Choose to Love [Blackhawk Brothers 2] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) Read online

  He hadn’t thought of after and found himself surprised when he heard her breathing deepen and realized she’d fallen asleep. A smile touched his lips, and contentment stole over him.

  When he felt her move, Grant glanced over at the bedside clock. Twelve fifteen. His stomach rumbled. He heard her laugh.

  She grasped the sheet over her naked breasts in a show of shyness.

  An inner growl of protest escaped his lips, but he tamped it down.

  “I knew you should have had more than a bowl of clam chowder for lunch,” she said.

  “It was a big bowl.”

  “Well, apparently not big enough. Want to get dressed and see if we can get something in the bar?”

  “I’d rather go back to what we were doing. That hunger is much more...but maybe room service.” He liked the image that sprang to his mind. Eating with only the toweling robes on. Anticipation of dessert.

  Her eyes widened, and she shook her head. “We couldn’t let anyone in here. They’d know what...” Her voice trailed off.

  Grant inhaled and let their combined scent fill him. He liked his scent on her, marking her as his. Again he felt the totem spirit move within him.

  He laughed at her hesitancy. “Let’s get dressed and go down to my room. Or better yet, let’s take a shower and use the toweling robes. They’re modest enough to get us down the hall.”

  He’d half expected her to let her modesty dictate her actions, and she again surprised him with her response.

  “We should hurry. I don’t know how long room service is available. They may not have it all night.”

  He laughed and lightly kissed her. “I agree. We can shower together to save time.”

  Again he thought she might object, but when she slid out of bed, leaving the sheet she’d earlier wrapped around her, elation filled him.

  The shower stall was large enough to easily accommodate both of them, though Grant wouldn’t have minded if it had been smaller. They soaped each other, skimming their hands over muscle and softness. Then lingering when it seemed impossible to move on.

  When she stepped into him and brought her mouth up to his, he gave up the idea of a quick shower. “Wrap your legs around my waist.”

  “I’m too heavy.”

  “You’re just right.”

  Warm water sluiced over them, making it feel like they were in a world where only the two of them existed. Grant tensed, afraid that he’d hurt her.

  She didn’t seem to have the same reservation and positioned herself over him. Their breaths became one as he entered her and began to move. He delighted in her openness. He’d expected her to be shy, maybe reserved, and instead he found a vixen.

  Later, sated and satisfied, Grant handed Baylee a toweling robe that was at least two sizes too big for her. “You look cute in that getup.”

  “Cute? I was going for sexy,” she teased.

  “If you were any sexier, we’d never make it down the hall for breakfast.” His hand rested on her back as he nudged her out the door ahead of him.

  Room service arrived in good time, and Grant tipped the waiter well. They’d both opted for breakfast with red wine. Baylee had ordered an everything-in-it omelet, and he’d chosen the steak and eggs.

  He took the last bite and sat back with his wine. “I could get used to this.”

  His body tightened, and his voice lowered. “I don’t want this to end. I want to take you home with me.” I think for forever. He made himself stop before he said the words out loud. Why would she leave her life in California, and what kind of man was he to even expect it? Damn it, he couldn’t leave Montana, and it had nothing to do with his practice. That he could reconstruct any place. But now, when he was thinking of a family of his own, he wanted to be close to his parents and brothers.

  He poured another glass of wine and topped Baylee’s off. She pulled her feet up under her in the overstuffed chair. “I don’t want it to end, either. I had no idea...I—”

  She took a swallow of wine, and Grant watched the pulse beat in the hollow of her throat. “I haven’t been here before. Nothing could have prepared me for how it feels to be with you,” he said.

  “But you’ve...”

  He nodded. “I’ve made love to other women, or I thought I had. Now I’m thinking it was more sex. What you and I shared was more than a physical act. It went deeper and richer.”

  He ran his hand over his face. “Hell, Baylee, I don’t have the words to express what happened.” Again his voice dropped. “I don’t think there are words to say what I’m feeling.”

  Tears brimmed in her eyes, and Grant reached over to take her glass. He sat it on the table and pulled her into his lap. “Shush no tears. You’re killing me.”

  She made a swipe across her eyes and smiled at him. “I don’t know what’s the matter with me. I never cry.” She took a deep breath. “Well, unless I’m mad.”

  “When you’re mad you cry? What about when you’re sad?”

  “I don’t cry, and I’m never sad. That’s one nice thing about not getting involved. No emotion, no reaction.”

  He laughed as he let his eyes travel across her mouth. “Not sure I’m buying this.”

  She pulled back so she could see him better.

  When she made eye contact, Grant stifled a moan. His body instantly hardened. This was a first for her, and her body would answer for it tomorrow if he didn’t rein their passion in. With a sigh, he gave her a light kiss. “What say we try to get a couple hours of sleep.”

  * * * *

  Grant surprised her. Baylee had expected him to take them back to where they’d been before room service and breakfast interrupted. Instead, he gently picked her up and laid her on the bed. Still holding her in his arms, he nudged her robe open and feathered light kisses down her jaw to her neck. “Shut your eyes, sweetheart. A new day will be here before either of us is ready for it.”

  Baylee would have sworn she couldn’t fall asleep. The warmth of his body stole through her. Maybe just for a few minutes.

  She woke up to a feeling of rightness, of belonging. She lay quietly, letting herself slowly come awake while she immersed herself in the moment. She could hear Grant’s deep breathing. Cautiously, she eased away. She didn’t want to wake him. He’d given her so much. So much that she hadn’t even realized she’d been missing. Her hand itched with the urge to touch him. His robe had fallen open to reveal a deeply muscled chest. He didn’t have chest hair. She’d read someplace that this was natural to an American-Indian heritage. She liked it. That the bronze color so matched her own was a plus. They would make beautiful babies. But then, wasn’t that why she’d started all this? But now it wasn’t the foremost reason for her anymore. Selfishly, she wanted to explore their relationship further.

  He fascinated her. Where she’d expected he’d take, he’d given. There was a fierce, almost feral element to him, and yet he’d been gentle. He’d taken control but accepted her control of him as well.

  So what now? She instinctively knew that Grant wouldn’t leave Blackhawk. It wouldn’t be his medical practice that would keep him there. It would be his family. And, if he made a family of his own, his parents and brothers would be even more essential to him.

  She got up and went to the window. So what now, filtered through her mind again. With morning light graying the sky, it would soon be time to pick her life back up. She sighed and let herself drift back into the moment. She didn’t have to make any decisions now, or tomorrow for that matter. Better to wait, wait until she’d put some distance between this man and herself. If she felt this way when her mind instead of her body was in control, she’d know she’d need to do something. If not, well if not, there wouldn’t be a problem.

  Baylee couldn’t hold back any longer. Climbing back into bed, she leaned forward, letting her lips trail down his neck where she nipped the soft spot at the base of his throat. His eyes slowly opened, and he gazed into hers.

  “Good morning,” she whispered.

  �
�Yeah, it is.” He pulled her mouth down to his. “I could wake up this way every morning.”

  She laughed. “We’d have to set our alarms for an hour earlier so we wouldn’t be late for work.”

  “You think?”

  He deepened the kiss. Baylee didn’t want to talk. She just wanted to feel and taste. He pulled her closer, and she melted against him, exalting in the feel of his arousal. She let her robe fall open and melted into him.

  She could feel his pulse speed up and marveled that she could elicit this response from him. She pulled back and used her hands to trace across his stomach, finally letting her fingers encircle him.

  When he drew in a deep breath, she felt him tremble with the same desire and need she was experiencing. He rolled her under him and traced down her body with his mouth.

  When she moaned and begged, he joined with her. For the first time, she understood what it meant to become one. She wanted to give back to him all he brought to her.

  Gently, he brought her to the edge. “Let go, honey. Don’t hold back.”

  Waves of excitement washed over her as she did what he asked. He immediately followed. A growl escaped him as their bodies and spirits merged.

  She didn’t want to move and didn’t want to disturb the feeling of completeness. Grant rolled to the side, and she cuddled into him as she drifted back to sleep. She wouldn’t think about tomorrow or all the tomorrows after that. No, she’d think only of this weekend. Only of being with Grant.

  Chapter 14

  Baylee came awake when she heard the pilot announce they were descending into San Francisco. She smiled, thinking about why she was tired enough to doze off on the two-hour flight. Had it only been two days since she’d left this airport? It seemed like a lifetime ago. So much had happened, and looking around at her fellow passengers getting children ready to deplane, putting away their books and magazines, she couldn’t believe they were oblivious to how different she was. She smiled, of course they were oblivious. They were strangers. Would Jeffrey see a change? She’d bet Grant would see it.

  As her thoughts strayed to the handsome, virile man she’d left, her pulse sped up. She touched the side of her throat with her fingertips, feeling the evidence of it. Their final kiss was bittersweet. For a minute, she had been sure he intended to ask her to come to Montana with him again.

  Even though she knew it was impossible for her to move, she had still wanted him to ask her. Again. The thought made her wonder, if Grant asked her to give up everything for him, would he at least consider doing the same for her? He had so much more to give up. She mentally checked off what the pros and cons were for them.

  1. One of them would have to reestablish their practice. Hers was a lucrative law firm and his was a successful medical one.

  2. He would have to give up living close to family. She didn’t have one to give up.

  3. One of them would distance themselves from friends. She only had a few close friends. She’d bet he had a whole network. She had lived in San Francisco for twelve years. He had lived in Blackhawk his whole life except for time out for college.

  3. One of them would have to give up their home. She had already planned to sell the office and apartment to the practice and purchase another. Grant was in the process of building one.

  It didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize the tables were tipped on one side. In making a sacrifice, hers would be far less than his.

  When the plane banked, Baylee saw San Francisco spread out below her. She loved this city and had from the first minute she saw it. She closed her eyes and let the lyrics from Tony Bennett’s “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” float in her mind.

  But was her heart here now, or had Grant taken it with him? For someone that didn’t believe in love at first sight, or at any other time, she sure exhibited all the symptoms. Or at least according to romance novels and movies she did.

  Baylee gathered her things and disembarked the plane, still trying to find the puzzle piece that would explain the turmoil her emotions were in.

  * * * *

  The lights of Blackhawk, Montana’s small runway welcomed Grant home. He quickly brought the plane down and taxied over to the hanger. He knew that Jim, the airport’s pilot and manager, could take it from here and get the plane ready for the morning. Nevertheless, Grant didn’t do things that way. The plane had been fueled and ready when he took off, and it would be the same when he was through using it.

  When he finished with the plane, he pointed the truck toward the property instead of the condo. Cooper had said they’d be working on the house this weekend, and he was anxious to see the progress they’d made.

  When the truck pulled into the meadow, he let out a whistle. The roof was on, and the house looked bigger than it had when he left. Good thing Coop knew what he was doing because in the beginning it had looked like the size of a dollhouse. Grant had panicked and wanted to make the rooms bigger. Cooper had laughed and told him the look was an illusion, and at different phases of construction it would look bigger or smaller than it actually would be when it was finished.

  When Grant still wasn’t convinced, Cooper adamantly refused to alter the construction and pointed out the house would be four thousand square feet and that would be enough, in fact, more than enough for any family Grant planned.

  At the thought of family, the image of Baylee came to the forefront of his mind. Since he’d left her at the airport, he hadn’t stopped thinking about her. His mind might know their situation was impossible, but his body didn’t, and worse, his inner wolf spirit was all but howling in anguish.

  He walked down to the edge of the lake and watched a mother duck with what looked liked new hatchlings. He smiled at her natural nurturing. A warm, soothing breeze blew over him, and his totem seemed to ease up. It had been a long day, and Grant could feel it. With a sigh, he sat down, rested his back against a log, and closed his eyes.

  As sleep came, a feeling of freedom filled his lungs with air. Night had descended, and he was in a high meadow. When he tipped his head back and howled, it seemed the most natural thing in his world. The feeling and meadow were familiar. He raised his head, letting the smells surround him. A storm was brewing, and the breeze turned into a wind. He growled into it.

  A she-wolf howled in anguish somewhere to the south. Baylee? A pain laced through him, and he again howled into the night. Freedom, pure and wild, flooded his senses, and he took off at a run. The wind howled through the trees, whipping branches across his path. Their pine scent closed in around him, and he drew in a deep breath, savoring it.

  * * * *

  Grant jerked awake. He shivered as rain pelted him. His clothes were in a pile beside the log, and he was soaked and wet. Chilled, he hurriedly pulled on his clothes and headed for his truck. The clock on the dash read midnight. Damn, it was too late to call Baylee. He’d promised her he would call when he got home. He could only imagine what she’d be thinking. Maybe that he didn’t care, or he’d gotten what he wanted and couldn’t be bothered anymore. He let out a string of curses at the thought.

  By the time he opened his condo door, he’d convinced himself he’d had a nightmare of horrendous proportions. He again cursed the fates that had caused him to fall asleep. Fates, who did he think he was kidding? No, it was time to be honest. Besides, instead of denying what he was, like he usually did, tonight he could almost embrace it. A long time ago, he’d feared it. He wasn’t a warrior. He didn’t need to shift into a form that enabled him to do what he couldn’t do as a mortal. His gift was more an instinct. He felt things stronger than he could without his totem. Right now he felt the pain of loneliness and knew the only person that would fill him and make him complete was Baylee.

  All his senses seemed heightened. First he was cold. Second, he was starving. So where did chilled and hungry leave off for the more acute awareness of loneliness? He missed Baylee to the point of physical pain.

  With a curse, he stalked over to his desk and picked up the phone. B
y the third ring, his pulse was racing. Two more and despair set in. He slowly lowered the receiver, but before he could hang it up, he heard a soft, “Hello.” Relief flooded through him, and he let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

  His voice came out low and deep. “Hello, yourself. Miss me?”

  “Grant?”

  Anger simmered just below the surface. Who else would she think it was? He forced himself to calm down. “Did I wake you up?”

  “No, yes. I think I might have dozed off.” She laughed. “To be honest, I took a nap when I got in from the airport.

  “I took one, too. I went out the property and fell asleep in sunshine but woke up to rain.”

  Again, her laugh rang out. He smiled in response. Even with the miles between them, he felt close to her. He could still smell her scent mingled with his.

  “You could have come with me to sunny San Francisco.”

  “I always thought it was called ‘foggy San Francisco.’”

  Her voice was light, teasing. “Only in the early mornings and evenings. It makes for nice cuddling.”

  “I’ll go for that. I...hell, honey, I miss you. I’d give anything to have you here with me now.”

  His voice pitched still deeper. “I’d hold you and take your mouth with mine. I’d...” He heard her draw in a deep breath, and his body leapt in response. A sweet pain hit his groin.

  “I’d like that, and then I’d like where you’d go from there.”

  Her whispered words had him gripping the phone. He had to call a halt to this or he’d be up all night taking cold showers. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?”

  “No more than what you’re doing to me,” she whispered.

  Grant bit back a curse. This was going to be a long night. “I’m sending you a good-night kiss. Grab it and dream of me, of us.”

  * * * *