The Birthday Fantasy

by Sara Walter Ellwood

  “Tate?”

  He looked down to meet her watery eyes. “I thought you were asleep.”

  She shook her head against his shoulder. “Tell me about your father. He raised you, too, right?

  He never talked about the man he’d tried for most of his childhood and teenage years to emulate. “Nothing much to tell. My sister and I were stuck with him after my mother left him when I was twelve and Linda was ten.”

  “He was a rodeo cowboy?”

  “Yeah. A bronc rider.”

  “That’s what you were.” She shifted to sit up. The short nightgown pulled up her long slender legs, and she pulled it around her knees, making her look so young, all Tate wanted to do was protect her from all the bad crap of the world.

  “I wanted to be just like him for years, and just about succeeded,” he scoffed as he pulled himself up to sit against the padded headboard. He’d followed his old man to the rodeo, looking up to him and believing he’d been a hero, but in the end, he’d learned his father had been a drunk and a troublemaker. By the time Tate was twenty, he’d too been well on his way to becoming just like him. When his mother died and Tate and his father showed up at the funeral drunk, he realized he had to get away from the toxicity of Lester Dawson. He’d left the rodeo and eventually wandered onto the Raines Land Ranch. “The best thing that ever happened to me was getting away from him. Hank was more of a father to me than Lester Dawson ever was. I owe him my life.”

  She played with the edge of her nightgown. “Is that why you stay on the ranch?”

  He laughed, but it sounded hollow even to his own ears. “No. I stay because I love that place.”

  “Robbie thinks Daddy should sell it.”

  “I’m sure he does. He’s a developer and all he sees is the profit that could come from building all over it.”

  She nodded and turned to lean against the headboard beside him. She stretched her legs out next to his. He followed the toned length of them to her slender feet. Despite the fire building in his groin, he refused to give into the need. Now wasn’t the time.

  “I could never get rid of Raines Land. You know that, right?” She looked across her shoulder at him.

  “I know.”

  They were quiet for a long time, and Tate thought about going back to his own bed.

  “Tate, can I ask you something?”

  “Shoot.”

  “Why haven’t you ever settled down?”

  He floated in those deep blue eyes and knew he couldn’t lie to her. But he wasn’t ready to admit the truth either. “I lost my chance.”

  “Ever wish you could get it back?”

  No way was he going to answer her question. “I’d better get to bed.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead. Her breath caught as she stared into his gaze. “Try to get some sleep, princess.”

  He left her bed and headed straight for his room. After closing the door, he leaned against the wood panel and shut his eyes. How was he going to get through another three days with her torturing him at every turn?

  Chapter 6

  Jamie found Tate cooking breakfast in the small kitchen the next morning.

  “Hey.” He turned from the stove with two heaping plates of eggs, bacon and toast. “Glad you’re up. C’mon. I thought we’d eat out on the patio.”

  He was dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans and a white button shirt open showing off his broad chest. She shivered as she caught a glimpse of the line of dark curls running from his pecks down between his six-pack to disappear under the open top button of his low-riding jeans.

  Sweet Jesus!

  She swallowed hard and followed him out the French door to the small round table, where he’d already put butter, silverware and mugs for coffee. “You should’ve gotten me up.”

  He set the plates on the table and pulled out one of the cushioned chairs for her. “Nah. I figured you needed to sleep after last night.”

  She sat and picked up the carafe of coffee and poured some in their mugs. Trying desperately to keep her eyes off his chest as he sat across from her, she looked out over the lake. “I’m sorry that I kinda lost it. Thanks for staying with me last night.”

  “I’m sorry you had to find out like that. Iq thought he’d have told you...” He shook his head and leaned back in his chair. “If you’d like to leave? I’ll call John to come and pick us up.”

  The lake glittered like a million flashing lights in the morning sun. Lush green mountains surrounded the water. Overhead, an eagle soared on the warm breeze. The view was breathtaking and she suddenly never wanted to leave. She picked up her mug with her left hand, the sun reflecting off the three-carat diamond on her ring finger. The setting was way too fancy for her and she rarely wore the thing, but she’d slipped it on yesterday morning after she talked to Tate on the phone. It was the symbol of her commitment to Robbie, but she was glad he wasn’t here.

  Meeting Tate’s intense green eyes, she realized a terrible truth. She was glad Tate had kidnapped her, and she wasn’t ready to leave quite yet.

  “No. Daddy was right. I need a vacation. Let’s enjoy the days we’ve got here, but when we get home, my father and I are having a nice long talk.”

  He picked up his fork and a slice of toast. “Your dad’s tough, Jamie. I know he’ll beat this thing.”

  “I hope so.” She looked at the plate of food and her belly growled. She was suddenly starving. As she dug into her eggs over medium--cooked just the way she liked them--she smiled. “So, Mr. Travel Agent, what do you have planned for me today?”

  He chuckled and pointed toward the lake with his fork. “See that waterfall on the other side of the lake?”

  In the misty distance, water cascaded from the river feeding the lake. “Yeah.”

  “If I remember correctly, you’d mentioned something about tanning? That would be the perfect place to do so.”

  She swallowed a bite of her eggs. “So would that beautiful beach right here.”

  He shrugged and finished his breakfast. “Sure, but if we take a boat to get there, then it’s more of an adventure. The pictures of the fall are beautiful.”

  “Why can’t we just drive over there?” She finished her toast.

  “Apparently there’s no access road to it. The only way is to boat there.”

  “And you know how to boat us across the lake?” As far as she knew, Tate knew nothing about boats. “Why can’t we just ride horses over there? I know they offer trail riding up the in the mountains.”

  “Can’t be too hard to figure out, can it.” He sipped his coffee. “Besides, I thought we’d go riding tomorrow. Taking a boat sounds fun.”

  ****

  Jamie had tried her level best to convince Tate to ride horses over to the fall, but the pigheaded idiot was determined he could drive a boat across the lake. She stood on the dock by the shopping center and stared at the small motorboat.

  “You expect us to take that out over the lake?” Jamie pointed to the floating coffin.

  “Sure.” Tate paid a ruddy-faced man with his credit card for the boat rental. “I told you. It can’t be that hard.”

  With a raised brow, the man handed back Tate’s card.

  Jamie sat the tote bag holding a blanket and towels beside an Igloo cooler and hugged herself. Even with a sarong wrapped around her waist, she felt awkward in the blue and white string bikini she’d been crazy enough to buy yesterday. “Tate, have you ever been in a motorboat before?”

  He grinned. “Of course. I’ve been fishing a time or two.”

  She couldn’t help the eye roll. “Oh, that makes you a bona fide expert.”

  The man looked from Tate to Jamie and mumbled, “Ah, newlyweds can be so much fun.”

  They looked at him and said in unison, “We’re not married.”

  Unshaken by the severity of their response, the man chuckled. “No matter, you will be someday.”

  Jamie wanted to set the man straight, but Tate said, “Thanks. We’ll be back before five this evening.
”

  The guy waved, turned away with a smirk and muttered to himself.

  When Tate set the bag and cooler in the middle of the small boat, it moved erratically on the water. He turned to her and held out his hand. “Princess, your ship awaits.”

  She had to be crazy to let him talk her into this. “Dawson, you better hope you know what you’re doing.”

  Taking a deep breath, she put her hand in his. He leaned down to hold the boat steady with his other hand as she cautiously stepped into the moving vessel. After she was settled, Tate climbed into the boat as if stepping between rattlesnakes. With each step, the boat moved in the water.

  He pulled the starter, the engine roared to life, and he steered the thing out onto the open lake.

  “I’m impressed.” She let go of her death grip on the metal seat. They were making good progress over the calm surface of the lake.

  Grinning like a fool, he held the steering wheel and looked over his shoulder at her. “Told you there was nothing to this.”

  She sat back and laughed. “Right.”

  They were nearing the end of the lake. The waterfall roared as it tumbled down, throwing off white mist and a cool breeze. She relaxed in the astounding beauty, glad Tate had talked her into this little adventure.

  But about twenty feet away from the dock, everything went wrong.

  The boat tilted and rocked on the rough water. Jamie gasped and grabbed the sides of the boat and tried to make it stop rocking by moving in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, Tate was using the steering wheel to accomplish the same thing. The over-compensation caused the vessel to rock more.

  “Tate, stop or it’ll tip over!” Jamie gritted her teeth, regretting getting in this floating coffin with him.

  “Stop holding the sides and trying to move it around. You’re making things worse.”

  “I’m not doing anything!” Jamie glared at him.

  A wave hit the boat causing it to capsize. Jamie let out a squeal as she landed in the cool water.

  “Jamie!” Tate came up first. When she emerged a few feet away, he reached for her.

  She swiped water from her face and glared at him as she ignored his hand. “I’m going to kill you!”

  “I’m sorry, princess.” He made a grab for the cooler before it floated away.

  Jamie reached for the bag holding their towels and blanket. Swimming for the sandy beach between the dock and the fall was hard with the tote in one hand and the movement of the water, but she was determined to get to the shore, leaving Tate stranded with the flipped over boat.

  Jamie waded up onto the sand and flopped down. She untangled the sarong from her legs and waist and laid it on the sand to dry. Tate dropped down beside her. The cooler parked at their feet.

  “Well, that sure was fun.” She opened the bag with the wet towels and blankets.

  He stood and stripped off his wet t-shirt. “I told you I’m sorry.”

  As she shook the towels out and laid them on the sand to dry, she couldn’t keep her eyes off the way his muscles bunched and stretched as he tossed the shirt to the sand. “You wouldn’t listen to me. We could have had someone bring us or ridden out here on horseback and not have worried about anything.” She pulled the bottle of sunscreen from the bag, squirted a liberal amount into her palm and slathered the stuff on her arms. “But no. And now how the hell are we going to get back?”

  “Damned if I know. I guess if we don’t show up at the boat rental place at five, they’ll send a search party.” He ran his hand through his wet hair causing curls to stick out all over his head.

  He was too sexy for his swimming shorts, and yet he looked like a kid. She had to laugh.

  “What the hell’s so funny?”

  “You and me.” She flopped back on the wet blanket.

  He sat beside her and chuckled. “You know being stranded with you forever like in some of those chick flicks wouldn’t all bad.”

  “We’d kill each other.”

  “Probably. “ With a grin, he stood and held out his hand. “Let’s go swimming. It’s not like we aren’t already wet.”

  She looked over his lean, muscular body and swallowed hard as she took his hand. “Okay.”

  At least in the water she wouldn’t be able to see so much of him. He helped her to stand, and she caught him looking her over. When he met her gaze, the fire in his eyes had her heart racing and her belly tumbling. Heat pooled in her core.

  God help her, she wanted him.

  ****

  Jamie ran into the water and all Tate could do was follow her.

  She disappeared under the water, hiding that amazing body from view. As he looked around for her, she came up behind him, wrapped her legs around his and knocked him off his feet. He fell backward into the water with a splash. She laughed when he stood up. “You should have seen your face just now.”

  Scowling at her, he wiped water from his eyes and headed toward her. “That’s the last time you get the jump on me.”

  “Yeah, right!” She turned and swam as fast as she could away from him and toward the deeper water closer to the fall. When she stopped and treaded water, cool mist surrounded her and the cascade of the river provided an amazing backdrop. Tate paused in his pursuit to just take in all the beauty.

  Blinking, he smiled and swam toward her. He had to teach his little princess a lesson.

  She let out a squeal when he caught her from behind and tickled her sides. With her laughing and kicking, he flipped her over his shoulder into the water.

  She sliced through water to resurface, and Tate went instantly hard. Her nipples stood erect under the barely there bikini top and all he could think about was pealing the damned thing off her.

  “You are going to pay for that one, buddy,” she said and headed straight for him.

  With a growl, he motioned for her and backed away farther into the mist of the fall. They couldn’t get any closer, so he stopped. “Come and get it, sweetheart.”

  She caught him, but he wasn’t going down this time. Jamie wrapped her legs around him as she had before, but when he pulled her against him, she froze.

  There was no hiding the erection tenting his shorts.

  Her eyes widened and her lips parted as her breath came in fast bursts. Her wet, slick body slid against his as she slid her legs against his to wind around his waist and wrapped her arms around his neck, forcing his mouth down to hers. She brushed her lips over his. It was all the invitation he needed. He licked her upper lip, and she opened under his quest, letting him plunge in to deepen the kiss. She tasted of mint and sugar and passion as he ravaged her mouth.

  He broke the kiss just long enough for them to catch their breath and for him to get them out of the deep water, then he wrapped her up and found her lips again. He entangled his fingers in her wet hair, while his other hand caressed over her back to her perfect ass. He groaned as he found only smooth flesh. The tiny bottoms hardly contained enough fabric to cover her. She straddled his hips and pressed her center into his cock.

  With a moan, he trailed kisses to her ear. She shuddered as he nibbled on her earlobe. “I want you. I need you.”

  She pressed herself against him and captured his lips. He carried her back onto the sandy shore, laid her down on the blanket and stretched out beside her.

  As he ran his hand over her bare abdomen, she shivered, and he kissed her. She stroked over his chest to the sensitive points of his nipples as she pressed her thigh into his hard-on. He broke the kiss on a groan and trailed kisses down her neck to the edge of her bikini top. He kissed the bare tops of her breasts and flicked his thumbs over her hard nipples, standing to attention under the wet scrap of cloth cqovering them.

  She arched her back and moaned. “Tate... I... Oh, God, I want you.”

  He didn’t have to be told twice and untied the straps holding on her top, baring her breasts. Her beauty as she lay there on the soft plaid blanket surrounded by sand and sun mesmerized him. He caressed one of the perfect
mounds and teased the rosy nipple, then lowered his mouth to suck and nibble. A moan escaped her, she arched her back, her leg again rubbing against his erection, and her hands caressed up his chest to snake around his neck.

  He had to have her.

  Tate hooked his fingers under the thin straps at the sides of her bottoms and slid them down her legs to reveal her deep auburn patch of curls. His heart raced; his cock ached. He looked up into her face as he slid the panties off and tossed them to the side, then kicked off his shorts and lifted himself over her. As he kissed her, he thrust into her slick, wet heat.

  He’d come home.

  With his head tossed back, he found a rhythm meant to fuse them together. She tightened around him as her orgasm quaked through her. A shot of fiery bliss blazed through him, and he growled her name as he exploded.

  He collapsed on top of her, his breaths coming fast as he processed what had just happened. Holding her, he rolled onto his back and pulled her on top of him. When he opened his eyes to look into the face of the woman he loved, his heart skittered over a beat and then fell into the pit of his stomach.

  Jamie didn’t look like a woman who’d had great sex on the beach.

  ****

  Reality hit Jamie between the eyes as she looked down into Tate’s passion-filled green eyes.

  If the kiss on the patio yesterday had made her feel guilt, this filled her with a sense of overwhelming betrayal.

  “Oh, God! I cheated on Robbie.” She scampered off Tate and grabbed for a towel to cover herself.

  She heard him sit up behind her. “Jamie. Do you really love him?”

  “Yes!” I don’t know. With her back to him, she found her bottoms and pulled them on, then retied her top back into place. “I can’t believe I let you do this. I’m engaged. How could you seduce me?”

  From the sounds and motion behind her, she guessed Tate was pulling on his shorts. “I seduced you?”

  She spun around and faced him. “Yes. You...” She waved at the incredible scenery around them. “And this place. You hoped all along this would happen. Damn it, Tate, you broke up with me. I spent years trying to figure out what I did wrong, and when I finally found a man, you had to come back into my life and ruin everything.”