by Kadi Dillon
Pleased with her retort, Alex spun around to leave the room only to find her arm gripped in a vice-like hold before she was whirled around. She sucked in a breath and looked straight into the furious eyes of Lane Tanner.
“Now,” he said in a low, snarling voice, “it’s my turn to get personal.”
Her eyes widened in shock seconds before his mouth covered hers. Shock kept her from reacting. His lips were hot and firm as they bruised over hers. His arms wound around her back, keeping her arms prisoner in between their bodies.
By the time she thought to protest, protest became an afterthought. His tongue forced her lips apart so that he could deepen the kiss. New sensations exploded behind Alex’s closed eyelids.
An unfamiliar burning spread throughout her entire body all the way down to her toes. Her knee’s nearly buckled, but Lane held her up while he assaulted her senses with his mouth alone.
Oh no, she thought dizzily. This shouldn’t feel so wonderful. Not from a man she was supposed to hate. She shouldn’t be coming to life in his arms. She shouldn’t be praying this kiss would never end. It’d been so long since she’d been held, cherished, devoured. And even then…
He pulled her away so quickly it ripped another gasp from her and she stared into eyes that were almost black. All too quickly the quivering feelings in her body faded and desire became anxiety when he only continued to stare at her.
Fighting to keep his own needs in perspective, Lane held her at arm’s length. What did she do to him? Her taste had hit him like a freight train; sweet and pure. The desire he was beginning to feel for her was both unexpected and lethal. The nebulous feeling began to recede slowly as he brought air into his tortured lungs. His grip tightened on her arms when he noticed her breaths were coming out in jerks. Her eyes were no longer clouded with passion but glassy with panic.
“Alex.”
She jerked like a spring when he said her name. Puzzled, and not a little annoyed, Lane brought her closer to him wanting to soothe her.
“No,” she said fiercely. She put such conviction in that one word as if her life had depended on it.
“No?”
“Let me go. Don’t do this.” She was trembling now and hated herself for it.
For a moment, she had forgotten what a man’s hands could do when he was consumed by temper. She had a feeling she knew just what a man like this was capable of. And her fear had nothing to do with the physical this time. In a moment, he had unearthed feelings that she had never had before—never wanted to have again.
“It’s already been done, Alex.”
She jerked away. “You’re wrong.”
It infuriated him how she had gone from innocence to passionate to afraid in the blink of an eye. “I don’t like games.” His voice was low and deliberate.
“Game over, then.” She backed toward the door slowly as if waiting for him to spring. She backed up until she felt the wall at her back, then she turned and fled.
Chapter Five
Lane didn’t have to wake up. He had spent the entire sleepless night tossing and turning. Of course the fact that a certain southern goddess was sleeping one door down did nothing to ease his restlessness.
His attraction to her was something that couldn’t be helped. But there was something more burning deep down inside. She was gorgeous, sure. But his feelings for her went much deeper than pure lust.
When he’d first seen her, she’d been a vision. He recalled the way the she looked as she flew down the side of the hill with the sun behind her. Mostly in shadows, but Lane could make out her perfect curves as she strained atop of the horse. He could see the way her hair whipped through the wind; the way her eyes met his with pure defiance when her mother introduced him.
He had seen a different side to her when she was with her horses. She didn’t know he’d been watching her long before he had made himself known. He figured he would be safer keeping that piece of information to himself for now.
She was soft with her horses. Every one of them was important to her. She may not have noticed, but she even acknowledged that she gentled her horses—never broke them.
Then he had both watched and tasted her passion. She was ardent about keeping the ranch; not that he could fault her for it. But there had been something there. It was almost like she was pleading for her life. And that kiss—
He had made his mind up the night before. Now he only had to decide how to make it happen.
After a quick call to Tucker Cole, the Morgan’s attorney, Lane headed downstairs. As usual, Alex was already out of the house, Linda had dry cereal waiting on the counter tops, and coffee was in the pot.
“Good morning.” He greeted Linda who was reading over the paper at the kitchen table.
“Good morning. Help yourself to breakfast. Alex usually cooks since I can’t get around anymore.”
“Not a problem. Would you like me to cook anything?” Since your daughter’s avoiding me? “I can manage scrambled eggs, but that’s about it.”
“If you want something, then go ahead. I’ll stick with my cereal.” Linda replied.
“You’re low on eggs,” Lane commented once he began cooking.
“Alex should be gathering them soon.”
Lane stopped in the act of cracking open an egg. “Gather?”
“Yes, from our chicken house.”
Lane continued and cracked the egg into the pan. Funny, he had never really given much thought to where his eggs came from besides down the street at the market.
“What else do you produce here at the ranch?” Lane wanted to know.
Ready for her sales pitch, Linda laid her paper down. “Eggs, milk, and meat. Alex also bales extra hay each year to sell and—” She trailed off when the kitchen door swung open and Alex came in riding on a man’s back, laughing like a loon.
Jealousy. It was a new and foreign concept that Lane wasn’t very happy about.
“For God’s sake, Monster. Put me down.”
“As you wish, madam,” he replied with mock formality. Monster twisted his body and Alex hit the ground on her backside with a thud. “Now, next time you wanna wrestle—just remember who you’re dealin’ with. Mornin’ Miz. Morgan.” He tipped his hat to her, then Lane. “Sir.”
Lane inclined his head and watched Alex pick herself up off the floor.
“Well, I’ll be off now.”
“Bye, Monster.” Alex dusted off her jeans and walked to the refrigerator. She plucked out a pitcher of lemonade and poured a glass. She hadn’t wanted Monster to carry her to the house, but he had mistaken her protests. Now she was stuck there for a moment or else it would look as if she were running away.
“Alex, you know I disapprove of you playing with the hired help,” Linda berated quietly once Monster was out the door.
Alex gave her mother a long considering look while she sipped her lemonade.
“Monster’s worked here for years,” Alex said calmly enough. “He’s my friend.” She sat the empty glass down in the sink with a clink and dried her hands. She tried to ignore Lane’s unnerving stare just as she had tried to pretend last night never happened. Neither was very successful.
“Monster is an employee.” Linda busied her hands tidying papers on the table. “He is on the payroll for this ranch. For the remaining time we are here I expect you to treat him like an employee. Not a playmate.”
Alex could feel the color spring to her cheeks. Temper came, but she banked it. It would do no good to argue.
“Done,” Alex agreed and started for the door.
“Oh, Alex.” Linda’s cold voice stopped her at the door. “We’re low on eggs.”
Without a word, Alex walked out into the heat.
“You pluck me, I’ll deck you,” Alex mumbled to the hen as she reached under her for an egg. She added it gently to her bucket before moving to the next chicken. “Same goes,” she told the next hen ominously.
She hated gathering eggs. But that had been her chore—along most everythin
g else—since before she could remember. Her hands were scarred because of it. She felt silly threatening the hens, but it worked better than squealing and scaring them further if they plucked her.
She worked that way for fifteen minutes, idly threatening the hens and snatching their eggs. When she had a full bucket, she made her way back to the house.
To her relief, the kitchen was empty. Alex set the bucket on the counter next to the sink and turned on the tap. She took a couple egg cartons out from the pantry and began to gently scrub an egg.
Funny, she mused, how this part of the chore had always soothed her. Her stomach had been in knots the whole day at the thought of facing Lane again. She hadn’t even given her bedroom a chance after that earth shattering kiss. She had showered and went straight to the barn to sleep.
She hummed absently while she scrubbed and dried each fragile egg and placed them in the cartons. She looked out the window and saw the men outside taking their lunch break. Jack and Monster were sitting in the bed of the farm truck. Aaron Grey, the newest hand on Morgan was pacing the dirt with an apple core in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.
Tyrone Neal and Jim Brian, the other two hands were sitting on their tractors eating sandwiches. Tyrone threw a piece of lettuce at Jim who threw it at Aaron and all the men were laughing. Silly, Alex mused, but she wished she had a camera to capture the moment.
An incredible sadness swept through her. These men may be out of a job in a couple of weeks. She seriously doubted any of them would stay on and work on a fake ranch. She wondered what they would do if they did decide to stay. Would they have to shovel fake manure?
“Is that their idea of a food fight?”
Alex jolted, dropping an egg. It hit the bottom of the sink with a splat and cracked open, the yolk sliding everywhere. “Sorry. I seemed to have scared you again.” Lane’s voice was right in her ear.
“It’s all right.” She scooped up the egg and rinsed out the sink. After she disposed of the broken shell, she picked up another egg and scrubbed it. “They’re men who don’t like to waste their food. So yes, that’s their version of a food fight.”
“It’s entertaining.”
How long had he been standing there? she wondered. Against her will, she noticed he smelled of horses. The scent didn’t seem to belong to him, but she found herself liking it nonetheless.
“Have you been out with the horses?” she asked as casually as she could manage.
“Yes. Your little blond one’s a sweetheart,” he murmured. Alex heard him take down a glass and pour himself iced tea.
“That’s Hope. She’s due on—” Faith’s birthday. She paused and pressed her lips together before she continued. “She’s due in about ten days.” Alex turned off the tap and dried her hands before she stacked the full cartons in the refrigerator.
She told herself that she should hate him. She wanted to. But her conscious had weighed on her throughout the night and her heart wanted nothing more than to apologize to him. She had acted foolishly by blaming him.
“Lane—” She stopped when he handed her a glass of iced tea. He drank deeply into his own glass, then lifted a brow when he saw her staring into hers.
“Problem?”
“What? No. No, thank you for—” she stammered. “For the tea.” She knew it was foolish to feel sentimental when a man made her a glass of tea. It was foolish to feel delighted, but she felt it nonetheless.
“It’s my pleasure,” he said slowly and waited for her to take a drink. “What were you going to tell me?”
“What?” She ran a hand through her hair. “Oh, I just wanted to apologize for the things I said last night. I was angry and when I’m angry I don’t think.”
“Okay.”
“Okay,” she repeated. She walked almost numbly to the refrigerator and pulled out the contents for a sandwich. “Would you like one?” she asked. She gestured to the food she had set on the counter.
“Sure.”
She made two sandwiches, then set them down on the table. Lane brought over their tea and took a seat across from her. They ate in companionable silence for a moment. Careful not to break their truce, Lane searched for a topic to discuss that wouldn’t get her back up just yet.
“How many horses do you have here?” he asked.
“Four.”
“Cows?”
“About two hundred.” Alex finished her sandwich and picked up her glass.
“Do you milk them?”
She rose and took his plate with hers to the sink. “Sometimes. Monster and Jim help with that.”
She was washing the dishes when he came up and stood casually beside her.
He picked up the plate she had just washed and dried it. He smiled at her astonished stare and went on. He figured she was a little too used to handling things herself. “So, you have Joy and Hope. What about Faith?”
Her eyes filled before she could stop them and she had to press her lips together to keep them from trembling. Lane sat the plate down, then placed his hand on her shoulder for support.
“I see,” he said quietly and he thought he did. He knew Alex had a tender heart, but the pain he saw in her eyes from losing a horse made him realize how caring she really was. “Was it long ago?”
She knew he thought Faith was a horse. Nonetheless, she felt compelled to talk about it. “Seven years.” Her voice wasn’t steady as she began to dry the remaining plate.
“Did you have her long?”
She shook her head. “Three months.”
Lane could only stare at her. If she became that attached to a horse in three months time and still hurt so badly after seven years, he wondered how she would deal with losing the ranch and the horses she had now.
“How long have you had Joy and Hope?”
“Four years for Joy and three for Hope. Her foal’s going to be named Love.” Alex leaned on the counter across from Lane and finished off her iced tea. “I name everything,” she told him with a small smile when he quirked a brow.
“Oh really?”
“Yeah. We have Jerk the rooster.”
He threw his head back and laughed.
“Well, it’s the first thing I think to call him in the mornings. A couple cows have specific names. Other than that, I number them. There’s a stray dog I call Cowboy. He comes around for dinner scraps.”
“I don’t blame him. You’re one hell of a cook.” He frowned when Alex dropped her gaze. “Why can’t you take a compliment? Is it because it’s coming from me or do you just have a low self esteem?”
Her gaze snapped back to his and color rose to her face. “I don’t have low self esteem.”
“All right, you just don’t like me.”
“It’s nothing…” She trailed off realizing she was about to say the same thing she had said the previous evening.
“Personal?” he finished for her, amused.
“I have chores to do,” she told him before turning to leave. He blocked her way easily.
“They’ll keep.” He laid a broad palm on her shoulder. He felt her quiver beneath his hand and was curious. “You’re an odd woman.” When she didn’t even blink at that he casually placed his other hand on her other shoulder. “There’s something about you that makes me want to figure out why you’ve been keeping me up at night.”
Alex swallowed her suddenly dry throat and lowered her gaze. What does he expect me to say? she wondered in panic. Is he going to kiss me again?
“Your mouth is a little too wide for your face. Do you know that?” His voice was low and seductive.
Alex nodded.
“And you have eyes of a witch. Icy blue, but they’re wide and innocent. Are you?” He skimmed his finger down her cheek, smiling when she shivered.
“Am I what?”
“Innocent.”
“No.”
He was surprised by the quick pang of regret, but it quickly faded. He had never sought virginity in a lover, but for some reason, Alex had the look and feel
of a wide-eyed innocent.
“Good,” he said making up his mind. “This won’t take half the time I thought it was going to take.” His hands crept up until they cradled her face and he brought her mouth to his.
She was surprised that she could feel anything besides the thudding of her heart beating painfully in her ribs. She was surprised she could tell the difference between this kiss and the punishing kiss they shared the previous night.
Where that kiss had been hard and bruising, this one was soft and smooth. Without realizing it, Alex brought her hands to his wrists and held his hands to her face.
Oh, it felt so good to be tasted so thoroughly by a man—by this man. Never in her life had she felt so desired.
Lane pulled back and he smiled when he saw her lips were parted in surprised and dazed pleasure. His own blood was raging in his ears. He pulled her against him and lowered his lips to her throat. The sound she made was derived from shock just as much as wonder.
Alex clung to him and shuddered in pure delight as he assaulted her throat and neck. His hands began to caress her back. When his tongue slipped up to her ear, she was lost. Her muscles went lax and her knees buckled.
Lane felt her surrender and reveled in it. When he found her mouth again, she was no longer passive or frightened. She gave back as much as he was giving to her. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her fingers dove in his hair while she opened for him.
His blood had been boiling at her hesitance but was now raging from her boldness. He thought momentarily of control. He had always had it, but shrugged it away as he nipped her full bottom lip.
“Come upstairs with me,” he murmured against her mouth.
“What?” Dimly she heard him. Even as the thought crossed her mind that she never wanted him to stop, his words slowly connected to her brain. “Upstairs?”
“Come upstairs with me.”
Alex jolted as if he had struck her. His arms had slackened so she slipped out of his hold and backed into the counter.
“Absolutely not,” she managed as she pulled at her wrinkled shirt.
“You seemed agreeable a minute ago.” He leaned back against the opposite counter. He didn’t want to admit his hands weren’t steady and his heart was racing.