"You'd say that even if you were bleeding, Jessie."

Sometimes it surprised her how well he knew her.

"I need a drink," he said rolling off the bed. "You need anything before we go for the round two?"

"Round two?"

"Uh-huh. Because we're just getting started."

Chapter Ten.

Brandt gulped two glasses of water in the kitchen and took a minute to grasp the situation.

Holy hell, he'd just had sex with Jessie.

Jessie.

It boggled his mind.

Not only that, she'd initiated sex.

Not only that, she hadn't wanted gentle lovemaking-she wanted to be fucked. Hard.

Not only that, she hadn't balked when he'd called her on her bravado, pushing her to put her money where her mouth was.

Holy hell, talk about a mouth that could own him body and soul. How he'd managed to hold out for more than fifteen seconds when those soft, warm lips circled the base of his cock while she sucked his shaft also boggled his mind.

How he'd managed to keep his cool when he got his first taste of her pussy was another miracle. Because damn, she'd been so wet that he could've stayed buried between her thighs, licking away that sweet juice, feeling her come against his mouth, all damn night.

Brandt's mental play by play fired his blood and he knew he'd have Jessie at least one more time tonight. Maybe in straight missionary position.

Boring. Don't you want to blow her circuits with your sexpertise? Show her every position you've ever tried and some you've only seen in porn?

Hell yeah. No. Hell no. That cocky attitude made him sound like...Luke, actually. He never wanted the comparison, especially not from Jessie. Not ever.

He could admit he'd taken her from behind for their first time because he worried she might whisper Luke's name in his ear during a moment of passion. Maybe he feared he'd see regret or sadness in her eyes. But he'd pushed aside those worries when the primitive side of his brain seized control and he flipped her on her back, just to see the look on her face when he made her come.

A look he couldn't wait to see again.

He refilled the water glass and he walked to the bedroom. For some reason his heart sped up and he lingered in the doorway. Had he left her alone too long? What if she'd fallen asleep?

"Brandt?"

He found her resting on against pillows propped against the headboard with the comforter tucked beneath her armpits. "You want a drink?"

"Sure." She drank half before handing the glass back. "Did you check on Landon?"

"Nah." He set the glass on the dresser. "I thought I might wake him up and he's not included in the plans I have for you."

She smiled. "What plans?"

"That depends on if you think we need to talk about anything that just happened."

"We've done enough talking."

"I agree. Let's go to plan B."

"Which is?"

"It'd be easier to show you." Brandt ripped back the covers and crawled over her body, until he was hanging directly above her. He whipped aside the pillows so she laid flat on the mattress. He angled his head over hers, seeing her eyes spark interest and heat as his lips closed the distance between their mouths.

Jessie released a soft moan, which reverberated in his mouth as he kissed her. Her lips were warm and eager. Her tongue as curious to explore as his was. They kissed, drawing out the pleasure by switching between hungry openmouthed kisses, sweet nibbles, teasing nips and soft smooches.

Brandt gazed down at her.

She caressed the side of his face. "Man, I could kiss you for days."

"I can arrange that. But first..." Brandt let his hands skim over her skin. "I want to touch you. Everywhere. It might take a while, because I've been living for the day I got to put my hands all over you." He stretched out, propping his head on his left hand, figuring it'd take twice as long to acquaint himself with her body if he limited himself to one hand.

"You still trying to figure out all my ticklish spots?"

"No. I wanna figure out which spots make you squirm and which ones make you moan." He let the rough tips of his fingers follow the line of her delicate neck down to the base of her throat. Then his thumb swept across her collarbone to her shoulder. Her skin was pale, he'd expected to see more freckles or moles, but it was just a silky smooth expanse of white.

His palm cupped the ball of her shoulder, traveling down to squeeze her firm biceps. He traced the bend in her elbow, first with his fingers, then with his tongue.

"Oh, I...wow. That feels good."

"Tastes good too." Brandt's fingers drifted down the inside of her forearm to her wrist. He threaded his fingers through hers and brought their joined hands to his mouth, lightly kissing each fingertip. He reversed course back up her arms and did the same thing, bestowing the same diligent treatment to the other side, except he dragged it out a little more.

Jessie's body wilted when he skimmed his fingers up and down her side, in a feather-light caress, from her armpit to the curve of her hip. She managed not to squirm too wildly when he wrapped her fingers on the rungs of the headboard and zigzagged openmouthed kisses down that same tender section of skin. Twice.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly with the marked increase in her breathing. His cock was so hard it pained him to bend over as he moved down the wonders of her body, but Brandt would not be rushed. He'd take his time, even if it damn near killed them both.

He paid no attention to her breasts or her nipples. Instead, his mouth brushed over every rib in her ribcage. Then down the centerline of her belly, past her belly button, to that sensitive span of skin between her narrow hipbones. When he put his mouth on her there, her entire belly rippled. So he did it over and over until she huffed out an impatient breath.

"What are you doing to me?"

"Memorizing you." He pressed kisses around the triangle of strawberry blonde hair at the juncture of her thighs. Again he allowed his fingers to map the muscles in her legs, tease the skin on the inside and smooth his palm over the curve from hip to ankle.

He kissed the tops of her thighs. He lifted her leg to nuzzle the back of her thighs and to trace the bend in her knees with his tongue. He peppered kisses down her shinbones, which were covered in bruises from Landon smacking into her all the time. When he reached the top of her foot, he sucked at the delicate skin and Jessie shot up off the bed so fast she almost kicked him in the face. "Easy there," he murmured.

"I heard that toe sucking was erotic, but this...this is way better. I never knew that would make me..."

"Make you what?"

"Tingle. My God. My whole body is tingling."

He switched feet just to see her come unglued.

"Okay, and now in addition to making me tingle, you're making me wet. Really wet. In fact, I think you should check it out," she purred.

Brandt chuckled. "I believe you. But I'm not finished yet." The same time he lifted her right ankle for a kiss, he noticed the tattoo. He outlined the shape of the butterfly with the pad of his thumb. "When did you get this?"

"The first time a bunch of us went in and India gave us all McKay brands."

He'd heard about his cousin's wives getting inked with the McKay cattle brand, but he'd never seen Jessie's. He'd been too busy noticing other parts of her body.

"But last year, about the time I...quit grieving for Luke so hard and realized our life wasn't as perfect as I'd made it out to be after he was gone, I wanted the symbol of his ownership gone too. So India designed this one, using the original tat, but you'd have to look really hard to see it."

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?"