A Proposal at the Wedding (Bride Mountain 2)

His face buried in the curve of her throat, he nibbled, nipped and teased at her skin while sliding his fingers very slowly up her inner thigh. He kissed the upper curve of breast visible above the deep scoop of her top, which made her even more anxious to get all of their clothes out of the way. Her hands felt suddenly clumsy when she tugged off his shirt, wriggled out of her skirt, reached for the hem of her shirt and the button of his jeans, trying to do everything at once. Chuckling hoarsely, he helped her, tossing discarded garments haphazardly to the floor.

With the clothes out of the way, they slowed down, taking time to explore and savor. The steady rain against the window and the frequent rumble of thunder played a sultry soundtrack for their murmurs and moans, gasps and husky laughs. The lightning strobed through the room, revealing glittering eyes and glistening skin.

He pushed her to the edge of coherence with his skilled lips and fingers. He left no inch of her untouched, unappreciated. She took great satisfaction in knowing that she drove him to that same edge when she slid her palm down his flat abdomen and wrapped her hand around him. He inhaled sharply, then rolled to pin her beneath him, his mouth covering hers in a deep, thorough kiss.

Protection was dealt with swiftly, impatiently, and then he returned to her. She wrapped herself around him in welcome, her smaller form fitting quite nicely to his. And when finally he thrust into her, neither of them able to wait any longer, she was thrilled to note that their bodies meshed perfectly together. It was the last clear thought she had before waves of sheer sensation swept her to the peak of arousal and then threw her into the mindless turmoil of climax.

The storm outside had passed and the darkness in the room was due to the hour rather than the clouds by the time she trusted herself to speak with a semblance of lucidity. She didn’t look at the clock, but she knew it was getting late, not that she cared.

She could tell by the way he sprawled loose-limbed beside her that Paul was as completely and contentedly sated as she. Nestling her cheek against his damp shoulder, she brushed a light kiss on his skin. “Are you awake?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” he said, a smile in his voice. “I can’t feel my feet yet.”

She laughed softly. “I know what you mean. I think my knees have turned to jelly.”

He pressed a kiss on top of her head. “Can you see the clock?”

“Probably, but I’m not in the mood to look at the moment. Are you in a hurry to leave?”

He tightened his arm around her. “Hell, no.”

She raised her head to look at him. With the power back on, the security light outside the small, high bedroom window on the west wall cast a pale glow through the room, so that his face was shadowed, but clearly visible. His teeth gleamed with his smile and his eyes glittered as they met hers. “Hi.”

She giggled. “Hi.”

“Have I mentioned what a great time I’ve had today?”

“Me, too. You know, considering—”

He nodded to acknowledge her allusion to the motorcycle accident, but again didn’t linger on the subject. “Think your sister knows I’m still down here?”

Bonnie wrinkled her nose in resignation. “Oh, I’m sure she does.”

And her sister would rib her tomorrow, she added silently, prepared for the good-natured grilling. She supposed it was only fair, since she’d teased Kinley a bit during her whirlwind romance with Dan. Not that she was calling this a romance just yet, she reminded herself quickly. She had promised Paul there would be no strings, no regrets. That assurance had been meant for both of them. She was still very much taking a wait and see attitude about this developing connection. Waiting to see just what he had in mind after this magical night ended. Waiting to see if she was prepared to trust him to stick around if she let herself depend on him to be there.

“Do you mind about that?”

She brought her mind back to the topic. “Do I mind that my sister knows I have a life outside the inn and the family—or at least I try to, occasionally? No.”

“Does she spend the night at the inn often?”

“Not very. When Dan’s out of town, she stays fairly often to eat an early dinner with Logan and me and then heads home afterward. If we have an early event the next day, she’ll sometimes stay over in the bedroom you changed in earlier. If anyone upstairs needs me at any time during the night, every guest has my number or there’s an emergency alarm.”

“So you’re on call 24/7.”

“Pretty much. That’s why I don’t feel at all guilty about having Kinley and Dan keeping an eye on everything upstairs tonight. We’ve got a crazy busy schedule for the next couple of months, through the end of September at least, and time off is going to be scarce until then for all of us.”

She was letting him know, subtly, that this long, lazy afternoon had been a bit of an aberration. Not that he’d said anything about repeating it, but she figured she should warn him anyway. She could definitely make time for a dinner out, maybe a movie, maybe a few more nice evenings here, she thought with a ripple of secret anticipation, but entire afternoons could be tough to clear for the next couple of months.

He seemed to get the message. “So are you ever going to take a real vacation? More than a few free hours when you can grab them?”

“I’ve been thinking about it. Kinley and I have discussed maybe closing for a week or so during off-season after Christmas—late January, perhaps—and taking vacations. She’d go somewhere with Dan, of course.”

“And you?”

“A couple of my friends from college have talked about getting together and taking a girls’ cruise. I have to admit that’s tempting.”

“I see.”