She'd spent all her time since coming to work for Kel either in or near the ranch house, which nestled in the shoulder of low hills that served to soften the view a Uttle. She'd almost forgotten the sheer emptiness of the landscape that surrounded it.
She turned in the saddle to look back. The ranch house was no longer visible. In all that vast expanse of land, there were only the two of them. It had never occurred to her that so much space could be oppressive. Yet it was also exhilarating.
Kel watched Megan, trying to judge her reaction. Not everyone appreciated wide-open sky and empty plains. He'd taken Roxanne out riding not long after they were married. She'd hated every moment of the experience, starting with the Western-style saddle and ending with the barrenness of the land. It made her feel small, she'd complained, hunching her shoulders as if for protection against the emptiness of the land and sky.
Looking back, Kel supposed he should have known then that the marriage was a mistake, but when he took her to the ranch house, she'd coaxed him up to their bedroom and provided a vivid reminder of their one area of compatibility.
He saw Megan turn in the saddle to look in the direction they'd come. He knew the ranch house was out
of sight and that it seemed as if they'd left all signs of civilization behind. She glanced up at the blue arc of sky and hunched her shoulders uneasily. Kel's fingers tightened on Dude's leins in anticipation of Megan's request to turn back.
But after a moment, she straightened her shoulders and he saw her breasts lift as she took a deep breath. She released it slowly and then glanced at him.
**rve read about pioneers who went mad because they couldn't deal with the emptiness of the prairie," she said slowly. *Tor the first time, I think I can understand how they must have felt."
"It can be a bit overwhelming," Kel agreed. He was still prepared to turn around.
"Yes. But it's magnificent, too. And so quiet." She sighed, her eyes going a little dreamy. "I can see why the Indians fought so hard to keep their land. If I had a place like this, I wouldn't want to let it go."
Kel relaxed his hand on the reins and smiled at her, feeling something strangely like pride uncurl inside him. Not that he had any business being proud of Megan Roarke, he reminded himself. Whether she liked the wide-open Wyoming sky or not was a matter of interest but not real concern. Not like it had been with Roxanne. He'd been married to Roxanne and it had mattered that she'd been unable to see the beauty in the land around her.
He wanted Megan as his lover, not his wife, and even if she'd hated the ranch, it wouldn't have mattered. Still, that vague feeling of pride didn't go away.
4> * ♦
They talked easily. Megan had been reading up on Wyoming's history and was fascinated to know that they were right in the middle of Johnson County, site of the notorious Johnson County War. When she heard that his great-grandfather had actually known Nate Champion, who'd posthumously become something of a hero after the war, Mean's excitanent lit up her eyes. Her fascination with the man made Kel glad Champion had been dead for a good hundred years. He thought, ruefully, that he wasn't sure he could have stood up to the competition.
Since Megan had little experience as a rider, Kel had no intention of taking her very far from the ranch house on this first trip. Even a short ride was going to leave her stiff and sore. Of course, if he'd been sure she'd be willing to let him massage the ache from her muscles, he might have been tempted to make it a longer trip.
**We'll stop at the creek," he said, nodding to the band of trees they were approaching. "It's a good place for a picnic. There's plenty of shade."
**I guess that's something of a rarity around here, isn't it?"
"Trees aren't real plentiful," he agreed. "Not until you get into the foothills."
Though Colleen had loaned her a hat to shield her from the hot summer sun, Megan sighed with relief as they rode into the trees that lined the edge of the creek. It wasn't the kind of woods she'd known in Minnesota, really not much more than a ragged scattering of cottonwoods and shrubs taking advantage of a reli-
able source of water in a place where such things were not common. But it was a pleasant swath of green amidst the dun-colored land that surrounded it.
Kel swung out of the saddle and looped Dude's reins over a low branch on one of the shrubs. "Here. Let me help you down," he said, glancing over his shoulder to where she sat perched on Mickey's broad back.
"It looks a lot farther than I'd realized," she admitted as she swung her 1^ over the saddle and leaned down to put her hands on his broad shoulders.
She'd been so busy worrying about how she was going to get off the horse that she was caught off guard by the familiar jolt of electricity that arced between them, even at that casual touch. Her eyes jerked to Kel's as she felt his hands close around her waist. Any doubts she might have had about whether or not he still wanted her vanished beneath the heated green of his gaze.
It had been a mistake to touch her, Kel thought. The last two and a half weeks had been sheer torture. And the brief taste of her in his office had only added to the torture. And damned if his fingers didn't nearly span her waist, just the way he'd imagined they would.
He lifted her from the saddle and Megan's hands shifted to grab the muscles in his upper arms. They were like iron beneath her fingers, and the easy way he held her made her vividly aware of the difference in strength between them. He took his time about lowering her to the ground, drawing her forward so that she slid slowly—so very slowly—down the length of his body. And all the while, he held her gaze with his.
those clear green eyes dark with hunger. A hunger that found an echo in the pit of her stomach.
She could hear the soft babble of the creek behind her and somewhere high overhead was the wild cry of a hawk as it painted lazy circles in the clear blue sky. A tiny breeze rustled the leaves on the cottonwoods, a breath of air on the hot stillness of a summer's day.
But Megan was oblivious to everything but the ragged pounding of her own heart. And the heat in Kel Bryan's look.
She felt the hard, metallic pressure of his belt buckle against her belly and then he lowered her a few more inches and she felt the stir of his arousal through the demm of his jeans. Her breath caught in an audible gasp and her fingers flexed against his arms, like a cat kneading her paws.
She felt the ground beneath her toes and then felt it knocked out from under her again as Kel's mouth came down on hers.
There was nothing gentle about the kiss. Just like before, there was no tentative exploration, no coaxing a response. There was no need for it. Megan's mouth opened to his like a drought-stricken flower opening to life-giving rain. She shivered as his tongue thrust deep inside, claiming her in a fundamental way.
He smelled of shaving soap, sun and a faintly earthy smell that she could only label rugged male. His mouth found the pulse that beat just under her ear, tasting it with his tongue before his teeth nipped at her earlobe, sending soft shivers down her spine.
She felt a tug against her scalp as he pulled loose the elastic band that held her hair at the base of her neck.
His fingers speared deep into the silken mass, his big hand cupping the back of her head, tilting her face toward his as his mouth descended on hers again.
Her hands were not still. She flexed her fingers once more against the solid muscles of his arms, finding them about as yielding as a piece of well-cured oak. She knocked his hat from his head so that her fingers could delve into the thick darkness of his hair.
The world seemed to spin around her and it was only when Megan felt the ground come up beneath her back that she realized the sensation was not entirely the result of Kel's powerful effect on her senses. The buttons on her gray cotton shirt yielded to his impatient touch, and she gasped when she felt the heated weight of his hand flattened against her stomach.
He Ufted his head to look down at her, his eyes holding her captive as his fingers slid upward. He opened the front clip on her bra with an easy expertise th
at Megan wasn't at all sure she liked. But then his hand closed over her breast and she liked that very much indeed.
Too much, she thought, even as his clever fingers drew a whimper of pleasure from her. It was too much. She was spinning out of control, giving herself over to him in a way that was half exhilarating, half frightening.
The fear won out. Not fear of Kel but fear of what he made her feel. She wasn't ready for this. Not yet. It was too much, too soon. He had only to touch her and she was on fire. Just the way it had been between them from the moment they'd met.
He was going to be her lover. She believed that, wanted it to happen. But not now, not when her head was spinning so that she hardly knew her own name. Megan opened her mouth to tell him that she wanted to stop.
His head dipped and her breath left her in a startled moan as she felt the moist heat of his tongue against her nipple. Streaks of lightning seemed to run from that tiny point all the way down to her toes, melting bone and muscle on the way. Her hands came up, her fingers threading through his hair.
Push him away, she told herself.
Draw him closer.
Need shuddered through her as he took her into his mouth, licking and sucking, doing things she'd only lead about until now and had never really imagined actually happening to her. His mustache brushed against her skin, its gentle abrasion a contrast to the moist heat of his mouth.
It had to stop now.
rd die if it ever stopped.
His hair curled over her fingers like dark silk. She swallowed a whimper of pleasure. It would be so easy to give in, to let him make love to her in the soft green grass, sheltered by the cottonwoods, with only the pale blue Wyoming sky for a witness. She wanted him.
But she wasn't ready for this. Not yet.
"Kel." It was as much a whimper as a word. His fingers had closed over her other breast, teasing the nipple to swoUen attention. She was drowning in sensation. But everything was moving too quickly. It was too much, too soon. They'd barely spoken this past
week, now they were on the verge of making love. She needed moie time.
"No."
There was no force behind the word. In fact, she was half surprised she'd even managed to get it out. But she knew Kel heard it, could feel the sudden stillness of his body against hers.
For the space of several heartbeats, he didn't move. She could feel the roughness of his cheek against the tender skin of her breast, the firm pressure of his arousal against her hip. Somewhere in the back of her mind, it occurred to Megan that there was nothing to stop him from forcing the issue.
Not that he'd have to use force, she admitted honestly. He had to know that it wouldn't take much persuasion to change her mind. There was even a small part of her that hoped he would ignore her protest, that he'd kiss her into silence and satisfy the hunger that rolled in long, trembling waves through her body.
It wouldn't take much to get her to change her mind. The thought rolled through Kel's mind. She was quivering under his touch, a heartbeat away from giving him what he wanted—what they both wanted. He could make her forget her doubts, make her forget everything but how good they were together.
Megan saw the effort it cost Kel to lift his head and let his hand sUde from her. Immediately, she felt bereft and more than half wished she'd ignored the voice of reason. It was especially difficult to hold onto her crumbling sanity when she met the searing heat in his eyes.
"Fm not ready for this," she said, flushing a little as the throbbing ache in the pit of her stomach called h^ a liar.
*'A11 right." Kel's voice was huskier than usual.
Megan was vividly aware of the hard ridge of arousal still pressed against her hip. A wave of purely feminine guilt washed over her, and she could hear her grandmother warning her of the terrible things that befell girls who teased.
"Fm sorry. I should have called a halt sooner."
"I don't recall giving you much chance to say anything."
She jumped as his hand flattened over her belly. Her skin was so sensitive that she could feel the imprint of each finger separate from the others.
''But I should have said something sooner. I shouldn't have let..." She trailed off as she saw the unmistakable glint of humor in his eyes. The last thing she'd expected was for him to see any humor in the situation, and she was torn between relief and annoyance.
"Are you apologizing because you think I'm now in mortal agony?" he asked her.
"I know it's painful for a man..." she began primly.
"Thaf s an old wive's tale, honey. It was invented by teenage boys to convince teenage girls that they really want to lose their cherry in the back of a Chevy."
Mean's face flushed at his blunt summation but she swallowed hard and refused to look away. "Aren't you... I mean, doesn't it..."
"FU admit I've been more comfortable in my day," he admitted. Gody that was the understatement of the
year. He ached so much it seemed as if even his hair hurt. "Fm not any more uncomfortable than you are," he continued, shifting his hand against the taut skin of her stomach, feeling the quiver of her response. "Men just aren't built to hide our reactions the way women can/'
Megan felt herself flush again but she couldn't deny that her body wasn't particularly happy about the interruption her mind had insisted was necessary.
"You don't mind?"
"Oh, I mind. But I'll survive." His laugh held a tinge of pain, and Megan found herself oddly pleased by the sound. There was no logic to it but she didn't hke the idea that he could end what had been happening without feeling at least a twinge of discomfort.
She gasped when she felt the brush of his fingertip across the still taut peak of her breast. Echoes of that touch rippled through her, bringing her nerve endings to quivering life.
"Kel..."
"I'm not going to try to get you to change your mind," he said. "But there's no harm in a little petting, is there?"
"Petting? You mean like teenagers at a drive-in?" She eyed him warily.
"It's allowed even when you're over sixteen," he said, his mouth quirking with humor.
"I don't think-"
He stopped her uncertain protest with a kiss, and when he Ufted his head, she'd forgotten what she'd been saying.
"Don't think. I won't do anything you don't want."
Yes, hut what about things I do want but shouldn't, Megan wondered despairingly as the callused roughness of his thumb stroked across her swollen nipple.
**We won't take off any clothes. We'll just spend some time getting to know each other." He nibbled the soft skin along her jaw and Megan shivered.
She'd always thought of getting to know each other as being a more cerebral activity. Maybe they'd talk about books they liked or their childhoods or the state of world affairs. Kel's tongue tasted the pulse that beat much too quickly at the base of h^ throat. She arched her neck in unconscious invitation. Of course, she supposed there was knowing and then there was knowing. Kel's version certainly had its advantages.
**Just pretend you're sweet sixteen and that we're in my Daddy's fifty-six Chevy." He kissed his way along the fragile ridge of her collarbone. *'We're parked at the end of a long, lonely road with nothing but the stars for company. Unbutton my shirt."
**This is crazy." But her trembling fingers were already working the buttons of his shirt. "It's broad daylight."
**Shh." He took her mouth in a quick biting kiss, sweet punishment for being too practical. "It's after eleven and I promised your father I'd have you home by midnight. We've only got a little while and we have to make the most of it."
Megan curled her fingers into the mat of dark, curly hair that covered his chest, feeling herself falling into the fantasy he was creating. He caught her hands in his, pinning them to the soft green grass on either side of her head as he lowered his body over hers.
Kel wasn't sure why he was torturing himself like this. He should roll away from her, get up, get on his horse and put some distance between them. On s
econd thoughts, riding a horse wasn't such a good idea at the moment. And she smelled so good. And she tasted even better.
**Hear the crickets outside the car?" he whispered against her ear.
Megan couldn't hear anything above the thunderous rhythm of her heartbeat. The hard muscles of his chest pressed against her breasts, the crisp mat of hair abrading their already sensitized peaks.
She opened her eyes and stared at him. **I... I've never necked in a parked car in my life," she whispered, not sure if it was a protest or merely a comment.
**Ijet me show you what you missed," he said. His mustache lifted in a wicked grin that made her curl her toes inside her shoes.
"This is crazy," she whispered but her mouth opened to his, and for a moment, she almost believed she could hear those stupid crickets.
Chapter 6
I'm going to have to rebuild the engine," Gun said, staring into the engine compartment.
**I think a small nuclear bomb would be a better idea." Megan shook her head when she saw the condition of the engine. * *I hope you didn't pay much for this thing because if it cost you more than a buck and a quarter, you got rooked."
**This car is worth a fortune," Gun protested, giving the battered Corvette a proud look. "It's got a four fifty-four with four hundred and sixty horsepower. If s the biggest engine they made."
**It's not much more than a pile of rubble," Megan said. She put her hand through a hole in the fiberglass fender to demonstrate.
**It's got the original engine," he said stubbornly. "That's important."
**It needs about a thousand hours of work," she pointed out.
"You just don't know a diamond in the rough when you see one."
"It looks more like a cubic zirconia to me." But the laughter in her eyes took the sting out of the words.
"Just wait till I've got it put back together," Gun said, undeterred by her cynical attitude. "You'll eat those words."
"I'm willing to take that risk." It occurred to her that she'd be long gone by the time Gun finished restoring the Vette, but she shoved the thought away, just as she'd been doing with any thoughts that delved too far into the future.
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