Susana knew asking Reede to take her into his bedroom sounded too flirty. Or was that technically loose and trashy? But she couldn’t seem to stop flirting with him, touching him, staring into those eyes that were nearly the same shade as hers. As Reede backed out of the bathroom, Susana stepped out onto the cool wood floor and led the way down the hall.
“We sure can.” His voice sounded strange.
She turned and smiled at him. “You’re so polite.” Stepping into the bedroom, she bent and pulled her phone from her purse. “Do you have a password for the ranch’s wireless?”
The cowboy stood in the doorway, looking tense and anxious for a few seconds, then seemed to relax. “Uh, yeah. Hang on.” He stepped to the desk in the corner and brought up his laptop’s monitor, cocking his hip as he leaned down to type.
Such a tight, sexy ass in those jeans. It had been naughty of her, asking him something so suggestive, but she was having a difficult time curbing the unexpected desire she felt for him. Forcing her gaze from his body, she looked around the room.
The big, wholly masculine space overwhelmed her a little. Thick white carpet on the floor contrasted with the dark wood doors and trim, wooden shutters closed tight, and furniture made out of beautiful oak, stained dark, of course. In one corner, two leather club chairs sat facing a television screen. The four-poster bed on the other side of the room wasn’t something she’d expected Reede to own, but he surprised her more often than not, so she just went with it. She sat on the navy blue bedspread that coordinated with the lighter blue on the walls, gliding her fingertips over the soft fabric.
“Here it is.” He rattled off a code then put the machine in sleep mode.
“Thank you.” Susana waited for her phone to connect. “Perfect.” Sliding off the bed, she turned to look at him.
His body looked bigger in this room than it had outdoors; wide shoulders, big arms, narrow hips. He stared at her, his eyes darker than they’d been earlier. Was it just the dimly lit room?
When he shifted, a quiet groan came from him. “Well, if you need anything else...." As he turned, she caught sight of the bulge in his jeans.
Her breath stalled in her lungs. Trickles of heat ran from her chest down lower, down to her core. Had he expected they’d…? Of course, he had. She’d just invited him to come into his room with her. Any red-blooded all-American cowboy would have inferred the same thing. Torn between needing to apologize and the temptation to pull him with her onto the bed, she just stood silently.
Grabbing clothing from the back of the door, Reede rushed out, dropping one garment in his haste. She walked over and picked it up. Pajama top. She smiled. He’d grabbed the bottoms, which meant he’d be out there half-naked.
She should really give him his top, but instead, she closed the door and hung the garment back on the hook. Her bad-girl side concocted a plan. She’d sneak out in a bit to brush her teeth, then allow herself one sweet peek at his sexy body. “Nothing wrong with that, right?” Taking a quick smell of the shirt, she shook her head. “Gotta stop fibbing to myself.”
An hour later, after filing an incident report with her office on what had happened to her government-issued car, she tiptoed out of the room and into the peach-and-green bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. The medicine cabinet door stood open just an inch, so she peeked. The usual stuff, plus a bottle of something interesting. She eased the door open just one more inch. “Wild West Shaving Tonic.” She leaned close and sniffed. Yes, that was him. The label mentioned leather and rum. Kind of a surprise.
When she finished, she stepped across the hallway and peeked around a slightly-ajar door. It was an empty room, the size of a bedroom or large office. Across from it, next to the bathroom, a set of stairs led upward, but she wasn’t going to be that nosy. She snuck along the hallway toward the living room, not wanting to wake him, but she had to satisfy her curiosity and get a peek.
The television was on, but the lights were off.
She gave up her stealth and walked into the living room, expecting to see him in his recliner watching TV. “Hey.” He wasn’t there.
“What is it?” Reede sat up on the couch, blinking awake.
“Oh, Reede, I’m so sorry.” She backed up a step, then stopped. His chest, bare with a sprinkling of blond hairs across it, seemed to move and flex in the light from the television. Big, amazing biceps, square, muscular pecs, and a heavily rippled six-pack of abs that had her mouth watering. Yes, this man was a temptation she’d have to work hard to resist.
“I saw the television and thought you were awake still.” Backing up another step, she bonked into the doorframe.
He jumped up. “Whoa there, babe…uh…sorry.” Walking toward her in just pajama bottoms that rode low on his hips, he reached out for her.
Susana nearly swooned. The old-fashioned kind of swoon. He was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen, live or in movies.
His hands circled her biceps, and he led her to his recliner, settling her in it, his chest too close to her face, his scent surrounding her.
Then he was gone. Out of the room. In a minute, he returned with the small flashlight in his hand and…damn it…a T-shirt covering his upper body. He flashed the light into her eyes then clicked it off and stood up straight. “How d’ya feel?”
Staring at his shirt, her mind replayed the vision of the sexiness now hidden by the fabric. It took her a few seconds to come up with words. “Good. Really good.” How stupid did that sound? He seemed to know what he was doing with this medical stuff, and he did it with confidence. “Are you a paramedic or something?”
He shook his head and walked back to the couch, plopping down on top of the blanket. “Used to be a veterinarian.”
“Used to be?” A yawn crept up on her, and as hard as she tried, she couldn’t keep it in.
One side of his mouth curved up. “Long story. Boring, too, evidently. Do you need help getting back to your room?”
Susana knew when she was being dismissed. “To your room, you mean?” She sat forward in the chair. “One thing that wouldn’t bore me…um, wait, not that the story of your vet work would...."
His brows lifted.
Oh hell, she was making a mess of this. “Let me start over. We never talked about that thing.”
“Thing?” He looked unfocused, then his body stiffened. “Yeah. It.” His jaw worked for a few seconds. “Do me a favor, okay? Don’t tell anyone about what we saw. Let’s keep this to ourselves for a while.”
“That’s fine. I wasn’t planning on stopping strangers in town and telling them about it in order to get a reputation for being crazy-go-nuts.”
He gave a quick nod. “That’s exactly what I’m hoping to avoid.”
She was fine with that. The less attention she garnered, the better her chances of success for her assignment. Susana thought back to those few tense moments when her car was out of her control. “When I first saw it, I thought it was a live cowboy on a horse with lights attached somehow.” She shivered a little, remembering how close she’d come to running into them. That. It. “Until it came back to my car with you following, then it just vanished.”
“That was...." Reede just shook his head slowly, as if his memories had taken over.
“When I swerved to avoid hitting it, everything went so fast, then I blacked out…just for a few seconds.” She gave him a smile, but he frowned back at her despite it.
“You sure?” Reede looked like he was going to get up and check her again. Which she wouldn’t mind, but she wanted to finish this conversation.
“The car was still running when I came to, and the time on the dashboard showed just a minute later, so yes, I’m sure.” She tipped her head. “I remember thinking, if it was somebody playing a prank, wouldn’t they stop to help when they saw me in trouble? Or at least call someone to help me?” Shaking her head, she looked down. In her line of work, there was always the chance of being confronted, but to plan something this elaborate to scare her off her investigation was just not realistic.
“They did. Go for help, I mean.” He said the words quietly, evenly.
Her head shot up. “What do you mean?”
Reede took in a slow breath. “It came here. To me.”
“Really?” She squeaked the word, her eyes opening wide.
“Yeah, onto my porch.” He looked away as if embarrassed.
“And?” He couldn’t stop now, or it would kill her.
“And I thought it was the guys from the bunkhouse playing a prank on me. So I went outside, and it kept trying to lead me away.” His gaze shot to hers. “It led me to you.”
Sitting back in the chair, Susana heard a ringing in her ears. Her stress reaction, blood pressure rising. “Why? Why force me off the road then bring you to me? Is there something we need to do together?” Of course, her imagination jumped to kissing and touching and squeezing and rubbing and… Stop!
“Okay, here’s what I want to do.” He leaned forward, setting his forearms on his thighs and staring at her with his sexy eyes. “Let’s just call it a freak incident, nothing to be concerned about, and we’ll keep it close to the vest, all right?”
“Of course.” She could sit and listen to him talk all night. He had such a soothing, arousing voice. “And if it happens again?”
He held up both hands as if to stop her. “It. Will not. Happen. Again.”
A loud thud sounded from the back of the house.
His head jerked to face that direction, his body tensed, and his face went white.
Her eyes opened wide and cold fear drifted over her, like a blanket of icy fog descending.
The sound came again, thumping a dozen times before going silent.
He dropped his head into his hands. “Damn forsaken...."
****
Reede knew that sound. Horse hooves on his back porch. The apparition was back, probably due to his trying to will it away. Grabbing the remote, he switched to a country music video station and pumped up the volume a few digits.
“Reede?” Susana’s forehead crinkled, her gaze shifting from him to the direction of the kitchen.
“Let’s pretend we didn’t hear that.”
She glanced at the TV, at his remote, then nodded. Susana looked like she’d figured out why he’d been sleeping with the twenty-four-hour sports news channel on.
“I need noise.” He spoke loudly over the latest Jackson Young video rocking out of the TV. “You gonna be able to sleep with this racket?”
With a glance toward the back of the house again, she grimaced. “I’m a little spooked out right now. Maybe I’ll try to sleep right here.” She curled her legs under her in the chair.
He shook his head and stood, reducing the volume on the TV. “Can’t have a guest sleeping in a chair.” He held out his hand to her. “C’mon.”
She reached up, and he helped her to her feet, her warm little hand in his big one giving his heart a few extra beats. He headed straight for the kitchen, turned off the overhead light, and released the breath he’d been holding. No phosphorescent light shone in. He let go of her hand, not wanting to, but unable to find any more reason to hold it. Together they peeked out the window by the table. “Nothing. We’re clear.”
Susana laughed. “If you say so.” Her gaze swept to the other windows. She turned to him. “I’ve never seen such a real ghost before.” She crossed her arms and ran her palms over her biceps.
He moved closer, wanting to comfort her, taking a deep breath and catching a haunt of vanilla rising from her. The meager light filtering from the living room lit one side of her beautiful face as she tipped her head back to look at him. Nearly toe-to-toe with her, his hands itched to touch her shoulders, run his palms down her back, pull her in tight to him. His body reacted like a switch flipped to hot, and he tipped his head, a silent question for her.
Her indrawn breath sounded choppy, then she opened her mouth a tiny bit.
Was that an invitation? Her gaze locked with his.
Slowly he lifted his hand and set it on her shoulder.
Susana sighed and put her palm on his waist. Her pretty eyes grew sleepy, darker in color.
Reede leaned in, touching his lips to hers, as gently as the first breath of a newborn colt.
With a quiver, she responded, tipping her head and sliding her other hand onto his chest.
He traced the seam of her lips with his tongue, tasting the slightest hint of mint. Deep in his chest, warmth spread, easing through his veins.
When she parted her lips, he slid his hand from her shoulder, up her neck to the back of her head where he threaded his fingers in her thick, curly hair. He eased his tongue between her lips, and when their tongues met, a burst of awareness raced through him.
Susana gasped and pulled him closer, her tongue teasing his, both of them tasting and feasting on each other.
Sliding his hand onto her hip, he pulled her in as he stepped forward to meet her, his hard shaft fitting into the wonder of her soft belly. A jolt hit him, like eighty volts.
They both pulled back, staring at each other. Nothing like this had rocked his world before. No one had made him want to be her willing slave. Until Susana.
“What was that? I never...." Her brows drew downward, her gaze flitting from one of his eyes to the other. “Reede.” Only her breath carried his name.
“Yeah. Me, too.” He fought to take in oxygen.
She stepped back, released him as she turned away, and dropped her head forward. After a few seconds, she pressed her hand to her stomach. “I think I’d better get some sleep.”
Reede knew if he pursued this, she could be convinced that a night in his bed would be the most incredible experience either of them had ever indulged in. But he saw how her logical side was telling her no. He wouldn’t take this any further. Not tonight.
She padded through the dining room and living room, down the hall, and into the bedroom. He followed, and when she turned back just inside the door and glanced at him, he tipped his head toward the chairs in the corner, barely visible in the dim light from the lamp on the night table. “If you’re still spooked, I’ll sleep over in the corner.” He lifted one hand. “Swear on the bible I won’t go anywhere near the bed.”
Biting her lower lip, she looked at the chairs. “I think I’m less afraid of the ghost than I am of that kiss we just shared.”
He gave her a half-smile. “I don’t know how to reply to that one, but I’ll be out here on the couch if you need me.” He leaned in a bit. “For chasing away the ghost, or for anything else.”
Susana took in an uneven breath. “Thanks. Now I’m not going to sleep for wondering.” She shook her head. “Um. Well.” Her hands clenched at her belly.
“Yeah. Goodnight.” He turned, heading for the couch. In the living room, he powered off the TV, wanting to make sure he heard her if she called. For any reason.
“Reede?”
His heart gave a quick thud, and he strode down the hall to the bedroom. He walked into the room, his stare shifted to where she lay under the covers. In his bed. All the air left his lungs and a need, fierce and sharp, hit him in his solar plexus.
She sat up. “You’re gonna be waking me up every few hours to check my eyes, right?”
Why was she asking that when they’d gone over it already? “Right. But just a few more times, then you should be good.” Was she just checking to make sure he could hear her down the hall?
“Okay.” She gave him a little finger wave.
Reede wandered back to the couch. What a strange night. A glowing horseman from another dimension thrust two strangers into each other’s lives. Why? That loud noise on the porch a few minutes ago was a warning that the spirit wasn’t finished with the two of them.
He plopped down and pulled up the blanket, settling in for the night.
Something niggled at his memory. What had Susana said about ghosts? “I’ve never seen such a real ghost before.” Real? What did that mean? Oh, hell no, not another psychic on the ranch.
What was it that made the High Paradise such a ghost magnet? The last foreman, Thad McCade, who now owned a portion of the ranch, had experienced a haunting last October when he’d lived in this house.
The last year had been a trial by fire for both Reede and Thad. The boss learning to run the business end of the ranch and Reede stepping into the foreman’s boots, which he still felt were much too big for him. But there was no way he’d ever quit. He owed Thad a great deal and would give his best effort to be a reliable foreman for the ranch.
It sure wasn’t how he’d envisioned his life turning out, that was a fact. By now, he’d planned to have his own veterinary practice, a woman in his bed. He grinned. Well, he had that second part tonight, but in his plans, he’d have been in the bed with her.
A click sounded from the bedroom, and the hallway went dark. Susana had turned out the light on the nightstand.
The darkness sent his imagination floating to touches and kisses and soft sweet lovin’. His cock stood at full mast now, and there was no way he was going to get any sleep with his body acting like a horny bull.
Reede crossed his arms over his chest and clenched his jaw. What would divert his mind from the sweet-smelling, softly-rounded honey in his bed? How about trying to decipher exactly what the heck Miss Susana was doing in Montana and why she was “fibbing” about that reason.