“I thought you were going to take a shower and change,” he said, walking up beside her.
Shrugging, she smiled. “I thought we could go back to the house together.”
He liked the sound of that and without hesitation, he picked her up and sat down to settle her on his lap. Her arms automatically circled his neck and she laid her head on his shoulder.
Damn, but he loved holding her like this. “Legs still a bit wobbly from riding so much?”
“A little. But not as bad as the first time I dismounted.” She snuggled closer. “Thank you for today,” she said softly. “I really enjoyed seeing your ranch and Rainbow Falls. It’s all very beautiful.”
Her warm breath whispering over his neck and the feel of her cradled against him sent his hormones racing. His arousal was not only immediate, it left him feeling light-headed from its intensity.
“I’m glad you had a good time,” he said, shifting to a more comfortable position.
“I’ve been thinking, Shane.”
He didn’t like the sound of her tentative tone. “About what?”
“This weekend should probably be our last time seeing each other.”
Her voice was so quiet he wasn’t sure he had heard her correctly. But a bucket of ice water couldn’t have been more effective at putting an end to his overly active libido.
Sitting her up on his lap, he met her gaze head-on. “You want to explain yourself? What do you mean this is our last time together?”
She sighed. “Jarrod Ridge is a family-oriented resort. Some of the older investors would likely take a dim view of our having an affair.”
“What do you think is going to happen when they find out you’re pregnant out of wedlock?” he shot back. The way he saw it, they’d take the news a whole lot better and be less likely to condemn if she had the baby’s daddy standing beside her.
She nibbled on her lower lip a moment before shaking her head. “I’ve thought about that, too. I’m hoping they won’t find out.”
A chill raced up his spine. She wasn’t talking about…
“I’ll have to check with our attorney, Christian Hanford, to see if there’s a way to keep from losing my inheritance if I move back to California. But having the baby out there would keep the talk down around the resort,” she said, oblivious to the fact that she had damned near given him a coronary before she finished explaining. “You and my family will be the only ones who know that I’ve had a child. I know they’ll keep that kind of news quiet in order to keep from jeopardizing our business.”
Why did everyone’s opinion matter so much to her? For that matter, why did the whole family protect the Jarrod Ridge reputation as if it were as valuable as the gold in Fort Knox?
“Why the hell are you protecting the resort above all else, Lissa?” he asked before he could stop himself. But once the words were out, he couldn’t really say he regretted the question.
She looked stunned. “What do you mean?”
“Why are you scared to death about what everyone is going to say or think?”
Shane knew he was treading on dangerous ground, but he had a feeling that it had been drilled into her as a child that appearances were everything and the reputation of the resort came before anything else. Even if it meant sacrificing her own happiness or well-being.
Her body stiffened and he knew he had hit the nail on the head. “My father’s death caused enough upheaval. Jarrod Ridge doesn’t need unrest among the people with a vested interest in its success,” she insisted. “We need their funding to bring more events to the resort.”
He could tell she was avoiding having to answer his questions. He decided to let that slide for now. But eventually she was going to have to stop putting that damned resort and its precious reputation ahead of her own wants and needs. And if it took him having to bring that to her attention, he was up for the challenge.
“I’m one of the investors in the resort and I couldn’t care less what the majority of those old goats think.”
He pulled her close and wondered what kind of childhood she’d had. If being put to work at the age of eight and her unrealistic concerns about gossip were any indication, it had to have been miserable.
“But we aren’t going to talk about any of that now,” he said, determined to change the subject. “This afternoon, we made an agreement to get this all straightened out tomorrow. I’m going to hold you to that.”
Deciding not to give her the opportunity to argue the point further, he captured her mouth with his. Resistant at first, he felt her begin to relax against him as he traced her perfect coral lips with his tongue, then coaxed her to open for him. His blood heated and his body reacted as it always did when she was in his arms. When he stroked her tongue with his, he could tell from her soft moan that she was as turned on as he was.
Unfortunately, sitting on a bale of straw in a stable had to be one of the least sensual places on earth. Cursing himself as nine kinds of a fool for starting something he couldn’t finish until they went to the house, he groaned and reluctantly broke the kiss.
“I think it’s about time we took that hot shower,” he said, setting her on her feet.
“We?” she asked as he rose to take her hand in his and hurry her toward the stable doors.
He didn’t even try to stop his wicked grin. “I’ve decided it’s about time for the ranch to ‘go green.’ We’ll save water by showering together.”
When they reached the house, Shane stopped only long enough to remove their boots, then led Melissa toward the stairs. No matter how foolish it might be, she willingly followed him straight into the master bathroom.
She was determined not to think about this weekend being the end of their affair or the loneliness she would suffer once it was over. It might not be smart, but she wanted to store up the memory of his tender touch and the strength of his lovemaking. She would need them on those lonely nights that lay ahead of her once they stopped seeing each other.
“You do realize you’re way overdressed for a shower, don’t you?” he asked, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief as he closed the door.
She smiled. “I could say the same thing about you, Cowboy.”
“Really?” He reached for the snaps on his chambray shirt as he took a step toward her. “I’m pretty sure I can remedy that.”
“Don’t.” She reached up to remove his hat, then hanging it on the doorknob, took his hands in hers and lowered them to his sides. “Let me see if I can take care of it for you.”
Releasing the first closure, she kissed his tanned collarbone. “That wasn’t too difficult,” she said, lightly skimming her nails along his skin as her fingers traveled on to the next snap. She flicked it open, then pressed a kiss to the newly exposed skin. “Neither was that.”
His abdominal muscles contracted when she continued on to the next one. She smiled as she slowly released each closure to nibble and kiss his perfect torso. “I think I’m starting to get the hang of this.”
“Oh, I would say you’ve become quite proficient at it.” His voice was husky and when she glanced up, the heated look in his blue gaze stole her breath.
As they continued to stare at each other, she finished unsnapping his shirt and tugged the tail of it from the waistband of his jeans. Parting the lapels, Melissa moved to push the garment over his shoulders and down his arms.
Her heart skipped a beat as she gazed at his sculpted chest and abdomen. Unable to resist, she touched the hard ridges of his stomach with her fingertip, then traced the thin line of hair from his navel to where it disappeared into the waistband of his jeans. She was rewarded with his sharp intake of breath.
“You’ve got a good start there, angel,” he encouraged. “Don’t stop now.”
“I don’t intend to.” Unbuckling his leather belt, she shook her head. “I was always taught not to quit until a job was finished.” She released the button at the top of his jeans and toyed with the metal tab below. “And to make sure the job was done to the best of my ability.”
Slowly, intentionally, she pulled the zipper downward. By the time she eased it over his persistent arousal to the bottom of his fly, Melissa wasn’t certain which one of them was having more trouble drawing their next breath.
“Oh my, Mr. McDermott,” she teased as she lightly touched the bulging cotton of his boxer briefs. “You seem to have a bit of a problem.”
His big body jerked as if an electrical charge had coursed through it. “You caused my current dilemma. Now what are you going to do about it?” he asked through gritted teeth.
The feral light in his eyes caused a delicious warmth to spread throughout her being. “What would you suggest I do?”
“Finish what you started.”
Smiling, she put her hands on his sides, then slipping her fingers inside both waistbands slid his jeans and underwear over his h*ps and down his legs. He quickly stepped out of them, then kicked them to the side.
She took a moment to appreciate his perfection. Her heart skipped several beats as she let her gaze slide from his handsome face down his torso and beyond. Muscles developed by years of hard ranch work padded his shoulders and chest and his stomach was taut with ridges of toned sinew. Every cell in her body tingled as she took in the beauty of Shane’s male body and his strong, proud arousal.
“I love your body,” she found herself murmuring.
“It was made just for yours, angel.” Lifting the hem of her T-shirt, his grin was filled with such promise it sent goose bumps shimmering over her skin. “Since you’ve been so nice and helped me out, I think it’s only fair that I return the favor.”
“I think so, too,” she said.
As methodically as she had removed his clothing, Shane removed hers and tossed them into the growing pile on the bathroom floor. When he removed the last scrap of silk and lace, he stood back.
“You’re absolutely gorgeous, Lissa.” He pulled her into his arms, and the feel of hard masculine flesh touching her much softer feminine skin caused a need within her so deep it reached all the way to her soul.
“I think we’d better take that shower while we still have the strength,” he said, his voice hoarse.
She waited until he adjusted the water, then stepped under the luxurious, multiheaded spray. When he joined her, Shane turned her away from him, then reached for a bottle of shampoo. As his large hands began to gently massage her scalp and work the shampoo down the long strands, Melissa didn’t think she had ever felt anything more sensual than having him wash her hair.
Neither spoke as he rinsed away the last traces of shampoo, then reached for the soap. Working the herbal-scented bar into a rich lather, he held her gaze as he slowly smoothed his hands over every inch of her body and by the time he was finished she felt more cherished than she ever had in her entire life.
“My turn,” she said, taking the soap from him.
Treating him to the same sensuous exploration, she took the time to commit to memory every muscle and cord of his perfect physique. When she finally touched him intimately, she watched him tightly close his eyes. His head fell back and a groan rumbled up from deep in his chest a moment before he took the soap from her, rinsed them both thoroughly, then gathered her to him.