Romancing the Ranger (7 page)

She tipped her head back, and he laid a hot line of kisses down her throat, his mouth warm against her lake-cooled neck.

The night air was warm, and the lake softly rippled. Moonlight and stars danced across the ripples, and she gazed across the water.

She froze. “Snake.”

Wade laughed. “I guess you could call it that, but I promise it won’t bite.”

Her paralysis broke as she shrieked and splashed toward the boat. “Holy shit! No—a big snake. A real one. On the water.” She grabbed the sides of the boat and tipped it toward her, but she wasn’t strong enough to get herself in.

With a few big strokes, Wade was at the boat and pulled himself up and over the edge. He reached down for her and tugged her up.

She collapsed on the bench seat, shivering. Her shirt and bra floated in the water filling the bottom of the boat.

She pointed at the snake on the water and panic filled her voice. “It’s swimming this way.”

Wade picked up the oar and brandished it at the snake. “Don’t worry. It’s probably just a bull snake.”

“Probably?”

The snake swam up to the oar, and Wade lifted it on the end of the paddle. Reese shrieked as he swung the oar and flung the snake across the water.

He sank onto the bench seat and wrapped an arm around Reese’s bare shoulders. “It’s gone now. You okay?”

She nodded, her teeth chattering, but managed to give him a smile. “You are now officially my hero.”

He chuckled and puffed out his chest. “You may call me the Snake Slinger.” He picked up the now snake-free oars and with swift, hard strokes, rowed them quickly to the dock. “We can head back to the B and B, or I have a little fishing shack out here. I can build us a fire and see if I can’t find you a shirt.”

She wasn’t ready to go back to her room, not when the night had just been getting good. “A fire sounds good.”

He fished her wet shirt and bra off the bottom of the boat and passed them to her with a sheepish grin. “I kind of like this topless fishing idea. I think it could really catch on.”

She held the wet shirt across her chest and had to laugh. “That would bring a whole new meaning to the term
fly
fishing.”

He laughed and helped her from the boat.

Her tennis shoes made a squishing sound as she walked across the deck. He pointed at a small lean-to a few yards down the lake. Stacks of wood lined one side of the shack, and a fire pit sat in front under the wooden awning.

Wade disappeared into the shack, emerging moments later with a blanket and some towels. He passed her a large beach towel, and she wrapped it around herself.

After spreading the blanket on the ground by the fire pit, he gestured for her to sit as he grabbed a handful of wood. “Have a seat. I’ll have a fire going in a sec, and we’ll get you all warmed up.”

She sat on the edge of the blanket and watched him work. Seeing his muscles flex and bulge as he stacked the wood was starting to warm her up already. Within minutes, a fire popped and crackled. Wade dropped down beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Wearing only his shorts and an old pair of tennis shoes, he was the epitome of sexy, and she leaned into his hard muscled chest.

She was so completely out of her element. She’d never gone camping, never been fishing. Yet right here, right now, everything felt completely right.

Like this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.

Wade looked down at her. “You okay? Warm enough?”

She looked at his lips, and a warm heat moved through her that had nothing to do with the fire.

She wanted him.

He was the opposite of Brock in every way. Wade was kind-hearted and thought of her needs before his own. He was relaxed sitting bare-chested in the dirt, and she’d wager he didn’t own a single bottle of hair product. And he liked her dog.

Besides all that, he seemed to actually like her.

She may have just won him over. All it took was a cold dunk in the lake in the middle of the night.

No wonder she’d had bad luck with men. She’d been going about it all wrong.

Now was the time to get it right. She may have been in his world, but she was on her terms. She could have control of this situation. She just had to take it. Make a move.

Reaching up, she ran her finger down his cheek and across his lips. She reveled in the way he sucked in his breath. She traced a line down his neck and along his muscled forearm.

Peeking up at him from under her lashes, she offered him a teasing grin. “So, how do you feel about topless camping?”

She leaned back and dropped the towel from her shoulders and gloried in the look of pure desire that flashed in his eyes.

“I’m a huge fan,” Wade said, his voice low and gruff.

He slid an arm around her waist, drawing her into his lap. Cradling her against him, he leaned in and kissed her, gentle and slow. He ran his hand through her damp hair, then trailed his fingers lightly down her back.

Shifting his position, he twisted and laid her gently on the blanket beneath him.

Then he proceeded to start a slow, agonizingly sweet exploration of her body with his hands, his lips, and his tongue. Every touch sent waves of pleasure rocking through her body.

He was so different from Brock. Her ex was so handsome and used to taking what he wanted. At times, he acted like having sex with him was a reward he’d bestowed upon her.

As if getting to fondle his mediocre-sized package was a prize she’d won in a contest.

Wade treated her as if she were a gift presented to him that he got to lovingly unwrap. He savored her body as if she were his favorite food, and he didn’t want to rush the meal. Every lick, every taste, each delicate nibble, he feasted on her with a ravenous but skillful appetite.

Her outstretched hands gripped the blanket as he teased her belly button with his tongue.

Unsnapping her shorts, he eased the damp fabric down her legs. He pulled her panties off as well, leaving her naked underneath him.

The cool breeze whispered against her heated flesh, reminding her that they were outside, in the middle of a field, and she was completely naked.

And she loved it.

Her inner minx had awakened inside of her, and she reveled in the act of doing something so brazen, so unlike her normal self.

Her usual routine of getting ready for sex with Brock involved getting undressed and folding her clothes neatly on the chair by her bed.

And now, she didn’t even know where her bra was.

It could be floating on the lake for all she knew. The fish that got away could be fighting over it with the snake.

Speaking of snakes.

Wade had somehow lost his shorts, and he knelt in front of her, his body strong and muscled and well-endowed. Like
really
well-endowed.

She thought back to his earlier claim of being called the Snake Slinger and thought his title may be true in more ways than one. And hoped she was about to find out.

His skin was tanned, and his blond hair seemed to glow in the firelight. Every part of his body was taut and toned. But his powerful physique came from working hard and hiking through the mountains, not from a gym.

He was so damn good-looking.

She reached up and ran her hands across his chest, rubbing his tight little nipple with her thumb.

Smiling at his quick intake of breath, she thrilled at the soft moan of pleasure that escaped his lips.

He grinned down at her. “Is it weird that I like that?”

She shook her head and pressed up on her elbows. “If you like that, you’ll love this.” Circling his nipple with her tongue, she raked her teeth across the nub and was rewarded with another groan, and she felt his hand tighten on her hips as he drew her closer.

She leaned back and grinned up at him, enjoying the fact that she could pleasure him with such a simple thing.

Lying bare before him, she hoped the dim glow of the fire hid her trouble spots. Like her too-soft belly that suffered from her lack of commitment to sit-ups and her fondness for ice cream.

Knowing her ample chest was one of her best assets, she loved the way his eyes were daring and sexy as they took in her nakedness.

Wade grinned back then leaned down, his voice low and husky. “I do like that. Now let’s see if you do.”

Oh. My.

…

What was this woman doing to him? Something about Reese Hudson had fried his brain and turned him into a sex-starved teenager.

He could not get enough of her.

Wade wanted to explore every inch of her luscious body. Seeing her naked and welcoming on the blanket beneath him drove him mad.

Her hair was still a little damp and curled slightly in a halo around her head. And she had this look that was a mix of
I want you
and
come take me
.

He almost had a heart attack when she’d dropped the towel and offered her topless self to him. Like seriously, he thought his heart might have actually stopped beating.

Her body was glorious. And he wanted it. Wanted her.

Like nothing he had ever wanted before.

He swallowed at the emotion rising in his throat as he stared down at her. “You are beautiful, Reese.” Her eyes went round with surprise, and he wondered if she hadn’t heard that enough. “And you are making me crazy with how much I want you.”

“Oh, I passed crazy about five minutes ago.” She gave him a naughty grin. “I’ve moved on to senseless and am almost at completely irrational.”

He grinned back. “That sounds like a challenge.”

Leaning down, he laid a soft line of kisses along her neck. He loved to hear her soft sexy moans of desire and to feel her buck up against him.

Taking it so slow was killing him. But in a good way.

Giving her pleasure was a total turn-on for him. He wanted to draw out her pleasure. Make her ache with need for him.

Her legs were wrapped around his waist, tightening with each shiver he caused. Raised on his arms above her, he couldn’t get enough of looking at her body. Her breasts were perfect, lush and full.

He tipped his head down and ran his tongue lightly around her pert pink nipple before drawing it into his mouth.

He heard her sharp intake of breath and felt her thighs tighten.

Every instinct in him wanted to take her, to devour and sate his ravenous appetite. But instead of taking, he slowed his breathing and indulged in the moment, the feelings of pure carnal lust that he had for this woman.

He licked and nibbled, thrilling at her cries of longing. Touching and tasting, he explored the lush landscape of her curves.

Time held no meaning as she arched and writhed beneath him. Finally, he reached the edge, no turning back. “I want you, Reese.”

“Yes,” was all he heard, and he sat up and reached for his shorts. Tugging his soaked wallet from his pocket, he grinned as he pulled a foil-wrapped condom from its folds. “Not only am I a park ranger, I was also an Eagle Scout. And you know the Boy Scout motto is
Always Be Prepared
.”

Although nothing had prepared him for this woman laughing beneath him, her eyes shining in want and desire.

He ripped open the packet and took care of business before leaning over her and nuzzling into her neck.

Her hair brushed against his already inflamed skin, and his control slipped another notch. Unable to take another second, he reached down and cupped her bare butt as he pressed into her soft, warm center.

Her hands clutched his back as she moaned his name.

With the fire sizzling and popping behind them, he fell into a slow rhythm, increasing with her demands for more. He buried his head in her neck, inhaling the sweet scent of her skin.

He kissed her, taking her mouth in an assault of passion and need.

The darkness enveloped them and all that mattered was this moment. This perfect moment with Reese beneath him, matching his pace, then building the intensity.

His breath came in quick gasps, and he slid his hands down her body to grip her perfectly rounded ass.

She tightened under him, crying out as her body abandoned itself to the pleasure, and he lost himself in the release of heat and desire.

…

Oh. My. Gosh.

Reese struggled to catch her breath as Wade collapsed onto the blanket next to her. He pulled her into the crook of his arm in an affectionate embrace as she snuggled into the side of his chest, her body still quivering with sweet convulsions.

Holy hot ranger!

That had been amazing.

She never knew it could be like that. Wade made her feel like a treasure he had discovered. As if every part of her body was a new reward, a new gem to be marveled at and cherished.

And Lord, when he found the crown jewel, he really knew how to relish that prize.

“You warm enough?” he asked as he tightened his arm around her.

She nodded against his firm chest. “Yeah, I’m plenty warm. And you are seriously hot. Who knew getting back to nature could be so much fun?”

He gave her a crooked grin. “Oh, I have lots of ideas for other outdoor activities that I could show you. And the topless part is optional.”

She grinned back. She couldn’t wait to see what other ideas he had and what else he had to show her.

Chapter Seven

Wade whistled as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed a coffee cup. Nothing could hamper his mood today.

Last night with Reese had been amazing, and he felt on top of the world. Not even the light drizzle of rain could dampen his spirits.

He leaned down and dropped a kiss on his grandmother’s head. “Good morning, Gram.”

“You’re certainly chipper this morning.” She gave him a knowing look. “Reese told me that you took her fishing last night. Did you reel her in?” Miss Abigail giggled.

He arched an eyebrow at his grandmother before reaching for the coffeepot.

“You both just seemed really happy this morning. Like maybe you gave our guest some special
room service
last night?”

His hand stopped midway through pouring a cup of coffee. “Gram, quit talking like that. You have such a dirty mind.”

Although she wasn’t that far off track.

He’d dropped Reese off at her room last night fully intending to kiss her good night and let her sleep.

But one kiss had turned into two and then into three and then into eight. She’d gripped handfuls of his shirt and pulled him into her room, tugging their clothes off as they’d fallen onto the bed.

And that’s where they’d stayed until after midnight, when he’d kissed her forehead and left her asleep as he headed out to his cottage.

“Where is Reese? I just knocked on her door, and she didn’t answer.” He filled a plate with biscuits and ladled gravy from the pan on the stove. He was famished this morning.

“She said for me to tell you that since it was raining, she figured you weren’t going to work this morning, so she was going into town to the coffee shop to write. She said she’ll hook up with you at lunch, though.”

His pulse quickened as he thought about
hooking up
with her. Thoughts of her naked in his bed filled his mind. Images of her blond hair spread across his pillow and her bare skin against his.

He cleared his throat and sat down at the table across from his grandmother. Her head was bent over an electronic device, her concentration focused on the screen. “Whatcha got there, Gram?”

“It’s one of those fancy iPads.”

“Where did you get an iPad?”

“Reese gave it to me. She taught me how to check my email and how to crush these candies. It’s quite addictive.”

Reese gave it to her? An iPad?

His perfect mood shattered as reality came crashing down, and the all-too-familiar scowl returned to his face. “That’s a pretty expensive gift, Gram. Are you sure she gave it to you, not just let you borrow it?”

“I’m sure. She registered it in my name and helped me download some apps she thought I’d like.” Her eyes stayed focused on the device, her finger swiping the screen as she absently answered. “Don’t worry. She can afford it.”

Yeah. That was the problem. She could afford it, and he couldn’t.

He would have loved to buy his grandmother expensive gifts. Except, oh yeah, all of his money was currently being spent on another woman’s debt. Another woman that liked expensive clothes and fancy purses and high-priced electronics.

How could he have let himself get drawn in again to a woman who made him feel like a prince in the bedroom but a pauper everywhere else?

His head tried to stick up for Reese, telling him that she wasn’t anything like Tawnya, but his heart refused to hear it.

The shattered parts of his vulnerable heart railed against ever believing in another woman, especially one that doled out expensive gifts as easily as candy.

This was more evidence that Reese was used to a certain lifestyle. A lifestyle that he would never be able to give her. Tawnya’s words of his inadequate earnings came rushing back, and the biscuit he’d just eaten turned leaden in his stomach.

He pushed his plate away, his appetite gone. “I’m going out to the barn, Gram. Have fun with your iPad.”

Sarcasm dripped from his voice, but his grandmother failed to notice, her concentration still on the candy game. He slammed the back door as he headed outside.

He filled his morning with mundane tasks that involved little concentration but a lot of banging and hammering. He’d just finished repairing an old gate when Reese’s Lexus pulled into the driveway.

Seeing the pricey car only fueled his anger, and he had a full head of steam on by the time Reese got out of the car and headed toward him. Her face glowed with happiness, and her eyes shone with excitement as she bounded toward him.

For a minute she looked as if she were ready to throw herself into his arms, but stopped short as she took in his angry expression and guarded stance.

“Uh-oh,” she said. “The scowl is back. What’s wrong?”

How could she be so blasé? As if everything was fine. “What’s wrong is that you bought my grandmother an iPad.”

A look of confusion crossed her face. “Well, I
gave
your grandmother an iPad. But why does that make you mad? Are you afraid your gram is going to look at internet porn?”

Her lighthearted joke fell flat, doing nothing to ease the anger and infuriation filling his chest.

She reached out to touch his arm but he pulled back. “Seriously. Why are you so angry?”

Why was he so angry? He’d been wrestling with that question all morning. What was the big deal if Reese wanted to buy his grandmother a gift?

Why was he so tied up in knots?

Because it wasn’t about the gift. It was about the money and the fact that he didn’t make enough of it.

That
he
wasn’t enough.

“Just tell me why? Why would you buy my grandma such an expensive gift? Were you trying to show off your wealth? Or trying to show me up?”

A hurt look filled her eyes. “Of course not. I’m not like that. I thought you knew enough about me by now to know I’m not that kind of person.”

He dragged his hand through his hair and let out a sigh. “I do know that. Or thought I did. That’s why I was so surprised this morning when I saw that you’d bought it.”

“First of all, I didn’t
buy
it for her. I gave it to her. And if you would have actually looked at it, you would have seen that it’s the earlier version. I got an upgraded one through my job and didn’t need the old one. Because of the relationship with my grandma, Miss Abigail has been letting me stay here for free. I wanted to do something nice for her, and I thought she would get a kick out of it.”

His anger deflated.

She wasn’t trying to flash around her wealth. She was doing something nice. She was nothing like Tawnya.

He took a step toward her, ready to pull her into his arms, needing to feel her against him. The sound of a truck coming down the driveway stopped him, and he looked up to see the mailman pull to a stop in front of them.

Don, the mail carrier, waved as he hopped from the vehicle. “Hey, Wade. Do you have a guest staying out here named Reese Hudson?”

Reese stepped forward. “That’s me.”

“You must have gone on quite a shopping spree there little lady.” The mailman grabbed several boxes from his truck and filled her arms with the packages. With a wave, he climbed back into his truck and drove off.

Wade shook his head. It looked like she had gone on quite a shopping spree. And he had been so close to accepting her casual explanation.

Thank goodness Don showed up when he did, with the proof of what she was really like. It was just as he thought.

He couldn’t take this. Looking at Reese standing there, her arms laden down with boxes, gave him a physical pain in his chest. As if someone had taken hold of his heart and was ripping it in two.

“Tell Gram I’ll be back later.” Crossing to his truck, he yanked open the door. He took one quick glance back. “Have fun with all of your stuff.”

…

Reese didn’t know what to expect the next morning when she showed up to work on their project. She hadn’t seen Wade since he’d driven off in a huff the day before. She’d watched for his truck but never saw it return so she spent the rest of the rainy afternoon in her room, working on her book.

Miss Abigail had bingo so she’d left a note and a plate of lasagna for Reese for supper.

She’d finally heard Wade’s truck pull in around ten o’clock, but decided it was too late to approach him that night.

Besides, what if he’d been cooling his heels with a woman from town? A guy that good-looking had to have plenty of women who would be willing to nurse his wounds. Her heart ached at the thought of another woman caring for Wade. And that was a problem, too.

Her heart wasn’t supposed to be involved at all.

She never expected to actually have feelings for the guy. To lie in bed at night and think about his smile and the way his hands felt on her skin. To relive the tingly feelings she got as he kissed that perfect little spot under her ear.

She liked the way he held doors for her and asked for her opinion. He didn’t make decisions for her, didn’t act like he automatically knew what was best for her. She liked that.

She liked him.

That’s why her palms were sweating, and her heart raced as she pulled into the lot and saw his park service truck. She knew she liked him, and thought he liked her, too. But something about her set him off. She just couldn’t figure out what it was.

She was about to find out.

Slamming the door of the car, she cautiously approached Wade. He was working on the frame of the building and the sound of his hammer pounding a nail rang out in the forest.

Reese sucked in her breath. He was so hot. How did she ever get the interest of a guy like that?

And how could she get it back?

“Hi.” She wore jean shorts, a white tank top, and the new pair of hiking boots that had been in the boxes she’d received yesterday. Her long hair hung loose and curled around her shoulders.

Hey, a girl’s gotta use what she has. She’d tucked a ponytail holder in her pocket in case she needed it later.

Wade gave her a quick glance, then continued to hammer, the scowl never leaving his face. “Where’s Bagel? His leg isn’t messed up, is it?”

This was why she liked him. His first question was about her dog and if he was okay. “He’s fine. Miss Abigail asked if he could keep her company today. I’m sure she’ll spoil him all day with cuddles and sneak him bits of food. Like that dog needs any more food.”

Her lighthearted joke fell flat as he continued his task. “Why don’t you grab some gloves and hold that board up over there. We missed a day of work yesterday, so we need to make up for it today.”

Resigned, she pulled out her gloves and crossed to the board he’d gestured to.

They worked through the morning, their silence broken only with bits of instruction from Wade. Her concentration was off and so far she’d nailed a board upside down and given him the wrong measurements twice.

She kept waiting for him to tell her why he was so mad at her. Or at least give her a hint. She was so used to Brock explaining in exact detail what she did to upset him that she couldn’t figure out how to deal with Wade. Should she try to confront him and risk him getting angrier or just keep waiting for him to throw her a crumb of explanation?

She didn’t know the answer, but she knew the silent treatment was killing her.

Finally, she couldn’t take his scowl anymore. Either he liked her or he didn’t. Tired of tip-toeing around his anger, she needed to know what was going on.

What had she done to cause such a shift in his mood?

She dropped her gloves on top of the cooler. “Let’s take a break. I’m going to walk up to the waterfall. Would you like to come with me?”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, sure. It wouldn’t hurt to stretch my legs a bit.”

They walked up the trail and stood at the railing, soaking up the peace that she knew the water brought to both of them.

She tried to touch his hand, but he pulled it away. “All right, enough already. Would you just tell me what’s wrong?”

He stared out at the waterfall.

Glancing around, she wished for a place to sit and talk. “It would be so great if there were a bench up here. Maybe I could donate one so people could sit up here and look at the falls.”

Wade turned to her, his face a mask of anger and pain. “You want to know what’s wrong, Reese? That right there. You see a problem, and you just want to fix it by throwing money at it. Like money and buying things can fix everything.”

She blinked, shocked at his vehement attack. “What are you talking about? I don’t know where you got this idea that I throw money around.”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “So says the girl who got twenty packages in the mail from a shopping spree and is wearing new clothes and a pair of two-hundred-dollar hiking boots.”

This is what he was so upset about? The packages in the mail?

“I got
five
packages in the mail yesterday, and if you had stuck around long enough to talk, you would have seen that two of them were from my dad’s secretary, Lena. I asked her to go by my apartment and send me some clothes. She’s like a second mother to me and wanted to help. So, I am not wearing a
new
outfit, you just haven’t seen it before. I hate to shop, and I just keep my things nice so that I don’t have to.”

She sighed. “I bought a couple of books on the craft of writing from a used bookstore, and I ordered a lightweight raincoat.” She looked down at her feet. “As for these boots, I bought them because of
you
. You told me that you liked to hike, so I googled about hiking and everything I read said that the most important thing to have was a good pair of boots. I wanted to surprise you and suggest a hike and knew I would already be out of my element—and didn’t want to add getting blisters to the mix.”

His face softened. “You googled hiking? For me?” The corners of his mouth tipped up in the slightest grin. “You realize hiking is basically just walking. Except you do it outdoors. How can you mess that up?”

Shrugging her shoulders, she offered him a small smile. She might be close to breaking through and getting to the root of his anger.

She touched his hand, and this time he let it stay on top of his. “Wade, I work hard at my job, and it pays me well. I like to save, and I have money put aside because I am a cheapskate at heart and don’t have enough of a social life to spend a lot of money on. If I go anywhere, it’s always been with my dad or a guy like my dad who paid for everything and whose ego stood in the way of me spending any money. When I do buy things, though, I like to buy quality things that will last. Like these hiking boots.”