Page 52 of The Cowgirl's Secret Love
She moved behind him, sliding her hands down his spine and setting goose bumps dancing. “Deal.”
He braced one arm on his thigh and the other on the table and let her hands drift over his torso in that haunting, sensual manner. It was gentle and kind, like a friend. Caring for his aches. But it was a flashback to moments in that long-ago summer when they’d stripped each other naked, frantic to come together.
Or the rare times when sex had gone slowly. Those had been few and far between, stolen moments when they’d been sure no one else would be around. Long intimate situations where they’d touched and kissed and connected until they were panting and thoroughly stated.
“Three weeks from now when your hands are on me, it damn well better be mutual.” The words rasped past a throat tight with need. He tilted his head down enough to meet her gaze. “I want to slide my fingers up your naked spine so I can pull you tight against me. Glide them over your hips right before I slide my hand between your legs. Or I’ll cup your breasts so I can put my mouth on your nipples and tongue you until you’re squirming. I want to…”
Awareness broke through the heat flooding his veins. Hell, he was doing it again.
Finn sat up a little straighter. “Dammit. Those painkillers seem to loosen my tongue more than they should. Sorry.”
He forced his gaze to meet hers.
Her cheeks were red, and her neck and the upper part of her chest flushed.
She licked her lips and seemed to fight to find words. “Yeah. You and painkillers are a dangerous mix. I have to get back to work for a while. Need anything before I head out?”
He shook his head, watching as she damn near stumbled over her own feet racing for the doorway.
But before he could finish kicking his own ass, she stopped, squared her shoulders as if readying for battle, then faced him. “Just to be clear, I’m not offended by what you said. It’s just a little early in your recovery for me to jump your bones.”
Then she vanished, boots clattering at the front entrance briefly before the front screen door slammed shut.
Finn blinked, working through her comment with his slightly muddled brain.
Well, okay then.
It took a while to manoeuvre down the hallway and get himself onto the bed for a nap, but the entire time, amusement and hope mingled to ease the edges of his pain.
His dreams were perfectly dirty.
12
The next couple of days passed in an uneven rhythm. Karen never knew when she got up in the morning whether Finn would be awake or not. It was easier to leave food in the fridge than plan on meals at the same time—Finn crashing when he needed to was a surprising development.
She got into her work, the ongoing evolution of her job stretching to anything Zach decided he needed help with.
Or Finn, as he took over a lot of the office jobs with barely any complaining.
Haon that one.
The man never actually complained, but the way he sat and glared at the stack of papers attached to the clipboard in front of him made it clear he wished he was on the back of a horse instead.
“It’s not going to jump up and bite you,” Karen teased as she joined him at the table.
“Don’t need anything else biting me. I’ve already got one varmint who thinks I’m his glorified chew toy.” Finn winked before gesturing her closer.
In his lap, the snow-white kitten gnawed on Finn’s thumb, tail snaking back and forth happily.
“He’s terrible. Don’t let him boss you around,” Karen warned.
Finn shrugged. “I figure he’s had a bit of a hard go. I don’t mind giving him extra loving right now.” He pushed the clipboard toward her. “Save me.”
Karen twisted the mess of papers toward her. “What the heck does Zach have you doing?”
“He wants me to make design decisions, which is not my line of expertise.”
On top was a sketch of the footprint for the new cottages being erected around the ranch. Mostly one room, with a couple of two- to three-bedroom setups for families. Included was a stack of cutout squares and rectangles, each carefully labelled withdresserorqueen-size bed.
