Betting on Hope (33 page)

He felt an irresistible urge to lay Hope back and to kiss her senseless.
Heaven help me
, he thought, knowing that heaven didn’t have anything to do with what he was thinking
.

“I’m glad we did this,” Hope said. She unlaced her boots, kicking them off, and lay back on the blanket, closing her eyes and stretching. “I feel great. I won today, I had lunch with the uncles, I’m in a beautiful place in the mountains, what more could anybody want?”

I know what more I want,
Tanner thought, as he gave in to his impulses. He leaned over and kissed her.

Hope’s eyes flew open in shock. She’d been taken completely unawares by Tanner’s kiss. Not
unwelcome
unawares. But a person might want to be
ready.

“Whapf?” she asked, her lips compressed by Tanner’s.

Tanner raised his head an inch. “Shhh,” he said. “I’m kissing you. Show the respect that deserves.”

Hope grinned, her nose so close to his they almost touched. “You surprised me,” she said. “What was I supposed to do?”

Tanner rolled his eyes. “Pucker up. Say, ‘oh, Tanner.’ You can say that a couple of times, as needed. Kiss me back. Sheesh. Even a junior high school student knows the basic routines.”

Hope laughed. “You know, if I’d been standing up and holding, oh, say, a Ming vase, and you came up behind and surprised me like that, I’d have dropped it, and then the world would have lost a priceless artifact. Just think how sorry you’d be.”

Tanner twisted his head around, checking out the small clearing. His face was so close to hers that his hair brushed her cheek. “Yeah, Ming vase. I’m seeing that.”

“I’m just saying. So, okay, I fluffed it. Should we try again?”
I want to try again.

“You want to try again?”

Hope felt a second of insecurity, wondering if she truly had fluffed her romantic moment, and then she saw the devil dancing in his chocolate-brown eyes. She felt herself grin.

“Well, we could go look at Ming vases instead. There’s an exhibit—”

She didn’t finish the sentence before Tanner leaned over and kissed her again. This time Hope was more prepared, and she still felt shocked. Tanner’s lips were soft but demanding and electric and molten, and Hope felt herself fall into kiss. Then Tanner raised himself until his face was a few inches from hers and looked into her eyes with such intensity that Hope felt the earth slip away and the stars rush forward. And then he kissed her again, with such heat that Hope thought her blood was on fire. After a few minutes, Tanner stopped again and smiled at her.

“Exhibit?” he asked. His voice held laughter, but his eyes held only heat.

“Shhh,” Hope said, feeling a little dazed. “Show some respect.” She put her arms around his shoulders, felt the warmth of his body through his clothes.

“I can do that.” Tanner kissed her again, settling down next to her, sliding his arm under her neck, cradling her. The breeze, cooled by the waterfall, tickled her bare skin, and Tanner let his mouth trail over her cheek, his fingers tracing her ear, his lips and tongue tasting her skin. Hope felt a languid heat build in her core and head south.

“You look good enough to eat,” he said. “Like an ice cream cone. Lickable.”

Go ahead. Lick me.
“What’s with the food all the time?” she asked. “First it’s pumpkin. Then it’s potato salad. Now it’s ice cream. What’s with that?”

Tanner leaned down and kissed her mouth. “I guess since I met you, I’ve been hungry all the time,” he said, kissing her neck. “And all I can do is think about eating.” He kissed her collarbone. “You.”

Hope caught her breath.
Excellent idea!

Tanner grinned. “What a good idea,” he said. He kissed her mouth again, then lifted her tee-shirt a few inches and reached down and kissed her bare stomach.

The languid heat stoked into a raging fire. He had to stop now, or stopping would become impossible. But she didn’t want him to stop, now or ever. They were outside. People could see. But she didn’t care who saw.

“Hope,” he said, licking into her belly button, nudging the waistband of her shorts.

Hope felt her hands go to his hair.

“Stop it,” she said, even as her hands ran through his hair. Her voice sounded desperate in her own ears. “People will come. Rangers.”

“We haven’t seen anyone all day.” Tanner’s fingers were tracing lazy patterns on her stomach, pushing her tee-shirt higher, as he kissed his way up her rib cage. Hope wanted more, a
lot
more. Except he had to stop. Before the Rangers came with the Ming vase.

“We’re outside.” Hope moaned, felt her breathing quicken.

“We’re in heaven,” Tanner said. “Or about to be.”

Chapter 24

“Heaven,” Hope said. She stirred against him, feeling the warmth and solidity of his chest.

“Heaven,” Tanner repeated. He nudged her tee-shirt still higher. Tanned skin showed through the white lace of her bra. Tanner’s heart lurched.

“Sometime,” he whispered as he kissed her through the lace, “you’re going to tell me how you got that all-over tan.”

“Rock pools. Outside. Our place. Told you?” Hope said breathlessly.

Tanner brushed her breasts with his fingers, drawing patterns over the wispy lace, watching her flesh tighten against his touch.
Responsive.
He  smiled. And she liked what he was doing. She seemed to have forgotten the Rangers and Ming vases already.

Cooperatively, the bra had a front closure, and Tanner unhooked it.

“Wait!
Outside!
” Hope gasped and arched her back against him.

“We’re alone,” Tanner said, licking her shoulder, feeling himself go a little dizzy at all the smooth pink and tan skin, the full breasts, Hope’s glowing face. He put his head down and kissed her.

When Tanner unhooked her bra and kissed her, Hope thought her body flew off the ground, her heart leaped so hard. Her mouth went dry, her breath quickened, and a jolt of scorching heat seared her from head to toe, settling below her belly as a hot, insistent throb. Even as a tiny atom of rational thought tried to cry out that she was outdoors and exposed and anyone could see, her arms acted on their own. Reaching up for him, she slid her fingers in his hair and held on while his teeth, tongue, and lips, pulled, licked, and nibbled on her sensitive skin, both relieving her aching flesh and creating new spots that demanded his attention.

“Wait,” she whispered, moving restlessly against him.

“Can’t,” he said, flicking his tongue against her skin. “Delicious.”

He slid his hand down her belly and down, under the waistband of her shorts. Faint from heat and desire, her mind screamed,
Yes, yes, yes!
shutting down the cautionary voice that said
Slower, later, not here, not now!
She wanted
more
. She wanted
Tanner
. She wanted
all
of him, and she wanted him
now
.

She might have said something. Had she said something? Maybe she didn’t need to say anything. He didn’t seem to need directions. Tanner’s hand slid inside her shorts, eased under the elastic of her panties—and, oh no, oh no, oh no—oh. Oh yes. Oh good.

He was sliding her shorts and panties down over her hips, down her legs.

“Ah,” Hope said, her mind shorting out under the delightful things his fingers were doing. “Um.” They shouldn’t be doing this. She shouldn’t be—naked! Practically. She was practically
naked
. She couldn’t think. Had she heard something? “What?”

“Tell me when I do something you like.” Tanner slid down her body, away from her. He kissed her stomach, her hip, her thigh, as he stroked down her calf, past the inside of her knee, back up. He settled down between her legs, holding her hips. He nuzzled her heat.

“Oh!” Hope said, shocked and thrilled at having him
there
. That was—unbelievable. He was—incredible. Whatever he wanted, he could have. As long as he—. Her mind went blank.

Her breathing quickened. His soft hair, brushing her belly, was tantalizing. Her skin felt bright with tingling. She arched against his hands, clutching his hair. She was on a roller coaster, climbing.

Tanner’s tongue flicked out, finding her most sensitive spot, teasing her.

“
Oh
,” Hope moaned.
Higher.

Tanner slid two fingers into her, stroking her, fueling her fire.

Hope inhaled.
Almost there! Almost—there! There, there, there!

Tanner’s fingers probed, his tongue teased, his mouth—his mouth—. Hope panted, needing more air, more room, more of everything.
More, more, more!

His mouth pulled.

“
Ohhhhhhh. Oh, yes!
” Hope said. She felt the whoosh from her lungs as she collapsed. “Oh. Oh.”

She lay on the blanket, limp with fatigue and content to her bones. She inhaled in contentment, smelling the pines and Tanner’s special musky odor. The water trickled down the rocks, occasionally splashing a droplet over them, cooling their skin. The soft breeze rustled the trees and grasses around them. The sun was warm on her legs. A bird cackled from an aspen. She felt utterly part of her surroundings—a wood nymph, who’d spent a sunny afternoon cavorting with a handsome, devilish sartyr.

Tanner moved his hands to her hips. 

“You okay?” he asked. “You can stop pulling my hair now.”

Hope smiled, her eyes closed. She was too relaxed to open them. “It’s nice hair,” she said. “I like it.”

“You can pull it again, later.” Tanner came up to lie alongside Hope, reaching for his wallet.

Hope turned into him, draped her arm over his chest, and kissed him. She opened her eyes, realizing with shock that although she was nearly naked, he was still fully clothed. She slipped her hand under his tee-shirt. His skin was warm and firm.

“Aren’t you going to take off your shirt?” she said.

“Should I?” he asked, his voice lazy as he took out a condom.

“I think so.”

“Okay.” But he didn’t take off his shirt.

Hope started to feel uncomfortable. She pulled her shirt down over her still open bra. She was still much more undressed than he was.
Much
more. It was one thing for him to say the Rangers weren’t coming. He still had his clothes on. He wouldn’t be arrested for public indecency.

“Hand me my shorts,” she said.

“What?” Tanner said. He turned his head to look at her. Just inches from his chocolate-brown eyes, Hope watched them go from inquisitive to tender. He sat up and pulled off his shirt. Then he unbuttoned his jeans and pulled them off, too.

“Now we’re even,” he said. “Except I’m totally naked.”

Hope gazed at his chest. He was broad and strong, with muscles rippling across his shoulders. His arms were powerful, ropey with muscle and tendon. His skin was tanned. His waist was trim, his hips narrow. He was perfect.

“Ah,” she said, gazing at him, her mind gone blank.

She felt that tingle begin again, that tingle that let her know her nerve endings were doing a happy dance. Tanner looked like he could devour her on the spot. And she’d hand him the fork and spoon.

“Do you want to know my fantasy?” he asked, his voice very soft.

“What fantasy?” She swallowed.

Tanner braced himself on one arm and whispered softly in her ear, his breath warm.

“I have this thing going where you’re the fair but naughty queen of all peoples from the planet whatever, and you have legions of men to do your sexual bidding but I’m your favorite, so you took me on this picnic and you’re naked and dancing in the sun but I have to worship you from afar until you are ready for me. And you have me do many, many very naughty things to you hour after hour until I am weak with exhaustion and enslaved to you forever.”

Hope turned into him. “Really? That’s your fantasy? Dancing in the sun like a wood nymph?”

“Yes. Dancing and doing naughty things. Except that you’re more a queen than a nymph. Same principle, though.” Tanner nuzzled her neck.

Hope reached for his shoulder and kissed him, tasting salt on his skin.

“So now I’ve danced and made you do naughty things, and then I bid you take off your shirt.” Hope turned her head and bit him gently on the arm, then kissed the tender spot.

Tanner inhaled. “The fantasy lives.”

“And I’m still your queen.” She licked his ear.

“You are.”

Hope smiled, tightening her hold on his shoulders. “And you have to serve me.”

“I do. Until I am exhausted.”

“Then it’s time you got busy.”

Hope leaned away to pull off her own shirt, but Tanner took her hands away. He put his hands on her waist and catching the shirt, started to draw it up slowly over her body. When the shirt was over her head and her breasts exposed, he leaned down and kissed her soft skin, licking her, brushing his thumbs against their fullness. Hope’s breath hitched in her throat.