Trip smiled without opening her eyes. This was a nice dream. Soft lips were planting little kisses along her backbone, then a tongue licked along her neck, and teeth nipped playfully at her earlobe. A shiver ran through her entire body when a warm hand glided over her naked buttocks and fingertips swirled along the back of her thighs. She moaned and opened her legs in invitation. “I thought about you all night and dreamed about you all morning.”
A heavy weight covered in soft fleece pressed against her back, pinning her against the bed and the fingers sampled her arousal. “What did you dream?” The words were a warm, moist exhale in her ear that caused her belly and sex to tighten.
She scrunched her eyes more tightly shut so she wouldn’t accidently open them and cause the dream to vanish. “I dreamed of your thumb inside me and your fingers around my clit, thrusting and thrusting, filling me, milking me…yes, like that, holy mother…yes.” Trip screamed into her pillow. When she stopped jerking, she realized the touch that had pleasured her was gone. Had it been a dream? She opened her eyes to bright sunlight.
“Jamie?”
A playful slap to her butt prompted her to roll onto her back. “You’d be in a lot of trouble if it wasn’t.”
“I thought I was dreaming…a very, very good dream.” Trip lifted the covers and grinned. “Get in here with me. I thought you had to work today.”
Instead, Jamie stood and shucked off the soft robe she’d borrowed from Trip’s bathroom. Trip frowned. Jamie was fully dressed underneath. She was just trying to fool Trip with the robe.
“Nope. I went in and swapped a shift with one of the guys, and Brenda has cleared your afternoon. I’ve got plans for us today, so get up and go shower.”
“Plans?” She liked Jamie’s plan so far. What else did she have in mind?
“You said we haven’t really dated, so I want a date. Several dates. One right after another. Today.” Jamie’s expression softened.
Trip took the hand Jamie extended and let Jamie tug her into a loose embrace. Jamie kissed her, just a caress of her lips against Trip’s. “Will you go on a date with me today, Trip Beaumont?”
Trip tilted her head. “Why, yes. I think I will.” She batted her eyelashes, which made Jamie laugh. “I just need a few minutes to wash off my perfume de whorehouse.”
* * *
As soon as Jamie heard the shower come on, she opened the bedroom door and ushered Amani’s wait staff in to quickly set up a brunch of crepes, fruit, ham and potato fritters, fresh orange juice, and coffee on the bedroom balcony.
Trip’s smile was almost as bright as the sun-filled morning when Jamie revealed their feast. They had nearly polished off every bite when Trip looked up, smiling. “So, what’s next?”
“When we’re almost finished, I’m supposed to text Jerome. He’s standing by to saddle a couple of horses so you can give me a tour of your property.”
Trip looked surprised, but pleased. “I didn’t know you could ride.” She grinned. “Not horses, anyway.”
“Pervert.” Jamie poked her leg under the table. “Jerome said he’d saddle one that even a beginner like me would be comfortable riding.”
Trip nodded. “Two of my personal horses are Missouri fox trotters. Very smooth.” She took Jamie’s hand, her expression turning uncharacteristically shy. “I’d love to show Grandpa’s land to you. Do you want to text Jerome now?”
Jamie shook her head and plunged in. “No. I want to tell you about a phone call I got yesterday.” Jamie held her hand up when Trip’s expression turned instantly sour and guarded. “No, don’t do that. Can you just listen without deciding it’s bad news before I even open my mouth?”
Trip had the decency to look chagrinned. “Sorry. I’m sorry. I’m listening.”
“I tried to track you down several times yesterday as soon as the guy contacted me because I was excited and wanted to know what you thought about it. But my calls kept going to voice mail. I trusted that you were out on an emergency, not out playing call girl to Virginia what’s-her-name.”
Trip’s face clouded. “If you think—”
Jamie held her hand up again. “No, I’m saying I know you well enough that I didn’t think that, and I’m asking you to give me the same trust.”
Trip’s face flushed and her jaw worked—not like she was angry, but like she was holding back tears. Jamie kissed the hand that held hers. “Then I ended up working late because of a big pileup on the interstate, and Essie answered when I got off shift and called you again. She said you were here and upset. So, P and I packed an overnight bag and came right away. When we started talking about the Grace and Dani thing, I forgot about my news until after you had to go out on that colic call.”
Trip held Jamie’s hand to her chest, and Jamie could feel her heart thumping like a slow, steady drum. “You have my full attention now. Tell me this amazing news.”
Jamie explained the call, emphasizing that she told the man she wasn’t job hunting but would talk with them about some consulting work if it could be worked around her regular job. She was pleased that Trip asked some good questions and seemed to share Jamie’s enthusiasm for the program.
“Maybe somewhere down the road, you could figure out how to rescue young men like Jubal and his pals, the same way this program would rescue shelter dogs,” Trip said.
“I’m only one person, Trip.”
“And every successful company begins with a single great idea and builds from there. Go to your meeting tomorrow. Essie and I will watch Petunia.”
“Thanks.” I love you. The words almost popped out of Jamie’s mouth. They’d broken free from her heart and were poised to leap from her tongue, but fear held her back. Too soon, she told herself.
* * *
Trip wished she hadn’t slept the morning away because the rest of their day felt like…well, like one of those sappy romance stories she secretly liked to read. They rode the horses along shaded tractor paths to every corner of the Beaumont estate, enjoyed a playful swim, dined by the pool and made plans for the Boys and Girls Club. They schemed, they laughed, and they shared.
Trip closed her eyes and tried to burn into her memory the feel of Jamie’s naked body cuddled against her side, Jamie’s dark head resting in the well of her shoulder, and Jamie’s slow breaths warming her breast. She’d wanted to tell Jamie that the day had been the best she could ever remember. She wanted to confess she was falling more deeply in love with every smile Jamie turned her way, every word Jamie spoke to her, every touch of Jamie’s skin against hers. She wanted so badly to vocalize what she’d tried to convey by making slow, sweet love when they’d come upstairs.
Even as desperate as she was to gaze into Jamie’s eyes and say I love you, the only words her mouth would form were Don’t leave me.