Gently separating her folds, he positioned the tip of his thumb on her clit, drawing a tight circle, over and over. Letting his nail randomly flick that swollen nub, he added a quick bite of pain to the pleasure he was pushing her toward.
Stirling’s legs were shaking. She abandoned her quest to depant Liam, too absorbed in the erotic havoc surging through her.
When he slid two fingers into her pussy, she wrenched her head back, breaking the kiss. She started to ride his hand, trying to force those fingers deeper, impatient to reach that tipping point into bliss.
But Liam stayed her movement, his hand tightly squeezing her hip, a silent warning he was giving her pleasure rather than her taking it.
Stirling let go and entrusted him to drive her closer to the edge.
His breath fanned across her collarbone as he scattered kisses up her neck.
Of course he’d discovered the surefire way to send her soaring to orgasm—firm-lipped bites at the intersection of her shoulder and neck.
As soon as he set his mouth on her, she came undone at the seams. A swift unraveling as her interior muscles spasmed around his thrusting fingers and her clit pulsed beneath the steady pressure of his thumb. She shuddered and shook, tingles zipping down her spine, spinning her around and around in that vortex of pleasure until it spit her back out, leaving her hazy headed, her entire being throbbing as she gasped for breath.
The window had fogged over. The glass was cool and wet beneath her hand where she’d braced herself.
The humid air in the cab heated the fervor between them; it was hard to breathe and there was no need to speak. Liam merely pressed the condom into her palm and raised his hips.
Still shaking, Stirling managed to yank his pants and briefs to his knees. She tore open the wrapper and reached between them to roll the condom down his cock.
Liam’s eyes were wild. He curled his hand around the back of her neck, bringing her close enough to scrape his teeth up her throat. He gritted out, “Turn around,” into her ear, causing a fresh batch of goose flesh to cover her skin.
Her heart kicked up a beat or twenty when she was facing forward with her hands braced on the dash and her knees beside Liam’s thighs.
Then Liam moved the seat back.
Way back.
Thank God for club cabs and bucket seats.
Instead of reclining in the seat, Liam scooted forward to the very edge…and pulled her back, impaling her with one deep stroke.
She automatically arched up and groaned. Oh yeah. That’s what she needed.
He groaned too, one hand circling her hip, the other grabbing a handful of dreads to hold her in that position as he drove his shaft in a little further with every thrust.
Sex had never, ever, ever been this good. Especially not the first time.
Stirling wouldn’t have blamed him if he hammered into her until he climaxed. But of course he didn’t. He stopped, fully bottomed out inside her and reached for her hand, bringing her fingers to his mouth to suck on them.
Which…that sexy move alone caused a throb deep in her pussy.
Then he upped the eroticism ante, pulling her hand between her legs to where his cock was lodged inside her and dragged her fingers to her clit.
Touch yourself since I can’t. Come again. Come when I’m inside you.
The words weren’t spoken aloud, but she heard them nonetheless. As soon as Stirling began a little self-love, Liam clutched her hip and her dreads and took her to pound town.
It was fucking glorious.
She might’ve passed out for a few seconds when her second orgasm rolled over her like a rogue wave that left her clinging to the dash in the aftermath.
Liam slammed into her faster until his entire body went rigid…and he came with an actual roar.
A roar.
Stirling could totally fucking love this guy.
He slumped forward, his forehead nestled in the small of her back, his rapid breaths drying the sweat that had pooled there.
Once she sensed Liam’s brain was back online, she dismounted and shifted to face him. “So we have that going for us.”
He laughed and gently pulled her to his mouth—via her hair—for a swoon-worthy kiss that curled her toes in her boots.
“Good thing we didn’t fuck by the extraction machine because the sexual heat between us would’ve blown that sucker sky high.”
“Agreed. Look, I need to move, this is killing my back.” That’s when she noticed his smirk. “What?”
“We had sex in a truck. I’m practically a real cowboy now.”
After smooching his lips, she climbed over the center console. “I’m a real cowgirl now, too, because that was my virgin ride in any vehicle.”
That surprised him. “Another first we have in common.”
She’d tracked down most of her clothes. “Hey, is my underwear over there?”
Liam sighed. “Yes, but don’t get mad.” He dangled the white bikinis between them.
One leg opening was stretched out beyond repair. “Guess I’m going commando.”
Stirling resituated herself and started the truck.
“How much farther?” he asked.
“We’ll be there before you know it.”
Chapter Twelve
Liam let the silence last five minutes before he said, “Stirling, stop acting weird.”
She spared him a haughty look. “I’m not acting weird. I’m concentrating on driving.”
Liam let it go, refusing to be one of those “Was it good for you, baby?” kind of lovers. Stirling came twice. That made it pretty goddamn spectacular for both of them.
He closed his eyes and immediately his brain replayed images of them. Her skin turning rosy from the heat they generated. The taste of her skin. The scent of sex. Her nails digging into the dashboard. The sexy sound she couldn’t hold in when he rolled his hips and hit the right spot.
“You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?”
He looked at her. “Of course I am. Aren’t you?”
“Yes.” Her hands tightened on the steering wheel. “I want to turn around and spend the next two days naked in your bed.”
“It is an exceptionally comfortable bed. Sturdy too.”
“You’d be okay if I whipped a U-ie and headed back to Denver?”
“Yes. But the question is whether you’d be happy with that decision.”
She scowled at him. “I hate when you’re the voice of reason.”
Liam laughed.
After another few minutes of silence and no physical change in direction, Liam said, “Do you know anything about this party?”
“Nothing. We’ve been so swamped this week I forgot that Macon’s admin was supposed to email me his playlist and instructions. I logged into all my email accounts and evidently he neglected to send it. Now I have that worry on top of everything else.”
“What kind of music does your sister listen to?”
“Country.”
“Find a Pandora station and plug your phone into the sound system. Instant party music. If people stop dancing or start complaining about the music, just change the station.”
“I love it when you’re the voice of reason,” she said dryly.
“It’s a blessing and a curse.”
A few moments later she said, “Thank you for coming with me. I know it’s my family and I shouldn’t be all weird about going to it, but I am. Having you there… I need that. Even more than I want to admit.”
Liam reached for her hand. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to.
“I did get a text from my mom yesterday, making sure I planned to come. But she didn’t mention if the occasion called for formal dress or whether gifts were expected.”
“I can’t remember the last time I wore a tux.”
“I’d love to see you in a black one. I bet you look dashing and debonair.”
“Flattery, Miss Gradsky”—he kissed her hand—“will definitely get you laid tonight.”
An enormous sign for the Gradsky Rodeo School loomed ahead. A sign that Stirling cruised right past without slowing or tapping the brakes.
“Change your mind?”
“No. That’s the public entrance. We’ll take the back road and stop at my parents’ house first.”
A frown wrinkled his brow. “Was I at your parents’ place during the open house? So much was going on that night, everything was a blur.”
She shook her head. “Their home wasn’t part of the tour. They keep it private.” She turned right and stopped for the gate to open.
The blacktop meandered through the woods. Once they cleared the forest, a meadow opened up where the Gradskys had built their home. While the house was large—two stories with a covered porch that ran the length of it—the structure was smaller than he’d expected, given the immense size of the buildings in their rodeo complex.
“Home sweet home,” Stirling said after she’d parked.
“It looks like a nice place.” Liam groaned. “Talk about stating the obvious.”
She smiled. “It is a nice place. They love it here. It’s their home now.”
“But?”
“But it’s not my home. I grew up on the southern ranch. When I return to visit, it isn’t the same because they’re not there, so it doesn’t feel like home either.”
“The apartment complex that Gramma and I lived in is gone. Bulldozed for a shopping center.”
“Does that bother you?”
“No. Like you said, she’s not there and she’s what made it home for me.”
The look Stirling gave him… For the first time he understood what heart-melting meant.
“Anyway, let’s grab our bags and see what room Mom stashed us in.”
“Don’t we wait out here for the hired hands to grab our luggage?” Liam asked.
When Stirling realized he was joking, she smiled. “I love that you do that for me.”
“Do what?”
“Create a funny or annoying distraction. It takes the sting out when I realize that my parents aren’t bounding down the steps to welcome me.”
Liam cupped her chin in his hand. “I’m irritated by their poor choice not to greet their beautiful daughter with open arms.” His lips lingered near hers. “Let’s show them our displeasure by getting high in your room and partaking in loud, wild sex.”
“Partaking?” Stirling grinned. “What quaint Victorian phrasing, Dr. Argent.”
Watching her eyes, he pressed his teeth into her bottom lip and flicked his tongue over the mark. “Does fucking you raw and dirty sound better?”
“God yes.”
He kissed her. “Let’s go.”
She opened the tailgate and Liam unloaded the three bags. They’d stepped onto the porch when a young woman bounded toward them.
“Hi. Stirling? I’ve been waiting for you. I’m Calliope Morgan.”
“Hello, Calliope. Sorry we’re early.”
Liam discreetly studied this stranger sent to meet Stirling. A pretty little thing, in that fresh-faced country girl way, wearing jeans, a rhinestone shirt, and boots. Her brown hair hung in a braid long enough to brush her waist. Hard to nail down her exact age… She could be anywhere from sixteen to her mid-twenties.
“Where is everyone?” Stirling asked.
“They’re at the recreation center.” Calliope shoved her hands in her back pockets. “Berlin had last-minute stuff to do, so she asked me to get you settled.” Her gaze moved to Liam. “Umm…but she didn’t mention you’d be bringing a guest.”
He offered his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Calliope. I’m Dr. Liam Argent, Stirling’s lord and master.”
Shock crossed Calliope’s face. The blush reddening her cheeks only emphasized her freckles.
Stirling shoved him aside. “Behave, Dr. Asshat.” She smiled at Calliope. “My partner takes his jokes too far. We’ll be staying in the same room.”
Partner? That’s what she was calling him now?
“Okay. Berlin has you in the green room at the end of the hallway.” Calliope checked her watch. “There’s an hour before things get underway.”
“My mother didn’t leave word about me coming to help her set up?”
“No. I have strict instructions to tell you to relax and freshen up. One of the ranch hands will pick us up in a golf cart and we’ll ride over together.”
While this situation seemed odd, it was pointless for Stirling to argue, but that appeared to be her plan. Liam ran his hand up her back. “We could both stand to freshen up. Thank you, Calliope.” He pressed a kiss to Stirling’s temple. “Lead the way.”
“I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything.” Calliope ducked around the corner.
Liam flicked a cursory glance at the interior of the house. He’d much rather watch Stirling’s ass as she angrily sashayed up the curved staircase.
At the top of the stairs, she booked it down a long hallway and disappeared through a doorway.
He took his time getting to their room, checking out the artwork that adorned the walls and the Western sculptures displayed on hand-carved columns. A full five minutes had passed before he rolled the suitcases into the room and closed the door.
Stirling stopped pacing long enough to demand, “Did you get lost?”
“We have an hour to kill. I looked around.”
“We don’t have an hour. I don’t give a damn what Calliope says. We’re going to the recreation center now.”
“No, we aren’t.”
“Fine. Stay here. But I’m going.”
“We’re both staying here.” His fingers circled her wrists. He towed her along until the backs of his legs hit the mattress. “We’re alone in a room with a bed and have an hour to kill. Whatever shall we do?”
“But—”
Perching on the edge of the bed, he said, “You love it when I create a distraction for you. So strip.”
“Liam.”
“Do it. I want to see every inch of you before I put my mouth to good use. If you want me to kiss you, lose the clothes so I can ditch my glasses.”
“This sounds like a distraction for you.” Her dreads swung behind her back after she tossed her shirt aside. Doing a reach around, she unhooked her bra and whipped it to the floor. Her beautiful tits swayed as she braced a hand against the wall and removed her right cowgirl boot. Then her left. With a coy grin she flipped her skirt up, giving him a peek at her pussy. Then she spun around, bent over, and treated him to a peek of her ass.
Before Stirling was upright, Liam was behind her, unzipping her skirt, pushing it to her feet. “So fucking hot, Stirling.”
“Kiss me.”
He placed his glasses on the closest horizontal surface. Then both of his hands roamed over her, greedy to explore all of this sweet flesh, following the curves of her breasts, her belly, and her hips as he dragged his mouth from below her ear to the edge of her shoulder.
She trembled when he scraped his teeth along that same path.
The scent of her hair, her skin, her arousal was ultimate high.
Turning her to face him, he captured her mouth in a sensual kiss. Soft tongue and softer lips. A gentle nip of his teeth. A teasing lick. Keeping his touch gentle as his fingertips lightly drew circles on her breasts. His thumb stroked her belly and he rubbed his jean-clad thigh against the outside of her bare leg.
He quelled the urge to beat on his chest like an animal when her body yielded to his every touch. Her sounds of pleasure weakened his resolve to take this slow.