Page 25 of In Bed with the Rancher

She stroked his muscled back, his skin damp with sweat. She lay with her eyes closed and let her breathing and pounding heart return to normal. He showered light kisses on her face and then just held her.

With his strong arms around her and his naked body against hers, she was wrapped in euphoria, filled with happiness.

“I want you here in my arms the rest of the night,” he said quietly in his deep voice, sounding totally relaxed.

“I won’t argue with that one,” she whispered, running her hand over his smooth, muscled back. She didn’t want to think about anything except making love with him. It was easier to keep her thoughts only on how sexy he was.

He looked at her and smiled. “I’ve been thinking,” he said. “When I go home, I want you to stay with me at least several nights. If I don’t have any commitments, then I’ll be free to take you out at night and I would like that very much.”

She was surprised because she had decided they would part tomorrow and he would go out of her life forever. She had told herself so many times that he was only in her life temporarily that she’d come to believe it completely.

“Thank you for saying that, but I suspect you’re carried away by our lovemaking.”

“I meant what I said.”

After a few minutes, she sat up and scrambled around to pull the sheet up beneath her arms. “Here’s what I’ll do. We can drive to Houston and take a plane into Dallas and have a lot shorter traveling time.”

“Look, I don’t have ten cents—”

“I do and I’ll get the plane tickets. You forget that. I have a car at the airport, so I can drive you to your home. I’ll call right now and get our reservations.”

“That part sounds like a plan,” he said. “As long as you stay and have dinner with me. We’re going to see each other again,” he said in a deep voice.

He ran his index finger along the top of the sheet, his hand moving lightly and slowly over the curves of her breasts, causing tingles up her spine and igniting desire again. She moved his hand away and turned to reach for her cell phone. All the time she made reservations for their flight, he ran his fingers over her lightly. Finally, she finished. “We have a flight, no thanks to you who almost distracted me to the point of giving up my call.”

“That call was about tomorrow,” he said in the same husky tone he got when he was aroused. “Tomorrow is far away and now I have you in my bed and I want you back in my arms again.”

“Gladly. I want you to be happy.” They smiled at each other again as she scooted close once more and he wrapped her in his arms.

“You’re one big surprise after another in my life,” he said.

“I suppose I could say the same about you,” she remarked dryly.

He hugged her. “That makes life interesting.”

“Mine has certainly gotten interesting since the moment I saw the red taillights ahead through the rain. I tried to catch up with you. I honked, but with the thunder, you probably didn’t hear me or paid no attention. You didn’t stop or slow down. I know the road and I knew in storms like we had, water would be pouring over the highway and it would be impassable. I was going to turn around and go back, but that’s when I saw your taillights. I thought if I could catch you and get your attention before you reached that curve, you would be able to turn around and follow me back.”

“I’m glad you didn’t catch me. I wouldn’t be here with you like this.”

“Maybe. You might have been and then you wouldn’t have amnesia.”

“True.” He looked like he was giving that some thought. Then he spoke again. “I think we’ve talked long enough. Let’s go shower.”

“I don’t know if I have the energy to stand.”

“Well, there’s a remedy for that,” he said, stepping out of bed and turning to pick her up.

“Stop. Put me down before you tear your stitches loose and start bleeding. Don’t you hurt?”

“Not holding you, I don’t. I’m enjoying your warm, deliciously naked body too much to notice the aches. With you in my arms I don’t care if I hurt and I’ll bet Molly has me sewn up tight and those stitches will hold. You’re a featherweight and it doesn’t add to my aches to carry you.”

She laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Okay, if that’s what you want and it won’t hurt you. I admit I like this better.”

“I definitely like it better, too,” he said in a deep, husky voice.

As they showered, his hands were all over her, just as hers were all over him. They finally rubbed each other dry with fluffy blue towels and then he drew her into his embrace to kiss her again.

Each kiss seemed to have more impact than the kiss before had. She instantly wanted him again and she knew he wanted her.

---