"I don"t give second chances."
"And why"s that?"
"Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me."
He slowly chewed some toast and swallowed. "See there"s my problem. I never feel ashamed of anything I do, especially in bed."
Robyn licked her lips and tasted maple syrup and coffee. Despite his amiable farm-boy exterior, Dakota was as sharp as a tack. Perhaps she"d better be more careful about baiting him.
"Well, with all your extensive "experience" you should know better than to brag."
He shook his head. "That was lame, Robyn. What"s up? Lost your nerve?"
"Not at all. I"m just trying to back away from you and your huge ego."
He sat back, coffee mug in hand and stretched. Her gaze was drawn to the flexing muscles in his chest and shoulders. His smile was slow and deliberately s.e.xy. "But is it ego when it"s all true?"
"You are one of the most irritating and conceited men I"ve ever met."
"Thanks. From you, I"ll take that as a compliment."
Dakota glanced across at his silent companion. She hadn"t said a word since they"d left the diner. He"d enjoyed seeing her eat though, enjoyed teasing her too if he was truthful. But then she"d clammed up and all the easiness between them disappeared just like that. Of course that was women all over. One minute everything was fine, the next nothing. He could never keep up.
"This isn"t the way back to the motel," she said.
"You"re right." He kept walking, waited for her to speak again.
"Then where are we going?"
"Back to my truck. I told you I have stuff to do."
She stopped and stuck her hands in her pockets. "Then do it. Give me the key and I"ll go back by myself."
"My, you have a lousy memory, don"t you?"
"What?"
She raised her chin to glare at him, her dark eyes striking sparks. He fought back an appreciative smile.
"I said I need some help and you"re it."
"I can"t fix your truck and I"m certainly not pushing it."
"No? A big strong girl like you?"
Leaving her rooted to the spot, he kept walking until he reached his pickup and unlocked the driver"s door, letting out the acc.u.mulated heat. He fished inside the glovebox and found his other set of keys. Robyn"s shadow fell across him as he turned around.
"The truck doesn"t work, dumb a.s.s. It is broken," she said.
"These aren"t for the truck."
He unlocked the double back doors of the trailer and let them swing wide. The familiar smell of horse manure and leather washed over him. Two of the narrow diagonal stalls were empty awaiting the return of his horses, the third was full. With a satisfied grunt, Dakota whipped off the sheet covering his other pride and joy.
"It"s a motorcycle."
He smiled at Robyn. "Yeah. And not just any motorcycle, it"s a Ducati 1098."
"Is that supposed to impress me?"
"I doubt anything would impress you, lady." He kicked off the stand and reversed the bike out of the stall. "We just need to clean it up and then we can go shopping."
"Shopping?"
Dakota turned away to hide his grin at her sudden interest. He"d never met a woman who didn"t like to shop sometimes. From behind the bike he picked up the bucket of cleaning supplies and brought them outside.
"We have to clean it up first."
Robyn stared at the cleaning stuff Dakota unloaded from the bucket. "I don"t clean."
"Then you don"t shop."
He stared at her, the smile gone from his face. Underneath that smooth charm was a rugged determination to get his own way that rivaled her own. But she did need to shop, even if only for new panties. He picked up the now empty bucket and rolled up his sleeves.
"I"ll get some water from the gas station. Why don"t you start by dusting the chrome?"
He turned his back on her and sauntered across to the gas station. Robyn shaded her eyes against the sun and glared after him. Clean the bike? What would he ask her to do next, his laundry? f.u.c.k that. With a martyred sigh she picked up a duster and flicked it over the handlebars of the bike.
Who would"ve thought Dakota would own such a flashy yellow bike? It looked expensive, and she knew expensive. She"d pictured him on an old broken-down Harley not something so obviously European. She frowned at her distorted expression in the chrome. Yet another inconsistency in that wholesome exterior, yet another faade. Was there anyone left in the world who was exactly what they said they were?
"Move over."
She jumped as Dakota crouched down beside her and squirted soap into the bucket of water. He handed her a sponge.
"Don"t clean the seat, just the metal, OK? I"ll start on the other side."
She started slow, glancing across at him as he worked, his concentration all on the bike and not her. Sweat collected on her brow and trickled down her face.
"Why don"t you take your coat off?"
He finally looked across at her and she smiled.
"What if I don"t want to?"
"Then you"ll probably die of heat exhaustion." He continued his loving attention to the bike and Robyn pouted.
"That"s good to know." She risked another glance at him. "Are you going to make me?"
"Take your coat off? Nope, you"re a big girl; you can make up your own mind."
"So you"d rather I got sick than help me."
Silence. She stared at his averted face and sighed loudly, flapping her hand in front of her heated face.
"Oh G.o.d, I think I"m going to faint."
He stood up so suddenly she overbalanced on to her a.s.s. She held her breath as he stalked around the bike, grabbed her forearms and picked her up.
"Take it off, Robyn."
"Make me."
She opened her eyes wide at him and licked her lips. His gaze followed the small movement of her tongue. With a stifled curse, he started to unb.u.t.ton her coat, his fingers brushed against her b.r.e.a.s.t.s as he fumbled his way down the long line of b.u.t.tons.
"s.h.i.t, why didn"t you say something? Where"s your shirt?"
"In the motel, drying in the shower, why?"
His gaze remained riveted on her black bra and the swell of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "You can"t stand around in your bra."
"Why not?" She shrugged out of her coat and let it fall to the ground. "Let"s pretend it"s my bikini top."
He swallowed hard. "It"s transparent. I can see everything."
Robyn made a point of looking around. "No one can see us, we"re hidden by the trailer and you"re not interested in me, are you? So what"s the problem?"
He briefly closed his eyes and stepped away from her. "You"re right, there"s no problem. I"m perfectly capable of keeping my hands to myself."
Robyn gave him her most gracious smile. "I knew that. Now let"s finish the bike so we can go shopping, OK?"
Dakota turned away to rinse out his washcloth and readjust his uncomfortably tight jeans. The sight of Robyn"s b.r.e.a.s.t.s reminded him of her uninhibited display the night before. Her nipples poked right through the flimsy black lace just begging to be touched and tongued.
"Dakota?"
He stood up and almost came in his jeans. Robyn sat astride his bike leaning forward to polish the headlamp. Her body moved sensuously with the motion and her b.r.e.a.s.t.s threatened to escape her bra. He cleared his throat.
"I think we"re about done."
She smiled at him. "Are you sure? I was kind of enjoying myself."
"I bet you were."
Her smile disappeared and she clambered off the bike. "What"s that supposed to mean?"
He threw his cloth into the bucket. Water splashed everywhere. "You just don"t give up, do you?"
"Give up what?"
"On your attempts to make me h.o.r.n.y."
"I"m making you h.o.r.n.y?"
She strolled up to him until her b.r.e.a.s.t.s rested against his chest, her belly snug against his erection. "I"m just cleaning your bike, like you told me to."
"Yeah, right."
Her smile returned as she bent a little at the knees. "Perhaps it"s your problem, cowboy. Maybe you"re the one who needs to cool off."
She stepped back, hoisted the bucket and threw the entire contents right into his face. With a roar he grabbed for her and the bucket hit the ground. Wet cloth rubbed against soft skin and she squeaked.
"Let me go, you big idiot. You"re getting me all wet."
"I like you wet."
He turned her in his arms and maneuvered her back against the side of his trailer. She looked up at him, her breathing as harried as his. Without further thought he bent his head and kissed her, ravaged her mouth with all the pent-up l.u.s.t she"d inspired in him since he"d met her.
She didn"t stop him. Of course she didn"t, he was giving her exactly what she"d wanted all along. But he couldn"t stop, didn"t even care that she"d made a liar out of him.
Without breaking the kiss, he picked her up and rocked his hard c.o.c.k against the soft spot between her legs. She moaned into his mouth and he kissed his way down her throat toward the wet swell of her breast and pert nipple. G.o.d, he had to taste her, even if it was only for a second.
Her fingers dug into his shoulders as he suckled and her body moved with his. Even through the soap suds she tasted so fine. He moved across to her other nipple, gave it the same attention until it was as hard as his shaft. Her hands slid between them and she shoved at his chest.
"Are you done?"
Dakota opened his eyes and raised his head to find Robyn staring at him. Her triumphant grin told him all he needed to know. She"d proved her point. His word was as useless as any man in l.u.s.t. Carefully he released her. Shame at his behavior crept over him and killed his arousal.
"I"m sorry. I behaved like an a.s.s."
Something flashed in her eyes: surprise, shock, dis appointment? He wasn"t sure. He turned to pick up her coat and handed it to her.
"Obviously I lied when I said I wasn"t attracted to you." He waited until she covered herself before continuing. "But I swear it won"t happen again."
"And if I wanted it to happen?"
He touched her cheek. "h.e.l.l, woman, you don"t know what you want."
She frowned up at him, her lower lip trembling. He contemplated her angry face. Yeah, this would be the perfect time to give her his lecture about how all men weren"t the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds she a.s.sumed they were and that she didn"t have to allow herself to be used. With a sigh, he slicked his wet hair away from his face.
"Robyn, if you knew what you wanted you wouldn"t be here with me now. You"d be home with the people who love you."
A single tear rolled down her cheek. She hadn"t struck him as a woman who cried to get what she wanted. He caught the tear on his thumb and brushed it away.
"How about you take the key and go back to the motel to wash up. I"ll check the bike is running OK and come and pick you up."
She took a deep breath. "OK, I"ll do that."
He smiled at her. "That"s my girl."
"I"m not your girl and don"t patronize me. You"re the one with the girl"s name."