Pick Me Up

BRETT HAD NEVER REALLY cared for the word bliss—it was a prissy word—but he was pretty sure he finally understood the meaning of it. In spades. Lauren made him feel like a teenager again. He was excited to an almost painful degree.

He wanted it to last, unable to remember any time he’d felt like this with a woman, or when he’d felt like this at all. Everything inside of him was busting loose, and he was letting it go. For once, he wasn’t going to hold back, or think about anything else. There was only her, and what was happening between them.

As he took out the strip of condoms from her bag, his own heart rate picked up, anticipating how it would feel to be inside of her. He wanted to have her every way he could possibly manage in the next twelve hours, and didn’t think the four or five condoms would be enough—if they ran out, he supposed they’d just have to be creative.

He chuckled, shaking his head.

“Something funny?” she asked, lying across his bed like a Victoria’s Secret model who wasn’t keeping any secrets. He stopped, looking at her. He loved looking at her, to make sure she was real.

“No. You’re just tempting me to try to exceed my limits.”

“All we can do is our best…”

She smiled, crooked her finger, beckoning him in the way men dreamed about a beautiful woman doing. He was on the bed in a flat second, covering her completely and pressing her down into the mattress. He liked the way she felt beneath him, pliant and soft, warm against his skin. She giggled breathlessly as he weighed the entire length of his body against hers, trapping her wrists on either side of her head, capturing her mouth in a kiss that didn’t let either one of them breathe for several long, wet minutes.

When they parted, she said, quite seriously, “Could you put one of those on, please? I don’t think I can wait.”

He didn’t have to be asked twice and lifted up, straddling her hips, letting her watch him cover the length of his shaft and stroking himself a few times as their eyes met. Her mouth was swollen from his kiss, her skin flushed. She slid her teeth over the edge of her lip as she lifted a hand and placed it over his, sliding up and down his length together, until he was getting far too close and needed the real thing.

“Brett?”

“Yeah, sweetheart?”

“Do you mind if we talk?”

“Talk about what?”

“No, I mean, will it bother you if I tell you what I want, you know…in graphic terms?”

His eyebrows flew up as he reached down, brushing a kiss over her flushed cheek.

“You mean you want to talk dirty?”

“If that’s something you’d like.”

“Hell, yeah,” he uttered, leaning down to her ear and giving her a demonstration of what she was asking for, telling her in the coarsest terms he could think of what he wanted to do to her, how hard, for how long, and then what he wanted to do all over again. He felt her breath hitch, and knew it had worked for her.

As he settled down between her thighs, pressing against her but not entering, she returned the sentiment, but she upped the ante. Putting her hands on either side of his face and staring directly into his eyes, she told him in the coarsest language he’d ever heard a woman use what she wanted him to do to her, how hard, for how long, and then what she wanted to do all over again.

It was a mega turn-on and before they could say another word, in one smooth move, he lifted her legs up over each of his shoulders and slid inside of her without hesitation, burying himself to the hilt. She cried out in pleasure, welcoming him, and he had to settle for a moment, stilling as he sank inside of her.

“Sweet Jesus, Lauren, you’re so tight…incredibly freakin’ hot inside…”

She only moaned in delighted response, her breath coming in hard, short pants that kept rhythm with his thrusts. He pushed deeper, her internal muscles clenching around him. God, if there was a heaven, this was it. His body was tied in a thousand tiny knots. When she started to come, he watched her, each of those knots gloriously releasing as his own climax exploded.

He went deeper, and deeper still, his arms wrapped around her thighs, holding her in place, seeking whatever it was his body needed. His mind disengaged completely as sensation took him over, and he followed it wherever it led him. When his vision finally cleared, he was trembling from head to toe. So was she.

He moved over and dropping to her side, drew her up against him. She was hot, slick and breathing hard. She smelled like flowers and the best sex of his life.

“Are you okay? I kind of lost it there at the end, I hope—”

She put a finger to his lips, and whispered, “It was fabulous. But be quiet now.”

She snuggled into him and promptly dozed off. Brett chuckled, and did as she said.

LAUREN WOKE UP FACEDOWN, crosswise on the bed, her feet hanging over one end, her head precariously close to tipping over the corner. Her black dress and underwear were spread around the room, which itself looked like it had been subject to a minitornado.

“Man, housekeeping is going to love us,” she said, laughing, rolling over and noting several well-used muscles protesting in the best way. Her body had never been so delightfully used and she sat for a moment, gathering her thoughts. She counted one, two, three, four—and oh, yes, there was number five—condom packages, and she smiled again.

What a night. Who knew she could be so wild, or that a man would like it?

She felt like a new person—one who badly needed a hot shower.

“Brett?” Sensing she was alone, as she got up she looked around and saw a slip of paper on the table by the door.

Morning, gorgeous. Went to get some regular clothes, and will meet you for breakfast at the café across the street? Don’t hurry. I’ll wait. B.

She smiled, putting the note down and then picking it back up again. It was a…momento. Something she’d have to keep besides memories of a night she wanted to remember every day for the rest of her life. It would remind her how crazy she could be, how passionate and free. It was like really being herself for the first time. It would also remind her of what being with a real man could be like, someone who wanted her and didn’t hold back.

Humming, she picked up her clothes, dressed and walked back to her room, smiling all the way. She’d get a shower, get dressed and have breakfast with the man she’d remember forever. Then she’d get on with the rest of her life.

SHE FOUND HIM SITTING in the café’s outdoor seating area, a newspaper in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other. He looked like he was posing for the cover of a leisure magazine, decked out in new jeans, a red button-down shirt and new cowboy hat along with the same boots he’d been wearing the day before. Apparently boots were standard gear, even with a tux.

He didn’t see her yet, as she waited to cross the street. It was a little surreal here, she thought. The narrow streets buzzed with activity, like any town, but the air was hot and dry, and everywhere she looked sand, scrub and mountains surrounded them. It was a little like being at the bottom of a large, rocky bowl.

Back home the leaves would be turning, and people would be getting ready for Halloween. It was getting colder, and Thanksgiving was a month away. Here, it was like midsummer, though there were some cardboard jack-o’-lanterns and black cats hanging in windows around the town.

Walking slowly across the street, she felt her nerves kick in again, as they’d been doing on and off since she left the room. Last night had been a fantasy come true, a baptism by the best kind of fire into her new life. But what would today bring? She’d almost considered just leaving without saying goodbye—guys did it all the time, right? She wanted to preserve the night just as it was.

As she came closer, her mind’s eye snapped another picture she’d never forget—he was impossibly handsome. Just about any guy would look good in a tux—and she knew for sure he looked great out of his—but now he looked…real. Earthy, natural and strong, he was part of the land around him. He just looked so right, and so incredibly sexy sitting there.

He glanced up, catching her eye, smiling, and she smiled in return, images of everything they’d done together the night before coming back to her suddenly. As she approached the table, he stood and drew out her chair. She could barely say a clear good morning, she was so nervous. He didn’t move back to his own chair, but leaned down, brushing his lips across her ear.

“I hope you got enough sleep,” he whispered, nipping her lightly on the nape of her neck, sending jolts of desire through her before he straightened and returned to his own seat.

“I passed out, and I feel wonderful, if a little achy,” she answered, grinning as her nerves vanished. His touch was magic. What was it about being with this guy? The minute she was with him or when he touched her, it was like she morphed into this new, confident, sexual person.

Wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around? Didn’t most people tend to get tongue-tied and awkward when they were actually with the person they desired? Not that she was complaining—it felt wonderful to flirt so easily, to feel so free with herself. “I hope you didn’t wait on breakfast for me.”

He laughed. “I had a little something, but it wasn’t very long ago. I’m used to being up early, eating more at the beginning of the day. Luckily the resort down the street runs a twenty-four hour shop, so I got some clothes, showered while you were still sleeping and came down. I’m only about an hour ahead of you. Hungry?”

She held his stare. “Oh yeah.”

“Keep looking at me like that, lady, and we’re heading back to the room.”

His tone was teasing, but his eyes told her he was serious. She smiled, blushing as she peered down at her menu.

“Everything looks good.”

“It is.”

She made a decision and closed her menu, sitting back in her chair as a waitress set a pot of coffee on the table and took their order.

“This place, this entire town is so incredible. I look around at these canyons, and can’t imagine who came down here and thought, hey, this would be a good place to put a restaurant.”

Brett laughed. “Well, a lot of it has to do with where the water is. There’s a supply here, good drainage at the base of the mountains, and people in this part of the country tend to gather where the water is. These spots have hosted all kinds of small ramshackle communities over time, homesteaders, mining, ranching, whatnot. Every now and then one of those communities sticks and becomes something more, like Soul Springs.”

“Are there actual springs?” She looked around—the place seemed so barren compared to the lush forests and farms of her home state.

“Underground ones, yes. A few years back one of them caved in, creating a pond of sorts where the kids like to go swimming. It’s just over that ridge.”

He pointed and she tried to imagine a pond in this environment. Water was the norm back home.

“I wouldn’t think there would be enough rain here to support ponds and rivers,” she commented.

“It comes, and when it does, it comes fast.”

“That sounds dangerous.”

“It can be. Anything and anyone in the way of a river rushing down a canyon can be washed away, and it happenes from time to time.”

“I’ve always heard there’s a lot of life in the desert, you just have to look for it.”

Then their breakfast arrived, steaming, aromatic plates stacked with bacon and pancakes for him, and a Mexican omelet for her.

“This is fantastic,” she said. He reached over, putting a few slices of his bacon on her plate. She started to protest, but it smelled wonderful, thicker and juicier than the store-bought stuff she was used to.

“That bacon is local and it’s the best you’ll have in your life. Don’t worry—you worked off enough calories last night to eat an entire pound of the stuff.”

She laughed at his humor, loving it. Wes would never have ordered bacon, and would absolutely never have joked about sex over breakfast. They ate in companionable silence. When the food was gone and the coffee pot near empty, Brett sat back. Lauren took a deep breath, soaking it all in. This was perfect, but it had to end. She had to be on her way. How did she say goodbye to a man who’d given her so much, but whom she barely knew?

“Lauren.”

“Hmm?” She toyed with the handle of her empty coffee cup, hoping he would take the lead and show her how to back away from their association gracefully. He had to have more experience with this kind of thing than she did, right?

“I was thinking we could spend a little more time together.”

She was expecting to be let down softly, not propositioned.

“Really?”

He moved his chair over closer, his hand covering hers. His fingers didn’t rest, but played over her knuckles in ways that sent sparks of desire shooting through her. She turned her hand over, palm up, wanting him to touch her there as well. He smiled.

“See that? The sheer chemistry we have—I don’t think we should let go of it just yet. I know last night was supposed to be a one-time thing, and I’m okay with that if you want to go on your way, but I was hoping we might make it last a little longer.”

“You want me to stay here for a while?” Her mind raced. She wasn’t sure that she could process what he was saying exactly, though she had to agree with him that they had intense chemistry. While she’d been ready to walk away—in theory—she was open to hearing his side of the argument.

“No, not here. On my ranch.”

“You want me to come home with you?” Her voice rose an octave, and he grinned, shaking his head as she blushed again, looking around to see if anyone heard.

“Sort of. My place is a working ranch. But to keep finances in the black, we also run a tourist business from October to March. It’s a luxury operation, you know, come to the desert but enjoy all the comforts of a nice hotel while experiencing real life on a ranch.”

“I always thought people had to live in the bunkhouse with the cowboys on dude ranches. Eat grub,” she teased.

“I don’t think the guys would care much for that. They aren’t too thrilled with the tourists sometimes, but it’s part of surviving in this economy and has led to some experiences we wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

“Such as?”

He shrugged. “Well, once we had a bunch of troubled kids from the inner city who thought they were so tough until they were asked to help with branding or foaling. It opened the world for them. Maybe it saved a few of them. I hope so, anyway.”

Lauren felt her throat choke up a little bit, touched.

“Last year we had a group of senior women come to spend their eightieth birthdays with us for two weeks. They were tough old broads and they taught us a few things.” He laughed, and she laughed with him.

“Sounds like a lot of fun.”

“It can be. But it’s a lot of work, too, though I love it. Can’t imagine life any other way. I’d like to share some of that with you, Connecticut. My treat, you can come as a friend of mine, stay in the main house and take part in as much or as little of the place as you want. Relax, sleep till noon, go swimming, riding, hiking—”

“Swimming?”

“We have one of those spring-fed ponds I was mentioning, and ours doesn’t go dry. Hang out as long as you want, and we can enjoy each other a little bit longer. Have some fun, and when you want to go, you can go.”

She listened, not sure what to think. He was basically offering her a free vacation in exchange for carrying on their affair. A one-night stand was one thing, but this was a whole new level of casual sex she wasn’t sure she was ready for.

“I don’t know, Brett.”

“You aren’t heading anywhere in particular, are you?”

“No. Not in particular.”

“Then what’s the harm? Aren’t we good together?”

She smiled, linking her fingers with his. “We’re better than good. But it was just one night—I don’t want to push it and lose what would otherwise be a wonderful memory.”

“That’s not it.”

“What do you mean? Of course it is.”

“I can see it in your face—you think you’re paying for staying at the ranch with sex. I didn’t mean it like that. I wouldn’t insult you that way.”

She cringed at hearing him say it so baldly. “I’m sorry, I know you weren’t trying to insult me, but isn’t that what it amounts to?”

“Not to my way of thinking. I have friends, business partners, family stay for free at the ranch all the time. It’s my place, my home. I’m hoping we can spend more time together, but if you want to come just to spend a few days and leave, that’s fine, too.”

He trailed a finger up the inside of her arm to the inner curve of her elbow, and she closed her eyes, wondering at the power of such a simple touch.

“Wow,” she whispered, feeling overcome and knowing she wanted this more than just about anything, but was she ready? Was it right? Smart?

Brett was a good guy who was asking her to spend some time with him, offering her a no-strings vacation. No strings, amazing sex, as well, if she wanted it. An opportunity to experience this wonderful place, and this wonderful man, for just a little longer.

Her old, timid self was tsk-tsking at the very thought of accepting his offer, but the new, bold woman who’d had such fun last night wanted to take that finger that he was stroking up and down her arm and suck it into her mouth, among other things.

Goodbyes were not really what she was thinking about.

“Okay. Thanks,” she said in a rush, before she changed her mind. Brett nodded, not saying a word, then leaned forward to cover her mouth in a scorching kiss that easily rivaled the desert heat.

BRETT NAVIGATED THE CANYON roads with ease, glad that Lauren hadn’t minded him taking the wheel up to the spot where he was meeting Pete to get his bike. They’d taken so long at breakfast and then getting out of the motel—they’d barely made it out of Lauren’s room at all—that he would never have met his brother on time if Lauren had been driving.

He’d handled these roads in every conceivable type of vehicle since he was about fourteen years old. Because of Soul Springs, these curves had guardrails. Wait until they hit the dirt roads on the other side of the mountain, down to the ranch, where some edges were lined only with boulders, and some not guarded at all. He smiled, thinking of Lauren’s reaction. She closed her eyes every time they took a turn going over thirty miles an hour.

“There he is,” he said, spotting Pete already loading the bike up on the back of a trailer.

His younger brother straightened as they drove up, and seemed mildly surprised to see Brett get out of a strange car. Well, how else did he think he’d get up here? Angel wings?

Lauren got out as well, but hung back by the passenger side of the car, keeping a healthy distance between her and the drop on the other side of the guardrail. Brett gestured to her to join them, and gave her credit that after a second of hesitation, she did. However, she didn’t come any closer than the edge of the car, keeping her thigh against the solid edge of the bumper. She was pale, and it struck him how severe her fear of heights was. He walked to her side, putting himself between her and the edge, as Pete wandered over.

“I see you got the bike loaded.”

“Yeah. You’re late,” Pete accused without any rancor, his eyes landing on Lauren and taking her in, maybe for just a second too long for Brett’s comfort.

“Yeah, slept late this morning,” Brett answered offhand. What was between him and Lauren was their own business, and he sensed she’d feel a whole lot better if people didn’t know they were lovers. He would, too.

He knew he wanted to keep his private life private—not that he had anything to hide, after all, he was a free man. His former fiancée was honeymooning in the Caribbean with Howie, and that was pretty much that. Things with Lauren were good, simple, and that’s how he wanted to keep it. Separate from the mess that was the rest of his personal life.

“Pete, this is Lauren Baker. We met down in the Springs. I noticed her looking at a brochure of ours in the lobby of the Springs Motel, and so invited her for a stay.”

It was a harmless white lie, and he saw the relief on Lauren’s face. Pete smiled, holding his hand out, and Brett held his breath that his brother wouldn’t make any comments about the wedding.

“Nice to meet you, Lauren. Glad my brother convinced you to give the ranch a try.”

“Thanks. It sounds like it will be…different.”

“From your accent I’d say you come from New England, am I right?

“Connecticut—how could you tell?”

“I went to college out there. Beautiful state.”

“Thanks. I’m enjoying Arizona as well.”

Brett remained silent through the exchange, though perked up a bit on her response—was that slight bit of huskiness in her tone for him, or was she flirting with Pete?

Surprised to find himself on the hair-trigger end of jealousy, he looked at Lauren and his brother, finding nothing but polite interactions between them. He was obviously going nuts—being jilted had affected him more deeply than he’d thought. Pete finally shook him out of it.

“So, we getting moving, or are we standing here all day?”

“Let’s go. I’ll drive with Lauren, if we want to get home anytime today.”

Pete looked at them curiously, and Lauren filled in the blanks.

“I’m afraid of heights. Makes it hard to drive these roads.”

“You get used to them. I’ll see you back at the ranch—you go ahead, I’ll be slower with the trailer.”

“Will do.”

Lauren walked back to the car, sliding into the driver’s seat, and Brett hung back for a moment, following Pete to his side of the truck.

“Listen, bud, do me a favor.”

“Another one?”

“I don’t want Lauren knowing what happened yesterday.”

Manly understanding crossed Pete’s face within moments, and Brett wasn’t sure if he’d cooperate or not.

“I see. It’s like that, is it? She’s your payback? She seems too nice.”

Brett clenched his jaw. “It’s not like that. I just like her, is all. She seems nice, so I invited her back, and it’s…uncomplicated. I want to keep it that way. She’ll probably take off in a few days or a week, and there’s no need to drag her into all of this.”

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