License to Love (12 page)

She arranged them without making a fuss so they could go.
He’d stayed by the counter while she poured water and set the vase down. But
she smelled his cologne, felt his presence.

She looked up. He watched her, too, his lips parted and his
eyes aglow with something like sentiment or reverence. Whatever it was, it
stopped her from moving or breathing for a full minute.

This man loved his land more than anything… was it possible
for a man to love a woman like that? She thought about how he watched her, how
he held her so gently in his kitchen and how he took care of her so many times.
Massaging her shoulders. Walking her home in the dark. Now she looked into his
eyes and let herself feel those deep, secret feelings she normally would push
away.

He swallowed and she shook herself. So that was what it felt
like when the world stopped. She took his hand for the short walk outside into
the chilly night to the truck. It was still running, so the inside was warm.

“How did today go?” It’d been the first thought and she
needed something to stop her escalating emotions.

“We got the roof done.” He looked over to answer, and she
was pretty sure he looked down to her breasts and then to her legs.

She smoothed her hands down her skirt, glad she’d worn the
short skirt, even if it was winter. “That’s good.”

“Nervous?”

“We’re being honest about it?” She didn’t want to answer,
but that answered for her. Could he be nervous, too? With his calm exterior,
she had no way to tell. Even when he took on jumpy horses or tall ladders, he
didn’t look nervous.

He turned on the radio to a country station. There were a
lot of things she could discuss with him, but the lack of conversation felt
nice for now. Maybe he already understood she was thankful when he backed off
the night before. She’d been so ready until she had time to think about it.

It wasn’t that she needed time. She just liked to think
things over. And she had. Quite a lot.

He pulled into the restaurant parking lot and turned off the
engine.

“I get to open your door for you.” He jumped out and came
around. She’d never seen the point in that type of thing, but she had to admit
she liked it when he offered his hand. “Did I tell you how beautiful you look?”

“Thanks.” She linked her arm though his. “I thought you
might appreciate something besides Wranglers.”

“Now, you can’t knock Wranglers, especially if you could see
your cute little butt in them.” He gave it a pat before grabbing the restaurant
door. The unexpected touch left her skin tingling. Inside, they were seated
right away despite the dinner crowd.

She studied her menu, but noted he studied her. She’d worn a
burgundy top with lace at the neckline. It swooped down lower than her work
shirts. Combined with the skirt, it seemed to get his attention.

“Our waiter is coming.” She set her menu aside. “Did you
decide?”

“Oh, yeah, I know what I want.” The pure appreciation in his
eyes let her know it, too.

She tried not to blush as the waiter approached their table.
Brent turned and ordered, knowing what he wanted. It must have been his
favorite here and sounded so good, she ordered it as well. Alone again, they
both smiled, staring.

“I take it you don’t offer trail rides in the winter.” She
decided to talk about the ranch, a safe subject.

“Not yet. There’s several stables along the coast that do,
and they’re much bigger. We take their overflow in peak season.”

“Do you plan to expand?” She’d controlled the urge to ask
this kind of question before, in case it brought back the tension.

“I’m sure we will someday. And I guess you have a say in
that now.” His tone wasn’t cold. But they were on thin ice, she knew.

“I still want to know what you planned.” She wanted to be a
part of the stables and the plans, not take over.

“I saw a vision of the place, and that’s pretty much what it
is right now. I have the land, the horses, and the beach nearby.” His gaze
dropped down to the table. She didn’t think he was mad, but he was closing up
in himself. Something was off.

Ben.

They hadn’t spoken much about her late brother. She couldn’t
hold it against him, since they hadn’t known each other for a long period of
time. Things were going well enough for her to want to stay on longer, and he
seemed to want that as well.

Something, however, still dogged him. Why else would he
avoid Dancer? Why else would he clam up when she asked about the future?

She remembered the one and only time she had asked him about
Ben’s death. He’d refused to answer.

Switching gears, she asked, “Do you think I’ll be able to
help with the tours this spring?”

When his face came back up, his eyes were clear. “I plan on
it. Two of us always go with every group, maybe more if it’s a large one. One
leads the way, the other brings up the rear.”

He’d worked with Ben before. She could tell he didn’t want
to talk about it. His hand rested on the table, and she reached over and
covered his with her own. He didn’t pull his hand back, but stroked hers with
his thumb.

“You seem to have a lot of confidence in me,” she said. It
gave her a warm feeling, but she didn’t want his feelings toward her to cloud
his judgment on this.

“You still have time,” he reminded, still stroking her hand.
“For your first few times, three of us can go. It’ll work out fine. I can tell
by watching you ride now.”

Their meals arrived and they made small talk while eating.
She enjoyed getting to know him.  They’d planned on a movie afterwards, but she
couldn’t sit next to him in the dark and watch a movie. “Would you like to go
to my place for wine?” she asked as they walked to the truck.

He must have seen right through that. Teasing her, he said,
“Didn’t you just have wine with dinner?”

After he opened her door, she slid in and waited until he
sat behind the wheel to ask, “Then would you like to come back to my place and
kiss me?”

“Just one kiss?” He started the truck and put it in reverse.
The music played and she scooted in the middle for the trip back. He smelled
like pure pleasure, she thought as she leaned her head against his shoulder.
She was a sucker for his wide shoulders.

“Missy?”

She shot up at his questioning tone. “Yeah?”

“Thanks for... the way you are.”

What could he mean by that? “My sultry good looks or my
amazing charm?”

He chuckled. “I like a woman with a good self image.” He
rubbed her with the arm he had wrapped around her. “But I meant for your
understanding. I thought you’d change everything. Now I’m not sure why I was so
against you coming here.”

She could remind him that he’d just lost a good friend, and
she came looking for money. She’d also been hurt and angry over things.

“Wasn’t the best way to meet, was it?” she said, her voice
quiet and sad.

He turned down the ranch road, passing under the Ocean View
Stables
sign and driving to her cabin.

 “You’re not leaving once you drop me off, are you?” Oh,
boy, that sounded like panic in her voice. After all her daydreaming, she
needed him in the most intimate way.

“I’ll stay, go, do whatever you want.”

That innuendo didn’t escape her notice. And after looking at
him, she knew he meant it. Time to put it to the test.

“Come on, cowboy.” She started to slide over to the
passenger door.

His hand on her arm stopped her. “It’s closer this way.”

Surprised, she turned to him just as he pulled her up into
his arms to carry her inside. “Let’s hurry, it’s cold.”

He took her right in and set her on her feet inside the
front door.

Shutting the door behind her, she leaned against it, looking
into his blue eyes and then that mouth waiting to take hers. Powerful urges
burned inside her, keeping her from moving.

“Missy?” His voice washed over her, making her shiver. “Are
you cold?”

She shook her head and watched him step next to her. He
touched her cheek, her neck, and leaned in to kiss her. Moaning, she fell
against him and wrapped her arms around his neck. His face was just a bit rough
under her lips. Enjoying the texture, she ran her lips over his whiskers.

In contrast, his neck felt like silk, right down to his
collarbone. She undid the top several buttons of his shirt and ran her hand
over the thin chest hair underneath. She shivered with pleasure. While she
wanted to touch every inch of him, right now, she needed to savor. The last
buttons went and she pushed his shirt open.

She’d thought a lot about trusting him with this. If she
thought he’d understand, she’d tell him what a big step she was taking. To
understand that, however, he’d have to know why she was afraid to trust. Shame
kept her from sharing. She wanted to forget other bad memories and have this
now, with Brent.

His hands sculpted her waist, running down to the dip before
her hips. She could trust him this way. Her heart would be another matter.

“All this comes off,” she told him with one brow crooked
suggestively.

“Does it?” He threw her up into his arms again and carted
her back to her bedroom.

She expected him to toss her playfully down on the bed but
instead he laid her down gently, lingering with his arms wrapped tightly around
her, his face pressed into her neck and his breath feeling hot on her skin.

“I’ve been dying to feel your legs all evening… did you wear
a skirt to tease me on purpose?”

Missy laughed softly. Missy felt a bit crazy for him right
now. She tried to say his name and found she couldn’t. She was
shaking
.

He lifted his head and looked at her with concern. “Are you
alright?”

She nodded and ran her hands up his arms, wishing the
sleeves weren’t in the way. With her approval, he kissed his way down her
stomach and under her shirt, slowly lifting it and pulling it off. After
another trail of tantalizing kisses down to her skirt, he pressed his lips into
the dip above her hip while slowly sliding the skirt down and off. When she
reached for his shirt to push it all the way off, he leaned back with a small
smile on his swollen lips. He paused before he slid his shirt completely off
his shoulders and off, revealing his sculpted arms and stomach, the light hair
she had been wanting to feel. He stood, watching her with passion burning in
his eyes and unhooked his own jeans.

She reached out for him, arching in her want.

“Nope, not yet!” Brent wiggled his hips, lowering his pants
inch by inch. He kicked off one leg and then the other, then reached for his
boxers to repeat the same, slow, agonizing striptease.

He let her look at him standing there, naked and smiling
before he leaned over the bed to run a hand down her body. “Did that get you
going?” When his hand slid over her panties, she twitched, so shocked by the
feel of him on her over-sensitive and worked up body. His hand slid between her
legs and his eyes widened. “It feels like it did!”

Finally finding her voice, she said, “It looks like you’re
ready too.” Her husky voice surprised her. It also made her feel even sexier.

He leaned down over her, seeking her mouth in a hungry kiss.
He reached behind to undo her bra, but feeling a bit frisky, she batted his
hand away and slid away enough to sit up. Looking at his face, she wasn’t sure
how he could hold himself back and tease. So it was even more fun to slowly
undo her bra but hold it on for a few extra seconds. When she lowered it, he
hooked a finger in the front and pulled it away, tossing it off to the side.

Seeing her bare breasts broke his restraint. His hands and
mouth began exploring while he made noises of pleasure. She probably did too
but couldn’t think about it. She ached inside for him and struggled to get her
panties off, to get naked with him and feel him pressed against her.

They were beyond words when they joined. She could tell he
held back, tried to be gentle and slow, but she could take only a few minutes
of that before she grabbed him, gripping him and pulling him closer.

She was glad he didn’t worry about getting fancy. Missy
needed him and needed mind-blowing, fast love. Brent didn’t disappoint and he
didn’t rush it, either, to her great relief. She felt her body rise and fall
over the edge time after time before he came with her, hanging onto her. She
gasped, both from the pleasure and the intensity of his orgasm.

When a thought finally formed in her mind, it seemed like
he’d given himself up and offered everything.

“Missy…” That sounded like he was falling to sleep.

Panting, unable to move, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the
warm buzz spreading throughout her and Brent’s strong arm holding her close.
This felt so natural and right… could that be? She’d figure all that out later.

Chapter Eight

Brent hadn’t slept that well in ages. Walking to the stables
in the soft morning light, he felt renewed. He might have slept better if he’d
stayed with her, but he’d gotten the sense she wanted him to leave. They had
lain together for a while, until he was about asleep, when she pulled away.

Since he wanted to respect her, and continue to build her
trust in him, he’d dressed and headed for home like that was the natural thing
to do.

It wasn’t his natural reaction. He’d wanted to hold her all
night, listen to her breathe, and kiss her neck in the morning. He’d never felt
love like this before. Wait. Love?

Love. That was the only word for the overwhelming emotions
raging inside him. It’d been in there somewhere, hiding, waiting for the right
second to spring itself on him. Then, suddenly, while holding Missy and making
love to her, he knew.

He might have even said it out loud. If he did, she hadn’t
heard. That was a miracle. How would he explain that to her?