Chapter Thirteen
S ierra had been looking forward to being with Connor for days. They’d both been on shift for the last forty-eight hours, and busy with it. But they were finally off and Connor was coming over after they both got some sleep. Because sleep wasn’t what would happen when they saw each other again outside of work.
He’d suggested they go snowshoeing, but she hadn’t put on all her layers yet. Ever since they’d made love again they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. With that in mind she’d worn her brand-new black thong and matching push-up bra set beneath her jeans and sweater.
Connor kissed her when he came in but instead of taking her into the bedroom, or to the couch, or up against the wall, he set her away from him and said, “We need to talk.”
Lovely. “That’s never a good sign. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. We just need to talk.” He took her hand and led her to the couch.
“You realize that’s what my ex said when he told me he was in love with another woman and wanted a divorce.”
He looked startled. “No, I didn’t know that. We don’t really talk about your ex. Not since the first time we met. Even then it was just the bare facts.” He took her hand and led her to the couch. “That’s not what I wanted to talk about, anyway. In fact, that’s the farthest thing from my mind.”
“Oh. Well, that’s good. But what is on your mind?” It took him a while to answer her.
“There’s a charity ball in Bozeman coming up a week from Saturday. I owe the organizer a favor and this is his wife’s party. He wants me to go.”
“Are you asking me to go with you? Why are you making a big deal out of it? Of course I’ll go.”
“It’s formal. Black tie. I avoid that sort of thing whenever possible, but I’m stuck this time.”
“Formal doesn’t bother me. It sounds like fun. Is that all you wanted to talk about?”
“Yeah. I wasn’t sure you’d want to go.”
“I like parties.” She patted his arm. “You should know by now I’m up for whatever you want to do. Within reason,” she added.
“What do you consider unreasonable?”
“Well, I don’t want to skydive. And I’m sure there are other things I wouldn’t like.”
“Hmm. I don’t want to skydive either. So we have that in common.”
“Are you ready to go snowshoeing?”
“We could. Or we could order takeout and have a movie marathon.”
He smiled, that slow, sexy curve of his lips that made her want to rip off her clothes. And his. “Sounds like a plan,” he said, pushing her down on the couch.
He kissed her—a long, drugging kiss—and she put her arms around him. Part of her wondered if the party was really what he’d planned to talk about. But then his hand slipped beneath her shirt and bra and closed over her bare flesh. And she couldn’t think of anything beyond the sensations storming through her.
Would it always be like this? she wondered. Would his touch always ignite such intense feelings?
Before long they were both naked and he was poised at her entrance. Pushing inside her, he began to rock, in and out, faster and faster until she teetered on the edge of orgasm. Straining, she wrapped her legs around him and felt his hand between them, reaching down to caress and circle her clit, which sent her spiraling over the edge with a scream. Only then did he let himself go and came with a shout.
Sometime later, he said, “Sierra?”
“Hmm.” She felt boneless, too satiated to move.
He looked down at her, shook his head and kissed her.
“What?”
“Nothing.” He kissed her again before getting up and leading her to the bedroom. Then he went into the bathroom to clean up. She wondered what he’d been about to say, before he’d decided against it.
Surely he wasn’t falling for her. She wasn’t ready for that. Didn’t know when or even if she would be.
*
He was a chickenshit. A few days ago he’d been determined to tell Sierra about his feelings. Instead, he sat her down and told her ‘we need to talk.’ Not a great romantic opening. Luckily, he’d had something else to ask her about. A party he hadn’t planned on going to, even if he did owe Jeff a favor. When she opened the door to him a few days after his confession that wasn’t, he did a double take. She looked gorgeous. And…elegant. Yeah, that was the word. Part of her dark hair had been pulled back into some kind of fancy-ass braid with loose waves beneath it hanging down her back. Her navy low-cut, off-the-shoulder, dress clung to every curve, lovingly outlining an amazing figure. Around her knees it turned into loose, slim folds. She wore a single diamond drop around her neck and a sapphire and diamond bracelet on her wrist. He could have eaten her alive.
She tilted her head. “Is this okay? You said formal, right?”
Obviously. Why else would he be wearing a tux? “You look amazing. I thought you were gorgeous in Las Vegas but now I don’t even have words to describe you.”
She smiled, put on her faux fur wrap, picked up a tiny bag, and gestured to a small suitcase beside the front door. “Can you get that for me?”
He’d suggested they stay at a hotel in Bozeman for the night since neither of them was working the next morning. “Sure.”
They walked down the stairs and into the parking garage. He’d moved his SUV to the lowest floor when he put his own bag there.
“What? No kiss hello?” she asked him before they reached his truck.
He cut her a glance and shook his head. “No way would I stop with a kiss. Not with you looking like every man’s fantasy come to life.”
She dimpled and said, “Why, thank you, sir.”
Once they were on their way she asked him, “Do you go to these kind of things often?”
“No. Only when I can’t get out of it. My buddy Jeff Paxton’s wife, Erica, is big into philanthropy. She’s always hosting something for charity. Parties, golf tournaments, which obviously have to wait for summer around here, silent auctions, and God only knows what else. She’s an event planner and loves that sort of thing. She comes from money and believes in giving back to the community.”
“She sounds like a lovely woman.”
“She is. You’ll like her. Everyone does.”
Erica, their hostess, stood beside her husband, welcoming guests. A petite blonde with brown eyes and a sweet face that belied the fact that she could transform into a hard-core businesswoman in a blink, had an energy she fairly vibrated with. Though he wasn’t sure why, she’d always liked Connor. Her eyes lit up when she saw him. “Connor! You came!” She hugged him enthusiastically before turning to Sierra and offering her hand. “You must be Sierra. It’s so nice to meet you.”
Connor introduced them. “Sierra Evans meet Erica Paxton and her husband, Jeff.”
“Thank you for including me,” Sierra said as she shook hands with both of them.
As usual Jeff didn’t say much but smiled at his wife. The man thought Erica hung the moon. Erica thought the same of Jeff. If he didn’t like them both so much it would be a little nauseating. As it was, it was sweet. Yeah, yeah, he didn’t often think of a couple as ‘sweet’ but it worked for the two of them.
“I don’t know how you dragged Connor here but I’m eternally grateful,” Erica was saying. “We have a hard time getting him to commit to anything. Especially when he knows he has to wear a tux.”
They talked for a bit before Erica waved a hand and said, “Help yourself to drinks and hors d’oeuvres and later there will be dancing. Have fun.”
“Are you going to dance with me?” Sierra asked him as they walked away.
“Sure, if you want to.”
“You’re not one of those men who hate to dance?”
“No, I actually like it.” Especially slow dances where he could mostly just hold her.
Once the band started, they danced until the musicians took a break. After that Connor left Sierra to get drinks for them. Just as he returned and handed Sierra her drink a man approached her.
“Sierra Evans, is that you?”
She turned and an expression of surprise crossed her face before she held out a hand to the tall, dark-haired, good-looking man. “Wes. Good to see you. Are you living in Montana now?”
He took her hand but pulled her close and kissed her cheek. Connor knew it meant nothing, but it still pissed him off. He didn’t like another man’s hands on Sierra, even friendly, and especially not if it was more. He got the feeling the man wished it was more. But maybe he was wrong.
“No, still in Dallas. I’m visiting friends. But what about you? Don’t tell me you’re living here in Bozeman?”
“No, actually, I’m in Marietta.”
“Marietta?”
“Yes, it’s a small town south of here.”
“You’re working there? As a flight nurse?” She nodded and he went on. “You said a small town. Isn’t it too small to support a helicopter service?”
“The medical community in Marietta is a center for a lot of the towns around here. It draws from a large area.”
“I knew you went somewhere after the divorce, but I had no idea where. I was sorry to hear about you and Phil.”
The dude wouldn’t shut up.
Connor had been standing there like a dumbass while the two of them had old home week. Instead of responding to his comment, Sierra gestured to Connor and said, “Dr. Wes Lindsey, this is my friend Connor McFarland. Connor, Wes was a colleague of mine in Dallas.”
Friend? Didn’t that just roll off her tongue. What the hell? He shook hands with the man, briefly. The dude turned back to Sierra and began reminiscing about Dallas and the hospital and her ex-husband. About how everyone missed her at the hospital. Making it plain that he did too. As Sierra’s friend , it pissed him off. As her lover, it more than pissed him off. It made him want to punch the man in his smug mouth.
Then the shithead asked her to dance. As he did, he turned to Connor and said, “I’m sure Connor doesn’t mind. Do you?”
He thought about it for half a second. “Yes, actually, I do.” With that he set down his drink and took hers to set it down alongside his, then swept her on to the dance floor.
Sierra was gaping at him with her mouth hanging open. “That was incredibly rude.”
Connor shrugged. “He’ll live.”
“Why did you do that?”
He stared at her for a moment. Did she really not know? “He was hitting on you. If you think I’m going to stand there and do nothing while another man hits on you in front of me, you don’t know me at all.”
“He asked me to dance. I’d hardly call that hitting on me.”
“Then you’re not paying attention.”
“You’re jealous,” she said in a wondering tone.
“Yeah. So?”
“I didn’t know you could get jealous. I thought it wasn’t in your makeup.”
“You were wrong.” He pulled her close. “Now can we quit talking about it?”
She didn’t answer. He had a feeling she was going to tear him a new one once she got him alone. Was he overreacting? Possibly. But it was worth it not to have to watch her in another man’s arms.