A Cowboy's Charm Read online

  He nipped her ear with his teeth and tugged on her nipples. “Turn around and help me with my jeans,” he commanded hoarsely.

  Callie was shaking so badly she could hardly function. Rylan helped her turn around until she was facing him. He unbuckled his belt and she grasped his zipper with trembling fingers, forcing it down over his bulging erection. His cock sprang free of the jeans and she saw the gleam of pre-cum just as his hands settled on her waist. He lifted her until she could straddle his thighs.

  “Guide me,” he grated harshly.

  She didn’t try to remove her shorts or panties, just pulled them aside and drew him past the loose fabric. With shaking fingers she opened feminine lips and guided the head of his cock where she needed it most. As the thick, throbbing length of him slowly penetrated her body she ground herself against him and moaned with pleasure.

  He filled her as no other man had ever done. He made her whole. She’d spent the last few years trying to convince herself that he was just another man. Once he’d buried himself deep inside of her she knew he was the only man who really mattered. Who had ever really mattered. If only he didn’t hate her so much.

  Rylan clutched her ass with both hands, pulling her down hard as he thrust his hips upward with equal strength. Despite the limited space they fucked with pounding force, in and out, up and down, driving harder and faster in a mindless craving for release.

  Callie grasped two handfuls of his hair and clung to him as she reached her first climax. She cried out his name, her head spinning and body shaking. Heart thundering against hers, his breathing ragged, he kept pumping into her until a second orgasm rocked her body. She screamed again and shuddered as she felt his final powerful thrust. He climaxed, his hot semen locking them together as they both fought for breath.

  She dropped her head to his shoulder, her body weak and trembling in the aftermath of such a fierce, passionate mating. They’d made love in the past but she’d been an inexperienced beginner. Now she realized that he’d kept his desire under rigid control back then. Their loving had been restrained and conventional. Today he’d lost it, and that almost made up for the hurtful names he’d called her. He might think he despised her yet he’d wanted her just as desperately as she’d wanted him.

  * * * * *

  Rylan’s lungs burned as he drew in one ragged breath after another. His heart thundered as he forced air in and out of his chest. Even after one of the hottest ejaculations of his life the blood still pulsed in his cock, keeping it stiff and buried to the hilt inside Callie. She’d always had that affect on him.

  He felt her liquid heat bathing him, her muscles massaging him, making him want more. Knowing she was an addiction he couldn’t afford, he forced himself to lift her off his lap. It took all his remaining strength to turn her and shift her limp body back into the saddle. Then he dismounted.

  While she righted her clothes and collapsed across Grey Duce’s back, he hiked up his jeans, zipped them and buckled his belt. Each jerky movement helped him regain some composure. The strength gradually returned to his legs. Then he took hold of the reins and began to lead horse and rider toward the house. Callie clutched Grey Duce’s mane for a few more minutes and then sat upright. Rylan watched her from the corner of his eye to make sure she was all right but he didn’t initiate a conversation.

  As they followed an old dirt trail, his mind flashed back in time. Back to when their love had been new and his thoughts had been filled with her day and night. She’d enchanted him in his waking hours and monopolized his fantasies.

  He’d fallen hard.

  She’d been a dream come true when most of his dreams had long been abandoned. He’d asked for her hand in marriage but Pete Menger hadn’t wanted his only child to become the wife of a poor, struggling rancher. Rylan owed the other man a debt of honor he could never repay so he’d lied to Callie and told her he didn’t want to be tied down. He’d told her he didn’t love her, that she was too young for him and that what they shared wasn’t strong enough for long-term commitment.

  He’d agonized for days over the breakup but she hadn’t been as torn. She’d bounced back with a fickleness that had nearly destroyed him.

  As always, the memory made him furious, and he lashed out at her. “So what brings you back to Wyoming, little tramp?”

  When she didn’t respond to his first goad he challenged, “I thought you’d be full of matured, sophisticated things to say if you ever found your way back here. Or did you spend your college life on your back?”

  If Callie grew any more rigid she was sure her body would shatter into a thousand pieces. His words cut deeply but she refused to let it show.

  “You always were judge and jury where I’m concerned,” she drawled.

  Rylan made a sound she couldn’t interpret so she dropped the subject, deciding to focus her attention on more pleasant thoughts. A rush of bittersweet memories bombarded her with the motion of the horse under her and the brilliance of unending blue skies above her. She’d spent many happy hours riding on this ranch in much the same fashion.

  The feeling of homecoming was so intense it hurt and her lungs constricted again. She’d always thought it a fluke of nature that she’d been born in the east when she loved the west so much.

  She’d first met Rylan and his younger brother Brad when her mother’s only sister had married their dad. Two more sons, Chuck and Sammy, had been born into the family. They were her only cousins but they’d still been toddlers when their dad had died from a sudden heart attack. Rylan’s role in all their lives had changed dramatically.

  Callie, a rather lonely only child, had made her first visit to the ranch with her parents during the summer between second and third grade. After that Pete and Molly Menger had made their daughter’s visit to Wyoming a yearly vacation tradition.

  She’d always been a dreamer and hopeless tomboy, so the ranch had been Callie’s idea of heaven. At least it had been until that final summer when her relationship with Rylan had undergone dramatic changes. Her reminiscing stopped abruptly at that stage.

  If she was going to spend time on the ranch she needed to break through the barriers of Rylan’s anger and resentment. They had to get past the sexual tension that had taken control of their relationship. Hot, furious sex hadn’t been in her game plan when she’d decided to come to the ranch, but maybe now that it was out of the way they could make progress in other areas. They might even be able to carry on a normal discussion.

  “You must have gotten plenty of rain this spring,” she commented as her gaze drifted over the lush green pastureland.

  Rylan didn’t respond for a long time. She wondered what was going through his mind and if he’d ignore her altogether. Then he finally spoke.

  “Yeah. Planting season was a muddy bitch but it’s paying off in early grass and hay. Grazing’s the best we’ve had in years.”

  Her breath caught. Not exactly a conversation but progress. Maybe, just maybe, they could have a civil exchange. “Do you still raise a lot of cattle?” Callie asked as she listened to the distant bawling of cows.

  “Less cattle these days and more horses.”

  She knew his farming operation was in full swing. She’d seen several fields with a variety of crops as well as a crew baling hay in one field. The familiar blend of birds chirping and machinery droning was music to her ears.

  Grey Duce whinnied and quivered as they ambled forward. They were both quiet as she searched for another neutral subject. Then Rylan surprised her by asking a more personal question.

  “How’s your dad?”

  Callie’s dad had suffered a light stroke in April. It had scared her badly. She adored him and had always thought of him as indestructible.

  “The doctors say he’s doing great. They told him the stroke was a warning signal. He has to slow down, start eating right and get more exercise.” Her dad had always been a workaholic so he hadn’t been happy with their suggestions.

  “Hasn’t your mom been telling him
the same thing for years?”

  She smiled at the irony in his tone. “She has but now that her diagnosis has been confirmed by a bunch of high-priced specialists Dad’s decided she might be right. He says she’s turned into a tyrant. She’s cracking the whip and he’s cooperating but he is not a happy camper.”

  Callie saw Rylan nod. She relaxed a little more as her body undulated with the rhythm of Grey’s gait. Her thoughts stayed with her parents. They’d wanted her to relax this summer and worry about career decisions in the fall. What they didn’t know, and probably weren’t going to accept, was the fact that she’d already made her decision about the future.

  She’d been heading to Wyoming this summer anyway. Her youthful dreams of creating a wildlife sanctuary were about to come true but her Aunt Molly’s car accident had expedited her plans. Molly had been hospitalized for several weeks with a broken back. She was healing well yet she had to undergo extensive therapy if she ever wanted to walk again.

  Callie and her mother had been talking to Molly regularly on the phone. She was deeply concerned about “her boys” being at the ranch without a female in residence to look after them. They’d all decided that her being at the ranch would ease Molly’s mind and comfort the boys. Everything had been arranged by telephone this past week and she’d found herself heading west.

  “How’s Aunt Molly?” she asked, not having heard any news while she was traveling.

  “I just got back from a week in the mountains. The only contact I had with home was a radio with bad reception. Brad’s been holding down the fort.”

  Brad was the only veterinarian within hundreds of miles. He took care of the Masterson livestock but usually left the ranch and family decisions to his big brother.

  “I called the hospital as soon as I got in this morning,” Rylan continued, “but she was in therapy.”

  In that case, thought Callie, she’d talked to her aunt more recently than Rylan. Was he aware of the arrangement she’d made to stay for the summer? She’d discussed it with Aunt Molly and assumed everyone approved.

  Maybe that’s why Rylan had been surprised by her appearance. Maybe he hadn’t been expecting her and didn’t know she’d come to stay a while. Maybe he wasn’t going to be too pleased when he found out.

  Callie tensed again at the thought. She’d hoped that he was willing to put their personal differences behind them, that the years had diminished his resentment.

  How long was he going to hold a grudge? She’d been the real injured party in the fiasco they’d called a love affair. He was the one who’d lead her to believe he loved her enough to make a lifetime commitment. Then he’d abruptly changed his mind.

  Besides, he’d ended their short affair days before he’d found her in bed with his brother.

  Chapter Two

  When they reached the ranch house Rylan brought the horse to a halt near the front porch so Callie could dismount. She faltered slightly when her left foot hit the ground and he quickly wrapped an arm around her for support.

  The action brought them face to face and a little too close for comfort. Tawny lion eyes locked with suddenly wary green ones. Neither of them blinked or breathed until she stepped out of his reach.

  “Thanks for the lift.” She forced a lightness to her tone that she definitely didn’t feel. Rylan’s gaze was too intense and probing. It took a few long, heated seconds to break the visual contact. The banging of a screen door helped to redirect their attention.

  “Hey, Menger, is that you?” came a welcoming shout.

  Callie glanced toward the masculine voice and a wide smile split her face. She’d adored Brad since the first time she’d met him. He was as tall and as well-built as Rylan yet not nearly as intimidating. The brothers shared the same classic male bone structure and golden hair color but Brad’s eyes were darker. They reminded her of milk chocolate and always seemed to be lit with amusement.

  “Brad!” she cried. She hadn’t seen him since his graduation from vet school last year. They’d talked on the phone but she’d still missed him. She gladly left Rylan’s side and hurried to the porch.

  “It sure is good to see you,” said Brad as he gave her a big hug and a smacking kiss on the forehead.

  There was no doubting the warmth and welcome of his greeting and she basked in it. He’d attended Ohio State University, and since it was only a few hours drive from the Penn State campus where she’d lived, the two of them had visited each other often. He’d been her anchor when she’d thought she’d die from losing Rylan.

  “I’ve missed you!” she insisted, grasping his face between her hands. “I know I shouldn’t admit it. You’ll get a swelled head. But I’ve missed you a bunch.”

  “I missed you too,” he declared, giving her another fierce hug. Then he lifted Rylan’s hat off her head.

  “How’d you manage a personal escort to the house?”

  Callie crinkled her nose in a grimace and eased out of his arms. She knew by now Rylan would be putting the worst possible twist on her relationship with Brad. He always had but she just didn’t care.

  “Her car’s down the highway with a flat,” Rylan explained as he approached them and reached out a hand for his hat.

  When Brad tossed it, he shoved his hair back and settled the hat on his head.

  “What, no spare?” asked Brad. “Did you forget the golden rule of Masterson driver’s education?”

  Callie rolled her eyes and tossed her hair back over her shoulder. “Please don’t ask. Rylan has already read me the riot act. No ‘Hello, Callie’. No ‘Nice to see you’. No ‘Welcome back, Callie’. Just criticism, criticism, criticism,” she expounded dramatically.

  Brad was chuckling and Rylan’s frown was deepening as she continued. “I’m not a complete idiot. I’m just a victim,” she insisted, her gaze flashing to Rylan. “I didn’t expect to puncture one tire and have another of my very expensive new tires go flat.”

  “Stop the theatrics and give me your keys,” he snapped. “She doesn’t even know what size tires she uses,” he told his brother in disgust.

  “I am a wicked, wicked woman,” Callie drawled in a fake Southern accent. His tone hurt more than she cared to admit yet she’d promised herself she wouldn’t let his attitude get to her. She’d never been more than a passing fancy to him so she wasn’t about to cater to his moods.

  To annoy him more she leaned against the porch post and struck a provocative pose, one arm behind her, chest thrust forward and one leg extended. Then she reached down the front of her shirt to very slowly remove her car key from her bra. A blush warmed her cheeks as she realized how lucky she was not to have lost it in the woods.

  As she tossed it to Rylan, her eyes sparkled with defiance. He didn’t say a word. His expression remained coolly challenging as he lifted the key to his nose and inhaled the scent of her.

  Callie’s blush spread down her neck and she silently cursed her own susceptibility. She could act the vamp and challenge him on a sexual level but he always managed to outmaneuver her. She’d handled college Casanovas with ease yet she didn’t think she’d ever be sophisticated enough to handle Rylan Masterson.

  Luckily for her the roar of an approaching pickup truck caught everyone’s attention and they all looked down the road. A jacked-up red truck with oversized tires and racing decals all over the body was heading toward them at a speed that didn’t seem too safe.

  “Chuck and Sammy,” Brad explained. “School was extended a couple weeks this spring but today’s their last day. They’re probably feeling pretty cheerful.”

  “Chuck’s going to get them both killed if he doesn’t get the lead out of his foot,” said Rylan.

  “Oh, and I’m sure you never drove too fast,” Callie taunted him, crossing her arms over her chest. “If I remember correctly there was a time when the local highway patrolmen knew your license number by heart.”

  Rylan glared at her. “Ancient history.”

  Brad roared with laughter as his brother and Call
ie squared off against each other. Few people dared to challenge Rylan so diligently and there was never a dull minute when Callie was in residence. Life was bound to get more interesting for a while.

  The truck screeched to a halt and two tall, gangly teenaged boys were out the doors before the engine had even died. Callie’s eyes widened. Her young cousins had grown considerably since she’d last seen them.

  “Good grief, when did they get so tall?”

  Rylan flashed her an accusing glance. “It’s been four years,” he reminded tersely.

  She didn’t risk a glance at him but kept her gaze on the approaching teens. Though nearly the same height, Sammy, fifteen, was the younger and smaller in stature. He seemed all scrawny arms and legs.

  Chuck, almost eighteen, favored the Masterson side of the family except for hazel eyes that were more in keeping with his mother’s side. Both boys had light brown hair a shade darker than their elder brothers. Sammy had inherited an added glint of red from his mother. The two teens whooped with delight.

  “Hey, Callie!”

  “Hey, cuz!”

  “Long time no see.”

  “Is that your red sports car down the road?” Chuck wanted to know. “How fast will it go?”

  “I told Chuck it had Pennsylvania tags,” chimed Sammy. “Do you have a radar detector? I heard red cars get stopped more by the cops. Have you ever gotten picked up?”

  “What will it do in the quarter?” asked Chuck.

  Callie was laughing at the deluge of questions as she ran to hug them. “I’ll answer your questions if you’ll tell me when you guys got so tall and handsome. Am I going to need a bat to fend the girls from our door all summer?”

  “All summer?” Rylan interjected so harshly that he drew everyone’s attention. Four pairs of eyes riveted to him. His gaze locked on Callie.

  “Callie’s here for the summer,” explained Brad. His tone was light, as if he were trying to stave off an eruption. “You know Mom’s been fretting about staying in the city. She thinks we need a woman in the house to look after us. Callie was at loose ends and agreed to come.”