Taken, Not Spurred (Lone Star Burn #1)(35)
Author: Ruth Cardello

He stood up, walked to the phone, and called the man who lived a mile or so away and cared for the cabin. “Carl, I need you to pick up a few things for me in town. You may have to go to Dallas to get some of them, but I’ll make it worth your while.” Although Carl was an older gentleman, Tony knew he had sons living with him who could help. “Leave everything in the driveway. I’m here for about a week, but I don’t want to be disturbed.”

The old man cackled loud enough that Tony held the phone away from his ear for relief. “You finally brought one of your lady friends with you, have you? I’ll tell my boys to be real discreet-like. Now what do you two lovebirds need?”

On any other day, with anyone besides Sarah looking sweetly up at him, he would have told Carl what he could do with his sense of humor. Instead, Tony gritted his teeth and said, “I’d like a Ping-Pong set. You know the ones you can put on top of a table?”

Carl said, “I’m sorry. I have an old man’s hearing. Did you just say Ping-Pong?”

It didn’t help Tony’s mood that Sarah heard his question and was covering her mouth to stop from laughing.

She jumped to her feet, a movement so tantalizing that it temporarily wiped all coherent thought from Tony, and gripped his arm. “And backgammon—I love that game. Oh, and Monopoly?”

Carl lowered his voice and said, “Son, if your lady friend is that bored, you may want to meet me in the driveway for a bit of advice. Never too late to learn a few tricks.”

Tony covered his eyes with one hand and groaned. “I appreciate that, Carl, but just bring the games.”

“Your call, Tony. The offer stands, though. I’ve been married over fifty years. I know a thing or two about the workings of the female mind.” When Tony didn’t acknowledge his offer with a response, Carl said, “I should have the stuff by tomorrow. Until then, don’t be afraid to get a bit more creative. There’s no shame in asking a woman what she wants.”

Tony hung up the phone and turned to Sarah. “He thinks I’ve bored you into seeking alternative recreation.”

Sarah ran a hand playfully down his arm. “Poor Tony, do you want me to call him back and reassure him that I’m completely satisfied?”

Tony caught her hand beneath his and held it. “No, but I have to warn you that I’ve never enjoyed playing games, Ping-Pong or any other type.”

The impish grin she gave him sent his heart racing in his chest. “That’s because you’ve never played them naked.”

He conceded that point. He’d always enjoyed poker, but today was the first time he hadn’t minded losing. The idea of watching Sarah’s lovely breasts bounce as she leapt to make a shot or glimpsing her delightful ass bent over as she retrieved a stray ball was beyond tempting—creating a fantasy that rocked his control.

Familiarity normally lessened his desire. Sarah was different. The more he was with her, the more he wanted to be. He hoped to God six days would be enough to change that. For now, he had another fantasy to address. “The games won’t be here until tomorrow, but I’m pretty sure I have some rope around here somewhere.”

Instead of looking nervous as he’d expected, she said, “I’ve always wanted to tie a man to a bed and have my way with him.”

He shook his head. “I’d never let that happen.”

She raised herself up on her tiptoes and wiggled her eyebrows at him. “Is that a dare?”

He tried to look down at her sternly, but the evidence of his arousal sprang to life between them, making it difficult to argue that the idea had no appeal to him. “It’s a fact.”

Sarah leaned forward until her nipples brushed his chest. She took his throbbing dick in one hand and caressed it while she pulled his head down to whisper in his ear. “I’ve always dreamed of being in control just once. I’d rub my body all over you and take things at a slow pace. Instead of enjoying your hands on me, I’d lick every inch of your body. I’d take you in my mouth and bring you to the brink and then, only then, I’d let you taste me. They say that a postponed orgasm is a stronger one. I’d test that theory. I’d bring you close again and again, taking my orgasms but delaying yours until you couldn’t take it anymore. You’d threaten me, beg me, want to drag me on top of you, but still I’d make you wait. Then, when we’re both in a place where neither of us could wait a second longer, I’d lower myself on your . . .” She paused over her word choice, and he smiled despite how excited she’d made him.

“Cock,” he suggested. “You’d lower yourself on my cock.”

Her hand tightened on him and she echoed the word in a whisper. “Cock.”

The mixture of innocence and siren drove him wild. He jerked and almost came in her hand, cursing that he could be so close so soon. “I’ll go get the rope,” he said in a rush, stumbling a bit as he stepped back from her. She’d done it again, bulldozed through what he considered a nonnegotiable line in the sand.

Some things were worth keeping an open mind about, though.

And he was sure there wasn’t a man alive who wouldn’t agree with him.

Chapter Thirteen

A few days later, Sarah catnapped beside Tony on the couch, snuggled beneath a light comforter. Time was passing too quickly—a blur of showering together between games they often didn’t finish because one of them lost patience and leaned in for a heated kiss that would lead them both astray.

Although Sarah had left her notebook in the car, she knew that when she returned to it, her writing would be stronger. Plus, she wasn’t worried that she would forget the wonder of one kiss, one touch, or a single moment they’d spent together.

Especially the unexpected revelations.

Even days filled with passion and laughter can be enhanced by the use of a toothbrush and a dash of deodorant. I’ll leave that tidbit out of my romance. No one will want to hear about how fast the heroine’s leg stubble can grow or that unsuccessful attempts to pretend she can cook may lead to a condition called “the nervous fart that must be held in at all costs.”

If romances were a bit more realistic, I may have looked less maniacal about the latter discovery.

One definite perk of remaining unpredictable with Tony was that he didn’t question her need to do a naked, solo, outdoor lap around the house before they had sex the night before. She’d waited for him to ask, but he hadn’t.