“Yee-haw! Conga line!” Damon began dancing around the kitchen table and punching his spatula in the air as he chanted out the beat. “Show some spirit, Brotherhood!”
Laughing, Cade and Finn jumped in behind him. Finn glanced at Lexi. “Are you dancing or what?”
“I’m dancing, I’m dancing!” Apparently for the moment, she was one of the guys, and as they celebrated Rosie’s good news together, she was ridiculously happy to be included.
No telling how long the parade would have continued if Damon hadn’t yelled “Shit!” and dashed for the stove. “Food’s starting to burn,” he announced. “Grab plates and silverware. Breakfast is happening.”
They gathered around the table with their plates of slightly overdone bacon and scrambled eggs. Finn refilled everyone’s coffee mug and got a fourth one out of the cupboard for Lexi.
She thanked him for the coffee and sat down, once again choosing a seat across from Cade. Somebody was missing from the group, and finally she figured out who that was. “Where’s Ringo?”
“Sleeping it off.” Cade chuckled as he dug into his scrambled eggs. “Apparently they wore him out playing with him. He’s catching z’s on my bed with his mice between his paws.”
“Yeah, wanna see?” Damon pulled out his phone and showed her a picture.
“Aww. He looks like a happy guy.”
Cade sighed and shook his head. “If he were any happier, he’d be levitating. Harrison, I can’t believe you now have a picture of my cat on your phone. What the hell?”
“It’s cute. I might make it my screen saver.” He popped a piece of crisp bacon in his mouth and crunched down.
“I already did.” Finn passed Lexi his phone. “This is from last night when he was playing with the feather wand. That cat can jump, too. He—”
“Hey, losers.” Cade cradled his coffee mug. “Promise me that when you get home, you’ll find a shelter and adopt a kitty-cat, okay?”
“Wouldn’t work for me.” Damon continued to eat. “I move too often, and I don’t think that’s fair to the cat. It’s a disadvantage of my job, because I love animals. I miss that about living here. Besides the horses, we always had dogs and cats.”
“I had a dog and a cat,” Finn said. “Alison got custody.”
Cade frowned. “That sucks.”
“No, she should have them.” He forked up more eggs. “As she pointed out, I work all the time. I didn’t spend enough time with them.”
Lexi was no psychologist, but it didn’t take an expert to see that both guys were working themselves to the bone and ignoring their emotional needs. She knew enough of their history to understand why they’d do that. They were determined to succeed.
But no wonder they’d gone crazy over Ringo. During the rest of the meal they couldn’t resist showing her all the pictures they’d taken, and there were a bunch. “I have to agree with Cade,” she said. “You both need animals in your life.”
“Not feasible,” Damon said.
“What if you adopt two cats so that when you move them they’ll have each other to provide stability?”
Damon slowly nodded. “I’ll think about that. It might work. Thanks.”
“And Finn, you could do the same thing, and then you wouldn’t feel so guilty when you’re not there all the time.”
“Yeah, two cats.” Finn smiled. “Good concept. I like it.”
Damon stood and started collecting plates. “Now that we have the cat issue under control, we should get over to the hospital. Rosie will wonder where the hell we are.”
He’d been the first to begin tidying up last night, too. Lexi had forgotten that he was a neat freak after being forced to live in a pigsty of a house until he’d run away from home at twelve. She finished her coffee and pushed back her chair. “What about our brainstorming?”
Damon stopped loading the dishwasher. “Right. We need to do that. But we should get to the hospital and celebrate Rosie’s good news with her. How about we brainstorm on the way? We can put our cell phones on speaker.”
“That works.” Lexi glanced at Finn. “Are you riding with me?”
“That would be great.” He dumped the coffee grounds in the garbage. “But I feel like we’re putting you out. Maybe we should just rent a car today.”
“I don’t mind taking you.”
Damon finished loading the dishwasher and turned it on. “Yeah, but he’ll need a ride back here later on. Is it too much trouble?”
“Not really.” She avoided looking at Cade, but the unspoken thoughts zipped between them, anyway. Would she stay again so they could make love tonight? Yes. Were they moving too fast? Maybe.
“That’s good.” Damon turned on the dishwasher. “Once Rosie’s home, transportation won’t be an issue. Plus Rosie and Herb’s truck will be here if we need it.”
That would put a limit on how many nights she stayed at the ranch, which was probably a good thing. When Rosie came home, she’d return to her apartment. If Cade spent the night there, and he quite likely would, the dynamic would be different. In subtle ways, the back of the truck tied them to their past when they needed to focus on a different kind of future.
She glanced around the kitchen to see if anything more needed to be done, but the guys seemed to have it covered. Cade handled the final chore of wiping down the table and the counters. She gave Rosie a mental salute for doing such a good job teaching her boys to clean up after themselves. Damon hadn’t needed much coaxing, but most of the others had required guidance.
Cade finished and rinsed the dishrag under the kitchen faucet. “I just thought of something. If Mom didn’t have a heart attack, then what happened? Did Dad say?”
“He did.” Finn leaned against the counter. “It’s called broken heart syndrome.”
Cade turned to stare at him. “What the hell is that?”
“It sounds bogus to me.” Damon’s chin jutted. “Like they don’t know what’s wrong so they make something up.”
“This could be legit,” Finn said. “The doc explained to Dad that it’s a reaction to stress that mostly hits women in Mom’s age bracket. It looks and feels like a heart attack, and it can be serious if someone’s not very healthy to begin with. But Mom could be home in a couple of days.”
“That’s great that she’ll be home so soon.” Cade massaged the back of his neck and gazed at his companions. “But if she has a broken heart, I think we all know why.”
Damon nodded. “The prospect of selling the ranch.”
“Right. So regardless of her claim that they can just sell and everything will be hunky-dory, it won’t be. It’ll break her heart.”
Finn took a deep breath. “Well, that’s not acceptable. Last night we talked about wanting to give them a choice about whether to sell or not. If you ask me, selling is no longer an option.”
“I have to agree.” Lexi saw the light of battle in their eyes. “But the solution can’t jeopardize any of you, because that would also break her heart.”
“Shit.” Damon took off his battered straw hat and ran his fingers through his sun-streaked hair. “We could go around to their friends and get donations, which I’d do in a heartbeat, but they’d hate that, too.”
“Yeah, they would.” Cade looked at Finn. “I keep coming back to that crazy crowdfunding idea, but damned if I know how we can make that work.”
“I like the concept, too,” Lexi said. “We just have to come up with a worthwhile concept that will get people excited.”
Damon gave her a dark look. “Not easy.”
She didn’t flinch. “Not impossible.”
“No, it’s not.” Cade sent her a quick smile of encouragement. “We have a few days to put together a plan. Give a shout-out if you get any ideas on the drive in, and tonight we’ll toss it all out there and see what happens.”
Damon straightened. “Are we ready to roll?”
“Give me a sec.” Lexi headed to her room. Knowing she would be coming back here tonight meant she could leave her damp jeans draped over the shower curtain rod in the bathroom and her shirt and undies on hangers hooked on the closet doorknob.
Grabbing her purse from the dresser, she started digging her keys out. She ran smack into Cade in the doorway.
His arms came around her. “In a hurry?”
She looked into green eyes filled with the tender light that never failed to get her blood pumping. He’d left his hat somewhere else, so he clearly had a plan. “Cade, they’re waiting for us.”
“No, they’re not. I loaned them my truck. I’m riding with you.”
She had a sudden embarrassing image of what they’d done in his truck last night.
“Don’t worry. I went over it with a fine-tooth comb before I went to bed. I even hung the wet blankets in an empty stall to dry.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“But we have to leave. Otherwise they’ll wonder what’s keeping us.”
He grinned. “Oh, they’ll know what’s keeping us. Finn has caught on.”
“Even more reason! I don’t want them thinking that we’re—”
“Just a couple of minutes. I desperately need to kiss you. I feel like I’m gonna explode.”
She relented. “Can’t have that.” Cupping the back of his head, she pulled him down and angled her mouth over his.
He moaned softly and pulled her in tight. His body was rock hard, especially the part she’d become reacquainted with yesterday. His tongue sought the recesses of her mouth with deliberate intent. He was frustrated and obviously wanted her to share that frustration.
That didn’t take long. In no time she matched him moan for moan, and when he slipped his hand under her T-shirt to unhook her bra, she didn’t stop him. She should have. This was crazy, but his hands... How she loved the way he stroked her bare breasts until they ached for his kiss. Wrenching his mouth from hers, he pushed up her shirt and leaned down to give her what she longed for.
Tugging at her nipple with his lips and tongue, he rubbed the crotch of her jeans with firm pressure. They’d spent many hours making out in his truck, and he knew all the ways to give her pleasure even with their clothes mostly on.
With a quick gasp, she came, soaking her panties and dampening her jeans. He drew back and kissed her firmly on the mouth before stepping away. “That’s to tide us over until tonight.”
“I...” She dragged in a breath. “I...need to change.”
“Go ahead.” He backed toward the door. “I’ll wait out by your truck. I’m in control now, but I can’t promise anything if you strip off your jeans.”
She glanced at the hard ridge pushing at his fly. “What about you?”
“I’ve had lots of practice at decompressing. It’ll be gone by the time you walk out the door.” He left.
This romance was creating laundry issues, but she’d worry about that later. After taking her third and last pair of jeans and panties from her little suitcase, she quickly changed and reapplied her lipstick. As she glimpsed her reflection in the mirror, she saw a woman dazed by the swiftness with which this man could seduce her.
Because that was exactly what he’d done. He’d known from the moment he sent his friends off in his truck that he’d use the time to give her an orgasm. He’d never intended to stop with a kiss. In the back of her mind, she’d known that, and the knowledge had excited her.
She’d always loved his boldness. It was part of what drew her and made him the sexiest man she’d ever met. It was also why he’d so easily claimed her complete attention when they’d been younger. He’d given her pleasure that rivaled anything her romantic soul could imagine.
Like this. She’d been on her way out the door with not a single thought of sex on her mind. In nothing flat he’d ignited her passion and given her a climax. That was talent. Should she embrace it or run like the wind? The jury was still out.
Or maybe not. As she closed the front door and walked out on the porch, there was her cowboy leaning against the front fender of her truck looking adorably cocky. His hat shaded his eyes, but not his wide grin. He’d managed to provide her with a special moment this morning and obviously he was quite proud of himself.
She couldn’t help laughing. “You think you’re pretty clever, don’t you?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He pushed away from the fender, opened the driver’s-side door and offered his hand to help her in.
“Do you want to drive?” The minute the words were out of her mouth, she knew exactly where they’d come from—the woman she’d been five years ago. Damn it. There was the hidden danger of hanging out with Cade. She would not revert to the overly accommodating and dependent person she’d been five years ago, even if that meant pushing him away.
He gazed at her as if considering the question. “No, I don’t.”
“Okay.” She thought about that as he helped her in. Then she tried to remember if she’d ever driven him anywhere. After they were on their way down the road, she asked him.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably.”
“I can’t think of when it would have been. You always liked to take your truck.”
“Well, duh. You had that little car back then. Couldn’t make out in that thing. And you didn’t want to do it on the ground on account of snakes.”
His response was logical. Driving somewhere private had been a high priority. He’d lived at the ranch, and she’d lived with her folks. As for a blanket on the ground, the possibility of a snake arriving in the middle of the action did sort of freak her out. “I have a truck now.”
“I see that. Nice truck.”
“We could take it tonight.”
He hesitated. “You got blankets?”
“Of course! You don’t go on the road in the winter without blankets, so I just leave them in here all the time.”
“Have you ever—”
“No. I’ve never had truck-bed sex with anyone but you.”
“Then how do you know if it’s comfortable back there? Mine has a liner.”
“So does mine. And I don’t know if it’s comfortable to lie on or not, but maybe it’s time to test it out.”
He laughed. “I’m thinking this is a test in more ways than one. You want to know if I can handle having you drive me out to our make-out spot and back in your vehicle or if that would somehow affect my manly pride.”
“Would it?”
“Lexi, if you’re offering to use your truck and your gas to ferry me out into the boonies so I can give you a screaming orgasm, that’s not an ego buster. It’s an ego booster. In other words, I’d be honored.”
Damn, he was turning her on with that talk. “I don’t scream.”
“It’ll be a whole new venue. This time you just might.”
12
CADE THOUGHT THAT had gone well. When she’d asked if he wanted to drive to the hospital, he’d been a whisker away from saying yes. Just in time he’d caught something in her expression that told him yes was not the right answer. But it was the perfect answer to her question about taking the truck tonight.
She was absolutely right that he’d never ridden with her. He’d tried to make it sound like he hadn’t noticed one way or the other, but the minute he’d climbed into the passenger seat, he’d felt weird. Looking to his left to see her must be what tourists felt like when driving in England.
He wasn’t that way with other people, though. Other guys, a little voice reminded him. Humbling though it was, he had to acknowledge that he had a hang-up about being driven by a woman. His jerk of a dad had always insisted on driving, and he’d taken the truck when he’d left. After tha
t, Cade and his mom had depended on the kindness of neighbors when they’d needed to go somewhere.
Lexi had the pedal to the metal. He glanced at the speedometer and saw she was going about five miles over. “Trying to catch those old boys?”
“I wouldn’t mind.” She glanced at him. “Do I make you nervous?”
He lied. “No.”
“I don’t believe you. You have a death grip on your knees. You’re denting the denim.”
Instantly he relaxed his hands. “This is embarrassing. I’m evolved. I support gender equality.”
“Except in a moving vehicle.” She sounded amused rather than ticked off.
“There, too! At least intellectually.”
“Then this is good practice for you. It’ll allow your emotions to catch up with your brain.”
“Absolutely. I’ll give up driving completely if you’re willing to chauffeur me around.” Actually that didn’t sound like a bad plan.
“Nice try, but I’m not that dedicated to your transformation.”
“It was just a thought.” As she passed a slow-moving RV, he caught himself gripping his knees again and dug his phone out of his pocket to distract himself. “I should probably text Molly back.”
“She texted you?”
“Yeah, this morning, asking if I’d be at the hospital because she wanted to bring me something.”
“She’s a nice person.”
“Seems like it.” He sent the text saying he was heading there now and would be there a good part of the day.
“She got me a gig over at the Last Chance the middle of July.”
“Oh, yeah?” The reality of being connected to that family hadn’t really sunk in. Lexi would be driving over to the ranch where three of his cousins lived. Amazing.
“They have a summer program for disadvantaged boys, and they want me to give a riding clinic for them. Want to come along?”
His chest tightened. “Um, I don’t know. I’m not sure what I’ll be doing at that point.”
Midnight Thunder(INCR) Page 12