by Sandra Owens
Dylan laughed. “I don’t know which one of you is which, so I’ll just say it’s good to see you both.”
“I’m Adam,” Connor said.
“Stop messing with him, goofball.” I squeezed into the space Dylan had created between him and Stephanie. “For today, just remember that Adam’s wearing the white shirt and Connor the green one. And anytime Connor tells you he’s Adam, it’ll be just the opposite, but you can always trust Adam.”
Amusement sparkled in Dylan’s eyes. “You do realize that doesn’t help. If he says he’s Adam, but Adam always says he’s Adam… You follow my reasoning there, Red?”
That made me laugh. “True.” I could always tell the twins apart, but a lot of people couldn’t except for those who knew what to look for. “Okay. I’ll let you in on a secret. Adam always wears a sapphire stone earring and Connor an emerald one.”
He eyed each of the twins’ earrings. “Ah, good to know.”
“You on the way to a rodeo, Red?” Stephanie said, her nose wrinkling as she gave me the once-over.
I hated how she turned Dylan’s pet name for me into a joke, but I’d learned long ago not to take her bait. “No, but I do plan to save a horse tonight.” Dylan covered up a laugh with a cough. On the other side of him, the twins gave dual snorts.
She furrowed her brows. “Whatever.”
Well, that went right over her head, but she’d never been the fastest bunny in the forest. The mayor and his wife came out the back door, and seeing an excuse to get away from Stephanie’s toxic presence, I grabbed Dylan’s hand.
“We should go say hi to Mayor Jenkins.” He came readily along, and after a few minutes of chatting, we headed for the food table.
The rest of the afternoon went easily enough. Adam and Connor mostly hung with us. I loved how my two friends got along so well with Dylan. We mingled, introducing Dylan to various people, and I was impressed with how at ease he was with the country-club crowd. Actually he seemed to win the approval of everyone he met, from Hamburger Harry to the mayor and his friends. He sure had mine.
After we finished eating, Dylan leaned over, putting his mouth close to my ear. “Let’s get out of here. Go save that horse.”
“What’s your hurry? Is there a cowboy needing riding?” I whispered back.
Under the table he put his hand on the inside of my thigh and squeezed. “Needing it like the air he breathes.”
Okay then. “We’ll catch you guys later,” I said to the twins as I pushed my chair back. We’d done a good job of avoiding Stephanie until the band that had set up while we were eating began to play.
“Dance with me, Dylan,” Stephanie said, coming up on the other side of him. She grabbed his arm and tugged.
He flashed me an apologetic smile as he was dragged to the dance floor set up on one end of the deck, and yes, the mayor’s deck was that big. “Bitch,” I muttered.
“I heard that,” Adam said.
“Yeah, well, he doesn’t have to look like he’s having fun.” One thing I had to give Stephanie was that she was a good dancer, and as it turned out, Dylan was, too. There were several couples dancing, but everyone sitting around was watching Dylan and Stephanie. They were so good together that it looked like they’d been dance partners for years. I didn’t want to be jealous, but there it was.
“You don’t have to worry about her, Jenn.”
I shot Adam a grateful smile. He disliked Stephanie probably more than me. After his junior year in college, he’d dated her when he’d come home for the summer. Why, I don’t know, because by then he knew what she was like, and I don’t think he was particularly crazy about her. More like he was bored and she was just someone to pass the time with until he returned to school. Or maybe he was trying to get Savannah out of his system. Who knows?
Stephanie had other ideas, though. She’d decided he was husband material, and when her hints that they should get engaged fell on deaf ears, she claimed she was pregnant.
“I’m going to have to marry her,” Adam had said to Connor and me as he paced across his living room floor. “No baby of mine is going to be raised without a father.”
“Did you use protection?” Connor asked. “And if you say no, I’m going to disown you.”
Adam had glared at his twin. “Always. You shouldn’t even have to ask me that.”
“I haven’t trusted Stephanie since first grade when she put salt in my milk,” I said. “Here’s what you need to do before you agree to anything. Make an appointment with Dr. Saltzman for a pregnancy test. Then wait and tell her where you’re going when you’re on the way there, but not before.”
Adam did exactly that, and as he pulled into the doctor’s parking lot, Stephanie confessed she wasn’t pregnant. To this day, he credits me with saving him from a life of misery.
The band started right in on a second song, and when it appeared that Dylan was headed back to me, Stephanie danced in front of him, blocking his way. He laughed and kept on dancing. She turned, bumping her butt against his groin while her gaze landed on me, a smirk on her face. I was going to kill her.
“Easy,” Connor said, putting his hand on my arm when I stood.
He was right. If I killed Stephanie in front of all these witnesses, Dylan—being the police chief and all—would have to arrest me. There would go any chance of saving a horse tonight.
“Let’s go dance, peanut.” Connor pushed me toward the dance floor, but I planted my feet, refusing to move.
“You know I can’t dance,” I muttered. Yeah, I danced when I was with friends and had had a little to drink. But no way was I going to put myself next to Dylan and Stephanie, who could go on a dance show and win without even trying.
Connor took my hand and tugged. “Trust me.”
Of course I trusted him, so I let him drag me to the dance floor. He leaned over and said something to one of the band members, then led me to a spot near Dylan and Stephanie. Dylan smiled and winked when he saw me, but I was miffed with him. Turning my back, I gave Connor a what-now look.
The fast song faded out, changing to a slow one. I grinned at my friend. Slow dancing I could do without embarrassing myself. That was great except that meant Dylan would now be slow dancing with Stephanie. I scowled at Connor.
“Trust me,” he said again, reading my mind.
He pulled me into his arms. We’d danced for maybe a minute when he twirled me right up to Dylan. “Change partners with you,” he said.
Stephanie shook her head. “I don’t—”
“You bet,” Dylan said, pulling away from Stephanie’s clutches. He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me close. “Thanks for rescuing me.”
Well, it was technically Connor, but who was I to argue? “I wasn’t sure you wanted to be rescued. The two of you were great together.” Although I about choked on the words, it was true.
“She’s an excellent dancer, and I love to dance.”
My heart sank to my stomach. “I can’t dance,” I blurted.
He leaned his head back and peered down at me. “If that’s true, what do you call what you’re doing right now?”
“I can’t fast dance. I mean I can, but I look spastic.” Shut up, Jenn. My cheeks heated. Why did I care what he thought of my two left feet? It wasn’t like I was going to marry him. “And stop laughing.”
“I can’t help it. You’re so adorable.” He slid the hand he had at my back up to my neck, pulling my face closer to his. “About that horse needing saving.”
“Let’s blow this joint, cowboy.” He danced me right off the deck, and as soon as we turned the corner of the house, we ran hand in hand for his car.
22
~ Dylan ~
I suddenly became nervous while we were driving back, so I poured Jenny and myself a glass of wine when we got to my place. The last woman I’d bedded had been my wife. Jenny was the first woman to wake the little man up. What if that was an illusion and when it came time to perform, he outright refused?
That hadn
’t crossed my mind until Stephanie had twerked her ass all over me, and I hadn’t felt any response at all. Maybe it was simply because she wasn’t Jenny. I hoped that was the reason, and I’d find out soon enough. First, I needed to relax and get rid of the anxiety of disappointing Jenny.
“I still haven’t gotten used to seeing the sunset in the mountains,” I said when we went out to the balcony.
“Don’t you have sunsets in Chicago?”
She took a sip of her wine, peering at me over the rim. That look she was giving me was sexier than any of Stephanie’s bumping and grinding. I thought Jenny had been a little jealous, but she had nothing to worry about where the mayor’s daughter was concerned.
“Of course we have sunsets in Chicago, silly girl. The buildings block them, or we just forget to look up. Everyone’s always in a rush to get somewhere. To work, back home, to dinner, wherever. Who thinks of stopping for a few moments to enjoy a sunset?”
“That’s sad.”
Actually it was. I was still getting used to the slow pace of these mountain people. It drove me crazy at work when some of my cops took their time carrying out an order. Outside of the police station, I was learning to enjoy the slower pace.
“Is there something at the edge of the woods there?” I pointed where I’d seen movement.
Jenny stood and went to the railing. “It’s a deer. A buck. Come look,” she whispered.
I joined her, and sure enough there was a buck with a set of antlers like I’d never seen before. I wished I had binoculars and made a mental note to keep a pair out here.
“Eleven points. Impressive.”
“What does that mean?” I wasn’t a hunter, couldn’t stand the thought of killing something, which was interesting considering my job. I’d had to shoot a man once who pointed a gun at me, and I hoped to hell I never had to do it again.
“His antlers. He has eleven points on them. Eight points is more common.”
“Ah, I see.”
“I’ll be right back. Don’t let him go anywhere.”
She skipped off, and I eyed the deer, wondering how I was supposed to keep him from going anywhere. The buck was staring toward the building, only his face and neck visible. Except for the vague outline of the front half of his body, the rest of him was hidden by the dark of the forest and the night.
In less than a minute Jenny was back, her camera in her hand. After fiddling with a few knobs, she put it to her eye and started snapping picture after picture. The big guy’s ears perked up, and I wondered if he’d heard the click of her camera. But no, from below my balcony, another deer, one without antlers, trotted into view, heading for the buck.
“His lady,” Jenny whispered, the camera still to her eye. “He’s watching out for her.”
The two deer pressed their noses together for a few seconds, then the buck turned, disappearing into the forest, his lady following. “Wow. That was pretty cool.”
“Yeah, it was. I got some good shots. Take a look tomorrow, see if whoever lives below you puts food out for them. Some people do. Or they just like the grass under your balcony.”
Now I wanted to put food out so they’d come back. “Do they hang around where people live? I would have thought they’d stay in the forest.”
“If there’s food or good grass.”
“So now I have an owl and some deer?”
“And probably some bears with how close to the forest these apartments are. If you ever see a cub, stay far away because the mother will be nearby. She won’t take kindly to anyone getting close to her baby.” She stepped back, started taking shots of me. As soon as I realized what she was doing, I stuck out my tongue and crossed my eyes.
She laughed. “That’s the one I’m going to enter in The Valley News monthly photo contest.”
“Oh no you’re not.” I reached for the camera. “You always have this on you?”
“Yep. Never know when I might want to take a picture of a hot guy.”
She backed up, her green eyes flashing with mischief as she held the camera behind her. There was nothing a man loved more than a chase, and I prowled toward my prey. Although I could easily take her camera away, I decided I’d steal a kiss instead.
I grabbed her cowboy hat, tossing it onto the chair. She backed up another step. A few more and she’d be against the wall where I wanted her. I kept coming at her, my eyes locked on hers until she was trapped.
“Now where you gonna go, Red?” When she giggled as she tried to slide sideways, I put my hands on the wall. “Gotcha,” I said, lowering my mouth to hers.
Kissing Jenny Girl was like falling into a vat of my favorite ice cream and drowning in the pleasure of all that decadent taste. She let out the sweetest sigh as she wrapped her arms around my neck, one hand still holding tightly to her camera. I took advantage of that sigh and slipped my tongue into her mouth.
When I grew hard, I realized I’d worried over nothing. Whether I’d respond to another woman the way I did her, I didn’t know and didn’t care. I’d always been a one-woman man, and apparently, she was meant to be my one woman for as long as it lasted between us.
I trailed kisses over her cheek, finding my way to her neck. Her skin was soft and as smooth as silk. And warm. I wanted to spend all night licking her. When she rubbed against me, I almost lost it right then and there.
“Easy, Red, or I’m going to embarrass myself.”
“I don’t think I can be easy. I want you.” She put her hand on my jaw, pulled my face up, and stared hard into my eyes. “Now.”
That did it. I scooped her up, taking long strides to my bedroom, where I dropped her onto the bed. “Don’t move.” For my entry back into the living, I wanted everything to be perfect. I put on a long-playing soft jazz CD, retrieved our wine and some candles, and returned to my bedroom. The glasses I put on the nightstand, then I lit the candles, placing them around the room. All the while, Jenny’s eyes tracked me.
“Take off your shirt, Dylan,” she said after the last candle was lit.
I paused at the foot of the bed, smiling at the bossy woman. If she wanted my shirt off, off it would go. Holding her gaze, I made a show of slowly unbuttoning my shirt. “Happy?” I asked as I dropped it to the floor. The little hellcat smirked.
“Halfway happy. You still have your pants on.”
“And you still have everything on. I’m thinking tit for tat is only fair.” I loved how her eyes always seemed to shine when I amused her.
“Can I move?”
“What?”
She grinned. “You said don’t move. If you want my shirt off, I’m going to have to move.”
“Move,” I growled. I’d never before in my entire life growled at anyone, but this one? I’d howl at the moon if that was what it took for her to take off her damn shirt. Her lips curved into a sultry smile that would steal any man’s heart. Then her shirt and bra were gone and my mouth went dry.
“You’re beautiful,” I said—actually whispered—as my gaze worshipped all that she’d revealed to me. Rosy, pert nipples that I was going to have my mouth on very, very soon filled my vision.
“Your pants,” she said.
I couldn’t get them and my shoes off fast enough.
“And your briefs, although you look pretty darn sexy in them.”
I shook my head. “Nope. Your boots and jeans first.” We were daring each other with each piece of clothing, almost like we were playing strip poker. I’d have to play that sometime with her.
Her breasts bounced as she tugged off her boots, making my heart thump in my chest in anticipation. Jenny Girl was fucking killing me, and she didn’t even know it. It hit me that I could probably fall in love with her given time, but she had plans that didn’t include me. I just had to make sure she didn’t take off with my heart in her backpack on her traipse around the world. I could do that. I would do that.
Stripped of everything else, she sat on my bed wearing nothing but a red thong. Be still my heart. I walked around to the side
of the bed, sitting on the edge. “You take my breath away,” I said, sliding my hand along her thigh.
She put her hand on my neck, leaned toward me, and put her lips at the corner of my mouth. I let her play until she licked across the seam of my mouth. I couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Come here.” I tugged her down with me to the bed. Finding her mouth again, I took my time savoring her taste, breathing in her scent. She nestled against me, and I slid my hand down the curve of her spine until I reached her ass, splaying my fingers over one firm cheek.
The candles I’d set on the nightstand flickered light and shadows over the creamy white skin of her breasts. “Need those in my mouth,” I murmured. She gasped when I swirled my tongue around the little bud, then moaned when I sucked hard on it. Ah, so damn good.
“Dylan.”
That was all. Just my name, but the needy sound of it was enough to drive me wild. I rose onto my elbows and stared down at her. Her eyes were filled with desire, and her mouth was parted as she breathed heavily in and out.
“It’s been a long time for me, Red. I’m going to apologize in advance for how fast this first time is going to go.” I brushed my mouth over hers. “But I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”
She smiled. “We have all night.”
“That we do.” I pushed my briefs down my legs and kicked them off, then reached into the nightstand, pulling out a handful of condoms, dropping all but one.
“Pretty optimistic, aren’t you?”
I glanced at the pile of condoms and laughed. “Probably not that optimistic.” I hooked a finger under the elastic of her sexy thong, wanting it off. To make sure she was ready for me, I slid a finger inside her. Oh yeah. She definitely was.
She held out her arms. “Inside me. Now.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I moved between her thighs, and after I rolled the condom on, I lowered my body over hers. She spread her knees, and as I sank into her, she wrapped her legs around my ass. Heat spiraled up my spine, and I clenched my entire body to keep from coming right then.