The plea in her voice put Dan at a loss. A man could only take so much, and when Erin looked at him like that, sweetly sultry and so damn arousing, he made a decision. He brought his mouth down on hers and kissed her and kept on kissing her, until she was laboring hard for breaths. He was in no better shape. He inched away, giving her room to breathe, brushing a stray blond tendril off her cheek. She peered up at him, her gaze connected to his without so much as a blink of the eye. “Are you hungry?” he asked.
“Not for food.”
Air exited his chest. Oh man. She was a temptation. And he was grateful for that. “Where to, sweetness?”
She folded his hand in hers and led him out of the kitchen.
* * *
There wasn’t much Erin could do to stop the hurricane force connecting her to Dan. She held his hand—her heart rate clocking a new record for speed—and made her way into her bedroom. Rays of the moon sliced through the curtains, giving off light amid the shadows, the illumination enough for her to see the color of Dan’s eyes.
“Here we are,” she announced, keeping her voice low.
“Nice,” he said, squeezing her hand. His gaze never touched upon the room, his eyes were solely on her. And oh, how nice and thrilling it was.
“Sweetness,” he rasped, bringing her into the fold of his arms. Lucky intervened, sliding between their legs and she let a little chuckle escape. Dan didn’t think it too funny. “Go,” he told the dog, pointing to the corner of the room.
Lucky trotted off with his tail between his legs.
Dan kissed her then, impatiently as if he’d been starving for her. She felt the same way, the lightness of the moment vanishing into a fiery explosion of hands reaching for each other, clothes being shed and moans reverberating in the room. Dan slipped behind her, kissed the back of her throat and used one hand to cup her breast and gently massage the peak until heat stoked like wildfire between her legs. She whimpered and made a move to turn around, but Dan held her firm, his body fierce and protective, as he slid his hand down past her navel to sink into the oblivion of her folds. She fell back against him, the sound of her soft cries and his kisses echoing in her ears.
“Hold on,” he whispered, but it was too late for holding on. She was in his grasp and he was making her crazy. Her body gave way, releasing quickly and forcefully, her cries amplified as she shuddered and splintered. It was the best and quickest she’d ever experienced and when it was over, she slumped in Dan’s arms, her knees going weak from pleasure.
“Sweetness,” he muttered, awed. His body rigid, his erection pressing her, he turned her around and kissed her deeply on the mouth. Then he lowered her onto the bed and came up beside her. It was only a minute before he was sheathed and inside her, holding her cheeks tight in his hands from underneath, raising her up easily and thrusting into her inch by inch.
Her teeth clamped down, the sensations so ripe, so raw. When she opened her eyes to look at him his desire burned hot and steamy, his thrusts harder now, more powerful. But his gaze never left hers, as if he was gauging her, making sure she could handle his size, his weight, his power.
“Yes,” she cooed, accepting all he had to offer. Had it been this good the first time they’d made love at Hunt Acres? The sex, yes, but the feelings behind it didn’t even come close.
“Erin,” Dan whispered, and she wasn’t sure he knew he called her name, he appeared that lost, that fully immersed in her.
The bed shook as he moved faster, his thrusts going deeper. His face contorted. She felt the same pressure build again within her. How could it not? Dan was her elixir, the catalyst to her wildest fantasies. Their joining was hot and amazing. Just looking at Dan, having his big body joined with hers was all she needed, to climb, to seek, to let go.
“Sweetness.” His body surged, pushing her toward release again.
She gripped his shoulders, her fingertips going deep into his skin. “Dan.”
And then his body broke apart, just as hers did. The mating timed perfectly, they rocked back and forth, huffing out each other’s names.
“Oh man,” he breathed out noisily. “That was eff-ing great, sweetness.”
“Yeah.” It was the understatement of the year.
“You okay, baby?”
She looked into the clearest, most amazing blue eyes and found something there she hadn’t seen before. Something, she was afraid to name. “I’m more than okay.”
Dan laughed and folded her into his arms.
Lucky took that second to jump onto the mattress and make himself comfortable at the foot of the bed.
This time, Dan didn’t seem to mind.
* * *
A short while later after dinner, Erin sat cross-legged on the bed and Lucky scooted close to her, laying his head on her lap. She scratched him under the ears and the dog rewarded her by wagging his tail and licking her hand. “You sweet boy,” she said, kissing the top of his head.
“Not sure if I should be jealous,” Dan said, coming into the bedroom with a stack of files. They were both semidressed, Erin wore Dan’s super soft flannel shirt and he’d put his jeans back on along with his white undershirt.
“Of him or me?”
“Both of you. You’re gettin’ pretty darn cozy together.”
“Yeah, well, Lucky’s special.” She stroked the dog’s coat.
“He must think you’re pretty special too. You tossed him chicken under the table.”
“Guilty as charged,” Erin replied. Dan hadn’t been wrong, Royal Diner’s chicken was the best she’d ever had and she had no qualms about sharing with the dog. Those big brown eyes had gotten to her.
The mattress dipped as Dan set a knee on the bed and then climbed in next to her. “Is he gonna help us find the culprit in all these files?”
“He’ll be our mascot.”
“Yeah, well, I hated this creep Maverick before. But now that we’ve got to delve into these files tonight, when we could be—”
“Cuddling?”
Dan stopped to smile and wink. “Yeah, sweetness. That’s what I was gonna say.”
A rumble of laughter forced through her mouth. “You’re a terrible liar.”
“I know,” he said, horse-collaring her closer and kissing the very top of her hair.
“It has to be done, Dan.”
“True, but I don’t usually end a date by breaking out folders.”
“How do you end a date?”
He rubbed at the whiskers along his jawline and shook his head. “It’s been so long, I can’t recall.”
Erin didn’t really believe that. Dan was too handsome, too great a guy not to have females dropping at his feet. “You’re lying again.”
“I’m not. Chelsea says I’m picky when it comes to women.”
“Oh.” If that was a compliment, she was happy to take it.
“What about you?”
“What about me?” Erin asked right back at him. Her antennae were up. She didn’t like talking about her love life. It was hard and awfully discouraging.
“You know what I’m asking.” Dan’s eyes went to a deeper shade of blue, the way they did when he got serious. He held her gaze firm and she couldn’t look away.
“I do. It’s...hard to talk about.”
“You got your heart broken,” he stated.
“I...did. You really don’t want to know.”
“Maybe I do.”
She put her head down. “It’s embarrassing.”
“More embarrassing than getting dumped on your ass by a fake bull?”
“Yes,” she said, a smile pulling her lips apart. “Okay. There was a bit of a scandal in Seattle and I was in the center of it.”
This did not seem to shock Dan. She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not, but he didn’t blink or laugh
or curse. He just stared at her, waiting.
His patience and willingness to listen encouraged her to speak. She went on to tell him about Rex Talbot and how they’d dated, how he’d led her to believe he was single and how, after a few months when his socialite wife came back into the picture and found out about their love affair, scandalized Erin’s good name.
It was hard revealing this to Dan. She didn’t really want him to know how stupid and gullible she’d been, but at the same time, it was freeing getting that off her chest. By revealing her secret to him, somehow she felt closer to him, giving him her bond of trust.
“So you never suspected he was married?”
“No. Maybe I didn’t want to see the signs. Maybe I just wanted to believe him, no matter what I might have suspected.”
“Why would you do that?”
She shrugged. “My folks have this amazing marriage. They respect each other and are honest about things. I grew up believing it was all possible.”
“And now you don’t?”
“I don’t know what I think anymore.”
Dan sighed and studied her face. Did he believe her? Was he thinking her a fool for not being more intuitive or questioning Rex’s motives? In hindsight she saw some telling signs, but didn’t pursue them at the time because she’d had faith in mankind. And then that faith had been shattered.
“I appreciate you telling me,” he said quietly.
“I am not proud of it.”
He blinked then and a question came into his eyes. He had something on his mind, but he wasn’t going to ask. “I am over him completely.”
He let air out of his lungs. “Okay.”
The files he held landed with a thump on the nightstand and he turned to her. She looked at him carefully and felt his gentle force as he lowered her down onto the bed, tucking her into the curve of his body and holding her tight. Her eyes closed and she waited for him to move, to take her to places that made her forget the bad things. And when nothing happened, she whispered, “Dan, what are we doing?”
He kissed the base of her neck and whispered back, “Cuddling.”
Tears immediately welled in her eyes and her throat constricted. She could only nod and press herself more solidly into the safety of his arms.
* * *
Dan took the shirt off her back, literally, since it was his shirt she’d worn as they’d made their way through a batch of TCC files tonight, after they’d made love and cuddled sufficiently.
“I’ve got an early appointment in the morning.” He sighed and brought his mouth to her bare shoulders, planting tiny kisses there. “Or I’d love to stay and make you blush again.”
“I don’t blush,” she said softly.
“You sure about that? ’Cause from this end, it’s pretty damn thrillin’ seeing your skin color up that way when we come together.”
“Dan,” she whispered, her body beginning to flush again, hearing his deep velvety smooth voice caress her with sexy talk.
He slid his arms through the sleeves of his shirt and let it hang off his shoulders. “God, I hate to leave you.”
She grabbed his shirt with both hands and went on her tiptoes, giving him a brush of her lips. He dug in for more, deepening the kiss and when he was through her quiet sigh was more like a purr of absolute contentment. “I hate for you to leave too.”
Naked but for a pair of silky panties, she was totally comfortable standing before Dan, allowing his eyes to roam over her and yes, see her flush of color again. See the want her body couldn’t conceal. She was getting in too deep with Dan and on a self-defending note, backed away and put on her warm pink robe. “I’ll walk you out,” she managed.
He gave the keyboard a glance. “Do me a favor before I go?”
Anything. “Depends.”
Dan’s brow went up and she smiled coyly. She could be a tease when she wanted to be.
“Play for me. Just once, sweetness.”
She wanted to say no. She was rusty and it was late and she wasn’t ready. But the excuses in her head didn’t play out. She couldn’t deny Dan, not when he hadn’t denied her anything tonight, except his heart. That, he seemed to keep under lock and key.
“Okay.”
Dan picked up a ladder-back chair with one hand and scooted it over to the keyboard. With a flare of his arm, he gestured for her to sit down.
She took her seat and set her hands on the keys, getting familiar again. She hadn’t played since she’d given her resignation at the school. It had been too difficult and she’d put that part of her life on hold for the time being. But now, she found that she really did want to share this with Dan. “What would you like to hear?”
“Your favorite. Whatever you enjoy playing.”
She nodded and immediately knew what piece she would play for Dan. “This is called ‘Kiss the Sky,’” she said quietly, getting her bearings on her seat, splaying her fingers out in front of her, giving them a good stretch. And as soon as her fingers touched the keys, she was off, flowing as the notes poured out and a sense of calm, not panic as she’d thought, seized her. She knew the song by heart. She’d written it.
Dan sat on the bed and out of the corner of her eye, she saw him resting on his elbows, watching her. She thought having an audience would make her nervous. She thought all of her bad memories would come rushing back, but playing this song for Dan boosted her up, giving her a much-needed shot in the arm. She closed her eyes as the notes swayed her and yes, she was rusty to her critical ear, but the song still held its spirit and came through as a shining testament to her skills as a musician with each touch of the keys.
When silence once again filled the room, Dan was there, lifting her out of her seat and into his arms. She was bulky in her robe, but Dan brought her close and she looked into the solid blue sea of his eyes. “That was something,” he said, his voice gravelly. “I didn’t expect...to be dazzled.”
She smiled. “I dazzled you?”
“From the second I saw you. But yeah, tonight, you dazzled me. You’re very talented, Erin. And clearly, you love what you do.”
“I guess. I forget how much I do love it.”
“Well, now you know.” He smiled with his eyes. “I’ve got to go. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. I’ll walk you to the door.”
“Not necessary. You stay. Keep playing. You should always play.”
And with that, and a kiss on the cheek, Dan was gone.
* * *
In the morning, Dan hummed the tune Erin had played for him as he drove to the Cattleman’s Club. His body was sated, filled with thoughts of the stunning woman he’d left some hours ago.
It was early, just after dawn, the rising sunlight blocked by big gray clouds forming overhead. The November air took on a bite, a foreshadowing of the winter days to come. He reached the club early enough not to be noticed and returned the files to their original cabinets straightaway. As far as finding any clues about Maverick, they’d come up with a big fat zero and it was disappointing.
But nothing about meeting Erin had disappointed. She continued to surprise him, each time they were together. She was a talented pianist and it was a shame she didn’t play more. It was also a damn shame she’d had to resign her position at the school in Seattle too. It just confirmed his belief that life wasn’t always fair. That sometimes, life could be cruel.
It had been cruel for his family when they’d lost their dad, even though it was many years after their mother had abandoned them. They’d taken some hard knocks along the way even after that, but he, Chelsea and Bradley had managed to survive. Still, they’d grown up motherless, robbed of a family life that could’ve been better, happier, on solid ground.
He’d learned a hard lesson then, ingrained in him since childhood. Don’t get involved. Don’t ge
t suckered in. And you won’t get hurt. It’s the way he’d run his life up until this point.
Not that he wasn’t glad he’d met Erin Sinclair. But she was going back to Seattle to live. He had known going in that their involvement was temporary. She had to know it too. She was gun-shy about commitment after what she’d gone through and probably had trust issues similar to his. Not that he blamed her about what happened in Seattle, but he wasn’t sure she was over it entirely.
Dan exited the file room and drove into Royal for a breakfast meeting with some of the local managers of Hunt and Company. It was a routine meeting at the Royal Diner, but everyone from the waitresses to his most trusted employees had one thing on their mind, the upcoming storm.
“They say it could be a big one,” the waitress said, serving plates of hotcakes.
“That so? I didn’t hear.” He hadn’t. He’d been humming Erin’s tunes on the drive into Royal this morning, not listening to weather reports.
“Yep, it’s all over the news now. They’re issuing warnings to the entire county. Could be as big as the storm that plowed through Royal a few years back,” Jeb McNamara, his Dallas manager, said.
“They’re warning about a tornado?” Dan asked.
“Yep, that’s what the news reports are saying,” Jeb added. “Could happen as early as this afternoon. They’re closing the schools, just in case.”
“Okay, then. We’ll make this meeting quick, and then you folks all go on home. You don’t need to be on the road when it hits. Keep your families safe.”
The men and women around the table thanked him and they got on with the essential items on the agenda. Dan had a few key issues to discuss with the managers about Human Resources and the new rollout of his employee-of-the-month program. Dan was a believer in keeping the morale high at the company and worked with his family to see that his employees’ needs were well cared for. After that discussion, he hastened his employees out of the diner, wishing them safe travel home.
Then he reached for his phone and speed dialed Chelsea’s number.
“Hi, big brother,” she answered. Caller ID had its merits. “I take it you heard about the storm?”
The Texan Takes a Wife Page 8