(Buck beat Sara at poker and now he's claiming his winnings.)
Buck led Sara past the bunkhouse to a secluded area between two of the larger barns. The shadows were deep but he could see enough to see her face. He stopped and turned to face her.
She stopped and slammed her hands on her hips, her feet braced for battle. “Let’s get this over with so I can go to bed.”
Bed was exactly what he had in mind. He leaned against the building as if he had all the time in the world. She narrowed her eyes and stepped closer scrutinizing him. He could tell she was trying to figure out what he was up to.
He took a deep breath and blurted. “I want you to kiss me.”
She furrowed her brow and jerked her head back as if in shock. Then she laughed. “That’s it? A kiss?”
She closed the space between them with one step and settled her hands on his shoulders. Lifting herself to tiptoe she pressed her mouth to his cheek. Before she could bounce back to her feet, he snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her off balance. His thigh slipped between hers, and she straddled his leg as she lost her footing. He let the building support their weight as his eyes met hers.
“I don’t mean one of those kisses like you give Cole. I want you to kiss me on the mouth, and I want you to give it everything you have.”
Nervous confusion flickered in her eyes, and for a second he almost told her he was kidding. But her body pressed along the length of his felt wonderful. Her soft breasts snuggled into his chest and it was all he could do not to groan.
He wasn’t going to back down now. All he wanted was to kiss her. Anything further was completely up to her. But he had to know what it was like. He had to show her that there was more between them.
“You’re drunk,” she accused her hands flattening on his chest as if to put some space between them.
He nodded. “A little, but I know what I’m doing if that’s what you’re saying.”
“I think you’ve gone crazy.”
He lifted on eyebrow. “If you’d rather welch on the bet….”
She narrowed her eyes. When she shifted, trying to regain her footing, Buck groaned at he friction between their lower bodies. He longed to pull her closer and press into her.
“This is the stupidest thing you’ve ever wanted me to do.”
“Maybe. But it doesn’t involve eating anything weird and you don’t have to wash my truck. Just like I promised.” He could read in her eyes she was trying to figure an easy way out of it. “There’s no getting out of it. I want a kiss that lasts at least fifteen seconds and full on the mouth.”
“You’ll taste like beer and cigars.” She wrinkled her nose.
“So will you.” His hands framed her narrow waist. She had to feel how fast his heart was racing under her palm. His hardness pressed into her belly although he wasn't sure she'd notice. She continued to study his face. Her eyes darted back and forth over his as she attempted to figure him out.
His gaze hooked on the smooth expanse of her neck. Her dark hair had fallen half out of her ponytail and it gave her a rumpled look. Her tongue snaked out to wet her lips and heat zipped through him.
“Fine. Let’s just get this over with.” Her expression reminded him of all the times her father made her eat her vegetables.
Undeterred by her reluctance he nodded. She started to move towards him and he cautioned. “No half-ass kiss or it won’t count.”
“I’ve never had any complaints.”
Her softly spoken promise made his head spin and his senses flee. Her hands lifted to frame his face. At the last second before she touched her lips to his, her eyes fluttered closed. Buck felt his body shudder at the first soft feel as they settled over his.
Copyright © 2005
All rights reserved, The Wild Rose Press