“Ahh, damn, Kenzie,” he said gruffly. “Baby, you feel so good.”
She decided she liked this vocal side of Lucas. As she’d learned, he wasn’t a man of many words. Earlier, when they’d made love, he’d hardly said anything, but now, with every gruff rasp of his voice, Kenzie’s body was burning brighter, hotter.
“Ride me, Kenzie.”
Oh, Lord, the man was going to make her go off like a bottle rocket if he kept talking like that. She began rocking her hips, taking him deeper into her body. She released the blanket, allowing it to fall to the floor. Planting her hands on his broad shoulders, Kenzie controlled the pace, keeping her eyes locked with his while she indulged in all his body could offer her.
“That’s it, baby. Fuck, that feels good.”
Kenzie couldn’t speak. Her breath was lodged in her throat; the pleasure was nearly more than she could bear. And when Lucas began thrusting his hips upward, driving himself impossibly deep inside her, Kenzie’s body began to tremble, her orgasm building until it took over.
“Lucas!” She barely managed to get his name past her lips when her climax tore through her, sending her soaring.
“You’re so beautiful when you come, Kenzie. So damn beautiful.” His voice was laced with gravel and so damn sexy. Kenzie clung to every word, letting it take her even higher than before.
“I’m gonna come, Kenzie. Oh, God, baby.” Lucas’s voice cracked on the last couple of words, his fingers digging into the flesh of her hips as he stilled, his hips jerking.
Kenzie’s inner muscles clamped down on him, and another orgasm broke loose just as he came inside her.
While she tried to catch her breath, Kenzie realized two things. One, she had no idea what this was between them, and two, she prayed he stuck around long enough for them both to find out.
Chapter Ten
Oddly, dinner with Kenzie was far more comfortable than Lucas had anticipated. Not that he had expected Kenzie to do anything to put him on edge, but more because he’d expected the worst. Nothing new, though. He’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop since the second he’d stepped foot in her house earlier in the day.
He wasn’t used to this sort of interaction with a woman. After his marriage to Brenda had dissolved, Lucas had gone on a bender, falling into bed with several women over the course of just two months. Nothing more than one night, and certainly none of those encounters had involved dinner. But with Kenzie, even if the roads had been clear enough for him to leave — and truth was, with his four-wheel-drive truck, he could’ve navigated his way out of there if he had really wanted to — Lucas found he didn’t want to leave.
Even when he’d been at war with himself, having an inane conversation with a cat, he hadn’t wanted to walk out Kenzie’s front door for fear he wouldn’t be welcome back.
And now that they’d finished dinner and night had settled in, Kenzie had put on another pot of coffee. She’d insisted that he head to the living room after he had helped her do the dishes, so that was where he was, sitting on the couch, looking around the room, taking it all in. He liked the simplicity of Kenzie’s house. There was minimal decor, but there were pictures on nearly every surface. Almost all of them had Kenzie’s beautiful, smiling face in them.
Much different than his own place, which was pretty empty after Brenda had taken damn near everything they’d acquired over the years. Not that he’d tried to stop her. The only thing he gave a shit about was the ranch. It had been in his family for generations, and he damn sure wasn’t going to let her steal it out from underneath him. So, by the time all was said and done, he’d kept the ranch and his truck. The rest of the shit, he’d let her take, with the agreement that he would never have to see her again.
“What’re you thinkin’ about?”
Lucas looked up to see Kenzie approaching. She was wearing the pink cotton robe she’d donned after their last encounter on the couch and carrying two coffee mugs. Reaching out, he took them both from her and set them on the coffee table before pulling her down beside him. Wrapping his arm around her, he let her get comfortable. She was sitting sideways, her back against his side, her knees drawn up, her cute feet propped on the couch. She reached for the mugs, handing him one first and then taking the other.
“Just thinkin’,” he told her.
“I got that part. What about?”
“My ex-wife.”
Lucas felt Kenzie’s body tense slightly, and he patted her knee. “Not like that. I guess I just realized how much shit I’d been hangin’ on to all these months.”
“Y’all were together a long time. It seems natural for you to still be hung up on her.”
“It ain’t like that,” he assured her. “When I found out she’d been cheatin’, I was more than willing to show her the door.”
“I’m sorry,” Kenzie said softly.
“Don’t be. If she hadn’t cheated…” Lucas caught his next words before they could slip out of his mouth.
“What?” Kenzie asked, twisting around so she could look at him.
He sighed. Why the hell did he have to get involved so damn quickly? Why couldn’t he just let this be fun and games? It seemed that, although she insisted she’d never done this before and he believed her, Kenzie was more than willing to take things slow. And maybe that was the issue. He didn’t want casual.
“If she hadn’t cheated, I wouldn’t be here now.”
“No, I guess you wouldn’t. Well, if that’s the way we’re thinkin’ about it, then I’m glad she cheated. God, that sounded crass. Sorry again,” Kenzie stated, chuckling.
When she yawned, Lucas knew it was time for bed. “You’re tired,” he said. “I guess I should really be going.” Not that he wanted to, but it seemed the appropriate thing to say. He didn’t want to invite himself to stay.
Fortunately, he didn’t have to, because Kenzie solved his dilemma by insisting that he stay. She didn’t use the weather as an excuse, and neither did he. When she got up from the couch, Lucas took her hand and allowed her to lead him to her bedroom once again. As much as he wanted to make love to her again, his body was tired, his mind even more so. She must’ve known, because Kenzie simply stripped out of her robe, her naked body revealed before she climbed into bed, pulling the covers up over her while she waited for him to join her.
Which he did. Without a second of hesitation.
When the gray light of morning slipped in through the windows in Kenzie’s bedroom, Lucas forced his eyes open. The warm woman sprawled over him was an instant reminder of where he was. The immediate swelling in his chest told him why he was still there. Not to mention the swelling that was happening in other regions. It was difficult not to react to Kenzie’s nearness. The woman did something to him, and like he’d told her yesterday, he wasn’t sure that he’d ever get enough of her.
Ever.
“Mornin’,” Kenzie greeted him in a sleepy, soft tone, making him smile. She pushed her hair out of her face and looked up at him. “I sure hope you slept at least a little.”
“All night,” he told her. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept quite so deeply.
“Good,” she said, a small smile curling the corners of her pretty pink lips.
“Why good?” he asked, noting the mischievous gleam in her chocolate-brown eyes.
“I want to make sure you’re good and rested.”
“For?”
“First a shower, then … you know.”
Lucas pressed his face into the crook of her neck, inhaling her sweet scent. “No, I don’t know. Why don’t you enlighten me?”
Without words, Kenzie told him her intentions when she slid her hand down his stomach, her smooth, cool fingers wrapping around his dick and stroking him lightly. He groaned, his hips thrusting toward her touch, encouraging her to continue.
“Does that feel good?” she asked, turning her head and giving him better access to her neck.
“So fucking good,” he admitted. “Don’t stop.�
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“I don’t plan to, cowboy.”
Kenzie continued to tease him ruthlessly, never applying enough friction to bring him to the edge, but continuing to drive him crazy with her soft, gentle touch.
“Why don’t we kill two birds with one stone?” he asked when he knew he needed more of her.
“How do you plan to do that?” she asked.
“Let’s shower together.”
Kenzie turned to look at him, her eyes meeting his, her smile radiant. “I like the way you think.”
Within seconds, he was following her to the bathroom. He snatched the last condom he had in his wallet as he followed her. Once the water heated, he joined her in the oversized shower and then attempted to reacquaint himself with her body by using his hands. And his mouth.
Backing her against the tiled wall, Lucas lifted her leg and planted her foot on the small ledge before he dropped to his knees and buried his face between her thighs.
“Lucas. That feels… Oh, God, that feels so good. Too good.”
Kenzie’s soft moans grew louder as he teased her clit with his tongue, working her up but never giving her enough to send her over. He would, but only after he got his fill. Slipping two fingers inside her, Lucas continued to flick her clit with his tongue while fucking her slowly until she was thrusting her hips forward.
“Lucas! I’m gonna come!”
And she did, her entire body tightening, her pussy clamping down on his fingers, but Lucas didn’t relent, continuing to lick and suck her clit until she forced his head away, twining her fingers into his hair and pulling him upward.
With a chuckle, he got to his feet, crushing his body to hers, melding his lips to hers.
“Condom,” she whispered against his mouth.
“One step ahead of you, darlin’.” Lucas managed to slide the condom on and, within seconds, was plowing into her, holding her knee against his hip, opening her up so he could drive deep. With her arms wrapped around his neck, her mouth sealed to his, he inhaled her while at the same time tried to bury himself as deep as physically possible. It didn’t take long before she was crying out his name again, and the beautiful sound sent him right over the edge.
Twenty minutes later, after getting dressed, Lucas joined Kenzie in the kitchen. She had already pulled out bacon and eggs and was preparing them near the sink while a skillet sat on the stainless steel stovetop, the gas flame beneath it flickering.
“Good morning,” she greeted, shooting him a smile over her shoulder.
Something loosened in Lucas’s chest as he looked at her. He really liked this woman. He liked her wit, her easy banter, the way she kept a positive outlook, even when the chips were stacked against her, like when her car had gone into the ditch. He liked the graceful way she moved, the sweet smile that she was quick to offer him.
Hell, Lucas figured it was safe to say that he liked everything he knew about her so far. But there were still some questions he had for her. Some answers he knew could change everything that was building between them.
“So how do you like it here in Embers Ridge?” he asked straightforwardly as he grabbed two glasses from the cabinet and poured orange juice from a pitcher in the refrigerator.
Kenzie didn’t answer immediately. She continued cracking eggs and whipping them with a fork, her attention divided between him and the stove. With his glass in hand, he leaned against the counter not far from where she was working and watched her, waiting for her answer.
“Until yesterday, I have to admit, I hadn’t felt as though I fit in all that well.”
Well, that was honest. He liked honest. Lucas didn’t say anything, because she continued.
“I don’t get out much, and the only person who visits is my mother.”
“Do you talk to Ralph much?” Lucas asked.
“Sometimes. But honestly, that old cowboy talks less than you do,” she told him as she poured the eggs into the skillet and then laid bacon across a griddle on another burner.
Lucas grinned. Yeah, he could see that.
“But aside from the lack of companionship, I do like it here. It’s a much slower pace than what I was used to in Houston.”
Lucas realized then that he had no idea what it was Kenzie did for a living. How she could easily uproot herself from Houston to move to a small town. “What about work? Do you miss it?”
“No,” Kenzie said with a smile. “But that’s because I took it with me. I’m a medical transcriptionist.”
“How the hell do you do that?” Lucas found himself asking before he could think better of it.
“Well … you transcribe the—”
Lucas cut her off, leaning over and giving her a quick kiss, mainly because he couldn’t resist the urge to do so, before stepping back out of her way. “I know how it’s done. I’m tryin’ to understand why.”
“Someone’s gotta do it,” Kenzie said, her gaze meeting his. “More importantly, I get to work from home. So like I said, if it weren’t for the lack of a social life, it wouldn’t be much different than my life back in Houston.”
Neither of them said anything for a few minutes. Lucas continued to watch her while she worked, and while she focused on scrambling the eggs, he flipped the bacon and then pulled each slice off when it was done. A few minutes later, they were sitting at her kitchen table, her cat meowing from the floor.
“You’ve got food,” Kenzie told the cat, and as though the animal had needed her to explain that, she padded off to the other side of the kitchen, leaving them to eat in peace.
When they were both nearly finished with the food, Lucas went back to their earlier conversation.
“Have you considered goin’ back to Houston?” That was the question he truly wanted an answer to. As quickly as he found himself interested in this woman, the idea of her leaving to go back to Houston caused his stomach to churn.
“As of now, no,” Kenzie replied. “I’m gonna stick it out. I like the small town, the people I’ve met, the solitude I’m afforded out here. So, no, I haven’t considered going back.”
“Good to know.”
“Is it?” Kenzie asked, her eyes searching his.
“Yes,” he told her honestly. “I still don’t know what to make of this, but I’m too damned old to waste a whole helluva lot of time on casual relationships, Kenzie.” He wasn’t sure honesty was the best way to go at this point, but he truly didn’t know any other way to do it. After Brenda had knocked his world off its axis with her unfaithfulness, Lucas hadn’t been sure he’d ever want to settle down again. But the fact of the matter was, he was a one-woman man. Always had been.
“Well, if you want my opinion—”
Kenzie’s statement was cut off by a pounding at the front of the house. She quickly jumped to her feet, securing her robe around herself and making her way to the door. She tossed him a look that reflected her confusion. Clearly she had no idea who would be knocking on her door this early in the morning.
Lucas got to his feet, thankful he’d gotten dressed before they’d had breakfast. When he heard a man’s voice from the other side of the door, something dark and possessive took root in his soul, and he found himself moving closer to Kenzie.
When he approached, she took a step back and opened the door.
“Oh, Mr. Burch. I’m so glad you’re here. I saw your truck.”
Lucas recognized Ralph instantly. “Is there a problem?”
“Yes, sir,” Ralph said, his raspy tone reflecting the fact that he was a lifelong smoker. “One of the horses is stuck in the creek. Can’t get her out.”
Lucas glanced at Kenzie. He noticed she looked as though someone had told her that her cat had died.
“Let me get my boots,” he told Ralph, spinning around and heading to the couch, where he’d left his boots the night before.
Kenzie invited Ralph inside, closing the door behind him, and then she disappeared down the hall to her bedroom. He was shocked to see her coming back toward him as he was shrugging into his
coat and planting his Stetson on his head.
“I’m gonna help,” she informed him.
He wasn’t sure what to say to that. He hadn’t expected her to volunteer. Had she been his ex-wife, she would’ve been chastising him for having to go out in the weather, more because she wanted him to cater to her hand and foot than because he actually was going to deal with the elements in order to take care of an animal.
“Get your coat on,” Lucas instructed her. “You got a hat?”
Kenzie didn’t answer. Instead, she turned on her heels and hurried back down the hall. When she returned, she had a black hoodie on, the hood pulled up over her head, and she was sliding her arms into a heavy jacket. He was happy to see she wasn’t wearing shorts as she had been yesterday.
Damn, had that been just yesterday? Holy hell. It seemed like a lifetime had passed since he’d run into her at the pharmacy.
When Ralph cleared his throat, Lucas remembered what he was supposed to be doing. Taking her hand, he led her out the front door, following Ralph, who was already making a beeline for his truck, moving as fast as his seventy-year-old bones could carry him. Lucas wasn’t all that surprised to see the man still had a spring in his step.
Part of him wondered if he’d be able to keep up with the old man. The thought made him smile.
Chapter Eleven
Kenzie hung on for dear life as Ralph steered his truck across the bumpy ground, making his way behind the guesthouse, where he had lived for more years than Kenzie could remember, toward the creek that ran through the back half of her grandparents’ land. She was sandwiched between Ralph and Lucas on the single bench seat of the old, rusted Ford, doing her best not to flop onto either man while she gripped the dashboard with both hands.
She had no idea what she could possibly do to help either of these men once they finally got to their destination, but she knew without a doubt that she couldn’t just sit at her house and wait for them to come back. This was her property, her cows, her horses, her chickens. She was responsible for them, and though she didn’t know much about how to care for them yet, she’d made it her mission to learn everything there was to learn. She regretted not spending enough time with her grandfather, learning the lay of the land prior to his passing, and she felt she owed it to him to give everything she had to continuing his legacy.
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