Cowboy All Night (Thunder Mountain Brotherhood, Book 5) by Vicki Lewis Thompson Page B

what I want, but I can’t have that now. So I’ll settle for this.” His lips came down and he kissed her most thoroughly while his fingers continued their rhythmic kneading motion.
    She clutched the ends of the towel and hung on for dear life. When he finally lifted his head, she was gasping and her panties were damp once again. She gulped for air. “I guess I should learn not to mess with you.”
    He took a shaky breath. “On the contrary. I love it when you mess with me. Keep it up.”
    “I’ll bet we’re running out of time, though.”
    He glanced up at the sun. Typical cowboy, checking the position of the sun instead of a smartphone. “Yeah, we are.”
    “We don’t have to go back to the cabin. My clothes are dry and I can tidy up my hair right here.”
    His eyes brightened. “Let me undo it for you.” Reaching behind her back, he deftly unwound the elastic holding the end of her braid, then combed his fingers through the strands, gradually loosening the braid until her hair fell in waves down her back. “Here you go.” He handed the elastic to her.
    “Where’d you learn how to unfasten a braid?”
    “Horses. I’ve braided and unbraided plenty of manes and tails.”
    Some women might have been insulted but she wasn’t. “I used to do that all the time with Lucy. Pegasus, too. I’d forgotten that.” She closed her eyes as he massaged her scalp and combed the last tangles from her hair. She marveled that his fingers could both arouse and soothe. Versatile guy. “That feels good.”
    “Hope so. I’ve been wanting to take your hair down ever since you arrived.”
    Keeping her eyes closed, she basked in the feeling of being cared for. “Do you treat the horses this nicely?”
    “Not quite. Their hair isn’t as silky.” His breath warmed her mouth. “And I didn’t feel like doing this, either.” His lips touched hers in a feather-light kiss. Then he changed angles and increased the pressure, but not by much.
    So sweet. She let go of the towel and cradled his head with the same easy touch. But soft kisses, she discovered, could get her just as hot as demanding ones. Her grip tightened and she thrust her tongue into his mouth.
    With a deep groan he responded and in seconds they were plastered together again and breathing hard. He was the one to end it. Grasping her by the shoulders, he set her gently away from him. As his chest heaved and his hands trembled, he gazed into her eyes. “Damn, Aria.”
    “Damn, Brant.” Looking up at him, she fought the urge to launch herself into his arms.
    He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Last night I was thinking we needed to get comfortable with this attraction so we wouldn’t have any tension when we worked with Linus. Do you think we’re comfortable with each other yet?”
    “I’m not sure. Maybe you should kiss me some more.”
    “I didn’t mean to kiss you that time, let alone kiss you some more. But when you closed your eyes and sighed, I couldn’t help it.”
    “Did I sigh?” She didn’t remember, but she might have. She’d felt so...cherished.
    “Yep. It was this teeny, tiny exhale, as if you were surrendering to the moment.”
    “That’s exactly how I felt.” She met his gaze. “You have that kind of effect on me.”
    “I think we both know the effect you have on me. Once we’re in polite company I’ll have to lock that down.”
    “Speaking of polite company, I think I hear a truck out front.”
    He blew out a breath. “Me, too. Probably Herb. How about you go sit on that old stool beside the barn and rebraid your hair while I do a half-assed job on your van? Lunch will be served soon.”
    “Okay.” She located the stool and brought it over closer. “Really, don’t worry about the van. At least the dust has been washed off.”
    “And it’s covered in water spots. I don’t want it looking worse than when we started.” He picked up the hose and sprayed the van for the third time.
    “I thought you didn’t care