Free Lone Star Rancher by Laurie Paige

missed lunch. I thought you might enjoy a picnic.”
    â€œYeah, I would.”
    But his eyes told her his mind wasn’t on food.
    Neither was hers. She felt as if she’d been sucked into a blast furnace as heat spread all over her, through her and down her bare legs, where his gaze was now taking a leisurely inventory. He took in her tummy, visible between the white shorts and the red knit crop top.
    â€œI’m coming out,” he said.
    A warning she didn’t heed. They perused each other as the distance between them closed. She noted the movement of his muscles, the breadth of his shoulders, the smooth tan to a point just below his waist, then the pale strip of skin from there to his legs, which, like hers, were tan from wearing shorts.
    She swallowed, her breath coming out harshly as her lips parted to admit more air. He was undeniably male. Aroused male.
    The picnic basket slipped from her numb fingers and brushed the side of her foot as it hit the ground.
    Then he was there, directly in front of her. He stared into her eyes for five seconds, then his big hand closed around the back of her head and brought her into the kiss.
    She stepped forward and his wet body was plastered against her, soaking her shorts and top with coolness, then warmth, incredible warmth.
    He made a sound deep in his throat, a groan that echoed the need raging through her. She clung to him in shameless hunger.
    â€œJessica?” he questioned.
    â€œYes,” she whispered. “Yes, yes, yes.”
    He swung her up into his powerful embrace and walked down the incline to a sandy spot in the shade of the trees. He set her down and murmured, “Wait.”
    She watched as he retrieved a tarp and a long towel from the pickup. These he spread over the sandy bed, then held out a hand to her. She went to him without hesitation.
    When he dropped to his knees on the makeshift pallet, she did, too. He ran his fingertips along her cheeks, then down her neck to her breasts. He cupped each one in his palms and brushed the tight nipples with his thumbs.
    With a low sound, he pulled her into his arms. She closed her eyes and gave herself to the kiss and the moment, knowing there would be no going back.
    Clyde felt the sweet yielding as Jessica leaned into him, not caring that he’d gotten her wet. “I’ve got to have more,” he whispered. “I have to see you, feel you.”
    When he hooked his fingers on the damp material of her top, she lifted her arms and let him pull it over her head. He tossed it onto a tree branch, then followed it with the white lace-trimmed bra. When he nudged her backward, she lay on the towel and helped him slip the rest of her clothing away from her smooth, slender body.
    He let his gaze move slowly over her, from one perfect point to another, taking in the shape and curve and texture of her. “One more thing,” he said.
    He removed the band from her hair, laid it on the clogs she’d left beside the tarp and ran his fingers along the glossy locks so that it covered her breasts. The pink nipples peeked between the honey-golden strands in an impudent way that made him smile.
    â€œYou’re right,” he said. “You’re not skinny. You’rebeautiful. Beautiful,” he repeated firmly as if she’d argued with him.
    When she smiled up at him, his heart stopped, just stopped.
    â€œCome to me,” she said. “Now!”
    Jessica heard the entreaty in her voice and wondered if she was giving too much away. Her innermost feelings churned in a whirling ball of uncertainty and longing. She wanted this moment more than she’d ever wanted anything.
    â€œWhatever tomorrow brings,” she murmured.
    â€œForget tomorrow,” he said with a smile but a serious undertone.
    Lifting her arms, she urged him close and sought his lips for another of the spellbinding kisses that taunted her heart with things that would never be.
    He explored every inch of