by Cindy Dees
Mind. Blown.
Sloane Colton wanted him. Really wanted him. And she was in his bed, naked and soft and all woman, her thigh thrown across his legs, her small, beautifully formed breasts pressed against his chest, a smile on her lips as she burrowed close.
“What’s your pleasure?” he managed to ask.
“I don’t actually know,” she confessed.
God almighty. Her ex-husband really was a monster. And a fool. He hadn’t even bothered to pleasure his own wife properly? For real, what an idiot. And what a waste of an extraordinary woman. It was not a mistake he planned to make.
“Let’s find out what you like, together.” He rolled her onto her back and commenced kissing his way across her body. He kept an eagle eye out for when her hands fluttered up self-consciously, and he duly avoided her hips and sides, although he had no earthly idea why she was worried. The faint stretch marks on her skin were badges of motherhood, and beautiful to him. Her skin was fair anyway, and the marks were barely visible.
He moved instead to kissing her stomach and swirled his tongue in her belly button until she was giggling helplessly. She always had been ticklish. He and Fox used to ambush her and tickle her until she screamed with laughter.
“Are your ribs still your Achilles’ heel?” he rasped against her stomach, his hands sliding up her sides.
“Don’t you dare!”
He grinned devilishly as he slid his fingertips across her ribs and felt her squirm. Instead of tickling her, though, he cupped her breasts in his hands and rubbed the pads of his thumbs lightly across her nipples. She gasped and her back arched up off the mattress. He leaned down to capture one rosy peak in his mouth, rolling his tongue lazily around the excited bud. Another gasp, and he smiled against her velvet skin.
So responsive. Honest. Direct. So very...Sloane.
“Better than rib tickling?” he murmured.
“So much better.”
She tugged at the short hair tumbling across his forehead, pulling him up her body to kiss his mouth deeply. Her legs wrapped around his hips, and her heels dug into his glutes, urging him to get on with business.
Her impatience was contagious, and all the careful restraint he’d been exercising evaporated. He needed to be inside her, part of her, joined with her, now. So long he’d waited for this. He fumbled in the drawer of his nightstand for a condom and quickly took care of protecting them both.
And then he reached down between their bodies, cognizant that she hadn’t done this for a very long time. He definitely didn’t want to hurt her. Thankfully, she was wet and ready, and his body reacted hard to the evidence of just how badly she really wanted him.
He couldn’t remember how long he’d yearned for this exact moment, and he sternly reminded himself to savor it and make a memory of it.
He positioned himself carefully. Leaning on one elbow, he looked down at Sloane, who stared back up at him, wide-eyed and breathless. She looked like a fey creature, too beautiful to be of this world. He didn’t understand what she saw in him, but he damned well wasn’t going to question it.
“You’re sure about this?” he murmured one last time.
“Positive.”
Talk about feeling like a conquering hero. Sloane Colton was positive she wanted him. Praise the Lord. Joy overflowed his heart and broke across his face.
Determined to get it right, he pressed into her as gently as he could possibly manage.
It was torture. Her body was tight and slick and so hot around him that he felt as if he was burning to ashes inside her. Inch by glorious inch, he eased deeper. It was bar none, the best eternity in his entire life.
Swear-to-God fireworks actually detonated inside his brain as triumph exploded in his soul. After all these years, he’d finally found his way to Sloane. And somehow, miraculously, she wanted him back.
She moved impatiently against him, wiggling a little, and inadvertently driving him even deeper inside her. He’d thought he was all the way home, but apparently not. It was a struggle to keep his eyes from rolling back into his head as pleasure engulfed him.
Experimentally, he rocked his hips a little.
“Do that again!” Sloane exclaimed breathlessly.
“Liked that, did you?” he ground out from between clenched teeth.
“Yes. Again.” This time she was more demanding. She undulated against him, and the feel of her coaxing him to pick up the intensity just about did him in.
Grateful beyond belief to be able to let go of the reins of control a little, he complied. The groan his increased pace wrung from her was so sexy he could barely hold it together. Must. Take. It. Slow.
“Don’t take it slow,” she panted.
“You’re killing me, Sloane. I’m trying not to hurt you.”
“I won’t break. And I want you. Now.”
Ahh, sweet, impatient Sloane. The woman was simply perfect. He moved easily within her, setting up a slow, steady rhythm that was surely going to drive him out of his mind. He watched her closely, praying it would do the same for her.
Her eyes widened and then drifted closed as a beatific smile spread across her face.
Thank goodness.
Sloane gasped, then moaned, then cried out as she surged against him and he met her thrust for thrust. He stared down at her, and she stared up at him, their gazes locked in wonder, then awe, then in eyes-glazed-over pleasure so intense he could hardly see through it.
But always on the other side of the pleasure, Sloane was there, her lovely, heart-shaped face lit with ecstasy that exactly mirrored his own.
The sex was great. But the lovemaking was unbelievable. The connection between them was intense as they shared everything they were feeling with each other.
He held nothing back, and he didn’t see any evidence of Sloane holding back, either. Not that it would be her style. She threw herself into life with a passion.
As exquisite as her inner core felt, tight and hot, clenching around him, it wasn’t just about physical pleasure. It was about finding in her the home he’d always been searching for. And finally, it was about gratitude. Soul-deep, humbling gratitude that they’d found each other at long last.
As they reached smashing climaxes together and collapsed back against the mattress, breathing hard, tears actually traced down Sloane’s cheeks. He kissed them away gently, silently thanking her for the gift of her body and the piece of her heart he sensed she’d just shared with him.
He hoped she knew that she had all of his heart in return. Of course, it was way too soon to say something like that aloud. He might have the words now to express his feelings, but he’d also learned to guard his heart and not scare off women by oversharing.
He rolled onto his back, and Sloane followed him of her own volition, her ear plastered to his chest, one slender arm thrown lazily across his stomach. His hand rested naturally between her shoulder blades, and he reveled in the satiny softness of her skin. Her dark, thick hair spilled across the back of his hand, mink-like, as warm and silky as she was.
Sloane, never at a loss for words, rested drowsily on his chest, seemingly content just to lie there and listen to his heartbeat. A deep calm seeped into his soul as they lay there quietly, enjoying being together. For once in their lives, there was no need to say anything.
The moment was perfect. Being here with her like this was exactly right. Why in the world it had taken them all these years to get here, he had no idea. But he was damned glad they’d finally made it.
He jerked awake sometime later to the sound of his cell phone jangling on the floor beside the bed. His bedside clock said it was after 2:00 a.m. Crap. That had to be work.
His jeans lay in a tangled pile, and he dug frantically, looking for the right opening to the right pocket. Finally, he yanked out his phone and slammed it to his ear.
“Detective Kastor,” h
e bit out.
“Stan Palichek here. Denver PD. Your guy has shown up at the house you’ve had us watching. We ran the license plates and have an ID on him.”
Liam swung his bare feet to the floor and sat on the side of the bed, naked. A warm, female body wrapped around his hips from behind, and he smiled down at Sloane in the faint moonlight coming in the window. She still looked like a fairy princess, a seductive one these days, her eyes dark and mysterious, her smile inviting. Lord, it was tempting to hang up the phone and crawl back into her arms.
“Who is it?” he managed to collect his thoughts enough to ask the cop on the other end of the line.
“Private investigator. Name’s William Gunther. Works solo. Does cheating spouse cases mostly. Strictly a follow ’em and film ’em guy.”
“Thanks for the call. I’ll head up to Denver in the morning and try to push through the search warrant on the house, now that we know who we’re dealing with.”
“See ya then.” Palichek hung up and Liam laid down his phone thoughtfully.
Gunther sounded like exactly the kind of man Ivan Durant would hire to stalk his ex-wife. Now, if only the PI would roll over on Durant and give up the guy as his employer. Then he and Sloane could pin a restraining order on Ivan’s sorry ass and be rid of him once and for all.
Chapter 10
Sloane woke up languorously to the smell of frying bacon and the sight of Liam standing in front of the stove, barefoot, wearing only a pair of jeans slung low on his hips and cupping his tight behind just right. The muscles of his back flexed as he flipped over the bacon in a fascinating play of changing shapes. Now that was a sight for sore eyes.
Never in her life had she woken up feeling this content. She stretched lazily.
Liam glanced over his shoulder and smiled at her. “Good morning, beautiful. Can I interest you in some breakfast?”
“Absolutely.”
“How do you like your eggs?” he asked.
“Over easy if fried. With cheese if scrambled. Loaded with veggies if an omelet. Soft-boiled if you’re feeling European. And any way at all if I’m not cooking them for myself.”
Liam laughed. “Are you always this easy to please?”
She grinned back. “I don’t know. You tell me.”
He slid two fried eggs onto a plate, loaded it with bacon and toast and carried it over to her.
She would never get tired of watching his long, muscular legs and the easy, confident way he walked. How on earth had she ever missed what a total hunk this guy was?
“Seriously, Liam. How did you manage not to have girls crawling all over you in high school?”
“I was only interested in one girl, and she barely knew I existed.”
“Oh, I totally knew you existed.” She winked at him coyly. “You were my big brother’s best friend who tortured me all the time.”
“Yeah. About that.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and waited to hand her the plate of food until she’d put a couple pillows behind her back. “I’m sorry about chasing off the other boys and making your life miserable.”
“You and Fox were just looking out for me. I can’t be mad about that. You probably saved me a lot of heartache and my grade point average posthumously thanks to you.”
He leaned over to kiss her before handing her a glass of orange juice. “What are your plans today?”
She sighed. “I have to pick up Chloe from the Crooked C and take her to Denver. She has a court-ordered overnight visit with her grandparents scheduled for this evening.”
Liam glanced out the window above the headboard and then back at her in concern. “I thought you didn’t like driving in bad weather.”
“I don’t,” she replied in alarm. “What’s the forecast for today?”
“Snow’s moving in. It’s supposed to get bad tonight and tomorrow.”
She swore under her breath. In any normal, reasonable world, she would call Ivan’s parents and reschedule the visit for another time. But the Durants were neither normal nor reasonable.
“Why the exasperation?” Liam asked.
“Ivan threatened to take me back to court and challenge the custody agreement if I don’t obey the court-ordered visitation schedule exactly.”
“Can he do that?”
“Technically, yes. He managed to get our divorce heard by the biggest troll of a judge in all of Colorado. I wouldn’t be surprised if he or his parents had this judge in their pocket. I really don’t want to end up in court again. Anytime a custody case goes to court, there’s a certain roll of the dice involved. I just can’t take that kind of chance with Chloe.”
Liam nodded sympathetically. Then he surprised her by announcing, “I have to go to Denver on business today, too. Do you want me to drive you and Chloe up there in my truck? It handles bad roads beautifully.”
“Are you sure you want to be trapped in a vehicle for hours with an impatient toddler?” she responded doubtfully.
“Why not?”
“She has quite a set of lungs when she’s frustrated.”
“She’s a baby. She’s supposed to scream when she’s unhappy.”
Sloane laughed a little. “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”
“I’m game to find out.”
“You are either insanely brave or insanely ignorant of two-year-olds.”
He grinned and kissed her, tasting of bacon and orange juice. Yum.
“When does Chloe have to be at the Durants’ house?”
“Just sometime today. The court documents don’t specify a time.”
“Feel free to use the shower. I’m going to run down to the police station to pick up some paperwork I’ll need. Then I’ll swing by here, take you over to your house to get whatever you need, and we’ll head out to the Crooked C to get the munchkin.”
She couldn’t remember the last time she and Ivan had seamlessly coordinated on anything. But then, it had always been about him. She’d been expected to fit her life in around the edges of his.
As she showered and dressed, she tried to remember anything at all good about her marriage. Had it really been as consistently awful as she recalled? Surely not. But for the life of her, she couldn’t summon any memory of her four years with him in which she’d been truly happy or even at ease.
Yet here she was, after one night with Liam, relaxed and comfortable with him, smiling for no reason at all, and impatient to see him again, even though he’d been gone less than an hour. Weird.
When he pulled into the driveway of her house, he glanced over at her grimly and said, “I’m going to stay out here in the truck while you go in and pack whatever you and Chloe need for the trip to Denver. There’s no reason for me to show up on the surveillance feeds any more than necessary. We wouldn’t want to make your stalker suspicious of me.”
He made sense. She went into the house, packed an overnight bag for herself and then did the same for Chloe, being sure to include Chloe’s favorite blanket, pajamas and a few toys that tended to occupy her for long periods of time. She even packed the Winnie the Pooh book in case the Durants wanted to read her a bedtime story.
It felt strange helping her ex-in-laws bond with Chloe. But there was no reason to make Little Bug miserable in her stay with her grandparents. And Niall and Carol were, in fact, Chloe’s blood relatives. They had a right to a decent relationship with their grandchild without Sloane poisoning it.
Liam had already moved Chloe’s car seat into his truck and installed it in the back seat of the big crew cab when she joined him outside.
As she climbed into the passenger seat, she commented, “A baby seat looks pretty incongruous in your big, manly truck.”
He grinned over at her. “I like it, personally.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Sloane. Really. I knew going into this that you and Chloe
were a package deal.”
Wow. She hadn’t even thought about that aspect of their relationship. She’d been so gobsmacked by her own reaction to him that she hadn’t factored Chloe into the equation, yet.
“You’re sure you like kids?”
“Love ’em. I want a big house full of them someday. How about you?”
She laughed. “Chloe is the center of my universe. I would die for her.”
He nodded. “I get that. So would I.”
“But she’s not your child.”
“She’s part of you, and that’s enough for me.”
Sloane stared, and he added lightly, “Not to mention, she’s a cutie pie. She has her mommy’s ginormous eyes and fairy princess features.”
Sloane looked out the window quickly lest he spot the tears welling up in her eyes. Chloe’s own father had never said anything remotely that nice about her.
When they arrived at the Crooked C, Fox looked back and forth keenly between her and Liam. Sloane did her best to keep her expression bland. She wasn’t ready to share her newfound relationship with Liam yet, and she prayed he would catch the hint and play it cool, too.
He did.
“Hey Fox,” Liam announced. “I’m driving your sister up to Denver with me. Snow’s forecast for later and you know how she hates to drive on bad roads.”
Sloane recognized the shadow that passed across her brother’s features. Their parents had died in a car crash, and both of them shared a raw nerve when it came to potentially dangerous driving conditions.
“Thanks, bro,” Fox replied.
Chloe blasted out the front door just then, swathed in a powder-blue ski suit Sloane had never seen before.
“Hey, Bug! Where’d you get this fancy ski suit?”
“Bay-wee.”
Sloane looked up at her future sister-in-law, who’d appeared in the doorway behind Chloe. “You didn’t have to,” she chided.
“Oh, but I did,” Bailey replied, smiling. “I’m told all Coltons are avid skiers, and no self-respecting princess can ski without a proper outfit.”