To Desire a Wilde (12 page)

“You control the ride, baby,” Shilah said, staring up at her beautiful body as she lay on top of him. “I—I don't want to hurt you. And your pleasure is my main goal. My only desire.”

As she sat astride him, Shilah was forced to shut his eyes against the sight of her, one side of her mouth hitching in the smile he favored that brought out her lone
dimple, afraid, as he'd told her, it would be over before it started.

As she rode him, he glanced up at her from hooded eyes, watching as her small breasts slapped together with every bounce and glide.

Her eyes were closed and she was biting down into the lower rim of her lip as she established a rhythm, one he had allowed her to set, and one that had him clenching his jaw, fighting down the need to flip her over and dive into her over and over, until he'd wrung every bit of release from her lithe body.

 

Ellie was on fire.

Shilah's hard hands dug deep grooves into her waist as he held her tight. Squirming against him, her body was on fire as the decadent, delicious pressure build inside her with every hard driving drag and pull of his shaft inside her body.

But, it wasn't enough.

She couldn't get close enough to him, and felt crazed with the need for a release she felt, hovering, just out of reach.

When he placed a hand between them, and found her clit, pinching it lightly, spreading her own essence between the seam of her lips as she feverishly worked her body against his, she released a low keening moan, her body quickening its pace.

He swiftly removed his hand, placing it on her backside, and urged her to go faster, quickening the pace and Ellie felt every muscle in her body tense, as she arched her body and screamed her release.

Within minutes of her wrenching cries of release,
her body shaking uncontrollably, she felt him shift their bodies so that she lay beneath him.

Thinking she had nothing else to give, her body weak from her orgasm, she lay on the bed, spent.

When he spread her thighs, repositioned himself between them, she offered only a groan, too weak to do anything else.

He grasped both of her wrists, shackling them with one of his hands, and drove back inside, so deep, it wrung a deep moan from Ellie. So deep she felt him stroke the back of her womb.

Thinking she had no more to give, he proved her wrong, driving into her over and over with surefire strokes, and she felt the delicious curl of pressure build this time deep, deep inside her body.

“Do you want to come with me, again…to that place just for us?” he whispered the decadent words against her ear, and mindless with pleasure she bobbed her head up and down.

“Then come for me, again, Ellie…come with me,” he said.

When he lifted her leg, leveling her at a different angle against his shaft and drove inside her, she broke, her keening cries of release echoing off the wall.

Their cries of release, one low, harsh and deep, the other high, wailing, merged into one harmonious cry of satisfaction as together they gave over and their cries blended into one long, unanimous cry of satisfaction.

You can ring my be-e-ell, ring my bell, ring my bell ring-a-ling-a-ling!

Although muffled, the sound of her alarm from her phone brought Ellie out of a deep sleep and she groaned, mentally cursing herself.

She'd forgotten to change the setting on her phone so that the damn thing didn't go off on Sunday, the
only
day of the week that she didn't have to get up at o-dark-thirty.

When Ellie raised her arms above her head, arching her back as she did so, she stopped, mid-yawn, and slowly expelled, finishing the yawn in one long breath.

She slowly pried open eyes that felt filled with sand, swallowing deeply.

Oh God…please don't let that be…

No amount of praying was going to remove the large
male arm that was draped around her waist…nor the big hand that cupped her butt.

She swiftly closed her eyes, hoping—praying—that last night had been nothing more than a result of a very hot dream.

A wildly erotic, out of this world dream, but please…just a dream.

She closed her eyes, vainly hoping that when she opened them, he would be gone and she'd be left alone in her bed at home. Slowly she counted to ten. Twenty. Hmm…thirty. Slowly.

When she opened her eyes again, not only was he still there, but he was lying next to her, his head braced on his elbow as he stared down at her, one side of his sensual mouth hitched in a low, wicked smile.

The same kind of smile that had gotten her in trouble in the first place.

“Hey, you,” he said, in a sexy growl, his deep voice roughened with sleep, one finger coming out to lightly caress the side of her face.

Ellie cleared her throat, staring up at him. “Hey, you,” she replied, clearing her throat, hearing a similar gruffness. On Shilah it was sexy and oh-so-hot, but on her, she managed to sound like a frog.

When he bent his head down to kiss her, Ellie raised her hand, connecting with his hard, naked chest, turning her face to the side before he could make contact.

“Shilah,” she said, drawing in a hissing breath when she felt his wicked tongue snake a path with its tip down her neck, running along her collarbone and back up.

“We shouldn't.” She shook her head, rephrasing her wording. “We
can't.
Last night…last night was a mistake, a mistake that can't happen again.”

As she spoke she could feel the hard length of his naked shaft as it lay against her thigh, and his hand that had been lightly cupping her butt moved, trailing along on her hip to softly tangle in the hair covering her mound.

“Shilah…Shilah, I'm serious. We can't do this,” she said, twisting her body to try and evade his busy hands and searching mouth.

She yelped out a surprise when he smoothly flipped their bodies so that she lay beneath him, trapped, his arms coming out like brackets on either side of her, effectively caging her in.

“No, you're right, Ellie. We can't…because you seem hell-bent on making sure that doesn't happen.”

She twisted around, squirming beneath him, glaring up at him. “Let me out of here, Shilah. I need to go home—”

His mouth came down hard on hers and she stubbornly kept her lips closed, refusing to give in to his demand.

He moved his hands from where they shackled her body, and brought his hands up to her face, his kiss gentling until, with a soft cry, Ellie gave in to the softness of his kiss.

Slowly he lifted his head, his dark eyes staring down at her, intensely. Ellie sighed, looking away from him.

“What's wrong, Ellie?” he asked, moving away from her. He shifted their bodies so that she lay in front of him, with his arms coming out to cross over her.

Naturally, as though they had lain that way together for years, her body fitted into the groove of his embrace as though that's what it had been made to do.

As Shilah listened to Ellie speak, her voice hesitant at first, as she outlined all the reasons why they shouldn't be together, outlined all the reasons why what they'd done last night was wrong, he finally stopped her, pulling her around to face him.

“Listen, none of that matters, Ellie. None of those are good enough reasons for me to stay away from you,” he said, and saw the indecision in her eyes. “For you to deny what we have—” he stopped, cupping her face in his palms “—is real or that it shouldn't have happened…that what we have growing between us isn't something worth breaking a few rules for is…” He stopped again hearing the catch in his own voice.

“I can't do that, Ellie…even for you.”

“Shilah, this has all happened so fast. We barely know each other—”

“What are you talking about, El?” he broke in, frowning. “We've known each other all our lives,” he said, shaking his head.

“As children, yes, Shilah.” She spoke softly, and Shilah heard the emotion that made her voice shaky.

“Ellie, can you tell me that you don't have feelings for me now? Feelings that go beyond what we felt when we were kids?” Shilah knew his voice was pleading, but he didn't give a damn. She meant more to him than any woman ever had. She always had.

She always would.

She turned away, but not before he saw the glimmer of tears in her beautiful light brown eyes. She sniffed and nodded her head slightly.

“You know I do,” she replied softly. At her admission he went to pull her closer. She shook her head and again
he felt his heart thud heavily against his chest, reading the rejection in her eyes.

“But—” She stopped and took a deep breath. “Despite any feelings, I…we…can't do this.”

Forcing her to face him, he brought her close, and laid a soft kiss against her lips.

“All I'm asking for is a chance, Ellie, before you throw away something that could be good…damn good. Something special. Just give us a chance. That's all I'm asking.”

“Shilah, my job…I can't allow this to interfere. There are ethical issues I have to consider—”

He laid a kiss on her mouth and slowly withdrew. “I'm willing to wait, El. No pressure.”

She frowned up at him, her brows drawn together. “No pressure…okay, what exactly are you saying?”

“Until you finish the investigation, I'll back off.”

Ellie stared up at him, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. “Meaning exactly…?” she asked, holding her breath. As much as she wanted to explore what they had…what they could have, she wasn't willing to risk everything she'd worked hard for. Even for Shilah.

The sexy half smile that hitched the corners of his mouth upward was almost her undoing.

For a brief moment she was tempted to say to hell with it, throw consequences to the wind, and go with what her heart was telling her was the best thing that ever happened to her.

She drew in a deep breath, waiting for his answer.

“Ellie, I know your job…your career is important to you. And it's important to me, too. If you think my helping you could in any way jeopardize your professionalism, baby, you've got to know you mean too much to me for
me to allow that. I'll have Jake take over for me, until you finish.

“And…” He drew in a deep breath. “Until this is over, and you've sent in your report, I'll back off personally, as well,” he promised.

Ellie's face broke into a wide grin at his answer.

“I hope that happy Cheshire-cat grin on your face isn't because I'm backing off…that's only temporary.”

“Just like that?”

He grabbed her and, pulling her body on top of his, lay claim to her lips.

“Yep, just like that,” he said, after giving her a pulse-pounding kiss. “But don't get used to it,” he said a frown marring his perfect features. But, she saw the twinkle in his unique eyes. “As soon as this is over…the very minute you tell me you've completed your assignment, I'm claiming what's mine.”

The sensual threat in his tone sent a delicious curl of heat along Ellie's body. Not to mention the feel of his shaft, long, deliciously hard, as it pressed against her heat.

“So what do you want to do about this?” she said, moving her brows up and down suggestively while wiggling her hips against him.

All humor vanished when he placed his hands on her rear and flipped them so that she lay sprawled beneath him.

“One more time won't hurt, will it? Give me something to tide me over while I'm waiting,” he said in a deep,
do me, baby
voice.

With a feminine purr of acquiescence she softly ground herself against him.

“I'm going to take that as a yes,” he said with a groan,
completely covering her body with his as he did his best to make sure the experience would indeed tide them over until they could be together, again.

“D
r. Crandall, what do you want us to do with the livestock we have in the south pasture? They're new, haven't been mingling with the others yet…are they s'posed to be quarantined, too?”

Ellie broke her attention away from her notes, where she'd been scribbling down the
last
of her observations for the last pen of animals, and stretched her back.

It had been a long day, and her body was feeling the effects, the muscles in her back bunching and tensing. Yet, the end was near and soon she'd complete her investigation.

Although she and Shilah had been careful to keep their distance from each other, Ellie had caught the looks from the others when they thought she wasn't looking. Somehow, word had gotten around about them.

Not that it had taken a rocket scientist to figure it out,
she reflected, worrying the lower rim of her lip at the nagging thought.

Shilah had been true to his word, keeping his distance from her as she worked, allowing Jake to take over for him as Ellie finished her investigation.

At times she wondered if the agreed separation was becoming as difficult for him as it was for her. Last night, after watering and feeding her favorite stallion following her customary ride once she'd finished work, he'd shown her, explicitly, that she wasn't alone.

As she'd turned, leaving the stable, Shilah had been there.

Before she could speak, he'd placed a finger over her mouth, shushing her, and had proceeded to dispel any lingering doubts in her mind that their separation wasn't as hard on him as it was for her.

After their short but hot tryst, they'd left the stable together, and had run into two of the ranch hands, along with the young girl who'd helped Lilly in the kitchen.

Although she'd feigned nonchalance, swiftly walking away from Shilah, a nagging feeling settled deep in Ellie's stomach as she'd wondered if they'd seen what the two of them had been doing.

 

“What do you think, Mom? Too much?” Ellie asked, turning in the full-length cheval mirror to look at herself from all angles.

She'd gone through her entire wardrobe, twice, and tried on every combination of outfits until finally settling on the closest thing she had with any real sex appeal, a short black dress.

So clichéd, she thought, critically assessing herself.
But it was the best thing she could come up with, short of driving into Lander and going to the mall.

Something she refused to do, as she'd already spent way too much time thinking about her date with Shilah tonight.

As she surveyed her image in the mirror, she thought about yesterday, when Shilah had surprised her by showing up at her father's clinic.

 

“Hey, you, thought I might find you here.”

Ellie turned at the sound of Shilah's deep voice, surprised, believing she was alone in the clinic.

As she turned, rising from her chair, her knee chose that moment to knot and her ankle turned. She hissed in pain and would have fallen dead on her face had Shilah not rushed forward and gently cupped her beneath the elbow, steadying her.

“Careful, Ellie… A broken foot doesn't really figure into the plans I have for us,” he said, and Ellie's glance flew to his.

“Plans? Am I missing something?” she asked. Despite her nonchalant reply, excitement rushed over her.

After a full week of work, she'd completed her investigation of the animals, the last of the blood drawn, labeled and carefully sent to the lab in Cheyenne. All that she had left was to wait for the results. Coupled with her final report as soon as the results were in, she'd be able to clear the ranch.

“I believe you finished the investigation?” he murmured, and she licked the full bottom rim of her mouth. Although she hadn't told him, she knew that he, like the rest of the ranch, knew she'd finished. She nodded her head, answering, “I have.”

“Then I believe we have some business to take care of?” he murmured.

“We…we do?” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

The edge of his sensual mouth curved, just the smallest bit.

Ellie drew in a swift breath.

“Yeah…we do,” he said, and lowered his mouth, slanting it over hers.

With a sigh, she wrapped her arms around his neck, returning his kiss.

After giving her a deep, long kiss, suckling and caressing her mouth with his, until she cried out, her body pressing into his, he finally released her.

Ellie sank back down on her desk, her eyes dazed. He stroked a long finger down the side of her face, his gaze on her passion-swollen lips.

“I'll pick you up tonight at eight,” he said, his tone slightly gruff, telling her he was as effected by the short exchange as she.

Without another word he turned and strode from the office, leaving a shaky Ellie with her fingers on her lips and an unknown smile on her face.

 

“Ellie?”

Ellie's glance flew to the mirror, to see her mother's image behind her, bringing her mind back to the present. She quickly gathered her scattered wits and turned to look at her mother, over her shoulder.

“What? Too short…too bland?” she asked, biting the corner of her mouth.

“No, I love the dress, pooh,” she said, and Ellie
smiled lightly at the affectionate nickname her mother had called her from the time she was a child.

“And you're absolutely stunning in it,” Leandra complimented, but the thoughtful expression remained on her face.

Ellie sighed. “Okay, Mom…so what's wrong with it?”

“It's just missing a certain…hmm. I don't know, baby…a little sexy sexy, maybe?” she asked, tilting her head to the side as she ran a critical gaze over Ellie.

Her mother's comment brought a sputtering laugh from Ellie. “A
what?
Sexy sexy… Mom, what are you talking about?”

Leandra moved in front of Ellie, unbuttoned the three pearl buttons on the dress, and to Ellie's surprise…and embarrassment, reached inside her dress to deftly adjust her bra straps before moving away.

A wicked grin curled the ends of Leandra's lips, “Now,
that's
sexy,” she said clucking her tongue against the roof of her mouth.

“Mom…what are you doing? I can't go out like this!” Ellie's hands flew to her bra and her mother tapped the back of her wrists, hard, surprising a yelp from Ellie.

“And why not?”

Ellie blushed, slowly allowing her hands to fall to her sides, looking at herself in the mirror.

The adjustment, although minor, had given her cleavage a serious boost and the tops of her breasts swelled, barely contained behind her bra.

“My girls are too…out there.”

This time it was Leandra who laughed. “And what is wrong with that? If you've got it…flaunt it. Nothing wrong with that at all. Your daddy never complains
when I do,” she said, smugly, and again a wicked grin split across her face. Ellie looked at her mother in open-mouthed surprise.

“Mom, please…I do not want to even
think
about Daddy liking your…”

“My sexy?” she said, laughing, obviously enjoying Ellie's discomfort. “We might be getting up there in age, baby, but that doesn't mean we don't—”

“Mom!” Although she didn't want to think of her parents in that way, Ellie's lips quirked at her mother's antics, grateful that she'd managed to, at least for the moment, helped to relieve the nervous knot in her stomach about her date with Shilah.

Leandra leaned over and planted a kiss on her cheek.

“You look beautiful, baby. Stop fretting so,” she said, simply. “And Shilah is a lucky man to have someone like you.”

At that, Ellie's glance flew to meet her mother's in the mirror. “It's—it's only a date, Mom.”

Her mother stared at her, a grin quirking the side of her mouth.

Ellie frowned. “What's that look for?”

Leandra sighed deeply. “Baby, you've been in love with that boy since you were a young girl. And he's been just as crazy about you. I think it's more than just ‘a date,'” she said, her answer shocking Ellie.

“What? You don't think I knew? I'm your mother, baby. Nothing gets past a mommy bear's watchful eyes,” she said, laughing.

Ellie bit down on her bottom lip. “I don't know, Mom. He could have his pick of women. I'm just—”

“But you're the one he's chosen,” Leandra cut in.
“And although I love him like he was my own—I love all the boys—in my opinion
he's
the one that got the best end of the bargain,” she said, in motherly righteous indignation, as only a mother would, tugging a grin from Ellie.

“Thanks, Mom,” she said, smiling at her mother's reflection in the mirror.

“Is this a mother-daughter-only moment, or are fathers allowed in the party?”

“Of course you are,” Ellie said.

Her father strode into the room, to stand near her mother, wrapping his arms around her shoulders as the two of them watched Ellie as she sat on the bed and put her heels on.

Ellie began to feel like a bug under a microscope beneath her parents' admiring gazes…or better yet, she felt like a teenager again, going out on her first date.

Her mother must have read the expression on her face.

“Baby, why don't we leave El to finish getting ready by herself…besides, I have this new…dress…I want to show you, that I bought yesterday.”

At that, Ellie caught what could only be termed a wicked gleam enter her father's eye. As he hustled her mother out of the room, Leandra gave Ellie a wink and blew her a kiss, leaving Ellie to stare after them with her mouth wide-open.

Ever since their getaway weeks ago, the one she'd suggested, her parents had been…acting like kids. Often Ellie would find them exchanging small kisses when they thought she wasn't around, and more than once her father had not so subtly asked her what time she'd be returning home. When she questioned him, his dark
face would flush with color and he'd mumble that he and her mother wanted to make sure they were home when she got there.

But, Ellie hadn't bought it. She shook her head, the smile dipping away from her face.

Which brought another thought. As her investigation was ending, she had to make a decision, whether to stay in Lander and join her father, or return to her teaching position at the university.

Either way, she knew that she would have to find a place to stay. Not that her parents didn't want her—she knew they'd be more than happy for her to return home.

But her father would retire soon. And with that, her parents deserved time alone, something she realized more and more, since their return from their weekend in Cheyenne.

And then there was the question of Shilah and what would happen to them, now that she'd come to the end of the investigation.

Although she had no doubts the animals were clean of disease, there was still a fair amount of tension and anxiety on her part. What if by some outside chance some of the cattle were infected—what would that mean for her and Shilah and any hope they could ever have of having a relationship.

No matter what assurances he'd given her that he was able to separate what she had to do for her job from their personal relationship, doubts lingered. The what-if game played round and round in her mind, like an old-fashioned turntable, if the results were unfavorable.

Ellie contemplated the decisions facing her, as she put the finishing touches on her makeup.

 

Shilah was never nervous when it came to women. Never. He, like his brothers, had grown up with his fair share of dealings with the opposite sex. Truth be told, they all had more than their fair share.

Which is why he didn't understand what the hell it was about Ellie that seemed to put him in a constant state of nerves, the kind he'd had when he was a kid learning the ropes at the ranch, nervous and uncertain of his ability to perform.

Not since puberty had any woman had the ability to give him the type of knot in his gut he had whenever he was around Ellie.

He toyed with the neck of his beer bottle. The last week had been hell for him, having to keep his feelings to himself, not able to openly talk to her, for fear of what someone would see…interpret, if he did.

Hiding the way he felt, not only from everyone else, but from Ellie as well, afraid he'd scare her back into that damn shell of hers, that barrier she'd erected between herself and the world, one he was just as determined to break through.

But, for her, he'd stepped back, given her breathing room…the space she needed. As if she were a wild stallion, he had been…“gentling” her. Getting her used to the idea of them together, as a couple.

Yes, he knew there was truth to what she said, and neither did he want there to be any rumors of favoritism, knowing that the ranch's reputation was on the line. But now he was free. Free to show her how he felt, free to pick up where they'd left off and take their relationship to that place he wanted.

So why the hell was he sitting at home drinking,
alone, his gut tied in knots, when he was supposed to be picking her up in less than an hour.

He bit out a curse, and grabbed the bottle by the neck. Tilting his head back, he allowed the cold liquid to fill his mouth. He swirled the contents inside his mouth before taking a swallow.

A hard thump on his back almost made the beer come back up.

He spun around, a deep scowl on his face, as Nate plopped down next to him.

“Damn, man…you almost made me choke,” he said, once he'd swallowed.

“Bad habit you have, with that. Been doing it since we were kids.”

As though that was enough of an explanation he went on, “What are you doing home, anyway? I thought you had…plans.”

Shilah slid a glance over at his brother, without answering. Lifting the beer he took his time, again swirling the contents in his mouth, his look warning Nate what he'd do to him if he repeated his action.