Wanted!

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  He glanced up from the paper in his hand, and for a moment he didn’t seem to recognize her.

  She had no idea what was on that piece of paper, but judging from his stricken expression, it was bad. “I…” She paused in confusion, unsure how to explain that she’d been eavesdropping on the stairs and had sensed something was very wrong. “I was passing by and I—”

  “Dominique, please go to bed.” His voice was hoarse, as if he could barely contain the emotion gripping him.

  If she hadn’t talked to Pam, if she hadn’t learned enough about this man to know that he harbored all sorts of complicated feelings in that broad chest of his, she might have done exactly as he’d ordered. But now that she had a more complete picture, she wasn’t about to leave him alone to deal with whatever shock he’d just experienced.

  “I’m staying,” she said. “I realize we don’t know each other very well, but—”

  “We don’t know each other at all.”

  “That’s not true. We shared something very basic this morning, and besides, there’s no one around but me. Something is obviously wrong, and nobody should have to go through a bad moment by themselves if someone’s on hand to offer…to offer…”

  “Offer what?” He seemed dazed.

  “What do you need?”

  He scrubbed a hand over his face. Then he rose from the chair and laid his hat on the desk. “I don’t think you want to hear what I need.”

  She swallowed. “Try me. If there’s something I can do…”

  “Oh, there is, but you don’t think it’s good for me.” He sighed. “According to you and Pam, I shouldn’t have temporary hot sex. That wouldn’t be enough for a guy like me.”

  “I’m only going by what she said, and she’s known you longer than I have.”

  His expression changed as anger sparked in his green eyes. “I doubt she knows the real me.”

  “Nick, what’s wrong?”

  He moved out from behind the barrier of the desk, his words rasping in the stillness. “Turns out I’m the bastard child of a casual affair.”

  “What…are you talking about?”

  “That document I was reading when you came in lays it all out. My mother, who is not the person I’ve called my mother all these years, slept with my father and then moved on.” He drew closer, stalking Dominique. “I’m the product of temporary lust, so why shouldn’t I have those same urges? It’s in my blood.”

  She struggled not to get swept away by the force of his anger-fueled desire. She didn’t want either of them to do something they’d regret later. “You’re upset, and I understand that.”

  “You asked what I need right now.” His gaze was hot. “I need to be inside you. I need your warmth, your heat.”

  She began to tingle. “You’re not thinking rationally, Nick. Give yourself time to cool down. Then you’ll realize—”

  “I’ll realize that the only sanity I’ll find right now is by thrusting deep inside you until I make you come.” He cupped her face in both hands. “And make you come again, and again.”

  She closed her eyes against a wave of longing. “This is not the time.”

  “It’s exactly the time.” He brushed his lips over hers. “This morning you needed me. Now I need you.”

  Her heart squeezed at the vulnerability of that admission. “I don’t want to make things worse for you.”

  “You won’t.” He ran his tongue over her upper lip. “Because you’re real and you’re honest. I desperately need honesty right now.”

  That she understood. She couldn’t deny him the very thing she’d come here to find. “We don’t have any…my purse is upstairs.”

  “This one’s on me.” He reached out and swung the office door closed before backing her up against it. “I left here tonight fully prepared to take somebody else to bed, but nobody could measure up to you.” Then he kissed her, destroying any further protest.

  Instead she aided and abetted, shimmying out of her slacks and underwear and working him out of his jeans and briefs. When at last she grasped the long hard length of his penis, she moaned with eagerness.

  “Oh, yeah,” he murmured against her mouth. “Touch me, Dominique. I want your hands on me.”

  There’d been no time for this before, but now she reveled in the chance to stroke and squeeze, rub and tantalize until his breath came in great gulps and he pulled back.

  “Enough.” Leaning down, he fished in the pocket of his jeans for the condom. Once he’d rolled it on, he cupped her bottom in his powerful hands. “Just hang on to my shoulders and wrap your beautiful long legs around my waist.” He smiled for the first time since she’d come into the office. “Welcome to Wyoming.” Then he lifted her up against the door and drove home.

  The intense pleasure made her gasp in wonder.

  He looked into her eyes. “It gets better. Hold on.”

  She gripped his shoulders as he began to move, his hips pistoning back and forth, up and in, as he made contact in all the right places and set off tiny explosions of delight. Each thrust pushed her back against the door and created a muffled thumping sound. The steady beat only added to the thrill. She began to pant as her climax drew near.

  “That’s it.” His hot gaze captured hers. “Let go. There’s more where that came from.”

  She groaned softly, reaching, reaching—and there it was, a release that showered her with wave upon wave of glorious sensations. She cried out and arched against him, only to discover he’d moved in closer with a hip grind that started the process all over again.

  In a matter of seconds she was shuddering and gasping in his arms, her thighs slippery against his hips.

  Sweat gathered in the hollow of his throat as he kept pumping. “One more, girl. One more.”

  “I don’t know if I—”

  “Sure you can. This time I’m coming with you.” He picked up the pace, his fingers massaging her bottom as he plunged into her.

  Amazingly, she felt the tightening begin again deep within her womb. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Couldn’t imagine any reality other than this—the two of them locked together in a frenzied race toward a climax. The door banged harder against its hinges, and as the moment of ecstasy hit with a vengeance, their cries of pleasure filled the small room.

  Their harsh breathing rasped in the stillness that followed as they clung to each other. Gulping air, Dominique closed her eyes and leaned her head against the door. She’d had sex with this man only twice, and each time the act had been epic.

  She knew he didn’t mean to ruin her for anyone else, but she feared he was doing it all the same. Still, if she’d helped him through this wrenching moment in his life, the fallout for her might be worth it.

  Nick let out a long, shuddering sigh. “That was… I don’t have any words for what that was.”

  “Me, either.” She opened her eyes and gazed at him. “Are you okay?”

  “Better now, thanks to you.” He drew back slowly, breaking the magical connection. “But I need to put you down before my arms fall off.”

  “Sure.” She unwound her legs and hoped they’d hold her. “Don’t let go yet.”

  “Don’t worry. I won’t let you fall.” He steadied her as she slowly lowered her feet to the floor. “Are you okay?”

  She smiled. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve been this okay. But my legs are a little wobbly. I’ll just lean here for a bit if you don’t mind.”

  “Lean all you want. Just give me a minute.” He turned away.

  While he dispensed with the condom, she closed her eyes again and sagged against the solid door. She should probably look for her slacks and panties, but finding them wasn’t a top priority.

  Poor Nick. He’d suffered a terrible psychological upset tonight, but at least she’d been there to cushion the blow. She’d read somewhere that a shock caused some men to crave a sexual outlet. Nick apparently fell in that category.

  Now that he’d released some of his pent-up emotion, mayb
e he’d be ready to talk about this startling information. She couldn’t imagine what he must feel. His dad and stepmother must have had their reasons for perpetuating a lie, but learning the truth this way was so unfair to Nick.

  When he turned back around, he was in the process of fastening his jeans. His gaze was decidedly calmer than it had been when she’d first walked into the office. “Thank you for being there for me. Seeing that document was…well, I sort of lost it for a while.”

  “I’m glad I was here.” Crouching down, she picked up her slacks and panties. “I suppose now we should—”

  “Take the party up to my room?”

  She hesitated. Giving in to the moment was one thing, but planning to spend the rest of the night with him was a whole other matter. Pam’s cautionary words came back to her. If Nick was likely to get attached, then he’d be even more likely now that they’d shared this pivotal moment in his life.

  “I can see the wheels turning, Dominique. No, you don’t have to worry that I’ll fall for you because of what just happened. Matter of fact, I don’t even know who I am anymore, so finding a steady girlfriend is the last thing on my mind. But lots of good sex would be a nice way to cope with—”

  “Nick?” Jack’s voice came from just outside the door. Then he pounded on it. “Open up.”

  Dominique looked at Nick, her eyebrows raised in question.

  He shook his head and braced his hands on either side of her, keeping her where she was and using his weight to hold the door shut. “Lean back,” he said softly.

  She added her weight to his.

  “Nick.” Jack knocked again. “I know you’re in there.”

  “So what if I am?” Nick reached down and flicked the lock closed.

  “Don’t you be locking me out! I demand to know what’s going on.”

  “Go back to bed, Jack.”

  “I’m betting you’re in there with Dominique. So help me, if you two are doing it on top of Dad’s desk, there will be hell to pay.”

  A muscle worked in Nick’s jaw. “You know what, Jack? There will be hell to pay, but it won’t have a damned thing to do with Dad’s desk. Or with Dominique, for that matter.”

  “Are you going to open this door or not?”

  “I’m not. I do want to ask you something, and maybe it’s better if we’re on opposite sides of the door when I ask it. How long have you known that Sarah’s not my mother?”

  Dominique prayed that Jack would answer with words of shocked surprise, or maybe even denial.

  Instead he muttered a few choice swear words. “You found something in that damned trunk, didn’t you?”

  “As a matter of fact, I did.”

  Jack swore some more. “Never occurred to me that Dad would be stupid enough to keep something incriminating in there.”

  Dominique’s heart ached for Nick. Even his own brother had kept this life-changing secret from him.

  Rage simmered in Nick’s green eyes. “You know what, Jack? Dominique and I haven’t done it on Dad’s desk yet, but we just might. And as for you, my traitorous brother, you can kiss my ass.”

  8

  NICK WASN’T ABOUT TO leave the office until he heard the sound of Jack’s footsteps going back upstairs. Even then he didn’t particularly want to go up to his room. Now that he knew Jack was in on the conspiracy, he needed some time away from his big brother.

  Dominique wrapped her arms around him and he welcomed that. Right now she was the only person he felt he could trust. Good thing his mom—no, Sarah—wasn’t around. He’d always claimed he’d inherited his sense of humor from her and his tendency to protect helpless, homeless creatures. Dear God, he’d been a homeless creature, brought here at such a young age that he had no memory of anything but this ranch.

  He had so many questions, but he wasn’t ready to face the people who could answer those questions—Sarah, Emmett… Emmett must have known. Probably Mary Lou, as well. Some of his dad’s old friends who had come to the funeral must have been in on the secret.

  Dominique rubbed his back and gazed up at him with her warm brown eyes. “I’m so sorry, Nick. What a rotten way to find out something so important.”

  “Yeah.” He leaned down and brushed his mouth against hers. “But you’re here to ease the pain.”

  “Yes.”

  He noticed there was no hesitation in her answer that time. He drew back to study her. “Look, I don’t want your pity. Your body, absolutely. Your pity, no way.”

  She grinned at him. “Hey, I’m just in it for the sex.”

  “Good. Me, too. I…” He paused to listen to measured footsteps on the stairs. “If I’m not mistaken, Jack is abandoning the field.”

  “Thank you for not confronting him while I was here.”

  “I’d like to take credit for being that sensitive, but I didn’t want to see his face right now. In fact, now that the big bad wolf is no longer huffing and puffing at the door, I have a suggestion.”

  She slid her fingers up his chest and cupped his face in her hands. “After being caught by Jack twice in one day, I’d rather not take the risk of getting horizontal in your bedroom.”

  “Good, because we’re setting a precedent for avoiding bedrooms, anyway. How do you feel about camping out?”

  She looked doubtful. “I haven’t camped out since I was in Girl Scouts in fourth grade. I wasn’t much good at it back then. I’m not into creepy crawly things.”

  “I have a zippered tent that keeps everything out. Come on, Dominique. Consider it part of your Wyoming adventure. The camping supplies are down at the barn, so we can grab them and go.”

  “I’m barefoot.”

  He glanced down, noticing for the first time that she’d come into the office without shoes. Her toenails were painted the color of neon traffic cones, something he’d missed during their episode in the woods. He found those bright nails sexy, but then he found everything about Dominique sexy.

  But she needed shoes, at least until he had her tucked into the tent. The concept of Dominique naked in a sleeping bag gave him an erection. He wondered if he was shamelessly using his personal crisis to get her to spend the night with him. Probably. But if Pam hadn’t interfered, he’d have been able to work that on his own, so his conscience didn’t prick him too much.

  “Just run up to your room and grab some shoes and a jacket.” He felt an urgency to get away, to escape from this house before Jack showed up again. “I’ll wait for you down here.”

  “Are we going out to the clearing?”

  “No.”

  “Then where?”

  He’d wanted it to be a surprise, but she was still looking unsure of his plan, so he played his ace. “I want to show you our sacred Shoshone site.” As he’d hoped, that tipped the balance in his favor.

  “I’ll go,” she said immediately.

  He wasn’t suggesting it only to grab her interest. He felt a strong urge to go out there. For whatever reason, the large flat rock induced a feeling of peace, something he desperately needed right now. He hadn’t been there since the day after his dad’s funeral.

  “Can I bring my camera?”

  “It’s dark, Dominique. And I’m not crazy about having you take flash pictures of me naked in the tent.”

  That made her laugh. “If I ever take pictures of you naked, I won’t be using a flash. And it won’t be in a tent. That sounds like a photographer’s nightmare.”

  “So why the camera?”

  “I have a feeling this place will be spectacular at dawn.”

  “It is, especially if there’s no fog.” Over the years, Nick had spent the occasional morning there watching the sun come up. Then his dad had died, changing everything. Partly due to Jack’s relentless work schedule and partly because Nick had a tiny bit of that workaholic tendency himself, he hadn’t felt free to wander out to the site the way he used to whenever he was troubled.

  But he was way beyond troubled now. His dad’s death had transformed the landscape, but this…this
revelation rocked the foundation of his world. If he didn’t go out to the site now, then he might as well give it up for good.

  “All right,” Dominique said. “Let’s do it.”

  TWENTY MINUTES LATER Dominique sat in the passenger seat of the same ranch truck she’d ridden in that morning, as Nick drove slowly down a dirt road, headlights switched on high beam. He said that was to make sure they didn’t run over any wild critters.

  “Like what?” Dominique strained to see into the darkness, but the headlights made everything else pitch-black, and there was no moon tonight.

  “Whatever moves around at night. Coyotes, bobcats, skunks, raccoons, bears, snakes.”

  “Bears and snakes? Maybe you should take me back.”

  He laughed. “I’ll protect you from the bears and snakes.”

  “So you say.” Although Dominique had faith that Nick knew what he was doing out here, she was a city girl. Even during the few times she’d ventured into rural areas, they’d been a hell of a lot tamer than this landscape.

  Nick rolled his window down. “Listen to that.”

  A distant howl drifted through the cool night air, followed by another.

  A shiver of recognition traveled up her spine. She’d heard the sound on the Discovery Channel, but never in person. “Wolves?”

  “Yep. It’s a tricky balance in this area, because the ranchers don’t want their livestock killed and the wildlife folks don’t want the wolves to disappear.”

  “Have you had any problems with wolves on the Last Chance?”

  “No. We lease about ten head of cattle for training our cutting horses every summer, and they bed down in the cow barn. The horses are in the barn closest to the house. We’ve made it work for us, but it’s easier to do with our operation. Some cattle ranchers hate the idea of wolves.”

  “Wolves don’t scare me,” Dominique announced not so convincingly. “I’ve seen documentaries about them, and they don’t attack people. That’s a myth.”

  “You’re right, they don’t. Most wild animals will give you a wide berth. We’re far more dangerous to them than they are to us.”