He said her name on a moan of satisfaction as he cupped her bottom in both hands and moved in tight, locking them together. Whenever they joined like this, they seemed to fit so perfectly, to complete each other so well, that she marveled they could exist separately.
Wrapping her arms around him, she waited for her second favorite moment — when he began to move. He nuzzled the curve of her neck as he stayed quietly within her. “I love this,” he murmured. “I love being together like this.”
“Me, too.”
“I’ve been an idiot.”
She smiled. “Yes.”
He nipped at her ear. “You were supposed to say me, too, like you did last time.”
She lifted her hips, cinching them even closer together. “But I haven’t been an idiot.”
“No.” His breath tickled her neck. “Just me.”
And then he began to move, and she couldn’t talk anymore. The pleasure was too great for her to form words or to think, or to do anything except whimper. She absorbed the steady rhythm and her body responded as it had from the first time they’d made love.
Rising to meet each thrust, she joined him in the dance they’d created from the beginning, the dance they’d perfected during hours spent like this, giving… and receiving. The spring of anticipation coiled within her as it always did when Jack stroked her this way.
Perhaps it was chemistry, or perhaps it was magic. But making love with Jack nourished her in a way nothing ever had. As her orgasm neared, she held onto him, anchoring herself so that she wouldn’t fly into a million pieces.
Yet, when the moment came, she flew into a million pieces anyway. But Jack was there to gather the pieces together and urge her toward another climax. She reached for it at the moment he found his own release. Together they tumbled into the whirlpool, their cries of joy blending with the sounds of the forest.
Josie lay in a daze of happiness, not caring if she ever left this place, or even this position.
“Josie.” Jack kissed her nose. “We have a problem.”
“That’s impossible.” She kept her eyes closed and savored the post-coital glow he’d helped create.
“Maybe not a huge problem, but we’ll need to get up.”
“I don’t wanna.”
“Well, you’ll have to. Destiny’s gone.”
Chapter Nine
Jack would have loved to spend more time on the blanket cuddling with Josie, but Destiny was nowhere in sight. They weren’t very far from the barn, and Destiny might have worked himself loose and headed back there. Jack wasn’t crazy about having Destiny show up without a rider. That could be tough to explain.
Giving Josie a quick kiss, Jack climbed off the blanket, disposed of the condom, and started putting on his clothes.
“How can he be gone?” Josie followed his lead and grabbed her clothes wherever they’d fallen. “I tied him to a tree branch, just like you did with Bandit.”
“I know, but sometimes he takes a notion to get loose and go back, especially if he knows he’s close to home.” Jack hopped on one foot as he pulled on his boot. “He’ll break off the branch if he has to. I should have remembered that.” Damn straight he should have. Years ago he’d encouraged that fool stunt because he’d thought it was funny.
“So you think he went back to the barn?”
“Probably headed in that direction.” He muttered a few choice words. “Maybe I can catch him before he gets there.” Or before Emmett or one of the other hands spotted him.
Josie fastened the snaps on her shirt and tucked it into her jeans. “What should I do?”
“Wait here. If I can, I’ll bring him back and we’ll ride in later as if nothing happened.”
“What if he’s already made it to the barn?”
Jack glanced at her. She looked beautiful all mussed up, but any fool would figure out why she was in such a state. “How good are you at making up stories?”
“Not very.”
“That’s too bad.” He untied Bandit and swung into the saddle. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. You might want to fold up the blanket and…” He gave her a helpless glance. He wasn’t sure what sort of repairs she could make. The flush of satisfaction on her cheeks was a dead giveaway.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make myself presentable. Good luck, Jack.”
“Thanks.” He wheeled Bandit and started off the way they’d come, cursing Destiny under his breath. They’d spoiled that horse rotten, he and his brothers, but he was the worst culprit.
He used to love it when Gabe or Nick would take Destiny to go fishing down at the creek and Destiny would quietly work himself loose and walk home if nobody was paying attention. Jack used to give him an apple as a reward for that stunt.
But that was years ago, and Jack had been too focused on Josie, too blasted intent on doing her. Destiny’s parlor tricks had been the furthest thing from his mind. But the damned horse could blow their cover.
He urged Bandit into a canter once he broke from the trees. Once he had a good sight line, he pulled Bandit to a halt and stood in his stirrups to scan the meadow for any sign of a brown and white Paint. Maybe the horse had stopped to graze. Jack knew he was grasping at straws, though. Once Destiny got the bright idea to go back home, he made straight for the barn.
When Jack could see no sign of the missing horse, he tried to think of a plausible story to explain what had happened. He could come up with a million reasons why Josie might dismount — problems with the saddle, the stirrups, the bridle, a pebble in her boot, a speck in her eye. But he couldn’t think of a single reason why she’d tie Destiny to a tree and then fail to notice that he’d disappeared from the scene. Except for the actual reason.
Urging Bandit into a fast trot, Jack rode on until the barn was in sight. Sure enough, that damned horse was standing by the hitching post. Josie’s hat was still hooked on the saddle horn, thankfully, and a piece of the branch she’d used to tie Destiny dangled from the reins. More incriminating evidence. Jack let loose with a few more swear words.
At that moment, Emmett came out of the barn, spotted Destiny, and took a look around. Apparently he noticed Jack and Bandit coming toward him, because he lifted a hand in greeting. Then he turned back to the horse and began untying the branch from Destiny’s reins.
Jack’s brain was a wasteland as he rode in and dismounted next to Destiny and Emmett. He hoped something brilliant would come to him. Nothing did.
Emmett glanced up. “Is Josie okay?”
“She’s fine.” Mighty fine.
Emmett nodded. “Figured that was the case because you weren’t running Bandit.” He removed the stick and straightened to glance at Jack. “So where is she?”
“You mean Josie?”
“Uh-huh.” Emmett’s expression remained blank, as if they were discussing a topic of no real interest to either of them. “Any chance she’s walking in?”
“No, no. I’ll… I’ll take Destiny back and fetch her.” Jack avoided Emmett’s gaze. “We had a bit of… that is, she… I mean, I…” Crap. He was making a mess of this.