by Erika Kelly
“Is this the scenic route?” she asked.
“It’s private.”
“So, basically, no one can see your boner?”
He burst out laughing.
She reached for his knee and gave a firm stroke up to his thigh. “Exactly how private is this road?”
“No one uses it but me and my brothers, and they’re are out of town. So, real private.”
Her hand closed over his cock. “Perfect.” She gripped him firmly through his jeans.
Sparks exploded at the base of his spine. His hips punched up, and he gripped the steering wheel. “Jesus, Delilah.”
Slowly, she unbuttoned his jeans, the heel of her hand rubbing his hard length. His breath turned shaky.
“Eyes on the road, mister.” Unbuckling her seatbelt, she got up on her knees and stretched the waistband of his black boxer briefs. “Mm.” She licked that damn lower lip, and it sent a pulse of electric heat through him.
Her thumb gently stroked the ridge, as she lowered her mouth over the head of his dick. Slick heat surrounded him, and his fingers turned white on the steering wheel. Lowering the boxers, she shifted closer and sucked his cock deep into her mouth.
Sensation tore through his body. “Fuck, Delilah.” He pumped the brakes, jerking the gearshift into Park once he’d stopped. All that gorgeous hair spilled over his thighs, just as he’d imagined a hundred times. His palm came down on her back, and he caressed her in firm, urgent strokes. He needed to close his eyes, needed to thrust his hips, but he wanted to see his fantasy come to life, wanted to hold onto it as long as he could.
His other hand went into her hair, threading through the silky waves, as her tongue zig-zagged along his length. Fuck, she was hot. He gripped a handful and gently tugged. “It’s been six days. Almost seven.”
“Mmhm.” But she just kept sucking, one hand jacking his root.
His blood was on fire. “That means I’m not gonna last.”
Her fist tightened, and she took him to the back of her throat.
“Jesus.” His hips jerked. “Stop. I want…fuck…I want all of you.” Breasts in his face, thighs squeezing around his, her scent, her hair…all of her.
But she just moaned like sucking his dick was the most erotic experience of her life, and that was it. He couldn’t take anymore. “My lap. Now.”
She jerked up, her eyes half-lidded with desire, and fell back onto her seat. Peeling off her leggings and panties, she climbed onto his lap, surrounding him with the fragrance that drove him out of his mind.
Kissing her, he reached for the button on the door to push the seat back as far as it would go. Her hips did a provocative roll, and he bucked up, pressing his painfully hard cock to her bare core.
Her hands cupping his jaw as she kissed him, she pulled back enough to murmur, “You sure this is private?”
“I wouldn’t get you naked here if it weren’t.” He lifted her blouse and pulled it over her head, tossing it in the back seat. He kissed the breasts mounding over the cups of her bra, while reaching behind for the clasp. She tilted her shoulders forward, and he tugged the straps off, tossing it aside. Finally, she was all his to take in. “You’re so fucking sexy.”
Her long, bright-blonde hair—messy from his hands—spilled down her back, tendrils dangling over her full, round breasts. Luscious hard nipples teased him from between the strands. Those pretty hazel eyes sparkled with desire and a hint of vulnerability.
He thought he might die with the beauty in his lap.
With his hands at his sides, heart pounding—aching—he said, “I have to focus on training.”
“I know.” Her shoulders pulled in, more hair tumbling forward to cover her breasts.
He didn’t want to make her feel bad, but he had to put it out there. “It’s life or death. I lose my focus, I die on that terrain.”
“I know that.” Her voice went thin, nearly transparent.
“And Ruby…she deserves a hundred percent of my focus.”
“Of course.”
He lifted a lock of hair, pushed it back over her shoulder so he could see more of her creamy skin. His fingers traced a path from her collarbone down to her elbow, leaving a trail of gooseflesh.
“But all I can think about is you, and I’d be a goddamn fool not to take my shot with you.”
Right there on his lap, she blossomed. “And you’re no fool.”
“You make me happy.” He smiled. “My life’s so regimented. It’s good—everything’s good…I just didn’t know it could be like this. I want you, but I know I can’t have you. I know you’re leaving. I know you have to concentrate on winning the competition, but I want to spend whatever time we have together.”
“Yes.” She leaned forward, her hands going behind his neck, her hair spilling around them like a curtain, her scent filling his senses. “That’s what I want, too.” She pressed that lush mouth over his, sliding her tongue inside, and cupping the back of his head.
She caressed him like his skin was cashmere, kissed him like he tasted of cherries and chocolate and all the foods that made her eyes roll back in her head. And she moaned the way she did when her chocolate chip cookies were just coming out of the oven.
Like he was her favorite treat, and she wanted to gorge herself on him.
And, still, it wasn’t enough. He palmed her breasts, thumbing the nipples, making her gasp. Sucked one into his mouth, flicking his tongue over it. He wanted all her edges blurred, sensation taking over until she was nothing but desire and pleasure and them. Their scents, tastes, sounds, and reactions mingled. He wanted them to become one.
As she reached between them to grip his cock, he pulled back. “I don’t have condoms.”
“I like that about you. That you’re not a horndog. You could get laid every day of the week, if you wanted, and yet you’re more…discriminating than that.” She nuzzled his ear. “And I’ll bet you’re pretty diligent about protection.”
“Always.” Where was she going with this? His body stilled. “I’m clean, and I’ve always used a condom.”
She got up on her knees. “Same, and I’m on birth control. I want you inside me, Will. I don’t want a single damn thing between us.” Fingers in his hair, she rocked on his lap and waited for his acknowledgment.
“Fuck, yeah.” One hand on his cock, the other on her hip, he rocked up into her, thrusting until she’d taken all of him. Oh, holy hell. He’d never gone bare inside a woman, and it was fucking hot.
Lust slackened her features, softened her mouth, and she gripped his shoulders as she rode him. Each thrust of his cock through her slick, tight channel sent shockwaves through him. “Jesus, you feel good.” Static electricity tripped across his skin.
Reaching for the headrest, she moved faster, slamming down harder. He got his hands on her breasts, tweaking her nipples, feeling the weight of them as they bounced and shook.
“Oh, Will.” Her sexy, desperate noises let him know she was getting close.
He could feel her getting wetter, slicker, and then he just lost it. Lost himself in her sounds and her scent, the rhythmic slap of her rump on his bare thighs. With his orgasm bearing down on him, he reached between them, fingers seeking her hard nub, and when he found it, she threw her head back and cried out. “Will.”
That was it. He was a goner. Clamping his hands on her hips, he took over, slamming her down on him in time with his thrusts. Her breath stuttered out of her, her arms went rigid, and then her body jerked and twisted. “Oh, God.”
Holding her hard against him, he came so hard a universe of stars exploded behind his eyelids. Euphoric, he spun through outer space, and he never wanted to come back down.
When his ass hit the seat again, she slumped against him, arms pulled in tight to her sides, head on his shoulder, and she rested against him while she caught her breath.
And right then he knew. His heart was a ticking time bomb, wired to go off the moment she walked out of his life.
* * *
&n
bsp; Wanting her…he was swollen with it. Need, yearning. He couldn’t get enough. Just couldn’t. Wanted his hands on her. His mouth, his tongue. He wanted inside her. Harder, closer, more. Fuck, he had to have her.
Rolling over, his arm reached to yank her tight against him and found air. It landed on the mattress. Will startled awake, and reality crash over him.
He was doing it again. Getting all needy and attached.
Why couldn’t he have normal feelings for a woman? Why did they have to inflate like this?
He’d probably driven her back to her own bed with his greedy hands.
A fresh wave of fear rolled through him. Unless…she’d gone to take care of Ruby? He jackknifed up, listening for the monitor. That was when he noticed the cool air rushing in from the balcony, the French doors wide open.
Stepping into his boxers, he headed toward the hour-glass shaped body silhouetted against the night sky. The breeze riffled the tips of her long blonde hair. Arms folded on the bannister, she gazed out into the darkness. A full moon bathed the meadow in its milky glow.
“Can’t sleep?”
She cast a glance over her shoulder. “I’m just too happy.”
Happy? So, he hadn’t run her off. “How can you be too happy?”
“It’s bouncing all around inside me. I can hardly contain it all. I love it here, Will. I never even considered visiting Callie let alone falling in love with this place. I love the freedom and the mountains. I love this house and watching you find your way with Ruby. And…” She turned back to the meadow.
He really needed her to finish that sentence. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he set his chin on her shoulder. “And?”
“And I really like you.”
For a moment, he held his breath, as if he could stop time and just revel in this one perfect moment. And then he broke the quiet with something he’d never said before. “I’m crazy about you. You make me happy.”
She turned in his arms, clasping the back of his neck, and standing up on her toes to kiss him.
The breeze cooled his flushed skin, and he held her loosely, just kissing and kissing and kissing and kissing, soft, gentle, a slow tangling of tongues. Nothing had ever felt so sweet, so tender, so perfect.
When she pulled back, she let out a happy sigh.
He wanted more than stolen moments with her. “I’d like to take you somewhere on Saturday. Just the two of us.”
“And leave Ruby with Lachlan?”
“No, the nanny’s coming this weekend. Remember?”
“Sure, but I figured you’d find something wrong with her. There’re enough resumes in the garbage to wallpaper a small home.”
“I tried, believe me. But she’s pretty damn perfect.” She’d been with the same family in Denver the last sixteen years. The youngest had just left for college, so she was free. Good timing.
“Super.” She sounded grouchy.
He grinned into her hair. “I feel the same way.”
“I know she needs a nanny. I just…I like being with her. I like us…forget it.”
Yeah, me, too. “It’s just a test-run. It has to be the right fit on both sides.”
“I hongry.”
They both spun around at the sweet, little voice.
Delilah smiled at the little girl. “We’re not eating until breakfast, sweetheart.”
He knew Delilah wanted nothing more than to take his sister to the kitchen and make pancakes until she fell asleep in her arms, but she was setting aside what she believed was right to go along with his plan. And, damn, he liked that about her.
He lifted his sister into his arms. “Come on. Let’s get you back to bed.”
She reached over his shoulder, beckoning Delilah. “Wally.”
Delilah leaned forward and kissed her cheek, but Ruby caught her at the back of the neck and held her in place, the three of them locked together.
With Ruby’s arm around his neck and Delilah’s palm on his back…a tide of emotion rolled in so powerful it nearly knocked him off his feet.
His heart thundered at the beauty of this…family…and the terrifying reality that it was something they could never be.
This is dangerous. Perspiration dotted his upper lip.
Delilah had two events left in the competition. Will left for Freefest the week after next. Right after that, his season began. Fin and Callie and the nanny would take over.
By playing house, they were misleading his sister. And, when they went their separate ways, it would be Ruby who paid the price.
In her two years of life, she’d experience more loss than most people do over a lifetime…why would she ever open her heart again?
Will never panicked. Not when he dropped out of a helicopter onto the summit of a mountain. Not when he stood at the starting gate and took his final run of a competition. Not when he rotated nine hundred degrees and knew he was going to miss his landing—which could result in a broken bone and the potential end to his career.
But the two warm bodies pressing against him—the rush of affection he felt for both of these humans who’d dropped into his life out of nowhere—it was tearing him apart. He wanted them. He liked playing happy family.
But it was wrong for Ruby.
“Let’s get you to bed.” But he didn’t move, and a strange sensation flooded his body. It saturated him, swamped him. Fucking overwhelmed him.
Delilah’s hand touched his shoulder, slid up to his neck. Her fingers scraped into his scalp, as she tipped her head to his arm. Their scents mingled—sweet baby shampoo and honey-vanilla. One inspired a profound tenderness and a fierce sense of protection. The other…made him want to put a ring on her finger and keep her forever.
Both made his heart ache.
“Wheel.” Ruby’s voice, light as a feather, sounded sleepy.
“Yeah, Rubes?”
“I wuv you.”
It took a two-year-old to make it all snap into place.
He was crazy about them. He loved his sister with a ferociousness that scared him. And he wanted Delilah Lua in way that breached the boundaries of good sense.
He was only just coming to understand that sometimes there were no answers. That no matter how much effort he applied, he couldn’t always control the way things worked out.
The situation was screwed up. Ruby would have people coming in and out of her life, but she’d never have parents, and there was nothing he could do about that. So, what choice did he have but to shower her in love? Now and always.
He tightened his hold on them and pressed a kiss to his sister’s chubby, hot cheek. “I love you too, Ruby-bean.”
“Look at us,” Delilah said with a sweet smile. “Making a Ruby love sandwich.”
Love. It was strange and wondrous.
He couldn’t control his feelings through structure or discipline.
And, so, he had to accept that even though it would hurt like hell when he lost these two, he still had to give them everything he had.
It wasn’t like he had a choice. He’d fallen for them, and there was no turning back.
On the amphitheater stage, a rockabilly band played a rollicking rendition of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Pride and Joy. Will held his sister in his arms as they danced on the grass.
Delilah’s heart had never been so full.
This past month had been the happiest of her life. Now that Will had eased up with Ruby, she’d turned into a feisty, rebellious, dramatic toddler—everything a two-year-old should be. She finally felt safe enough to be herself—and she was dynamite.
The vans arrived, the doors opened, and the wait staff climbed out, ready to deliver the tasting dishes to the tables.
Tonight, for the fifth event, the chefs had prepared entrées. Will had driven her out to Culliver’s Ranch, where she’d bought various types of game meat, and she’d spent the week experimenting. She’d come up with some fantastic dishes.
But two of the judges came from New York, another from Chicago, one from London…and she d
idn’t think they’d appreciate her boldly western menus, so she’d pulled back, incorporating more recognizable flavors.
“Miss Lua.”
The male voice had her turning around so quickly, the wine sloshed out of her glass. Harry Morgenstern. “Oh. Hello.” Quickly recovering, she held out a hand. “Mr. Morgenstern. It’s nice to meet you.”
“The ragù was sublime. The polenta was creamy and salty and rich.” He kissed the tips of his fingers.
“You’re not supposed to know those are my dishes.” Her teasing tone belied the frantic beating of her heart. Would he give her a higher score this week?
“I’ve been a food critic for nearly three decades, and I’ve come to learn that chefs have a style, a voice, if you will. And the reason I know which, out of the six possibilities is yours, is because of your distinctive presentation.”
“Oh, I…” She wanted to say thank you, but what if he meant he didn’t like it?
“You’re incredibly gifted, Miss Lua. Your presentation always stands out. It’s fresh and delightful, but your dishes…don’t quite make sense.”
Heat ripped across her skin. Oh, my God.
“It’s not my place, especially in the middle of a competition, but may I offer a bit of advice?”
“Yes, of course.”
“There’s so much passion in your cooking. The flavors are robust, your vision unique and exciting, but I can’t help getting the impression you’re holding back.” He held her gaze with an intensity that put her on alert—like she was about to get the code to unlock a safe, and he’d only say it once. “Given the inventiveness of your cooking, I suspect if you don’t follow your inclinations, you won’t be happy. Yet, if you don’t bridge your inclinations with the marketplace, you won’t be successful. You see, when your customers have their hearts set on Nonna Abelli’s tiramisu…they want Nonna Abelli’s tiramisu.” He gave her a gentle smile. “And when they come to Calamity, Wyoming, they want the spirit of the west. Everything it has to offer.”
She didn’t know why his words crushed her. Her brother had certainly repeated them a hundred times over the last several years. But hearing it from Harry Morgenstern slammed it home. If she hung a Da Nonna’s sign over her restaurant, she had to adhere to the franchise’s menu and décor.