It's In His Smile (A Red River Valley Novel Book 3) (21 page)

Miranda smoothed both hands up his chest and over his shoulders so the jacket eased backward. He let it slip to the floor, and then he did the same to her.

“I like you in my shirt. It’s sexy as hell.” He eased her backward until the bed came up against the back of her thighs. The wood planks in that particular spot creaked under their feet, scraping and squeaking with the slightest shift of their weight.

“You wearing no shirt at all is sexy as hell.” She reached for the top of his jeans and unbuttoned them.

He chuckled at her brazen honesty. When her fingers grasped the zipper, his hand covered hers and stopped the movement.

“I’m staying the night this time.” He gave her an earnest stare.

She inhaled deeply and held it for a second before releasing the air from her lungs. “Okay.”

Most of Red River already thought they were sleeping together or hoped they would soon. She’d even heard rumors on a pool. So far Al the plumber was expected to win. And she couldn’t believe she was thinking this, but if anyone had anything nasty to say about Talmadge spending the night . . . well, they could bite her. Being with him, waking up with him just seemed perfect and natural. And right.

He released her hand and eased a bra strap off one of her shoulders. “And we’re not going to be weird about this tomorrow, like we were after the first time.” He bent his head to place a kiss where the bra strap had just been, and she shuddered with delight. He smiled against her shoulder.

“Okay. No weird stuff.” Her voice wobbled as much as her knees. Damn straight they wouldn’t be weird about it, especially if he planned to keep touching her like that.

He straightened and slid the other strap down her arm.

Another wet, warm kiss landed where the second strap had sat, and he nipped at her shoulder with his teeth.

Good God.

“And you’re not going to tell me this was a mistake, like last time,” he murmured against her shoulder, then started to trail kisses across her chest.

“Um, I’m thinking that was because of Bridget.” She swallowed when his lips grazed across her nipple through the thin fabric of her bra. “Or a full moon. Or a spike in hormones because we were at a wedding.” His lips closed around the aching bud. “No, it was definitely Bridget.” He pulled the cup of her bra down, and his teeth tugged at the peak, to punish her. “
Oh,
” she rasped out.

He smothered her sensual cry in a fierce kiss. When he released her mouth he nipped at her bottom lip. “Because another one-night stand between us just doesn’t work for me.”

Her insides went nuclear.

“Whatever you want, Talmadge,” she panted out. Her hands found his luxurious hair, and she pulled his mouth back to hers.

She had no idea how either of them got completely naked. His mouth and his touch consumed her, and he laid her back on the bed. She should’ve still been nervous. Terrified, even. Because it had been so long, and she didn’t have that much experience. But his touch was so gentle and attentive that all her nervous energy channeled into desire for him.

With a dreamy kiss, he eased her back. The mattress dipped under his weight as he followed her, settling next to her on his side. Without breaking that sweet kiss, he threaded his fingers into hers and pressed their hands into the soft quilt.

“I wasn’t sure how to please you last time,” he said while showering butterfly kisses down her neck. His hot breath whispered against the moistness of his kisses, and she shivered with delight.

“You did just fine.” Her voice went all croaky. Real good, because it was so sexy to sound like a frog at a time like this. She swallowed.

“Just fine wasn’t good enough.” He kissed behind her ear. “It was your first time, and I wasn’t sure how to handle that.”

He
wasn’t sure? He had seemed pretty sure to her. Much more so than she had.

“So I get a do-over tonight.” He feathered more hot, wet kisses down her chest and took an aching nipple into his mouth, suckling.

She arched into him and gasped.

He let out a quiet, satisfied chuckle against her skin, then worked the tight bud with his tongue.

“You don’t need a do-over,” she panted out. “It was wonderful. The best.”
The only.

“We need to raise the bar, then.” He kissed his way to her other breast and took it between his teeth, nipping and sucking it into a throbbing peak. “It’s been seven years since we’ve been together. I want to make sure it was worth the wait.” He circled the bud with the tip of his tongue, and she bucked.

One hand still pinned to the bed, she used the other to run splayed fingers through his luxurious hair. A tear sprang from her eye before she could beat it back and trickled down the side of her cheek. She
had
been waiting for him all those years. She just hadn’t realized it. “I never wanted anyone else, Talmadge. You’re the only one.”

His head popped up, and she swiped at a tear. He stared down at her. Released her hand and smoothed a strand of hair away from her face. “That was your only time?”

She swallowed. Placed the palm of her hand over his as he cradled her cheek. She nodded. Moonlight streamed through the lace curtains to cast a glow on his handsome face.

His eyes were soft and sure as he gazed down at her. “Then we have some catching up to do.” A gentle smile curved his lips, and gently, he kissed her tears away.

She sighed.

With that, he dipped his head to trail kisses back down to her breasts, and he proved to her why once just wasn’t enough.

His mouth scorched a trail down her stomach to her belly button, where he circled with his tongue and nipped with his teeth. He pressed a soft, wet kiss to the inside of her thigh. When his mouth moved to the edge of her curls, a pang of fear welled inside of her. She gripped his shoulders.

“
Talmadge
.” Her voice was a desperate whisper.

“It’s okay.” He lifted his head and murmured against the super sensitive skin below her belly button. “Promise.” He blazed a trail of scorching heat over to her hip, then down the crease where her thigh connected. Gently, softly, he nudged her thighs farther apart.

Her lungs locked.

With exquisite tenderness, his magnificent tongue delved between her folds and found her center.

She cried out and arched against his mouth, her hands fisting his hair.

“Do you want me to stop?” he whispered against the swollen nub that pulsed and ached for his thrilling touch.

“Dear God, no,” she managed to breathe out.

“Good.” He pressed a kiss against her throbbing flesh.

He loved her like that until her mind blurred with ecstasy. When she thought it couldn’t get any better, he slipped two fingers inside her, and she exploded around him. A climax crashed into her so fierce, so fast that she thought she would break apart.

Talmadge kissed his way back up her length, stopping to give attention to each straining breast. He placed a kiss in between. “Your heart is beating so fast.” He kissed the spot over her heart again.

Of course it was. The sensations rippling through her made her heart knock against her chest like a drum. Running both hands up his chest, she placed one palm over his heart. “So is yours.”

“That’s because I love touching you.” He was almost as breathless as her. “I love looking at you, especially like this.”

Within seconds he had protection on, and his weight swept over her again. He pressed his hips into hers, and it stole her breath. Pulsing against her, his erection nudged at her entrance. Her fingertips curled into his broad shoulders as her insides tightened again with anticipation. She locked her ankles around his waist and pressed him farther into her. Another wave of heat ignited deep inside her, and she strained her hips toward him.

“Slow,” he said. “We have all night. I don’t hurry, remember?”

She let out a strained laugh. “I do, in fact, remember. Every detail.” She rose to kiss the crook of his neck, and he hissed out something that sounded like a curse but dripped with pleasure. Since he seemed to like that so much, she closed her lips over his neck and suckled, gently at first, then with more pressure, flicking her tongue over his cleanly shaved skin.

His breathing got heavier.

With both hands she traced down his powerful arms, then over his ribcage and up his back. His muscles danced under her fingertips, his flesh heating everywhere she touched. He circled his hips and nudged in a little farther, moving slowly in and out without fully penetrating her depths. Rhythmically, he teased and taunted, her insides turning to a fiery liquid.

She smoothed her palms down his back, over his butt, and pulled him into her.

Apparently, no restraint left—thank all the saints—he went for the gold, burying himself deep inside her. He let out a groan of pleasure. Her quivering flesh closed around his incredible erection, and she tried to stifle a scream. Did no good. His name tumbled out, and she clamped her shaking legs tighter around him.

“Jesus, you feel so damn good,” he said through clenched teeth as he throbbed inside of her. When he opened his eyes, his beautiful gaze shimmered down at her, and her heart expanded just a little bit more with love.

He rolled his hips into hers, each stroke causing her insides to coil and tighten. Pleasure licked over every molecule of her body. Her eyes shut, head turned to one side, he plunged into her over and over until another orgasm overtook her, and she cried out his name again.

He gave in to it a moment after she did, whispering her name into her hair.

His weight bearing down on her, pressing her firmly into the old mattress was utterly exquisite, and she wound her arms and legs around him as tightly as she could. She wanted to stay there forever, enjoying his touch, his scent, his heart beating against hers. They lay there entwined for what seemed an eternity. Their heartbeats swirled and churned together until they became one.

And Miranda knew she was lost. If Talmadge left . . .
when
Talmadge left, her heart would break, just as surely as the sun would rise tomorrow bringing her another day closer to having to say good-bye.

C
hapter
S
eventeen

The soft, worn quilt against Talmadge’s bare skin felt nice. Like a dream. The image of a beautiful brunette shuddering with pleasure underneath him was more like a fantasy. He bundled deeper into the covers and threw an arm across Miranda’s waist.

Except she wasn’t there.

His eyes popped open to the soft blush of dawn cascading through the lace curtains, and he sat up.

The spot next to him was empty, the pillow still indented with Miranda’s silhouette. The ivory sheets hinted at the distinct angles and planes of her body, her soft curves and the perfect shape he had spent most of the night exploring.

Best night he could remember in the last seven years.

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

What time was it? And why did she ditch him without waking him up? He slid out of bed and grabbed his pants.

A ripple of tension zinged through his chest. He really hoped it wasn’t buyer’s remorse on her part, like she’d had seven years ago. He wasn’t going to be her one-night stand again.

Hell no. That just wouldn’t work for him this time.

He hadn’t slept so soundly in weeks. Not since the Trinity Falls debacle. Of course, not a lot of sleeping had happened until well into the night. He wasn’t complaining, because he was pretty sure he’d used quite a bit more finesse with Miranda than he had seven years ago. The way she’d responded to him, murmuring his name with every orgasm, had made him want to keep pleasing her. After every climax, she’d wrapped herself around him like she was hanging on for dear life, until finally they settled into the cozy covers with her cheek against his shoulder and their legs tangled. They’d fallen asleep with him running his fingers through her hair until it fanned out on the pillow. She’d caressed his chest with her fingertips, the softness of her touch lulling him into a deep, dreamy sleep.

It made him want to spend every night doing the same.

He pulled his jeans on and looked around for a shirt. He couldn’t help a smile that reached all the way to his soul when an image of Miranda wearing it popped into his mind.

Barefoot, he padded down the creaking stairs, and a sense of home filled him. He had never felt completely at home in Red River since his parents died, because of the shameful secret he kept buried deep inside. So he’d blazed a trail out of there as soon as he could, accepting a scholarship to a university as far away as possible. When he’d come back to visit, the memories started to choke the life out of him after a few days.

During the past few weeks with Miranda, the memories of the past hadn’t felt so suffocating. And he wasn’t exactly revving his engine to get back to Washington the way he should be. Spending time with Miranda had also softened the blow of losing Bea.

His hand slid down the slick banister as he took each step slowly, remembering the exact spot that made each one creak and groan under his weight. It had been a game he played as a kid when his grandparents still ran the inn.

Thanks to Miranda for inspiring a possible solution to Trinity Falls, he’d spent the last several evenings drawing up a proposal, complete with a PowerPoint presentation that he’d pitched to his investors via video conference. Luckily Ellen had put down her knitting needles long enough to organize it. The investors seemed to like it and promised a decision within the week. If they were willing to keep their money and their support behind Trinity Falls, the next step would be pitching it to the tribal councils.

Finally some good news. Maybe his luck was going to change. Now all he had to do was finish the inn, build Red River a gazebo, finish rehabbing his arm, figure out how to break the whole truth about Bea’s will to Miranda without her kicking his sorry ass to the curb, and figure out a way to keep Miranda in his life.

Sure, no problem. He doubted Houdini had pulled off more impossible stunts.

After last night, he needed to come clean and tell Miranda about his inheritance. It wasn’t important to him anymore—not as important as her, but she deserved to know the truth about the way he’d twisted the facts regarding the rec center so she’d let him help with the renovations and he could claim the money Bea left him.

He rubbed the stubble on his jaw.

One thing at a time. He hit the landing and took a step back to look in the antique oval mirror and run a hand through his bedhead. He leaned in to get a closer look at his neck. A broad smile cracked his face wide open, and he rubbed the round, cherry-red blotch where Miranda’s mouth had left her stamp of approval for last night’s activities.

Her marking him made his chest swell. It was like she was saying, “You’re mine,” and that’s what he wanted—to belong to her.

The rich aroma of coffee told him where he might find the culprit responsible for his hickey, so he walked through the great room. Sure enough, Miranda was in the kitchen, the coffeepot gurgling. He rounded the bar and got a full view of her wearing exactly what she’d been wearing last night. Her back to him, she bent to get a dishcloth out of a bottom drawer. And sweet Jesus, no she wasn’t wearing exactly the same thing. His white shirt, yes, minus the bra and panties.

He growled, which caused her to spin around and press up against the counter.

Her hand went to her heart.

“I didn’t mean to scare you.” He shuffled over to her, the old flooring cold against his feet. He placed both hands on the counter, framing her in. “Hi.”

“Hi.” A soft pink glow spread over her creamy cheeks, down her neck, and disappeared beneath his shirt, which, unfortunately, was buttoned this time. “Aren’t you cold?” Palms flat against his shoulders, she smoothed them over his chest.

The nip that settled over the Red River Valley every night year-round still hung in the air, but he had barely thought of it. Thoughts of Miranda not being in bed next to him when he woke up had crowded out any concern over the cold. Thoughts of how she’d rotated her hips while riding him last night kind of distracted him from the temperature too.

He leaned down, still framing her, so they were eye level and nose-to-nose. He breathed her in, the scent of coffee and vanilla making him want to taste her. “I was counting on you keeping me warm this morning.”

A shy smile formed on her mouth, and she pulled in her bottom lip.

He growled again. “Plus, you’ve got my shirt.”

“I can give it back,” she whispered. “Right now.” Color bloomed on her neck and chest, the soft skin between her breasts visible just above the buttoned shirt.

“Not necessary.” He angled his chin up so she could see her handiwork. “I’m going to have to wear turtlenecks for a few days.”

She blushed, but the amber flecks in her eyes ignited into lust.

“But you can still take off the shirt,” he said.

To hell with the fresh gurgling pot of coffee, because she laid a sultry kiss on him that had him wrapping her up in his arms. Her hands wandered over his chest, slow and easy, across his shoulders, and into his hair like she wanted to hold him there.

He planned to stay right there, too.

His hands did some wandering too. Down her back, over the dip of her waist, then they found the hem of his shirt. And, thank you God, she really was commando underneath.

Her sigh morphed into a heavy gasp for air as his hands found that sweet spot that had made her scream his name several times last night. So he wedged his thigh between her legs and spread them for better access. Sure enough, a few circles with his thumb, a deeper, hotter kiss, and a hand cupping one full, perky breast and she was murmuring his name all over again.

She squeaked when he lifted her onto the counter. “I may never get this place to pass inspection if the health department finds out about this.” She smiled at him. Reached for the front of his jeans and had him in her hand with that sexy smile still on her lips.

That smile turned to another gasp when he inserted his hands between the cold counter and her hot ass and pulled her to the edge in one swift motion. “I know a thing or two about dealing with inspectors.” He pulled something from his back pocket and had it on in a blink of her sleepy eyes. He slid all the way into her with one bold stroke, and as if his fantasies hadn’t already been fulfilled the past twenty-four hours, she screamed his name, her fingers digging into his shoulders.

He leaned his forehead against hers, letting both of them adjust to how completely he filled her. How perfectly she fit around him. The only woman he’d ever been with who made him feel whole again.

Her wet flesh was already quivering around his cock, so he hooked an arm under one of her knees. “Lean back with your hands behind you.” She did, and he ground into her, hard and fast until neither of them could breathe and he never wanted to leave that spot or leave her again.

She moved her hips in rhythm with his, reaching to meet him as best she could. Her head fell back and that beautiful head of flowing black locks tumbled over her shoulders and swayed behind her. Eyes closed, a smile curved onto her lips, and the glow of heated skin and rushing desire spread over her.

“Jesus, you look so good.”

Her eyes fluttered open and locked with his. And his heart nearly stopped, because she looked at him with so much love in her gaze that he didn’t deserve. He slowed his strokes.

Her leg clamped around his butt. “Don’t stop.”

Accommodating guy that he was, he obliged by grasping her hip with his free hand, lifting the leg that was draped over the crook of his elbow, and drove into her as fast and deep as he could.

The sexy moans, parted lips, and tightly closed eyes told him the storm was building inside of her. His teeth clenched, he tried to hold on to his own sanity until she lost hers. And sure enough, a little rotation of his hips as he buried himself in her over and over, and a shimmy overtook her and she cried out, “Yes!”

That pushed him over the edge, and he buried his face in her hair to breathe her in. She threaded her arms around his neck, and he did the same around her waist. And there they sat for what seemed like hours, because it was just so damn amazing and so damn right.

“I made you some coffee,” she whispered against his neck.

He laughed.

“Let’s have a cup,” he said, trailing kisses up her neck to her ear. “In bed.” He suckled her earlobe. “Maybe get some breakfast at the Gold Miner’s Café later this morning.” His warm breaths against her ear caused her to shiver. “Then go back to bed.”

She laughed. “Aren’t we going to work today?”

He lifted her off the counter and set her down. “Nope. It’s Sunday.” He smacked her on the bottom. “We’ll pick Lloyd up too. He’s been alone all night.”

And the thought of him and her and Bea’s prissy little dog together right here in Red River eased the weight of regret that had always settled over him when he came back to town. It also caused his mind to reel because he wasn’t sure he could make it all work.

Trying to maneuver his life so that he could have it all might just leave him with nothing.