Right Here Waiting Read online

  When she was completely certain his back was to her, she quickly unpacked her bras, panties and tampons. She stored them neatly away in the top drawer of the dresser. “You can look now,” she said as soon as the task was done.

  “What was such a big secret I couldn’t look?” He had a grin on his face that made her feel uncomfortable.

  “What do you think?” She wasn’t about to give him a direct answer.

  He took a peek inside her suitcase. “Your bras and panties?” Damn it, why did he have to be so nosy?

  “Yes, if you must know,” she said, flushing. She didn’t like him or any other man knowing her personal business.

  “You don’t think I’ve seen bras and panties in my lifetime?” He had a devilish gleam in his eyes. She could tell he was enjoying himself. Too bad it was at her expense.

  “I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of them, but I know for a fact you haven’t seen mine and that’s the way it’s going to stay.” She hoped he didn’t go snooping in the drawer now.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure.” He acted so sure of himself. He wore a smug expression on his face that irritated her.

  “What do you mean? I think invasion of privacy is a little beneath you, Blade.” She knew she shouldn’t be taunting him, but she was enjoying herself too much to stop now.

  “Alright, you asked for it.” In one swift move, he had her suitcase and clothes off the bed and scattered across the floor. Before she knew what was happening, Blade was on top of her. What did she get herself into?

  He was kissing her with a fever she never experienced before. It was as if he was branding her as his own with every flame he ignited in her. Would she ever be able to let another man touch her in this way after this? She doubted it.

  She kissed him back, matching his hunger and desire. His hands began to explore her body, slowly moving upwards until they were roaming expertly over the slopes of her breasts. Panic began to set in. Did she really want him to quit? Part of her wanted him to go on forever, but she knew she needed to do something.

  She needed him to stop before things went too far, before she found herself to be just one of the many women on his list to him and the rest of the world. She shoved him hard. “Stop it! With behavior like this, it’s no wonder the activities director quit.” That got his attention. She felt a loss so powerful she wanted to cry as soon as he pulled away.

  The passion in his eyes flickered before turning to anger. He got up and began picking her clothes up off the floor. “You think what I just did with you, I did with her too?” She began to tremble with a mixture of emotions.

  She could hear the anger in his voice. “Her and every other woman you meet.” She knew she was taking things too far now, but she wasn’t in the right state of mind to stop herself. His kisses did that to her.

  He whirled around to face her. “Why do you always think the worst of me? What you and I experienced on your bed just now doesn’t happen every day and not with just anyone, either. Stop trying to cheapen what just happened between us.” There was no denying the anger in his eyes.

  “You really expect me to believe you? I bet you say the same thing to all your women. I saw how the other woman was hanging all over you tonight.” Was this what jealousy felt like?

  “Did you also see me lose all control with her the way you and I just did?” She hated knowing she wanted a repeat performance of what had just happened between them. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone though.

  “No, but it could only be because I was there and you didn’t want an audience.” Would he have really gone further with the woman if she hadn’t been there to witness the whole scene?

  “You really don’t know me,” he spat at her. The words stung. He tossed the clothes he just picked up off the floor onto the bed before he stormed out of the cabin for the second time that night, slamming the door closed behind him.

  She sat up and straightened her skirt and blouse before she began picking up the rest of her clothes and adding them to the pile Blade started before storming out.

  When a knock came to the door again for the second time that night, she rolled her eyes in frustration. He’d never learn. She walked to the door and flung it open. “Don’t you ever give up?” she shouted. She realized her blunder too late.

  It wasn’t Blade at the door. It was Rex. “I’m sorry,” she apologized quickly. She felt her cheeks flame up in embarrassment. “I thought you were someone else.”

  “Apparently so,” he said, looking past her into the cabin. “Where’s Blade?” She couldn’t get over how much he looked like Blade did the day she left for New York.

  “He needed to leave.” She hoped he wouldn’t question her further, but he did.

  “Is he coming back?” Not if she could help it.

  She smiled as she fought to get her emotions under control. “I doubt it,” she said, running her fingers through her hair. “Not if he knows what’s best for him, he won’t.” She managed a small laugh.

  “What could have been more important than helping a sweet girl like you?”

  His libido, she thought to herself.

  “I’m not sure,” she said, then remembered her manners. “Why don’t you come in while I finish unpacking and putting my clothes away?” She could have kicked herself for not inviting him in sooner and leaving him standing outside. That’s what she got for getting herself so wrapped up in her own problems.

  “Sure, but I can only stay for a few minutes. I really do need to find my hotheaded cousin.” What if Rex found Blade and he told him everything? She hoped he wouldn’t mention to anyone what happened between them earlier.

  Rex removed his cowboy hat before entering the cabin and followed her into the bedroom. This was a first, she thought. Two men in her room in one night. It was a first for getting kissed by Blade, too. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind. It was the last thing she should be thinking about. He eyed the empty suitcase in the middle of the floor and the few clothes that were still scattered around the room. He walked over and placed his cowboy hat on the bed before he asked, “What happened here?” She blushed, which she seemed to be doing a lot since she arrived on the ranch.

  “Just clumsy me.” There was no way she could tell Rex or anyone else what really happened. She would also never admit to anyone that Blade’s kiss was everything she imagined as a teenager and more.

  Rex picked up the last few articles of clothing off the floor and added them to the pile on the bed. “Are you sure that’s all it was?” Didn’t he believe her? She would just have to do her best to convince him.

  “I’m a complete klutz at times. The suitcase was on the bed one minute, on the floor the next.” The last part was true. She only left out the part where blade knocked everything flying.

  “You’ll probably think this silly of me, but I thought my cousin threw your suitcase on the floor.” If only he knew just how right on target he was.

  She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. “Why would you think such a thing?” Did everyone on the ranch know about the tension between her and Blade? Was it really that obvious?

  “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but he seemed to be in a really foul mood this afternoon. When I asked him if anything was bothering him, he snapped at me and told me to mind my own business.”

  She did notice the way he was acting. She knew her return to the ranch was the main reason he was in such a bad mood, but how could she tell Rex? She couldn’t. This was between her and Blade. “I didn’t notice,” she told him instead. This situation was too complicated.

  She took several articles of clothing and walked over to the closet with them. To her relief there were plenty of hangers to hang them on. She began hanging them up and Rex followed suit. It wasn’t long until they completed the task.

  By the time they finished, she was thirsty. She noticed a small kitchen area when she first entered the cabin. Maybe the least she could do was offer Rex a cold drink of water.

  When they entered,
she opened the refrigerator out of habit. To her surprise she found a carton of orange juice, milk, a loaf of bread, some lunch meats and a coconut cake sitting inside. Her mouth watered for a slice, but did she dare consume the calories and the carbs.

  She turned to Rex. “Do you think this stuff was left here by the last tenants?” How else would this food have gotten here?

  “No Ma’am. I personally cleaned this cabin out myself. The units are cleaned and prepared as soon as the tenants leave to get them ready for the next occupants.”

  “Do all the cabins get supplied with food like this?” she asked, peering inside the refrigerator.

  “No. I’d say someone brought you this food as a welcome gift. I was with Blade today when he stopped off at the grocery store on the way home from seeing the attorney in Boise. He bought a cake just like this one. It sure does look good.”

  Could this food really be from Blade? Why would he go to such trouble? She was almost certain he was the one who put it here. She made a mental note to thank him when she saw him again. She took another look at the cake. How could she resist? Coconut cake had always been her favorite. “Would you like a piece?”

  “If it’s no trouble, I would be much obliged.”

  She cut a big slice for Rex and a sliver of a slice for herself. As an afterthought, she poured them each a glass of milk. She knew she would pay for this later when the delicious treat decided to make itself at home on her hips or some other spot, which would be just as unpleasant.

  When they finished eating, Rex excused himself and left to go in search of his cousin. She was extremely tired from her long trip. She decided to turn in early. Besides, there was nothing else to do and she could feel a headache coming on.

  When she entered the bedroom she found Rex’s cowboy hat on her bed where he forgot it. She picked it up and placed it on her dresser. She resisted the urge to pick it up again and place it on her head.

  She knew Rex would be back for it, she just hoped it wouldn’t be tonight because she was so tired and needed to get some sleep. The last thing she needed was another interruption tonight.

  She stripped down to her bra and panties. She was too tired to be bothered with putting on a nightgown or a pair of pajamas. It wasn’t long before she drifted off to sleep and began to dream about Blade. In her dream he was exploring every inch of her body with his hands, entering her and connecting them mind, body and soul. A little while later she woke up from the dream drenched in sweat. Oh how she wished it was real.

  She got up long enough to get a drink of water before she went back to bed and with her body aching to be touched by Blade; she struggled to get back to sleep.

  * * *

  Blade looked up and saw Rex walking toward him. There was something odd he couldn’t put his finger on. As he drew nearer, Blade suddenly realized what it was. Rex wasn’t wearing his cowboy hat. In all the time Rex worked on the ranch, he never saw him without it. He rarely took it off. What was going on?

  When Rex was standing just inches from him, Blade asked, “Where’s your cowboy hat?” Had he lost it? “It isn’t like you not to wear it.”

  Rex reached up and ran his fingers through his hair, the nervous expression he wore wrinkling his brow. “I must have walked out and left it on Megan’s bed. It’s where I remember having it last.” He said it with such casualty. Was he even thinking straight? Or maybe he just didn’t care about anyone else’s feelings.

  Anger and jealousy boiled up inside of him. It settled in his stomach like a burning ball of fire. She wouldn’t allow him to make love to her and show her how he really felt about her, but she allowed his younger cousin to take her to bed and seduce her? A man she didn’t even know up until she met him a little less than six hours ago? It appeared little Megan changed in more ways than just physical appearance. He knew it would be a mistake for him to just let her run off the way she did. A city as large as New York City was no place for her.

  “I’ve been looking all over for you so I could tell you – “ Blade cut him off before he could continue.

  “I don’t want to hear it. Just get out of my face. I can’t stand to look at you right now.” He knew he was being harsh, but he couldn’t help it.

  “But – “ his cousin began to protest, but Blade stopped him again.

  “You heard me, now go.” He needed to be alone with his thoughts.

  He went into the barn and began stacking large bales of hay into a corner. There was nothing like hard physical labor to take the edge off the anger he was feeling. When he finished he thought maybe a brisk horseback ride before it got too dark would do him some good. He went off to saddle up one of the horses.

  * * *

  The next day she slept later than she planned on. She just finished showering and getting dressed when she heard a knock at the door. She opened it to find Blade standing there. She wasn’t sure after the way things ended the night before if he was going to show up or not this morning to take her into Boise, but she was glad he did.

  “Are you coming or not? We don’t have all day, especially if you still plan to take our guests on that nature walk you mentioned to Martha before dinner last night.” She wasn’t even aware he heard her conversation with Martha.

  She hoped he would be in a better mood today than he’d been in last night, but apparently he wasn’t. “Just let me grab my purse and I’ll be right out.”

  She meant for him to stay outside, but he didn’t. As soon as she turned her back to him, he followed her inside, closing the door behind him. He closed the distance between them making her nervous.

  He grabbed her and forcefully pushed her against the wall. Not hard enough to do any damage, but he made it clear he meant business. He pinned her with his strong hands, his body mashed against hers, his closeness stirring the heat within the center of her.

  “Let me go, Blade.” She fought him, trying to push him away, but it was no use. “You’re hurting me,” she said through gritted teeth. She tried to read his expression for a clue as to what his problem could be, but it was too hard to tell.

  He loosened his grip on her, but not entirely. “Not until you give me some answers and I want the honest truth.” She frowned. What was he talking about?

  “What do you want to know?” She was more annoyed with his behavior than anything else.

  His breath was ragged and his tone of voice sounded harsh as he spoke. “Why wouldn’t you allow me to make love to you last night, but as soon as I was gone, you let Rex into your cabin and into your bed?” Had he gotten into the liquor? Whatever it was, it turned him into a madman.

  “I did no such thing. Is that what he told you?” What little she knew about Rex, he didn’t seem like the type of man who would spread stories. She credited herself as being a pretty good judge of character.

  “He didn’t need to. As soon as he told me he left his cowboy hat on your bed, I put two and two together.” Was he serious?

  “Yeah, and you’re coming up with five. If you’d stop yelling long enough, I can explain.” His accusations were hurtful and cut to the bone.

  “Explain what? How you allowed my cousin to touch you in places on your body I have only dreamed of exploring with my own hands and mouth? And with a man you just met. Is that how people do things back in New York City? Is that what you have been learning over the past five years? “ Were the white coats just around the corner?

  “Go take your meds, Blade. You’re delusional. For your information I never had sex with your cousin or anyone else last night. Not that it’s any of your business, because the people I allow into my bed is none of your concern.”

  He didn’t say a word. Instead he leaned in closer and her whole body tensed as she realized what he was about to do. It was too late to stop him. His mouth came down on hers. There was nothing tender, nor passionate about the kiss. It was demanding. He suddenly pushed away from her. She felt rejected.

  “Let’s go.” He began walking towards the door. She followed him out alth
ough the tension between them was awkward.

  Did he believe her? Was that what this kiss was about? She was still feeling pretty shook up by the time she climbed into the truck and took her seat next to Blade.

  He handed her a bag of Martha’s freshly glazed donuts and a thermos of strong black coffee, which instantly wiped away any fatigue she may have been feeling with one sip.

  It didn’t however, relax her. She was still feeling pretty uneasy by the time they reached the shopping center in Boise.

  Blade went off to buy some supplies for the ranch, leaving her on her own to shop for clothes. It was just as well. She needed time to think, and she couldn’t form a clear and rational thought in her mind with him around.

  Were the feelings between them just wishful thinking, or was there something much more deeper like Blade believed? Could it be possible these feelings she felt for Blade were genuine love?

  There was only one way to find out, but was she willing to take the chance and explore these feelings between them? Would Blade be willing to explore deeper into this after believing she seduced his cousin? Or did Blade really have a string of girlfriends like the blond who was renting one of the cabins? She felt a strong ache in her heart.

  They apparently dated at some point in the not so distant past and she heard Blade tell her they would go out again soon. She didn’t want to come between them if they were a couple.

  A million different questions ran through her head with no answers to any of them. She wasn’t the type to indulge in one night stands with any man. It was all or nothing. It hurt her knowing Blade thought she’d done so with his cousin and it was possible he could still believe it.

  She was looking at a rack of jeans in the first store she entered when she heard someone calling out her name. “Megan, is that really you?” She jumped at the sound of her name.

  Releasing her hold from a pair of jeans she had been examining, she turned to see a woman who looked familiar standing behind her, but couldn’t recall who she was. She tried her best to be polite regardless. “Yes it is.” She allowed a small smile to make itself at home on her lips.