“Beth?”

How had she ever mistaken Jesse for Daniel? The deep timbre of his voice made her toes curl. It took a few seconds to drag her mind back to the reason why she had called. “Hey, you asked me to phone. I know it’s late, but do you have a few minutes to talk?”

A pause. “Is this going to be a good talk or a bad talk?”

“I’m not calling it off.” There, it had been said. “I need…I need some advice, beyond the…issue we’re going to…”

He laughed. “You can’t even say the word sex when you’re on the phone. Damn, you are one hundred percent charming.”

“And you’re a tease.”

“What kind of advice can I get for you tonight?” There was a creaking sound, and the voices in the background faded away. “I’m out on the porch and no one’s listening. We can chat if you’d like. Or I can come over there.”

Beth glanced at her watch. She was going to be bagged tomorrow. “I’m all ready for bed, and the boys are bound to be up at their usual time. Plus, I slacked off on all my work tonight putting out fires.”

“Troubles?”

She sighed. “Kind of, but it was a good evening in the end. The kids and I made a list of things they want to do. Only some of them…”

He sat silently on the other end of the line, waiting for her to continue. When he chuckled, it was light enough to help calm her. “You’re going to have to help me here with a few more details. I can’t tell if that’s a ‘some of them require snow to fall’, or ‘some of them need you to have twelve hands’ and you’d like my help.”

For not wanting to get involved with him, the temptation to have him around grew by the minute. The boys liked him, by all reports he was a safe man to do things with.

Her body craved him.

She couldn’t decide if that final reason held her in restraint or egged her on. “Daniel, can I back up about twelve paces and ask a real big favour of you?”

“What’s up, darling?”

“They want to go swimming.”

He whistled low. “Water’s going to be fairly brisk this time of—”

“At the pool. But with my bad leg it’s hard for me to play with them. Would you be willing to come with us sometime? I hate to disappoint them, and it might be a good way to, well, you know. Your part of our deal.”

“Become friends?”

“Yeah.” She stumbled down the stairs to turn off all the lights and make sure the door was locked. Leaving it unlatched—she couldn’t believe she’d done that the other day. “There’s an open swim both days of the weekend. The times are listed online. If either of them work for you.”

“You want to go tomorrow?”

That easy, huh? “You don’t have commitments already?”

His rich laugh spread over her like a balm. “I’ve always got stuff on the go, but that’s the good part about friends—they make time for each other. I can take a couple of hours off to join you and the boys. The twins came home this weekend from college, so they can help out around the ranch. You want me to pick you up? The kids would love riding in the jump seat of my truck.”

They would, but she didn’t want to push this that fast. “I’ll meet you there. Thanks, Daniel.”

“Not at all. I get to see you in a swimsuit out of the deal as well, right?”

With one sentence, he stole her voice. She was going to see him in not much more than his briefs, and suddenly this wasn’t sounding like a very safe public activity.

“Beth, you still there?”

“I’m…”

“You’re blushing, aren’t you? Is the thought of me looking you over making you tingle in certain spots?”

“Oh God, stop it.”

He laughed again, and the tingles he’d mentioned spread. “You ever have phone sex, darling?”

He paused until she had to answer. “No.”

“The boys in bed?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, then I think you have to give me a minute.” The squeak of the porch door carried over the phone, and voices flickered in and out of the background. “I want to be able to join you.”

“Join me?” Phone sex. Holy cow. Her panties were wet and getting wetter by the second.

“Beth, are you in your bedroom?”

“No,” she squeezed out through a throat gone dry. Her heart pounded, and her clit thumped in time with her heart.

He sighed, a long relaxed sound. “That’s better. I’m in my room. I want you to go to your room and lock the door so you’re not worried about the boys interrupting you.”

“Daniel, I…” Her feet moved up the stairs involuntarily, like puppet strings drew her forward. It was awkward, manoeuvring straight-legged with the brace on one side.

“You don’t want to do this, you just tell me, but I think you’ll enjoy it.”

She swallowed hard. “I want to.” Oh yeah, she really wanted to.

“Are you in your room?”

She turned the lock. “Yes.” The whole space somehow looked different. Brighter, cozier. More sensual. The sound of his breathing on the other end of the line teased her. Heated her already steamy blood.

“Take off your clothes and crawl under the covers. It’s cold in that big room this time of year. You got any toys handy?”

“Toys?” she squeaked.

“If I were there, I’d be touching you. Running my hands over your skin. Kissing your beautiful breasts. Stroking your pussy. If you got a vibrator or something, go grab it, just to help out a little, until I’m really there.”

He was asking if she had a vibrator. A man who made her blood boil with a single glance was talking about sex toys. A shiver ran over her skin, and her breathing sped up. “I’ve…I’ve got to put the phone down.” Oh God, did she just admit to him she had one?

“I’ll be here when you pick up. I’m taking off my clothes as well. Thinking about you is getting me harder than a spike.”

Beth lowered the phone to the bed, her hand shaking slightly. Phone sex? She hadn’t been this turned-on in forever. The teasing anticipation begun by Daniel’s touch at the school reactivated. She unlocked her side drawer and grabbed her vibrator. A laugh escaped her as she tossed it on the bed. She wasn’t going to need much to go off, her body already tight and aroused from the sound of his voice. She sat and leaned over to undo the buckles that held her brace in place. The rush of relief from being out of its confines fled rapidly in light of other more distracting matters, and she let the contraption drop unminded to the floor. A couple of wiggles took care of her pyjamas and she dove under the thick quilt.

Suddenly she felt very lonely and a touch shy. Phone sex. Sheesh. If she weren’t so excited, she’d think it was a little pathetic.

She took a deep breath to steady her nerves before picking up the phone. “Daniel?”

“Hmm, right here. You all cozy in that big bed? Your nipples still tight from the cold of the room or you warming up already?”

A flash of electricity shot up her spine. “You just jump right in, don’t you?”

“Are they tight?”

“Yes.” Like rocks. And they ached for his mouth, for the pull of his lips she’d felt that afternoon.

“Touch them. Damn, I loved seeing you today. Sexy as sin with your tits showing through the fabric of your blouse, like they were playing peek-a-boo for me.” He hummed, a deep vibrating noise that stroked her eardrums and melted something inside. “You tasted like pure pleasure. Rolling my tongue around your nipples and sucking on them made my cock ache. I want you to touch yourself. How do you want it? You like your breasts massaged? You enjoy what I did to you today?”

Beth had lain back against the pillows when he started talking, propping the phone by her ear. To hell with being embarrassed, this was hot. She cupped her breasts in her hands and squeezed and rubbed like he had earlier in the day. Slow tugs on her nipples as she imagined him sucking them.

“I liked it,” she whispered, the words sultry and deep to her own ears.

“You like it hard? If I were to lean over you on the bed, press my weight on top of you and suck your nipple into my mouth hard, would that turn you on?” He paused, his breathing rough on the other end of the line. “Or you want me to play with you slowly? Tongue around your sweet red nipples again and again?”

“Tonight I want it hard.” She pinched as she answered, the tingle in her groin growing as her breasts grew more sensitive.

“Shit, yeah, tugging and biting until you make those sexy moaning sounds deep in your throat.” He growled, low and husky. “You taste so good, your skin is hot against my lips. I’m going to touch your pussy the next time I see you. Slowly take my fingers and open you up to find out what pleases you.”

She whimpered, wishing he were there, doing it right at that moment.

“Touch your clit, Beth, use your vibrator if you want, but imagine it’s my mouth and my fingers down there. Licking and exploring, circling your sweet pussy and dipping inside.”

She fingered and teased herself, flicking the vibrator on and following his voice, moaning as his directions brought her closer to climax by the second.

He panted in her ear. “I can imagine how you’re going to taste and I can hardly wait. I’ll push my tongue into you, deep inside, reaching for the sweet cream from your body. Circling your clit again.” He swore softly. “God, Beth, I want to touch you so fucking badly right now. Want to fill you up. Put something into your pussy for me, so I can think about being the one to press in. Stretch yourself full.”

The vibrator was cold and plastic, and she would have given anything at that moment to have him really there with her, his hot skin over hers, his breath warming her, the scent of sex in the air.

“What are you doing, Daniel? While you’re talking to me? Are you…hard?” Her inhibitions melted away with the heat of desire rippling through her.