Chapter 11
Chapter
Eleven
Lana glanced at the parts of the crib scattered across the rug—screws and springs and things she had no idea what to do with. She’d been struggling to make sense of it all for what seemed like hours and wanted to cry. What kind of idiots had written these stupid assembly directions anyway?
Frustrated, she did cry. Over impossible instructions and a silly one-week delay. Lately she’d been so emotional, a combination of nerves and PMS.
Sniffling, she replied to Sophie’s text. Okay. See you a week from tomorrow at my house.
4 sure, Sophie responded.
Lana needed a break and a glass of wine.
No, not wine. Since her big hangover the night she’d met Sly, she’d lost her taste for alcohol.
Hot chocolate, then, because she wanted something warm, sweet, and comforting.
But hot chocolate reminded her of the day she and Sophie had each ordered a mug at Big Mama’s. A day that hadn’t gone especially well.
Great, now she was crying again.
Clutching her cell phone, she left the mess in the nursery and headed for her bedroom and flopped on the bed.
She wasn’t in the best shape to make a call right now, but she had to talk to someone.
Kate was going out with friends tonight, but it was early yet.
Maybe she was still at home, getting ready.
When her friend’s voice mail clicked on, Lana disconnected.
Her next thought was to call Sly to let him know about the change in plans. She’d keep the conversation short, then sign off. His phone rang four times, and she guessed he was out, too, maybe on a date.
Her disappointment was almost as keen as it’d been when she’d read Sophie’s text. Lana didn’t understand herself at all. Her being stuck at home didn’t mean he should be. The man had a right to go out. She was gearing herself up to leave a cheerful-sounding voice message when he picked up.
“Hey, Lana,” he said. His low, intimate tone vibrated through her.
Her heart let out a sigh of relief, and suddenly she felt much better. She sat up and propped herself against the pillows and the headboard. “Hi. How are you?”
“Not bad. This has been a day and a half crammed into about nine hours. I spent most of it separating the yearling heifers from the rest of the herd and inoculating them with hormones to more or less synchronize their heat cycles.”
“Why in the world would you do that?”
“So, we can artificially inseminate all of them at once—if they all synchronize, that is. It takes longer for some heifers to reach that point of their cycle.”
“That sounds...interesting.”
“Trust me, it sounds better than it is.”
Hearing his deep chuckle, Lana couldn’t help but smile.
“Did you get the crib and stuff put together?” he asked.
Her smile faded. “No. It’s a lot harder than I thought.” Darn it, the tears were back, blurring her vision and clogging her throat. “Sophie postponed until next week,” she said. To her own ears, her voice sounded thick with disappointment.
“You’re crying.”
“No, I’m not,” she said, an involuntary sob escaping. “I’m just so frustrated!”
“Because Sophie changed her plans or because you’re having trouble with the furniture?”
“Both!”
Sly was quiet a moment. “She said she’ll be over next Saturday, so what’s the problem? You worry too much.”
He was right. Lana blew her nose.
“In a way, this is good news,” he added. “Now you have more time to assemble the furniture and get ready for her visit.”
“That’s true. Thanks for putting a positive spin on this. I feel silly for crying.”
“Dani does it, too, once in a while. It’s a female thing.”
Lana snorted. “At times, guys also cry.”
“Nah, we go out and chop wood or run after stray cattle. You’d be surprised how chasing a cow into a glen and out again makes a man forget his problems. Especially when the unexpected happens.
Just this morning, Ollie, a kid who works for me, helped me with a renegade heifer.
On my way down the glen, I slipped on a fresh cow patty and landed on my as—butt.
Ollie almost wet himself, he laughed so hard. ”
Picturing that, Lana giggled.
“And here I’d hoped you’d feel my pain.”
That was even funnier. “Thanks, Sly.”
“For what?”
“Making me laugh.”
She could almost feel his warm smile through the phone.
“Hey, why don’t I come over tonight and help you with the furniture?” he offered.
It was pathetic how badly she wanted his company. She bit her lip. “I don’t want to ruin your Friday night plans. In case you’re going out.”
“Nope, I don’t have anything planned. I’ll be over in half an hour.”
While she waited for him, she washed her face, fixed her hair and makeup?, and exchanged her sweats for a blouse and jeans. She even brushed her teeth.
“Why am I doing this?” she asked her reflection. Of course, it didn’t answer.
She was making popcorn when he knocked on the door. He wiped his feet and entered her house. He wore a pressed shirt and jeans. His short hair was damp, and he smelled fresh and clean, as if he’d showered before coming over.
They were both dressed as if this were a date. It wasn’t. Lana couldn’t date a man who didn’t want kids and who was suing her cousin. Sly was here to help with the furniture, that was all.
If only she could stop the flutter of excitement in her stomach.
“Thanks for coming over,” she said. “I really appreciate it.”
“No problem.” He sniffed the air. “Do I smell popcorn?”
She nodded. “I figured I should at least feed you something while we work. How about a beer to go with it?”
“How’d you guess I wanted one?” Sly said on the way to the kitchen. He’d only been here once, and already seemed comfortable in her house. Lana pulled a cold beer from the fridge. “My dad always says popcorn and cold beer go together as well as shoes go with socks.”
“Smart man.”
“He is. You’d like him.” He’d probably like Sly, too, but thanks to the lawsuit, they would undoubtedly never meet.
She handed him the bottle opener and reached in the cabinet for a glass.
“Don’t bother. I prefer it straight from the bottle.” He frowned. “You’re not joining me?”
Lana shook her head. “I haven’t had alcohol since the night we, um, met.
Just haven’t wanted it. That hangover did me in.
Tonight I’m a soda girl, and I prefer mine in a glass.
I’ll bring the popcorn and some hand wipes if you’ll grab the drinks before we go to the nursery. ” They headed up the stairs.
In the soon-to-be baby’s room, he set the drinks on the dresser, the only piece of furniture besides the rocking chair and lamp that didn’t require assembly. He took in the mess on the floor. “You’ve been hard at it.”
“Without much success, as you’ll notice. The directions may as well be written in Chinese. They’re impossible to understand.”
“Those things usually are pretty useless.” His mouth quirked. “I study the picture, and then figure it out.”
“I’m not mechanically minded. I never have been, and I hate that.”
“You can’t be good at everything. You’re an artist and you sure are great with kids.”
“How would you know? You’ve never seen me with any.”
“I just do. And I read that article.”
After shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth, he rolled up his sleeves to the middle of his forearms, hunkered down on the carpet, and set to work. Lana couldn’t help noting his thick wrists and hands.
The nails were short and clean, and his fingers and palms were callused and scarred from ranch work. Strong, competent hands that could also be gentle and would likely bring such pleasure...
She went warm all over before she firmly pushed her desire away and joined him on the floor. “What can I do?”
“For starters, hand me that small, open-ended wrench.” With Sly seeming to understand what went where and in what order, the job wasn’t nearly as intimidating.
An hour later the drinks and popcorn were gone, and the crib and changing table were in their places near the mural.
“You saved me hours of bashing my head against the wall,” Lana said. “Now all that’s left is sewing the curtains, hanging a few pictures, and making up the crib.”
“This room is welcoming and friendly. But then, your whole house is. If I were a kid, I’d sure want to live here.”
Lana soaked up the compliment like a dry sponge in warm water. “I hope Sophie shares your view.”
“It’s a sure bet she will.”
“But is this enough for her to select me as the mom for her baby?” She couldn’t even fake a cheerful smile.
“You look like you could use a hug.”
Sly opened his arms. As soon as she walked into his embrace, he pulled her close, wrapping her in his warmth.
She couldn’t imagine a place she’d rather be.
Her worries melted away, and she was glad she’d promised Dani she wouldn’t write Sly off.
She could get used to this. He’d been so supportive of her problems with Sophie and her longing to adopt.
Maybe she’d misunderstood him. Maybe he wanted kids after all.
They could talk about that later. With a sigh, she snuggled closer. “You give great hugs.”
He made a sound of pure male pleasure. “You’re easy to hug.”
For a few delicious moments neither of them moved. Lana’s heart pounded. Sly shifted closer and her whole body began to hum.
He tipped up her chin with his big, warm hand. “Hey, Lana?”
“What?”
His thumb traced her bottom lip. The silver flecks in his eyes seemed to recede, making his eyes bluer and darker.
“This.” He kissed her.
Forgetting that he’d vowed to keep his distance from Lana and half waiting for her to stop him, Sly brushed his mouth lightly against hers.
She surprised him by wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in for a deeper kiss.
One kiss became another and another. She tasted of popcorn and soda and woman.
That was his last coherent thought. Already hard, he sank to the carpet again and brought her with him onto his lap. Her soft behind pressed against his erection. She wriggled closer—heaven and hell. On the verge of losing control, he gripped her hips and forced her to be still. “Easy,” he warned.
She nipped his lower lip, licked it and shimmied her tongue around his mouth. His tenuous grasp on self-control frayed and snapped. Keeping his mouth fused with hers, he undid the tiny buttons on her blouse, almost ripping them off in his haste.
Lana made the impatient noises he remembered from their night together, little breathy sounds, urging him to hurry and driving him wild.
Finally, she pushed his hands away and finished the job herself. Her blouse fell open. Her gaze locked on him as she slipped out of it.
With hands that trembled, he traced the pink lace edging her bra.
Her nipples stiffened, and he hadn’t even touched her breasts yet.
She was so responsive, the most passionate woman he’d ever met.
He unfastened the bra and removed it. Her breasts were full and heavy and her skin flushed with arousal.
Her skin was soft and warm and she smelled sweet and tempting, a mixture of lavender perfume and her own woman scent. His fingers slid to her nipples.
She inhaled sharply. It wasn’t an aroused sound, but a painful gasp.
Instantly, he pulled back. “I’m hurting you.”
She shook her head. “My breasts are a little tender, but they get this way before my period.”
“Should I stop?”
Instead of answering, she shook her head again, silently covered his hands with hers and guided them to where they’d been.
With a groan, he kissed her again and again, until he was desperate to touch her.
Mindful of her sensitivity, he slowly and lightly drew his fingers across her nipples. “Is this okay?”
“Very okay.” Her eyes closed, and she arched into his touch.
“I want you,” he growled, yanking at the buttons on his own shirt. He shed it and gently pushed Lana onto the rug on her back. Half lying on top of her, he ran his tongue over each nipple, until she was writhing and moaning with desire.
Eager to heighten the pleasure, he slid his palm down her smooth stomach toward the button on her jeans.
Abruptly, she tensed and pulled her mouth from his. “Please stop.”
What the...? Confused and breathing hard, he sat up. Lana joined him, modestly crossing her arms over the breasts he’d just caressed and loved with his mouth. When seconds ago, she’d acted as if she couldn’t get enough and desperately wanted more.
Giving his head a mental shake, Sly retrieved her blouse and bra and handed them to her. “What happened here?”
Ignoring the bra, she put on her shirt and buttoned it. It wasn’t see-through, but knowing she was braless under there did nothing to calm him down.
“What we were doing—it isn’t what I want,” she said.
“Could have fooled me.” He picked up his shirt and shrugged into it.
“It wasn’t my intention to be a tease, Sly, but when I’m with you...” She frowned down at her blouse—the buttons were askew—and rebuttoned it. “I can’t help myself.”
Now he was doubly confused. “We’re attracted to each other, and we’ve already proved how great we are together. What’s wrong with enjoying that?”
“As I explained before, I’m not wired for a sex-only thing. First, I need a deeper relationship.”
There it was, the R word, his signal to cut and run.
“So where do we go from here?” he said, surprising himself. He sure as hell wasn’t ready to get serious or make any kind of commitment to Lana.
“I’d be more comfortable talking about this in the kitchen.”
“Fine by me.” He could use a moment to pull himself together.
Trying to ignore the bra that lay on the floor, he set his empty bottle and Lana’s glass in the popcorn bowl and followed her down the stairs.