Fake Christmas Date Cowboy, page 6
Haileigh leaned away from the mirror, straightening with a toss of highlighted blonde hair. “You’re so boring. It’s why Ethan let you go.”
“I dumped hiiim!” she sang out in her sweetest tone.
Haileigh faced her. Belle turned too, holding her stare.
A smile stretched over the woman’s face. “Oh, honey, you shouldn’t be wearing that red top at all with your complexion and hair.”
Anger rippled through her. She preferred comfortable clothes, typically in neutral colors. But when Sarah insisted on helping her pack for this trip she booked for her in the first place, she insisted that the holly-red sweater was perfect for a casual look.
She drew her shoulders back. Who even cared about clothes anyway? Not her. She was more than looks. She wasn’t here to bag herself a rich husband either—something her parents got excited about when she told them about the trip.
Haileigh had changed from her riding clothes into a deep red dress that hugged her cinched, liposuctioned waist. Belle gave her a smooth once-over. “It looks as if we’re both wearing red. Didn’t that happen to you back at senior prom? You and Sadie McMahon wore the same emerald-green sequined mermaid gown. Everyone loved how it looked on Sadie. You just didn’t have the curves for it.”
She dropped her stare to Haileigh’s surgically enhanced bust and then pointedly fixed on her face again.
“Ugh!” Haileigh grabbed her purse and marched to the door, high heels clacking.
As soon as she sailed out in a cloud of designer perfume, Belle let her shoulders droop.
God, she hated that woman. And she hated Ethan even more. Their presence at the event was making Belle’s stay less than perfect, but more than that, it was tripping her inner alarms.
The very ones that warned her that Ethan had more than a screw loose.
He’d do anything for that adrenaline rush.
Even rob banks.
He liked money. His lifestyle demanded that he go out and get more and more of it by any means possible.
Whatever they were up to, it was clear to her that they weren’t here for the kids or an authentic cowboy Christmas on the ranch. He could be robbing the guests.
Or the Wyntons.
Chapter Six
Declan’s bodyguard instinct was to position himself near the door of the ladies’ room to watch over Belle. A rendition of “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas” projected from the main room. Even though the upbeat song always made him throw up in his mouth a little, right now it wasn’t getting on his nerves so much. Maybe his mood was a little lighter after spending the morning with an amazing woman who made him laugh?
He started to tap his foot but just then the restroom door opened and Haileigh stormed out. His gut clenched.
It probably was no coincidence that the couple ended up in the restrooms with both him and Belle. Which made them much more dangerous in Declan’s eyes.
That asshole Ethan took enough pleasure in getting a few jabs in with him, but women could be so much crueler. He could only imagine the things that Haileigh said to Belle in there.
With his glare fixed on the woman stalking away from him, her red dress flouncing around her calves, he inched closer to the restroom door.
A second later, Belle walked out. His gaze shot to hers. In a blink, he assessed her.
It was a reflex; he was trained to gauge his ward’s moods. Only she wasn’t his ward. She was his fake date, and her personal life wasn’t any of his business.
But if he spotted even the hint of a tear in the depths of those eyes, he was going to make the lives of that power couple a living hell for the rest of the weekend. Christmas trees up the ass, ornaments and all, was just the tip of the North Pole.
He searched Belle’s deep brown eyes. No trace of tears, but she didn’t look happy either.
Actually, she looked upset.
She hurried over to him and held out her arms. “Do I look terrible in this sweater?”
Surprise made him blink. “Nooo,” he drawled out.
“Does the color wash me out?”
“If I knew what that meant, I’d tell you.”
“Okay, forget it.”
“I just spent an entire morning thinking how beautiful you looked, how your eyes sparkled and how the pink in your cheeks flattered you.”
Her lips popped open. Several heartbeats passed before she whispered, “Oh.”
Just then, one of his teammates entered the building. He looked around, spotted Declan and twitched his head toward the exit, indicating that he was free to take a break.
He lightly closed his fingers around Belle’s arm. “Let’s take a walk. Get some air.”
“We just came in from outside. Besides, what about us smashing those cookies?”
Standing in the doorway, they both turned to look at the table. Ethan reached for one.
“You don’t want to touch those cookies now. Believe me.” Not after the guy failed to wash his hands after urinating.
“Yup! You’re right. Air sounds great right now.”
They made their escape. The world was bright with the sun on the snow, and he yanked his hat down over his eyes against the glare. Since they hadn’t removed their coats from the ride, she’d be plenty warm enough.
They strolled for a minute in silence before he spoke. “That woman was in the restroom with you. What did she say to you?”
Belle kept pace beside him with long strides that brought to mind how damn good her legs felt around his waist while he was drilling his cock into her.
“Nothing.”
He shot her a look.
She waved a hand. “Really. It was no big deal, Declan.”
He cocked a brow. “You want me to go back there and say something to her, you only need to say the word and I will.”
Her lashes dipped over her beautiful eyes. “Why would you do that for me?”
“Because…” He stumbled over the reason. He couldn’t very well tell her that he worked as a bodyguard on the WEST Protection team and that protecting people came naturally to him even when he wasn’t under contract.
There was also something about Belle that drew out his inner protector. After seeing Ethan and that woman in action, Declan wanted to wreck whatever plans they’d laid. Plus drive them off the ranch.
Now that the thought had entered his head, he planned on keeping an even more watchful eye on the pair. The instant they did something that looked even remotely sketchy, he’d toss them off the property.
She gazed out over the landscape. The fields that normally held cattle were barren, the herd wintering on the other side of the mountain where it received less snow and sharp winds. Next, he scoped out the RVs and other trailers parked in the neighboring field.
Most of them looked large and impressive. Ethan said his was new, but Declan couldn’t pick it out of the group of other new vehicles.
“Are you staying in one of those?” Belle’s question caught him off guard. The answer to that was complex. Keeping secrets wasn’t his style, but it was part of the job.
While he’d officially been on the team for two weeks, he’d never even made it to his first training. He was immediately sent to combat a threat to national security—the very same op that the guys couldn’t quit talking about.
As soon as he reached the ranch, WEST put him straight to work on this party, so he didn’t have a chance to search the small town of Stone Pass for housing. Which was how he ended up in the Wynton’s guest cabin.
He pointed to the log cabin with a metal roof situated a fair walk from the rest of the ranch buildings. “That’s me.”
Her brows shot up. “I didn’t know there was an option for a cabin.”
“Where are you staying?” he quickly asked to turn the focus from himself.
“Bunkhouse.”
His lips quirked. “How’s that going so far?”
She laughed. “A little like being in summer camp. Bunking next to people who snore or have smelly feet. Though…I got in pretty late last night and avoided most of those issues.” A rosy hue hit her cheeks again.
He pulled her to a stop. All the struggle of being in her presence the past few hours had built to a fever pitch in him. He thought he’d never get another chance to touch her, but things had changed.
He swung her to him. A soft gasp escaped her sweet lips, and he cut it off with his own.
A sweet sound burst from her. She crushed her breasts against his chest and hooked her chilled fingers around his nape, yanking him down.
“Declan!” she cried out between slow passes of his tongue.
He latched on to her hip, low enough to stroke the line where her pussy met her thigh. “I already know you’re burning up for me, baby. I taste it on you.”
She drew back a fraction to stare at his lips, chest heaving. “You…taste it?”
He gave her a hard nod. “Your want. I taste it.”
Another low whimper escaped her throat. “The way you talk to me is…oh god…” She shivered. “We can’t go to the bunkhouse. Where—”
He cocked a brow. “How adventurous are you feelin’?”
A gleam hit her eyes. “What are you thinking?”
He twisted his head to look at the pristine horse barn. That hay bale was just begging him to pay it another visit and bend his lover over the way he envisioned.
She sucked in a quick breath. “The barn?”
“Yup.”
“I’m in.” She gripped his hand and started dragging him across the snow to the big white barn before he ever thought to put on the brakes or douse this blazing five-alarm inferno between them.
When her shorter legs couldn’t keep up, he swept her off her feet and carried her the final few steps. A squeal of surprise exploded from her throat as they fell through the door. He kicked it shut with a loud enough bang to cause the horses to shift around in their stalls.
Belle’s hands landed on his ass, squeezing and groping. In the few steps it took to reach that hay bale, his cock steeled to all nine inches.
As he set her down, she raked her nails along his spine. Holding her stare, he whipped off his jacket and tossed it over the bale.
“Here?” she asked.
He gave her a single nod. “Right here. Turn around.”
She let out a muted cry before slowly turning to do his bidding.
“Push your pants down, plant your hands on my jacket and bend over.”
“Oh god!”
“I know your pussy is drenched just thinking about me touching you. And your nipples are pushing against that sexy red sweater right now, aren’t they?”
“Yes!”
“Bend over, pants around your knees. Now.” His balls throbbed. Giving commands wasn’t a kink he let himself sink into very often in the bedroom. Rarely did he encounter a woman he bothered to take his time with. Usually he settled for one-night stands and vanilla sex. Belle not only brought out his protective side but his animal cravings.
His eyes hooded as he watched her pop the button of her riding pants. The tantalizing V of flesh exposed above her panties revved his libido. Then she spun around, shimmied her pants down her curvy hips and planted her hands on the bale.
The tips of her fingers curled into the flannel lining of his jacket, and he swore he saw steam rising off her flawless skin. Dust motes swirled in the shafts of light streaming through the windows.
When he gripped her tight ass cheeks, she stifled another noise. He stepped up behind her, aching to nestle his balls against that perfect ass, and trailed one finger down her slippery seam.
The scorching heat of her pussy stole his mind. Stole hers too, if her strangled cry said anything.
He plunged his finger into her gripping heat, fucking her deep.
“Oh my god!”
Withdrawing his finger, he added a second. He hesitated only a heartbeat before adding a third and drove his fingers back inside her.
She split around his thrusts, her head bowed and the ends of that thick, gorgeous hair trailing over his coat. Her pussy squeezed around his digits and flooded for him.
Christ, his cock was close to bursting. He had to get inside her and end both their torment.
With his free hand, he yanked open his belt. She shivered at the sound of him unzipping his fly.
“Don’t stop!”
“Take over for me while I get that condom, baby. Place your hand between your legs and touch yourself.”
She gave an all-over shudder. He damn near came in his boxer briefs watching her uncurl her fingers from his coat and slide them between her thighs.
On a low, throaty moan, she rocked her hips. Jerkily, he yanked out his wallet, so damn aware of her strumming her own clit that by the time he got the condom over his cock, he was ready to pound steel.
With a dainty flick of her hips, she continued to torture herself—and him.
“Don’t stop touching yourself.” His words grated out. He aimed his swollen head at her pussy and sank inside her hard and fast.
She convulsed in his hold. Banding an arm around her waist, he steadied her to take him, letting his eyes shut on the smoldering feel of her pussy walls clutching at him.
Her eyes glittered when she twisted her head to look at him. “Please…”
“Baby, you never need to beg with me. I will give you my cock all day long, any day of the week.” Slowly, he dragged his length back through her tight walls and lost his mind when he slammed home once more.
Belle’s orgasm hovered like a bright star in a velvety Christmas sky. She couldn’t stop the trembles tearing through her body, and she didn’t want to try either.
This man…this moment…was the stuff of fantasies she didn’t even know she entertained until Sarah planted the idea of barn sex in her head.
A few feet away, a horse shifted in its stall. Her insides were molten lava melting away any fears of somebody finding them in such a compromising position. At this moment, she couldn’t think straight. Or see straight.
The tan-and-green plaid of the lining of Declan’s jacket wavered in her vision. She dug her fingers harder into the cloth and bit back yet another cry of need as he drew his cock out of her.
“Faster!” she urged. Her pussy was dripping wet, her fingers damp from stroking her clit.
When he thrust inside her again, her pussy choked his length. Milked it. He let out the sexiest groan, a sound that she knew she’d be replaying every time she thought about this trip. Or thought about Christmas.
The scent of hay and sex rose in the air. Heedless of anything but the feel of this man owning her, she wantonly thrust her hips back to urge him deeper.
He plunged in again and again. She arched her back and took him balls-deep. They shared a moan and the world melted away entirely.
With his grip on her hips, he positioned her where he wanted. He controlled the speed and timing, and god, was it hot. Having a man take control this way wasn’t something she ever encountered before.
He yanked her back into his thrusts. Her mind blanked, and her clit throbbed. Unable to stop herself, she slipped her fingertip over her hard bud again and pressed down.
The pressure lit her up like a thousand-light strand. She shook and cried out as her blinding orgasm rushed through her.
Declan’s hips jerked against hers. His cock sank deeper, and with a primal grunt, his orgasm hit. The guttural sound washed through her mind, and her pussy clamped down harder on her lover.
He pumped his cock inside her, not slowing even a little, taking her fast and deep just the way she needed it.
Very slowly, her mind came to a swirling stop, and her breaths rasped in the quiet of the barn.
Grinding his cock deep in her flexing walls, he clutched her hips and snarled. “Fuck, I haven’t even left your body and I want you again.”
Her stomach tingled with need.
“But I can’t take more chances of getting caught.” He slowly eased from her body. She clung to reality for a long heartbeat before pushing off the hay bale and drawing her clothes back into place.
When she finished, he looped an arm around her middle and turned her into his arms. She took one look at his handsome face and knew this wanting wasn’t over. They just needed a new venue.
He swooped in and kissed her long and thoroughly. The masculine flavor of him combined with the aftershocks rippling through her system had her on edge all over again.
She wrapped her arms around him and looked him in the eyes. “Your place or mine?”
He issued a low laugh like the faint rumbling noise a mountain might make if someone were strong enough to move it. “I love that you’re just as anxious as I am, baby. Let’s—”
He turned his head toward the door. “Someone’s coming. Quick, out the back.”
Pitching herself out of his arms, she stumbled to the back door. Once they had the door shut behind them, he took her hand and led her away from the barn at a normal pace.
“Who was coming?” she asked.
“Dunno. Probably a ranch hand, but I wasn’t gonna stick around to find out. I have to protect your reputation.”
Surprise flitted through her. Ethan never would have done that. Hell, none of her boyfriends would have.
Declan was even more of a gentleman than she’d guessed.
He led her away from the barn and around the side of the garage. Ranch trucks were parked in front.
At first she thought he might stow away in one of the trucks with her. Instead, he pressed her up against the wall of the garage and captured her mouth in a tongue-tangling mimicry of more hot sex.
She dug her fingers into his shoulders and reveled in the hard feel of his muscled body against hers. Their need spun out of control.
Their mouths fused in a passionate kiss that grew slower and slower but no less deep. When he twisted his tongue against hers, they shared another moan.
Finally, he tore his mouth free and rested his forehead against hers. “I don’t want to leave you, but the gala is coming up soon. You’ll need time to get dressed.”
