“I doubt she’d like being referred to as a kid,” Sophie said. “She’s only four years younger than me.”
Ethan frowned. “Really? Only four years?”
“Technically, four and a half. But we women of a certain age have let that half thing go.”
He smiled. “Cara can be a spoiled brat at times. That’s for damn sure. And sometimes her teasing can get out of hand, but you have to understand, we were raised in a competitive environment.”
“You mean, like riding in junior rodeos and stuff?”
“No. Well, yeah, we did some of that later on. But I’m talking about our parents and how they viewed childrearing. Always pushing us to succeed, to be the best. They can be fairly intense at times. I don’t know that I agree with their method. I think using more praise would’ve been better, but I wanted to explain where Cara’s coming from.”
Sophie didn’t dare say a word. She wouldn’t dream of bad-mouthing his parents. But they sounded like bullies and they might’ve turned Cara into one. Lucky for Ethan, he’d taken the opposite path. No wonder as a teenager he’d championed the underdogs and misfits who’d been picked on. He’d understood what it was like to be bullied, though she doubted he saw it that way.
Her chest hurt suddenly. So much made sense now. His need to win that second title. Even the kids’ camp he wanted to build. More than taking the opposite path, Ethan had turned out to be a really good man. Did his family value him for that? He did the right thing, and not the easy thing. Like riding for the Safe Haven Benefit even if it ended up costing him a trip to the finals.
“Did you fall asleep on me?” he asked, lightly squeezing her hand.
“No.” She managed a small laugh. “I’m just thinking.”
“Uh-oh. That doesn’t always turn out so well.”
“You got that right,” she muttered, her brain beginning to speed ahead. “I have an idea.” She forced herself to slow down. “First, may I totally butt into your life again?”
“So, now you’re asking?”
“I’m being serious here,” she said, looking at him.
He gave her a sober nod before turning back to the road and putting both hands on the wheel.
“I know you said your agent would find you an attorney, but it won’t be quick enough.” Sophie had done a brief search on the man. He was good, had an A-1 client list. Big sports names who made a lot of money. Like the football star he was currently tied up with. If push came to shove, Ethan wouldn’t be the agent’s priority. Not that she’d tell Ethan any of that. “I should call Craig.”
“The La Maison guy?”
“Yes, but I promise that’s not important. He’s local and good. If there’s a way to nip this thing, he’ll figure it out. Next, Wendy Fullerton needs a wake-up call. She has to know, or at least believe, that you’re willing to let the media have a field day with her accusation and the arrest, everything. Her husband may pull a lot of weight in Beatrice County, but you have fans across the country and a lot of other parts of the world.”
“Jesus. I’m trying to keep it out of the media.”
“She doesn’t have to know that. And anyway, if the charge messes up your chance to go to the finals, you won’t have any choice about what’s reported.” She saw his lips thin and she touched his arm. “I’m sorry, but that’s the truth. And honestly I’m thinking it won’t go that far. Even if it’s a matter of getting a continuance.”
Ethan gave a grudging nod.
Sophie took a deep breath. “Hell, if Wendy still refuses to tell the truth, I can always tell the judge you were with me that night. I’ll say you came over after you left the bar.”
He slowly turned to her. “Forget it. I won’t have you perjuring yourself for me.”
“I know it’s wrong, but so is what’s happening to you. I’d just be canceling out Wendy’s lie. Hey, what are you doing?”
He pulled the truck off the road, only there was no exit or turnout. And not all that much of a shoulder for anything other than an emergency.
Ethan left the engine idling and turned to her.
She twisted around to see if any cars were coming.
“We’re fine,” he said with a quick glance in the rearview mirror. “I want you to know I understand how much it took for you to make that offer. And how much I appreciate your belief in me. But I would sit in jail for a year before I’d let you do that.”
Sophie sighed.
He kissed her. “Thank you.” He stroked her cheek and looked into her eyes for as long as he dared considering where they were parked. “I mean it, you’re a special woman, Sophie.”
She dropped her chin, embarrassed and a little sad. Feeling helpless wasn’t one of her strengths. “Yeah, let’s go before I end up a special pancake in the middle of the highway.”
“I’ve been watching. You think I’d let anything happen to you?” he said as he got them back on the highway.
Oddly she truly believed that if it was within his power, he would do anything to keep her safe. Just as he’d done eleven years ago.
Somebody really needed to call Wendy and ask the lying cheat if she was prepared for a media circus. Not only would Wendy and Broderick Fullerton’s names be dragged through the mud, but who knew how many guys might come out of the woodwork willing to tell the world Wendy had picked them up in bars, as well? Sounded like a good job for Ethan’s agent.
Sophie was suddenly exhausted. All she wanted to do was stop thinking. About the past. About his sister’s taunts. About how his parents had failed to appreciate what a terrific son they’d raised in spite of themselves. She needed to turn off her brain. Maybe take a nap. At least they were on their way back to Wyoming.
She’d laid her head back as soon as they were on the highway again, but the shutting-down-her-brain thing? It wasn’t going to happen. She kept thinking over and over how this whole situation was so unfair on every level.
What if she was leading him back to the slaughter? He needed a top-notch lawyer, someone local who understood Fullerton’s reach. With enough pull in the DA’s office, Fullerton could be petty and have Ethan locked up long enough to miss the finals. Craig might be his best hope. “Ethan?” she said, and smiled at the hand he’d placed on hers. “We should get off at the next exit.”
“Sure.” He didn’t ask why.
“We need to talk,” she said, and stifled a yawn. Screw Wendy, screw his family, screw the unfairness of it all. “About turning around and going to Las Vegas. It’s your call. Whatever you decide, I’m with you a hundred percent.”
* * *
ETHAN LET HER SLEEP. It was already dark. They’d been driving for three hours and he knew she was exhausted. So was he, but not so much that he’d come up with the crazy idea to drive to Vegas.
Maybe he should’ve argued with her more. Or simply turned the truck around and headed back toward Wyoming after she’d fallen asleep. Hell, she’d made it clear that it was his career, his life, his decision.
It was weird because all along she’d been adamant about him showing up in court tomorrow, but now she seemed to think they could handle things— No, not they—he had to stop thinking of her as a partner in this nightmare. Not only was this his problem, but Sophie could get burned if things went sideways.
She had a lot of faith in this Craig guy, not him personally, but his legal skills. And she seemed confident that through him Ethan could take care of everything long-distance. Damn, he wished he knew what the favor would cost her. Beyond dinner at La Maison.
Ethan snorted. Like hell. He’d pay the hotshot attorney twice his fee before he’d let Sophie go on a date with Mr. Slick. What kind of man coerced a woman into going out with him by doing her a favor? For that reason alone, Ethan didn’t like the guy. But Sophie had convinced him to get over himself, that his situation was too serious for h
im to be a dumb ass. Her exact words. They made him smile.
Sophie made him smile. A lot.
He saw their exit coming up. He hoped the motel he’d found on his iPhone was decent. In rural places like this part of Montana, you couldn’t be too choosy. But if they continued on to Vegas as planned, they didn’t have to rush. So no sense driving more than they had to tonight.
Once they arrived in Vegas, Sophie was going to be real happy with the suite he already had booked. He could almost hear her squeals when she saw the huge jetted tub. On second thought maybe he should find something off the strip. Damn, she could get loud when she came.
Almost on cue, she brought her head up and yawned just as he parked near the motel’s ugly stucco office. He surveyed the row of mud-brown rooms. Damn place looked nothing like the website pictures.
“Where are we?” she asked after a second yawn.
“Some motel I found online. They exaggerated by a lot. We don’t have to stay here.”
She blinked at him. “Have you slept?”
Ethan laughed. “Not that I’m aware.”
“Oh, right. You were driving.” She gave him a sweet drowsy smile. “Neither of us should be driving, so this is fine. We’re just going to sleep here.”
“I hope not,” he said, and opened his door.
She made a face at the overhead light.
“Stay here while I register.” He quickly got out and closed the door so the light turned off.
The owner seemed keen on making small talk, but Ethan took care of business quickly and drove them to the room at the end. He found out their closest neighbor was two doors down. Just in case.
“It’s not so bad,” Sophie said, glancing around at the queen bed with a green-and-tan floral comforter that matched the curtains.
Ethan put their two bags in the closet. “Brace yourself, they even have a luggage rack.”
“Oh my. Very fancy.” She seemed to be waking up. “I want to see the bathroom. The size of the shower is the true test.”
“Why?” He followed her inside and put his arms around her from behind. “What do you have in mind?”
“I don’t even know what to call that color,” she said, leaning back against him as they studied the ugly tile walls.
“Well,” he said, deeply inhaling her sweet scent until he felt as if he’d had one beer too many. “The bathroom is bigger than the one at The Boarding House, and so is the shower.”
“And everything is very clean.”
“No bugs.”
“Oh.” Her gaze darted across the floor and she shifted her feet. “Why did you have to say that?”
He laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”
“Yes, you will. I don’t do bugs or mice.”
He kept the straightest face he could. “Now, if the bed isn’t lumpy or too soft—”
“And doesn’t squeak.”
He turned her to face him. “And since I have the most beautiful woman in all of Montana in my arms...”
“Right,” she drawled with a mocking sigh, and glanced at the ceiling.
“Hey, you’re talking about someone I happen to like very much. So knock it off.”
Sophie blinked and blushed.
Ethan smiled and kissed her nose. Man, he liked it when she blushed. He didn’t know why, but it got to him every time. “I’m thinking shower. Sex. Nap. More sex.”
She was smiling up at him, her hands flat on his chest, her brown eyes sparkling. “Individual showers.” He started to object and she pressed a silencing finger to his lips. “Only to save time.”
He sucked her finger into his mouth.
She pressed closer. “This isn’t working.”
He released her finger. “Pardon me, ma’am. Please continue.”
“Then sex.”
“Now we’re talking.”
“Then sleep for as long as we can. If there’s time when we wake up, then maybe...”
This wasn’t what he’d expected at all. “You’re serious?” He leaned back and searched her face. “This is, what...our third date and you’re already cutting me off.”
Sophie laughed. “Oh, sweetie, you think we’ve been dating?”
“Ah, that’s right. You’re just getting me out of your system.” The remark had pissed him off and apparently he was still getting over it. Now wasn’t the time to talk about it, though. He released her. “I’ll take a shower first if you don’t mind.”
Staring at him, she nodded. She stepped around him to leave the bathroom, then looked back. “I was just teasing about the dating thing. I mean, I did handcuff you.”
“I know.” He smiled. “If you change your mind, you can shower with me.”
“Actually I have to make a couple of calls.”
He nodded, closed the door and turned the water on in the shower, but he didn’t get in yet.
Looking in the mirror at the dark stubble shadowing his jaw, he thought about the past three days since he’d met up with Sophie again. Two days, three nights if he counted tonight. Jesus. Not long, but it felt like it. She was easy to be around, even when they disagreed. Or when things got prickly. His sister showing up, for instance.
He knew Sophie had gotten the wrong impression of his family. His parents weren’t self-centered ogres. They did what they thought was best. But since when did he give a shit whether a woman he was involved with liked his family? That right there was the problem. He was feeling things that he probably shouldn’t.
He pulled off his boots and unsnapped his shirt. Normally he’d wait and shave in the morning, but he wouldn’t do that to Sophie. He opened the door and saw her sitting on the bed, talking on her cell.
She looked up in surprise but then smiled at him, her gaze slowly lowering to his open shirt. The way she moistened her lips was so damn sexy he had to force himself to keep moving to the closet. His shaving kit sat on top of his bag.
“I heard you,” she said into the phone. “Call me tomorrow as soon as you find out, okay? The earlier the better. Yes, I do.”
Just as he was about to close the bathroom door, he heard her say, “Thanks, Craig. I owe you.”
15
“I HAVE A QUESTION,” Sophie said after she’d had her shower and was crawling into bed with Ethan.
“Why do you have clothes on?”
“It’s just a T-shirt.”
Ethan was sitting up, pillow behind his back, the sheets at his waist, showing off a chest of the gods while looking at her with the frown of a ten-year-old. “It hides everything.”
“Well, duh.” She laughed until he pointed the remote at the TV and turned it off. “Okay,” she said, and pulled the shirt over her head.
His hands were covering her breasts before she could even ditch the tee.
“Impatient, aren’t we?” Already she was shivering from his touch. So much for them having a talk first.
“Damn right.” He dragged his gaze away from the nipple he was circling with his thumb and looked at her mouth. “Kiss me now,” he said in a dramatically low voice.
“Oh no, were you watching cartoons again?”
Before she knew it, he’d pulled her against his chest and claimed her mouth. She readily opened for him. He tasted minty and achingly familiar. Which was such a crazy thought she could hardly stand it. No, this wasn’t a young girl’s fantasy, but it wasn’t her real life, either. They were two people attracted to each other and using sex to deal with a stressful situation.
His hand moved to her face and he stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. She liked the smooth feel of his jaw against her chin and cheeks. But she also liked it when he had a day or two’s worth of stubble. His tongue stroked hers, gently, seductively, taking nothing for granted. She might be a sure thing, b
ut Ethan wanted her to be present, eager to take this journey with him because she was helpless to do anything but.
If she slid the hand she had pressed to his chest lower, she’d find him hard and ready. It would be easy to get lost in the many ways he could make her feel so good, so content, put her in a state of temporary euphoria. She was an addict, after all.
Oh yes, she had no doubt he could make her forget the things she had to tell him. The difficult question she had to ask, if only to ease her own mind. And hopefully his.
His mouth moved to her throat, leaving a trail of kisses and light nips down to her collarbone. She quickly drew in air and then leaned back, breaking contact with his mouth.
He looked up with a lazy smile. “Where do you think you’re going?” he murmured, and wrapped an arm around her.
Constantly amazed at the gentleness of his large hands and strong arms, she tried to remain firm and not give in to his seeking mouth. “I’m not going anywhere,” she said. “Actually I wanted to talk.” She saw his expression fall, and with a laugh she cupped his jaw. “It’s nothing horrible.” She lowered her hand. “At least I hope not.”
He sat back against the pillow and leveled his intense gaze with her eyes. She took a moment to arrange her own pillow, quickly compose herself and pull the sheet up to her breasts. He very obviously didn’t care for that.
“When I said—” She cleared her throat. “The other night, when I made a crack about getting you out of my system...I swear I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Ethan snorted, shrugged a shoulder. “I know that.”
She shook her head. “I hurt you. And I’m so sorry.”
“You think you hurt me?” He lifted his eyebrows and gave her a look that bordered on patronizing.
Sophie didn’t just think, she knew. She’d seen the same wounded expression in his eyes with Cara. Fleeting but unmistakable.
“All right, I mentioned it earlier, so I get why you think it upset me, but you’re wrong. So don’t worry about it.”
“It was a thoughtless line directed more at myself than at you.” She sighed at his stony reaction. “I had a huge crush on you after that day in school. It was so bad I couldn’t even concentrate on studying.”
This Kiss (Made In Montana Book 12) Page 15
