“Yes, sir. After I ring you up, I’m headin’ out.”
“Good girl. Tell your dad I said hello,” Lucas said after he paid and took the plastic sack from the counter.
“I’ll do it.”
Tracey followed Lucas to the door, and once he was outside, he heard the telltale click of the deadbolt on the door. He rushed to his truck just as the sleet got heavier, coating his hair and his face with little ice pellets.
“Shit.”
Lucas knew that the road back to his place was going to be hell to drive on. Even in the four-wheel-drive truck, he was going to have to navigate slowly or he was going to end up in a ditch.
His thoughts immediately drifted to Mackenzie. He’d seen her drive out of the parking lot, and he’d noticed when her back tires had lost traction as she’d turned onto the main road. Her tires were bald, which meant her trek home was probably going to be trickier than his.
“You shouldn’t be worried about her, dumbass,” Lucas grumbled aloud as he turned the key in the ignition and put the truck in gear. Backing out of the parking spot, he watched as the lights inside the pharmacy went out.
Ten minutes later, Lucas was pulling to a stop behind the familiar silver Ford Focus that’d left the pharmacy a good fifteen minutes before him, sitting on the side of the road, nose first in a ditch. It was still daylight, but with the cloud cover, it was gloomy, and with the heavy sleet, it was difficult to make out the car completely, but he knew without a doubt that it was Mackenzie.
“Should’ve known,” he huffed as he climbed out of his truck, pulling his jacket closed. He made his way around the car and tapped on the driver’s window.
“Are you stalking me?” Mackenzie asked with a grin as she lowered the window.
Lucas laughed; he couldn’t help himself. Truthfully, he’d expected her to be a wreck, sitting in her car, waiting for someone to come save her. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d been crying, either. That was what most women he knew would’ve been doing. They certainly wouldn’t be smiling.
“Chocolate?” she asked, holding up a candy bar.
And they definitely wouldn’t be offering him chocolate.
“Get out, woman,” he grumbled, reaching for the handle and pulling her door open.
“Pushy, aren’t ya?” she asked, chuckling.
“Did you hit your head or somethin’?” Lucas asked, reaching for Mackenzie’s arm and helping her out of the car. Once she was upright, he closed the car door, still keeping a firm grip on her arm so that she didn’t fall.
“No, why?”
“’Cause you’re awful damn happy for a woman who just drove her car into a ditch.”
“First of all, I didn’t drive it there, it went there on its own.”
“And that’s funny?” Lucas asked as he led her over to the passenger side of his truck.
“Not at all. But I figure bein’ upset won’t change my luck, so I might as well smile.”
Well, there you had it.
“Oh, wait. I need my Band-Aids,” Mackenzie called out just as Lucas was about to close the truck door, sealing her inside.
He nodded and made his way back to her car, retrieving the pharmacy bag, locking the car doors, and returning to his truck.
Thankfully, the truck heater was on full blast, because it was colder than a well digger’s ass.
“You live out here?” Mackenzie asked when he got settled behind the wheel.
“The Double B,” Lucas murmured, putting the truck in gear.
“Well, thanks for pickin’ me up,” Mackenzie said as he pulled back onto the road, his back tires losing traction once or twice.
“That’s what neighbors do,” he said, doing his best not to look over at her.
The heater was blasting, but it didn’t do a damn thing to mask the scent of her perfume. That same sweet scent from the other night at the bar that had left him light-headed.
Fortunately, Mackenzie remained silent for the few minutes it took him to drive her to her front door. And he probably would’ve gotten away easily if it hadn’t been for his stupid-ass mouth deciding to open up and say something … well, something stupid.
“Why’d you run off the other night?”
Mackenzie’s hand was on the door handle, but she stopped, turning to look at him, her eyes wide.
Yep, he was a dumbass.
“I … uh…”
“Never mind,” Lucas grumbled, knowing he should’ve just kept his mouth shut. The fact that he’d told her to stay put while he had helped that drunk asshole back into the bar so someone could get him home safely, only for Lucas to return and find her gone, should’ve been the only answer he needed.
“I should’ve thanked you,” Mackenzie said, turning to face him more fully as she held her plastic sack of supplies close to her chest. He had a hard time keeping his eyes on her face when her long legs peeked out from beneath her coat. He still couldn’t believe the woman was wearing shorts when the temperature was hovering right at the freezing mark.
“Not necessary,” Lucas told her, keeping his tone even as he pulled his eyes away from her and stared out the front windshield.
She was silent for a moment, and he thought she was going to leave it at that, but then she had to go and open her mouth again. “You wanna come in for some coffee?”
Lucas had no idea what the hell he was thinking, but for a brief moment, he actually considered the offer. Luckily, before he did something stupid like accept, he came to his senses.
“Gotta get back before the roads get too bad.”
“Oh, okay.”
Lucas met her gaze and silently scolded himself for it. She was so damn beautiful, even with her hair piled on top of her head and not a lick of makeup on her face. She actually looked better than she had the other night in that sexy black dress and those high heels that’d made her legs look ten miles long.
“Well, thanks again.”
“Yup.”
Mackenzie climbed out of the truck, shutting the door with a gentle click before turning to the front porch. She turned back once, and Lucas knew he should’ve looked away, but he couldn’t help himself. When she waved at him, he kept his hands on the steering wheel. No sense in making her think he was friendly, because he wasn’t.
And then, just when he thought he was going to get safely back home without having to deal with the only woman who’d caught his attention in recent months, Mackenzie had to go and slip.
“Son of a bitch,” he growled, turning off the engine and grabbing the keys before jumping out of the truck and trudging over to her, slipping and sliding on the ice that was forming faster than he had expected. “You okay?” he asked, going to his knee to put his arms around her and help her to her feet.
Her knee was bleeding again, more than it had been before. Reckoning he’d already stepped out of the frying pan and into the fire by talking to her in the first place, Lucas figured what the hell. Sliding his hands beneath her, he lifted her into his arms, holding her close to his chest. When she wrapped her arms around his neck, his senses flooded with the sweet scent of strawberries, he knew he was in deep, deep shit.
Chapter Five
One minute Kenzie was standing on the wooden front porch; the next she was on her ass.
She might’ve been able to handle it if she’d been the only one to see her less-than-graceful fall to the ground, but of course, just as her luck would have it, Lucas had witnessed the whole thing. And now she was in his arms, inhaling that sexy, musky scent that she remembered from the other night. She doubted it was cologne. Aftershave, maybe. Regardless, he smelled fantastic.
His jacket was cold, but his neck was warm as she wrapped her arm around him, praying he wouldn’t drop her. She wasn’t a wisp of a thing, and well, he wasn’t young. Kenzie wasn’t sure how old he was, but she figured his late thirties, although he looked even older than that. He’d certainly done some hard living at some point in his life.
“I can walk,” she ass
ured him when he snagged her keys from her hand and inserted them into the front door.
“I’m beginnin’ to question whether that’s true,” he mumbled, making her grin.
Why she was smiling, she had no idea. She liked Lucas. The way he smelled, the gruff rumble of his voice, the way he looked at her as though he’d never met anyone like her. All of those things, not to mention the memory of his lips on hers, had plagued her for the last couple of days.
And suddenly here he was.
He carried her over the threshold, kicking her front door closed with his boot before making his way through the house. Kenzie found it amusing that he didn’t think to ask directions; instead, Lucas made a couple of wrong turns before he found the kitchen. She didn’t bother to tell him that there had been a straight path from the front door. It was more interesting this way.
When he set her on the counter, she was reluctant to let go of him. Not because she feared that she would fall to the floor, more because she didn’t want to let go.
He released her slowly, and Kenzie allowed her hand to slide over his slightly rough cheek. The dark hair lining his angular jaw scraped against her fingers, sending a chill across her skin. Lucas’s gaze settled on her face, their eyes meeting, but he didn’t move away. This was what she’d dreamed about, what she had craved since the first and only time he had pressed his lips to hers.
Lucas’s eyes traveled down to her mouth, lingering there, and Kenzie found herself holding her breath, willing him to kiss her.
“We better get you patched up,” Lucas whispered roughly.
They were so close Kenzie could feel his breath against her lips, and for a second, she considered kissing him, making that first move that would lead exactly where she wanted it to.
It’d been a long time for her.
But Lucas pulled away, shaking his head as though he was trying to make sense of the situation.
“I’m good,” Kenzie finally said, realizing there wasn’t going to be a heated make-out session in her kitchen, no matter how much she wished it. “I can take care of it. Sorry about making you come out here.”
Right then, Jasper decided to join the conversation, hopping up onto the counter beside Kenzie and staring at the sexy stranger. Jasper offered a quick meow.
“Lucas, meet Jasper. Jasper, meet Lucas,” Kenzie said, running her hand down Jasper’s soft gray fur.
Lucas didn’t respond. Not to her earlier statement and not to her introduction to the cat. At first, he just stood there, glancing between her and Jasper, and at first, Kenzie thought he was just going to turn and leave, but then, faster than her brain could process, Lucas was standing in front of her, his hand sliding behind her head, pulling her to him. Their mouths collided. Lips, teeth, tongue. The kiss was gloriously brutal but so damn sweet at the same time.
Kenzie exhaled on a moan, sliding her hands up behind his head and linking her fingers in the soft strands of his dark hair peeking out from beneath his hat. She didn’t want to let him go, and she definitely couldn’t explain her reaction to him. She’d never been the spontaneous sort. Never had a one-night stand. Never made out with a man whose last name she didn’t know. But here she was, throwing caution to the wind, and she couldn’t even convince herself it was a bad idea.
Jasper meowed loudly, making Kenzie smile against Lucas’s mouth.
“Fuck,” Lucas growled, pulling back but not releasing her. His fingers were twined in her hair; he was cupping her head, holding her so that she had to look at him. “What’re you doin’ to me?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted softly. “But whatever it is … I feel it, too.”
Lucas’s green eyes widened, and then he was backing up, his hands falling to his sides as he stared at her as though she’d sprouted a third eyeball.
Clearly she’d said the wrong thing.
“I shouldn’t be here,” he admitted, turning away from her and thrusting his hands into his coat pockets.
“Then go,” she said quickly, mortified that he was turning this around on her. Sure, she’d willingly kissed him, but he acted as though she had lured him there.
Lucas turned around, meeting her gaze once more. She could see the heat still lingering in the emerald depths, feel the tension radiating from his big body, but for the life of her, she had no idea what he was thinking.
“You gonna be okay?” he asked, nodding toward her knee.
Kenzie glanced down at her leg. The bleeding had stopped, but her leg needed to be cleaned. “I’m gonna be perfectly fine,” she told him matter-of-factly, forcing a smile. “Thanks again. I’ll call a tow truck to get my car.”
Lucas nodded his head, and then he looked toward the front door.
God, what had she possibly done that made this man want to run out the door?
The thought pissed her off, and she hopped down off the counter and motioned toward the living room, signaling for the exit. Jasper jumped down as well, circling her legs. “I’ll walk you out.”
Lucas looked at her again, and Kenzie was pretty sure that was confusion reflecting back at her, but she didn’t know for sure. Clearly he’d figured it out, because he started walking, making it all the way to the front door before he stopped. He pivoted slowly around to look at her, and Kenzie held her breath.
“I can’t do this.”
Kenzie narrowed her eyes, trying to understand what he was talking about. “I didn’t ask you to do anything,” she retorted, suddenly consumed by a slow, burning anger that flooded her bloodstream.
“You didn’t have to,” he answered.
“Look, Lucas—” Kenzie’s retort was cut off when Lucas grabbed her again, pulling her against him. Instinct kicked in, and she threw her arms around his neck, meeting his lips when he bent to kiss her.
A frenzy of energy kicked up around them, heating the room to unbearable levels. Before she knew it, Lucas lifted her and turned, pressing her back into the door. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she thrust her tongue against him, pressing her breasts against the hard plane of his chest, trying to get closer, although his coat and hers made it damn near impossible to get close enough.
Spontaneous combustion.
That was what it felt like. At least to her. She was going to explode at any moment, and this man, this cowboy she didn’t even know, was going to send her soaring into the ether. And she didn’t want him to stop.
“What are we doing?” he asked, his lips lingering above hers when he finally pulled back.
“I don’t know.”
“Where is this headin’?” he asked, causing Kenzie to pull back so she could look in his eyes.
“The bedroom?”
Lucas’s gruff chuckle vibrated through her, and Kenzie knew right then and there that she was going to do something she’d never done before.
And she couldn’t bring herself to regret one single second.
Chapter Six
Lucas had no fucking idea what he was doing, but his brain had long ago stopped making his decisions for him. His dick was making all the calls right now, and the damn thing was yelling so loudly he couldn’t hear anything else. Wanting this woman, desperate to drive himself inside her until she was screaming his name, begging for him to make her come, was the only thing he could think of at the moment.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, the crazy woman had suggested that he take her to the bedroom.
“Second thoughts?” she asked, continuing to watch him as he held her firmly against the door, her long, trim legs wrapped around his waist.
“Hell, no,” he ground out, slamming his mouth over hers once again, allowing her sweetness to shove away the anger and frustration that had filled him for so long.
She tasted like honey and sin mixed together. She was too damn sweet for the likes of him, but he couldn’t resist her. However, he needed to know that they were on the same page here. He didn’t want anything more than one night. If that. He just needed to get her out of his damn system, and he’d be out t
he door. He needed to ensure she understood that. Needed to know that she didn’t expect anything more than a night of intense orgasms. He couldn’t offer her anything else, but he knew without a doubt he could offer her that.
“One night,” he mumbled against her mouth, trying to catch his breath as he released her soft lips.
“One night,” she repeated.
“That’s all I can give you,” he explained, his eyes closing as she teased his lips with her soft tongue.
“That’s all I need,” she answered.
“Are you sure? You understand what I’m tellin’ you, Mackenzie?”
“Call me Kenzie,” she replied. “And I get it. One night. Nothing else. I’m not asking for a ring here, cowboy.”
Shit.
Lucas laughed, hitching her up and tightening his grip on her as he turned. “Where’s the bedroom?”
“That way,” she whispered with a grin before sliding her tongue in his mouth once again.
Son of a bitch.
The woman was fire in his arms. Her desperate need to get him in the bedroom damn near rivaled his own.
What Lucas couldn’t understand was why he was so damned hesitant to take her there. To toss her on the bed, strip off her clothes, and make love to her until the sun went down and then some more until the damn thing came back up. But something was niggling at him. That damn thing called his conscience. For whatever reason, he didn’t want to hurt her. Emotionally. Didn’t want to walk out the door in the morning and never see her again.
And that confused the fuck out of him, because he didn’t even know her.
“Come on, cowboy,” Kenzie said, nipping his bottom lip.
“I’m gettin’ there, darlin’,” he whispered, forcing his legs to carry him down the hallway. There were four doors, which meant he had a twenty-five percent chance of getting it right.
“Last one on the left,” Kenzie stated, making his decision that much easier.
Pushing the door open with his foot, Lucas peered inside, noting the simple furnishings. A bed, dresser, nightstand. The woman was simple, he’d give her that. There wasn’t a light on in the room, so it was difficult to make out anything other than the large pieces of furniture.
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