Summer Days (Fool's Gold #7)

Later she would explore why her first instinct had been to go to the bad place. She would remind herself that her body was beautiful, and physical pleasure was to be appreciated. But for now, it was enough to touch Rafe’s bare skin, to feel how much he wanted her.

She traced his back and chest, her fingers brushing against his hard muscles. She undid his jeans and pushed them down, along with his briefs. After he stepped out of his clothes, she stroked his erection, learning the length and breadth of him. She pressed her mouth to his chest, and rubbed her thumb against the very tip of his arousal, enjoying the sharp intake of air.

He helped her out of her jeans and panties, then led her to the bed. When she stretched out on the sheets, he joined her. He knelt between her thighs and bent down to give her an open-mouthed kiss.

She would have thought she was done, but he quickly brought her back to trembling. As his tongue stroked and circled, he pushed one finger, then two, inside her. He imitated the act of love, moving rhythmically against her swollen flesh.

She dug her heels into the bed and pushed against him. He closed his lips around her clitoris and gently sucked. At the same time, he pushed his fingers in and up, stroking her from the inside. Again and again, until he had control of her body, until he decided the exact moment she would climax.

He moved more quickly, still rubbing, still sucking, then faster still, until every muscle tensed in that last second, before her release rushed through her and she surrendered to the moment.

The last of the rapturous ripples faded. He straightened enough to grab the condom and rip open the package. When the protection was in place, he braced himself and thrust into her.

She met his thrust with one of her own, causing him to fill her completely. He went in deep and hard, the friction sending shivers through her. She wrapped her legs around his hips as he began the steady pumping.

She opened her eyes and found him watching her. His dark eyes flashed with passion, and she could see him getting closer. Sex was intimate, but this was more so. She could experience his pleasure with him, and found herself getting breathless as he got closer.

She drew him in deeper, and at the moment when he stilled and shuddered, she tightened her muscles around him. He came in a rush, grasping her hips with his hands, his gaze never leaving hers.

* * *

IT WAS DARK WHEN HEIDI WOKE. In the few seconds it took for her to find the clock, she realized she wasn’t in her bedroom and that there was a man sleeping beside her. As the time changed to three-seventeen, the memories of the previous evening surfaced. She smiled, enjoying the warmth of Rafe next to her.

Once they’d found their way to his bed, they hadn’t left. Sometime close to eleven, Glen and May had returned, but hadn’t ventured upstairs. Fortunately, the downstairs bedrooms were on the other side of the house, so no one heard when she and Rafe made love for the second time.

Heidi carefully got out of bed. There was enough moonlight spilling through the window for her to see her clothes in a pile on the floor. Although she would very much like to stay where she was, she didn’t want to risk getting caught there.

She picked up her panties and slid them on. Sore muscles protested, and she smiled again. It had been a while, but Rafe had been worth the wait. The man was a god in bed. Actually, he’d turned out to be a pretty nice guy everywhere else, too.

She dressed quickly, then picked up her boots and tiptoed to the door. Being as quiet as possible, she turned the knob. As she stepped back to let the door swing open, her hip bumped the dresser, and the contents of his shaving kit rattled. She put up her hand to stop anything from falling and waking him. In the process, she jostled a stack of papers, and several of them floated to the floor.

She bent down to pick them up, only to pause. The first sheet was a crude rendering of a development. Small houses lined narrow streets. As Rafe’s business included development, she wouldn’t have thought anything of the sketch, if not for what was written on top.

Castle Ranch.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“YOU’RE SURE?” CHARLIE ASKED, then held up a hand. “I’m not taking his side. I’m just saying, you need to be certain before we move forward with any plan.”

Heidi sat at a table in Jo’s Bar. She’d asked her friends to join her for lunch. She needed help coming up with some way to defeat Rafe.