He was hard, and if she was honest, she wanted him like that. Ached for him.
Had always ached for him.
Steel had been fodder for her dreams since she’d known enough to have dreams about men. Now here he was—and she wanted more of him.
Much more.
When Steel’s fingers found the gap between her shirt and jeans, Stella moaned. She wanted him to touch her everywhere.
She tugged at the hem of his shirt, and he got the message, moving away from her just far enough to snag a hand in the fabric of it and pull it up and over his head, breaking off their kiss only long enough to finish the job and toss it away before snagging her mouth with his again.
Stella flattened her hands on his bare chest, loving the feel of his muscles under his skin. When he gently unbuttoned her shirt and eased it over her shoulders, she gladly let it fall to the ground and gasped when he covered her breasts with his hands. He eased them around to undo the clasp of her bra, and she shimmied out of it, tossing it away, too. Her nipples perked up in the cool air, and when he palmed first one and then the other with his warm hands, she swayed toward him, drunk with the feeling of his touch.
“Someone could see us out here,” he cautioned, pulling back and sparing a glance at the house.
“No one will see us.”
“The ground’s pretty wet.”
“I don’t care. Steel—” Her last word was a plea. She couldn’t wait any longer for something she’d wanted half her life.
He got the message, closed the distance between them, wrapped a hand in her hair and kissed her again, hard this time, letting her know exactly how much he wanted her, too. His other hand fell to the waist of her jeans, and he undid her belt, popped open the button and yanked down the fly. When his hand plunged into the confines of her jeans, sliding between her thighs, Stella sighed. God that felt good, but she wanted a lot more than his hand.
“Be patient,” he said, the smile on his face echoed in his voice.
“I can’t. I’ve wanted this for so—” She broke off, realizing what she was revealing.
Steel stilled, his fingers still moving in lazy circles against her core, but his gaze was on hers. “You’ve wanted this?”
“Forever,” she told him, no longer able to keep the truth from him. “I’ve always wanted you.”
With a growl she couldn’t interpret, Steel pulled his hand out of her jeans, yanked them down unceremoniously and snapped the tiny bands that held her panties together.
“Hey—those were my favorite—”
“I’ll buy you a new pair.” His mouth covered hers again as he kicked off his boots and shucked off his own jeans. She finished the job getting hers off as well. All the time, their kiss went on and on, and Steel managed to steal a few caresses that left her hot, tingling and wanting him even more.
When they were naked, Steel stepped back and surveyed their surroundings. “Never thought I’d take you in the mud for our first time.”
“I don’t care where you take me. Just do it already,” Stella said. His chuckle had her stepping forward and poking a finger in his chest. “You got me all hot and bothered, cowboy. Now do something about it.”
“Like this?” He tugged her close again, slamming her body against his, and slid his hands down to cup her bottom. He snugged her up against his erection.
“Exactly like that.”
Stella savored every one of his caresses, glorying in the feel of his body against hers. When he finally laid her down on the ground, she didn’t care about the wet dirt pressed against her backside or the mist of rain that had started again even though stars were still visible to the east.
She opened gladly for him, and when he slid inside her, she sighed. Steel hesitated. “You deserve better than this.”
“What could be better than this?” she demanded. “This is honest. You. Me. The sky. The dirt. This is Turner land, but it’s becoming Cooper land, too, isn’t it? And Cooper land belongs as much to my family as it does to yours. Olivia was right—two families are becoming one. Whatever happens next, this is perfect.” She slid her hands down to cup his backside and urge him deeper into her. “I want you, Steel. I want this. Right now.”
And when he began to move again, she shut her eyes and gave herself to him utterly.
Chapter Seven
Steel hadn’t known it was possible to feel like this. Joined to a woman so completely that he merged into her, the two of them moving as one toward the same goal—absolute obliteration.
He gave himself over to loving Stella with abandon, no longer worrying about the dirt, the rain or their exposure to prying eyes. He couldn’t stop from plunging into her, working both of them toward the climax that was just out of their reach.
Stella moaned beneath him, her fingers digging into his skin, her breasts lifting and falling with their motions. She was hot and slick and tight, and he needed more—
Steel came with an animal sound that tore from his throat, and Stella joined him, her cries pushing him to move faster, plunge deeper and bring them both over the brink. He pulsed within her as she clung to him, her shudders drawing out the last of him, until he was spent and collapsed on top of her, gathering her to him, one arm braced in the mud, the other cradling her.
“Stella—” He couldn’t seem to say anything else. What was there to say? His body must have told her everything she needed to know.
Stella lay back, breathing hard, her face damp with the light rain that was falling. “Wow.”
He thought that summed things up pretty well. He kissed her softly, savoring the taste of her, still buzzing with the connection.
