Montana Mavericks Christmas

by Susan Mallery

  “I want you,” he breathed against her neck as he broke the kiss. “All of you.” He licked her collarbone, then slipped lower. “You taste so sweet. Just like I imagined.”

  He moved closer and closer to her breasts. She found herself holding her breath in anticipation. Would she die from the pleasure? she wondered, already feeling herself tensing and shaking at the same time.

  He kept his hand on her left breast, while bringing his mouth to her right. Once there, he paused until she was forced to open her eyes and look at him. With his gaze locked with hers, he touched the tip of his tongue to the sensitive tip of her nipple. To see and feel such exquisite sensation was more than she could stand. Without warning, her body convulsed into a wave of trembling. Deep inside her, muscles contracted. It was a release, yet not complete, for when she was still once again, she was more swollen, more damp, more ready than she’d been before.

  “Shane,” she breathed. “I don’t know what you’re doing to me.”

  “Loving you.”

  “Yes. In the best way possible. But it’s so incredibly good.”

  That made him smile. “Isn’t it supposed to be?”

  “I never knew it could be like this.” She had a bad feeling that she looked as shocked as she felt. “I want…”

  “What?” he asked.

  “Everything.”

  He released her long enough to peel off her panties. Perhaps his gaze lingered on the proof of her pregnancy, but she could no longer care. It was enough that his mouth returned to her breast and when he pulled her inside and suckled her, she felt the beginning of the rippling again. This time, though, he was prepared. As the first shudders crashed through her, he slid a finger into her waiting dampness. Instantly she clamped around him. He withdrew and thrust in two fingers, moving them in and out in rhythm with her contractions.

  This couldn’t be happening, she thought through the sensual fog in her brain. She’d never in her life climaxed more than once. But tonight, she felt as if she could do this forever. As if her body had been specifically designed to be pleasured by this man.

  He released her breast and returned to kiss her mouth. She welcomed him, inviting him in, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close. His hand moved up, his fingers searching for, then finding, the tiny knot buried under the protective fold of damp skin. He stroked it lightly, circling around before brushing over the top.

  She began to shake uncontrollably. Her legs fell open and she pulled her knees up, exposing herself to him. He moved lighter, yet faster and her body collected itself for another release.

  It washed over her, leaving her weak and gasping, yet still hungry with need. “Please be inside of me,” she told him urgently. “Please.”

  “You don’t have to ask me twice.”

  He sat up and quickly unfastened his shirt. When she put her hand on his bare chest, he cursed softly and tore the last three buttons free. In a matter of seconds he’d removed all his clothing and stood naked in front of her.

  A light dusting of hair scattered across his chest. It narrowed down to his waist, then widened again just above his groin. His thighs were lean and powerful, and the essence of his maleness jutted toward her in hard readiness. She reached toward him and stroked him once. His hiss of breath told her he was as ready as she was. She opened her arms in silent invitation.

  Shane knelt between her thighs. She pulled back her knees and tried to prepare herself for the impact of his entry. Then he was pressing himself home.

  Slowly, so very slowly, he slid into her. Longer and wider than she’d thought, filling her so completely that she felt the true connection of oneness. He braced his weight on his hands and stared down at her. Their eyes locked.

  Then he began to move.

  It was all she could do not to scream. Nothing in her previous experiences had prepared her for the pleasure of having Shane inside her. With each stroke, her body contracted and quivered around him, sending her into a spasm of perfect release. Over and over she found herself shuddering and fighting the urge to scream.

  He swore. “I can see what’s happening,” he said. “It’s in your eyes. Can I go faster?”

  She didn’t even realize she hadn’t closed her eyes or turned away. Instead she’d left herself exposed to his gaze. But it felt right to have him know how he pleased her.

  “Go faster if you’d like,” she gasped. “I promise I’ll be fine.”

  So he slipped in more quickly, thrusting and pulling back, again and again until her releases blended into one long, continuous existence. Until he slowed and stiffened and she felt himself empty inside of her. Until her body was finally calm, caught up in perfect pleasure and exhaustion. Until he shifted and held her close, his hoarse voice murmuring how very wonderful it had been. Until her heart filled with a certainty that warned her she’d gone and fallen in love with a cautious man searching for a sure thing.

  When nothing in life was ever certain.

  Eight

  Shane couldn’t remember a time when he’d felt so connected with another person. Even though his body had stopped shuddering, the remnants of pleasure still flowed through him. He could feel answering tremors in Angela as he held her close. It was as if they really had become one person for that brief period of time.

  He rolled onto his side and pulled her with him so they faced each other. Patches of color stained her chest and her cheeks, and she was still breathing heavily. She opened her eyes and stared at him.

  “Wow.”

  He grinned. “Yeah, for me, too. I didn’t know making love could be like that.”

  She sighed. “I didn’t know I was capable of reacting like that. I don’t know if it was what we were doing together, or chemistry, or what, but it was as if my body had moved to another physical plane or something.”

  While his ego was thrilled that he’d pleased her more than she’d ever experienced before, he was also concerned. “Are you feeling all right? The baby—”

  She cut him off with a quick shake of her head. “The baby is fine. Despite old myths, she can’t see what’s happening and she’s completely protected and sealed off from the outside world. I’m incredibly healthy, with no history of medical problems.” She smiled. “We probably rocked her to sleep.”

  He shifted his hand until he could press it against the gentle rounding of her belly. “Can you feel her yet?”

  “I’m not sure. There have a been a couple of fluttery movements, but I can’t help thinking I’m imagining them. I should feel something in the next couple of weeks. I’ve heard that it’s easier to feel the baby during a second or third pregnancy, rather than a first.”

  She placed her hand over his and laced their fingers together. “I’m one of the lucky ones. I haven’t been sick even a day. The only reason I thought to take a pregnancy test is that my periods have always been completely regular and I was two days late.”

  “So you don’t have any cravings for pickles and chocolate chip ice cream?”

  “Not yet. I’ll let you know if that happens.”

  He stared at her, at the big, green eyes and the fading bruises on her face. As much as he tried to hold back emotion, Angela was getting to him. Yet a month ago he hadn’t known she existed. “What if someone else had been assigned to you?” he asked. “What if we hadn’t met?”

  “Whitehorn is a small town,” she said. “We would have run into each other eventually.”

  He supposed she was right.

  “If I hadn’t been a bruised amnesiac, would you still have found me attractive?” she asked, her voice teasing.

  He kissed her nose. “Yes. If I’d seen you at a store or in a restaurant, I would have walked over and asked you out immediately.”

  “What if I’d been speeding?”

  “I would have given you a ticket, then I would have asked you out.”

  “I couldn’t bribe you with a kiss?”

  She demonstrated what she would have done. Her mouth moved across his slowly
, as her tongue traced the shape of his lips. Despite the fact that they’d just made love, he could feel himself wanting her again. Blood heated and headed south, filling him until he wanted to bury himself inside her.

  “Would you still have given me the ticket if I’d kissed you like that?” she asked softly.

  “Yeah, but I would have spent the rest of the day pretty uncomfortable.”

  She glanced down and saw what he was talking about, then raised her eyebrows. “Already?”

  “Actually, I think we should wait for a little bit.”

  “All right, but I don’t want to wait for long.”

  He rolled onto his back. She snuggled next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. After pulling the covers over both of them, he wrapped his arms around her.

  It was dark outside. Lamplight spilled over most of the bed, illuminating her perfect features. He wondered what her daughter would look like and found himself hoping she was as pretty as her mother.

  “Do you think about having more children?” he asked.

  “Eventually. I’ve always wanted two or three.” She pressed a kiss to his jaw. “This is probably going to sound funny and I mean it in a really good way, but I’m glad Tom’s child is a girl. I think that will make it easier while I’m a single parent. Besides, even though it’s not the politically correct thing to say, I’m sure if I were to marry again, my new husband would want a son of his own.”

  Shane frowned. He didn’t like hearing about Angela marrying again. Of course it would happen. He could think of four or five guys who would snap her up in a hot minute. Not him. Never him. He wasn’t in the market for permanent.

  “What about you?” she asked. “Do you want enough kids for a basketball team or is baseball more your style?”

  “Neither.”

  “You make me crazy with all your concerns about being a good father. All the time I was with Tom, he made me dozens of promises and hardly any came true. Eventually I had to stop trusting him. But I know you’re dependable. You’re the kind of man who really believes his word is his bond. I know you’ll never let a woman down, and certainly not a child.”

  While he liked hearing the words, he didn’t want her thinking he was perfect. “I make mistakes,” he said. “I’ll always want to do the right thing, but I might fall short.”

  She grinned. “Oh, honey, you’re a guy. You’re going to mess up. It comes with the territory.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Just what I said.” She settled her head on his shoulder again. “But I’m not talking about taking out the trash or leaving socks on the floor. I’m talking about character. You won’t promise that in the next town you’ll stay long enough to rent a house and then say the family has to leave two weeks later. You won’t take all the money in savings and buy into some company that goes out of business in less than a month or was a fake to begin with. You’ll make sure that your children’s future is secure.”

  He didn’t know how to answer that. In a couple of sentences she’d painted a picture of her life with Tom, making all she’d endured painfully clear. He wanted to go back and fix her past, even though there was no way for that to happen. He wanted to make it right when all he could do was listen and swear she would never have to worry about any of those things with him.

  “What do you want to do with your life?” she asked. “To keep working for the sheriff’s department?”

  “I’d like to make sheriff,” he said. “I like the town and the people here. We’re still small enough that good law enforcement can make a difference in people’s lives.”

  She rubbed her hand over his chest. “I think that’s a great idea, but I have to admit, I can’t help seeing you going into local politics.”

  Shane stared at her. “The city council?”

  “Maybe. For a start.” Her expression was impish.

  He couldn’t believe she’d said that. Years before, back when he and Mary had first been dating, he’d admitted that he’d sometimes dreamed about getting involved politically in Whitehorn and maybe in the state. He’d told her that he’d thought about running for public office. Mary had dismissed the idea as too impractical. He didn’t have the money or the family connections. It would all be a waste of time.

  “You really think I could?” he asked.

  “Sure. The danger is all the single women in town will realize what a catch you are and start to try to land you.” She nuzzled his neck. “But other than that, I think it would make you happy and that’s what matters most.”

  “I don’t like the idea of screaming women.”

  She chuckled. “I know. It’s part of your charm.”

  “What do you want for yourself?” he asked, trying to ignore the hot dampness of her tongue against his skin. He was still aroused and very eager to take her again, but he wanted to let her rest for a while first.

  “I want to teach for as long as I can, although if I really do end up with a bunch of kids, that might be a little difficult. I want to settle down and have roots. I want to belong to the community and have my kids grow up in place where they know everyone and the neighbors watch out for each other.” She sighed. “On a completely different topic, describe your perfect vacation.” she said. “Make that a family vacation not a romantic one.”

  He thought for a second. “A family, huh? Okay everyone piles into the minivan and we head off camping. The only rule is Mom doesn’t do any cooking or cleaning. Instead she can spend her free time reading.”

  “Sounds lovely.” She rubbed her hand across his chest, then started moving lower. He swallowed and tried not to notice, even though parts of him were very aware of her questing fingers.

  “I just have one suggestion for the camping trip,” she said as she trailed her fingers across his thighs, moving close to but not yet touching his arousal.

  “What’s that?” he asked, his voice low and strangled.

  “Fishing. There should be plenty of that.”

  “Not a problem.” Right now he was willing to promise anything, if only she would—

  Then she did. She touched him, taking him in her hand and slowly moving back and forth. He surged against the gentle friction, groaning low in his throat.

  “What about a romantic vacation?” Angela asked, her voice soft.

  He found it difficult to concentrate on anything but her actions. Still he forced his mind to form a picture of an ocean-front getaway. Somewhere warm and private and…

  “I want to go away with my husband on a regular basis,” Angela said, breaking into his musings. “I think it’s important to make marriage a priority. I know the children have to come first a lot of times, but without nurturing, even the best marriage can whither. I hope my husband feels the same way.”

  Husband. Angela would marry again. He pushed her hand away and sat up in bed.

  “Shane? What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  Nothing was wrong, yet nothing felt right, either. Of course Angela would marry. She was that kind of woman. She was going to have a baby and any guy worth spit would love the child as much as he loved the mother. He, Shane, was going to walk away and let her get on with her life.

  It made sense. What did he really know about her? They were barely more than…lovers, he thought. They were lovers and despite their relatively short acquaintance, he knew her better than he’d ever known Mary. He knew how she’d stuck by a man for longer than she should have because she’d given her word. He knew that when her life and first marriage didn’t turn out the way she wanted that she gathered up the shattered bits of her dream and went to college while supporting herself. She found a new dream. He knew that even when she’d been beat up, in pain and without a scrap of memory that she’d still been thrilled to find out she was pregnant.

  She was the best person he’d met. Did he really plan to let her go?

  “I can’t do it,” he said, turning to look at her.

  “What?”

  “I can’t l
et you go. I don’t have a clue about being a father or a husband and I’m scared as hell that I’ll screw anything up, but I can’t let you run off and marry someone else.”

  Her green eyes brightened with something he might have dared called happiness…if he hadn’t been so terrified she was going to laugh at him. But she didn’t. She leaned toward him and kissed his mouth.

  “I don’t want to marry anyone else,” she said. “Why would I? You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”

  He couldn’t begin to explain how much he wanted to believe that. But it wasn’t possible.

  “You’re wonderful,” she said. “You’re honorable and giving and thoughtful and very into details. Details are so important in life and in bed.”

  She was beautiful, he thought helplessly. He probably didn’t deserve her but he wasn’t sure he had a choice in the matter.

  He pulled her into a sitting position. “Angela Sheppard, I love you as I’ve never loved anyone before. I admire your spirit and your joy. I think you’re incredibly special and completely beautiful. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

  Her green eyes darkened, then two tears spilled onto her cheeks. She wiped them away with the back of her hand. “Sorry,” she sniffed. “I always cry when I’m happy.” She flung her arms around him. “Yes, I’ll marry you. I love you, too, and I want to be with you. I want to grow old with you and watch our children have children.”

  He couldn’t believe she’d agreed. Happiness filled all of him. He pulled her close and kissed her. “Thank you. I’ll love you forever. You’ll never be sorry you said yes.”

  She kissed him. “I know.”

  “I’ll love your daughter, as well,” he promised. “As if she’s my own. I know you’ll want to tell her about Tom, and I think you should. But I’ll be her father in every other way.”

  More tears rolled down her cheek. “I don’t know how I got so lucky, but I’m going to hold on to you, Shane, and never let you go.”

  “Good.”

  “So when do you want to get married? Soon?”

  “Sure. Tomorrow, if you’d like.”