“Come to dinner tonight,” Lanie purred.
Dakota saw something flash in his expression. Looking for another excuse maybe? He should just tell her the truth.
“I can’t. I’ll be with Becca.”
Lanie slid the crimson talons down his chest and came to a stop at the big, silver buckle, tapping it with the tip of one nail, then leaned her head back on one shoulder as Cash’s lips thinned. “When are you going to stop fighting the attraction between us, cowboy?” she whined. “I’ve chased you long enough.” Lanie’s sultry voice and sex appeal could have made most men puddle at her feet, so why wasn’t Cash? The woman practically threw her body his way.
“You gotta stop this,” Cash said in a throaty tone.
Dakota silently urged Lanie, this stranger, to not lose any more face and just walk away.
Lanie did the unthinkable. She stood on tiptoe and kissed Cash, fully on the mouth.
Dakota tore her gaze away, embarrassment warming her cheeks. She hoped, above everything, Cash didn’t succumb, but he probably would. Wouldn’t most men? Dakota’s cheating ex certainly did.
Lanie seemed like the type of woman most men fell for. She was a knockout in the skin-tight skirt and her long, glistening hair that hung in waves down to her bottom. Self-consciously, Dakota glanced at her reflection, touching her chin-length bob. She held no regret in giving all of her hair to someone who could put it to better use than she could. She’d never considered herself beautiful, but she’d always gotten compliments on her eyes and the shape of her face. Her breasts were small, but firm, and her ass hadn’t fallen…not yet.
The inside of the bedroom had become quiet. Yup, he’d surrendered alright.
Blowing out a long breath, she sat on the closed toilet lid. She could wait it out. No one in their right mind would have sex in a dead woman’s room during her wake, not even Cash.
Dakota smiled and bit back laughter. Why would she laugh? It wasn’t the least bit funny…or was it? Delores certainly would giggle at the situation.
But sadly, Dakota would never hear Delores’s laughter again.
Burying her face in her hands, Dakota caught the tears in her palms. She heard mumbled voices, but chose to ignore things going on in the next room. She didn’t care what the couple did, or didn’t do. She blocked everything out except for her own misery swirling around in her tired brain. Unemployed, a fruitless outlook in her future, and stuck in a bathroom while two sexy people made out in the next room. This could definitely be described as ‘bad luck’.
Hell, it’d been a long time since she’d made out herself. She should only wish the couple the very best in their make out session. At least someone was getting some.
How had life taken on such a bleak view?
Really, she could only blame herself. She needed to start thinking about her own future and stop jumping into situations that would come to a dead end.
Hearing the scuffling of heavy steps, Dakota spread her fingers wide, peering through them as a pair of worn boots came into sight. Oh crap! She dropped her hands to her thighs and walked her gaze slowly up a pair of long, denim-clad legs, silver belt buckle, wide chest to the grim expression of Cash Bailey. She swallowed loudly as he stared.
“Hello,” she mumbled.
Chapter Three
Cash stared at the petite blonde sitting on the throne staring at him with the most expressive eyes and pale complexion he’d ever seen. “Are you using that or just sitting?”
“Oh…do you need to use it?” She jumped up and swiped a hand over the lid. “I was just—”
“Eavesdropping?” He lifted a brow, finding it interesting that her cheeks turned a pretty pink.
She blinked. “I wasn’t eavesdropping. You caught me in the bathroom and before I could announce myself, well, you had company.” Her tongue slipped out, sliding across her cherub’s bow bottom lip. His dick jerked and he growled under his breath.
“So you heard, and saw, it all?” He rubbed his forehead. Getting embarrassed didn’t happen often for him, and he certainly wasn’t now, but he couldn’t deny he was a bit put off. He didn’t know what it was about this woman, but she put him on edge.
“I’m sorry. I saw a little,” she admitted.
He liked her honesty, but it didn’t change the fact that she didn’t make her presence known. “What that was, let’s just say, it’s a little messy.”
She shrugged and some of her natural color returned. “It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone. Should I leave so you two can finish?”
“It’s already finished.” Oops, there went her color again. Yeah, she thought he wanted to screw Lanie. He guessed that would be an easy assumption and he didn’t owe Dakota an explanation, but sleeping with Lanie was the last thing on his mind.
“Thank goodness.”
He laughed. “That could have gotten very uncomfortable pretty quickly. You have a voyeuristic side?”
Her mouth parted and slammed shut. “I didn’t like watching…I mean, I didn’t watch after she kissed you.” She lifted her chin and brushed passed him. He got a whiff of wildflowers, like the ones growing in the fields here on the property. He followed her and when she stopped, so did he. She turned on him, her eyes sparkling. “I think it’s very rude of you and…” She hitched a thumb toward the closed door, “that woman to use this room as your spot to make out. After all, this get-together is in dedication of Delores’s memory.”
He cleared his throat. “And you don’t think it was rude of you not to step out and let us know you were in here?” She wrapped her arms around her chest, but not before he got a quick glance of her nipples hard under the material of her shirt for a second time today. His blood warmed and he cursed his masculine needs.
“I was invited to stay here, in this room, tonight.” She dropped her arms to her sides.
“Yeah, I was told, I just didn’t think—”
“Obviously you weren’t thinking with the right part of your body.” Her eyes drifted to below his belt. All of the restraint in the world wouldn’t have made him flaccid at that very moment. Her lips parted in surprise. “Can’t you handle yourself?”
“Trust me, I can handle myself just fine.”
“Then do it and get out.”
He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I can’t.”
“Why?”
“I’m looking for a turtle…I mean, Turtle.”
She darted a glance around the floor. “I haven’t seen any turtles.”
“Delores was fixing him for Becca.” He chuckled. “I assume so anyway. You see, my daughter, who’s five, said Delores was mending Turtle.” He wasn’t sure what had his tongue tied.
“I met Becca earlier. She’s a very sweet child. She must take after her mother.”
“I can’t argue that point. She seems to think she can’t go another minute without the stuffed animal.”
Dakota nodded and actually smiled—a nice smile that lit her eyes. It got him right in the stomach with a solid hit. “A girl can get attached to a stuffed animal. I had one or two special friends myself. Can I help?”
“Maybe you’ll have better luck. Of course, I did get sidetracked for a few minutes.”
Her jaw tightened again and the smile disappeared. “Could Turtle actually be a bear?” She slipped past him and he got another strong whiff of her. He liked the scent. He watched her bend next to the bed. She tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear as she rummaged in a basket. He liked her features and the slight upturn of her nose. The skirt hugged her bottom and he liked that part of her too.
Realizing he hadn’t answered, he cleared his throat. “It’s possible.” He stepped up next to her, peering over her shoulder. “Hell if I know,” he grumbled.
She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight streaming through the window. They were still red-rimmed, and he realized she’d been crying, again. Of course she had. They’d just buried her aunt.
“Does he look familiar?” She lifted the stuffed bear.
/>
Cash chuckled. “Yes, he does.”
Dakota frowned. “He’s not mended yet.”
“That’s okay. I’ll have to try my hand at it later.” He’d sewn a couple of buttons, but he had no clue how to sew a hole in a bear. “Or find an identical bear.”
“Oh no. That won’t work. A girl knows when something isn’t real. I can mend the hole, that is, if you’re not in a hurry. It won’t take but a few minutes,” she offered. “We can’t have Becca seeing Turtle like this.”
Hell, where else did he have to go? “I don’t want to be a bother.”
“I don’t mind. It’ll help take my mind off the reason why I’m here.”
As she gathered a few items from the sewing basket, she then took a seat on the bed, starting on the project. Feeling awkward watching, Cash went to the window and stared outside. Several more people were leaving, including Lanie Madru. She sashayed her way to the silver BMW and climbed in. If that wasn’t a mess, he didn’t know what was. The woman had a thing for him and he guessed he should be flattered, but he had no desire to be husband number four. And whether Lanie realized it or not, Cash didn’t have a large enough bank account to make her happy. The only thing left would be a good time in bed and, well, he’d done that twice with her and just couldn’t seem to have a ‘benefits only’ relationship. Lanie was an attractive woman, but Cash didn’t have feelings for her. He wasn’t even sure it would be possible to care for any woman again.
He turned and leaned against the window frame, following the movement of Dakota’s slender hand as she slid the needle into the fabric and out. She worked efficiently and seemed to move fast. She had nice hands—short nails unlike Lanie’s weapons. He’d never thought watching a woman sew could be attractive, but his zipper bulged. That wasn’t good, not good at all.
“You have something on your mind?” Dakota looked up from the task.
Yeah, a whole lot and I can’t tell you. “I’m sorry about your aunt. She was a good woman. We thought of her as family.”
“She meant a lot to me.” She went back to concentrating on the needle.
“She meant a lot to many people.” He removed his hat and laid it on the end of the bed.
“I’m not sure who I have to turn to now. She was my rock.” Her voice shook and his chest tightened. Why were his protective instincts up in a bunch? “I feel I should have been here.”
“There’s nothing you could have done.”
She nodded. “That’s why she kept her illness a secret from everyone.”
“It’ll take some time to get used to things without her.” He shoved his hands into his front pockets. “Will you be staying in town long?”
“Until after the will is read. The attorney said that, as next of kin, there are a few documents I need to sign.”
He should be pleased that she’d be leaving, but what was the nagging feeling in his gut? Disappointment? “Hope is glad to have you here tonight. She likes to help. It’s in her nature.”
“I like her. She’s very sweet, and Marah’s cute as a button.”
“She takes after her uncle.”
It took her a moment to catch on, but when she did, the corner of her mouth jerked. “Well, let’s hope she doesn’t have her uncle’s huge ego.”
“I’m really not so bad. You should ignore first impressions.” He pulled out the chair at the desk and took a seat.
“Oh, so you see that offering a stranger an umbrella at the same time you chastise her for not dressing appropriately isn’t right? At least you realize what you did wrong.”
He shrugged. His gaze automatically dropped to her chest. Although she was fully covered, the image of her pert nipples pressing against her shirt played in his brain like a dirty movie. He really wasn’t this obnoxious, but somehow he was breaking every boundary humanly possible. “I’ll make it up to you. I’ll show you around the ranch.”
She looked at him through the veil of her lashes, her nose scrunched, and the needle stopped mid-air. “Are you asking me on a date?”
“No, of course not.” The words flew out of his mouth.
“Yes, of course not. You’re busy with Becca, right?”
“I have her tonight.” He rubbed his jaw, feeling like the temperature rose ten degrees. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
“So you weren’t lying to Lanie?” She lowered her gaze to the bear, but he could see her smile.
“Lanie and I aren’t an item. Whether I was busy tonight or not, I wouldn’t take her out.”
“She won’t take no for an answer?”
Sweat moistened his armpits. “She just wants something that’ll never happen.”
“Although your offer to show me around is sweet, I’ll have to pass. I don’t plan to be here long.” She stood and he did too. “All done. Turtle is back to new.” She held the animal out and he took it, their fingers grazed. If she’d felt anything, she certainly didn’t show it, but his body jerked in every location possible. Cash realized he was definitely a poor cow poke. It was time to start taking his future—and libido—seriously.
“I’ll take it to her. She’ll be pleased. And thank you. I appreciate it.” He put his hat back on, knuckled the rim and headed to the door like a fire lit his ass. He needed to get the hell out of the room.
“It wasn’t for you, but for your daughter.”
“Yeah, of course.” He squeezed the doorknob.
“Wait just a second.” She strolled toward him, her gaze holding his, his mouth salivating. She stopped within inches of his boots and his heart thumped against his ribs. Reaching for something on his jeans, he growled. A teasing smile lit her lips as she held up the long thread that had been attached to his thigh. “You had this on you.” Her tongue swept out over her bottom lip.
Cash leaned in, not thinking of the consequences of his actions, and he kissed her. At first, she remained stiff, her hands pressing against his chest like she would push him away any second. She relaxed against him, her mouth parting, allowing him to slip his tongue in. Her hands snaked up around his neck, her breasts molding against him, a moan escaping deep within her throat.
He could lose himself here with her. He brought his hands to her waist, slipping his fingers to the rounded curve of her hips, wanting to touch all of her. He’d never gotten an adrenaline rush so quickly before.
****
Cash’s warmth drew Dakota in, wrapping her in the mysterious magic. His hands were on her hips so close to the part of her screaming for his attention. She didn’t know him, had only met him hours ago, and he’d dragged her into a web of need. How had she gone so freely, so easily?
His tongue dueled with hers, setting her blood on fire. She licked the roof of his mouth, gliding her tongue along the slick surface and sucking his tongue. He moaned, like a match being lit, every part of her throbbed with desire.
His palm slipped lower to her bottom, covering one cheek and gently squeezing. His hard body pressed her softer curves—especially the part below his waist was noticeable.
She wanted him, yes, but where would this lead?
Hadn’t she just called him out on making out in Delores’s room while visitors were downstairs saying their last farewell? She could hear her aunt now, cheering them on, but what would Tucker and Hope think of her?
It took every ounce of matter in her to step back. The cooler air immediately chilled her trembling flesh. “I-I can’t. I don’t know what we were doing, but I can’t do this.”
His eyes were bright and he was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.” His words were low and rough.
She lifted her fingers, touching her moist trembling lips, swollen from his kiss. “You should go.”
He nodded, opened the door and left.
Once she was alone, Dakota went to the bed and dropped. It took a good fifteen minutes before she started breathing normally again. What just happened? She didn’t like Cash one bit, yet why were her secret parts not getting the mess
age? He was incorrigible. Egotistic. And sexy as hell.
She blew out a long breath.
Her body craved a man —a man with confidence and able to follow his desires. She’d never allow herself to sleep with a man just because her body couldn’t resist him. She needed her mind on board too.
Getting up, she went to the window and looked out. Cash and Becca were standing by the red truck. He knelt on one knee, holding out the bear for her. She grabbed up the panda and hugged him to her chest, a smile spreading her lips from ear to ear. Dakota couldn’t help herself, she smiled too. The child was absolutely the sweetest thing. Her long, dark hair and pale skin seemed the perfect contrast. Although Dakota guessed the girl looked like her mother, there was something about Becca that reminded her so much of Cash. Was it her smile? Or the way her eyes twinkled with mischief? Out of a hundred children, Dakota would have known that Becca was his daughter.
Her heart warmed at the scene below and she found a sliver of forgiveness for him. Obviously, he loved his daughter very much. A big, grappling man so soft toward his child…what woman could deny how precious that could be? Dakota couldn’t. She’d always wanted a family of her own.
Becca skipped around the front of the truck and climbed into the passenger seat. Cash opened the driver’s door and, as if he had a second thought, he paused. He looked up, right into the window, meeting her gaze. Her brain demanded she move, but her body stood paralyzed right there, staring back at him, the apex of her thighs remembering what they’d shared moments ago.
He knew how he affected her, because he smiled, one that could knock her panties off if she allowed it too.
Nope, wouldn’t happen.
She swore off cocky men. Even if they were good fathers. And even if they made her feel pleasure .
He climbed into the truck and backed out. She watched the truck head down the lane, kicking up a cloud of dust in its wake. Exactly what had just happened between them—they’d headed down a rocky path and the dust hadn’t settled yet. She had to keep her sights on the ‘dead end’ sign. Nothing could happen between them. She would be leaving by next week, back to Oklahoma—back to her miserable existence.
Second Sunrise Cowboy (Second Chance Book 8) Page 4