For a moment, she wished she was back at the museum party, chatting up old men about their families. At least she’d felt adequate there. But then Grace made a joke about blow jobs and Rayleen chimed in with a helpful tip, and Merry was laughing so hard, she felt like a fool for even considering being sad.
She had good friends, and a happy place here in Jackson, and she could be satisfied with that even if she never had sex again.
CHAPTER TEN
THE GIRL AT HIS SIDE was talking so much that Shane couldn’t eavesdrop on what Merry was saying anymore. Oh, he’d heard her plea for sex clearly enough, along with every other man in a ten-foot radius. And her flirtation with Walker had been obvious. But now her head was dipped toward Grace as they whispered and laughed about something, and he had no idea what it was.
“And of course, I love the rodeo,” the blonde said.
Shane perked up. “Yeah? I heard Walker is a damn good cowboy, aren’t you, Walker?”
The woman’s eyes lit up and she shifted toward Walker. A stroke of genius on Shane’s part. Now he could ease closer to Merry and the big cowboy would be too busy to flirt with her anymore.
Merry ran a hand through her hair, and it slid back, dragging over her shoulders. They weren’t bare tonight, but he could picture them easily. She was tall and strong, her shoulders perfectly proportioned to curvy hips, and her skin had been so smooth under his hands. It had looked even softer where her breasts had risen oh so slightly up above the neckline of her tank top. He wanted to see that again. He wanted to see more than that, and apparently she was horny. Of course she was. It had been two years.
God, she was a damned torture device. Had she known how insane that would make him? Had she said that on purpose just to drive him crazy? Because he felt crazy now, imagining slipping a hand between her legs. How wet she’d be. Her gasps of need as he stroked her.
Shane shifted and cleared his throat.
He knew he shouldn’t sleep with her. Hell, everyone seemed to know he shouldn’t sleep with her. And on top of his own failings in relationships, he was lying to her about something big. But the lie didn’t feel like something real. It didn’t have anything to do with who he was or what he wanted from her.
There was something about her. Something sweet and right that had crept inside him over the days he’d known her. And then that kiss… Even though he was the one who’d initiated it, even though he’d been standing there, staring at her beautiful skin and thinking that he wanted to touch it, the kiss had still surprised him. Wanting to kiss her had felt like curiosity, but the taste of her mouth had overtaken him, had pulled him under, and turned him inside out. He’d wanted more. So much more.
Merry looked up and caught him watching. Her eyes slid to the blonde, then back to him and she offered a wide smile, as if she were happy to find him alone again. When he smiled back, her cheeks flushed and she looked away. He wanted to see her blush like that in his bed. Naked and pink and modest even as he put his mouth to her breast and made her sigh. He wanted to push her past her natural self-consciousness, arouse her so thoroughly that she forgot to be embarrassed.
“I’d better go,” he heard her say to Grace. “I’ve got to get up early tomorrow.”
“But tomorrow is Saturday! And what will I do without you here?”
Merry smiled. “Cole just walked in. I think you’ll do fine.”
“Oh!” Grace looked up with happiness in her dark eyes. She might not like Shane all that much, but he was happy for her, and even happier for Cole. Cole had almost lost everything, including Grace, but it had worked out. Of course, Cole was a great guy. Steady. Responsible. The kind of guy who’d make a good husband some day. The kind of man who’d never walk away.
For a moment, Shane wanted that for himself, and as Merry moved toward the door with a farewell wave for the whole group, he followed her. “Hey,” he said as he held the door open for her.
She looked up at him in surprise. “Oh, hi!”
“I thought maybe I should walk you home after your declaration. You might have a following.”
“Don’t tease me!”
“Sorry,” he said, offering her a wink. “What are you up to so early tomorrow?”
“Just work in Providence. I heard the best story tonight from a descendent of one of the Smith settlers. Did you know there was an ice house just inside the canyon beyond the town? I think I’ll go look for it tomorrow. This man was telling me how they used to cut ice during the winter and store it there in a little shack they built around a natural depression in the stone. It never got any sunlight, so it would stay cold all summer long, and sometimes the kids would sit in there on really hot days. They’d play games and hide from their parents.”
She gestured as she spoke, her eyes bright with happiness. Shane nodded politely as he opened the door of the Stud Farm and waved her in. He didn’t care about Providence stories, but he loved watching her tell them. He couldn’t take his eyes off her as she laughed with delight at something about raspberries and fresh cow’s milk. Her teeth caught her bottom lip as she smiled, and Shane watched that tender flesh give to the pressure as she stopped in front of his door.
“Merry,” he murmured.
“I know. I’ll shut up. I just love all the—”
He dipped his head and stopped her words with his mouth. Her voice died on a small gasp then the gasp turned into a tiny little moan as she opened for him and took him in.
He stroked her tongue with his, tasting her and the sweet drink she’d been sipping. His body responded immediately, reminding him that he’d tasted her before and that he wanted more. He spread his hands over her waist and her warmth seeped into his hands. It was like a drug, the feel of her, penetrating his skin and going immediately to his bloodstream. His heart beat harder. When Merry’s arms went around his neck and she deepened the kiss, Shane nearly groaned with relief.
Keeping her tight against him with a firm hand across her back, he reached past her to open his door, relieved that he hadn’t bothered locking it earlier. He walked her backward and kicked the door shut behind him.
Her nails dug into his neck. She pressed her hips to his and the pressure made his cock swell. He suddenly felt like he was the one who hadn’t had sex in two years…desperate and wild.