“I’m shameless.” Olivia pulled her top over her head and tossed it away. “I bought this outfit so I could skip underwear entirely.”

“No panties, either?”

She shrugged. “Why bother?”

“You don’t know how happy that makes me.” He unsnapped his cuffs.

“I thought you’d like it.” She stepped out of her flats and shoved down the drawstring pants. Having an exciting, experienced lover was inspiring. “Done.”

“Awesome.” He paused to gaze at her. “I love it.”

There was that word again. Whenever he said it, a shiver traveled up her spine. “Now that I’m finished, can I help you?”

“There’s a package of condoms in the front pocket of my duffel.” He pulled open his shirt.

“Got ‘em.” She put the package on the bedside table. “Let me help you undress.”

“I can do it faster.” He tossed the shirt across the back of a nearby armchair.

She walked over and took hold of his belt buckle. “Bet I could make it more fun.” The person she used to be would never have said that.

He blinked, clearly taken aback. Then he gulped. “What do you have in mind?”

“Let me show you.” Holding his gaze, she unbuckled his belt and unfastened the metal button on his waistband. Then she drew down the zipper. “Maybe you should sit on the bed.”

“Why?”

“So I can pull off your boots.”

“Oh.” His chest rose and fell rapidly. “Right.”

She’d turned the tables on him and he acted slightly confused. There was something endearing about a big manly cowboy who’d given up control. He sat down as she’d asked and she tugged off both boots and his socks.

“Can’t say I’ve ever experienced having a naked woman handle that chore.”

She glanced up. “Hope you liked it.” She’d never done such a thing in her life. Her inhibitions were dissolving like snowflakes on her palm.

“Oh, I did.”

“I think you’ll like the next part, too.” Kneeling between his thighs, she stroked the cotton briefs stretched across his substantial erection.

He gasped. “Easy.”

“I’ll be careful.” Slowly she peeled down the elastic waistband. Now there was a sight to set a woman on fire.

His voice was tight. “If you do it faster, we can get on with things.”

“True. But faster isn’t always better.” She took off her glasses. “Would you please hold these?”

“Olivia.”

“Just for a little while.” She put them in his hand so he had no choice but to take them.

“If you’re about to do what I think you are, I’m not sure—”

“You mean this?” She swiped her tongue over the tip of his beautiful cock.

He sucked in air.

“Like it?”

“Yes.” His jaw clenched. “But I may not…I don’t know if I can handle…”

“Want me to stop?” She licked from the base to the top.

He groaned. “Not yet.”

“Tell me when.” Rising to her knees, she licked, nibbled and finally began to suck. The size of him added to her sense of daring. She was eager to rock his world the way he’d rocked hers.

Judging from his gasps and moans, she was succeeding. His breathing roughened and his big body quivered. Maybe he’d let her take him all the way.

But no. “Olivia.” He barely got out her name. “Stop.”

She’d promised, so she did. Making him come would have been a trip, but she’d save that experience for another time.

Once she released him, he grasped her by the shoulders and drew her up for a deep, hungry kiss. He pulled back, breathing hard. “Lie on the bed. Please.”

“No throwing me down?”

“Not tonight.”

As she crawled onto the snowy sheet and stretched out, he shucked his jeans and briefs, tore open the condoms and pulled one from its wrapper.

He cursed softly. “I’m shaking like a leaf.”

“Want me to put it on?”

“No. Got it.” He climbed in and moved between her thighs. “But don’t expect finesse. I’m a wreck.”

“I wrecked you?”

“Yeah, and please do it again sometime.”

“Gladly.”

“Ah, Olivia.” He entered her with one firm thrust that lifted her off the mattress. Then he held her gaze. “I’m on the edge. This could be a wild ride.”

She wrapped her arms around his sweaty back. “Fine with me.”

“Then here goes.” Sliding his hands under her ass, he gripped her tight as he began to pump. He started off fast and didn’t let up. Sweat beaded his forehead and a damp lock of hair clung there.

The heat in his eyes burned feverishly bright. “Come with me, Olivia.”

She came, and kept on coming as he pounded into her. The world spun as his body collided with hers once more and he bellowed her name as the spasms of his climax blended with hers.

The sound of their breathing filled the silence as she lay boneless and panting beneath him. Dinner was in the crockpot, but she might have to stay here until morning. Or sometime next week.

Pushing up on his forearms, he gazed down at her. “Are you okay?”

She smiled. “I’m wrecked.”

“In a good way or a bad way?”

“In an extremely good way.”

He let out a breath. “That’s a relief. That’s more intense than I usually…okay, it’s never been that intense.”

“Really? With all the experience you’ve—”

“Hey, not that much experience.” He looked into her eyes. “You pack a punch.”

“I do?”

He smiled. “More than you know, apparently.”

“It’s not me, it’s you. You make me want to bring my A game.”

He laughed. “You do the same for me, except for just now. I don’t know what game I was bringing, but it wasn’t at the top of the alphabet. Might have been my Neanderthal game. Primitive forces were at work.”

She cupped his face in both hands. “Were you consumed by raw sexuality?”

“That pretty much describes it. Not particularly classy.”

“As the other person involved, I have no complaints. Hey, are you hungry? I made dinner.”

“Great. I’m starving.”

“But no sex on the dining table afterward.”

“Yeah, this is better.”

“So food, then more sex. Does that work for you?”

“Perfect combination.”

“Good.” The evening was turning out as great as she’d anticipated. Even better, in fact. Sex had been a given, probably before dinner. Explosive sex had been a bonus.

Earlier she’d set the table and made the salad, so all they had to do was dish up and eat. She served him coffee instead of beer or wine because he was on call. But like Sunday night when they’d sat here eating cookies, she wore only her bathrobe and he’d pulled on his briefs and jeans.

“I served a buffet dinner to the Whine and Cheese Club on this table last night.”

He smiled. “And? Were you horribly embarrassed?”

“Nope.”

“Glad to hear it.” He tucked into his chicken and veggie meal. “This is great.”

“Thanks.”

“Tomorrow night at the GG is my treat. We’re taking a chance, though, going when I’m on call. It’s not elegant. We should probably each take our own truck. Not cozy.”

“I’d rather do that than not see you at all.”

“So would I. But if it turns out to be a screwed-up evening, we can make up for it on the weekend. I want to do some chores for Mom those two days, but other than that, I’m all yours. We’ll take Bonnie and Clyde out for sure.”

“Sounds lovely.”

He picked up his coffee mug. “I’m curious about something, though. Why do you have a big ol’ coil of rope and a miner’s hat sitting on your dryer?”

Damn it. She’d forgotten he might see that when she took him through the laundry room. Or maybe it was meant to be. He was the person she’d decided to tell. She just hadn’t figure on doing it yet.

He put down his coffee. “You’re making me nervous, here. I want to believe there’s nothing creepy about the rope and miner’s hat, but I’ve seen my share of horror movies and I’m hearing violins screeching in the background.”

She sighed. “There’s nothing creepy.”

“I knew that.”

She smiled. “No, you didn’t. You were imagining all kinds of weird scenarios.”

“All right, I was. So what’s with the rope and the miner’s hat?”

She took a deep breath. “Okay. Now that Edward’s gone, I’m the only person who knows. If I tell you, you have to promise you’ll keep it to yourself.”

“Or you’ll have to kill me?”

“No! It’s nothing bad. It’s good, very cool, but I don’t want anything bad to happen to it.”

“You’ve discovered a dinosaur in the bowels of the earth.”

“No, but its old and valuable.”

“Gold?”

“I doubt it. If so, we’d have to factor that in.” She hesitated. She’d kept the secret for so long. “Give me your word that you won’t tell anyone. Not your mom or your brothers.”

“This sounds like a heavy secret. Are you sure you want to trust me with it?”

She considered the question. Once she told him there was no going back. But this was the man who’d helped save her house, who’d led her horses out of the barn with the fire only yards away. This was the man who’d pushed his limits and recruited his family so that she’d have a sturdy new roof on her house before a storm hit.

But more than that, this was the ethical man who’d responded to her repressed wild impulses yet had always respected her boundaries. If she couldn’t trust Trevor McGavin with this secret, she couldn’t trust anyone.

She took a deep breath. “It’s a cave.”

“A cave like bears live in?”

“No. An undiscovered cave with stalactites and stalagmites. Still dripping, still growing. Edward and I explored enough of it to be reasonably sure no human has been in there except us.”

“Wow.”

“It’s huge. Beautiful. A natural treasure. But if the wrong people get ahold of it and try to monetize it, that would be tragic.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“A loose one based on another cave in Arizona where they managed to keep it pristine. But I’d rather not tackle the project alone. Will you help me?”

His expression softened. “Of course.”

“Great. That’s so great.” A weight lifted off her shoulders.

“There’s only one tiny problem.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m claustrophobic.”