Million Dollar Baby Read online

“I only take off the hat in bed,” he said, the words rough with lust and determination.

  “Oh.”

  His smile was more of a grimace. “It’s not too late for you to walk away. In fact, it’s never too late. You started this little fantasy, but you can say no whenever you want.”

  She looked up at him, feeling the oddest combination of confidence and stomach-curling uncertainty. “I don’t want to say no.”

  “Do you have a hotel room?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Any preference?”

  “Not somewhere fancy.” Translation—nowhere that the staff might know her parents.

  His terse nod seemed to indicate agreement. “Let’s go, then.” He tossed money on the bar for the tab and took her elbow as they walked out.

  Outside, they paused on the sidewalk. It was August, and the air was pleasant at this hour. He pointed at a late-model pickup truck. “Would you like me to drive?”

  Brooke shook her head. Who knew that the mechanics of a one-night stand were so tricky? “My things are in my car. I’ll meet you there. How about the Sherwood Hotel? Two streets over?”

  “I know it.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, feeling brutally young and stupid.

  “For what?”

  “I’m sorry you lost your wife.”

  He cursed beneath his breath, rolled his shoulders and stared up at the moon, his profile starkly masculine. “You told me we weren’t going to use our real names,” he said. “That was your rule. Well, mine is no rehashing the past. This is sex, Mandy. Wild and exciting and temporary—if that’s not what you want, walk away.”

  His entire body vibrated with tension. She honestly couldn’t tell if he was angry or sexually frustrated or both.

  In that moment, she realized that her reasons for coming to Joplin no longer existed. She wasn’t here to flirt or to pick up a stranger or to have an anonymous tryst to prove to herself that she wasn’t boring.

  Right here, right now...with her limbs shaking and her mouth dry and her nerves shot...the only thing she wanted was to undress this cowboy and to have him return the favor. Because this man, this beautiful, hauntingly complicated man, tugged at her heartstrings. She wanted to know him in every way there was to know a lover.

  She only had one night. It would have to be enough.

  Daringly, she reached out and put a hand on his arm. She could feel his taut, warm muscles through the soft cotton fabric of his shirt. “I don’t want to walk away, Cowboy. I’ll meet you at the hotel. Don’t make me wait.”

  Two

  Austin Bradshaw couldn’t be entirely sure he wasn’t dreaming. This night was like nothing he had ever experienced. He glanced in his rearview mirror to make sure Mandy’s little navy Honda was still behind him. He chuckled to himself, because he had a hunch the car was a rental. His mystery woman struck him as the kind of person who would attend to the details of a plan with great care.

  The desk clerk at the midrange hotel was neither curious nor particularly friendly. He swiped Austin’s credit card, handed over two keys and immediately returned his focus to whatever show he was watching on his laptop.

  When Austin went back outside, he found Mandy leaning against the side of his pickup, an overnight case in her hand. She shifted from one foot to the other. “All set?”

  He stared at her. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Quit asking me that,” she huffed. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

  Releasing a slow, steady breath, he took the bag out of her death grip and set it on the ground. Then he cupped her head in his hands, tilted her face up to his and crushed his mouth over hers. He’d been in a state of arousal now for the better part of two hours. The faint scent of her perfume and the taste of her lips were imprinted on his brain.

  He wanted her. Naked. Hungry. Begging. The more he thought about the night to come, the more he unraveled. At the rate they were going, there wasn’t going to be much of the night left.

  Reluctantly, he let her go. “Hurry,” he said.

  The hotel was three stories tall with indoor corridors and modern decor. At this point, Austin could have taken her up against the wall in the stairwell, but he resisted.

  They rode the elevator to the top floor. Their room was at the end on the corner. His hand shook so badly it took him three tries to get the key in the door. He expected Mandy to give him grief about it, but she never said a word.

  When they were finally inside, he closed the door carefully in deference to their fellow guests and leaned against it.

  Mandy frowned. “Where’s your bag?”

  “I don’t have one.”

  “Why not?”

  “That’s not really how a one-night stand works, honey.”

  She looked mortified. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I thought you’d be more comfortable if you had your bag. Women like to have their little bits and pieces with them.”

  Mandy wrapped her arms around her waist and scanned the room like she was casing it for fire exits.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, reminding himself that patience was a virtue.

  Her bottom lip trembled. “I just realized something. If tonight is your first time to have sex in six years, I can’t go through with this. That’s too much pressure for me. Honestly.”

  He burst out laughing, and then laughed even harder at the look of indignation on her face. “Not to worry,” he said, wiping his cheeks and trying to get himself under control. His companion clearly didn’t see the humor in the situation. “I’ve had sex. Occasionally. And besides, if what you said were true, we’d never have made it out of the parking lot back at the bar. So no pressure, okay? Just you and me and all that wild excitement you wanted.”

  Some of the tension drained from her body. “Oh. Well, that’s good. I guess.”

  “Come here, honey.” He held out his hand.

  She came to him willingly. But her gaze didn’t quite meet his, and her cheeks were flushed.

  He unbuttoned the top button of her shirt. “Your skin is like cream. Beautiful and smooth.” Brushing the tops of her breasts with his fingertips, he smiled inwardly when she sighed.

  “You’re still wearing your hat,” she said.

  “And we’re still not in bed.”

  “Close enough.” She reached up and took off his Stetson. After tossing it on the nearest chair, she massaged his head with both hands. “You shouldn’t cover up your hair. Women would kill for this color.”

  He could tell she was more comfortable with him now. That was a very good thing, because he didn’t want a timid partner in bed. “Feel free to take off anything else that catches your fancy.”

  “Very funny.” She toyed with his belt buckle. “Why aren’t you calling me Mandy?”

  “Because you don’t look like a Mandy. It’s not your real name. So I’ll stick with honey. Unless you want to fess up and tell me the truth. It’s not like I’m going to stalk you.”

  “I know that.” The snippy response was the tiniest bit sulky. And her bottom lip stuck out. It was so damned cute, he wanted to suck on it.

  Gently, he pulled her shirt loose from the waistband of her jeans and slid his hands underneath. Her skin was warm and soft. So soft. He wanted to make this night good for her.

  He unhooked her bra. It still bothered him that he didn’t know why she was here...not really. But his brain was losing the battle with the driving urge to give her what she wanted. What he wanted.

  When he slipped her shirt from her shoulders and took her bra right along with it, she didn’t protest. The sight of her standing there, all white creamy skin and big gray eyes and rosy pink nipples, stole his breath and tightened his gut. “God, you’re gorgeous,” he said huskily, breathing it like a prayer.

  He hadn’t lied to her. There had been
a handful of women in six years. But those had been real one-night stands. Women whose names and faces he barely remembered. Divorcées. Widows hurting like he was. The sex had slaked a momentary physical need, but afterward, his grief had been just as deep, just as raw.

  In a way, it had been easier not to have sex, because that way he didn’t have to be reminded of all he had lost.

  He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. Something about tonight felt different. Maybe because his mystery woman was ridiculously charming and vulnerable and maybe even a little bit naive. She brought out his protective instincts and tapped into raw emotions inside him that he would have sworn were dead and buried.

  With her he felt the need to be tender.

  “Hang on, honey.” Hitching her higher on his chest, he grabbed for the comforter with one hand and dragged it and the sheet halfway down the bed. Then he dropped the big-eyed blonde on the mattress and tried not to pounce on her. Instead, he came down beside her and propped his head on his hand.

  Lazily, he traced a fingertip from her collarbone, down between her breasts, over her concave belly to her tiny cute navel. “Tell me what you’re thinking, sweet lady. I swear I don’t bite.”

  Her body was so rigid it was giving him a headache.

  She gnawed her lower lip. “I forgot about protection.”

  “Not to worry. We’re good for two rounds.” He reached in his back pocket and extracted a duo of condom packets. “I had these in the truck.”

  “Oh. That’s nice.”

  “Tell me your name,” he coaxed. He bent over her and kissed his way from her navel up along her rib cage, pausing just at the slope of her breast and waiting until her breathing ratcheted up a notch and a shudder worked its way through her body.

  “You’re not playing fair...” She gazed up at him from underneath sultry lashes.

  Did she have any idea what that look did to a man? He flicked his tongue across her nipple...barely a graze. “I play to win, honey. You wanted wild and exciting? That usually means breaking the rules.”

  He was breathing hard, barely holding it together. Playing this game was fun, more fun than he’d had in a hell of a long time. But he wasn’t sure how much longer he could last. Already he wanted her so badly he was shaking.

  “Brooke,” she whispered. “My name is Brooke.”

  The trust on her face made him ashamed. She was doing something out of character. He knew it. And he was prepared to help her in her quest for a night of reckless passion. What kind of man did that make him?

  He swallowed hard. “Brooke. I like it. With an e or no e?”

  She smiled. “Does it matter?”

  “It does to me.” And it did. When this was over and they went their separate ways, he wanted to remember her exactly like this. He wanted to know everything there was to know.

  She caressed his chin, feeling the stubble. He’d shaved at six that morning. “With an e, Cowboy. Now it’s your turn.”

  He didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “Austin,” he groaned. “My name is Austin.” Moving his lips across her breast, he kissed his way up hills and down valleys and back again until Brooke panted and whimpered and begged. That was the sign he had been waiting for.

  He rolled to his feet and ripped at his shirt, dragging it over his head in one frustrated motion. Then he toed off his boots and shucked out of his jeans and boxers. When he was buck-ass naked, he stood beside the bed and tried to catch his breath. It was embarrassing to be so winded when he hadn’t even started yet.

  Brooke came up on her knees and stared. “Are you normal?”

  He blinked. “Excuse me?”

  She waved a hand. “Your, um...you know. It seems kind of big.”

  A slither of unease sent ice water through his veins. “You wouldn’t lie to me about that virgin thing. Would you?”

  She straightened her shoulders, her eyes flashing. “I am not a liar.”

  “So you’ve definitely had sex.”

  “Of course.”

  “How many times?”

  “That’s none of your business.” She unbuttoned her jeans and shimmied them down her thighs.

  His mouth went dry. “I was gonna do that.”

  She gave him a look. “You were taking too long. I’m not sure I picked the right man. Are you positive you know what you’re doing?”

  He didn’t know whether to laugh or howl with frustration. “God, you’re a piece of work.”

  “You promised me wild and exciting. I’m still wearing panties.”

  He grabbed her around the waist and tumbled them both to the bed, rolling so they landed with Brooke on top. She was easily eight inches shorter than he was and forty pounds lighter. She pretended to struggle. He pretended to let her. When they were both breathless, he kissed her hard.

  She melted into him, purring his name with soft, erotic yearning that made every cell in his body ache.

  He rubbed her back. “I’m glad you walked into my life tonight, Brooke with no last name.” Her ponytail had come loose. Pale, sunshiny hair tumbled around them, soft and silky. It smelled like lilacs and innocence and happy summer afternoons.

  She nibbled his chin. “Me, too. I nearly chickened out, but then I saw you sitting there, and I felt something.”

  “Something?” He palmed her bottom. It was a perfect bottom. Plump and pert and exactly the right size for a man’s hands.

  “A zing, I guess. Animal attraction.” She shifted her weight and nearly injured him. He was so hard his balls ached. The condom was in arm’s reach. All he had to do was grab it. But he didn’t want this to be over. He didn’t want the night to end.

  Without warning, Brooke rolled off him, settled onto her side, and took his sex in her hand. “I like the way you look, Cowboy.” She stroked him slowly, her gaze focused on the task at hand.

  The feel of her cool slender fingers on his taut flesh skated the line between pleasure and pain. He gritted his teeth and tried not to come. “I told you my name,” he groaned.

  She rested her cheek on his shoulder and continued her torture. “Yes, you did.” She gripped him tightly. “Austin.” She whispered it low and sweet.

  Sweat broke out on his brow. This woman was killing him slowly...

  * * *

  Brooke was hot and dizzy and elated. For an idea that had begun so badly, this was turning out to be a night to remember. Austin was everything she could have asked for in a lover. Demanding and yet tender. Tough and masculine, but still considerate of her insecurities.

  He grabbed her wrist and moved it away from his erection. “Enough,” he croaked.

  Before she could protest, he reached for the condom, rolled it on and dragged her panties down her legs. Then he was on top of her and in her and she forgot how to breathe.

  He was heavy and wildly aroused. Thankfully, she was equally excited. Despite his impressive stats, her body accepted him easily. It had been a long time for her, but he didn’t have to know that. She canted her hips, tried to relax and concentrated on the incredible sensation of fullness as her body became one with his.

  Something about the moment dampened her eyes and tightened her throat. Maybe it was the thought of all he had lost. Maybe it was a breathless yearning to have a man like this for her own one day. Whatever it was, it made her weepy and left her feeling raw and vulnerable. As if it were impossible to hide from him.

  He came quickly, with a muttered apology, his chest heaving. Brooke tried to squelch her disappointment. After a quick trip to the bathroom to dispose of the condom, he returned. In their hurry, they had left the lamp on. Now, he flipped the switch, plunging the room into darkness. Only an automatic night-light in the bathroom dispersed some of the gloom as their eyes adjusted.

  Austin smoothed the hair from her face. “I’m sorry about that, honey. You had me pretty wound up, and it’s
been a little while for me.”

  “It’s fine.”

  His grin was a flash of white. “It’s not fine. But it will be. Spread your legs, darlin’. Let me show you the fireworks.”

  She moved her ankles apart obediently, but inside, she grimaced. This had never been her strong suit. It was too personal, too intimate. The only man who had ever gotten this far with her had been really bad at it.

  Fortunately, Austin wasn’t privy to her negative thoughts. He cradled her head in his arm and touched her with confidence, the confidence of a man who knew how to pleasure a woman and liked doing it. “Close your eyes,” he crooned. “Relax, Brooke.”

  It was only when he said those two words that she realized her fingers were clenched in the sheets and her shoulders were rigid. “Sorry,” she muttered. “You don’t have to do this.”

  Austin frowned. “I need to touch you. Your body is beautiful and soft and so damn sexy. I want to hear you scream my name.”

  “Arrogant cowboy...”

  He entered her with two fingers and used his thumb to stroke the spot where she ached the most. The keening cry that escaped her throat was embarrassing. But soon, embarrassment was the furthest thing from her mind.

  Austin decimated her. He whispered naughty things and caressed her with sure steady touches until her own responses shocked her and her body became a stranger. Just as her spine arched off the bed, she did indeed scream his name. Moments later, he moved on top of her and entered her a second time.

  The orgasm was incredible. On a scale of one to ten, it was some imaginary number that only scientists from outer space could decipher.

  This time, Austin was just getting started as she tumbled down the far side of the hill. He laughed roughly and shoved her up the peak again, thrusting harder and faster and holding her tightly until they both found the pinnacle at almost the same moment and lost themselves in the fiery pleasure.

  Brooke was boneless, elated and utterly spent. Never again would she settle for the kind of relationship that was boring and mundane. This wonderful cowboy had given her that.

  They lay together in a tangle of arms and legs as their bodies cooled and their heartbeats slowed.