The colorful butterfly emerging from a land cocoon fit Jessie’s personal metamorphosis. Yet, it bothered him that she’d had the McKay brand removed. Why not just get a new tattoo? Keep the old one as a reminder of a past life event? If he thought about it too hard, he might take offense to it. Like Jessie no longer wanted to be associated with the McKays. Like she wanted to erase any part of her life with them.

If that’s true, why did she keep the McKay name?

“Brandt? What’s wrong?”

“Nothin’.” He met her gaze and managed to smile before he placed a tender kiss on her tattoo. “But since I’m down by your feet, that means I’m all done exploring. Unless you can think of a spot or two I missed.”

He waited for her to remind him he hadn’t touched her nipples, and she didn’t disappoint him.

Jessie released the headboard to cup her breasts. “Put your mouth on me here.”

Brandt centered himself between her thighs and lowered his mouth to her left nipple. The peach colored tip was already hard so he began to draw circles around the quivering flesh on her chest with his fingers and his tongue. If he thought she squirmed before, it was nothing compared to how she reacted when he lavished attention on her breasts. Every part. From the nipples to the upper curve to the lower swell. He could stroke gently or pinch the tips with a little force, or nuzzle or softly suckle and she whimpered, moaned and thrashed.

Okay. Loved nipple play. Check.

He scattered kisses up her neck, stopping at her mouth. He kissed the corner of her smile, nipping and licking the seam until she parted her lips. He dove in for a blistering kiss, feeling her hands moving all over him, on his lower back, pressing down as she tried to connect their hips.

He buried his lips in her hair above her ear. “Jess—”

“If this is another warning to be patient…you oughta know I almost came just from you sucking my nipples. When you went down on me? Just thinking about it now still makes my entire groin throb.”

Brandt smiled against her temple. “Throb, huh? So, does that mean you don’t want to show me this super vibrator of yours that can get you off a dozen times a day?”

“Huh-uh.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m thinking of throwing it out.”

“Why?”

“I’d rather you got me off a dozen times a day.”

“Glad to know I’m a step up from a vibrator,” he murmured.

“You’re ten stories above a vibrator and you know it.” She sighed. “You have a mouth made for sex.

When you kiss me it’s like my brain goes on overload.”

He levered himself over her, watching as her eyes went dark with anticipation. “There’s something else you oughta know about me, Jess.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m a sexual man. I’ll push you, but the biggest thing you’ll need to get used to with me is that I like sex. I like a lot of sex. Once we start this, there’s no backing down. No changing your mind. I will want you morning, noon and night, because you’ve proven you’ve got a pretty magical mouth yourself.”

“Bring it on, cowboy. I’ll have no problem keeping up with your demands. But if you expect I’m gonna be a passive lover, think again.”

Her cocksure reply made his dick jump against his belly. “Bring it on, cowgirl.”

And Brandt continued to focus on her face as he slipped inside her inch by inch.

Jessie wrapped her feet around the inside of his ankles, holding him in place. Soon as her hands landed on his ass, she arched, driving him deeper.

The slow, steady, easy strokes didn’t stay that way for long. She urged him on by canting her pelvis, moaning yes, yes. Brandt forced himself to keep the same pace as he greedily watched Jessie unravel. She held him still with a nail digging grip on his ass as her pussy spasmed around his shaft.

As soon as she went limp, his hips pistoned harder, faster. His entire body seemed to boil—blood, skin, balls and bones—when his seed shot out of his dick in a hot wash of pleasure. An eye crossing, leg cramping, sweat pouring, primal grunting, he’d found heaven kind of ecstasy.

When he found his way back to reality, he realized this was true heaven. Not the outstanding orgasm, but seeing Jessie’s soft smile. Feeling her soft, sated body beneath his. Having her here, with him. Where she belonged. Because his beautiful, sweet Jessie was his perfect match in every way.

How long before she realized it?

“Brandt?”

“What? Sorry.” He smiled a bit sheepishly. “Zoned out.”

“I noticed.” She rubbed circles on his lower back that sent another wave of tingles dancing up his spine. “That was amazing.”

“Uh-huh.”

Wow. Got some sexy love talk going on there.

Spent, emotionally and physically, he rolled onto his back.

Immediately Jessie snuggled into him so thoroughly she was practically on top of him.

“Comfy?” he murmured.

“Mmm. Very. You don’t mind, do you?”

No. I freakin’ love it. “No. But do you, ah…need to go to the bathroom or shower or anything before we call it a night?”

“Nope. I wanna fall asleep like this.”

“You do?”

“Yep. I like your scent all over me. I like feeling the stickiness between my thighs and remembering how it got there. Does that sound weird?”

“No.” He brushed his lips over her crown. “It’s hot as hell.” The remnants of his seed would ease the way when he fucked her first thing in the morning.

“I like having you in my bed.” She kissed his pectoral. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For the smokin’ hot sex. But also for not being petty and turning me down. I would’ve deserved your rejection for the way things have gone between us in the past.”

Brandt forced her to look at him. “As far as I’m concerned that’s where it can stay. In the past. We’re movin’ forward, right?”

“Right.”

He pressed her cheek back down on his chest. “Go to sleep. Mornin’ is gonna come awful early.”

She snickered. “Already got your wake-up call for me planned out?”

“Definitely.”

“Tell me.”

“And ruin the surprise? No way.”

Chapter Eleven

Jessie and Landon were sitting side by side on the couch watching a Winnie the Pooh DVD when Brandt returned from the ranch. As soon as he’d divested himself of his outerwear, he marched over and cradled Jessie’s face in his hands.

The man nearly set her lips aflame with his hungry, and yet unhurried kiss. She tried to pull away, but he breathed, “Not yet,” against her mouth and returned to those deceptively lazy kisses. Then he eased back and murmured, “Not nearly enough, but it’ll do for now.”

Right then, Jessie understood she wasn’t prepared for what it meant to be Brandt McKay’s lover.

Sure, he’d tried to warn her last night about his sexual appetite. About his intent to satisfy that appetite as well as building the same type of appetite in her. Maybe she’d even suspected his declaration was a little too filled with machismo. A little too over the top.

She should’ve known better. She should’ve understood after he’d made love to her so thoroughly that last go around. She should’ve understood when he’d proved his desire for her first thing this morning.

Spooned behind her, lifting her top leg over his, fucking her slowly while one hand played with her nipples and the other controlled her clit, whispering in her ear with that made-for-morning-sex voice. She came so hard she’d ripped the sheet off the bed.

“Jess? What’s up? You’ve got a scared rabbit look goin’ on.”

“Seeing this forceful side of you…is a bit of a shock.”

“You’ll get used to it.” He smooched her mouth again.

Landon made a noise and she saw him watching them with wide-eyed wonder.

“Hey, buddy, how’s the ear? Better?”

He blinked at Brandt and refocused on the TV.

Brandt laughed. “Thrown over by a cartoon bear. I’m gonna hit the shower.”

Less than a minute later the water kicked on.

Landon pointed at the TV and bounced on the couch cushions when Tigger appeared on the screen.

Animation and cartoons were new to him, if his total absorption in them was an indication. Jessie doubted Landon’s mother used the TV as a babysitter.

Once she heard the bathroom door open, she headed down the hallway, inhaling the steam that held hints of Irish Spring soap and lime shaving cream.

She stopped in the doorway to her bedroom. Ooh. Naked Brandt. The man had such a hard-toned body. All ropy, bulging muscles and pure masculinity. Virility. Luke had been built more rangy than bulky and she’d never appreciated the differences in the male form as much as she did right then.

“Getting an eyeful, are you?”

She let her gaze drop to his groin. “Definitely got more than a mouthful going on there, Brandt.”

“Christ, Jessie,” he sputtered, “that’s—”

“A great idea?” she supplied. “Or shocking?”

“Both, actually. And if Landon wasn’t…” He made a growling noise in his throat. “We’ll finish this later.”

“Actually, that’s why I wanted to talk to you.” She watched Brandt slip on a pair of navy colored boxer briefs. Then a pair of faded Wranglers. “Last weekend you took Landon back to your place. Are you sticking around this weekend now that things have changed?”

Brandt didn’t miss a beat buttoning his flannel shirt. “Do you want us to stay?”

“Yes. I can’t imagine spending the weekend by myself.”

Then he was in her face, kissing her almost before she finished the sentence.

She heard a thump in the living room. She broke the liplock to go check on Landon, and as she turned around, the little wild man smacked into her knees. “You afraid we’re having fun without you or something?”