If touching her had felt electric, full-body contact nearly blew his mind, the heat between them threatening to make him spontaneously combust. He tore control of the kiss from her, felt her yield, a sound halfway between a sigh and a moan catching in her throat as he plundered her mouth.
God, she tasted good.
She turned her throat to the side, exposing sensitive skin. He took what she offered, licking and kissing her just beneath her ear, breathing in the scent of her, savoring the rapid thrum of her pulse beneath his lips. She shivered, her hands sliding beneath his T-shirt to caress his abs and pecs, the feel of him seeming to turn her on. It wasn’t hurting him. That much was sure.
But two could play at this game.
He tore his lips from her skin, slid the spaghetti straps off her shoulders, and tugged down her dress, exposing a low-cut bra of blue satin and the sweet, creamy swells of her breasts. Willing himself not to rush, he kissed the line where satin met skin before releasing the center clasp, hunger for her pounding in his chest like a heartbeat.
She watched him through eyes gone black as he pushed the satin aside to reveal two beautiful natural breasts, their dark tips already puckered.
He knew what she expected him to do, so he didn’t do it, but kissed, licked, and nipped the skin of her breasts, moving closer to her nipples without touching them, letting her anticipation build. She whimpered in frustration, her nipples drawing tighter. Still, he made her wait, pressing kisses against her breastbone, running his tongue in circles around those dark crests. Then, when he couldn’t take it any longer, he closed his mouth over one pebbled tip and sucked.
“Eric.” She moaned his name, one of her legs wrapping around his waist, the other pinned against the cushions beneath his.
His cock ached to be inside her, but he didn’t want to stop, not when she was enjoying this as much as she was. Her breath came in pants now, her hips rising as if to dry fuck him from below.
She wanted a little friction? He had just the thing for that.
He adjusted his weight and pressed his erection right where she needed it most, grinding himself against her. Her response was immediate, her eyes drifting shut, her hands coming to rest against his biceps. The motion was so like fucking that, yeah, it was arousing in a my-dick-is-going-to-bust-through-these-jeans sort of way. It wasn’t enough to make him come, but it seemed to be taking her where she needed to go. That was good enough for him.
She met the motions of his hips with little thrusts of her own, the two of them completely synched as if they’d been doing this for years. Her nails bit into his skin, every muscle in her body tense, her breathing ragged. Oh, she was close, so close.
He lowered his mouth to her breast again, flicked her nipple with his tongue, nipped it with his teeth, then drew it into his mouth once more.
“Eric.” Her breath caught, then she arched beneath him, coming with a soft, shuddering sigh.
He stayed with her, kissing her cheeks, her eyelids, her forehead, attuned to the tremors still running through her, some thought forming in his mind about carrying her to the bed for—
Fuck.
He didn’t have a condom. He hadn’t planned this and hadn’t brought one with him. He’d never broken his “no sex without a condom” rule, and he wouldn’t start tonight. The last thing he wanted to do was leave Victoria pregnant and facing a bunch of tough choices. Besides, there were a lot of ways they could get each other off without him being inside her.
She opened her eyes, surprise on her face, her lips swollen from kissing him, her breasts still beautifully bare. “I’ve never … not like that.”
“There’s a first time for everything.” He lowered his lips to hers, kissed her nice and slow. “Please tell me there’s a box of condoms in that bathroom.”
“I didn’t see one. I’m not on the pill either, so...” Her gaze fixed on something over his shoulder, and the blood drained from her face, her entire body going stiff. “Stop. I can’t! We can’t ... ”
In a panic, she pushed against his chest, struggling to get out from beneath him.
He levered himself up and away from her and looked over his shoulder, but saw only what he’d expected to see—his computer, paper, a pen. “Honey, what is it? What’s wrong?”
She got to her feet, hurried to the table, and closed his computer, then stood there, shaking, arms wrapped protectively around herself, spaghetti straps still off her shoulders. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have ... I’m so, so sorry.”
It didn’t take training in trauma to know that something had triggered her.
Eric got to his feet, all the things he’d let slip from his mind rushing back at him—Austin’s warning, her conversation with his mother, the fact that she was Lexi’s best friend.
Hawke, you dumbshit.
He walked up behind her, wanting to reassure her but afraid to touch her. “Hey. It’s okay. You have no reason to be sorry.”
She turned to face him, then seemed to realize that her breasts were still exposed.
Before she could react, he fastened the clasp for her, leaving her to adjust all that lush goodness herself. “You can talk to me. You know that, right? Clothes on, hands off. I promise.”
“Thanks.” She tugged up her spaghetti straps, and he could see she was fighting tears. “I think we made a lot of progress tonight. We should probably both get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He bit back all the things he wanted to say to her, all the things he wanted to ask, and just let it go—for now. “Okay. Yeah. Thanks for your help tonight.”
“You’re welcome.” She walked with him to the door. “Good night.”
“Get some sleep.” He paused with one foot in the hallway. “Call me if you need anything, even if it’s the middle of the night. I can be here in two minutes.”
“Thanks, Eric.” She forced a smile onto her face. “You’re a good man.”
As he walked down the stairs, Eric was certain that the last guy who’d gotten his hands on her hadn’t been.
Vic closed the door, moved the safety latch into place, then walked to the sofa, her heart in pieces. She sank into the cushions and let the tears come.
She had messed that up—big time. It was her fault. She had started it.
She had asked Eric to kiss her, and, oh, God, he had. He’d kissed her like she’d never been kissed in her life, kissed her the way she’d always dreamed of being kissed. First her lips, then her throat, then her breasts…
The man certainly knew what to do with his mouth.
He’d made her feel sexually alive for the first time in so very long, driving her crazy, even making her come. And he hadn’t gotten anything in return.
God, she’d been an idiot.
One moment she’d been basking in the aftermath of a surprise orgasm and thinking up ways to please him, and the next she’d found herself looking at the camera lens of his laptop. She hadn’t meant to push him away. Something inside her had snapped, adrenaline turning her blood to ice in the span of a heartbeat, her mind filling with all of the memories she’d been trying so hard to forget.
A lot of guys would have gotten angry about that. But Eric had done nothing but try to comfort her. He’d even fastened her bra himself.
She owed him an explanation. But, God, what would he think of her when she told him? It shouldn’t matter to her. It’s not like they were a part of each other’s lives. Even so, it bothered her that he might think less of her.
Damn it.
She’d come to Scarlet hoping to get away from the past year. But somehow she’d brought all of it with her.
How was she going to face Eric now?
Vic felt mortified about what she’d done last night, and she was going to be spending an entire day in his company.
She pushed the thought aside and slipped into her brand new cowboy boots. The brown leather had a worn look, and there were roses embroidered along the instep and shaft. The moment she’d seen them, she’d wanted
them. She walked around the room, getting used to the feel, then took a peek at her reflection and laughed. With her new dark vintage wash jeans, she looked like a cowgirl—well, minus the hat.
Deliberately leaving her phone behind, she slipped the day pack over her shoulder and hurried down the stairs, not wanting to keep everyone waiting. She stepped out into the cool morning air, the scent of pine and the breathtaking view making her forget her worries. Then she saw him.
Eric stood near the end of the driveway near the road, talking with Austin, a cowboy hat on his head.
Seriously? A cowboy hat? Was he trying to slay her? What was next? Cuddling puppies against his shirtless chest?
He looked her way, and she caught the anger on his face the moment before he hid it behind a half smile.
He and Austin weren’t talking. They were arguing about something.
“Good morning.” Lexi waved to her from the driver’s seat of her Lexus convertible, its top down, Britta sitting in the back. “It’s just the five of us. Winona is doing intake on two orphaned bear cubs. Chaska has to work, and Jesse is helping with inventory at the Cave. Austin is driving up with Eric so we can have some girl time.”
Vic glanced over at Eric and Austin and wondered why Lexi was pretending everything was fine. “Okay.”
Both disappointed and relieved that she wouldn’t be riding alone with Eric, she got into Lexi’s car and buckled up.
“Have you ever ridden a horse before?” Britta asked.
Vic nodded. “My dad insisted I take English horseback riding lessons when I was little. I was never good enough to compete, but I did learn to love horses. I’ve never done trail riding, though.”
Lexi waited for Eric to back out in his truck, then drove down to the roundabout and out onto the highway. “You’re going to love the Cimarron.”
“Is it a dude ranch or something?”
That made Britta laugh. “A dude ranch? Don’t say that in front of Jack or Nate.”
While she drove, Lexi told her how the Cimarron was a working cattle ranch owned by the West family since the days of World War I. “They also breed champion quarter horses. The ranch sits on some of the most beautiful land in the county.”
Britta leaned forward to be a part of the conversation. “The land is beautiful, but wait till you see their house.”
The more the two of them talked, the more certain Vic became they were exaggerating. The house was incredible, and the views were breathtaking, and Jack West and his family were the kindest people you could ever hope to meet.
Nothing could be that perfect.
About an hour later, they came to the ranch’s entrance, which was marked by a log archway from which hung a wooden sign that read “Cimarron Ranch.”
The land was beautiful—steep, snowy peaks, grassy meadows, stands of evergreen trees and aspen. “All of this belongs to the Wests?”
“Everything you can see on this side of the highway,” Lexi answered.
Wow.
Then they came over a rise—and Vic’s jaw dropped.
The house wasn’t beautiful. It was magnificent.
Made of stones and logs like Austin and Lexi’s house, it was probably ten times as large, with a half-dozen chimneys and a roof made of multiple steep gables. A dozen floor-to-ceiling windows reflected the mountains that surrounded them. Off to the west stood several corrals and large outbuildings, including what had to be a riding hall.
Vic stared. “It’s amazing.”
Britta laughed. “Told you so.”
“I think Nate is taking us out today.” Lexi drove around to the back of the house and parked in a wide driveway next to what looked like a five-car garage. “He went to high school in Scarlet a couple of years ahead of us then served in a Marine Special Operations unit in Afghanistan. He was burned in an IED explosion, and we all thought he was going to die. But he’s happily married now. He and his wife Megan have a school-aged daughter and a baby boy.”
Vic was glad to hear that. She liked happy endings.
They had just climbed out of the car when a tall man in a cowboy hat walked out of the garage. Half of his face was scarred from burns, while the other half was untouched and strikingly handsome. He gave them a warm smile. “Hey, Lexi. How’s the bride? Hey, Britta.”
“I’m doing great. Thanks. How about you?”
“Can’t complain.” He held a scarred hand out to Vic. “I’m Nate West. Welcome to the Cimarron.”
Lexi glanced down the dirt road that served as a driveway. “What happened to the guys? They were right behind us.”
Eric got sick of the angry silence and pulled over, idling on the shoulder of the highway. They would end this here and now. “What pisses me off is that you don’t trust me. I told you I haven’t slept with her, and that ought to be good enough for you.”
Taylor’s jaw hardened. “Rose saw your truck parked there the past two nights. Are you telling me she’s lying?”
The next time Eric saw Rose, he was going to give her a piece of his mind.
“Rose didn’t see what she thinks she saw.” Ah, hell. “You want the whole story? The first night I was there, we did nothing but talk. I was toned out about ten minutes after we got there, but I guess Rose didn’t see me drive away. If Victoria looked like she’d been crying, it had nothing to do with me.”
Okay, that wasn’t exactly true. She’d said the video footage had made her cry, and he’d filmed it. But he couldn’t tell Austin about that.
“What about last night?”
“I stayed for a couple of hours. We talked. Victoria asked me to kiss her, and I did. We made out a little, but my dick stayed in my pants. She’s an adult. Who are you—her daddy?”
Taylor took this in, the anger fading from his face. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
The moment the apology left Taylor’s mouth, guilt twisted in Eric’s gut, the image of Victoria’s pale and terrified face stuck in his mind. No, he hadn’t fucked her, but it had been near enough. Something he’d done had triggered her.
“Are we good, man?”
Taylor nodded.
Eric threw his truck into gear. “Any chance you want to tell me why you’re going all big brother on Victoria’s behalf? What happened to her?”
“You want the truth?”
Eric nodded, waiting for a semi to pass, and then merging onto the highway.
“The truth is, I don’t know. Victoria made Lexi promise not to tell anyone, and you know Lexi. Once she makes a promise … But she did tell me that some man had hurt Vic and that what he’d done was terrible. Lexi wants to kill the bastard.”
Well, shit.
Eric had figured that much out for himself. “She’s not the only one.”
Taylor stared at him. “You care about her.”
The words made Eric’s pulse take off, adrenaline rushing to his head. “She’s Lexi’s friend. Of course I care about her.”
Taylor’s face split into a knowing grin. “No, buddy. I mean you care about her. You’ve got it bad, don’t you? Holy shit! I never thought I’d live to see the day.”
Now Eric was pissed. “She’s not my type.”
“Since when is gorgeous, intelligent, and fun not your type?”
“If you don’t shut up, I’m going to pull this truck over again and put my fist through that stupid shit-eating grin of yours.”
“Okay, man. Have it your way.” But Taylor was still smiling.
Chapter 7
Vic listened while Nate gave everyone the rundown on the day’s ride. His gaze landed on her, and he frowned. “Did you bring a hat—anything to keep the sun off your face?”
She shook her head. “There’s sunscreen in my moisturizer.
“That’s not going to do you any good up here. Hang on a minute.” He jogged off toward the horse barn.
Everyone else mounted, ranch hands helping to adjust their stirrups.
Eric patted his gelding’s neck. “At this altitude, people get sunburned faster.
”
“Altitude again.”
Nate reappeared, a white cowboy hat in hand. “Try this. Megan won’t mind if you borrow it.”
Vic put the hat on, amused to think what her coworkers at Jensen West would think if they could see her now. “How do I look?”
“With those boots?” Eric’s eyes were shadowed by the wide brim of his hat, but she could see his grin. “Like a rodeo queen.”
“Hey, I like these boots. Besides, I wasn’t asking you.”
While Nate held the reins, she mounted her mare — a beautiful palomino named Baby Doe. “Isn’t Baby Doe the woman who froze to death at the Matchless Mine?”
“It sure is—Baby Doe Tabor.” Nate told Vic Baby Doe’s story while he adjusted her stirrups—how she’d married Horace Tabor before he’d legally divorced his first wife, how they’d set Denver on its ear with scandal, how the crash in silver prices had reduced them to poverty. “Baby Doe was penniless for most of her life, far longer than she’d been wealthy, but people remember her for the scandal and glamour.”
“How sad.”
“Riches to rags—sometimes that’s how it goes.” He handed her the reins. “Are you ready?”
Vic took the reins in one hand. “Thanks.”
“Hey, West, are you done with the history lesson?” Austin called.
He and Lexi were bringing up the rear.
Eric, who was right behind her, joined in. “There will eventually be riding on this trail ride, won’t there?”
“All right, all right.” Nate walked over to a ranch hand who was holding the reins of a big palomino stallion. He mounted the animal in a single motion, mastering its restless response with ease. “Come on, Chinook. These city folks are gettin’ grumpy.”
He rode with the grace of someone who’d been raised with horses, the cowboy hat on his head and the rifle holstered behind his right leg making Vic feel like she was on the set of a western movie.
“What’s the rifle for—bears?”
He chuckled. “Generally speaking, wildlife isn’t a problem. People are. We get squatters sometimes, and I’d rather be prepared than sorry. We’ve had a few clever entrepreneurs try to set up illegal grows on our land.”