"I'd say you accomplished that," he said with a chuckle— which meant he wasn't angry. He let go of her hands and rubbed his jaw, but stayed straddling her hips. "Where'd you learn to fight like that, Segee?"
"Four older brothers. You going to let me up anytime soon?"
"Eventually," he said, gently feeling his ribs. "Once I stop hurting." He settled his hips more firmly over hers. "I seem to be comfortable right where I am."
Anna simply snorted. "You're lucky I only had a shotgun tonight. Let's consider us even for that punch you gave me last month."
"I think you cracked one of my ribs."
Anna reached up and patted his cheek. "Poor baby. Would a kiss make you feel better?"
"Jesus, you're reckless," he whispered, pulling her hand from his cheek to pin her back down, then staring at her mouth as if considering her offer.
"You kiss me again, Knight, and you better plan on sticking around to finish it this time."
He snapped his gaze to hers, every muscle in his body tense. "Excuse me?"
She hadn't really said that, had she? Why had she just challenged him to take her to bed? Maybe she should stuff herself down a fishing hole.
Or… maybe she should really shock him, and at the same time finally put her childhood fantasies to rest once and for all. Anna shrugged one shoulder. "But I'll understand if you're not up to a no-commitment, no-regrets affair. Maybe I've been reading what's been going on between us all wrong."
He just stared down at her until Anna began to feel like a bug under a microscope. How the hell long did it take a guy to decide whether or not he wanted sex, anyway? Geesh, you'd think she'd proposed marriage to him. Anna wiggled more robustly to get free— which was why she didn't see it coming when his lips touched hers.
She would have expected him to come at her like a house on fire once he'd made up his mind, but again Ethan caught her off guard with a kiss so tender, she found herself responding without even thinking of laying down ground rules.
He released her hands and she immediately wrapped them around his neck, parted her lips, and went in search of his tongue. Ethan just as immediately retreated, sliding his mouth along her jaw in a succession of teasing kisses. With a shiver of delight and a moan of frustration, Anna gripped his hair and tried directing his mouth back to hers.
But he wouldn't be rushed; he simply continued his deliberate journey, moving his wonderfully skillful mouth down the curve of her throat. Anna arched her spine and threw back her head to give him access, sliding her arms under his and wrapping them around his torso to draw in his warmth.
"Yes," she urged with building desire, digging her fingers into his back as she moved her legs against his imprisoning thighs. She gasped when his teeth gently raked the skin over her collarbone on his downward journey, and pushed at his hips until she was able to finally free her legs and wrap them around him.
He suddenly sat up and looked down, pulling aside the edge of her robe. "What are you wearing under there?" he asked, his voice thick.
"My nightie," she said, taking advantage of his distraction by placing her hands on his shoulders and giving him a gentle push. "Can we maybe take this into the house? I'm getting soaked to the bone."
He hesitated, and Anna knew he was wondering if she would change her mind if the mood was broken. "I'm pretty sure I've got some condoms in my bureau," she offered, giving him a more urgent push. "And flannel sheets beat a snowbank hands down."
She might as well be shoving against a pine tree for all the good it did her, considering he was more interested in fingering the delicate lace covering her breasts.
"Have you made love in many snowbanks?" he asked.
Oh great, a curious lover. "Not since seventh grade, when Tommy Dubois kissed me in the school yard while we were waiting for our rides home." She touched his cheek so that he'd look at her. "I won't change my mind, Ethan."
With a deep sigh, he finally braced his hands on the ground and got up, then pulled Anna to her feet. He made a noise that sounded suspiciously like stifled laughter as he gathered the edges of her robe to her throat and lifted her face to his. "Why am I not surprised that you're out here shooting at trespassers in a sexy little nightie the size of a napkin?"
Anna shrugged. "I wasn't aware protecting hearth and home required special clothing."
He covered her mouth with his, and this time it was exactly what she expected: his lips were commanding, his intentions blatantly obvious, the anticipation he sent coursing through her intoxicating. Anna melted against him and met the thrust of his tongue with bold and equally urgent desire. A shudder ran through her, and she pressed closer to his warmth.
But he broke away again, pulling her head against his chest on a harsh sigh. "If you keep kissing me back like that, we won't see those flannel sheets," he said, his lips touching her hair, making her shudder again. "Damn, you turn me on, Segee."
He kissed her again, briefly but no less intensely, then captured her hand and started leading her toward the house. He stopped to pick up the shotgun, releasing her to empty out the one remaining shell.
He shook his head and made a tsking sound. "Have you ever thought about anger management therapy?" he asked as he laced his fingers through hers and started walking again.
"I don't have an anger problem. Why do you guys think that if a woman stands up for herself, she's either a shrew or really a man trapped in a woman's body?"
He squeezed her hand with a laugh. "Knowing your preference in underwear, I doubt there's one male hormone in that lovely body of yours. So what happened to Tommy Dubois when he kissed you in the snowbank? Did you send him home with a bloody nose?"
"Why would I do that? I was more curious about kissing than he was," she said, stumbling over a rock in the path.
Ethan pulled her up against his side by wrapping his arm around her. He suddenly turned serious, his hand on her hip tightening perceptibly. "We do this, Anna, and people will talk," he softly warned.
"Not if you don't go bragging at work that you nailed your foreman," she countered. "I believe it's called being discreet."
He stopped walking and turned her to face him. "It's not me I'm worried about."
"You're worried I'm going to say something?" She rolled her eyes. "Oh, that would make my life easier."
"I know you wouldn't say anything, but when a woman's gone to bed with a man, people can… well, they can tell."
"Oh?" she asked evenly.
"Yeah." He led her toward the house again. "Women act different around a man they've slept with. You get all clingy and possessive and… all moody, all of a sudden."
Anna pulled him to an abrupt halt. "I do not cling. And if you don't shut up, you're never going to see the rest of this sexy nightie, much less what's under it. I want to sleep with you— period. I don't want to possess you in any way, and I'm not moody. We keep it fun, uncomplicated, and discreet. Any problems with that, Knight?"
"No, ma'am."
Anna started walking again, this time leading. "I don't suppose you have any condoms on you?" she asked, stepping onto the back porch.
"You said you have some in your bureau."
She reached in her pocket for her flashlight as she stepped into the dark house. "I must have lost my flashlight when you tackled me. Hold on, I have a kerosene lamp I can light."
"I can start the generator."
"I don't want to leave it running all night." She located the lamp, then slid her hand along the counter until she found the jar of wooden matches.
"So do you have any condoms or not?" he asked.
"I'm pretty sure I do." She struck the match, blinking when the flame flared to life, then lifted the glass on the lamp and touched the match to the wick. "Ah, do they have expiration dates?" she asked, not looking at him.
He didn't immediately answer. "Exactly how old are yours?"
She picked up the lamp and walked into the living room, Ethan following behind her. "I bought them one, maybe two years ago," she s
aid, settling Bear back in his bed before finally looking at Ethan. "Maybe three," she admitted as she slipped out of her boots. "Do they actually go bad?"
"I know we're not supposed to carry them around in our wallets for more than a year," he said, straightening from removing his own boots and taking the lamp from her, then lacing his fingers through hers to lead her up the stairs. "Which means I should have thrown away the one I'm carrying months ago."
So they'd established that neither of them was in the habit of bed-hopping. Anna smiled in anticipation of what could prove to be a very interesting night.
Chapter Ten
Ethan led the way up the stairs to Anna's bedroom, undecided if he was about to become the luckiest man this side of the Canadian border or the sorriest. He hadn't lied when he told Anna she turned him on; he hadn't wanted a woman this badly in years.
He entered the bedroom he'd spent three sexually frustrating nights in, Anna silently following, her pliant hand nestled in his. He'd been expecting her to either come to her senses and tell him she'd changed her mind or start ripping off their clothes downstairs. He wasn't sure what to make of her getting all quiet on him all of a sudden.
He let go of her hand to set the lamp on the antique bureau. "Okay, let's see your goods."
Her eyes widened and she held her robe closed at her throat.
"The condoms," he drawled, nodding toward the bureau.
She turned and pulled open the top drawer, but not quickly enough for Ethan to miss her blush. She rummaged through the drawer for several seconds, shuffling tiny bits of lacy underwear back and forth with increasing urgency. "I know they're here somewhere," she muttered, closing the drawer and pulling out the one below, then rummaging through it. "I'm pretty sure the box is blue."
Ethan unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off. He was sharing Anna's bed tonight, by God, condoms or no condoms. If she didn't find them, they would just… dammit, they'd figure it out when they got there.
"Here they are," she said, turning with a semi-crushed blue box in her hand. She went perfectly still, the box forgotten as her gaze traveled down his naked chest, stopping at his hands unzipping his fly.
"What's the date on them?" he asked.
"Ah…"She held the box near the lamp. "It only has a year stamped on it." She glanced over her shoulder just as he dropped his pants, then quickly turned back to the bureau. "It's this year. I don't know if that means they're still good or… or not," she said, her voice trailing away when he reached around her waist and unknotted the cloth belt holding her robe closed.
"You aren't getting all shy on me, are you, Segee?" he asked, his lips brushing her hair as he slid her robe off her shoulders. He gently kissed her skin next to one of the thin straps of her nightie, then began to slowly nibble his way toward her throat. "Because I really admire a woman who isn't afraid to go after what she wants," he added, sliding her curls out of his way to continue up the long slender line of her neck. "And I was under the impression you wanted me," he whispered against her ear.
She leaned back into him, a soft sound of pleasure escaping on a sigh. "I do want you," she admitted.
Ethan wrapped one arm around her just under her breasts, and took the condoms out of her hand and tossed them on the bed behind them. "I'm glad," he said, reaching up to slide first one and then the other thin strap off her shoulders. "Open your eyes, Anna," he softly commanded, watching her in the mirror over the bureau, her flawless skin glowing alabaster in the soft flame of the kerosene lamp, a sensuous contrast to the deep red lace of her nightie.
She opened her eyes and stared, transfixed, as the lace slid down over his arm, exposing two full, beautiful breasts tipped with large almond-rose nipples. He positioned his hand just beneath one plush nipple and trailed his thumb lazily across it, watching it pucker into his touch. He lifted his gaze briefly to see Anna watching his hand in the mirror, then buried his face in her throat to draw in her scent.
"You're so beautiful," he rasped, his throat closing with the need to possess her.
She turned in his embrace, and Ethan felt the delicate silk slip to the floor as she reached up, cupped the sides of his face, pulled his mouth down to hers, and parted his lips with her tongue. Ethan opened his eyes and nearly swallowed her tongue when he saw her sleek, naked length in the mirror; her long, wild hair draped over his arm around her, her trim waist and the slight flare of her hips, her heart-shaped backside topping long, athletic legs. Reaching a hand behind her knees, he swept her up in his arms and settled them both on the bed.
"Is that rain I hear on the roof?" she asked, her hands on his shoulders holding him still as she listened.
"Maybe. Or my heart trying to pound out of my chest," he offered with a provocative smile, taking her wrists to hold her arms to her sides, sliding down her body until his mouth was even with her breasts. "You sure are put together nicely, Segee."
She used his grip on her wrists to pull herself into a sitting position, and Ethan had to look up between her breasts to see her face. "If you want to maintain your distance by calling me Segee, that's okay," she said, her expression as fierce as her voice. "But you say it like a lover, not an adversary."
"Yes, ma'am," he contritely agreed, dropping his gaze to her nipples not an inch from his nose. "Anything in particular you want me calling these two little ladies?"
"That does it!" She flailed her legs beneath his and twisted her wrists in his grip. "I am so going to have you begging for mercy!"
Here was the Anna he knew, her outrage only serving to slap her breasts against his face. Ethan burst into laughter and lifted her hands over her head, then used his body to push her back until he covered the length of her, successfully subduing her struggles.
"Now, play nice," he cajoled, covering her mouth with his, not letting her come up for air until she softened beneath him. "I've been begging for your mercy all week," he said, shifting to take one of her enticing nipples in his mouth, turning whatever she'd been about to say into a strangled moan of what he sincerely hoped was delight.
Lord, he had never worked so hard to make love to a woman; one minute she was soft and pliant, the next she was giving him hell. Ethan suckled her nipple, coaxing it to life in his mouth, feeling her quiver beneath him as she wrapped her legs over his thighs and pulled him tightly against her. She was so damned responsive, so uninhibited, so… unpredictable.
The moment he let go of her wrists to better attend to her breasts, she grabbed hold of his hair and started trying to direct him again. Ethan didn't care if she pulled out his hair, he refused to be rushed. He greedily took his fill of her left nipple, then kissed his way to her right one, teasing it with his tongue until she was moaning and squirming and pulling his hair a good half inch longer. Oh, he was going to pay for this, he knew; the moment he dropped his guard, she would try to move in for the kill.
Better get his licks in while he could.
Ethan pinned her arms to her sides as he shifted lower and kissed her belly. Her heated skin contracted and she cried out, arching her back and lifting her pelvis into his chest. He continued his downward journey, each little sound she made encouraging, each quiver of her writhing body urging him to explore further.
She was so amazingly responsive.
The old house surrounding them creaked, resettling on a gust of wind that brought driving rain as the storm finally broke with deafening thunder. But Ethan's focus remained on the heated storm building beneath him, moving lower and lower until his mouth reached the juncture of Anna's thighs and he kissed her most intimately.
Her cry of pleasure went straight to his groin, and he continued his gentle assault, feeling her shudder with each flick of his tongue as she tightened her legs around him, her building passion sending him to the very edge of his control.
"Come into me, Ethan," she cried, freeing her hands to tug him upward. "Now!" she demanded, her shout echoed in another house-shaking rumble of thunder.
Ethan rose to his hands and knees, a
nd found the box of condoms near one of the pillows, just about to slide off the bed. He made a lunge for it. "If you don't quit squirming, we won't need the damn condoms," he growled, shaking out one of the packets and ripping it open with his teeth.
Her hands were all over him, working him into such a frenzy it was all he could do to get the condom out of the packet.
"Maybe you should put two on," she said, her impatience obvious as her hand trailed down his stomach toward his groin. "They really are old."
He dropped the condom on her belly to chase after her hand. "I'll be lucky to get one on," he hissed, her determined fingers curling around his shaft just as he pulled them away. "Anna, you're not helping."
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