Read Online The Cowboy and the Lady by Diana Palmer - Free Book Online
Authors: Diana Palmer
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her soft breasts through the thin fabric. The intimacy made her tremble.
He looked down at her, where her slender hands were pressed lightly against the mat of hair over his bronzed skin, and she was aware of the heavy, hard beat of his heart against the crushed warmth of her breasts.
“Is there anything but skin under this wisp of cloth?” he asked in a taut undertone. “I might as well be holding you in your underclothes.”
“Jace!” she burst out, embarrassed.
“No, don’t fight,” he warned shortly when she tried to struggle away from him. His hands moved slowly, caressingly on her back, easing down below her waist to hold her tightly against the hard muscles of his thighs.
“Doesn’t Black ever make love to you?” he asked curiously, watching the reaction in her flushed face, her frightened eyes. “You’re too nervous for a woman who’s used to being touched.”
“Maybe I’m nervous because it’s you,” she burst out. Her fingers clenched together where they were forced to rest against his chest, as she fought not to give in to the longing to run her hands over his cool flesh. Her nostrils drank in the faint scent of cologne and leather that clung to his tall body.
“Because it’s me?” he prompted, eyeing her.
She bit her lower lip nervously, all too aware of the privacy the closed door provided. “The last time, you hurt,” she murmured.
“The last time you were sixteen years old and I was mad as hell,” he reminded her. “I meant to hurt you.”
“What did I do,” she asked miserably, “except make the mistake of having a huge crush on you?”
He was so still, she thought for a moment that he hadn’t heard her. His hands pressed into her soft flesh painfully for an instant, and a harsh sigh escaped from his lips.
“A crush on me?” he echoed blankly. “My God, you ran the other way every time I looked at you!”
“Of course I did—you terrified me!” she burst out, her eyes wide and dark and accusing as they met his. “I knew you and Mother didn’t get along, and I thought you disliked me the way you did her. You were always and forever snapping at me or glaring.”
His eyes ran over her face lightly, lingering pointedly on her mouth. “I suppose I was. I got the shock of my life when you invited me to that party.”
She searched his hard face. “Why did you come?” she asked softly.
His shoulders rose and fell heavily. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I was out of my element in more ways than one. I’d had women by then. I was used to females a hell of a lot more sophisticated than the crowd that surrounded me that night.”
A surge of inexplicable jealousy ran riot through her body as she stared up at him. “So I gathered,” she grumbled.
One dark eyebrow went up. “And how would you have known? You were obviously a virgin. I remember wondering at the time how many boys you’d kissed. You didn’t even know enough to open your mouth to mine.”
She lowered her eyes to his chest before he could see the embarrassed flush that spread down from her cheeks.
“I’d never been kissed by anyone,” she said quietly. “You were…the first. You were almost the last, too,” she added with an irrepressible burst of humor. “I was scared silly.” Her eyes glanced up and down again. “It was a terribly adult kiss.”
He lifted a lean hand and tilted her face up so that he could study it. “Did I leave scars on those young emotions?” he asked gently. “All I could remember about it later was the way you trembled against me, the softness of your body under my hands. I had a feeling I’d frightened you, but I was too angry to care. If I’d known the truth…”
“It probably wouldn’t have made much difference,” she put in. “I…get the feeling that you’re not a gentle lover, Jason.”
“Do you?” He drew her slowly up against him again, feeling the sudden tension in her body as his hands spread around her waist and trapped her there.
He looked down at her, where her slender hands were pressed lightly against the mat of hair over his bronzed skin, and she was aware of the heavy, hard beat of his heart against the crushed warmth of her breasts.
“Is there anything but skin under this wisp of cloth?” he asked in a taut undertone. “I might as well be holding you in your underclothes.”
“Jace!” she burst out, embarrassed.
“No, don’t fight,” he warned shortly when she tried to struggle away from him. His hands moved slowly, caressingly on her back, easing down below her waist to hold her tightly against the hard muscles of his thighs.
“Doesn’t Black ever make love to you?” he asked curiously, watching the reaction in her flushed face, her frightened eyes. “You’re too nervous for a woman who’s used to being touched.”
“Maybe I’m nervous because it’s you,” she burst out. Her fingers clenched together where they were forced to rest against his chest, as she fought not to give in to the longing to run her hands over his cool flesh. Her nostrils drank in the faint scent of cologne and leather that clung to his tall body.
“Because it’s me?” he prompted, eyeing her.
She bit her lower lip nervously, all too aware of the privacy the closed door provided. “The last time, you hurt,” she murmured.
“The last time you were sixteen years old and I was mad as hell,” he reminded her. “I meant to hurt you.”
“What did I do,” she asked miserably, “except make the mistake of having a huge crush on you?”
He was so still, she thought for a moment that he hadn’t heard her. His hands pressed into her soft flesh painfully for an instant, and a harsh sigh escaped from his lips.
“A crush on me?” he echoed blankly. “My God, you ran the other way every time I looked at you!”
“Of course I did—you terrified me!” she burst out, her eyes wide and dark and accusing as they met his. “I knew you and Mother didn’t get along, and I thought you disliked me the way you did her. You were always and forever snapping at me or glaring.”
His eyes ran over her face lightly, lingering pointedly on her mouth. “I suppose I was. I got the shock of my life when you invited me to that party.”
She searched his hard face. “Why did you come?” she asked softly.
His shoulders rose and fell heavily. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I was out of my element in more ways than one. I’d had women by then. I was used to females a hell of a lot more sophisticated than the crowd that surrounded me that night.”
A surge of inexplicable jealousy ran riot through her body as she stared up at him. “So I gathered,” she grumbled.
One dark eyebrow went up. “And how would you have known? You were obviously a virgin. I remember wondering at the time how many boys you’d kissed. You didn’t even know enough to open your mouth to mine.”
She lowered her eyes to his chest before he could see the embarrassed flush that spread down from her cheeks.
“I’d never been kissed by anyone,” she said quietly. “You were…the first. You were almost the last, too,” she added with an irrepressible burst of humor. “I was scared silly.” Her eyes glanced up and down again. “It was a terribly adult kiss.”
He lifted a lean hand and tilted her face up so that he could study it. “Did I leave scars on those young emotions?” he asked gently. “All I could remember about it later was the way you trembled against me, the softness of your body under my hands. I had a feeling I’d frightened you, but I was too angry to care. If I’d known the truth…”
“It probably wouldn’t have made much difference,” she put in. “I…get the feeling that you’re not a gentle lover, Jason.”
“Do you?” He drew her slowly up against him again, feeling the sudden tension in her body as his hands spread around her waist and trapped her there.
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