Kicking aside the robe, she wrapped pajama clad limbs around his waist. “You have a thing for flannel?”
He nuzzled the side of her neck and breathed in the fresh scent of her. “You aren’t going to be wearing anything for long.”
“I hope not.”
Her breathless gasp stole the last of his composure. Stripping the green T-shirt with a RAW logo over her head, he cupped her breasts in his hands, rubbing his thumb across pink nipples. The little moan that escaped her sent his hands on a quest across her smooth stomach to slip beneath the elastic waist of her pajama bottoms. He pulled downward, taking her panties with them. Leaning back, he feasted on the sight of her. Tanned and glowing, sleek and supple—and oh so tempting.
“I’m crazy for you, Sam.”
Her fingers worked the button fly of his jeans. “Then help me get these off. I want skin on skin.”
When her hand brushed the ridge of his erection, he gritted his teeth. Standing, he toed off his sneakers, shucked his jeans and boxers, and ripped his shirt over his head. Covering her body with his, he lay still, absorbing the feel of her soft skin pressed against his hardness. It had been too long.
She moved restlessly, and he surged against her damp heat. Sinking his fingers into her hair, he kissed her, melding lips and tongues and teeth, unable to get enough of the taste of her.
When he feared he’d explode, he leaned over the side of the bed and felt for his wallet. “I have protection.”
She took the foil packet from him, ripped it open, and smoothed it down his length with shaking hands. Ethan squeezed his eyes closed and prayed. The second he was covered, he slid inside her.
“Oh God, oh God,” she whispered, her breath tickling his ear.
Pressing deep, he pulled out and surged forward. Stroking hard, he couldn’t hold back, exploding in a shattering moment that pierced his soul. Still buried deep inside her, he rolled to his side and pressed his face against her sweat dampened neck.
“I couldn’t wait. Next time will be better, I swear.”
“If it got any better, I might not survive.” She lifted her head to look deep into his eyes before a slow smile spread across her face. “I was with you the whole way.”
He slumped back as his heart rate slowed. “Thank God.”
She blinked down at him. “Even if I hadn’t been, I wouldn’t hold it against you. I’ve never wanted someone as badly as I want you.”
He pulled her close and stroked her silky hair. Releasing a long breath, he reveled in the simple pleasure of holding her. “I couldn’t agree more.”
****
Sam woke slowly, cocooned in addicting warmth. Sunlight crept between the cracks in the blinds. She pressed her nose against the bare, musky skin of Ethan’s chest and breathed deep. Stretching, her legs tangled with his hair roughened ones, and his morning erection pushed against her stomach. Her pulse accelerated.
He kissed her forehead and cheek then lingered on her lips. “I wish I could stay, but the dogs need to be fed.” Pulling away after a second kiss, he hunted for his clothes on the floor and dressed.
Sam scooted up in bed and pulled the sheet across her breasts. She glanced at the bedside clock and blinked. When was the last time she’d slept past seven? When had she ever awoken feeling this happy?
He tied his sneakers before glancing over his shoulder. “Do you feel comfortable being here alone?” A frown creased his brow. “Maybe you should hang out with Juliette today, or better yet, come with me and the dogs on a hike. I’ll be working with them, but I’d love to have you with us.”
Some of her pleasure faded. Last night, she’d let herself forget everything but Ethan. Reality washed over her in a chilling wave, leaving goose bumps as it receded.
“Of course I don’t mind being alone. I won’t let him chase me out of my own home, but a hike sounds wonderful. I could use the exercise. ”
“I’ll go feed the dogs while you shower and dress and be back in an hour or so.” He stopped and turned, his eyes clouded. “Maybe I’d better wait. I don’t like the idea of you alone—”
She held up her hand. “Stop. I said I won’t let him intimidate me in my own home. I’ll be fine for an hour.”
The frown lines deepened. “You’re sure?”
She nodded. “Positive.”
With a final kiss, he left. The cottage echoed hollowly after the door closed behind him. He’d been gone two minutes, and she already missed him.
“Pull it together, Sam.” Leaping out of bed, she headed for the shower. Standing beneath the spray, she savored memories of a night spent in Ethan’s arms and compared it to the first time they were together. Definitely better. Though he’d rocked her world on both occasions, this time her emotions were involved.
She closed her eyes and let the hot water soak away a chill of doubt. She cared about Ethan. Probably more than was safe, but opening her heart was a risk she was willing to take. She twisted the handles to turn off the water and stepped out of the shower. Not that it mattered if she was willing or not because she was past the point of having a choice. Her heart was fully engaged, and she prayed he wouldn’t break it.
When Ethan arrived an hour later, she was ready and waiting with her backpack filled with a picnic lunch. The cargo area of his pickup held two German shepherds and a black lab. The dogs set up a clamor at her approach. Reaching out a tentative hand, she let the trio sniff their fill before patting their heads.
Ethan smiled at her when she climbed inside and dumped the pack at her feet. Leaning across the center console, he dropped a kiss on her upturned lips before starting the engine and making a quick three point turn in the driveway.
“You look beautiful.”
Sam glanced down at her black shorts, windbreaker, and favorite red tank top, faded from so many washings. “You gotta love a man who’s easy to please. Where’re we hiking?”
“I thought we’d park at the cross country ski area and head out from the lodge. There may be a few tourists using the hiking trails, and these three need practice engaging with bystanders.” He hitched his head toward the back of the truck. “You can be the victim.”
“Sweet. I’ve had plenty of experience in that role lately.”
He glanced away from the road and frowned. “Bad choice of words.”
“I’m joking, Ethan.” She patted the hard muscle of his thigh, covered by faded jeans, and her fingers lingered. “Before I forget, Ken invited us both to dinner tonight. I hope you’re free.”
“My social calendar isn’t exactly bursting with activity. I’d love to go.”
“Good.” Sam relaxed against the seatback. She’d wondered if morning after jitters would get the best of her once she was face to face with Ethan, but the silence that settled between them was natural. Warmth wrapped around her heart.
He turned into the lot at the cross country area and shut off the engine. Two cars, a shiny red pickup, and a Fish and Game truck were the only other vehicles in the parking area. “Not too crowded today.”
Her gaze scanned the grass covered slope leading up from the rustic day lodge. A few patches of late blooming wildflowers brightened the terrain. “I haven’t been up here since last winter. It looks strange without snow.”
“Do you Nordic ski?” he asked as they climbed out of the cab.
“Every chance I get when I’m around in the winter.”
He dropped the tailgate to let the dogs out. Noses to the ground, they ambled around the lot. “We’ll have to ski together after the first big snowfall.”
Hefting her pack, she slipped the straps over her shoulders. She’d never been one to make plans more than a week or two in advance, certainly not for the next season. Ethan spoke as if their relationship was solid and enduring. She hoped he was right.
“I wouldn’t be able to keep up. You were state champion your senior year in high school. Everyone in town thought we’d see you in the Winter Olympics.”
“I was never that good.” He flashed
a smile. “I don’t train for competition anymore. I just ski for fun. Anyway, I have a feeling you set a pretty stiff pace. I know you’re in shape.”
His look heated her cheeks. He whistled to the dogs, and they headed up the sloping hillside. Walking quickly, they left the open cross country trails for a single track through thick forest. The dogs ran ahead, and Ethan called them back, keeping them close to his side. When a squirrel crossed the trail, the trio erupted in a frenzy of barking.
Sam grinned and adjusted the ball cap on her head. “They certainly don’t have Sadie’s focus.”
At a sharp command, the lab rejoined the two shepherds, brown eyes filled with remorse.
“No, they’re young and untrained, but we’re working on it.” He eyed the lab. “I’m not sure if Ebony is going to make the cut.”
“Oh, but she’s so sweet. Look at that face.”
“Adorable doesn’t help much in an emergency. Still, I haven’t given up on her completely.”
“I’d say she just has an adventurous spirit, kind of like me.” She gave a little skip to keep up with his pace. “When we were young, I was always the one who led Juliette and Darby astray. We would never have been in the woods the night that woman was killed if I hadn’t wanted to camp out in the old graveyard below Prophet Point.”
His smile sent flutters through her as he reached out to swat a mosquito buzzing above her arm. She couldn’t help remembering the way that hand had stroked her bare skin the night before. The flutters morphed into a wave of heat. Pulling her scattered wits together, she focused on what he was saying.
“So you were the free spirit of the group?”
She nodded. “Darby was the brains. The woman is too smart for her own good. And Juliette was—is—sweet. There’s no other way to describe her.”
With a sharp command, he reeled his dogs back when they strayed from the path, then glanced in her direction. “You’re smart and sweet.”
She snorted. “The standard warning was always, ‘Don’t let Sam get you into trouble.’”
With a laugh, he swung an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “Speaking of trouble, would you like to go hide so I can work on the find command with these three?”
“Sure. What do I need to do?”
“Just find someplace out of sight and stay there. I hope you have on mosquito repellent.” At her nod, he lifted the Giants cap from her head and continued, “I’ll take this to help the dogs with your scent. We’ll be about fifteen minutes behind you.”
“You hope.”
He laughed. “Good point.”
Sam headed up the trail. After a short distance, she left the path, cut through the undergrowth, and waded through a thick patch of thimbleberry bushes. Finding a fallen tree, she climbed over it and sat down on a bed of pine needles. After dropping the pack beside her, she leaned back and closed her eyes.
She’d always thought Ethan was great looking. Even when they were teenagers, she’d been drawn to his quick smile and lean, muscular body. But now she liked him, too. She enjoyed his easy company, the firmness in his voice when he spoke to his dogs, the caring in his eyes when they rested on her.
It scared her, how quickly she’d grown to rely on him, how much she missed him when they were apart. Skirting around any need to voice their feelings, neither had mentioned the word love. Sam was afraid to even think it. In her experience, love led to heartache, and she’d had more than her share. Inflicted more often by family members than the few serious boyfriends she’d had over the years.
A rustle in the bushes alerted her. Apparently the young dogs were better trackers than Ethan thought. Opening her eyes, she blinked in the bright sunlight and shaded her eyes. A man stepped forward, looming over her, blocking the glare. His hand jerked toward a weapon holstered at his hip.
Sam screamed.
Chapter Eight
“She startled me. It was an instinctive reaction.”
Ethan gritted his teeth and told himself for the fifteenth time he would not wrap his hands around his neighbor’s neck. “Jesus, Arnie, a man licensed to carry a firearm shouldn’t be that jumpy.”
Arnie Peters ran his hand through his thinning hair and gave Sam a nervous smile. “I’m sorry. I apologize. I’ll give you my first born if Ethan will ease up, though I’d advise against taking the kid. He’s fourteen and comes with attitude.”
Sam grinned, and Ethan’s chest tightened. She was taking the encounter with the Fish and Game warden a hell of a lot better than he was.
He stared at Arnie through narrowed eyes. “You don’t usually carry a weapon.”
“I told you, there’s a poacher out here. I’ve no intention of meeting up with this a-hole without being armed.”
Sam touched Ethan’s forearm, and the muscle flexed. Humor lurked in her green eyes. “Mr. Peters didn’t actually point the gun at me, just sort of reached for it. Screaming may have been an overreaction on my part.”
She moved her hand off his arm in favor of scratching Ebony’s ears. The lab moaned, a look of ecstasy transforming her face. Ethan could relate.
Some of the tension drained out of him. When he heard Sam scream, he’d raced through the forest like a champion sprinter with the dogs leading the way. His adrenalin was still pumping. The two shepherds sat on either side of Sam, eyes never leaving the Fish and Game warden’s face. Apparently their protective urges matched his.
Ethan let out a long, slow breath. “Should we be on the lookout for Foster? Of the two of you, I would have thought he’d be the trigger happy one.”
“He’s around somewhere. We split up to cover more ground.” The tips of Arnie’s ears burned red with either embarrassment or anger—hard to tell which. “And I’m not trigger happy, for God’s sake.”
Sam nudged Ethan’s arm. “Maybe we should go.”
“Yeah, good idea.” He gave his neighbor a final, hard look. “See you.”
They walked in silence, with only the chirping of a pair of robins high in a pine tree to disturb his thoughts. He’d taken his fear and anger at the psycho stalking Sam out on Arnie. He knew it, yet he’d been unable to stop. Having a tangible target for his frustration was liberating.
“I never would have guessed you have a temper.” She nudged him with her elbow again. “Usually you’re the epitome of calm. Even when Ebony barked like a lunatic at that squirrel, you didn’t raise your voice.”
He stopped walking and turned to face her. “When I heard you scream…” He forced out a breath. “Let’s just say it took ten years off my life and leave it at that.”
Slowly she stretched up on her toes and kissed him, her gaze holding his as she backed up a few inches and pressed a hand to her breasts. “Knowing you care enough to lose it a little makes me feel warm in here.”
Reaching out, he hauled her in tight against his chest. His heart thumped painfully. “Of course I care.” He kissed her hard, and the emotion between them thickened.
One of the shepherds growled low in his throat. Pulling away, Ethan glanced up the trail. Two young boys ran into sight, laughing and pushing each other. They stopped when they saw the dogs.
“They’re friendly,” Ethan called out.
The mood was broken, which was probably best. Neither of them was ready to admit to deeper feelings—not that he didn’t have them. But he was pretty damn certain Sam didn’t need his growing attachment heaped on her emotional plate right now.
“Cool dogs,” the taller of the two boys said.
A man and a woman rounded the bend, a beagle trotting alongside them. When the hound launched forward, tail waving and ears flapping, baying to wake the dead, the woman squealed.
“They’re friendly,” Ethan repeated.
His three dogs sniffed politely while the beagle quivered and barked, obviously thrilled to have found friends.
The man, tall and lanky with a shock of carrot colored hair that matched his younger son’s, ran up and grabbed the dog’s collar. “Sorry, I guess I should keep h
im leashed.”
“Don’t worry about it. He can’t get into much trouble out here.”
He glanced from his beagle to the three larger dogs. “Yours are so well behaved. I should probably enroll Roscoe in obedience training.”
“It couldn’t hurt.” The two shepherds stood patiently while the beagle strained toward them. Pride welled in Ethan’s chest. Even Ebony was behaving. The only signs of excitement were her bright eyes and tail thumping the dusty ground. “Enjoy your hike.”
“Have a nice day,” the woman called when the boys took off at a sprint. The two adults hurried after them with the beagle bringing up the rear.
Sam smiled as they disappeared down the trail. “I bet those two little dynamos keep them on their toes.”
“Without a doubt.” At a signal from him, the three dogs trotted ahead. “That went well. There may be hope for Ebony, yet.”
Sam gazed after the dogs. “You should offer obedience classes. With your reputation, I bet you’d have plenty of interest.”
“I’ve thought about it, but I don’t have time for the business side of a new venture.” He frowned down at his feet. “I could fit the actual classes into my schedule, but there’s marketing and paperwork…” He cringed and cast her a self-effacing smile. “I’d kill to do nothing but work with the dogs and let someone else deal with bills and clients. Maybe in another year or two I’ll be able to justify the expenses of an office employee.”
“What if I set up the obedience classes? I bet the additional income would pay for a part-time worker.”
He turned and stared. “You think?”
“I can do a little checking, and if the interest is there, get the ball rolling for you.”
He shook his head. “I can’t ask you to do that, Sam. You’ve got better ways to spend your time than playing personal assistant to me.”
She shrugged and kicked a pinecone off the trail. Above them a raven circled in an air current. “What? Everyone tells me I need to take a break from travel and the stress of disaster relief work, but what am I supposed to do with myself? Take up knitting?”
We'll Never Tell (Secrets of Ravenswood) Page 7
