All Flash No Cash (14 page)

“He has.” She looked up at him. “But it’s
time I make a new life. With someone I can see a future with.”

Kissing her temple, he rubbed his hand along
her ribs. “I want that too. I think we’ve got a good chance.”

Her hand stroked along his chest and
stomach.

Inside, he heated, things turned needy, and
he felt a rise in his jeans that she had to notice.

“First off.” Her fingers worked at his belt
buckle. “You make me hot and horny just by being in the same room.
Or even just in my thoughts.”

He shifted, giving her better access to his
zipper. “That’s important.” The loss of blood in his brain would
soon turn his side of the conversation to blabbering.

“When I sell the bar, I’ll have money.” She
unzipped and reached for him, pulling his cock through the slit in
his briefs.

The cool air hit him, but her hand, sliding
up and down his length, heated his entire body.

“Money. Okay.” He couldn’t concentrate.

She leaned down and kissed the tip of his
cock.

His hips jerked.

“Pete, I want to travel.” She licked his
head, tickling it with her tongue. “I’ve never been further than
Wyoming. And that ain’t right.”

He chuckled, but when she took his knob into
her hot mouth, he choked on the sound.

Swooping her tongue around as she sucked, CJ
paralyzed him with the lust raging inside him.

“I want you to travel with me. And maybe…”
She sucked some more, taking him deeper this time. “Maybe we can
hire someone to look after the ranch, and we can go wherever we
want, just a few times a year. Not all the time, okay?”

He started to nod, but she took him deep,
halfway down her throat, and sucked her way back up.

“I want to do this for us, Pete. Before we
settle down, let’s spend every penny I have and see as much as we
can.” She latched on to him again.

Before he lost all cohesive thought, he
pulled her head from his cock. “I have a confession to make to you,
CJ. But promise you’ll listen to everything I have to say before
you rip into me.”

She frowned. “Promise.”

CJ looked into Pete’s beautiful brown eyes.
She’d never guessed she’d be making love to him on an air mattress
in the bedroom of his half-built house. But what a perfect place to
make a new life. “Tell me your secret.” She wanted to hear it, but
wanted to feel him inside her even more. She pulled a condom out of
her pocket and held it up. “But tell me when you’re pressing me
down onto our bed.”

He grinned. “My pleasure.” He wiggled until
he had his jeans down to his knees.

She spread a blanket on the mattress, pulled
a boot and her jeans off one leg, and lay back, holding her arms
out to him.

He was sheathed and on top of her in seconds.
With her help, he pulled a couple thick quilts on top of them,
creating their own cocoon.

Pulling her shirt up, he tasted her nipples,
the sensation sending pinpoints of lust down into her belly,
swelling the flesh between her legs. She wriggled, wanting him now.
Desperately.

He reached a hand between their bodies,
looked into her eyes, and slid his cock along her wet pussy lips.
“You’re slick and hot, CJ. Are you ready for me?”

She nodded. “Yes, Pete. I’ve been ready, been
waiting for you, for so long.” Her heart thudded, knowing she was
falling fast and deep.

His eyes darkened, and he pressed his hips
forward, sliding into her slowly, but thoroughly.

The fullness in her belly, the stretch at her
nether lips, swirled like hot chocolate along her spine and into
her brain, making everything muzzy and tingly.

He moved then, pulling his hips back,
pressing into her again. He propped on his elbows, his forearms
under her shoulders. The denim of his jacket scraped her nipples,
and she thought about unbuttoning it, but the friction was too good
to let go of.

Pete’s gaze locked with hers, and as the sun
set, a breeze blew across them and the howl of a coyote pierced the
quiet.

“I can see why you love it here.” She could
get used to the quiet after the noise of Deadwood.

“I’ll love it more when you’re here.” He
frowned. “I don’t know how this is going to work long distance, but
we’ll make it go.” Speeding his thrusts, his eyes rolled back for a
second.

She wrapped her bare leg around him, urging
him faster, as her hands laced through his wild hair. “We don’t
have to make any decisions right away, but I want you to know how
much I want this. I want you, Pete.” She felt the blur of tears in
her eyes.

He kissed her, frantic now, as his hips
pumped, his cock gave every fiber of her being the thrill ride she
wanted to experience every day of her life. She tipped her hips,
tightened her opening, willing him deeper, faster.

He complied, and in seconds, everything went
black, her pussy convulsed and shuddered, her brain burst with
color and a loud, long cry escaped her lips. “Pete. Oh God, Pete. I
love you.” The words flew from her mouth and her eyes popped
open.

He smiled down at her, sweat beading on his
forehead. Just then, he spasmed, jerking his hips, ramming his cock
into her as he shook and moaned, his orgasm running through him
like a freight train.

He collapsed onto her, breathing hard for
long moments before a soft laugh came from his chest. “You know
what, CJ?” He rolled to his side, pulling her onto her side to face
him. Their gazes met.

“No. What, Pete?” She braced herself. How
could she stand to hear this wonderful thing from his lips when she
could barely contain her emotions?

“I love you, girl. You’re everything to me.”
His eyes looked misty, unfocused.

Something cracked inside her, burst, filling
her with warmth and peace and certainty. Her lips curved up, way
up, until she could feel the cold air on her teeth. Then she
laughed. Rusty and low at first, but as she tried it again, it
sounded nearly normal.

He reared back, his eyes wide. “What’s going
on?” He grinned. “Is that a smile? Yep, those are your teeth. And
that sound coming from you? Is that laughter?”

She buried her face in his chest. “Don’t make
fun, Pete. I’m not used to this. I’m new at feeling this good.”

“Aw, CJ.” He hugged her close. “I’m sorry. It
was just so unexpected.” He kissed her hair. “I’d been getting used
to having my woman always scowling at me. I like this new
stuff.”

She rolled onto her back, staring at the
stars that fought to shine through the darkening sky. “It’s been so
long since I had anything to smile about.”

“I know.” He settled her into the crook of
his arm. “I promise to give you good reason to smile, girl.”

“Girl.” She snuggled closer. “I like that
better than
boss lady
.”

“You’re my girl. I like that.” He cleared his
throat. “But I have something to tell you that might get you a bit
riled.”

She nodded and braced herself for his news.
An ex-wife and three kids living a mile away? A prison history? A
secret fetish that involved high heels, and him wearing them?

“I’m working on the oil field. Have been
since just after high school.”

CJ slid away and turned to look at him.
“Really?” She’d pictured him here on the farm all week. “That
explains a lot.”

“Yeah. I wasn’t trying to mislead you. The
subject never came up, and then things fell apart.” He rolled on
his side, meeting her eyes. “I have plans, CJ. For the ranch. I’ve
saved enough to buy the place from my parents, buy a number of
adjoining ranches, and make this one of the biggest spreads in
South Dakota.”

Her eyes popped wide. He’d made that much
money? “That’s amazing. I didn’t realize how lucrative oil work
was.”

“I save and invest.” He pulled the blankets
up closer to her chin. “I’ll hire a foreman, ranch hands, an
accountant, and buy more stock. Once everything is in place…” He
grinned. “I’ll be free to travel wherever we want.”

CJ closed her eyes. It seemed too much to
take in all at once. “It’s like things are falling into place too
easily.”

He snugged her closer, her head on his
shoulder. “That’s how things should be for us. You’ve had so much
responsibility… Hey, who’s watching the bar tonight?”

She smiled, liking the feel of it on her
face. “Dolby’s son Jake. He’s in college, learning management
stuff. He’ll be stepping in for me more often now, so I can come
spend nights on your air mattress.”

He chuckled. “We’ll go up to the house to
sleep. Too cold tonight. You’ll sleep in my room, and I’ll crash in
Huck’s.”

“Then I’ll sneak into bed with you, when the
parents are asleep?”

“Exactly.” They stared up at the stars,
popping now that the sky was nearly black. “Sneaking around like
we’re teenagers.”

“I can’t wait. But when will this place be
finished?”

“Roof and walls are going up this week, then
the interior mechanical, electrical, and water, then you get to
help me decorate.”

She groaned. “You’ve seen my apartment. White
with more white and some colorful pillows.”

“Okay, good point. We’ll hire someone to help
us decorate.”

She liked the “us” word he’d used.
“Pete?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you put a skylight right about there?”
She pointed straight up.

“Already thought of it.” He pointed toward
the eastern horizon. “Orion.”

She could see the constellation’s belt. Now,
it was time for her to confess. “Cassiopeia Jupiter.”

“Uh, really?” He laughed. “I see Cassiopeia,
but Jupiter? Where’s that?”

“It’s not up there. It’s here, right next to
you.” She waited for more laughter.

He was silent for a few moments. “CJ is
Cassiopeia Jupiter?” He kept his voice level. No teasing, no
laughter, not like her first years of school which prompted her to
demand her school records listed her as “CJ”.

“Yes. Mom was a leftover hippy, and dad would
have done anything to make her happy. Didn’t work, though. So now
you know
my
secret.” CJ rolled over, laying her arm across
his chest.

“What a coincidence. My middle name is
Ophiuchus. The serpent-bearer constellation.”

“What?” She popped her head up to look at his
face. “You’re joking.”

He nodded. “Yep. Sorry. Couldn’t resist.” He
kissed her, quick and hard. “You’ve met my parents. Not a hippy
bone in their bodies. My middle name is Joseph.”

She felt a rolling happiness coming from her
stomach, and it burst forth as a laugh. A real laugh. “You make me
happy, Pete. Really happy.” She kissed his chest and lay her head
over where his heart beat.

“We’ll make it a happy life, CJ. We’ll do
some traveling as soon as you say. We’ll see Cassiopeia and
Ophiuchus and every other constellation from cities all over the
globe.”

Seeing Pete’s home, lying here with him,
somehow had tempered her wanderlust. “I kinda like the thought of
just settling here. Baking you cookies every day, making huge meals
every night.”

“You’ve seen my dad’s gut. You want to do
that to me?”

“I want to do that and a whole lot more to
you. You deserve to be happy, and I want to be the one to put a
smile on your face.”

“CJ.” Her name on his lips sounded almost
like a prayer. Grasping her hips, he rolled them so she lay on top
of him.

She pushed up, looking at his handsome face,
seeing bright stars reflected in his beautiful brown eyes.
“Hayseed.”

He smirked. “Girl, it’s time you come up with
a better nickname for me.”

“How about, I love you, Hayseed.”

He kissed her, then nibbled on her lower lip.
“Since you put it that way, we’ll make hayseed work.”

####

Here's a sneak peek of the third book in the All
Cowboy Series which will be coming in February for Mardi
Gras

Dax Marshall stood backstage at the small
theater of Wiley Pete’s Casino in Rapid City, South Dakota,
watching Marilou Roselle sing and strum her acoustic guitar, her
band behind her. The venue had sold out, no surprise. She was a
rising star in the country music world, and one of the most
beautiful women he’d ever seen. Long, black hair, straight as a
ruler to the middle of her back, and hazel eyes that tipped up at
the outer corners.

He’d said a quick hello as she’d walked on
stage, but their official meeting would happen after she finished
the show. He’d contacted her people to pitch a new song he’d
written for her, but her agent had explained that Marilou was a
little old-fashioned. She didn’t like to hear new songs through her
headphones, but live from the writer.

Dax had never been this nervous in his life.
He leaned on his guitar case and took deep breaths.

She ended the set with her most popular song,
handed her guitar to a roadie as she waved and left the stage.

Dax stood back, leaving her and her entourage
plenty of room.

The roar of the crowd coalesced into a single
chant, “One. More. Song.”

She stopped a few feet past him, taking a
drink from a bottle, then letting her makeup person touch up her
face and lips.

Her gaze met his. She gave him a finger
wave.

He nodded and gripped his guitar case for
stability.
She’s a nice person.
He repeated the mantra,
having been promised this was true by half the people standing
around behind the stage.

Marilou handed her bottle to a staffer, and
walked toward the stage, but stopped right in front of Dax.

The stage lights shifted.

The crowd grew louder. “Ma-ri-lou,
Ma-ri-lou.”

She leaned into him. “Guess that’s me, huh?”
With the two-inch heel on her cowgirl boots, she was still a half a
foot shorter than his six feet.