Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch - B.J. Daniels [62]
She looked up into Hud's eyes and saw nothing but love. All her anger at herself and her sister melted like the snow at the windows.
She covered one of his hands with her own, turning the palm up to kiss the warm center. She heard him let out a breath. Their eyes locked, the heat of his look warming her to her core.
"Oh, Hud," she breathed. She heard his breath catch, saw the spark of desire catch fire in his eyes. "I've never stopped wanting you."
He groaned and took her with a kiss, his mouth capturing hers as he tugged her even closer to him. She could feel the pounding of his heart, felt her body melt into his.
"I didn't want to live without you," he said as he pulled back. "The only way I was able to get through the past five years was to believe that you still loved me."
She touched his cheek, then cupped his face in her hands and kissed him, teasing the tip of his tongue with her own.
He moaned against her lips, then swept her up into his arms, carrying her to the rug in front of the fire.
She pulled him down to her. His kiss was gentle and slow, as if they had all night to make love. They did.
"You are so beautiful," he whispered, his hand trailing down the length of her neck. He leaned in to kiss her, his hand cupping her breast, and she groaned with the exquisite pleasure of his touch.
The fire warmed her skin as he slowly unbuttoned her blouse and pressed his lips to the hard nipple of one breast, then the other. She arched against him, her fingers working at the buttons of his shirt.
Their clothes began to pile up in the corner as the fire popped and crackled, the heat shimmering over their naked bodies, damp with perspiration and wet warm kisses.
Their lovemaking was all heat and fire, a frenzied rush of passion that left them both breathless.
Hud held her, smoothing her hair under his hand, his eyes locked with hers as their bodies cooled.
Dana looked into his eyes, still stunned by the powerful chemistry that arced between them. Nothing had killed it. Not the pain, not the years.
She curled into his strong arms and slept. On this night, no wind woke her with a premonition. She had no warning what the day would bring. If only for one night, she felt safe. She felt loved.
Chapter Twelve
Dana drove to Bozeman to the hospital before daylight the next morning. Her father was still in stable condition, sedated and sleeping. She peeked in on him and then drove back to Big Sky and the shop.
She spent the quiet early morning before the shop opened unloading the latest shipment of fabric and pricing it. Unfortunately the task wasn't difficult enough that it kept her from thinking about last night with Hud.
She wasn't surprised when she heard a knock at the back door and saw him.
"Good morning," he said, but his look said there was nothing good about it.
"Good morning." She couldn't believe how glad she was to see him. She'd never stopped being in love with him and even when she hadn't known the truth, he'd been much harder to hate in the flesh than he'd been in her memory.
He pulled off his hat to rake his fingers through his thick sandy-blond hair. It was a nervous habit. She felt a jolt, wondering what he had to be nervous about.
"You left before I woke up this morning," he said.
She nodded sheepishly. "I needed to think about some things and go see my father."
"Think about some things?"
She sighed, picking up a bolt of fabric and carrying it over to its spot on the wall. "About last night."
"You're afraid I'm going to hurt you again?" he asked behind her.
She turned and looked up into his wonderful face. "Do you blame me? You left me for five years."
"But if you believe that Stacy was finally telling the truth—"
"I do, but…"
"You still can't forget," he said softly.
She reached up to cup his rough jaw. He hadn't taken the time to shave. Instead he'd rushed right over here. "Last night made me feel all those old wonderful feelings again that we