It was clear from the expression in Hank’s eyes that the cynic in him expected her to do the opposite-assume the worst about his time with Lulu, and move away. And had she not spent the last week with him, and seen close up what a decent, loving and honorable man Hank had become, she would have done just that.
But she knew he was good and kind.
And although maddeningly self-contained at times-as his parents very well knew-not the kind of person to make promises he felt he could not deliver on.
Hank was not the only one who could take risks, Ally thought, as she went up on tiptoe and wreathed her arms around his neck. He promptly wrapped his arms around her and used the flat of his palm to bring her all the way against him.
Their lips met. She moaned softly, tangling her hands in his hair, never wanting him to stop. And he didn’t. Their tongues intertwined and his hard body pressed resolutely against her. Ally surged forward, surrendering all, until she was kissing him back more passionately than ever before. She reveled in his warmth and strength and the myriad sensations soaring through her. She knew it was Christmas, and that before this she had considered their lovemaking an unexpected gift, a salve for her loneliness. But it was so much more than that. She wanted him so much-wanted the companionship and understanding, and yes, the feeling of belonging that he offered. She knew he hadn’t said anything about loving her.
It didn’t matter.
She loved him.
Loved him enough to trust him, to take his hand and lead him up the stairs to her bedroom. Loved him enough to undress him and kiss him again, long and hard and deep.
She wanted him…so much.
Wanted him to tumble her onto her bed and disrobe her just as playfully as she had just done to him.
Her body was as ready for him, as his was for hers, and she reclined on her side, taking this gift for what it was, a coming together that was also an act of hope and faith, a moment in time to be cherished.
Hank trailed a hand over her side, the indentation of her waist, the curve of her hip, the line of her thigh. Her breath grew ragged as he caressed her abdomen, going lower still.
“I missed you,” he whispered as he explored the tip of her nipple with the pad of his thumb, and followed it with a kiss.
“I missed you, too,” Ally said, her pulse pounding, her senses in an uproar.
Shifting her onto her back, he draped a thigh over hers and continued caressing her, studiously avoiding the part she most wanted him to touch. Until she moaned, arched her back and opened her thighs, aware that nothing had ever felt so right…
Hank had never imagined he’d be in a position to use the chemistry he had with Ally to break down that stone wall around her heart. But Ally was so guarded and her time on the ranch with him so short that he had no choice but to use whatever advantage he had to get close to her. He wanted her in his life. Not as some long distance or occasional lover, but as a real, viable part of his everyday existence. He wanted to go to sleep with her every night and wake up with her every morning. He wanted to roam the ranch with her, and then hunker down inside, before the fire. Spend lazy afternoons in bed, when the mood struck, and work side-by-side all night when that was necessary, too.
It was more important for him to get her to stay than for him to own the ranch. If she ended up selling Mesquite Ridge to someone else, so be it. There was always more land in Laramie County. There was only one Ally.
Only one woman who could make the impossible happen, make him ready and willing to love again. Not the selfish way he had in his youth, but in the completely giving way of a man.
And she sacrificed for him, too, drifting lower, giving him what he needed, letting him know with each soft, sensual kiss just how much she cared.
Loving the no-holds-barred way she surrendered herself to him, he knelt on the floor in front of her and guided her to the edge of the bed. She caught her breath as he nudged her legs farther apart.
“Oh, Hank,” she whispered, shivering as he breathed in the sweet musky scent of her and explored the petal pink softness. Satisfaction unlike anything he had ever experienced roared through him. Tightening her hands on his head, she allowed him full access, letting him stroke the pearly bud again and again. Until she was calling his name and coming apart in his hands, and he was moving upward once again, not waiting, taking her the way she yearned to be taken, until there was no stopping. Until she was clamped around him, shaking with sensation, bringing him to a shuddering climax and then slowly, sweetly down again.
HOURS LATER, DAWN STREAMED in through the bedroom windows. Ally was curled up next to Hank, her head on his chest, his strong arms wrapped around her. Her thigh nestled between his legs, and the warmth of his body pressed against hers. She inhaled the masculine scent of his skin and hair, and reflected on the passionate lovemaking that had kept them awake-and aroused-most of the night.
Hank stroked a hand through her hair. “What are you thinking?” he murmured, kissing her temple.
Easy. Aware she had never felt so safe, or so cherished, Ally let her eyelids flutter shut.
“I never knew it could be like this.” Never knew I could fall in love so hard and fast…or want to be with someone so very much.
Was it just that it was Christmastime-and she was leaving Mesquite Ridge for good-that had her in desperate need of a connection? Ally wondered. Or was it because she had never had anyone so invested in making sure she was okay? All she knew for certain was that Hank was as tender and considerate as he was sensual, and that he had brought out a side of her she hadn’t realized existed. He’d made her feel it was okay to be vulnerable. He’d helped her realize it was all right to need to be touched and held and cherished, in the way only he could.
“I…hoped…it could.” His touch grew more loving and his husky voice dropped a notch. “But for the record…” his expression radiated a soul-deep happiness that mirrored her own “…I never imagined anything could feel this right, either.”
Ally had only to look into Hank’s eyes to know how true that was.
Disconcerted by the intensity of her feelings and the fluttering of her heart, she reverted to her usual cynicism. “Maybe it’s a yuletide miracle,” she teased.
The corners of his lips lifted. “Or just a plain miracle,” he drawled.
The raw affection in his tone made her catch her breath. “Must you always have your way?” she murmured back.
He pressed his palm to hers. “Once a marine, always a marine at heart. And now I’m a Texas rancher, too.”
With no ranch to call his own. Yet.
Where had that thought come from?
He wasn’t using her as a means to an end! He was not like that.
Hank had a lot more in his life, and on his mind, than the need to acquire land. He was a McCabe, and McCabes valued family and the people they loved above all else.
And even though Hank hadn’t said he loved her, any more than she had confessed she loved him, she felt the connection between them. Knew they were on the cusp of something very moving and profound…
Whether or not it would last, she couldn’t say. But she was going to be here for another week. She intended to spend that time enjoying Hank’s company, seeing where this would lead…
He disengaged his hand from hers and chucked her beneath the chin. “I wish you wouldn’t worry so much.”
She wished so much wasn’t at stake. How much easier it would be if Mesquite Ridge wasn’t standing between them. She squinted at him. “I’m not worrying.”