by R. C. Ryan
At the sound of her name, her lids fluttered and she saw herself reflected in those dark, fierce eyes staring into hers.
With unbelievable strength, she gripped him as they moved together, climbed together, until they reached a shattering climax that had fireworks going off behind her eyelids.
It was unlike anything she’d ever known.
“Are you all right?” He lay over her, his face buried in her neck.
“I’m fine.” It was all she could manage without crying. But her throat, she realized, was clogged with unshed tears and she had to struggle to hold them back.
He lifted his head a fraction, his words muffled against her ear. “Sorry. I was rough. I should have realized…”
“Rough?” Her tears were forgotten as a little laugh broke through. “I nearly tore your clothes off. You had me so hot I thought I might explode.”
At her admission, he leaned up on one elbow. “Me too. But I was trying to slow things down.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew his face down for a long, slow kiss. “It was…very special.”
“Yeah. For me, too.”
He paused, considering. “Sorry about our dinner. By now everything’s bound to be cold.”
“I like cold steak.”
“So do I. But I love hot sex with you more.”
They shared a laugh.
He rolled to one side and gathered her close. She snuggled against him, loving the way she fit so perfectly in the circle of his arms.
He played with the hair at her temple, twirling it around his finger. “Do you know how long I’ve been dreaming of this?”
She arched a brow. “How long?”
“Since the night you walked into Nonie’s. I felt as though I’d been struck by lightning. A jolt of pure electricity shot through my system, and for a minute all I could do was stare.”
She smiled. “I felt it, too.”
He peered into her eyes. “You did?”
She gave a dry laugh. “How could I not? The way you were staring at me, I felt like a spotlight was shining directly on me.”
“It was. Everything in that place had faded away. The noise. The music. Even the crush of people. There was only you.”
“And you. That sexy cowboy, staring holes through me while I ordered my takeout.”
“I figured you didn’t notice.”
“Oh, I saw you.”
He murmured against her temple, “You said your name. Annie. And I remember thinking it was the most beautiful name in the world. And I knew, without a doubt, that I would see the beautiful, mysterious Annie again. Or die of loneliness.”
Her eyes crinkled with laughter. “My, my, cowboy. How dramatic. Spoken like a writer.”
“Spoken from the heart.” He took her hand in his and laced his fingers with hers. “Would you mind staying the night here?”
For the space of a heartbeat, she hesitated. Then her smile came. Slowly, almost shyly. There was no hesitation as she touched a hand to his cheek. “There’s nothing I’d like more.”
He pressed his forehead to hers. “Thank heaven. I was afraid you were about to break my heart.”
He paused a moment. “Would you like to eat now? Or would you rather just lie here awhile?”
“Let’s just lie here. We can eat later.”
“I like the way you think, Annie Dempsey.”
“I like the way you make love, Jonah Merrick.”
He grinned. “We’re quite the pair.”
He snagged an afghan from the footstool and draped it over both of them. And while the fire burned low, they lay together, wrapped in the glow of their lovemaking, sharing stories about their childhood, eager to know everything about each other, as lovers do. Their favorite food, and color, and season of the year. Their childhood fantasies. Their best friends.
“I love hearing about your childhood here on the ranch.”
“And I love the image of ten-year-old Annie Dempsey beating every kid in the class on a math quiz.”
“I was such a nerd. I used to spend the entire weekend figuring out a math puzzle for extra credit in class.”
“Well, when I wasn’t chasing after my brothers, I had my nose buried in a book.”
Annie was laughing as she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her mouth to his throat. “We have nothing in common.”
He gave a quick moan of pleasure. “I can think of one thing.” He had that wolfish look she’d come to love. “But I’m afraid our supper is going to get even colder.”
She had the look of a woman in love as she met his eyes. “Who needs food?”
“I knew we’d find common ground.”
This time there was no frantic need, no desperate rush. Instead, with whispered words and slow, deep kisses, they took each other on a lazy, delicious journey, knowing they had all the time in the world.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Wake up, sleepyhead. I come bearing gifts.”
Annie opened her eyes slowly, then sat up to accept a cup of steaming coffee from Jonah’s hands, sipping and sighing with pleasure.
Sometime in the early hours of the morning, after a night of loving, Jonah had carried Annie to his bed where they’d alternately talked and loved and had even picked at their cold supper at one point, until sleep would take them. Then they’d wake and talk again, sharing stories of their lives before meeting.
Jonah regaled Annie with tales of growing up wild and free on the ranch, and of his love for books, especially stories of the old west.
Over the rim of her cup, she continued the conversation they’d started during the night. “I believe you were complaining about being the youngest.”
Jonah leaned over to press a kiss to her forehead. “Brand never let me forget that I was the ‘little brother’ and that he was in charge.” He leaned up on one elbow, running his finger across her shoulder as he talked, sending little shivers along her spine.
“When did he finally accept you as an equal?”
“I’ll let you know when it happens.”
They shared a laugh.
“The truth is, I don’t know exactly when or how it happened. I guess when Casey was studying veterinary science, and I was away at Yale and—”
“Wait.” She stared at him with a look of disbelief. “You actually left the ranch to attend school in the East?”
“Just a year of graduate study. That was all I could take, before I knew I had to head home.” He smiled and brushed her mouth with his. “If I’d had you waiting for me, I wouldn’t have lasted a month. Anyway, when the three of us were back together, the dynamics had shifted, and we felt more like equals than older or younger.”
“That’s nice.” She set aside her cup and wound her arms around his neck, pulling him down for another slow kiss. “So’s this.”
That was all it took for them to lose themselves once more in the simmering passion.
“I knew I was the nerd of the class, but it didn’t bother me.”
As they lay side by side, Jonah asked her about her school days.
At her words, he shook his head. “It’s hard to believe you weren’t one of those golden California girls turning the head of every guy for miles around.”
“At the tender age of a preteen, nothing mattered more to me than being smart. I was so competitive. Whenever there was a math quiz, while the rest of the class groaned, I was ready to take on everyone, just to earn the highest grade.”
Jonah was laughing. “Every class has one.”
She joined in his laughter. “That was me. Obnoxious. Driven. I was absolutely fascinated with numbers. My best friend Lori was always asking me to help her with her math.”
“And you were happy to oblige.”
She nodded. “It was the most natural thing in the world for me to follow my parents into finance. Though they both held positions of importance, when I expressed an interest in the same career, they insisted that I start with the lowest job and work my way up without any help from them. At fir
st I thought they were being mean. It was only afterward that I realized what a gift they’d given me. I never had to worry that my success was the result of their interference. I knew for a fact that it came from my own hard work.”
“Smart people, your parents.” Jonah listened, all the while watching her eyes, loving the way they sparkled as she talked about her friends and family.
“Even though they wanted me to follow them into banking, they wanted me to feel a sense of independence and accomplishment.”
“And look at you, Annie Dempsey. An independent woman.” He framed her face with his hands. “It’s one of the many things that I l—” He caught himself and said, “That intrigues me about you.” He dipped his head and kissed her, gently at first, then drawing her fully into the kiss until, with a sigh of pleasure, they came together in a firestorm of passion before, spent, they slept once more.
As the mattress dipped under Jonah’s weight, Annie sat up, shoving hair out of her eyes and pulling the blanket to her shoulders. “Do I smell coffee?”
“You do.” He was barefoot and naked to the waist. He’d pulled on his discarded jeans, leaving them unsnapped at the waist.
He offered her the cup and she drank greedily.
“Oh. Mmm.” She took several more sips before handing it back to him. “That’s heavenly. Thank you. How long have you been up?”
“Just long enough to make coffee and see what else Billy sent. We have strawberries, ham and eggs, and cinnamon biscuits.”
“Bless Billy. A breakfast fit for a king.”
“Or a queen.” He ran a finger along the top of her bare shoulder. “I’m sorry I didn’t let you get much sleep last night.”
She touched a hand to his cheek. “Do you hear me complaining?” She stretched. “Best night ever.”
“For me, too.” He set aside the cup and slipped out of his jeans before climbing into bed beside her.
She shot him a look of surprise. “I thought you wanted breakfast.”
“I did. But I just remembered something important.”
At her silent question, he gave a wicked smile. “You’re not wearing anything under this blanket.”
“A gentleman would have pretended not to notice.”
He laughed and pulled her into his arms for a long, slow kiss. Against her mouth he growled, “I never claimed to be a gentleman. I’m just a low-down, rotten, love-crazed cowboy, ma’am.”
“My kind of guy,” she managed to whisper before she lost herself in the pleasure he was offering.
After a long, lazy shower together in the tiny bathroom, they dressed and decided they would fortify themselves with Billy’s breakfast before returning their attention to the computers.
Jonah started a fresh pot of coffee. “Did you take your friend Lori into your confidence before leaving town so suddenly?”
Barefoot, Annie was hulling the strawberries and arranging them on a plate, along with the cinnamon rolls. She paused to look at him. “I called her in a panic and told her that I was in trouble and had to leave San Francisco right away. I know I hurt her when I told her I couldn’t explain, but I warned her that she might read some terrible things about me that she shouldn’t believe. She got really upset and asked me where I was going. I said it was safer for her if she didn’t know. That way, she wouldn’t have to lie if Arlen happened to contact her.”
“She knew Arlen?”
“She hadn’t met him, but I’d told her about him.”
“Why didn’t she meet him?”
“Looking back, I realize he always had one excuse or another whenever I made plans to meet her and her boyfriend, Nick. But at the time, Arlen seemed so sincere about hoping to get together another time that I always just let it go.”
“Have you contacted Lori since you got here?”
She shook her head. “I texted her but then deleted it. I was afraid she would somehow be dragged into this mess just by being associated with me. I hate that I’m keeping all this from her, but Lori is the sweetest friend ever. I couldn’t stand it if I was the cause of any trouble for her.”
Jonah hurried over to press a kiss to her cheek. “I’m sure Lori will understand her friend’s tender heart.”
She leaned into him for a moment, drawing on his strength. “Oh, I hope so.”
He tossed the last of the logs onto the fire before crossing to the bench by the door to pull on his boots. “I should be able to chop a couple of logs and be back inside by the time you scramble up some eggs and fry the ham.”
Seeing her worried frown begin to fade, he ambled over to press a kiss to her mouth and kept his tone light. “You look like you really know your way around a kitchen.”
“That’s me. A regular domestic goddess,” she said with a laugh. “Fortunately for you, one of the few things I know how to make is scrambled eggs.”
He pulled her close. “Want to forget all this and just go back to bed?”
“I could be persuaded.”
He gave her a devilish smile. “Maybe we’ll fortify ourselves with some breakfast, and then spend the day like a couple of lovesick fools.”
“Works for me, cowboy.”
He kissed her again before sauntering to the door. “I’ll be right back.”
Annie started cracking eggs into a bowl while Jonah ambled outside to the woodpile at the rear of the cabin.
With the sound of the ax biting into wood outside, Annie hummed as she poured the eggs into a skillet and carried it to the stove.
Feeling the rush of cool air, she turned with a smile. “That was the fastest…”
Her smile died when she saw not Jonah, but Park, the angry, threatening stranger who had stormed her apartment in town with a message from Arlen Lender. On his face was a smug sneer that had her adrenaline surging through her system. He looked entirely too sure of himself.
“What…? Where…?”
He advanced so fast there was no time to react. He threw one muscled arm around her and pressed a dirty rag over her nose and mouth to muffle her scream. She clawed frantically at his arm, but he only tightened his grasp. She felt a sudden sharp sting as a needle was plunged into her upper arm. She fought harder until her hands dropped uselessly at her sides. Her vision blurred while her entire body went limp.
She felt herself falling, but instead of a hard landing, she was suddenly floating through the air.
She felt the coolness of the woods, and then she thought she heard the sound of an engine as she was dropped unceremoniously onto a cold surface before something that smelled of horses and sweat covered her from head to toe, nearly smothering her as she drifted into unconsciousness.
Jonah lifted the ax high and brought it down with such force the blade bit clean through the log, sending pieces scattering. He set a second log in place and did the same with ease. All the while, his mind was on Annie. Laughing. Loving. Sharing secrets from her childhood.
Last night had been everything he’d hoped for, and more. Though he’d been slowly losing his heart from the minute he’d first seen her at Nonie’s, all his feelings had become crystal-clear during their long night of loving.
She was the one.
There had been plenty of women in his life. But none of them had ever electrified him the way Annie did. Since meeting her here in the woods, she was his last thought before sleep took him. His first thought when he woke. All day, while he tried to work, thoughts of Annie played through his mind.
At first he’d thought she was a passing fancy. A pretty face that intrigued him. They might enjoy a fling, and after satisfying their curiosity, they would go their separate ways. But then she’d come to stay at the ranch, and he’d had a chance to watch her interact with his family. To joke with his brothers and befriend their wives. To charm not only Billy but also the toughest critic of all, Ham. And now, after a night of unbelievable pleasure, he knew in his heart that he would never have enough of Annie. A lifetime wouldn’t be enough.
And if she were to leave him, the pain of l
oss would stay with him forever.
Crazy, he thought. Some people needed years to decide, but he hadn’t a single doubt that she was the one.
What better time and place to let her know his feelings than right here, right now? This cabin was his own private space, away from his family who, though much loved, could be intrusive. And it was where he and Annie had finally found the freedom to express their love.
He didn’t know yet just how or when he would tell her. But when he saw an opening, he would let her know what was in his heart.
Grinning as his plan began to form, he collected an armload of wood and made his way around to the door of the cabin.
He nudged it with the toe of his boot. When it didn’t budge, he was puzzled. He’d deliberately left it slightly ajar so he could easily haul the logs inside.
Annie must have found it open and closed it. Or maybe the breeze blew it shut.
He dropped some of the logs, freeing one hand to turn the handle before stepping inside.
The first thing he noticed was the black smoke billowing from the skillet on the stove.
“Hey, domestic goddess, you’re burning the eggs.”
He was laughing as he strode across the room and deposited the logs beside the hearth before yanking the skillet from the stove and turning off the hot burner.
Seeing that the contents had burned to ash, he set it in the sink and turned on the water, sending up another cloud of smoke.
Wiping his hands down his pants, he looked around. “Annie? Where are you hiding?”
When he got no answer, he walked to the bedroom. Finding it empty, he crossed to the open bathroom door.
Empty.
Puzzled, he made another turn around the cabin.
He could feel the hair at the back of his neck standing on end. A feeling of dread started twisting in his gut.
“Annie?”
Forcing himself to concentrate, he noted that her hiking boots were still by the bench. He’d teased her about being a city girl, but one thing was certain. She would never go outside barefoot.
