“I need you, too.”
Sucking in a breath, he pushed away from the bed and stood.
She quivered with eagerness as she watched him undress in the flickering light from the scented pillars. His jacket came off first, then his boots and socks. He kept his attention on her as he popped the snaps at his cuffs and tugged his shirttails from the waistband of his jeans.
Desire spiraled through her core in a throbbing, insistent beat. Gathering the hem of the caftan in both hands, she wriggled out of it and let it fall to the floor beside the bed.
His breath caught. He wrenched open the first few snaps of his shirt, pulled it over his head and tossed it aside, revealing the muscled expanse that had first captured her imagination. Her fingers itched for the sensory delight of his lightly furred chest, the smooth ripple of his pecs and abs.
He made quick work of unbuckling his belt and unzipping his fly. Digging in his pocket, he extracted a condom and laid it on the bedside table with a trembling hand.
Then he shoved both jeans and briefs to the floor, allowing his cock to spring free. His breathing ragged, he ripped open the foil packet and rolled on the condom with a soft snap of latex.
Taut as a stretched rubber band, she waited.
He climbed into bed and moved over her. “I’ve never wanted someone this much.” His voice was strained. “But your knee’s bruised. I’m afraid I’ll hurt you.”
“You won’t.” She pressed her palms to his chest. His heart pounded even faster than hers. “Please love me, Michael.”
“With pleasure.”
Ah, what pleasure! She gasped as he lifted her hips and sank his cock deep. The connection lit her from the inside out, sending glittering messages of joy to every part of her body. Wrapping him in her arms, she held on tight.
His gaze locked with hers as he grooved in the seductive motion that would lead unerringly to a shattering climax. She couldn’t say which aroused her more—the rhythmic and intimate friction of his cock or the intensity reflected in his eyes.
Breathing faster, he tightened his grip. “I love watching this happen.”
“This?”
“You. Your eyes darkening. Your skin turning pink. That first squeeze that tells me you’re almost there.” He groaned. “Like that. Roxanne...damn, I’m close, too close…” Panting, he increased the pace. “Come with me…come with me!”
Riding the crest of the wave, she closed her eyes and abandoned herself to the rush. His last vigorous thrust rattled the headboard and sent her spinning into the whirlpool. His bellow of triumph announced that he’d followed her there, shuddering and gulping for air.
When at last she could breathe normally, she opened her eyes. Light from the candle on the bedside table cast a warm glow over his sculpted shoulders and the carved perfection of his jaw.
Resting on his forearms, he looked down at her, his smile tender. “That was amazing.”
“Uh-huh.”
“What a welcome. That sexy outfit, candles…to think I was worried that you’d be upset because I had to postpone getting here.”
She stroked his back, warm and moist from all that loving. “You had things to do.”
“I did, but…anyway, thank you for understanding.” Leaning down, he kissed her gently before easing away. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He climbed out of bed.
She rolled to her side. “If you’re getting hungry, I could—”
“Let’s wait,” he said as he headed into the bathroom. “Unless you’re starving.”
“I’m not.”
“Okay, good.” In moments, he came back and slid in beside her. “Because I want to talk about what’s going on.” Sliding an arm around her waist, he drew her closer.
“T-shirt Tuesday?”
“No, you and me.”
Her stomach did a little flip. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Your brother and I had a discussion on Thursday while we were out with the horses.”
“Oh.” She should have guessed that Wes would use that opportunity to state his concerns.
“He’s convinced that I’m wrong for you because I have a short attention span. I’ll only stick around until something or someone more interesting or challenging shows up.”
She swallowed. “He does think that.”
“He said you do, too.” He held her gaze.
“Oh, Michael…” She raised a trembling hand to his face. “Let’s not have this discussion.”
“Then you do believe it.”
She struggled to breathe. “It’s just that—”
“We moved too fast. You said that before. God help me, if I’d known what was at stake, I wouldn’t have come up here that night.”
She stroked his cheek. “It wouldn’t have made a difference.”
“Sure it would. If we’d taken things slower, then—”
“The outcome would be the same. I’m a deliberate thinker. You’re more instinctive, quicker to act. I worry that eventually you’ll get bored with me.”
“Bored?”
“Yes. You don’t think so, now, because we have so much fun in bed, but—”
“Forget that! You’re incredibly creative. I sensed it when we first met and then you came up with a logo that exactly fits the GG.”
“Lucky guess.”
“The hell it was. You have a gift for design, which is why you’re so busy. That gift fascinates me. You fascinate me. Sure, I love having sex with you, but I just plain love you!” His voice gentled. “I love you, Roxanne.”
She longed to believe him. Didn’t dare.
His gaze searched hers. “You don’t think I mean it.”
“You haven’t…” She paused to drag in air. “You haven’t had enough time to fall in love...with me.”
“Yeah, I have.” He stroked her hair. “I started falling the minute you walked into the GG with your dad.”
“B-because you thought I was hot.”
“Because I recognized you. You’re the one, Roxanne.” His chest heaved. “It’s no accident that I moved here from Chicago and you came from Spokane.”
“Yes, it was. I don’t believe in—”
“You don’t, now.” He cupped her cheek. “But give me a chance to prove it.” He paused. “Marry me.”
Oh, no. The breath left her lungs.
“Say you’ll marry me, Roxanne. That’s how much I believe in us, in our future.”
“Marry you?” Scrambling away from him, she pushed herself to a sitting position. “Are you crazy?” Her chest ached like she had the flu.
“Yes.” He sat up. “I’m crazy about you and I—”
“I c-can’t marry you.” She gulped.
Pain flashed in his eyes. “Why not?”
“It would…be a… a terrible mistake.”
“Don’t say that.” His voice thickened. “At least will you think about it?”
“There’s no—”
“Please. Leave me with a tiny bit of hope, Roxanne.”
“Michael…”
“You said—” He paused to clear his throat. “You said you’re a deliberate thinker. Please think about it.” Standing, he picked up his clothes and put them on. His movements were jerky, so unlike him.
She sat frozen in place. She’d figure out what to do once the buzzing in her ears went away and she could breathe.
He finished dressing and stood there for a moment. “I’ll be in touch.”
She didn’t respond.
He sighed and pulled out his phone as he left the bedroom. “Hey, Ingrid, I’m taking off. Appreciate it if you’d lock up after me. Thanks.” Her apartment door opened and closed. Then his boots hit the stairs, going fast.
After her numbness wore off, she got out of bed, blew out the candles and turned on a light. She dressed in her sweats and an old sweatshirt. Then she stripped the bed and put on clean sheets. Finally, she texted Ingrid.
Ingrid came straight over and gave her a hug. “I’m so sorry.” She stood back, her ex
pression anxious. “What happened?”
Roxanne’s throat tightened. “First he said he loved me.”
“Yeah.” Ingrid regarded her with caution. “Then what?”
“He proposed.”
“Yikes.” She hesitated. “I take it you weren’t…pleased.”
“I was horrified! What was he thinking? Wait, I know what he was thinking. That proposing would convince me that he loved me.”
“Well, in some cases—”
“Ingrid, don’t you see? His spur-of-the-moment proposal is exactly why we’re so wrong for each other. But the worst part is I brought this on myself.”
“How do you figure?”
“I jumped into a relationship and ignored all the reasons why it could never work because being with him was so wonderful.” Her vision blurred. “Poor Michael.”
“Are you sure it won’t work?”
“Very sure.” She wiped her eyes on her sleeve. “He’s willing to leap into things and I need to consider every angle first. We’d drive each other crazy.”
“If you say so. You would know, I guess. You both seem so much in love that I—”
“It’s not love.” It couldn’t be. Her stomach churned. That would make everything a hundred times worse.
“You don’t believe he loves you?”
“How could he? He hasn’t known me long enough.”
“Then you don’t think love at first sight exists.”
“No, I don’t. But he does. He thinks fate brought us together.”
“No kidding?” Ingrid’s expression grew dreamy. “That’s very romantic, Rox.”
“That’s very Michael, to let himself get carried away by that kind of thing and then impulsively propose.” The pain in his eyes when she’d refused him...so horrible. “I wish he hadn’t done it.”
“Because now he’s hurting.”
“Yes! And I hate that.”
“Because you love him.”
She stared at Ingrid in dismay. “No. I can’t.”
“But you do. You should see how you look right now. You know you do.”
With a loud groan, she buried her face in her hands and muttered several choice swear words. At last she lifted her head and gazed at her friend. “You’re right. I love him. And I am so screwed.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Proposing to Roxanne had been a gamble, but when Michael had been greeted with a sexy outfit, candlelight and enthusiastic lovemaking, he’d expected a different reaction. Her refusal had stunned him.
With his phone lying on the passenger seat in case she called, he stopped by the Burger Barn and picked up some food. Then he drove the country roads around Eagles Nest until he was nearly out of gas.
He wasn’t willing to go home until the Guzzling Grizzly closed. He couldn’t face walking into that happy scene and making small talk with Bryce and Tansy.
But driving around wasn’t much fun, either. He’d messed up the proposal. That much was abundantly clear. But when she’d doubted his declaration of love, it had seemed like the right thing to do.
Except he’d seen enough movies to know that a proposal should be carefully planned—complete with a ring and getting down on one knee. Instead he’d proposed naked, not the most elegant presentation. Dropping to one knee beside the bed would have looked ridiculous.
If there was a way to fix this, he wasn’t coming up with it. The GG would be closed, now. Might as well head home.
Unfortunately, everything about the place reminded him of Roxanne. Taking off his jacket, hat and boots, he stretched out on his bed with his phone next to him. If she called, he didn’t want to waste time getting dressed.
She didn’t call and he didn’t sleep, at least not much. Dawn was breaking when he turned on his computer and researched the specs he’d need to send her for creating other logo merchandise.
Maybe she’d contact him after he emailed the specs. Better shave and shower before he sent the email, just in case she wanted to see him.
His phone rang when he was in the shower. He jumped out, leaving the water running, and grabbed it where he laid it on the bathroom counter. It slipped from his hand and landed on the floor.
Snatching it up, he glanced at the screen, heart pounding. Christine Norton. Damn it! He tapped the screen and cleared his throat. “Hey, Christine! What’s up?”
“Michael.” Her voice vibrated with excitement. “It’s a go.”
Adrenalin continued to pump through his system, interfering with his concentration. “What is?”
“CNN! They’re sending a crew!”
“Hey, that’s terrific!” And he’d be happy about it once the news worked its way around the brain blockage caused by Roxanne’s rejection. “Excellent!” He reached into the shower and turned off the water.
“We’re hoping to make the East Coast six o’clock news, which means show time is four. Prep time at least a couple of hours before that. You’ll have a hell of a happy hour crowd at five. Better put on more servers.”
“Don’t worry. We will. Does Bryce know?”
“Kendra’s calling him now. I volunteered to call you. Since it’s official, the Whine and Cheese Club is doubling down. I guarantee on Tuesday the GG will be packed with t-shirt-wearing Eagles Nesters.”
“Eagles Nesters?”
“We’re going to start a campaign to promote that term. It has a certain ring to it.”
“It does.”
“People could hold up signs like Eagles Nesters love the Guzzling Grizzly and have a big red heart instead of the word love.”
“That would be great.” The word love jabbed him hard.
“The McGavins are organizing a precision drill team to perform on the street outside the GG. Traffic will be blocked off so there’s room for whatever’s happening. The parking lot needs to be cleared, too.”
“Okay.”
“Maybe the drill team will carry flags with the logo on them. We’re not sure yet, but Kendra plans to talk to Roxanne if you say it’s okay. The logo belongs to you, so—”
“No, that’s fine. When’s Kendra going to call her?”
“As soon as I give her the signal, which I just did. We’re all gathered at Kendra’s to make calls and strategize. Listen, are you sure Roxanne doesn’t want to be on camera? The producer looked her up online and liked what she saw. Thought it would be a nice angle.”
“She doesn’t want to be on camera.”
“Too bad. Another thing—do you know a good place to find a bear suit?”
“A bear suit?”
“Wouldn’t a t-shirt-wearing mascot be adorable?”
“Um, sure, why not? But I can’t imagine where you’d get one on short notice.”
“That’s the problem. Kendra’s offered to wear it if we can find one that looks friendly and not menacing. Anyway, gotta go, but we’ll keep you updated.”
“Thanks, Christine. This will be good for the GG and good for the town.”
“Sure will! Talk to you soon.”
He’d no sooner put down the phone and picked up a towel than Bryce called.
“You heard, right?”
“Sure did!” Michael pumped enthusiasm into his voice. “Those Whine and Cheese ladies are something else.”
Bryce laughed. “Told you. I’m heading out in about ten minutes. If you could meet me in the office, we need to find more servers and set up a crash training program so we can handle this heaven-sent opportunity.”
“I’ll be there.”
“We’ll have to hustle for the next three days, but it’ll be worth it. Nicole asked for Tuesday afternoon off from Shear Delight so she can take part in this, and they’ve decided to close the shop for the afternoon so everyone can go.”
“That’s awesome.”
“Don’t be surprised if other businesses follow suit. They won’t have customers on Tuesday afternoon, anyway, so they might as well. Have you checked t-shirt orders this morning?”
“Not yet.”
�
��You’ll fall over. See you soon.”
All this good news. Looked like the town might shut down for half a day to help the Guzzling Grizzly celebrate its inaugural T-shirt Tuesday. He could use that amazing possibility as an excuse to call Roxanne, but that would be a loser move. She already knew about it.
He didn’t have time, anyway. He had to meet Bryce and figure out how the GG was going to be able to handle more customers than had ever come through the door in a single afternoon.
* * *
Michael must be over the moon. Roxanne finished emailing information to the shop in Bozeman that had agreed to make the flags for the McGavin drill team to carry. They’d be ready by Monday.
Ingrid had stopped by to say that customers at Pie in the Sky were buzzing about Tuesday’s event. The town had never been on national TV and the Eagles Nesters, as many residents began calling themselves, couldn’t wait.
Roxanne considered texting Michael to offer congratulations. But that wasn’t what he wanted from her. She couldn’t give him what he wanted so maybe it would be easier on him if she kept quiet.
Her knee was healing nicely so she’d be fine for attending the festivities on Tuesday. She’d go because she couldn’t stand not to. She wanted to share Michael’s big moment but she’d watch from a safe distance. A large crowd would help her blend quietly into the background.
In the meantime, she’d do what she always did when stress threatened to consume her. She’d work. She was in the middle of a new project when her dad called. Saving her latest version of the design, she answered her phone. “Hey, Dad!”
“Hi, honeybun. How’s your knee?”
“Healing just fine. Thanks for asking.”
“I meant to call sooner to check on you and talk about selling my art at the Guzzling Grizzly, but a section of fence was down. Pete, Wes and I spent most of the day repairing it and riding the perimeter to make sure that was the only break.”
“I’m glad you had your helpers there.”
“Me, too. But now that the fence is secure, I’m in the mood to drive to Eagles Nest.”
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