by Gerri Hill
And why she was going over her wardrobe so early this morning wasn’t as perplexing to her as she’d hoped. But it filled her mind with trivial dribble and kept her from replaying the proposition Reese Daniels had laid on the table last night.
Because frankly she’d replayed it so much, she felt like she hadn’t slept at all. No, that’s because instead of sleeping, she was imagining being in bed with Reese Daniels—in bed, naked and having sex.
She gripped the steering wheel, trying to push out the images that were still fresh in her mind. Several things surprised her. Mainly, that she was actually considering the proposition.
And secondly, how could she possibly know what Reese Daniels looked like naked? But in her mind, certainly last night, she could vividly picture her without clothes, her brooding dark eyes seeing more than they should, her unruly hair a tousled mess after their lovemaking.
“Oh, good grief,” she said as she quickly turned the heat off and cracked the window. It was crazy to even think about, much less consider doing it. For one thing, it would be all over town, no matter how discreet they planned to be. And did she really want the locals scrutinizing her love life? Everyone knew that Chief Daniels was here only for the one year. What would that say about Morgan if she carried on an affair with her, knowing she was leaving? Then everyone would know it was only for the sex!
Of course, they could do a trial run, as Reese suggested. Maybe they weren’t compatible in bed. Maybe it would be awkward.
Maybe there would be no sexual energy between them.
Or maybe it would be fabulous and Morgan would care less what everyone was saying. There was sex, and then there was fabulous sex.
“You have lost your mind,” she whispered as she turned down the Alpine Loop Byway that followed Henson Creek. The loop was heavily traveled in the summer as Jeeps and four-wheel-drive trucks descended upon them, taking the scenic drive from Lake City to Silverton as the rough road hugged Engineer Mountain and Cinnamon Mountain, each view more breathtaking than the one before. Even after seven summers here, she still found time at least once each season to rent a Jeep from the Rocky Alpine Crew and take her chances with Engineer Pass at nearly thirteen thousand feet.
Her pleas to Charlie that she needed her own Jeep to patrol the Forest Service roads had failed to produce one for her.
The road was deserted this cold morning, as it would be for the rest of the winter, except for those adventurous souls who would drive to Cinnamon cutoff and cross-country ski along the ridge. Her drive here this morning was just an excuse to get out and think, really. There were no campsites to check on, no fishing licenses to validate, no warnings to be issued as people went offroad where they weren’t supposed to. No tourists, no worries.
Winter loomed. A long, cold winter. A long, cold, lonely winter.
But it didn’t have to be lonely. It didn’t even have to be cold.
Hot sex would alleviate both of those things.
Hot sex with Reese Daniels.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Reese saw Morgan’s truck parked at Sloan’s Bar and she almost stopped. They’d not spoken in two days and she didn’t want to make Morgan uncomfortable by stalking her at the bar.
She’d give it a week. If nothing came of it, then she’d go back to her solitary ways, sitting at the booth by herself, waiting on her dinner that she’d eat alone at home.
But she had a feeling she wouldn’t have to wait a week.
They’d not spoken, but Reese had seen Morgan on the street as she and Berta passed the sheriff’s office on their way to lunch today. Their eyes had met through the window, and in that brief moment, Reese saw what she’d hoped she’d see—a secret look passed between them, a look that indicated Morgan had an interest. Whether she followed through on that interest was another story.
So she drove past the bar, heading out of town, turning when she reached the unpaved road that would take her to her temporary home. She had no doubt Morgan knew where she lived even though they’d not discussed it. Like most residents of this tiny mountain town, she assumed Morgan knew pretty much everything about everybody.
§
Morgan twirled her beer, glancing up each time the door opened, looking for Reese. Because if Reese showed up, then that meant she wasn’t at her house waiting on her…waiting for her to have sex. Oh, my.
“You okay?”
Morgan smiled at Tracy and nodded. “Of course.”
Tracy leaned closer. “You seem nervous.” She looked at the door. “The chief is thirty minutes late. Wonder if she’s skipping dinner tonight.”
Morgan shrugged nonchalantly.
“You want a burger?”
“No, I’m good.”
Tracy moved down to the other end of the bar to wait on Doug Fender, and Morgan again slid her gaze to the door. She knew Reese wasn’t coming. She knew Reese was waiting for her.
She knew that from the look they’d shared today. Just a brief glance, their eyes meeting through the windowpane of the sheriff’s office. But that glance said it all—Reese was waiting for her. In the few seconds that their eyes held, Morgan was ready to say yes, yes, yes to her proposition. In fact, if Berta hadn’t been with her, she might have gone inside to tell Reese yes right then.
But the moment passed, and she and Berta walked on to the café, Berta none the wiser to the look between them.
So now what? Reese was waiting and here she sat, nursing a beer that had gone warm, ignoring Tracy and everyone else in the bar, trying to calm her nerves and find the courage to do what she wanted to do.
Go to Reese Daniels.
Reese had just put another log on the fire when she heard the truck door slam. She cocked her head, her gut telling her Morgan was about to knock on her door. And her nerves told her she wasn’t certain she was ready for it. She looked around the room, the lamp in the corner casting the only light other than the dancing flames of the fire.
After the quick—quiet—tap on her door, she took a deep breath, then opened it. Morgan stood there, her eyes shifting about nervously. Reese offered a small smile, hoping it would calm Morgan. And herself.
“I have two rules,” Morgan said.
Reese nodded. “Okay.”
“I want to keep this as discreet as possible and…and no kissing.”
Reese raised an eyebrow. “Don’t like kissing?”
“No, no, that’s not it. I love kissing. To me, kissing is the most romantic, personal—intimate—thing you can do.”
“Okay. And?”
“And to keep this…this thing,” she said, pointing between them, “to keep it as a physical, sexual act only, I don’t think kissing should be allowed.”
“I see.”
Reese took Morgan’s hand and pulled her across the threshold, shutting the door behind her. Morgan’s hand was warm and she squeezed it, standing close to her, using the door to prevent Morgan’s escape.
“I can live with your rules,” she said, her voice low. “I’m assuming you mean kissing on the lips only.” She moved closer, watching as Morgan swallowed nervously. She moved her mouth to Morgan’s ear. “You don’t have a problem if I kiss you here, right?” She felt Morgan’s breath catch. “Or here?” she whispered as her lips moved against Morgan’s neck. She smelled clean and fresh and Reese let her lips linger.
“Oh, God,” Morgan whispered before her hands slid up Reese’s arms.
No other words were spoken. Morgan leaned back, offering herself. Reese shoved Morgan’s sweater up then tugged at the undershirt beneath it, pulling it from Morgan’s jeans, her lips still nibbling gently at Morgan’s neck.
Her first touch of warm flesh sent her senses reeling. Her hands glided across Morgan’s skin, resting just below her breasts.
She lifted her head, finding Morgan’s eyes, her breathing as rapid as Morgan’s as the soft sounds filled the cabin.
“Okay?” she whispered.
Morgan’s eyes slipped closed. “Yes.”
Yes
. She cupped Morgan’s full breasts, impatiently shoving her bra aside, letting them fill her hands. She felt the hard nipples cut into her palms and she moaned, wanting her mouth there.
Without thinking, she pulled Morgan’s sweater and undershirt over her head, then nearly ripped her bra as she unclasped it and let it fall to the floor.
“Beautiful,” she whispered as her mouth found one of Morgan’s breasts. She felt Morgan’s hands thread through her hair, holding her close, moaning softly as Reese teased her nipple with her tongue.
How they made it to the rug, Reese had no idea, but while her mouth feasted, her fingers deftly unbuttoned Morgan’s jeans and lowered the zipper. Morgan helped her push the offending material aside, impatiently kicking the jeans off her legs.
Reese lifted her head, meeting Morgan’s eyes in the soft glow of the firelight, her naked body shimmering with heat. A naked body she was about to make love to. She looked for any hint of uncertainty in Morgan’s eyes and found none. Her eyes were glistening with arousal, her mouth slightly parted, her breasts rising and falling with each quick breath she took.
Letting her lips kiss and nuzzle Morgan’s warm flesh, Reese moved down her body, relishing the taste of Morgan’s skin. A gentle hand still rested on her head, fingers still threaded in her hair, urging her downward. The quiet moans that Morgan uttered, the subtle shifting of her hips, the rapid breathing—
Reese wanted to hurry, wanting to give Morgan what she so obviously desired. But she took her time, teasing Morgan’s skin with her tongue, running her hands down her legs and then up again, feeling the wetness between her thighs.
“Reese, please,” she whispered as Reese kissed inside her thigh, still teasing her.
The musky aroma nearly made her head spin and she parted Morgan’s thighs, cupping her hips, groaning with pleasure as her mouth settled over her, tasting her for the first time. She held on tightly as Morgan’s hips rose, moving slowly against her mouth, the fingers in her hair clasping and unclasping as Reese suckled her swollen clit.
“Oh, God yes,” Morgan breathed. “Yes, yes.”
As Morgan’s orgasm threatened, Reese shifted, thrusting two fingers deep inside her as her tongue flicked across her clit, faster and faster, loving the sounds Morgan was making, feeling her tighten against her fingers. Morgan’s hips rose off the floor and she screamed out, jerking wildly against Reese’s face before slowly sinking back to the floor again.
“Dear God.”
Reese smiled as her fingers slipped from Morgan and she rested her cheek against Morgan’s thigh, listening to her rapid breathing as Morgan’s hand continued to thread through her hair.
After a moment, Morgan’s hand stilled and Reese heard her take a deep breath.
“I don’t have one stitch of clothes on,” she murmured.
Reese turned. “I see that.”
“How did that happen?”
“You don’t remember? Shall I show you again?”
Morgan laughed quietly. “No, no. I’m good.” She leaned up on an elbow. “But perhaps you could lose the sweatshirt?”
“Just the sweatshirt?”
“For now.”
Reese sat up and obliged, tossing her shirt on top of Morgan’s discarded jeans.
“Oh, my,” Morgan whispered.
Reese waited, watching Morgan’s gaze travel across her bare breasts. She nearly trembled when Morgan lowered her head, when she felt Morgan’s warm breath caress her nipples, when she felt the first tentative touch of Morgan’s tongue.
Then she was pushed back to the rug and Morgan’s fingers attacked the button on her jeans.
“Naked,” she murmured against her breast. “I want you naked.”
And again, Reese obliged.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Reese caught herself whistling as she walked into her office.
The strange look Eloise gave her made her stop immediately.
Who would have known that a night of sex—really great sex—could put her in such a joyous mood?
“Running late today, Chief?”
Reese glanced up at the large clock hanging on the wall above Eloise’s desk. “It’s not even eight. Besides, I wasn’t aware I had set hours, Eloise.”
“It’s just I haven’t had to make coffee in nearly two months now, what with you beating me in every morning. I was surprised to find the place empty this morning. I thought maybe something had happened to you.”
“Well, I hope you didn’t do the happy dance, ’cause I’m still here.” She bypassed her door and went for coffee instead. “You’ll get Googan as your boss sooner or later,” she added.
Eloise mumbled something too low for Reese to hear and she smiled as she went into her office. Yes, it was going to be a great day. She spun her chair to face the small window as her computer booted up. The sun was bright, the sky cloudless, the air crisp and clean. A beautiful day. In fact, the nicest morning she could remember since she’d been in Lake City.
“Oh, Reese, a roll in the hay sure has you in a good mood,” she said quietly. She wondered if Morgan’s day had started out the same. Despite it being their first time together, they’d made it a memorable one. Even with Morgan’s no kissing rule, they’d managed just fine, and she was exhausted when Morgan had left around midnight. Tired—and oh so sated—she fell asleep instantly, not to wake until after seven this morning. Her last sexual encounter, that with the mayor’s wife, paled in comparison to what she’d shared with Morgan. One thing was for certain, they were totally compatible in bed.
Unfortunately, they’d not made plans for a second gettogether.
Which meant she’d be waiting again until Morgan was ready.
§
Morgan felt Berta’s eyes on her and she was hoping—praying—that her night of free love with Reese Daniels wasn’t plastered on her face. Plastered and glowing.
She turned away, feigning interest in the paper she was reading. She picked up a pen and forced a frown to her brow, pretending to be deeply absorbed in the latest traffic report issued for their district. That is, until Charlie tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to jump.
“Do you have to sneak up on me like that? Jeez,” she said, trying to cover her embarrassment.
“Surely that report can’t be that interesting. What’d we have? Five visitors last month?”
Morgan looked at him wryly. “Six. And it’s so skewed. I mean, every one of the snowmobilers at the lodge hit our trails at one time or another.”
“And if they don’t sign in, it’s like they were never there,” Charlie said. “But everyone’s got the same problem. You think they have an accurate account up at Blue Mesa?”
“No. But it’s a huge lake. They estimate their figures on the high end. Why can’t they do ours?”
“Based on what? Summer campgrounds are easy and we’ve got decent figures. But winter? They have nothing to use but trailhead sign-ins. It’s always been that way. You know that.”
“I’m just saying, it’s no wonder we have no budget to work with. Why can’t we have Rick make them sign in?”
“Rick is a businessman,” Charlie said. “He’s not concerned with our figures, our budget, or even our rules.”
“You mean Cutter’s Chute?”
“Yes. He knows—like we do—that Cutter’s Chute is a big draw for him. So what if it’s on private property? We conveniently have a trail that skirts the ridge. And when anyone asks him how to get there, he tells them to head up the canyon.”
“Okay. So how about we put up some signs that say we are going to start issuing citations for those who don’t sign in? We could cite some safety rule or something.”
Charlie smiled. “What’s all the interest in our numbers, Morgan? You afraid your position is going to get cut in the winters now?”
Morgan shrugged. “You never know. When you leave, they could bring in some hard-ass. It won’t take but a few weeks during the winter for him to realize there’s not a whole lot going on up here.”<
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“Oh, Morgan, quit worrying. Your job is safe.” He sat on the corner of her desk and folded his hands together. “Got a call from Chief Daniels just a bit ago.”
“Oh, yeah?” Morgan commented as nonchalantly as possible.
“Seems she wanted my approval before she asked you to assist her with something.”
Morgan swallowed. “Uh-huh.” Then her eyes widened.
“Please say it’s not more skiing.”
He laughed. “Afraid so.”
I’ll kill her.
“Seeing as how you’re not busy—you said so yourself—I couldn’t see turning her down.”
“Thanks a lot.”
“She said she wanted to take up fishing. I told her Ed Wade was her man, but she said she’d rather you show her around.” He smiled mischievously. “I guess you made a good impression on her the last time.”
“From her comments, I gathered she hated fishing.”
He shrugged. “Wouldn’t know about that. She’s looking at some backcountry streams though. Off the beaten path.”
“Snowmobiles can get off the beaten path.”
“Too noisy.”
Morgan’s eyebrows drew together. “You’re enjoying this far too much,” she said.
“Oh, it’ll do you good to get out. There’s nothing going on. Hell, even Berta’s got to try to scare up some paperwork to keep her busy.”
“Yeah, but, Charlie, skiing?”
He stood. “I told her you’d love to.”
§
Reese heard the bell jingle as the sheriff’s office door was opened, then closed a bit too forcefully.
“Is she in?”
Reese smiled, recognizing Morgan’s voice. And by the tone of it, Charlie had just mentioned skiing.
“Yes, Morgan. I’ll just see if she’s busy—”
“Trust me, she’s not,” Morgan said and a few seconds later, she stood at Reese’s door. “Skiing? Are you trying to piss me off?”
Grinning, Reese got up and motioned Morgan into the room, closing the door behind her. “And good morning to you too.”