were excited about having her. They badly missed their mom even though they’d die before admitting it. Callie would be good company for them. She was young, energetic and fun-loving.
Maybe if he sated himself with her he’d finally be able to get her out of his system.
Her casual, disheveled beauty was too much of a temptation. He reached out a hand and slipped it between her thighs, cupping her warm mound.
“Hey, Sleeping Beauty, wake up.”
She didn’t immediately open her eyes but Rylan knew the instant she woke and felt his touch. She shifted her legs restlessly, arching slightly against his massaging hand. He dipped his fingers under the hem of her shorts and found springy, soft curls. Then he delved deeper and heard her hiss of surprise.
“Rylan!”
His gaze returned to the enticing curves of her lips with masochistic fascination. They were sensually full, delicately bowed and as ripe as forbidden fruit. He wished he didn’t know how soft, sweet and responsive they could be. If he had to endure an entire summer with her in residence then he couldn’t let her get to him so easily. He reminded himself that even the most seductive lips could lie.
Her betrayal had cost him too much pain and too many sleepless nights. Memories of their shattered relationship had destroyed his faith in love and his ability to trust. Youthful dreams had been crushed. He’d stopped dreaming about forever. These days he contented himself with carnal satisfaction.
“The only way I’ll tolerate you under my roof is if you promise me hot, uninhibited sex whenever and wherever I want it.”
“How charming,” she snapped but then she caught her breath as he plunged two fingers deep inside her. He rotated them, stroking her clit with his thumb until she was lifting her hips and grinding herself against his hand. He watched her toes curl. When her muscles clenched around his fingers his cock throbbed, straining against the denim of his jeans. He wanted to bury himself in her again.
“There’s no Prince Charming here,” he declared roughly, knowing Brad fit that description better than he ever would.
“So all I get is the king of torment?” She panted the question.
“You’re complaining?” he asked, increasing the pressure of his caresses until she was too breathless to respond. He watched, fascinated, as her eyes closed and her face went tight with tension. She moaned and her nipples were hard knots under her shirt. He leaned over and latched on to one with his mouth, sucking hard while his fingers plunged deeper. Callie cried out and he felt her orgasm rip through her body. Her responsiveness amazed him as she shook with the force of it. Her thighs tightened around his hand as her legs went stiffer but he didn’t let up the pressure. He continued to pinch and suck and stroke her hot depths until he felt a second orgasm hit her. The pleasure of watching her was so intense that he almost came in his jeans.
“Stop!” She used both hands to push him away and then leaned back until she’d regained some control. He stomped on the footrest, sitting her upright with a jolt.
After a few long, tension-filled minutes she tugged her clothes into order and rose from the chair. It took both her hands to shove the hair off her face while she searched the floor for her shoes. After she’d stepped into the sandals she finally brought her gaze back to him.
“I know the ranch has always been a vacation home for you,” he said. “It’s a great place for kids but you never stayed long enough to see the downside of living thirty miles from the nearest town. If you end up being sorry you’ve committed yourself to the whole summer then don’t feel obligated to stay.”
“I want you to know that I didn’t do any scheming behind your back,” she told him in an equally serious tone. Then she had to shift her gaze. “I honestly had no idea you were gone and I assumed you knew about the arrangement.”
“What’s done is