Love in Montana Read online

  Her thick, blonde hair surrounded a beautiful, fresh face with a sprinkling of freckles over her cheekbones and nose. She reminded him of the girl-next-door because there was a sweet innocence about her.

  She made his mouth water, and all the nights since he’d met her had been hard in more ways than one. In the club, his hands had been all over her luscious ass, and his cock had throbbed so fucking much that he’d had to take care of the problem himself once he’d gotten home.

  Never one to let a woman preoccupy his every thought, he was annoyed that she wouldn’t leave him alone. He should think himself lucky because he’d gotten to thirty-seven without having a ‘woman’ problem. He could do with getting her out of his head, and the only way he knew how to do that was to get her in his bed—out of his system.

  He sure as hell wasn’t looking for anything permanent. His brother had put him right off having a relationship. Mateo was engaged to a money-hungry bitch that Eric couldn’t stand the sight of. His other brothers all felt the same, and their sister Emelia, had a serious hate for the woman. Emelia loved nothing more than to make a dig at her. Caprice would let the dig roll over her and turn a blind eye, not because she was nice or hurt but because she needed to keep the peace between her and Mateo. The family was positive about her motives but his brother was blind. Eric wished his brother would open his eyes and really look at the woman he was engaged to. Hopefully, he would before the wedding went ahead.

  Eric needed to concentrate on getting on Sylvia’s good side, instead of needling her all the time. She fired his blood when she was annoyed with him. It was a reaction, and to have all that fire directed at him was a huge turn-on. He’d been hard as fuck ever since Kenza and his hand only dimmed the lust he felt when he thought about her. He was still horny as hell.

  Chapter Two

  Sylvia slammed her locker and crumpled the note. Was that creep out there? Who was he? She tried to shake off the unsettled feeling, but between her secret admirer and the too short schoolgirl skirt that she wore nothing worked.

  She tugged on the skirt and wanted to hurl. Her boss at Poles wanted her in a schoolgirl outfit for her stint on stage. He paid her wages so she didn’t really have much choice.

  She’d worked at the club for only a month or so, and, in that time she’d earned a small fortune. Well, it was a small fortune to her. All she needed to do was work another few months and then she’d have enough saved to make a down payment on the cozy cottage she’d discovered one weekend.

  Talya had dragged her out of bed one morning and they’d driven until their stomachs had ached with hunger, about an hour into their journey, and that’s when she saw it. The beauty of it had reminded her of an English countryside. There had been rose bush after rose bush surrounding it, and they also peaked through the over-grown grass. The grounds had been neglected, the roses in need of pruning, but she saw past that to how it would look with some hard work. Sylvia wasn’t afraid of hard work. She’d been brought up on a dairy farm, and had ridden the tractor with her father from the time she was a toddler. No, she wasn’t afraid of work and she wasn’t afraid of paying her dues here to earn what she wanted.

  The whistles and cheers from the audience carried backstage, bringing her back to what she had to go out there and do in five minutes. She took in a steadying breath and pictured that little rose garden again.

  She’d sworn she’d never pole dance again, especially with a crowded room of people. She’d done it before, as a freshman in college, when a huge medical bill for her father threatened her attendance at school. Instead of giving up, Sylvia had taken a job at a strip club for her first year. If her parents had known what kind of job she’d gotten, she’d have been home in a blink of an eye. Of course, once it wasn’t needed, Sylvia had stopped dancing...until now at least.

  Her college degree had landed her a good job though, and during the day she worked as the assistant to the CEO’s of McKenzie Holdings, a large construction company in Lexington. But it wasn’t a good enough job for her to buy that little cottage, so by night she was Scarlett, erotic dancer for Yuri Petrov in his club, Poles.

  Yuri was a good boss—usually. He was amused with Sylvia’s choice of words over the schoolgirl outfit, but he’d promised she’d only wear it once. He could be damn persuasive when he put his mind to it. She should have asked her friend, Talya, to go and talk to him about the short ass skirt. Talya had him wrapped around her finger, which she would completely deny, but the big Russian boss would do anything she asked. He had a thing for Talya. Sylvia knew this as she knew that she’d probably be late for work downtown on Monday.

  Sylvia glanced at herself in the floor to ceiling mirror that ran down one side of the dressing room, and winced. If her family saw her now she’d never hear the end of it. Or worse, if the McKenzies saw her, she wasn’t sure if she’d still have a job. She did know if word got back, Ramon would have a hell of a lot to say about it.

  Tugging her skirt down, she just about stopped herself from stamping her foot. There was no give in the cotton fabric, which was held together at the waist by a thin strip of Velcro.

  She huffed in frustration.

  “Sylvia? You in here?” Talya shouted, barging into the dressing room without a care in the world. “You look hot! Why aren’t you out there?”

  “This needs to be longer,” Sylvia complained, giving the skirt one last tug.

  Resigned, she faced her friend, and roommate. “I’m more nervous tonight than I have ever been. Even my first night I wasn’t this nervous. But tonight, something feels different, and I don’t know why.” She shrugged. “I’m just feeling unsettled.”

  Talya’s face changed from amusement to one of concern. She closed in on Sylvia and wrapped her arm around Sylvia’s shoulder. “You’ve felt like this since that night in Kenza.”

  “Don’t be silly,” Sylvia quickly denied, and heard the weakness in her own voice.

  So did Talya. “Sylvia, there’s nothing wrong with admitting you’re hung up on Eric.” Talya stepped back and captured her hands. She drew them out and her gaze took in the clothes and the look of worry on Sylvia’s face. “You look good so stop fidgeting, and you need to move on with your life.”

  Sylvia was about to deny the fact that she’d put her life on hold because of her mixed feelings about Eric, when one look from her friend stopped her short. She hadn’t put her life on hold really. Had she? She certainly hadn’t looked at another man since the dance in Kenza with Eric, but then he’d up and disappeared without a word to anyone. At least that’s what she’d been told.

  “You’re on,” Bea informed her as she came dashing into the dressing room looking flustered.

  Sylvia and Talya turned and watched Bea’s panicked movements. Her hands shook, which caused hindrance with removing her shoes that she’d tried to unfasten and kick off.

  With a quick glance to Talya, Sylvia moved to Bea and knocked her hands away. “I’ll get it.” She busied herself with removing Bea’s shoes, and looked up at her. “What’s going on, Bea?”

  “Nothing.” Bea’s gaze darted everywhere but at Sylvia before she tried to turn away.

  Sylvia wouldn’t have any of it. “Bea, something has you worked up. Please talk to me. What happened out there?”

  Bea paused in her jerky movements. “He’s out there.”

  Not sure who Bea meant, Sylvia glanced to Talya, and then back to Bea. “Who’s out there?”

  “My ex-husband. Until I’d finished dancing, I had no idea he was out there. But when I opened my eyes at the end, something felt off and then I saw him at the bar. He looked so angry.” Bea started to shove her things haphazardly into her purse. “Zane’s just arrived as well. He can’t know. I have to get out of here.”

  “Wait.” Talya moved to the door. “Let me get Yuri. He won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “Talya, don’t. I don’t want anyone getting hurt because of me.”

  “Yuri has some friends in the club, he’ll be fin
e.” Talya disappeared, which left Sylvia to try and calm Bea down.

  Nothing would work though. Bea had gotten herself really worked up, and Sylvia had no idea how to calm her. Bea, although friendly, never talked about herself and preferred to work and then leave. She hardly ever socialized with them. Not that Sylvia and Talya socialized with the others, but Bea was very private and up until now, she’d only ever been rattled because Zane, a club regular, who Sylvia had yet to meet, kept asking her out.

  “You need to go out there, Sylvia.” Bea turned away and walked to the back of the dressing room where she dropped to the sofa that had seen better days. “I’m serious. I’ll be fine until Talya gets back with her guy.”

  Sylvia had to smile. Bea had just proved that everyone knew about Yuri’s attraction to Talya, but the woman herself.

  “I’ll go, but I’ll be back.”

  Turning on her heels, Sylvia raced out of the room and dashed toward the stage where she found Robert pacing back and forth waiting for her. “Sorry. I’m ready,” she said before he could say anything.

  As she caught her breath, Sylvia made her way onto the dark stage where the pole was waiting for her to do her routine.

  Bea’s panic had set her off, and her stomach flipped with nerves. She hated the feeling and hoped it would pass as soon as the music blared throughout the club.

  “I can do this,” she whispered, and lifting her leg up high, curved it around the pole before she dipped backwards, arched her spine, and waited.

  She didn’t have long to wait as Mandy Moore’s Candy started to blare through the speakers around the club.

  The spotlight came on, and Sylvia slithered like a snake down to the floor while she waited for the beat to kick in, and when it did, she showed the audience what she could do.

  Although Sylvia was short, she had a body made for sin with large breasts and the way she could move. She made men crave her, which was why a stillness went through the place as she worked the drooling audience to her advantage.

  Her eyes stayed closed throughout the routine, but when she finished, they opened to shouting and whistling.

  Her heart pumped with exertion as she gazed around now that the lights weren’t blinding her. She didn’t know what or who she was looking for until her eyes landed on him. The man who she suspected of sending her the notes. The man who’s penetrating glare gave her goose bumps, and not in a good way.

  In her haste to get away from him, to remove herself from his sight, she stumbled and nearly landed on her ass, but managed to save herself at the last minute.

  And that’s when the shouting broke out near the bar. Sylvia glanced over and had to blink a couple of times because she thought she saw Eric just before he took a swing at another guy.

  Her heart beat wildly in her chest at the thought that Eric had seen her dancing. She really hoped he’d missed it, but as the fighting hedged toward the door, she knew he’d seen her.

  At that point, Sylvia turned tail and ran back to the dressing room. She quickly stripped and redressed in her jeans, tee shirt and purple biker boots. Grabbing her purse, she ran back out and shoved her way to the front of the club where she’d seen the men disappear. She only gave the creep a quick thought before he was shoved out of her head. She had more things to worry about without him getting in the way. He might not even be the guy sending her the notes.

  Sylvia pushed through the entrance, and didn’t know whether to sigh in relief, or fear, when she saw that Eric was still outside. The argument was still in full swing.

  Chapter Three

  Eric’s blood sizzled after he’d watched Sylvia move seductively on stage. She’d had his tongue hanging from his mouth with lust, but then she’d made him see red when he came back to his senses and realized every fucking guy in the club was lusting after her—his woman. No fucking way could he let that carry on! He’d been about to haul her ass from the stage when Zane had gotten all bent outta shape over some fucker talking shit about the woman he had a major hard-on for.

  Said fucker was being kept from going back inside to find the woman, Bea. Her ex-husband and from what he’d seen so far, Bea had made the right decision to walk away. Eric had had enough of trying to keep Zane back from the idiot. If anyone deserved to lose his head, it was the ass of an ex. Eric had no time for anyone who would use their fists on a defenseless woman.

  But as soon as they were finished, he planned on going back inside to corner Sylvia. No way was he going to allow her to get back on stage in that place. No way in hell. She wouldn’t like it, but he wasn’t about to give her a choice. She’d been beautiful though, and sexy as fuck. His dick had thickened with arousal as she’d curved her body around the pole like an expert. Her eyes had been closed through her whole performance, which had given him pause.

  His cock hadn’t been so fucking hard since the last time he’d seen Sylvia, and then she’d been going up in flames in his arms.

  Hearing footsteps behind him, Eric turned before freezing. The woman in question was mere feet from him, and seemed just as surprised to see him as he was to see her. Oh, he knew he’d see her before he left, but he hadn’t expected her to high tail it outside in a rush. It had to have been a rush considering she’d only just finished her routine.

  He struggled to remove his eyes from her as his gaze ate her up like she was a rare piece of steak. She was just as beautiful up close as he remembered.

  “Eric,” she whispered, stepping closer. “I can explain.” Sylvia turned her head toward the club and then back to him.

  He was about to acknowledge her with words when he felt the air around him become even hotter, so he gave his friend his attention and tried to ignore Sylvia. If he had Zane’s back then he needed to center on his friend. He needed to help him get rid of the idiot who thought that by coming to Bea’s place of work he’d be able to get her to leave with him—he was sadly mistaken if he thought that would work.

  “I’m going, but this isn’t the fucking end.” The fucker started to back down the alley, and the minute he disappeared around the corner, Zane started for the backdoor of the club.

  “Thanks man.” Zane gripped his shoulder before he moved toward the building. “I’m going to Yuri’s office.”

  The quiet descended on Eric as Zane disappeared from view. He knew Sylvia still stood behind him. Her scent was unique—flowery.

  As he met her eyes, all he wanted was for her to be in his arms, preferably naked.

  “I can explain,” she rushed out. “I mean, well, I don’t really need to explain, but I can. I think.”

  Amusement lit his eyes as Sylvia stumbled over her words. Nothing came to his mind other than desperation to taste her lips.

  So that’s what he did.

  Eric cupped one large hand behind Sylvia’s head, and with a small tug had her up against him as his head dipped to her rose colored lips.

  One taste he told himself, but as their lips met and he sank into the kiss, he was lost as much as Sylvia seemed to be.

  Her soft moan, which he caught in his mouth as he deepened the kiss, had him rock hard behind his zipper. His other hand came up and caressed her face as the kiss turned nuclear.

  He had the passing thought to calm it down, but when he felt Sylvia rub against his hardness and her tits press into his chest, he lost all ability to think.

  The woman was his for the taking and he wanted to take so fucking badly.

  Just not in an alley. His apartment was close by.

  What the fuck was he thinking? No woman had ever stepped into his apartment other than his sister, Emelia. But he could see Sylvia there. Spread out on top of his large bed with her hair spread out like a halo surrounding her and covering his pillow.

  “Come back with me.” Eric groaned when her hand grasped him through his jeans. “Fuck, Sylvia.” He grabbed her wrist and moved her hand away. “No more of that until we’re in private. Tell me you’re mine for tonight. Tell me, Sylvia,” he begged, holding her gaze.


  She gulped with nerves, her eyes as large as the moon, but said, “I’m yours, Eric.”

  Her words gave him pause. He asked her to confirm that she was his, but the way she said it made him think of permanent. He needed to scrub that thought. No way was he ready for that. He might be in his thirties, but he sure as hell didn’t want to be caught by any woman, including the hot, little blonde in front of him.

  If she wasn’t careful he’d take her where she stood.

  Wrapping his fingers with hers, Eric started pulling her out of the alley. “You have everything, right?” he belatedly thought to ask.

  Sylvia looked at him blankly. “What?”

  “You have your purse, but did you get all your things before you left the club?”

  “Oh,” she giggled. “Yeah, I do.”

  “Good.”

  Done with words, he quickly helped Sylvia into the cab of his truck and ran around to climb in.

  He quickly shot Zane a text to let him know he’d left, and, with a glance at Sylvia, he pulled out of the parking lot.

  He had no idea as to what Sylvia was thinking about as she sat quietly beside him, her fingers fidgeting. She was nervous though.

  Reaching out, he covered her hands, and offered her a reassuring smile. “I don’t bite.” He smiled. “Unless you ask me to.”

  She chuckled, and seemed to relax for the rest of the short drive to his apartment, but as he pulled into a parking space, he wondered if he’d lost his mind.

  He never let his body rule his head, but with Sylvia he’d thrown everything out the window just to have her naked in his arms. He needed to be buried so deeply inside her that he couldn’t think. He wanted to lose himself in her curves. He wanted to get her out of his head, and fucking her good was the only way he could think of doing that. But as she gazed at him while he helped her from the truck, he started having second thoughts. From the stolen kisses and the way her skin felt under his, he wasn’t sure if he’d be capable of walking away from her once he’d tasted her.