by Angi Morgan
But that wasn’t all that was itching. His skin was irritated by the T-shirt as he put away the last of the beer and wine. He was irritated at himself when he realized he was looking for an excuse to take it off. The idea of meeting Lindsey bare chested prompted him to open the new stainless-steel fridge and pop the top on a beer.
He took care of the basics, securing the doors and windows, getting the bed ready, putting a pillow and blanket on the leather couch. All the while having no trouble picturing Lindsey’s sun-kissed skin lathered in soap. And no problem imagining the small bubbles being rinsed away. Or how he wished he was in that shower with her.
“Damn it. Get a grip.”
The water stopped and he reached for another beer.
“You look as if you’ve gone for a run,” she said, stepping from the bathroom in a short, skimpy T-shirt and shorts cut up to her hips. Her hair was wrapped inside a stark-white towel that made her skin all the more appealing.
He gulped down the cool liquid, swallowing the desire building low in his belly. Any sweat on his upper lip was purely from his heavy breathing, not any labor he’d done while she was cooling off.
She crossed the small area rug in her bare feet, making him glad he was still in his boots. Maybe checking the perimeter one more time was a good idea. It would get him out of the house and out of arm’s reach.
“How do we start looking for someone we know nothing about?”
“We know something about him.” He tipped the end of his second beer between his lips and crushed the empty can before setting it on the table. “He can’t fight worth a Hoover Dam.”
“Well, neither can I.” Lindsey unwrapped the towel and shook her hair down her back, finger combing and fluffing the damp wheat-colored strands. She dropped the towel over the chair next to him. “Seriously, where do we start?”
He had himself under control. Right up to when she batted those long lashes in his direction and those baby blues taunted him with their brilliance.
She took a step back and he caught her hand. With a little tug and footwork he remembered from the couple of times he’d danced in public, he had Lindsey securely wrapped in his arms. It might be very ungentlemanly, but he had every intention of kissing her until she admitted she wanted to see if the bed was as new as the kitchen appliances.
“How ’bout where we left off?” he whispered, almost afraid to ask. He had to ask, of course. Because as much as he wanted to show her she couldn’t resist him, the decision had to be hers.
She didn’t move, but she was far from frozen. With his free hand, he traced the outline of her mouth. She sighed as her lips parted and her eyes closed. Her head tilted to the perfect angle for him to enjoy his prize.
He expected something to happen. An interruption. Someone handing him his hat or waving from the porch. But no one was there. They were alone. Far from his family or danger. No one would be stopping them but them.
He hesitated too long and she opened her soft, sexually charged eyes. Then she followed the path his finger had taken and moistened her lips. He was a goner. Had been the moment he’d sat at that table and finally spoken to her at the sandwich shop. His dad had told him more than once that when he fell, it would be hard, and there’d be no coming back.
He leaned closer, breathing the same breath she didn’t seem able to catch. His hand skimmed her silky skin and continued down her back. Her curves met his chest with little resistance, just as her lips crushed into his. She might not realize that he’d fallen and couldn’t come back. It might not be the time to tell her, but it was definitely the time to show her.
If he did it well enough, maybe she’d fall just as hard.
Chapter Sixteen
Staring at Brian’s lips made Lindsey want to devour him like fresh water after hours in the surf. Tasting him? Wow. Just wow.
He sipped her like hot chocolate on the beach in front of a bonfire. She could hear the surf pounding between her ears, building. The crescendo had never felt so welcome or right.
Making love to Brian here, in a strange house owned by a man she’d never met, was a little more than crazy. But she kissed him back. Long and hard and enthusiastically.
They only made it a few steps away from the table. Her arms risked a journey to his back, pulling his work-hardened body closer. Anticipation pulsed through her with every gulping breath. She wanted to get the feel of cotton from under her fingers and leave nothing between them.
Kissing Brian took her to the top of the highest wave she’d ever ridden. She should rethink, slow them down. But just like being at the top of that magical crest, it was too late to turn back. The hard ridge against his zipper left no doubt where he thought they were headed.
He ran his tongue down her throat, nipping sensitive places along the way—places she had no idea existed. It was as if they’d never been discovered before. She clamped her eyes shut as all the blood rushed from her brain and her knees.
Lindsey hadn’t thought about the way she’d dressed until Brian’s hands slipped higher under her shirt, brushing skin and nothing else. Her hands rose and slowed his advancing fingers. When she’d left the shower, she hadn’t allowed herself to imagine being this close to Brian. She’d been ready to get started on their manhunt, not curl up next to him. When she lifted the pressure from his hands he’d find out just how ready she’d become. But he knew that. She could see it in the smoldering embers of his eyes.
Lindsey tugged the soft, worn shirt over her head and her damp hair swished against her blistering skin. Her arms came down on top of his shoulders. Before she could discover the sinewy lines of his muscles, his mouth captured one nipple while his fingers circled the other.
The instant his calloused palm brushed her, she wanted to scream for more. There was no way to stop the reaction building inside. She wanted to torture him by running her nails across his tanned muscles and teasing him into mindless oblivion.
Somewhere in her brain, some neurons fired a warning. Where they were exploring was dangerous waters. She’d never been the type to venture too deep without her surfboard. Even though she knew it could only end in disaster, she wanted him beyond reason.
A relationship with Brian would be like a tourist on a bodyboard preventing real surfers from enjoying the waves. Or worse, pearl diving off the front of her board on takeoff. Why would she set herself up for failure? She knew nothing about family, roots, ranches or animals. Her life had been waves, sand and sunsets.
Unfamiliar thoughts floated through her mind, mixing with the sexy essence of who Brian was. Someone she’d been attracted to from the first time she’d noticed him. It was one of the reasons she’d remembered him so clearly from the coffee shop. There was something familiar, something comfortable and something so sexy she couldn’t think straight half the time she looked at him.
Her fingers reached for his belt buckle, big and all cowboyish. His mouth nipped her breast, causing a hitch in her breathing. She was used to drawstring swim trunks and baggy jeans, but she’d noticed Brian’s tight jeans once or twice. Maybe three or four times if she was forced to admit the truth.
The way they hugged his thighs and backside. Just thinking about him made a shiver travel the length of her body. She had her fingers on his zipper when he twirled her around and wrapped his arms tight—one covered her breasts, the other kept her waist close to his rigid body.
“Are you sure you want to go there?” he whispered in her ear. His breath shot all sorts of tingles down her spine. “Once we reach the bedroom, I’m not sure I can turn back.”
“Yes and yes again.” The words were spoken without a thought to any of the concerns she’d had seconds ago. Her body was already humming for release. “Don’t you want—”
“Definitely.” His voice was deep, husky, sexy. He nipped on her neck to the soft flesh of her shoulder. The evidence of just
how much he wanted to continue pressed against her as she squirmed in delight. His hands wandered over her aching flesh. “Walk.”
“How can I when you’re... Oh, my.”
His fingertips dipped under the elastic of her shorts. Teasing her before pulling back. He swung her into his arms and carried her to the bedroom, dropping her on the bed.
“If we don’t get naked fast, I’m going to make love to you with my boots on.”
They laughed together, kissing and tugging at his clothes. He ripped his shirt off over his head, baring his strong shoulders, revealing a smattering of chest hair that made him even more sexy.
As much as she adored her cowboy/paramedic, she wanted to see all of him. She tugged at his jeans, lifting one leg into the air, reaching for his boot. He lost his balance and toppled next to her on the bed.
Brian smiled the most genuine grin she’d seen, lying nose to nose next to her. One of those moments she’d dreamed about imitating from a book or movie. A moment where grins and laughter turn into a monumental life-changing instant. Maybe the thought changed her expression, but in an instant, Brian’s changed.
He reached out and cupped her cheek, turning to his side, close enough and suddenly so serious she wanted to remember every detail. This time was different. She felt it. Knew it.
At this exact moment in time...this was exactly where she was supposed to be. With this man who looked at her as though she was the only woman who could ever make him smile like that.
Later, she may get mad at herself for being irresponsible. But she had such a strong desire to be the only woman who would be in this position with him again. And that scared the daylights out of her.
Brian watched the laughter leave Lindsey’s beautiful face. He almost jumped off the bed to save her the embarrassing trouble of talking her way out of his arms and back into her clothes. Then her lips parted, waiting for his kiss.
There was no mistaking the longing. He felt it in the depths of his soul.
Playfulness was replaced with frenzied touching and heavy caresses. They rolled, scooted, shifted to the middle of the king-size bed. Overkill for the room, but he didn’t care and wasn’t analyzing why Mac didn’t want more than a bed in the bedroom.
He cupped a set of perfect breasts, dragging his thumbs across each, causing the perfect rose-colored peaks to tease him more. Lindsey tugged at his belt, not realizing the tip of her tongue was squeezed between her lips and driving him insane. She unbuttoned the top of his fly and he couldn’t resist. He devoured every inch of her skin, shoving the short shorts down her hips as he discovered all her contours and secrets. He still couldn’t believe she was his.
For one night or a single moment.
“You still have your boots on.” She sighed, arching her back as his hand continued exploring.
Fortunately, he could toe his boots off and did so without much difficulty. His jeans were a different story. He might get them off if he stood, but there was no way he’d stop the passion that was building inside of Lindsey. And then there was the problem of preparedness. He hadn’t exactly been thinking of casual sex, since he’d spent all his free time following Lindsey during the past two months.
So his pants would stay zipped and they’d be safe. But there was no reason Lindsey couldn’t have some fun. He could see her getting closer and closer to fulfillment. She tipped her head back, surrounded by a halo of hair. Her body arched into his hand and relaxed, finally opening the eyes he loved to look into.
“I don’t think this is at all fair.” She paused, gesturing to his jeans. “You still have clothes on.”
“And they’re staying there.” No condom. No sex.
“What?” Realization washed over her face. “Oh. I saw...” She shivered under his hand again and drew in a deep breath. “He has them on his...in his bathroom.”
“Lindsey, we can’t do—”
She sprung from the bed. “Get out of those jeans. No socks either.” She ran from the room.
He didn’t waste any time. He stood, stripped his jeans, boxers and socks and by the time he’d stopped dancing on one foot, she was waltzing back into the room, tearing a small package.
One look at him and she stopped in her tracks, taking a long stare at his splendid physique. A lesser man might have been intimidated. Hell, he might have been if she’d stayed in the doorway too much longer. When she leaped on him, he fell backward onto a soft mattress and he stopped wondering about everything.
With a hand on either side of his shoulders, Lindsey lifted herself open for a fun attack. He dropped light kisses across her clavicle, finding her pulse strong and rapid at the base of her throat. He skimmed his chin stubble across her smooth flesh, causing her to sit up.
She lightly raked her nails from his shoulder to his hip. He sucked air through his teeth as she shifted on his lap and rolled the condom into place. Brian ran his hands around her thighs to her bottom. He pulled her hips closer, using himself to excite her until she dropped her chest to his, catching her breath.
Panting, she took his face in her hands and kissed him deep and long. Her hair dropped around them and he splayed his fingers through the golden mass. It fell around their kiss, forming a small cocoon.
Shutting out the world.
He searched her sky-blue eyes, close enough to see the darker flecks and count the freckles adorning the tip of her nose. He wanted to believe he had an emotional handle on this ride.
If he was honest, he was barely hanging on to the words he wanted to say. He knew what type of person Lindsey was on paper. He knew what he thought she was like from what he’d seen in the past twenty-four hours. He just needed time.
Time to discover if she could feel the same way. Even if she couldn’t, he’d fallen long and hard. He really hoped Lindsey wouldn’t mind keeping a piece of his heart tucked somewhere safe.
Stopping his teasing, he flipped her onto her back and slid inside. They moved together, their bodies hitting a rhythm age-old but unique only to them. Sweet, tender, hard and sexy until she cried out and it echoed through the house. He followed with a sweet release he wanted to repeat. They kissed, sated and smiling. He rolled to lie by Lindsey’s side, the breeze from the ceiling fan cooling the fine sheen of sweat making love to her had created.
Simply dragging her nails lightly back and forth across his abs created another burn that wouldn’t be doused easily.
No more debate why Mac had gone with the large bed.
Chapter Seventeen
Lindsey was totally and completely exhausted. Brian was a marathon champion lover. Their schedule was completely off. She hadn’t had four hours of straight sleep since leaving his ranch. They’d drift off, touch in the middle of the ginormous bed and wouldn’t be able to stop the nuclear blast until they were both on their backs breathing hard to recover.
Exhausting, but wonderful. She’d never imagined spending every waking—and sleeping—moment with a man would be this rewarding.
“You know, we’re going to have to trek back into the real world sometime soon.” She pointed to the empty box of condoms that needed to be replaced. “The last two are on the nightstand.”
“We’ve spent two days in bed. Searching, talking and—” he kissed her shoulder “—other things. It’s time to make some decisions, Lindsey. We’re even out of frozen food.”
“I could always make a run to the store. I doubt anyone would recognize me and I hardly think you want to give delivery boys directions, as if anyone would deliver out here in the middle of nowhere to begin with.” She popped the laptop open and read Jeremy’s notes on the real estate book. It was what she’d been doing when Brian had awakened and a simple kiss had led to a delectable round of lovemaking. But she was determined to find the reason Jeremy had been looking into the sale of mineral rights. It had to be a clue.
“You’ve been at that memory stick for two days. Making any headway?” He quirked his brows together, causing his crooked stiches to wrinkle. He was propped against the headboard, finishing off the orange juice they’d mixed up from frozen concentrate. “Mac’s going to need his place back soon. We should probably think about our next move.”
“I think we’re close.” She focused on the screen, hiding Brian’s rippling muscles behind the lid. His simple movements made her want to close the laptop and continue hiding with him here in the cabin. No. They had to finish at least one conversation and make progress.
“You said that yesterday,” Brian said from his side of the bed, swinging his legs over the edge and sitting.
“Well, it’s true.” She closed the lid and set the laptop aside, trying not to let her frustration show. “If we don’t come up with something, then where do we stand? What do we do then?”
“Leave?” He stretched as he stood.
“The murderer is still out there and determined to kill me, Brian. Or kill the both of us now. You’re the one who convinced me that running wasn’t an option.” She tossed the large pillows against the wall, then flipped the silky sheet aside. “Who’ll run the ranch if you leave?”
This particular conversation would chase him from the room and she was going to follow him this time.
“Same people Dad sells it to next month.”
They’d talked every minute they weren’t making love or sleeping. She knew all about the ranch’s financial problems and a little about how the town had treated him over the past twelve years. “Stop being a jerk. You told me you don’t want him to sell.”
She admired him for sticking it out, continuing to live there and help his dad. She even knew how Alicia had finally made him fight his twin so they’d start talking again. What he wouldn’t admit was how much he loved working with horses. But she could tell. It was his life, his passion.
