A Town Called Valentine(4)

Deep inside, a whisper grew louder, that this was wrong. Another languid voice said no, they both wanted this, just a little while longer . . .

His mouth lightly touched the center V of her sweater; his hands cupped her ribs, his thumbs riding the outer curves of her breasts. The anticipation was unbearable; she wanted to writhe even as his hand slid up and over her breast as if feeling its weight. His thumb flicked across her nipple, and she jerked with pleasure. His hips were hard against hers, her legs spread to encompass him . . .

On a pool table, where anyone could walk into the back room and see them. The thrill of danger and excitement receded as guilt and worry rose up like hot bubbling water.

She was leading him on; he probably thought he could take her home and—

Torn between passion and mortification, she stiffened. “No,” she whispered. Then louder, “No, please stop.”

His hand froze, his head lifted until their eyes met.

She bit her lip, knowing she looked pathetic and remorseful and guilty. “I can’t do this. Our bet was only for a kiss.”

As he let his breath out, he straightened, pulling her up with him. He stayed between her thighs, watching her mouth. “Are you sure?” he whispered.

When she nodded, he stepped back as she jumped off the table. She stood there a moment, feeling shaky and foolish.

“I should go,” she said, turning away and heading back to the bar.

At her table, she couldn’t bear to wait for her bill, knowing that the bartender and the two dart players might have heard her moan. Her face was hot, her hands trembled, and she prayed that the TV had been loud enough. She threw down far more money than was probably necessary, but she just couldn’t face the bartender. Grabbing her raincoat off the hook, she ran out into the rain, jumped into her car, and sat there, feeling so stupid. She’d never done anything like that in her life. That man—Nate, she remembered—must think her the worst tease.

After a minute’s fumbling in the depths of her purse, she found her keys and slid them into the ignition. The car tried to turn over several times, but nothing happened. Emily closed her eyes and silently prayed. Please, not now.

She turned the ignition again, and although the engine strained once or twice, it wouldn’t start. She stared out the rain-streaked windshield at the glowing sign for Tony’s Tavern. She couldn’t go back in there. Her brain was fuzzy from too much alcohol as she tried to remember what she’d driven past when she left the highway. A motel perhaps? She’d been so worried about her car and the pouring rain and her growling stomach. How far could she walk at midnight in a strange town in a storm?

With a groan, she closed her eyes, feeling moisture from the rain trickle down her neck.





Chapter Two



Nate Thalberg felt perfectly steady on his feet, though still hot under the collar, as he turned off the light in the back room and reentered the bar. Three pairs of eyes fixed on him. Tony De Luca’s were the first to drop as he smiled and continued to dry a tall glass before hanging it on the rack above the bar. The other two men, twin brothers Ned and Ted Ferguson, plumbers for Sweet Construction, were a good ten years older than him and long past their pickin’-up-women-in-bars prime. But they still snickered.

Nate ignored them and sat down at the bar. “Another Dale’s.”

“You might as well head to Aspen if you’re going to drink that stuff,” Tony said, his usual response. He set the bottle before Nate without another word.

Nate was grateful. He was still aroused and embarrassed and feeling like a fool, all at the same time. He hadn’t behaved like that since college, and that was almost ten years ago. Of course, he hadn’t left Valentine Valley much since then, and he was careful about picking up a local woman in a bar. He knew them all, and all their relatives. A little fun wasn’t worth what would happen the next day, the assumptions of what he owed them, the way they’d look at him as if he were their newly acquired property. Nope, when he went out with a woman, and that happened regularly enough, she knew exactly where she stood with him. And it wasn’t on the road to any sort of relationship.

But he’d come into Tony’s after a long day riding in the White River National Forest checking the herd. Once it would have been enjoyable to hang with his brother and talk about nothing and everything. But lately, he and Josh had clashed over minor things, and every physical exertion ended up being a contest of wills. It made for a long, frustrating day.