“I have to come back. My book launch is Friday afternoon.”
“You don’t sound too damn happy, kiddo. Is that what you thought I was calling about?”
“Yeah.”
“You know this is your best yet, right?”
“So you tell me,” Annie said watching CJ swing down off the tractor.
“Not just me. The suits are buzzing. You know they don’t do these launch parties for hardly anyone anymore. They know this is going to be big. Why do you think they insisted on sprucing up your back catalog? When your name hits the big time they want to be ready to capitalize.”
“I know, and I know a lot of people have worked their ass off for me.”
“This is about you, not them.”
“You’re one of the them.”
“I’m your friend. Besides, no one is going to see me at the grocery store and scream, oh my God! You’re that editor!”
Annie buried her face in the arm of the couch.
“If anyone does that to me, I’m going to die.”
“Makes a move to mountaintop nowhere Wyoming sound pretty damn good doesn’t it?”
“You have no idea,” she mumbled into the leather.
“I know you. So I kind of do.”
A door opened somewhere beyond the kitchen. Probably the maligned mudroom.
“He’s back. I need to go. You’re going to be at this thing, right?” she asked, praying for one friendly face.
“We’ll be there. It’s only an hour drive, but the hubby is spoiling me. We’re staying the night. You know what that means?”
Annie shook her head with a groan. “Hotel sex.”
“I knew my favorite romance writer wouldn’t fail me.”
“Just make sure you leave the room long enough to attend this thing so I’m not alone. Crystal is going to freak when she hears she missed my first and probably last launch party.”
“You’re going to be fine. Read an excerpt, answer a handful of questions. Smile, shake hands and sign a few hundred books. Then, you’re out of there. Trust me. You can do this.”
“I hope it’s open bar.”
“You, drunk in a room full of literary critics, book bloggers, and VIPs. That I would pay to see.”
“It’s either that or see if my aunt can hook me up with a couple of Xanax.”
Finn laughed, her gravelly delight bouncing off cell towers to wrap around Annie like a favorite sweatshirt.
“Get through the promotional poo-poo. Make a ton of money and then you can go back to Wyoming and hide with your big game stud.”
Annie watched CJ pour a cup of coffee and wrap his cold hands around the mug. He smiled at her, raising the steaming brew in thanks.
“That sounds like heaven,” she murmured. “I’ll see you Friday.”
CJ walked into the living room as she tucked the phone away.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he said, sinking down onto the couch next to her.
“It was just Finn checking up on me. Besides, it’s your house.”
“I told you to make yourself at home. Did you get something?” he asked, nodding toward the coffee as he took a slow sip.
“Not yet. I knew you’d be cold so I started a pot, and then the phone distracted me.”
“Finn’s your editor, right? No problems I hope.”
“Good memory,” Annie said, shifting against his side. His arm moved behind her. “Mackinac Monday is long past the editing stage and my next one is still in the first draft. Finn’s also a friend. She called to see if I’d survived the Wild West.”
“What did you tell her?”
“That I was being held captive by a sexy survivalist in the Bighorn Mountains and not to send help.”
“A survivalist, huh?”
“Have you seen your freezer?”
“I’m a hunter,” he said with a shrug.
“And a gatherer, apparently. I saw vacuum sealed Morel mushrooms and asparagus in your freezer. Most bachelors are lucky to have Hot Pockets and pot pies.”
“What were you looking for in the freezer?”
Annie felt her cheeks warming under his all too knowing look.
“Okay, so I was looking to see if you had more than beer and bologna.”
“Did you have time to raid the medicine cabinet, or should I go move more snow?” CJ’s smirk widened into a full grin. “I’m just giving you a hard time.”
She nudged him with her shoulder. “Sorry. It’s the writer in me. I’m curious or, as my mother always said, nosey.”
“You can look anywhere you want. No deep, dark secrets here.”
“No kinky toy drawer?” Annie asked, snickering at the thought of Finn and her hotel hanky panky.
“Oddly, no,” he said with a slight frown. “But I wouldn’t be against allocating a drawer and shopping together. I’m up for you playing in my drawers anytime.”
“There’s that adventurous spirit,” she said, smiling into his flannel. Her fingertips slid behind his belt buckle giving it a tug. “So generous and sharing too.”
CJ nuzzled behind her ear before nipping the shell.
“Speaking of adventure, did you decide what you want to see today?”
“This might sound crazy, but could we just hang around here? Show me the rest of your property if you can, or your favorite place. Then we could light a fire in this slightly smaller fireplace, snuggle up, and come up with crazy topics for rapid fire.”
CJ nodded, obviously remembering their fireplace discussion at the rehearsal.
“That doesn’t sound crazy at all. I will be happy to raid the freezer for dinner fixings, and you can look through the medicine cabinet if you want.”
Annie reached up to stroke his cheek, fingers playing in his dark beard. “Play your cards right and maybe I’ll check the medicine cabinet out in the morning.”
Annie blinked sleepily. Between the hypnotic flicker of the flames and the stroke of CJ’s fingers through her hair, she was having trouble keeping her eyes open. His blunt fingers massaged her scalp, making her purr. It wasn’t just the cocoa that had her spoiled. Going back to real life was going to suck.
“I’m pretty sure this is what heaven is like.”
“Mmhmm.”
CJ’s affirmative answer rumbled against her back. It was funny. She’d never thought about the feel of laughter or speech until she’d cuddled to him. The experience was sure to add to her writing. A shiver skittered over her skin as he suddenly nuzzled behind her ear.
“So leave the fruit trees alone. We don’t want to be kicked out.”
Annie’s eyes flared wide. She let out an incredulous laugh, twisting to swat at him.
“Sure! Blame it all on the woman!”
CJ held his hands up in mock innocence. “Have you read the book? That’s the way it happened.”
“You know it was probably a sexist smear campaign, right? Like, the original one.”
“Yeah, because the Bible is full of lies,” CJ said, eyes crinkling in amusement.
“Ten to one, what actually happened was Adam was like, ‘Hey babe. While you’re up, grab me an apple.”
CJ shoved her to the other end of the couch.
“Hey!” she sputtered in protest.
He shook his head, holding out a staying hand to her as his eyes flitted to the rafters. “Unh-uh. You stay down there. I don’t want to be caught in the crossfire when the lightning bolts start flying.”
His play was infectious. Annie pounced, knocking him backward. Nose-to-nose she grinned down. “If I’m going, you’re going with me.”
“I like the sound of that,” he said lifting his head slightly to kiss her. Strong arms wound around her, hands roaming. “But food for thought,” he mumbled between kisses. “Award-winning writer or not, I still think re-writing the Bible might be seen as sacrilegious.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she murmured against his lips and pinched his side.
His chest shook under her. God, he made her happy. S
he grinned into his kiss. CJ’s hands spanned her back pockets, giving a cheeky squeeze, but his lips remained slow and exploratory. Annie was all for taking things slow. It had been a long time since she’d done this. People said it was like riding a bike, you never forgot. Fingers crossed they were right.
CJ scooted under her with a grunt. Annie froze. Was she too heavy sprawled on top of him like this? The thought burst into her mind and seemed to pulse with an ugly life of its own. She’d put on weight. She wasn’t a kid anymore. Trying to be discreet, she shifted. The couch made an obnoxious noise, sounding way too close to embarrassing bodily functions. Her face flamed. Mental note to writer-self; no sex on leather furniture. CJ groaned a protest as their lip lock broke. A finger against her jaw tried to turn her head. Mortification and fear made her avoid his gaze as she tried to find a comfortable spot on the edge of the cushions.
“Annie?”
Wanting for all the world to disappear, she searched for a reply to the unspoken question in the form of her name. Scooting back a little further, she opened her mouth and closed it. Concern etched in the lines of his face, CJ rolled up on his shoulder. He leaned forward, an arm going around her waist. The leather made an undignified squeal and Annie’s tentative hip hold gave way. CJ grabbed for her. A startled cry burst from her lips as they both fell.
She clenched her lids tight and landed with an oomph on top of CJ. The bridge of her nose smacked his chin bringing tears to her eyes. She desperately rolled her gaze heavenward to stall the waterworks and gave a tentative sniff to make sure her nose was still working. CJ clutched her to him, his eyes wide. He didn’t move. She blinked at him. Shit! How in the hell had he twisted in midair? He rocked slightly up on his side, reaching behind him. Annie sat up, hands running over his chest. Had he hurt his back? She needed to get off of him.
“Just stay still. Are you okay? Shit! I’m so sorry,” she said, wiggling to bring her knees up on either side of his hips.
Tossing his phone on the couch he groaned and his big hands clamped on her butt. She froze. His reasoning throbbed against her zipper.
“I’m so—”
“Please don’t apologize for that,” he begged with a chuckle. His breathing was harsh. “I just landed on my phone. Are you okay?”
“You’re the one that hit the floor. I’m fine.”
“That you are.”
Annie blushed at the unabashed desire in his husky tone. “I think maybe you hit your head,” she teased.
CJ speared his fingers into her hair tugging her lips to his for a kiss that stole her breath.
“Nope. Never felt better,” he murmured, slowly pulling her back down flat despite her mumbled protests.
“I’m too heavy.”
“Not even a little bit.”
His lips played over hers as if learning the lay of the land. Annie hummed softly. The man knew how to kiss. Her head spun and before long her chest burned for oxygen. She squirmed, rubbing against him. Jokes and innuendos aside, were they really going to do this? God, she hoped so. His tongue slid over hers and she shuddered. Sweat trickled between her boobs. She shot a sidelong glance toward the fireplace, sure the flames would be licking at their clothes any minute. It was a hundred degrees in there. Dark whorls of hair were soft under her fingers. She blinked. When had her hands found their way under his shirt?
Her finger brushed his nipple and he made a strangled sound. Eyes flying to his she found shards of sapphire glinting from under dark lashes. The intensity was sexy and terrifying both. She couldn’t look away. The voice in her head whispered he couldn’t be looking at her like that. Yet, she was the only one in the room. Her heart raced. What in the hell was she doing? Sure, she’d wrote hundreds of sex scenes, but her actual experience totaled teenage trysts with Brad and a one night stand at a writer’s conference in Boston. As much as she wanted to do this, she wasn’t sure she knew how to get there. It was time to let someone else drive.
Licking her lips, she slid a hand behind CJ’s neck. Gripping his far shoulder with the other, she leaned toward the fireplace, silently encouraging him to roll. She smiled as he moved with her. The feel-good moment came to a screaming halt as the side of her head smacked the rolling coffee table with a crack. Annie blinked against the stars.
“Are you okay?” CJ asked, leaning over her.
His big hand cupped the back of her neck, turning her head to the side. Fingers ran lightly through her hair. Annie jerked away, hissing in pain when he found the spot above her right ear. CJ winced.
“Stay right here and I’ll get you an icepack.”
Annie caught his arm as he started to stand.
“I’m fine.”
“Let’s get you off the floor where I can get a better look at it,” he said, worry wrinkling his forehead.
“CJ. I’m fine.” She laid a hand on his cheek. “Really.”
“I’m sorry.”
“That was all me,” Annie said with an embarrassed snort. “My dad always joked that he didn’t know how someone so graceful on gymnastic mats could be such a klutz in the real world.”
“Focus,” CJ said softly.
“Huh?” she asked, then winced. Way to sound intelligent. Now he was probably going to check her for a concussion.
“Focus. On the mats, your attention is solely on what you’re doing for that event but out here, your mind is wandering, bouncing to a million different topics.” He cleared his throat with a shrug. “It’s all about focus.”
She blinked at him. In all the times her dad had teased her, or that she had told the story, no one had ever pointed out what now seemed so obvious. “You’re so right. That’s probably exactly what it is. I never thought of it that way.”
He stood, cradling her easily in his arms. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Annie fought to find her breath at the subtle play of his muscles against her. Even in the warm room, she felt her body’s response like a coiling flame. His dark brows knitted together. She looked up at him for a moment and then it hit her. He’d asked a question and was still waiting for a reply. A nod was going to have to suffice. Her hand shook as she stroked his chest through the soft cotton.
“I didn’t mean to kill the mood,” she said slowly.
“I’m not sure how much more abuse you can take.”
She bit her lip. She really didn’t want this night to end like this. “It’s not gymnastic mats, but maybe the bed would be safer.”
He nodded, his dimples threatening. “If we start in the middle it will at least give us a little margin for error this time.”
“I like a man with a plan,” she said with a little giggle.
He didn’t offer to put her down. There was no hesitation in his step or tremble in the arms that held her. Maybe she wasn’t so heavy. She ran an appreciative finger over the rounded bulge of his bicep. It reminded her of CJ’s comment about liking his women real. His muscles weren’t honed in front of a mirror at the gym. It seemed she liked working men.
CJ took a right at the top of the stairs and they were in his bedroom. The sparse furniture was rustic in keeping with the rest of the décor. He’d have needed the muscles she’d just been admiring to carry the bed upstairs. The roughhewn square posts looked like barn beams. She lost interest in furniture when he stretched her out in the middle of the bed and followed her down.
CJ’s touch was tentative. A line of tension furrowed his forehead. She might not have killed the mood, but it was on life support. Looking for a way to at least drive her clumsiness from immediate thought, if not erase it, Annie ran her hands under the back of his shirt. Her nails scored lightly over his skin, drawing a shudder. What she lacked in practical experience, she made up for in literary lessons. She traced the swell of his bottom lip with her tongue. He returned the favor, adding a light nip to the play that made her blindly follow his lips up when he pulled back. Slowly the kisses deepened, reigniting the intensity they’d shared downstairs.
He sat up enough to strip off t
he t-shirt wadded under his armpits. With his chest free, he turned his attention to hers. Blue eyes glinted in the dim light as he stroked her breasts. Slowly releasing the tiny buttons on the soft Henley, he pushed the sides of her shirt open. His eyes ran over her, making Annie forget to breathe. What did he see? The ivory satin demi-cup was nothing fancy. She’d never been one to waste money on secrets no one was going to see. Was she what he’d expected? Her fingers twitched, fighting the urge to cover up. CJ seemed to know exactly when the doubts grew too strong. His hands went back to work, distracting her. She gasped, back arching, pressing up into his palms as his thumbs strummed her nipples.
Mouth returning to hers, their teeth scraped awkwardly. She sucked on his tongue as it slid over her incisors in apology. Lips and fingers grew more desperate as he fumbled to strip away her bra and shirt. CJ’s hips ground against hers, pressing her down into the mattress. Suddenly, he pulled back. Annie blinked, brain struggling to identify the new problem. CJ’s head dropped onto the pillow beside hers, his breath raspy in her ear. Panting, she hesitated, not wanting to make a big deal out of it if he’d changed his mind, or just needed a minute.
“I’m an idiot.”
Annie nuzzled the shell of his ear. “You have a way to go to catch up with me tonight,” she said, keeping her tone light.
“I don’t have, I mean it’s been, I should’ve thought,” he stammered.
It only took her a minute to put her feet on the path to his supposed idiocy.
“I’m on … I have birth control covered,” she said, shaking her head. No need for too much information. He didn’t need details. “Uh, as far as protection goes, I’ve only had two partners and it was a long time ago. So if you trust me …”
CJ lifted his head to look at her.
“Of course I trust you. I haven’t, that is…” He shook his head. “This shouldn’t be this hard. There’s only been a few, and I had a clean bill of health six months ago.”
“I’d say we’re about as safe as it gets then,” Annie said, eyes locked on his as she reached for his belt buckle.
CJ straightened on his knees to make it easier. He was right. As two mature adults, it shouldn’t be so difficult. She’d never had to talk about it in the past. Teenage hormones and alcohol had smoothed the way. Looking at it that way, she was glad they were talking. With a lot of tugging, pulling, and a nervous laugh or ten, they ended up stripped and between the sheets.
Why not Wyoming? (Wyoming Wilds Series Book 1) Page 9
