by Vivian Arend
She paused again, deliberately this time. He’d asked her to trust him in so many ways; this was a huge area where she would also demand trust. She deserved it. Deserved to be able to say what she wanted.
“I want exclusivity. I want time to get to know what we like. I don’t want a checklist or round-the-bases momentum. I want what feels good for both of us.”
Before he could move, she did. Pushing against his chest so he was flat on his back on her bed. One more adjustment, and she was straddling him, hips resting over his solid thighs.
The heat in his eyes flashed brighter.
Yvette ran her fingers up the placket of his shirt. “You didn’t specify where I was allowed to kiss. You want to?”
“Anywhere. Everywhere.” The words came out one step above a growl.
She slipped his first button. His second. Leaning forward as she continued to undo his shirt. She pushed aside the layers of fabric to expose his firm chest with the faint trace of dark hair.
His chest rose and fell with his rapid breaths.
She placed her hands on him. Heat scalded her palms. Using him as a base, she leveraged up high enough to be able to meet his gaze straight on for a split second before dropping her eyes to his lips. Kissing their strong surface. Moving to his chin and down his neck. The taste of him stealing in as she briefly stroked her tongue against his skin. The scent of clean soap and masculine musk filled her senses.
She kissed her way down his body, stopping inches above his belly button. The ridges of his abdomen were like rocks, and she traced them with her fingers before following with her mouth.
The sounds escaping him made her entire body tense. The thick length of his erection was clearly visible under his jeans as she slid between his legs.
A second later, she blinked in shock as her deck of cards appeared in front of her, right there on top of his belly. He curled up far enough, she scrambled to grab them before they flew everywhere.
“Deal your cards,” he growled, slapping his on the bed beside them. A five. Which she easily beat with the ten she flipped over.
Her second card was a three, and she figured they were going to need to go to a third to break the tie when he slapped a deuce on top of it. “You win,” he declared.
An instant later she was lying on her back with him perched over her. Thighs nestled between hers, his heavy weight sealing their lower torsos together.
He braced his elbows on either side of her head. “What’s your question?”
She had to think of something to ask him? Good grief, how was she expected to think right now?
“Later. Kiss me,” she demanded.
His grin flared as he tossed her earlier words back at him. “You never specified where I’m allowed to kiss you.”
“Anywhere. Everywhere,” she begged.
“Good answer.”
He took her lips. Nothing controlled or contained, especially not with the weight of him resting so perfectly over her. When he stroked his tongue against her lips, she opened with a moan, tangling her fingers in his hair to keep him right there. He slid his tongue languidly in and out, rolling his hips at the same time, the same speed. Teasing his hardness against her sensitive core.
He broke away, caught hold of the bottom of her T-shirt, and peeled it off her body. Then the kisses resumed. A series along her collarbone, a teasing nip along the edge of her bra. He cupped one hand over her breast then circled his cheek against her other nipple. The tight tip tingled with every brush of his five o’clock scruff.
Yvette closed her eyes and let the warmth of his mouth going down her body ignite every nerve. Every wonderful bit in her that knew there was nothing wrong in this moment. She didn’t want for anything, except more of what he was giving.
When he finally undid the button on her jeans, dragging down the zipper so slowly, each tooth that released rasped in her ears like a gunshot, she took an unsteady breath in.
He caught both her jeans and panties at the same time and stripped them away.
It took every bit of courage to keep her lips pressed together. To not say something like oh, you don’t have to do that. To say it was her turn to give to him.
A needy groan escaped him, and she adjusted up onto her elbows to take in the scene. To truly appreciate the sight of the handsome man between her thighs, staring at her sex with hunger written all over him.
He shook his head. “I have wanted this for so long.”
Still watching, which Yvette wasn’t sure if that made the anticipation better or worse, she felt a quiver ripple over her skin. He moved so slowly, inching his way toward where she needed him most.
He trailed his fingers from her belly button to the top of her mound, cupping her firmly before sliding his fingers into her curls and opening her.
With a deep breath, he leaned in and kissed her. One perfect, gentle kiss.
Then he turned ravenous, his tongue conquering, fingers taking. His free arm pinned her to the bed as he licked and sucked, pumping his fingers into her sex and driving her wild with need.
It was wild and fast, and it was perfect.
If she’d had to describe what she wanted, this wouldn’t have been it, but now that he was here, doing what he wanted, giving to her, nothing else could’ve been better.
“God, you taste good.” He stroked his fingers inside her again then renewed his assault on her clit.
Yvette’s knees fell apart, and she buried her fingers in his hair, hips undulating against him as heat rose. As she reached inside for release.
He gave it to her. Just the right tease, just the right pressure. When he closed his lips over her clit and sucked in time with the pulse of his fingers, she nearly flew off the bed. “Alex.”
Without pausing his hand, he lifted and came down against her side. Hips rocking hard, his cock an iron brand against her thigh as he stole her breath with a wicked kiss. His touch demanded she accept every last pulse of the orgasm controlling her core.
It took a while to come back down, especially with his lips on hers. He eased his fingers out slowly, pausing to tease. To nip at her bottom lip. To stroke his thumb over her clit.
Every single action caused her body to roll with lingering pleasure.
She slid her fingers through his hair. His pleased grin was visible for a second before he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Told you I’d win.”
Yvette fluttered her lashes at him. “We’re not done yet.”
His lips twitched, then he coughed. “We most definitely are.”
Wait. What?
She reached down, but before she made contact with his abdomen, he caught her wrists and pinned them to the bed beside her body. A subtle change in his expression caught her attention and…
“Are you blushing?”
His grin widened, but his cheeks were most definitely rosier than before. “You make the most delicious noises when you come, Yvette Wright. Way to knock me off my game.”
Shock and something that felt a little like pride snuck in. To learn he’d been so turned on by their fooling around that he came just rubbing on her sent heat rushing all over again.
Still, she wasn’t sure what was appropriate at a moment like this. “If you’re saying what I think you’re saying, do I apologize or congratulate you?”
“Life happens. Just don’t laugh.” He rolled back to the mattress, his expression sheepish. “Although maybe we should laugh together. Holy hell, woman. I haven’t lost control like that in… Well, I don’t remember when.”
“I’m sure blocking that sort of memory is a good, healthy choice that all guys do on a regular basis.”
This time, Alex snickered. “You’re probably right. Though it’s not really a topic of conversation with my friends. At least not since we got out of grade school.”
“Go on,” Yvette teased. “I’m pretty sure that dirty talk about everything from sex to masturbation gets airtime during your firefighting shifts.”
“True. But you think any of us want to confess we’ve got the staying power of a teenager?” He kissed her again. Slow and deep and wet and delicious. Pulling his lips from hers barely far enough so that when he spoke, warm air teased past her cheek. “I’m happy. That’s enough for now. Let me hold you for a bit.”
She curled her arms around him. Not trying to push them farther or faster, but enjoying the deep connection between them, right then, right there.
Alex pressed one final kiss to the tip of her nose then tucked her head under his chin. Yvette breathed out a happy sigh. Warm, sated.
Amusement still tickled inside her at his awkward condition, but even that was right. The level of trust that made it possible to simply soak in this moment and deal with life happens later—it was powerful.
She leaned harder into his embrace and enjoyed the giddy sensations spilling through her soul.
10
Daydreaming, Yvette all but floated her way out onto the porch with her day-fourteen key, ready to find out what sweet thing Alex had put in today’s drawer to make her smile.
Today made two weeks, and Yvette wondered at how much things had changed.
Oh, she still understood why past Alex had gotten on her nerves. But he’d changed, a lot, since those days. While he still managed to say things that got her back up, it was usually because she’d planned on being offended in the first place. She had her hot buttons, that much was clear.
But now she was trying to change as well.
She glanced again at the key chain, this one a tiny candle. Both the key chain and the key were delicate, and she thought she knew which cubbyhole on the dresser it would open. One of the ones hidden behind the writer’s desk rolltop.
Even though she was sure, she hadn’t even looked for the drawer until now. Not even tempted to be honest. The waiting time was turning out to be a delicious sort of anticipation. Something she’d never known she would like so very much.
Kind of how taking things forward sexually had been delayed, and even though they were still not all the way there, one step at a time was working out perfectly. Eventually, they’d have sex. Wicked, wild, dirty, hot…
Maybe because she was distracted by sex thoughts, she shoved the rolltop up a little too quickly. The key chain slipped from her hand, skidding across the smooth wooden surface of the desk.
Yvette watched, horrified, as the key and key chain vanished from sight, slipping down a narrow crack between the desktop and the side panel.
The string of curses escaping her lips were both loud and inventive but far too heartfelt to be admired. “What have I done?”
She banged on the side of the chest, peering down the crack then flopping onto the ground to see if by some miracle the board was warped all the way from top to bottom and the key had fallen through. No such luck.
She hurried into the house and grabbed a hammer and screwdriver, not even sure at that point what she was going to do. If she couldn’t find the key, everything was at a standstill. All of Alex’s hard work, ruined.
Even with the flashlight, and carefully feeding a bent coat hanger into the crack, she came up empty.
Yvette examined the side closer then tugged the bureau forward. Relief swept in. The back was held on by a series of screws. If she took it off, she might be able to loosen the side panel enough to release her key. She went to work, carefully putting each screw in a bowl.
She was halfway down when the chest creaked, the sound of wood sliding on wood. Excited, she put a hand on the back and on the side and carefully tugged—
Something metallic clattered to the porch, landing with a distinctive ping.
She crawled out from her awkward position, got on her knees, sweeping a hand underneath and dragging forward—
Oh my God.
She blinked, but it didn’t change anything. On the ground before her was the key chain she’d been looking for. But something else sparkled up at her. Her heart raced, and her mouth went dry as she picked it up.
It was a ring. Silver, or maybe white gold, with two little diamond chips on either side of a pink stone. It was pretty, it was perfect. It appealed to every bit of her magpie, trinket-loving soul.
But oh my God. It was a ring.
What the hell?
Yes, she’d committed to this crazy dating thing, and so far, it was going okay.
Liar. It was going spectacularly.
But a ring? That was presumptuous. Preposterous. No way. What was Alex thinking?
I could easily fall in love with you.
He’d admitted as much right off the bat. And when people were in love, they did things like get married.
Nope. Her mind could not handle this. It was way beyond comprehension.
She collapsed into one of the chairs beside the bureau and sat in utter confusion.
What did she do now?
“I really think it’s the best plan.” Tucker Stewart paced forward at his usual breakneck speed. The one that made Alex move double time to keep up.
“I agree. No need to keep extra stock if we’re not going to use them. But there’s plenty of room for the kids to take over that part of the care. Chores do a person good.” Alex snickered. “Dear God, I should get you to record me saying that so I can send it to my dad. He’ll get a good laugh out of it.”
The other man grinned. “Always a jolt to the system when I hear my uncle’s words coming out of my mouth. As long as it’s the good stuff, it’s not so bad. Hate it when it’s the stuff that drove me crazy because he was wrong.”
“That would be too nice. We both know it doesn’t work that way,” Alex drawled. “Holy hell.”
They both jerked to a stop. They’d rounded the corner outside the barn and ran smack into a herd of goats. Not a trio of goats, aka the hellions that actually belong to Silver Stone ranch. No, these were most definitely brand-new beasts and rather put out with being tied in place. The old billy shook his head menacingly, while the dam bleated, loud and long. The pair of kids at her heels took up the cry, and it was one step short of bedlam, especially when the goats at the other end of the yard joined in the chorus.
“Christ, is this like socks multiplying in the dryer?” Tucker glanced around. “How did they get here?”
No one in the yard could answer that question. There were no trucks around that weren’t supposed to be there, either.
Alex did the next thing. He clicked his tongue, moving closer to the animals. “Well, they can’t stay here. You want me to put them in with the pets or stick them in a separate pen while we ask around?”
Tucker joined him, soothing the beasts. Taking a quick look at their eyes and in their mouths. “They look fit enough, but until we get a clean bill of health, we’re not putting them in with our animals. Use the pen across from Eeny, Meany, and Miney. Once these new ones are checked by the vet, we’ll decide what to do with them.”
Alex untied the ropes and guided the mini herd to their new pen, gears turning in his head. He could’ve sworn he’d seen these animals recently. Of course, it wasn’t until he penned them up that he realized where that was.
Creighton Reiner’s.
Alex didn’t want to say anything until he was certain, which meant at the end of his workday, he found himself taking the strange road up to the old man’s ranch.
The entire way there, he had a whole new set of questions buzzing in his brain. Like why the hell the man had built his road this direction? Straight as an arrow, true. But it certainly wasn’t the shortest access route from Heart Falls.
In the yard at Reiner’s, Alex stopped and listened hard. Smoke rose from the chimney, but the man’s beat-up old truck was nowhere to be seen.
On the off chance there was another reason for the missing truck, Alex decided to explore anyway. The dogs came to greet him as usual, the pack of them jumping and barking and altogether excited in the typical way of farm dogs.
Alex tossed them treats then walked with an escort up to the cabin. Banging loudly, he gave a
shout. “Creighton. You’ve got a visitor.”
No one answered. A quick peek inside proved the cabin was empty. It only took ten minutes to walk through the small outbuildings, with no sign of the owner.
Also, no sign of the goats Alex had seen on his previous visit.
In fact, there were a whole lot of animals missing. The barn held only Creighton’s horse and a single milk cow, both old enough that they should’ve been retired years ago.
“What the hell are you up to, old man?” Alex muttered.
He took a final swing around the far side of the outbuildings. The farm was a little disorganized, but it had good bones. Creighton also had the biggest stock of firewood Alex had ever seen, and that part was meticulously lined up and layered to dry. He probably had the next two years’ supply prepared.
A stack of logs blocked the main trail, so Alex stepped into the nearby bushes to get around them.
He stopped in his tracks, distracted by a pile of newly disturbed dirt. A moment’s closer examination proved it was a newly dug grave. A simple board pounded into the softer earth with shaky handwriting on the cross piece that stated Hunter.
Well, damn. It seemed the old-timer’s beast hadn’t made it after all. Yvette was going to be disappointed, even though she knew it was the way of the world.
Alex said a final farewell to the enthusiastic trio still guarding the farm then made his way back to his truck and down the long road. Back toward his place at the bunkhouse. He’d track down Creighton another day.
He wasn’t about to share the bad news with Yvette tonight. Not when she had time with her girls to enjoy.
So he did what he’d always do in this circumstance. Headed for the fire hall. A chance to chat with good people, shoot the breeze, and get out of his own head.
A way to resist the urge to sneak into Yvette’s party, even if it were just to steal a kiss.
“There are strange things afoot in Heart Falls.” This pronouncement came from Tansy as she placed two pitchers on the table in front of Yvette. “Purple one is the sangria—thank you to Alex for the fixings—and the pink is lemonade, for those of you not imbibing.”
