Robin felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, after telling Ethan more about the wedding that would have taken place today. Yes, if she’d gone through with the ceremony, tonight she’d be sipping champagne at the River Oaks Country Club, wondering if everyone was having a good time, worrying that something would go wrong and become the topic of conversation for weeks to come. And later, she’d begin her honeymoon with Warren “Gig” Harrelson, Jr.
They’d make love, no doubt, although they hadn’t been intimate in months. That part of the relationship had soured about the time wedding preparations began—which should have been her first clue something was wrong between them. She couldn’t even imagine or remember making love. Not while she was sitting within the circle of Ethan’s strong arms.
She leaned back a little to look at him. He was so different from every other man she’d known. Ethan was strong, confident, intelligent. He seemed so certain of his abilities. He knew where he wanted to spend the rest of his life.
He was also incredibly sexy, and now that she was no longer sniffling and feeling sorry for herself, she became acutely aware of his scent, his nearness and his blue, bedroom eyes.
“What are you thinking?” he asked gently.
“I was admiring how you’re sure of your place in the world, and of your goals.”
“I’ve had a little more time to think about what I wanted.”
She dismissed his answer. She knew he was only three years older than her, based on his college diploma, framed and hanging in the hallway, and on what Bess had told her. “I’m not sure time is the key.”
He shrugged. “Then maybe it’s the circumstances. Who we meet, what we know. I don’t think there’s a simple answer, but I’ll make you a bet—I think you’ll know what you want by the end of the summer.”
“You think?”
He traced a finger along her cheek, sending shivers down her spine. “I do.”
“And what are we betting?” She looked into his eyes. Blue was considered a cool color, but at the moment, Ethan’s eyes burned as hot as molten lava.
He leaned closer, until she felt his warm breath on her mouth. “Why don’t we decide later, after we know each other a little better?”
“How much better?” she whispered, her heart racing.
“A lot better,” he said as his mouth hovered just out of reach. She wanted to reach up, claim the kiss she yearned to share, but she had to tell Ethan something first.
“Tonight was to be my wedding night,” Robin whispered against his lips.
Ethan froze for just a moment. She leaned back to see his eyes, still burning hot. What was he thinking? She hoped he wasn’t thinking of Gig or what might have been. But then Ethan’s lids lowered, his mouth descended, and she was lost in a wild kiss that took her breath away.
When they’d kissed before, she’d known he was holding himself back. Tonight, she sensed he was letting go. A wild, exciting passion pulsed between them. His hands molded her to him, while his lips teased and tasted. If he was moving fast, she didn’t care. She wanted him too much to keep any desire in reserve.
“Ethan,” she whispered, as his kisses continued down her neck. With one hand he pushed her cotton knit top aside; with his mouth he drove her crazy with desire. How did he know the point where her shoulder met her neck was one of the most sensitive spots? At the moment, she didn’t care how or why Ethan seemed to know everything about her. She simply wanted to seize the moment, share pleasure with him and create new memories.
His hand cupped her breast, his fingers searched and found her sensitive tip. Robin moaned as she sank into the cushions of the couch. Feeling his weight on top of her, his leg pressing between hers, seemed right and natural. And oh, so exciting.
She wasn’t worried about whether he’d respect her in the morning; she knew Ethan held women in the highest regard, and she believed he admired her for more than one reason. He hadn’t wanted a temporary affair; neither did she.
She didn’t know why this incredible passion was happening now. But she wanted this night with Ethan more than she wanted a future of regrets.
“Robin,” he murmured against her throat, “I want to make love to you. But if you don’t want me, tell me now.”
“I do want you.” She pulled his head up and kissed him hotly, her mouth devouring him. She tasted him thoroughly, then lightly stroked his bottom lip with her teeth. “I want you so much.”
Ethan responded with a hiss of breath and a tightening of his hands on her hips and waist. “Let’s get someplace more comfortable. Even with you stretched out on top, this couch is prettier than it is comfortable.”
“Gee,” she said, nibbling on his earlobe, “I hadn’t noticed.”
Ethan chuckled as he disengaged his arms and legs and struggled to his feet. His short hair looked as though it had been plowed in furrows, and his shirt was pulled loose from his jeans. Had she done that? The impressive bulge beneath his zipper spoke volumes about how much he wanted her, too.
The knowledge that she was responsible caused a secret smile she couldn’t suppress.
He reached down and pulled her to her feet, then scooped her into his arms.
“Ethan!”
“You were to be a bride tonight,” he said in a deep, sexy voice. “Let’s create our own fantasy.”
She felt tears threaten again, but this time they were tears of joy. She blinked them away and buried her face in his neck. “Down the hall and to the right,” she whispered.
He carried her easily, as though unaware of her weight. One of Ethan’s most admirable traits was his ability to focus on his goal: in this case, getting her to the bedroom as quickly as possible. Fine with her. She wanted to strip his shirt from his broad shoulders, pull him down on that queen-size bed and make love to him until they were both exhausted.
But would one night in his arms be enough?
As he maneuvered through the doorway, she pushed thoughts of the future from her mind. She wouldn’t ask for commitment or explanation. She wouldn’t press for more than he felt comfortable giving. She wouldn’t expect more than a wonderful, passionate night…a wild, summer affair.
Ethan lay her down on the mattress in the same manner she might use to arrange an antique doll of delicate porcelain and lace. She could see his face in the light from the hallway, his expression both tender and hot.
He had started this fantasy, and she was more than willing to participate. Her shorts and top didn’t resemble a bridal ensemble, but she could pretend.
“Would you like me to undress for you?” she whispered.
He nodded, his eyes full of desire as he eased onto the mattress.
Her fingers made slow work of the buttons down the front of her knit top, then she pulled it apart, revealing her thin, lacy bra. Thank heavens she’d chosen something sexy over functional earlier today. She could tell by the way Ethan was watching, by his rapid breathing, that he appreciated the choice, too.
“Do you remember what you said before about not being the most exciting man?”
He nodded, his eyes hot and focused on her face as she changed his attention from what she was doing to what she was saying.
“You’re the sexiest, most exciting man I’ve ever known,” she said softly, wiggling her shoulders free of the sweater.
He shuddered, but said nothing.
She moved to the waistband of her shorts, loosening the button, lowering the zipper. Looking up at Ethan, she said, “Help me.”
His large hands skimmed up her legs, molding over her thighs and hips, before grasping the shorts and pulling them easily from her trembling body. Seduction was powerful, she realized. She’d never done anything this blatantly sexual, but her desires, her actions, seemed natural with Ethan.
He leaned forward on arms braced on either side of her. He claimed her lips, his tongue stroking until she arched from the mattress. But she wasn’t finished with this fantasy, and if he kept kissing her, she’d melt into a wax puddle on this comforter.
Breaking the kiss, she said, “Your turn.” She propped herself up on her elbows and shook her hair back from her shoulders.
Ethan grinned as though she’d just given him a dare. He didn’t need any bump-and-grind music to rival a Chippendale dancer. With skill and speed, he eased off the mattress and opened his khaki shirt, pulling it wide to expose his smooth, broad chest. He made equally short work of the button and zipper of his jeans, then slowed as he pulled his shirt free.
The night eased into slow motion as he revealed more and more flesh and muscle. He looked so good. Solid and strong. Confident and skilled. His shirt dropped to the floor. His jeans gaped open.
Robin licked her lips. “To serve and protect, right?”
“Absolutely.”
“So I assume you have some protection?”
He pulled some packets from his pocket and tossed them on the bed. “These seemed like a good idea when I left the house tonight.”
“For me.”
“For us,” he said, before dropping to the bed.
She watched impatiently as he pulled off boots and socks, then stood again. With a wicked, hot smile, he peeled off his jeans and briefs in one motion.
The dim light of the hall didn’t do him justice. At some future date, she’d like to explore all of him in great detail. At the moment, he was much too far away.
She dropped back on the bed and opened her arms. He needed no further encouragement, and stretched out beside her. His warm, capable hands explored her through the thin bra and panties, then he showed he was as good at removing her underwear as he was at stripping off his own. While her heart beat wildly and she grew damp with desire, he pulled her against his hot, smooth flesh.
“Ethan, this is so good,” she whispered.
He kissed her lips, her neck, her breasts. He would have lingered, but she needed him now. With low murmurs and moans, she let him know she was ready. Still, he hesitated…until she ripped open a packet with her teeth and sheathed him with shaking hands.
“Now,” she said, and he complied, entering her slowly so she felt fully, completely, claimed. And then he kissed her and began to move, and she was lost to a passion so sweet she nearly wept. Ethan was around her, inside her, and as stars burst behind her closed eyes, everything seemed right in her world for the first time ever.
She knew where she belonged.
SUNDAY FOLLOWED in a haze of passion and discovery. Robin put on enough clothes to run to the mailbox at the end of the driveway. The paper was delivered there, in a quaint metal cylinder marked Springs Gazette. She jogged back to the house, smiling in pure joy at the glorious day, the incredible night and the wonderful man waiting for her inside.
At some time last night, he’d moved his Bronco around back so it couldn’t be viewed from the road. Ethan was responsible and thoughtful—two traits that made him special.
He met her with a cup of fresh coffee and a kiss. Then she settled on the couch, with him on the floor by her, reading both the local paper and the Austin Statesman as the morning passed in a sunny blur. Occasionally, he would reach up to kiss her fingertips or stroke her leg, the gestures affectionate rather than blatantly sexual.
And he fixed breakfast—with her limited help—as his eyes grew hooded and his secret smile told her he was ready for more than pancakes and sausage. He wanted her, and the knowledge filled her with an anticipation and excitement she’d never before experienced.
They slept the afternoon away, until hunger forced them again from bed. Robin made sandwiches, and as they huddled together in the breakfast nook and shared potato chips, Robin told him more about her life in Houston. Her career. Why she loved making homes the places where people were happy and comfortable in their surroundings.
She realized that she’d been creating places where others would feel like they belonged, just as she’d always wished she belonged in her parents’ lives, in their home. The realization brought tears to her eyes—happy tears, she told Ethan—and he kissed them away.
The one issue they never discussed was the future, which was probably for the best. The weekend was magic, a honeymoon of sorts during which they satisfied the desire, yet never totally quenched the hunger. What that meant, Robin wasn’t sure. All she knew was that she wanted to repeat their time together again and again until she was sure of herself, of her feelings and of the future in his arms.
ETHAN AWOKE to the sounds of squirrels chattering in the trees and a cardinal calling his mate. Mate. His arm tightened around the warm, trusting woman snuggled beside him. Robin slept on her side, her hand on his chest, as though she wanted to feel the beat of his heart all night long.
If he lay here beside her much longer, his pulse would be racing and Robin wouldn’t get her much-needed rest. They’d kept each other up half the night, making love, then sneaking into the kitchen to eat ice cream from the container and giggling like children. There was nothing childish in what had followed, however. He grew hard as he remembered carrying her to bed again and making love to her slowly, sweetly, until they’d fallen into an exhausted sleep.
He’d never had a wedding night or a honeymoon, but he couldn’t imagine a better one than the time he’d spent with Robin.
Aching and aroused, he wanted to wake her and test the newfound passion, but the pale sunlight filtering through the sheer curtains on her window reminded him he’d better get to work.
Besides, thinking about wedding nights and Robin together had a sobering effect. He needed to evaluate what had happened between them this weekend, and he knew he’d never be able to use his brain if he was naked in bed with her.
And the citizens of Ranger Springs awaited. He had duties to perform, meetings to attend. He’d never taken his job as chief of police lightly. He loved this town and his position.
Ethan turned to look at the woman beside him. And what did he feel for her? Was it true love, or something more fleeting? He’d suspected for over a week that she could steal his heart. Is that what had happened this weekend? He wasn’t sure how he could tell, but like any good cop, he had his suspicions.
She’d claimed Saturday night that he was exciting. He’d believed her then, but in the light of day, he knew he needed to understand his feelings before acting on his desires. Robin also needed a little time, he imagined, to be certain of her feelings. He didn’t believe he’d been a substitute groom on what would have been her honeymoon, but she’d needed to be sure.
Steeling himself to leave her, he eased back the sheet and slid to the side of the bed. She immediately stirred and grumbled in her sleep. Ethan smiled despite his confused state of emotions. Robin looked so adorably rumpled, with her tangled hair, pursed and kissable lips and tiny frown lines in her forehead. He’d love to come back to bed, just so she’d smile and go to sleep once more—but he couldn’t.
He stood, noticing the air-conditioning hadn’t done a thing to reduce his desire for her. Perhaps he’d take a quick, cold shower before getting dressed.
“Ethan?”
Keeping his back to the bed, he bent down to retrieve his jeans and briefs. “Go back to sleep, sweetheart. I’ve got to get to work.”
“Work?”
He found his briefs and pulled them on. “You know—serve and protect. I’m on duty this morning.”
He turned back to the bed once he had some clothes on. Robin’s eyes were still closed, but she had a dreamy smile on her face. Thinking of how he’d tried his best to serve and protect her all night long, no doubt.
Yes, a cold shower was going to be necessary.
“Will you come back later?”
He thought of his schedule that day: meeting with the mayor over breakfast, reviewing applications for a new officer, visiting the day-care center that afternoon. Did he have anything planned later?
“Why are you frowning?”
Her eyes were open and she was looking at him in concern. “I was just thinking about my day.” He pulled on his jeans to put another layer of clothes between them, since Robin’s sheet had slipped below her wonderfully round, pink-tipped breasts. “I’ll call you later, and we can make plans,” he said, knowing if he didn’t get out of here soon, he was going to miss that damn meeting—and maybe the rest of his day.
“Everything’s okay?”
He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Everything’s wonderful. I’ll call you later, okay?”
She settled back into the pillows. “All right.”
“I’m going to use your shower, then I’ll lock up on the way out, okay? You go back to sleep.”
She nodded, already drifting off with a satisfied smile on her face.
He’d truly exhausted her, he thought with a mixture of guilt and masculine pride. He’d always heard that sex could be a bit awkward at first. Maybe so, but making love…now, that wasn’t awkward at all with the right person.