His hands settled on either side of her as he brushed his lips over hers. A second later, he was removing his pants and pulling a condom out of his jeans to roll it on. Looking a bit rattled and frantic, he settled himself back on top of her, the tip of his thick cock teasing her.

“Tell me you want this.”

She swallowed, her entire body quaking. “I think you know I do.”

His nostrils flared, and there was a new intensity about him when he said, “Tell me you want me.”

“I want you, Coop.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, he slid his fingers through her hair and plunged deep, spreading her walls as he pushed his impressive girth inside her.

She wrapped her arms around him and held tight, knowing she was in for the ride of a lifetime. When he began pumping, their bodies coming together as though they were made for each other, the pleasure was almost too much for her to bear. She vibrated in delight, and when he angled his body for deeper thrusts, her low moan curled around them.

“You’re so tight, baby. So fucking tight.”

She shuddered, every nerve ending coming alive as another wave hit her hard. Her muscles pulsed.

He growled and closed his eyes. “You’re killing me here, sweetheart.” Coop pushed harder, his hands fisting her hair as he buried his mouth in the crook of her neck. “But it’s too soon…”

He lifted his head, and when she saw how desperate he was, Julia cupped his face. “It’s not too soon. Please.”

When some deeper emotion flashed in the stormy depths of his eyes, her breath caught.

“Coop?” she asked.

“I…I’m good,” he panted. “It’s just…I can’t believe you’re here with me.”

With that, he began slamming hard, frantic, like a man starved for so much more than just physical release. As he ravished her, she welcomed each thrust, met each push with one of her own.

Never wanting the moment to end, she raked her hands over his back, her sex squeezing his cock. In no time at all, his body tightened, his muscles clenched, and then he stilled. He threw his head back, and his cock throbbed as he came.

Once he stopped pulsing, he dropped down on top of her, moisture sealing their bodies together, and whispered, “Next time I’ll go slower, baby. I promise.”

Next time?

As she lay there beneath him, cloaked in contentment from the best sex she’d ever had, she exhaled a shaky breath. She wasn’t sure what to say, or how to tell him there wasn’t going to be a next time. This was a one-shot deal, and soon the plane would be coming to collect her.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Coop pressed his fingers to her lips to hush her. Someone had entered the barn. She heard voices, along with the creak of hinges as the stall doors opened.

With Coop on top of her, his hard body pressing down on hers in the most erotic ways, they remained quiet. As his gaze roamed over her face, she realized how much she liked him on top of her, how much she’d like to spend the rest of the day trapped beneath his hardness.

He smiled at her, a naughty grin that turned her inside out and reminded her that she never, ever did wild things like this. But by God, she sure was glad she gave in to her urges and stepped out of her comfort zone. Coop was warm, sexy, and wild, and no man had ever been so crazed, so frantic with her before. Being here with him like this was pretty much the highlight of her life.

Her hands went to his face. She traced his cheek, his jaw, and then the crook of his nose. Again, she wondered how he’d broken it.

They stayed quiet for a good twenty minutes. Until the guests saddled their horses and left the barn. It was only when they were alone again that Coop rolled off her, but instead of climbing to his feet, he moved in close and gently pressed his lips to hers. As his tender kiss took her by surprise, weird and wonderful emotions blossomed inside her. Except in this erotic fantasy with the man from her past, emotions weren’t allowed.

Needing to get her head on straight and remind herself this was just casual sex, they had no future together, she wiggled out from underneath him and asked, “Am I keeping you from your chores?”

He grinned. “Nope, but I’m keeping you from yours.”

She crinkled her nose. “Ah, I have chores?”

In a teasing drawl, he said, “This is a working dude ranch. Did you think you were going to get off so easily?” He dragged the words “get off” out slowly.

“I kind of just did,” she returned, teasing him back.

Her voice drifted off when something in his expression changed. Gone was his playful look, replaced by one full of dark intensity as he lazily trailed a finger over her nose, mouth, and throat.

He angled his head, his eyes moving over her face. “You do plan on staying the week, don’t you?”

“I didn’t…I wasn’t…”

As she worked to formulate a clear response, he brushed his mouth over hers, and a warm shiver of need pulsed in her body. Her mind raced. If a day acting more like her carefree sister was this amazing, what would a week be like? But would she be able to do it? Would she be able to live life on the wild side and keep her emotions out of it?

“Well?” he asked.

“I don’t—”

“Maybe you’re in need of more convincing,” he teased, sliding back over her.

Chapter Six

As Coop sat across from Julia at the breakfast table, he couldn’t stop smiling. The sex had been good, quite possibly the best he’d ever had, but there was so much more to it than that.

So much more.

Her kiss, her taste, the way she looked at him, and the needy way she responded to his touch did something to him and made him feel things he never had before.

Despite wanting to take things slow, the sex had been wild, frantic, and out of control. And while they both might be temporarily sated, he knew he was far from done with her.

He wanted her. Had for a long time now. And he damned well planned to have her again. But he didn’t just want her in the bedroom. He wanted to know everything about the woman she was now.

He shifted restlessly and absentmindedly moved his eggs around on his plate. While he considered this unexpected turn of events, he watched Julia spoon a big chunk of grapefruit into her mouth. God, that mouth. She looked warm, content, and completely relaxed, a far cry from how she’d appeared when she first arrived. If one morning of lovemaking did this to her, he could only imagine how she’d feel by the end of the week.

I’ve waited too long for this, wanted you for too long.

Were they just words spoken in the heat of the moment, or were they true? She’d never shown any sign of liking him when they were teens. Hell, she’d even told him he wasn’t her type. A laugh lodged in his throat. Guess she’d changed her mind on that. But still, he was sure she thought this entire setup was just about sex, and she was in it for a fantasy—he’d felt the shift in her when she’d come into the barn, knew that she was trying to act more like her sister. Except deep down it wasn’t an act. There were two sides to this girl, and he wanted her to understand that when he was buried eight inches inside her, he knew it was her, Julia Blair, and no one else.

“Coop,” Julia said, her laugh breathy, intimate.

“Yeah.”

“You’re staring at me.”

He grinned. “And that makes you uncomfortable?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged and fiddled with her spoon. “Maybe. I guess. I’m not used to guys staring at me like that.”

Then those guys were assholes. The whole lot of them. Then again, if he caught anyone staring at her like he was, he’d have no choice but to beat the living shit out of them.

“Like what?” he asked.

She lowered her voice and leaned into him. “Like you want to eat me alive.”