tongue touched hers, and then he kissed her deeply. She was hopelessly lost as he leaned over her. Standing on tiptoe and kissing him in return, she wrapped both arms around his neck.
Her heart thudded, drowning out all other sounds. Her world narrowed to his kiss, sensations streaking in her and building a heat low in her body. Stunned by passion and the stormy longing that swamped her, she moved her hips against him and felt his arousal press against her.
A fiery hunger raged, and she ran her fingers over his strong shoulders and slid her hands up to tangle her fingers in his thick hair. Never once in her life had she been swept beyond reason into passion as she was this night.
Lights exploded behind her closed eyelids while she was consumed by longing. What was probably nothing unusual to him was a once-in-a-lifetime happening with her.
His tongue stroked hers, fanning the flames already blazing. Suddenly he leaned away a fraction. With an effort she opened her eyes, and her heart missed beats. His blue eyes blazed with desire until she felt as if she could be devoured merely by a look.
“Who are you, darlin’? I want to know you. What’s your name?”
“Erin,” she replied breathlessly, knowing she was crossing a line. “What’s yours?”
“Boone Devlin,” he answered, leaning down to kiss her again.
As shocked as if ice water had been poured over her, Erin pushed against his chest and stared at him. “Boone Devlin!” she exclaimed.
“You act like you know me,” Boone said, not caring at the moment and tightening his arm around her waist while she pushed harder against his chest.
“You’re Boone Devlin!” she exclaimed again, her eyes widening while she stared at him as if he had just sprouted purple hair.
This time her amazement got through to him and Boone leaned away, frowning. “Yes, I am. Do we know each other? I don’t think we do,” he replied as fast as he asked the question. “I couldn’t have possibly forgotten meeting you.”
“No, we don’t know each other, but we’re going to. I’m Erin Frye.”
“Damn!” he breathed, in turn shocked to learn her identity. “Erin Frye, the manager of the Double T Ranch?” he asked as he stared at her.
She nodded. “You know, we’re getting wet out here, and the mist is thickening. Let’s talk inside.”
Stunned, Boone could only gape at her while all his preconceived notions and imaginings of a tough, older ranch woman shattered into oblivion. “You run the ranch?”
She nodded and held her hand palm upward to feel the rain. “It’s wet out here, Boone.”
He was totally stunned because she was absolutely nothing like he had imagined the manager of his ranch to be. The words the attorney had used to describe her spun through his memory: competent, tough, capable, experienced at ranching, knows horses, reliable, trustworthy. There hadn’t been one word about beauty, or being alluring or exciting.
“If you want to stand in the rain, you go ahead,” Erin said briskly. “I’m getting wet and I’m going in.” Turning, she headed into the hotel, and he came to his senses and caught up with her, taking her arm.
“Let’s adjourn to my suite and have coffee sent up and talk about this,” he said.
As she turned to look at him, he was certain that she was going to say no. “C’mon, Erin. We’re going to have to work together at the Double T, after all,” he urged.
She blinked as if she had never thought of such a possibility and then she nodded.
“Great,” he said, and motioned to a waiter. In minutes they were in the elevator, and Boone had the corked, complimentary bottle of wine in hand.
“I thought you were going to get coffee,” she said, eyeing the wine bottle. “I’ve had more wine tonight than I’ve had in the past two years.”
“We need to celebrate again,” he said, moving close, sliding his arm around her waist. He wanted her more than he could remember ever wanting a woman before. “Erin Frye,” he said in a low voice, and she took a deep breath as her eyelids fluttered.
“I still can’t believe that you’re Boone Devlin,” she whispered. She sounded breathless, and he could see desire in the depths of her green eyes. He leaned down to kiss her, wrapping his arms around her tightly.
Erin turned her face up to his. Now he wasn’t a stranger. She knew some of his history. And it was impressive. His years in Special Forces and his daring rescue of John Frates. John Frates had spent hours telling her about the men who’d saved him and how special and capable and brave and intelligent they were. For over the past four years she had been hearing about Boone Devlin, so the man was no stranger. And her caution and resistance crumbled into nothing.
Oblivious of her surroundings, Erin returned his embrace, kissing him while her heart pounded and passion possessed her. Wanting his kisses with an urgency that shook her, she poured her desire into her kisses. She was dimly aware when he walked her backward out of the elevator while he continued to kiss her. She pushed away and looked around the empty hall. “Where are we?”
“Almost to my room,” he said. He took her arm and led her down the hall. Her head was spinning, she was breathless, hot, and wanting to be back in his arms.
He unlocked a door, pushed it open and led her inside, kicking the door shut behind him and pulling her into his arms while he set the wine on a nearby table.
As they kissed, he leaned back against the door. His hand slid over her, stroking her back, sliding down over her bottom and her hips.
She trembled with desire. Holding him, she wanted him desperately. She kissed him, pouring pent-up needs and brand-new longings into her kisses. Unfastening the buttons of his shirt, she caressed his bare chest, tangling her fingers in a thick mat of hair.
He made a growling sound deep in his throat, and she could feel his heart pounding. When he shrugged off his shirt and dropped it, her desire ratcheted another notch. His sculpted chest was muscled, tapering down to a washboard stomach, and the word awesome came into her mind.
While she was consumed by passion, she could see the effect she was having on him. From the first moment, knowing him had been magical. Now to discover he was someone she had been hearing about for years was like being with someone she had known a long time.
As she ran her fingers across his chest, she was only dimly aware of his fingers at the zipper of her dress. In seconds it was gone, falling to the floor with a swish around her ankles. Pushing away her lacy bra, his fingers caressed her breasts, and she moaned, shaking and overcome by his seductive caresses.
“Ah, Erin, you’re beautiful!” he whispered, bending down to take her nipple in his mouth. His tongue circled the taut bud while she tangled her fingers in his hair with one hand and tugged at his belt with the other.
His hands brushed hers and then his trousers fell around his ankles. He kicked off his shoes, peeled away his socks and stepped out of his trousers. He leaned away, discarding his shoes and socks while she ran her hands over his magnificent body.
The man was all hard muscle. She leaned forward
