The Maverick & the Manhattanite (Montana Mavericks: Rust Creek Cowboys)

by Banks, Leanne

  Vickie chuckled. “You gave a lot of us a good time.”

  “But not Gage and Will,” she muttered.

  “They got a different kind of excitement,” Vickie said. “Oh, darn. There’s the phone.”

  The door flung open and Will walked in, wearing a pair of sunglasses. “Hey,” he said to Lissa and walked past her.

  Lissa winced, wondering what was behind those glasses. “Hi, Will,” she said. “How are you?”

  “We had to arrest two people last night. We locked the rest of them in a barn for the night,” he said.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said.

  “Yeah, it makes for a lot of paperwork,” he said and disappeared into his cubicle.

  Lissa grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down at her desk. Her concentration nil, she pulled up her list for the day. “Corwin,” she said. “I need to call the Corwins to make sure they’re ready for repairs.”

  A moment later, Gage strode through the door, his left cheek red and swollen. He wasn’t hiding it. “Hey,” he said to Lissa. “Got paperwork.”

  “Yeah, that’s what Will said,” she said.

  Lissa stared after him, feeling extremely guilty. She hated that she had caused extra work for Gage again. First, falling in a ditch. Second, going to a bar—the only bar in Rust Creek Falls—and starting a fight. Lissa frowned. She wasn’t a knockout. How had this happened?

  After staying sequestered in his office for several hours, Gage headed out to conduct a patrol and make a few calls. Lissa worked through the day, but was terribly distracted. Finally, at five o’clock, Gage returned to the office. “Hey, Vickie. Give me the most important messages,” he said.

  “Good news,” she said, giving him a couple sheets of paper. “Nothing major.”

  He flipped through them and nodded. “I’ll make some return calls and plan on some visits tomorrow.”

  “When do you ever get your ranching done?” she asked.

  “We have a few people helping out,” he said. “I try to handle the morning chores.”

  “Bet you’d like to sleep late one of these days,” she said.

  “Yeah,” Gage said. “One of these days.”

  “Well, I’m headed out,” she said. “Good night to you and Miss Lissa.”

  “Good night, Vickie,” Lissa called.

  Gage echoed her words. Lissa approached him. “I’m sorry about what happened last night. I had no idea my dancing with someone would cause such a problem.”

  “Yeah, well, this is Montana. Not New York,” he said.

  His response stabbed at her. “Are you saying dancing causes issues in Montana?”

  “A beautiful woman causes issues anywhere,” Gage said.

  “I’m not that beautiful,” she retorted.

  Gage looked at her in disbelief. “That’s a matter of opinion. Just do me a favor and stay away from the bar for the next few days. I don’t have the manpower to handle hot crazy men acting out around you.”

  “Are you saying this is my fault?”

  “I’m saying you underestimated yourself,” he said.

  She scowled at him. “That’s ridiculous. You act as if I can exert control over whoever I encounter.”

  “Well, here’s a news flash. I haven’t had to make arrests at the bar for two months. I don’t have time for this, so do me a favor and skip the bar. If you want a martini, I’ll buy it for you and deliver it to the rooming house.”

  Lissa felt her frustration build inside her like a bomb ready to explode. Her whole body roared with heat. “You’re being a jerk. A complete jerk,” she told him, her voice getting louder with each syllable. She stepped close to him, lifted her chin and poked her finger against his hard chest repeatedly. “If you think I’m so beautiful, why don’t you stop being such an idiot and kiss me?”

  Complete silence followed, but Lissa didn’t break eye contact with Gage. She didn’t even blink.

  But he did and he took a long breath. “Do you realize you just asked me to kiss you?”

  “Well, somebody needs to do something about this insanity,” she said.

  Gage stared at her for a long moment then began to chuckle. “Darlin’, I thought you’d never ask,” he said and pulled her against him and took her mouth in a kiss that made the room turn upside down. Her heart hammered against her rib cage, her breath stopped in her throat and her blood raced through her veins like wildfire. The kiss seemed to scream his need and desire for her.

  The power of it made her knees weak. She clung to his shoulders, wanting to get closer to him, much closer. Lissa could feel the evidence of his arousal pressed against her. He lifted one of his hands to her jaw, tilting her mouth to give him better access. The move only made her more aroused.

  “Oh, Gage,” she whispered. “I want you so much.” She rubbed herself against him, resenting the clothes between them.

  He slid his hand down to one of her breasts and she immediately felt her nipple harden against her bra. She tugged at his jacket and somehow opened it.

  He made a growling sound that rumbled through her like the threat of a powerful thunderstorm. There was a sense of inevitability and anticipation that wrapped around them like a cord, drawing tighter and tighter.

  Gage pulled back, swearing under his breath, his eyes as dark as midnight. “There’s only one way this is going to go tonight, and I’m not making love to you in the office. Come to my place?”

  “Yes,” she said, because her mouth, her body, her heart wouldn’t let her say anything else. So caught up in her feelings for him, she almost walked out the door without her jacket.

  “Hey, hold on there,” Gage said, grabbing the coat for her. “I don’t want you getting chilly on the way.”

  She laughed. “I don’t think there’s much chance of that.”

  Gage locked up the office and escorted her to his SUV. He started the engine and glanced at her. “You sure about this?”

  “I’ve never been more sure,” she said.

  Groaning, he leaned toward and took her mouth in a long, hot kiss. He pulled back and shook his head. “Can’t remember feeling this way,” he muttered and drove toward his property.

  After a moment of silence, he reached for her hand. “I better warn you my temporary trailer isn’t five-star,” he told her.

  “I’m not worried about the accommodations. I just want the man,” she said.

  “You know the right thing to say to make a man feel good, Lissa,” he said.

  She just hoped she knew all the other things that would make him feel good. She wasn’t particularly experienced....

  Soon enough, he turned onto a dirt road. “I take care of this part of the ranch. My parents handle the other. It’s big enough that between being sheriff and doing my chores here I can go weeks without seeing them,” he said.

  “I imagine they don’t like that,” she said.

  He shrugged. “Everyone knew I would have less time for ranching once I was elected sheriff. I had to be talked into running. It was one of those jobs that chose me.”

  “Do you wish you hadn’t run for office?” she asked, because he seemed such a natural for the position.

  “It’s turned into one of those things that seems like it was meant to be. That doesn’t mean there aren’t tough situations or tough days, but I like being part of the solution.” He stopped in front of a trailer and a darkened house.

  “I bet you wish you could get back into your house,” she said.

  “It’s not on the agenda at the moment,” he said. “There are too many people in worse shape than I am.”

  “Spoken like a true self-sacrificing community servant,” she said and leaned toward him. “But you don’t have to sacrifice every moment to the job, do you?”

  His eyes lit with arousal. “N
ot with you around,” he muttered and got out of the car. He walked to her side of the vehicle, opened the door and extended his hand. Her stomach dipped as she accepted his strong grip and slid out of the SUV.

  She barely took two steps before he swung her up in his arms.

  Surprised, she gazed up into his face. “What’s this?”

  “I just thought you should see that we do things a little different than your Manhattan boys,” he said.

  “Oh,” she said. “Are you saying all the Montana men do this?”

  He shot her a mock scolding glance. “Now don’t get any ideas.”

  She shook her head. “Too late. You give me a lot of ideas.”

  “Just as long as they’re about me,” he said and set her down when he reached the door.

  Leading her into the small trailer, he flipped on a light and turned to her. “I warned you it’s not fancy,” he told her.

  “You also told me you do things different than those Manhattan boys,” she said, poking her finger at his chest. “When are you going to show me?”

  He grinned. “I think now is good,” he said and pulled off his jacket.

  Her heart started to hammer when he pulled off her jacket, too. “Come here, darlin’,” he said and pulled her into his arms.

  He felt so good. All muscle and male, he lowered his mouth to hers in a long, deep kiss that rattled her down to her toes.

  He took her by surprise by swinging her into his arms as he walked into a small bedroom. She would never have believed how feminine and desirable that made her feel. Lissa lifted her hands to his face, relishing the slight abrasion of his barely whiskered jaw. Everything about him felt like a man to her: the coiled strength of his muscles, his wide shoulders and the way his large hands wrapped around her.

  He let her slide down his body, keeping her so close she felt every nuance of him. He kissed her again and she followed her body and mind’s instinct, pulling his shirt loose from his jeans. She slid her hands up his bare torso and he sucked in a sharp breath.

  “You’re making it hard for me to move slow,” he said.

  “Maybe I don’t want you to move slow. I swear I feel like I’ve been waiting for you to kiss me forever.”

  “Well, I’m gonna be doing a lot more than kissing you,” he said, and pulled her sweater over her head. A half breath later, her bra was gone and he was putting her down on the bed. Following her down, he slid his mouth down her throat to her nipples. Her body felt as if it were on fire. He caressed her until she couldn’t remain still any longer.

  “Gage,” she said, asking, wanting more.

  His skin was warm beneath her touch. She skimmed her hands down over his abdomen and unbuttoned his jeans. When she touched him where he was hard and needing her, he swore under his breath.

  He took her mouth again and within moments, they pushed each other’s clothes away. Her heart raced and she could barely catch her breath. Lissa had never wanted a man so much in her life. Yes, he was incredibly sexy, but he was smart and funny—nearly perfect.

  When he caressed her intimately, her mind seemed to stop. “Gage,” she pleaded.

  “Hold on,” he said and pushed her legs apart. His gaze holding hers, he thrust inside her, filling her with him. She clung to him as he moved in a delicious rhythm that made her feel as if everything inside her was tightening with his every stroke. He reached between them and caressed her once again, and Lissa felt herself burst over the edge.

  Seconds later, she felt him stiffen and groan as he climaxed.

  Lissa knew she would never be the same.

  * * *

  It took Gage fifteen minutes to make the muscles in his legs start working. This little city gal had knocked him sideways. Granted, it had been a while since he’d been with a woman, but he couldn’t remember anyone making him this hot and bothered then utterly depleted.

  She looked so pretty in his bed with her hair spilled over his pillow, her lips swollen from him kissing her. He looked down at her naked body and felt the urge to take her again. Well, hell, he didn’t want her to think he was a complete animal.

  Turning his head aside to get a little control, he scrubbed his jaw. “You hungry?” he asked.

  Silence followed. “Uh, I hadn’t been thinking about food, but now that you mention it I guess I am.”

  He felt her soft hand on his shoulder and shuddered. She hesitated. “You don’t like that?” she asked.

  He chuckled then took her hand and pressed it against his mouth. “Too much. It’s not gourmet, but how about a grilled cheese sandwich and some soup?”

  “Sounds perfect to me,” she said, smiling at him.

  Gage took one last glance at her tempting naked form and rose from the bed. He pulled a flannel shirt from his drawer and tossed it at her. “Here, cover up. I don’t want you getting cold.”

  “You got me pretty warm without a shirt a few minutes ago,” she said in a sexy teasing voice.

  “Maybe I’ll get you warm again after I feed you. I don’t want to be accused of torture,” he said.

  “If that was torture...” she drawled.

  “Put on the shirt, Lissa,” he said and pulled on his jeans. “You are too much.”

  Gage fixed three sandwiches and a can of tomato soup. He offered her a beer, but she asked for water. “Sorry I don’t have wine,” he said.

  “That’s okay. You can pick some up for next time,” she said with a smile.

  “So there’s gonna be a next time?” he asked, liking the idea. At the same time, he knew Lissa was only in town for a short time and he knew he shouldn’t get attached to her.

  “Do you want to go back to just being friends? No kisses. No touching. No anything,” she said, then took a big bite of the sandwich and gave a little moan of approval.

  Hell, no, he thought. “You make a good point. I guess we just both need to remember that you’re not going to be here forever. So this is temporary.”

  A shot of vulnerability deepened her eyes for a half second before she looked away. It happened so fast he wondered if he had imagined it. “You’re so right,” she said, then met his gaze. “This is temporary, so we should make the best of it, shouldn’t we?”

  Her eyes seemed to challenge him to all sorts of things he’d never imagined. Gage nodded, feeling him sink under her spell. “Yeah, we should.”

  “So, next time you’ll have wine for me, right?” she asked with a smile.

  “Sure. White, red or pink?” he asked.

  “White,” she told him. “Tell me, are you going to take me home tonight or keep me here with you?”

  “That’s easy,” he said. “I’m keeping you here with me.”

  * * *

  After a crazy night of lovemaking, Gage and Lissa took a shower together. She dressed in the clothes she’d worn yesterday. He dressed in fresh clothes and they headed for town. “I’ll drop you off at the rooming house, okay?”

  “That works for me. I have one more day before my next group of volunteers arrive.”

  “And we’ll keep this on the down low, right?”

  He felt her gaze on him. “Are you ashamed of being involved with me?”

  He glanced at her. “Hell, no. I wanted to protect your reputation.”

  She widened her eyes. “Hadn’t thought of that.” She paused for a moment. “I guess if someone’s going to ruin my reputation, I’d like it to be you.”

  “Well, I’m flattered. But if there’s a way to protect you, I’ll take it,” he said.

  Again, he felt her admiring gaze on him. “What?” he asked.

  “You’re pretty amazing,” she said.

  Her words made him warm and feel good inside. “Not really, but I’ll take the compliment,” he said.

  As Gage stopped next to the ro
oming house, Lissa leaned toward him and took his mouth in a scorching kiss that reminded him of all they’d done the night before.

  “Have a nice day, Sheriff,” she said when she finally pulled away.

  His whole body on fire, he wondered when he’d be able to rein in his sex drive for her. He needed to get it under control, he thought as he watched her take the steps to the rooming house. When she disappeared inside, he drove to the office and strode into complete quiet. Thank goodness.

  He went to his office and began to work on messages and paperwork from the previous day. He heard someone enter the office, but continued working. Moments later, Vickie poked her head in his office with a cup of coffee in her hand.

  “I hear the sheriff had a nice visit with our new favorite gal, Lissa Roarke,” she said and put the cup of coffee on his desk.

  “Wouldn’t know,” he said.

  “Well, everyone else does,” she said. “Did you really think Melba would keep it quiet when Lissa didn’t come back last night?”

  “Like I said,” he repeated firmly. “I wouldn’t know.”

  Vickie made a huffing sound of disapproval. “It will go easier if you go ahead and admit that you two are involved. But I can tell you’re determined to take the hard way. Good luck.”

  Gage glanced up after Vickie left. He sure as hell hoped the whole town didn’t know about his involvement with Lissa after just one night. How could he protect them both against such public study?

  The phone rang, taking his focus from the possibility of the scrutiny. It was another drug call that would consume him for the rest of the day. Gage would do just about anything to keep drugs out of Rust Creek.

  * * *

  Lissa took her time putting on fresh jeans and a sweater. She tiptoed down the back stairs with the intent of sneaking out the back door. Melba’s voice stopped her.

  “Hey there, darlin’. I hear you’ve been visiting with Gage,” the woman said.

  Lissa froze, turning back to meet Melba’s gaze. “Maybe a little,” she said, not wanting to reveal too much.

  Melba folded her hands together. “Well, I must tell you that the whole community of Rust Creek Falls is grateful.”