He laughed. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“And I should be complimented that you chose me.”

This wasn’t about him and he knew it. The bite in her tone was about something else. And Brea was smart. She was doing a good job turning the topic to him. “We weren’t talking about my sex life, though. We were talking about yours. And I think you either haven’t had much experience, or what you had wasn’t good.”

She lifted her chin. “I think you presume to know way too much about me. And based on what, exactly?”

Defensive, too. “The fact that as soon as we got in here and you knew we were going to fuck, you tensed up.”

“I did not.”

“Yeah, babe, you did. Did you have some bad experiences with sex you want to talk about?”

“No.”

“Talking about them might help.”

“I meant no, I didn’t have any bad experiences. Jesus, did you take some psychology classes or what?”

He grinned and swept his hand over her hair.” I just read people pretty well. Or at least I can read you. And something’s bothering you. I want to know what it is.”

“Shouldn’t you be trying to get into my pants like most guys would do instead of worrying about how I feel?”

“Is that what you think guys do? That all they think about is getting pussy? That we don’t give a shit about the woman?”

She glanced away, shrugged.

“You must have had some pretty lousy experiences with men.”

“Or maybe I’m just not very good at this.”

And like a lightning bolt, the problem zapped him. “You think you’re no good at sex.”

She met his gaze with wide eyes. “I didn’t say that.”

“No, but some guy said it to you, didn’t he?”

She didn’t answer, just clamped her lips shut.

“What an asshole.”

She crossed her arms and lifted her chin, defiance written all over her face. “It wasn’t just one guy. That’s how I know it’s true.”

“Jesus, Brea. How long ago was this?”

She shrugged. “I don’t remember. A few years ago.”

“So you had a couple losers who couldn’t take the time to show a young girl what sex was all about and you believed them when they said it was your fault?”

She clasped her hands so tightly together her knuckles whitened. “It wasn’t their fault I couldn’t . . .”

“Come? They couldn’t get you off, or get you excited and they said it was your fault. And you believed them.”

“What was I supposed to believe?”

“That they were lazy assholes, for starters.” He shifted to face her. “Honey, sex happens between two people. That means it takes both parties to make fireworks happen. If it didn’t happen for you, it wasn’t your fault, it was theirs.”

She frowned like she didn’t believe him. Of course she didn’t believe him. He’d like five minutes in a locked room with the guys who’d done a number on her self-esteem.

“I’ll bet they didn’t think to warm you up or do you first, thought only of themselves and finished in record time. And then when you didn’t get off, they claimed there had to be something wrong with you, right?”

“Maybe.”

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Brea.” He swept his thumb over her cheek, needing her to believe in herself. “Outside you showed how passionate you are, how responsive you are.”

“But you were . . .”

“Go ahead.”

“You were doing me. And you know what you’re doing.”

He laughed. “And you think we can’t make magic together when we fuck? That I can’t make you come that way?”

“No.”

He arched a brow. “Babe, I believe you’ve just issued a challenge. I accept.”

five

brea stared at gage.

What challenge? She hadn’t challenged him to anything.

“What are you talking about?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” he said. “You think you’re defective or something. That’s a mental block, not real. You think you can’t come during sex. I aim to prove you wrong.”

“Oh. Uh, that’s totally unnecessary. I’m sure we can have fine sex together. Don’t worry about it.”

“Fine? Did you just say ‘fine’?”

There was a wicked gleam in his eye as he leaned toward her. She backed away, scooting farther down the sofa.

“Oh, no you don’t. There’s no escaping now. You’ve challenged me.”

A little thrill shot up her spine. Gage was certifiable, but she couldn’t help laughing as he grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap. Dammit, she liked being with him. He was a lot smarter than she’d thought he’d be, and that was her own prejudice about cowboys in general being dumb. He read, he could carry on an intellectual conversation, he made her laugh, and he even seemed to care about whether she had a good time with sex.

She still didn’t think men like him actually existed.

And he was bound to be disappointed in her before the night was over. But she intended to enjoy him while she had him.

Especially if he continued to stare at her like he was hungry. And not for food.

He shifted, sliding her underneath him, his body covering hers. In one swift move, he became the predator. She liked the feel of him on top of her, the feeling that he wanted her. Especially when something hard and insistent brushed against her thigh.

She shuddered at the quick flash of need that roared through her, priming her for him. Gage was way too much man for her. She already knew this, had prepared herself for his disappointment. She should have said no, should have walked away at the first sign of interest, but she couldn’t seem to resist the sizzling pull of attraction she had for him.

Once. That’s all she wanted with him, just one time. Then she’d have a real fantasy to think about during all those long nights when she was alone in her room reading.

He pressed his lips to hers, and this time there was nothing easy about it. He took, he demanded, and all she could do was hold on, try to catch her breath as he ravaged her senses with his mouth. He slid his tongue between her teeth, forcing her to open for him so he could wrap his tongue around hers, lick against her, at the same time rocking his body against hers in the most primal way imaginable. Brea held on to his arms, feeling the rock-solid strength of him, the corded muscles of his arms, the sheer power of his thighs as he molded his body along hers. And when he nestled between her legs and thrust his c**k against her sex, her body wept for joy, climbing a pinnacle of need and desire that she’d never climbed before.

She poised, waiting for him to draw her skirt up, pull her panties aside and shove his c**k inside her, but all he did was continue to kiss her senseless, over and over again until she had no idea how much time had gone by. Every inch of her body was nothing but raw nerve endings. He slipped his hand under her butt, and just his hand resting there while she was fully clothed made her ache to be na**d, to feel him touch her all over.

And still he kissed her, finally pulling his mouth from hers to travel down her jaw. When he dragged his tongue along her throat, she tilted her head back and moaned, her body covered in goose bumps despite the warmth in the cabin.

This was torture.

He lifted up on his hands to stare down at her. “I’m going to make you come for me tonight, Brea. And not just once.”

She shuddered. But she still didn’t believe him, knew she was going to disappoint him. Yet her body was on fire and they both still had all their clothes on.

Holding himself above her, he surged against her, against her sex, his denim-clad c**k the sweetest torment.

“Don’t doubt me.”

His harsh whisper thrilled her.

She still doubted. With his hand, yes, his mouth, oh hell yes. But inside her, it wouldn’t happen. It never had. She wasn’t capable.

He reached for her top, lifted it over her belly. She raised her arms and he smiled at her.

“Not yet.”

Instead, he bent down and pressed a kiss to her belly. Her abdomen quivered at the touch of his warm lips to her flesh. She remembered what it felt like to have his mouth down there, wanted to feel him there again. And again. She’d never released like that before.

Maybe Gage was right. The cursory licks and sucks the other guys had given her in the o**l s*x department had barely warmed her up. Gage had given her oral pleasure like he had really enjoyed it. She had given herself up to the mastery of his exquisite mouth and tongue until he rocketed her right over the edge.

But shouldn’t she be doing something for him, too? She started to lift, sliding her hand between them to reach for his cock.

Gage lifted his head. “What are you doing?”

“You’ve been doing everything for me. I should—”

He removed her hand. “Just relax and let me kiss you. And dammit, quit worrying about what you think you should be doing. The only thing you should concentrate on is enjoying what’s happening between us.”

She flopped back onto the sofa and Gage raised her shirt, taking his maddening time kissing her belly, her rib cage, burning her with his mouth across her skin. He lifted the shirt over her head and rose up on his knees to stare down at her, tipping his finger across the valley of her breasts. She shivered, though she wasn’t sure if it was from the contact or the way he looked at her.

“Pretty bra.”

She smiled. “Thanks.” Okay, so maybe she had dressed just for him, right down to her lacy underwear.

“It’s coming off.” He reached for the front clasp, and with two fingers and one flick, the clasp parted.

“You’re pretty good at that.”

“Years of practice in the front of dark pickup trucks. I learned to do it by feel.”

She laughed, until he spread the cups apart and bared her breasts. With the light on, she caught the sensual gleam in his eyes as he traced his fingers over each breast.

Her ni**les puckered, hardened, the buds aching for the touch of his finger. And when he swept his finger over the tip of one distended nipple, she arched up toward the lightning-like pleasure of that sensation, craving more.

He swept his tongue over her nipple, covered the bud with his mouth, sucking and licking until she went liquid underneath his tender assault. He alternated from one breast to the other until she shook from the effects of his mouth on her. Every lick, every suck, every touch of his fingers shot straight to her pussy. And as with his kissing, he seemed in no hurry to get to the promised land, content to lavish praise on her br**sts and ni**les as if he had all the time in the world.

She felt worshipped, like he truly believed her body was something special. She’d never felt this way with a man before.

He swept his hand under her back and partially lifted her, only long enough to pull her bra off. Then he lowered her to the sofa again. He climbed off and moved to her feet, where he removed her boots and socks, rubbed her feet, kissed her toes until she shivered, having never had anyone pay attention to that particular body part before.

“You have pretty feet,” he said, standing next to the sofa and rubbing the arch of one foot.

Her gaze traveled the length of him, surprised to see the unmistakable bulge straining against his jeans.

“Yeah, you make me hard, Brea. I’ve been hard all night.” He lowered her foot and rubbed it against his erection.

She swallowed, her throat gone drought-dry as she felt the thickness of him, wanting him inside her more than she wanted to draw her next breath.

He lowered her foot to the sofa, then reached for her skirt, sliding it over her h*ps and down her thighs. She realized all she wore now were her panties, while he was still fully clothed.

But he was about to rectify that, because he lifted his shirt over his head, and she was rewarded with a wide expanse of tanned chest, muscles everywhere as he turned to lay their clothing on a nearby chair. His back was smooth, tapering down to a narrow waist, and dear God what a fine ass he had. When he turned, he had his hand on his belt buckle and a half smile on his face.

Mesmerized, Brea held her breath while Gage undid the buckle of his belt then drew the zipper of his jeans down. She inhaled on a shaky sigh when he pushed off his boots and let his jeans fall to the floor, his c**k riding against his belly in his tight boxer briefs.

She couldn’t resist. She sat up and palmed the heat and thickness of him.

“Shit,” he said, fisting a handful of her hair and bending down to plant his mouth over hers in a hard, passionate kiss that devastated her senses. She rubbed her palm against his cock, feeling bolder than she’d ever felt in her life. But Gage turned her on more than any man had before.

She reached for the waistband of his briefs to drag them down his h*ps and thighs. His c**k sprang into her waiting hands. She wound her fingers around his shaft, sizing him up, imagining how he would feel inside her.

He pulled away. “Damn, woman, you make me crazy.”

He bent down in front of the sofa and ran his hands over her breasts. “You are so beautiful. And oh man I like you touching me. But you do too much of that and this is going to be all over before it even starts. And the only place I’m going to come first is inside you. Plenty of time to play later.”

Later. Like they were going to do this again. She liked the sound of that, but she didn’t want to pack too much hope into what was going to happen between them.

Gage licked across one nipple and spread the wet fire of his tongue along her neck before taking her mouth again in a blistering-hot kiss. At the same time, his fingers blazed a trail down her belly to slide inside her panties and cup her sex. He teased her clit, her pussy, firing her up hotter than a dry August on the plains. She arched against his hand, coaxing his fingers inside her, begging him to fill her with more. And more.