This Kiss (Made In Montana Book 12) (4 page)

She murmured something he couldn’t make out, yet managed to give him the impression she hadn’t heard him.

“Sophie?”

She turned to face him, holding the jacket against her front. Fortunately not so her breasts were hidden. Yeah, except the bra took care of that. Shit. Not being able to see and touch was driving him crazy.

He took the packet out of his wallet and tossed both on the nightstand. “Did you hear me?” Why the hell was she bringing the jacket with her? “I have a condom.”

“What? Oh.” She stopped by the side of the bed. “No, we don’t need one.”

“Uh, yeah, we do.” He never broke that rule.

“I changed my mind about the light.” She smiled and leaned down to give him a quick kiss and quite a view. “I think I want it off.”

Ethan had never met a woman who ran so hot and cold, and at the speed of sound on top of that. He’d ridden a hundred ornery bulls that had given him less trouble.
Trouble
being the keyword here. Maybe this—Sophie—was an omen he needed to take more seriously.

She kissed him again, lingering this time, using her tongue, while trailing her fingers down his chest. She traced a circle around his navel and then rested her hand on his buckle. “I’ll be right back.”

Jesus.
“What now?”

“The light.”

Something else that was confusing. He knew she wasn’t shy, and she had a killer body. “How about we leave the one in the bathroom on with the door closed partway?”

She straightened, thought for a moment and then nodded. “I think that might work better, actually.”

Yep. She was a strange one, all right. But that nice round bottom of hers wasn’t easily dismissed. He watched her walk to the bathroom, flip on the light and angle the door just so.

“I doubt you’ll need the jacket,” he said.

She only smiled and moved to the wall switch that controlled the two lamps.

“Why don’t you get rid of those jeans while you’re up?” He’d take care of the bra, no problem.

“Okay. Good idea.” The room dimmed. “You take off yours, too.”

Ethan watched her approach while he unbuckled and unzipped. It was a little too dark for his taste. Once he finally got her naked, he wanted to see her. Staying right where he was, he lifted his ass and pushed down his jeans.

“Here, let me help.” She pulled them off his feet and flung the Wranglers at the chair.

He considered asking her to let a little more light into the room, but she dropped her jacket and climbed onto the bed. She got on her knees and steadied herself with a hand on his belly. And then threw a leg over his thighs and straddled him.

His cock seemed determined to test the resilience of his boxer briefs. “Your turn,” he said, reaching for her zipper.

With a throaty laugh, she shoved his hand away. “Not when I have you exactly where I want you.”

“I’ll make it worth your while,” he murmured, rubbing the back of his knuckles against her denim-covered crotch.

She gasped and squeezed her thighs together, only his hips were in the way. He already knew she was strong, but how she was gripping him...holy shit. Managing to move his trapped hand, he put more pressure on her crotch.

Sophie made a strangled sound. Shifting her body, she captured his hand. Intertwining her fingers with his, she pulled his arm up over his head as she leaned down to bite his lip. The aggressive move surprised him in a good way. With his free hand he unhooked her bra.

The left strap slid off her shoulder and bared her breast. He could see the rosy tip, though not as clearly as he wanted. The moment she realized what had happened, she released him. She leaned back, cursing, and trying to pull the bra up.

Like hell.

He slid his hand in before she could cover herself. And cupped her exposed breast, rubbing his thumb over the hard nipple while baring the other.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered. “Don’t hide yourself.”

Closing her eyes, she arched slightly, filling his palm. He kneaded gently and she sighed, a soft breathy sound he wanted to hear again.

“No.” She shrank back.

“Please, Sophie. I know you’re nervous, but I promise I’ll make you feel better.”

“Stop,” she said, eyes wide but impossible to read in the dimness.

He immediately lowered his hands. “Did I do something wrong?”

An awkward silence fell between them. She hadn’t climbed off, so he figured that was a good sign. She also hadn’t fixed her bra, but he was afraid to so much as glance anywhere below her neck until he understood what had just happened. He’d never had a woman tell him no or to stop before. This was brand-new territory and he was at a complete loss on how to respond. Ego played no part here. If anything, he felt like shit.

“Whatever I did to upset you, I’m very sorry,” he said, resisting the urge to touch her, offer her comfort the only way he knew how. “I really am.”

“Don’t apologize,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s me, I shouldn’t have let— Oh, shit. I hate this.” She leaned over the side of the bed and reached for the jacket on the floor.

“Hate what?” He tried to do the honorable thing and not stare at her breasts. Apparently he had the willpower of a rutting bull, which he wasn’t proud of.

She pulled something out of the pocket and hid it behind her back before he dragged his attention away from her breasts. Cosmic justice, he figured.

He barely had time to blink before she was all over him again. Kissing him, playing the aggressor once more, forcing his arm over his head, her warm soft body pressed close, her hard nipples grazing his chest...the feel of cold metal...

The hard band closing around his wrist jerked him from his haze. He heard a click. Confusion still messed with his brain. Sophie drew back, staring down at him, breathing hard.

He looked at his wrist handcuffed to the bedpost.

Sophie was into that kind of stuff? He wasn’t, but he didn’t mind accommodating her.

4

“Y
OU
COULD
’
VE
JUST
told me.” Ethan smiled. “This isn’t my thing, but I’ll play for a while,” he said, and touched her breast.

“Oh, brother.” She slapped his hand away, jerking back. For God’s sake, she’d forgotten she had no top on. “This isn’t a game, you idiot.” She climbed off, glanced around the room for her shirt. Finding it near the chair, she pulled the tee over her head.

“What the hell is going on?”

The wig got caught and shifted. Boy, was she glad to get rid of that stupid thing. No one had warned her it would itch like crazy. She grabbed a handful of the fake blond locks and yanked it off her head.

“Jesus. What the—”

Pulling pins from her own hair, she shook it loose from the tight bun and glanced at Ethan, lying against the cream-colored sheets, his muscled chest smooth, bare and tanned. A light smattering of dark hair swirled just below his belly button and disappeared into the waistband of his boxer briefs.

Oh no. No looking there for her.

“I know you,” he said, narrowing his gaze.

The light from the bathroom washed over his face, the tanned skin bringing out the blue of his eyes, as he studied her with an intensity that made her turn away. Did seeing her as a brunette trigger a memory? Doubtful. He’d barely noticed her after his grand gesture outside the cafeteria right in the middle of lunch period.

She walked into the bathroom and groaned at her image in the mirror. Well, of course her hair was plastered to her head and looking as unattractive as possible. He hadn’t been staring because he remembered her. She could’ve just stepped off the set of some horror movie.

Rubbing her itchy scalp, she bent at the waist and fluffed out her hair. She straightened to look in the mirror again, not expecting much. And that was exactly what she got.

“Are you gonna get out here and explain what the hell is going on?” Ethan sounded angry.

“You jumped bail,” she said, strolling back into the room and picking up her phone. Mostly so she didn’t have to look at him. “Without giving a thought to the large bond that was posted on your behalf.”

“No, I didn’t. Jump bail, I mean. The charges were dropped.”

“When?” If that was true, Lola would’ve told her by now. But he sounded so certain she had to look at him. “When?” she repeated.

“I’m not sure.”

A lock of sun-streaked brown hair had fallen across his forehead. His face was lean and spare like the rest of him. Same square jaw she remembered, except for the dark stubble. And that perfect straight nose. He was even hotter now than he’d been back in high school.

Some friggin’ nerve.

“So, you weren’t sure if you had to show up in court or not and decided to take off anyway. Brilliant move.”

“No, it’s not like that.” He jerked his wrist, clanging the handcuffs against the wooden post. “Is this necessary?”

Well, that had to be rhetorical. She checked for texts or voice mails. “If the charges were dropped, my partner would’ve notified me. So guess you’re out of luck.”

“Okay, look, my friend Arnie... Can we turn on more lights?”

“No.” She sat on the chair and faced him. “Continue.”

Ethan’s normal, easygoing expression had vanished, replaced by a piercing frown that made her tense. “Who are you?”

“Sophie’s my real name.”

“You know what I’m asking.”

“I’m a fugitive retrieval agent—”

“Fugitive?”

“You asked.”

He cut loose a pithy four-letter word. “What’s that, a fancy name for a bounty hunter?”

“Yep.”

“And that gives you the right to slap handcuffs on me?”

“It sure does. Didn’t you read the bail bond contract?” By signing the document, he’d given her and Lola more authority to arrest him than even the police.

She watched him scrub at his face with his free hand and waited out his mumbled curses. Leaving him with an unrestricted hand wasn’t a smart move. The bedpost was made from solid wood and plenty sturdy...she’d checked first thing. But Ethan was agile and strong.

The memory of his hands on her body made her shudder.

Dammit, she should’ve brought two pairs of cuffs. Mandy preferred using zip ties and had given Sophie a few. But they were sitting in the Jeep.

“So that’s why you’re in such great shape,” he murmured.

“Excuse me?”

“I thought maybe you were a personal trainer or something, but that didn’t make sense, either,” he said, letting his gaze wander over her.

“What are you talking about?”

“Look, if you just let me make a phone call, I can straighten this out in no time.”

“I have a better idea. You can do it in person when I take you back to Wyoming.”

“Bullshit.”

Sophie smiled. “It’s late. No sense driving tonight. We’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

He jerked hard on the cuffs. The whole bed seemed to shake. “You know I won’t let you do that.”

“Oh?” She rose. “What are you going to do? Scream?”

Wow, that sure pissed him off. His face reddened, and his eyes turned positively frosty. He looked as if he wanted to put his hands around her neck and strangle the life out of her.

It gave her a new respect for what Mandy had to do all the time. Face down criminals who might actually want to hurt her. Ethan was angry, and he’d try to get away if he could, but Sophie wasn’t afraid of him. She knew he would never do her harm.

She walked to the window and parted the drapes, just enough so she could take a peek down the street. The Watering Hole wasn’t visible from here. Neither was her Jeep. Lots of people were still milling around, though. Another reason she wouldn’t try forcing Ethan into her car tonight.

Damn, she wished she’d grabbed her bag along with the jacket. She needed her toothbrush, face cream, a change of clothes, all that stuff... And she hated leaving Ethan alone while she ran to the Jeep. She turned and caught him staring at her butt.

He gave her a lazy smile.

Oh, so he was pulling out the charm again.

“Aren’t you gonna ask if I did it?”

“What’s the point?” Sophie said. “Unless you have proof, your answer means nothing. And if you had proof, I wouldn’t be here.”

His face darkened. “I didn’t steal a goddamn thing. Wendy lied.”

“Hmm, well, that’s what you get for sleeping with a married woman.”

“You mean, for
not
sleeping with her.” Ethan shook his head, briefly closing his eyes. “Wendy lied about that, too. When I found out she was married, I left. She was pissed. I knew that... I just didn’t know how bad.”

Sophie thought back to earlier when he’d asked if she was married. He’d even inspected her ring finger. Maybe he was telling the truth, or maybe he’d learned an expensive lesson. The thing was, she didn’t believe that he’d stolen anything. It made no sense. Even if he did need money, she’d seen the teenage Ethan’s moral center, and age didn’t change a person that much. But what she believed didn’t matter.

“If I’m supposed to have a hundred grand in stolen jewelry, why would I need someone to post my bond?”

“You didn’t have enough time to sell it?”

“Get real. I earned a lot more than that in endorsements alone this year. Plus my winnings.”

“Okay, so...” What was she doing? Sophie knew better than to get involved. Her job was to take him back to Wyoming, period. “Why not use your own money to post bond?”

“I don’t have that kind of cash lying around. My money’s invested. I start withdrawing funds and I get questions. The media are already all over my ass about the finals in a week.”

“Why?” She hadn’t realized that she’d walked closer to him until she bumped her knee on a corner of the bed.

“Because of my track record. Every year I—” He plowed his fingers through his hair, the action drawing attention to the muscles in his arms and shoulders. “It doesn’t matter.”

“What?” She snapped her gaze back to his face. “I’m sorry, I missed that last bit.”

He was staring at her again, with the same intensity as earlier. Trying to decide if she was the girl from school? Maybe. “My friend Arnie, he was supposed to take care of it. He knows the charge is bogus and said it would never make it to court.”

“Is he an attorney?”

Ethan sighed. “He dropped out of law school.”

She remembered an Arnie, a dopey junior who used to tag along behind Ethan. If this was the same guy, she sure wouldn’t have trusted him with anything important. “Hope he didn’t quit before he learned the part that would keep you from getting locked up.”

Ethan blew out a breath. It seemed clear he’d had the same thought. “How about we call him? Can I at least do that?”

Sophie wandered toward the window while she tried to think. Talking to Arnie wouldn’t help. Only Lola could tell her if Ethan was in the clear and the bond reimbursed. And for some reason Sophie wasn’t anxious to admit she’d found him already. Why, she didn’t know. She should be ecstatic and gloating.

“Tomorrow’s the Safe Haven Benefit Rodeo,” Ethan said. “They could really use the money. Since I’m the main attraction, it would be a shame if I missed—”

“Shut up.” She glared at him. “I know about the rodeo. And guess what, genius...trying to make me feel bad isn’t helping your cause. It’s just pissing me off. I didn’t create this problem. You did.”

He glared back. “You’re gonna deny me a goddamn lousy phone call?”

“Where’s your cell?”

Frowning, he glanced at the nightstand. “My shirt...where is it?”

“What am I, your maid?” she grumbled, and spotted it on the floor by the chair. She picked up the shirt and then noticed his phone sitting on the armoire. Tempted to toss the cell to him, she moved close enough to drop it on the mattress barely within his reach.

With the most irritating grin, he strained toward the cell and grabbed it. “What are you afraid of? Huh? What did you think I was going to do to you? I’ve got one wrist cuffed to this post,” he said in a taunting tone of voice. “What are you doing to my shirt?”

“What?” She looked down at the garment she was hugging to her chest. “Nothing.”

“Were you sniffing it?”

“No. Ew.” She flung the shirt toward the chair.
Oh God, oh God, oh God.
Heat stung her cheeks. She kept her face averted, knowing it must be red, and pulled out her own phone.

If he was laughing at her...

If?

Did she really have any doubt?

One word. Just one wrong word out of his mouth, and she’d drag him to her car in front of the whole damn town. Announce to everyone he was a fugitive from justice.

Her sigh ended in a shudder. She hadn’t even been aware of smelling his shirt.

He was awfully quiet.

“Arnie?”

Sophie let out a breath and slowly turned to see Ethan holding the cell to his ear and glaring at the ceiling.

“Don’t pull that you’re-breaking-up bullshit on me,” Ethan said, his voice furious. “What the hell, dude? I thought you were taking care of the charges.”

Sophie perched on the edge of the chair to send a quick text to Lola.

“That’s good, right?” Ethan stacked two pillows behind his back. “If she insists on lying, her husband will know she’s been cruising bars and picking up men while he’s out of town.” He listened for a few seconds. “And I had to call you to find all this out?”

Before hitting Send, she glanced up again.

Ethan looked worried. His chest rose and fell on a sigh. “Jesus, Arnie, you’ve got to find out by tomorrow. The finals are in a week. You know this year could be it for me...”

The despair in his voice made her stomach clench. Thank God she had her phone to occupy her, because she couldn’t stand to look at him right now. This year could be it for him? Why?

“Maybe I should call my agent,” he said, his eyes meeting hers when she looked up. “Brian’s going to find out anyway. They think I jumped bail. I’ve got a damn bounty hunter staring at me right now.”

“Fugitive retrieval agent,” she muttered.

“She’s got me cuffed to the friggin’ bed. Plans on dragging me back to Wyoming tomorrow.” He paused. “Shut the fu—” He glanced at her. “Just make the damn call and get back to me first thing tomorrow. And, Arnie, this is your last chance.” Ethan disconnected and threw the cell down. Hard.

No point in pretending she hadn’t been listening. Anyway, the second he’d left her and Lola holding the bond, so to speak, he forfeited his right to privacy. And no, she absolutely would not feel sorry for him. He’d done this to himself.

She watched him inspect the handcuffs and flex his hand. Then he stared up at the ceiling, thumping his head back against the wooden bed rail, working the muscle at his jaw.

“I wouldn’t trust Arnie if I were you,” Sophie said. “At this point you really do need an attorney.”

Ethan brought his chin down, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “You know Arnie?”

Oh, crap.
This was what she got for being nice. “No, but it sounded like you don’t have confidence in him. So I’m saying, you should go with your instinct.” She shrugged, carefully keeping her gaze level with his. “Didn’t you mention something about calling your agent?”

His eyes continued to bore into hers. He hadn’t so much as blinked. All she could think to do was stare back. She doubted that little slip about Arnie had been the thing that convinced Ethan of her identity. Just because she looked familiar didn’t mean he remembered they’d gone to the same high school together for seven months, one week and two days.

Yeah, okay, so she’d counted. Down to the minute, actually, but when she’d been... Fifteen.
Jeez.

“What did he say, anyway?”

“Arnie?”

“Yes, Arnie.” Her phone signaled a new text. She glanced at the brief message. No surprise there. “I texted a friend who works in the sheriff’s office to check on whether the charges were dropped. It seems you already know the answer.”

He tightened his mouth. “Can you recommend an attorney?”

“Not really. I know a few, but I couldn’t say if they’re any good.” Except for Craig, but she tried to stay clear of him. “What about your agent? Bet he knows one.”