Winter's Wonder: Pine Point, Book 2 (7 page)

Chapter Fourteen

She didn’t have to ask twice. Zane killed the engine, checked to make sure this end of Main Street allowed twenty-four-hour parking and then climbed from the cab. He walked to the passenger side to help Becca down, but she’d already slid out and was waiting for him when he got there. Without a word, she launched herself into his arms, picking up their kiss where they’d left off moments ago.

“You’re gonna kill me,” he managed to say as his hands roamed her neck and the smooth, amazing curves at the small of her back and her perfect ass. “You want to go upstairs or get naked right here?” He pulled back long enough to catch her expression, and damn if she didn’t look like she might take him up on the second option.

She let her hands fall from around his neck. “I wouldn’t mind either one, except it’s awfully cold out here.”

“Is it? I didn’t notice.” He took her gloved hand in his and led her inside. It probably would have taken them thirty seconds to climb the single flight of stairs if they hadn’t stopped every few feet to kiss. At one point, Becca started to say something, but the roar of desire inside Zane’s head made it impossible for him to focus.

Finally, he turned her around, placed both hands on her hips and steered her up the stairs ahead of him. “Lead the way.” At the top, she unlocked a white door with a bright red stocking hanging in the center. A three-inch-tall E in bright silver sparkles adorned the decoration. He shook his head. He wasn’t sure he’d ever met someone so enamored with the holiday season.

As they stepped inside, Becca tuned on a light and gestured around the apartment. “Living room, kitchen straight ahead, bathroom second door on the left and Ella’s room across the hall.”

He’d been here once before but hadn’t bothered to look at the surroundings. “Your sister’s not around?”

“She’s gone for the night.” She took off her coat, reached for his and hung them one on top of the other on a small wooden coat tree in the corner. Something in the simple gesture warmed Zane’s heart. He looked around, observing the Christmas tree in the front window and the holiday cards taped above the doorway. “Nice place.”

“Small place.”

But it didn’t feel small. It felt cozy and lived in, from the family photos on the walls to the blankets on the couch to the stove in the corner and the two cats sleeping beside it. “Oh, boy,” he teased. “Animals here too?”

She slipped her arm through his and tugged him in the direction of what he hoped was her room. “Animals everywhere if you’re spending time with me.”

Funny, but the thought didn’t make him cringe or turn around and head for the door the way it had in the past with other women he’d dated.

She didn’t turn on any lights in the bedroom, which was fine by him. Feeling his way along her body was exactly how he wanted to spend the next few hours. Zane closed his eyes as she slipped her hands under his shirt.
Damn.
A soft moan left his lips, and he reached down and loosened the button on his jeans.

Becca pulled her shirt over her head, and in the shadows he could just make out the lace of her black bra, the pattern it made against her white skin. He lowered his head and ran his tongue along her collarbone. Then the curve of her shoulder. She drew in a quick breath, and her skin dimpled under his breath.
Good.
His hands went to her hips, feeling all her curves, her inner thighs, the wondrous soft mound at her center. When he touched her there, she jumped.

“God, I want you,” she whispered, and that was all he needed. He slipped first one bra strap and then the other down to her elbows. He ran his thumbs over her nipples, first above the lace, then beneath it. When he touched flesh, his groin tightened, and he had to take a long breath to keep himself from coming right then.
What is it about her
? He’d never been with someone who turned him on so quickly and so completely. He prided himself on being in control at all times, at being the one to set the pace. Tonight, all that had changed. She unzipped his jeans and reached inside to wrap one soft, firm hand around him.

“Yes,” he breathed against her skin. He unhooked her bra and cupped those full, amazing breasts in both hands. She hadn’t stopped touching him, and he moved with her, letting her establish the rhythm, loving the way she stroked him.

Their jeans came off, then her panties and his boxers, and finally he was taking her naked in his arms and lowering her to the bed. Soft covers practically swallowed him up. Too many pillows obscured his view. He didn’t care about any of it. He summoned one final moment of willpower as he lay beside her propped on one elbow. “Becca Ericksen, you are the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen.” And it wasn’t a lie or a line. It was absolutely true.

Her eyelids fluttered halfway closed, and she ran her fingertips over his chest and abs. But just as she reached lower again, he shook his head and took her hand away. “Oh, no. Not on your life. I get to have a little fun first.”

One corner of her mouth lifted in a smile, and he stopped focusing on her face and let his mouth move down her belly, to the ridge of her hipbone, to the smooth skin just above the tiny swatch of hair. He breathed in her scent, loving the way she squirmed beneath him, the way her hands went to his hair and urged him lower, urged him to slip first his fingers and then his tongue inside her.
Oh, sweet heaven,
he thought, his head spinning as he tasted her
. I could do this forever. I could stay here forever.
She lifted her hips and gasped, and he held her tightly against him as she came.

Everything slowed as he lay there, feeling her trembling subside. He closed his eyes and continued to stroke her, loving the feel of her against his face and fingers. Finally, she pulled him up, her whole body covered in perspiration, her hair mussed and her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

“You’re amazing,” she whispered. Her fingers shook as they ran along his jawline. “
That
was amazing.”

“Oh, doll,” he said. He leaned over the edge of the bed and reached into the pocket of his jeans for a condom. “We’re just getting started.” He couldn’t wait any longer. He moved above her, finding the heat, slipping inside, and—
sweet mother of all gods
—she was so wet and so tight that all he could do was fall into her, move with her and cry out her name as he came.

Hours later, Zane woke. The single light still burned in the living room. He looked over at Becca, fast asleep beside him. Her hair had fallen onto her face, and she breathed with the heavy, deeply contented sleep of the dreamless. He ran one finger over her cheek.
Angel
, he thought, then blinked at the word and wondered where it had come from. He eased his way from beneath the covers and walked to the bathroom, still naked and still half-hard, though they’d done it three times and fallen asleep only to wake up and do it again.

She’s a little wildcat.
He grinned into the mirror at the faint red lines she’d left on his torso.
Wouldn’t have thought it from looking at her, but damn. She sure knows what she likes.

Something brushed against his bare leg, and he jumped. A yellow-eyed cat blinked up at him and meowed. He shook his head, nudged it aside with his foot and took a long drink of water. But the cat jumped up on the sink beside him. Zane turned off the water. The animal meowed and gave him a reproachful look. Zane turned the water back on. To his surprise, it stuck its head under the faucet and lapped at the stream.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” He waited another minute until the cat finished drinking and jumped down again. Zane followed it into the living room and checked the stove. The frost on the windows indicated another sub-zero night, but inside the apartment, everything glowed with warmth. The cat curled itself into a ball on the rug, and on impulse, Zane bent down and petted it. It didn’t open its eyes, but its whole body stretched in pleasure, and a moment later, it began to purr.

A strange emotion worked its way into a lump in Zane’s throat
. This is crazy
. He didn’t even like animals. He hardly ever stayed the night after sleeping with a woman. Yet all he wanted to do right now was crawl back under the covers, take Becca’s warm body into his arms and sleep until the sun came up.

You’re in a world of trouble, Andrews
, the rational side of his brain warned.
Don’t get attached, not to a woman and not to the damn pets she lives with.
He gave the cat another pat and returned to the bedroom. That was easier said than done. He didn’t know how or when Becca Ericksen had gotten under his skin, but for now, he intended to enjoy every irrational minute of it.

Chapter Fifteen

The only thing that kept Becca from replaying every single second of their night together were the nonstop demands of Pine Point Paws. Still, it was tough to keep her mind on anything but Zane.
He touched me there
, she’d think in the shower.
He tasted me here.
She had a red spot on her neck where his teeth had dug into her, and the pain had sent her spiraling straight into orgasm land. Her dreams were filled with images of him, blissfully and beautifully naked above her. She’d been right about one thing—every inch of Zane Andrews was muscle, and he knew exactly what to do with it.

Despite their best intentions, she managed to see him only twice over the next week. Overtime shifts for him and multiple adoptions and intakes at the shelter for her meant they had to settle for meals at the diner in between running in opposite directions.

“The three kittens in the back are almost ready to go to foster homes,” she said over club sandwiches at Dolly’s. She mashed a French fry into a pool of ketchup at the edge of her plate. “And I think—” she crossed the fingers of her free hand, “—there’s a family coming up from Albany tomorrow to look at Buddy. He’s the mastiff mix,” she explained. “The one who’s been there since the summer? I’m so happy he might be finding a home because—”

“I know,” Zane said, “because he was abandoned in a house after the owner left and by the time Janet found him he was just skin and bones.”

Her mouth drew down. “I already told you the story?”

“Yes.” He reached out and touched the skin under her chin. “But I don’t mind. I like your stories.”

Her stomach flipped, the way it always did when he talked to her, when he looked at her with that intense gaze, as if a four-alarm fire wouldn’t drag him away. “I’m so scattered sometimes,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

He took her hand. “Stop. Apologizing.”

She looked down at herself, still in her sweatshirt and jeans and clunky work boots. For a second, she wished she could look more like her sister, or Sienna, or some of those women who lived in Mountain Glen who always looked so put together. Massive and regal and heart-stoppingly handsome, Zane deserved that. Sometimes, she wondered if she was just another notch in his bedpost. She knew his reputation when it came to women. She also now knew it was every bit deserved. So she couldn’t help the tiny niggles of doubt that snuck into her brain every so often.
Please don’t let me be another way to pass the time
.

“It’s supposed to snow,” she said to distract herself.

He broke her gaze and looked outside. Clouds scudded along the horizon. “Good. It’s about time.”

“Maybe we’ll have a white Christmas.”

His thumb rubbed the inside of her palm. “That would be nice.”

“I thought you didn’t like Christmas?”

He shrugged. “Maybe I changed my mind.”

She smiled. She couldn’t help it. “Good.”

“I want to ask you something,” he went on. His hand hadn’t left hers.

“Okay.” Her cell phone buzzed in her pocket, but she left it alone. She was trying to be better about not panicking and checking it right away, at least not when she was with Zane.
A minute. Or two.
The world wouldn’t end in that amount of time. No one would die. Her phone buzzed again. She ignored it again.

“There’s a Christmas party over at Villa Venezia this weekend. Want to go with me?”

She forgot about her phone. She forgot about everything except the way Zane tugged at his shirt collar and waited for her response.
So yummy I could eat you up. Right now.
She still swooned inside every time she looked at that face and that body and this charming way he seemed almost nervous to ask her to a party. As if she’d say anything but yes.

“That’s a pretty fancy place.”

“Tell me about it. Couple of the guys who live in the Glen work at a law firm in Silver Valley. Guess the firm throws this fancy shindig every year. They asked me.”

“I’d love to go.”

His face brightened. “Cool. It’s Saturday night, starts at seven.” He hesitated. “That okay? We can go later if you want.”

“Nope. I only work ’til three on weekends. Janet does rounds at five, Julito will check in around seven, but I don’t need to be there.” She swallowed as she said the words. She usually did stay past three, sometimes even past seven. Closing the door on those furry faces broke her heart night after night.
“Where are you going?”
they seemed to ask.
“Why can’t we go with you?”
She was glad the board would be hiring a new manager soon. She didn’t have the heart or the constitution to do it long-term.

“Can I ask you something else?” The shirt-tugging resumed.

“Uh oh. You might be pushing it.” She squeezed his fingers. “Do I have to wear a fancy dress?”

“You don’t have to wear anything at all.” He chuckled. “Didn’t mean it quite like that, though I wouldn’t mind that option.”

She laughed too.

“Wear what you want. You’ll look great.”

“But it’s a fancy party, right?”

He nodded. “I’m gonna dig up a suit.”

“Then I will most definitely wear a dress.” She lowered her lashes and channeled her inner Ella. “Maybe holiday red and cut down to here.” She traced a finger down her own chest, collarbone to navel.

“Or up to here?” He moved his hand along her thigh, knee to hip, and it was all she could do not to squeeze her legs tightly and keep it there.

“Or maybe both.” Their gaze locked for a long few seconds across the table, and something inside Becca turned over.
I’m falling for this guy. Head over heels over something else altogether.

“Good,” he finally said. “I’ll pick you up at quarter to seven.”

“Okay.” She finished her soda and the last few fries on her plate. “What else did you want to ask me?”

His mouth dipped a little and then closed. “Nothing. Not important.” But his eyes betrayed the words, and Becca spent the rest of the night wondering what Zane hadn’t said.

What else had he wanted to ask her?
Promise me you won’t leave in the middle of dinner. Promise me you’ll stay until the next morning.
After their one amazing night together, all he’d fantasized about was when it could happen again. A couple of days ago, he’d thought he might get lucky, until an emergency phone call from the vet tech had Becca rushing out and leaving him to make small talk with her sister. He wanted to tell her they were just animals. They’d be fine.

But he couldn’t. Besides, it was part of what he liked about Becca, her devotion to anything with fur and four legs. She had a heart bigger than anyone he’d ever met, and he had no right to be jealous. He squashed the thought that maybe it was more than jealousy. That maybe her leaving jolted him back to the days of his father leaving with Goldie in tow.
Don’t get attached
, he tried to tell himself. But it didn’t seem to work.

He pulled up to the Glen and relieved Sue at ten minutes to four. “Anything I need to know?”

“Nope.” She hauled herself out of the captain’s chair and hefted a tote bag of magazines onto her shoulder. She squinted at the sky. “Snow’s comin’. Maintenance said they’d be on call if we need ’em to plow.”

“Good.” As if on command, a flake danced through the air. Then two. Zane couldn’t help but grin. “’Bout time,” he said, but Sue was long gone. He spent the next eight hours watching the ground turn white and wondering what to buy Becca for Christmas.

By the time midnight rolled around, the snow had tapered off. So much for the three-plus inches the weatherman had predicted. Zane did a last check of the cameras, then pulled his woolen hat low over his forehead and headed for his truck. Out of habit, he rounded the corner by the maintenance shed. Hadn’t seen the stray in a while, but the food always disappeared. Still, he was beginning to wonder if another rogue animal was helping itself to the dish instead.

“Maybe it’s found a better place to hang out,” he muttered. Hell, maybe it had even found itself a home. He glanced at the dish and the blankets in the corner. This time, a pair of yellow eyes looked back at him. Curled into a ball, the dog lifted its head but didn’t move. Nor did it growl or put its ears back, the way it often did.

“Well, hey there.” He stopped a few feet away. “Guess you didn’t find yourself a penthouse suite somewhere else, huh?”

The dog stared at Zane for another few seconds. Then, with a faint thump, it bumped its tail against the ground. A chill moved over Zane, and he zipped his jacket up to his chin.
Goldie used to wag her tail like that.
Slowly at first, then working up to a steady drumbeat until her entire body wriggled with the effort. Then she’d launch herself into Zane’s young arms and lick his face until it tickled.

He turned on his heel and walked away.
Stop thinking about dogs.
He rubbed his arms to thaw them. Damn, but less than five minutes outside in this weather was enough to freeze them solid. He pulled himself into the cab of his truck and turned the heat to high. A mile to his place, a shower, and then a long, deep sleep if he was lucky. He turned onto Red Barn Road and gunned it, forgetting about the slick inch of snow that had fallen.

“Shit.” He hit a slippery spot, fishtailed and nearly went off the road.
Slow down, idiot
. Too much on his mind. Too many weird emotions playing in his heart. He took his foot off the accelerator and straightened the truck just in time for a deer to skitter from the woods. He mashed the brake pedal to the floor, jerked the wheel, missed hitting the deer by about a foot and crashed his right front tire into what felt like the world’s biggest pothole just short of the turn onto his road.

“What the—” A string of curse words left his lips. As soon as he pulled to the shoulder, the truck clunked to a stop, and all the air whooshed out. Definitely a flat. Probably also a bent rim, if not damage to the axle too.
Damn it to hell
. Zane pounded the steering wheel in frustration. One whole paycheck gone, not to mention the use of his truck for at least a day. And the thermometer on his dashboard read minus two degrees.

“Who was wishing for a damn white Christmas?” he said as he locked the truck and left it where it was. He pulled on a pair of gloves and bent his head into the wind for the quarter-mile walk home. What had started out as a pretty fine day, asking Becca to the Christmas party and watching her turn three shades of pink before saying yes in the cutest way possible, had turned to shit twelve hours later.

Zane shivered. The wind went straight through his jeans and leather jacket. Only an idiot didn’t buy a ski jacket upon moving back north. First thing tomorrow, he’d head over to the Feed ’n Seed and buy the warmest hunting parka they had. He cupped his hands to his mouth and blew. He hadn’t even left a light on in his trailer. Clouds covered the moon and the stars, so he almost didn’t see what waited for him on his porch.

He stopped on the front step. “What the hell?” He grabbed the flashlight he kept in the corner and focused it on the center of his door. “How did that…” Only when he swept the beam to his feet did he see the prints of someone who’d been there before.

Thought you could use a little Christmas cheer
, read the note attached to the wreath with a perky red bow in its center.
Can’t wait for the party. Becca.