Page 14 of Playing Dirty (Millionaire Cowboys of Lucky Ranch #2)

Chapter Fourteen

The First Time Again

Callie

R hett’s kiss didn’t fade so much as sink into me, like he meant to leave it there for later. My pulse hammered, matching the weight of his hands where they framed my jaw, his thumb sweeping along my cheek like he’d been waiting years to do it.

And maybe we both had.

Somewhere in the middle of it, an old memory slid in uninvited. A ballgame night, years ago. I’d been shivering under the stadium lights, the kind of cold that sank all the way to your bones.

Rhett had sat beside me, tugged me against him without asking, his jacket opening just enough to wrap me up in his heat. He’d looked down at me, eyes darker than they had any right to be under those lights, and leaned in like the game wasn’t even happening anymore.

Then I’d done the stupidest thing imaginable.

I pulled back from the one person who mattered, convincing myself I wanted someone else instead.

I had clung to that lie just long enough to give away the one thing I should’ve saved—my first time.

And I handed it to a boy who didn’t care enough to stay, who disappeared before the first snowfall of winter, leaving me with nothing but regret and the echo of my own foolishness.

Now, with Rhett’s mouth on mine and his hand sliding to the back of my neck, the regret hit like a punch.

“You’re thinking too hard,” he murmured, pulling back just enough to search my face. “What is it?”

I swallowed, heat flooding my cheeks. “That night at the football game. I should’ve let you kiss me.”

His mouth curved, slow and dangerous. “Guess you’ll just have to make it up to me now.”

His hands moved lower, skimming over my waist, drawing me closer until my knees brushed his. My breath caught, my body answering before my mind could even think about stopping it.

And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t want to stop anything.

Rhett’s smile lingered like he already knew where this was headed. He kissed me again, slower this time, but with a kind of certainty that told me he wasn’t in any hurry. “Stay there,” he said, voice low enough to almost disappear under the sound of my pulse.

I watched him kick off his boots, strip out of his shirt in one easy move, then his jeans, without ceremony.

By the time he was bare, I’d forgotten how to blink.

I’d seen Rhett shirtless before—summertime at the lake, fixing fences in the heat—but not like this.

Not with every inch of him in the soft light spilling from the kitchen, nothing between me and all of him except air, I suddenly couldn’t get enough of.

His body was a masterpiece of rugged masculinity, from the defined muscles of his chest to the happy trail of dark hair that led downward to his swollen cock. It was a sight both intimidating and mesmerizing, a testament to his raw, untamed energy.

He crossed the room and crouched by the fireplace. A soft click of the switch, and the gas logs caught with a low whoosh. Flames curled around the ceramic wood, sending waves of heat across the room that found me where I sat. I should’ve been embarrassed for staring, but I wasn’t.

His body moved with the same easy confidence it always had, like he’d been carved out of work and weather, and knowing exactly who he was. I let my gaze roam, unhurried, memorizing every line and angle before I even thought about standing.

When I did, I took my time.

I slid out of my white work blouse, slowly and deliberately unbuttoning it.

My pants and bra followed in a heap on the floor.

His eyes tracked every movement, and that alone was almost as intoxicating as the wine still warming my veins.

I let my hands drift up my stomach to my breasts, watching his expression darken as my fingers traced slow circles.

When I pinched my nipples between my fingers, the groan that escaped me wasn't planned, but the way his jaw clenched made it worth it. By the time I was down to nothing, the fire was crackling, and Rhett was still watching me like I was the only thing worth looking at.

I crossed the room toward him, the fire casting shadows over the rug, warming the air between us. My skin prickled from more than the heat—there was something about being completely bare under his gaze that made me feel both powerful and completely undone.

When I reached Rhett, his body brushed mine, making my knees feel unreliable. He didn’t touch me with his hands at first—just looked at me like he was letting years of wanting settle into place.

I tilted my chin up. “You want to know something?”

His mouth curved, though he didn’t answer right away. “Always.”

“I’ve thought about this before,” I admitted, voice low, heat rising to my face even though I didn’t look away. “About you. Your hands. Where they’d be.”

His eyes darkened, and I felt my pulse race harder.

“I… imagined,” I went on, the words tumbling out now that I’d started. “What it would feel like with you touching me. But—” I swallowed, pressing my lips together for a second before I finished. “It’s never even come close to what I know it would feel like to actually have you inside me.”

For a beat, he just stared, like he was committing every word to memory. Then he leaned down, his breath hot against my ear.

“You’ll have to wait for that,” he murmured.

I pulled back just enough to meet his eyes. “Wait?”

He smiled as his hands settled on my hips. “Because I’ve been wanting to know how you taste since before I even knew what to do about it. And tonight, I’m starting there.”

My breath caught. “Rhett?—”

“Shh,” he said, taking my hand.

Rhett guided me down until my back met the rug in front of the fire.

The warmth from the flames reached me in waves, chasing over my skin in time with the slow drag of his palms along my sides.

The texture of the rug pressed against me, grounding me even as my pulse tried to lift me right out of myself.

He knelt beside me, eyes roaming over every inch like he was mapping me out. Then he leaned in, kissing his way down the center of me, unhurried. The scruff of his jaw rasped against my skin, sending shivers chasing the heat he was building.

When his mouth finally found my most sensitive spot, I let out a sound that didn’t belong in polite company.

He worked me over like it was something he’d been waiting years to do—like there was nowhere else he’d rather be.

My hands slid into his hair, holding him to me, my hips moving without my permission.

“Rhett…” My voice broke on his name.

He pulled back just long enough to meet my gaze, his mouth glistening, eyes locked on mine. “Better than imagining it?”

“All the ways I thought it might feel?” I swallowed hard. “Not even close.”

His smile turned wicked, and then he was back on me, pushing me higher until I was gripping the rug, toes curling, heat rushing through me in a way no memory or toy had ever managed.

When I tugged him up to me, breathless, I knew exactly what I wanted next. And I wanted to give something back.

I pushed at his shoulders until he was on his knees, and then I wrapped my hand around him, feeling the solid weight of him for the first time.

His cock was thick and warm in my hand, and the first slide of my palm made his breath hitch. I couldn’t help but smile at that, the smallest rush of power flooding me as I leaned forward.

The first taste was… different from what I expected. Better. Salt and heat and something entirely him. I took my time, letting my lips glide down his length before drawing back again, teasing, curious.

“You have no idea,” he muttered, voice rough, “how long I’ve wanted to feel this.”

I hummed in response, the sound making him groan.

Uninvited, my mind flickered to the drawer back home that held my little toy friend and how it had never once made me feel this satisfied. That silicone substitute had nothing on the real thing.

His fingers brushed my cheek, then slid into my hair, guiding me without forcing. I gave him what I knew he wanted, the rhythm steady until his breathing turned shallow.

Then he pulled back, cupping my face in his hands.

“Callie,” he said, eyes locked on mine, “we good?”

I blinked, still catching my breath. “Good?”

He smirked, a flash of humor cutting through the heat. “No surprises in nine months, right?”

The laugh burst out of me before I could stop it. “We’re good to go, cowboy.”

“Perfect,” he said, his smile turning downright sinful. “Because I’m not done with you yet.”

Rhett stood, pulling me up with him like I weighed nothing. His hand stayed firm at the small of my back as we crossed the room, the firelight trailing over our skin. He didn’t bother turning on the bedroom lights—just let the glow from the hall and the faint flicker of the fireplace follow us in.

His bed was massive, the kind you could get lost in. The cool sheets met my overheated skin as he lowered me onto them, his mouth already finding mine again. The kiss was deeper now, tasting of everything we’d just done and everything we were about to.

“Been wanting this,” he murmured against my lips, “since before you knew you wanted me.”

I would’ve teased him for the arrogance if it weren’t true.

His hands skimmed down my sides, palms rough in a way that made me shiver. Then he was inside me, slow at first, letting me adjust, letting me feel every inch. My breath caught, and he stilled, searching my face.

“Okay?” he asked quietly.

“Better than okay,” I breathed.

He moved then, the rhythm building until it was all I could do to hold onto him. Every thrust, every kiss, every whispered word blurred together into something that felt bigger than either of us. It was heat and need and years of unspoken what-ifs finally breaking loose.

When the release came, it was sharp and sweet, pulling a cry from my throat. He followed with a groan, collapsing beside me but pulling me with him so I was sprawled across his chest.

We lay there tangled, skin damp, hearts still racing. My head rose and fell with his breathing, and for a long moment neither of us spoke.

I didn’t know if this changed everything or just set the course we’d already been on. All I knew was I didn’t want to sleep alone tonight.

I closed my eyes, smiling into the quiet. “The first time again,” I murmured, unsure if he even heard me.

His arm tightened around me. “Best damn first time I’ve ever had.”

And just like that, I fell asleep in Rhett’s arms, warm, wanted, and exactly where I was meant to be.