Sizzling Summer Nights
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“I think I’ll go look for that shirt,” he said, removing his arm from her shoulders.
“Look, if you’re cold we’ll go. No problem.”
“Not for me. You’re the one shivering.”
“Was I?” She heard another howl and jumped. “Still far away, right?”
“Right,” he said, and started to get to his feet, but she caught his arm.
“I’m not cold.”
“Okay. But let’s try this instead.” He resettled on the blanket, this time behind her. “How about you sit here,” he said, patting the spot between his spread legs.
Her pulse fluttered. “That doesn’t look comfortable for you.”
“Sure it is.” He drew up his bent knees so she could shift into place.
She refused to check if his erection had subsided. Surely it must have or he wouldn’t have made the offer. Still, she hesitated to lean back, until his coaxing won her over. Her shoulders met his chest, but she managed to leave some room behind her butt to avoid contact.
“Better?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her. “You’re stiff. Relax. I’m not going to bite.”
“Any chance you have a can of wolf repellent in your truck?”
Seth chuckled. “Is that what’s got you tense?” His mouth was near her right ear; his warm breath glided over her skin at the side of her neck. “The wolves aren’t going to bother us,” he murmured.
Oh, God, his body was so warm, chasing away the chill air. His encircling arms were strong and made her feel ridiculously safe. So safe she found her butt snuggled up against his...his crotch. Anatomically, no other body part was possible. And his arms made it all the way around her drawn-up knees. Yet his hold remained loose. She didn’t feel the urge to break free just to make sure she could.
He’d told her to relax. She was practically lounging back as if he was the most comfy chair in the world. His heart was beating a bit fast, and so was hers.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I’d feel a whole lot better if I thought you were more comfortable.”
“Are you kidding? What could be better than this?”
“Um...” Hannah laughed. “Nothing.”
“Besides that,” he said, and kissed her neck.
She felt a jerky movement against her backside and she bit down on her lip. “Ouch!”
He brought his head up. “Did I hurt you?”
“It was me. I bit my lip.”
“Let’s see.”
“It’s okay. I’ll live.”
He cupped her chin and turned her face toward him. “You have pretty lips.”
“What?” Hannah giggled.
“Soft, too,” he said, drawing his thumb over them. He bent his head as if he were about to kiss her, but it wasn’t easy, the way they were sitting.
Their mouths merely brushed.
Hannah sighed, completely ready to give up warmth for more kissing. But Seth didn’t seem to be of the same mind. He just smiled and settled back.
“Hey, look at that,” she said, pointing to the western sky. “Are those stars in the shape of a W, or is it my imagination?”
“That’s Cassiopeia,” he said, without enthusiasm.
“Not your favorite, huh?”
“I wouldn’t kick her out of bed,” he said, and grinned when Hannah twisted around to give him a look. “We see Cassiopeia all year long from here. Now, if it was October or November, the bottom of the W would point to Andromeda.”
“What about that one?”
His cheek close to hers, he followed her gaze. “That’s Cygnus. We can only see it during the summer.”
“It looks like a kite.”
“According to mythology it’s supposed to be the form of a swan that Zeus used to seduce women.”
“Okay, you need quite an imagination to come up with that description,” Hannah muttered, trying to not get too distracted by the feel of Seth’s cheek pressed against hers. “What about the W? What’s the story behind that one?”
“Queen Cassiopeia sitting on her throne combing her hair. Her claim that she was more beautiful than the gods pissed off Poseidon, so he put her in the sky as punishment.”
Hannah grinned. “Those touchy Greeks.” She moved, just to see him better. “I doubt you were trying to impress me, but wow anyway.”
He smiled and went for a kiss. Their lips almost met, but not quite. The slightly different position wasn’t any better.
“Okay, this isn’t working,” he said. “You mind scooting down a couple feet?”
She didn’t need to think about it. She just slid her butt to the edge of the blanket. Seth pulled the opposite end up, draping it over her shoulders as he settled beside her.
“How’s that?” he asked, keeping his arm around her.
“Perfect.” She smiled at him and he pressed his lips to her mouth.
The sudden kiss startled her at first, but then she kissed him back. His arm tightened around her shoulders as his tongue swept past her lips and probed her mouth. He wasn’t in a hurry, but that didn’t make the kiss less intense. With his free hand he cupped her jaw as they explored each other, her breasts aching for his touch.
She lifted a hand to his chest and felt the swell of muscle under her palm. His heart pounded as hard and fast as her own. Shifting to give herself more freedom of movement, she nearly forced him back flat onto the blanket.
The kiss broke. Laughing and out of breath, she barely had the strength to help hold him upright. Not that she was doing anything more than clutching his shoulder.
“What are you doing?” Seth asked, also laughing.
“I’m not sure.”
He used an elbow to brace himself and she landed, half sprawled across his body, her breasts squashed against his chest.
She wasn’t too upset with the awkward move, though. Their new position had its upside. “Did I bruise you for life?”
“They should fade in a week or so.”
“Sorry. I was actually trying to prevent this from happening,” she said, and realized that righting herself would go a long way toward reinforcing that claim. Grudgingly she started lifting herself off him.
Seth stopped her. “The ground isn’t too bad if you want to try lying back.”
“Or you make a pretty decent body pillow.”
“Sure, feel free to use me.”
Grinning, Hannah moved her arm and unintentionally brushed his erection.
He hissed through gritted teeth. “Yeah, sitting is probably better.”
“I didn’t do that on purpose,” Hannah said, her breathy voice sounding strange to her ears.
“I know.”
She didn’t even try to hide her disappointment when he sat upright. Instead she almost gave in to the urge to cup him, make sure he knew it was no accident. But that wouldn’t be cool. She’d never had sex with a guy the same day she met him and she’d already decided making out would be enough for tonight.
The stars seemed to be multiplying, each one trying to outshine the others. Barely covering a yawn in time, she felt his hand close gently on the nape of her neck.
“Tired?” he asked.
“A little.”
“I should’ve taken you straight to the Sundance.”
Hannah gaped at him. “No way. And miss this?”
“Don’t worry. In a week you’ll see your fill of stars.”
“That’s not what I meant,” she said, and felt the pressure at her nape become a gentle massage.
They leaned into a soft kiss. Hannah laughed when they both angled their heads the same way.
Seth didn’t. He cupped her face with one hand and deepened the kiss, their tongues touching and stroking each other. His hand moved to her neckline, and he toyed with the fabric before dipping his fingers just underneath, just enough to tease.
She trembled when his mouth left hers and his lips blazed a damp path down the side of her neck.
Gently, he touched her jaw, then trailed his fingertips down her throat over her knit top and lingered between her breasts. The inside of his wrist grazed her hardened nipple.
Hannah held her breath. The tiny movement caused a slight thrust of her breasts. She waited, wondering if he’d slip his hand under her shirt.
The temptation was there. She could feel his tension, his indecision, his restraint. Damn, she wished she could see his face. But it was impossible with the way they were sitting. Although she could see his straining fly just fine.
She laid a hand on his thigh, about midway between his knee and groin. And then she inched higher, stopping short of his erection. His free hand went to the back of her head and he held her still while he kissed her.
Oh, God, she wanted to touch him so badly. But she didn’t dare. His mouth was hot and hungry, his skin feverish, his warm rugged scent surrounded her. It was all going to her head. Stepping just one toe over the line would be all it took. They wouldn’t stop. And there would be no do-overs. She wasn’t sure it mattered.
Seth was waiting for her to make the next move, she realized. She’d set the tone and he could’ve taken over from there, but he wanted her to call that final shot. While she appreciated his thoughtfulness, she almost wished he’d just gone for it.
A cool breeze seemed to come out of nowhere, nipping at her, making her shiver. She rubbed her bare arms. Removing her hand from his thigh killed the mood.
He straightened away from her. “Guess I’m doing a shitty job.”
“Oh, no.” Hannah clutched at his arm, trying to bring him back to her. “It feels good.”
“I meant keeping you warm.”
“Ah. Right.” She gave him a sheepish smile. “No, it was just that one little gust.”
“Gust?” Seth laughed. “I’d stay away from Montana in the winter if I were you.” He grabbed both their waters. “In the meantime, let’s get out of here.”
“We don’t have to go.” A yawn threatened and she pressed her lips together for a second. “It was just that one...breeze.”
“Look, you have a whole week. No rush, right?”
She would’ve rather he’d said we. But that might’ve sounded too presumptuous. Probably not something she would’ve said herself. “I’ve ruined the night, haven’t I?”
“Absolutely not,” he said as he got to his feet. “I’ve enjoyed myself.”
She grasped his outstretched hand and he pulled her up.
“Go ahead and get in the truck,” he said when she picked up one side of the blanket.
“I’m really not cold.”
“Just tired.”
Hannah sighed. “Exhausted,” she admitted. “It was harder getting away from the office than I thought.”
“Signs of a healthy economy, right?”
“More like a slave-driver boss.”
Seth smiled, and boy did she want to kick herself. It was only a little after ten. She was on vacation and had lucked out meeting a gorgeous guy the very first night. And what was she doing? Squandering an opportunity to get laid, that’s what.
“Hannah?”
She blinked at Seth as he tried to take her corner of the blanket from her.
With a wicked smile that made her wonder if she’d said something she shouldn’t have, he tugged the blanket free of her hand. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get you to bed.”
4
HANNAH STARTED DOWN the staircase, but was so busy rereading a text from Seth confirming their date that she nearly missed a step. She grabbed the oak handrail and managed to hang on to the mug of coffee she’d gotten from the kitchen earlier.
It was her third one. She was more than half awake. Hopefully this would finish the job. The last thing she wanted was to be yawning all day. And all because some idiot had raised his voice outside her window at 6:00 a.m.
She didn’t know who it was, or who he’d been yelling at. All she really knew was that it had something to do with the upcoming town meeting and grazing permits. She’d have to ask Rachel about it later. Without letting on about the rude wakeup call. Anyway, it was Hannah’s own fault for being too snug under the covers and not closing her window.
Chatter drifted from the dining room, but she stopped for a moment to look out at the Rocky Mountains through the expansive two-story windows. Lucky her, she was staying on the same floor as the family, and not in the separate wing where they put regular Sundance guests.
She envied Rachel, growing up in this house, with this view every day. Today the sky was clear and a perfect blue; not even the slightest trace of smog blurred the edges. Hannah had been living in Dallas an awfully long time, and on the rare weekends she went home to see her parents, she always ended up too stressed to truly appreciate the beautiful country mornings.
It was hard to believe the McAllisters’ original house had started off as a modest-sized log cabin over a hundred years ago. It probably hadn’t been all that much bigger than the current foyer that spilled into the dining room on one side and the living room on the other.
Sitting at the table with Rachel’s mom were three other guests. Carol, whom Hannah had met last night, smiled. The other two women sent her bored looks before returning to their muffins.
“Good morning, Hannah,” Barbara McAllister said with a bright smile. “Rachel’s looking for you. She’s taking a group on a trail ride this morning and wanted to know if you’d like to join them.”
“Ah, sounds like fun,” she said, lying through her teeth. She hadn’t been on a horse in fifteen years. “But I can’t. I have a date.”
All three women turned their heads to give her a second look.
“Didn’t you just arrive yesterday?” The blonde stared with a hint of accusation in her narrowed eyes.
“Yes, I’m Hannah,” she said, crossing to the table with her hand extended. She should’ve left out the date part. Rachel had warned her many of the guests came here looking for vacay sex.
“Kimberly,” the woman muttered, accepting the gesture with a limp handshake.
The third woman made no effort to introduce herself so Hannah let it go.
“You work fast,” Carol said with a laugh. “We were just telling Mrs. McAllister she should’ve had more good-looking sons.”
“Available ones,” Kimberly added. “We came too late. They’ve all been snatched up.”
Shaking her head, Barbara laughed. Trim, petite and with the same lively green eyes as her daughter, she looked more like she was pushing fifty instead of sixty.
“If it’s any consolation, Rachel and I were in the same sorority together for three years and she never told me they were hot. Just that she had brothers.” Hannah gave Barbara a private smile as she came around the table and took the chair beside her.
“That’s just wrong.” Carol’s warm smile made up for the other two sourpusses. “And you’re still friends.”
“Yep. Not sure why.” Hannah nodded to the coffee Barbara offered. “Thank you.”
“Have you eaten yet?” Barbara asked. “We have more muffins and fruit in the kitchen, and Hilda is making omelets.”
“I had a muffin earlier, but thanks—”
“To be honest...” Kimberly cut her off. “I think Rachel should take their pictures off the website. It’s almost—I don’t know, false advertising or something.”
“Oh, for goodness’ sakes, this isn’t a dating service.” Barbara gave Kimberly the mom glare, that said, open your mouth again and I’ll wash it out with soap. It was clear where Rachel got her backbone. “Anyway, if you are looking to...what is it?” She paused, waving a hand. “Hook up,” Barbara said finally, and Hannah nearly spit out her coffee. “With so many hired men in the area, they outnumber the women three to one.”
Kimberly blushed and sulked at the same time.
Carol burst out laughing.
The mystery brunette stared at Hannah. “Is it the guy who was sitting at the bar last night?” she asked. “At the Watering Hole?”
Hannah hesitated, tempted to ignore her. “Oh, were you there? Didn’t see you. But to answer your question, yes.”
“Well, wasn’t that nice of Rachel to fix up her old friend,” the woman said in a snippy tone.
Several juicy remarks sat primed on the tip of Hannah’s tongue, but she restrained herself. Both women were very pretty and wouldn’t need any help hooking up for the week. As long as they kept their rude mouths shut.
The front door opened and Hannah recognized Rachel’s laugh. “Hey, look who I found,” she said, drawing everyone’s attention as she passed through the foyer.
Seth walked in behind her. He yanked off his black Stetson.
“Mornin’, Mrs. McAllister. Ladies,” he added with a brief nod at the other three women, and then he looked at Hannah. “Hello, Hannah.” He gave her a slow, bone-melting smile. “Sorry I’m a little early. I figured I’d talk to Jesse for a while...”
“But I dragged him in here,” Rachel said, her devilish grin directed at Hannah. “So, I guess that’s a big no on the trail ride, huh?”
Determined to play it cool, Hannah rolled her eyes. Not easy with her heart trying to pound its way out of her chest. He wasn’t wearing anything special. Just the typical cowboy get-up, boots, jeans, a blue button-down shirt. But he’d rolled the sleeves up to his elbows, exposing tanned muscular forearms, and for some reason that made her mouth go dry.
“Seth, it’s so nice to see you.” Barbara had shot to her feet and was skirting the table. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Yes, ma’am, it has,” he said, bending as she pulled him into a fierce hug. He looked so tall next to her. And his shoulders were much broader than Hannah remembered from last night.
“How’s the family—”
“The omelets are almost ready.” Hilda said, as she pushed through the swinging door from the kitchen. Her dark eyes lit up when she saw him. “Oh, Seth, look at you...so tall and handsome.”
Barbara stepped aside as Hilda rushed toward him.
“Hi, Mrs. Carter.” He smiled and moved his Stetson out of harm’s way in the nick of time.
The wiry housekeeper threw her arms around him. “I saw your mom at the market. She said you’re here for good, this time.”
“That’s right. Dad’s retired so I’m helping Clint run the Whispering Pines.”
Hilda stood back, still holding on to one of his large hands. “Your mother is so happy. Did you know my Ben is back, too? He bought a ranch.”
Seth nodded. “I ran into him at the hardware store a couple months ago.”
Kimberly noisily cleared her throat. Once she had everyone’s attention, she looked at Hilda. “Are our omelets getting cold?”
Throwing her hands up, Hilda muttered something in Spanish as she hurried toward the kitchen with Rachel on her heels.
“Come sit, Seth,” Barbara said. “Have breakfast with us.”
He darted a look at the other three women. Carol’s smile was friendly. Kimberly and the brunette had their fangs out. Hannah would be taking several giant steps back if she were him.
“Have you eaten?” he asked her.
“Yes, but if you want—”
He shook his head. “I’d rather get on the road while it’s not so hot. If that’s okay with you.”
“Sure.” Hannah pushed her chair back, aware of the evil looks aimed at her.
“Thanks for the offer,” he said to Barbara.
“Anytime, Seth. You’re always welcome here. I hope you know that.” She patted his arm. “Where are you two headed?”
Seth swept a gaze over Hannah as she left the table. He kept it brief but managed to linger a second too long on her bare legs. Long enough to make her a little flustered. “Glacier National Park,” he said.
“Oh, you’ll love it, Hannah. There’s so much to see, you could spend a week watching the wildlife,” Barbara said, just as Hilda came from the kitchen carrying plates of fluffy golden omelets.
Rachel held back the swinging door, and Barbara rushed over to help serve.
Hannah stopped. She’d almost forgotten. “I need to run upstairs and get my purse.” She glanced down at her white shorts, pink tank top and strappy white sandals. “Am I dressed okay for the trip?”
“You look good to me,” he murmured, his gaze missing nothing all the way down to her polished blue toenails.
Hannah didn’t think it was her imagination that his voice had lowered. Or that his eyes had darkened. She hurried toward the stairs, aware he could watch her from where he was standing. She was also aware that Kimberly and her pal were breathing fire by now. Mostly he’d ignored them, though not in a discourteous way. But she had the feeling they weren’t used to being outclassed by a woman who was barely a six.
“Hannah, wait.”
On the second step she turned. One bad thing about an open floor plan, you couldn’t get away with much. They weren’t visible to everyone in the dining room but it was possible they could be overheard.
Seth came all the way to the stairs. “You should bring along some walking shoes,” he said, then leaned so close that his breath tickled her ear. “It’s going to be a long day. Wouldn’t hurt to bring a change of clothes and some toiletries. I’ll leave that up to you.”
He straightened away from her and gave her another one of those irresistible smiles. Might as well hog-tie her and throw her in his truck. Like she could say no to anything that came out of his mouth.
“I have a question,” she said.
“What’s that?”
Standing on the second step gave her a two-inch advantage over him and this time she did the leaning, and whispered, “Why didn’t I get a hug?”
“I was saving up for this.” His hand cupped the back of her neck and he kissed her, the tip of his tongue taking a languid swipe with the promise of more to come.
Her toes curled over her sandals and she clutched his shoulders for balance. “I figured it was something like that,” she said, pulling back and grinning. “Give me a few minutes to pack.”
The self-satisfied gleam in his eyes caused a burst of excitement in her chest. Mingled laughter coming from the dining room abruptly changed the mood.
“Take your time,” he said, settling his hat back on his head. “I’ll be outside.”
“Chicken,” she whispered.
Seth just smiled and stayed right where he was...where she knew damn well he could watch her jiggling behind all the way up the stairs.
* * *
ALMOST THREE HOURS LATER, they entered the park. They’d made a stop that took them twenty minutes out of their way when Hannah realized she’d forgotten sunscreen. Seth wished they could’ve gotten an earlier start but he was lucky to get the whole day off, plus it was possible they’d spend the night, too. That would make up for a hell of a lot. Damn, he hoped it worked out. Since their time was limited, he’d decided Going-to-the-Sun Road was the best thing for them to do. The scenery was spectacular and it would give her a taste of everything from glacier-carved lakes and valleys to stunning jagged peaks. And wildlife. She seemed interested in spotting different critters and there would be lots of them.
“I can’t believe all the snow,” Hannah said, twisting around in her seat and staring out the back window at the snow-topped mountains all around them. “It’s crazy.”
“Considering it’s only June there really isn’t all that much. We’re lucky Logan Pass isn’t blocked. That’s where we’ll cross the Continental Divide.”
She made the strangest noise. Kind of a strangled giggle. “I’m sure it won’t be nearly as exciting as it sounds.”
Seth chuckled. “Maybe it will, who knows?”
“How many times have you been here?”
“Over a hundred.”
She swung her attention to him. “Are you serious?”
“Yep. I used to camp out here with my brothers when we were teenagers. Usually at the end of July or in August, when it’s warmer. Less likely for the higher elevations to be blocked by snow.”
“Oh, my God.”
He slid her a quick glance.
Her gaze had wandered beyond him out the driver’s window. “I think I just saw a bear.”
“You might have.” Unlikely at this elevation, but it was fun to see how excited she got over everything.
“He wasn’t all that far from the road.” Eyes narrowed, she craned her neck to see behind them.
“Do you want me to slow down?” Seth asked, even though they were practically crawling.
“For the bear?”
“No,” he said, trying not to laugh.
“I knew that.” She shifted so she was facing straight ahead. “I read there’s a bunch of scenic turnouts. Would you mind stopping at a few?” It took all of three seconds for her to whip around again. “I’m never going to see everything.”