Need You by Stacy Finz (17)

Chapter Seventeen

“How soon can we get these?” With a gleam in his eye, TJ stared down at the samples Delaney had laid on his desk. A dozen different pieces in all.

“Not so fast. First I want you, Colt, Josh, and Win to wear them when you take groups out, see how they work on the job.”

“Delaney, it’s seventy degrees out.” He picked up the ski jacket. “We won’t get snow for another month or two.”

“You can at least try the rash guards, dry suits, board shorts, and the climbing pants.”

“I can already tell you that they’re fantastic. We’ll sell a bunch.”

She’d worked a week making the samples and had even hired a couple of local seamstresses who’d come highly recommended. “Don’t get carried away, TJ. I don’t have any experience designing adventure wear and I don’t want my name on something unless it’s perfect.”

“What about the fashion show? Hannah says you’re down with it being at Garner Adventure.” TJ’s ambition amused Delaney. He had zero interest in fashion or fashion shows but smelled publicity for his family’s company. Frankly, Garner Adventure was lucky to have him at the helm because he was one hell of a businessman.

“Let’s take one thing at a time. First I want to know how the pieces perform. I read somewhere that North Face employs professional athletes to take its products on more than two-dozen trips a year for testing.”

TJ nodded. “We know a few guys on their staff. Are you trying to be North Face?”

“No. But I want the clothes to be as functional as they are attractive otherwise what’s the point?”

“Absolutely,” he said. “We’ll start beta testing ASAP.”

“And, TJ, we want to keep this hush-hush. I’ll determine when and where we do the announcement. Understood?” It felt new to Delaney to be running her own show, but at the same time, good. Empowering.

TJ smiled. “Understood. I suppose you have a publicity team.”

Her publicity team had stayed with Delaney Scott and Robert. But the team’s expertise was couture and prêt-à-porter, not an outdoor lifestyle brand. She had tasked Karen with interviewing agencies in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. Delaney wanted to make sure the world knew that she wasn’t deserting high fashion. The way she wanted to spin it was that in addition to the made-to-measure clothes, the ready-to-wear, the shoes, and the handbags, she was branching out into adventure wear. The right PR firm would know how to sell it. According to her research, outdoor apparel was a four-billion-dollar industry with 143 million Americans participating in adventure activities a year. She wasn’t the only high-fashion designer trying to break in to the lucrative market. In fact, she didn’t know why Robert hadn’t proposed it years ago. She already had her shoe and handbag designers focusing on après-ski boots and accessories.

“I’m working on it,” she told TJ. “Don’t worry, Garner Adventure will be a big part of the narrative. As soon as we choose a firm I’ll need background on GA. I really want to play up that it’s a family business and that every piece was designed to the specifications of professional adventure guides. I was even thinking we can name the clothes after each one of you.”

“What am I?” Colt stood in the doorway, his hands gripping the top of the frame, his muscles straining under his navy blue uniform shirt. His dark hair was tousled, like he’d run his fingers through it a few too many times.

Delaney hadn’t heard him come in. “Which one do you want to be?” she asked lamely, afraid that he would see what his mere presence did to her.

He shrugged.

“The Colten Cargo,” TJ offered. “The Win Windbreaker. The Josh Jams.”

“The TJ Gives Me a Rash ... Guard,” Colt finished, and TJ threw a Nerf ball at him. He had a collection of them and a dart gun on his desk.

“You guys are good,” she said, flustered by Colt’s sudden appearance. She hadn’t seen him since Sunday night, not since they’d had their so-called heart-to-heart and she’d delivered her conditions. He could’ve been busy—not a stretch given his intense work schedule—or he could’ve been avoiding her. With Colt she never knew. But she had missed him.

“I’ll get out of your hair now. I’ll be back tomorrow with a few more samples for you to test.” She gathered up her purse and portfolio.

“I’ll walk you out.” Colt took the large leather case from her. When they got outside he asked, “Did you come on foot or drive?”

She pointed to her car, which she’d parked on Main Street, a few doors down from Glorious Gifts, and rummaged through her handbag for the keys.

“You have lunch yet?”

“No. Why, you want to get something?”

“The diner or Old Glory?”

“Whichever you want.” She didn’t know how much time he got for lunch. He was in his uniform, so she assumed he was on duty.

“The diner’s good.”

They unloaded her portfolio first in the trunk of the Tesla, then walked to the Morning Glory. Deb was waitressing and got them a quiet booth in the back and rushed off to help someone else.

“I guess the summer crowds are gone,” Delaney observed. The restaurant was almost deserted.

“September. Everyone goes back to school. But as soon as we get our first dump of snow they’ll be back.”

“You been busy?” She tried to make it sound casual.

“Yeah. There’ve been a couple of burglaries. Vacation homes up near the resorts.”

“Oh no.” Glory Junction had a relatively low crime rate, but like any other place, bad things happened. “You catch the culprits?”

“We’re working on it. I can’t get into it, but it’s kept me busy the last few nights.” He glanced across the table at her and she wondered if he was trying to tell her that was why he hadn’t come calling. She’d left it up to him.

“I hope you catch whoever did it.” She leaned closer and asked in a soft voice, “Anything new with the mayor?”

“Nope.” His gaze ran over her, lingering on her low-cut top, male appreciation gleaming in his eyes. “I thought we should clear the air . . . you know, after last week.”

“Okay.” Delaney waited for him to say more but her cell rang and she pulled it out of her purse to look at the display. Her lawyer. “I have to get this.”

She walked outside and leaned against the diner’s exterior wall to take the call. “Do you have bad news for me?”

“Robert’s attorneys filed a request for a clarification from the court. We could hear something anytime and I wanted you to be prepared.”

“What if the judge says that I have to take the Delaney Scott label off my existing merchandise? How do we handle that?”

“We could appeal,” Liz said. “But that could cost as much money as removing the name.”

Delaney doubted it. Not only would removing the labels be a major expense but the items wouldn’t be worth much without them. The best she could hope for was selling them to an off-price store.

“Let’s wait for the clarification before we come up with a game plan,” Liz said. “I still think we were right all along.”

Delaney desperately hoped so.

Another call came in and Delaney checked the ID. “Liz, my real estate agent is on the other line. Let me know if you hear anything.” She quickly clicked over before she lost the call. “Hello.”

“We’ve got an offer,” the agent trilled in a singsong voice.

“A good one?” If the judge’s clarification was in Robert’s favor, the proceeds from her house would be a godsend.

“An excellent one. I’m sending you an e-mail with the offer attached. Take a look and call me back. We have forty-eight hours to counter.”

“Okay,” Delaney said, a bit overwhelmed. She hadn’t expected a house listed at four million dollars to have buyers this fast.

She went back in the restaurant. “I just got an offer on my house. And my lawyer called to tell me that Robert’s legal team asked for a clarification from the judge on whether I can sell existing merchandise under the Delaney Scott label.”

“What happened?”

“The judge hasn’t responded yet.”

“Is the house offer a good one?” he asked.

“I haven’t seen it yet.” She scrolled through the phone to see if her agent’s e-mail had come through yet. For some reason she felt funny about Colt knowing the price, even though anyone trolling Beverly Hills real estate listings could find it. It was just so excessive to the point of being vulgar. At least to someone who had come from her humble beginnings. “Here it is.”

Deb came to take their orders and she waited to pull up the attachment. Colt ordered a roast beef sandwich and potato salad. She got the Cobb. Customers started to filter in and Deb took off to seat them.

“Well?” Colt asked, craning his neck to see the e-mail on her phone.

She tapped on the document icon and breezed through the fine print until she got to the offer price. “It’s pretty close to what I was asking.” Delaney would let her agent advise her on whether to counter with something higher, but if the buyer wouldn’t come up, she’d take it.

“Good,” Colt said, leaning back against the pleather bench. “You gonna go back to LA to buy something else?”

“Eventually. Right now, I want to launch the outdoor line with your family’s company. I’m excited about it.” She hadn’t been this enthusiastic about a line in a long time. Adventure wear—who would’ve ever thought such a thing would appeal to her high-fashion sensibility? But the challenge of making rugged, functional clothing beautiful filled her with excitement, as did the man sitting across from her.

He was looking at her. A look so sexy, it charged through her like a jolt of electricity. “Then I suppose we’ll be working together.”

“Why? You thinking of taking over the retail end of the family business?” She didn’t see it. Colt had many facets—adventurer, crime solver, musician—but being buried in profit-and-loss statements wasn’t one of them.

“You never know.” He hitched his shoulders, his gaze darting to her lips.

She assumed Colt was alluding to his problems with the mayor but was having trouble concentrating with him looking at her the way he was.

“You want to go out tonight if I get out early enough?” he asked.

“What are we doing, Colt?” Did he not remember their last conversation?

“Yeah.” He scrubbed his hand through his hair and turned somber. “I can’t stop thinking about you and I’m tired of fighting it ... have been for a while. As long as you’re living next door, I don’t have the resolve to overcome my attraction to you.” He waited a beat and continued, “Permanently, though? We’re not gonna work, you know that?”

“Not all women are like Lisa,” she said in a soft voice. “We’ve been over this.”

“Too many similarities.”

“That’s offensive. I would never intentionally hurt someone. And I certainly wouldn’t steal their work from them.”

“That’s not what I meant. We want different things out of life. I have no interest in fame or fortune, just want to serve my community.”

“You make me out to be shallow when there’s nothing wrong with wanting success.” She’d dreamed of being a famous designer since making her first Vogue McCall dress on her mother’s Singer. “You are trying to pass your trust issues off as reverse snobbery. It’s not working.”

He snorted. “Baby, if you say so. You’re the one moving away. But if you want to try, I’ll try. I just ask that we keep any relationship between us quiet. No telling Hannah, my brothers, not anyone, not even when it’s over.”

Deb came with their order. “One beef-on-wreck and a Cobb,” she said, placing the plates down on the table.

The interruption gave Delaney time to think about Colt’s parameters. After her spectacular breakup with Robert, Delaney didn’t need to advertise her love life any more than Colt did.

Felix came out of the kitchen and beckoned Deb, who dashed over to do his bidding.

“If that’s the way you want to handle it.”

“Yep.” He nodded with conviction.

Fine with her. It was just a fling, after all. A fling with an expiration date because he’d already decided that once she left they were doomed. Honestly, he was probably right. Relationships even under the best circumstances were difficult. Just look at her and Robert. “Okay,” she said.

He scanned the restaurant, presumably to make sure no one could hear them. “You want to go to Tahoe tonight?” Thirty miles from Glory Junction, the likelihood of running into any of their friends there was next to nil.

“All right,” she said. “Sounds fun.”

Colt got a call from dispatch—a car accident on the outskirts of town—paid their bill, and took the rest of his sandwich to go. She finished her salad, said good-bye to Deb, and drove to the seamstress to get the rest of her samples. The whole way there she thought about her and Colt’s date and how his arrival in her life had been so unexpected. Just like the adventure wear she was now designing.

The fabrics she’d chosen for the sports clothes were gorgeous. Forest green florals, winter white checks, electric blue with geometric designs, metallic silver, and pastel paisley. Nothing too loud, but definitely a swish of flair in an otherwise banal market.

She took the garments home to press and spent much of the afternoon preparing for her date with Colt, including applying a beauty mask, taking a long bath, and pawing through her lingerie drawers for maximum frill factor.

At six he called to say he was running late. At seven she heard his police car come up the easement road and watched for him through the window. He went home first. Delaney presumed he wanted to shower and change. Forty-five minutes later, he knocked at her door.

She opened and said, “Hey” when what she should’ve said was wow! He’d put on a crisp white Oxford, a pair of jeans, and cowboy boots, nothing designer, but on him the clothes could’ve been Ralph Lauren or Ryan Michael.

“Sorry I’m late.”

“Was the accident bad?”

He snaked his arm around her waist, pulled her against him, and went in for a kiss. Losing her balance, she grabbed onto his shoulders, feeling his hard chest pressed against her breasts. She took a second to luxuriate in his brawn and sniff his neck, which smelled like aftershave and something distinctly Colt. Despite all his misgivings and rules, he felt inordinately safe. Like no matter what, he had her. She never remembered feeling safe with Robert. Mostly judged, like she constantly had to prove herself.

“What’s this for?” she whispered as he devoured her mouth.

“You look hot and I’ve been wanting you for days.”

And here, in the privacy of her home, no one was watching. It didn’t bother her, she told herself. Who cared if they weren’t out in the open? Discretion was good.

“Thank you, so do you.” She closed her eyes and let the kiss take her away for a while, getting more and more aroused. “Are we skipping the date part of the program?”

“Nah.” He pulled away but she could tell it was a Herculean effort. “I promised to take you to Tahoe; I don’t renege on my promises. Not even for sex.” He flashed a crooked smile that never failed to turn her inside out.

She considered forgetting dinner and leading him upstairs but wasn’t quite comfortable being the aggressor, which she knew men enjoyed but could never bring herself to do.

“I’ll grab my purse.”

“And a jacket. It’s getting cooler at night.”

She found a cashmere wrap in the coat closet and followed him outside.

He eyed her silver Delaney Scott stilettos. “Wait here while I get my truck.”

“We can take your police car,” she said, kind of liking the idea of fooling around in the backseat of a squad vehicle.

“Against policy.” He hopped over her deck railing and climbed the driveway to the garage.

A few minutes later, he drove down the hill and jumped out of the cab to help her in, intentionally grazing her butt with his hand. At this rate, they wouldn’t get through a meal. She wanted him. Bad.

He got on the road, turned at the on-ramp to the highway, and headed east. Not for the first time she noted what an excellent driver he was, taking the curves as smoothly as she drove a straight shot on the interstate. He had one hand on her leg while he steered with the other. Ordinarily that would’ve made her nervous on a dark road. Not with Colt. She wondered if he’d learned his driving skills in the police academy.

“You okay?” he asked as they headed further up the mountain.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

“You seem quiet.” He moved his palm higher on her thigh.

“Just enjoying the drive.” She put the back of her hand on the passenger-side window. “You were right, it’s getting chilly.”

“September is usually a nice month in the Sierra, but the temperature drops in the evenings. You want me to turn on the heat?”

“I’ve got the wrap.” Her dress was a sleeveless sheath that matched her shoes. Clingy knit fabric better suited for a warm summer night.

He slid her a sideways glance, which heated at the sight of her. “You have a busy rest of your day?”

“I got the pieces for Garner Adventure from the seamstress and countered on the offer.”

“What did the buyers say?”

“Nothing yet. They have twenty-four hours to respond. My agent thinks they’ll take it.”

He got quiet, mulling over what she’d just told him. “I guess that’s good, right? You’ll miss ski season, though.”

She couldn’t tell if he was being flip or a good sport about her eventual departure. “I don’t ski, so that won’t be a problem.”

He shook his head. “I still don’t get that. You live in one of the best ski towns in America.”

“I like drinking hot toddies in the lodge. Does that count?”

“No.” He said it like he still couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that she didn’t ski. “If you’re still around when we get our first snow I’ll take you out for a lesson.”

“All right, but you have to promise to be gentle. I’m not the most athletic . . . or adventurous.”

“You had game when we went kayaking.” His hand slipped under the hem of her dress and the skin-to-skin contact made her wet.

“I’ve always liked the water. Ice and snow, not my favorite.”

He surprised her by pulling through the circular driveway of the Ritz-Carlton.

“We’re going to the restaurant here?”

“Yeah. That okay?”

Extravagant and not at all what she’d been expecting. “Wonderful. But do you have a reservation?”

He fixed her with a look and left the truck with the valet before escorting her inside. The maître d’ asked for their name and led them to a table. Colt glanced around the room as he pulled out her chair. She wondered if he wanted to make sure no one there knew them or was just taking in the dining room.

They sat and Colt perused the menu. “Wine?”

“Yes, please.”

“Don’t get drunk,” he teased. “I have plans for later.”

“And what might those be?” She liked this playful side of him.

Before he could answer, a waiter came over and Colt ordered a pricey bottle of Hanzell Vineyards chardonnay. For a man who preferred beer, he knew his wines.

“You like white, right?”

“I like that white in particular,” she said.

“Good.” He reached across the table and laced his fingers through hers. “Nice dress. One of yours, I presume.” When she nodded he asked, “Do you have lacey things under it?”

“That’s for me to know and for you to find out.” He’d reduced her to a silly fifteen-year-old. That’s for me to know and for you to find out. She wanted to roll her eyes at herself.

He cocked his brows. “Baby, I’m looking forward to it.”

The sommelier came with the wine and started to give a dissertation on it. Colt listened politely but Delaney could tell he was in a rush for the steward to leave. Afterward, the waiter took their orders.

Coq au vin, she told the server because it was the first thing on the menu and she couldn’t concentrate. Colt had taken his hand away to order and she wanted it back. When the waiter finally left, he slipped his palm under the table and played with her leg. Careful. If his fingers slid any higher, he’d give her a spontaneous orgasm.

“Colt?”

“Hmm?” His lips slid up.

“What’s gotten into you?”

“That first time was like crack.”

Yet, he’d run off like a scared little rabbit and then had gone five days without contacting her. “For a guy who’s supposedly addicted to me, you’ve been missing in action.”

Colt’s expression turned pensive. “I had to do some serious thinking about this . . . about us.” He took another visual lap around the room. Delaney thought he was nervous that someone would see them together.

“What changed your mind?”

“The fact that you told me I was being a dick, that I needed to make up my mind. And the truth: I can’t seem to stay away. I think it probably started nine months ago, when you and I began fighting over parking. Usually I don’t get involved in petty shit like that.”

“But?”

“I enjoyed butting heads with you.” He grinned. “I kinda became that mean boy in school who’s attracted to a girl and doesn’t want to admit it. Not even to myself. But I want to keep it light, Delaney, if that’s okay with you?”

Light worked. She was getting over a bad marriage, trying to rebuild a business, and had no plans to stay in Glory Junction indefinitely. There had never been an expectation that they’d become an immediate couple. Still, she couldn’t help needle him. “It took you five days to decide you just wanted to fool around?”

“Not just fool around,” he said, sounding insulted. “I like you, Delaney. I like talking to you, drinking beer or wine together, this.” He swept his hand around the restaurant. “I like spending time with you.”

He just didn’t want to like it too much, she suspected. Not with her life in flux the way it was. Colt was more sensitive than he let on, hence the whole privacy issue. She could understand how he didn’t want the town to have a front-row seat to his love life, especially after what Lisa had done to him.

“Plus, we’ve been doing surveillance in connection with those burglaries I told you about,” he continued, putting his finger to his lips. “That’s not to be repeated. But that’s at least part of the reason I’ve been MIA. It was either that or come over in the wee hours of the morning. It seemed a little douchie, even for me.”

She felt a rash creep up her neck, remembering the time she’d gone banging on his door to show him a pair of cargo pants and he’d rightfully assumed it was a booty call.

“How’s that going ... the surveillance?”

“Jack’s got it tonight, but let’s not talk about work.” He rubbed the toe of his boot against her calf and she shuddered.

That must’ve been why he was having a glass of wine, Delaney thought. He wasn’t on call tonight, a rarity on a Friday. And how was it that she’d come to know his schedule so well?

“I guess you’ve got the night free?” she said.

“Yep.” He hitched his brows again. “Like I said, I’ve got plans.”

“Do share.”

“It’ll start with me taking off that dress.” He nudged his head at the bodice, making a big production of staring at her chest ... her puckering nipples.

“Then what?” She pressed her thighs tightly together to stem the tingling between her legs.

“Then I’m going to take my time looking at you.” He put his hand under the table again, pried her legs apart, reached up until he touched the layer of ruffles on her panties, and grinned.

“Then what?”

“You know what.” He winked.

The waiter arrived with a big tray and took forever putting it on a stand and serving each plate with a flourish, chattering endlessly about the black truffles on Colt’s risotto. At this point the only thing she was hungry for was Colt, so she tuned the server out until he left.

Colt tucked into his food like a starving man and when he caught her watching, said, “What? I’m gonna need my strength.”

Yes, you are. So sexually worked up she could barely see straight, she tried to eat her chicken. This meal would put a big dent in Colt’s wallet and she didn’t want to waste it, even though she couldn’t wait to get home and have him do all the things he said he would.

“You like it?” he asked.

“Delicious. Would you like to try some?” She held a forkful of the coq au vin to his mouth and watched him devour it.

“Mmm, good. You want to try some of this?” He gave her a taste of his creamy risotto, which melted in her mouth.

“Wonderful.”

They continued to feed each other across the table, probably annoying the rest of the diners. Away from Glory Junction, Colt was more flagrant with his affection and she was too wrapped up in him to worry about decorum. They were entitled to a romantic night out and it wasn’t as if they were sucking each other’s toes.

“Delaney?”

“Huh?”

He took a visual stroll over her dress ... her body, his eyes narrowing. “Hurry up and finish.”

Thank the Lord Jesus. “I’m stuffed. We can go anytime.”

He flagged over the waiter and asked for the check, not bothering to look at it when it came, just shoving his credit card at the poor man. As soon as the server returned with the receipt, Colt wrote in a tip, signed the bill, and pulled Delaney out of her chair. “Let’s go.”

They got as far as the lobby door when he suddenly turned around and steered her to the reservation desk.

“What are you doing?” she whispered.

“Getting a room.” He whipped out the same card he’d used to pay the bill and slapped it on the counter. “Just give us whatever you’ve got.”

It was a king suite for nine hundred dollars. Delaney gasped.

“This is crazy. Here, put it on mine.” She rummaged through her purse for her wallet. When she raised her head with her credit card in hand Colt shot her a look, one that said, don’t you dare. She quickly put the Visa away.

The reservationist gave them key cards and asked if they needed a bellboy for their luggage. The young woman wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.

“I’ve got it.” Colt practically shoved Delaney toward the elevator.

When they got inside and the doors shut, she said, “You’re insane. Nine hundred dollars!”

He pinned her against the wall and kissed her. “Shush. Don’t be a buzz kill.”

His mouth and tongue tasted like chardonnay and melted her insides as he licked inside her. She clutched his shirt, trying to hold on and stretch up to his height to take the kiss deeper. Even with her three-inch heels she was a good six inches shorter than him.

The door slid open and they stopped kissing long enough to find their room and jam the key card in the door. They got just inside the threshold when Colt unzipped the back of her dress.

“Very pretty but it’s gotta go.”

She let it slither down her body and stepped out of it. He leaned against the wall, slowly took her in from head to toe, and let out a low whistle. Then he reached out and yanked her against him while she wrestled with his belt buckle.

“Slow down,” he said. “I want to look at you some more.” He gazed down her bra and she felt him grow harder against her belly.

“I want your clothes off.” She untucked his shirt from his jeans, and he chuckled.

“Demanding, aren’t you?”

“Why should I stand here half naked if you’re going to stay fully clothed?”

He conceded her point with a bob of his head, then traced the lace on her bra with his finger. “I like this. And this.” His hand moved to her matching lace panties and he rimmed the elastic waist with his thumb, dipping in just low enough to tantalize her but not enough to stop the pulsing between her legs.

“Colt?” She let out a moan as he started to slide his hand lower. “Please.”

“Please, what? Tell me what you want.”

“You know what I want,” she said, her words coming out in halted breaths.

“Say it,” he whispered in her ear. “Tell me.”

She shivered as he continued to touch her. Colt pushed her against the wall, got down on his knees, slid her panties down her legs, nudged her legs apart, and kissed her so deeply she lost her mind. And her balance.

“I’ve got you, baby.” He clasped her hips in his large hands. “Tell me what you want.”

She couldn’t breathe, let alone talk. What he was doing felt so good. He ran kisses up and down the inside of her thighs, teasing. She tangled her fingers in his hair and guided his head ... his wonderful mouth ... to the place that quivered for him.

“This? You want this?” He delved his tongue in deep, making her cry out something nonsensical and slam her hands against the wall for purchase.

“Yes,” she said as he tortured her with that clever mouth of his. Sweet, sweet torture. “Colt, Colt.”

She felt herself clench and shudder as he brought her to climax. It seemed to go on forever, her entire body shaking, her legs wobbling, and her heart pounding. Colt lifted his head to watch her.

“Good?”

She tilted her head back against the wall, shut her eyes, and tried to catch her breath. “Mm-hmm.”

He got to his feet, picked her up, and carried her to the bed, where he gently laid her down. She heard his boots drop to the floor and the swish of his pants followed. Lifting up on her elbows, she watched him undo the first few buttons on his shirt, give up, and drag it over his head. He stood there in nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs that barely contained his arousal. In under a second he shucked the shorts, too. He grabbed a foil packet from his wallet and tossed it onto the side table. And then he was on top of her, kissing and fondling her breasts. The hairs on his chest tickled as he moved over her, touching and licking until she burned and begged.

She felt around for the condom, found it, and ripped it open with her teeth. Impatient, he took it from her and rolled it down his thick length. Then in one fluid motion, he entered her and slipped both hands under her bottom so he could go deeper. She folded her legs up to take all of him and began moving to his rhythm, matching him stroke for stroke.

He pumped harder and faster until all she could do to keep up was wrap her legs around his back and hang on. His mouth clamped onto her nipple through the thin lace of her bra and sucked as he moved in and out of her, the sensation so exquisite she thought she’d died and gone to heaven. Colt switched to her other breast, sucking and laving until she couldn’t take it anymore. Her senses spiraled out of control, her muscles contracted, and she found her release.

Colt pumped a few more times, threw his head back, called her name, and shuddered. He lay there for a second, cradled in her arms, then swung his legs over the bed and disappeared inside the bathroom.

Delaney crawled under the covers. Without Colt’s body heat the room had turned cold. She noticed that in their sex-driven haste, they’d forgotten to close the drapes. It appeared from what little she could make out in the dark that they had a view of the lake. And the mountains. She still couldn’t believe Colt’s impetuousness, but it made a smile bloom in her chest. He was spontaneous, generous, and adventurous.

And she’d fallen for him, hard, despite his efforts to shut her out. He’d made her rediscover herself as a woman, made her feel whole again, and safe. She kept coming back to that word. Safe. Safe to be who she was and not something she could never be. Safe to try something new. Safe to fail.

“What are you doing?” Colt came out of the bathroom unabashed in his nakedness. And why shouldn’t he be? He was gorgeous.

Thinking about how you’ve changed me. “Recuperating. Considering enrolling in an exercise class to keep up with you.”

“No worries there.” He let his eyes wander over her. “You’re in excellent shape.”

She looked around the room. “We’re staying, I presume.”

“Hell yeah, we’re staying.”

“It’s beautiful, but I feel bad that you spent all that money.”

“Because you’re a midwestern girl at heart with simple tastes?” Colt asked facetiously. “Or because you don’t think I can afford it?”

“Because we live thirty miles away and nine hundred dollars is a lot of money on a—”

“On a cop’s salary?” He stood at the side of the bed, putting on his shorts, which was too bad. She liked looking at him.

“On a whim. But yes, it’s a lot of money on any salary.” Sensitive, much?

“It won’t cut into my beer budget.” He plopped down on the bed and kissed her. “And for the record, I wouldn’t have made it the fifteen miles. You do that to me.”

“I do?” She still couldn’t believe it.

“Come on, Delaney. You’ve got to know how beautiful you are, how desirable.”

“Robert didn’t think so.” She stopped, suddenly appalled with herself. “Sorry. I’m not bringing him to bed with us. You’re the only person I want to be here with.”

He fluffed a pillow, put it behind his head, and stretched out next to her. “He told you you weren’t beautiful?”

“No, he told me he wasn’t attracted to me, that I was cold and sexless.”

Colt snorted. “The guy’s a worm and wears shrunken pants.”

“Colt, I designed those pants.”

“That’s okay, you were probably drunk.”

She shoved him but he didn’t budge.

“Baby, you’re smokin’ hot. And sexless?” He jerked his head. “What planet does he live on? If what we just did a few minutes ago was sexless ... maybe we should send him pictures.”

Her face must’ve turned white, because he said, “Delaney, I was kidding.” She remained silent. “Delaney, what?”

“He wanted me to sleep with other men.” This was what she meant about Colt making her feel safe. She’d never told this to another living soul.

“While you were still married?”

She nodded. “He wanted us both to . . . him with other women.”

“Like an open marriage?” Colt asked, and she wondered if the idea appealed to him, to all men.

“More like swingers, I guess. He thought seeing me with other men, and me seeing him with other women, would help him be attracted to me again. Save our marriage.”

She remembered the first time Robert had raised the idea, the repulsion that had swirled in her stomach.

And that was that. The next day, she moved out.

Colt turned on his side so he could look at her. “Did you try it?”

“No.” While she wasn’t one to denigrate another’s lifestyle, sleeping with other men and other couples with her husband’s consent was not her idea of a marriage. “He gave me an ultimatum and I chose divorce.”

When Colt didn’t say anything, she felt exposed. Even though the fashion crowd was known for being experimental, she’d been too embarrassed to tell any of her designer friends for fear that they would judge her. Find her lacking.

“Why?” she finally said, unable to stand the silence. “You think I should’ve done it to save the marriage?”

Colt sat up and folded his arms over his chest. “Call me old-fashioned, but sharing my woman with another man—never gonna happen. To me, it doesn’t sound like a marriage worth saving. And Robert sounds like a prick.”

Something in her chest fluttered like a caged bird that had been freed. Until now, she hadn’t realized how insecure Robert had made her.

“Don’t tell anyone.” She sounded like a twelve-year-old.

“Never.” He pretended to lock his lips with a key. “But, honey, you don’t have anything to be embarrassed about. Any red-blooded man would be attracted to you, and in my opinion Robert was looking for a way to get you to sanction his screwing around without the risk of losing half the business. This bullshit about strengthening your marriage by sleeping with other people—give me a break.”

“Millions of couples share this lifestyle; I looked it up.” She didn’t know why she was being defensive. The truth was she’d had the same reaction as Colt. It had sounded like Robert wanted a license to cheat.

“I’m not judging.” He raised his hands. “If both a husband and wife want to swing, if it’s their thing and it makes them happy, that’s their business. But for Robert to have told you that it would help him be attracted to you again ... that’s fucking wrong. Personally, I don’t see how a man could let another man touch his wife. No way in hell would I.”

The possessiveness in his voice sent a shot of warmth through her body. It was exactly how she felt. When you loved somebody, you didn’t want them to be with anyone but you.