This Kiss (Made In Montana Book 12) (10 page)

“We’re making out in your truck,” she whispered.

“I noticed,” he murmured, his breath coming quick and short.

“People are inside...” She tried to swallow, but her mouth was parched. “The barbecue. We have to—”

“No, we don’t.”

“We can’t stay here—”

“Right.” He caught her earlobe between his teeth and tugged lightly. His fingers pushed deeper, plucking at her nipple, while his lips trailed the side of her neck. “I don’t know where my keys are.”

“They aren’t in my bra.” She felt his smile against her flushed skin.

“You sure? I should check.”

“In high school you might’ve found tissue, no keys, though.”

Pulling back to look at her, he laughed.

Sophie sighed. Not something she would’ve shared had she not been so fuzzy-headed. “That was a joke.”

“I figured,” he said, still laughing.

She cupped the bulge straining his jeans, and that shut him up. Holy cow, he was hard. Yeah, they definitely had to go someplace private. And the second she got her thoughts and mouth in working order, she’d tell him just that.

And after he stopped hissing.

And she supposed she’d also have to move her hand. Eventually. She shifted in her seat, causing the light to shine in her eyes again.

She lifted her hand to blot the brightness.

Ethan leaned way back against the seat, and it took her a moment to realize he was having trouble sliding his hand into his pocket.

“We have to go inside,” she said.

“No, we don’t. Matt doesn’t care.”

“You have to talk to him about changing the schedule. So we can leave early tomorrow.”

With a grunt, Ethan finally withdrew the keys. “I’ll call him in the morning.”

“It’s better to give him a lot of notice. So you won’t put him in a tight spot. Otherwise you’ll give in and we’ll be delayed.” She watched his jaw clench and understood why he was resisting. She wanted to get back to the inn, herself. “Please. I really don’t want to have to go out with Craig,” she murmured.

“Who’s Craig?”

“What?” Oh, crap. That thought wasn’t supposed to have left her brain. “Craig who?”

“That was my question.”

Dammit. If they were both naked already, they wouldn’t be talking. “He’s an attorney. From Casper. A very good attorney, and if you need him, then...” She waved a hand, wishing he’d just go inside already. “I can probably make that happen...” She trailed off as she turned her head to stare at the darkness outside her window.

Finally he opened the door, which triggered the interior light. Something she could’ve done without. “We won’t need your friend Craig,” Ethan said, and got out of the truck.

“He’s not my friend. I don’t even like him.” She opened her door and slid off the seat. By the time she met him on the driver’s side something had occurred to her. “There’s really no reason for me to—”

Ethan cut her off by backing her against the truck. He had a good eight inches on her, and with his shoulders broad as they were she couldn’t see the porch or even the house. But she heard a door open and close. Heard voices and laughter.

And then Ethan’s big, rough hand touched her face. The fingers from his other hand were tangled in her hair. Aware that he had pinned her with a thigh partially nudged between hers, she stood in shock for a moment, feeling the truck’s cold metal against her back.

“Ethan?”

“They can’t see you,” he whispered, and kissed her. “You don’t know them.”

“But—”

His openmouthed kiss silenced her. She heard the catcalls, so of course he did, too. And when a man with a heckling tone called Ethan’s name, one hand briefly disappeared followed by rowdy laughter, so she was pretty sure Ethan had flipped him off. But even then Ethan didn’t miss a beat. He slanted his mouth across hers, hungry and demanding, deepening the kiss until he’d left her breathless.

She gulped in air. “What are you doing?”

“Come on,” he murmured, not breathing so easily, either. “Let’s go.”

She eyed the hand circling her arm and realized he meant they should leave the Lone Wolf. “But you were going to talk to Matt.”

“I can’t go in there. I’ll call him.”

A funny feeling slithered down her spine. Since she couldn’t bodily force him inside the house, she rounded the hood and climbed back into the truck. He already had the keys in the ignition. “You’ve changed your mind about going back tomorrow, haven’t you?”

He frowned at her, then reversed the truck. “No, I have not.” Once he’d steered them toward the driveway, he said, “This has nothing to do with tomorrow. And everything to do with a certain physical condition that is completely your fault.”

Sophie smiled when he stopped to kiss her hand. She just wished she believed him.

10

B
AD
VIBES
WERE
coming off Sophie in waves. They were halfway to town and Ethan still couldn’t figure out what had caused the shift in her. It had started right after he told her he wouldn’t be going inside to talk to Matt. Whether Ethan called him to change tomorrow’s schedule or asked in person made no difference. And she was well aware of the damn hard-on that wouldn’t quit. He couldn’t have walked into the house like that.

“Did I embarrass you?” he asked after a long silence.

“When?”

“Just before we left. When I kissed you in front of Travis and those other folks.”

“No. You said I didn’t know them.” She finally turned and looked at him. “But why
did
you kiss me like that in front of those people?”

“Travis Mills. I heard his voice and I did the first thing I could think of to avoid him.” Saying it out loud made him sound like an ass. “That was rude. I’m sorry.” He tugged at his snug jeans. “I got paid back, though. This hard-on is never gonna ease up.”

“You could do a commercial for one of those pharmaceutical companies. I bet they’d give you a nice endorsement contract.”

Ethan choked out a laugh. Nice to hear the smile back in her voice. “Yeah, I think I’ll pass on that.” He saw a turnout and pulled off the highway. He had a feeling he knew what could be bothering her. Might as well put her uncertainty to rest.

“What are you doing?” She twisted around to peer at the dark road behind them.

“Don’t worry, I won’t jump you. Not yet, anyway.” He got out his phone. “I’m calling Matt.”

“We’ll be in town in ten minutes.”

“Like you said, better to give him as much notice as possible.” He listened to the rings, aware that the tension in the cab was easing. So she hadn’t believed that he was serious about returning to Wyoming. It irritated him, since he’d given his word, but then he hung around with a dumb ass like Arnie, so what was she supposed to think?

Arnie didn’t know it yet, but this time Ethan had had it with him. Back in school the jocks had picked on Arnie; so had the geeks, which was really pathetic. Ethan used to think he was one of those kids who just couldn’t catch a break and he’d gone out of his way to befriend him. Once Ethan had turned pro he hired Arnie to do odd jobs and help him manage his schedule and social media. But the bastard hadn’t only screwed Wendy; he’d screwed Ethan. And it hurt.

No surprise he was sent to voice mail, what with Matt having a houseful and all, but he hated leaving a message. For Sophie’s sake, he left one anyway. It was short, to the point, and judging by her smile, it did the trick. He was glad she seemed relieved.

“I’m going to call Lola—she’s my partner—oh, and my cousin. She was a year behind you in school.”

He watched her pull out her phone. She was about to hit speed dial when her words sank in. “Your partner?”

She looked up, her expression wary. “We own Lola’s Bail Bonds together. I’m good with computers. And Lola...” Sophie shrugged. “She’s better with just about everything else.”

“Why isn’t your name in there?”

“I nixed it. The business is more Lola’s gig. I wanted to help her get started. She knows I don’t want to do this forever.”

“Yeah, I’m thinking you’re a little better than good with computers.” He sat back and left the truck idling. “When I first thought I recognized you, I figured I had to be wrong. I mean, why would someone like you be working as a bounty hunter?”

“Fugitive retrieval agent,” she muttered. “Scratch that. I like bounty hunter. Sounds pretty cool.”

Was she acting flighty on purpose? Sophie was crazy smart. It wouldn’t surprise him if she’d skipped her senior year and had gone on to college early. “Is this something you don’t like to talk about?”

“I don’t understand why you would think I’m such a computer whiz or why the bail bond business wouldn’t be for me.”

“Because you’re too smart, that’s why. Jesus. You were a freshman taking junior and senior classes and you were still bored.”

She stared at him, her mouth open. “How would you know that?”

Shrugging, he put the truck in gear and eased them back on the highway. “You don’t think I noticed you, but I did.” He smiled at a memory of her hiding under the bleachers, nearly choking to death on her first and only cigarette. “You used to wear that ugly, oversize blue coat. Remember that? It could be a hundred degrees outside, the sun hotter than hell, and you’d be wearing that damn thing.”

She was still staring at him. “After that day you saved me outside the locker room, you never said a word or even looked at me...”

Oh, he’d looked plenty, before and after. Only, he’d learned to be more sly about it after the friggin’ incident over the dress. “I
saved
you? When did you get so dramatic?”

She turned away and fixed her gaze on the road ahead, arms crossed in front of her. “You did save me,” she said softly. “You were my hero.”

Grinding his teeth, he stepped on the accelerator. Kept his attention on the road, wishing like hell he hadn’t brought up the coat or the past. He’d been such an asshole.

“You were popular. Everyone liked you. You don’t understand what it’s like to be different from everyone else and be thrown into a new environment with no friends or...or anybody who’s willing to give you a chance.” Sophie sighed. “Or pull you aside and explain why everyone thinks you’re nothing but a dork.”

The sadness in her voice made his gut clench. “I promise you those girls didn’t think you were a dork,” he said, reliving the anger and shame.

He should’ve broken up with Ashley that very day. She and her spiteful followers had been mean to Sophie, and who knew how many other girls. All because he’d looked one second too long and Ashley had felt threatened. But he’d put up with her random cruelty because she gave great head. Yeah, some hero.

Sophie surprised him with a laugh. “You don’t have to say that, Ethan. It was a long time ago. I’m over it. If anyone calls me a dork now, I’d just put them in a body cast.”

He looked over and saw her flexing her left biceps. He relaxed enough to smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Excellent idea.” She slumped back and blew out a breath. “Okay, I have to say it... You can’t claim to have noticed me now, not when you basically treated me as if I were invisible back then. Why didn’t you ever talk to me after that day?”

“Well, for one thing, I had a girlfriend.”

“Um, yeah. Ashley. I know. Anyway, I said
talk
to me, not ask me out on a date.”

“That’s the other thing. You were a lot younger than me.”

“Guess what? The math hasn’t changed.”

Ethan shook his head. “Okay, I’ll say this...being sarcastic doesn’t do you any favors.”

“Yes, I’ve heard that before,” she murmured sheepishly. “I’ll try to remember.”

How was it that he could feel this comfortable with her? She said what she wanted without holding back. And he said whatever he said, and they just moved on, no sweat. Go figure. “You were fifteen. I was eighteen. At those ages it mattered.”

“I see your point.”

He opened and closed his mouth. Hell, he needed to think about what he was willing to admit. Or whether telling her anything would make her feel worse.

“Just so you know...” She pulled her legs up and hugged her knees. “I thought you deserved better than Ashley. She was a total bitch. But I respect your loyalty and that you didn’t mess around with other girls.”

“Look, Ashley was...” How should he put this?

“Hot. I get it. You were probably thinking with your dick,” she said, and Ethan had to laugh. “How long after graduation were you guys together?”

“We broke up that night.”

“No way.” Sophie lowered her feet to the floorboard. “There was that big party at what’s his name’s house.”

“Justin.”

She’d turned in her seat so she was facing him. “What happened with Ashley?”

“She had one of her tantrums because I complimented her friend Shannon.”

“Huh. I always thought they were BFFs.”

“So did everyone else, including Shannon.”

“Ashley didn’t break it off, though. She was too crazy about you.” It wasn’t a question, but Sophie was obviously waiting for an answer.

He stretched his neck to the side to loosen a kink. “I couldn’t take it anymore. She was a little drunk at the party and tried to use it as an excuse, but I knew that was bullshit. Like you said, I was thinking with the wrong body part.”

“Wow. See? I was so far out of the loop I hadn’t even heard about it. Had to be pretty big news.”

“I don’t know. I was so glad to be done with school I stayed out of the loop myself.”

“Why? You must’ve had decent grades, since you weren’t on the need-a-tutor list like most of the jocks.”

“I never really considered myself a jock.”

“Yeah, you kind of were. You and the quarterback were the two hottest guys in school.”

“Says you.”

“Said a whole locker room full of girls every friggin’ day. It got pretty annoying.”

“Glad I didn’t know.” He was straight-up serious. It would’ve been embarrassing. “Some of the guys I hung with thought you were hot.”

She stayed quiet a long time, and then she turned back to face the windshield.

He swung his attention between her and the road. “What?”

“I don’t understand why you feel the need to lie. I mean, yeah, if I think about those days too much, I can get cranky. But I’m good with my life.”

“Do you know why Ashley and her posse destroyed your dress?”

“Because she’d worn the same one a week before I started at Wattsville. So?”

“That was enough to piss her off,” he said. “But there was more to it. She overheard me telling the guys that you looked better in the dress. And two of them agreed.”

“Why would you say something like that?”

“It was true.” He saw lights up ahead and hoped it was Blackfoot Falls.

“You actually said that I looked better?”

“Swear to God.”

Her laugh was nervous. “That’s crazy. Ashley had the biggest boobs in school.”

“Not all guys like big breasts, Sophie.”

“You sure?”

Ethan smiled. “Yep, pretty sure I know what I’m talking about.”

She stared at him in silence for almost a minute. Who knew what was going on in that head of hers? But it gave him time to recall last night, her standing there braless in a T-shirt while he’d been handcuffed to the bedpost. Sophie fell into the perfect category. He’d had a sample feel less than an hour ago and he was itching for more. His foot automatically pressed down on the gas.

They were getting closer to the lights.

Lord, please let this be Blackfoot Falls.

“I think I like you even more now,” she said finally.

Considering that he hadn’t gotten to know her in school, and it had been years since he’d laid eyes on her, it was odd how she already wasn’t surprising him much. It was that comfort level and familiarity he’d been feeling with her. She wasn’t flirty, and she didn’t try to dress sexy, which was kind of sexy in itself.

“I had fantasies about you,” she said. “When I was a kid.”

“Uh, do I want to hear this?”

She adjusted the seat and leaned back. “After you rescued me, I felt really special. I mean, you even loaned me your jacket and told those girls to back off. And they did. Ashley and Shannon gave me the stink-eye, but that was it. Then I heard that you’d stepped in before. For other kids who’d been bullied. Like Arnie. So I knew I wasn’t so special after all.”

“I’d never gotten in between girls before.”

“Really?”

“Nope. The rest of the guys thought I was nuts.”

“You were brave. And noble.”

More than the words themselves, the conviction in her voice made him feel like crap. “I hate bullies just about more than anything, but what I did had nothing to do with being noble.” Guilt had played a big part. “Can we leave it alone?” he slipped in quickly when he saw by her body language she was ready to beat the issue to death.

“Okay.” Sophie smiled. “Remember this moment. So you know I can be reasonable.”

Ethan held in a laugh. “We’re about two minutes from the inn. Have you eaten since breakfast?”

“No. You?”

He shook his head. “I guess we should get something in our bellies.” Now that he thought about it, he was hungry. He just hadn’t wanted to waste time eating. After they turned onto Main Street, he reached for her hand. “We can hit the diner, or pick up something to eat in the room.”

“I vote for the second option,” she said, lacing their fingers together.

“Sounds good. I want to shower first, though.”

“I can pick up the food. And we should make it an early night, since we might have a lot of driving to do—”

He brought her hand up and kissed the back. “I think we can forget the early night.”

“You’re probably right,” she said, her voice a husky whisper.

“I know I am.” He resented having to release her because he needed both hands on the wheel. After he pulled up to the curb, he slid an arm behind her shoulders. He leaned in just as she turned her head.

“This is the diner,” she said, and then turned back to him. “I thought—” She blinked, her confused expression fading as she realized he’d been about to kiss her.

He brushed his lips across hers. “What did you think?”

“That you would shower while I got takeout.”

“Or...” He zeroed in on that sweet spot at the pulse in her neck. “We could shower together,” he whispered.

Her throaty moan hit him low in the belly. “Who needs food?” she murmured, turning to meet his lips.

Ethan felt her tongue slip into his mouth. She practically climbed over the console, which he was seriously tempted to rip out. People strolled down the sidewalk past the truck. Half of them probably rodeo fans, trying to peer through the darkened windows. What the hell was wrong with him? He should’ve driven them straight to the inn.

He promised himself he’d do just that, in a minute, probably two. Sophie tasted like heaven with a scoop of sin. Her heat filled the cab and fogged the windows. He wanted her so damn bad it was messing with his head. From her pouty lips to her untamed hair and curvy body, they all did it for him. Those soft brown eyes, though, they got to him the most.