Vivian Arend - Rocky Mountain Desire

In spite of being prewarned, caveman urges as she called them rose, and he slapped them down, deliberately drinking some coffee instead of swearing his fool head off and calling Clay unmentionable things. A few seconds later, he was in control enough to lower his cup and nod slowly.

“Okay. What time will you be finished?”

Hope blinked. “Okay? That’s it?”

“What, you thought I’d forbid you to go near the smartass wrench-monkey?”

She fought to keep from smiling, the edges of her lips twitching. “Yeah…”

Matt patted himself on the back mentally for keeping his cool and making points on this one. It just might be enough to smooth things over when she found out that he and Clay had tussled at the gas station last week. “Nah. Remember, I said I’m only a demon-obsessed male in the sack. You ain’t going to be sewing these quilt squares then testing them out in the bedroom, are you?”

She snorted. “I think I’ll probably be teaching them how to thread a machine tonight. Maybe straight stitching.”

All of a sudden the room got a whole lot brighter. Matt was going to have to remember to kiss his mama an extra time or two. “Oh, the simple stuff. Yeah, might take those boys three or four lessons to get that figured out. Us Colemans—we can get right to the interesting stuff.”

A puzzled expression crossed her face. “I thought you didn’t know how to sew?”

“Are you kidding? My mom taught us every damn thing there was to know about housekeeping—cooking, laundry, sewing. And there’s more stuff to fix around the ranch that requires stitching than you’d think, including saddles. Just hasn’t been on the top of my list since I started working the ranch full time.” He leaned forward and put a finger to his lips. “Travis even knows how to knit, but if you tell him I told you, he’ll wring my neck.”

“Travis? Knits? The boy wonder with women can turn a heel?”

Matt snorted. “Knit, pearl, all that shit. Ma worked on teaching all us boys one winter, but he was the only one who figured it out. The twins were too busy trying to kill each other with the knitting needles and us older crew were already tainted enough to think it was too girly a task to put the energy in. But sewing? We can all do the basics.”

Hope grabbed his plate and stacked it with hers, rising to help him clear the table. “I was sure you said you could barely use a needle and thread—that night I went off the road.”

Matt shook his head. “You expected me to confess I can sew in front a room full of ladies? I ain’t that brave.”

He caught her at the counter, taking her in his arms and kissing her like he’d been dying to all meal. She hesitated for the first second then got right into it, tangling her fingers in his hair, stroking his beard.

They split apart for air long before he wanted to. He cupped the back of her neck, thumb rubbing her pulse point lightly. She swallowed hard, her pupils huge. “Don’t you start something we don’t have time to finish, Matt,” she warned.

“Not planning on finishing it. Just priming the engine, so you run good and hot all day. By the time you get back to your apartment, you’re gonna have no reason to disobey when I tell you to strip naked.”

She lowered her lashes, but her smile got wider. “You’re a dirty man, Matt Coleman.”

“And you like that very much.”

Hope nodded.

Matt pulled on his winter gear, went outside to start her beast of a truck and let it warm up for a bit. She planted a final toothpaste-minty kiss on him before slipping a key into his glove and batting her lashes. “I’ll be home for sure by nine thirty. Make yourself comfy. You know, maybe you need to be the one naked when I arrive.”

He held her chin. “If I’m naked, it’ll be so you can put your mouth on my cock quicker.”

She blinked in shock at his crude words. A slip of pink tongue darted out, leaving her lips wet and shiny. Oh yeah.

She wasn’t going to be the only one running hot and horny all day.

In fact, as he worked through his tasks, Matt wondered exactly who he’d tormented more with that comment, her or him, because for the next twelve hours all he could picture when he got distracted from a task were those shiny wet lips wrapped around his shaft.

He did up a couple extra jobs before calling it quits, just to force the time to pass faster. He showered quickly then headed over to her place for nine on the button.

There were lights shining through her windows, and he took the back stairs two at a time. The door swung open easily, welcome warmth hitting, the familiar scent of her relaxation candles teasing her senses.

Hot damn. He’d told her he had plans for the tub. Finding her naked and wet in there? On one hand, his cock was already harder than it had any right to be. On the other, he was serious about remaining the one in charge in the bedroom. He’d still plan for fun in the water, but if she was in there, he’d be hauling her out damn quick for a little something else to get started.

He put his coat and boots away and decided against stripping to join her, because if he was naked and she was naked? All his plans about running the show were going to be over before he started.

But start he would. And now. He stepped forward and swung open the bathroom door, silent in his approach.

Only it wasn’t a feisty redheaded Hope he discovered laid-out naked in the tub, but Helen. The woman who’d broken his heart and sworn she’d never come back to Rocky.

Matt jumped back like a snake had bitten him. “Holy fuck.”

Helen twirled with a shriek, hands flying up to cover her breasts. Her cry died off in mid-holler, but Matt was already closing the door and retreating to the living room, a ball of fire blazing inside his belly.

The swear words came hard and fast, and he wasn’t sure he could stop without adding a few violent kicks and punches, but there was nothing in Hope’s apartment he had the right to destroy.

Helen. My God. The last time he’d seen her she’d had tears in her eyes as she begged him to join her. To try living in Calgary for a while and escape the rural prison they’d grown up in. Her words, not his, and the fact three days before her request she’d been screwing around on him had given him no reason to try to salvage the relationship.

Years of loving her, then his heart torn apart and left for dead.

And now after he’d finally taken a chance on trying a relationship, now Helen had to show up?

You gonna run every time someone mentions her name?

The echo of Hope’s question was the only thing that kept his feet from marching out the door. Hell yeah, running away felt like an appropriate response.

Only there’d been no mention of expecting her sister to show up. This morning he and Hope had planned to get together for a far more intimate reason than an unhappy family reunion, and something warned him Hope would be just as surprised as he’d been. He couldn’t leave and allow her to deal with this alone.

“Matt?”

His shoulders were rock tight, his upper body clutched into one giant knot. He deliberately breathed out and relaxed before turning toward the hallway. Helen had crawled out of the tub, but hadn’t put on her clothes. Anger flared again. “For fuck’s sake. Go get dressed.”

She stood with one hand at the knot of the towel wrapped around her, the bare length of her legs still wet. “Shy? You’ve seen it before.”

He kept his gaze on her face. “It ain’t mine to look at now, and I’m not interested.”

Then he turned his back again and checked his watch. Nine fifteen. Hope could be here any second. Please, God, let her get there soon. But that was selfishness on his part, because neither of them wanted this.

Noises rose behind him as Helen closed the door on the second room—the one he’d slept in that night after the accident. Matt considered phoning Hope, to warn her what she was walking into, but she could already be on the road and how much a warning would help he wasn’t sure.

He sat, collapsed more like, onto the couch. There wasn’t much time to sort through the layers of confusion that had just landed on him like an anvil. He closed his eyes and remembered Hope’s laughing smile, the naughty flirting and the willing love she’d given him in the past twenty-four hours.

And like he’d turned a corner, that was all he needed. Helen was a part of his past. Hope was…his future? It was too soon to say for certain, but one thing was sure. If he let Helen drag him down, it was him letting her.

Did he want to give her any control over him? Fuck that—she’d had a say in his life once before and tossed it away. Keeping control meant a whole lot more now that he knew what could result from giving it up.

Of course, making the decision in his brain that Helen was nothing but a pain in the ass to be politely ignored was easier when she wasn’t in the room. The instant she trotted into the living room wearing nothing but a shiny red barely there nightie, his frustration level went right back up.

“So, Matt, better? I’m clothed. How you doing?”

He remained seated even though being rude was a juvenile response. He kept his eyes fixed above her neckline. “I’m good. Surprised to see you. Hope never said a word about you coming for a visit.”

She shrugged. “Last-minute decision.”

Matt mentally rolled through a list of things he could ask, but most of the usual questions he’d talk about with a stranger—he didn’t really want to know her answers. Immature, maybe, but also the truth. He didn’t care what she’d been doing, what she was up to, except as it affected him and Hope.

“How long you staying?”

Another shrug. “Not exactly sure. What’re you doing here?”

Straight for the jugular it seemed—Helen’s style had remained consistent. So he responded in kind. “I was expecting to see Hope, obviously.”

“You two dating or something?”

He let a smile escape. “Yeah. She’s pretty special.”

Helen hummed and ignored him, turning into the kitchen and filling the kettle. He snorted. They had a ton to talk about, didn’t they?

The front door opened and Matt shot to his feet. Hope’s obvious pleasure at seeing him coloured her entire face. “Hey, you. Sorry I’m late, but you were right. The boys are going to need a little more work on the basics. Clay sewed himself to the practice piece.”

Any other time her sharing that tidbit would have made him laugh out loud. Now he only shook his head. “You’re right on time, but—”

Helen chose that moment to step forward, cup in one hand. She waved with the other. “Hey, sis. You were working late.”

Hope froze. Literally not a muscle moved as she stared across at her sister. All the colour and anticipation Matt had seen on her face vanished. “Helen? What are you doing?”

Matt slipped forward and stood at Hope’s side, taking her hand, rubbing her cold fingers. She glanced up, gifting him with a tenuous smile. They both turned to face Helen. Matt nearly laughed—like they needed numbers to stand against her.

Helen took them both in with a raised brow and a smirk. “Change of plans. I’ll explain more later. But don’t let me keep you from your date or whatever this is. I’m tired. Think I’ll head to bed.”

Nothing more than that, and she was gone, the door to the second bedroom closing with a solid click as she locked it.

Matt glanced down at Hope who was muttering steadily under her breath. When he leaned closer she cut off suddenly, then buried her face against his chest, arms wrapping around his neck.

Her scent, the one that made his knees shaky, enveloped him and soothed the tormenting itch. He carried her to the couch and arranged her on his lap. Hope kept herself tight to him and they didn’t even try to talk. Instead he held her. Rubbed her back and caressed her shoulders until her breathing leveled out.

She finally relaxed her death grip and sat upright, adjusting her hands to press her palms against his chest. A wry smile twisted her lips. “How about I try that again. It’s good to see you, Matt Coleman.”

He met her as she leaned in to press her mouth against his. A soft caress followed by a gentle slick as her tongue darted between his lips. He took the kiss, the tender offering, letting her taste him and take what she needed. Didn’t matter that someone else was down the hall—Matt pretended for a moment what he’d feel like if it were Travis or the twins in the next room, and pretty much decided he wouldn’t give a shit.