This Kiss (Made In Montana Book 12)

by Debbi Rawlins

  Reality heralded its rude reentry. “Oh God.” She was never loud. Or this breathless. Or still this warm and tingly. “On a scale of one to ten?” she asked, cringing. “Ten meaning I didn’t need a mic.”

  Ethan didn’t answer, but the grin he was trying to hold back told her a lot.

  “Okay,” she said, wrapping her hand around his erection. “Let’s see you top that.”

  Two strokes and his head fell back.

  She took the smooth, velvety head in her mouth, and his groan filled the room. She licked and sucked the crown and stroked the rest of him with her hand until his breathing grew ragged. His long fingers circled her wrist and he gently tugged her hand away. He already had a condom out. Wow, she really had missed a lot.

  Ethan tore open the foil packet and sheathed himself. Slowly. Very slowly, his tortured expression hot as hell. He’d been ready for her a long time and close to climaxing himself. Yet he’d been patient and generous, making sure he’d taken care of her first. She hoped she didn’t disappoint him. She wouldn’t orgasm just with him inside her. Long ago she’d given up on the elusive G-spot. The damn thing was a myth, and no one could convince her otherwise.

  She pressed her lips to his shoulder. He seemed surprised when she swung a leg over his hips to straddle him. Surprised, but not displeased. He stacked a second pillow behind his head and then held on to her hips as she sank onto him.

  Every millimeter sent new waves of bliss shooting straight to her pleasure centers. She slowed down, just until she could inhale once more before she died.

  Before she knew it, he pulled her up, then flipped her over, sliding his knee between hers and settling in with a kiss that was so hot it left her breathless.

  “What was that?” she asked. “Are you okay?”

  He smiled as he nodded. “I didn’t want to come too fast.”

  “Oh. Well, I was kind of hoping this part of the evening would include you. Inside me.”

  “Ah, so you didn’t want to just chat, hmm?”

  “I—” She closed her mouth, tilted her head and said, “No. In fact, if you don’t do something right now, I’ll—”

  “You’ll what?”

  “Ethan. I swear to God...”

  He raised his right eyebrow as he lifted both of her knees to his shoulders.

  She waited, watched as he pressed a kiss on each nipple. Then, with the control of a man who rode bulls for a living, he entered her. In one swift, sure move.

  “Holy mother of—” Sophie put her arms over her head and braced herself on the headboard.

  “Okay?”

  “Quit talking. And don’t hold back.”

  With a feral growl he thrust again. Only this time he changed the angle just a bit. She moaned, and when he started to pull back, Sophie squeezed his cock.

  “Sorry,” she said, when it sounded as though she’d hurt him. “Are you all right?”

  “On a tightrope here. Real tight.”

  “Wouldn’t hurt you to fall,” she said, touching his hair with one hand.

  “Not yet.” He shifted his angle once more. Higher than she was used to, and when he pushed in again, she cried out.

  This was different. She had to rethink the whole G-spot issue. Damn, Ethan had found it.

  He thrust again. And she let out a scream.

  Again.

  Another scream.

  God, they were so going to get kicked out. But she didn’t want him to stop. It was the sweetest torture she’d ever endured. She’d given up trying to keep her eyes open.

  One more thrust and then...

  Her whole back arched and she came so hard things turned a little gray, shifted upside down, started spinning. They both hit their final shudders within seconds of each other. She’d always known Ethan was a drug, and he’d just proven it.

  It took a while to catch her breath, and Ethan, too, but he still managed to lower her legs. When her heart rate slowed to about a hundred beats per minute, she shifted and he tossed himself to the left side of the bed. Good thing he had a lot of practice on his dismounts.

  Thinking how loud she’d been, she pressed a hand to her warm cheek. “I can never come back to this town, can I?”

  “Nope,” he said, and they both laughed.

  * * *

  ETHAN ROLLED ONTO his back and tucked her against his hard, languid body. They sure hadn’t needed the heater tonight. His skin was warm from exertion and downright hot in some places. Places that happened to be some of Sophie’s favorites. In fact, she was pretty toasty herself.

  She barely had the energy to glance at the clock. It was two-thirty and they’d just finished making love for the second time. They’d managed to sleep for a couple of hours before that, but then Ethan had gotten frisky again and she’d been more than happy to oblige him.

  And the thing with Ethan—a very admirable, wonderful thing—there was no rushing him when it came to sex. He liked taking his time, trying different angles, milking every last drop of pleasure out of her. Now that she knew she could orgasm without manual stimulation, she wanted to do it every time. She really had to give him props for being the most patient lover ever. Although she’d been with only three other guys and they’d been just okay.

  Drowsy and sated, her cheek pressed to his chest, she traced a circle around his belly button, wondering if he’d been like this as a teenager. Probably not. But if he had, good thing she hadn’t slept with him. A bar set that high first time around...she would’ve been destined for disappointment.

  “Sleepy?” he asked, idly rubbing her back.

  “Why?”

  Ethan laughed. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to ravish you again so soon.”

  “Ravish? Is that what you said?”

  “Too many syllables for you?”

  “Ha.” She stifled a yawn. “Probably.” Not just sleepy, but exhausted. Yet she was unwilling to give up a single minute with him. Tomorrow they’d have twelve hours together on the drive back to Wyoming, if one or the other wasn’t snoozing. “Tell me about your ranch.”

  “Ah yes. The ranch,” he said with a quiet chuckle. “I wondered when you’d bring it up.”

  “Meaning?”

  “I’m busted.”

  “What?” She brought her head up. “You lied?”

  “Technically, no. I own five hundred acres over in Carver County. Including a dilapidated barn and a two-room cabin that were on the property when I bought it.”

  “You live there?”

  “Hell no. I’m a cowboy through and through, but I like my modern comforts. And describing the place as rustic is putting it way too nicely.” He shrugged. “Someday I’ll build a house. I don’t know—maybe next year.”

  She hated that he’d tensed, though she didn’t know why. He’d been living on the road most of his adult life. Maybe the idea of putting down roots made him nervous. “So, would you raise cattle? Breed horses?”

  “Don’t ever cut your hair.” He pushed his fingers through the thick wavy mass, stopping at a tangle and working some magic that quickly loosened it.

  “I hate my hair. I always have.” She’d made peace and given up on it. “At least with it long I can pull it back.”

  “How can you hate this?” he asked, fisting a handful and holding it up before slowly letting the locks fall over her shoulder and onto his chest.

  “It’s frizzy and wavy and yuck.”

  He shook his head. “Soft and sweet—” he tugged on a curl and smiling at it “—and very sexy.”

  “Too many concussions,” she murmured, not knowing what else to say. Joking was her go-to when she was embarrassed. Or she’d escape through sarcasm, but she was working on that particular shortcoming.

  “You know Matt’s arena?”

 
Sophie nodded, curious and confused. He was still preoccupied with her hair, but his tone had changed.

  “After I build the house, I’m going to put up something similar. Probably not quite as big, but I’ll leave room to expand. And I’ll have to do something about the barn. Hell, it may have to be torn down and built from scratch. Then there’s the stable, and after that the corrals, more fencing. I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me.”

  “Are you going to do most of it yourself?”

  “If I wanted to live in a lean-to, sure.” He laughed. “I can handle the corrals and fences, but that’s about it.”

  “Okay.” She was still processing the information. “Building an arena means you’re going to have rodeos?”

  “Not the kind you’re thinking of.” He stretched his back and neck, but his jaw was clamped tight as he stared up at the ceiling. “I want to open a kids’ rodeo camp.”

  “Oh, like your parents have.”

  “That’s not what they do. For one thing, they cater to adults and it’s strictly for profit.” He glanced at her. “Nothing wrong with that. It’s a business. And mine will be, too. I’ll charge a fee. But I won’t turn away a deserving kid just because his parents don’t have the money or he’s not athletic. The goal is to help the kids with self-esteem. Let them come into themselves at their own pace.”

  “Wow, Ethan.” She pushed up to look at him full on. “That’s terrific.”

  “Yeah?” Some of the tension seemed to melt from his jaw and shoulders. “You think so?”

  “Are you kidding? That is so awesome.” She meant it with all her heart. For a guy like Ethan, who had money, good looks and skills that most men could only dream about, it was amazing that he understood not everyone was handed a life wrapped with a pretty bow. “I’m so excited for you.”

  “I can tell.” He was grinning when he leaned over to kiss her. “Somehow I knew you’d understand.”

  “Well, of course I do. I was the one who got picked on, remember?” She placed a palm on his chest, right over his big wonderful heart.

  “You weren’t bullied a lot, were you? You seemed like a pretty confident kid.”

  “If I kept to myself, then no, I wasn’t bothered much. But basically, a smart kid thrown into a new school isn’t generally well liked.”

  “I’m sorry, Sophie.” He covered the hand she’d put on his chest and squeezed before he kissed her fingertips.

  “Okay, what you just did?” She snuggled against him. “Made it all worth it.”

  “I’m serious,” he said quietly.

  “Me, too.” She shrugged. “I spent a lot of time in my own head. Only-child syndrome, I guess. Plus, before my dad left my mom and me, he hadn’t been around all that much.”

  “What do you mean by left? He just walked out on you?”

  “He worked in construction and jumped around for different jobs while my mom and I stayed in Idaho. And then he met a woman—a waitress working at a diner, I think. Anyway, he came home to pick up his things and that was that.”

  “Jesus, what an ass.”

  “Oh, I had a much stronger word for him,” she said with a wry grin. “Once Mom and I moved to Wattsville to be near my aunt and her family, things were better.” Sophie sat up to look into his eyes. “If there’s ever a single-parent kid who wants to go to your camp but doesn’t have the money, you have to take him or her in, okay? Promise me.”

  He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and smiled. “I promise.”

  She nodded, satisfied that he’d keep his word. “Are you thinking of a day camp, or more like a summer thing where you board the kids?”

  “I haven’t decided for sure, but I imagine it’ll end up being both. I’d prefer to have the kids for six weeks at a time, but that means we’d open only for the summer.”

  “That’s kind of too bad.” Sophie thought for a moment. “You know, lots of schools are open year-round now. I’d have to check, but I think that means they have three weeks off between sessions.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that. Three weeks at a time isn’t bad.” His brow furrowed in thought, he stared off and absently rubbed her arm. “So maybe I could offer different programs for three weeks or six weeks and put something together in the afternoons for the local kids.”

  Her hand still rested on his chest and she liked feeling his heartbeat accelerate with his excitement. “Anyway, you have a lot of time to mull over all your options.”

  He looked at her, his mouth curving in a peculiar smile. “Between you and me, I’ve already hired a contractor. He’s drawing up plans for me to look at after the finals.”

  “Ethan! That’s so terrific.”

  “You can’t say anything. No one else knows.”

  “Not even your parents?”

  “Especially not them.” He sighed, looking as if he regretted the remark. “It’s nothing. Just another story in itself.”

  “Want to hear something I’ve never told anyone?” She lowered her hand to his belly. Not on purpose, but now it seemed he might be interested in something other than what she wanted to share.

  “What’s that?” he asked, moving her hand up a few inches.

  “It’s kind of weird, but I’ve thought about doing something with kids, too. Not on such a grand scale as what you have in mind. I don’t have that kind of money, but just a small no-frills martial arts studio. I didn’t take up kickboxing and tae kwon do until my first year of college but getting physical and learning discipline made a big difference in my life. I know a couple of qualified people who would volunteer to help teach the kids.”

  Ethan was silent for a few moments. “I can see how that changed things for you,” he said, his slight frown confusing her. “And don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great you want to give back. But I still don’t get why you’re not doing something more challenging. I mean, now that I know you’re not even from the area, I can’t figure out why you’d stick around.”

  “You sound like my cousin.” Sophie sighed. “I told you about my dad, who I don’t see and don’t care to see ever again. And my mom is a perfectly nice woman who also happens to be clueless. If I were to tell her I was leaving for the moon tomorrow, she would say what she always does, ‘That’s nice, dear.’” Sophie saw his left eyebrow shoot up. “Seriously. I like being around family. My aunt and uncle, my cousins...we all do stuff on holidays, and if somebody’s car is in the shop, we help out.

  “I know, it sounds corny. Whatever.” She leaned into him while her hand reclaimed those few inches of warm belly. “Who knows? Now that I’ve gotten you out of my system, maybe I can move on to bigger things.”

  She felt him tense. Not just his chest and stomach but his whole body seemed to tighten. He should be relieved that she had no expectations beyond this weekend, but instead he looked annoyed.

  “We have a long drive tomorrow. You should get some more sleep,” she said, and pulled her hand away.

  He caught it and peeled open her fingers. “Later,” he said, and put her hand back on his lower belly.

  13

  SOPHIE CRANED HER NECK to see inside the arena. Now that she finally had some time alone, she’d phoned Lola. This was supposed to have been a quick call, but her cousin kept placing her on hold. “Is something wrong?”

  “What do you mean?” Lola was rarely this curt. With others, yes, but usually not with Sophie. And here she’d called with good news. Lola sighed. “Sorry. It’s that fight I had with Hawk. I think I told you about it—well, now he’s being a goddamn baby and not taking my calls.”

  “Let him stew,” Sophie suggested when she really wanted to say good riddance. “Stop calling him and he’ll get worried and call you.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right. So, tell me again. You’re at the rodeo now, but you think you’ll be leaving in an h
our?”

  “Basically, yes. Ethan had hoped to be moved up on the schedule sooner, but there was a mix-up. We’re still leaving earlier than we originally thought.” Sophie waited. “You’re quiet.”

  “Are you a hundred percent sure he isn’t playing you?”

  “Two hundred percent.” A nasty remark about not mistaking Ethan for Hawk sat on the tip of Sophie’s tongue. It was mean, so she pressed her lips together. “Do you want me to call you once we’re on the road?”

  “Are you driving straight through?”

  “I don’t know. It depends. We’re both really tired.” The last word had barely tripped off her tongue and she wanted to shoot herself. Eventually she’d tell Lola about Ethan, but not yet.

  “Damn,” Lola muttered, half to herself. “Hold on, would you?”

  “I’ll call you later,” Sophie slipped in. Then she disconnected without knowing if Lola had heard. She wasn’t about to wait around on hold for the umpteenth time and miss Ethan’s ride.

  She reentered the building, but instead of returning to her seat, she stood by the privacy fence close to the arena. A few buckle bunnies had made camp near the gate used by the riders and volunteers. In the looks department the women ranged from gorgeous to holy shit. And Sophie had overheard enough earlier to know that half the buckle bunnies here had come because of Ethan.

  It made her smile to imagine their reaction over him choosing plain Jane her over any of them. There had been a time when she would’ve been beside herself with jealousy, crippled by self-doubt and mired in suspicion over his motives.

  The suspicion part, that wasn’t something to be ignored in her line of work. So yeah, she’d been wary at first, wondering if he was playing her. But the 200 percent she’d quoted Lola, that was real. Ethan was one of the good guys. Who just happened to be hot.

  On the other hand, maybe she’d idealized him for so long she was being selective about what she wanted to see. He certainly was no monk, not that she expected him to be, but she wondered how difficult it was going to be for him to give up being a rodeo star. Being the guy all the women wanted. Having a slew of companies eager to give him money to endorse their products. Some of that would carry over into his post rodeo career. And it seemed as if his head was on straight enough he could separate his ego from all the nonsense.