A Cowboy's Muse Read online

  Yes.

  She brought her lips up to his and gently kissed him. “Teach me.”

  His lips left hers long enough to chuckle. “You mean you don’t know what you’re doing, goddess?”

  She felt a twinge of embarrassment, but ignored it. It shouldn’t matter that she hadn’t been with a mortal man before. “I said, teach me.” This time, she grasped his neck and held on tight, kissing him with all her pent up arousal. He groaned and picked her up so her legs straddled him. As she wrapped her legs around his back, her pussy made direct contact with the roughness of his trousers and she hissed in a breath.

  “Clio?”

  “I hope the rest of you is just as hard,” she whispered against his lips.

  He chuckled again and turned toward the bed. “You’re gonna be the reason I lose my mind, woman.”

  Woman.

  Clio was a woman for the time being and her body knew it well. It pulsed for her man.

  Her man.

  Ace was hers for now. She wasn’t sure if she hoped he would be hers forever, that was for another time.

  Just feel.

  Ace’s hand cupped her ass and squeezed, his fingers dipped lower to caress between the cheeks. She shivered as her body clenched.

  “Like that, do you?” he asked.

  One moment she was wrapped around him, the next, she was flat on her back with her legs spread wide and Ace was pulling off her new nightdress.

  “We sure as hell don’t need this piece of fluff,” he mumbled as he tossed it away. Then his hands started traveling up her legs and she closed her eyes. The roughness of his calluses against the tender skin of her inner thighs was incredible. Her thighs spread wider of their own volition. When his fingers fluttered against her pussy, she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

  “Ah, God, you’re already wet,” he said as his fingers started slowly rubbing circles around her clit. She never expected the rush of pleasure at a simple touch.

  One finger slid into her wetness and she clenched around it, her body hungry for more. She opened her eyes long enough to look at Ace’s face. He was half in the shadows, half in the silver light of the moon. He looked like a god. His eyes were dark but when they flickered up to hers, she saw the heat in his gaze and felt it caress her. The heat traveled through her and she shivered.

  “I need to taste you.”

  Before she could respond, his mouth was on her. Long, wet strokes from top to bottom. She almost leapt off the bed. Never had anything felt so incredible. His tongue was rough, but soft. As he slowly fucked her with two fingers, his tongue lapped at her, skimming around her clit, then nibbling on it. She moaned, then clapped a hand over her mouth to stop it from escaping. No need to bring the entire house in here.

  He chuckled and she felt his hot breath on her throbbing pussy. “Good girl.”

  Ace continued his feast and surprisingly, his thumb was now in her other hole, keeping rhythm with his fingers. Faster and faster he moved, as his mouth and tongue seemed to be double-jointed, seemingly everywhere at the same time. Sensations battered her like waves in the ocean that peaked and washed over her so suddenly she spasmed and dug her heels into the bed. Ace held on and continued to suckle and move his fingers until the bucking subsided. With one last small bite, he looked up at her.

  Clio smiled and he stood. He brought his fingers up to his mouth and licked them slowly. Her body responded like a bitch in heat, again heating up and aching for his touch. It was as if she hadn’t just reached an orgasm.

  “Like honey you are. Sweet and hot.” he whispered.

  “Take off your clothes.”

  He smiled, his teeth a slash in the darkness. “We’re back to being a goddess, eh? Okay, your highness, off come my clothes.”

  Within moments, he was nude. Wonderfully, incredibly, deliciously nude. His body wasn’t perfect. There were numerous scars, some small, some large, some that made her eyes tear up. His chest was lightly covered with brown hair as were his strong, muscular legs. His shoulders were wide and strong. What really drew her attention was his cock. Nestled in a bed of dark brown hair, it stood straight and thick, and like an arrow pointed at her. Without giving herself a chance to think about it, she scooted over to the side of the bed and took hold of him.

  Ace hissed at the contact. “Let’s see what you’ve got, little girl.”

  Clio’s hand stroked him up and down, the softness of the skin and the hardness of the shaft a delightful combination. Her hands cupped his sac, the furry balls wonderful in the palm of her hand. As she rubbed and caressed them, her tongue snaked out to lick the head. He jerked and she almost lost her grip. Who knew a dick could be so strong?

  Her mouth closed over him and he sighed long and hard. She grinned inwardly and let her instincts take over. Her mouth played around the head and pulled the skin down so she could gently lap at the underside. She felt daring and tried to put the whole of him in her mouth. He jerked again and pulled her up by her hair.

  “Ouch!” she cried, slapping at his hand.

  “No more. You’re gonna make me come in your mouth.”

  “Let go and let me play,” she demanded.

  “No, let’s do it together.” He pushed her back onto the bed and covered her body with his. “I’m sorry about your hair Clio. Lord knows I love it, and the sight of it practically wrapped around me almost made me come in two seconds. I want this first time to be perfect. I don’t want it to be over too quick like I’m a goddamn greenhorn.”

  She understood. “Don’t ever do that again, Ace.”

  He cocked his head and looked at her in the gloom. “I won’t. I promise.”

  She nodded and pushed until he was on his back and she was straddling him, a position she had heard details about from her sister Erato.

  “Now I’m going to ride you cowboy.”

  Ace grinned and reached up to pluck at her erect nipples. “I am your man.”

  Clio grinned back and positioned herself above his throbbing shaft. As the head of it slowly slid into her, she closed her eyes and let the sensation echo through her. She stretched until the fullness nearly overcame her. The pleasure was incredible, more than she’d ever had with an immortal man, much more.

  “Jesus,” he croaked. “You feel like heaven.”

  Heaven.

  Yes, that was exactly it. It felt like heaven. Clio slid down until he was fully embedded inside her before she took a breath. She felt whole, complete. Alive.

  She started moving up and down, setting a slow rhythm that he followed easily. He pulled her forward so her breasts were near his mouth and he captured one. His tongue swirled wetly around the sensitized nubs before he began to suckle. She heeded the urge to move faster.

  “Oh, yeah, little girl, ride me.” He bit her nipple almost to the point of pain and she felt an answering twinge deep inside her. She started slamming into him as pleasure screamed inside her.

  Faster. Harder.

  “Come for me Clio, come for me,” he chanted as his thumb flicked her clit in tune with their mating.

  She tried to hold the scream in, but some of it escaped as a powerful explosion rocked her so hard she was blind for a moment. The cascading pleasure rippled through her as she clenched around him, pulsing and throbbing so hard, she was afraid she’d hurt him. With an answering moan, he thrust into her so deeply, he touched her soul.

  Clio collapsed on top of him, a boneless bag of satiated female.

  “Holy shit.”

  She wasn’t quite sure what it meant, but she agreed with it. Holy shit.

  Chapter Six

  Ace walked into Maybelle’s living room and his jaw dropped. Sitting on the blue threadbare sofa with brown stripes was Clio and on either side of her were men. In front of her on the floor on one knee, more men. By the window with expressions that made Ace want to beat them senseless, even more men.

  There were six men in the room, all ogling, staring at, pawing and flirting with Clio!
/>   My woman. My goddess.

  Some unused instinct buried deep inside his soul howled and clawed its way up out of the darkness. As he watched in disbelief, Clio laughed and touched, touched, the hand of the man to her left.

  The man who would soon only have one hand.

  “What in the hell is going on in here?” he thundered.

  Seven pairs of eyes turned to him. Six of them were surprised, angry, or plain scared shitless. Clio’s eyes could only be described as excited.

  Son of a bitch.

  He couldn’t tell if she was excited to be surrounded by moronic suitors, or that he came in like a jealous husband. Hell, he hadn’t ever expected to feel the gnawing beast called jealousy, but there it was, taking a huge bite out of his ass.

  “Sheriff Nevada,” she said properly, as if his cock hadn’t been buried inside her twelve hours earlier. “Is something wrong?”

  “Damn right, there’s something wrong. Maybelle would never—”

  “I would never what?” Maybelle asked from behind him as she walked in with a tray full of lemonade.

  “What are you doing, Maybelle? Letting these hounds in here to sniff at Clio!”

  She frowned and set the tray on the chipped table beside the sofa. “These young men all came by to pay their respects to Miss Clio and I was chaperoning. There was no sniffing going on.”

  “Aw, that’s a load of shit!”

  Maybelle pushed him toward the door. “Get out of here, Ace. You are being rude and I won’t have that in my house. Come back when you’re not so ornery. And for pity’s sake, don’t get drunk.”

  The door actually hit him on the ass when she slammed it closed behind him. Ace couldn’t decide if he was more angry or shocked.

  *****

  After Ace left, Clio glanced at Maybelle and she shook her head. She had wanted to send the first man on his way but instead found herself being polite, then suddenly there were six of them. They all flattered, flirted, and made her feel like a goddess. After the way Ace abruptly left her bed the night before without one sweet word to her after their mating, she needed to feel better about herself.

  When Ace walked in and shouted at her, she had some momentary doubts. Maybe she should have sent the men on their way immediately. But Maybelle had encouraged her to talk to them since, as she put it, she needed a man to get by in the world. Clio didn’t want to be rude to anyone, especially Maybelle, but she didn’t think she needed a man to get by. Having Ace as her mortal lover was absolutely the best thing she had ever done, but it wasn’t as if he would be hers forever.

  Would he? She wasn’t sure it was possible to take a mortal as her mate. It had been rumored, but she had never actually met any goddess or god who had a mortal mate.

  Except for her father. Zeus had mated with Heracles’ mother, but like her own mother, Mnemosyne, he did not stay with her. It did not bode well for mortals.

  Clio tried to pay attention to the men around her, but the playful mood had been ruined by Ace’s untimely arrival. Maybelle shooed them all out the door. The last to leave was a young cowboy named Cody Rowe. He was blond with blue eyes, and had an easy, wide smile that immediately engendered him to Clio. A ranch hand at one of the local cattle ranches, he heard about her arrival down at the saloon and hightailed it over to say howdy, or so he said. His trousers were neatly pressed, his blue shirt was clean and buttoned properly, and his yellow neckerchief was new.

  “Miss Clio,” he asked with his hat in his hands. “If I may be so bold to ask, could I take you for a buggy ride?”

  His voice cracked a bit and he looked like he would rather chew glass, but Cody asked nonetheless.

  She heard herself say, “That would be lovely, Cody,” then wanted to bite her tongue for agreeing.

  His entire face lit up like a ray of sunshine. “I’ll come by Saturday morning around ten, if that’s a good time for you.”

  Maybelle ushered him toward the door. “Ten is just fine, Cody Rowe. Now get your behind out of here before I change my mind about liking you.”

  Clio sat quietly in the living room and tried to regain her composure. She saw Eunice standing by the door. She was standing in a spot of sunshine that put golden highlights in her normally brown hair, making it sparkle. Cody was just walking out the door when he looked back and saw Eunice.

  That moment was charged and goose bumps rose on Clio’s arms. It was as if no one else in the world existed for them. Maybelle raised her eyebrows at Clio.

  “Get going now.” She gave the young man a little shove on his shoulder. Clio thought she actually heard Cody swallow. When the door closed behind him, Eunice seemed to come out of her trance with a shake of her head.

  Clio stood and walked over to Eunice, tucking her arm in the other girl’s elbow.

  “Eunice, have you met Cody Rowe before?”

  “Is that his name?”

  “Yes. He’s a very nice young man. I noticed you…noticed him.”

  Eunice blushed and Clio’s grin grew wider.

  “I…I did.”

  “That’s wonderful. He noticed you too.” She walked Eunice into the parlor and sat down. “He asked to take me on a buggy ride, but I think perhaps he’d rather go for a ride with you.”

  “Oh, I don’t think he’d want to escort me around, Clio. I’m a spinster and besides, I’m not even pretty.” Eunice’s pained expression almost made Clio grind her teeth. It was likely Peony’s doing. Who knew someone named after a flower could be so dark?

  “You are very pretty, Eunice. Don’t ever doubt yourself. No one can make you feel badly about yourself except you. Cody surely did think you were pretty. He almost fell on his head leaving the house because he was staring at you.”

  Eunice’s eyes widened. “Really?”

  “Absolutely. Let’s see what we can do about that buggy ride.”

  *****

  “Watch that beef stew, Clio. I’ll be back in a few shakes,” Maybelle said before she dashed out of the kitchen as fast as her small legs could carry her.

  Clio wondered what was happening, but grabbed the spoon and stirred the bubbling beef stew on the big, black cook stove. The potatoes danced merrily in the brown liquid and the scent teased her nose. Everything she’d experienced as a mortal, including food, was sweeter, spicier, more intense than anything she’d ever had before.

  One moment she was contemplating how delicious the stew would taste, the next she was pressed up against the wall with a very hard male body pressed against her.

  “What did you think you were doing?” Ace hissed into her ear.

  “Let me go.” It was like trying to move a boulder as she pushed against him.

  “I was in your bed and between your thighs last night, and today you had your hands on other men.”

  He ground his cock against her as it grew long. She couldn’t stop herself from responding and pushing her softness into his hardness. Her nipples pebbled and skittered against her new chemise. She was immediately damp between her thighs. It was amazing how quickly her body remembered his, like a dream she fell right back into.

  “Let me go,” she repeated. “Maybelle is going to be right back.”

  His hands grasped her wrists and held them above her head.

  “You’re mine, Clio. No other man is getting to touch all of you while I am. You are branded, do you hear me?”

  He bit her neck then licked it, and kissed it roughly.

  “You wear my brand, like there’s an A on you for the world to see.”

  That’s when she got angry—real angry. “Haven’t you ever heard of the Scarlet Letter? How dare you compare me to an adulteress like Hester Prynne as if I should be proud of it?”

  “The Scarlet what?”

  Clio kicked him in the shin and he let her wrists go. She twisted and pinched him under his arm, a trick that always worked with her big sisters.

  “Ouch! Shit! What the hell are you doing?”

  She kicked the other shin and stomped on his foot. He
fell backwards and landed on his perfectly-formed behind.

  A surge of power rushed through her. The power of choice. Of being a woman. “Next time you want to talk to me, don’t treat me like that. I deserve respect and care. You had one mistake coming. That was it.”

  She turned and went back to the stove. Maybelle came back in the kitchen and chortled when she saw Ace on the floor.

  “Put ya in your place, did she? I knew I liked you, Clio.”

  Clio smiled and continued to stir the beef stew so he couldn’t see her face. She didn’t want to humiliate him any further than she already had.

  “Get up off the floor Ace and go get washed up for supper.”

  She heard his boots scrape the wooden floor as he stood. She wanted to turn around and kiss him, but remained steadfast. She had to be strong against her body’s wishes. If Ace was to be her mate, he had to respect her.

  “Yep, I’ll go right on up and wash, Maybelle. You tell that hellcat you’re fluttering around like a mother hen that she needs a pair of shoes that aren’t pointy.”

  It sounded like he was limping when he left the kitchen. She felt a smidge of remorse over the bruises she had likely inflicted with her new shoes. The feeling passed quickly.

  “What did you do to him?” Maybelle bustled around the kitchen getting the rest of the ingredients for supper.

  “I kicked him in the shins, trod on his toes and twisted his armpit.”

  Maybelle burst out laughing, great big guffaws that made her entire body jiggle with mirth. She pointed at Clio and laughed so hard, Clio was afraid she was going to hurt herself.

  “Oh, geez…” Maybelle said through her laughter. “I…ain’t…never…seen Ace…on his ass a’fore.”

  She hugged Clio and took a deep breath after she got her laughing under control. “You’re good for him. Underneath that gruff exterior is a good man. You just gotta scrape off the whiskers and dirt.”

  Clio felt a warm spot in her heart at Maybelle’s words. Her choice of mate seemed to be the right one.

  *****

  Ace kept throwing black looks at her under his brows during dinner. Clio pretended not to notice. After all, she had already told him what she thought. It was up to him whether or not he respected her wishes. She was determined to use her head and her heart to choose a mate, not just her body.