Warm & Willing

She curled into his body, her breathing soft and even. Once upon a time, one night of passion might have been enough, but it wasn’t anymore. Not nearly. He had the distinct impression that no matter how many nights he spent in bed with Sarah, no matter how many times they made love, it might never be enough.

SARAH STARED at herself in the bathroom mirror, noticing the dark smudges beneath her eyes. She hadn’t slept more than three or four hours, and most of that had come just after sunrise, after Charlie had left. He’d kissed her goodbye and promised to return at ten to take her shopping for new hiking boots and a proper backpack.

She couldn’t help but wonder if last night had been a mistake. A simple one-night stand could turn very complicated if either person wanted more than just one night. And after last night, she did want more.

It might have been much easier if Charlie Wilbury had been a disaster in the bedroom. But he seemed to sense her every need, to read her desire and satisfy it in the most wonderful way. She’d been entirely unprepared for it to be so…“Phenomenal,” Sarah murmured. Even now, the thought of what they’d shared sent a shiver coursing through her body.

But this trip wasn’t supposed to be about getting laid. Her professional future now rested with a man who’d seen her naked and who probably wanted to see her naked again—a man who’d touched her body in the most intimate ways and who’d brought her to three of the most earth-shattering orgasms she’d ever experienced. Yes, Charlie Wilbury knew exactly how to take her right over the edge of reason and that made him a very dangerous man.

The temptation to experience it all over again would be unbearable. But they’d both gone into this expecting a single night of mutual satisfaction. She couldn’t change the rules now. Which meant she’d have to suck it up. Because she was going to have to spend at least the next few days with Charlie if she wanted to get to Sam Morgan. Sarah closed her eyes and sighed. “Just don’t forget why you came here,” she murmured.

All this passion was very distracting. When it came down to it, she had a life and a job back in Charleston. And Charlie was just an attractive man who lived in Sutter Gap. As long as she reminded herself it had just been great sex, then maybe she’d be able to maintain her perspective.

“He’s just a man,” she muttered. As far as she was concerned, there wasn’t any man on the planet who could be completely trusted. Her father had been shining proof of that theory.

Sarah had adored him as any daughter should. From her very first memories of him, she’d been certain he’d hung the moon and the stars. And then one day, when she was ten years old, she’d heard her parents arguing about another woman.

Gradually, she’d come to understand why her mother had called him a philanderer. And she’d also learned her father’s infidelities were common knowledge around Belfort. That’s when Bill Cantrell had fallen from hero status to nothing more than a humiliating embarrassment to his family.

As the eldest of three daughters, Sarah had taken on the responsibility of maintaining the facade of normalcy. And as her mother had shattered into pieces, Sarah had become her only confidante, forced to listen to the sordid details of her father’s ongoing affair with his secretary and obliged to give her mother marital advice.

It might not have been so bad had her mother chosen to divorce her father. But instead, Susan Cantrell had ignored her husband’s behavior, sinking into a deep melancholy that never seemed to lift. She couldn’t bear to lose the man she loved, so she’d settled for what she could get—another woman’s leftovers.

Was it any wonder Sarah didn’t trust men? She turned on the cold water and splashed her face, hoping it might clear her head. When she looked back at her image in the mirror, droplets of water still clung to her lashes. She licked her damp lips, still tender from the night before. “Get a grip. He’s just a man,” she repeated. “Nothing more.”

A knock sounded on the door and Sarah glanced over her shoulder. It was barely nine and he’d said ten. She still hadn’t decided what she was going to say to him. Of course, she could trot out the old “we’re both adults” line and take it from there. Or she could just tell him the sex was great, but it had been a mistake to mix business with pleasure. Or she could simply drag him back to bed and see what else transpired.

As she walked to the door, her mind filled with thoughts of spending the day in bed with Charlie. But it wasn’t just about his prowess between the sheets. She wanted to be with him, to talk to him and to touch him, to learn about the kind of man he was. This wasn’t a fish she was anxious to throw back.

After grabbing a towel, she quickly dried her face as she walked to the door. She’d go with the “we’re both adults” speech and if he insisted on dragging her back to bed, she wouldn’t protest. After all, what harm could just a few more hours with a naked and aroused man possibly do?

But when she opened the motel room door, she found Hattie Wilbury standing outside. Hattie owned the Gap View Motor Lodge and had made Sarah’s introductions into Sutter Gap society—including an introduction to her cousin Carter Wilbury, Sam Morgan’s good friend.

“Mornin’,” Hattie said. “Would you like me to make up the room?”

Sarah shook her head. “Maybe later. I’m going into Asheville this morning. And then I’m probably going to be gone for a few days, but I want to keep some of my things here, so I’ll pay for the room for another week.”

“Where are you going?” Hattie asked.

“To see Sam Morgan. Charlie Wilbury is taking me.”

Hattie’s eyebrow sprang up. “Is that so? Charlie Wilbury?”

Sarah nodded. “I understand he’s related to you. Is he your nephew or your cousin or—”

“Charlie is kind of the black sheep of the family.” Hattie paused. “You say he’s takin’ you to Asheville this morning? Now that’s funny, ’cause I saw Charlie headin’ out of town an hour ago and he looked like he wasn’t comin’ back.”

Sarah gasped. “What?”

“Mmm-hmm. He and Carter were walking toward the old logging road and Charlie was carrying his pack. Looks like they’re headed up to see Sam Morgan.”

“But—but we had a deal. I’m paying him to take me to Sam Morgan!”

“He’s got your money?” Hattie asked.

“No, not yet. But he agreed last night while we were—” She swallowed hard. “Well, he agreed.”

“I guess he changed his mind, then,” Hattie said. “No surprise there. That boy has a way of dancing around the truth if you ask me. You’re better rid of him. He’s trouble.”

“I’m beginning to realize that,” Sarah muttered, fuming. She turned and hurried back into the room, gathering up her clothes and stuffing them into her suitcase. “I’m going up that damn mountain with or without his help. If I move fast enough maybe I can catch him.”

“That would be a might unlikely,” Hattie said. “Unless, of course, you get someone to drive you up Dewey Road. The trail crosses the road about two miles in. You’d beat them there by about an hour.”

Sarah grabbed her purse and yanked out her wallet, then held out all the cash she had. “I’ll pay you to show me the way.”

Hattie frowned. “No need to pay me. I can take you up there and then I’ll bring your car back.” She paused, as if weighing her next words. “Are you sure you want to do this? If Sam Morgan doesn’t want to talk to you, hiking up that mountain isn’t going to change his mind.”

“I’ve been waiting in Sutter Gap for ten days now. If he won’t come to me, I’m going to him. And Mr. Wilbury is going to take me, whether he wants to or not.”

“How are you going to convince him to do something he doesn’t want to do?”

Sarah snatched up her sneakers and tugged them onto her feet. “I can be very persuasive,” she muttered. With that, she zipped up her suitcase and hefted it off the bed. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”

They walked out to her car and put the suitcase in the trunk. When she slipped behind the wheel, she threw the car into gear and headed out to the road. She was not about to let Charlie Wilbury get the better of her.

They’d driven about a mile when she glanced over at Hattie. “So, what do you know about him?”

“Sam Morgan is a rascal.”

“I was talking about Charlie Wilbury.”

“Oh, he’s a rascal, too. Can’t trust a thing he says. And if I were you, I’d keep tight hold of my panties when I was around him.”

Sarah gasped, a flush warming her cheeks. “Then he’s a…”

“Casanova,” Hattie finished. “Slick as a button. Loves ’em and leaves ’em. Just watch yourself. I wouldn’t want him breakin’ your heart.”

Sarah watched the road ahead, slowing for a wide curve. Maybe she should have learned a little more about Charlie before she’d actually slept with the man, she mused. But how would she have found out? Everyone in Sutter Gap was so tight-lipped—everyone except Hattie—it made casual conversation impossible. “I will watch myself. And thank you for the advice.”

Maybe if she’d had a little more self-control, she wouldn’t have found herself in this mess. From the first moment she’d met him, she’d caught herself having lascivious thoughts about him, about the body beneath the flannel and denim. He was everything a real man was supposed to be.

Yes, and he was everything a man wasn’t supposed to be—deceitful, conniving, untrustworthy. He’d made promises he’d never intended to keep. And to make matters worse, he’d made those promises in bed!

“It’s right up here,” Hattie said.

After shaking her head clear, Sarah squinted against the sun and pulled the car over to the side of the road. A wide path had been cut through the woods, but it was overgrown with vegetation.

“If you wait here, I expect he’ll be coming along shortly,” Hattie said. “He’ll come out of the woods right there.”