Rocky Mountain Romance (Six Pack Ranch) (6 page)

“Trust me, I’ve got the balls, for many things.”

She shook her head, clicking her tongue as if in disbelief. “If that was some sly reference toward your sexual prowess? There’s another place you’re mistaken. I’ll give you points for knowing where to find a woman’s clit, and I had more than a few orgasms with you—thanks for them, by the way.”

His grin broadened, and she was almost reluctant to deliver the killing blow.

“But, Steve? I’m afraid you’re just too vanilla for me.”

Melody spun on her heel and marched away, her own grin breaking free as he stood frozen on the spot behind her, sputtering in response. She kept walking, catching hold of her door and quickly crawling into the borrowed beast.

She got the door shut before he caught up with her, but there was no way she could ignore him. Steve stood inches from her closed door, his expression folded into a frown until she relented and rolled down her window.

He started in right away before she could speak, his utter shock apparent. “Too
vanilla
for you?”

Melody answered briskly. “I found out a few things about myself while I was away at school this year. So, I’m glad we’re going to be friends, and I look forward to working with the Colemans now that I’m back, but that’s pretty much all
us time
is going to be. Have a nice day.”

She put the truck in drive and left him standing in the dirt, containing her laughter until she was on the main highway and headed for home.

This was where the Steve she’d known would saunter back to the party and forget about her. Oh, maybe he’d give a few moments’ thought to challenging her comments, but then something would distract him, and the next time they met? It would be as if this conversation had never happened. He’d ask her out again, she’d turn him down.

Eventually he’d get bored and move on. It was sad, but inevitable.

Except…the flash of fire she’d seen in his eyes in her rearview mirror as she drove away wasn’t familiar. Something fluttered in her belly, and she wondered if maybe she’d poked a little too hard.

Chapter Four

Steve stared at the empty search engine in front of him.

Jeez
.

On a typical day he used his computer for work, like checking grain prices or the feedlot calendar. Occasionally he checked out some porn.

Tonight’s task made him squirm in his seat.

He wasn’t as ignorant as Melody seemed to think, but at the same time, no way did he want to misinterpret her comment.

There was also a part of him inside that was absolutely, fucking pissed she’d been experimenting with sex, especially anything beyond the norm, while she was away. It was bad enough to think of her fooling around with anyone else, let alone them having their hands all over her some way that he never had.

Even as he thought it, he knew the emotion was outrageous. He had no right to dictate what she’d done while she was gone, or who she’d done it with,

But damn if he didn’t wish he
did
have the right.

He typed in the letters in deep reluctance.
Non-vanilla sex.

The first screen popped up in answer to his search, and Steve felt his eyes rolling back in his head as the topics listed sounded filthier and filthier the farther down the page he went.

He was pretty sure she wasn’t talking about some of the extreme shit out there. Knife play—

Christ
.

That didn’t seem her style. He jotted down a few notes as he went along, glancing away from the pictures without examining them too closely because even though some of it was interesting, the shots weren’t of Melody.

If he had the go-ahead to do everything he’d ever wanted to without having to worry about pushing her too hard—? His face grew hot as his body reacted to the thought. His cock hardened, and he adjusted position uncomfortably.

No freaking way was he going to jack off, though. He wasn’t sure he wanted to relieve the pressure, turned on by thoughts of Melody and yet equally turned on and disgusted by what he was seeing. Anything people wanted to do—he supposed that was their business, but fuck if it should be slapped up all over the Internet for everyone and their dog to see.

He wasn’t sure where that opinion put him on the masculine scale.

Steve leaned back in his chair and stared at the computer screen without seeing anything as he focused on the past. The pictures scrolled by automatically on the website he’d clicked while he drifted in thought.

Melody had no idea how much he’d been holding back. Not because he wanted to tie her up and keep her in his bedroom—he had heard about that stuff. No, combining his laid-back lazy-ass attitude with everything else that had been wrong in their relationship simply meant that while he’d always made sure she’d had a good time, he’d made extra sure he’d been a gentleman. It was simpler. It was…less complicated.

He’d been all about less complicated.

They’d fooled around a few places other than a bed—he was sure of it. But it was true that most of the time when they’d had sex, they’d been at her place. He’d been living at the house with the guys, and there was no way he would have taken her back to the house and had someone toddle in and get raunchy around her.

Perhaps that had been a mistake—but then the thought of any of his friends or family seeing Melody naked just infuriated him.

Maybe that choice had been a blessing in disguise.

But after her snarky comment, he had some mileage to make up and no objections to it either. Although, from the photos on the screen, there were obviously a lot of things out there that floated people’s boats but left Steve with a dirty taste in his mouth. He reached forward to click off the link that screamed “Way Too Far”.

“Geez, Steve. Shut the damn screen off.” The order snapped from behind him.

Steve slapped at the monitor as he pivoted his chair to discover Gabe Coleman giving him a very dirty look.

Shit
. “Did you knock, asshole?”

“I didn’t think I’d catch you masturbating in the middle of your damn living room, and no, I didn’t knock, because you told me to come over, you shit.”

Steve thought back, puzzled by his comment. “When did I say that?”

“When we were playing cards earlier.” Gabe folded his arms over his chest and glared harder. “What do you want to talk about? Because you obviously have an agenda for the evening that I’m not needed for, and I’d far prefer to be home with Allison getting my rocks off with her.”

Steve held back from making another glib comment. He had asked Gabe over—it had slipped his mind during the later distractions. “I want to get back together with Melody,” he confessed, feeling a little like a scratched CD, skipping and repeating the same words over and over.

“Which completely explains why you’re looking at money shots on your computer,” Gabe deadpanned.

“I’m doing research,” Steve insisted.

“
That’s
what it’s called.” Gabe pretended to think about it for moment before pulling an exasperated face. “You know, if I tried that line on Allison, she’d take my balls and shove them up my ass. You don’t have to explain to me—”

“Melody says I’m too vanilla,” Steve confessed, regretting it the minute he finished speaking.

Only, out of all the Colemans who he could have admitted that to, Gabe was his safest bet.

His cousin’s expression lost all mocking as he grabbed the chair next to Steve. “You’re serious? I mean, about wanting to get together with Melody?”

Steve chose his words carefully. “You know what I was like when I was dating her before. Things were never bad between us, but they were never as good as I could’ve made them.”

Gabe’s lips twisted. “That kind of sums up most of us guys when we’re not actively avoiding being assholes.”

“Right, so when I fucked up and she left, I realized I had to change. And I did, I swear I did.” Steve dragged a hand through his hair in frustration. “The trouble is, I spent the last year trying to become a man she could respect. Someone who puts energy into my work and the things I do for the community, but when I asked her to go out with me, that wasn’t on her mind at all. She tossed back that I’m boring in the sack.”

“But did she say no to dating you?”

Steve considered. “I kind of thought that’s what telling me I’m too vanilla meant.”

Gabe shrugged. “Sounds like an opportunity to me. Prove you can step up to the plate with some adventurous sex, and see she doesn’t have any complaints. When you add that to everything else you’ve learned over the past year, you might find you’ve got what it takes.”

“I’m not about to start taking a crop to her,” Steve grumbled, waving a hand at the computer. “I mean, I’ve seen it. I looked at shit that made my head spin, and it’s not my thing. What if it’s what she wants? Because I don’t think I can fake that, not even for her.”

His cousin leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. A slight furrow appeared between his brows. “Do you think that’s what Melody discovered in the last year? You think she’s got some deep-seated dirty fantasies you can’t answer?”

“Not the Melody I knew,” Steve said, the confession burning as he made it, “but that’s part of the problem. Maybe I didn’t know her as well as I thought.”

Thankfully Gabe shook his head. “From what I remember of you two, when you and Melody were getting along, you seemed to coast.” Gabe offered a smile. “I think ladies like to know they’ve got more than your minimal attention. If you make exciting sex a part of your game plan, you should be fine.

“So I don’t need to research all kinds of exotic sexual practices?”

“You could, but you should probably do that together.” Gabe’s smile stretched into a broad grin. “Sometimes it’s fun to mix it up, but if I was going to give you any kind of advice, it would be let her know you’re up for anything. That you can’t keep your hands off her.”

That was something Steve could get in line with. “I hate that I fucked up before.”

“Hate more that you’ll probably fuck up again, but the real test? Is what you do when you make a mistake.” Gabe rose to his feet, brushing his hands on his thighs. “Besides, if Melody was into kinky shit, it’s not as if she’s going to find very many takers in this neck of the woods. You should make a list of the eligible date prospects for her. You know, just being helpful-like.”

An evil, wonderful thought overtook Steve. “That’s a good idea.”

“Don’t tell her I offered it,” Gabe ordered. “Allison thinks a hell of a lot of Melody, and I don’t want her upset because you’ve gone and screwed things up with her best friend. Because then I would have to come and beat you up, and that would take far too much energy.”

“You would try to beat me up, you mean,” Steve taunted.

They were past the days of scuffling like they had when they were preteens. When Gabe’s fist moved in, Steve blocked it and turned their grasp into a warm handshake.

“Thanks,” he said earnestly.

“No problem.” Gabe adjusted his hat and headed for the door.

Steve shut down the computer and pulled out a pad of paper to start plotting. He had a date with Melody. One that she didn’t know about yet.

Melody inched open the door to let him in. “I don’t know what you think is so important.”

Important enough he’d phoned to make sure she was home because he insisted on speaking to her in person. She braced herself for another invitation to resume dating.

Steve laid a hand on his chest as if insulted. “I can’t believe you thought I would let your cry for help go unanswered.”

Okay
…

That was an unexpected twist. She thought back to what could possibly have been interpreted as a request for help and came up blank. “What is it you want to help me with?”

“Finding you someone non-vanilla, of course.” Steve reached into his front pocket and pulled out an envelope, extending it toward her. A second before she could wrap her fingers around it he snatched it away. “Oh, wait, I forgot. I only jotted down notes. I’d better help you go through the list, or it won’t make any sense.”

He had his charming face on, and in spite of her better judgment, Melody couldn’t help feel a flash of attraction.

And a whole lot of confusion. “
You’re
going to find me a new boyfriend?”

“Well, you said you wouldn’t go out with me, which makes me a friend. You’ve been gone for nearly a year, and it’s only right that I extend the hand of friendship so you don’t spend too much time searching through nuggets of fool’s gold.”

“Which is what a request for non-vanilla sex will produce if I date the locals?” Melody asked, fighting to keep her expression straight.

They’d settled into chairs kitty-corner to each other, and Steve reached across the table to lay his hand over hers. “There are a few fine men in our community you should examine in your quest for some hot, kinky, sexual experimentation.”

The shudder that rolled through her was impossible to suppress. It wasn’t one of anticipation. It was his choice of words.

Thinking about some of the local men who hung out at the Community Centre? Totally did nothing for her. Still, she was intrigued. How far was Steve willing to go with this façade because no way he was really trying to set her up with anyone.