“Here’s to you,” he murmured.
The sensation of smooth, chilled glass against her skin sent silken ribbons of pleasure spiraling through her.
They clinked glasses, shared a lingering stare ripe with promise, then sipped the tart, heady wine. While Aubrey lit three stubby candles and set them on a broad, flat rock, Gage served the food, which was nothing like Aubrey expected.
“Pâté and toast triangles?”
“You don’t like pâté?” Gage’s expression was crestfallen.
“No, I love it.” She couldn’t stop the laugh bubbling up from her throat. “I just didn’t think you did.”
He relaxed and resumed removing sealed plastic storage containers from the ice chest and spreading them out on the sleeping bag. “I’ve never tried it.”
“What if you hate the taste?”
“There aren’t many foods I can’t choke down.”
Having witnessed his ravenous hunger on multiple occasions, Aubrey couldn’t agree more.
The next half hour flew by with Gage and Aubrey enjoying a veritable smorgasbord of delicacies—everything from miniature roasted potatoes to mango and kiwi salad to pickled herring.
“Now, this I like.” Gage took another bite of baklava and chewed contentedly.
“It’s Greek,” Aubrey said, licking remnants of the sinfully rich pastry from her fingers.
“Let me do that.”
He snatched her hand in midair and, before she could stop him, began nibbling.
“Quit it.” She giggled and squirmed and then went utterly limp when his tongue probed her sensitive fingertips.
“Don’t ever let anyone tell you that fingers aren’t an erogenous zone,” he murmured between licks.
Above the swaying treetops, a zillion and one stars twinkled in a blue-black velvet sky. Aubrey laid her head on Gage’s lap, taking in the magnificent view. “Did you know the human body has something like a hundred erogenous zones?”
“You don’t say?”
“It’s true.”
“I not only believe you, I’m willing to test each and every one of them.” He lowered his head to her ear and gently tugged on the lobe with his teeth.
Her heart gave a small—make that a large—pitter-patter. “You’re impossible.”
His lips were sticky with honey from the baklava and incredibly delicious. They were also remarkably proficient in shutting her up when molded firmly to her own lips.
Drunk on desire more than wine, she curled an arm around his neck. Pulling him closer, she took control of the kiss despite her lower position. Her advantage didn’t last long. Gage slipped out from under her and in a swift move Casanova would admire, pinned her beneath him on the sleeping bag.
What remained of their picnic dinner was instantly forgotten.
He nuzzled the fine hair at her temple. “Tell me. Is this one of your hundred erogenous zones?”
“Mmm. Maybe.”
“And this?” He nudged her head back and pressed his mouth to the side of her throat where her pulse beat.
“How’d you guess?”
His hand breached the hem of her T-shirt and snuck up her rib cage.
“What about—”
“Enough talk.” She silenced him with a provocative kiss calculated to tease and entice.
Gage evidently agreed. Finding far more interesting things to do with his mouth than converse, he said nothing more for several incredibly sensual minutes while he removed her clothes. Wherever his hands touched her body, his mouth followed. She watched unabashedly as he drew a nipple into his mouth, licking and suckling the taut tip. She continued watching, even when he moved lower. Small sounds of delight escaped when his tongue dipped into her belly button.
“When’s it my turn?” she asked after yet another breathless shudder.
“Not yet.”
Gage parted her thighs, cupped her bottom and lifted her hips. Aubrey waited in torturous, glorious anticipation. He took too damn long, tracing moist circles with his tongue on the insides of her thighs rather than concentrating on the areas that would do the most good. When his mouth finally found her center, she nearly cried out. Within minutes, he had her in a state of near frenzy. She might have teetered on the edge a bit longer but his tongue probed deeper, found her most responsive erogenous zone yet, and sent her flying skyward to float among the zillion and one stars.
Upon her return to Earth, she found Gage hovering over her. “That was a pretty neat trick,” she said.
“You liked it?” His smile smacked of sheepishness.
“Mmm.” She wriggled beneath him and reached for the zipper of his jeans. “Can I try?”
“Fair’s fair, I suppose.”
Once he lay naked beside her, she took his full and heavy arousal into her hands and then into her mouth. If the ragged groans emanating from his chest were any indication, she then took him on one incredible ride.
“Come here.” He tugged on her arm, pulling her on top of him.
“I wasn’t finished,” she complained, though not seriously.
“Trust me, you’re hardly finished.”
He pulled a condom from what appeared to be thin air. She discovered one or two more of his erogenous zones while he covered himself, distracting him as much as possible. When he finished, she straddled his hips and guided him inside her.
“This is better,” she crooned, rocking back and forth in a seductive rhythm.
“Not quite.”
“No?”
He framed her face with his hands and gathered her to him. When their lips were within kissing distance, Aubrey unfurled her legs and stretched out.
“Now, this is what I had in mind.” Gage wrapped his arms around her and anchored her to him.
Every inch of her body from breast to toe melded to every inch of his, leaving only enough space remaining for a few molecules of air.
He moved slowly, withdrawing from her and then plunging back inside, quickly bringing Aubrey to the verge of another shattering climax. She’d never felt so close to Gage. So joined in every way. Physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
“Eyes,” he said, his voice ragged, “are an erogenous zone, too.”
“How so?” she managed in a strained whisper. He was so hard, so very deep inside her. Aubrey gasped and bucked slightly.
“Watching yours while I make you climax is a giant turn-on for me.”
His words reached her through a sensual haze as she gave herself over to an array of exquisite sensations.
“Open your eyes, sweetheart. Look at me.”
She did and knew exactly what he’d been talking about. His dark eyes, staring hotly into hers, were incredibly arousing. Aubrey quit fighting and promptly lost it. Again.
Gage followed by a few seconds. Her limbs like liquid, she rolled off him, utterly exhausted and, at the same time, deliriously content. Hands clasped, they stared at the leafy ceiling of their shelter, rewarding themselves with a well-earned rest.
She couldn’t help but recall their last visit to this place. Gage had lain beside her as he did now and asked her to marry him. Aubrey certainly didn’t expect history to repeat itself, yet she suffered a tiny pang of disappointment when the moment passed without him proposing.
Loathe to separate, they snuggled and chatted about nothing in particular. Eventually, the moon sank beneath the far-off mountain peaks and the temperature dropped several degrees, turning the pleasantly cool air to downright chilly. Two of the candles had burned out, leaving hard wax puddles on the rock. By the light of the remaining candle they dressed and packed the ice chest. Content to stroll arm in arm, they said little on the return walk to Gage’s truck.
Halfway home, Gage broke the silence.
“I got some good news earlier today.”
“You did?” She smiled in expectation. “What?”
“I’ve been promoted to crew leader.”
“That’s wonderful! Why didn’t you say something when you were opening the wine
? We could have made a toast.”
“Stay in Blue Ridge.” Gage found her hand on the truck seat and brought it to his lap. “Live with me. Don’t go back to Tucson.”
“Wow.” Aubrey hadn’t seen that coming. Then again, wasn’t she hoping for a similar declaration not forty-five minutes earlier?
“Damn.” He grimaced. “That didn’t come out right. But I’m not sorry I asked.”
“We talked about this already.” She chose her words carefully. The last thing she wanted was to end their truly lovely evening with an argument.
“There’s no rule saying we can’t talk about it again.” He didn’t look at her. The single-lane, tree-lined road was pitch-black and required his total concentration. “We deserve more time together, a chance to see where our relationship is going.”
“I need to return to my job. I explained all that to you and thought you understood.”
“You’d only have to give up your job until Hannah graduates.” A hairpin turn loomed ahead. Gage swung the truck hard to the right. Ghostly limbs of overgrown pine trees slapped the passenger door causing Aubrey to flinch. “After that, I’d move to Tucson,” Gage said when they exited the turn.
“You’d move?”
“Actually, I talked to Mom about it this afternoon. We were thinking Kenny Junior might be willing to work on the ranch in exchange for room and board.”
“Really?”
It surprised Aubrey to learn that Gage would willingly leave his family and home so they could be together. Surprised and pleased.
“Your dad’s gout will probably worsen over time, not improve. You sure you’d feel comfortable leaving, even after Hannah graduates?”
“She can handle the ranch, no problem. And besides, Dad listens to her more than he does Mom and me. If Kenny Junior’s there, so much the better.”
“What about my father?” Aubrey asked.
“What about him?”
“You and he aren’t exactly buddies.”
“We get along fine.”
“You’ve seen him once in the last ten years. At my grandfather’s funeral. And you spoke to each other only when necessary.”
“So he and I aren’t the best of pals. It’s you I’d be living with, not him.”
And wouldn’t her father be tickled pink about that arrangement? She decided to lay that obstacle to rest and tackle another.
“If I were to stay in Blue Ridge and move in with you, and that’s a big if, where would we live?”
“On the ranch.”
“Not in the motor home. Please.”
“God, no.” He laughed. “We’d fix up the old bunkhouse. Later on, after we left for Tucson, Kenny Junior could move in if he was so inclined.”
The notion of residing on the Raintree ranch did appeal to Aubrey. She’d loved that aspect of her and Gage’s brief marriage. Still, it wasn’t that simple. Country life was and had always been a summer vacation for her. A temporary break from the mad rush of the city. Could she survive peace and quiet on a long-term basis?
“What about income? Your family can’t afford to feed and clothe another person, not one who isn’t earning their keep. And let’s face it, I’m no cowhand.”
“I bet the town would hire you on at the clinic, part-time at least. The folks here are crazy about you. Just look at how many patients swarm the place on the days you work.”
“I do enjoy working at the clinic.” And on the plus side, she’d be nearby should her grandmother require anything. “But I miss my job. You and I are a lot alike when it comes to work, you know. We’re both adrenaline junkies. You get your fix from fighting fires, I get mine from the E.R.”
“Maybe there’s something else you can do to take the place of the E.R.”
“Like what?”
“Go back to college.”
“College?”
“Why not?”
“I didn’t realize Pineville College had a master’s program for nursing.”
Gage paid her sarcasm no mind. “They probably don’t. Of course, you could change your studies to ranching.”
“Ah…right.”
Houses came into view as they reached the outskirts of town. Cutter’s Market had four parked cars out front, evidence they were doing a booming late-night business by Blue Ridge standards.
“I’m only trying to explore some possibilities,” he snapped.
“Which is good.” Aubrey leaned over and kissed Gage’s cheek. He was trying to compromise, and she was resisting his every suggestion. The reason, she hated to admit, had more to do with her and less to do with them.
“The thing is, I still have my freezing-up problem to contend with. If I don’t return to the E.R., I’ll never know for sure if I’ve conquered my fears.” And it would be too easy after a year-and-a-half absence to stay away indefinitely.
“You don’t think you’ll have an opportunity to test yourself at the clinic?”
Aubrey recalled the day of her grandfather’s first heart attack when she’d sat with her grandmother in the clinic. “I might.”
“I hate to sound like a broken record, but become a medic with the Hotshots. I know the Sierra Nevada captain’s been after you to do just that.”
She rolled her eyes. “Your father would have a fit.”
“What you do is none of his business.”
“It’s his business if I’m living on his ranch,” she reiterated with a determined head shake. “I won’t be the cause of more discord between the two of you.”
They pulled into her grandmother’s driveway, and Gage parked the truck near the front porch. There were more lights on in the house than Aubrey would have anticipated given the lateness of the hour, but she didn’t pay much heed. Her mind was too preoccupied with Gage and their conversation.
He met her at the passenger door and enveloped her in a warm embrace. “Think about staying. That’s all I ask.”
Leaning down, he brushed her cheek with his. The slight scratch of his five o’clock shadow reminded her of the many intimate pieces she’d felt that scratch during their recent lovemaking.
“We have a little time,” he said. “You’re not leaving for another two days.” His voice was low and coaxing, the hand stroking her back soothing.
“Okay,” she murmured.
“I’m serious, Aubrey. The situation’s not perfect. But it’s not permanent, either. Open yourself up to the possibilities before you say no. Surely there’s a solution we can both agree on.”
“I will think about it. I swear.”
Like him, she wasn’t ready to end their relationship. Truthfully, the only thing holding her back from accepting his proposition to move in with him was her reluctance to quit her job. That, more than the logistics of her staying, was what she needed to contemplate over the next two days.
“Will I see you tomorrow?” she asked.
“I’ll call you sometime around lunch when I get a break.”
At the front door, Gage drew her close. His tongue traced the outline of her lips before delving deep inside her mouth and sampling every corner. She stood on her toes, linked her arms around his neck and moaned with contentment. All these years, she still hadn’t grown tired of his kisses.
Dim voices floated to her from inside the house. Her grandmother must have fallen asleep in front of the TV.
Gage gave her yet another lingering goodbye kiss. At the rate they were going, he’d never make it back in his truck.
All at once, the porch light came on and the front door opened. A tall, dark figure appeared behind the screen door.
“Aubrey? Is that you?”
She and Gage sprung apart. Momentarily disoriented, Aubrey didn’t recognize the man at first. Then she did and her heart, already beating fast from kissing Gage, skipped erratically.
“Dad!”
“Don’t act so shocked to see me.”
“Well…I…” How could she not act shocked when he was the last person she’d expected to see tonight?
; “Hello, Gage. Nice to see you again.”
“Good evening, Dr. Stuart.”
“How’s your family?”
“Fine, thanks.”
Neither man’s demeanor held any discernable warmth, which did nothing to calm Aubrey’s jangled nerves.
“What are you doing here, Dad?” Instantly self-conscious, she smoothed her hair. She vaguely pondered why she hadn’t noticed her parents’ Lexus and figured they must have parked it behind her SUV.
“Your mother and I came up to check on your grandmother.”
“Oh. Okay.”
He opened the screen door and gestured her and Gage inside. “And to drive with you back to Tucson.”
Chapter 13
“I’ve missed you.”
Aubrey went through the front door and into her father’s arms. “I’ve missed you, too.”
Gage followed her inside, ignoring the laserlike glare searing into the back of his head.
Dr. Alexander Stuart hadn’t exactly rejoiced when he learned about Aubrey’s and Gage’s elopement ten years ago. He’d wanted her to finish medical school before settling down. And while Gage never truly believed he’d intentionally sabotaged his and Aubrey’s fledgling marriage—not consciously, anyway—he was relatively sure Dr. Stuart had breathed a very big sigh of relief when the divorce came through.
“Darling. You’re back. Mother told us you went on a picnic. How nice.” Carol May Stuart floated up from the couch with the grace and elegance of a swan taking flight.
Watching her, Gage found it hard to believe they shared the same humble beginnings. Not that he disliked his former mother-in-law. Far from it. While Carol May hadn’t exactly welcomed him into the family fold, she hadn’t opposed his and Aubrey’s marriage, either.
“Hi, Mom.” Aubrey met her mother in the center of the living room, and the two hugged fondly.
“Small-town living must suit you,” Carol May gushed. “You look wonderful. Doesn’t she look wonderful, Alex?” Holding Aubrey’s hand, she stepped back and beamed.
“She does indeed.” Dr. Stuart’s glance darted from Aubrey to Gage, and he shifted uncomfortably. Finding his ex-son-in-law on the front porch with his tongue halfway down his daughter’s throat was probably just as awkward for him as it was for Gage.
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