All Smoke No Fire by Randi Alexander Page A

thrashed from side to side and she took pleasure in knowing she could make this man, this sex god who had proven he could make love to her for hours, lose that masterful control.
    She moved her hips, squeezed her muscles, and rode him then, fast and with the abandon her heart told her they both needed right now. This was their forgetting the past, beginning anew, and forging a bond that would not be broken.
    Sinking herself onto him, then sliding off, over and over, she felt her own climax building, heating her from within.
    Dax palmed her breasts and tweaked her nipples, as always, sensing what she needed, what was happening inside her body. One of his hands pressed between their bodies, touching her clit gently, letting her adjust to the ecstasy of his touch.
    When she felt him stiffen under her hands, felt his shaft thicken inside her, then heard him moan his release, she let herself go. Pinpoints of light exploded behind her eyelids and her body worked faster, taking him deeper inside, rubbing her clit harder against his finger.
    With a cry she let herself fly, her mind flipping backward, around and around as she called his name, felt his hands on her hips guiding her, then slowing her movements and finally holding her still, his staff filling her completely as he pulsed against her quaking inner muscles.
    With a sigh, she came back into her body, muzzy and exhausted. He arranged her to lie on top of him and covered them both with the quilt. As he stroked her hair away from her face, Marilou rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat for long moments.
    His fingers twisted a lock of her hair. “You wanted to talk more, kitten?”
    “You know how chicks are. We always want to talk more.”
    He chuckled. “Go ahead, get it all out in the open.”
    She stacked her hands on his chest and set her chin on them, looking at his handsome face. “We have lots of time to talk about things we haven’t shared with each other, but I really want you to know that every minute I’ve spent with you has been exceptional.” She looked at the ceiling for a few seconds, searching for the words. “I’ve never felt so comfortable or safe with anyone the way I’ve felt with you.”
    He blinked a couple times. “Kitten, that means more to me than you could know. I’ve had a difficult time with relationships…” With a long breath, he shifted his pillow under his head so he could see her better. “That song I wanted to sell you? I wrote that eight years ago, after my sister was killed on the ranch when equipment malfunctioned.” He shivered and closed his eyes for a few seconds.
    Marilou could only imagine the horror, and her soul ached for him and his family.
    “My parents shut down, blaming themselves. They sold the ranch and moved us to town, living off the proceeds, locking themselves away from everyone. I was only eighteen, and I felt like I’d lost my whole family.”
    She could envision Dax, confused, grieving, not knowing what to do next.
    “I wrote the song then, pulled it out every year on the anniversary of Sarah’s death and rewrote it. The last time I did…” He set his hands on her back. “I thought of you. I knew if anyone could make that song come to life, it would be you.”
    A fresh wave of tears filled her eyes but she held them back. “That’s the best compliment I’ve ever received.”
    “You are more than I’d ever hoped you’d be, and as perfect and flawed as I’d pictured you.”
    She smiled. “Somehow, that makes a lot of sense.”
    He brushed away a tear that escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek. “Marilou. We’ve got time to get to know each other, but still, I feel an urgency. I want to rush this thing.”
    She pulled a grimace. “Well, we don’t really have much time.”
    His brows dropped. “What do you mean?”
    “I’m booked on a flight back to Montana—Great Falls—tomorrow morning. Beth and Joe are driving the bus to the casino today, and they’re going to