Second Chance at the Sugar Shack

by Candis Terry

  That morning he hadn’t bothered to toss his dirty uniform in the hamper or straighten his sheets. Tonight he didn’t care. Because right now, all he could think about was getting her into his bed, wrapping himself around her and holding her close.

  The curtains over the French doors were open and muted moonlight shone through the glass. Fat glistening snowflakes had begun to fall and gather on the rail of the deck outside the doors. He didn’t turn on a light. He’d seen Kate’s beautiful body in the stark overhead fluorescents at the bakery. Tonight he wanted to see her bathed in nature’s light. Just as he’d seen her that long ago night and so many times in his dreams.

  Drawing her against him, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her with passion and hope, tenderness and pleasure. He craved her body and wanted to touch her soul. He wanted to feed his hunger for her and bury himself in all that he remembered she could be, in all they had once been together.

  “Tell me what you want, Kate.”

  “I want you,” she said, handing him the words he’d waited ten years to hear. She leaned into him, rose to her toes and in a husky, needful voice whispered across his lips. “All of you. I want to kiss you all over.”

  Lost in her sweet beckoning scent and the need surging through his blood, he slid his fingers into her silky hair and moved his mouth down the graceful column of her neck. “Me first.”

  Her head dropped back, allowing him access and he gently sucked the flesh at the curve of her throat. Her pulse throbbed beneath his tongue and he slid his hand beneath her velvety sweater. His fingertips tingled to life when they met her warm skin. He unbuttoned her top and tossed it aside as he stood there, looking at her bathed in moonlight in a light blue bra that lifted her breasts and formed perfect mounds above the lace edge. His thumb traced slow erotic circles across the satiny material and her nipple pebbled beneath his touch. Then he undid the front clasp and eased the straps down her arms.

  Her silky hair fell across her bare shoulders and tickled the crests of her plump breasts. “So beautiful,” he murmured as he trailed his fingers slowly down the smooth skin between those perfect peaks. His body pulsed, his erection throbbed. He lowered his head, sucked a rosy tip into his mouth, and circled it with his tongue. Her throaty moan shuddered through him.

  She arched against him. When what he really wanted was to strip her of the rest of her clothes and plunge himself into her hot, slick body, he forced his hands to be gentle as they slid down her curves. He knelt before her, removed her boots and unzipped her jeans. Then he slid the fabric down her legs until she stood before him in nothing but tiny blue panties. He drew her against him and pressed his mouth against the little lace triangle that kept him from what he wanted.

  He could feel her moist heat through the thin fabric.

  She wanted him too.

  The knowledge turned him on more than anything he could remember. As his tongue licked and teased along the outline of the lace, his hands slid up the backs of her silky thighs. He tucked his fingers into the elastic and drew the fabric down her legs. Then gently grasping her firm behind, he brought her to his mouth. He pressed his lips to the apex of her thighs and swept his tongue between the parted folds of her flesh.

  “Oh!” Her head dropped back, her knees buckled, and he grasped her behind to hold her in place.

  Slowly, methodically, and hungrily, he alternated loving her as though he had all day and as though he had only seconds. She gripped his hair in her hands. A shudder rippled through her body and she cried out, “Oh. God. Matt.”

  He stayed with her until she let go a deep, satisfied moan and slumped against him. He smiled as he kissed his way up her belly to her mouth.

  Between hot, feeding kisses, his name broke from her lips on a sigh. “Matt. I need you inside me.” She pushed away his shirt and reached for the button on his jeans. “Right now.”

  Tangled up with powerful feelings of possessiveness and tenderness, hope and desire, his good intentions snapped. She pushed the denim and his boxer-briefs down his legs. He’d barely kicked away the material trapping his ankles before she took his hard length into her hand. He closed his eyes and a low groan of pleasure rushed from his throat as her grip tightened around him.

  Deep in his chest his heart raced and he knew he could come just like that with her hand curled around him. But that wasn’t what he wanted.

  “And I need you,” he said with a low growl. “Right now.” He reached for her hands and wrapped them around his neck. He lifted her onto the bed and followed her down. Then he kissed her. Nibbled at her. Drew her lower lip into his mouth and deepened the kiss with unyielding broad sweeps of his tongue. She responded with eager hands pulling him closer, racing down his sides to his butt. His knee nudged her legs apart and he poised himself intimately against her heat. She arched against him.

  When he covered her with his body, she gasped. He buried his face in her neck, breathed in her sugar cookie scent, and basked in the reeling awareness floating through his head.

  “Love me, Matt. Please. Please. Please. Love me now.”

  “Let me in,” he whispered but thought I’ll love you always.

  She opened her legs while he rolled on a condom. When he slid into her, she completely gave herself up to him and the giant ache in his heart disappeared.

  The clock struck midnight as Kate straddled Matt’s lean hips and fed him another bite of amaretto chocolate swirl fudge. Neither of them wore a stitch and she was amazed at how comfortable she suddenly felt in her own skin. Of course, that might have something to do with the warm masculine skin pressed against hers. Between talking and laughing, they’d made love twice. Three times if you counted the fooling around they’d done in the shower just now. She couldn’t get enough of him and she never wanted to leave this cozy cocoon they’d made in the warmth of his bed.

  “Do you like this one?” she asked while the delicacy melted in his mouth.

  He smiled and drew her down against his chest. “I like you.”

  She laughed and laid her head against his shoulder. “Since when? Before I took my clothes off or after?”

  His warm palm caressed her naked back in slow, hypnotizing strokes and his deep voice rumbled against her breast. “Always.”

  “I’ll bet you say that to all the girls.”

  “There are no all the girls.”

  That got her attention. “What about your list?”

  He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Stupid idea.”

  “Seriously stupid. Thank God you’re such a smart man.” She kissed him and the taste of the sweet chocolate on his tongue swept through her mouth. Their hearts beat together, swift and uneasy like butterflies trapped in a box. And she had to admit what she’d felt for quite some time. She framed his handsome face between her hands and looked down into his eyes. “I like you too.” She kissed him again. “I like the way you smile at crotchety old ladies and make them feel young again. I like the way you took a falling-down cabin and made it a home. I definitely like the way you grill a trout. And maybe I even like the fact that you’re probably the most honest person I know. Even when that honesty is directed at me and it hurts like hell.”

  His hand slid down the curve of her spine and he smiled. “Are you buttering me up for a reason?”

  “Mmmmmm, only so I can do this.” She kissed her way down his chest, paying as close attention to his hard nipples as he’d paid to hers. While he slid his fingers into her hair, she ran her tongue down his flat belly to the line of fine hair below his belly button and his very serious erection. “And . . . this.”

  She swirled the swollen head with her tongue and looked up into his lust-heavy eyes. “Especially this.” She took him into her mouth, deepening the suction and then easing back to tease him with just the tip of her tongue. As she lightly scraped her teeth across the head he gave a long, sighing moan.

  “Do you like that?” she asked.

  He drew her up against him, rolled her over and eased into her warm
th. “What do you think?”

  An intense pleasure filled her and curled around her heart like a woolen mitten. At that moment, Kate knew that in Matt Ryan’s arms was exactly where she wanted to be.

  Maybe even forever.

  Morning filtered through the French doors on pale light and Matt lifted his head off the pillow. Judging by the several inches of white powder that lined the deck rail, snow had fallen all during the night. Naked, Kate was pressed to his side with her head on his shoulder. Her no-name dog had curved himself around their feet at the bottom of the bed. And Matt sank into his favorite fantasy of waking every day with Kate curled up to him just like this.

  Last night had been unexpected and yet more than he ever could have imagined. They’d consumed her champagne and between making love and feasting on each other, they devoured her treats. It didn’t take long for him to realize the woman he’d imagined for so many years was more than just a fantasy. He’d waited so long for her to come back he could hardly believe she was lying in his arms. His heart pounded. She fit perfectly. As sure as the snow fell outside his window, he knew Kate was exactly where she belonged—in his bed and in his life.

  But how to convince her of that was another matter.

  As if she could read his mind, she stirred in his arms, lifted her chin, and gave him a sleepy smile with lips still flushed from his kisses. He bent his head and kissed them again.

  “Morning.” She stretched and the puppy lifted his head with a don’t disturb me look in his big brown eyes.

  “Thanks for not sneaking out,” Matt murmured.

  “What? And leave all this coziness to go out in the cold? I don’t think so.”

  He laughed. “Well, thank God you didn’t stay because of me. That would have been awkward.”

  “Mmmmm.” She trailed her finger across his chest. “I have to admit, you are much better than a silk comforter.”

  “And you’ve given me a huge appetite.” He lifted her finger to his lips and kissed it. “How about some breakfast?”

  “It’s Sunday.” She rolled on top of him and pressed her sweet, warm breasts into his chest. “How about we stay right here and I worship your body a little while longer?”

  Sometimes it was just best to let a woman have her way.

  Icy wind whipped across the shield of the helmet stuck on Kate’s head as she clung to Matt from the back of his snowmobile. At a brisk speed they glided across the blanketed valley until they reached an ungroomed trail that wound through the forest thick with snow-dusted pines. As the incline increased, Kate snuggled closer to Matt. He let go of the handlebar long enough to gently squeeze the hand she had tucked into the pocket of his coat.

  She breathed in a lung full of clean mountain air. This was a hell of a way to travel for breakfast.

  Having the chance to wrap your arms around the most gorgeous man in Montana? Stellar. Add in the scenery? Unbelievable. Kate had forgotten about the beauty of the backcountry. She’d forgotten the benefits of having nature’s playground in your own backyard. In L.A. the only wilderness to be found was Griffith Park, which, for the most part, was usually loaded up with picnickers and tourists.

  Here, they were completely alone.

  The snowmobile fishtailed as they rounded a curve up to a stunning vista where rugged mountain peaks continued to rise above the snow-covered valley floor. When Matt slowed the machine to a stop and turned off the engine, Kate jumped off the back, pulled the helmet from her head, and wearing a too big pair of his snow pants, slogged through the snow to the rocky edge of the rise.

  Several hundred feet below, the lake sparkled sapphire in the sun. Overhead, fluffy white clouds drifted across a turquoise sky. The whole scene looked like a Currier and Ives postcard.

  “Wow! This . . . is amazing.” She did a slow spin to view the panorama, then turned to find Matt still straddling the snowmobile, watching her from behind the visor of his black helmet. “Aren’t you going to come look? The scenery is beautiful.”

  He lifted off the helmet and smiled at her. “I’ll say.”

  Her cheeks flushed. But maybe that was only from the cold. “You’re not looking at the scenery.”

  “I’m looking at the best thing I’ve seen in years.” He swung his leg over the seat and walked toward her. He pulled the gloves from his hands and brushed the backs of his fingers across her cheeks before cupping her face and lowering his head.

  His lips were cool. His tongue warm. And as he kissed her slow and sweet, Kate’s heart swelled. Foreheads together, they looked into each other’s eyes. She slid her hands up the smooth fabric of his down jacket. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

  He grinned. “Best place in Montana for breakfast.”

  “I don’t see a restaurant.”

  “I’ve got something better.” He kissed her fingers before he released her to grab a pack from the snowmobile.

  She watched him walk away, admiring his long legs and confident carriage. “Yes, you do, Deputy Ryan.”

  He turned and caught her smiling. “Are you checking me out?”

  She lifted an eyebrow and nodded. Laughing, he turned his back. Temptation proved too much. She scooped up a handful of snow, patted it into a ball, and let it fly. It landed with a splat on the back of his coat. “Oops.”

  When he faced her, humor lit up those already bright eyes. “So that’s the way you want to play, huh?” In a blink he was after her. She squeaked, laughed, and dodged him as he made a grab. But the pants she’d borrowed were way too big and way too long and her efforts were wasted. She went down. Hooking her hands in his coat, she pulled him with her. With a whoof they landed in the snow. Him on top. Her loving every second.

  Their laughter stopped when they looked into each other’s eyes. Hearts pounding their lips met. When they came up for air he asked, “Hungry?”

  “Starving.” Though she wasn’t at all sure she was talking about food.

  He got to his feet, pulled her up, and dusted the snow off her backside. Then he went to the snowmobile, unzipped some kind of backpack and withdrew an insulated bag, thermos, and two travel mugs. “While you were taking a shower, I made some coffee and breakfast burritos.”

  “Wow. Handsome and can cook too. Got any sweetener in there?”

  He held up a ziplock bag containing small packets. “This is the only time you’ll see me carrying pink.”

  She laughed. “You are a saint.”

  “Nah, I just didn’t want to hear you whining. Come on over here.” His long legs carried him over to a grouping of rocks where he proceeded to brush off the snow and lay a folded blanket for her to sit.

  “What about you?” She asked, perching herself on the warm wool cushion. “Won’t your butt freeze?”

  “Will you warm me up if I do?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then I hate to admit that with these snow pants I won’t feel the cold at all.” He sat on a rock behind her, took the aluminum-wrapped burritos from the bag and handed one to her.

  Kate pulled her gloves from her hands and peeled away the foil. Steam rose from the egg, cheese, and sausage concoction and she took a bite. “Either I really am starving or this is excellent.”

  “Well, we did work up an appetite before we got out of bed.”

  “Mmmmm. Great way to start a morning.”

  “The best,” he said. “I’m glad you agreed to come here with me.”

  “I am too. I’d forgotten there’s more to see around here than just beautiful downtown Deer Lick.”

  “Then I’m sure you’ve forgotten the hot springs and how much you liked going there after dark.”

  “I remember loving the hot springs and how much you liked going there after dark because I wouldn’t wear a bathing suit.”

  He sipped at his coffee and chuckled. “You can hardly blame me.”

  “Yeah, well you weren’t the only one who got a free peek. And may I say you certainly lived up to the advertisement.”

  He laughed. “I’ll ta
ke that as a compliment.”

  “Please do.” She finished the last bite of egg burrito and wadded up the foil.

  “Kate?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I missed you when you left.”

  “I know.” And with all honesty she said, “I missed you too.”

  As they gazed out across the wonder of the Montana wilderness, she leaned back against him. He slid his arms around her, locked their fingers together, and rested his chin on top of her head.

  Kate had been to Hollywood, New York, Paris, and Rome, but nowhere was more wonderful than sitting on a mountaintop wrapped in Matt Ryan’s arms.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Almost a week had passed since Kate had flung herself on the mercy of Matt’s doorstep, hauling sugar-laden desserts and fine champagne as backup bribery. And every night since, after she’d worked to finish up the bakery makeover, she’d locked the doors and put her mother’s cruise ship on auto pilot to his house.

  Today as she finished up restocking the display cases and the lunch supplies he walked through the door and toward her take-out counter. While his long muscular legs carried him closer, she imagined him sans clothes and aviators. Mmmm, maybe he could leave the sunglasses on. They did add a little mystery to his already sexy appeal.

  “Good afternoon, Deputy Ryan. What can I do for you today?”

  He leaned his big hand on the counter, pretending to peruse the new menu above her head. But not even the aviators perched on his slightly imperfect nose could hide where those pale blue eyes were really fixated.

  A slow, seductive smile curled his lips. “How about a tuna sub. A repeat of this morning. No tomato. A repeat of last night. An iced tea. And something new for when you come home tonight.”

  Home. Hmmm. She liked the sound of that. “And would you like mayo? Black panties or white?”

  His smile broke into a grin. “I’m in a dark mood today.”

  “Then black it is.” She flashed him a wink, spun on the toe of her Chucks, and since they were alone, went about making his tuna sub in the most erotic fashion possible. He removed the sunglasses and hooked them in the pocket of his shirt. The intense way he watched her made her feel beautiful and desired and way, way hungry for him.