Montana Sky

gait seems steady enough to me.” Now her voice was shaky. The muscles in her thighs were vibrating like harp strings. “I want you, Ben. I really want you.” She proved it by locking her mouth to his again, then tearing it away to rain kisses over his face. “We don’t have to go upstairs. The couch.”
    “Hold on. Slow down.” Before I rip your clothes off and ruin it. “Slow down,” he repeated, holding her close before the last of the blood could drain out of his head. “I’ve got to get my feet back under me, and you’ve got to be sure. It’s going to be really tough to back off if you change your mind.”
    With a laugh, she boosted herself up, wrapped her legs around his waist. “Do I look like I’m going to change my mind?”
    “No, guess not.” But if she did, it was on him to hold himself back. He thought such an eventuality might kill him. “I want you, Willa.” He brushed his lips over hers. “I really want you.”
    Her heart did a neat somersault. “Sounds like a deal.”
    “Upstairs.” He managed to walk even as she tightened her grip and started nibbling at his jaw. “The first time should be in a bed.”
    “Was yours?”
    “No, actually.” He got to the stairs, wondered why he’d never noticed how long they were. “It was in a rig in the middle of winter and I nearly froze my . . . never mind.”
    She chuckled, nuzzled at his throat. “This’ll be better, won’t it?”
    “Yeah.” For him, without a doubt. For her . . . he was going to do his best. He stopped in the doorway of her room. He wasn’t sure how many more shocks he could survive in one night.
    Candles burned everywhere, and the fire glowed low. The bed was turned down, inviting with dozens of pillows.
    “Tess and Lily,” Willa explained. “They really got into this.”
    “Oh.” Nothing like being showcased, Ben thought as his nerves jumped. “Did they . . . has anyone talked to you about . . . things?”
    “McKinnon.” She eased back to grin at him. “I run a ranch.”
    “It’s not exactly the same.” He set her on her feet, backed off a step. “Listen, Willa, this is kind of a first for me, too. I’ve never—the others weren’t—” He had to shut his eyes a minute, gather his scattered wits. “I don’t want to hurt you. And I, well, I haven’t had anyone in a while. I set my sights on you damn near a year ago, and I haven’t had anyone else since.”
    “Really?” That was interesting. “Why?”
    He sighed, sat on the edge of the bed. “I have to get my boots off.”
    “I’ll give you a hand.” She obligingly turned her back to him, hefted one booted foot between her legs. He nearlygroaned. “A year?” She glanced over her shoulder as she tugged.
    “Maybe more, if it comes down to it.” Struggling to be amused, he planted a foot on her butt and pushed.
    “You were never particularly nice to me.” She took his other foot, pulled at the boot.
    “You scared the hell out of me.”
    She stumbled forward as the boot came off, then turned, still holding it. “I did?”
    “Yeah.” Irritated with himself, he pushed a hand through his hair. “And that’s all I’m going to say about it.”
    It was enough to think about, she supposed. “Oh, I forgot.” She hurried to the table by the window and fiddled with Tess’s CD player. “Music,” she explained. “Tess claims it’s mandatory.”
    He couldn’t hear anything over the knocking of his own heart. Her hair was falling down, just a little, and the firelight streamed through that long, thin skirt every time she moved.
    “That should do it. Unless we should have the champagne up here.”
    “That’s all right.” His throat was closing again, snapping like a bear trap. “Later.”
    “Okay.” She lifted her hands, began to undo the buttons of the dress while his mouth fell open. Her busy fingers flipped open six before he could get his tongue off his toes.
    “Hold it. Slow down. If you’re going to strip for a man, you should pace yourself.”
    “Is that so?” Intrigued, she stopped, watched his gaze dip to her fingers, then began again. “I’m not wearing a stitch under here,” she said conversationally. “Tess said something about contrast and impact.”
    “Oh, good Jesus.” He wasn’t sure how he got to his feet when he couldn’t feel them. But he stepped to her. “Don’t take it off.” His voice had thickened, and the sound of it had her eager fingers pausing, trembling. “Let me finish