Rancher's Remorse (Culpepper Cowboys Book 2) Read online

  She spoke fast. That sparkle she had in her eyes was a little frantic. But Cooper was touched by the sentiment.

  “And I want to be the perfect husband,” he said. “No matter what it takes. And I want you to know,” he rushed on, “that I am perfectly fine with you wanting to be a stay-at-home mom. If that’s what you want. We can figure out how to make the money we need for the buyout without getting a job if you don’t want to. I know you like your doll-making, and I’m happy to have you focus on that and raising a family. If that’s what you want.”

  There. He’d said his piece and felt so much better for it. With any luck, Faith would understand exactly where he stood and feel good about it.

  So why was she looking at him like he’d kicked a puppy?

  It took Faith a few minutes to realize that she’d stopped walking. More than that, she’d stopped breathing. No one had ever said anything so beautiful to her in all her life. Cooper was giving her the freedom to live whatever kind of life she wanted to live. Sure, maybe that was ordinary for most women, but considering how she’d been raised, it was the most extraordinary gift anyone had ever handed her.

  Good heavens, she had to tell him. She had to tell him all of it—about the dolls, about the business and the money, and most especially about her inability to have children. Was he really imagining what she’d look like pregnant? Oh boy.

  “That’s so incredibly sweet,” she said, tears stinging at her eyes. She was going to let him down. He’d find out what she hadn’t told him, and that warm smile in his eyes would be gone forever. She wasn’t sure she could take it.

  And at the same time, more than anything, she wanted to turn to him for support. Without letting herself think about the hypocrisy of the move too much, she leaned into him, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tight. His arms closed around her, sheltering her, and she couldn’t keep her tears at bay anymore. He was going to be so, so disappointed.

  “Hey, it’s okay.” He patted the blossom of stiff, hair-sprayed curls on top of her head. “Shoot, I should have asked more questions about how hard life was with your parents. If I’d known a little promise like that was going to cause tears, I would have found you and married you much sooner.”

  Faith laughed in spite of herself. His words didn’t actually make sense, but the sentiment behind them was precious. If she couldn’t be the mother of his children, at least she could be the keeper of his hopes.

  “I don’t know why I’m so emotional,” she said, standing straight and leaning back so she could force herself to meet his eyes. “You’re such a kind man.” And almost every fiber in her body screamed at her to just tell him everything. He’d be okay with it.

  Almost every fiber of her being screamed. The one or two that remembered the way her parents had overreacted to tiny things—grounding her or taking away her privileges or even getting out the dreaded wooden spoon—and the consequences of disobedience that she’d brought on herself and her reproductive health held back, throwing up defenses that most people would think were ridiculous.

  Okay, enough of that. She drew in a breath and smiled as seductively as she could at her new husband. She had a plan, after all—to give him everything he needed and make him fall in love with her so hard that even if there was no chance of having babies, even if he disapproved of her business, he would still smile that smile at her.

  “You know what I think?” she went on, summoning up every bit of courage she could find.

  “What?” Cooper’s arms were still around her, and he settled her hips against his while leaning back just enough to grin down at her.

  His heat felt good. His smile even better. And the distinct firmness against her abdomen where they pressed together was the best sign of all.

  “I think that part of my problem is that I’ve been completely exhausted and upside down since I arrived in Wyoming.”

  His expression twitched as if that wasn’t what he was expecting her to say. “Oh?”

  “Mmm hmm. And it dawns on me that the very best way for me to get un-exhausted is to get a good night’s sleep.”

  The confused lines on his forehead deepened. “A good night’s sleep?”

  “It’ll be just the thing.”

  The more puzzled he looked, the wider her grin grew.

  “And you know what the best way to be sure to get a good night’s sleep is?” she went on.

  “What?” His voice was deadpan now.

  A throaty giggle escaped before she said, “To make sure you’re re-e-eally tired before you fall asleep.”

  In a snap, his hot smile was back, and the stiffness pressed against her jolted. “You know, I think I have heard that.”

  Relief and excitement twined together in her stomach, sinking lower and lighting up everything that needed to be lit up for the two of them to have the wedding night to end all wedding nights.

  “And the best way to stop feeling upside down is to pick one position and stick with it for a while,” she went on.

  Cooper shifted, his arms tightening around her, his hips grinding against hers. “I can think of a few positions you might like to spend some time in.”

  “Really?” Just for fun, she batted her eyelashes at him, innocent and sultry at once. “You’ll have to show me.”

  “It’ll be my pleasure.” His voice took on a rough, impatient tone.

  They were still a good hundred yards from Cooper’s front porch, and the sun was halfway through spreading beams of red and gold across the ranch and the horizon, but Cooper lowered one of his hands to her backside. He cupped her possessively and lifted her to her tip-toes as he bent to kiss her. His mouth slanted over hers with a sureness that demanded Faith give up whatever worries she was clinging to and trust him.

  As she parted her lips to let his tongue explore, she curled her fingertips into the flesh of his back. He was all muscle and sinew, power and purpose. She reached up to thread her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck, closing her eyes and letting his kiss fill her. She could count the number of kisses she’d had in her life on one hand after chopping two fingers off, but with Cooper it didn’t matter. He knew what he was doing so well that he carried her along. Either that or the very cells in her body knew what they wanted and how to get it. She teased her tongue alongside his, nibbling at his bottom lip and causing him to suck in a breath.

  “Is that thunder I hear?” He growled against her ear after kissing his way across her jaw. The sky was perfectly clear. “If a storm’s coming, we’d better run.”

  Faith giggled as he stepped back, took her hand, and dashed with her toward the house. Forget all the stupid troubles that pressed down on her, she was a married woman and her husband wanted her in bed. It didn’t matter how conservative her upbringing had been. When things started to tingle the way hers were, running was the only option.

  The house was filled with shadows when Faith and Cooper ran inside. They didn’t bother turning on the lights. Cooper’s bedroom—their bedroom now—was on the west side of the house, and the warm rays of the setting sun filled it with rich, tempting colors. They painted Cooper’s skin a sultry golden as he raced to unbutton his shirt and throw it aside. Faith stopped fumbling with the zipper at the back of her dress and stood there, watching him peel off his clothes. Her breath caught as he tugged the sleeves off of his arms, revealing thick, corded muscles. His stomach was washboard tight, and enough dark hair dusted his chest to make him look like a man.

  “Oh my—” She let the end of her sentence fall away as he dropped his shirt and reached for the fastening of his trousers.

  Cooper paused with only the top button undone. “Oh.” The sexual tension rippling off of him seemed to hold back, and he let his hands drop to his side. In the process, he revealed just how large the bulge in his pants had grown. “Yeah.” He winced, running a hand through his hair. “I suppose stripping down and jumping into bed like a senior on prom night is not exactly the most respectful way to treat a woman I’ve kno
wn for less than two weeks, huh?”

  Faith dragged her eyes up from his impressive crotch, across his tight abs, over his perfectly defined pecs, and finally met his gaze head-on. Two weeks? Had it only been that long? She felt as though she’d known him for a century. Whatever inhibitions she was supposed to have had forgot to show up.

  She launched herself toward him, sliding her hands up his strong arms, over his broad shoulders, and behind his neck. Lifting to her toes, she tilted her mouth toward his, then pulled him down for a kiss meant to show him just how respectful hot sex could be. Cooper growled his approval and clasped his hands firmly around her waist. A second later, he let one of those large hands venture up to surround and squeeze one of her breasts.

  Faith caught her breath at the delicious sensation, wishing she’d shimmied out of her dress before throwing herself at him. Cooper must have had the same thought. His hand inched up until he grabbed the neckline of the dress and pulled. Dammit, but Chastity was right about how she should have gotten the lower-cut dress. All the tugging in the world couldn’t do more than pinch her skin around the shoulders.

  “Zipper,” she sighed, leaning closer to him. She moved one hand to trace a line down Cooper’s bare back.

  Cooper shivered hard—a sensation that had Faith grinning from ear to ear and aching where it mattered most. He got the point. With rough, jerky movements, he grabbed the zipper at the top of Faith’s back and pulled it down.

  As soon as the fabric loosened, Faith writhed and squirmed—both to get out of the dress and because she couldn’t contain the energy that pulsed through her. Cooper groaned his approval and kissed his way across her neck and exposed shoulders. He let the dress drop, then went back to unhook her bra and to pull it down and forward.

  The sensation of cool, evening air hitting her breasts was enough to send Faith’s head spinning. She arched her back just enough to thrust her breasts forward, inviting Cooper to take full advantage of the situation. His eyes zeroed in on their roundness and her pert nipples, but when she expected him to touch and fondle, she was surprised.

  His hands were already at her waist, pushing her simple wedding dress over her hips, and as it fell to the ground, he slid his palms under the fabric of her panties. In a flash, he had them over her hips and on their way to the floor too. His hands kept going, though, fingers reaching between her legs.

  The titillating shock of having a man touch her so intimately sent a jolt of pleasure through Faith that was so potent her vision clouded for a moment. His fingers delved through and beneath her silken curls, right into the cleft that hid parts of her that were wild to feel more.

  “I knew you’d be wet,” Cooper whispered, leaning closer.

  Faith replied with something that sounded like a kitten mewling, practically shaking with need. Cooper explored deeper, moving one hand to the small of her back to support her as her knees went weak. He brushed right over her clit, and she gasped and moaned.

  “You like that.” It wasn’t a question. What was more, he liked that she liked that.

  The pieces fell into place in the tiny part of Faith’s mind that was still capable of thought. Her mission was to make him want her, even though she couldn’t have his children. That meant letting him see, hear, and feel just how much she wanted him. The dots connected, and she reacted by loosening her hips, nudging them apart, even though it left her standing in an awkward position.

  “Touch me, Cooper,” she hummed, sliding her arms up over his shoulders again. She pressed her hips into his hand, inched forward until her breast grazed his chest, and brought her lips down over the pounding pulse at his throat. “Touch me like I’m yours.”

  Cooper hissed out an unsteady breath and stroked his fingers across her wetness, slipping one inside of her. Faith let out a soft yelp and arched against him. She’d hit her mark dead on, and they were both going to reap the rewards. In fact, the way Cooper started moving his finger in and out of her, stroking her from the inside, if they weren’t careful, she would shatter in his arms.

  Then again, that seemed to be exactly what Cooper had in mind. He bent down to steal a kiss, his tongue imitating what his fingers were doing. The fire in Faith was building to inferno proportions faster than she could control it. His hand paused for a moment as he concentrated on kissing her, and when it resumed its movement, instead of penetrating her, he stroked softly against her clit.

  Far faster than she could have imagined, her body responded by rocketing up and over the edge. Bliss exploded through her along with deep, pulsing pleasure. She let out a cry as it hit her, her skin flushing hot all over. Cooper chuckled, the vibrations pushing Faith’s orgasm higher. He reached to tease a finger inside of her to feel the final waves of her inner muscles contracting.

  “You’re so beautiful,” Cooper growled, kissing her flushed cheeks. “So, so beautiful.”

  He peeled back, but only so that he could reach for his trousers and finish unfastening them. Faith’s head was still spinning with pleasure, and she tipped back, sitting hard on the edge of the bed, muscles warm and watery. That put her at the perfect height to get a good look at Cooper as he pushed his pants down and stepped out of them.

  Majestic. That was the first word that popped to her mind. In all his naked glory, Cooper was majestic. She had no idea how large men were supposed to be down there, but her husband had nothing to be ashamed of. His glory sprang right up as Cooper stood. The bits she thought were supposed to dangle seemed to have risen in support support. His shaft was thick and shaded a dusky color, its tip shiny and flared. So that’s what a man looked like.

  “Sweetheart, you can look all you like later,” Cooper hummed, prowling closer to her. “Right now, I want to feel you wrapped around me, shuddering with your second orgasm, as I fill you.”

  Faith gasped. Was that talking dirty? Was he talking dirty to her?

  Whether he was or not, she liked it. As he reached the side of the bed and towered over her, she leaned back. He kept coming, and in a trice, she lost her balance and flopped back against the bedspread.

  And that was just fine with her. It was also fine and dandy when Cooper grabbed hold of her knees, moving them apart. She only had a second to think about how awkward she must look, splayed like a crab with the most tender part of her exposed to his view. He wasn’t interested in looking either.

  With a quick tug, Cooper pulled her into the center of the bed, then climbed on top of her, settling himself between her thighs. Faith spent about a millisecond wondering if she should be scared or embarrassed or something else before giving up and reveling in it. It felt far too good to have a big, strong, hard man between her legs, pressing down on her, raining kissed across her breasts. As soon as he closed his mouth over one of her nipples, nipping, licking, and sucking, the fire that had just finished burning itself out flared up again.

  It pitched higher still as Cooper ground his staff against the same spots he’d teased with his hand only minutes before. That sweet torture left her panting and moaning. And here she’d thought the women in those trashy videos were faking it when they made those sorts of sounds. She probably sounded ridiculous, but she couldn’t help herself.

  Cooper responded to her wicked sounds with hums and groans of his own. His hands and mouth were everywhere, as if he couldn’t decide which part of her he wanted to taste and savor more. Faith was eternally grateful that Cooper had a house of his own, far away from where anyone else could overhear them carrying on like porn stars. Everything he did felt so good.

  “I can’t hold out anymore.” He lifted himself on one arm above her, panting, while his other hand caressed her breast. “You’re too much for me.”

  She scrambled for the best way to respond, and in the end settled on arching her hips up. If that wasn’t a clear sign that she was his to do with as he pleased, then she didn’t know what was.

  Cooper got the message, and with a shaking hand guided himself to her wet and aching entrance. He let go, and with an exhale
that must have come straight from her soul, he thrust. Faith gasped. Really, she almost laughed at how amazing it felt to welcome him inside of her. Somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered she was supposed to feel pain, but there wasn’t a lick of it, only the thick, full, delicious feeling of him stretching and filling her.

  That was great, but when he started moving, every last thought scattered. It was good, so, so good as he pushed and pumped and thrust into her, over and over, faster and faster. She cried out with each thrust—softly at first, but with more and more power as her body wound tight for another release. When that orgasm came, she arched her back and let out a cry that Cooper answered with a shudder. His body tensed around her, and with a huge exhale, he loosened and his thrusts slowed.

  It took a few more seconds for her to grasp that her husband had just come inside of her. He drooped, spent, on top of her now. A thrilling sense of power filled her, and she chuckled, wrapping her arms and legs around him. Maybe it was supposed to be the other way around, but he was hers now, all hers. She had him inside of her to prove it, and if God was willing, his seed would take hold and—

  As suddenly as if cold water had been splashed on her, Faith remembered that, no, his seed wouldn’t take hold. It couldn’t. Everything they’d just done was beautiful and wonderful, but it was just for the two of them. And that was wonderful, truly.

  But at the same time, her heart broke just a little bit more than she thought that it would.

  4

  This is definitely going to work.

  The first thought that hit Faith when she woke up the next morning was that in spite of everything, her marriage was going to be a great success. A pre-dawn glow filtered through the window, giving Cooper’s bedroom—their bedroom—a dream-like glow. She was warm and relaxed…and naked.