Cheyenne looked her up and down and then pulled her into his chest.
“I thought I told you not to dress too sexy or we wouldn’t make it out of the house.”
Sam grinned as she leaned up and kissed his lips. Then she pushed him back and watched his eyes deepen.
“I don’t think I can break the date rules. That can’t happen until the third date and this is only our second.”
“I hate those date rules.”
Sam laughed and turned toward the door. Cheyenne grabbed her before she could take a step and his mouth came down on hers in a fury of passion and heat. When he let her go Sam had a hard time standing. She leaned against him to steady herself and could feel his warm breath on her cheek.
“Hmmmm, maybe I’m mistaken and it’s the fifth date.” She teased.
“Oh, no. You can’t change those damn rules now, princess.”
Cheyenne pulled her chin up and kissed her softly, lingering just a moment. Then he continued the warm kisses down her neck and shoulders. He stopped, cupped her face in his hands and looked in her eyes. “We could break the rules you know.”
“Well, we can think about it, but I can’t think on an empty stomach.”
He kissed her gently and then took her hand. “In that case, let’s go eat. I managed to make reservations at a very special place tonight. But we’re going to talk about those date rules when we get back.”
“All I want is a quiet place that serves good wine,” Sam said as she opened the front door. She stopped in her tracks and stared at the car in her driveway.
“You have a Porsche Boxster,” She said with amazement. “A freakin’ silver Boxster convertible! Aren’t you full of surprises? I thought we’d be going out in your beat up ol’ truck!”
Cheyenne smiled. “It’s good to know you’re dating me for my body and not my car.”
“Holy shit! You told me Lance paid you well, but I didn’t realize how well. It’s beautiful!”
“Hey, I have some class, you know. But don’t be too impressed. It was used when I bought it.”
Cheyenne walked toward his car and casually glanced over at the two horses in the pasture. Misfit was in her usual sleeping spot on Rosie’s back. Cheyenne stopped and stared at the trio.
“Is that a cat on your horse’s back?” he asked, disbelief written all over his face.
“Yep, that’s Misfit, Mom’s cat. She likes to take naps on Rosie’s back.”
Cheyenne shook his head. “Unbelievable. Did you train her to do that?”
“No, she just started doing it on her own and Rosie doesn’t seem to mind.”
Misfit must have sensed they were talking about her because she sat up and looked toward them. A second later she licked her paws and washed her face. Sam watched her stand up, stretch and look over at Sage.
“Oh shit.” Sam said. She knew what was going to happen.
Sure enough, Misfit jumped over to Sage’s back. The horse’s head came up instantly as he snorted and started running and bucking around the pasture trying to get the cat off. Misfit had her head crouched down close to Sage’s mane and looked like a small furry jockey on his back. Rosie calmly looked up to watch the action.
Sam’s mom sailed out of their back door and came running across the yard yelling at the cat.
“Misfit, you damn cat! Get off that horse before he kills you!”
Sage stopped, bent his knees and rolled over. With perfect timing, Misfit jumped free before a thousand pounds of horse flesh squished her.
“Works every time,” Sam said to Cheyenne.
Sam’s mom ran up and grabbed the cat. “You maniac! You may think that’s funny but one of these days you’re going to get crushed to death!”
“Is she okay?” Cheyenne asked.
Misfit looked at them with lazy yellow eyes. Sam could hear her purring in her mom’s arms.
“Oh yeah. She’s fine. We’re not sure why, but she does that from time to time,” Sam explained to Cheyenne. “My theory is she loves living on the edge, so if Sage gets close enough she jumps on. He’s got it figured out now, though. He knows he can get rid of her if he lies down and rolls.”
Sam’s mom smiled as she headed back to the house with the cat firmly in her arms. “Nice seeing you again, Cheyenne. Sorry about all the chaos. Hopefully Misfit’s got that out of her system for awhile and we can get back to normal. Like this house is ever normal. Have a nice evening.”
Cheyenne grinned as he turned his attention back to Sam and walked over and opened the door of his car. “Your carriage awaits, princess.”
Sam did her best imitation of a graceful curtsy before getting in. “This is a fabulous car. I can’t believe it.”
Cheyenne started the Porsche and headed down the driveway. They rode in silence as he maneuvered his Boxter through the foothills towards Boulder.
It was a beautiful evening and Sam watched the sun set over the mountains. She sat back and relaxed, enjoying the magnificent scenery that always left her breathless. She glanced over at Cheyenne. She had to admit that he left her a little breathless too.
They drove through Boulder and turned toward Flagstaff Mountain. Sam knew immediately that the “special place” they were going was the Summit Restaurant at the top of the mountain. Sure enough, Cheyenne turned into their driveway and stopped at the front entry. A valet appeared out of nowhere and opened Sam’s door.
“Okay. I’m impressed, “Sam told Cheyenne. “How did you manage to get reservations at one of the best restaurants in Boulder on such short notice?”
“I have my connections,” was all he would say as they walked into the restaurant. They were seated immediately at a secluded booth facing a panoramic view of the Front Range.
Cheyenne ordered a bottle of Merlot and then they both sat back and watched the sky change from blue/orange to a darker blue as the sun sank behind the mountains. Thousands of lights twinkled across the skyline as night fell on Boulder.
“I don’t think I’ll ever take this view for granted,” Sam told Cheyenne as the waiter came up and served their wine.
Cheyenne leaned back. “I got some of the background results in this afternoon on our staff,” he told Sam. “I thought you’d be interested in what I found out.”
“Yes, I am. What did you find out?” She asked.
“Suzanne, Matthew and the guys from Puerto Rico are just as I suspected - clean as a whistle. Even ol’ Roscoe was okay. He was just a flaky old guy that was restless and moved from job to job. Frank has had a few upsets with the law. Nothing serious, just traffic violations and things like that. He had a domestic violence charge brought against him by his ex-wife about 10-12 years ago, but it was dropped during his divorce proceedings.”
Sam looked at Cheyenne’s face. “What about Mitch? Did you find out anything about him?”
“That’s the interesting thing. They found some inconsistencies in his records and needed more time to sort them out so I really don’t know anything concrete about his background yet. “
“That is interesting. I wonder what the inconsistencies are.”
Cheyenne frowned. “I’m not really sure. I know there’s something about him changing his name some years ago but that was all that was mentioned in my report. I’m supposed to get an update as soon as the agency gets more information.”
The waiter came up and took their order.
“This is just too good to describe,” Sam told Cheyenne. “I’ve only been here one other time in my life and that was the night of our Senior Prom. Charlie Simpson and I had dinner here before the dance.”
“Was he one of the guys who took you up to Coyote Ridge?” Cheyenne asked without cracking a smile.
Sam thought a moment. “He could have been. There were so many it’s hard to remember them all.”
Cheyenne looked at her as he sipped his wine. “That could explain why you were so popular in high school.”
Sam arched her eyebrows. “How else do you think I got to be Prom Queen?”
Cheyenne laughed and grabbed her hand. “How did I miss getting to know you better until now?” He softly kissed her fingertips.
“I think it was because we were always too busy fighting.”
“I never should have pulled your ponytail in first grade.”
“I guess I shouldn’t have punched you in the nose.”
They were interrupted when the waiter came up with their entrées.
After they finished their dinner a red-headed man with a tall chef’s hat came over to their table with a plate held high. When Sam saw Ian O’Reilly she knew immediately who Cheyenne’s connection was at the restaurant. Ian was the dessert chef for the Summit.
“Hi, Ian.”
“Hey, Sam. When Cheyenne called and asked me to get reservations for him tonight I decided to fix a special dessert for you. It’s a chocolate crème brulee with fresh raspberries.” He put the dish on the table with a flourish and pulled two clean spoons out of his apron pocket. “Enjoy!”
“Thanks! It looks wonderful!”
They dived into the dessert and devoured it. After every last crumb was gone, they were finishing off the excellent Merlot when Cheyenne sat back and gave Sam one of his dark looks across the table.
“I have an idea. Why don’t we tell each other one secret about ourselves that the other doesn’t know, just for fun.”
Sam raised an eyebrow. She was feeling a buzz from the wine and in a mischievous mood. “Okay. I think we could do that and I also think we should ask each other one question that has to be answered honestly. You tell your secret first.”
Cheyenne leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers. “Alright. My secret is that I’ve had the hots for you since high school.”
Sam sat back and looked at him in surprise. “No shit! I didn’t know that. I always thought you couldn’t stand the sight of me.”
Cheyenne smiled and kissed her.
“Now, my turn,” Sam looked deep into his eyes and whispered, “All I have on underneath this skirt is a skimpy black thong.”
Cheyenne’s eyes glazed over and he pulled Sam closer. He kissed her once, twice and then lightly ran his tongue over her lips. Under the table, Sam felt his hand slide up her skirt. His eyes widened as he caressed her thighs and then rubbed between her legs. Sam almost passed out.
“I thought you were kidding.”
“Whew! I thought you knew me better than that. I never lie.”
Sam backed away and sipped her wine. “Okay. I get to go first and ask you any question I want and you have to promise to answer honestly,” She told him.
He looked at her as she leaned forward, put her head on her hand and watched his face.
“I heard cowboys go commando. Is that true?”
Sam had never seen his eyes so intense before. They were beyond melted chocolate. They were two pools of deep, dark coffee as he leaned forward and whispered in her ear.
“Why don’t we go back to your place and find out.”
The ride back was much faster than the one going up to the restaurant and Sam decided they were definitely throwing the date rules out the window. The sexual tension in the car was hot. Damn hot. Sam hoped to God that when they got back they could make it past the front door.
When they did reach her house Sam forced herself to remain calm as she got her key out and walked to the front door. She unlocked it and held the door open for Cheyenne.
“Do you want anything to drink?” Sam asked as she flipped the light switch on and turned around to face Cheyenne.
Cheyenne reached out and curled one finger in the front of her blouse and pulled her to him. Then he slammed the door shut.
“No. I think you know what I want.”
Cheyenne slowly unbuttoned Sam’s blouse and sucked in a deep breath. There was a lot of cleavage pushed up in that Wonder bra. Then he carefully reached around her back and unzipped her skirt. It fell to the floor and he stepped back to look her over.
“That is the skimpiest thong I’ve ever seen. The bra’s not too bad either.”
Sam watched his eyes as he put his hands on her shoulders and gently pulled her closer. Then he leaned down and kissed her softly. Desire seared through Sam’s body the instant his lips touched hers. Cheyenne caught her lips with his again, but this kiss was powerful, sensual and filled with hot need. Sam was helpless and could feel the room spinning around her. She shivered with anticipation as pure lust engulfed her. Four years was a long time to wait for the perfect man to hold and kiss her like this.
Sam reached up and unbuttoned Cheyenne’s shirt. The phone rang. Sam ignored it and pulled his shirt off as he maneuvered them toward her couch. His hands roamed up and down her back as he turned her around and pushed her down on the couch. He stretched his body on top of hers and pinned her hands over her head with one hand. With his free hand he used his fingers to skim down Sam’s body, over her breasts, down her stomach and between her legs. Then he captured her lips and hungrily demanded more.