“Yes. I would. I think we would have an amazing time.”
“But what about airfare? Last minute will be pricey.”
“If you say yes, you let me worry about the travel arrangements. I will get you there,” she said, more excited than she wanted to admit.
“I’ll consider it, especially if you can’t stay longer.” He brought her fingers up to his mouth and brushed his lips over the back of her hand.
“Well, I thought about asking to return after my stint in Bermuda. I have four months after the end of my visit on the island before I start working with the NASA team in Houston on a regular basis. I would love it if you could join me in Bermuda. If you can finagle the time off, you should just come with me to Vegas too. Because I’d rather not wait that long to see you.”
“Is that a fact?” he murmured. His gaze smoldered, and his thumb rubbed over the hand he held.
With her heart leading the way, she went and sat on his lap. His hands slid around her waist, holding her tight. Avery threaded her fingers through his hair like she’d been aching to do, as she studied his face and said, “I really hope you decide to join me. Just think, in two weeks we could be making love with the windows open, the salty scent of the ocean infusing the air, and the sound of the ocean waves lashing the shore.”
Colt murmured in that deep bedroom voice of his, “I like the sound of that. Let me see if I can clear my schedule. I don’t know that I could take a full two months off. But I might be able to finagle two weeks away. I’m way overdue for a vacation.”
“Oh my gosh, really?” She placed her palms on his cheeks, her smile wide, and her heart suffused with joy. “I’m so happy I met you, Colt.”
“Likewise, Avery. Of all the places for you to illegally squat, I’m glad you chose this ranch.” He kissed her palm.
Emotions swirled in her chest, a thrilling combination of joy and love, but she wasn’t ready to voice that love. Instead, she laid her mouth over his for a soul-stirring kiss. She couldn’t believe her good fortune, that he was considering her offer. One heart-rending kiss bled into two, and then three, before she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
She surrendered to the moment. Colt surrounded her with his large form, held her tight, and ravished her mouth. Liquid flames spread along her veins to every corner of her being until she was being incinerated from the inside out.
When the kiss finally ended, they stared at one another.
“We should get ready to head outside.”
“Let me get the dishes in the dishwasher first.” She rose from his lap and carried the empty plates to the sink.
She turned and bumped into him, stumbling at being knocked off balance until he saved her. He braceleted her hands behind her back and restrained her body against the counter. Her breath expelled in a rush. Avery didn’t understand the reason behind the curling, quivering need his dominant action created inside her. She was an independent, intelligent woman. And yet, when he went all domineering and commanding this way, it turned her into a wanton ball of lust.
“I’ve got a full night planned after we watch the stars tonight.”
She wet her lips and absorbed his words before she asked, “Do you now?”
His gaze darkened and, in a husky voice, he murmured, “You like my dominance. Do you know how I can tell, babe?”
She shook her head, unable to reply.
“It’s in the way your pupils are dilated, and that pulse at the base of your neck is thumping wildly. Then there’s the way your nipples are hard pebbled points against my chest, and I bet if I eased my hand down the front of your jeans, I would find that sweet pussy of yours drenched and ready for my cock.”
She swallowed at the delicious onslaught of need his words evoked. Because it was true, all of it. He touched her, even just a simple caress down her spine, and she was a goner.
Avery loved the way his slate blue eyes darkened to near black with lust. And how sexy the low rumble of his voice was as he asked in a gruff whisper, “Are you, Avery? Are you wet for me?”
“Do you really have to ask?” she quipped, her breath catching in her lungs as her need for him rose to blistering heights.
He flashed her a sexy grin. “Yes, I do. Do you know how many times I got distracted today, thinking about you, and had to fight off an erection?”
“How many?” she asked, fascinated and aroused beyond measure.
“Only every other minute.”
Her heart rejoiced. He’d thought about her all day. The truth was evident in his eyes. “Take me. Now.”
“The stars—”
“Aren’t going anywhere. They’ll be there all weekend.” She left it unsaid that he wasn’t going to be there every night. She ignored the fluttering panic that knowledge created. He still might accept her offer and join her in Bermuda. Now was not the time to dwell on what may or may not happen in the coming days and weeks. She would focus on the present, on Colt, and every minute spent with him.
Colt leaned over her, forcing her to tilt her head up. “For the rest of the night, I’m in charge. I will take you when I want to take you, and not a moment before. Your pleasure is mine to dole out. You have five minutes to use the bathroom if needed. And then I want you naked and at the foot of the bed. Understood?”
Heat flooded her body. She nodded and managed to croak out a yes. He nipped her bottom lip before he released her. Her body vibrated with the sheer force of her arousal, and he’d barely touched her.
Would she even survive the night?
11
Colt had made the right decision, leaving the ranch in his sister’s hands until Monday. The curiosity from his friends regarding Avery had sent him off the ranch. It was partially why he had made the grocery store trip—sort of a bait and switch type of move to make them believe he was headed off the ranch for the weekend. He wasn’t ready to share Avery with anyone yet.
That’s why, when he had finished at the store, he had taken back roads to reach her cabin. It was secluded enough from the main road that his truck would be hidden from passersby.
When she’d turned down his invitation to stay with him, he’d figured that was it then. Their time together would end when her stay on the ranch ended. He’d never expected that she would ask him to go with her. He should have seen it coming. And he couldn’t deny the pleasure that had washed over him at her admission and obvious desire to spend more time with him—just him, not his money or prestige. He wasn’t certain he could take the time off to go to Vegas with her, at least not right away.
But a few weeks on a private beach with Avery—he couldn’t think of anything he wanted more. He yearned for every minute he could squeeze in with her. In all his years as a Dom, Colt had never had a woman react to his merest touch like she did. Her siren’s call beckoned him and fueled his blood to dizzying heights.
If their relationship continued, at some point, he would need to confess his omissions and the half-truths he’d told her at dinner tonight. He hated lying to her about his job. But he wasn’t ready for her to know the truth just yet. He wanted to go on just being her cowboy, the man she gazed at with warmth and desire. She excited him, thrilled him, made him long for dreams he believed he had long since buried.