The Best Thing Yet (11 page)

Quit stalling,
she reprimanded herself. One final deep breath, then she swung the door open. Only to promptly lose it. Deiter stood there and, like it had the first time she saw him, her breath left her in a rush.

He wore a steel grey sweatshirt, blue jeans that amplified the strength in his legs, and dark brown hiking boots. Deiter removed his sunglasses and pierced her with his intense blue-grey eyes. Her heart—the traitorous organ—pounded with renewed want.

I did say I could do this, right?

“Morning, beautiful,” he said as he leaned close and brushed their lips together.

She cursed him repeatedly as he withdrew before she was ready for him to. “Good morning,” she replied.

“Ready?”

She could do this. Reaching to grab her garment bag, which contained her dress for dinner, from where it hung on the coat rack, as well as her purse, she shrugged. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

He seemed to stare at her for a few moments, as if assessing her mood, before he gestured her to leave. As she closed the door, ensuring the lock caught, she wasn’t at all surprised when he relieved her of her items. In silence, they walked to where he’d parked. He opened the back of an older model silver Dodge Durango. Once her things were stowed, he held her door before making his way to the driver’s seat.

“Are you planning on giving me the silent treatment, Arissa?” he queried after they’d been on the road for a while.

“No,” she said, avoiding his gaze and glancing around the interior of his vehicle.

“So it’s to be one word answers then?”

He seemed so calm she ground her jaw. “Looking for a soliloquy?” she asked.

“I already apologised for how things went on the ship, Arissa,” he said.

“I know. I heard you.” She gazed out of the window.

“But?” he prompted.

She shrugged. “They’re just words.”

His angry rumble filled the vehicle. She tore her attention from the passing scenery and stared at him. He had a tic in his jaw and he gripped the wheel so tight his knuckles were white.

“What, Deiter?” She shifted to angle her body to him. “Did you honestly think because you kissed me last night and grabbed my ass things would be okay?”

“No. I expected my words to be believed.” She heard a hint of his accent and it made her shiver. Damn accents were an aphrodisiac to her.

“I’m not following.”

He turned off onto a narrow dirt road. “You’re acting like you want me to crawl through fire for your forgiveness when I had no choice but to go.”

She thought about it for a bit as they moved over the bumpy road. Deiter didn’t try to fill the silence with chatter. He waited. He was right, she wanted him to suffer as she had. Still, it had hurt to not know for those long months.

“And if you’d had my information?” she posed the question.

He stopped the Durango and faced her. His eyes burned with a feral heat. “
I
would have been the one to help you move.”

Shivers of want licked at her like flames. She even ignored his possessiveness. True, she didn’t like it on men, but damn if his way didn’t make her a bit wet. She dampened her lips and revelled in the way his gaze followed the quick dart of her tongue as his eyes swirled with dark desire.

“Why did you leave?”

Deiter began driving again. His expression sobered. “I can’t tell you that, Arissa and I have no wish to lie to you, so please don’t ask.”

Her brow furrowed. “No wish to?”

He sighed and gave her a quick peek. “I will not lie to you, Arissa, not on anything but this. If you pressure me in this, for an answer, I will have to. And like I said, I’ve no wish to do so.”

She let it go, not wanting to put him in that position. Government work sometimes could get messy. Suddenly she got nervous. She was supposed to be showing him how ill-suited they were for one another, but…that plan wasn’t exactly working. Being with him was a lot of fun. He made her comfortable.

“How are you liking McKingley?” she asked, figuring it would be a safe topic.

“Beautiful area, although”—he glanced pointedly at her—“I’m liking it much better now.”

So much for a safe topic.
A blush ran up her cheeks and she shook her head in silence. Deiter parked before a row of boulders and shut off the engine. He reached for her chin and instigated eye contact.

“Ready?”

Was she? Hell no, not even close.
A way to show him we’re not compatible.
“Sure,” she lied, climbing out.

At the back of the Durango, he pulled on a pack and settled it on his shoulders. “Let’s go.”

She struck out after him, grateful he didn’t walk too fast. The trail was wide, relatively easy to navigate, and some parts of were shaded by the trees.

Even so, she was winded and feeling lightheaded and nauseous when he stopped. They could see out over the mountains and despite the aches in her body, she enjoyed the view.

“Are you okay?” he asked, shedding his pack and gripping her shoulders in a firm but gentle hold.

She nodded but didn’t speak. He guided her to a rock and nudged her down on it. Moments later, he thrust a bottle of water into her hand.

“Drink slowly.”

She did and licked her lips when he took it from her. With deep breaths, she hung her head and waited for the symptoms to pass.

His hand stroked along her sweaty cheek. “Sorry,” he said, on his haunches in front of her.

“For what?”

He moved his hands to rub the outside of her thighs. “Forgetting you just got back here and aren’t acclimated to the thin air.”

The feeling of nausea faded as her attention zoomed in on the feel of his hands on her body. They moved in small circles.
Focus!

“It wouldn’t matter,” she said.

Up and down he stroked, driving her to distraction. “Why not?”

“I’m not an outdoors girl.”

“Not even growing up in this place?”

She gave a bark of laughter and shook her head. “Nope. I don’t like the constant fear of poisonous snakes or being out for the damn tarantula migration. Then there’s the free-range cattle thing they do out here which really freaks me out. So, no. I’m not a huge fan of outdoors.”

The only way to describe the look on his face was amusement. “Didn’t you grow up here?”

“Yes. But, I moved my happy ass immediately after high school. Haven’t been back since. The last nine years, as you know, I spent in Chicago.”

“Where there was gangs, murders, carjacking, et cetera.”

She grinned. “Exactly. Much safer.” His return smile warmed her. “Lis, the youngest of us all, is the outdoor one. She barely goes home. Hell, I believe she’d live outside if she could.”

“But not you.”

“Oh God, no. I love my bed too much and let’s not forget indoor plumbing and whatnot.”

He drew her to her feet and brushed a teasing kiss along her lips. Then they retrieved his pack and continued. This time though, their fingers were interlaced.

“Why did you come with me, then?” he asked as they walked.

“You didn’t really give me any choice.” Her response held no heat—she’d begun to enjoy herself.

 Still, he paused and brought her head up to meet his gaze. “I wouldn’t have brought you here, Arissa, had I known. Do you want to go back?”

Good opportunity to make things difficult for him, he’d opened the door for it. Yet, she couldn’t do it.
Damn him and his way of getting under my skin!
“No.”

His smile made the nausea she’d experienced worth it.
Cripes, I’m becoming such a sap.
For a moment, Deiter appeared almost boyish. Then his gaze turned hot and there was nothing about him that was boyish. Nothing but six foot two inches of hot ass German male.

“Not much more to go.”

He gave a little tug on her hand. She fell into step with him and enjoyed the fact they were together. It was unexplainable to her how come she felt so comfortable with a man she’d not even known for two weeks. She didn’t count the time they had been apart—she hadn’t had the chance to get to know him then. But she’d thought of him. With him thoughts of forever, kids, a minivan and being a soccer mom flashed through her mind.

“Here we are,” he said, grabbing her from the direction her thoughts had headed.

Arissa scanned the area and a smile, the first real relaxed one since she’d arrived in McKingley, crossed her face. There was a cliff’s edge to the right and a few large trees with twisted trunks, courtesy of the punishing winds that moved through here on occasion. Almost no grass yet the view…well, it astounded her. Snow-capped mountains, gleaming in the sun, made for one hell of a backdrop.

“Wow.”

“Yeah, I kinda thought that too.”

She watched him stride to a large tree and take off his pack. Before long, he waved her over to sit with him on the blanket he’d spread out.

Deiter watched Arissa situate herself on the old quilt he’d brought up. She looked amazing. Her reddish-gold pixie style hair was longer than before, and he wanted nothing more than to sink his fingers in it. He’d never known hair to be as soft as hers.

She wore an old college sweatshirt and some jeans that were slightly baggy. Her hiking boots looked new. Not that it mattered—he knew what lay beneath those clothes.

Perfection, and his own idea of heaven.

God, he’d missed her. He stretched out and braced himself on his left elbow. “Come here.” He removed his sunglasses and watched her approach. She stretched out, her smaller body fitting just so against his. And this way, she was out of the wind.

“Thank you for coming with me,” he said.

He took his right hand and began to trace his fingers along her delicate facial features. Touching her was as addictive as any drug, he loved how her light brown eyes watched him.

“Did you have a good move?” he asked.

“Long,” she admitted. “But, yes, it was good. Went along smoothly, which is always nice.”

He did his best to ignore the fierce jealousy at the knowledge of who had come with her. “Good.” He stroked over her full lips and up one cheek. “When do you start work?”

She shifted on the blanket, bringing his attention to everything on her below the neck. Stifling his groan, he focused on her eyes and waited for the answer.

“A week. Figured I should give myself a bit of time before I delve back into it.”

“Time zone difference?”

“No, that never bothered me, besides we’re just an hour different here. I worked all hours at the ER in Chicago so time zones mean nothing. I get sleep when I can.”

She said it so matter-of-fact he almost smiled. Lowering his head, he nuzzled her chin. Her gasp went from her mouth to his groin.

Shit, he was harder than the rocks beneath them. She slid her hand along the back of his head and tangled her fingers in his hair, drawing him to her mouth. He obliged. Lightly, he licked her lower lip and traced the shape of her tempting mouth before covering it fully, slipping his tongue between the seam and sinking into her warm depths.

He caught her groan and answered with a rumble of his own. This was how it should be. Him and her. She smelt as she always did, clean and fresh. No perfumes or scented lotions on her, and it drove him to an even harder state.

He stroked through her warm haven, relearning the taste, which he hadn’t got over since the day they’d first kissed. Their tongues duelled and he dragged his along the sides and roof of her mouth. When she sucked on his tongue, he rolled them so he lay on top of her, pressing her into the quilt and ground.

She circled her arms around his neck and she arched into him, her whimpers and moans hitting him low and hard. He manoeuvred one hand up under her sweatshirt and purred when it came in contact with bare skin. She tugged once, sharply, on his hair and he pulled back.

Arissa stared up at him, her eyes overflowing with barely leashed passion. “Now,” she demanded in a soft whisper.

It didn’t matter they were outside. Nothing did, but that he’d found her and she wanted him. He sat up and removed her boots and pants.

“Christ,” he mumbled as he dragged a hand over her panties and found them wet. He took them off and sank two fingers deep inside her while with his other hand he unfastened his own jeans.

“Ahhh!” she screamed as her back bowed, hips thrusting against his driving fingers.

She was so tight, so wet, so hot he didn’t think he’d make it. Her cream coated his fingers and, grinding his jaw, he freed himself, hardening further when her eyes landed on his cock.

“Deiter,” she begged.

He nudged her legs apart and withdrew his fingers, licked them clean, and used that hand to guide his cock to settle at the entrance of her core. With her taste on his tongue, he placed both hands by her head, plunged forward, and sank fully into her slick pussy.

“Fuck!” he uttered as her heated walls surrounded him.

She latched her legs around him and he began to move. Deep strokes. Hard strokes. Unrelenting strokes. Sweat beaded on his brow and more ran down the back of his neck. He never looked away from her big eyes, which watched him, full of smoky passion. She undulated in time with his thrusts, allowing him deeper penetration.

“Uh, uh, uh,” she panted.

He couldn’t find the breath for any words himself. When she tightened around him and came with a rush and another cry, he lost it. With a guttural curse in German, he drove hard and fast into her until his roar echoed hers as he released his seed into her.

Arms shaking, he lowered himself carefully to her body, not wanting to crush her. She waited with a kiss, one that chased away that niggling bit of doubt he’d forgotten something and put his mind on one thing only. Pleasing Arissa.

* * * *

A few hours later, sated for the time being, they lay together, now dressed. He used his pack as a pillow and she used him, something that he had no problems with at all. Arissa slept against him and he just held her, moving his fingers idly up and down one arm. He knew she was exhausted—she had just got back to town.

He lay there, eyes watching the clouds floating through the clear blue sky.
Shit! I didn’t use a condom.
He wasn’t a man who didn’t suit up. Protection was as natural for him as breathing. But today, he’d not intended to do what they had just done. Well, not out here anyway. Back in his room, he had plenty beside the bed.