“I can’t promise that I won’t mess it all up again tomorrow, Tess. But tonight I’ll play it your way. No questions, no expectations, no past or future. I want you. That’s what matters.”
His words were aphrodisiac, freeing her from her worry about what he might think of her past, and what he might want in the future. She reached up on tiptoes. “Thank you for coming,” she whispered in his ear, and then kissed him where the words had fallen.
The ragged intake of his breath was gratifying. She’d felt at such a disadvantage with Slaid on their dates. He was a pro at small talk, at getting to know someone effortlessly. Now they were in her territory, and she felt all her confidence returning.
She slid her lips to his mouth, still balanced on her toes, using his broad shoulders as support to keep her mouth even with his. It was her turn to kiss him, to push his lips open with hers, to taste and torment him. She bit softly on his lower lip, and he made a harsh sound and pushed her down and into the wall so it was completely supporting her weight. His mouth ravaged hers as his hands came down to her breasts, and she felt his mouth tip up under his in a gratified smile when he discovered that she was braless. His hands dipped to the hem of her shirt and lifted it up, his fingers trailing along the bare skin of her back, his thumbs on her abdomen, and then he slid his hands under her breasts, filling his palms with them.
She wanted his hands there, but she wanted them everywhere else, too. Tess ground her hips against his, feeling him hard through his jeans. His huge hands were under her armpits in an instant, lifting her effortlessly so her legs wrapped around his waist. “Bed,” she gasped, and he carried her there, kissing her the entire way, only slamming her ankle into one door frame in the process. He sat her down on the bed and went to his knees, rubbing the offended ankle gently.
“You okay?” he asked, and she knew he meant about all of it, not just the ankle.
“I’m good,” she assured him. “Stand up. Please?” She scooted closer to the edge of the bed and grabbed his belt loops as he stood, bringing him closer. She unbuckled his silver buckle and found the button at the top of his fly. When she unzipped, his erection sprang out under the black cotton of his underwear, and she pulled the waistband to free it, taking him in her mouth.
“Tess,” he gasped, fisting his hands in her hair. She quickly found the rhythm he needed and lost herself in the feel of him, mouth and hands sliding along his length until he cried out and she tasted him, so sharply salty.
“Hell,” he whispered, tipping her face up to look at him. “You in some kind of hurry to get finished tonight?”
“Who said anything about being finished?” she teased, throwing his words from Bodie back at him.
He pulled his jeans all the way off and pushed back the covers on her bed. “Get in here with me.”
She glanced down at her fleece ensemble. Not exactly sexy.
“And take those off.”
“I like a man who takes charge,” she purred, removing the fleece top and watching him admire her breasts when she tossed it aside. She slipped her yoga pants off and slid into bed next to him. “Any other orders you want to give me, Mr. Mayor?”
He studied her face for a moment, a slow smile building. “Sure.” He pulled her on top of him so she was on all fours. He immediately filled his hands with her breasts, teasing her nipples with his thumbs. “I want you like this.” His words came out ragged, barely audible.
Tess arched her back, reveling in the feeling of being caressed by his enormous hands, letting the intense sensations ripple through her nervous system. She brought her mouth down to kiss him, freezing when his hands moved over her back and down her thighs.
“I need you,” she whispered, barely choking the words out, she wanted him so badly.
“Wait,” he said, and gently set her down next to him on the bed.”
“I like these.” He traced the lace border of her emerald green satin panties. And then he slid them off with agonizing slowness, stopping to kiss every bit of skin revealed. And when he reached her toes, and tossed the panties over the edge of the bed, he pulled the quilts over and around her, making sure she was warm.
“Such a Boy Scout,” she breathed.
“Well, let me earn my merit badge, then.” And he slid under the covers, pushing her knees so she opened her thighs to him.
She closed her eyes, letting the room disappear so it was just his mouth on her, and all her senses focused on only that, his fingers inside her, his hand on her belly, the alternating teasing and pressure, until the feeling raging through her collected and shattered and she shook against his mouth as he held her firmly to the bed.
* * *
HE EMERGED FROM the covers, damp with sweat and her, and used the edge of the sheet to wipe his mouth before he kissed her.
“Boy Scout,” she teased again, but her voice was languid now, her muscles marshmallow soft in her afterglow.
His mouth came over hers, nibbled gently on her lower lip. “Did I earn my badge?”
“Most definitely.” She giggled. “One of them, at least.”
“Remember when I told you I was an Eagle Scout?” His hand was between her legs now, circling her most sensitive spots, bringing electric desire back into her sleepy body and brain. She pushed herself against him and he increased the pressure.
“I... Yes...” Her voice was breathless now. It was hard to speak with his hand circling relentlessly, building up that wanting need she’d only just sated.
“So I’ve got a lot of badges...”
“Really...”
“And I know how to be prepared.”
It took a moment for his words to penetrate the haze of longing that was cocooning her. When the caresses stopped and he leaned over the bed to pull something out of the pocket of his jeans, the meaning became clear. Tess giggled. “I’m so glad.”
He ripped open the condom packet and quickly rolled it on, then resumed touching her. “I know how to build a fire, too.”
She was burning under his hand; she didn’t think she could take much more of his amazing badge-earning skills.
“Prove it.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him down to kiss her, to lay across her. He held himself up slightly so as not to crush her while he pushed her thighs apart with his knee, and she almost cried with the anticipation of him inside her. She’d had two years to savor the memory of what it felt like. Yet this was better than the memories, better than anything she’d had before or since. Her entire being was focused on his hard length pushing deep inside and over and over until she cried out, clinging to him. His rough gasp escaped on breath that warmed her neck, and she felt him move in her depths, the muscles of his back trembling a little as he rode out his climax.
And when they’d both stopped shaking, he lay next to her, propped on an elbow, with a smile that was all happiness, pride and admiration. “It’s better than Phoenix,” he whispered.
Tess looked up at him in surprise.
“I know you better than I did that first time. And that makes it way better.”
“So there are some benefits from this getting-to-know-you business,” she whispered languidly, and he laughed out loud.
He pulled her to him. She had just enough energy left to roll over so her back was to his broad chest, her bottom nestled into his groin. She was completely sated and perfectly cradled in his warmth. He wrapped one arm protectively around her, drawing the quilts up against the chill autumn night. “You’re right,” she murmured sleepily. “This was better than Phoenix. And it’s my house, so I don’t have to tiptoe out of here in the morning.”
She could feel his chest move against her back with soft laughter. He kissed her hair and snuggled against her, and his quiet breathing lulled her to sleep.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“GOOD MORNING, BEAUTIFUL.”
Tess opened her eyes and gasped. Slaid was looking down at her, the warm smile on his face quickly fading when he saw the horror on hers.
; “It’s okay,” he said. “It’s just me.”
Tess sat bolt upright with the covers pulled up to her chin. She was naked under them, in bed with Slaid, and it was morning. Light outside. Which meant smeared makeup, morning breath, and she’d have to come up with some kind of small talk to entertain him, which she was pretty sure she was incapable of precoffee. Irrational thoughts raced across her mind. What did you say to a guy at—she glanced at the clock—seven in the morning?
“Um, excuse me” was all she could think of. She grabbed the small throw draped at the foot of the bed and wrapped it around herself. Her scramble out of bed and her race to the bathroom were probably not very graceful, but she had to get away.
Once inside the relative safety of the tiny bathroom, she took a deep breath and considered her choices. Her running clothes were hanging from a hook on the door, she could pull them on and get out through the window, but it looked cold outside. Plus, Slaid wouldn’t appreciate it if she disappeared on him again. Better to try to repair whatever damage she could from last night and face him looking as good as possible.
She splashed cold water on her face, dried her skin with a towel and regarded her reflection, pleasantly surprised. She did look good, actually. Glowing. She remembered how Slaid had made her feel last night, the things they’d done. Yeah, no wonder she was glowing. She smiled, despite the anxiety of waking up with a guy in her bed, and grabbed her toothbrush. At least she could do away with the morning breath.
She heard Slaid moving around in the bedroom. Maybe he was getting ready to leave. By the time she’d finished brushing her teeth and pulling her hair into a ponytail, there were no more sounds in the bedroom. Yay. Hopefully he’d gone home and she wouldn’t have to figure out what do next.
She wrapped herself in a bath towel and padded into the bedroom, noting with satisfaction that the bed was made and there was no sign of Slaid. She rummaged through her drawers, pulling out a bra, underwear, jeans and a T-shirt. She had no formal appointments today. Just some work here at the cottage and, of course, the dreaded baby shower invitations—she had to tally up the RSVPs.
“Coffee?”
Tess started and dropped her underwear. The lacy panties wafted down and landed at the ground by Slaid’s bare feet. His laughter came out as rich as the scent emanating from the cup he offered.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I thought you’d left!”
“I wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye.” There was outrage on his face at the thought, and then the realization seemed to hit him that she’d done exactly that in Arizona two years ago.
“Oh.” It was all she could say, unless she voiced what was in both their thoughts. I would.
She sipped the coffee and looked up to where he was leaning on the door frame, smiling at her, his own cup in his hand. In his faded jeans and untucked flannel he looked younger than usual, not the mayor or the busy rancher or the dad, just a guy hanging out after a really great night of sex. She flushed as the recollection of just how great it was heated her skin.
“You’ve never done this before, have you?”
“Done what?” She feigned ignorance, hoping there was still a way to avoid this chat.
“Woken up with a guy. You completely panicked earlier, didn’t you?”
“Well, there’s a lot to panic about. Messed up hair, morning breath, wondering if it was fun for you, too...”
He chuckled. “Trust me. No need to panic. Your hair is incredibly sexy when it’s mussed, you don’t have morning breath and it was way more than fun.”
She just stared at him, wondering at this knack he had for making everything seem so simple.
“And I’d like to wake up with you again, very soon, but right now, I want to take you to breakfast.”
“You can’t take me to breakfast!”
“Why not? People do eat breakfast, Tess. Though after looking in your cupboards, I’m not sure you do.”
“Everyone will know that we...”
“It’s just breakfast. I’m not planning to have sex with you in the diner, though the idea does pose some interesting possibilities...”
“Ew!” She didn’t share his humor. “There is nothing sexy about bacon and eggs.”
“I disagree. Right now they sound very sexy. Warm...salty...”
“Greasy...”
He laughed. “Come on, let’s go eat. Who cares what anyone thinks? Some might think we’re together, some might think we were just hungry. Who cares?”
“I’ve never had breakfast with a guy like this.”
“Don’t you think it’s about time you started?”
Tess didn’t have any more arguments. Last night she’d promised herself she wouldn’t let her fears hold her hostage. Plus, she was really hungry, way hungrier than the low-fat granola in her cupboard had the power to sate. She grabbed her underwear out of his hand and got dressed. Then she went to the bench by the door and pulled on her knee-high boots.
“That’s more like it.” He sat down next to her and put on his socks and boots, glanced over and caught her watching him. “Let me guess, you’ve never sat next to a guy and put on boots, either?”
“Nope.” Tess giggled. It was pretty ridiculous, now that she thought about it—how incredibly solitary her life was.
They grabbed their coats and walked side by side to the diner on Main Street. Tess was relieved that Slaid didn’t try to hold her hand—she wasn’t ready to announce to the town of Benson that they’d just rolled out of bed together. But when she saw his truck parked in front of the bar, she knew that at least some people would put the pieces together and figure out where he’d spent the night.
“You left your truck in the middle of town all night?” she said.
“Well, it seemed better than leaving it in front of your house,” he said mildly.
“You couldn’t have hidden it in a bush somewhere? Put branches on it so no one could see it?”
He looked at her uncertainly.
“Kidding,” she said. “I’m not quite that crazy.”
They were still laughing when they stepped inside the diner. It seemed as though half the town of Benson was here, and all heads turned toward her and the mayor. Tess paused, the weight of all the attention suddenly stifling.
Slaid put a comforting hand on her arm.
“If this is too much, we can leave.”
She was uncomfortable, but she wasn’t running anymore. “Hey, it’s a morning of firsts anyway, why not add my first successful public date with a small-town mayor to my list of accomplishments?”
“Lucky mayor,” he said softly with a smile that was both sweet and sexy.
Slaid managed to get them the booth in the far corner by the window. Tess sat with her back to the restaurant—at least if people were looking at them and speculating, she couldn’t see it. And it didn’t seem to bother Slaid at all. Every once in a while he’d catch someone’s eye and give them a little wave or nod of acknowledgment, but she never turned to see who it might be.
The waitress took their order and filled their cups with coffee. Slaid took a gulp of his before asking “So how’s your first morning after so far?”
“Surprisingly pleasant, after the initial shock,” she answered.
“It was pretty cute when you took off for the bathroom.”
“Don’t tease!” She kicked him gently under the table and he caught her leg, bringing it up to rest on the seat next to him, his big hand wrapped around her ankle. Even through the leather of her boot she felt his warm strength.
“Hey, I’m honored. And I meant it when I said that I hope it’s not a one-time thing. You wear bed head well.”
“No promises,” Tess said automatically, sipping her coffee. But strangely enough, she wanted other mornings, too.
Their food arrived, and after one bite Tess decided that bacon and eggs were sexy, or at least the perfect breakfast after a long night of incredible sex. And sitting here with Slaid was so much easi
er than she’d imagined. She’d always feared that the morning after would be full of awkward pauses and unspoken feelings. Instead they chatted about the people who walked by on the sidewalk outside the window, and they argued the merits of the country songs playing over the speakers. It was relaxing.
The waitress took their plates, and they sat sipping their coffee.
“So Devin is back on the football team, raring to go.”
“Really?” Tess asked. “I’m glad he’s able to play again. I hope he does okay. He seems like a good kid.”
“He is. But he was sure having a rough day when you met him. Last week was his birthday. My ex, Jeannette, didn’t call, and his birth mother didn’t, either. That might’ve been part of what set him off.”
The information scraped over her like sandpaper. Devin wanted to hear from his mom on his birthday. And his birth mother. Did Adam wish for a phone call on his birthday? Was he disappointed every year when it didn’t come? “I’m sorry,” she answered woodenly. “I can imagine that was hard for him.”
“I haven’t really thanked you,” Slaid said. “I don’t know what you said to him the other day, but it helped.”
“I’m glad.” There was a sort of buzzing of emotion in her ears. She’d had many chances to be in Adam’s life and she’d refused. Had she caused her son the type of anger and pain that Devin felt?
Slaid didn’t seem to notice her distraction. “I was bracing myself the whole drive to town for Devin to be angry, upset and acting out. Instead he was calm. And he even talked about how he needed to learn to ignore people who might provoke him.”
“You must have been so proud of him.” She had to focus on the present. This wasn’t about her son; it was about Devin and Slaid, who were in her life, who mattered now.
“I was,” Slaid assured her. “And grateful to you, too. You made a great impression on him. I was almost jealous. I’ve been trying to teach him those lessons for years. Ever since he came to live with us.”
“How old was he?”
“About three. With a head full of anger and a heart full of hurt. We worked hard and he made a lot of progress—until Jeannette left a couple years ago. She was the only mom he’d really known. Since then, it’s been a little touch and go with Devin.”
Convincing the Rancher Page 19