowing she was teasing herself, too. After that night in the hayloft, he knew exactly how much she liked having him deep inside her. She’d told him all about that…in detail.
When at last he was in up to the hilt, she drew back to look into his eyes. In the glow from the dome light, her eyes flashed with dark fire. “There,” she said, her voice husky. “Mission accomplished.”
He swallowed, so overwhelmed by the sensation of being inside her again that he wasn’t sure he could form an actual word. “Nice,” he murmured at last.
“Yeah.” Her gaze held his as she began to move.
Bracketing her h*ps with both hands, he closed his eyes, the better to savor this moment. He’d made love with several women in his life, and not one had welcomed him the way Tyler did. He wasn’t sure how she did it, but somehow she opened to him in a way no other woman ever had. And, at the same time, she gathered him in close, as if wanting him, and only him, to learn the secrets of her body.
Leaning forward, she brushed her lips over his. “You okay?”
“I’m so okay it’s frightening.”
“I wasn’t sure. You closed your eyes…”
“I wanted to… I needed to concentrate on…” He pushed up, not much, but enough to tighten the connection, lock it in. “On this.”
“You’re not imagining I’m someone else?”
He opened his eyes at once. “God, no. Is that what you thought?”
“For all I know, some woman broke your heart again and I’m handy.”
“Come here.” He guided her closer and kissed her, putting all the gratitude, tenderness and passion he felt into that kiss. Then he drew back. “You’re not a substitute, Tyler. There’s no one like you. No one.”