Drake, page 9
He would know, she thought. He had to have seen much worse in battle.
She had to pull it together. A sheriff’s deputy couldn’t fall apart over a crushed mechanic. Cassie sat up straighter and squared her shoulders. “I have to work the day shift tomorrow. By the time we eat, it will be too late to go stargazing.”
Drake nodded. “I figured as much. It’ll also be late for you to drive home and then back at O-dark-thirty in the morning. You should stay in town tonight.”
“I have no desire to camp out in the sheriff’s station, even if there is a cot stashed in the far corner of the storage room. I need a real bed with a real pillow.”
“I have one of each.” Drake grinned. “A bed and a pillow. I even have a small couch.” He squeezed her hands. “Stay with me. I promise to let you sleep.”
Sharing a bed with him would not equal sleep. She frowned, but the invitation was out there now, and she couldn’t just brush it aside. Not when she wanted to take him up on it and spend the night lying naked in his arms. Heat coiled low in her belly and radiated throughout her body.
Staying with him would also help her banish the image of Earl. If she went home to the ranch, she’d lie awake well into the night, afraid to close her eyes for fear that every time she did, she’d see Earl’s sightless eyes staring back at her.
“Okay,” she murmured softly.
“And if you stay, you won’t have as far to drive in the morning. Which means you will get to sleep a little longer.”
Her lips twitched. “I said okay.”
Drake laughed. “You did, didn’t you?”
She arched an eyebrow. “You didn’t think I would.”
“I wasn’t sure after I pretty much rejected you last night.” He lifted her hand to his lips. “You should know I had to take two ice-cold showers before I could even consider sleep.”
“Good. So did I.”
He held up a hand. “But we can just sleep. You and I both have to work tomorrow.”
Cassie nodded. “Yeah, we’ll sleep.” She almost laughed at the absurdity of thinking they’d only sleep. She had a condom in her back pocket. She’d left the ranch that morning with every intention of putting that condom to use. Drake couldn’t use the lack of protection as an excuse to abstain. If he really wanted her, she was ready. She lifted the glass of whiskey to her lips and sipped the amber liquid, letting the alcohol burn down her throat, warming her insides.
Abby appeared, carrying the salad, extra plates and utensils.
Cassie placed one of the empty plates in front of her and scooped lettuce and chicken onto it.
Drake did the same and poured dressing from a little plastic cup onto the leafy greens.
They ate in silence, Cassie nibbling like a rabbit on the lettuce and spinach leaves. She ate a couple of bites of chicken, determined to get some protein in her system to keep up her strength. If they put the condom to use, she wanted to give as good as she got. Still no hungrier, she forced down enough fuel to sustain her until lunch the following day.
When she’d had enough, she laid down her fork, picked up her glass of whiskey and sipped.
Drake lifted the last bite of the salad to his lips and chewed slowly.
Cassie wanted to scream. “You’re teasing me, right?”
He grinned. “Is it working?”
“If by working you mean, I’m ready to leave, and you’re taking too long, then yes.”
He shook his head. “No. Is it working?”
That heat low in her belly flared into an inferno. If they didn’t leave soon, she might have to drag him into the ladies’ room, block the door and make love against the wall.
His bed with pillows would be much easier and less public.
“Okay,” she said. “Yes. It’s working.” She shifted in her seat, hotter than she’d ever been and still fully dressed.
Abby appeared with the bill.
While she waited for Drake to pull his credit card from his wallet, the younger woman grinned broadly. “I got my DNA results back this afternoon. I can’t wait to go over them and then log into the ancestry database.
“I logged on this morning just to learn how to navigate. My results hadn’t been released yet. Hopefully, by morning, my data will be merged on my profile, and I’ll be able to trace back through my ancestors.”
“It’s a cool undertaking,” Cassie said. “A friend of mine who was adopted found her birth mother through one of the ancestry databases. Sadly, her birth mother had passed. Still, she was able to locate half-brothers and sisters, so she went from being an only child to being one of fourteen. She was so happy to have found family.”
“Wouldn’t it be neat to find aunts, uncles and cousins?” Abby clasped her hands together. “It will also be interesting to see which of my relatives has lupus, dementia and Alzheimer’s. Maybe they’ll have advice on how to deal with all of it.” Abby took Drake’s credit card. “I’ll be right back.”
“I hope Abby’s relatives will be as happy to get to know her as she will be to know them,” Cassie said, her gaze following the kind-hearted young woman who only wanted an extended family to love. With a father who worked long hours and a mother who didn’t recognize her, she was likely starved for affection.
Cassie could relate.
Abby returned with Drake’s card and receipt. He signed the slip, slipped his card into his wallet, pushed to his feet and held out his hand. “Ready?”
“I am.” She placed her hand in his and left the tavern.
In silence, he held her door for her, his hands lightly touching her as he helped her up into her seat.
Then he jogged around to the other side and climbed up into his seat.
Cassie’s pulse sped up as they left the tavern and drove the short distance to Ms. Dottie Kinner’s B&B.
Once again, she allowed him to open the door for her, even though she was fully capable of doing it herself. As he helped her to the ground, she asked. “How does Ms. Dottie feel about you entertaining a woman in your room?”
Drake frowned. “I hadn’t thought about it. I consider it like a hotel room. What I do behind my closed door is my business—as long as I don’t disturb others.” He touched a hand to the small of her back and leaned close. “You’re not a screamer, are you?”
Cassie laughed, her body super sensitive to his touch. She couldn’t wait to get inside and behind his closed door. Unfortunately, they might have to run the gauntlet of the other guests if they weren’t already in their rooms for the night.
Drake led her up the porch stairs and held the door for her as she stepped into the house.
The front room with the sofa and wing-backed chairs was empty. So far, so good.
Voices sounded from the other side of the dining room, coming from the kitchen she’d been in several times as a child when her mother had come to one of Ms. Dottie’s teas.
The voices grew louder as if they were coming toward them.
Drake handed her the key. “Go while I run interference.”
Cassie sprinted for the staircase and stopped with her foot on the first riser. “Which room?”
“Second door on the right. I’ll be up as soon as possible.” He turned away from her and hurried for the kitchen.
Cassie ran up the stairs and fumbled with fitting the key into the lock on the second door to the right.
Below her, Drake said, “Having a party without me?”
Another male voice responded, “Ms. Dottie broke out a bottle of Scotch whiskey. We couldn’t let her drink alone.”
“Murdock, I’ve never known you to turn down an offer of Scotch,” Drake said.
“Pretty damn fine whiskey, too,” another man commented. “Ms. Dottie has good taste in Scotch.”
Ms. Dottie’s laughter carried up to the second floor. “You don’t get to be my age without finding the good stuff. Care for some?”
Drake chuckled. “I would, except I’ve already had my limit for a work night. I’m headed for a shower and bed.”
Cassie twisted the key in the lock and tried to turn the handle. It didn’t move.
The voices and footsteps moved closer.
Cassie counted the number of doors. She had turned right at the top of the stairs and gone to the second door on the right. She tried again. The door didn’t budge.
Muttering a silent curse, she ran back to the top of the stairs and kept going as if she’d turned left instead of right and found the second door on the right. The key fit in easily, and the door opened.
She stepped through it and closed the door softly behind her, leaving it unlocked for when Drake finally came up.
A quick inspection of the room assured her it had everything they needed. There was even a stash of condoms inside the nightstand. A thrill of anticipation stormed through her. Making love once was all she could hope for, but the possibilities seemed endless with a drawer full of protection.
She considered slipping into the shower but wasn’t sure how noisy the pipes were or how many other guests occupied the B&B besides Drake and his teammates. If she fired up the shower, and they were Ms. Dottie’s only guests, they’d know for sure someone else was in the building beside them.
Cassie wasn’t sure why she cared whether they knew of not. But the secrecy and sneaking around really amped up the excitement to the point she was ready to get the party started.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Her breath stalled in her lungs, and Cassie listened carefully, trying to decide if they turned left or right.
Definitely left and headed her way.
She stood in the middle of the room, her heart racing. What if she’d entered the wrong room? What if Drake had changed his mind?
The doorknob turned, and the door swung open.
Drake stepped through, calling over his shoulder. “See you in the morning.”
“Hey, Drake?”
“Yeah, Grimm,” Drake turned to address his friend in the hallway.
“You might ask your lady friend if she wants a glass of that damned fine Scotch whiskey.”
Laughter rang out in the hallway.
Drake shook his head. “Assholes.”
“The kitchen window looks out onto the street. We saw you and your woman get out of your truck. Don’t worry. Ms. Dottie’s cool as long as you don’t get the bedsprings squeaking.”
More laughter sounded, and footsteps moved away.
Drake entered the room, closed the door and gave her a crooked grin. “You heard them. You could have had a glass of damned fine Scotch whiskey.”
She closed the distance between them, reached around Drake and twisted the lock on the doorknob.
Then she stood in front of him. “I’m not interested in drinking scotch with your friends.” She pulled his T-shirt from the waistband of his jeans.
Drake gripped her arms and stopped her there. “Sweetheart, I want to hold you so badly I hurt. But I need a shower before we go any further.”
“Perfect. So do I.” She pulled her blouse over her head and tossed it across the sofa by the window. Then she dragged his T-shirt over his head.
He tossed it aside and reached for the button on her jeans, flicking it through the hole. Then he eased the zipper down and slipped his hand inside to cup her sex.
Her breath hitched as bursts of electricity zipped through her, making her body tingle. Her breathing grew ragged, and her need more urgent.
When she tried to loosen the button on his jeans, she fumbled. Drake brushed her fingers aside, flicked the button free, dropped the zipper and stepped out of his jeans.
She reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, letting it slide off her shoulders and down her arms.
His eyes flared as he dragged her jeans over her hips and downward until they pooled around her ankles, and she stepped free, kicking them aside.
Then he scooped her into his arms and strode across the room into the bathroom.
Setting her on her feet, he reached into the shower, turned on the water and adjusted the temperature. When it was warm enough, he took her hand and stepped beneath the spray, bringing her with him.
Cassie poured shampoo into her hand, built the lather, and then rubbed it into his hair. The suds slithered over his shoulders and across his chest.
Her hands followed, sliding over every inch, exploring hard muscles encased in smooth skin. As the soap carried away the dust of his day’s work, she pushed him beneath the spray, letting it rinse away the bubbles.
She poured body wash into her palm and worked it across his torso, moving downward to the hardened evidence of his desire.
Cassie circled her hands around his cock, reveling in how long, thick and hard it was. She wanted him. Inside her. Soon.
But first…her hands moved up and down his length in a slow, steady rhythm. When all the soap had washed away, Cassie dropped to her knees in front of him. The shower’s spray peppered her face and head as she touched her tongue to the tip of his shaft and drew a line around the rim. She wrapped her lips around him and flicked the tiny hole, teasing and licking.
Drake dug his hands into her damp hair, his fingers pressing into her scalp.
Cassie gripped his buttocks and pulled him close, taking his cock into her mouth and swallowing as much as she could of him until he bumped against the back of her throat.
He held still for a long moment and then slid back out.
She flicked the tip of his cock with her tongue and then tightened her hold around his hips and pulled him back into her mouth. Then back out and back in until he took over and set the pace.
Cassie’s fingers dug into his ass, holding on as he pumped in and out, increasing the speed and intensity with every stroke.
His muscles tightened, and his breathing grew labored.
Cassie loved that she was driving him to the edge of his control.
Drake pulled free, lifted Cassie to her feet and turned her into the shower’s spray. “Your turn.”
“But you’re not there.”
“I want to make this last a little longer. Let me please you.” He squirted shampoo into his hand and massaged it into her scalp. Then he followed the bubbles over her shoulders and across her collarbone to her breasts. With the body wash, he lathered each breast, massaging them gently and then rolling the nipples between his thumb and forefinger until they hardened into tight little buttons.
His hands slipped lower, trailing across her torso, angling toward the juncture of her thighs and the tuft of hair covering her sex.
He cupped her and slid a finger into her channel, swirling around and around until she placed her hand over his and pressed more fingers into her channel. “I. Want. You.”
“Soon,” he promised.
She shook her head. “No. Now.”
He chuckled, bent and scooped her up by the backs of her thighs and wrapped her legs around his waist.
His cock pressed against her entrance, yet he hesitated. “Damn.”
“What?” She squirmed, trying to sink lower, desperate for him to enter her, fill her and make love to her.
“The protection is in the other room.”
She moaned and pressed her breasts against his chest. Then she reached around him and turned off the shower. “Towel.”
He grabbed a towel from the rack, set her on her feet and dried every inch of her body, lingering on her breasts and her sex. When he was done, she took a dry towel and swept it over his body, drying everything from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. When she was done, she took his hand, led him into the bedroom and stood beside the bed.
She leaned up on her toes and touched her lips to his.
He responded by wrapping his arms around her and crushing her body to his.
Cassie laced her fingers behind his neck, snuggled even closer and pressed the length of her naked body against his. Curling her calf behind his leg, she rubbed her sex across his thigh.
He growled deep in his chest. “I won’t last much longer if you keep doing that.”
“No holding back, baby,” she said.
“I want you to go first,” he whispered against her ear, sending shivers across her skin.
He scooped her up and laid her across the bed.
For a moment, he stood back, his gaze sweeping the length of her. “You’re beautiful,” he said.
She blushed. “I’ve never seen myself that way.”
“I’m seeing you. You’re beautiful, and I’m going to make you lose yourself.”
A smile spread across her face. “Is that a challenge or a promise?”
“Both.” He crawled over her and started his campaign with an assault of kisses, beginning with her mouth and spreading south to the swells of her breasts.
After tasting, touching and teasing each nipple until Cassie was squirming against the mattress, Drake moved lower, pressing his lips to each rib on his trek southward to the fluff of hair covering her lady bits.
With his thumbs, he parted her folds and touched her clit with the tip of his tongue.
She gasped and reached for his hair, weaving her fingers through his thick curls. What he inspired sent her soaring.
When he tongued her again, her breath caught and held.
Settling into his task, he focused on that nerve-packed flesh, touching, flicking and swirling until Cassie flew over the edge.
Her body pulsed with the force of her release, sending wave after wave of sensations throughout her body. She rode the orgasm for as long as she could. At last, she sank back to earth, her body still humming with her release.
Cassie collapsed against the mattress. But she wasn’t done. She still had a void to be filled, and only Drake could do that.
She grabbed his hair and tugged gently.
Drake crawled up her body and settled between her knees, his cock pressing to her entrance.
He grabbed a condom from the drawer in the nightstand, tore it open and rolled it over his shaft. Positioning himself at her entrance, he slowly pressed into her.
Cassie raised her knees, dug her heels into the comforter and pushed her bottom upward, forcing Drake deeper.
When he pulled nearly all the way out, she lowered herself to the mattress. Then he was back again, filling her, moving in and out, faster and faster.
