Rocky Mountain Romance (Six Pack Ranch) (12 page)

His shout of surprise was worth the delay in game.

“God, Melody. You fucking blow my mind.” His voice trembled, and his fingers curled through her hair.

She couldn’t answer with her mouth full of cock. She inched down a little farther on every rock until he was swearing a blue streak, and her lips had reached the coarse curls at his groin.

He didn’t give her time to tease any longer. Her back hit the mattress seconds before he grasped her knees and pulled them apart. Opening her wide so when he put his cock to her and thrust forward, he was buried in her body in an instant.

The shock of the single motion tore her breath away, and she stayed motionless, attempting to adjust to the thick intrusion that simultaneously hit all her pleasure points and made her feel as if she were being gutted.

He caught her chin in his hand and stared intently into her eyes. “You good?”

Words would require air, and since she didn’t have any available for extraneous things right now, she nodded.

Still staring at her, he pulled his hips back. So in control as every inch triggered more pleasure. When she expected him to drive forward, he surprised her. Small pulses only—in, then out, repeating the motion until she thought she would go crazy from want.

“I’ve missed this,” Steve confessed. His dark eyes flashed as he braced himself above her body. His trim, muscular hips bumping her on every tantalizing stroke. “I’ve missed touching you. I’ve missed tasting your skin.”

She licked her lips, trying to get some moisture into her suddenly dry mouth. Wondering what she needed to say.

He didn’t give her a chance to respond, though, because his mouth was over hers and he was kissing her as he continued to move within her. Connections and pleasure, memories and new experiences blending together.

She wrapped her legs around him, pressing her heels into his tight buttocks. Her hands rested on his shoulders, and she took advantage of the opportunity to explore the contoured muscles within her reach as he rocked again and again.

Their lips separated, his head beside her ear as he increased the pace. Both of them gasped for air, panting along with each rapid thrust. The bed springs creaked with every motion, Melody using the leg lock she had on him to help slam them together as he drove in hard.

The pleasure building was rapidly headed for a peak, and she murmured his name. The angle was just right that he knocked her clit over and over, and even after coming earlier, there was no way to hold back the avalanche of sensation.

“Oh, Steve.
Yes—
”

She shouted as he put his teeth to her neck and bit, holding her in place as his cock undid her. She arched her back, trying to get him even farther into her body as her muscles clenched around him. He swore and froze, his groin tight to her as he gasped for air, her name on his lips, his hips jerking against her.

Breathing had never seemed so difficult before. Melody let the head-spin take her as pleasure rolled through her entire body. Steve rested on top of her, his weight a welcome trap. She could do nothing but enjoy the aftershocks and wonder if the tingling was ever going to end.

“That didn’t suck,” she confessed as soon as she could speak.

His laughter vibrated against her neck. “No. That didn’t suck at all.”

He nuzzled against her for a moment before rolling away to deal with the condom. Cold hit the instant he left.

A moment later he was back, curling around her and tucking her against his body. It was frightening how good the position felt.

She didn’t want to analyze too much, not at this point. They had so much more than sex to figure out if this was going to be a better relationship than what they’d had before.

But…she had no objections to fantastic sex
while
they were figuring it out.

Still, she had to tease. “That wasn’t anything extraordinarily kinky.”

“You unhappy?” He slipped his hand off of her belly and up to her breast, fingers dancing over her skin. “Because I can start all over again if I need to.”

She groaned. “I won’t be able to walk tomorrow. Not too kinky was perfect for tonight. Everything’s fine.”

He rolled her to her back and loomed over her, licking his lips. Complete and utter lust in his eyes.

Oh damn. What had she said to set him off?

“Fine?” One brow rose as he stared down with a dangerous expression. “We can do much better than
fine
.”

Oops. “Shit. No it’s not fine, I didn’t use that word. No, I didn’t— Oh my
God
.”

Steve laughed, relenting as he removed his hand from where he’d slipped it between her legs. “Okay. I’ll give you a fifteen-minute break before we start over.”

She wasn’t sure if he was kidding or not.

Three months of this? That
would
be much better than fine.

Chapter Eight

“There’s nothing wrong with your dog, Ian. He needs a little more time to recover between hunting trips, that’s all.” Melody patted the ancient mutt on its head. The animal thumped his enormous tail in response, his good-natured attitude visible in every massive inch.

“He’s not suffering, is he?” Ian shook his head, his silvery grey hair pulled back in a ponytail and tucked under a worn but clean cap. The man couldn’t be any taller than Melody’s five-foot-five, but he was wiry and lean like all of the locals who lived off the land, toiling mostly by hand year after year. “Bear’s been a good friend for a long time, and I know what it’s like to feel the aches and pains of getting old.”

“No, I don’t think he’s in too much pain. He’s probably stiff in the morning, but by the time he’s gone for a walk and sniffed around a little, he’s a happy guy.”

The old-timer nodded, obviously pleased with the news. “Good to know. He’s one of my best friends.”

Melody braced herself as she wrapped her arms around the dog and lowered him to the ground. The animal immediately moved into position beside his master, no collar or lead needed. The two of them tottered out the door, connected by something a whole lot more than the line of a leash, and a shot of envy struck.

Someday she’d like to have that kind of connection with an animal as well. Now that she planned to settle down, and all her schooling was done, maybe it was time to consider finding a good four-legged workmate. Ideas flitted in her head as she cleaned her work area.

Thoughts of a working pet weren’t the only thing distracting her. That morning Steve had still been in her bed, but he’d risen at dawn. She’d watched sleepily as he pulled on his clothes before leaning in to kiss her goodbye. “Chores,” he whispered in explanation. “I’ll call you later.”

She’d pulled herself together enough to ease up on an elbow, enjoying how his gaze dropped over her in appreciation. “I have to work today too,” she warned. “Nine to five for once.”

Steve snuck back to kiss her one final time, the mattress sagging under his weight. “Then tonight we’ll do something. Call me when you’re free.”

Because this was more than just sex—they were back in a relationship. The idea both amazed and terrified her. She hoped she knew what she was doing.

Melody restocked a supply cupboard to force herself to stop daydreaming, then answered a summons to Mathis’s office.

Five minutes later she was staring across the desk at her boss in shock.

Beside her, Tom, the other main vet who’d been called in just for the meeting, was also motionless. If she’d been caught off-guard at Mathis’s announcement, Tom had to be horrified.

Sure enough, his response was fairly typical of what she expected to hear over the next weeks.

“You’re putting Melody in charge of the large-animal work? Seriously?”

Mathis glared at his employee. “Wasn’t I speaking English a minute ago? It was pretty clear that’s what I said.”

“Yes, but that makes no sense,” Tom protested. “I’ve been working here just as long as her. In fact longer because I didn’t go gallivanting off for nearly a year—”

“A year in which Melody increased her training and her skills, to the point that she is the best person for the job,” Mathis insisted, his gravelly tone deepening in displeasure as he glared at Tom. “This isn’t some kind of military coup, man. I just want to go away for a damn vacation for the first time in twenty years. It’s my business, and I’ll thank you to let me pick the best person for the job.”

Tom settled back silently in his chair, but Melody knew this was only the beginning.

“I’ll be glad to help, Mathis,” Melody offered.

She refused to add anything to placate Tom’s wounded ego. It wasn’t a case of him being given a shitty deal, only that he thought he should have what Melody had been offered. The responsibilities he’d been put in charge of were just as important to the livelihood of the clinic.

Mathis, on the other hand, knew all too well what was going on. He folded his arms over his chest and frowned.

“Tom, this isn’t some kind of judgment on your skills. You’re excellent with the small-animal work, and I need you here in the clinic to keep that side of things going smoothly while I’m gone. Let Melody go tromp through the fields and deal with the weather, and you can enjoy an extra hour in bed in the morning and avoid most of the middle-of-the-night emergency calls.”

Tom nodded, but the waves of frustration and displeasure rolling off of him were easy to sense.

Melody changed the topic. “Where are you going for your vacation?”

“Somewhere exotic and completely devoid of all animal life?” Tom grudgingly played along even though his tone made it clear he wasn’t happy.

“You know it. Heading south. Camping and hiking in a bunch of the national parks. Plus, I’ve got tickets to Vegas, and I’m going to every single one of them fancy shows that I can.” Mathis offered them a wink, working hard to distill the tension filling the room. “It’s good to get the old ticker going a little harder, and at my age looking at pretty girls is the only thing I’m capable of.”

“Go on with you,” Melody taunted. “You still know what to do with them if you catch one.”

Mathis laughed, and they moved into discussing the specifics of his time away, but the end result was clear. Her boss was taking a well-deserved vacation of six weeks, and he’d left Melody in charge.

Her world continued to whirl as she wandered into her residence, and picked up the phone to touch base with Allison over the shocking change of situation.

“That’s wonderful!” Allison cheered before pausing for long enough to get Melody’s curiosity up. “I bet Tom didn’t like it, did he?”

Ha. “Went over like a sack of angry cats.
Wet
angry cats.”

Allison sighed, the sound echoing over the line. “Welcome to the hell of facing the old boys’ club.”

“I’ve been dealing with it for years,” Melody reminded her.

Only, she’d dealt with it, and put up with it, and fought against it while in a subservient role. Mathis hadn’t ever let things go too far. Allison was right, and if Tom’s attitude was any indication, it wasn’t going to be easy.

She refused to panic. “I’m not the only large-animal vet in the area, so if anyone really objects to working with me while Mathis is away, they can call Baker’s Clinic in Drayton Valley. And I can get Tom to help me, if I need to.”

“You won’t need his help.”

“I hope not. I mean, technically I’m more advanced than him, and I’m stronger than him considering his age and attitude.” Heck, she bet Tom would have had troubles lifting Bear onto the examining table. “But I’m still a woman. You know that makes some of the local ranchers assume they can smack me on the ass and send me into the house to help prep lunch when I’m done vaccinating a herd.”

“Kick a few of them in the nuts,” Allison suggested evilly.

Melody was already anticipating having to do that. “I’m just going to need to grow bigger ones than any of them,” she said firmly.

“Good for you.” Allison paused. “And I’ll say it again, congratulations. I think you’ll do a fabulous job, and if there’s anything you need, you let me know.”

“Sure. Because the most intimidating thing on the face of the earth to most of these ranchers is a pregnant woman,” Melody drawled.

“Pregnant woman in tears,” Allison offered before getting serious. “I’m kidding. You’ve got the skills—focus on that. The macho attitudes will be a pain in the ass, but there’s not much they can say when you do your job right. Plus, I’m not beyond helping get their heads on straight if they need it. You know I worked in the industry for a lot of years. I think I still scare a lot of them—they run when they see me coming.”

Allison had done organic inspections on ranches and farms throughout Alberta. “Oh, that’s right. They loved you as well, didn’t they? Having to deal with a woman approving or refusing to stamp their paperwork.”

“You get a tough skin,” Allison admitted. “But in the meantime, we need to celebrate. When do you officially start?”

“Mathis leaves on Monday.”

“Then there’s no time to waste. Barbecue at our place tonight—bring a date if you want.”

Oh, right. There was something else she needed to share. “We’re going out again,” she confessed. “Me and Steve.”

Allison’s musical laugh echoed over the line. “Tell me something new, honey. You might think you were being sneaky, leaving Traders at different times, but you two could barely keep your hands off each other before you left. I figured out where you were headed in such an all-fired hurry. Especially when Steve took off without threatening Mitch with death or dismemberment like a true Coleman brother should at a typical engagement party.”

“You’re a nut,” Melody complained.

“Hey, you’re the one going out with him again. Although, if he messes up this time? He’ll have the wrath of the Coleman women to deal with.”

She didn’t try to hide her amusement. “That’s worse than the wrath of God, I hear.”

“God is more forgiving,” Allison agreed.