Solid Soul (Kimani Romance)

by Jackson, Brenda

  “We have to keep our heads,” she said. “Or the kids will take advantage without us realizing it.” Kylie hoped—prayed—that he wouldn’t give her any hassles. They needed to be in accord. They needed to be a team with one focus.

  He leaned over the table, closer to her. “I know you’re right but…”

  She lifted an arched brow. “But what?”

  “At this very moment, the only thing I want is to kiss you.”

  His blatant honesty, as well as the heat of his gaze, burned her. She could actually feel the flame. His softly uttered words only intensified the throbbing between her legs, and made fiery sensations rip through her stomach. It wouldn’t take much for her to lean in to him and mesh her lips with his, satisfy at least one craving they evidently both had. And without any control, her body began doing just that, leaning closer…

  They jumped apart at the sound of a car backfiring. Kylie’s eyes widened and her cheeks tinted with embarrassment. They were sitting in the middle of Burger King thinking of sharing a kiss, for heaven’s sake!

  “Are you ready to go?” Chance asked.

  Kylie drew in a deep breath. Yes, she was ready. The sooner she got back to the shop the better. There, she could regain her sensibilities, take back control of her mind. No doubt Chance had more experience dealing with this sort of thing than she did. Regardless, she knew she couldn’t depend on him to keep things in perspective. An affair with Chance was the last thing she wanted. No matter what, she had to remember that.

  “Thanks for lunch, Chance,” Kylie said to him as he backed out of Burger King’s parking lot.

  “You’re welcome. I enjoyed it.”

  For the next few minutes they shared pleasant conversation in which he told her about his parents retiring to Florida and about his three brothers and three female cousins. It wasn’t hard to tell that the Steele family was close.

  “So how is your flower business?”

  She appreciated him asking. It was a good idea to stick to general conversation. “So far business is good. Before moving here I did my research, made sure adding another florist wasn’t overcrowding the market.”

  “You have a good location since it’s an area ripe for development.”

  “Yes, and I owe it all to Lena. She put her real estate skills to work and gave me a call one day. It was just what I was looking for, exactly what I needed. I grow a lot of my own plants in the greenhouse out back. Those I don’t grow I get from a pretty good supplier.”

  She paused briefly as he glanced over at her. He hadn’t put back on his jacket or tie, which made her wonder if he planned to go back to the office or just chill the rest of the day. She scolded herself when she realized what Chance did was really none of her business.

  “If you don’t mind, I need to make a stop. It won’t take but a couple of minutes. I promise to get you back to your shop before two.”

  “All right.”

  She blinked seconds later when he pulled up to a car wash. She thought his SUV looked pretty clean. It was definitely in better condition than her car.

  “I have those pesky bugs on my fender,” Chance said, as he eased his truck into the bay.

  The automatic equipment began moving around the truck, blasting water over it and hiding them from the outside world in a cocoon-like waterfall. The insides of the truck suddenly got dark, intimate, warm.

  She didn’t want to but she couldn’t help but glance over at Chance. Seeing the seductive look in his eyes, she knew this was no coincidence. Coming here had been deliberate on his part.

  “This is the first time I’ve done this. I’ve never brought a woman with me to get my truck washed,” he said in a husky voice. “But I want to kiss you, Kylie.”

  Kylie swallowed at the passion she heard in his voice. She hated admitting it but she wanted to kiss him as well. But still…

  “Chance, I thought we decided that—”

  “Please.” His tone vibrated with a need that touched her when she knew it shouldn’t. “Ten minutes is all I ask.”

  Kylie blinked. Ten minutes? A car wash took that long? As if reading the question in her eyes, he said, “I’m getting a heavy-duty wash.”

  “Oh.” Still, she’d never been kissed for ten minutes.

  “Come here, Kylie. Please.”

  The knot in her throat thickened. She knew he wanted her to slide over to him, and heaven help her but she wanted it, too. Without stopping to question the wisdom of her actions, she unsnapped her seat belt and scooted toward him. When she got close enough he pushed back the seat and pulled her into his lap. His arms automatically closed around her shoulders as he held her in a warm embrace.

  “Thank you,” he said huskily, before sweeping his tongue across her lips and taking her mouth, hungrily, thoroughly. The first touch of his mouth on hers had her automatically parting her lips. And now with the insertion of his tongue, he brought out a responsive need in her so deep, she began to intimately stroke his tongue with hers.

  She had never been kissed this way, had never known that such a way was possible. But it was clear as glass that Chance had a special, skillful technique. His tongue was stroking the top of her mouth, sliding over her teeth, entwining his tongue with hers, sucking relentlessly on it.

  Her breasts, pressing against his chest, felt full, sensitive and tight. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck as they greedily consumed each other. She tasted every inch of his mouth while pressed against him, feeling the way his body had hardened beneath her bottom.

  The kiss went on and on as his mouth continued to take hers, skillfully, thoroughly, tantalizing every bone in her body and making her conscious of just what a master he was at igniting sensations.

  And they were ignited—by sensations she had never felt before. She was experiencing the emotions of a woman and not a sixteen-year-old girl. In reality, this was her first taste of passion and Chance was delivering it in grand style.

  There was a need hammering deep within her that she didn’t understand, but evidently Chance did, since he seemed to sense just what she wanted, just what she needed, even if she wasn’t certain. The only thing she was sure about was that he had taken their kiss to a level she hadn’t known possible.

  The sound of a car door slamming made her remember where they were and what they were doing. The honking of a horn indicated that someone was behind them waiting for their vehicle to move. Still, Chance took his time easing his mouth from hers. She could barely think. She could barely breathe. And she could barely break the connection of the dark eyes locked with hers.

  “I think the truck is clean enough now, don’t you?” he asked throatily against her moist lips with a sound that sent sensuous chills down her body.

  Kylie didn’t trust herself to speak at the moment. When he released her, she slid out of his lap and back across the seat. She’d read about women being kissed senseless but never in her wildest dreams had she thought such a thing was possible. Boy, had she been wrong.

  She snapped her seat belt back in place as she felt the truck move forward. When they were back in the sunlight, a dose of reality struck. They’d been in the midst of making out in his truck like teenagers. She inhaled deeply, wondering how she could have let things get so out of hand.

  “It was inevitable, Kylie.”

  She glanced over at him. Just because what he said was true didn’t mean she liked hearing it.

  “Please don’t have any regrets,” he said softly.

  How could she have regrets when she had been a willing participant, just as much into the kiss as he had been? However, she did intend to have her say. “We need to have more control, Chance. How can we expect our kids to have control if we don’t?”

  He pulled the truck to the side and parked it, and then glanced over at her. “They’re kids, but we’re adults, Kylie. Our wants and needs are more defined than theirs. And a lot more profound.”

  “Sounds like a double standard to me.”

  “It’
s not. That kiss we shared has nothing to do with our kids. That was strictly personal, between me and you.”

  She stared at him, hoping he understood what she was about to say. “I don’t have any regrets about the kiss but it can’t happen again, Chance.”

  A slow smile played across his lips. “That’s easier said than done, Kylie. I tasted your response. You’re a very passionate woman, moreso than you even know. You’ve denied yourself pleasure for a long time and now that your body has savored just a sampling, it’s going to want more.”

  She didn’t like what he was insinuating. Okay, so she had been a little greedy back there, but still, she had her morals.

  “And your principles have nothing to do with it,” he said as if he’d read her mind. “So don’t even think it. It’s about needs that are old and primitive as mankind. I have them and you have them, too.”

  She frowned. “And I’m supposed to jump into bed with any man just to appease him?”

  “No. Only with me.”

  He evidently saw the startled look in her face, because he then added, “But I’m willing to wait until you’re ready.”

  Kylie inhaled and decided it would be a waste of her time to tell him that no matter how much she had enjoyed their kiss, when it came to an affair, she would never be ready. Especially not with him.

  Another night and Chance couldn’t sleep a wink. But at least tonight he wasn’t being kept awake wondering how it would be to kiss Kylie since he’d gotten a real down-to-earth experience earlier that day.

  And it had been better than he’d imagined.

  The moments their lips had connected he had felt a slow sizzle all the way to his toes. The more he’d kissed her, the more she had wiggled closer for a better connection, and while his truck was getting the wash it really hadn’t needed, he was inside with her locked in his arms, and getting hotter by the second.

  She had felt like she belonged in his arms and the firm breasts that had been pressed against his chest had felt like they were meant to touch him that way. More than once he had been tempted to ease his hand under her blouse and cup her breasts, massage them, lift her blouse and lower his head and actually taste them.

  The only reason he had finally lifted his mouth from hers had been to breathe in some air. He had heard the car behind them blowing the horn but he would have stayed right there and ignored the sound if he hadn’t needed to breathe. What he’d told her was true. She was one responsive woman but he hadn’t meant it as a bad thing. He was beginning to realize that everything about Kylie Hagan was all good.

  He glanced over at the clock. It was a few minutes past eleven. He wondered if she was still awake. He reached for the phone, deciding there was only one way to find out.

  Trying to get to sleep that night was torture for Kylie. The vivid memory of their kiss in Chance’s truck, her sitting in his lap while his tongue stroked her mouth into sweet heaven, kept her wide awake.

  She remembered the feel of her breasts, their fullness, their sensitivity, and how at one point she had wanted his lips to bestow the same magic on them that he was giving her mouth. Then there was the feel of his body growing hard beneath her bottom. She would have given anything to feel that same erection cradled into the V of her thighs.

  Feeling frustrated in the worst possible way, she was about to get out of bed when her telephone rang. She reached over and picked it up. “Hello.”

  “I just wanted to hear your voice one more time tonight.”

  Kylie breathed deeply at the seductiveness of Chance’s tone. She had wanted to hear his voice again, too, but hadn’t had the nerve to call him. He was definitely bolder than she.

  “Kylie?”

  She swallowed hard before saying, “I’m here.”

  “Yes, but I wish you were here.”

  She shook her head. “That’s not a good idea.”

  “Your opinion and not mine.”

  “We all have opinions.”

  “Yes, and we all have the capability of getting a good night’s sleep. At least some of us do.”

  She lifted her eyebrows. Was he having trouble sleeping as well? “Try counting sheep.”

  “I tried that and it didn’t work. Any more suggestions?”

  She pulled herself up in bed and relaxed against the huge pillow. “We could talk.”

  “About what?”

  “Anything you want to talk about—except what happened this afternoon.”

  There was a pause, and then he said, “Okay, fair enough. I’ll let you choose the topic.”

  “All right. Tell me about Marcus. Whenever I ask Tiffany about him the only words she can fix her mouth to say are, ‘Oh, he’s simply wonderful.’”

  Chance chuckled. “Hey, I’m the kid’s father. Do you expect me to admit to any of his flaws? If she thinks he’s wonderful, then who am I to disagree?”

  “Be serious, Chance.”

  Evidently there was something he sensed in her voice that let him know she needed to know about Marcus before actually meeting him on Sunday.

  “On a scale of one to ten with ten being exceptional, I’ll give Marcus a nine. He isn’t perfect but for the past sixteen years he has been a son any father would be proud to claim. He’s smart, and he’s also sensitive, something he inherited from his mother. Cyndi was a warm, loving and sensitive person.”

  The undisguised love she heard in his voice let her know that he had cared for his wife very much. “How old was Marcus when his mother died?”

  “He was nine and he took her death hard. Thankfully, he had my parents, Cyndi’s parents and my brothers and cousins. Still, there were times when I worried about him. I made Cyndi a promise the day before she died that I would do everything within my power to make sure that Marcus had all the opportunities that we either didn’t have or didn’t take advantage of, especially when it came to college.”

  She nodded. No wonder he was so intense about his son staying focused to get into a good university.

  “Marcus knew of his mother’s dreams for him and after she died it was as if he was trying to honor her memory by doing everything that she’d wanted. He was always at the top of his class, and I never had to remind him to do homework. He tried so hard to please me because I think in his mind, pleasing me meant pleasing his mom as well.”

  “And then here comes Miss Tiffany….”

  Chance chuckled again and in her mind she could actually see a smile lighting up his eyes. “Ahh, yes, here comes Miss Tiffany. But before Tiffany came football. I hadn’t wanted him to play. I had played in school and I knew how grueling practice could be. I wasn’t sure Marcus could handle it and still keep his grades up. I think that was the first time the two of us butted heads.”

  After a pause he said, “Luckily he had his uncles on his side. It took my brothers to make me see that I was being unrealistic and that it wasn’t all about making good grades. Marcus had a few more years in high school to go, and kids these days need to be well-rounded and I was keeping him from being that.”

  “So he started playing football?”

  “Yes, and the girls started calling…and calling and calling. My phone was a regular hotline. But I think they annoyed him more than captivated his interest. At least until Tiffany.”

  “Tiffany used to call your house all the time?” Kylie asked, somewhat surprised.

  “No, and that’s what’s so strange. I can’t recall her ever calling. That’s why I was taken aback when I found that note and was stumped further when Marcus told me, in no uncertain terms, just how he felt about her. It was as if she appeared one day out of the clear blue sky.”

  Kylie nodded. It was as if Marcus had appeared out of the clear blue sky as well. He’d definitely been one well-kept secret.

  “Now it’s your turn.”

  “My turn?” Kylie echoed.

  “Yes, to tell me all about Tiffany so I can be prepared.”

  Kylie’s lips tilted into a smile. “I don’t think anyone can ever get fully pr
epared for Tiffany. She’s smart, funny and extremely outgoing. An extrovert if you’ve ever seen one. I think that’s why she’s having trouble making friends at school since we moved here. I don’t think the kids know how to take her. They see her genuinely exuberant nature as being insincere and phony.”

  Kylie’s smile then widened. “There is, however, something that I do think you should know.”

  “What?”

  “I told Tiffany that as Marcus’s father you would want what was best for him.”

  “And?”

  And she feels certain that you’re going to like her when the two of you meet because she is definitely the best.”

  Chance laughed. “Sounds like a person with a lot of confidence.”

  “A little too much at times. It comes from her dad’s side of the family.”

  “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with having an over-abundance of confidence.”

  “Remember you said that when you meet her on Sunday.”

  There was a hint of amusement in Chance’s voice when he said, “I will. And by the way, is there anything you need for me to bring?”

  “Yes, a lot of prayer just in case Tiffany and Marcus don’t want to go along with our plans for them.”

  “Hello.”

  “Marcus, are you awake?”

  Marcus clutched the phone as he buried his head back underneath his pillow. “Tiffany, it’s Saturday morning. Nobody gets up before eight on Saturdays.”

  “I do. Some of us have chores to do and the earlier they get done the better. I only called this time of the morning because you said your dad always plays basketball every Saturday morning with his brothers, and you told me to call if I had anything to report.”

  Marcus removed the pillow. She had gotten his attention. “And you have something to report?”

  “Yes. Your dad called here last night. And it was late.”

  Marcus lifted a curious eyebrow. “How do you know?”

  “Your phone number showed up on our caller ID this morning and it showed the time as close to midnight. That means our parents are talking after-hours. That’s a good sign.”