Texas Outlaws: Cole

Her husband.

The thought rooted in her mind as the driver tipped his hat before rolling the security window into place. The engine roared to life and the massive vehicle rumbled down the road, away from the festivities.

Not that theirs was a real marriage, but still. At the moment, it almost felt real with the kiss at the altar and the plush limousine and, well, it was their wedding night.

And she was feeling uncommonly good thanks to half a bottle of wine, one hell of a spectacular kiss and the fact that her mother had turned on her heel and marched off in the opposite direction after Cole’s big display of familial affection.

“I can’t believe she bought it.”

“Did you see Sally Fisk and Tara Lawrence?” He grinned. “They were texting before we even said our ‘I dos.’ Half the town has to know about this by now.” His grin widened. “This just might work.”

“It will work,” she said with more confidence than she’d felt in a long, long time.

He was so close and so strong and he smelled so good—like sweet vanilla-bean wedding cake and while her palate had graduated to more sophisticated flavors, she found herself with a sudden craving for something simple. Tasty. Satisfying.

“Yep, I think this is just what the ole doc ordered.” He half turned. A grin tilted the corner of his mouth as he pinned her with a gaze.

Nikki’s heart stalled and she couldn’t help herself.

She leaned forward and touched her lips to his. It was nothing short of explosive. The chemistry ignited and mushroomed, and what started as a subtle press of mouths soon morphed into a deep, urgent, delicious probing of tongues.

No, no, no, a voice whispered. This was too fast, too soon. At the same time, she’d wanted to kiss him like this since she’d been a seventh grader, sitting at the Dairy Freeze, watching him feed a banana split to her oldest sister. She’d been too much younger back then, but now... Now the age difference didn’t matter. They were both adults.

Married adults.

Caution melted away in the face of so much heat, and arousal washed through Nikki from her head to the tips of her bright pink toenails. The pulsing awareness started in her scalp and spread through her body, pausing at every major erogenous zone. Her nipples tightened and hardened. Pressure hummed between her legs. Her thighs quivered. Her heart pounded as loud and as fast as the drummer for Buckcherry, and her blood rushed at an alarming rate.

“We probably shouldn’t be doing this,” she murmured.

“Then again, if anyone should be doing it, it’s us.” Cole’s hand found its way under her dress and swept a burning path up the inside of her thigh.

“True enough,” she breathed as his finger traced the lace edge of her panties before dipping underneath.

His finger ran back and forth, his callused skin arousing Nikki’s sensitized flesh. Back and forth. Up and...oh, boy.

He pushed into her and she gasped. She wiggled, pivoting her hips, desperate to feel him deeper and harder and... There. Just like that. And that. And—oh, wow—that...

His lips left her mouth to blaze a trail down her throat to her pulse beat. He rasped the tip of his tongue against her skin and worked his finger inside her body. A moan vibrated from her throat. Cole caught the sound with his mouth and devoured her in another luscious kiss.

Suddenly, the limo swerved and the driver’s muttered curse penetrated the haze of desire that enveloped them. Not that the driver could actually see anything with the privacy window firmly in place. But it was still obvious from the panting and moaning going on that Cole was doing something, and that Nikki was enjoying it and—

The thought scattered in a rush of desire as he pushed deep inside.

She relished his deep, thrusting touch for a few more delicious moments before he pulled out of her completely. The tips of his fingers skimmed her swollen flesh as he caught her thigh. She trembled as he urged her leg up and over his lap until she straddled him. They faced one another, her dress bunched around her waist.

Cole’s violet gaze drilled into hers, his eyes dilated with hunger and a deep appreciation. Warmth bubbled inside her, a feeling that might have spooked her if she hadn’t been so hot and bothered in the first place.

Barbie women didn’t do bubbling warmth. Or soft fuzzies. Or any of those girly feelings that undermined even the most determined woman when it came to men. They didn’t let themselves get involved in the emotional aspect of sex because that would only make it harder to walk away the next day. And they always walked away. They had a reputation to maintain, after all.

Not that Nikki had done a lot of walking away the morning after. Because there hadn’t been much sex the night before. Her sisters perpetuated the reputation with their carousing ways, and so all Nikki had ever had to do was dress the part and flirt her ass off and bam, she’d been part of the one-night-stand club.

But she’d never actually gotten good at it.

She might be a Barbie in name, but she didn’t have near the expertise her sisters possessed when it came to pleasuring the opposite sex. Sure, she’d tried. With a basketball player named David. He’d asked her to the senior prom, but before they’d even made it to the dance, he’d had her in the backseat for a little pre-dance action.

She’d given in and then instead of taking her to the prom, he’d made some lame excuse about having to go home for an emergency. He’d dropped her off at her door so fast she’d had whiplash. He’d gone on to brag about it, but he’d never come back for seconds. No late-night calls to hook up. Nothing.

Meanwhile, when one of her sisters had given it up, she hadn’t been able to get rid of the guy. Men had chased after them mercilessly. Because her sisters had been great in the sack.

Nikki? Not so much. Which wasn’t all that much of a problem in itself since she was much too busy to worry over a bunch of sex-crazed guys chasing after her. She had a career to think of. Goals to achieve. Even more, she had a sizable vibrator that did the job just fine and didn’t leave her angsting about a follow-up phone call.

And so she stuck to flirting to keep up her image rather than actually hooking up.

A fact that slipped her mind at that moment because she’d had a little too much wine and Cole felt too good and she wanted him too much.

As if he read her mind, his strong hands cupped her bare bottom and he worked her against the rock-hard bulge pressing tight against his jeans. The friction was incredible and stirring. Her head fell back and her eyes closed as pleasure ripped through her.

She shimmied her hips and spread her legs even wider, settling more fully on top of him. He let loose a low growl and leaned forward, his hot mouth going to the plump cleavage pushing against the low neckline of her dress. His tongue traced the edge of the material before he reached his hand up to grasp the edge of the material. He was just about to pull it down and free her aching breast when an all-important fact registered.

Nikki wasn’t clutching at his shoulders to keep from swaying to the side anymore. They were sitting stock still, the limo engine idling, the driver waiting. And probably wondering.

“We’re here,” she breathed.

Cole’s hand stilled as his gaze met hers. They stared at each other for a long moment, their breaths coming in quick, frantic gulps.

“We sure are.” He sounded disappointed.

Until reality seemed to hit, and then it was as if someone lit a fire under them. She scrambled from his lap and pushed open the door to step out onto the pavement while he followed her out.

The large building that housed the honky-tonk sat dark and quiet, closed for tonight’s wedding. She picked up her steps and headed around the side to the stairs leading to the small apartment on the second floor. Her mother had once lived in the apartment when she’d first opened the place, but when Nikki’s grandmother had died, she’d moved into the small house that sat a few blocks over. And so the apartment had been left to Nikki and her sisters.

Now that Crystal and April were married, Nikki had the place all to herself.

Cole followed and soon Nikki fumbled with her key for a few moments before Cole stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. His long, lean fingers closed over hers, and he steadied her long enough to slide the key into the lock. Metal clicked and hinges creaked and then they were inside. The door slammed behind them and before she could draw a breath, he whirled her around and pulled her into his arms.

He kissed her, his tongue delving deep as he pulled her close. Her thighs quivered and her bosom heaved and she came dangerously close to fainting from the desire swamping her. But this was too good to miss and she wasn’t about to forfeit what was surely to be a really incredible orgasm.

Her first with an actual man.

She reached for the waistband of his pants as he reached behind for the hooks on her dress. They both worked at the clothes until all the pieces had been pulled away. The nightmare bridesmaid’s dress landed in a heap somewhere across the room. The matching slip slapped the far wall. Nikki feared her corset-like bra would put up a fight, but Cole quickly demonstrated why he was the hottest catch in town. A few movements of his deft fingers and the bra fell away. Soon she was completely naked.

Likewise, Cole’s clothes followed hers. His jacket hit the floor along with his belt and jeans. Buttons popped and she shoved the shirt down his arms and sent the white material flying in the opposite direction. She paused only to discover whether he went for boxers, briefs, or let it all hang out—crisp white boxer briefs, just for the record—before shoving the elastic waistband down and freeing a massive erection.

She wanted to look, but everything seemed so fuzzy and surreal and desperate. She threw herself against him. Her body went flush against his as bare skin met bare skin. His lips found hers again. He kissed her as he swept her into his arms and started for the bedroom.

There was just something about the way his mouth ate at her lips and his tongue tangled with hers, stroking this way and that, up and down, deeper and stronger, that took her breath away. She’d never met a man who kissed with such passion and intensity. As if he liked it. As if he liked her.

The last thought rooted in her mind as he tumbled her back onto her full-size bed. Her dog, Sweet Cheeks, who’d been curled up on her pillow, jumped to the floor with a loud, surprised yelp. She then let loose a grumpy growl before scurrying off toward the walk-in closet that housed her doggy pillow.