The Bachelor Project

by Victoria Chancellor

  Ethan grinned as though she’d just given him a dare. He didn’t need any bump-and-grind music to rival a Chippendale dancer. With skill and speed, he eased off the mattress and opened his khaki shirt, pulling it wide to expose his smooth, broad chest. He made equally short work of the button and zipper of his jeans, then slowed as he pulled his shirt free.

  The night eased into slow motion as he revealed more and more flesh and muscle. He looked so good. Solid and strong. Confident and skilled. His shirt dropped to the floor. His jeans gaped open.

  Robin licked her lips. “To serve and protect, right?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “So I assume you have some protection?”

  He pulled some packets from his pocket and tossed them on the bed. “These seemed like a good idea when I left the house tonight.”

  “For me.”

  “For us,” he said, before dropping to the bed.

  She watched impatiently as he pulled off boots and socks, then stood again. With a wicked, hot smile, he peeled off his jeans and briefs in one motion.

  The dim light of the hall didn’t do him justice. At some future date, she’d like to explore all of him in great detail. At the moment, he was much too far away.

  She dropped back on the bed and opened her arms. He needed no further encouragement, and stretched out beside her. His warm, capable hands explored her through the thin bra and panties, then he showed he was as good at removing her underwear as he was at stripping off his own. While her heart beat wildly and she grew damp with desire, he pulled her against his hot, smooth flesh.

  “Ethan, this is so good,” she whispered.

  He kissed her lips, her neck, her breasts. He would have lingered, but she needed him now. With low murmurs and moans, she let him know she was ready. Still, he hesitated…until she ripped open a packet with her teeth and sheathed him with shaking hands.

  “Now,” she said, and he complied, entering her slowly so she felt fully, completely, claimed. And then he kissed her and began to move, and she was lost to a passion so sweet she nearly wept. Ethan was around her, inside her, and as stars burst behind her closed eyes, everything seemed right in her world for the first time ever.

  She knew where she belonged.

  SUNDAY FOLLOWED in a haze of passion and discovery. Robin put on enough clothes to run to the mailbox at the end of the driveway. The paper was delivered there, in a quaint metal cylinder marked Springs Gazette. She jogged back to the house, smiling in pure joy at the glorious day, the incredible night and the wonderful man waiting for her inside.

  At some time last night, he’d moved his Bronco around back so it couldn’t be viewed from the road. Ethan was responsible and thoughtful—two traits that made him special.

  He met her with a cup of fresh coffee and a kiss. Then she settled on the couch, with him on the floor by her, reading both the local paper and the Austin Statesman as the morning passed in a sunny blur. Occasionally, he would reach up to kiss her fingertips or stroke her leg, the gestures affectionate rather than blatantly sexual.

  And he fixed breakfast—with her limited help—as his eyes grew hooded and his secret smile told her he was ready for more than pancakes and sausage. He wanted her, and the knowledge filled her with an anticipation and excitement she’d never before experienced.

  They slept the afternoon away, until hunger forced them again from bed. Robin made sandwiches, and as they huddled together in the breakfast nook and shared potato chips, Robin told him more about her life in Houston. Her career. Why she loved making homes the places where people were happy and comfortable in their surroundings.

  She realized that she’d been creating places where others would feel like they belonged, just as she’d always wished she belonged in her parents’ lives, in their home. The realization brought tears to her eyes—happy tears, she told Ethan—and he kissed them away.

  The one issue they never discussed was the future, which was probably for the best. The weekend was magic, a honeymoon of sorts during which they satisfied the desire, yet never totally quenched the hunger. What that meant, Robin wasn’t sure. All she knew was that she wanted to repeat their time together again and again until she was sure of herself, of her feelings and of the future in his arms.

  ETHAN AWOKE to the sounds of squirrels chattering in the trees and a cardinal calling his mate. Mate. His arm tightened around the warm, trusting woman snuggled beside him. Robin slept on her side, her hand on his chest, as though she wanted to feel the beat of his heart all night long.

  If he lay here beside her much longer, his pulse would be racing and Robin wouldn’t get her much-needed rest. They’d kept each other up half the night, making love, then sneaking into the kitchen to eat ice cream from the container and giggling like children. There was nothing childish in what had followed, however. He grew hard as he remembered carrying her to bed again and making love to her slowly, sweetly, until they’d fallen into an exhausted sleep.

  He’d never had a wedding night or a honeymoon, but he couldn’t imagine a better one than the time he’d spent with Robin.

  Aching and aroused, he wanted to wake her and test the newfound passion, but the pale sunlight filtering through the sheer curtains on her window reminded him he’d better get to work.

  Besides, thinking about wedding nights and Robin together had a sobering effect. He needed to evaluate what had happened between them this weekend, and he knew he’d never be able to use his brain if he was naked in bed with her.

  And the citizens of Ranger Springs awaited. He had duties to perform, meetings to attend. He’d never taken his job as chief of police lightly. He loved this town and his position.

  Ethan turned to look at the woman beside him. And what did he feel for her? Was it true love, or something more fleeting? He’d suspected for over a week that she could steal his heart. Is that what had happened this weekend? He wasn’t sure how he could tell, but like any good cop, he had his suspicions.

  She’d claimed Saturday night that he was exciting. He’d believed her then, but in the light of day, he knew he needed to understand his feelings before acting on his desires. Robin also needed a little time, he imagined, to be certain of her feelings. He didn’t believe he’d been a substitute groom on what would have been her honeymoon, but she’d needed to be sure.

  Steeling himself to leave her, he eased back the sheet and slid to the side of the bed. She immediately stirred and grumbled in her sleep. Ethan smiled despite his confused state of emotions. Robin looked so adorably rumpled, with her tangled hair, pursed and kissable lips and tiny frown lines in her forehead. He’d love to come back to bed, just so she’d smile and go to sleep once more—but he couldn’t.

  He stood, noticing the air-conditioning hadn’t done a thing to reduce his desire for her. Perhaps he’d take a quick, cold shower before getting dressed.

  “Ethan?”

  Keeping his back to the bed, he bent down to retrieve his jeans and briefs. “Go back to sleep, sweetheart. I’ve got to get to work.”

  “Work?”

  He found his briefs and pulled them on. “You know—serve and protect. I’m on duty this morning.”

  He turned back to the bed once he had some clothes on. Robin’s eyes were still closed, but she had a dreamy smile on her face. Thinking of how he’d tried his best to serve and protect her all night long, no doubt.

  Yes, a cold shower was going to be necessary.

  “Will you come back later?”

  He thought of his schedule that day: meeting with the mayor over breakfast, reviewing applications for a new officer, visiting the day-care center that afternoon. Did he have anything planned later?

  “Why are you frowning?”

  Her eyes were open and she was looking at him in concern. “I was just thinking about my day.” He pulled on his jeans to put another layer of clothes between them, since Robin’s sheet had slipped below her wonderfully round, pink-tipped breasts. “I’ll call you later, and we can make plans,”
he said, knowing if he didn’t get out of here soon, he was going to miss that damn meeting—and maybe the rest of his day.

  “Everything’s okay?”

  He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Everything’s wonderful. I’ll call you later, okay?”

  She settled back into the pillows. “All right.”

  “I’m going to use your shower, then I’ll lock up on the way out, okay? You go back to sleep.”

  She nodded, already drifting off with a satisfied smile on her face.

  He’d truly exhausted her, he thought with a mixture of guilt and masculine pride. He’d always heard that sex could be a bit awkward at first. Maybe so, but making love…now, that wasn’t awkward at all with the right person.

  Chapter Fourteen

  So this was what making love was supposed to be, Robin thought as she awoke the second time that morning. She’d imagined, she’d hoped, but she’d never experienced anything so great. Ethan was an amazing man. An exciting man. Truly, genuinely gifted, she thought with a smile as she threw back the covers. The women who’d left him at the altar were idiots. If they’d known what they were missing, they’d make a beeline to his door this very instant.

  When her feet hit the carpet, a sobering thought intruded. What if they did know? One would assume Ethan had made love to them—at least the first, long-term fiancée in Dallas. Had their love-making been this spectacular? Damn, but she wanted to know if what she and Ethan had experienced last night was as extraordinary for him as it was for her.

  He sure had seemed to enjoy it, she thought, letting her mind drift lazily back to the moment when he’d joined her on this bed that first time. When he’d changed her entire perception of sex. When he’d shown her what love felt like.

  Love? Was she certain that’s what they were feeling? Or was she caught up in the moment? She couldn’t know until she saw him again. She couldn’t be sure until they made love once more.

  She slumped on the side of the mattress. Was that fair? She needed to get some perspective, just as she’d needed to with Gig. She’d ignored thinking about their relationship, their engagement, until she’d run off to Ranger Springs. She’d vowed not to repeat her previous mistakes. That meant being open and honest with Ethan, telling him how she felt and showing him what she wanted.

  She wanted him. Not just memories of this weekend. Not just a casual summer fling.

  With renewed spirit, she pushed up from the bed. Naked, she walked into her bathroom, where a hint of Ethan’s presence remained. She ran her hand over the folded, damp bath towel. She smiled as she noticed the way he’d left the toothpaste and water glass in nearly the same position she kept them. Just as she suspected, Ethan Parker was neat and orderly. He wouldn’t be a difficult man to live with…if that was the direction he wanted to take their relationship.

  She hoped he did. She prayed he was at least open to thinking about the future.

  But first, she needed to put the remnants of her past behind her. For weeks she hadn’t been able to face the thought of returning to Houston and seeing her friends and family, much less apologizing once more to Gig. Now she knew she had to do those things, and quickly, so she could get on with her life here.

  She paused, her hand resting on the sink as the truth set in. Here. As in Ranger Springs. Could she move to a small town after living her entire life in Houston? Three weeks ago she would have said the idea was absurd. Now…well, now she believed she could be happy in this small town, as long as she had Ethan. The rest of the details—her career, family and friends—she could work out.

  She had to know. She had to be sure, even though her instincts told her this place, this man, was exactly what she’d wanted all her life.

  AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER, Robin pulled her coupe into a parking spot in front of the municipal building and hurried toward Ethan’s office. She wanted to see him, even if she couldn’t touch him. Just to know if his eyes lit up when he faced her. If he wanted to reach for her, even though he shouldn’t. That excitement fueled such energy that she barely kept herself from skipping into the police station.

  “Hello…Susie, isn’t it?” she greeted the receptionist.

  “Hi, Miss Cummings. How are you?”

  “Fine. Is Chief Parker in?”

  “He’s at lunch. I think he went to the café in town.”

  “Oh.” Robin hadn’t realized this was the noon hour. She’d been running on adrenaline all morning. “I’m a little hungry myself. I think I’ll try to find him there.”

  “Okay. Should I tell him you came by if he calls in?”

  “That would be great. Thanks, Susie.”

  “Sure, no problem. Say, how is your decorating project coming along?”

  Decorating. She’d completely forgotten about that in the last sixteen or seventeen hours. She grinned. “I got a little sidetracked, but I’ll be back working on it in a couple of days.”

  “I think that’s so neat. I’d love to learn more about decorating.”

  “Maybe we can have lunch soon.” Maybe she could teach a class at the community center. Maybe she could build a business here in Ranger Springs.

  “I’d like that a lot. See you later, Miss Cummings.”

  “Please, call me Robin,” she said with a wave as she hurried to her car.

  But when she got to the café, she discovered Ethan wasn’t there.

  Disappointed, she paused for a moment to decide what to do next. Then her stomach growled, and she remembered she hadn’t eaten all day…despite having expended a huge number of calories last night. With a sigh and a smile, she headed for Gina Mae’s booth.

  An hour later, her tummy full, she returned to Ethan’s office—only to discover she’d just missed him.

  “He had a call to herd up a bunch of emus,” Susie informed her.

  “Eth—er, Chief Parker is out herding birds?” she asked incredulously.

  “Yeah, kind of crazy, isn’t it? You see, a few years ago emus were going to be the hot thing. Lots of people invested in breeding pairs with the hope of getting rich. But the market for emu products never took off, and people were stuck with these herds they couldn’t afford to feed. Every now and then, someone just turns the birds loose to fend for themselves.”

  “That’s terrible.”

  “Yes, especially because they’re so stupid. They walk right out into the road, which causes accidents. Whenever we have a report of roving birds, Chief Parker sends as many officers as possible out to round them up.”

  “Interesting. So, I don’t suppose you have any idea when he’ll be back.”

  “No, there’s no way to tell.” Susie looked at her curiously. “Would you like to leave him a message?”

  “Yes, I think that would be best.” She really, really wanted to see him, but she couldn’t insist he leave a bunch of helpless, hungry, stupid birds to get flattened by a big truck, while she gazed into his eyes.

  Susie handed her a yellow pad, pen and envelope. “Just take your time.”

  She glanced at her watch. If she hurried, she’d still get back to Houston before the heaviest rush-hour traffic. “Thanks.”

  As quickly as possible, she wrote a note to Ethan, then printed “personal” on the envelope in plain block letters. She didn’t want anyone reading her message to him. He’d get it sometime today, then he could call her tonight at her condo. They had a lot of things to discuss, but most would have to wait until she could be back in his arms again.

  ETHAN WAS SO HOT and tired, he went directly home after rounding up the last frightened, hungry bird. They’d taken the emus to the 4-H fairgrounds where they could be safely contained, fed and watered until the judge decided what to do with them.

  Ethan wouldn’t have been so tired if he’d gotten a decent night’s sleep last night, but he wasn’t complaining. He wouldn’t trade the experience of making love with Robin for a hundred nights of rest. Or even a lifetime of rest, he thought as he eased his boots off his aching feet. He was pretty sure this time h
e’d fallen hard and fast. The rest of the details could be worked out later—he sincerely hoped.

  He needed another shower, this time hot and long, and then he’d phone Robin. He imagined her curled up on the couch, maybe sipping a glass of wine, waiting for his call. If he hurried, he could be at the Franklin house in forty-five minutes. They could be between the sheets in fifty.

  But fifteen minutes later, after a shower, he listened as the telephone rang and rang. Robin didn’t pick up; the answering machine finally engaged. Her voice said simply that she wasn’t available, and to leave a message.

  “Robin, this is Ethan. I just got off work. Call me when you get in. I’m really looking forward to seeing you again.”

  He finished getting dressed, then tried the number again. Still no answer. Frowning, he grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and settled onto his ugly couch, which had yet to be replaced. Across the room, a fresh coat of terra-cotta paint graced the dining room thanks to the painter Robin had hired. The man had done the job during the day so he didn’t interfere with Ethan’s schedule. The fireplace looked very different in a warm golden-beige rather than the natural pinkish-tan color of the bricks he was accustomed to. Robin had started the project in earnest a few days ago, but where was she now? He wished he had her cell phone number. He was sure she owned one, but he’d never had occasion to ask.

  “Robin, where are you?” he asked the silent, empty house. Scowling, he clicked on the remote control and settled in to watch a baseball game.

  An hour later, he couldn’t sit still. He turned off the television and pushed up from the recliner, where he’d moved to when he’d realized he was sitting on the couch because he’d sat there with her. He tried calling her again, but there was still no answer. Frustrated, he grabbed his keys. He’d drive to her place and see if her car was in the drive. She could have had an accident, after all. Maybe she’d fallen in the shower.

  The idea of Robin injured spurred him on, and within a minute, he was driving way too fast down the road toward the woman who’d captured his heart.