“Not at all, but I came to see you after you were admitted to the hospital, and you kept asking for her. You...uh...begged her not to leave you. You were quite emotional.”
Embarrassment washed through him, and he scrubbed a hand over his face as if to erase the color he knew would be there. “She’s totally out of my life. At the time when I rolled the Jeep, I was still upset about the breakup, but I’m over her.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes. I’m not the kind of guy who would hit on a woman if I was still in love with someone else. I don’t use one person to get over another person.” How he hated that she’d heard him moaning over Cassie. But he couldn’t change what had happened eight months ago, and he really wouldn’t want to. The accident had brought them together.
“I’m willing to accept that you’re not that kind of man. But that’s not the only thing worrying me.”
“Then what else?” If there were more obstacles, he hoped to remove them. Discovering whether he and Elle had a chance of building a relationship was his top priority.
“Judging from the way you reacted to breaking up with Cassie, you were deeply in love with her.”
“I certainly thought I was, but I’ve figured out it never would have worked. I’ve made peace with that.” He had a sudden insight. “Is that why you didn’t leave any contact information? You thought I was in love with someone else?”
“You were in love with someone else.”
“I suppose so.” He shoved his fingers through his hair. “But I’m not anymore, and I’m extremely interested in you, so I don’t understand why we’re talking about Cassie.”
“I just need to know something. Do you usually get that involved when you’re in a relationship?”
He sensed this might be a trap, so he took a moment before he responded. “Sometimes I do, yes.” That wasn’t quite accurate. He had a tendency to surrender his entire heart to the woman in his life, which left him bruised and battered when the love affair ended. But he didn’t know how else to be.
“Getting deeply involved with me wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Are you married?” He imagined some Latin lover down in Argentina and wanted to hit something.
“No, and I don’t expect to get married for a long, long time.”
“That’s fine with me, but just for the record, why the repetition of the word long? Do you have something against marriage?”
She pointed a finger at him. “See? That’s what worries me. I’ll bet you’re looking for happily ever after.”
“Eventually, yeah. What’s the matter with that?”
“Not a thing, except...well, I’m just not into that routine.”
“Okay.”
“I’m looking for ‘happy right now.’”
He desperately wanted to touch her. If he could kiss her, this conversation would be unnecessary. She was worrying about things that wouldn’t matter for quite a while. When April arrived, they could deal with this issue. Talking about it tonight was a waste of valuable time. “I can work with happy right now.”
“You were awfully quick to say that, Trey. I’m not convinced you mean it, especially if you’ve been thinking about me for months and you even wrote a song about me.”
He gazed into her blue eyes and curbed his frustration. Maybe she had a point. Now that he’d discovered that his angel was a beautiful woman, he could be guilty of romanticizing the connection between them and falling in love with the idea of her. Yeah, that sounded like something he’d do.
Blowing out a breath, he shoved his hands in his pockets so he wouldn’t forget himself and reach for her. “It’s possible I’ve attached too much meaning to this chance encounter because of Pam and Emmett’s wedding after what happened last spring. But damn it, when a gorgeous woman appears out of nowhere and saves your life, that’s gonna make an impression.”
“You were delirious. I doubt you saw me all that clearly. You couldn’t have known how I looked.”
“That’s true. I’ve thought about how dazed and confused I must have been. You could have been seventy-five and missing all your teeth and I wouldn’t have known the difference.”
She smiled at that.
“But you seemed like some sort of angel with your halo of blond hair, which was lit up somehow.”
“From the headlights of my truck, no doubt.”
“Probably. I also remembered your beautiful blue eyes, which are as beautiful as I thought they were, by the way.”
“Thanks.” Her cheeks turned pink.
“But I especially remembered your voice—soft, caring, soothing. I’m a musician, so sound means a lot to me. Your voice, which is also sexy as hell, has been part of many dreams these past few months.”
The color in her cheeks darkened. “Oh.”
“Now let me ask you something.”
“Fair enough.”
“Did you ever think of me after that?”
She met his gaze, even though she continued to blush furiously. “Yes.”
“Often?”
“Often enough.” She drew a quivering breath. “But that whole bit about Cassie made me decide you were too intense for me, so I thought it was better that we’d lost touch.”
“And now?” He probably shouldn’t have asked that, but the gleam in her eyes made him bolder.
“Oh, Trey. You do turn me on, but I’m so afraid that—”
“Don’t be afraid.” He pulled her into his arms and lowered his head. He was done talking. “Don’t ever be afraid of me.”
* * *
KNOWING FULL WELL that she was doing exactly what she’d vowed not to, Elle gave up the fight. But he was so appealing, so determined, and...oh, dear God, the man could kiss. His mouth covered hers gently at first as he settled in with velvet pressure that was just enough to make her want more. Pulse racing, she cupped the back of his head and parted her lips, inviting him to take as many liberties as he wanted.
And he obviously wanted. He deepened the kiss with a sureness that made her gasp. There would be no retreat now. She’d planned to stay in control, but that plan was scrapped the moment she surrendered to the thrust of his tongue. When he splayed his fingers over her bottom and pulled her against his rigid cock, she moaned in excitement.
Clothes became the enemy. She tugged at the snaps of his Western shirt, needing to touch him without any barrier. His breathing roughened when she slid her palms up the furred planes of his muscular chest.
Lifting his mouth a fraction from hers, he chuckled. “I’ll take that as a green light.”
“Extremely green.” She reached for his belt buckle. “I want you nak*d and I want you now.”
“That means we have matching goals.” Returning to that most excellent kiss, he slid a hand under her sweater and unfastened her bra with one quick movement.
Things progressed quickly after that. His ability to kiss was matched by his talent for ridding her of her clothes. She completely lost track of her mission to unbuckle his belt.
A girl could be forgiven for being distracted when a hot cowboy expertly slipped off her sweater and put his mouth there...and there...and there. She whimpered as he took her nipple between his teeth and tugged. This was going to be good. Very good. She’d worry about the emotional consequences later.
As she adjusted to the wonders of being topless and very well caressed, he moved on, divesting her of her jeggings, panties and boots. After that, well, he really took liberties with where he put his clever mouth. And his agile tongue.
Her knees threatened to give way as he drove her insane. “I’m...going to fall...”
“Not on my watch.” Scooping her into his arms, he laid her down on the bed and proceeded to finish what he’d started, which meant she had to grab a pillow and press it to her face to muffle the sounds of her heart-pounding orgasm.
The pillow provided some measure of privacy, too. No man had ever produced such an uninhibited reaction in her, and she was a little embarrassed. Here she’d been worried that he was too intense, and she was the one bringing all the drama. But wow. Just...wow.
The mattress shifted as he climbed off the bed. The clank of his belt buckle hitting the floor told her that he was completing the task she’d abandoned. One boot thudded to the floor, then another.
Moments later, the mattress dipped again, and he tugged at the pillow. “You under there?”
“Yes.”
“Are you hiding?”
“Yes.”
“You must be part ostrich, then. They hide just like that, everything exposed but their heads.”
That mental image was enough to make her jerk the pillow away and meet his gaze. “Hi.”
“Hi, yourself.” He slowly combed her hair back from her face.
As she soaked up the warmth from his smile and his amazing brown eyes, she was comforted, but as he continued to look at her, comfort morphed into arousal. Her breath caught.
“What?” He stroked her cheek with one finger. “Why did you gasp like that?”
“I...” Her face felt hot, but the heat didn’t stop there. It shot through her, making her ache in a way she hadn’t known was possible. “I still want you.”
“That’s convenient.” He cupped her face in one hand and leaned down to feather a kiss over her lips. “I still want you.”
“Did you bring any—”
“Yep. Just in case.” Foil crinkled, and then he was back, dropping more soft kisses on her mouth as he moved over her.
“Good man.” Wrapping her arms around his broad back, she rose to meet him, and they came together as if they’d been doing this forever. No fumbling, no miscues. One sure thrust, and they were locked in an age-old embrace.
“Mmm.” His hum of praise vibrated against her mouth.
She couldn’t have said it better. He fit her perfectly, his hard c*ck stretching her just enough to make her want more. She hadn’t had a lot of lovers, but none of them had felt so absolutely right.
That scared her more than a little. She wanted this kind of perfection someday, but she wasn’t ready for it now. Too late. Trey was here, buried deep inside her, and he had started to move. Sweet heaven.
If she’d thought they were a nice combination while stationary, they were a spectacular event when in motion. He began slow and easy, giving her time to catch his rhythm. She didn’t need any time. Instinctively, she knew him, knew his moves.
“Open your eyes.”
She did, and discovered he was looking down at her as he rocked forward and back, forward and back. Each roll of his h*ps brought her cli**x nearer. He made it seem effortless, as if he could love her this way for hours, yet surely he must be struggling to hold back. If so, he gave no indication.
“Your eyes are getting darker,” he murmured.
The coil of tension within her tightened another notch as she held his gaze. “That’s because...” She gulped. “Because I’m close.”
“I know.” A flicker in his eyes betrayed his excitement, although his pace never altered. “I can feel it.”
“You don’t have to hold back.”
“But I want to hold back.” His breath hitched, but his strokes remained unhurried. “I want to watch you come.”
“What about—” She moaned and clutched his hips. How she wanted this, needed this! “What about you?”
“Later. You first.” He pushed forward, putting pressure at the critical spot. Then he slid back and pushed in again.
“I need the pillow.” Panting, she struggled to hold back her orgasm. “I need it now.”
“Use my hand.” He covered her mouth gently.
With that, she erupted in a cli**x that shook her from head to toe. She clutched his hand and pressed it tight against her mouth. Her h*ps lifted toward the pleasure, and he continued thrusting. She kept coming, her cries captured in the palm of his hand. At last, her body shaking, she sank back onto the sheet. But little aftershocks continued to roll through her.
“My turn.” He moved faster, now. Slipping his hands under her bottom, he held her as if knowing she didn’t have the strength to do it herself.
Amazingly, she wasn’t finished. His rapid strokes brought her right back to the edge, and when he hurled himself over with a deep groan, she followed with a gasp of surprise. As she clung to him and gulped in air, her dazed mind kept returning to one simple truth. She’d started an affair with Trey Wheeler, and keeping it under control would take all her willpower.
Chapter 4
TREY HAD A million things he wanted to say to Elle as they lay wrapped in each other’s arms, but he chose not to say any of them. Actions spoke louder than words, anyway, and their actions tonight in this bed were shouting about the possibilities ahead of them. He’d let her think on it, and he sure as hell would, too.
Going into this, he’d had high expectations. The reality of making love to her had shot way past those expectations, and he suspected the lovemaking would only get better with time. A relationship was built on more than sexual attraction, and he knew that, so the next step was getting better acquainted somewhere other than in bed.
Tomorrow they’d be together for the skiing lesson, with other folks around. He was glad they’d been to bed first, though, so neither of them had to waste time wondering if and when sex would happen. The if part was settled, and the when would be every chance they had.
He didn’t think he was being egotistical to assume that. She’d responded more enthusiastically than any woman he’d been with. She’d want more of that, and heaven knows he would, too. She was incredible. His body had never felt so energized, so damned complete.
But he held off telling her all those things, especially because she was getting drowsier by the second. He’d wondered earlier if she’d notice his angel wing tattoo once his shirt was off, but she hadn’t. Just as well.