The Navy SEAL's Christmas Bride (7 page)

But when he dropped her on his bed, kicked his door closed and climbed on top of her, Sarah came to her senses. She pushed him away. “No. Uh-uh. Not going to happen.”

Barred from her mouth, Dan moved his attentions to her neck, nuzzling and kissing her until she tingled all over. “Dan!”

“Metlin, you’re killing me!” He pulled back but remained straddling her hips. “What?”

“I already told you—I won’t sleep with you. I won’t be another notch on your belt.”

“Honey, no one notches their belts anymore. They just have sex.” He reached for the buttons of her blouse.

She batted his hands away. “I don’t want to have sex.” Her eyes blazed with anger and this time when she tried to rise, Dan let her go. He watched her climb off the bed and set her clothes to rights.

“Why don’t you want to have sex?”

“I told you. I want more. I’m not into flings.”

“And I just told you I want more, too.” He rose to intercept her.

“Right. You met me twenty-four hours ago, and now you’re going to propose?”

He ran his hands through his hair. “No, I’m not that crazy. I want to get to know you.”

“But we should have a fling first, right? Just to make sure we’re compatible. No sense talking about the serious stuff until we know if we work in the sack. Yeah, I’ve heard that before.”

“Sarah, come on.” He was rock hard and ready to go. Sarah’s tousled hair and swollen lips weren’t helping any. “You’ve been with some assholes, but I’m not one of them.”

“Really? Would we be having this conversation if I hadn’t beaten your ass in target practice?”

She had him there. “Maybe not. It’s because you’re my equal—in
some
categories,” he emphasized, “that I find you this intriguing. You’re the whole package, Metlin. You’re a soldier, so you understand my military background. You’re a terrific soldier, which means you share my desire to be the best. You’re intelligent, which means I won’t be bored when we’re not in bed together. And you’re hellaciously sexy, so I won’t be bored in it, either. So, yeah—I’m interested. Maybe in something more than a fling, but we’ll have to get to know each other to find that out.”

“Fine.” She headed for the door. “We’ll get to know each other, just not in bed.”

“At least there’s
nothing competitive about sledding,” Regan said as they bundled up the following morning to hit the local hotspot for sledding fun.

Sarah nodded, but she wasn’t altogether sure that was true, and it didn’t take long after they arrived at the hill for her to be proven right. The entire gang from the Hall had come, along with several additional groups of friends. Sarah hadn’t been sledding since she was a kid and she was surprised that a group of grownups would think of it, but her first trip flying down the hill on a plastic toboggan reminded her just how fun it could be. The wide hill held a multitude of trails, with new ones being added all the time by enthusiastic kids and adults. Mason, Austin, Zane and Dan quickly got to work on building a crazy trail full of bumps and jumps, competing with each other to see who could take the wildest ride. Sarah stuck with Regan and Ella who, both being pregnant, were confined to a couple of gentle trails down the softly sloping side of the hill.

“I wish I had a camera,” Regan said as they stood at the top of the hill and watched Mason go flying off a jump halfway down the hill.

“Why, so you can film the moment he breaks his leg?” Ella said. “I can’t even watch!”

“Are you sure you want to stay with us boring people?” Regan turned to Sarah. “I won’t mind if you join the men.”

Sarah watched Mason, Dan and Zane all pile on a single toboggan. Austin gave them a running push and jumped on the end. He held on for dear life, but the toboggan quickly left him behind. Zane spilled off after the first jump and the second one sent the other two airborne.

“I don’t think so,” she said slowly.

“Sarah! Sarah, come on!” Dan called as he brushed himself off and made his way up the hill.

“Someone’s got a crush on you.” Ella giggled. “He’s really cute, too. I think you should go for it.”

“Sarah!”

“Go,” Regan urged her.

Sarah gave in. “Coming!”

“Make sure you bet him four naked laps around the Hall this time,” Ella called as she tromped away through the snow.

“Try out our run—it’s awesome!” Dan didn’t wait for her answer when she reached him. Instead, he took her hand and led the way to the top of the trail.

“No way. I’ll give you a push, though. A big one.”

He shot her a look. “How about I push you?”

“How about you don’t?”

“Kids, kids,” Mason said. “I’ll push both of you.”

Somehow Sarah found herself on the toboggan with Dan’s arms wrapped around her. She was wedged between his legs in a very intimate way and he kissed her on the neck as Mason shoved them into position at the top of the trail.

“Hey!” She shrugged him away. “I don’t think I want to do this.”

“Too late!” Mason shoved them over the edge and Sarah screamed as they hurtled down the side of the hill, hit the first jump and went airborne. Dan hung on to her and managed to cushion her fall. She was practically in his lap as they hurtled toward the next one.

Sarah screamed again when they hit it. This time Dan couldn’t keep hold of her. He flew one way, she flew another and landed in a heap in the snow.

“Are you all right?” Seconds later, Dan pulled her to her feet.

“Ouch!” Sarah rubbed her tailbone.

“Want me to kiss it and make it better?” Dan took over for her, rubbing the base of her spine, sliding his hand lower until he brushed the curve of her bottom. Sarah slugged him. “Just trying to help.” He sprinted away to retrieve their toboggan before she could hit him again.

Sarah didn’t make any bets with Dan, but she did sled with him again. And again. And again. The truth was, she liked his arms around her. Liked sitting on his lap, his powerful legs keeping her in place. She liked tumbling out of the sled and going head over heels in the deep snow. By the time they left to make the return drive to the Hall, she was bruised all over and exhausted from laughing so hard.

“You’re going to need a hot soak,” Regan told her as they climbed the steps to the Hall. “Why don’t you go on up and have one while Ella and I get dinner on?”

“I’ll help you with dinner.”

“Nope. Take your bath. That’s an order.”

“Yes, ma’am.” She headed straight up the stairs. Heavy footsteps behind her told her Dan was following her up.

“I need a hot soak, too, but I bet if we fill up two tubs neither of us will get enough hot water.”

“So let me guess. You want to share a bath.”

“Actually I was going to toss a coin for who got to go first, but now that you mention it, it sounds like a great idea.”

“Forget it.”

“What if I promise not to touch you?”

“Yeah, right.”

“I’m an honorable man, Metlin. When I make a promise, I keep it.”

“You’re going to sit in a tub with me and not touch me?”

“That’s right.”

“I bet you can’t.”

“I bet I can.”

This was the craziest thing she’d ever done, but the devilish look on Dan’s face echoed her own desire to try this out. She threw caution to the wind. “Okay—deal. If you touch me, then no more trying to get me into bed. You can’t talk to me, proposition me, kiss me—nothing. That’s it; the end.”

“And if I don’t touch you? What do I get?”

“Five minutes.” Heat rushed through Sarah. Had she really just said that?

“Five minutes for what?” He moved closer and Sarah’s heart stopped. She could barely find the breath to speak.

“To touch me any way you want.”

His gaze searched hers and she knew he was wondering if she really meant it.

She did, but at the same time she wanted to dart into her room and hide. What kind of game was she playing here?

The kind of game that was bound to bring big trouble.

“Deal.”

Without another word they gathered their things from their bedrooms and met on the second floor where one of the bathrooms contained a clawfoot tub. Dan ran the bath while Sarah scolded herself silently for being such a reckless idiot. There was no way this would turn out well.

They were silent as the water ran. When Dan turned off the tap, he stripped and climbed in slowly, giving her ample time to look at his muscular body. He leaned back against one rounded end and stretched out his legs. “I won’t move,” he told her. “You climb in, sit where you want, do what you want. If you touch me that’s not my fault. I won’t touch you.”

That sounded like a challenge if she’d ever heard one. Sarah’s throat went dry as she stripped off her sweater, then gripped the hemline of her shirt, preparing to take it off, too. After years in the military, she didn’t have a modest bone in her body; there wasn’t time for that kind of thing. But with Dan staring at her, she found it hard to breathe.

She pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it away. Stripped off her soaking jeans and socks.

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” Dan said.

Heat pulsed through Sarah even though she was nearly naked. She reached back to unclasp her bra and tossed it aside, too. A sharp intake of breath from Dan told her he appreciated the view. She fought the urge to cross her arms and cover herself, took a deep breath of her own and shimmied out of her panties.

Dan’s expression softened as he took her in, and she didn’t feel like he was ogling her in a disrespectful way. Instead she felt as if he was appreciative of the gift she was giving him. Suddenly feeling vulnerable, she hesitated.

“Come on in,” he said. His low, rich voice warmed her all over again, as did the water as she slipped into it and arranged herself at the far end, leaning back against the high, curved side of the tub opposite Dan.

She kept waiting for him to reach out and tug her close, but he didn’t. He sat back and gazed at her. Her feet were positioned by his crotch and she was all too aware of his body responding to hers. When she shifted, her legs grazed his.

“You look beautiful.”

Sarah knew she was blushing. She couldn’t help it. “Thanks.”

A minute passed as they stared at each other. Sarah couldn’t believe the restraint Dan was showing. After all, she was right here. Naked.

And wet.

Another minute passed. Sarah shifted, growing uncomfortable under his steady gaze. She wanted him to touch her, she realized.

She decided to do an experiment. “How are you enjoying your stay so far?” She gave a little bounce that lifted her breasts out of the water and set them bobbing.

Dan’s gaze zeroed in on them. “Great. I love it here on the ranch.”

She reached for the shower gel, squirted some in her hand and lathered it up over her arms, shoulders and chest. She ran her hands in circles around her breasts and tweaked her nipples until they stood at attention. “Have you ever been to Montana before?”

“What? Oh… no. This is my first time.” Dan couldn’t seem to look away. She splashed away the soap, sliding her hands over her breasts again to remove any last traces of bubbles.

“How long will it take you to set up your new business?”

Dan’s gaze followed her hands as she poured another dollop of shower gel into them, lathered up again and got to her knees. The maneuver was slightly awkward in the close confines of the tub, but she managed it. She slid her soapy hands over her torso and down her thighs.

“A few months. Maybe more.”

“And you’re looking for a partner?” She slid her hands up her thighs and between her legs. Dan’s gaze tracked her every move.

“Yeah, I’m looking for a partner.”

Sarah glanced at him. Noticed that he was ready for a partner right now. The thought of him taking her here in the tub made her tingle all over.

But he still didn’t move.

Sarah splashed herself again. Got more shower gel.

“You’re running out of places to wash.” His ironic tone told her he knew exactly what she was doing and he wasn’t fooled. She realized she’d set up the bet in such a way that he wouldn’t move—wouldn’t touch her the way she longed to be touched.

Unless…

With a secret grin, Sarah turned around on her knees and braced herself with one hand against the edge of the tub. She scrubbed the other soapy hand over her exposed bottom.

A groan from Dan told her he wasn’t immune to this. “Sarah… hell.”

She looked over her shoulder, expecting Dan to finally move to join her. Expecting to feel him behind her—maybe even pressing into her. She wanted him inside her so badly.

But he still hadn’t moved.

Except for his hand.

He was watching her and stroking himself, his expression telling her he wasn’t far off from finishing. “You are… amazing,” he said. “Go on.”

She knew what he meant. He wanted to watch her turn herself on. He wanted to watch her come. For one second she thought about stepping out of the tub, wrapping up in a towel and denying him that. Only for a second, though. Then she dipped her hand between her legs again.

Knowing Dan was watching her served as all the aphrodisiac she needed. Swirling her fingers over herself, dipping and sliding them inside of her, thinking about what it would feel like when Dan slipped inside of her—because he would someday—she panted with her rising desire.

“Sarah—look at me.”

She did so, over her shoulder. She watched him watching her back. Stroking himself, his breath as quick and hard as hers.

With a cry she went over the edge, still watching him. Barely another moment passed before he tilted his head back and groaned, coming hard under his own touch. Sarah cried out again, her release going on and on, fueled by the knowledge that he was taking in every second of her passion. This was far more revealing than stripping off her clothes. This was like cracking open her soul.

When she was done, she hesitated, breathing hard, flushed from the experience but also from embarrassment. That was too much to share with someone like Dan, who took every opportunity to compete with her.

Dan swiftly moved beside her, kneeling in the water. He put a hand under her chin and tilted it up so she had to look at him. “You are so beautiful.” He kissed her deeply and she understood from that kiss that he would never use what she’d shared with him against her. When he broke off the kiss, he pulled her close, wrapped his arms around her and rested her head against his chest so that she could hear his heartbeat loud and strong. He held her that way until she relaxed against him, knowing his embrace was his way of showing her how grateful he was she’d opened herself to him. Sarah trusted what his body was saying. She could have stayed there forever, but the tub beneath her knees was hard and the water was growing cool.