Love in the Rockies Read online

  Erin raised her eyes to meet his, her face now flaming. “I’m warm.”

  “As in you need a window to be cracked open?” He looked disbelievingly to the snow that was slashing across the small window pane.

  “No,” she said. “Please, Zach, you know I hate saying it.”

  “I’d like to help you with that.” He tightened his grip on her nipples just a little as he kissed her belly, running his tongue around the outside of her belly button. “Tell me what you’re feeling,” he said again before plunging his tongue inside the shallow hole.

  “Hot,” she squeaked, hoping it would be enough.

  “I may just have to get out the big guns.” Zach undid the button and slid the zipper down on her jeans, tugging them down to her knees.

  Erin sighed with partial relief. Her pants were off but he’d mumbled something about big guns. She waited for him to remove her lacy thong but he didn’t. Instead his hand snaked around to her bottom. Was he going to spank her? Her eyes widened, horrified that his longest finger was snaking between her bottom cheeks. It was a place they didn’t go. Her friends did, she knew, but it was something that had always terrified her, she’d always made Zach stop when he touched her there.

  “That’s right,” he said, his finger settling just over her puckered back hole. His other hand slid down the top of the tiny V at the front of her underwear so he could feel her reaction first hand.

  Erin squeezed her legs together tightly, not wanting him to feel how much what he was doing was turning her on. It terrified and horrified her at the same time that her body betrayed her so. She didn’t like it, she didn’t and yet the thumping between her legs and rolling tingle low in her belly persisted.

  “Don’t even,” he said, for a minute deadly serious. “Don’t hide from me.”

  She allowed him access and blew out a frustrated breath as his fingers wiggled deeper between her folds.

  He smiled smugly.

  “I’m horny, okay?”

  “Oh, honey, it’s more than okay.” He removed his finger and most of her clothes, leaving her panties for last. He stopped to suckle each breast as they bounced out of their restraints.

  “You need to get naked,” she panted, “like now!”

  “Ooh, getting bossy aren’t we? Maybe you need to be reminded just who’s in charge.”

  Erin tried to think of a smart comeback but her blood had already raced to places much lower than her addled brain. Her eyes were glued to Zach’s hands as they whipped his thick leather belt through the loops of his jeans. Her tummy twisted with anticipation as he bent it in half, a smile dancing at the corners of his lips. She tried to take a step back but it was too late, his knees tightened around her. “You’ll make me sore,” she half whined, half giggled.

  “You know you want it.”

  “Says you,” she giggled.

  “Oh, now I know you want it.”

  Erin squealed as he bent her over his knee, but he didn’t immediately whack her with the belt. She felt the leather on the arch of her foot first. He tickled her until she wriggled her foot away and then it started its teasing journey. Ever so lightly the edge of the belt ran up and down the back of each leg, stopping behind her knees, resting there across both legs. She wanted to scream at him to keep moving, to do something; smack her or drop it. Then it moved again, slowly up one leg. When the cool leather slipped between her ass cheeks, she tried to spin around. Zach removed it and flicked it across both cheeks. “Ow!” she said.

  “Hold still, naughty girl.”

  The belt landed again, but this time not as sharply. It was more of a warm stripe. The leather fell low on her sweet spot. There was no weight behind the blows, they were taps just firm enough to ignite a delicious slow burn. “So nice,” she panted, very aware of his hard erection that was pressing impatiently against her hip.

  “Good girl,” he said, dropping the belt to the floor.

  She scrambled up onto the bed, her fingers in the scrap of lace that was the band of her panties.

  “Leave those for me,” he said huskily.

  So she waited, letting her fingers drift between her legs as she enjoyed the view of her husband removing his clothes.

  * * * * *

  Zach climbed up onto the bed. The pale pink lace was marked with her juices and it almost finished him. He latched on and suckled her there through the flimsy material, his hands sliding under her and kneading her bottom. He wanted closer contact. Erin raised her hips for him and he whipped the last frail barrier off before spreading Erin’s already open legs even wider. The telltale glisten called for his immediate attention. He wanted to be inside her but he had to stop first and taste her sweet juices. He’d been dying to bury his face between her legs since he’d tested her there while he touched her forbidden hole. If only she would just let herself go, he was sure she would enjoy some anal play. Erin’s body was ready but her brain was still resisting. He would never force her.

  “Please Zach,” she whimpered. “I want to come with you inside me.”

  He pulled his mouth away and after kissing a trail up her belly, across each breast, he pressed his lips to hers, kissing her passionately as he plunged inside her, closing his eyes while he savored the feel as she adjusted to his size and her flesh folded around him. “So good,” he moaned.

  “Mmhmm.”

  He kissed her, long and deep. His tongue twisting and twirling with hers until their need for air forced them to pull apart.

  She tilted her head to give him access to her neck. “Oh, baby.”

  It was the best part about winter. He could suckle her delicate skin to his heart’s content without having to worry about the telltale marks. It’s what his wife did to him still, she turned him into a horny teenager that craved every part of her. As though she read his mind, her legs wrapped around him, and she squeezed him tightly from the inside. “Oh, baby.”

  “Harder,” she whispered, urging him from within.

  “Say it louder,” he panted, trying desperately to hold back a little.

  “Harder.”

  That was all he needed. He felt Erin as she clenched around him, every muscle in her body stiffening as he pounded into her, over and over. He lost control as wave after wave of pleasure shot through him.

  Her lips searched his. “Kiss me,” she panted.

  She arched her back under him as he thrust into her one last time, filling her as they both dropped onto the bed in a breathless, intertwined heap.

  * * * * *

  “Do you think anyone heard us?” she asked a short while later while she lay on the surprisingly comfortable bed, wrapped in her husband’s arms.

  Zach rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Do you care? We don’t even have to get out of the car again. We can just walk up front and drive away.”

  “Nah, it was worth it,” she said, cuddling into her husband.

  “It sure was.” He kissed the top of her head. “But as much as I’d like to stay like this all day, I think we better get going soon. We don’t want to risk losing our spot.”

  “You have to make a reservation for a spot?”

  “Yes, you do. You can just drop in and hope for the best but unless someone is really late and misses their reservation, you would probably end up without any power.”

  “Fabulous. We best get going then.”

  “Do you want to stay in bed for a while?” Zach asked.

  “No, I’ll keep you company.” She was glad they had made love. Her mood had improved and she was even feeling a bit more enthusiastic about their trip. An hour ago she would have gladly stayed in bed and pouted but now she wanted to be closer to Zach.

  Despite her good intentions of wanting to keep Zach company, Erin dosed off in her seat. When she woke, they were on a remote road with nothing but snow-capped trees on either side of the road. She blinked. There were some cars going in both directions but they were moving as slowly as they were, no doubt because of the icy conditions.

  “Hi the
re, sleepy head,” Zach said.

  “Sorry, I must have dosed off. What time is it?”

  “Close to eight. There should be a truck stop up here somewhere. We’ll pull in and get gas and dinner.”

  “It feels like we just ate lunch,” Erin said sleepily. “I am a little peckish though.”

  “That’s because we ate lunch like seven hours ago.”

  “Wow. I didn’t realize I slept that long. Why didn’t you wake me up?”

  “Because I didn’t mind you sleeping. I know you don’t get the chance to nap very often.” He reached over and squeezed her knee.

  “Aww, that’s sweet, but I’ll be up all night at this rate.”

  “I’m sure I can think of some way to amuse you.” Zach wiggled his eyebrows.

  “I might believe you if you hadn’t been driving all day. When we stop, I’ll drive if you like.”

  “Nope. This road is too hazardous, baby.”

  “We live in Corbin’s Bend, Zach, I’ve seen snow.”

  Zach smiled. “I know you think I’m being condescending here but I’m not. I think it’s better if I drive, okay?”

  Erin shrugged. It was a funny thing with these toppy people. Zach, like the rest of the breed, could be very diplomatic. He smiled a lot when he was laying down the law. She wasn’t misled by his last question. It was his way of stating a fact. He would be driving because he wanted to keep her safe. Most of the time she adored that about him but this time she was irritated by it. She loved him. Wasn’t it just as important for her to keep him safe as it was for her? That wasn’t a question either, it was a fact.

  * * * * *

  Zach pulled off the highway and into a place that at least was open still, even if it did look a little shabby. “Thank goodness, I can go to the bathroom.”

  “There is a bathroom back there,” Zach said. “It can’t be good for you, holding it for so long.”

  “It’s way better than peeing in the same place that I sleep.”

  “That’s just silly. You use the bathroom next to the bedroom at home.”

  “That’s different. You push a button and it disappears way away in an ocean somewhere. Here it just goes where you can’t see it, but you still know that it’s there.”

  “I’m too tired and hungry to have this conversation,” Zach said. “Let’s go and get something to eat.”

  He did look tired. Zach needed to rest and she had to convince him of that. “Honey, you look beat. I really think you should take a break. I mean, if you fell asleep, that would be more dangerous than me driving.”

  “I know,” Zach agreed. “I really don’t want to risk falling asleep, but I don’t want you to drive in this either. The snow is really coming down.”

  “We have chains on.”

  “Chains help, but they don’t one hundred percent guarantee that you won’t slide. No, I think we’ll just stay here and I’ll take a short nap. We don’t have that much further to go, but it really is getting heavy. I think we need to wait until the weather eases up a bit.” Zach finished the last of his coffee. “Why don’t you get yourself some snacks and magazines? I realize you already napped.”

  “Okay,” Erin agreed.

  * * * * *

  Zach was snoring peacefully and Erin had downed a bottle of chocolate milk, a Snickers Bar, a Twix, a 3 Musketeers and was half way through a bag of Gummy Bears. She’d read the magazines, all the bits she liked anyways. Bored. She was bored. She could wake Zach, he had slept a little longer than he planned to, but it was such a shame. He looked so peaceful and this was his vacation, too. She looked over at the ignition. The keys were in there and the GPS had been set, so if she turned the engine on she’d be all set. Of course Zach might be a little mad but then how surprised would he be when he woke up and they were all set to book into their spot.

  She crept over and sat in the driver’s seat. After one more look over her shoulder to check that Zach wasn’t stirring, she started the engine, wincing as it roared to life. Why hadn’t she noticed before that it was so noisy? Luckily, Zach slept on. She couldn’t resist a peak at the destination before she pulled out. Oh, hot springs, nice. Okay then, time to get there.

  There didn’t seem to be anyone else much on the road, but it didn’t seem that bad. Erin really didn’t see what all the fuss was about. This was bigger than her family van but there was not a lot of difference in driving this. Geez, it was snowing but this was Colorado, it snowed, a lot. Of course she would imagine maneuvering it through traffic wouldn’t necessarily be a piece of cake, but this was just fine.

  If only she could put some music on. That, though, was sure to wake Zach. She leaned over and grabbed her iPod out of her bag, holding the wheel with one hand while she fixed the earphones to her ears. Now that was better. The sound of sweet country music filled her ears and soothed her soul. It wasn’t long before the fact that Zach was sleeping behind her, totally unaware that she had defied him, totally slipped her mind. It was dark and the snow still sparkled prettily from each side of the road. The red flags made it easy to see where the sides of the road were. It was proof, wasn’t it, that Zach was being overly protective. What could possibly go wrong? The thought had no sooner filtered through her brain when it happened…

  Chapter Three

  Erin gripped the wheel tightly, wishing she could will the car back under her control, but the black ice was winning. She glanced at the dash, at the same time trying not to take her eyes off the road. “Zach! Help!” she yelled at the same time as she clonked her foot heavily onto the brake.

  Zach jumped up immediately, running to the front of the car. “Take your foot off the brake and the gas,” he said, “now steer the car with the turn.”

  “I’m sorry,” she cried.

  “Slowly press the brake and then stop, press the brake and then stop.”

  Finally the car stopped, completely facing the wrong way in the middle of the road. Erin dropped her face into her hands. She hadn’t listened and she’d nearly killed both herself and Zach. Their kids would have been orphans. They still might only have one parent. Zach was going to kill her. He hadn’t said a word since they stopped. “I know this looks really bad, but you looked so peaceful that I thought I’d—”

  “Kill me in my sleep?” He was breathing heavily and she could tell he was going to blow. “Kill both of us?”

  “No, of course not. I thought I’d surprise you by—”

  “By defying me?” He took her hand and pulled her out of the seat. “Don’t say another word. Just move out of that seat and go to bed. I need to move this thing before someone runs in to us.”

  “That was a silver lining wasn’t it? We didn’t crash.”

  Zach got up from the driver’s seat and popped Erin hard on the bottom. “I told you not to speak. The reason that no one else was on the road is that no one else was silly enough to be driving in this weather!” He popped her again several more times. “Now go take a nap and give me a chance to calm down. You really don’t want me to spank you while I’m feeling this way.”

  Erin hated being sent to bed like a child, but it was safer. She was going to get it big time and Zach being calmer could only work in her favor. Her bottom tingled at the thought. Not the nice tingles that made you feel all warm and fuzzy but the kind you might get when you were going to fall off a very high building.

  * * * * *

  Zach gripped the steering wheel, until his knuckles were white. Of all the silly schemes Erin had gotten herself into, this had to be the most dangerous. Didn’t she trust him? That wasn’t right, he knew she did. Once again she just didn’t think things through. Well she was going to be one very sorry girl when he was done with her. He had no option but to drive a short way to a place where they could stop safely for a few hours. Once parked, he turned up the heating and stomped outside. He paced up and down, around the RV, wishing he could walk further afield but he didn’t want to leave Erin alone in the car.

  * * * * *

  Erin list
ened to the sounds outside. She could hear the occasional cough and she definitely heard the door as it opened. Her breath caught in her throat. With one eye cracked open, she was able to watch Zach rummaging through his bag. Her eyes widened when she saw what he was holding.

  “You could stop feigning sleep now, princess. Rise and shine.”

  He called her princess. That was a good sign wasn’t it? But he was holding a pocket knife, that could only mean one thing. “I can’t go in the hot springs if you stripe me with a switch,” she tried.

  “And how did you know we were going to the hot springs?” Zach raised his eyebrows.

  “I couldn’t drive us where we were going without the GPS being on.”

  “Which is one of the reasons, besides generally trying to keep us alive, that I didn’t want you to drive.” He shook his head. “Now hop up and put on your coat.”

  “No fair,” Erin muttered under her breath.

  Zach had one foot on the step but he backtracked and closed the door again. “You are very brave for a woman who is in the middle of nowhere in a place surrounded by trees. Frozen trees. Fine by me. We’ll just have to do things the hard way.”

  “No, it’s okay. Thinking about it, you’re right. Cutting a switch is more than fair.”

  “Yes, it is, and you can do that when I’ve adjusted your less than stellar attitude.” He grabbed her wrist and tugged her over his knee, immediately smacking the back of her jeans as hard as he could.

  “Ow, too hard, Zach!” she squealed. “Even through my jeans it hurts!”

  “Good,” he said, slapping her several times more on each cheek. When he was finished, he stood her up. “Now get on your jacket and follow me outside.”