Forever Wishes (Montana Brides Book 4) (5 page)

They stopped outside a bedroom and she couldn’t help the grin that slid across her face. Two suitcases were open on the bed, clothes thrown all over the place.
 

“I’ll just tidy up. I threw my bags in here when I got home from the airport.” He moved into the room and flung his clothes into the suitcases and flipped the lids closed. They thumped to the ground, echoing in the quiet room.
 

“You’ve been away?”

“I’ve been at a conference in
 
Los Angeles.” Running his hands through his hair, he stared at a chair overflowing with boxes of kids’ toys. His carry-on had tipped on its side, spilling a book and magazines onto the floor.

Erin walked over to him. She didn’t care about his suitcases. She cared about the man standing in front of her looking like he’d suddenly found the end of a rainbow and didn’t know what to do next.
 

Reaching up, she softly kissed his warm lips. He bent his head and sighed, nudging her lips with his mouth, almost as if he was giving her time to decide if she wanted to be with him. She didn’t need more time. She knew what she wanted, and she wanted him.

Erin woke to the first rays of sunlight peeking through the window. Panic raced through her body. She looked at the unfamiliar room and the mound of man lying in a tangled heap of cotton sheets beside her. She took a deep breath.
 

Charity ball. Jake’s house. Sex. More than once. Hot, glorious sex that left her breathless and wanting more.

Lifting her arm to her face, she peered at the little numbers squished onto her ten dollar watch. Nearly five o’clock. No wonder she was still half asleep. Most of the world was sound asleep, including the man snoring softly on the other side of the bed.

Erin slipped off the mattress, her foot landing on one of her shoes sitting forgotten on the floor. She blushed, remembering how much Jake had liked her high heels. How much she liked seeing those red heels wrapped around his waist.
 

Her dress sat in a crumpled heap beside the bed, not far from Jake’s clothes. She scooped the ball of red satin into her arms, and quickly slipped it over her head.

As she walked through Jake’s house, Erin peered into other rooms off the hallway, looking for the kitchen. She grinned when she found it, realizing more money had been spent on this home than she’d ever be able to save.
 

Sunlight streamed through the floor to ceiling windows. Glass, stainless steel, and a chunky white marble counter filled the lavish kitchen in the open plan living area. An enormous
crystal chandelier hung over an antique dining table, giving the room character beneath a shell of urban sophistication. His home was incredible, the views outside breathtaking, and the night in his arms unforgettable.
 

Erin filled a kettle with hot water and plugged it in. She found some teabags lurking in the back of a cupboard and added one of those to a mug of boiling water. Rubbing her eyes, she enjoyed a huge stretch before taking her steaming cup across to the balcony.
She yawned again. So much for party girl central. Long gone were the days of staying out until dawn with Nicky and Emily, and then sleeping the rest of the day away in bed.
 

Nicky
. Erin dropped her mug of tea to the counter. She’d promised to call her and she’d forgotten. She turned toward the hallway, ready to run downstairs to get her cell phone.

Oomph. Her body staggered backward, bouncing off a wall of male muscle standing between her and the doorway. She took another step backward, catching the hem of her dress under her bare feet. Jake put his arms out, catching her before she fell flat on her bottom.
 

“Are you alright?”
 

“I’m fine,” she croaked, lifting the hem of her dress off the floor. “How are you feeling?”
 

He still looked tired, but drop-dead gorgeous in a sleep tousled kind of way. He’d changed into faded blue jeans and a well-worn t-shirt. Damp mahogany hair curled around his neck, and he smelt divine. “You’ve had a shower?”

“Yep. Shaved too.” He took a step closer. “Want to feel?”

Oh Lordy. She’d had lots of feeling time last night, and she already felt deprived. Erin rubbed her palm along his jaw, then moved closer, rubbing her lips along his smooth skin. He smelt like peaches and cinnamon. Good enough to eat. So she did.

His hands pulled her into his body, as her tongue swirled around his earlobe. He groaned as her teeth did a little more nibbling. His skin tasted as sweet as he smelled.
 

Jake moved in her arms, rotating his hips against her body while he licked her lips clean. Whoever thought multitasking was a bad thing hadn’t met Jake. He moved his legs, catching the bottom half of her dress under his feet. Her lips shot out of his mouth and landed on his chest. She giggled.
 

Jake frowned. He looked down at her as if she’d gone slightly mad.

She giggled some more. “You might want to move your feet.”

He stepped back and she breathed a sigh of relief. Hoisting her bodice up, she rearranged what nature had endowed her with. “I’m strapped inside this dress like a tuna in a tin can. Don’t ever buy a strapless gown, Jake.”

He grinned at her frowning face. “So you said last night.”
 

Erin plucked at her bodice one last time before running her hands down the skirt. “There. Even Nicky couldn’t complain…” her mouth dropped open. “I’ll be back in a minute. I promised I’d call Nicky when I got home and I forgot.”

She bunched the bottom of her dress in her hands and rushed toward the staircase, grabbing her purse from the floor of the pickup. She turned her cell phone on. Six messages, all from Nicky, lined up and waiting to fire poisoned darts at her for forgetting to call.
 

Erin groaned at the groveling she’d need to do to apologize for her one track mind. Flicking a quick message back, she headed upstairs. Stopping in Jake’s room, she picked up her shawl and shoes. She took one last look at the scene of her reckless and frivolous night and grinned.
 

Nicky was right. She hadn’t been disappointed.

Jake turned from the kitchen window. The soft swish of satin coming down the hallway drifted toward him. He smiled at the sight of Erin decked out in her ballroom finery.
 

She looked even more adorable than last night. She’d twisted her hair into a knot on the top of her head and wrapped her filmy shawl around her shoulders. Red painted toenails and bare feet peeked out from under the bottom of her dress and her high heels dangled from her fingers. All she needed was a crystal ball, and she could start a business as a gypsy fortune teller. “All sorted?”

Erin nodded. “As much as I can. I’ve left a message for Nicky but I’m going to have to do some serious damage control.” She pulled out a kitchen stool and sat down. Her legs dangled in mid air as she sipped her tea. “I’ve got to go into work this morning, so I’ve ordered a taxi to take me home.”

“Trying to get away from me so quickly?”

A blush warmed her cheeks. “Call it a defensive retreat, Mr. Williams. Anyway, I still have to think of a suitable payback activity. I saved you from the clutches of at least one deranged female last night.”
 

“I could think of a few things I could do with my hands tied behind my back, Miss Reynolds.” He laughed at the saucy gleam in her eyes. It was just as well her sense of humor was as warped as his otherwise she’d probably be running a mile by now.
 

With a quirk of her lips she said, “In your dreams.”
 

“If necessary,” he winked. “By the way, I gave Stan a check for your bid last night so we’re officially signed, sealed and delivered.”

“I’m sure the camp committee will appreciate your donation. It wasn’t too much money was it?”
 

Jake shook his head. “You saved me from a fate worse than death, so I’ll be forever grateful to you.”

 
Erin looked at him with mischief lurking in her eyes. “In that case I plan on making sure you work hard to pay for your night of bribery and corruption.”

“I’m sure you will,” he laughed. A flash of movement outside the window caught his attention. He looked down into the driveway. “The taxi’s arrived.”
 

Erin wiggled sideways on the stool. He pulled her into his arms as she jumped off. “Thank you for last night.”

Red heat skimmed along her cheeks. “I enjoyed myself too.” Her eyes darted toward the window, looking everywhere except at him. “We’d better head downstairs before the taxi wakes up half the neighborhood with his horn.”
 

He held her hand while they walked downstairs. Before she stepped into the taxi, he handed her a slip of paper. “I’ve scribbled my home number on here. Give me a call in the next few days so I can repay my debt to humanity.”
 

Smiling, she gave him a mock salute, “Yes, Sir.” And in a softer voice added, “Have a good weekend.”

He closed the taxi door and watched her disappear down the driveway. He stuck his hands in his pockets, breathing in the crisp morning air, remembering what had happened last night.

He hadn’t expected to meet anyone at the ball, let alone bring them back to his place. Erin wasn’t like anyone he’d ever dated, but he’d thrown every lesson he’d ever learned out the window when she’d smiled at him. He felt like a teenager, not sure what to do next, or whether there would be a next time.

There was only one way to shake off the brooding feeling in the pit of his stomach. He’d go to the ranch and see his sister, then brace himself for a visit with his mom. He might even stop by his favorite café for breakfast. Playing Santa with Ethan and devil’s advocate with his mother would take every scrap of energy he could find.

CHAPTER THREE

After Erin’s shift at the library she’d rung Nicky and met her at Sam’s apartment. There was nothing like a bit of bribery to make peace between friends, so she’d brought the biggest carrot cake she could find.
 

Between mouthfuls of delicious cake, Nicky kept glaring at her. “What planet are you living on to stay overnight in the house of a man you know nothing about?”

Erin shrugged. “He needed someone to stay with him.” She stuffed another fork of cake into her mouth, hoping Nicky didn’t see her skin stretching to accommodate her lying nose.
 

“So let me get this straight. He offered to pay for a taxi to take you home. But you decided to stay and play nursemaid to a perfectly capable male while he languished in bed with a headache? Of all the cheek. You were just darn lucky nothing happened.”

Every drop of blood in Erin’s body rushed to her face. Busted.

“What?” Nicky gasped. “You mean something did happen? Tell me you didn’t.”

“Okay. I won’t.”
 

Nicky raised her eyebrows.

Leaning her elbows on the kitchen table, Erin sighed. This wasn’t going as well as she’d thought it would. She tried to look suitably embarrassed, but couldn’t hold back the grin slipping across her face. “And he didn’t really have a headache. It was a more like an achy body that needed some tender loving care.”

“A what?”

“We had sex. More than once. And it was
incredible
.”

Nicky’s fork clattered against the table. “I knew it. No man has a goofy grin on his face if he’s going home with a migraine. Just wait until I see Sam. That man’s got a lot to answer for. It was supposed to be a double date, not a sex romp with my best friend.” She picked up her fork, stuffing another mouthful of cake into her mouth. Nicky’s jaw worked overtime, smashing the carrot and pineapple to shreds.

Erin cleared her throat. “The thing is…I really enjoyed last night.” She bit her lip, trying to hold back another grin. “And I’m ready to give Sam a big smoochy kiss to thank him for introducing us.”

“I need coffee,” Nicky groaned. “And not one of those frilly latte’s you like. I need a triple scoop of instant to keep me sane.” She pushed her chair away from the table and headed over to the kitchen counter. “Just promise me not to smooch Sam too soon. He needs a little bit of time to feel guilty before you tell him he’s your second favorite person.” Nicky poured boiling water into her cup and moved back to the table. “I’m just thankful you’re okay.”
 

Before she scooped another piece of cake off her plate, Nicky asked a question Erin wasn’t too thrilled about answering.