Champagne and Candlelight

I

Jarrod chuckled at the sight. She intrigued and aroused him when he saw her on the train, but the lovely blonde rebuffed every chivalrous and civil comment he made, so he just tipped his hat over his eyes and pretended to sleep while taking covert glances at her luscious body throughout the trip. But even though he was amused at the sight of her petite but curvaceous frame trudging along the side of the road, Jarrod was too much a gentleman to pass by without offering any assistance and slowed Jingo to a walk alongside.

“Could you use a hand, miss?” he asked in his sultry baritone.

Amber looked up, startled. So focused on putting one foot in front of the other with a long walk still ahead, she hadn’t even heard the sound of hoofbeats approaching. The brilliant blue eyes looking down at her made her catch her breath and she mentally cursed. She’d gone as far as being rude to the devastatingly handsome cowboy to try to control her reaction to his smoldering gaze and toned physique, but it seemed as though the fates had other plans. Amber gave in to what destiny seemed to have planned for her and smiled.

“Seems as though the walk was a lot farther than I anticipated,” she told him.

“I’m sure Jingo here won’t mind carrying double,” he said with his incredible, charming smile. Jarrod held out his hand and kicked his foot out of the stirrup. Amber took a deep breath. In for a penny, in for a pound…

Jarrod swung the lovely young woman up behind him and placed her hand around his waist as he clucked to Jingo. The sorrel set off at a fast walk and Jarrod shivered as Amber slid her other hand around to rest on his stomach. He felt his manhood stir at the contact.

“So where can I take you?” he asked, trying to ignore the heat building in his groin.

Amber could think of a few places as her hand crept to the front of his shirt. “The Barkley ranch,” she said as she slipped her fingers in between the buttons and lightly touched the smooth skin they encountered.

“Going there myself,” Jarrod replied, trying hard not to squirm as her other hand decided to rest on the bulge that strained the seams of his pants. “Miss…” he started and gasped as she gave his manhood a squeeze. He wondered exactly what kind of woman he’d picked up.

She just kissed the side of his neck gently. Her fingers deftly unfastened his pants, releasing Jarrod’s aching hardness. “Consider this payment for the ride. And I’ve wanted to touch you ever since I saw you get on that train. I’m sorry if I was rude to you, but it was the only way I could keep my distance.” She heard his sharp intake of breath as she began to caress him with long, easy strokes.

Jarrod could feel her ample breasts push against his back and his breathing became erratic as Amber’s sensual touch brought him closer to the edge. “You have to stop,” he gasped, but she only stroked him harder.

“Let it go,” she murmured, raining searing kisses across his neck, pumping his swollen organ faster. Jarrod knew he’d be unable to stop what was coming even if he wanted to, which he decidedly did not. He covered her hand with his own, guiding her strokes as he thrust upward, gasping as he spilled his seed into their joined hands. She stroked him a few more times, milking every last drop and Jarrod leaned his head back to rest on her shoulder.

“I don’t even know you,” Jarrod said, voice husky with desire. It had been a long time since any woman had aroused him like this.

“Well, we could change that,” Amber murmured seductively.

Jarrod threw his leg over the saddle horn and slipped off his horse’s back, then reached up and pulled Amber with him. Jingo just bent his head and started to graze as Jarrod pushed Amber against the stirrup and took her lips with his own. He plunged his tongue into her mouth and his fingers worked the fastenings of her dress. Amber’s tongue responded as she returned his embrace with equal fervor. Jarrod’s hand soon gained access and he grabbed her breast through the thin material of her chemise, crushing the soft mound in a passionate grip.

Amber moaned and her lips traveled across his cheek. “Maybe we should get out of the middle of the road,” she breathed into his ear.

“It didn’t bother you before,” he whispered back. Just then, Jingo shifted and Jarrod and Amber almost lost their balance. “But in this case, you may be right.”

Jarrod took Jingo’s reins in one hand and Amber’s hand in the other and led them both to the small copse of trees just off the road. Tethering the sorrel securely, Jarrod turned his attention back to Amber. He drew his breath in sharply as he saw she had divested herself of her clothing and stood clad only in the silky blonde tresses of her hair. Jarrod’s eyes roamed over her body, lust evident in his gaze. His manhood sprang to attention again and demanded to bury itself in the nest of hair between her legs.

Jarrod took the three steps toward her, pushing down his pants on the way. He grabbed her around the waist and crushed her to him, mouth taking hers in another lip-bruising kiss. He pushed her back against the nearest tree and Amber moaned as Jarrod’s hand slipped between her legs, fingers finding her soft portal already wet and gaining entry.

Normally one to indulge in more foreplay, this time Jarrod had a deep and overwhelming urge to drive himself into this oh-so-willing partner. Never had a woman so aroused him as the buxom blonde his lips were currently plundering. Jarrod rubbed his slick fingers over his erection, guided it to the warmth he sought and entered her with one mighty push. Amber gasped as the force of Jarrod’s thrust lifted her off the ground. She raised one leg and wrapped it around his hips as Jarrod’s hands reached down to grab her ass firmly, bringing her other foot off the ground and pinning her against the tree as he drove into her hot core again and again. Grunting with the rhythm of his thrusts, balls slapping against the rough bark, Jarrod didn’t let up on his assault. He continued to pound into her tight canal until Amber screamed with pleasure and his own body shuddered in an earth-shattering climax.

Jarrod stayed pressed against her, lips showering her neck and face with passionate kisses while her hands roamed across the muscles of his back.

“That was one hell of a ride, cowboy.”

Jarrod let her down and took her face between his hands, bestowing a gentle kiss on her lips. “Not my usual style,” he informed her. “Next time, it’ll be over candlelight and champagne.”

“And what makes you think there’ll be a next time?” she teased, eyes twinkling.

Jarrod looked chagrined at his presumption. She’d thrown herself at him so willingly, he’d just assumed… “I apologize,” he said contritely, then flashed a rakish smile as he kissed her hand. “Would you join me sometime for the evening? I promise I’ll make it a night you won’t forget.”

Amber just laughed at the incongruity of his suave invitation combined with the fact the only clothes being worn between the two of them were Jarrod’s now sweat-stained shirt and his pants around his ankles. “I think we might be able to make some kind of arrangement,” she told him, gently pushing him away to retrieve her clothing. Pulling her chemise over her head, Amber winced as it touched the abraded skin on her back.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Jarrod asked in concern, noticing the look of pain on her face.

Amber shook her head, “I’m okay,” she tried to assure him, but winced again as she tried to slip on her corset.

Jarrod finished fastening his pants and gently grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. “I didn’t realize,” he gasped in consternation when he saw the scratches on her back, small spots of blood showing through the thin cotton of her undergarments. “You should have asked me to stop.”

“I was kind of distracted,” she reminded him teasingly. “And it was worth it.”

“Well, I should at least help you get these scrapes clean.” Jarrod grabbed his canteen from Jingo’s saddle and brought it back over. Amber pulled off the chemise as Jarrod wet a handkerchief and carefully cleaned the abrasions on her back. His touch was so soft and sensual that Amber could feel the heat building again between her legs. She wasn’t sure whether to be disappointed or relieved when he finally finished. “It’s not too bad,” Jarrod assured her, “but it wouldn’t hurt to put some salve on your back when we get to the ranch.”

“Is that an offer?” she asked saucily as he helped her dress.

“It just might be,” he said with a wink and a chaste kiss on the cheek. Jarrod helped her into the saddle and swung up behind her, arm settled comfortably around her waist “This time, you’re sitting in front.”

Amber just laughed and they rode in companionable silence for a few minutes, Jarrod managing to keep his hand from straying too far in either direction.

“So,” she asked, breaking the quiet, “do you work for the Barkleys?”

The question took Jarrod by surprise, and much to his chagrin, Jarrod realized that although they already knew each other intimately, they hadn’t introduced themselves. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Well, actually, I am one of the Barkleys. Jarrod.”

“Oh.” Amber twisted in the saddle to face him, embarrassment warring with amusement on her face. “It’s nice to meet you.” She gave him an impudent grin.

In spite of his embarrassment at not giving her his name earlier, Amber’s smile was such that Jarrod had to return it. “Please to make your acquaintance, Miss …” He trailed off, waiting for her to supply him with her name.

“Amber. Amber Barkley.”