After Hours Desire (Forsaken Sons Book 3)

by Elizabeth Lennox

  Her code was completely forgotten.

  She barely even squeaked when she felt him lift her up, his hands cupping her bottom, pulling her closer against that hard, fascinating part of him! Of course, every part of him was hard and muscular, as her hands were quickly discovering. But there was that special part of him pressing against her stomach that…!

  “Yes!” she hissed. He’d set her down on his massive desk, aligning their bodies more perfectly. His erection no longer pressed against her stomach. Now, it pressed perfectly against her core. No! Not perfect! There was nothing perfect about this because there were too many clothes in the way!

  “Kade!” a male voice bellowed from somewhere in the house.

  Frankie jerked away, looking up into his silver eyes. He was just as flustered as she was and, for some reason, that made her feel…powerful! Strong and powerful and incredibly sexy. Every feminine part of her throbbed with desire as she stared into his passion filled eyes.

  “Yeah?” Kade called back, his fingers digging into her butt slightly.

  Heavy steps echoed off the wood floors, coming towards them and Frankie panicked, pulling away. She shoved at his chest and wiggled off the desk, putting several feet between them before the person reached the doorway.

  “Hey, were you still going out to check on the calves? If you’re…” the foreman’s gaze moved between Kade and Frankie, obviously understanding exactly what was going on.

  Kade barely glanced at the other man before his heated eyes turned back to Frankie. “Yeah. I was about to head out. I’ll check on the calves but I’ll need two horses. Frankie’s coming with me. Can you tell Joe to saddle up one of the mares?”

  Owen scratched the back of his head, and quickly turned away. “Sure thing. I’ll…uh…I’ll just go do that.”

  A moment later, his heavy footsteps faded away, leaving Frankie and Kade alone again.

  There was a painful silence. Frankie stared determinedly down at her socks. “I don’t want to hold you up. Go ahead and…well, the calves probably need your help.”

  He laughed and his amusement lifted her eyes to his again. “It isn’t the calves that need my help. I’m going to check on the mommas. And a fence. And Denver is going to make sure that there aren’t any wolves around.” He took her hand and tugged her along. “Come on, Frankie. Until you’ve seen a newborn calf out in the fields, you haven’t lived. They’re pretty damn cute.”

  Frankie followed, but she wasn’t sure that his suggestion was a good idea. “Kade, we probably should…”

  He stopped and turned around, looking right down into her eyes. “Frankie, if we stay here, I’m going to kiss you again. Now that Owen knows what happened, you can damn well guarantee that he isn’t going to come back for a good long time. So there will be nothing to stop that kiss from moving to something a hell of a lot better than a kiss.” He paused, letting his words sink in before he continued. “But if we go out to the fields, we’ll be on separate horses. Plus Denver will be with us and he’s an attention hound. So, even if we’re on the ground, checking on the fence or the calves, he’ll be in the way.”

  She laughed as she realized what he meant. “So in other words, we’re safer checking on the calves than we are staying here in the house?”

  He took a deliberate step forward and she backed up, laughing.

  “If you stay in this house, then I’m staying in this house,” he clarified. “Because I damn well know what will happen. And it would be a whole lot more interesting than checking the calves.”

  Holding up a hand, she hurriedly slipped into her boots. “Got it! I’ll come check on these new born calves. If you say we’ll be safer out there than here in the house, then out there we go.”

  “I never would have taken you for a coward, Frankie,” he said, but kept back so that she could lace up her boots.

  “I’m not a coward!” she asserted firmly. “I’m tough and strong and don’t mess with me, Kade.” She stood up, her feet completely booted and ready to go. “I just don’t think that a sexual relationship is a good idea.”

  He cocked an eyebrow at her and Frankie could tell he wanted to question her statement. But instead, he nodded. “Fine. But this conversation isn’t over; we’ll continue this later. Because we’re definitely circling back at a more convenient time. Come on, I think you’re going to enjoy seeing the calves.”

  He took her hand and led her out of the house.

  “I don’t know how to ride a horse!” she protested, hurrying to keep up with him. “Seriously, Kade, I can just…”

  “I’m an excellent teacher,” he assured her. “We won’t go faster than a walk and you won’t fall off.”

  “But what if I’m afraid of horses?”

  “You aren’t.”

  She blinked, surprised. “How do you know that?”

  “Frankie, if there’s one thing that I know about you it’s that there are very few things that scare you. Kissing me, and what is happening between us is one of those things. I know that terrifies you.” She opened her mouth to argue, but he didn’t give her a chance to reply. “But the rest of the world? Nope. I think that you consider the rest of the world a challenge for your own amusement.”

  He was wrong, she knew. But Frankie liked his opinion about her personality so much more than the reality. In truth, there were many things that scared her. On one topic though, his words were completely accurate. Kade scared her. Every time he touched her, something happened inside of her that she didn’t understand and wasn’t sure she liked.

  By the time she stepped out of the house, she knew that there wasn’t really anything she could say that would convince him that she wasn’t going to ride.

  And in truth, she sort of wanted to learn to ride. She wanted to see the calves. She wanted to see more of this amazing state, explore more than just the small town and the interior of his library-office.

  So, instead of telling him all of the things that scared her, such as spiders, snakes, serial killers, and wife beaters, she let him lead her across the grassy expanse between the main house and the stables.

  As soon as they rounded the corner of the barn, Frankie saw two horses, waiting patiently for them to approach. Well, one looked patient. The other didn’t. As soon as the bigger horse spotted Kade, he snorted. Obviously, this was Kade’s horse. In fact, Kade walked right over to the big guy and ran a hand down the horse’s neck.

  Frankie watched, smiling slightly as Kade soothed the horse, talking softly to him and letting the big guy know that everything was okay.

  Shockingly, Frankie suddenly realized that she was jealous. Of a horse! It was such a ridiculous thought that she took a step back, which of course, caused Kade to turn her way. Which caused the horse to look at her as well. Could a horse be curious? She suspected the big, brown horse was curious, but his eyes didn’t seem to change. He simply stared at her with huge, unblinking eyes. But somehow, Frankie could hear him wondering about her. Wondering who she was and why she was here.

  “Are you done?”

  “Done?” she echoed.

  “Done talking to Bart.”

  Frankie looked at the horse again. Bart. Huh. Yeah, that suited him. Bart’s nose lifted in the air, almost as if he could hear her approval.

  “Why don’t you come over and give him a pat?”

  Frankie glanced at him, then eyed the horse warily. “Pet him?”

  “Sure. He’s alive, isn’t he? All living things need touch and approval.”

  That made sense. She inched closer to the horse, but as she reached out to touch his neck, the horse turned, trying to reach her hand. Frankie flinched away, so Kade moved behind her, his solid, hard chest against her back and he took her wrist, lifting her hand. “He won’t bite you,” he promised quietly. “Let him smell your hand. Just like a dog. They use scent more than anything to understand their world.”

  The horse lowered his head, seeming to give her permission…no, asking her to touch him. Slowly, she let Kade lif
t her hand and she let her fingers slide down the length of his nose. She heard a noise and realized it was the horse. Just a small sound, but Frankie understood that it was Bart’s way of telling her that he liked it. So she did it again. And again, receiving the same sound every time. After the fourth time, the horse lifted his head and bumped her hand with his nose.

  “You’re welcome,” she whispered, oddly touched, then looked self-consciously over her shoulder at Kade. “I don’t know why I said that. I’m sure he has no idea what I just said.”

  Kade’s hands were on her hips and she could still feel the reassuring heat of his chest against her back. When he lowered his head, his lips so close to her ear that his breath stirred her hair, the sexual tension came flooding back. “He understands a whole lot more than you imagine.”

  The other horse nickered gently and stepped forward, nudging her hand.

  “Maple is feeling left out,” Kade explained. “She wants attention too.”

  Frankie turned and, without prompting from Kade, stroked the horse’s nose, beaming when the lady snuffled her hand with her big, wet nose. Frankie laughed. “You’re a sweetie,” she whispered. The horse nuzzled again, offering her approval.

  “You’ve made two friends today,” Kade said, smiling. “Are you ready to ride?”

  “No,” Frankie replied, laughing again. She lifted her hand, stroking Maple’s neck affectionately. She liked the horses, which surprised her a little, and she felt a bit of kinship to Maple for some reason. “Does she understand that I don’t know how to ride her? That I’ll probably hurt her?”

  He laughed, his big hand smoothing down Maple’s neck. “She will take care of you and she knows that you won’t hurt her.” He took her hand and guided her to the other side. “Never walk behind a horse. And when you move around her, keep a hand on her so that she knows where you are. So just keep a hand on her flanks and she’ll know you’re there. She won’t need to wonder or worry.”

  “That’s good to know,” Frankie said, sliding her hand along Maple’s body, as Kade was doing. “What else?’

  “Let’s get you up on her so that I can adjust the stirrups.”

  Frankie pulled back, but Kade moved behind her again. “Kade, I’m not ready for this. I need more…!” Unfortunately, before she could finish, Kade simply lifted her up and Frankie automatically swung her leg over Maple’s back. Then she was on top of the horse, looking down. “Wow!” she whispered, holding onto the saddle horn for dear life. “This is…” she looked around, noticing how high she was. “This is awesome!”

  Kade laughed as he touched her leg, shifting it forward so that he could adjust the buckle on the stirrup. “I’m glad you like it.”

  “Is this what it’s like to be you?’ she teased. “I mean, you’re taller than most. I’ve been wondering what it would be like to be tall.”

  “Just give me a minute, then ask that question again.”

  He slid his hand up her calf, then to her thigh. It took her a long moment to realize that he was moving her foot into the stirrup. But as she looked into his silver eyes, she suspected that it wasn’t “only” to get her foot into position. He was caressing her. And darn it, Frankie liked it too much!

  Kade moved to the other side and did the same thing, but this time, she was ready when he touched her leg.

  Wrong! Even anticipating his touch, she couldn’t brace herself for the sensation of his hand on her leg. She shivered and Maple’s ears twitched. Unfortunately, Maple wasn’t the only one that noticed her reaction. As she watched, Kade’s hand stilled on her thigh, his fingers tightening for a fraction of a second before he pulled away.

  Breathing easier, she watched as Kade effortlessly swung up onto Bart’s back, and turned the horse so that he was facing her.

  “You’re going to have to hold onto the reins. Just lift them up and hold them either in one hand or one side in each hand. Either way will let you direct Maple.”

  Frankie picked up the leather straps that were draped over the saddle. “It can’t be that easy. What’s the trick?” she asked.

  “It’s is that easy, promise. To tell her to move forward, touch your heels to her belly lightly. She only needs a slight tap. She’ll understand.”

  Frankie did as he instructed and, sure enough, Maple moved forward. Frankie was startled for a moment, but Maple was steady as she walked and, a moment later, Frankie gave Kade a huge grin. “She’s moving!”

  Kade laughed. “See? It’s that simple.”

  She wasn’t convinced. “So, why does it take years of training to learn to ride a horse?” she asked, moving the reins to the right and, wow, Maple turned right. She did it to the left and, sure enough, Maple turned left.

  “Well, you’re only walking, Frankie. It’s when you get into galloping that things get a bit more challenging.”

  Frankie glanced over her shoulder. “We’re not going to gallop anywhere though, are we?”

  “Nope. We’re going to take it nice and slow.”

  “Good. I can handle that.” She patted Maple’s neck.

  “Squeeze your knees if you want her to go faster.”

  Frankie couldn’t stop her gaze from dropping to Kade’s legs, her mouth going dry as she contemplated wrapping her legs around his waist and silently telling him to go faster.

  “We’ll do that too,” he promised without skipping a beat. Before she could react, before he could see the blush stain her cheeks, he turned Bart towards the gate. Already, one of the cowboys had opened the gate for them. “Let’s go check on the calves,” he announced.

  Frankie followed, trying to leave her embarrassment behind as she lifted her face to the sunshine. It was a clear, beautiful day, not yet hot or humid. Did it ever get humid here? Seattle was pretty much always humid and sticky. Even in the winter months, Seattle’s humidity levels hovered around two hundred percent, making her hair do all sorts of crazy things.

  “What are the winters like here?” She asked.

  “Cold. Snowy. Windy.”

  “What do you do with the cattle when it snows?”

  “When it gets colder, we round up the cattle and bring them in closer. Also, their winter coats keep them relatively warm. During the summer months, they wander the ranch, eating the tall grass. But when it snows, the grass goes dormant. So, we need to feed them and it’s easier to do when they aren’t way up in the mountains.”

  “What happens if one escapes?”

  He shrugged. “Sometimes, if they’re smart enough, they find food sources. Most of the time though, they die from starvation or the cold. Sometimes both.”

  “That’s horrible!”

  He looked at her, his silver eyes gleaming underneath the wide brim of his hat. “Ranching is a tough business, Frankie. It takes grit and determination, and lots of both! Winters are harsh and brutal. It’s the way of life out here.”

  “Why would you stay out here if it gets so cold that animals die?”

  He shrugged. “Because I raise some of the healthiest beef cattle around. We don’t pen them into cages and feet them tons of antibiotics. We let them roam around and get plenty of natural food. Plus, the spring, summer, and fall in these parts are pretty spectacular.” He turned and looked at her, his hands loose around the reins. “We don’t have traffic. We don’t have tons of planes flying overhead. It’s quiet at night and we can see the stars.”

  All excellent points, she conceded. “But you don’t have good coffee,” she added snidely.

  “Hey!” He laughed. “I made you a weak pot! What was wrong with my coffee?”

  “It’s horrible, Kade,” she drawled. “I mean, that stuff is seriously bad.”

  He threw back his head, laughing. “You’re just used to that fancy stuff in the coffee shops.”

  “Exactly,” she agreed. “The good stuff.”

  “You’ll get used to it,” he told her. Then tilted his head. “There’s our first one,” he said, indicating a small group of cows about a hundred yards ahead.


  “Our first what?” she asked, narrowing her eyes against the bright sunshine.

  “Our first calf. He looks pretty healthy.”

  Frankie blinked. “How in the world can you tell that’s a male?”

  He chuckled, shaking his head. “City gal.”

  With a grace that Frankie couldn’t even contemplate so early in her riding career, Kade swung his leg over the back of Bart and came to the ground. A moment later, he moved over to Maple.

  “What are you about to do?” she asked, pulling away. If she could have, Frankie would have moved out of reach. And he knew it, the cad!

  “I’m going to help you get down, so that you can meet the little guy.”

  Frankie hadn’t really recovered from when he’d helped her into the saddle the first time. She could still feel his hands on her legs. In fact, she might have scorch marks from his touch. So having him help her get down wasn’t a good idea. He’d have to touch her, probably all over. And then, after she’d met the new calf, he’d have to help her again to get back onto the horse.

  No, it was better to…

  “Woah!” she yelped, as he plucked her from the saddle. Sure enough, his strong hands wrapped around her waist. As he lowered her feet to the ground, she felt herself slide down the length of his body. It literally took her breath away!

  “There, was that so bad?” he asked, keeping his hands on her hips. They stared into each other’s eyes and… “Yeah. I think it might have been,” she whispered through numb lips, unable to move away from him because…darn it, he felt good. Really good!

  “Come with me. This little man is pretty cute.”

  Kade took her hand and led her over to the calf, who was sniffing the air, trying to figure out this new scent and these strange “animals”. Maple and Bart moved away, but didn’t go far. They were more interested in the fresh, green grass than the calf or his momma.