Wind River Wrangler (Wind River Valley #1)(62)
Gritting his teeth, he stood quietly, holding her, but not crushing her against him. Shiloh had to know she was free to step out of his embrace anytime she wanted. And God knew, he wanted to stay in her arms. He pushed away the fantasy he had every night when he lay down in his bed, of her being in his arms, being there at his side, of them loving each other.
Sternly, Roan told himself his role right now was to make Shiloh feel protected. The more he slid his hand across her tangled hair, the more she responded by thrusting herself fully into his arms. Roan felt no more quivering. Aware of her breasts pressed against his chest, he felt their warmth, their curved softness. His fingers itched to cup them, taste them, have Shiloh come apart in his arms.
Cursing silently, Roan willed himself to do or say nothing. Just the simple act of slowly smoothing her hair with his hand seemed to tame this wild filly of his. And that’s how Roan saw her: a wild, willful, independent filly, full of life, curiosity, and spontaneity. And he wanted to capture that, share that fiery spirit of hers. A slight smile cut across his mouth as he felt Shiloh languish in the gathering silence of the kitchen as he held her. No question, Shiloh WAS willful. But he liked that about her. In some ways, she was fearless. In other ways, fear controlled her life.
Roan knew as he felt her curves against his body that he could set Shiloh free from the fear. He felt his heart swell with a fierceness because he knew she would flourish beneath his hands, his experience and wisdom. But so would he because Shiloh would teach him about being more spontaneous, more in the moment. They were a good match for each other, no question. There was a natural balance they shared and, so far, Roan could see they worked off each other’s strengths, not their weaknesses. And he knew from his parents’ marriage, which had lasted so long, that they did the same thing.
He placed a light kiss on the top of her head. If he didn’t ease her out of his arms, he was going to have an obvious erection. That wouldn’t go over well right now.
“Better?” he asked gruffly, pulling her away just enough to look into her half-closed green eyes. Damned if he didn’t see arousal in them. A deep ache began within his heart. He knew what love was. And he knew what love was not. Just the way her lips parted, he wanted to lean down, brush her mouth with his, an invitation. A promise of so many good things to come if she’d only trust him fully with herself.
Roan saw confusion come to her eyes and then Shiloh pulled away, moving his hand against her hair, pushing it away from her face. Yeah, he was confused too. Did arousal show in his gaze too? Most likely. If Roan could see it in her face, she was experienced enough to see he wanted her. He wasn’t made of stone. He was a flesh-and-blood man. And it felt as if the heated air was vibrating between them, filled with possibility. With whispered promises.
Swallowing hard, Roan forced himself to take a step back from Shiloh. His erection was pressing painfully against the zipper of his Levi’s. He needed to move it to ease his discomfort.
“I’ll clean up tonight. Why don’t you take a long soak in the bathtub?” His gruff words came out almost guttural because Roan wanted her so damn bad he could taste it. He saw Shiloh nod, frowning, the arousal doused in her wide, green eyes.
“Yes,” she said, her voice almost wispy sounding, “that’s a good idea. . . .”
Roan watched her turn and pad down the hall. Just the way her hips swayed, he felt the ache intensify his erection. Damn, but the woman was hot. Running his fingers through his short hair in an aggravated motion, Roan got busy cleaning up the kitchen.
As he worked, he didn’t try to fantasize about Shiloh stripping out of her clothes, or sliding into the welcoming warm water, her skin glistening like diamonds. Taking the bar of soap, lathering up his hands and washing her. Every last, square inch of her. By the time he’d gotten the dishes into the dishwasher, wiped the table and counter down, Roan decided to get the hell out of the house. If he didn’t, he was going to open that bathroom door.
Stepping out the front door, he saw the sun had set. There were high clouds above the valley, swirling like pink cotton candy across the sky. Roan sat down on one of the two rockers, the wood creaking beneath his weight. Across the street, everything was quiet. The tourists were all eating at the café. The other wranglers had called it quits for the day, heading home to the town of Wind River. He was sure Maud, Steve, and their family were dining at their ranch house right now. The lowing of the cattle soothed some of Roan’s fractious energy. He moved slowly, arms on the rocker. The creak was pleasant and calming.
What the HELL had caused this reaction in him? Roan scowled and stared out toward the wildlife loop road, the gate locked, pink clouds drifting silently above the valley. Shiloh had been genuinely scared as she talked about her stalker. His mind moved like lightning across possibilities. He didn’t doubt Shiloh. He believed her because he’d lived with her for a month and gotten to know her fairly well. She wasn’t the type of woman to become dramatic or blow things out of proportion.
Rubbing his bristly jaw, Roan gazed around the quiet ranch that was settling in for night to fall shortly. He knew something had happened to Shiloh today. There was no way to pretend that level of fear. He could see it in the depth of her guileless eyes.
He decided to go see Steve Whitcomb tomorrow after breakfast, and check the logbook on the tourists who had visited the ranch for the loop drive at the time she’d felt her stalker. That was a first step because each tourist had to put down their name, phone number, and where they lived. He could hand the list to Shiloh and see if she recognized any of the names, addresses, or phone numbers. It was a start. But that was all. Roan wished mightily that if this ever happened again, Shiloh would get on her cell phone and head for the safety of the main office. If her stalker was here, he could kidnap her. Kill her.