Olivia Gates - Best of Desire

But even as that thought slid through her mind, she knew it was more. Knew that this long, incredible night had been about much more than simple sex. This wasn’t just a case of needs being met, hungers assuaged. This was something else.

And that worried her.

She hadn’t planned on loving Jericho.

But it seemed, she told herself, that it was too late to avoid it.

His body covering hers, she ran her hands up and down his spine, loving the hard, warm feel of his skin against hers. His breath puffed across her throat and their heartbeats thundered in time.

She’d gone to King Mountain because of his connection with her brother. Because she’d felt that Jericho and the military owed her one. They’d taken her brother—her only family—from her and she’d come to collect on that debt. But now, it was so much more complicated than that. She’d come to care for him and during the long, sex-fueled night, she’d taken that last trembling step into love.

Which left her exactly where?

“You’re thinking,” he murmured against her skin. “I can practically hear the wheels in your head spinning.”

She smiled and moved her hands up to thread through his hair. “Well, maybe you could think of something to do that would completely shut down my brain.”

He lifted his head and grinned down at her. “Is that a challenge?”

“Do you need one?”

“Nope.” He kissed her then slid his body down along hers, pausing along the way to taste her nipples, to run his tongue across her abdomen.

Daisy shivered as he moved over her, then she tipped her head back into the pillow as he knelt between her legs and lifted her hips from the bed. Her legs dangled and her hands fisted on the sheets as he lowered his mouth to her.

She watched him as he took her. As his mouth covered her and his tongue worked over that erotically charged bud of flesh. Again and again, he caressed that spot, sending tingles shooting through her system with complete abandon. His breath was hot, his tongue was wicked and as he took her, his hands kneaded her bottom until she was besieged with too many sensations to count.

Her heartbeat was frantic as she lay helplessly in his strong grasp. She rocked her hips into his mouth, claiming as much as she could of what he was doing to her. His eyes burned into hers and she couldn’t look away. Couldn’t tear her gaze from his as the world around her splintered and she called his name out one more time, her throat sore, her voice raspy.

And before the last of the tremors had rocked through her body, Jericho sat back on his heels, grabbed her up and settled her over his throbbing erection. In one fluid move, she sheathed him. Her arms went around him, her legs locked about his waist and his big hands were at her hips. He moved her on him, up and down, sliding into a hot friction that seemed to explode into flames that enveloped them both.

He caught her mouth with his and this time, when she called his name, he swallowed the sound and buried it under his own groan of completion.

* * *

Over the next few days, life on the mountain settled into a routine. A constantly changing routine in Jericho’s opinion, but he seemed to be the only one bothered by it.

Daisy was imprinting herself not only on him, but also on his home. Clients arrived, were taken care of and left. Meals were not only healthier, but tastier, plus there was a variety that Kevin had never managed. She had become a part of the unit that lived and worked at the lodge. It was almost as if she’d always been there, and Jericho noticed that the guys spent a lot more time smiling than they used to.

Of course he noticed, because his frequent scowl was such a contrast.

Now, he walked into the great room and stopped on the threshold. Glancing around, he noted all the changes she’d made here, too. Nothing was safe from the woman. Daisy had raided the attic, where generations of King clutter were stored and she’d found what she called “treasures.” Handmade quilts done by Jericho’s grandmother and decorative pillows that Daisy had strewn across the utilitarian furniture. The room had a softer feel now, with scattered rugs and splotches of color dotting the area.

“She’s nesting,” he muttered and waited for the zing of panic to shoot through him. But it didn’t come. Why?

Was he getting so used to having her around that he didn’t mind the fact that she’d taken his well-ordered male world and turned it on its head? Was he so enthralled by the nights they spent together that he no longer worried about getting too attached? If that were the case, it was time to put the brakes on.

Because no matter how much he enjoyed her, being with her, the bottom line was she didn’t belong. And she wouldn’t last. One hard winter would be enough to send the city girl screaming back down the mountain in search of sidewalks and coffee shops.

He scowled at the thought and knew that when she was gone, it wouldn’t be easy on him. He’d miss her, damn it, which was something he hadn’t counted on. Best to start preparing himself for it now, he supposed.

“Hi,” she said from right behind him. “You’re back early. I thought you said you were going up the mountain today to check the fencing on the ridgeline.”

“I did,” he said and stepped aside so she could pass. But she didn’t move away. Instead, she inched in closer to him. Close enough that he caught the ripe peach scent of the shampoo she preferred. Close enough that he felt waves of heat reaching out for him and his body responded in an instant.

He’d thought that getting Daisy into his bed would be the one sure way to get her out of his system. Hadn’t worked out that way. Rather than chasing her out of his mind, sex with Daisy had burned her into his brain. One whiff of her scent, one touch of her hand could have him hard as iron and as eager as a teenager in the backseat of a car.

Focus, he told himself. Focus on anything but her. Not as easy as it sounded. “We’ve got three lawyers showing up tomorrow. Everything ready?”

She gave him a half smile, filled with confusion at his sudden brisk tone, but said, “Yes, their rooms are ready and I’ve got their dietary requirements. I had Tim drive down the mountain to get a few groceries today, but—”

He held up one hand to stop the flow of words and asked, “Tim? I told him to check the climbing wall today, make sure it was sound after the last rain.”

“Sam did that,” she said, moving past him to plump pillows and toss them onto the couch again. “He said he didn’t mind and Tim was eager to make the trip. Something about stopping to say hello to his mom while he was in town…”

The reins of control were slipping out of his fingers and Jericho fought to get a firmer grip. “If I’d wanted Sam out slogging his way through the mud, I would have sent him.”

Daisy turned around to face him. “What are you angry about?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” he said, tossing both hands high before letting them slap down against his thighs. “Maybe because I give orders that you change around to suit yourself?”

“Orders?”

Her voice sounded tight, but he was past caring. This was just a symptom, he told himself. Just one more sign that she was changing everything on him. She even had his men doing her bidding and forgetting all about whatever it was he’d told them to do. Well, it was time to remind her who was the boss around here.

“Yes, orders. You work for me, Daisy, not the other way around.”

“I didn’t say different, did I?”

“You didn’t have to,” he countered. “You do whatever the hell you want around here and expect the rest of us to just go along.”

“I haven’t heard any complaining,” she snapped, folding her arms over her chest in a classic position of self-defense.