by Anne Marsh
“Working on it,” she snapped, and she almost meant it. He dropped his arms and watched her for a moment.
He’d covered for her, and that got the warm fuzzies going. He hadn’t asked questions. Had, in fact, simply followed her lead in a show of support that was as unexpected as it was appreciated. Dade Johnson was turning out to be far more than a dare or a delicious treat. He was rock solid and a genuine hero … but he was also alpha to his core. Taking control was second nature to him. She should be running hard—in the opposite direction. He was used to being in charge and giving orders. Her deputy ex was like that, and she’d learned her lesson there. No more take-charge authority figures for her.
She was tempted to stick her tongue out at Dade to break the growing tension, but there was something impossibly sweet about him. He’d come after her. Maybe he was worried. Maybe he cared. No. She chewed her lip and examined his face. The sexual tension between them was out of this world, but that was all they had going for them. One hot kiss and an even hotter twenty minutes in a supply cabin.
Since she was watching him, she could see the moment he decided screw this. Moving slowly enough that she could have danced away and made a joke, he stepped up to the table and pulled her into his arms, hugging her close. And she let him. That was the shocking thing. Not that he’d decided she needed a hug, but that she just stood there, then turned and placed her cheek against his chest.
His voice rumbled over her head. “You change your mind, you know where to find me, honey. I got one question, though.” He paused, clearly waiting for some sign from her. Off balance, she didn’t know what to do or say, so, after a moment, he continued. “Why did Deputy Thad come all the way up here looking for you? Seems like one hell of a drive.”
“Six hours,” she said, then bit her lip. Hell.
“So you would have a passing acquaintance with the good officer,” he drawled.
She wasn’t admitting anything. “I can read a map,” she offered. “And do math. That doesn’t mean Thad came out here looking for me.” She nodded her head toward the motorcycle parked alongside the road. “You go back to fighting your fires.”
Their moment—whatever it had been—was clearly over.
He smiled. “And you’ll come back to cooking dinner in camp as soon as Thad’s gone?”
“Sure.” She folded her arms over her chest and waited for him to get a move on.
Unfortunately, Dade Johnson was as stubborn as he was large. He leaned down, placing his hands on either side of her head.
“Here’s the thing, honey,” he said. “You can’t cook worth shit. So I have to wonder why you came out here, in the middle of nowhere, providing three squares for a crew of hotshots.”
She put a hand on his chest and shoved. God, he felt so warm and solid beneath the cotton T-shirt that proclaimed BIG BEAR ROGUES. She did not want to curl her fingers into that fabric and pull him closer. “You heard about this little thing called the economy? It sucks.”
“Uh-huh. Which is why you’re on a first-name basis with the deputy sheriff and hiding out on the road instead of starting dinner.”
“I’m a bad employee.” She dared him to disagree. After all, he’d just insulted her cooking.
“You work at camp, so you should know something.” He let his arms drop to the table on either side of her, but he didn’t move back. No, he still had her boxed in. He smelled like laundry detergent and wood smoke, plus something indefinably, indescribably Dade. He was spectacular, but he didn’t even seem to know it. He prowled through camp, putting them all to rights, and he didn’t notice the feminine looks that followed his ripped and corded body. God, she’d bet he was good in bed.
“Hey.” His fingers nudged her cheek. “Still talking here. Earth to Sarah Jo.”
“Present,” she said, hoping she wasn’t blushing.
“You work here,” he repeated, “and that makes you part of the team, okay? That means the Rogues have your back. Trouble follows you here, trouble has to deal with us. I sent Hill packing.”
He’d gotten rid of Thad. Relief coursed through her, making her knees weak. She could go back to camp, and her nemesis wouldn’t be waiting for her there. The reprieve would be only temporary—Thad was stubborn—but, God, she appreciated it.
“Right. Trouble.” The most pressing trouble she had right now was her reaction to this man. She’d kissed him and just about gone up in flames. She didn’t need another chance at his mouth to know the reality of Dade Johnson would be better than any fantasy she could dream up. And she’d dreamed up more than a few.
“Bottom line me,” she suggested, tilting her head back. The move bought her a couple of inches, no more. Certainly not enough to defuse the six-plus feet of rugged charm pressed against her. “Are you offering to be my knight errant?”
He blinked, all delicious masculine confusion. He didn’t know what to say. Good. She didn’t want him thinking he had the upper hand here. She might be done with men, but the sight of Dade Johnson confused did something to her insides. Dazed suited him, and she damned certain liked knocking him off balance.
It was only fair.
Just to keep him off balance, or so she told herself, she ran a hand down his chest, savoring the solid beat of his heart. That was Dade Johnson, rock solid inside and out. He was dependable. Loyal to the core. She’d seen the way he looked out for his team members, but she wasn’t a hotshot. No matter what promises he made, she didn’t really belong here. His fire camp was a temporary pit stop on her journey, and she’d be moving on sooner rather than later.
“You in the market?” he asked finally as her hands dipped lower, resting against the rock-hard muscles of his abdomen. She didn’t know what she was doing here.
“No.” She pushed gently and he backed up. Hopping down off the picnic table, she headed back to her car. She didn’t need his help. Didn’t have to humble herself to accept it. She stood on her own two feet. Always.
“All right.” He followed her and opened her door for her so she could slide into the driver’s seat. “You headed back to camp?”
She heard the unspoken question: or was she hitting the road? His face watched hers patiently, focused and determined as he waited for her answer.
“For now, yeah.” Where else could she go, really? Back on the road, sure, but the paycheck, however small, was desperately needed, and running out on the girls was wrong. So what if she and Dade were dancing around the truth, that a deputy had come looking for her, undoubtedly making accusations.
“Good.” He shut her door for her. “Wouldn’t be the same without you, and that’s the truth.”
Driving off and leaving Dade Johnson standing by the side of the road was damned difficult, and she regretted every inch she put between them. She did it, though.
She wasn’t stupid.
Dade Johnson was every bit as dangerous to her peace of mind as Thad Hill.
Chapter Four
She shouldn’t.
She really, really shouldn’t.
But she was going to.
Sarah Jo slipped out of the cooks’ cabin, carefully closing the door behind her. She had a feeling the girls would understand this little midnight field trip, but she wasn’t in the mood for their teasing. Not now. Somehow, what had started as a camp game, a gentle tease, had grown into something more, but that more was between her and Dade. Just the two of them and no one else.
Right now, wrapped in sleep, the fire camp was dark and silent. Stars dotted the night sky above, impossibly bright. She didn’t need a flashlight to see where she was going. Dade’s RV was parked on the other side of camp, and the man inside drew her like a compass to magnetic north anyhow.
Thinking about him had her body heating up.
She’d sworn off men and she’d certainly had her fill of alphas, but Dade was like a bag of chips and she was a woman who’d been on a diet too long. She’d told herself she’d have just one, but she wanted it all. One taste, one kiss, hadn’t been enough.
>
So tonight she’d have all of him and tomorrow could take care of itself.
Taking a deep breath, she reached for the door of his RV.
The door to Dade’s RV snicked open, light spilling in from the camp outside. He levered himself up on one arm. Late-night visits weren’t usually social calls, not in his experience, and the red numbers on the alarm clock read well after one o’clock.
He really didn’t think Sarah Jo was paying him a social call. She wore a big T-shirt rendered semitransparent by the lights behind her, exposing the curve of her waist and, God, those breasts. His hands ached to hold her, to cup her for his kiss.
“You need something, Sarah Jo?”
She padded over the carpet toward him. Barefoot. Christ, he hoped she’d dropped her shoes at the door, but he had a feeling she’d sneaked out of her cabin this way. He’d take a look at her feet. Tomorrow. Make sure she was okay.
“I’ve changed my mind.” Her voice was low but sure. “If your offer still stands.”
His mind was a roaring blank. All he could think was, holy shit, she was half-naked and standing right there by the edge of his bed. He wanted this woman something fierce as the erection punching the sheet up testified. He had no idea how good her night vision was—or why she was really here after she’d driven away from him earlier today.
She got a knee up on the bed. “You promised you’d always have a pair of open arms for me.”
“Uh-huh,” he said, because damned if he could get anything more coherent out of his mouth. Her eyes roamed over his face, looking for something, and she had to see the longing there. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. He laid a hand on her knee and stroked carefully, urging her forward. Beneath that too-big T-shirt, she was all long, bare legs.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” She grinned. She swung a leg over him, straddling him until they were face-to-face, with nothing but the sheet and her panties and his boxers between them.
“This is unexpected,” he said, putting his hands on her waist. “But good.”
“Make it better,” she demanded, and he smiled. That was his take-charge Sarah Jo. Still, he had no problem with giving her what she wanted. He tugged the T-shirt up and she helped him, grabbing the hem and pulling. The T-shirt rose, exposing her body in a slow, sexy striptease in the night-lit RV. First, her panties. Some kind of silky purple material this time, with little white polka dots and thin ribbons crisscrossing her hips. Then the soft curve of her belly and higher.
Her breasts were so damned beautiful, perfect handfuls, the nipples a sweet dark rose. He could have just looked all night if she’d let him, but she hauled the shirt over her head, dropping it on the floor beside the bed. Her hair was all tousled, but he was going to mess her up even more.
He couldn’t wait, so he slid his hands up her sides and palmed her breasts, working his fingers over those delicious curves.
“Come here,” he growled, hungry for her mouth, and, to his delight, she leaned right into him.
“Mmmm,” she breathed. “Definitely better.”
He loved this playful, sexy Sarah Jo. Hell, he loved everything about her, no complaints from him. She was stubborn and mischievous to a fault, but he looked at her and all he saw was Sarah Jo. And he was counting his lucky stars that she’d come to him tonight. Whatever she wanted, he’d give her with no hesitation.
Their kiss started out sweet. Mouths closed, lips pressing on lips while he fingered her nipples. She rocked gently against him, a sexy little roll of her hips that had him hard.
“You going to undress for me?” She didn’t stop the slow, sexy roll of her hips while she posed her sultry question, just rubbed against the length of him.
“You taking these off?” He countered her question with one of his own, hooking a thumb in the ribbons at the sides of her panties and tugging.
Her eyes darkened. “I could be convinced.”
She stood up, her head almost brushing the RV’s roof. There wasn’t a whole lot of room to work with here. She’d turned him on just by showing up, but, Christ, he had one hell of a view now. Slowly, she worked those panties down her hips, over that sweet pussy and her thighs, and then stepped out of them dainty-like. The kick that sent those panties over the side of the bed, though, was pure impatience.
He took advantage of the moment to shove his boxers and the sheet down, looking his fill all the while. He’d get his tongue right there, he decided, where he could see the dark shadow of hair between her thighs. He’d be all over her, kissing and licking until she hollered and they had his RV rocking something fierce. He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve this, but she’d apparently decided to green-light his fantasies for the night and he didn’t need asking twice.
“Condom,” she warned, stretching out her hand for her T-shirt pocket. She’d come prepared, but that was okay. He was one step ahead of her. He’d never put her at risk.
He slid open the bedside table drawer and fished out a foil square. Her eyes followed his hands as he tore open the package and rolled the latex down.
“Come on back,” he coaxed. Unless he missed his guess, his Sarah Jo liked being the one in charge and he could work with that tonight. He lay back, head on the pillows. Besides, damned if it wasn’t sexy, waiting for her to ravish him. He didn’t mind letting her take charge once in a while. Her smile echoed the smile tugging at his own lips. Definitely no complaints from him.
“Yeah,” he groaned. “Just like that.” She straddled him, cradling his erection right where he wanted to be in the hot, wet valley between her thighs. When she leaned forward to kiss him again, his erection bumped against her hot, sweet slit. She gasped. He groaned. The way things were going, this was going to be a fast, hot ride.
He’d give her slow and sweet later.
Her kiss got hotter, more desperate, her mouth devouring his as her tongue swept inside. He cupped her breasts, thumbing the rosy tips. She returned the favor, her fingers finding his nipples and pinching erotically. She gave as good as she got, his Sarah Jo.
She tore her mouth from his. “You like that?”
She knew he did.
“Just as much as you like my touching those pretty breasts.”
“So we’re square.” Smiling impishly, she lifted up and found his hot, wet tip. He wasn’t letting her get ahead of him. Putting his hands on her hips, he notched his dick against her opening. Just pushed gently, teasing until she took him an inch at a time.
Christ. He’d hang on if it killed him.
Then she sank down, impaling herself on his dick, and he lost it. Lost control, lost himself in the hot, sweet wildness that was Sarah Jo. She rode him like a rodeo queen, rising up fast and slamming down hard. The delicious friction about drove him out of his mind. Her face watched him fiercely, gauging his pleasure. He’d have bet his last dollar his Sarah Jo knew almost exactly how close he was to coming. That was good, he had no complaints, but he wasn’t the only one in this bed, was he? He needed this to be damned good for her. So he took control, flipping her over and pinning her to the bed beneath him.
He slammed into her, long, luxurious, powerful strokes, seating himself deep inside her body. She whimpered, her fingers clutching at his shoulders, leaving red crescents.
“Don’t you dare stop.” Her hips pushed up against his, seeking an even deeper penetration, and he grabbed her ass with both hands and lifted her. Stroked deeper and slower, then pulled back and drove inside her again.
Yeah. Right there. He adjusted and seated himself again, drinking in her little groans and breathy whimpers. Her fingers pushed and pulled as she strove for the climax hovering just out of reach.
Dropping a hand between them, he found her clit and stroked.
“Let go for me, honey.” His next stroke forced the palm of his hand against the top of her mound and she stiffened, her legs quivering. Her body came around his, and he followed her over the edge.
Sarah Jo snuck out of his RV at dark o’clock. She wriggled
out from beneath his arm and tiptoed across the floor. Clothing rustled as she got dressed because they’d fallen asleep naked and tangled up together. He weighed letting her know that he was awake and that she didn’t need to sneak.
He wouldn’t stop her if she wanted to go.
He didn’t fool himself. Sarah Jo wasn’t worried about the rest of the camp learning that they’d hooked up. Sure, there’d be teasing, but the Rogues wouldn’t push too far. Not once he’d made it clear that Sarah Jo mattered.
And that was the hell of it. Sarah Jo did matter to him. What had started out as a smoking-hot kiss had become something else. He liked her. If he was being honest with himself, he more than liked her. Somehow, she’d snuck up on his heart and wormed her way in when he wasn’t looking.
Too bad she didn’t seem to feel the same way.
No, she was sneaking out of his place in the dead of night because she didn’t want to say anything. Good morning was apparently too complicated for her. That was too damned bad. He had plenty of things to say to her.
She tiptoed over the floor, and the door opened with a quiet snick; a flash of night sky, and she was gone.
“Bye,” he said to the empty RV.
He rolled over and punched the pillow.
He wasn’t in a hurry to settle down, marry up—but he wouldn’t go for a one-night stand, either. He liked to get to know his lovers. Maybe he hadn’t always had love, but he’d definitely had like. Nothing about Sarah Jo screamed permanent or keep me. She was a temporary hire who’d made her intentions of moving on after the summer all too clear. Quickie sex wasn’t what he wanted—well, okay, part of him did—so that should have made Sarah Jo off-limits. He’d just have to stop thinking about her, and that would be that.
Yeah. Right.
She wasn’t ready to talk, had all but run tonight. He’d never been much for talking himself, and some things didn’t need words. He’d already decided that, while he waited for her to feel ready to open up to him, he’d keep an eye out and watch over her some. He didn’t want to stalk her but, hell, just watching her was a joy. Her laugh lit up a room. And trouble was definitely riding her ass.
