MONTANA HOMECOMING (Montana Book 2) (10 page)

"My mom loves you as much as she loves Jack. Trust me
when I say she'd want to see you."

"Yeah?"

"She just told me to ask you over for dinner, so I'd
say you're definitely still in her good graces."

"Maybe I should have started with talking to her
instead of your idiot brother, because I'll sure as hell never be invited over
for a meal now."

Amanda sighed when Scott dropped his arm and followed her
up the steps to the house. There was something about him touching him that made
her feel different; that made her feel like she'd stepped back in time, but in
a good way. Now she just had to figure out how to translate that feeling into
her painting, and she'd be able to feel a whole lot less guilty about being
tucked away on her family ranch instead of locked in her studio.

THE roar of his motorcycle always managed to calm him, and
today with Amanda's body pressed to his, Scott was feeling better already. To
hell with Blake - if he wanted to be a child about the whole thing, then that
was his damn problem.

He pulled off the road and changed down gears, being more
careful than he usually would. When he'd started to ride in Australia, he'd
spent hours on the road pushing the limits, going as fast as he could, but with
Amanda on behind he was a whole lot more aware of their mortality. She'd only
just trusted him enough to even get on behind him, and he had no intention of giving
her an excuse to turn him down the next time.

Scott slowed to a stop and kicked the stand down, taking a
moment to pause and just look at the view. Keeping his temper in check hadn't
ever been something that came easily to him, but the older he got the better
he'd become at dealing with it. His brother had been able to ignore their dad,
just get on with things, but Scott had never been able to walk away from a
confrontation.
Until
recently.

"Is this somewhere you come often?"

Amanda's soft voice pulled him back to the present, made
him stop thinking about his dad.

"It's a good quick ride when I need to clear my
head," he told her.

Amanda climbed off and stretched, and he watched her before
doing the same. They stood side by side and looked out over the land, the sun
beating down on their shoulders. Scott shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it
over the seat of the bike.

"I shouldn't have come around like I did today."

"You did what you thought was right. No harm in
that."

Scott reached out and touched Amanda's hair, tucking it
behind her ear so he could see her face. She was beautiful in a different way
to how he'd always remembered her, but she'd definitely improved with age.

"I've been thinking about last night."

She turned,
a smile
lighting up
her face. He hadn't meant to even say it out aloud, wasn't used to admitting
how he was feeling to anyone.

"We had fun, didn't we?"

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist, tugging
her closer. "Last night we were on steel, and now we're in the open,
standing in a field. I think we need to come up with some better places to
meet."

Amanda laughed and put her arms around his shoulders,
standing on tiptoe. Instead of answering him she kissed him, her lips
feather-light. Scott wanted to take things slow, but he couldn't, because he
didn't just want to make out with Amanda - he wanted her naked and sweaty and
writhing beneath him. Screw kissing, he needed to find somewhere for them to
have some serious fun.

Scott pulled her even closer, her body tight against his,
one hand fisted in her hair to lock her in place. He crushed his mouth to hers,
taking charge, loving when she moaned and gripped his shoulders, tongue dipping
into his mouth. He skimmed his hands down her body, frustrated that she was
wearing a jacket, but when he went to pull it off she stiffened and stepped
back, breathless as she gasped for air.

"Uh-uh."

He groaned. "Two times in 24 hours? This is killing
me."

"Hey, you're the one who put a stop to things last
night."

"And it was the stupidest thing I've ever done,"
he muttered, yanking her closer again and planting another kiss on her mouth.

Amanda's hand moved to his chest and pushed him back a
little. "We're in full view of the road, and I'd rather not be arrested
for public indecency."

Scott laughed and she grinned back at him. "So maybe I
should come back and collect you tonight?"

"What, so we can do this in the dark and hope not to
be seen?"

He pulled her closer again, but this time he just held her,
dropped a kiss into her hair and tried to ignore how hard he was for the woman
in his arms. "Let's just say that next time I'll make sure we're somewhere
more…" He laughed. "Suitable."

"So you don't just want to
lie
here in the sun and keep things at first base?"

"Hell no," he said, giving her a gentle push away
and walking back to his bike. "If I kiss you again, I will
not
be responsible for my actions."

 
"Maybe you can
think of something good for tonight, then?" Amanda said with a wink.

Scott didn't need any encouraging. Maybe it was because he
was being forced to wait, or that he'd never been allowed to indulge in his
want for her, but his desire for Amanda was driving him crazy.
Idiot brother notwithstanding.

"Tempt me like that again and I won't give a damn
about being out in public."

"Oh yeah?"

Scott made a noise like a growl and Amanda squealed when he
chased her, giggling as he wrapped his arms around her and stole a kiss from
the hollow above her collarbone.

"What your brother said before, about me…"

She shook her head. "You don't have to explain,"
she said.

"But he's right. I mean, I've never been a
relationship guy, and I'm still not. I just want to make sure you're okay with
whatever this is."

Amanda's smile told him he had nothing to worry about.
"I've already told you that I'm going back to New York. This is just me
and you having fun, doing what we should have done years ago. You can't hurt
me, Scott, I promise."

"So how about meeting at my place tonight, then?"

"As in your half-finished house?" she asked.

"Bring your overnight bag, and I'll make sure there's
a roof," he said with a laugh.

"You're
on."

Amanda was still smiling to herself as she pulled up the
drive of Wild River and headed for Scott's place. She thought about turning her
headlights off, so Jack and
Maddie
didn't know they
had a visitor, but then decided otherwise. It wasn't like she was sneaking
around with Scott, so technically they had nothing to hide.

As she neared the construction site she slowed to a crawl
and parked alongside the half-finished structure that would be Scott's house.
While she'd gone over the plans for his luxury accommodation with him, she
hadn't seen the drawings for his home, but from what she could see it was going
to be incredible.

"Hello," Amanda called out as she stepped out of
the car. "Scott?"

"Just a sec," he called back.

Amanda walked slowly to the edge of the framing, running
her hand along the lumber as she waited for Scott to appear. She looked around
and burst out laughing when she caught sight of a tent in the far corner of the
house, a light suddenly flickering from inside of it, followed by Scott's head
appearing.

"So this is your idea of luxury?" she asked.

He grinned as he walked toward her, his features easy to
read even in the almost darkness.

"I never said anything about luxury," he said.
"From memory we discussed privacy and comfort. I can tick both of those
off the list."

Amanda felt shy all of a sudden, because there was no
denying why they'd met up tonight. It had been one thing flirting, kissing
even, but this was a straight booty call and she'd been the one to instigate
it.

"Do I get a grand tour before we disappear into the
tent?" she asked, biding for time.

He shrugged. "Sure."

Scott walked back to the entrance, indicating for her to
follow.

"The front door will be here, big windows straight
ahead looking out over the ranch," he said. "The master bedroom and
bathroom are upstairs, kitchen and living areas straight ahead across the front
down here, and a couple of spare bedrooms and another bathroom upstairs to the
right."

"Room for a few kids one day, huh?" she teased.

"Not a chance. This is a bachelor pad, no two ways
about it," he said, leaning against a beam. "Those spare rooms will
be turned into a gym and a," he paused, "I don't know what, but
definitely not for kids."

Amanda touched his shoulder and nodded toward the tent.
"And what's in that little room over there?"

The serious expression disappeared, replaced with a grin.
"That little room just so happens to be worth a grand
tour
all of its own."

"Really?" she asked, taking a few steps backward
as Scott came closer.

He just laughed, and his smile was wicked when she backed
into the framing of a wall and was trapped against the wood. Scott took one big
step and was suddenly in front of her, so close he was almost touching her, his
big body blocking everything else out.

"You know what I think?" Scott asked, opening his
legs out wide and bracing his hands above her head.

She swallowed, hard, as he shuffled closer, his thighs
trapping her, his mouth dipping closer to hers. Amanda didn't know what to say,
so she just shook her head.

"I think we need to christen this place."

Scott's lips were so close, his breath warm against her
mouth as he spoke. She moaned as he reached for her hands and slowly pulled them
above her head, pinning them both with only one of his hands, the other
supporting his weight as he leaned forward and down.

"Kiss me," she
begged,
her voice a whisper.

He didn't need to be asked twice. Scott's mouth met hers,
his lips moist, mouth insistent as he moved it back and forth across hers. His
wet tongue made her moan again, the tightness of his hold making her want to
wriggle harder against his body, loving that he'd locked her in place, that she
couldn't get away. In her everyday life she was always in charge, but with
Scott it was the complete opposite. He was calling the shots, making her
submit, and there was nothing about it she didn't like, because she trusted him
- knew he would stop if she asked him to.

Scott kept her hands pinned and trailed a kiss down her
neck, sucking just above her collarbone, his tongue darting out to make her
groan with pleasure. But he didn't stay there for long, releasing her hands and
placing his palms on her butt instead, lifting her up until her legs were
wrapped around his waist and her ass was pressed hard against the wood frame.

Amanda met his kiss with everything she had, clawing her
fingers through his hair as his mouth took ownership of hers, one of his hands
holding her in place, the other running over her hip and up her body. Her jeans
were skin tight, but she didn't care, would have put up with any kind of
discomfort to stay pressed this hard up against Scott.

"You," Scott said, his voice husky, "are
driving me crazy."

He leaned back slightly, his pelvis pushed hard against
her, locking her in place, and reached for the hem of her top. He raised it and
she raised her arms, letting him pull it off, leaving her only in her bra.
She'd worn black satin underwear, her bra low-cut and pushing her breasts
together, and from the look on Scott's face he liked what he saw.

Scott pushed her back, his mouth over the soft skin at the
top of her breast, but instead of moaning in pleasure, Amanda squealed.

"
Ow
!" She grabbed hold
of Scott and wrapped her arms around his neck. "My skin and lumber is not
a good combination."

He stroked a hand down her back, his grin contagious.
"What is with you, me and uncomfortable places, huh?" he asked.

Amanda ignored him and started to unbutton his shirt
instead. Once she glimpsed his bare, tanned skin, she had no intention of
stopping.

"I think we should take this party to the tent,"
Scott said, carrying her as he walked.

Amanda ran her hands down Scott's chest, loving the feel of
his hard muscles beneath her palms, never having touched a man with a body like
his before. She wanted to explore every inch of him, and she wanted to do it
right now.

"Damn, Mandy!" Scott growled. "Keep touching
me like that and I'll drop you right here."

She laughed and switched her focus to his neck instead,
suckling him like he'd kissed her, running her tongue across his skin. His
groan made her smile, but there was nothing light-hearted about the way he
stopped when they reached the tent, putting her back on her feet and grabbing
hold of her wrists.

"You," he said, his dark
eyes
stormy with what she hoped was
need, "will not be getting out of
here until morning."

"Really?" she asked, pulling her wrists out of
his grip and turning around, dropping to her knees and crawling in.

Scott was right behind her, giving her only a second to
look around at the makeshift bed he'd made, camping lights in each corner. It
was romantic in a wild kind of way, and she liked it.

But Scott didn't give her a moment to relax, zipping the
tent up behind them and pushing her down. She laughed until he pressed his body
hard against hers- then she knew that she'd been as good as trapped by a
predator, that there was no getting away from him now.