The Cowboy's Christmas Proposition Read online

  His fingers coasted over one of her breasts, and his mouth followed. Deke’s tongue teased her nipple, circling until it pebbled and she was arching up to meet him with a gasp. “Yes,” she sighed as his hand cupped the other breast, kicking her heart rate up another notch. She brushed her hands across his back, tugging at the shirt he wore. “Off,” she demanded.

  Deke complied with a low chuckle and she traced the shape of him, the muscles and feathering of hair on his chest and abdomen. Even if she’d wanted to stop, she wouldn’t have been able to. Why had she resisted him until this moment? Oh, yeah. Her job. Duty. But as she fell further under Deacon’s spell, all her doubts had fled until she arrived at this moment. Duty, with all its demands, was only a faint echo in her mind.

  His mouth demanded more from her, his hands showing her the way. She was ready, needy, breathless with desire. She wanted more, wanted him. Now. Quin tried to tell him that, but her words turned into a moan as his hand trailed across her belly, then delved deeper, slipping beneath the elastic band of her borrowed sweatpants. Quin worried, for a moment, about her unsexy clothing. Then she looked up, saw the shimmers of heat in Deacon’s gaze and knew it was all for her. Because of her.

  Why was he taking so long? This endless torment of sweet touches and kisses was driving her to the brink. He finally stripped the sweats off her, leaving her exposed and vulnerable until he kissed her in the most intimate way possible. His tongue sent shivers into her core and raised goose bumps on her skin.

  “Please,” she begged, not knowing if she’d managed to speak the word.

  His mouth and fingers sent her on a soaring spiral up and up until she couldn’t breathe, until she hung suspended on the edge of something wonderful. And then she fell, her body racked with a shuddering climax, a climax much more powerful than any she’d had.

  And he was there, waiting for her when she came down. Naked. Hot. Hard. And ready. They were both ready at last. He positioned his erection at her entrance and pushed in. “Yess-s-s-s,” she hissed as he entered her all the way.

  Deke rested his forehead against hers, panting softly. “Gotta know, baby,” he groaned, his entire body tense. “Birth control?”

  How could she have forgotten? She stiffened, tried to push him off.

  “Shhh. It’s okay.”

  “No—” But he was gone. He’d withdrawn, leaving her feeling empty and unsated even though she’d just experienced the most amazing climax. He sat on the edge of the bed, reaching into the drawer of his nightstand. She heard foil tearing. She watched his hands moving in his lap, and then he was back.

  “I won’t ever put you at risk, Quin. Never.”

  Something eased in her chest but he didn’t move to enter her again. “I want kids. Someday. In the right time. In the right way. With the right woman. Okay?”

  She considered his words. Was he saying she was the right woman? At that moment, she wanted to be. “Okay,” she whispered. And then he was inside her again.

  Quin rode a hazy wave of desire, her insides still fluttering from her earlier climax. He slid in and out of her, hitting spots, changing rhythm, drawing her center tighter and tighter until she was on the brink once again. She fought letting go, clung to a shred of control until, at last, they were both there in the same moment.

  Deke throbbed inside her and a throaty groan ground from between his teeth. She let go then, filled with helpless shudders. Her orgasm set her body on fire. Skyrockets burst behind her eyes and in her core. Heart. Mind. Body. All of her was joined in perfect synchronicity with the man who lay spent and panting on top of her.

  How had she resisted him so long? And most important, why? He filled her with a tenderness she’d never thought herself capable of feeling. He was suddenly kissing her face, her cheeks, murmuring soft words of comfort to her. That was when she understood her skin was slick with tears.

  “God, baby, did I hurt you?” He moved to roll away, and she stopped him by wrapping her legs around his waist.

  “No. No. I’m fine. I’m perfect. I...” She offered a bemused laugh. “I don’t know why I’m crying. I’m happy. So very happy.”

  And she was, inexplicably so. Quin wanted to grab this feeling, capture it somehow and place it in a treasure chest like the one where Deke kept his angel. She wanted to keep it forever. Then, whenever she was feeling sad or unhappy, she could open the chest, take out the memory and experience it all over again.

  “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

  His words took her breath away because she wasn’t sure she hadn’t done the same. She didn’t reply, though, her feelings too raw and unfocused.

  Chuckling softly, he rolled to the side but took her with him so that she was snuggled next to him. “Progress,” he said, laughter hiding behind the word.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You didn’t hit me. And you didn’t run.”

  Sixteen

  Christmas Day dawned with skies of pink and orange as the sun peeked over the horizon. Deke was already up and puttering in the great room. He’d done some major scrounging but he’d come up with some gifts for Quin. Some were pretty cheesy but he wanted the pleasure of watching her unwrap presents. If things went right, he had one special gift for her.

  The throaty growl of a diesel engine drew him to the front windows. As he watched, a yellow front-end loader crawled up the drive pushing snow out of its way. A train of vehicles followed in its wake. The cavalry had arrived. Deke didn’t know whether to laugh or get upset, though it didn’t matter. His idyllic interlude with Quin and Noelle had come to an end.

  He headed to the bedroom to give Quin a heads-up. She was still asleep when he woke her with a kiss. “Merry Christmas, sleepyhead.”

  “Mmm, Merry Christmas,” she said around a yawn. Her eyes narrowed. “What’s that noise?”

  “The cavalry. My family has arrived to celebrate.”

  She leaped out of bed like a scalded cat, hissing and yowling as she flew into the bathroom. “Why didn’t you warn me!”

  He followed her in as she jumped into the shower before the water heated. He muffled his laughter as she yowled again. “If I’d known, I would have. I did warn you that Christmas is a big deal to my family. They decided to bring it to us this year.”

  “How did they get here?”

  “Front-end loader with a plow.” She poked her head out and glowered at him, her expression suspicious. Definitely time to retreat.

  As the day wore on, Deke found himself watching from the sidelines, which suited him just fine. His mother and brothers had brought presents and food. Noelle and Quin were the centers of attention, and while he considered rescuing Quin, he didn’t. He was too fascinated watching the interactions.

  Bridger sidled up to him at the kitchen island. “You like her.” Deke hoped his expression didn’t give him away. “Whoa. Seriously?” Bridger nudged him. “So it’s more. She’s cool, big bro.” Bridge lowered his voice even further. “You know we’ve talked to Noelle’s mom. Chance and Cash are working out the arrangements, financial and otherwise. Are you sure this is what you want? Taking on a baby is a huge responsibility, Deke.”

  “I know. I love that little girl.”

  “I think you love someone else, too, bro.” Bridger cut his eyes to Quin.

  He’d been drifting along enjoying this thing between him and Quin. He liked her. A lot. Even when she drove him crazy—and man, did she do that in all sorts of ways. Since he’d talked her into his bed, his thoughts had turned to something more. Something permanent.

  Deke considered his response. He’d been headed toward this since the moment Quincy Kincaid walked into his life. “Yeah, you might be right.”

  Later, after the turkey and dressing, after the pumpkin pie, Deke knew the moment had arrived. He slipped into his room and pawed through a wooden box hidden on a shelf in his closet until he found the box holding the ring he’d inherited from his grandmother. Wasting no time, he walked back through the kitchen, snagge
d Quin’s hand and urged her into the mudroom. He handed her a coat and a knit cap and pointed to the brand-new pair of snow boots she’d received for Christmas. He still didn’t know how his mother had accomplished all the presents.

  “If you’re dragging me outside for a snowball fight...”

  “Nope. Just some time alone. I love my family, but...”

  He shrugged into his sheepskin rancher coat and settled his Stetson on his head. He slipped the box into his coat pocket. Deke snagged a muffler hanging on the coatrack and wrapped it around Quin’s neck and checked to make sure his family had retired to the living room. He held his index finger to his mouth, took Quin’s hand and sneaked through the door leading to the expansive deck.

  During the course of the day, the promise of blue skies had faded behind a layer of clouds. As Deke cleared off a spot on the wide railing circling the deck, huge, fluffy flakes began to drift down. The world was quiet and peaceful and the snow-covered fields created a soft backdrop to the vibrant woman he boosted up to sit on the rail.

  “I feel like I’m in a snow globe.”

  “You look like it, too,” Deke teased. He leaned into her and kissed a snowflake off her eyelashes. “We need to talk,” he blurted.

  Quin’s expression turned bemused. “About what?”

  “The way I feel. About you. I like you, Quin. You know that. But it’s more.”

  “More?” Did her breath hitch?

  “Yeah. More. Seeing you with my family, with Noelle. Being with you these past few days? I love you, Quin. Shhh—” He hurried to interrupt her protests. “Just let me finish. I know we haven’t known each other long. I know circumstances have been...weird. But I know what I feel in my heart. You’re one of a kind, Quincy Kincaid, and I want you to be mine. For now and always.”

  Her eyes were wide as she watched him and her throat worked as she swallowed. “What are you saying, Deke?”

  “I love you, Quin. And I want to marry you. Make a family with you.” He pulled the box out of his pocket and opened it.

  She swallowed again and raised her eyes from the ring to meet his gaze. “Deacon?”

  “Please say yes, Quin.”

  “Are you...are you sure about this?”

  “More sure than I’ve ever been of anything in my life.”

  A hesitant smile curved the corners of her mouth, then spread all the way to her eyes. “Yes,” she whispered. “Yes!” she shouted, throwing her arms around his neck.

  “Yo, Deacon! You know it’s not official until you go down on one knee, right?” Cooper yelled from the doorway.

  * * *

  Ignoring his family, Deacon slipped the ring on her finger. The ring looked antique, with a large sapphire encircled by diamonds. She stared at it, almost afraid to meet his gaze. What was she doing? This was crazy! She was nobody—a cop who got snowed in with a star. But she’d caught him looking at her, when he thought she wasn’t aware of his attention. He wore the same soft expression she saw when he took care of Noelle.

  He loved her. And from his family’s reaction, they weren’t opposed to this. She tried to make sense of things, of her emotions. Did she love him? Had she only answered “yes” because he’d surprised her? She met his eyes now, gazed deeply into them, searching for the truth of his feelings, the truth of her own.

  Deacon looked...dazed. And happy. There was a tenderness in his look that came close to undoing her. Their chemistry had been explosive from the first, and she could admit that it was mutual. And while she wavered between exasperation and affection, there’d been distrust. Was it gone now? Because any sort of long-term relationship, much less marriage, had to be based on mutual trust.

  “I love you,” he whispered as a smile spread across his face. “I love you!” he all but shouted, much to the amusement of his family.

  Something eased in her heart and she smiled. The hopes and dreams she hadn’t considered before meeting Deacon were becoming reality. This felt right, Deacon felt right, being here with him and Noelle, who was babbling at everyone from Katherine’s arms, felt right. Six brothers and a mother-in-law. This is what Quin was getting by saying yes.

  She felt a little insecure when she offered the words back, but accepted their truth. “I love you, too, Deacon.”

  * * *

  When they came back inside, he wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of Christmas Day alone with his new fiancée. His family had other plans. As a way to torture them, he put a movie in the DVD player. The chorus of groans that accompanied the opening credits for Love Actually was his reward.

  “Suck it up, buttercups. This movie is a Christmas present to Quin and we’re watchin’ it.”

  Halfway through the movie, every last one of them had decided they had someplace else to be. Deke paused the movie. Dillon and his mother were the last to leave. After hugs and kisses with his mom, he made turkey sandwiches and brought them on paper plates to Quin. He settled on the couch with her and sort of got into the movie.

  The fire had burned down to glowing embers but it still put out enough heat for the room to be cozy. Quin snuggled deeper under the fleece blanket he’d tucked around her. They’d both dozed off during a second movie and darkness cocooned them.

  He kissed her, his hands smoothing the cashmere sweater that had been a gift. Pressing another kiss to the soft skin under her jaw, he felt her pulse tripping beneath his lips.

  Languidly, not fully awake, Quin rolled into him with a small sigh. She arched her hips, seeking contact with his. Deke had always worried about the roughness of his fingertips, calloused from years of playing the guitar. Conscious of that, he lightly stroked over the soft, warm flesh of her belly. He moved slowly, removing her clothes until she wore nothing but skin.

  He stepped away just long enough to strip out of his own clothes and grab a condom, then climbed back onto the couch and positioned himself so she was beneath him. He brushed fingertips across her throat, slid his tongue along the seam of her lips and whispered his erotic intentions in her ear, all meant to arouse her from sleep and send her to a place where pleasure was sweet.

  She said his name, then said it again after he took her mouth in a kiss meant to charm. He cupped her breast, plumped it to taste. Her breath quickened and she arched, squirming beneath him and swiveling her hips. He knew what she wanted, knew she’d be wet and ready as he slid his hand down to cup her.

  Fingers stroking, teasing, he gently pinched her tender flesh, and she catapulted from that drowsy half sleep straight into urgent demand. He hardened more but Deke was determined to bring her to full desire before he sought his own release. He ran his hands over her, exploring the curves, the softness over her well-toned muscles.

  Touching her made his pulse pound, sending hot blood streaking through his body. Quin reached for him with her left hand and he saw the flash of diamonds and platinum on her ring finger. He was shocked by the ferocious desire the sight built in him. His legs tangled with hers, and quiet need flared into flagrant want.

  In this moment, there was only sensation. Her mouth searched for his, and their lips met. Her hands clutched at his shoulders. They were in sync—moods, needs and desires matching. They both wanted more. He would give all that she wanted and he would take all that he could. He was greedy.

  Awake now, she watched him sheath himself through half-lidded eyes. She lifted her knees, spreading wider for him, then locked her ankles across the small of his back. Bracing on one hand, he teased her entrance but she took him by surprise, surging up to take him in. He sank to the hilt in her wet, welcoming heat. Dang, but he loved this woman.

  Quin gasped when he withdrew and as he pushed back in, she shuddered, already coming. He choked, his breath clogging his lungs as his heart thundered. He rode out her orgasm with gritted teeth. He tried to tell her how he felt, how much she meant to him, but words refused to come. She tightened her legs, drew him deeper inside her.

  He had to hold on, had to make this last, make it perfect for her. Deke p
ulled out, amid her protests. He spent endless time arousing her again. With his fingers, his mouth, he teased and tantalized. Her body fascinated him. Curvy yet sleek, it filled him with joy. Her skin quivered where he touched her and his own reacted in kind.

  “Again, darlin’.”

  “No, I can’t,” she panted.

  To prove she could, he slid his fingers into her. Her short nails sank into the skin of his back and he bet tomorrow he’d have half-moon marks as evidence of her loss of control. Her breath gasped out in short puffs and her hips pumped against his hand.

  Her wet heat seduced him and he wanted to bury himself again. One more moment and he would indulge himself. “Just let go, Quin.”

  Saying her name was like a magic word. She shuddered, cried out and hung on to him. He loved watching her face when she climaxed, the way her mouth opened, her lips wet from quick licks of her tongue. The way her eyes flew open then went half-lidded, her gaze warm and sensual. He didn’t let up, urging her with his fingers to ride the crest of sensation while he watched. She quivered, her breath seemingly locked in her lungs, and he sent her over the edge again, then let her melt against him as he eased her back to earth.

  Caught up in her pleasure, he let passion and love guide him now. She pulled him on top and her hand fisted around him, guiding him to the silken heat of her body. He slid inside and then found her mouth. She kissed him, and he forgot everything. There was nothing but the two of them.

  Goose bumps danced across her skin with every brush of his lips. After three orgasms, Deke was almost surprised at her responses. She met each stroke, swiveling her hips and driving him deep inside. He took her hands, laced their fingers and pumped his hips. Faster. And she rose to meet him, skin flushed, breath catching, eyelashes fluttering. He grinned, neck muscles tensing as white-hot sensation built at the base of his spine, spilling out into him. He was going to make her soar again.