Right Here Waiting (8 page)

“Are you telling me you did all this for me?” He seemed
genuinely surprised.

“I thought you’d like to share my first meal in the cabin
with me.” She smiled up at him warmly.

“It would be an honor. I just need to run back up to the
house and let Martha know.” He turned to go, but Megan stopped him.

“She already knows. This was actually Martha’s idea,” she
revealed.

Blade looked her up and down, as if noticing what she was
wearing for the first time. She wore a pink dress with red embroidered flowers
running around the neckline of it. “Should I go back up to the house and change
into something more formal?” He sounded nervous. She never saw him act so
uncomfortable before. It was somewhat charming.

“Don’t be silly. You look great. In fact, you look
downright sexy.”  She never felt this bold around any other man. Only Blade
could bring out this side of her.

“Megan Marie Nelson, are you coming on to me?” he asked
with a devilish grin.

“Maybe, if that's what you want to call it, now let’s eat
before the food I’ve worked so hard to prepare gets cold.” If they didn't, she
doubted she could trust herself not to rip his clothes off.

He followed her over to the kitchen table, and like a
true gentleman, he seated her before taking his own seat across from her. If
only we could spend every night like this for the rest of our lives, she
thought. She knew it was impossible though. She pushed the thought to the back
of her mind before she started crying and ruined their romantic dinner. She
wanted to enjoy her evening.

Dinner was lovely. They barely spoke a word, looking at
one another as though they were really seeing each other for the first time. It
put Megan in a state of bliss. When they finished eating, he led her into the
living room. “Would you care to dance?” she asked, looking up at Blade with a
grin on her lips.

“But there isn’t any music.” He looked confused.

“We’ll make our own music,” she said as she began to hum
a soft tune.

He swept her into his arms, but acted as if he didn’t
know where to put his hands. Gradually, he began to relax. Twenty minutes
later, he kissed her. It was a magical moment and she didn’t want to ruin it,
so she kissed him back.

Before long, they danced their way into the bedroom. Lost
in a world all their own, she allowed him to slide her dress up and pull it
over her head. He dropped it on the floor and it pooled at their feet.

He continued kissing her, caressing her as a heat began
building between them. A liquid heat surged through her and pooled between her
legs.

She kissed him back hungrily as she undid his belt. In
one swift move, it was off him and dropped it to the floor before fumbling with
the clasp of his jeans. As she unzipped them, she could feel the large bulge
which seemed eager to be free of them.

She pulled his pants down, and while continuing to kiss
her, he stepped out of them. Her fingertips set to make short work of the
buttons on his shirt. Her mind screamed for her to stop. She wasn’t into one
night stands and the thought kept repeating itself in her mind like a broken
record. But she couldn’t stop now. She didn’t want to stop. It was as if she
were on auto pilot.

He caressed her shoulders before pulling down one bra
strap before the other. He fumbled with the clasp, and when he got it undone,
he dropped it to the floor. He continued his exploration, caressing her thighs
and hips before hooking his thumbs into the waistband of the lacy garment she
called panties.

Once she was completely naked, he stepped back and
examined her in the pale glow of the moonlight, which pooled through the window
and bathed them in its milky glow. “God, you’re beautiful,” he growled before
pulling her back into his arms and kissing her hard, taking her breath away.

She finished undressing him and he began pushing her onto
the bed. He continued kissing her, exploring her body with his hands. She
allowed her own hands to explore. A fire burned out of control between them.

He stopped kissing her and their eyes locked. He sank his
manhood deep inside her and they became one. At first he didn’t move, allowing
her to adjust to him being in her. “Make love to me,” she cried out, when she
couldn’t take it anymore.

He began a rhythmic motion. A raging inferno burned deep
within her. Nothing like she ever felt before. While looking into each other’s
eyes, they exploded, rocking their whole bodies. She cried out into the night
when she reached her climax. He followed close behind. When it was all over,
they laid there in each other’s arms, drenched in sweat.

CHAPTER SIX

T
he next morning as she slowly started
to wake up, she wondered if she were dreaming. She stretched, yawned, and
opened her eyes to find herself wrapped in Blade’s embrace. Her mind reflected
back to the night before. She never meant for the night to end the way it did.
What was she thinking? It must have been the two glasses of wine she consumed.

She watched Blade as he slept. The sun was shining
brightly in through the window. The rest of the men on the ranch were probably
up and working by now. Surely, they were wondering where Blade was this
morning. She would be mortified if any of them were to come to the cabin
looking for him and found them in bed together.

She needed to bathe, dress, and prepare breakfast for her
and Blade so she could send him on his way and not have to feel guilty for not
feeding him. It was the least she could do. But first she needed to find a way
to get out of bed without wa
k
ing him up in the
process. As she tried to untangle herself from him, she felt his arms
tightening around her. Could it be possible he was awake?

She studied him in the early morning sunlight. His eyes
were shut and she could see the steady rise and fall of his chest as he
breathed in and out. She tried again, but felt herself being pulled closer to
him. Was he really awake? Didn’t he understand what they did night was a
mistake?

She only meant for them to have a romantic dinner
together and for the night to end with dancing. Making love was not part of the
plan.

Once they started though, she was powerless to stop it.
What if Blade wanted an encore of last night? If so, would she be able to stop
him? She needed to. To make the mistake twice would be bad for both of them.

She shifted again in a final attempt. To her surprise he
rolled over and pinned her beneath him, making it impossible for her to move.
“Why are you in such a big hurry to get out of bed this morning?” he whispered
in her ear, and then began trailing kisses along her jaw and neckline. Heat
instantly coursed through her veins and deep within her, and a steady ache
began to grow as memories of the night before flashed into her mind.

How could she tell him no? The look he was giving her was
almost irresistible. In the position they were laying in, she could feel the
heat radiating between them. She wanted him again so badly she ached for him.
What would one more time hurt?
No, Megan,
her brain screamed. This
couldn’t happen again. It shouldn’t have happened to begin with. She pulled
herself together.

“Stop!” she said, trying to push him off her. “We can’t
do this.” She wished she could give into his advances. If only the
circumstances were different.

He stopped kissing her, but kept her pinned beneath him.
She could barely think and a part of her wanted to plead with him to make love
to her again. She was on the verge of tears and feeling frustrated, but she
wouldn't let him see her cry.

He watched her for a few minutes before he spoke. “Tell me
why not? Don’t you like it?” She hated being put on the spot.

She did however, love what Blade was trying to do to her.
She loved how he made her feel. She loved him still, she realized, but she
couldn’t tell him. Her mouth felt dry and she couldn’t seem to find her voice.
She licked her lips frantically and saw a flicker of desire spark in his eyes.
She needed to put an end to this madness now before it was too late.

She said the first thing that came to mind. “You have
work you need to get done, and if you don’t dress and leave now, someone will
come looking for you. We can’t let them find us this way." Panic filled
her voice.

“So what if they do? You’re not a little girl anymore,
Megan. You’re all grown up. Everyone knew this was bound to happen."

She cringed with embarrassment. She hoped he wouldn't
notice, but he did. “Even if everyone was expecting this to happen, I don’t
think being discovered this way would be very appropr
i
ate,” she informed
him.

“No, I don’t think so. I’m not letting you out of this
bed until you tell me why you won’t let me make love to you this morning.”  His
steel gray eyes were ablaze with anger. What happened during the night to make
you change your mind?

If she didn’t tell him the truth now, she would end up
giving into him. She couldn’t tell him the complete truth though. She never
felt more confused than she did right now. “I don’t think it would be a good
idea if you and I were to repeat what we did last night.”  She felt in her
heart she was doing the right thing.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Megan? You’re hot one
minute, then cold and putting on the breaks the next.” He released his hold on
her and got out of bed.

She didn’t know what to say, so she just lay there,
watching him gather his clothing up off the floor where they'd been hastily
thrown last night. As he dressed, he kept his back to her, as if he couldn’t stand
to look at her. Tears started stinging her eyes.

Why did she get herself into? She should have drawn the
line at dancing last night before it got this far out of control. She couldn’t
stand it anymore. She got up, pulling the sheet around her. She left the room.
He didn’t try to stop her. Didn't he care about her the slightest little bit?

With the bathroom door closed securely behind her, she
sat down on the toilet and started to sob. A short time later she heard him
leaving the cabin. How could she have been so foolish? She should have known
she couldn’t trust Blade Thorne.

He was the type of man who tossed women aside as soon as
he got what he wanted and grew tired of them. She always thought it would be
different with her. Apparently it was just another one of her childhood
fantasies and she was officially one more name for him to add to his growing
list of conquests. To make her feel even worse, she realized she wouldn't be
the last. There would be other women to follow.

Her hurt turned into anger, and she dried away her tears
with the back of her hand. She got up and drew herself a bubble bath. She
lowered herself down into the bubbles and began to relax.

She realized she needed something to keep her busy. This
way she’d be able to avoid Blade. Right now she didn’t want to see him ever
again.

* * *

A
fter her bubble bath, which left her
feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, she went into the bedroom. She got dressed,
made the bed, and went to the telephone to make a call. A plan already formed
in her mind, but there was someone she wanted to talk to first. It was her best
friend, Julie Monroe in New York City. Talking to her closest friend would help
her get through this situation and help her get over Blade.

She waited through several rings before Julie answered
the phone. “Hey Jules, it’s me.” 

“Hello, Megan! How the heck are you?” It was good to hear
Julie’s voice.

“I’m well as can be expected.” That was far from the
truth, but she needed to figure out how to get the conversation started.

“When are you coming home?” By the tone of Julie's voice,
she could tell she was lonely. She missed Julie too. Back in the city, she
would go over to Julie's apartment after work and they would talk about this
over big bowls of Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk ice cream. She
longed to be there now.

“That's just it. I have to stay here in Idaho for a
year.” She curled the telephone cord around her finger. She sighed. Why did she
have fall in love with Blade? Why couldn't it have been some other man?

She could have sworn she heard her best friend gasp. “You
have got to be kidding me. Please tell me this is a joke? Am I on one of those
hidden camera shows? Is someone like Ashton Kutcher or Jamie Kennedy going to jump
out from behind the door?” Julie's words caused Megan to laugh.

“I wish I could honestly tell you that, and you only wish
Ashton Kutcher would jump out from behind the door, but I’m serious. This is no
joke.”

“Why are you staying there for so long?”  Megan could
hear the disappointment in her best friend’s voice.

“It’s one of the stipulations my parents put in their
will. I have to stay here for that length of time and run the ranch with Blade
Thorne. If I fail to do so, the ranch will be turned over to Blade.”

Jules sighed on the other end of the phone line. “Tell me
about this Blade Thorne. Just his name alone sounds intriguing.”

“He’s the head ranch hand and he runs everything around
here.”
Including my
life,
she thought. At least he tried to and
she continued to fight him every step of the way.