Rolling Like Thunder Read online

  Immediately her body tightened again. She would always treasure what they’d shared the night before, but this...this. She whimpered with the glory of it, reveled in the sensual feel of his muscles bunching and releasing as he stroked.

  At first he moved easily, but soon his thrusts became faster, until at last he drove into her with relentless precision. Her second climax lifted her off the seat. Wailing, she gasped out his name.

  Bracing her backside with one large hand, he held her there as he sucked in air and pushed in tight. His powerful orgasm vibrated through her and his full-throated groan of satisfaction shattered the stillness of the night air. Then, slowly, he lowered her to the smooth seat and followed her down. His cock continued a slow, rhythmic pulsing, sending delicious shock waves through her body.

  He gulped for air. “My God. I had...no concept.”

  “No.” She panted, unable to catch her breath. “Me, either.”

  “I feel like someone hit me with a sledgehammer.”

  “Then don’t move.”

  His soft chuckle seemed to increase the intimacy of the moment. “I can’t. Not yet.”

  As she lay beneath him, waiting for the world to settle down again, she realized that neither of them would ever forget this. Had they driven back to the Bunk and Grub first, the experience certainly would have been memorable. But it wouldn’t have been nearly as vivid as coupling in the backseat of a rented SUV under cover of a cool and very dark Wyoming night.

  “Are you okay?”

  She laughed. “Never better.”

  “So I didn’t mash you against the seat or bang your head against the armrest?”

  “No. You just gave me two mega climaxes in a row and probably wrinkled my dress.” Then she considered her right shoe, which was currently pressed against his thigh. “Is my high heel hurting you?”

  “I can feel it, but it’s kind of kinky to think of us doing it while you wore your shoes.”

  “Finn O’Roarke, I do believe you’re a sensualist.”

  “Takes one to know one. Where’s your mouth?” He finally located it with the tips of his fingers. “I need to kiss you.”

  “Okay.” She waited until his lips found hers. Then she cupped his head and kissed him back.

  “Mmm.” He slipped his tongue into her mouth.

  She sucked on it gently and felt his cock twitch.

  He lifted his mouth away from hers. “Okay, guess we can’t kiss, after all. This has been fun, but I want the next time to be in an actual bed.”

  “Not up against the wall?”

  “How you talk!” He gave her a quick kiss and began slowly easing away from her. “Yeah, maybe up against the wall, now that you mention it. I checked, and Pam is staying with Emmett tonight so we’ll have the main part of the house to ourselves again.”

  “Maybe she’s doing that on purpose to give us privacy.” She groped around for her panties.

  “Maybe.” He climbed out of the SUV.

  As she found her panties, which were unsurprisingly damp, she could hear the rustle of material as he put himself back together. “I’m not putting my panties back on, FYI.”

  “Are you telling me you’re going to ride back to the Bunk and Grub commando?” He zipped his pants.

  “Yes, I’m telling you that.”

  “You do realize I’ll be thinking about it the whole way there.” He grabbed his belt and threaded it through the loops.

  “Now I do. Bonus.”

  “You’re a wicked lady, Chelsea Trask.”

  “Apparently you find that appealing.”

  “I think I just demonstrated how appealing I find that. Okay, scoot over here and I’ll carry you back to the front seat.”

  “I’ll scoot over, but you don’t have to carry me. I can walk.”

  “There’s high grass and loose dirt. Not the kind of terrain for those sandals. Let me be a hero.”

  “You already are, but okay.” She slid toward the door. “Ready.”

  He leaned in, but instead of picking her up, he kissed her. Not only that, he slipped his hand under her dress and fondled her until she was squirming. When he backed away she was once again breathing hard.

  She swallowed. “No fair.”

  “Oh, it’s very fair.” He scooped her into his arms and carried her around the open door before settling her in the front passenger seat. “Girls who announce they’re going commando, which makes the guy’s cock hard as a gearshift while he’s trying to drive, have to expect a little payback. Now buckle up.”

  He really had her motor running, now, and she loved it. They’d settled into a sexual give-and-take that was exactly how she’d imagined it might be with Finn, only better.

  He climbed behind the wheel, closed the door and fastened his seat belt. “What did you do with your panties, by the way?”

  “They’re on the floor back there along with the box of condoms. Why? Looking for a souvenir?”

  “I won’t need one.” He started the car and pulled back onto the road. Then he reached for her hand. “I’ll never forget that episode.”

  “Neither will I.”

  He laced his fingers through hers. “Thank you, ma’am. I appreciate you indulging me.”

  She smiled at his deliberate cowboy-like expression. “Like you gave me a choice.”

  “I didn’t, did I? But somehow I had a feeling you’d go for it.”

  “Then you’re starting to know me better.”

  “Good. That’s very good.” He released her hand and took a deep breath. “Now let’s talk about something safe so I’m not compelled to pull over again and do you.”

  And he would, too. Her body grew moist and hot. “Like what?”

  “I want to know how you can be totally focused on work one minute and then it’s like you flip a switch and you’re able to play hide-and-seek with a bunch of kids.”

  “You mean how do I separate work and play?”

  “Yes. Because obviously I can’t. I’ve been able to let go this weekend because I’m far away from O’Roarke’s and there’s not much I can handle from here.”

  She hesitated. It was an important question that could impact both of them. “I think it’s something you could learn,” she said carefully. “If you wanted to.”

  “I’m not so sure. When I’m in Seattle, I have a constant need to check inventory, taste-test the brews, monitor the cash flow...just be there.”

  “Kind of like the parents of a newborn.”

  “I know nothing about that, but, yeah, maybe.”

  “I’ve watched my cousins, and they were all like that with their first kid.”

  “And then they got over it?”

  “Eventually. It took some longer than others. The second kids are always easier.”

  “Well, I’m not opening a second brewhouse. That would make me twice as anal.” He was quiet for a while. “I don’t think it’s the same, though. Kids grow up to be self-sufficient, or at least that’s the plan. A business never learns to run itself.”

  “No, but you can delegate some of the work.”

  “Um, yeah. I’m trying not to imagine how Brad is doing without me there. When I was gone in June I came back to a total mix-up with receipts that took a week to straighten out. It wasn’t anything that would sink the ship but, face it, he’s not as invested as I am.” He took a deep breath. “Let’s talk about your family some more.”

  She could feel the tension radiating from him, so she gladly changed topics. “I have a younger sister, but I felt as if I had more siblings because my aunts and uncles were usually around with their kids.”

  “In Seattle?”

  “No, in Bellingham. That’s where my folks live and where I went to high school and college.”

  “See, I
didn’t even know where your hometown was. I thought it was Seattle.”

  “It is now. I think of Seattle as home.” She paused. “Do you?”

  He hesitated. “I think so. But after the divorce... I haven’t felt like my cramped little apartment is home. It still feels temporary.”

  “It probably is temporary. Where would you live if you could afford any place in Seattle?”

  “Somewhere down by the water, within walking distance of Pike Place Market and O’Roarke’s. Something like what you have.”

  She told herself not to put any importance on that. “Then you should focus on what you want. You’ll recover from the financial hit of the divorce and eventually you’ll be able to live down there. I may be renting now, but I plan to buy when I feel comfortable taking on that kind of obligation.”

  “And you’ll do it. You always accomplish what you set your mind to.”

  “Not always.” She’d been so convinced that his divorce was divine intervention and they were destined to be together. But even now, when they’d had such great sex, she wasn’t sure. The explosive nature of that sex might be the very thing that would scare him off. He had a business to run.

  They rode in silence for a few minutes and she wondered if he knew what she was thinking. He might.

  If so, he obviously didn’t want to talk about it. “What do your folks do in Bellingham?”

  “Both college professors. Mom’s in psychology and Dad’s in economics.”

  “And you didn’t want to follow in their footsteps?”

  “God, no. My sister, Beth, is getting her graduate degree, but I don’t have the patience to teach the same bunch of students for an entire semester. My folks love it, but I would go postal if I had to walk into the same classroom three days a week. I like more variety than that, more control over my schedule. I was born to be self-employed.”

  Finn laughed, and the tension seemed gone. “I was, too. My grandpa couldn’t get it right, but I knew that was the life for me. His bad example taught me a lot about what not to do.”

  “And in a twisted sort of way, he helped you.”

  “I suppose. Rosie tried to get me to see that, but at the time I wasn’t willing to listen. I was a self-righteous kid who thought I’d never make any big mistakes. Boy, was I wrong.”

  She reached over and squeezed his thigh. “Give yourself a break, O’Roarke. We all mess up eventually.”

  “You don’t.”

  “Sure I do.” She let her hand rest there because she loved feeling his thigh muscles flex as he worked the gas pedal.

  Without warning, he captured her hand and held it against his thigh. Then he slowly moved it to his crotch. “Feel that?”

  Did she ever. His fly barely contained what lay beneath. “Yes.”

  “That’s what happens when you put your warm hand on my thigh. All I can think about is finding the nearest flat surface—horizontal or vertical, doesn’t matter—and pounding into you until neither of us can see straight.”

  “Sounds fun.” She was being flip but her heart beat like a jackhammer.

  “Oh, I’m sure it will be. But you’d better keep your hands to yourself or I’m liable to seduce you in the parking lot of the Bunk and Grub.” He pressed her hand tight against his fly and then gently placed it on the console.

  She sat there quivering and wondering if she could last until they reached the parking lot, or if she’d end up begging him to pull over again and take her now, right now. She’d never been this crazed with lust for a man. That made her vulnerable, and she briefly acknowledged that. But with the prospect of having Finn in her bed all night, she couldn’t bring herself to care.

  9

  FINN WAS PLAYING with fire and he knew it. The deeper he allowed himself to sink into this sensual bliss with Chelsea, the more difficulty he’d have extracting himself when the time came. And it would come. On this trip he felt free to carve out large sections of time for this madness, especially now that Thunder Mountain was as good as safe. Back in Seattle it would be a different story.

  But he would challenge any man to turn his back on a woman who sashayed up the dimly lit stairs of the bed-and-breakfast in strappy sandals, a dress wrinkled from backseat sex and no panties. The irresistible aroma of sex trailed after her, and his cock swelled with every step leading to the room where he could have her again.

  At her suggestion, her laptop had stayed in the locked SUV. He smiled thinking about her terse “Leave it.” She was as eager for him as he was for her, which almost convinced him to reach for her and take her on the stairs. No one was around and he had a box of condoms in his hand.

  He controlled himself. He’d already given in to his impulses once tonight in the backseat of the SUV. Surely he could wait five more minutes before he turned loose the primitive urges raging through him.

  He clenched his jaw as she fumbled with her key. Knowing that she fumbled because she was shaking with anticipation only inflamed him more.

  The night before he’d held back, asked questions. All that was gone now. Once she opened the door, they tumbled inside, each of them wrenching at the other’s clothes. Maybe because she’d planted the idea, he did take her up against the wall, her legs locked around his hips and her breasts jiggling with every firm thrust.

  The rhythm was muted but steady. If anybody had been close by they would have known exactly what was going on in this room. He felt her tighten, felt his own orgasm surge forward and shoved deep. They both came, their cries mingling as their bodies trembled and throbbed.

  He sagged against her, gasping, his head spinning as he rested it on her shoulder. He couldn’t say how long they stayed like that. After a rocket-ship ride with Chelsea, reentry was a slow process.

  “Finn.” Her breath tickled his ear.

  “I know. We need to move. Give me another minute.”

  “It’s not just that.”

  He dragged in a breath and raised his head to look into her eyes. “What?”

  “We left the door open.”

  He turned to see, and sure enough, her bedroom door stood wide-open. If anyone had been around and had cared to peek in, they would have enjoyed an eyeful. “Oh.”

  She snorted with laughter. “Is that all you have to say? Oh?”

  “Well, yeah.” He grinned at her. “I mean, what sort of comment covers a situation like this? We just had wall-banging sex with the door wide-open to the hall of this very lovely bed-and-breakfast. What would the etiquette police say about that?”

  “They might suggest that we close the door. Even though we’re fairly sure no one is upstairs at this hour of the night, we could be wrong. The housekeeper might have heard strange thumping noises and come up to investigate.”

  “If she works in a bed-and-breakfast and thinks rhythmic thumping noises at eleven on a Saturday night are strange, then she’s lived a very sheltered life.”

  “I agree, but we should still close the door.”

  “You’re right.” He let her down slowly so she wouldn’t fall. “I’ll leave that to you while I take care of the condom.”

  “I should be able to manage it.”

  When he returned, she’d closed the door and climbed into bed. But she’d thrown back the covers so that he was treated to the sight of a naked Chelsea stretched out on soft white sheets. Another woman might have covered herself, but not Chelsea. She apparently liked the no-holds-barred dynamic they had going on.

  And so did he. He probably liked it way too much, but now was not the time to question that. All he had to do was to gaze at her lying in bed propped up by several snowy pillows, and he felt desire stir in his groin.

  She watched him approach and her glance moved from his face to his slowly rising cock. “Again?”

  “That’s just my opinion. You may be getting sic
k of this.”

  She looked up at him. “Finn, I’m going to tell you something, and maybe it’s a mistake, but I’ll tell you anyway.”

  “What’s that?”

  “From the moment I first saw you in that coffee shop, I’ve dreamed about having sex with you.”

  He found that hard to believe. She’d been so sure of herself, and he’d been so clueless about how to survive in the big city. “Why?”

  She smiled. “Just asking that question, for example. You’re incredibly good-looking but you don’t seem to realize it. Women notice you, but you don’t seem to see them noticing.”

  “Sometimes I do.”

  “You don’t act like it.”

  “If I notice back, then that implies I might want to start something. And I have a business to run.” He heard himself and groaned. “God, that sounds sanctimonious. I promise to stop saying that. Even I realize it’s becoming obnoxious, like I’m the only person in the world with responsibilities.”

  “But you’re the sole owner of that business,” she said gently. “And that’s another thing that attracted me. You’re very brave. Not too many guys I know would move by themselves to a distant city and plan to open a business on their own.”

  “And I would have crashed and burned if I hadn’t met you.”

  “I don’t think so. It might have taken you longer to succeed, but you were extremely focused.”

  “Still am.”

  “I get that. But as you said, the business is far, far away.” She patted a spot next to her. “And I’m right here.”

  He picked up the box of condoms from the floor and tossed them in her direction.

  Catching it neatly in one hand, she rolled to her side, facing him as he climbed in beside her. She placed the open box between them on the mattress. “Two down, ten to go.”

  “Should’ve bought a bigger box.” He took one out and laid it on her pillow. “But first, I’m running low on kisses.” Closing the box, he tossed it over his shoulder and it landed...somewhere. He’d find it later.