by Krista Ames
“Fine,” he mocked with a smirk.
With the goodies devoured, she handed him a towel while she plunged her hands into the dishwater. Tension in the room made it eerily silent. She didn’t do quiet, it drove her crazy. She was accustomed to her noisy office. He must be used to hearing the animals or listening to the cowhands.
“So, cowboy, are you from Wyoming?” Might as well start the conversation somewhere, and better to talk about him than her.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You were born here?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Raised here, too?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She gritted her teeth and tried not to yell out at him. “Do you have any other answers besides ‘yes ma’am’?”
“Yes ma’am. You ask, and I’ll answer.”
Men aren’t typically chatty, but sheesh, this is ridiculous. And good Lord, every time his arm rubbed against hers, she was sure she would drop a dish. The skin-on-skin contact shot all sorts of high-frequency tingles and shivers straight to every spot she didn’t dare think about. The sensations felt way too good.
“So where exactly were you born and raised?”
“I was born and raised in a small town a little west of the Big Horn Mountains.”
“Really? Is your family still there? How did you end up here if they are?”
“My family isn’t there anymore. My mom died right after I finished junior high, so my dad sold the ranch and moved the family out of state. Do you need me to finish those for you?” He pointed to the sink of soapy water.
Oh crap, she had unconsciously stopped scrubbing, her hands still submerged in the sudsy dishwater. “Ah no, only one thing left. I’ll finish.” She handed the glass to him, let the water out, and dried off the counter. “All done. Wasn’t that fun? And it even went quick!” Am I a lunatic? It had been the most difficult time she’d ever had washing dishes.
“Uh yeah. Fun.” He shook his head in puzzlement, or maybe frustration—she wasn’t sure which—hooked the towel over the oven door handle, and headed toward the door. “Thanks for the help tonight. I’m off to the barn. Sleep well, princess.” Matt walked out the kitchen door and grabbed his hat from the hall tree.
“Wait!”
Still holding the handle with the slightly open door, he turned to her.
“Do you need any help?” Good God, what the hell was she thinking? She did not need to spend any more time with this man—the dishes had been hard enough with their arms rubbing against each other making all sorts of friction. Just shut up and go to bed, Ally. She silently pleaded for him to say no, so the decision would be made for her.
“You can come out if you want. I’m only making my rounds through the horse barn, might brush down a few. Grab a coat if so, wouldn’t want you getting a chill.”
What a smart ass. He was intentionally provoking her. She couldn’t say no.
“I think I’ll be okay, cowboy. I lived here for a long time and know exactly what it’s like but thanks anyway for you concern.”
“Suit yourself.” He shrugged and stepped back with the door wide, motioning her to go ahead.
Chapter Four
Matt kept telling himself he was okay with the minimal information he’d given her about what had taken him away from Wyoming. But he definitely wasn’t going to tell her where he had been in the years since, or what had brought him back to his home state. They didn’t know each other well enough for a personal history lesson. Hell, he’d known his boss for two years and hadn’t even told him. What puzzled him the most was why he was even considering the fact that he could tell her.
He held the side door open for Ally. “We keep the lights low for the horses—”
“I remember. It comforts the horses along with the soft music. Keeps them calm.”
A gust of wind whirled around them, wafting the strong scent of hay, horse, and leather. She inhaled. “What a great smell. I really have missed this place. New York seems so far away.”
He could only imagine her childhood memories of growing up on the Circle K Ranch, doing everything from mucking the stalls to feeding and grooming. Knowing Jesse, he made sure she knew every aspect of the ranch there was to know.
He touched her elbow, and she jumped.
“Come on, I’ll introduce you to some of our newer tenants.” He stopped at the first two stalls, both with beautiful honey colored mares. “These two girls are related, came from the same mama. Sweet as can be, too. Very gentle rides.” He slid two hard candies from his pocket; and each mare gently snagged one from his hands.
“Were those peppermints?”
“Yeah, special treat. They all love ‘em.”
“We used to give them small sugar cubes or carrot pieces.”
“Maribella keeps a tightly locked-up pantry, so I’ve avoided the carrots. I buy the mints myself.”
He moved on, calling the next few horses by names, rubbing their soft noses, and passing each of them a candy. Matt tried to always be gentle and very soft spoken to them. The majestic beasts were a love of his. He liked the way they responded to him. Often times, he thought a woman should be treated much the same.
Ally had been watching him with the horses. Would she want him to touch her as gently? He moved closer. “Not sure what you’re thinking, princess, but I bet I’d like to know.”
Her face practically lit up like a bonfire. “Well, it wasn’t about you, so no need to worry further.”
When she took a step away from him, he almost laughed. He had made her uncomfortable.
“I think I’ve seen enough of the barn for tonight. It’s been a long day. Thanks for uh, well…thanks. I think I’ll be turning in now.”
She spun, but her feet must have tangled, and she fell. Without thinking, he reached out, gripped her upper arms, and drew her up tight against him. He turned her until her hands rested on his shoulders, and her breasts pressed flush with his chest. Sliding his arms down, he trapped her in his embrace.
She trembled, and stark anticipation shot through him. He would venture to guess, and it’d be a bet he wouldn’t lose, that when she’d shivered, it hadn’t been because she was chilly. He was anything but cold. His brain warned him this was not a good situation to be in, but she felt so damn good, and it had been way too long since he’d held a woman in his arms. Normally, he avoided the opposite sex like the plague. But a gorgeous, headstrong, warm female just falling into his arms, who could blame him for wanting more of her?
Her gaze lifted, connecting with his, and he was done for. He kept an arm wrapped around her waist, her body flush with his own. Drawing his other hand up her spine and over her shoulder, he trailed his fingers along the side of her neck to cradle her jaw. He rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip. Damn, she looked good enough to eat, and he only needed a nibble—just one taste, and he could let her go. He hadn’t kissed a woman in far too long, but if he could get the flavor of her luscious lips, he would be satisfied.
The tip of her tongue sneaked out and touched his thumb. He was a goner. Holding her jaw, he slowly lowered his head, brushing his mouth over hers, ever so slightly. Her lips were soft and luscious like he knew they would be, and tasted of Heaven. Who was he kidding? Once would never be enough with this woman. With no control left, he deepened the kiss.
He ran his tongue across her bottom lip, coaxing her to open. She conceded without hesitation, and he moaned. Cupping the sides of her beautiful face, he angled her head for better access and he thrust his tongue against hers.
Oh God, what this man was doing to her senses. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. She could only feel. Oh boy, and feel she did. The hardness of his thighs against hers, the heat pouring out of him, warming her throughout. This man was wreaking havoc on her sensibilities.
Sensibilities? What sensibilities? He had clearly knocked every sense from her with the first touch, and then his lips had found hers. Good Lord, no man had ever, ever kissed her this way—like he wouldn’t
survive if he didn’t possess her mouth. And she let him.
Wait! No! This was all wrong. Matt worked for her daddy.
She needed to get a hold of herself and the situation, which was quickly flying out of her control. She needed out of the barn. Moving her hands from his shoulders, where her fingers had been digging into his hard muscles, she pushed him and his addicting lips away, breaking their connection.
“Wait! Stop!” Ally closed her eyes, forcing herself to take a step away from him. She snatched her fingers from his chest. Good Lord, her hands were shaking. She lowered them to her sides, making tight fists. Opening her eyes, she found him looking at her, desire pooling in his eyes, surely a mirror to her own. “We can’t do this. I must be crazy!”
He pushed his fingers through his rich brown hair, leaving it rumpled and sexy, and rested his hands on his hips, never taking his eyes off her. Why wasn’t he saying anything?
“Look, this never should have happened,” she said, and a hint of a smile formed on those wonderful lips. Stop smirking! “Maybe we should just go to bed.”
A mischievous glimmer sparked in his eyes. “Ah, now—”
She lifted both her hands, palms up. Shit. “No, don’t you dare say it. That is so not what I meant. What I mean is we both need to turn in. Go to bed. Separately. Damn it, this isn’t coming out right. I’m going to bed. To my room. By myself.”
Not one word came from his mouth, but he was definitely smiling.
Great! I am such an idiot! “Good night!”
Taking care this time, she turned from him but was stopped when he grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to him.
“Dream about me, princess,” he whispered in her ear. “About how good it could be between us.” Then he released her, made an about face, and walked off through the barn.
She stood frozen, watching until he disappeared into the shadows. Closing her eyes for a moment, she tried to catch her breath. What in the world have I done?
***
Matt sat at his desk in the tack room with his feet propped on top, the strong leather smell making him feel at home. He stared into the bottom drawer at the bottle of scotch, half gone, lying beside a small plastic juice glass. He hadn’t had a drink in two years, but the bottle was there for nights like this one when he was trying to convince himself he didn’t need a drink. He wasn’t really a drinker—he had always prided himself on being too responsible.
One time of getting knockdown drunk was all it had taken to convince himself he could never be an alcoholic. It had been a little over two years ago, after the nightmare that brought him home to Wyoming. He kept a bottle, the last of his stash, as a reminder of what he’d done, or rather what he hadn’t been able to do, and what he’d suffered through to make it to where he was today. He slammed the drawer in disgust, hating himself for having to open it for reassurance. He’d moved on and was getting his life back together, even if no one else knew it.
His mind was exhausted from going over every minute of the last few hours since he’d ridden into the barnyard earlier in the evening. His thoughts shifted to the ranch house of all places, to the room right next to his. Was she still awake? Tossing and turning? Thinking of him like he was thinking of her? What did she sleep in? He smiled. He could definitely picture her in black lace. He loved black lace. Man, it made him hard just thinking about it.
“Christ, Gentry, take your ass to bed. She’s off limits.”
***
Ally couldn’t sleep. Granted, it wasn’t as though she slept in her old room all the time, it’d been quite a while, but it was hers nonetheless. Unfortunately, she didn’t think it was the old four-poster canopy set-up that was the problem. More like the cowboy in the room directly next to hers. She had already been in bed when his boots scuffed down the hallway. She tried to tell herself she wasn’t waiting up for him but could have sworn he’d stopped at her door first before he opened his own.
After a few minutes, his footsteps gave away his movement around in his room. She cursed the darned old house walls, thin like paper, she could hear everything. First the window opened, next his boots dropped, one first then the other onto the hardwood floor. A minute later, his bedsprings creaked when he crawled in.
After she had thrown her stifling bed covers onto the floor, she wondered whether he wore pajamas, or if his cool sheets rubbed against his naked skin. He’d had plenty of time to get undressed, but she couldn’t really picture him as a “pair of flannel pajama bottoms” guy, and she hoped he at least left his chest bare. She’d much rather picture him in nothing at all. Suddenly, her oversized T-shirt was way too warm.
She didn’t feel near comfortable with her daddy at the end of the hall, but she normally wore either her black silk nightie or her black lace cami and shorts set. Sometimes even on warm New York nights when she felt really daring, she wore nothing at all. It wasn’t like anyone would see her on the third floor of her loft apartment—unless they had good binoculars. She was always pretty much alone at night except for her Persian, Lucifer. He made his permanent bed in the god- awful psychedelic beanbag chair in the corner of her room. Sometimes when it stormed, she would find him at the end of her bed, curled up under the comforter. He was the only man she really needed—reliable, warm, cuddly, and always attentive.
Disgusted, she jumped out of bed, went to the window, and pushed it open as far as it’d go then removed the screen. Fresh air was a must for her sanity. Hanging out past the glass panes, she sucked in the cool country aroma. It was totally therapeutic. Looking out at the beautiful starlit sky, she thought herself crazy that she’d ever wanted to leave. Releasing a heavy sigh, she withdrew into the room and pushed away from the marble sill, wishing she had a fan.
A male voice floated through the night. Whoa, she knew that voice. The sound must have come from his room next door.
Who in the world is he talking to? She hadn’t heard anyone else in the house. Oh, he better not have some floozy in his room. She would absolutely not stand for such a thing, no matter what Daddy said. And, oh my God, so soon after kissing her? Yuck!
She moved closer to the window, straining to hear more of his conversation. Good grief, this was so unladylike. Eavesdropping was probably against some code of ethics or something. Oh who cared? She’d never been much of a lady anyway. She strained to hear, but he was whispering.
Wait a second, there’s no other voice. Only his. What the heck? His voice became clearer as he moved closer to his own window. Oh crap. She scurried off the sill. Silly really. It wasn’t like he could see her unless he moved the screen, stuck his head out, and looked in her direction.
“Okay, sweetheart, I have to go. Yes, it’s a beautiful night, lots of stars out. I wish you were here, too. Sleep well and I miss you. Talk to you soon. Bye, honey.”
Silence.
The bed creaked again and then all was quiet.
Oh my God! She stood frozen, a cool breeze coming through the window suddenly giving her goose bumps. He had a girlfriend. She could even be a fiancée.
“Then what the hell was he doing kissing me?” she whispered to herself. Why in the world did it even matter? He was nothing to her, wasn’t even her type. She replaced the screen quietly and crawled back into bed and then pulled the covers up to her nose. “Boy, this is gonna be one long night.”
Chapter Five
Matt’s hands roamed over her body. Starting at her toes, he massaged her feet then her calf muscles and moved toward the ticklish spot on the back of her knees. It was obvious he worked outdoors, and the roughness against her skin turned her beyond hot. Fingers inched up each of her thighs while soft, wet lips trailed in their wake, searing each place they touched. She kept her eyes tightly shut, but her palms moved over the hard, damp muscles of his shoulders, her nails digging in to pull him closer.
She couldn’t lie still, getting more restless as he slowly climbed his way closer. His legs pressed between hers, pushing her open to him. He brushed his knuckles along her inner thigh
s but did not touch her pulsing center while his breath fanned over her sensitive flesh. She gasped at the erotic sensations. Then his mouth was on her stomach, edging across her ribs. He cupped her breasts, thumbs rubbing over her nipples, immediately hardening them and creating an equal tightness on her insides.
His tongue circled around her pert bud but didn’t actually touch it, forcing her to hold back a scream. She weaved her fingers into his hair, trying to force his mouth where she so desperately needed it, but he resisted. She moaned her displeasure as he moved away, only to lavish his attention to her other breast. All the while, his pulsing arousal lay along her inner thigh. She longed for his length to plunge deep into her, giving her what she craved.
Suddenly, his mouth disappeared, only to be replaced by a wisp of cool air making her nipples impossibly tight. The head of his penis rested at her opening. She was so desperate for him she wanted to cry out. He crept his hand down her side to cup her bottom, the pressure of him nudging at her sweet spot increased.
“Oh God, Matt, please….”
Immediately awake, she sat straight up in bed, her skin coated with sweat, her shirt…gone.
OH MY GOD! What the hell?
It was morning. Her shade was up along with her window, and she was in bed, naked. “Good Lord, please tell me I didn’t beg out loud.” Anybody could have heard her. Oh God, Daddy could have heard me! Worst of all, so could have Matt.
This could not be happening. She needed to get a grip and get the cowboy out of her mind. Jumping out of bed, she found her T-shirt on the floor and pulled it over her head. She shuffled frantically across the room to pull the shade down over the window then tidied up her sheets before heading to the bathroom.
The hot shower was a blessed thing but not nearly enough to wash away the humiliation. Good Lord, anyone could have overheard her X-rated dream. She shook her head and groaned while the water coursed over her.