"Me too." He placed a kiss on the side of her neck and murmured, "Don"t be alarmed if you think someone is followin" you home. It"s just me."
"Carson. You don"t have to. It"s another thirty miles out of your way."
"It"s late, it"s raining, and you"re alone, so yeah, I"m followin" you. Like it or not."
"Okay." She kissed his chin. "You"re sweet."
He snorted. "First time I"ve heard that."
"Then I"m happy to be the first one to have noticed it."
"I wanna see you tomorrow, Caro." And the day after that, and the day after that.
"I don"t know if I can swing it."
"The next night then." But he knew he couldn"t stay away from her for even one day.
She planted another kiss on his lips. "Drive safe after you see me home, okay?"
"I will."
Chapter Seven.
Carolyn
The house was so quiet.
It was strange being the only one home. Her father had taken her mother into Rapid City for doctor"s appointments and they"d be gone until suppertime. Marshall was in Cheyenne overnight. Stuart and Thomas were both at work. For the next few hours she could do anything she wanted.
She could finish the pedal pushers she"d started last week. She could weed the garden. Or she could wander into the field behind the house, searching for wild parsnips and mushrooms, or pick a bouquet of wildflowers for her room.
Or she could sit here with the sun warming her face, reliving every moment of losing her virginity to Carson McKay.
Every single moment. Every word. Every touch. Especially his touch.
She"d really thought he"d hold out after lecturing her on s.e.x in a "proper" bed, even after she"d made the smart remark about his expectations of candlelight, flowers, chocolates and the release of beribboned doves at the moment of breaching her maidenhead-were not hers.
But it turned out he"d been as powerless against the pa.s.sion that exploded between them as she.
So she hadn"t lost her virginity in any proper manner at all, rather one hot and bothered cowboy had pushed her up against her car and driven into her in the driving rain.
She sighed and closed her eyes. It"d been absolutely perfect. Water soaking their feverish skin. His hot mouth on her rain-cooled flesh. His hardness filling her softness, over and over. His rough-skinned hand clamped onto her behind. The s.e.xy rumble of his voice in her ear when he wasn"t kissing her. Kissing her like her mouth alone could sustain him.
And when she feared her body would simply fly apart from the bliss that beckoned, Carson took her to paradise, joining her, and everything in her life changed.
Dramatic? Maybe. But that physical connection was way more than she"d ever expected.
Carolyn had just decided to quit lazing around and accomplish something, when she heard a vehicle turn up the drive. Probably just Harland or Darren coming to borrow tools or something, so she didn"t bother to move from her comfy spot in the sun. Maybe she wouldn"t do anything today but loaf.
Right. That"s not your nature.
A door slammed. "Sugar, is this really how you"re spendin" all your days?"
She sat up so fast her sungla.s.ses went flying. Then she scrambled to her feet. "Carson? What are you doing here?"
He paused at the bottom of the steps. His left eyebrow winged up. "That"s how you greet me after last night?"
Happiness nearly split her heart in two. She laughed and said, "Catch!" before she launched herself at him.
Carson caught her, his hands curling around her hips as his mouth found hers.
With the hungry way he kissed her and with her arms twined around his neck she felt like she was floating. The kiss went on for a blissfully long time. He broke the kiss slowly, treating her lips to little nibbles, a soft glide and then decisive smooches. "I probably oughtn"t maul you on the front porch in case your mama is peeking out the window."
"She"s not here. My dad took her to the doctor and they"ll be gone all day."
"That right?"
"My brothers are gone too."
"So you"re all alone?"
She kissed his chin. "Not anymore. Have you had lunch?"
"Nope."
"Come in." She tugged his hand. "I"ll fix you something."
"In a second. Lemme grab something outta my truck."
Carolyn watched him amble to the driver"s side door, enjoying the view of his tight buns and long legs encased in denim. Although it was fairly warm out today, he wore a long-sleeved shirt-not that the extra fabric could hide the broad set of shoulders. Shoulders she"d been clinging to last night as his body had moved in and out of hers.
She was still lost in heated memories of hands and mouths and bodies in motion when he stopped in front of her.
"Whatcha thinkin" about, Caro?"
Her eyes locked onto his. "Last night."
He dipped his head and kissed the side of her throat. "You ain"t the only one." Then he looked at her and smiled. A sweet, slightly devious smile and Lord have mercy she was just gone for this man. "I brought you something."
That"s when she noticed his hands were behind his back. "What?"
Carson handed her a box of candy. "Since I didn"t give you the hearts and flowers romance you deserved last night, and since you were sarcastic about the doves at the moment of the official cherry popping, I thought I could at least bring you a sweet treat that"ll remind you of me."
She laughed softly and studied the box of chocolate-covered cherries, hoping he didn"t notice her damp eyes. This man was so sweet and he had a good sense of humor. "I love chocolate. Thank you."
"Hey." His fingers were under her chin, lifting her face to meet his gaze. "You okay today?"
"Very okay. I know last night wasn"t...didn"t play out how you"d hoped. But for me, it was everything I"d ever wanted it to be and more."
"Then that"s all that matters."
"Was it okay for you?"
"No."
Her heart stopped. "It wasn"t?"
"No," he said again as he brushed soft, seductive kisses across her mouth. "It was f.u.c.kin" amazing."
She smiled against his lips. "Oh. Good."
"Mmm-hmm." He started nibbling her jaw. "Sugar, are we really alone?"
She loved how his breath felt fanning her skin. "Yes."
"For how long?"
"For hours."
"That"ll work." He lifted her into his arms.
"Carson!"
"Open the door."
She turned the handle and he strode inside the house and kicked the door shut behind them. "Which way?"
"To the kitchen for lunch?"
"No. To your bedroom. We can eat food after I"ve had a taste of you."
Her stomach cartwheeled so hard it kicked her heart into high gear.
"Caro?"
"Straight ahead. I sleep in the sun porch."
Once they were in her s.p.a.ce, she tried to see it from his point of view. Half the room was packed with junk since it doubled as a storage room when she and Kimi weren"t here. Her mother"s sewing machine, dress maker dummy, ironing board, irons and sewing instruments were in the center of the room, along with stacks of material, thread, ribbons, notions, paper patterns, a box of b.u.t.tons and other odds and ends.
In the corner, she"d pushed the twin beds together, making a decent-sized sleeping area for herself. A bed with pale peach sheets, lots of pillows, a bright reading lamp for the foldable flat board so she could hand sew pieces in bed if she chose. Her closet and dressing area was in the opposite corner behind two floral sheets. She"d hung her clothes on a dowel placed between two chains. Her underwear, slips and hosiery were in an old suitcase she"d cut in half and converted into dresser drawers.
The click of the lock brought her attention back to Carson. He wasn"t looking at her surroundings. At all. His eyes were focused solely on her.
It dawned on her it was the middle of the day. There"d be no darkness, every part of her, every part of him would be completely visible. Every other time they"d been intimate had been at night. And she"d never completely bared herself to another person...well...ever.
"Don"t," he said softly as he stalked closer.
"Don"t what?"
"Don"t think." He reached her and pushed her hair over her shoulder. "You"re beautiful and I can"t wait to get my hands on every inch of you. Last night was just the start. Trust me." He rested his forehead to hers. "You do trust me, right?"
"Yes."
"Good. First you gotta lose the clothes." He hooked his fingers in the hem of her baggy red peasant shirt and pulled it up until she raised her arms.
Her bra wasn"t sheer, just plain white. She fought the urge to cross her arms over her chest.
His fingers slipped beneath the waistband of her skirt near her belly b.u.t.ton, using her skin as a guide to find the b.u.t.ton in the back. After unb.u.t.toning her, Carson made short work of the zipper too. The navy blue cotton skirt fell to the floor.
Her panties matched her bra-bonus points for that, but her underwear wasn"t s.e.xy, just plain white cotton.
Then his mouth was on her neck and his hands started at her shoulders and moved down. Stroking and caressing her skin. His thumbs following the swell of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s while his palms curled around her ribcage.
At Carson"s show of reverence, she relaxed even when every tender touch and nip of his teeth set her body on fire.
His hands stopped on her hips, those wickedly stroking thumbs of his brushed over the rise of her mound and the sensitive inner skin by her hipbone. And still he didn"t say a word, he just explored. As his hands moved south so did his mouth. He palmed her behind in both hands as his tongue traced the edge of her bra, down one side and up the other.
Carolyn wasn"t sure what to do with her hands. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair. Grip his shoulders. Or should she start to undress him too?
"Unhook your bra for me so I don"t have to stop touchin" you."
She twisted her arms behind her back and tugged the clasp.
Carson"s gaze met hers as he eased the straps down her arms. Only when the straps cleared her fingertips did he look at her chest.
"Perfect. Jesus, look at you." He held her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and rubbed his cheek and jaw from the top of the left side, down to her sternum and back up the right side.
Every kiss, every taste inched closer to her nipple and her body went rigid in antic.i.p.ation. Then his mouth enclosed the hardened tip.
Wet. Hot. His tongue flicking, his mouth sucking. Her head fell back and she groaned as each determined suck sent chills racing down her body.
Carolyn was so lost in the way he worshipped her b.r.e.a.s.t.s that she didn"t notice his hand had slid down the center of her torso until he was stroking her there. Right there.
"You like that."
"Yes."