Rescue Me

by Jaci Burton

  Shit. This he didn't need right now.

  After his divorce from Amanda two years ago, he had been too busy figuring out how to get the ranch out of debt to even think about the opposite sex. Coupled with the fact he was so damn pissed at Amanda and therefore any other member of her gender, sex had been the last thing on his mind. And he'd kept busy, working from sunrise to sundown trying to keep the ranch operating. Falling into bed exhausted each night was a perfect way to squelch any lustful thoughts.

  Then Sabrina showed up with her warm, whiskey eyes and flowing blonde hair, not to mention the kind of body that made the strongest man weak in the knees. Suddenly his long dormant libido fired up like an old furnace cranking up its first heat of the winter.

  -24-

  Rescue Me

  When she threw her arms around him earlier he knew he was in trouble. Her body fit his like she had been created just for him. She enticed him with her soft skin, perfect curves and the sweet scent of peaches until his hands automatically wrapped around her.

  When she whispered her thanks in his ear, her warm breath on his neck heated his body. Her full breasts pressed against his chest, forcing his body into awareness of how long it had been since he'd made love to a woman. And all she had done was give him a hug. Thank God Brady said something, reminding him they weren't alone. Otherwise Kyle might have been tempted to follow through on his desire to press his mouth to Sabrina's warm lips and see if she tasted as good as she felt.

  And he wouldn't have stopped with just a kiss.

  Damn. And now she was going to be sleeping in the room right next to his, with only a doorway separating them. He threw the wrench roughly into the toolbox and blew out a breath. He needed a shower again. A cold one this time. Or else he needed to jack off because he hadn't come in awhile. Maybe the cold shower and a damn good orgasm would do the trick and wipe sexual visions of Sabrina Daniels from his mind.

  "Frustrating as hell, isn't she?" Brady smirked as he walked up to Kyle.

  "Huh?"

  "The Chevy. Changing the oil in that beast is one lesson in patience I don't ever care to repeat," his brother said, motioning to the old pickup Kyle had been trying to work on all day.

  "Oh, that. Yeah, frustrating as hell."

  Brady's amused grin did nothing to assuage Kyle's foul mood.

  "What are you smiling about?"

  "You."

  "Why?"

  -25-

  Jaci Burton

  Brady leaned casually against the truck. "I think you're digging yourself a big hole, brother."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "Sabrina."

  "What about her?" Kyle wasn't in the mood to play guessing games with his brother. He was already behind on the day's work, and it was almost time for supper.

  "You're interested in her." Brady raised his eyebrows in a you know what I mean look.

  "You don't know what you're talking about," Kyle denied. Sabrina Daniels was a complication he didn't need in his life right now. Or ever.

  "Don't I? How about that scene in the kitchen today? Sure looked like interest to me."

  Kyle bent down and retrieved the tools he had thrown on the ground.

  "I didn't instigate that hug. Sabrina did, when I told her she could stay."

  "Uh huh. And you pushed her away, didn't you? So far away your arms were wrapped around her waist and you two were shooting out flames that scorched me from across the room. Christ, that almost turned into an X-rated scene. My poor virgin eyes."

  Kyle looked sharply at his brother. "You're full of shit and need to get your eyes examined. That's not the way it was at all."

  Brady raised both hands in surrender. "Hey, I just call 'em like I see

  'em. And what I saw was anything but the beginnings of a business partnership. Looked to me like the beginning of one hellacious love affair.

  Or some kind of affair, anyway."

  "You're way off base on this, Brady. What I want from Sabrina Daniels is her money, to buy extra stock and get the Rocking M out of debt. And that's all. The last thing we need is to get personal in any way with her."

  "We'll see, brother, we'll see. I'm going in the house to clean up.

  Later."

  -26-

  Rescue Me

  Kyle nodded absently to his brother and watched him walk toward the house. He most certainly did not want Sabrina. He wanted her money--her investment in the ranch, but that was it. Anything else would be a waste of his time, and hers, and would be disastrous for a partnership. They'd be working closely together for the next three months, and Kyle would make damn sure to keep it on a professional basis only.

  He'd let one woman get under his skin, and she burned him so bad he almost lost his family's ranch. Never again.

  Kyle wondered if there was any way he could put his libido on hold for the next few months. If not, he was at least glad the weather was warming because he could feel some very cold showers coming up.

  K K K

  The afternoon sun brightened Sabrina's bedroom considerably. The light cast a warm blanket over her, making her reluctant to rise from the bed. Unable to clear the sleepy fog and open her eyes, she lay still, not fully certain of her whereabouts.

  The sun was heating her--that must be why she felt so flushed. Or maybe it was the dream she'd been having. Water, warm and steamy, and a man. But where was the water coming from, and who was the man?

  Then Sabrina heard water running, and finally realized where she was. In her bedroom on the Morgan ranch. The bedroom adjoining Kyle's.

  It was his shower she heard running. Not a dream at all.

  The steady, rhythmic sound of the flowing water lulled Sabrina back into a half-awake, half-asleep mode. Unwarranted, visions of Kyle standing naked in his shower entered her mind. His tanned, muscular body lathered up with soap, water splashing over the top of his head, his eyes closed. And what a body. Definitely a man who used it for working.

  -27-

  Jaci Burton

  Lean and muscular in all the right places, he made her mouth water.

  God, he made her wet.

  A fantasy. She was having an erotic fantasy. How strange, since she'd never had one before. But here she was, imagining opening the shower door and stepping inside. Kyle's emerald green eyes glowed with passion as he raked his gaze over her naked body. Her nipples tightened under his perusal, her breasts swelling as she eagerly moved toward him. As she took the soap from him, she lathered her hands and slid them slowly over his shoulders and across his chest, tangling her fingers in the crisp dark hair, feeling the strength of his muscles. Then her hands drifted lower, over the taut muscles of his abdomen to encircle the thick length of his cock. She shuddered at his heat, at the life in his shaft as she stroked him, keeping her gaze focused on his face as he thrust against her hand.

  He moved his hands over her skin, soaping her breasts, lingering at her nipples. When he pinched them she cried out and squeezed his cock, stroking harder, needing more than this, needing him inside her.

  Yet she couldn't say the words, lost in the sensations as his hand moved lower, over her belly, cupping her sex and circling her clit. He drove her mad then, sliding back and forth over the tiny bud until she squeezed her legs together, holding him there.

  "Yes," was all she could manage when he found the spot that gave her the most pleasure.

  "There?" he said, his breath a harsh whisper against her ear.

  "God, Kyle. More."

  He gave her more then, dipping down until his fingers rubbed her swollen pussy lips, parting the folds to slide inside her.

  Oh, God. She'd never realized how empty she'd felt until his fingers filled her. He drove them deeper, using his thumb to circle her clit now.

  She was close, so close, and she lifted her hips toward him, driving toward the edge, knowing nothing would stop it.

  -28-

  Rescue Me

  "Come for me, Sabrina. Come on my hand."

  An
d that was a command from a man she didn't mind obeying. She shuddered and cried out, biting her lip as her climax rocked her. She clutched his shoulders as she rode out the waves of ecstasy rolling over her.

  "Now, baby, I'm going to fuck you," he murmured in a voice that was dark, seductive, driving her arousal to new heights.

  "Yes. Fuck me. Do it now."

  The sound of the shower being turned off jolted Sabrina from her fantasy. She sat bolt upright in her bed, shocked to find her hand between her legs, drenched in her own juices. Her body felt hot and she was breathing heavily. Oh, God. She'd just masturbated in her sleep.

  Had just had a most incredible orgasm, too. And she'd never done that before.

  What was wrong with her? Sabrina never had fantasies about men.

  Her only experience had been with Mark, and sex with Mark had been as austere and sterile as their bedroom decor. Don't move, don't breathe, don't initiate. Just lie there like a good wife. Sex was for men's pleasure only. She had learned the lessons well, and not once had she ever looked at, desired, or fantasized about a man. Until now.

  Forcing away the erotic visions of her and Kyle in the shower, Sabrina rose from the bed, washed up and changed clothes. After donning shorts and a T-shirt, she opened the door to her room, intending to slip downstairs and wait for Kyle there.

  Except Kyle's door opened at the same time Sabrina stepped out of her room. She was embarrassed, although she didn't know why. He obviously didn't know what she had been doing a few minutes ago. But looking at him now, his hair still wet from the shower and a damp sheen across his forearms, Sabrina's shower fantasy came back at her full force and she felt the warm flush heat her face and neck.

  "How was your shower?"

  -29-

  Jaci Burton

  "Cold," he answered curtly.

  "Oh, that's nice," she replied absently. Mental images of Kyle's naked body, how he'd pleasured her, refused to leave her mind. Maybe it would help if she thought about something else, like ranching and cows and horses--anything but that shower scene playing over and over in her head.

  They walked downstairs together into the kitchen. He showed her where everything was located, from the food in the refrigerator and pantries to the cooking appliances and cleaning products. Sabrina nodded, making a mental note of the location of everything in the kitchen so she wouldn't forget. Mark had always told her to pay attention. He hadn't liked explaining things more than once.

  "You might as well start here," he said.

  Sabrina was confused. "Start where?"

  "Here. In the kitchen." He was looking at her like she was a moron.

  "You know, kitchen stuff. Cooking."

  "Oh." Cooking. "Okay." Good Lord. Cooking?

  Kyle leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. "Let me take a wild guess here. You don't know how to cook."

  She shook her head, embarrassed for the umpteenth time today.

  Mark had never wanted his wife to do anything he thought was beneath her station. He thought cooking was for the servants, not for Sabrina, even though she had wanted to learn to cook for as long as she could remember. Not even her mother had allowed her to cook. Not that they ever could, considering they never spent more than a week in one place at a time. And her mother explained time and again that cooking would only ruin Sabrina's lovely hands.

  After her divorce when she had the opportunity to live alone, she'd lacked an appetite for cooking. The best she could manage was microwave meals.

  -30-

  Rescue Me

  "Never mind. I'll do it." Kyle turned away and grabbed pots and pans from the cabinet next to the stove.

  "Wait," she interrupted. He shot her an impatient look but stood still.

  She could feel the tears welling in her eyes, but forced them away.

  "Please. I can learn--I'd like to try. Do you have a cookbook or something?"

  Kyle hesitated as if debating whether to put his family's stomachs in her untrained hands. "Fine. Cookbooks are in the drawer to the left of the sink. You've got about an hour until Brady, Luke and Jenna come in.

  I'll go see about the horses." He turned and left abruptly, leaving Sabrina alone in the kitchen.

  Fine. She had to learn to cook--tonight. And not just for Kyle, but his entire family. Sabrina almost sat down in the middle of the kitchen floor and cried, but years of forcing her feelings aside prevented it. She had withstood much worse than this, and she wasn't an idiot. She was twenty-seven years old and it was way past time to learn some of the basic necessities of life. Cooking was as good a place to start as anywhere else.

  Kyle inhaled, searching for the smell of burned food. Instead, a delicious aroma surrounded the kitchen. Fully expecting to see Jenna cooking instead of Sabrina, he was shocked to find Sabrina in there by herself. Covered in flour, her hair a tangled mess, half having come loose from her ponytail, but nevertheless both her and the kitchen still in one piece. And she wore the biggest grin he'd ever seen in his life.

  She had set the table like she was giving an elegant dinner party. His mother's fine china adorned the large oak table, along with the good silverware and even wine glasses. And way too many utensils as far as Kyle was concerned. How many forks did a person eat with anyway?

  -31-

  Jaci Burton

  "Smells great in here." Brady walked in grinning, then washed his hands and sat down at the table like a king expecting to be served. Kyle rolled his eyes as he walked to the sink.

  Luke and Jenna came in and Jenna introduced him to Sabrina.

  As was typical for most people meeting Luke White for the first time, Kyle watched Sabrina's look of surprise as she surveyed the six-foot-seven giant standing next to the petite, pregnant brunette.

  "I'm pleased to meet you, Luke," she said.

  "Likewise, Sabrina," Luke answered in his booming voice, then held out his hand to her. "Jenna's told me all about you. Welcome to the Rocking M."

  Sabrina smiled and blushed as she shook Luke's hand, obviously embarrassed at having flour-caked hands.

  Leaning against the sink as he dried his hands, Kyle couldn't believe how easily Sabrina had settled in with his family. They treated her like she was one of them, when she was nothing more than a business partner. For some reason that irritated him.

  "What did you fix for dinner?" he asked as he sat at the table.

  Sabrina beamed. "Salmon patties, almond rice and broccoli. We were going to have salmon steaks," she added nervously, "but they died a slow and painful death during my first try, so I ended up just opening up a couple cans of salmon and making patties." Sabrina smiled slightly at Jenna and added, "Thank heaven for cookbooks."

  Jenna laughed and nodded. "Been there, done that. We all have to learn sometime."

  "I hope you don't mind," Sabrina said to Kyle as she pointed to the bottle sitting in an ice bucket on the table. "I found some Chardonnay and thought you might like to have that with dinner."

  "We don't drink wine with dinner, and this is private stock. You don't even know how much it cost, do you? This could be a vintage bottle we were saving for a special occasion."

  -32-

  Rescue Me

  Sabrina looked crestfallen. "I'm...I'm sorry, I didn't think it was, I mean I know wines pretty well and this one was--"

  Jenna shot her brother an angry glare. "It's a cheap bottle of wine from the liquor store. Ignore him." Turning to Luke, she smiled sweetly.

  "Honey, would you open the wine?"

  Kyle was still annoyed. This wasn't a banquet, it was dinner. And it was supposed to be simple. "And why did you put out my parents' good china and silverware? I showed you where the everyday dishes were."

  Again that look from Jenna. "It's lovely, Sabrina," she said sweetly.

  "We haven't used these dishes in awhile. It's actually very nice to see them again. Thank you."

  Sabrina nibbled on her lower lip as she set the food in the center of the table. Stealing glances every few min
utes at Kyle, she looked like she might turn tail and run if he opened his mouth again. For some reason this whole dinner extravaganza annoyed the hell out of him. And why were Brady and Luke and Jenna being so goddamn accommodating?

  Sabrina had to be taught the right way and this sure as hell was not the right way.

  Salmon. Of all things. Where was the steak and potatoes? And the bread for God's sake? This wasn't what they normally ate. "Usually we have red meat for dinner, not fish," Kyle said curtly as Sabrina sat down next to him at the table.

  "Do me a favor, Kyle. Shut up and eat. If you can't do that, then leave." Jenna was beyond pissed, and by the tight tone of her voice, Kyle could tell she was heading for a tirade. Not wanting to upset his sister too much considering her condition, he sulked and scooped the food onto his plate.

  Kyle watched out of the corner of his eye as his family started eating.

  Sabrina sat with her hands folded in her lap, and hadn't once taken up her fork to eat her own food. Probably poisoned, he thought. Or tasted like crap and she already knew it.

  -33-

  Jaci Burton

  As he turned and surveyed the faces of his family, he was surprised to see their looks of pleasure.

  "Sabrina, this is excellent," said Jenna. Luke agreed with his wife, pronouncing Sabrina a very good cook.

  Apparently Brady thought so too. "Yeah. It's great, Sabrina. You did a damn fine job cooking. You can even take over my night to cook if you'd like."

  Kyle watched as Sabrina relaxed, then tentatively tasted the food she had prepared. Although she didn't look up, she smiled. Finally, Kyle took a bite of the salmon patty. He had to admit, for a first time cook, it was pretty good.

  Sabrina studied Kyle expectantly as he ate.

  "Is it all right?"

  He looked at his sister, giving him the official Morgan glare, and turned back to Sabrina. "It's fine." That was all she was going to get from him.

  He continued to eat, but still something annoyed him. "But I'd rather have a steak or a hamburger."

  "Dammit Kyle!" Jenna yelled.

  "What? I said it was fine."

  "If you'll excuse me, I'm a bit tired from the long drive today," Sabrina said quietly.