She drew out a long, tired breath. The week had been one straight out of hell, with the amount of work and long hours both she and her father had put in at the clinic.
Working side by side with her father twice a week she’d helped him take care of the animals that had come to the clinic. She’d also gone along with him late one evening as he’d done his weekly visits to the small ranches in the surrounding counties, mainly doing on-site vaccinations.
Between that and her own work at the Wilde Ranch, the week had flown by in a blur.
She had the house to herself, as her parents had decided to get away for the weekend. After a lot of encouraging from Ellie—scratch that—after Ellie had demanded they get away, her father had taken her mother to the cabin the family owned in Jackson Hole.
Ellie’s demand had come after the week of watching her father and the seemingly unending amount of energy he had as he worked from early in the morning and often long nights at the clinic.
He loved what he did, of that Ellie was certain. She’d never heard him complain about his workload. Yet over the week, far too often she’d found him relying more and more on the cane he’d starting using recently, seeing the occasional grimace cross his lined, yet still handsome face.
In addition to his own work, her father had offered to help her at the ranch. But Ellie had hastily declined his offer for the very reason she didn’t want anyone involved in the ranch to assist her—the threat of bias still weighed heavy on her mind.
Besides, she’d come back home to be of help to her father, not to give him more to do.
Ellie had been torn between offering to help and remaining silent. She, more than anyone, knew what it was like for those around her to think she was in need of help, something she’d struggled with from the time of her accident.
But it was obvious from the shadows beneath his eyes and the way he relied on his cane even more as the week had worn on that her father needed time away from the clinic, even if it was just a brief getaway.
She allowed the thought to simmer during the week. When she’d casually mentioned the idea to her mother, she’d seen the light enter her eyes. But Leandra had shaken her head, stating her father would never leave because of the clinic and his workload.
When Ellie then reminded her mother that her father was no longer alone, that she was there with him now, the smile that stretched across her mother’s face had been worth the amount of work Ellie knew she’d just agreed to tackle.
Her mother had convinced her father, and Ellie couldn’t have been happier seeing the surprise cross her father’s face that, not only would he be getting away for a while with his beloved wife, but that his daughter would be the one to take over for him in his absence.
By the end of the week, Ellie would have paid any amount of money to get away as well, if only for a few hours, to be by herself and decompress.
The business side of the week hadn’t been the only thing Ellie had been contending with, she thought, taking her bottle of water and flopping down on the sofa in the living room.
As she brought the bottle to her mouth, allowing the cold water to slip down her throat, her thoughts turned to the other reason, the one that had her up late at nights, tossing and turning, unable to get to sleep no matter how hard her day. No matter how many miles she ran she couldn’t outrun the image…the memory of the way Shilah had selflessly made love to her.
Ellie finished the bottle of water and with a thud placed it on the table in front of her. Propping up her feet, she leaned back and grabbed one of her mother’s throw pillows, hugging it tightly against her body.
After leaving the old cabin that day, Ellie hadn’t waited for Shilah to lock up. Racing toward her horse she’d made quick work of unhitching him from the post. Ignoring the twinges of pain, she’d placed one foot in the stirrup and hoisted herself up and over the horse, settling into the saddle. Within seconds of mounting the horse she was reining it around and galloping away, before Shilah had reached her.
She’d urged the horse on faster, ignoring the shooting stabs of pain to her knee with each jostle as the large stallion ate up the distance.
She’d refused to acknowledge the mocking voice in her mind, asking who she was running from, herself or Shilah.
Once she’d reached the house, she’d dismounted.
Embarrassment, confusion and leftover lust warred for dominance in her mind. Unable to look at Shilah, to see whatever may be in his eyes when he looked at her, she began to guide the stallion toward the stable. When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she stopped but didn’t look over her shoulder.
“I—I’m going to put her away,” she said, running a hand over the sweat that covered the horse’s back, feeling a momentary guilt that she’d pushed the horse so.
“Let me do that. You’re tired. Just go home, I’ll take care of everything,” he said. And for a brief moment she stood there, facing away from him. She bit her lip in indecision, fighting against the urge to turn and face him, to get it all out, and answer his question.
But in the end she didn’t, she couldn’t. She didn’t know the answers herself.
She waited for him to say more. Waited until the tension grew so thick, she felt its invisible hands reach out as though to choke her.
Close to tears, unreasonable, crazy tears, she’d silently nodded her head and had nearly run to her car.
The morning after their hot, tumultuous lovemaking at the cabin, Ellie hadn’t expected to see Shilah at all, much less have him show up before she had arrived. Already at work with the men, he’d been herding the cattle and tagging them, waiting for Ellie’s arrival.
Although to the casual observer Ellie doubted anything had seemed wrong as business had returned to usual, she had felt the strain between her and Shilah. She’d been jumpy the entire day, waiting…expecting, and yes, she admitted to herself, there was a part of her that wanted him to bring up what had happened.
Ellie laughed, without humor, and rose from the sofa, making her way to her bedroom. Obviously it hadn’t meant to him what it had meant to her. Not only had he not mentioned it, but the following day, as well as the rest of the week, Jake had taken his place.
But why should it mean anything to him, what they’d done, she thought. Shilah, as well as all his brothers, had never been short of female attention. Although discriminate in his bed partners even when they were teens, Ellie had been aware, painfully so, of that fact.
Padding naked to the bathroom, she started the shower and turned to grab her essentials. She paused when her eyes met her reflection, allowing the towel she’d wrapped around her body to slip as she ran a critical glance over her body.
All legs, that’s what her father used to say about her, growing up.
She was nothing but long legs and lean lines. She ran a hand over her body, stopping at her breasts. Small, they barely spilled over her hands.
She drew in a breath, remembering the feel of Shilah’s hands as they had lightly grazed over them.
Shame brought a blush over her face as she thought of the wanton way she’d pressed into his hands, silently asking…begging for him to touch her, to sooth away the ache that had been growing steadily since the moment they’d re-connected.
She thumbed a finger over her nipple, watching in fascination as it sprang tightly against her thumb. Her breathing grew ragged, as she thought of the contrast of feeling between his callused hand and soft touch as it had brushed over her.
Her hand trailed down the line of her flat stomach. She hesitated, her hand hovering over her mound. She glanced up at the mirror and her reflection shocked her.
Hastily she turned from the mirror, and jumped into the shower, allowing the cold water to rain over her overheated skin.
Chapter 14
Shilah killed the engine on his truck and sat behind the steering wheel, contemplating his next move.
Or better yet, why the hell he was here. His glance fell to the time on his dash…almost midnight, outside
Ellie Crandall’s parents’ home. He turned and glanced at his passenger seat.
Like some lovesick calf, he sat staring at the flowers, afraid to go and knock on her door before turning away and running a hand through his hair.
Yeah, he knew the flowers were clichéd as hell. But, after driving around downtown Lander for over an hour, knowing he should just go home and call it a night, every time he made the turn down the road that would lead out of town, he found himself turning right back and making the circuit around the small downtown area again.
If he had any damn sense he’d be at a motel somewhere, holed up with the willing redhead from the club, losing himself inside her warm, willing body to ease the painful throb of his cock.
The need that was growing to the point that he thought he’d lose his mind if he didn’t assuage the ache soon, waking up every morning fisting his cock, images of Ellie burning in his mind.
Only to face the woman responsible for putting him in his current state, forced to pretend that what they’d shared hadn’t happened. That it didn’t mean a damn thing to him.
If he had any sense, he’d be right in the middle of plunging inside the woman…Jenny, Janie…hell, he hadn’t even remembered her name. But, names weren’t important. The only thing that was important was hearing her softness as her moans and sighs of delight bounced off the walls, as he lost himself inside her body, forcing any lingering thoughts…wants or desires for Ellie from his mind.
But, he’d been denied even that solace.
As soon as he’d ushered the woman out of the club, the wind had stirred, blowing her cloying perfume across his nose, and he’d paused, glancing down at the woman, whose arm was wrapped around his waist like a cobra.
The memory of an earthy yet wildly feminine scent had chosen that moment to assault his mind, drawing a deep breath from him.
He’d stopped, his arm draped loosely around the woman’s shoulders, and inhaled as though to recapture the scent.
What he should have been doing, what he could have been doing was a far cry from what had happened instead.
He’d cursed and the woman…Jenny, Janie…had looked up at him, a question in her light blue eyes.
No matter how badly he wanted…needed sex, his body on fire, his need running high, it wasn’t an anonymous woman he wanted; a stranger to spend the night with.
His longing had nothing to do with easing the painful throb of his cock with the simple act of sex.
The need he had was for one woman and one woman alone.
Despite the hot promise in her eyes of what was to come, or the way her ample curves pressed into his side, he’d mumbled an excuse and without a word turned and strode toward his car.
The only woman he wanted was Ellie and no other would do.
Whatever was between him and Ellie wasn’t going to go away anytime soon. And if he wanted any kind of return of his sanity, he had to do something about it. Now.
The last week had proven that. If anything, it was only getting stronger. He’d tried, tried like hell to do the noble thing, give her some space and let her come to the same realization. But, after a week of torture, he couldn’t take it anymore.
He was claiming her.
He didn’t know what would happen with them, but he wanted to give them a chance, and if he left it up to her neither one of them would ever know if what they had was real.
He turned, lifted the flowers from the seat and strode toward her door.
Ellie groaned out loud, dragged out of a deep sleep by an insistent pounding.
She hissed, clutching the sides of her head with her hands, trying to block out the pounding to know avail.
She opened one eye and glanced down, barely lifting her head.
She was lying on the sofa, the empty bottle lying next to her, on the floor.
“Innocent, my foot,” she mumbled, groaning as she plopped back down on the sofa.
Her last memory had been of leaving the shower and going to bed.
Despite how tired she was, sleep had eluded her, and with a sigh she’d risen from bed and wearily stomped down the stairs to the main floor.
She’d gone into the kitchen, rummaging through first the pantry and then the refrigerator looking for something, anything, that would help her go to sleep.
She never had been much for using drugs, even the more innocent variety bought over the counter. She steered away from them, despite the occasional bouts of insomnia she’d suffered, dating back to her teen years. But the sleeplessness had never been so bad that a little herbal tea hadn’t been able to cure it.
Her mother had always made sure to keep plenty of herbal tea available, then and now, just in case. She’d sighed in relief when she’d found a carton, soon groaning when it was empty.
Just about ready to don her sneakers and head out to the Quick Mart near her parents’ house, she spied a six-pack of mixed cocktails, tucked away on a back shelf.
With a shrug of her shoulders, she’d tugged a single bottle from the pack, thinking that right about then, she’d do anything to quell the mental gymnastics she’d been having, as thoughts of Shilah had been playing hell with her ability to go to sleep.
The pounding stopped momentarily and she sighed in relief only to groan as it returned, this time so loud she felt as though her head was about to crack open.
Her eyes flew open. The pounding she heard was not coming from the little sadistic man inside her head, but from the front door.
With a loud moan she pushed herself away from the sofa. She kept her head steady against the slight throbbing that was competing with a vengeance with the pounding that was coming from the front door.
“I’m coming, I’m coming! Hold on,” she grumbled, frowning as she glanced toward the cable box on top of the television, the glowing numbers indicating the lateness of the hour.
At nearly midnight, Ellie wondered who was banging on the door as if they’d lost their mind, hoping against hope that it wasn’t some type of emergency from one of her father’s clients that would require her attention.
Swiftly pulling her hair from the ragged ponytail she’d secured it with earlier, she jogged toward the front door. “I’m sorry it took so long, I was—”
Not thinking, she opened the door without benefit of peeking through the hole to see who her midnight caller was, something she immediately wanted to slap herself silly for after swinging the door open.
Her sentence trailed off when her glance came into contact with the one man she hadn’t expected to see on her doorstep.
Not to mention the huge bouquet of flowers he held in his hand.
The scowl on his face was in direct contrast with the look of…uncertainty, hesitancy in his dark eyes.
“I, uh, got these for you.”
Ellie looked from Shilah to the flowers wrapped in green tissue that he held tightly in his hand. It was so corny, so clichéd that she should have closed the door in his face and walked away.
She glanced at the flowers, an artful arrangement of pink mini-carnations mixed with pink roses. Both her favorite flowers.
She should close the door, but she didn’t. Her eyes went to his.
The hesitant look in his beautiful eyes, coupled with the contrasting feelings she’d been teeter-tottering with the entire week, playing hell with her ability to concentrate, were her undoing.
“Thank you,” she said, the words in no way expressing how she felt, yet all she could manage to say.
Instead of saying anything more for fear she’d embarrass herself, she instead buried her face inside the fragrant bouquet again, taking a deep appreciative breath as the soft petals tickled her nose.
“I hoped you’d like them,” he said, and her eyes went to his, to see him staring at her with an intensity that shook her.
“Please…let me come in, Ellie.”
Ellie gave in to the inevitable, nodded her head shortly and opened the door wider, allowing him to enter.
The light that entered his eyes
was hot, intense, searing. Ellie felt her heart strum in both anticipation and fear and wondered if how she felt was anything like what Little Red must have felt when she walked into the wolf’s den.
Chapter 15
He trailed her to the kitchen. No sooner had she opened a cabinet drawer, than he spoke.
“I haven’t been able to get you…us, what we did, out of my mind, Ellie. No matter how hard I try. No matter what limitations you put on us.”
Ellie became still, briefly, before she continued searching for a vase.
She barely refrained from spinning around to challenge him.
But, after all the mental gymnastics she’d been going through over the last few days, torn between giving in to what his eyes promised he wanted from her, as well as memories of their lovemaking, she’d been barely keeping it together. In doing so she had kept her distance from him, forcing him to do the same.
“And I don’t think you have, either,” he said, quietly.
Her hands held a fine tremor as she flipped on the faucet and began to fill the vase, without responding to him.
The tension mounted in the semidark room as the silence grew. When she’d brought him into the house, she hadn’t bothered turning on any additional lights, her intending for his stay to be short.
But now, the low lights from the single lamp in the living room and the light above the stove lent an intimacy to the room she didn’t want or need. His mere presence alone was enough to play havoc with her mind and libido.
Ellie knew that she could give in to what was growing between them. She could give in to the promises he’d given her when they’d made love, a promise to fulfill every fantasy she’d ever created about them.
Give in to the heat that had been growing between them since she’d returned, so intense it was now a living breathing entity of its own.
It didn’t matter if anyone was around them, whenever they were near each other, made the slightest brush of contact either physically or just with their eyes, everything else faded away and it was only the two of them.
To Desire a Wilde Page 9
