by Mari Carr
“So you’re just going to chill out here and hope for someone to pass by?” She arched a brow at his nonchalance.
“Seems to be a solid plan so far.” This time his grin seemed genuine. “I didn’t expect my rescue squad to be quite so pretty, though. Lucky me.”
Bright white teeth flashed from behind his smile. It hit her in the gut, knocking the wind from her as if she’d fallen off one of the ranch horses. Full lips curved upward and his eyes danced with reflected light. She’d only seen eyes so vibrant, with flecks of gold, like that on one other person in her life.
He could have been the very definition of alive. The something elusive she’d been craving after this afternoon’s bleak reminder of her mortality.
Life’s irony gripped her, and she laughed. At her acquaintance’s wit and flirting, some. But mostly at the pure exhilaration caused by riding the rollercoaster of her existence. Peaks and valleys. Everyone went through them, clinging desperately to the safety rails and trying not to piss their pants on the plunge down, then enjoying the view when things were looking up, she supposed.
Beaming, she planned to make the most of this sudden peak.
Then it was his turn to be rendered speechless. His eyes widened and his pupils dilated as he soaked in her joy and amusement. Fingers gripped the edge of the truck tighter, as if he might give up his charade and finally approach her if he didn’t cling to the metal. Maybe even go crazy and shake her hand. Who knew?
Something warned Sterling that if they touched, even with that itty-bit of skin on skin, sparks would fly and risk kindling a blaze that would set the entire early-fall landscape on fire.
So she dodged. She jutted her chin toward the wrench lying abandoned on the tailgate of his truck and the greasy rag beside it. “So I guess you couldn’t get her going again, huh? I could take a look. I’m pretty good with machines and stuff like that. Working with my hands.”
In fact, her father’s best friend, Jake, had helped her rebuild her entire Jeep from junk. The model from late last century suited her perfectly, classic and funky all at once.
“I’m pretty sure it’s not fixable.” He grimaced. “But you’re welcome to poke around if it’ll make you feel useful.”
“Sure thing. I’m Sterling, by the way.” She snatched up the tool and passed within reach of the gentle giant, who smiled softly at her. “If I can’t do anything with it either, I’ll be glad to give you a ride into town or call a tow truck for you. You know, since you’re so scared of me that you can’t move, never mind get in my car.”
He chuckled, low and half as rusty as his pick-up. When she peeked up at him from beneath his hood, he seemed startled, as if humor hadn’t played a big part in his life so far. Maybe it hadn’t. He sure looked like a hard man. One she’d love to tame. A challenge the cocky young guns on the ranch and in town didn’t pose for her.
Right then she vowed to help him turn around what had to be a shitty day, a perfect match for hers.
When he finally caved and pushed off the truck, ambling to her side, she held her breath. His shadow fell across her, blocking out the sun entirely. Clearly, he’d been slouching. Probably a smart move, though she wasn’t the sort of woman to cow easily.
Putting out one hand, he said, “Viho.”
“Interesting name.” She shook it, marveling at how he swallowed her fingers with heat and a gentle pressure that didn’t crush her but didn’t treat her like she was delicate filigree either.
“I could say the same.” He flashed her another semi-smile. “Mine’s Native American. It means Chief.”
“Seriously?” Sterling nodded, impressed. “So are you royalty or something?”
He certainly had an air of nobility about him, despite his commoner’s clothes.
“Nah.” He shook his head a bit. “I guess I could have been. If we still had chiefs, my grandfather would have been it. The small reservation I grew up on looked to him for approval. But getting involved in our government wasn’t my path. Causing a rift in our community was never my intention. And besides, I’m nobody’s leader.”
“How did you know that?” she wondered. After today, she was starting to doubt herself and her life choices where she never had before.
At first, she didn’t think he intended to answer. She figured that was a pretty personal thing to ask a guy you’d spoken fewer words to than you’d say to a drive-thru attendant in the course of ordering a meal. But something about him made her feel as if they’d known each other for a hell of a lot longer than three point two seconds. Maybe it was the way he didn’t pressure her, letting her take the lead in their interactions and conversation, unlike most guys she met, who were eager to pinpoint anything they had in common. Some way to get closer to her, either because they were interested in moving up the ranks at Compass Ranch or because they wanted in her pants. Or both. Kill two birds with one cock, so they seemed to think.
Instead, Viho reminded her of Jake, widely recognized as the best man around for taming wild horses. He had that same aloof patience that lured in the wild beasts and made them believe they were safe. And they were. Jake lived up to that implied promise. He cared for all his creatures, went above and beyond to see that they had everything he could give them.
It also could have been the sadness she sensed lurking behind Viho’s spectacular eyes that struck a chord.
“First, the place I grew up wasn’t the norm. It was culturally conservative. Dominated by a few extremist families that would never have seen past my less-than-pure blood. I’d have spent my entire life outvoted by the rest of the council regardless of how worthy my ideas were of their support. We’d have wasted everyone’s time in one giant pissing match, no one moving forward. It’s probably cowardly, but getting more involved seemed like a waste of time. Turning that tide was impossible. It never sat right on me anyway. Politics. People shouting over each other instead of understanding the other’s point of view. I’ve always enjoyed being outside, alone, listening to nature…”
No wonder he hadn’t been worried about spending the night outdoors.
“What does it tell you?” she asked.
And he shut down as surely as if she’d called him a loser.
“Hey.” She paused her examination to lay a hand on his wrist. They both shivered in response. His skin was balmy against hers and his pulse jumped beneath the pads of her fingers at the contact. “I wasn’t fucking around. Not making fun of you. I was serious.”
“Oh.” He sighed. Suddenly he seemed to age, and Sterling realized he was significantly older than she’d first thought. Maybe thirty-five or forty to her twenty-four. A man with some experience didn’t sound like such a bad thing to her. Hopefully, she hadn’t come off as some punk kid harassing him. “I guess I should have said that when it’s quiet around me I can hear myself think. And I don’t feel as out of place in the universe. If I stop listening too long, I start to feel like I don’t belong here and never have. And that’s totally a strange thing to admit. To anyone. But especially to…you know, you.”
He scrunched his eyes closed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“I guess that means we’ve passed that awkward introductory stage of our relationship.” With that lame attempt at a joke, she released him and tried to concentrate. On his words. On the truck. On anything but putting her hands on him again. Maybe sliding her palms beneath his shirt to steal some of his warmth and map the contours of his prime body.
Because suddenly, she really wanted to show him that he was in the exact right place in the cosmos, and so was she.
“It’s kind of weird, you know. I’ve always thought I knew where I was meant to be. But lately, things are changing, and I think that might be worse. Finding out that how you thought things were supposed to be isn’t going to last forever, and that your life is your family’s, not your own.”
“I know exactly what you mean, Sterlin
g.” He gazed at her with such intensity that she had to clear her throat and deliberately turn away. “And when that anchor gets yanked up and you start to drift, it’s easy to get dizzy. To lose your way.”
“Is that how you ended up stranded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere?” She recalled the black, red and white bedroll she’d spotted in the bed of the truck. It looked like he’d used it. A lot. Not just for picturesque camping trips to manicured grounds, either.
“I suppose it was the start of that path.” He shrugged, kicking a rock into the distance.
The grief radiating off him reminded her too much of what she’d been feeling when she left Compass Ranch earlier—the pain she’d been trying to obliterate, if even for a few hours.
So she steered the conversation to less dangerous ground. Like the cooling weather.
Viho rewarded her change of subjects with the hint of a smile and the loosening of his tense shoulders. As they chitchatted, she tinkered with his engine. It quickly became clear that his assessment was accurate. The thing was toast.
Surrendering, she turned toward Viho at the same instant he leaned in for a closer look. They plastered together. Instinctively, her hands flew to his chest to brace herself. And she smeared grease all over his soft, charcoal cotton shirt.
“Son of a bitch.” She tried to wipe a smudge off and only splattered it more. “I’m so sorry.”
“No problem.” His easygoing nature counterbalanced her impending freak-out, which would only enhance the social awkwardness that had always plagued her. But when he reached down, grabbed the hem of the tee and whipped it over his head, he struck her dumb.
Muscles rippled as he moved, hardness covered with smooth, tan skin she wished she had a right to touch. “Uh…”
“It was an accident. No harm.” He wadded up the fabric and tossed it into the back of the truck.
Except there might be some damage to her heart if it didn’t start beating again where it’d nearly exploded in her ribcage. It was time for her to admit it. She had never drooled over a man, not even a movie star or that guy she’d exchanged some heated emails with through an online matchmaking site, the way she lusted after Viho. Instant and vicious, attraction seethed between them.
“Sterling,” he murmured.
“Yeah?”
“I think we’d better wrap up here so you can take me into town now.”
“What if I don’t really want to do that anymore?” She couldn’t stop herself from being honest when he’d been so open with her earlier.
“Then I’ll wait for the next person to come by.” He shrugged, but she didn’t miss the flash of disappointment in his warm stare.
Did he think so little of himself that he didn’t understand her implication?
“Viho, this is not the time to be dense.” Brave, sure, she could be. But making the first move in this situation… Well, that was a little outrageous, even for her.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He encroached on her personal space then, and she loved it.
“I think I’d rather stay here with you and listen to what nature is telling me right now.” She wiped her hand on her skirt, then reached up to his cheek.
“You can’t mean that.” His eyes went wide. “Are you for real? Maybe I didn’t drink enough water today. I’ve been stuck out here for a while.”
Sterling smiled. She knew she was doing the right thing. He’d needed to find her as much as she’d needed to discover him today. For whatever reason, they were here in the same place at the same time. Wasting that opportunity—divine or pure dumb luck—would not be wise.
Sterling might not have believed in fate before, but she could be converted.
“Does this seem like I mean it?” She launched herself at Viho then, sure he wouldn’t allow her to fall. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she went onto her tiptoes.
He didn’t leave her straining for long. His broad hands cupped the back of her thighs and lifted her to his level. The tips of her boots dangled off the ground as their bodies aligned. Locking them tighter, she wrapped her legs around his hips and crossed her ankles even as her hands rested on either side of his neck. A breeze cooled her ass when her skirt rode up due to her very unladylike position.
Holding her as if she was as dainty as her cousin, Hope, he stared into her eyes until she lunged forward, plastering her lips on his before he could bring either one of them to their senses. That was when his gentlemanly exterior sheared away.
Viho growled as he kissed her, walking forward until her back knocked into the truck near where he’d stood when she’d first spied him. Her front molded to his bare chest and her greedy fingers explored his neck then his thick hair. As much of his muscular shoulders as she could reach.
If her nails scoring his heated flesh bothered him, he didn’t show it. Instead, he devoured her mouth like a drowning man who’d been offered one last gasp of fresh air. It was delicious. The taste of him, vanilla and spice. Addictive bliss whited out everything wrong with her world and highlighted each pleasurable sensation that rushed in to take its place. The world glowed as if their passion electrified everything around them.
Sterling sighed, melting into Viho when his tongue caressed hers, just the way she liked. A shockwave of delight burst from her core, spreading outward in a flash of tingles to all of her extremities. The buzzing amplified when Viho turned up the heat, his hands sliding to her ass and squeezing.
He held her tight to him while he ravaged her mouth. His hips pressed forward, imprinting the long bulge of his hard-on into the softness of her mound.
A delighted whimper escaped her parted lips.
Immediately, he froze.
“No, no,” she urged in a husky whisper. “That was a good sound. Don’t stop now.”
“This is insane.” He grunted softly when he rocked against her again as if he couldn’t help himself. “We shouldn’t.”
“I don’t care.” Sterling nuzzled his neck, letting her teeth rake the sensitive spot below his jaw.
“Not now, you don’t. But will you later?” Viho rested his forehead on hers. “I don’t want you to have any regrets.”
“I’ll only be sorry if we don’t live in the moment. We’re here, together, right now and I don’t want to waste a bit of whatever the hell this attraction is.” Begging wasn’t her style, but she was about to do it anyway. “Unless you have a girlfriend or something?”
“No.” He breathed hard, as if trying to regain control.
And she was having none of that.
“Funny,” she murmured as she nibbled his lip, intent on seduction.
“Hmm?” He didn’t seem that interested in her musings as he detoured from his arguments to kiss her in return.
“Today doesn’t seem so chilly anymore.”
His answering laugh rumbled through his chest.
Sterling swore she could feel the echo straight through to her heart. Inspired, she toed off one boot and then the other, hoping the sound of the leather hitting the ground would trigger an avalanche of clothes joining them.
“You’re sure?” he doubled-checked.
“Less talking, Viho. More kissing. Lots more.” She purred as she rippled against his torso, making him pant using the body wave she and her Compass cousins had practiced while learning to dirty dance in their living room.
“Right. You know that old saying, never look a gift horse in the mouth—”
“Are you calling me a horse?” She quirked a brow at him.
“Don’t hate me later, okay? And, hey, I love horses.” His crooked grin curled one corner of his sinful lips.
“Well, in that case…”
Viho laughed softly. He cupped her face in his palms, then kissed her with more tenderness and less hunger this time. “I don’t know where the hell you came from, girl, but I’m glad our paths crossed
today.”
“Me too,” Sterling walked her fingers down his rock-solid pecs. “Now make it an afternoon I’ll never forget, okay?”
“I’ll try my best.” He groaned when she spread her legs wider around him, inviting him closer, until neither of them could deny the thick ridge of his cock pressing at the damp lace of her panties. He kissed her neck, making her sigh and press into his hold even as he leaned his shoulders into her harder.
Pinned between his smoldering body and the cool steel of the vehicle, she shuddered.
He took the hint, reaching between them to yank open the fly of his jeans.
With a groan, he released his erection, drawing it through the opening of the well-worn denim. Sterling didn’t hesitate—she arched her back, seeking the blunt tip of his cock even though she couldn’t possibly align them on her own, especially not through the fabric of her underwear.
Damn it, why couldn’t she be a superhero with the ability to disintegrate clothes?
Viho guided his cock to her, nudging aside her panties, eliminating the final barrier between them.
“Hang on.” He paused.
“No. Don’t stop.” Okay, so it wasn’t like she’d been waiting very long. But still, she was impatient to have him inside her, filling her with something other than the poisonous dread that had taken hold of her soul earlier. “I told you—”
“What day is it?” Viho gave her shoulders a small shake, enough to snap her back to reality. “Focus, Sterling. It’s important.”
“Thursday, I think.” She racked her brain for a moment trying to remember something so mundane when he made her feel…extraordinary. “Why?”
“No, the date.” He gritted his teeth. The muscle in his jaw flexed as he held himself separate from her.
“September 27th…no. It’s the 28th.”
“Shit, that’s what I thought. Look...” He eased off her a bit, or would have if she hadn’t wrapped her arms around his neck and dragged him back against her where his weight and heat felt so damn right. “I’m Vasalgeled. But my prescription expires at the end of the month. Damn thing’s good for five years and it’s going to run out any day. Just my shitty luck.”