This Kiss (Made In Montana Book 12) (11 page)

It had taken him months to blot out the image of her the day he’d slipped his jacket over her shoulders. She’d looked so small, her dress in tatters, but she hadn’t cried or uttered a single mean word. She’d just looked up at him with so much trust and gratitude that he hadn’t deserved. Afterward he’d nearly busted a hand punching his metal locker. Fixing the big dent he’d left had come out of his own pocket.

After that he’d avoided her as much as possible. Arnie had retrieved the jacket from her the next day. Once Ethan left for college the memory had started to fade and eventually disappeared.

When he realized his hand had slipped down to her breast, he tried to cool down the X-rated kiss. Sophie wasn’t interested in complying, so he forced himself to pull back.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, then jerked a look at the center console under her left knee. She sank back into her seat, ducked her head and swept a gaze down the sidewalk.

“Yep. Too many people around.”

“Oh, jeez. Well, they don’t know me, but most of them probably recognize you. Sorry.”

“I’m not.” He drew the pad of his thumb across her lips. They were puffier than usual. From the kissing. He wanted more of that. Leaning forward got him a firm hand to the front of his shoulder.

“We should go,” she said, laughing. “As in right now. Before we get carried away again.”

“Honey, we haven’t even gotten warmed up yet.” He turned the key. The engine made a god-awful grinding noise.

Heads turned. They both cringed.

Fine way to learn the truck had been idling all along.

He shook his head, and Sophie laughed.

The drive to the inn would take three minutes tops. He doubted he could make it.

11

S
OPHIE
GRABBED
THE
room key from him and unlocked the door. She laughed when she felt his hand mold to her backside, then quickly sobered and huffed. “What did I tell you? No touching until we’re...”

He gave her ass a light squeeze and smiled.

Oh Lord. He wasn’t listening, so why had she bothered? She practically shoved him inside the room before their neighbors from down the hall caught up with them.

“Wait. Okay? Just wait.”

“Why?”

She turned away from him because she couldn’t think straight while staring into his darkened blue eyes. But Ethan put his arms around her and pulled her back against his chest. There was no missing his very insistent erection. So avoiding his gaze wasn’t working at all. She was beginning to think nothing would.

He kissed the side of her neck and then trailed his lips to the slope of her shoulder. She closed her eyes, wondering if he knew what he could do to her with only a look, a smile, a brush of his lips.

It was humbling to accept that she was defenseless when it came to Ethan. In the past five years she’d made progress. She could honestly say she hadn’t thought about him much. She’d stopped monitoring his standing with the tour. If a rodeo was televised, she’d sometimes watched him. But she hadn’t gone out of her way.

But after only twenty-four hours in his company, she could no longer deny the cold, hard truth. Once an addict, always an addict. And when this was all over, and she and Ethan again went their separate ways... Well, God help her. The road to recovery was going to be infinitely harder this time.

With a sigh, she pushed aside the silly notion that she could save herself some pain by walking away now. No chance of that happening.

She turned around in his arms and pulled on the front of his Western-cut shirt. The snaps came apart easily. He yanked her top up and over her head. Her peach-colored bra distracted him while she pushed his shirt open, exposing well-developed pecs.

He slipped the bra strap off her shoulder, then bent his head to kiss the narrow strip of skin he’d uncovered. The light touch of his lips on flesh that had never been sensitive before almost sent her through the roof.

She went for his belt buckle and he reached behind to unclasp her bra, which he seemed determined to get rid of. Except she was equally interested in unzipping his jeans. Their arms momentarily tangled. Then it became a free-for-all with shirts, boots and socks flying everywhere.

Sophie couldn’t contain her laughter, intensified by Ethan’s impatient battle with her snug jeans. He was still wearing his Wranglers and wouldn’t let her near the zipper while he struggled to get her jeans down, making it only as far as her hips.

“Peel, don’t pull,” she said, then yelped when he picked her up and dumped her on the bed.

His piercing gaze took her in, starting with her hair and eyes, before locking on her breasts. “You’re perfect,” he whispered, the gravel in his voice a turn-on all by itself.

“Take off your jeans,” she said, her eyes feasting on his strong chest and muscled shoulders, on the flexing and release of his pecs. His skin was still tanned, no sleeve lines, nothing along his low-riding waistband, which made her wonder about a whole bunch of things. Like what she was going to find under those jeans. “Please.”

He leaned over and touched his tongue to her left nipple. The light contact sent warm pleasure flowing through her body. His mouth was hot, and so was the hand he used to cup her other breast. So she didn’t understand why she was shivering. Or why she couldn’t seem to stop.

Ethan took the hard tip into his mouth and gently sucked while he eased the jeans down to her thighs. She put a hand on his shoulder, and with the other she strained to reach his zipper. He intercepted her, using less effort than it took to swat a fly.

But he got the message to hurry it up. In seconds he’d pulled off her jeans, leaving her in skimpy peach panties that seemed to fascinate him. She sat up, but he gently forced her back down and put his mouth on the tiny triangle of silk. His warm breath breached the material and sparked a fire inside her.

“Dammit, you’re killing me,” she murmured, afraid she was going to have the quickest orgasm in history.

He lifted his head. “I didn’t want to rush you,” he said, and slipped a finger under the material. With a sharp intake of breath, he pushed his finger intimately between her lips. “Jesus, you’re wet.”

His patience evaporated, replaced by a fevered haste. He stripped off her panties, dropped them right there on the floor and scooped her into his arms.

Startled, she hung on to his neck. “Where are—”

They reached the bathroom. The very small bathroom with its tiny shower. He set her on her feet and turned on the water.

“I don’t know about this,” she said. “It’s going to be a tight squeeze.”

“Luckily I’m very good at that.”

Sophie looked at him and laughed. He held a hand under the spray, the other one rested on the curve of her butt and in his eyes, amusement and pure want warred for dominance.

He slipped his arm around her waist, pulled her against him and kissed her. “The water’s warm,” he murmured against her lips.

“Are you planning to shower with your jeans on?”

“Nope.” His kiss was slow and thorough, and with her breasts pushing against his bare chest, she was never going to stop shivering. He broke the kiss. “You’re going to get under this warm spray while I take off my jeans.”

“Hurry, or I’ll use up all the hot water.” She stepped inside the narrow stall. It was almost too small for two people. They’d have to be careful—

Sophie found the soap and turned to see if Ethan was getting out of his jeans. He’d unzipped them but was just standing there watching her. It was startling. She’d never been watched like this before, and her first instinct was to yank the shower curtain closed all the way. But it was made of clear plastic, and this was Ethan. It was kind of hot knowing those hooded eyes were focused completely on her.

She rubbed the soap between her breasts and tipped her head back as she slid the bar up to her throat, taking her time and working up a lather. With her free hand she followed the suds sliding down her body, then cupped the white foam and brought it to her breast. She lingered on her nipples, plucking at the stiff peaks with her thumb and forefinger, before soaping around them.

It was easy to sneak a look at him. He sure wasn’t staring at her eyes. Never in her life had she been happier that she took working out seriously. Her body was by no means perfect, but she was in good shape, especially considering her weakness for dark chocolate.

Ethan had pushed down the Wranglers, but he’d made it only to his hips. She knew the brand was one of his sponsors, and oh Lord, if they advertised with a picture of him right now, the company would sell out of jeans into the next millennium.

Their problem, not hers. She needed to give him a reason to speed things along. Slowly she turned around and used both hands to soap her butt and the back of her thighs before “dropping” the bar of soap.

Oops.

She bent all the way over until she could flatten her palms on the shower floor, knowing exactly what she was putting on display for him. Before she had a chance to straighten she heard the curtain being yanked across the rod.

Dammit. She’d wanted to get a good look at him before he—

His large hands settled on the curve of her hips. His erection slid up against her butt as he bent forward to kiss the middle of her back.

“You’re driving me crazy,” he practically growled the words, and removed his hand only to aim the intrusive shower spray toward the wall.

As she rose he banded an arm around her lower ribs, pulling her against him and kneading her left breast, tugging gently at her nipple. She felt his hot breath at the side of her neck, and then the slightly rough texture of his tongue, the scrape of his teeth on her skin.

She reached behind, trying in vain to touch him. But he held her body so tight to his she doubted a breeze could sneak in between them. Turned out the stall had room to spare.

“Do you even know how much I want you, Sophie?” he whispered hoarsely. “I’ve thought about this all day.”

She hoped he’d pinch her soon. Just so she’d know this was real. That she wasn’t having one of her adolescent fantasies.

No, she couldn’t have come up with this scenario as a teenager.

When she tried to turn around, he wouldn’t cooperate. His mouth went from her neck to her shoulder and his hand switched to kneading her other breast. But when she forced the issue, he loosened his hold. She whirled around to face him. And made herself dizzy. She laughed and swayed against him.

Holy crap, he was hard.

She had to look.

He seemed to know what she wanted and even took a step back for her. But he didn’t release her arms. Good thing. If he hadn’t been holding her up, she would’ve gone straight down to her knees.

God, he was beautiful. His tan ended about three inches below his belly button. She put her hand out to touch him.

Ethan dropped to a crouch. Apparently he had something else in mind. She gasped at the first intimate brush of his tongue. He parted her sensitive flesh and she slapped a palm against the tile for support. His tongue was sure and pointed, using just the right amount of pressure, circling the spot where she wanted it most. He dipped in for a quick second, just long enough to convince her that dying of bliss wouldn’t be so terrible.

His leisurely and confusing retreat turned her thoughts to
his
possible demise instead.

And then he was kissing and licking the soft skin of her inner thigh and he was somewhat forgiven.

He slipped two fingers deep inside her, and she clenched her inner muscles for all she was worth. Her stranglehold on his fingers had him moaning and cursing under his breath.

As soon as she released him he pushed to his feet. “Jesus, Sophie,” he murmured, the rasp in his voice making her skin tingle.

He took her face in his hands and claimed her mouth. Thrusting his tongue between her lips, he probed deep inside, stroking her tongue, circling it and keeping her off balance with the heady dance.

He lowered his palms to her breasts. They’d been aching, waiting for his touch, though she hadn’t known it until he closed his hands over them. Her head and body swam with so many shimmering sensations that she almost missed her chance.

Finally the path was clear. She curled trembling fingers around his hard, pulsing erection. The smooth taut skin was hot to the touch.

His breath caught in her mouth. His whole body tensed. She fully expected him to shove her hand aside, and damned if she would let that happen. She stroked upward, adjusting her grip in harmony with the urgency of his moans.

He didn’t try to stop her. His hips moved in a slight thrust against her palm before he went still. She slid her hand to the base of his cock, hoping to break through the tight control he was struggling to maintain. Not very nice of her, considering that she was fighting the same battle herself. They were both dangerously close to the edge.

And she wanted to push him over first.

“We should switch to cold water,” he said, partly laughing, mostly groaning.

“Don’t you dare.” She shivered just thinking about it.

“I’ll keep you warm, honey,” Ethan whispered close to her ear, and released her breasts. His hands slipped around and over her bottom and firmly pulled her against him.

She lost her grip, the damn sneak. “Hey, no fair cutting short my playtime.”

“Tough,” he murmured, his lips and teeth doing amazing things to the curve of her neck.

Somehow he’d managed to take the soap from her. Or maybe she’d dropped it. Things were starting to blur. With a wicked smile, he slid the soap between her breasts, then over her ribs, down to her belly. She snatched the small bar from him. His hand just kept heading south until it slipped between her thighs.

“You’re a devil.”

His gaze locked on her face, Ethan wiggled his fingers.

Sophie bit her lip, moved a little to the left and gasped. “If I have heart failure, it’s your fault.”

“I’ll take full responsibility.” He leaned back to look down at her breasts, the tips flushed to a deep rose. Lowering his chin, he tried to catch a nipple with his mouth, but there wasn’t enough room to maneuver. He sighed. “I hate this shower.”

“I know.” She smiled at his grouchy expression, then got up on her toes and kissed him. It wasn’t a long kiss or especially sexy, but his attitude quickly shifted to enthusiastic. She dragged her mouth from his and reached behind him to give his rock-hard backside a light smack. “Turn around so I can get your back.”

Wrapping her in his arms, he lifted her off the shower floor.

“Hey,” she said with a muffled giggle. “What are you doing?”

“Hang on.” He redistributed her weight and lifted her higher. A little nudge from him and she locked her legs around his waist. Her arms circled his neck. “You should be able to reach my back from there,” he murmured, his stubbled chin lightly scraping the tender skin above her breasts.

Even if she stretched she’d only be able to reach his shoulder blades. “Um, pretty sure there’s an easier way.” As good as his trailing lips felt, she was kind of anxious to trade the cramped shower for the queen-size bed...

She gasped at the unexpected brush against her clit.

Oh hell, the bed would still be there.

Another fleeting touch and her body jerked, then quickly settled, hoping...no, begging for more. Begging for Ethan. She tightened her thighs around him and the pressure increased.

It was his thumb. Right? Had to be his thumb, she thought, her speeding pulse in obvious disagreement.

With each tiny movement she felt more pressure build. Heat swept off his body in great waves. Calloused fingertips dug into her butt while his palms supported her, shifting her higher when she started to sag...

Oh God, it wasn’t his thumb.

She dropped the soap and clutched his shoulders.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered. “I won’t enter you without a condom.”