Curves and the Rancher (6 page)

He held out a hand to her
as she rose from the sofa.
“
I
thought we could start dinner,
”
he
said, his fingers clasping hers. She looked down at their joined
hands and her heartbeat quickened.

Luke led her into the
kitchen, not letting go of her hand. She tried to tell herself it
mightn
’
t mean anything. But she
couldn
’
t help the spark of hope in
her heart.

Cassie couldn
’
t
remember the last time she
’
d enjoyed
cooking so much. Somehow, she and Luke just seemed to work well
together in the kitchen. They didn
’
t
get in each other
’
s way, but instead
worked in harmony. They joked and chatted while they prepared the
Italian dish
,
then sat down at the large wooden table while it
simmered on the stovetop.

“
Would you like
some wine?
”
Luke held out a bottle
of red wine.

“
I
guess a small glass won
’
t hurt.
”
She took a small sip of wine, wanting to make it last. She should
be fine to drive home after a small glass of red and chicken
cacciatore.

Rattle, rattle, BANG!
Cassie had been so caught up in
making dinner that she hadn
’
t
noticed the sky darkening outside. Now hail the size of golf balls
pelted past the window, almost making her jump.

Luke frowned.
“
I
was hoping the storm would pass us by. Maybe it
’
ll
be over by the time we
’
ve finished
dinner.
”

The hailstorm raged. But
it wasn’t the storm that made it hard to focus on the
appetizing meal. Just sitting across from Luke made her pulse race.
In the back of her mind, a thought niggled. Would she be able to
drive home if the storm didn’t let up?

Once the dishes were
done, she followed Luke to the living room. He gestured to the comfy
sofa and sat down beside her. His denim-clad thigh almost touched
hers and she felt his body heat through her cotton capris in the
quarter inch of space that separated them.

“
So
now you
’
ve been here awhile, what do
you think of Coldwater?
”
he enquired.

Quivers of excitement
danced down her spine. Luke made her feel as if she were the only
person in the world
.
“
I like
it here,
”
she murmured.

His lips curved in a slow
smile.
“
Good.
”

Bang! Bang!
The
hail had slowed down for a few minutes, but now it returned in full
force. Luke reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“
You
’
d
better stay here tonight. There
’
s
no knowing how long this storm will go on for.
”

Relief coursed through
her. Although she
’
d been trying not
to show it, she
’
d been worried about
driving home in the storm.
“
Okay,
”
she agreed, leaning into him as his fingers caressed her hair.

His eyes snared hers and
his mouth slowly descended. She held her breath, waiting for the
moment when their lips would touch. He slanted his mouth over hers,
his tongue coaxing her lips to open. Cassie parted her lips in
surrender, her pulse beating erratically. Luke gathered her to him
as if he was never going to let her go.

Finally!
was
her last coherent thought before she gave herself up to his sensual
kiss. His strong, capable hands roved over her back, and she wound
her arms around his neck. When they at last broke apart, they both
breathed heavily. She buried her face in his neck, inhaling his sexy
scent of honeyed hay.

“
Cassie,
”
he murmured in her ear. His soft breath stirred her delicate nerve
endings.

She raised her eyes, his
heated gaze sending ripples of excitement straight down to her core.

“
Do
you know how long I
’
ve waited to kiss
you like that?
”

She
searched his face. “Why did you wait?”

He made a sound that was
half laughter and half groan.
“
Because
I didn
’
t want to scare you off.
”

“
I
wasn
’
t sure if you were interested in
me,
”
she admitted shyly, hope soaring
in her heart.

“
Oh,
I was interested in you all right,
”
he confirmed, tilting up her chin and brushing a kiss on her lips.
“
Ever since you spilled those eggs on
me.
”

Heat stole across her
cheeks at the memory.
“
I can
’
t
believe I did that.
”

“
It
was worth it.
”
His lips swooped on
hers as he kissed her thoroughly.

She stroked the nape of
his neck, hardly able to believe that this was actually happening.

The kiss grew more heated
and Luke
’
s hands roamed over her
body, toying with the buttons of her green floral blouse.

He unfastened her top
button and slipped his fingers inside, stroking the skin above her
bra. Cassie pressed closer to him, wanting more - so much more.

Disappointment flitted
through her when he reluctantly withdrew his hand, his voice husky.
“
You can sleep in the guest room
tonight.
”
He crushed her to him,
almost growling,
“
If we do much more
of this, I won
’
t be able to stop.
”

Now was the moment to be
courageous.
“
I don
’
t
want you to stop.
”
At first she
wasn
’
t sure if Luke had heard her or
not, until he drew back and looked at her searchingly.

“
Are
you sure?
”

Faint doubt flickered in
her mind. Would Luke feel the same way about her when she was naked?
Would her voluptuous figure be a turn off for him - or a turn on?

This was Luke, she
reminded herself. She
’
d never felt
this way about any other man, not even Phillip - before she realized
what kind of man he really was. Deep down, she knew that she could
trust Luke, and that he wouldn
’
t
abuse that trust.

“
Yes,
”
she breathed, her arms stealing around his neck once more. She
tugged his head down, fitting her mouth to his, revealing the force
of her desire for him.

“
Hell,
”
he muttered thickly against her lips, molding her body to his. The
cotton of his shirt rustled against the silky fabric of her blouse,
her ample breasts pressed against his torso.

Their lips still joined
,
Luke maneuvered them to a standing position. She gasped against
his mouth as he swung her into his arms and carried her down the
hall.

“
Luke--
”
his firm, sensual lips muffled her protest as he continued to kiss
her hungrily. His confident gait demonstrated he could carry her
easily and she relaxed in his arms, kissing him back with all the
fervor she possessed.

He entered a bedroom and
gently laid her down in the center of a large, neatly made bed. The
décor consisted of cream and brown hues which matched the
solid wooden furniture. Cassie spied a few knickknacks on the
dresser before her attention turned back to Luke. She was in his
bedroom. In his bed.

Cassie felt a rush of
dampness between her thighs as he joined her on the bed.
“
Sweetheart,
”
he rasped, brushing the hair back from her face.
“
I
want you to set the pace. I want our first time to be everything you
want it to be.
”

His tenderness melted her
heart. The thought of being in charge excited her, although for a
few seconds she wasn
’
t sure what to
do next.
“
I want to be on top,
”
she whispered.

He brushed his lips
against hers.
“
You
’
ve
got it.
”
Luke lay down next to her.

Cassie hovered above him
on her knees, kissing him slowly and sweetly. He groaned, and she
flushed with pride that she made him feel that way.

Her fingers fumbled with
his shirt buttons until at last she parted the cotton fabric. Her
eyes feasted on his bare chest. Crisp hair, dark and curly,
smattered his muscular torso.

She trailed kisses down
his chest to the waistband of his jeans, causing Luke to inhale
sharply. She raised her head, a sensual thrill racing down her spine
at the banked heat in his eyes.

“
Cassie,
do you want me to see you, sweetheart?
”

Although it had been
exciting to partially undress Luke, her body ached for his touch.
Nodding, she slowly unfastened the rest of the buttons on her blouse,
hesitating for a second before shrugging it off.

Luke
’
s
eyes flared at the sight of her ample breasts encased in the silky
fabric of her bra. His finger traced a circle around her nipple, and
Cassie quivered as arousal spiked through her.

She involuntarily
moved against him, her mound brushing against his hard manhood
straining against the denim of his jeans.

“
Do
you like that?
”
he asked gently,
repeating the movement with his finger.

“
Yes,
”
she breathed, wishing he was touching her bare breasts.

He cupped her breasts
through the silk, and she closed her eyes. She had never felt this
way before - so filled with desire that her self-consciousness about
her body retreated to a dim, distant corner of her mind.

Cassie held her breath as
she unfastened her bra, letting it drop to the bed. Luke groaned and
her eyes fluttered open to see him gazing at her with passionate
intensity.

“
You
’
re
beautiful
,
Cassie.
”
His hands worshipped her breasts, his fingertips brushing the satin
flesh, moving closer and closer to her nipples. When his fingers
finally trailed over each sensitive bud, she sucked in a breath,
tendrils of need swirling
through
her body.

Luke
’
s
finger circled the tip of one rosy peak and then the other. She
squirmed, feeling his stiff shaft jutting against her mound.

He gently tugged each
nipple and she gasped with pleasure. “Luke!”

She bent to kiss him,
hoping he could sense how close to the brink she was, although he
’
d
done nothing but caress her breasts.
“
I
want you,
”
she murmured against his
lips.

“
Then
undress me the rest of the way.
”
His
voice was strained.

Luke
’
s
hands remained on her breasts as she carefully unzipped his jeans,
freeing his hard length. Sliding down his jeans and boxer-briefs,
her eyes widened slightly at the size of him. She tentatively
stroked him, his shaft silky smooth to the touch.

“
Night
stand drawer,
”
he rasped, gently
placing his hand over hers and taking a deep, shuddering breath.
“
If
you do any more of that, I
’
m going to
explode.
”

Excitement surged through
her at the thought that
she
could make Luke lose control.
Angling her body to the right, she leaned forward and opened the
drawer, grasping an unopened box of condoms.

“
Let
me.
”
Luke ripped open the box and
deftly sheathed himself.