by Eve Gaddy
Bending her backwards over his arm, he nuzzled the underside of her breast, then latched on to the nipple, swirling his tongue around it then sucking it into his mouth.
“Oh, God.” Her hands were in his hair, clutching him to her, groaning when he kissed his way across her skin to her other nipple.
He let her up, started unfastening her jeans. “How many layers down here?”
“Just two... Unless you want to count my panties.”
“Panties definitely count. It’s one more layer to get rid of.” While he wrestled her out of her clothes, her hands were on his jeans, unbuttoning, unzipping, then pushing her hand inside his boxers to stroke him.
God, he nearly came in her hand. Both of them naked now, he pushed her back on the bed. Knowing if he landed between her legs, with her open to him, so soft and tempting, he wouldn’t last long enough to put on a condom, he lay down beside her and slipped his hand between her legs. He thrust a finger inside her and she bucked, bucked again when he added his thumb to play with her clit.
She reached for him saying, “Kiss me.”
“Don’t worry, I will.” Their tongues met, tangled, desperate for more.
Leaving her mouth he kissed his way down her body until he reached her hot, wet, open center. Clamping his mouth over her, he sucked until she came, screaming.
He licked and kissed his way up her body. Her eyes were open, smoky with desire. “Still a screamer,” he said softly.
“Only with you.”
He’d thought he couldn’t get any harder. He’d been wrong. “Yeah?”
“Yes. I want you inside me.”
“That’s where I want to be. Where I’m going to be.” He grabbed a condom from the bedside table drawer and Mia snatched it out of his hand.
“Let me.”
She took her sweet time rolling it down, torturing him with slow strokes. He looked at her face and her smile was wicked and knowing. The minute she was done, he wedged himself between her legs and drove home. She was tight, God, she was so tight. As he began long, slow thrusts her body relaxed, opening to him. He kissed her mouth and she made small, needy sounds that drove him mad. Her legs tightened around him and he plunged into her a last time, exploding in a rush unlike anything he’d experienced before.
Except for that first night with her.
Mia lay with her head on Wyatt’s chest, one of his arms around her, and the other gently stroking her arm. Utterly, totally satiated. Why had she ever thought she could resist him? She should have known that once Wyatt put his mind to it, she’d wind up in bed with him. In fact, she was surprised she’d resisted him as long as she had.
The sex had been great. Not a surprise since it had also been mind-blowing last time under less than ideal circumstances.
But incendiary sex wasn’t the problem. She was in love with him. That was the problem.
Oh, hell, it wasn’t as if she hadn’t loved him for years. Literally, years. And now she had him. Even if only for a little while, Wyatt was hers and she meant to enjoy him. Now, before it all blows up in your face.
“Deep thoughts?” Wyatt asked.
She raised her head and looked at him. God, he was pretty. A manly kind of pretty. His blond hair fell over his forehead, messy from her hands running through it. Golden stubble shadowed his jaw. He watched her out of those eyes the color of the clear sky in winter, almost painfully, beautifully blue. A slight smile tugged at his mouth. A mouth that could impart more pleasure than she’d ever imagined.
“Not really,” she answered. “What about you?”
His smile widened. “I’m lucky to have a coherent thought in my head. Much less deep thoughts.”
She laughed and propped herself up on his chest. “That’s good to know.” She ran a finger over his lips. “Should I go back to my room?”
“No. Not unless you want to.”
“I don’t.” She kissed his lips, taking her time, darting her tongue inside his mouth until he groaned, put his hand on the back of her head and took the kiss deeper. Hotter. She pulled back, slid her hand down his chest and kept going. “You can’t—”
She found him hard and ready. “Oh. I guess you can.”
“You bet I can,” he said, making her laugh. He rolled on a condom and pulled her on top of him. “I love seeing you like this.”
“Like what?”
“Naked and on top of me.”
“Funny thing,” she said as she sank down on him. “I love it too.”
Who the hell is banging on my door? Wyatt wondered a split second before the bedroom door opened.
“Wyatt! What the hell are you doing, you lazy bastard? I need—” Dylan walked in, stopping in mid-sentence when he saw Mia in Wyatt’s bed. “Oops.”
“What the hell are you doing?” Wyatt asked, sitting up. “Get out, Dylan.”
“Sorry.” He didn’t look particularly sorry. He looked amused, and if Wyatt wasn’t mistaken, appreciative.
Mia had sunk down in the bed, pulling the sheets up to her chin, so thankfully there wasn’t a lot of her to see. Now, anyway. He wasn’t real sure about when Dylan had first walked in. Whatever, that didn’t mean he’d put up with his brother ogling her.
“Do you want me to break your face?” Wyatt snarled. “Get out, now.”
“Didn’t know you were occupied. But since you’re awake I need—”
Wyatt threw back the covers and started toward the door, naked. Having experience with Wyatt’s fist in the past, Dylan knew his moves. They might not have fought since they were a lot younger, but that didn’t mean Dylan had forgotten Wyatt had a mean right hook.
“We’ll talk later,” Dylan said, leaving and hastily shutting the door behind him.
“Damn. Remind me to lock my door from now on.”
Mia was sitting up in bed, pulling on her sweater, and having a hard time of it because she was laughing so hard. “Oh, my God, did you see his face when you got up? I didn’t know he could move that fast.”
“Only when he needs to. Sorry about that. My brother’s an idiot.”
“No harm done. Would you really have punched him?”
He came back to bed and sat on it. “Damn straight I would have. Now, where were we? I’m positive it didn’t involve you getting dressed.”
“I’m helping Honey and Glory with some wedding stuff. I didn’t realize it was so late.” She grabbed her jeans and put them on, gathering up the rest of her clothes while she talked. “Besides, I think Dylan needs your help.”
“Dylan is a royal pain in the ass.” Resigned, he pulled on his boxers and jeans.
“Wyatt? Do you mind me helping Honey and Glory?”
Puzzled, he asked, “Why would I mind?”
“The wedding? All these preparations for a wedding. That doesn’t bother you?”
He pulled a T-shirt over his head before answering. “You mean because of Loretta?”
“Yes.”
He took the extra clothes from her and tossed them on the bed. Put his arms around her and smiled down into her face. “No, I don’t mind. Sean and Honey deserve to be happy. If you want to hang with Honey and Glory and do wedding stuff, have at it.” She seemed unconvinced, so he continued. “I was never in love with Loretta. You know why I was marrying her. Because of the baby I thought was mine. Love wasn’t part of it.”
“But you asked me here because of your brothers’ wedding and baby. Because both those things are hard for you, after what happened. And now here I am, deep into wedding preparations.”
“The wedding doesn’t bother me. Being played for a sucker bothers the hell out of me. I bought her lies, didn’t even think to question her.”
“You’re not a sucker.”
“Yeah, I was. But I don’t plan on doing it again.” That was something he didn’t have to worry about with Mia. She’d always been straight with him. Even when he wished she wouldn’t be.
“Since you’ve been here I’ve hardly thought about any of it.” He kissed her, a long, sl
ow, glide of lips and tongues. “I’ve been way too busy thinking about you.”
Chapter Twelve
The next several days before the Christmas Ball passed in a blur of activity. Mia spent a lot of time with Wyatt when he wasn’t working. He had to work some day shifts during the week, but he spent the evenings with her. When Wyatt didn’t need to be at work too early, they went on early morning rides together, with the air crisp and cold and the bright blue sky so beautiful. They covered acres of the ranch and she saw the horse breeding operation up close.
The sheer amount of work it took to run a horse farm amazed her. She found it intriguing that Dylan, the man in charge of it, seemed so relaxed and laid back. What would it take to ruffle his calm?
One day Wyatt took her skiing at Bridger Bowl, near Bozeman. They’d skied together many times before, and they both liked the same sort of runs. Bridger Bowl was a gorgeous area with runs that varied from beginner to double diamonds and beyond. On another day they went ice skating again. Yet another, to a museum and an art gallery, and to dinner in town a couple of nights.
It occurred to her more than once that she was storing up memories and experiences for later, after she’d told Wyatt what had happened and he had cut her out of his life in disgust. She tried to tell herself he might understand. She thought he would have if she’d told him shortly after she learned she was pregnant. But Wyatt had moved and she’d put it off and then it was too late. There was no baby. Not anymore. And for her, not ever again.
At first, she’d considered not telling him. What was the point when she was no longer pregnant and they weren’t even together? But lying to him, even a lie of omission, had nagged at her. It bothered her even though she’d hardly talked to him since his move. Then he’d called and told her he missed her and wanted her to come see him. So, of course, she did. And then everything had snowballed and the closer they’d grown, the more convinced she was that she had to tell him.
Honestly, she’d known from the moment she agreed to come to Marietta that she’d wind up telling him. If there was even a tiny chance for the two of them to be together, she had to be straight with him.
She went a little crazy with her art. Pencil sketches of wildlife. Pastels of landscapes. Watercolors of horses. More watercolors of landscapes. Her sketchbook went with her almost everywhere, and if it didn’t, she took the digital camera or her cell phone. Her room began to fill up with her creations. Occasionally she wondered what she would do with them all. Ship them back to Denver when she left, most likely.
Mia didn’t want to think about leaving.
There was still much to do for the wedding. Even though the guest list was very small, limited to family and a few very close friends, there were still menus to finalize, music to be chosen, and a million things to check on. Dylan was tapped to gather the music, put it in the proper order and burn it to a CD. To her, Dylan was the quintessential cowboy and to find he was into music, as well as knowing a lot about it, surprised her.
Mia was sitting in the kitchen with Glory, working on a list of to-dos when Sean and Honey came in.
“What does that mean?” Honey was saying. “You’ll take care of it. Don’t you think we should discuss it?”
“No. I told you, I’ve got this. Stop worrying.”
“Glory, has Sean talked to you about drinks?” she demanded. “Are we having wine? Are we just having beer? How much? And what else are we having that’s non-alcoholic?”
“Oh, now, Honey, we’ve got that all taken care of. Don’t you worry about it. Sean and I are handling it.”
Honey looked mutinous but then she shrugged. “Fine, but don’t blame me if we run low on something.” She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and looked at it. “We have an appointment with the florist. We’d better go.”
Sean tossed her his keys. “Go start the truck. I need to ask Glory about something. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Fine, but don’t be long.”
Sean waited until she’d left to say, “Damn, do you know how hard it is to sidetrack Honey when she gets something in her head?”
“She doesn’t suspect anything, does she?”
“I don’t think so.” Sean looked at Mia. “Sorry, Mia. Honey’s brothers have arranged for her dad to come. We’re trying to keep it a surprise.”
“As of a couple of days after the stroll she didn’t know anything,” Mia said. “She told me her father was in rehab and wouldn’t be at the wedding.”
“Good. We’ve still got a shot at making it a surprise,” Sean said.
Mia hesitated, then said, “I don’t know Honey very well, but I got the impression she wished he could come.”
“Most girls want their daddy at their wedding,” Glory said. “No matter how disappointed she’s been with him, he’s still her father. Her brothers are doing the right thing.” She patted Sean’s arm. “And so are you.”
“I hope so. It’s risky. But apparently he’s been doing well in rehab. According to Mick and Kevin, better than he’s ever done before. So we’ll cross our fingers and hope it works out. God knows, Honey deserves it.”
The following day Sean brought Honey over so the women could do more wedding crap. What exactly that was, Wyatt didn’t know and didn’t want to know. The women had gone off somewhere and he and Sean were in the kitchen by themselves. Mindful of Glory’s instructions, Wyatt cornered Sean before he could escape to the horses. “Not so fast. As one of my duties as best man, I have questions for you.” He pulled a list out of his pocket.
“I don’t have a best man,” Sean said. “I have best men. Three of ’em.”
“Well, I’m the one who got suckered into this job. Come on, sit down,” Wyatt said, taking a seat at the kitchen bar.
“Whose list is that?”
“Glory made it. I think Maya helped. It’s a list of shit you have to make sure you take care of before the wedding.”
Sean picked up an apple and bit into it. “Shoot.”
“Item one, what you’re wearing to the wedding. Maya and Glory say a tux, Mia and Honey say you can wear a suit if you want.”
“Suit. I knew I liked Mia.” He ate more of his apple.
“Item two, make sure the suit is clean.”
“Check. I think.”
“Be sure or my ass is grass.” Sean rolled his eyes and Wyatt continued. “Rings. Do you have them and who is going to hold them for you at the wedding?”
“Of course I have them. Do they think I’m a moron?”
“Can’t answer that. Who’s in charge of them at the wedding?”
“You and Dylan flip for it. Jack is way too sleep-deprived to trust him with something important. Good thing he’s been off work.”
“Good point. He says the baby has his days and nights mixed up. Hopefully they’ll get it worked out before he goes back to work.” He continued down the list, with Sean complaining but answering. “Last one,” Wyatt said. “Is everything set for the honeymoon?”
“St. Thomas here we come. Ten days of nothing but sunshine, blue water, good food, and having sex with my beautiful bride. Damn right I’m ready.”
Wyatt got up and poured a mug of coffee. “Want some?”
“I’ll pass. I’ve already had four cups.” Sean was quiet for a minute, then shot Wyatt a questioning look. “What’s the deal with you and Mia?”
“What’s the deal?” Wyatt repeated.
“Are you serious or just having a good time?”
Wyatt leaned back against the counter. “Why are you asking?”
Sean lifted his hands. “I’m curious. As far as I know you’ve never been this gone over a woman before. You’ve never even been close to something serious. But that’s not what it seems like with Mia.”
Wyatt gave a humorless laugh. “I was engaged with a baby on the way a few months ago. Is that serious enough for you?”
“What the hell? And you didn’t tell any of us?”
He drank some coffee. “I had reasons. It happen
ed really fast, for one thing.”
“Was it Mia?”
“No, not Mia. I wish it had been.” Maybe it was time he talked about it. Not telling anyone, not even his brothers, gave what happened more importance than it deserved. Sean wouldn’t judge him. After all, he’d been played too.
Wyatt sat on the bar stool next to Sean. “Her name was Loretta. We’d only been dating a couple of months when she told me she was pregnant.” He shrugged. “I didn’t want my kid raised by a single mother. My kid, my responsibility. And I sure didn’t want to wind up never seeing my own child. So I asked her to marry me.”
“And she said yes.”
“Yes, she did. Anyway, long story short, I found out the baby wasn’t mine. She’d been pregnant when we got together.”
“Jesus. That’s rough. And she knew it?”
“Hell, yes, she knew it. She’d played me all along. She’d planned it from the beginning to make her baby daddy jealous. She figured either he’d come through, or if worse came to worst, she’d marry me.” He shook his head. “She told me she and this dude had been broken up for months before we got together. And I was dumb enough to believe her.”
His brother was staring at him with his mouth open. “I thought I got played,” Sean said. “But damn, bro, you have me beat all to hell and back.”
“Don’t rub it in. I feel stupid enough without that.”
“Sorry, but shit, that’s really cold. You never suspected she was lying?”
“In my defense, Loretta was a damn good liar. And she was good at deflecting.”
“Deflecting? Meaning what?”
“What do you think? Any time I started asking uncomfortable questions, we wound up having sex.”
Sean laughed. “Okay, I can see how that could sidetrack you.” He turned serious. “How did you find out the kid wasn’t yours?”
“The baby daddy told me. We got in a fight.” Wyatt shrugged again. “Afterward I went to Mia.”
