by J. E. Parker
“Her skirt is fine, Daddy. Stop fussing.”
I hadn’t seen the skirt Heidi intended to wear, but I was confident it wasn’t too short. My little sister was beautiful—beyond beautiful—but she was too self-conscious to wear anything that showed a lot of skin; therefore, I knew Daddy was overreacting.
Like always.
Daddy scoffed. “It is not.” Though I couldn’t see him from where I sat, I imagined his arms were crossed over his chest, his cheeks puffed out like a peed-off toddler. “She may be grown, but she’s still my daughter, and I say she shouldn’t be showin’ off so much…” His words trailed off when Kyle’s speeding truck appeared. The big black Silverado hardly slowed before turning off the desolate road and into our driveway.
I stood, my brows drawn together.
Kyle never drove like that.
Something must be wrong…
“That damn boy!” Daddy hollered, obviously having seen Kyle from wherever he stood in the house. “You tell him not to drive like a bat out of hell on my property! He’s tearin’ up my driveway!”
“How can you tear up a driveway?” Heidi, the smart-butt, asked. “It’s dirt and gravel. There isn’t much to tear up.”
“Heidi Lynn Johnson!” Daddy fussed in return. “Stop arguin’ with me and get your rear-end up them stairs! And while you’re up there make sure you put on somethin’ that covers your twenty-two-year-old behind!”
The sound of Heidi’s footsteps, followed by the sound of her slamming her bedroom door shut bled through the open windows and rickety screen door. Any other time, I would have tried to diffuse the situation between her and Daddy before she stomped back down the stairs and pissed him off further, but I didn’t have the time nor the inclination.
Three seconds passed before Kyle’s truck came to a near a skidding stop behind my usual parking place. He cut the engine and threw open the door before jumping out. When he rounded the front of the truck, he stopped and slid his hands into his pockets, his eyes focused on the gravel-covered ground.
He didn’t look up; his eyes didn’t search for me.
That wasn’t normal.
Like, at all.
My anxiety skyrocketed in response.
Terrified something horrible had happened, I let the coffee cup slip from my fingers. It fell to the porch, shattering into broken little pieces. Hot liquid basked with cream splattered all over my calves and bare feet, but I paid it no mind. Focused on Kyle and my need to reach him, I crossed the porch, jumped down the steps and headed straight for him.
The pebbled gravel bit into the bottom of my feet as I crossed the driveway, sending sharp pains through my soles. But like the burns on my legs, I ignored it. Right then, all I cared about was the man standing twenty feet away, a lost expression on his handsome face.
Upon reaching him, I stopped.
He still didn’t look at me.
Unable to handle both the physical and emotional distance between us, I cupped his stubble-covered jaw with my hands, stood on the tips of my toes, and tilted his face in my direction. When his pain-filled eyes met mine, panic set in.
A million thoughts, none of which were good, raced through my head.
Is something wrong with Hendrix?
Maddie?
Oh God… Grandmama?
“Kyle,” I whispered, feeling nauseous. “What’s wrong, honey?”
He remained silent.
“Answer me,” I demanded, close to full-fledged panic.
He exhaled, then wrapped his strong fingers around my own. Pulling my right hand from his face, he kissed the inside of my wrist. His eyes slid closed; his lips lingered on my skin.
If I hadn’t been scared to death, I would have melted.
“Nothing is wrong,” he whispered, opening his eyes. “Not anymore.”
I wasn’t convinced.
I had no reason not to believe him, but Kyle hated when I worried. I doubted he would hide something from me, but if it meant keeping me encased in the protective bubble he tried to keep me in, he may. “Are you sure? I mean, the way you were driving and then—”
The words died on my tongue when he wrapped an arm around my lower back and pulled me into him. His hand gently caressed my lower back before sliding down to rest on my bottom. Warmth spread through me, and my eyelids grew heavy as I relaxed against him.
Never in my life had I done a single drug.
I’d never even smoked a cigarette.
But I was irrevocably addicted to Kyle Tucker.
I sighed, resting my head against his hard chest. “I thought something terrible had happened,” I whispered, covertly smelling the cologne that clung to his button-up shirt. The man smelled as delicious as he looked, making me dizzy with need.
“You scared me to death, ya know,” I continued. “I ought to beat you with a shoe—if only I were wearing one—for making me worry.”
“Go ahead, Princess,” he said, chuckling. “Bend over and take one off. It’ll give me the perfect view of—” He stopped speaking and stepped back, putting a small amount of space between us. His face twisted in a mixture of anger and concern as he stared down at my legs and feet. “What the fuck, Carissa?” His tone was harsh, but he wasn’t being cruel. “Why is your skin red?” Before I could attempt a reply, he added, “Those are burns…”
It was a statement, not a question.
Kyle was an EMT in addition to a firefighter.
He knew what the marks were right away.
I flinched when he squatted to examine the wounds. With my fear and adrenaline waning, they were starting to hurt. Though my pain tolerance was higher than most, I couldn’t stand the feel of a burn. I would have rather been stabbed.
Seriously.
“Don’t move,” he demanded before turning around and heading to the passenger side of his truck. After popping open the door, he pulled out a navy blue EMT bag, one which I’d recognize anywhere. It was always in his truck, resting in the middle of the backseat. He threw it over his shoulder and ran back to me. Careful not to touch the burns, he scooped me up into his arms and jogged to the house. He held me tight as he yanked open the screen door, nearly ripping it off the hinges.
It slammed shut behind us, drawing Daddy’s attention.
“What in the hell do you think your doin’?” he hollered, stomping toward us from the living room, a flustered look on his face. “Tearin’ up my driveway wasn’t enough? Now you gotta tear up my house too?” When his gaze bounced to me, I offered him a sarcastic wave. He scoffed in return. “Lord almighty, boy,” he said to Kyle. “Put my daughter down right this damn minute. She’s got two legs; my girl can walk.”
Daddy was fighting a losing battle.
He knew it too.
“Don’t start your shit, Daryl,” Kyle replied, moving into the kitchen where he sat me on the counter and turned my body so that my legs dangled over the sink. “I don’t have time for it.”
Daddy’s eyes dropped to my legs. “What in the heck did you do?”
“She spilled coffee all over herself,” Kyle replied for me, “but I’ve got it under control.”
He turned the faucet on with one hand while pushing up the skirt of my dress with the other so it didn’t get wet. I waited for Daddy to lose it, but he was too focused on the burns marring the tops of my feet to pay any attention to my thighs.
Kyle grabbed a clean glass from the cabinet to his left and filled it with icy well water. He then gently poured the frigid liquid over the reddened patches of skin, easing the burn that was close to bringing me to tears.
I sighed in relief.
Hands shoved in his pockets, Daddy stood in the kitchen’s doorway, his watchful gaze glued to the man who tended to his oldest little girl. An expression I couldn’t read, one which looked similar to approval, spread across his face as he watched Kyle diligently care for me.
“Daddy!” Heidi hollered from what sounded like the living room. “Come here! I need you to look at something.”
> I fought back a smile.
My little sister was full of it. She didn’t need Daddy to look at anything. She was just trying to stop him from hovering over Kyle and me.
Daddy fell for her act too. “Wonder what she broke now.”
He shook his head and walked away.
I looked from the now empty doorway back to Kyle. “That feels a ton better.”
My words did little to ease the frustration on his face. “Your perfect skin,” he mumbled, low and deep. “This better not leave a scar.”
“Why? Are you going to dump me if it does?” I pretended to be teasing though there was a smidgen of truth to my words. Kyle wasn’t a vain person but thinking he may be less attracted to me if I gained a few scars terrified me. It was such a stupid thing to worry about. He would never do something so petty.
Not to mention, we weren’t even dating yet; therefore, he couldn’t dump me.
Still pouring water over the burns, he looked over at me, a determined expression etched across his features. “Not a chance in hell.” Like him, his words were rough yet beautiful. “The only way you’re getting rid of me is in a body bag.”
I gasped then smacked his arm. “That isn’t funny!”
He looked at me like I was crazy. “I wasn’t trying to be.”
A lot of women would’ve been turned off and maybe even a little scared of the possessiveness Kyle exuded over me, but I wasn’t one of them. When he talked the way he did, promising to stay by my side forever, it only strengthened the feelings I had for him; feelings which were already strong enough to bench press a Greyhound bus.
“There’s something I want to talk to you about,” I replied, tracing my fingertip up and down his muscled forearm. “I figure now is as good of a time as any.”
He sat the cup in the bottom of the sink, turned off the water, and grabbed a clean dishtowel from the drawer beside him. With a gentleness many would doubt he was capable of, he dabbed away the beads of water still clinging to my legs and feet. When he was finished, he tossed the towel across the kitchen toward the laundry room. He then opened his EMT bag, slipped on a pair of latex gloves and pulled out a few packets of ointment. One by one, he ripped them open and applied the greasy cream to my skin.
“Yeah?” Uncertainty plagued his face. “Then talk, Beautiful Girl.”
I waited until he’d finished with my legs and discarded the gloves before speaking again. I wanted his full attention on me. I needed it, craved it. “It’s nothing too important.” I paused for dramatic effect. “I merely wanted to remind you of the fact that you promised me a date three years ago, and, well, I think it’s time for you to pay up.”
A huge smile overtook his face, giving me a glimpse of his straight, white teeth. “Is that right?”
I nodded.
After washing his hands with hot, soapy water, he twisted me so we were face to face. I scooted to the edge of the countertop, allowing my legs to cascade down the front of the cabinets.
Smirking, Kyle spread my legs with his hands and positioned his lean hips between them. With the skirt of my dress still hiked up, there was little material covering my lower half. If Daddy walked in and saw how much of my skin was showing he’d have a stroke.
Or he’d kill me…
Heat spread through me when Kyle leaned closer, placing a hand on each side of me, effectively caging me in. He dipped his head, bringing his face closer to mine. The urge to kiss him was strong, but by some miracle, I held myself back. “You remember what I told you the night I kissed you?”
Of course I remembered. It was a scene I replayed in my head daily. “Like I could ever forget,” I whispered, my throat suddenly dry.
“Then you should remember what I told you I’d one day do.”
I bit back a smile because I remembered all too well. It was something I’d been looking forward to every day since. Unable to resist teasing him, I quirked my head to the side and tapped my index finger against my bottom lip. “Hmm,” I hummed. “I’m not one-hundred percent certain I know what you’re referring to. I mean, I recall the date part, but it was three years ago.”
Aware of the game I was playing, Kyle grinned. “Is that so?”
I shrugged, trying my best to appear nonchalant.
He came closer, hovering his lips a quarter of an inch from mine. “Guess that means you need to be reminded.”
I gently placed my hands on the sides of his neck. “So remind me.”
A bite of pain zipped through me when he grasped my hips and dug his fingers into my flesh. I didn’t wince or pull away. Instead, I quietly moaned, hoping he’d squeeze harder. It made little sense, but I didn’t care. The only thing I cared about was having his hands on me, whether his touch was rough or gentle.
An emotion I didn’t recognize flashed in Kyle’s eyes. His fingers tightened, answering my prayer. My chest arched into his; my eyes slid closed. I was acting like a complete harlot in the middle of Mama and Daddy’s kitchen, but I couldn’t have cared less.
I’d spent many nights fantasizing about Kyle’s touch.
Now that I was experiencing it, I was coming out of my skin and unable to control my reaction. I suddenly understood what the term lust drunk meant. At that moment, there wasn’t a thing I wouldn’t have let him do to me. My body was in control, and my mind had officially checked out.
He removed his hands from my hips. Before I could kick up a fuss in protest, he slid his fingers into my hair and grasped my long locks. He pulled on the strands and jerked my head back, exposing the length of my neck. “Three years ago,” he said, looking me in the eyes, “I promised you that when you were ready, I would make you mine.”
Unable to speak, I nodded.
“Princess,” he continued, “I am fucking done waiting.”
He gave me no time to react before slamming his lips down on mine. His teeth bit the plump flesh, then his tongue slid along the seam of my lips, demanding entry. My lips parted, and his tongue delved inside, exploring every inch of me. He tasted of peppermint flavored coffee, heavy on the cream.
I would never get enough.
A second moan escaped me when he tugged harder, forcing my head back even further. My thighs quivered, then shook when he pressed closer, digging his erection lined slacks into the place where I’d never been touched by a man before.
Pleasure tore through me, causing my body to shake.
Out of control and dizzy with desire, I ripped my lips from his and sucked in a much-needed breath.
Not ready to let me go, Kyle attacked my neck.
Lips, tongue, teeth—he sucked, licked and nipped at the sensitive column of my throat, sending me into a tailspin. Everything was moving too fast, yet not fast enough. I wanted to feel his hands everywhere, wanted to taste his skin. My body ached for him to possess me entirely while my heart yearned for something much more.
I want him to fall in love with me…
Faintly aware that Daddy or Heidi could walk in at any moment, I half whispered, half moaned Kyle’s name. Lost to the crazed need that held us both captive, he didn’t stop touching nor kissing me. His hands moved from my hair to my hips to my outer thighs. His calloused palms scraped across my sensitive flesh, leaving goosebumps in their wake.
An ache formed in my lower belly.
Driven by instinct, I grabbed his hand and slid his fingertips over the top of my thigh. I leaned back and spread my legs wider, giving him a glimpse of the baby blue panties I wore. My chest heaved with the force of my breaths as I hoped he’d accept the silent invitation I’d just handed him.
Touch me, my mind begged. Please.
There was no hesitation on his part.
His calloused palm grazed the inside of my leg as it moved higher. When his fingers met the seam of my damp panties, he froze. A low groan tore from his throat. “You’re fucking soaked.” Before I could take a breath, his middle finger slipped passed the cotton fabric covering the most intimate part of me. My entire body jerked as I moaned Kyle’
s name. “Kyle…”
The hand still grasping mine tightened. “Good girl,” he whispered in a gravelly voice, clearly pleased. “Now say it again for me.”
I was about to do that just when Heidi appeared. “Carissa, have you seen—”
At the sight of her, I froze.
Kyle ripped his hand from my panties and spun around, giving her an up close and personal view of the tent—and boy was it big—adorning the front of his slacks.
Heidi’s hands flew to her mouth. “Oh my God,” she whisper-hissed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”
The fog surrounding me dissipated, and the realization of what my she’d just walked in on slammed into me with the force of a freight train.
Kyle with his hand up my dress…
My head thrown back in ecstasy.
Oh my God, I thought. Seriously, oh. My. God!
I felt faint as I pushed Kyle away. Surprised by the move, he stumbled to the side but caught himself before losing his balance. Unable to look him nor Heidi in the eye, I jumped down from the counter. My face burned, and I knew my cheeks were redder than a fire hydrant. “I’m going to…” I waved my hand aimlessly, searching for the words that wouldn’t materialize. “I’m going to, uh…”
“Finish getting ready?” Heidi suggested, coming to my aid.
I nodded, snapping my fingers. “Yep, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Needing to get out of there before I passed out and face planted onto the kitchen floor, I exited the room without saying another word. Running away in such a fashion was just plain dumb, but I was mortified.
Daddy stared at me from his recliner in the living room. “Where you off to in such a hurry?” he asked, a single brow arched. “You finally grow enough sense to know you should be runnin’ from the man-boy, not embracin’ him?”
I ignored him and turned toward the stairs, hellbent on reaching the safety of my room. My foot landed on the bottom step when I heard Heidi hiss, “The kitchen, Kyle. Really?”
Her laughter followed.
Frozen in place, I listened as Kyle mumbled something back. What he said, I’m not sure. The only thought running through my mind had been, Heidi spoke to him using her voice.