Chapter Seven
“Are we crazy for doing this?” Larissa asked him as he turned his truck off the county route and onto the remote access road that led to the ranch manager’s place where she was spending the week.
They’d torn out of Rusty’s Saloon with Callie and her friend at their heels, insisting on dance lessons and then—when that didn’t work—trying to convince them to ride the mechanical bull. Even if he hadn’t been in a hurry to take Larissa home—and he most definitely had been—Matt figured he’d ridden more than his fair share of surly animals in the course of his work. No need to saddle up on a barroom carnival ride for the hell of it.
“Crazy for sharing a ride home? I think I’m ten times the driver that my sister is, so if you felt safe going into town with her, you should be feeling great about sitting in my passenger seat on the way back.” He knew that’s not what she meant. But he could practically hear her thinking on the other side of the bench seat and he wanted to distract her from having second thoughts.
Or at least lighten the moment.
“I meant, are we crazy for wanting that kiss back at the bar?” she clarified. “Crazy for letting an out-of-control attraction drive our decision-making?”
“Personally, I think it would be a mistake to ignore a feeling this strong, because it’s telling me there’s something at work between us.” He understood that she was the kind of woman who didn’t jump into anything. That’s why it had hit him so hard when she’d left Cheyenne without a word. The snap decision hadn’t been like her. And now that he knew why, he wanted to be all the more careful of her feelings. “But you have the reins here, darlin’. I’ve already proven I’m capable of dropping you off at the door like a gentleman.”
“I know you are.” She nodded while her fingers worried the pendant on her choker, flipping the silver charm around so it caught the moonlight. “But I don’t think I’m capable of walking out of this truck alone for the second time in a week.”
“Curiosity about a kiss should not be a cause for stress,” he observed mildly, braking to a stop in the driveway outside the log home. The late-rising moon hung huge over the meadow, reminding him what a poor substitute neon décor made for the real thing.
“I wouldn’t call it stress. Nervous anticipation maybe?” Her gaze was trained out the side window, the same as his. “Will you look at that?” she exclaimed softly, her face pale in the reflected light. “The moon is so huge it’s like a Hollywood set.”
“Come on.” He pocketed his keys and reached for the door handle. “We’re going for a walk.”
“We are?” She slid her arms into the sleeves of her denim jacket.
“Fresh air is good for nervous anticipation.” They could both use some cooling off after that “almost” kiss on the dance floor.
If they were going forward tonight, he wanted to be sure Larissa was certain of her decision. Maybe it was just as well that they hadn’t been alone on the dance floor tonight. If not for the audience around them, he would have finished the waltz the same way they always had before. With a tongue-tangling, breath-stealing kiss. But with a bar full of rowdy patrons as an audience—including his sister who was already shoving him hard in Larissa’s direction—Matt knew he had to hold back.
Rounding the front of the truck, he opened her door and gave her a hand to the ground. She must have had a hair band handy because she’d pulled a quick maneuver to tie it back. Good thing too, because the wind was strong over the meadow with no trees to break it.
“You’re not worried about the bears?” She reached for his hand and held it, though her gaze was trained on the tree line to the south as if she might spot a grizzly at any moment. “Or wolves?”
“Not where we’re going.” He drew her along a trail toward one of the outbuildings where cars and equipment used to be kept. “I happen to know today’s wedding prep involved stocking the shed with wood and copper fire pits to use at the reception Saturday in case some of the guests end up back here.”
“Fire pits. Because bears are scared of fire, right?” She stepped just inside the shed as she spotted a stack of gleaming copper basins stacked in one corner.
“Clearly you weren’t responsible for predator control when you worked your family ranch.” He lifted the basin and an easy-lighting log from the stack. “Any bear who has spent time around humans knows a campfire means food is nearby.”
“So essentially you’re dangling a carrot to any grizzlies in the area?” She peered outside the shed. “I’m suddenly thinking a walk was a bad idea.”
“Do you think I’d risk your pretty neck after it’s taken me eight years to lure you back home?” He nodded toward the exit and headed back toward the log home. “We’ll set this up close to the house. There are some deck chairs out back.”
Half an hour later, he had the fire going and some blankets thrown over the wooden Adirondack chairs on a small patio. Larissa had retreated inside to make cocoa and flip on a few lights she felt sure would deter bears.
Fine by him.
When she returned, she passed him a steaming mug before gliding to rest in the chair beside him. As he sipped the hot chocolate and glanced over at Larissa in the moonlight, he could see she’d relaxed. There was shelter from the wind here with a row of cedar trees planted to one side. The pine scent rode the breeze while the flame in the fire pit warmed their legs.
“There are a million stars.” She tipped her head back against the planks of the chair, staring up at the sky. “It’s hard to believe I was looking at the same sky as you while I was in New York.”
He set his mug on the deck by his feet, weighing his next words. “I had a tough time picturing you there. I could imagine you dancing, and doing that well. But I could never envision what you did in your free time.”
Her chin tipped down and she took a drink from her cup, tendrils of steam wafting up to graze her cheek.
“For the first few years, I was so immersed in dance I didn’t do anything beyond audition, practice, and improve.” She clutched the mug tighter, drawing it close to her chest. “I put everything into it so I wouldn’t fail on the most important stage of my career.” She frowned slightly, a tiny crease forming between her eyes as she tilted her head. “Ironic, since I ended up coming home anyhow.”
“And you see that as a failure? After eight years of working at the highest level possible in your field?” He wondered if her mother would have wrangled that promise out of Larissa if she’d had any idea how much her daughter would change her life to fulfill it.
“I didn’t quit on my own terms. I had to stop. Regroup. So yes, I’d call that a dismal effort.”
“The only way to fail is to not take a risk in the first place. You did something most people would never dare to do.”
She fixed him in her green gaze while the firelight flickered shadows along her face. “What about you, Matt? Have you taken the risks you dreamed about?”
“Buying my own place was a risk.” He’d been fortunate to have his father’s backing, however. He knew if he’d run into trouble, he had someone to ask for guidance. “I’m damn proud I did it, even if it’s stretching things thin right now.”
“That’s me too, I guess. Stretched thin.” She drew a deep breath. “But I know there’s more left for me to create, so I’ll keep going.”
He wasn’t going to question her about that. She was determined to go to Las Vegas and have her audition. To continue her career.
As for him?
He’d still be stretched thin. On his own.
“No matter what happens this week, I’ll be glad you stayed for the wedding.”
“You will?” Surprise colored her words.
“Definitely.” He’d never gotten to say goodbye. Wish her well. They’d been friends before they were lovers, and he had owed her that much. They both deserved closure. “I hope when you leave here this time, you take good memories with you. And the knowledge you could come back one day without things being awkward between us.”
A half smile played at her lips. “I’ve learned the hard way I won’t be able to dance forever.” She set her mug down at her feet and then reached between their chairs to take his hand.
Her fingers were cold from the wind, but her touch lit him up inside. He stroked the inside of her palm. The tender skin at her wrist. Letting the silence stretch out, he knew she needed to make the next move if anything was going to happen here tonight.
“You’ll always be welcome here.” Even if it killed him to picture her returning to Cheyenne with some guy on her arm. “This is your home as much as it is mine.”
She squeezed his hand tightly. When he turned to look at her, her eyes were glistening with unshed tears.
“Ah, damn.” Standing, he pulled her to her feet too. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
She shook her head and a tear spilled down her cheek.
“You didn’t.” Sniffing, she swiped aside the evidence. “It was a nice thing to say is all. Thank you.”
Her face was suddenly very close to his. He didn’t do that, did he? He was trying his damnedest here not to push his own agenda.
“You’re welcome.” His words were stiff. But then, so was every-damn-thing else. “And I should let you get some sleep, Rissa—”
She halted that sentence by pressing her lips to his.
*
No way on earth was she letting Matt leave.
He’d made it clear from the start of the week that he wanted her, but she’d been cautious. Nervous about starting something they couldn’t finish. But Matt didn’t care. He’d said they could simply enjoy this time together and the intense attraction.
Tonight, she knew he was right. There was no ignoring the heat between them, and the more they’d stayed away from each other, the more she’d thought about him. So now, she put her heart and soul into a kiss she’d wanted ever since she laid eyes on him again at the Thirsty Cow.
Any chill she felt from the wind vanished as his arms banded around her. Muscles flexed against her breasts. Strong forearms shifted at her waist. The masculine heat and clean scent of him made her knees weak. She twined her arms around his neck and clung.
If he noticed the way she wrapped around him like a vine in springtime, he never let on. He returned her kiss with a single-minded focus that stole her breath, his tongue stroking over hers in a way that made her simmer inside. She sighed into him, completely reliant on his legs to stand for both of them.
“Matt.” His name felt right on her lips. Just like the rest of him. “Come inside with me.”
His low growl of approval didn’t need words for her to understand him perfectly. He backed her up a step, just like when they’d been dancing. She followed him easily, content to let him lead. Thrilled, actually. When her feet hit the threshold of the door he opened, she marveled at how smoothly he guided them into the house.
Then again, she was all but glued to him, so maybe it hadn’t been that much of a challenge.
“It’s been driving me crazy staying here,” she blurted, breaking the kiss to tell him as much. “Considering all the times we used this place as a romantic getaway.”
His dark eyes flared with a heat she remembered well. “I wondered if those times crossed your mind.”
“Only every waking moment.” She was done trying to pretend she didn’t want this. Didn’t want him. “Actually, the sleeping hours have been fairly consumed with sexy thoughts, too.”
Her hands had minds of their own, roaming down his shoulders and arms. Back up his chest. He seemed as intent to touch her too, though, his fingers sifting through her hair until he’d loosened the tie that held it back. Then, turning his attention to the snaps on her denim jacket, he tugged the fabric apart and kissed the base of her throat.
He backed her up against a tall pantry in the kitchen that was only half illuminated with the night-light feature over the range. Warm, golden wood picked up the same tones as the log walls. A deep burgundy-colored granite made the space all the more inviting, but it wasn’t where she had in mind for stripping off all Matt’s clothes.
“Should we try to make it past the kitchen?” She tilted her head to one side, encouraging the kisses he trailed up one side of her neck. Wanting his lips everywhere at the same time.
“Definitely.” He straightened, showing ten times the restraint she possessed, and drew her by the hand toward the master suite downstairs. “When I’ve dreamed about this, I’ve imagined us in this bed.” He toed the door closed behind him while switching on a reading lamp at the small, built-in desk.
Shivers went through her at his words. “You’ve been dreaming about me?”
She had hoped as much, but she sure hadn’t presumed.
“You haven’t noticed the dark circles under my eyes?” He dropped into a chair to remove his boots. “My dreams have been so good they’re waking me up at night.”
The blinds were closed to the moonlit meadows beyond, so she could only see him by the pale glow of the banker’s lamp on the desk. The light cast shadows on his profile, his jaw a sharp edge darkened by the slight bristle of late-night whiskers.
Her skin heated. She pulled off the denim jacket, mindless of where it fell on the floor behind her. Her hands weren’t that steady as she leaned down to pull off her own boots.
“Well I don’t want to disturb your sleep anymore.” She combed her fingers through her windblown hair, her body sensitive wherever she touched. “Time to see if the reality lives up to our memories.”
Taking a step toward him, she stopped short when he shoved out of his chair to meet her face-to-face. He was tall. Powerfully built. Everything sexy in a man.
And no one else before or since had turned her on as much he could.
“It’s going to be better,” he promised, settling his hands on her shoulders and reeling her in until she stood just inches away from him. “So much better.”
He cupped her chin, angling her face where he wanted her before he leaned closer to take her lips. Nerve endings tingled with new life, sending shivery pleasure all over her body as it radiated out from his touch. His kiss. Her skin heated so fast—so hot—she thought it a wonder her dress didn’t melt right off. He slid his palms under the fabric at her shoulders, slipping the top down until the material caught at her breasts.
Having her hot skin exposed to the cooling air of an overhead fan made her shrug off her bra straps as he toyed with them, leaving the top half of her clothes ready to slide down and away. But Matt didn’t seem to be in the same desperate hurry as her. He broke the kiss to study the skin he’d bared, one knuckle following his gaze as it swept along her collarbone and down one shoulder.
Back up again.
Goose bumps pricked all along there. Especially when that lone knuckle dipped in the vee between her breasts and nudged the material of her dress lower. She felt that stroke in the most intimate of places, like a phantom touch mirroring his. Breathing in the pine scent of his aftershave, she rubbed her cheek along his chest, wanting to feel every inch of him.
He must have thought the same thing, because he peeled her dress the rest of the way off, taking the bra with it and leaving her standing in a pair of barely there pink bikini panties. His teeth flashed white in the dim light, a male smile of satisfaction for just a moment before he picked her up and deposited her gently on the king-sized bed with a hunter green duvet and big plaid pillows in tartan patterns.
He swept a few of the excess pillows to the floor and then tugged his own shirt off.
Heaven help her.
She couldn’t just lie idly by and watch. The sight of him was simply too irresistible. Before she knew it, she was on her knees, scrambling over to the side of the bed to loop her arms around his neck and pull him down to the bed with her.
“Not fast enough for you?” he asked, letting her take over the unfastening of his belt.
“Not even close.” Her breathing was shallow. Her words just a wisp of sound from a throat gone dry.
“You might appreciate the benefits of longevity more in a few minutes.” His teasing words were a harsh whisper against her ear, her only clue that he was struggling with restraint more than he let on.
“Maybe. Or we could strive for quantity over quality.” She finally got the belt unfastened and attacked the button. Not an easy task considering—hell yes—he clearly looked forward to this union as much as her.
“You know, it occurred to me that the ‘quantity over quality’ mentality might have been what led to a pregnancy all those years ago.” He smoothly took over the fastening on his jeans. “We’re going to be careful this time.”
“Good point,” she conceded, using her freed-up hands to span his chest. His shoulders. His back. “You feel amazing, by the way.”
Her words must have distracted him, because he paused in his task for a moment to kiss her breathless, robbing her of all thought. When he released her, he stood again, shedding his faded jeans and boxers.
She’d thought his chest had been fine? Oh. My. She’d forgotten how amazing the rest of him looked. Either that or the years had been deliciously kind to him. She heard a small, hungry sound in the back of her throat, but she’d lost verbal capacity. Thankfully, he knew where to find a condom packet and by the time he returned to the bed, he was ready in every way.
“You’re even more beautiful than the last time,” he whispered over her skin while he rained kisses over her left breast. The huff of air over her nipple made the skin pucker and tighten even more.
When he drew on the taut peak, her womb contracted with the sweet ache that happens right before an orgasm. Her back arched and she waited, breathless.
He chose that moment to release her though, levering up on his elbows to look down at her hips and drag her bikini panties off. She teetered close to the edge, knowing the slightest friction would send her hurtling over the edge. Matt’s chest brushed her thighs as he worked his way back up her body and the little spasm it caused must have tipped him off to how close she was.
He paused, brushing a kiss along the indent of her waist and down her belly. Heat built inside her. Anticipation squeezed tight. Her hands grazed his heavy shoulders a moment before one of them dipped beneath her thigh.
Knowing his intent made her feminine muscles tense. Clench. By the time he kissed her intimately—in the place she wanted to feel him most—she lost it. Sensation seized her, wave after delectable wave of pleasure undulating over her. Through her.
She saw stars behind her closed eyes. No, fireworks. The pinpoints of light flared and brightened before they finally faded, streaking through her vision the same way the desire streaked through her—fast and hot. Even when the powerful spasms subsided, her body remained exquisitely sensitive to his slightest touch as he moved up her body again.
Prying her eyes open, she met his dark, intent gaze. Her lips parted with the need to speak, to in some way acknowledge the pleasure so good it was like an out-of-body experience. Except very much about her body. But before she could say a word, Matt covered her mouth with his, demanding entrance with his tongue while his thighs parted hers.
She wanted to repay him for the pleasure. But at this moment, with her legs quivery from the first release, all she could do was hold on to him. Winding her arms around his neck, she speared her fingers into his hair as he edged inside her.
Holding himself deep so they were joined fully.
“Rissa.” Her name on his ragged voice made her belly do a flip.
Or possibly it was her heart skipping a few beats. She held him for an endless moment—connected heart and soul to him—until he moved again. She met him thrust for thrust, rattled by the way he made her feel but too caught up in the moment to do any more than ride out the bone-melting pleasure of it.
She anchored her heels against the backs of his thighs, needing to hold him there. Wanting him to feel everything she was feeling. She dragged her hands over his chest, kissing his hot neck and licking her way down to his shoulder.
Too soon, she felt the sensations coil deep in her womb. Knew she couldn’t last.
“I can’t—” she told him at the last second, unable even to get the words out before another release swamped her.
This time, while the orgasm squeezed her over and over, she brought Matt with her. His body arched, a rock-hard stillness before he catapulted into his own pleasure. Her nails dug into his back before she realized what she was doing. She flexed her fingers, releasing him and kissing the tiny half-moons along his shoulders. One side. Then, the other.
She hoped he felt the apology in her action since she still couldn’t speak. Could barely think.
When at last her head lolled back onto the deep down pillow, goose feathers crinkling softly inside the white cotton case, Larissa drew a deep breath. Willed her heart rate back to something resembling normal.
She told herself that the moment when her eyes had locked with Matt’s and felt that soul-deep connection was just a fluke. A by-product of being caught up in passion. That’s what made indulging in sensual pleasure so very risky. Defenses were lowered. Her heart softened and made her mind wonder: what if?
Matt rolled to his side, a big, gorgeous presence in the bed beside her. His dark hair fell over his forehead and she reached to comb it aside with her fingers. Had he felt the same things as her?
“I know you were talking quantity over quality, darlin’,” he drawled as he trailed a finger down her shoulder. “But I think we’re getting both.”
She released a pent-up breath, realizing that he wasn’t thinking about any kind of connection beyond the sensual. That was a good thing, right? She still had an audition in Las Vegas next week and Matt hadn’t suggested for a moment that there was something more serious than hot attraction between them.
Grateful for the reminder before she said something she’d regret, she pressed a kiss to his cheek, then edged back in the bed.
“I’m not sure, cowboy. You’d better show me that again.”