by Cara McKenna
Is he really so new, though? She’d imagined being with him enough times in her life, it nearly felt familiar. Nostalgic? It felt right, at the very least. Undeniably.
“You look so fucking good,” she said. “Don’t stop.”
His face was pure and strained disbelief, and she knew the feeling. Pleasure was edging up against pain, sharp and hot and tight. It seemed Miah was beyond words now, but his breaths had become a low, steady moan, as rousing as any dirty talk she could dream up. She imagined the moment when he’d lose control—his face, his voice, his taut and frantic body . . . That did it. She wrapped her arms around his back, pulling him tight as the orgasm hit. He drove himself deep and held there, seeming to drink up every little twitch of her climax until it faded away.
Drifting back down to earth, she wondered if he’d even come himself—but then all at once he’d pushed back up onto straight arms, and those hips were working, more urgent than ever.
“Good,” she whispered, stroking his arms.
“God. Fuck. I’m so fucking close.”
She slid her palms to his ass and rode the motions, feeling high and fierce and a little wasted from the orgasm, in awe of him. Those thrusts went from wild to manic to utterly crazed in half a minute, and with a long wail of a groan, he came apart. He pushed so deep, she’d have a bruise from his hip bone the next day—and she’d wear it proudly. He clenched against her, then again, then went still save for the heaving tide of his breaths.
“Oh God.” He was propped on his forearms, skin radiating heat, belly rising and falling with those great gulps of air.
Raina grinned, thrilled with this mess of a man. Thrilled to have done this to him—to Miah Church, easily the steadiest man she knew. She stroked his now damp hair and beamed up at him.
He cleared his throat, held the rubber in place and eased out. His arms were trembling faintly, his lips parted, eyes half-lidded and glassy. She wanted a photo of this moment, a snapshot to remind her of what she’d reduced this man to, and every bit of the power she felt from it.
With an almighty grunt, he rolled onto his back and took her hand in his sweaty one. “Jesus.” He sighed up into the black sky, the sound becoming a laugh. “Why the fuck haven’t we been doing that for years?”
She laughed as well, and thumped their hands against the blankets. “We were fools, I guess.” And that had only been a missionary quickie. There was so much more to come. And yes, so many wasted years to make up for.
Her sweat dried in the breeze and the heat of the bonfire. The flames were fighting with the cold night air, flashing her cool and hot as the wind shifted. She stared up into the sky, knowing Miah had been right, dragging her all the way out here. Their mattress might be a little lumpy, the climate control lacking, but the firelight painted him like a god beside her, edging his profile in gold. And the blanket far above them, a hundred million stars against the blackest black . . . Perfect. And so very Miah.
“Thanks,” she whispered.
“For the orgasm? Wish I could claim it had been all my doing.”
“For the effort. For all this.”
“Well, thanks for the thanks.” And he knew as well anyone could, she didn’t hand out gratitude lightly. She was cagey with her thanks, same with her apologies and her entreaties. But he deserved those words tonight, and the sex had left her soft enough to offer them.
“You’re gonna have a long-ass day ahead of you,” she said, dropping her head to the side to face him.
He did the same. “No doubt. But totally worth it.”
“Tell me you take some days off.”
“No, not really. Especially not with my dad laid up.”
“Half-days?”
He laughed. “Half what-nows?”
She sighed. “Stupid needy cows.”
“Steer,” he corrected.
“Same thing,” she said, knowing full well they weren’t.
“It’s not just the stock. Got employees to manage and infrastructure to fix, and deliveries to coordinate . . . This place doesn’t do days off. To say nothing of vacations.”
“You work way too hard.”
“Normally I’d say there’s nothing I’d rather be doing with my free time, if I had any . . .” His gaze moved down and up her body. “But recent developments would make me a liar.”
“So if we want to keep seeing each other, you’re just stuck with sleep deprivation?”
He shrugged, the blanket bunching beneath his shoulders. “Price I’m happy to pay.”
“And I’m a borderline insomniac,” she said, turning over to press herself into his warmth, rest her arm and face on his chest. “Maybe this is a match made in heaven.”
“Maybe.”
“Heaven’s way more fun than I’d have guessed,” she concluded. She breathed him in deeply, sighed her satisfaction. “You know what the most scandalous thing about this entire night is?”
“What?”
She whispered, “I just had sex with a Republican.”
He snorted. “Was it really so terrible?”
“Just promise me one thing, Miah.”
“Sure.”
“Someday, we fuck in an actual bed.”
He laughed, chest bucking under her cheek. “We’ll see.”
“Because I am not banging you outdoors come winter.”
“We could zip two sleeping bags together.”
She thumped his side.
“You’re not thinking creatively, that’s all.” He pulled the blanket back over their cooling bodies. “The indoors is overrated.”
“You need therapy. Or pot. Whatever takes you out of your head enough to get it up indoors.”
“Like I said, we’ll see.”
“Yeah, we will.”
“But I guarantee you I’m a ten-times better lover out here than I would be in either of our rooms.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
He stroked her hair. “Maybe you will.”
And if she didn’t? If they kept seeing each other’s naked bodies solely by the dancing light of a bonfire? That really wouldn’t be so bad, she supposed, and pressed herself tighter against his strong, warm body.
Chapter Five
Miah dropped Raina back at the bar just after five that morning. No doubt he’d have been out like a light the second his head found a pillow, but his duties began at six—to steal a few minutes’ shut-eye now would only be a tease.
Back home, he parked his bike in the front corner of the lot and headed inside, knowing full well what would be waiting for him over morning coffee—an interrogation.
Sure enough, it took nothing more than his mom’s noticing which direction he strolled into the kitchen from to raise those dark eyebrows. She set the newspaper aside, looking expectant.
He played it cool, making a beeline for the coffeemaker. “Morning.”
“Yes, it is. And it must have been a good night. You run into Vince at the bar? Or someone else?”
Miah shook his head, smiling, and sat across from her at the table with his mug. “You realize I’m thirty-two, right? I haven’t had a curfew in fifteen years.”
“I’m your mother. I’m nosy.”
“I was with a woman, if you have to know. But don’t start knitting a baby blanket.”
“Now that’s just silly.”
“I know how you get.” His mom wanted grandchildren like fish wanted water. “And I have no clue if it’ll turn into anything, so just don’t get ahead of yourself.”
“Anyone I know?”
He reached for a bagel. “No comment.”
Oh, he could hear those gears working now.
“If it turns into something, you’ll be the first to know, okay?”
“It’s not Laura Dupree, is it?” she asked. “Because I know she’s sweet on you, and she’s such a smart young woman—”
“Mom, don’t. I’ll tell you when I decide to. If it even turns into something to tell.” That was all up to Raina, really. He was i
n this, for whatever it would be. Even two nights in, he knew it, in his heart and body and brain. Bring it on.
He smeared cream cheese on one half of his bagel, jelly on the other, and ate both in record time.
“Long day ahead of you?” his mother teased.
“Very.” Coffee in hand, he circled the table and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “But worth it.”
“I’ll make a big lunch.”
“Don’t bother—I couldn’t guess when I’ll get back. I need to check on things way out east. I’ll scrounge something or other.” He drained his mug and set it in the sink.
“I’ll leave some sandwiches in the fridge. And there’s leftover potato salad.”
“Thanks.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll see you for dinner, at least.”
“Unless you get a better offer.”
With Raina working until last call? “I won’t. Not tonight, anyhow.” Not any night soon, unless Raina suddenly decided to hire an employee, and he doubted Benji’s could support that at the moment. And once this supposed casino showed up? A pit growled in his stomach as he filled a Thermos from the coffeepot.
“Oh, the vet’s coming at three,” his mom added.
“Need me?”
“I think a couple hands will suffice, if you’re too busy.”
“Likely. Right, then. See you later.”
“That you will. Maybe I’ll even get the name of this mystery woman out of—”
“Bye, Mom.” He rolled his eyes at her and headed back outside after stops in the bathroom and the gun locker. On the porch, King III was waiting—his Australian blue cattle dog and near-constant companion.
“All fed and ready for a long, hot morning?” He took her undivided attention for a yes. “Load up.”
She bounded for the truck and settled in the bed. Miah tucked his rifle behind the seats and got them moving. First things first, he needed to head east on the main access road and check each of the outbuildings. That meant a lot of driving, and a lot of time to think. About him and Raina.
So where do we stand now? The question nagged a hundred times in the coming hours.
He wanted to just come out and ask the next time he saw her, but no way would she have an answer. Not after a single night together.
He had little doubt they’d be messing around again, and hopefully soon—please, let it be soon—but as for whether that was all this was . . .
It was hard to guess with a girl like Raina. He’d known her for ages, but she wasn’t your typical woman. She was cagey with her feelings, and not one to go on about crushes or whatever her opinions might be about marriage and children. Didn’t help that she was the only female in their little social circle, of course. Who knew? Maybe she did talk about that stuff, just not with her guy friends.
Whatever it was she might ultimately want, he couldn’t say. Maybe just sex, maybe more.
One thing was certain—Miah wanted more. He’d known from the start he likely would.
Miah was an all-or-nothing kind of guy. He didn’t sleep with anyone he didn’t have a genuine crush on. Possibly that was because his mom had once told him, “There’s a chance that any woman you have sex with could wind up pregnant with your child and tethered to you for the rest of your life. So for your own sake, pick with your head, as much as any other part.”
Miah had taken that advice a bit further, and had only ever slept with women he thought he might fall in love with. It meant his romantic life was a chain of fairly serious relationships, with gaps both big and small in between. He’d slept with five women before Raina, a number he’d be loath to admit to Vince or most any other male friend, but he was proud of that in a way. He’d never gone to bed with a woman without hoping she might be the one, never led anybody on, never broken anybody’s heart with empty promises and false intentions.
But he wasn’t naive. He knew that Raina and Vince were two of a kind in many ways, and that she’d probably find Miah’s dating philosophy as prudish as his best friend did. But Miah liked her. He loved her, in a very real way, if only as friends so far, and he couldn’t help but imagine he’d be a goner, with that lifelong fondness now colliding with red-hot sex.
If the feelings did intensify, he’d have to be cautious in choosing when to tell her. Too soon, and she might get spooked. He’d have to wait, scouting for signals that she felt the same, in time. Though with Raina, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to even spot those hints. He couldn’t remember her ever telling him about a guy she’d met and seeing anything too soft or hopeful in her eyes. Mischief, perhaps, but nothing vulnerable. And vulnerable was about half of what Miah felt himself, when he first started falling for someone.
Still, even if the two of them never went anywhere except to bed with each other, he couldn’t imagine he’d consider it a mistake.
For the first time in his life, he was tempted to admit that the sex alone might just be worth it. Christ almighty, he’d never felt that before . . . So intense, and so tuned in to a woman, physically. And it had nothing to do with the mechanics of it. It was a feeling. A connectedness—
Knock that shit off.
Best not to start thinking they were destined for each other, or that there was something irreplaceable about her, just because of one mind-blowing night. Not until she gave him a sign that it was safe to start getting his hopes up, anyhow.
Of course, just because he couldn’t wear his heart on his sleeve didn’t mean he couldn’t let his lust show, make that interest known. Now knowing precisely how combustible their chemistry was, he didn’t think he could come on too strong on that front.
He checked the clock on his dashboard. Jesus, only eleven thirty. But after work he’d grab another nap, shovel down some dinner, and fuck it—he’d head to the bar again. The two of them had nodded off under the blankets for a couple hours, and though he couldn’t survive on that little sleep for long, he could suffer for a couple more days, in exchange for another taste of—
He’d been heading homeward after repairing a length of fence in the southeastern edge of the range, and he slowed as another vehicle approached, kicking up dust on the rough dirt road. He rolled up the wide-open windows.
He knew that little green truck. It had been Benji Harper’s for as long as Miah could remember—until last year, when it had become Raina’s. He swallowed, instantly overheated, and eased to a stop along the grassy shoulder.
“What in the heck are you doing out here?” he muttered. King was in the passenger seat now, the bed full of fencing refuse. She eyed him, confused by the question.
“Not you,” he told the dog. “Her.” Miah’s cell didn’t work this far out, and he prayed this surprise visit wasn’t any kind of emergency. And selfishly, he prayed it was from some other sort of urgency, the same sort he’d been fighting off all morning—and poorly—in the name of focus.
He got out and slammed his door as Raina did the same. “Well, hello. You lost, little lady?”
“Nope.” She sauntered toward him with her hands in her back pockets. He knew in that moment this was no emergency. “Your mom said I might find you out here. You look like an oasis,” she added as she reached him and traced the rim of his hat with her finger and thumb.
“My mom knows you’re looking for me?” he asked.
She nodded.
“So much for discretion. She give you the third degree?”
“No, but I did inspire a little double take.”
“She caught me coming in to breakfast from the front door. Guess now she knows exactly who kept me out until dawn.”
Raina bit her lip, smiling.
Miah had to laugh. “You proud of yourself?”
She touched the collar of his work shirt. “Maybe.”
“You needing something from me?”
She smiled deeper, squinting against the sun. It was as bright as a day could get, and her hair was ablaze with reddish highlights, falling around her tan shoulders. She cocked her head. “I might be.”
“Such as?”
Her gaze dropped as she wrapped her fingers around his belt, drawing him closer. She met his eyes. “Won’t take long.”
He grabbed her by the waist, pulled her tight against him. “Why on earth not?”
She laughed. “I figured you’d be too busy . . . or exhausted. But trust me, I wouldn’t mind taking it slow if you can spare the time.”
“In all honesty, I can’t. Not much, anyhow. But tell me what you need, and I bet I can help you.”
She eyed his pickup—the F-150 was far bigger than her little Toyota.
“Bed’s full of old barbed wire. Sex is all well and good, but let’s not get tetanus.”
“Get in,” she said, nodding to the cab. “Push the seat back.”
He smiled, a little in awe of her. He’d dated both shy girls and social ones, but none half as shameless as this woman. “Driver’s side or passenger?”
“Passenger, obviously.”
“Yes ma’am. Lemme just set the mood first.” He opened the driver’s side and said, “Here to me.” The dog was at his feet in a moment.
“Oh jeez, an audience,” Raina said. “Hi, King.”
He told the dog, “That’ll do,” and she wandered off in search of interesting smells. Miah climbed back behind the wheel and turned on the engine. Even sitting idle for a minute the cab was starting to bake, so they’d need air conditioning. The radio came back on but he twisted the volume down. He slammed that door and headed around to the passenger side with Raina watching every step with a funny, smug little smile on her lips. Once he’d slid the seat back as far as it went, she joined him and shut the door.
He watched as she straddled his legs, her knees pressed to the door and the center console. “Bit tight.”
“That’s what he said.”
Miah laughed and rolled his eyes. “Fucking classy, Harper.” Though in an instant, he couldn’t have recalled what on earth they’d been saying, as her mouth came down on his. Her weight felt so fucking good on him.