Wonderland

by Bridget Midway

  This time, however, he backed off. "Okay. But for the record, you wouldn't be a statistic."

  Her eyes narrowed, and he leaned close to kiss her next comment away. She resisted for all of two seconds before she melted into him, a long rumbling purr sliding out from her throat and into his mouth.

  Lord, he loved her kisses. He could kiss her all day and then some. She was all fire and passion. He knew he'd not find another like her, and there had to be some way not to let her go. Reaching between them, he tugged the sheet free and settled her naked body against his, releasing his own groan of pleasure.

  Did he want to keep her barefoot and pregnant? No. Naked? Hell yes. He thrust against her hand as she sheathed his cock with a condom before opening her legs to welcome him inside her. Heat. Tightness. It didn't get any better than this. He cupped her head in his hands as he began to move. Her thick lashes rose and their gazes melded as he rocked. The passion was easy to read all over her face, her full lips parted and a bit swollen from his kisses. Pupils dilated. Skin flushed and covered with a fine sheen of sweat.

  In and out, he stroked her. Wanting it slow and drawn out. Her legs hooked around his hips and she flexed her internal muscles. He shook his head, not giving her what she wanted.

  "Slow, Sage."

  "Conall." His name fell from her lips on a faint whine.

  "No. I want you to burn as much as I do. Feel as if you're going to burst into flames at any second."

  Her pussy clenched around his shaft, and he ground his back teeth to remain in some semblance of control. She rotated her hips and took him deeper. He thrust; she moaned. He withdrew; she gripped him tight, both internally and externally. She held him as if she never wanted to let him go. As if she couldn't quite get close enough. And he loved it.

  "Come with me," he rumbled against her full lips.

  Her back bowed, and her release coated his cock. He drove into her four more times before he came with a low roar. Sweaty and heart pounding, he lowered his weight onto her. Her heart thundered beneath his bare chest and he loosened his grip on her hair.

  After a few moments, she dragged her tongue along her lips and sighed. He withdrew and disposed of the condom before climbing back into bed. Drawing her back into his embrace, he brushed a kiss over her forehead. Her eyes were closed and her breathing deep and even. For all intents and purposes, he would have believed her to be asleep. Except he knew better.

  "Are we going to talk about this?"

  Sure enough, those incredible eyes were exposed again. And damn if his breath didn't catch again. She was such a beautiful woman. Another visual of a young girl who looked like the woman in his arms flashed before him and he inhaled sharply. Oh boy, this was rapidly becoming something bordering on love with her. That gave him a moment's pause. Love? Really?

  Why not? It was possible to fall this quickly.

  "What's to talk about?"

  Her voice had an edge to it and he frowned as she rolled free from the bed and quickly donned her clothes. Sitting up, Conall used the blanket to drape over his lap. Ashamed of his nudity? Not at all, but Sage seemed determined to keep some barriers between them. He didn't want her leaving his room, or his life for that matter, but he had to focus on one thing at a time.

  "The possibility you could be carrying my child."

  Her nose flared and she clenched her jaw. "Give me your phone or e-mail, and I'll let you know."

  "No decisions made without me?"

  She narrowed her eyes. "It's my body."

  He got up from the bed, ignoring the fact he was naked, and got in her face. "And if you're pregnant, that baby is not just yours."

  It may not be correct for him to say such things, but damn it all, the child—if there was one—was part of him as well and he had every right to have his voice heard. She obviously didn't like him saying it, but all she did was give a sharp nod.

  He reached for her face, cupping her cheek. Lord, it was love he felt for her. "Come here," he murmured.

  Soon she was against his body again and he breathed deeply. "Let me get you my card. It has all my information on it." He reached for his wallet and withdrew one of his business cards. Turning back, he saw her staring at him but not seeing him. There was a faraway look in her gaze, and he knew she had some things of her own to work out. Hell, they might be jumping the gun, for she might not even be knocked up.

  He slipped the card in the pocket of her pants and used his index finger to nudge her face up so he could see her eyes.

  "You okay?"

  She released the lip she'd been chewing on with a pop, blinked a few times, then nodded. "Sure. I have to get to my room."

  "Right."

  He didn't want her to go but he wouldn't try to keep her if she wished to leave. She chewed on a nail as she scanned his room and gathered the rest of her things. At the door, he stopped her with a question.

  "I'll see you at breakfast?"

  She gave a noncommittal mutter and waved at him over her shoulder as she slipped out into the hall, leaving him alone, naked, and still aroused in his room. Conall went to the bathroom and hopped in the shower, turning it on as hot as he could handle it. Clean, he returned to bed and buried his head in the pillow she'd been using. It contained a light lingering scent of her upon it and he tried to get as much as he could of it as he drifted back to sleep.

  He woke a bit before six, sitting straight up in the bed with the feeling that something was wrong. Flicking on a light, he scanned the room. Everything fine here. Still the feeling wouldn't leave him, and so he rose and dressed. As had become his norm, his thoughts drifted to the one and only Sage Addison.

  Surely she wouldn't…would she?

  "Fuck!" He ripped open his door and headed at a jog to the elevators. They moved too slow and his impatience rose with each passing second. He dashed from the lift at her floor and halted before her door, knocking.

  "Sage?" he called out. No one answered.

  Don't jump to conclusions, he told himself as he headed for the first floor. Sometimes she got up early for a morning run on the slopes. He paused in the lobby and went toward the large room where they served breakfast. Employees scurried back and forth, setting up for the Christmas morning meal. Not a sign of Sage though.

  His heart was heavy as he made his way slowly back to the elevator bay. When the doors slipped open, he stepped through and pressed the button for his floor. A pair of skis stopped the doors from closing.

  "Sorry," a female said in a voice that was out of breath.

  "Not a problem," he muttered. Sidestepping so she would have a bit more room for both her and her skis, he blinked as it sank in who stood there with him.

  "Sage?"

  She pushed her hat back, brushed the pompoms away from her face, and stared up at him. The grin she gave him melted his heart and made his knees weak.

  "Merry Christmas, Conall."

  "I thought you'd left," he admitted.

  "Wanted to get a final run in before I did." She dropped her gaze and stared at the floor.

  He stepped closer and lifted her face. "Sage."

  Her skis clattered to the wall of the elevator as their lips met. Nothing else mattered. They got off on her floor and went to her room, where he spent the rest of their time together in her bed, her arms.

  Chapter Six

  Springtime in Georgia

  "Holy shit, Sage! What the hell happened to you?"

  Sage flipped off her friend Jason Guestrap as she walked passed him, dripping water with each step. Soaked head to foot and cold didn't exactly inspire her to be full of cheer with his ribbing, even though she knew it was good-natured.

  "Are you okay?" he questioned. Now she heard the concern in his tone.

  She paused at the door to her bedroom. "Peachy. Give me a minute." It didn't take her too long, and soon she was out in the main room, toweling off her hair, dressed in dry clothing.

  Jason stood at the stovetop stirring something in a pot. It smelled good, like
vegetable soup.

  "What the hell happened?"

  "I wasn't paying attention and fell in."

  Jason glanced at her over his shoulder, one brow raised in disbelief. "Only one thing lately has gotten your head so screwed up you stop paying attention to what you are doing."

  "Don't," she warned. "Don't start."

  "Or else what? You're going to smack me with your wet hair?" His whiny voice had her rolling her eyes in humor and amusement. Then he continued. "Drip on me? Oh, no! I'm so scared, please, please, anything but that."

  She paused and glared at him before whipping the towel at him. "You are such an ass."

  "You should just call him." Jason tossed the towel he'd caught with ease back at her.

  Covering her face with the damp cotton, she groaned. There was no need to ask whom Jason meant, for she knew. Just as she knew her ass had fallen in the stream and gotten soaked, she knew he meant none other than Conall Lennox.

  Conall wasn't ever far from her thoughts. She'd sent him an e-mail informing him there was no child and hadn't heard from him. However, to be fair, she didn't have Internet out here and wouldn't be back down to base for a good while yet. Didn't stop her dreams at night, or—apparently—the ones she had during the day, which took her common sense away from her and landed her ass-first in an ice-cold river.

  "What for?" Sage said morosely.

  Jason shook his head and went back to the dish he was cooking on the stove. "Because you think about him all the time, and I hate to say it, but you're getting surly. Maybe you could have him fly out before you go start your white-water rafting and get some much-needed fucking from him."

  Much-needed fucking? "Really? Could you be any more crass?" Never mind she was thinking how good it sounded. To have him in her bed again…oh…that would cure a lot.

  Jason laughed and shook his head. "The cabin's not that big, hon. Not that big at all."

  She flushed as the meaning of his statement sank in. There'd been many a night where she'd woken up with her fingers between her thighs buried deep in her pussy and Conall’s name falling from her lips. "Close your ears then," she snapped, rubbing her hair vigorously.

  "You could call him."

  "What for? I left the message required of me. Besides, there is no signal out here."

  "I don't mean right now. Don't be daft. You know I mean when you get back."

  She moved to his side and grabbed some bowls for the soup, along with spoons. The scent had her stomach growling with anticipation; she was hungry. She'd done a lot today, and capped it off with a dip in the river.

  "It was a holiday fling, a liaison, Jason. That’s all."

  The problem was she wasn't entirely sure her heart agreed with that assessment on her part. Or her brain. They seemed to feel there had been something more between Sage and Conall. Okay, couldn’t blame the heart and brain. Not for something she knew to be true. It didn't matter, though; she wasn't near New Mexico and didn't have any way of reaching him. Especially not way out here.

  Jason's words were giving her a moment's pause, though. Why not try to call him again? It had been a few months, but surely she still lingered in his thoughts the way he did in hers.

  "See, you're already thinking about it. I've never known you to be so struck with a man before. Not even Charlie."

  Sage curled her lip and gave a low snarl at the mention of her ex. The ex she wanted nothing to do with, yet her parents felt was just such an amazing man.

  "Charlie's an ass."

  Jason ladled soup into the bowls. "Hey, no argument here. I had no problem with the fucker until the day he tried to beat the shit out of me for working out here with you. He assumed we were shacking up, although I believe his wordage was a bit more colorful and descriptive."

  She blew out an exasperated breath, remembering that day all too clearly. "I was surprised he wasn't running around in a loincloth yelling 'me Tarzan, you Jane.' Not to mention beating his chest."

  "He couldn't. He was too busy trying to beat me."

  Curling her arm around his waist, she rested her head against Jason’s upper arm, for she couldn't reach his shoulder. "Luckily, you are more than capable of taking care of yourself."

  His hip bumped hers and she laughed. "I'm glad you got rid of him. I think I'd like to meet this Conall guy. Any man who can get you so discombobulated that you fall into a river, I have to meet."

  She almost hit him, but he was holding a bowl of that aromatic soup and she really wanted some. It might be spring, but damn it all, being fully submerged in icy water didn't always feel so refreshing.

  "No comment?"

  "Not while you're holding my soup."

  "Smart woman." He placed it before her and pulled some warm bread from the oven.

  "I love it when you cook for me." She took a piece of sourdough bread and broke it open, groaning in pleasure at the fragrant steam which unfurled from it.

  "Dinner detail is all yours."

  Sage sighed dramatically. It wasn't that she minded, for she didn't. In all actuality, she enjoyed it. Jason was the perfect partner; she trusted him, and there was no worry of him showing up in her bed in the middle of the night looking for a little extra. He respected her and treated her as his equal. Sure, it'd taken them a while to get there, but now, she preferred to work with him or work alone.

  He was handsome enough, with his thick blond hair and enigmatic blue eyes, but to her he had always been just Jason, coworker and fellow ranger.

  The rest of lunch passed with lighthearted chatter, and later that evening as she sipped a mug of joe while Jason took his watch, she kept a partial eye on their dinner meal to ensure it didn’t burn. When she finally crashed that night, she lay in bed just listening for a while. She loved it here, loved the openness and freedom of the wild. She replayed Conall's words in her mind, his words about how she could move there and raise their child.

  Just like that. As if she had nothing important to do here. Exasperated, she rolled over and punched her pillow. It was a moot point anyway; there was no baby, and as each day passed, Conall was becoming more and more of naught but a memory. She didn't like that so much, but where she was, there wasn't much she could do about it.

  * * * *

  Autumn in Taos, New Mexico

  "Goddamn it! I said I wanted the full set of blueprints for this place." Conall swore, knocking his hard hat off onto the table. He wanted to put his fist into the nearest wall. It wouldn't be all bad; he could fix it right after he did it. Maybe it would resolve some of this swirling anger within him.

  Something tapped him on the shoulder and he glanced to his left, only to spy a roll of papers there. He grabbed them with a snarl, and found Ben watching him with brows raised in a mix of uncertainty and concern.

  "What?"

  Ben barely blinked at his snapping. "They were right behind you on the cart, as you requested earlier today. What is going on with you, man? You're wound so damn tight, I'm thinking the nickels in your pockets are about to start pooping. And I don't believe you have any of the buffalo ones."

  Conall blew out a frustrated breath. "I can't reach her. Haven't been in touch with her at all since Christmas. Sure, I got the message she sent about not carrying my child, but my e-mails have been bouncing back and no one will give me her phone number."

  "You know they can't hand out her number to just anyone."

  He smacked the roll of paper. "I'm not just anyone."

  "I know how you feel, Conall, and I wish I could do something to help you, but I can't. None of us can, and frightening everyone isn't going to make her appear. Why don't you go take the day off and cool off a bit."

  "You got this?"

  "We always have your back, man. You know that. Get out of here."

  Conall grabbed his hard hat and plunked it back down on his head. He left with a brief nod of thanks to Ben. His friend was right; he needed to get out of there and just get away from everything.

  Once in his truck, he lowered the
windows as he buckled his seatbelt. The powerful diesel rolled smoothly from his parking spot at the construction site, and he was soon on his way home. He thought back to Christmas. Even though she'd checked out, Sage still spent time in his room and his bed after they left hers. Then he’d walked her through the lobby and put her in a cab to go to the airport. Funny, at the time he’d truly had it in his head they would stay in touch. However, since her e-mail message in late January, he'd heard nothing from her.

  She had all of his information, yet he had nothing aside from her e-mail. Which recently had begun to bounce his messages back to him. Part of him was pissed, part was worried. Either way, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He hadn't been on a date since last year and honestly, all the women he met he held to her standard, and they all fell flat. Unquestionably.

  Not that he'd had much time to think about dating. The construction boom had gone off and he and his company were swamped with work. They'd had to turn down some jobs if the people weren't okay with waiting. So there had been long days and even longer nights.

  Translation: lots of money being made, which was good. The bad, however, meant he hadn't had much time to work on his own place. Maybe he could get some things done today.

  His brother waited for him by the front door. Conall parked next to his older sibling's Charger. Jumping out of his truck, he closed the door with a foot as he reached into the bed to grab his gear.

  "Hey, Conall."

  He gave a sharp nod. "Kane." Unlocking his house, he ground his teeth as his brother pressed by him and entered first. "Come on in," Conall said sarcastically.

  "What's eating you?"

  Bags dropped on the floor, he sat on the bench near the door and unlaced his work boots before removing them. "Not in the mood, Kane. What do you need?"

  "Can't I just come visit my brother?"

  Pushing to his feet, Conall stared at his older brother. Kane was a member of the New Mexico State Police Tactical Team. Moreover, the man was serious more often than he was having fun. Not that Conall didn't understand why; it was a specialized force for the new needs of protecting the public.