Flirting with Love (17 page)

His finger was barely touching her wetness, and her insides clenched with desire.

“I want this, Ross. I want you.” She rocked her hips, urging him to touch her, even though it was fast. Even though they were outside. Even though she’d never been so aggressive before. She wanted this, she wanted him, and she was powerless to do anything but give in to the heat that consumed them.

Thank the Lord he took her hint, and in the next breath his lips met her bare stomach in openmouthed kisses as his fingers explored her slick center. He licked and nipped her belly, moving lower, dragging his teeth over her hips to the area just above her damp curls. She fisted her hand in his hair and urged him lower. He stroked and teased and brought her right up to the edge, then used his mouth and sent her spiraling out of control. One strong hand gripped her hip while the other worked its magic, and his tongue, his glorious tongue, took her up, up, up, again, and she called out his name into the darkness as the orgasm ripped through her again. Nothing had ever felt so good. Or so right.

The sounds of the night came back slowly, crickets, their breathing, and she realized that the moans and mews she heard were coming from her own lungs. Ross moved up her body and she reached for the button of his jeans. His lips met hers, and he tasted of her, salty and sweet. He kissed her harder, thrusting his tongue as he pushed his fingers inside her, until all she tasted was him.

“Lis, are you sure? We can stop.”

“Oh my God, no, don’t stop.” She didn’t care that this was new, or that this was their first real date. She wanted to be as close to Ross as she physically could, and she wanted him now.
Fate
. She believed in it, lived by it, and she wasn’t about to stop now.

He kissed her again, and when he drew back, she took his cheeks in her hands and honesty tumbled out. “In twenty-seven years I’ve never wanted anyone like I want you.”

“There’s one thing I have to know.” Ross searched her eyes.

“I’ve only been with two guys, I’m on the pill, and I’m clean.”

He smiled and kissed her. “I’m clean, too, always used condoms. But that wasn’t the thing.”

“Oh.” Embarrassment heated her cheeks.

“You’re so damn cute it’s painful.”

“Is that the thing?”
Hurry. Hurry!

“No.” He kissed her cheek, then her nose, her forehead, and her other cheek. “Will you see only me? Be my girlfriend?”

“Goodness, Ross. I thought…Yes. Of course.” She leaned up and kissed him. Relieved that he hadn’t tried to put a caveat of some other kind on their intimacy—and she’d probably have agreed to whatever it was because she was out of her mind with need. She couldn’t believe now that she’d even thought such a thing. He’d shown her throughout the date that he was willing to risk becoming part of the town gossip for her, and she knew how huge of a deal that was for him.

Heat flashed in his eyes as he shimmied out of his jeans and stripped her of her clothes. She’d never seen such an exquisite creature. His body was lean and defined, muscle after rippling muscle of tanned skin and sinew. He positioned himself over her, and she felt the tip of his arousal against her. Her body ached for more. Ross gazed deeply into her eyes and kissed her softly, pushing the tip of his heat into her, spreading her legs wider with his powerful thighs.

“Lissa, I have a feeling I’ve been waiting for you my whole life.”

He sealed his lips over hers and pushed inside her, until he was buried deep. She sucked in a breath at the magnificent pressure of his girth. He breathed air into her lungs as they began to move as one, slowly at first, then more urgently, each clawing for more. She felt the tease of release. Her insides swelled with anticipation as he thrust harder. His arms slid up her back, and he gripped her shoulders, driving deeper over and over. His heart thundered against her chest, and their eyes met just before hers slammed shut and an explosion of heat and tingling vibrated through her body.

“Oh…God…Ross.”

“Lis…”

He buried his face in her neck as he followed her over the edge, grunting and panting until the last shudder rippled through their bodies. Under the cover of night, and beneath the blessing of the moon, Ross laced his fingers with hers and brought them to his lips. Her heart swelled. She closed her eyes and breathed in the cool night air, sending a silent message up to the heavens.

Thank you, Aunt Cora. This is exactly where I’m supposed to be.

THE SUN WAS just beginning to peek over the mountains Saturday morning when Elisabeth came out of the barn with Kennedy in her arms. She’d woken up at four o’clock hot and bothered from a dream about Ross, and by five, she was doing yoga on the back porch. She felt more settled now, after an ice-cold shower and taking care of her morning chores. Her shorts were dirty from feeding the animals, and she probably smelled like hay and mud, but she didn’t care. Everything seemed brighter today, more fulfilling, and she knew it was because she and Ross had come together. Something inside her shifted last night when she was in his arms. No, it had happened earlier than that, in the days before, a little more with every look, every touch, and every flirtation. Last night when they’d walked into the Brewery and he’d tightened his grip on her arm. It was a little thing, but she’d seen something much bigger, deeper, in his eyes, and it had filled her in ways nothing ever had.

She sat on a log and watched the sun rise as she fed Kennedy his goat milk. He was eating well and making the cutest little grunting noises as he took the bottle. Her mind drifted back to the evening before, lying beneath the stars, with Ross gazing down at her before they’d made love. Her body shuddered with the memory. She knew he’d felt the earth move, too, and the moment their bodies came together, she was his, and somehow she felt like he was hers, too.

After feeding Kennedy, she went to work putting up the small metal pen she’d found in her aunt’s shed. She was nervous and excited about her first day of grooming, and every time she thought of last night, she got dizzy with emotions. She was struggling to clip the metal pieces together on the last two panels when Ross pulled into the driveway.

Her heart raced at the sight of him as he climbed from his truck. Knight, Ranger, and Sarge barreled toward her. Storm remained by his side.

“Free dog.” Ross’s command sent Storm bounding toward the others.

She dropped to her knees and loved up the dogs. Knight licked her, chin to forehead. Ross walked at a fast clip, reached a hand in the middle of the puppy mayhem, and helped her to her feet. He folded her into his arms and kissed her until she felt the world spin.

“Sorry, but the boys couldn’t wait a minute longer to see you.” He wore a pair of jeans and a cotton shirt like a second skin, and he looked delicious.

“The boys, huh?” She petted Knight as they walked toward the metal pen she was putting together.

“I’m just a big ol’ boy.” Ross draped an arm over her shoulder and pulled her against him. “I came by to see if you needed help with anything before I head out to check on Gracie.”

“Gracie? Is she okay?” She watched him connect the metal latches with ease.

He drew his brows together and turned away with a shake of his head. He tested the gate on the pen and changed the subject. “You put this together by yourself?”

She could tell he didn’t want to talk about Gracie, and her heart squeezed for him. “Yes. It wasn’t hard, and since I don’t know Wren’s dogs, I figured it was safest to keep them in the pen instead of running loose.”

“See why I like you? You worry about animals as much as I do.” He reached for her hand and surveyed the grooming station she’d set up in the front yard. “Do you have an awning? It’s going to be warm today; you might want shade.”

“I didn’t see one in Aunt Cora’s shed, and I forgot to buy one, but I’ll pick one up before next weekend.” They stood hand in hand. Ross looked around before finally setting serious eyes on her and leading her toward the porch. “Do you have time to sit for a minute?”

“Always.” Her stomach did a nosedive straight into a pool of worry. Maybe she’d misjudged his feelings, even after all he’d said. Maybe he was having second thoughts. They sat on the front porch. Knight plunked his big body down beside her and breathed loudly through his nose as he pressed his head to her thigh.

“Attention hog,” Ross teased.

She petted Knight’s head, feeling even more nervous. Ross tightened his grip on her hand.

“Lis, about last night.”

Don’t say it. Please don’t say it.
She held her breath and trained her eyes on Storm and Sarge playing in the yard.

“I’m sorry for taking it so far. I hope you don’t regret it, and I hope you didn’t feel like I forced myself on you.”

“Wh-why are you sorry?” She couldn’t begin to tell him that he hadn’t forced himself on her or that she’d never wanted a man more than she wanted him. She was too afraid of the way he’d cushioned the statements. Did he regret it? Didn’t he hear everything she’d said last night?

“Because you just moved into town, and that was our first real date. I never sleep with a woman on the first date. It’s not the way I…” He put an arm around her and kissed her temple. “I can’t even say
not the way I operate
, because I don’t
operate
. I’m not a saint by any stretch of the imagination, but I don’t usually do that.”

“Oh.” She wondered if she could slip from his arm and slither along the wooden planks and inside without him noticing. Maybe she could pour herself down the cellar stairs like liquid and just hide there for a month. Or a lifetime.

He lifted her chin and turned her face toward his. “Do you regret being with me?” He searched her eyes, and she couldn’t think past the sound of her heart shattering inside her chest.

“Lis?” A single desperate word.

“Hm?” she managed.

“Shit. Did I totally fuck this up?” His brows drew together as he turned away. “I’m an idiot. A fucking idiot.”

“Wait. I’m confused.” She gripped his thigh, felt the muscles flex beneath his jeans as he whipped his head back around. “Are you telling me that it was a mistake, or are you asking if I thought it was a mistake?”

“Asking. I’m asking,” he said roughly.

“No. I might be the idiot. I thought—oh God—” She covered her face with her hands. “This is so embarrassing.” She drew in a deep breath and met his confused stare. “I have never done anything that felt so right in my life, but that doesn’t mean that you have to—”

His lips met hers in an urgent kiss. He cupped her cheeks and smiled, a sated, thoughtful smile that told her everything she needed to know before he did.

“I don’t do things because I have to. I follow my gut, and with you, I’m following my heart.” He kissed her again, and Knight pushed his big black head in between them. Ross glared at him, then turned thoughtful eyes back to her again. “You asked me if I believe in fate, and I told you I did. This. Us. It’s fate, Lis. I never thought I’d see the day when I’d think of a woman before my practice, or before my family, and when I got up this morning, my mind went to you—and it never left.”

She knew in that moment that all those years of wanting to return to Trusty, all the years she’d saved herself for the man she’d always hoped existed, hadn’t been wasted. Ross was everything she’d ever dreamed of, and more.

LATER THAT MORNING, while Ross examined Gracie, he thought about the paths he’d chosen in life, or rather, the paths that had chosen him. Trusty was a given. Once his oldest brother Pierce went away to school, Ross made the decision that he’d make Trusty his home. More than loving the town in which he had grown up, he wanted to be near family. Ross wasn’t the glue that held his family together. In the Braden family, each member had his or her own role in doing that. Pierce, though not physically present on a daily basis, still watched over the family from afar. He was there for Luke when he fell for Daisy and had to face the demons of his past, and he’d been there for each of them over the years. And other than Jake, who lived in Los Angeles and visited often, the rest of the siblings lived nearby and were always getting together or texting, pitching in whenever they were needed. Being there for his family was a given for Ross that he’d never questioned, just like becoming a veterinarian. It had been hard work and taken many years, but not once did he waver in what he wanted. And now he felt the same
given
about Elisabeth.

He wasn’t swept up in love like a schoolboy. What he felt was much deeper than infatuation. He thought of her throughout the day and night, wondered how she was doing, worried about what trouble she might encounter in town, and today—he worried about no one showing up for free grooming. If that happened, it would cut him to his core. Elisabeth seemed to take it as part of the process in building a business. But for Ross, it was much more than that. The very town he’d given his all to was turning its back on the woman he felt as though he were born to be with. And he did feel that way. It was like their eyes met and his body and mind filled with recognition.
Oh, it’s you. I’ve been waiting thirty-five years for you
. He hadn’t been looking for a relationship, just as he hadn’t been looking for a career with his veterinary practice. He’d just
known
it was what he was meant to do. Elisabeth stepped into his arms and into his heart.

He stroked Gracie’s neck and took a moment to gather his wits about him. Even though this was a natural part of the life cycle, and he, Jim, and Kelsey all knew Gracie was on borrowed time, knowing her time had come sucked the air from his lungs.

Jim sank onto the edge of the futon.

“It’s your call, Jim.” Ross set a hand on his shoulder to let him know he wasn’t alone.

“She’s my coffee dog, Ross. Seven mornings a week for twelve years she waited by my side, barking, jumping, and causing the loudest ruckus while I stirred my coffee.” Jim shook his head, smiled at the memory. “Damn dog.” He stroked her head. “All to sit beside my rocking chair on the front porch while I drank the damn coffee.”

Ross had heard this story so often he could repeat it verbatim. He smiled, allowing Jim to share his love for Gracie.