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Then he took her hand and led her to his bedroo hard Wariness darkened her eyes
He stripped first As he stood naked before her, his rush ofvulnerable
"Dalton," she whispered, trapping his face in her hands, "Talk to me"
"I love you"
Rory blinked at hi away from me because I’ht I’ve changed But have I changed enough so you believe--"
She kissed him "You are the man I want Just you I’m here with you and there’s no place I’d rather be"
He traced her swollen lips with the pad of his thuh I’m sorry"
"Then you’d better kiss it and make it better, huh?"
Dalton kissed her Touched her Showed her
She responded in that sweetherself over to him completely
After he’d removed her clothes and they were stretched out on his bed, skin to skin, heart to heart, he said, "You’re et away fro in his ears as he showed her twice just how aze ered on her sex-mussed hair Then he lifted that one dark eyebrow "I can tell"
Rory shoved hihed "You can be mad at me more often if that’s hoork out our differences" He leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on the cup of her shoulder "That was…mmm"
"Mmm? What’s mmm?"
"The sexual hum of a satisfied ht you’d recognize it" He propped hiertip "I don’t have a bunch of smooth words What’s between us defies description I never knew it could be like that And it’s like that between us every damn time"
Don’t know any set your hed "Why didn’t you tell me you applied for a per the applications?" he countered
"Because it was supposed to be kept under wraps But the people in the office knehat I orking on--I blae me And the way I told you…" She shuddered "I wasn’t supposed to tell you at all Not only because I thought it’d cause problems between us I know ram"
"True" He stroked the upper swell of her breast with the back of his knuckles "But soot that I’m not a rancher anymore"
"Also true"
"And we don’t talk about our jobs Me, mostly because I don’t have one So can we have a rational discussion about what happened?"
"While we’re naked?"
"Yep"
"Fine When I showed up on Monday, why did you assu about your application?"
"Because I had a big goddaame"
As Dalton told her what’d happened with the McKays, she felt even worse for how she’d handled it with him "I’m sorry I ay less than professional"
He tipped her chin up and looked into her eyes "Wasn’t your lack of professionalised between us That you understood I’d changed But you believed the worst of onna lie Pissed me off more than it hurther head on his chest and trying to wrap herself around him "I’m sorry This isn’t an excuse for the way I behaved, but seeing your application caught ured your fa selected so they could tank the program But you’re serious about this"
"Coone for three years I had no idea what’d been goin’ on with the laws until I saw it in the newspaper I was really shocked to read the elk farislature and the lawmakers hadn’t bowed to the livestock producers’ de enough You should see the book of regulations just for the teulations are brutal--I don’t envy you that--I’lehold that Yellowstone and The Tetons have had on the feeding grounds"
She drew circles on his chest "So this application isn’t a whi as a WNRC employee, but as your…" Lover? Girlfriend?
"As iveness"
Her response didn’t ht of the fact he’d confessed his love for her
"I didn’t plan on staying here when I first left Montana Then htto do here instead of returning to ranching" Dalton’s palm skated down her arm "My brothers are on board with h the rest of the McKays are not"
"I’ you full support"
"I’ive ain"
Rory tried not to freeze up She tried to keep her breathing steady She tried not to think about what that stateht occurred to her For once in their relationship, she had all the power Her decision would determine whether or not he stayed
Dalton’s hand cupped her face and he tilted her head back so he could look at her "I’ve gotta know that you’re gonna give ood that this is out in the open But it can’t all be out in the open There are things I can’t talk about, Dalton"