by Cindy Kirk
When he pulled her close, she felt him, long and hard against her belly.
His eyes were open now, dark and filled with need. “Are you sure?”
She chuckled. “Little late for that question.”
“Are you sure?” he asked again.
Mitzi nodded. “You?”
“Yes,” he said, not taking his eyes off hers.
“Even if it’s just one night?”
“Yes.” The palms of his hands moved up and down her body in slow, sensual strokes. “You’re beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful, too,” she whispered.
He had broad, well-muscled shoulders. She liked the way those muscles felt beneath her fingers, the way they rippled and responded. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d wanted a man so desperately.
Though she didn’t fully understand this intense need for him, it didn’t change the fact that she had to have him.
His mouth closed over hers, the kiss sweet and gentle at first then heating up as his lips lingered. She reveled in the feel of that firm warm mouth against hers, in the taste of him.
The caresses continued even as he kissed her and drove her closer and closer to the edge with his skilled touch.
Her body burned and there was only one person who could quench the fire.
His touch was urgent, as if the same passion that burned inside her flowed through his veins. She cried out as the desire built to a fever crest, and he covered the sound with his mouth. With firm warm lips.
She wanted to crawl under his skin, anything to get closer to him.
“Are you protected?” she heard him ask, his voice tight with restraint.
“Yes.” She managed to form the word before he drove himself into her.
Ah, yes, she thought through a haze of mounting desire, this was what she wanted. He was what she wanted.
The thought brought with it a flash of worry, but she brushed it aside. For now, there was just her and him. For now, nothing else mattered.
They made love two more times, then fell asleep, exhausted. She opened her eyes to sunlight streaming through the window and found him propped up on one elbow, staring, his hazel eyes dark and unreadable.
Then he smiled and warmth flowed through her veins like warm honey.
“Good morning.” He touched her cheek lightly with one finger. “You look rested.”
Sated was more accurate. Mitzi stretched like a contented cat, noting with interest that Keenan was still naked. How...convenient.
“Are you hungry?”
She found his voice, gravelly with recent sleep, incredibly sexy.
Mitzi had no doubt Mrs. Thompsett had a dining room table full of food waiting downstairs. But it wasn’t food she wanted at this moment.
She leaned forward, brushed her lips across his and let the sheet fall to her waist. “I am. What are you going to do about it?”
Because she wasn’t the only one starving, he pulled her to him.
They showered together, dressed and then went downstairs. In deference to Mitzi’s reputation in the small community, Keenan made sure to keep his hands to himself.
It was a difficult task. He found himself wanting to touch her, to reassure himself that what had happened last night had been real and not a highly charged erotic dream. He wanted to convince himself that she had indeed wanted him as much as he’d wanted her.
They ate as if they hadn’t had food in weeks, plowing their way through wedges of cherry-stuffed French toast and crisp bacon. Orange juice so tart it bit his tongue and coffee that packed a nice punch.
While his clothes were rumpled and disheveled, Mitzi looked like a princess holding court. Keenan admired her composure, the way she could appear so friendly, yet easily deflect any personal questions. Was this the real Mitzi?
Keenan was happy when Perry dropped them off at the airstrip with a friendly wave and he was alone with her again.
They found blue skies and calm winds for the trip back to Jackson. Steve had agreed with the decision to stay the night rather than fly back. And Joel, when Keenan had reached him this morning, had told him it was his choice to come in late or not at all today.
“Do you have to go into the clinic today?” Keenan asked in a nonchalant tone as they approached the parking lot of the airstrip outside of Jackson. “Or see patients at the hospital?”
“Actually, I’ve got the day off.” While she spoke, her gaze remained focused on the inside of her purse as she rummaged around in search of her car keys.
“I’m going riding,” he said. “Tripp’s dad has been urging me to come out and give his horses some exercise. It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day. Interested in joining me?”
When she looked up and he caught her hesitation, Keenan offered an easy smile. “No strings. I simply thought you might enjoy doing something fun and out of the ordinary on your day off.”
“It’d be out of the ordinary.” Mitzi offered an impish smile. “And certainly an adventure, considering I’ve never ridden a horse.”
“The way I see it, an adventurous woman would never turn down an opportunity to try something new.” Keenan kept his tone light, prepared to go with the flow. “Are you in?”
“Saddle up that filly.” Mitzi grinned. “This cowgirl is ready to ride.”
Had she lost her mind?
Yes, Mitzi thought as she stepped from the shower, she had not only lost her mind, she kept losing it. Instead of pushing Keenan away, as any sensible woman would have done after a night of ill-advised mind-blowing sex, she’d compounded the error by spending the day with him.
Riding horses had been a blast, she admitted as she dried off then slathered on lotion. The sun had been bright, but there’d been a slight breeze that had kept her from getting too warm.
Keenan had kept the conversation light and innocuous. They talked sports and she discovered that, like her, he loved the slopes and preferred to ski the more challenging backcountry.
Though neither mentioned what had happened in Delano, the fire that had sizzled between them now burned hotter than ever. At least it did for her. When Keenan had extended his hand to help her mount the horse, the mere touch of his flesh against hers had brought an ache of wanting so intense it had stolen her breath.
If he experienced the same shock, it hadn’t shown. A fact she found both reassuring and disturbing.
Then, as if spending the night and then the day with him hadn’t been enough, she’d accepted Kathy Randall’s invitation to return with Keenan that evening for a family dinner.
Of course, Tripp and Adrianna were part of the wide network of friends she’d socialized with since arriving in Jackson Hole. There was no reason to avoid them. And really, if she was being completely rational, no reason to avoid Keenan.
They’d had sex. So what? They were young and single. They’d had an itch and scratched it. End of story.
If the opportunity came up to do it again, there was nothing saying she wouldn’t consider it. Since she and Keenan had reached an understanding, he’d probably be cool with it, too. Until she found someone she wanted to seriously date, she was as free as the wind.
The thought cheered her as she took her cowgirl shirt—poppy-red with pearl buttons and white piping around the pockets—from the closet. The jean skirt she planned to wear with it was already laid out on the bed.
Bitty jumped up onto the four-poster and headed straight for the skirt.
“No, no, Bitty.” Mitzi grabbed the kitten and pulled her close, stroking the soft fur.
“There’s nothing wrong with spending time with Keenan,” she murmured to herself as Bitty looked up then raked her sandpaper tongue across the top of Mitzi’s hand. “I just have to keep myself from liking him too much.”
That shouldn’t be a problem. Most men she’d dated accused her of having ice in her veins. Of course, they usually didn’t hit her with that zinger until she’d broken it off. It was her practice that once she was ready to move on, to simply tel
l the guy. She would never understand the ones who kept calling, trying to get her to change her mind.
Ice in her veins? Though it seemed a trifle harsh, she could honestly admit there had never been a man she couldn’t walk away from and none whom she missed once he was gone.
Mitzi thought of Devin, a fellow medical-school student. When they’d started going out, she’d made it clear she wasn’t looking for anything serious. He seemed cool with the arrangement, but sometime during the year he apparently changed his mind.
When he’d professed his love and pulled out a diamond ring, she’d been struck dumb. Though she’d attempted to be gentle in her refusal, he’d become angry. Looking back, she accepted some of the fault for that...misunderstanding. She should have never let such long stretches go by without reminding Devin they were just friends. She certainly never should have let dating turn into an exclusive arrangement.
While she may have made it clear at the beginning of the relationship she only wanted to be friends, she hadn’t been vigilant during the course of their time together.
Mitzi wouldn’t make the same mistake with Keenan. She’d be alert for any signs that he might be getting the wrong idea about their “friendship.”
The doorbell rang and Mitzi scrambled to her feet. She took a moment to dress, tug on her boots and freshen her lipstick before sashaying to the front door to greet Keenan.
Keenan couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed so much. After a dinner of barbecued brisket with Kathy Randall’s peach pie for dessert, he and Mitzi gave in to pressure and agreed to a game of charades.
Keenan smiled. Bill and the other married guys he worked with were always teasing him about his “wild” single life. He could only imagine what they’d think if he told them he’d followed an evening of playing cards with a hot night of charades.
Hailey ran the game, which pitted girls against guys. Keenan, Tripp and Frank were on one team with Adrianna, Mitzi and Kathy on the other. The teams were evenly matched with each enjoying its share of success.
“We won!” Mitzi shrieked at Adrianna’s correct answer and pumped her fist in the air. Kathy and Adrianna exchanged high fives and shot smug smiles to the men.
Frank turned to his son, looking disgusted. “We should have gotten that last point. I don’t know how I could have made the clues any more obvious.”
Tripp shrugged. “Can’t win ’em all.”
But Keenan could tell Tripp was as upset by the loss as his father. It was easy to see where his friend had inherited his competitive streak.
Tripp helped his wife up from the sofa. While her pregnancy didn’t show, his friend had been overly solicitous all evening. “We’re going to call it a night. Adrianna and I have early appointments tomorrow.”
“Likewise.” Mitzi rose. “My schedule the next few days is murderous.”
Keenan helped Tripp and Frank rearrange the furniture that had been scooted together for the game. He kept his face impassive, wondering if Mitzi’s words had been for his benefit. Was that her way of telling him not to call, not to expect to see her for the next few days?
She needn’t have wasted her breath. Keenan had no intention of running after her. Even when he was a boy, he hadn’t chased girls. They’d come to him.
Or...they hadn’t.
Keenan had enjoyed the evening. The only downer was the loving way Tripp and Hailey interacted with their mother brought some not-so-fond memories of his own mother to the surface.
But he had gotten something of value from living in her household. Gloria had taught him—through words and example—that if he put his heart out there, it’d get stomped on. She’d stomped on his repeatedly until he smartened up and realized she didn’t care. Not about Betsy. Not about him.
It had been a valuable lesson. One he needed to keep in mind, especially where the capricious Dr. Sanchez was concerned.
Chapter Fourteen
Though Mitzi informed Keenan she was perfectly capable of walking from the car to her porch, he insisted on accompanying her to the front door.
She wondered if he expected her to invite him in. If that was his plan, he was setting the stage properly, acting friendly but cool since leaving the Randall ranch. But she saw the desire in his eyes and wasn’t fooled. The fact that he smelled terrific wasn’t going to change her mind, either.
But she had reconsidered her earlier decision to forgo a good-night kiss. What harm would there be in two friends exchanging a kiss at the door?
The air had taken on a slight chill, but Mitzi reveled in the breeze against her warm cheeks. Just having Keenan so close in the car, inhaling the intoxicating scent of his cologne, remembering the way his body had fit so perfectly against hers, had set her blood to boiling.
Just one little kiss, she decided. To take the edge off.
She shoved the key into the new lock with fingers that trembled slightly, her heart already beginning to race with anticipation. The man certainly knew how to kiss. And the things he could do with his tongue.
Her knees went weak, remembering.
Yet when she turned back to Keenan, she found him a good two feet away.
He smiled, flashed those straight white teeth in an easy grin. “I had fun tonight.”
She paused, suddenly unsteady. It was as if she’d known exactly where she was headed, only to have him change the path at the last second.
“I did, too. I’d never played charades before.” Her gaze dropped from his eyes to his lips. Dear God, could she be any more obvious?
“You’re smart.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, rocked back on his heels. “Intelligent people excel at charades.”
Mitzi didn’t feel smart now. She wanted him to kiss her, but obviously she wasn’t making her feelings clear. Still, how much more obvious could she be? Grabbing his shirt and pulling him to her seemed a bit dramatic, especially when all she wanted was a simple peck on the lips.
As her frustration soared, Mitzi acknowledged a peck on the lips wasn’t going to cut it tonight. She wanted one of the kisses from last night, the kind where their mouths fused, where his tongue slipped past her lips and stroked, reminding her of what he’d felt like inside her.
To her horror, she felt herself go damp as an ache of longing settled between her thighs.
“Stay for a—” she found herself saying, but it was too late.
Keenan was already pulling his car door open, then offering a careless wave as he backed out.
Mitzi could only plaster a smile on her lips, lift a hand in goodbye...and yearn for the kiss she hadn’t received.
The next few days were so busy there wasn’t time for Mitzi to dwell on the fact that Keenan hadn’t kissed her good-night. By the time she got home, the workmen—including Keenan—had gone. Only Bitty was there to greet her.
This Saturday was her day to give something back to the community that had become her home. Mitzi and the other doctors in the practice had volunteered to work brief shifts in the medical tent at a local “Harvest Fun Run.” Anticipating sprained ankles and injured knees, she almost swallowed her tongue when Keenan walked in with Joel and Gabe. All sported multiple stings. A hornet’s nest, hidden in a large tree not far from the starting line, had fallen.
Thankfully the three had arrived late and were the only runners affected.
As two PAs assessed Joel and Gabe, Mitzi took care of Keenan. His handsome face had several stings but his arms exhibited the most welts.
For the first few minutes, she was all doctor—getting his allergy history, checking for signs of respiratory distress, cleaning an oily residue from his arm and face before removing remaining stingers with the flat edge of a scalpel.
Mitzi knew hornet stings contained acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that helped transmit pain signals to the brain. Surprisingly, Keenan didn’t seem that uncomfortable. She gently placed an ice pack on his arm. “On a scale of one to ten, where would you place your current pain level, if one is no pain and ten is the worst?
”
“Right now it’s a four.” Keenan repositioned himself on the bench, winced when his arm shifted beneath the ice pack. “It was close to a seven when we ran into Bill on our way here. He got some WD-40 out of his truck and sprayed the areas where we were stung.”
Mitzi had heard of the folk remedy but had never known anyone who’d used it. “I wondered about the oily substance on your arm.”
“It sounded weird to me,” Keenan said with a sheepish grin. “When Bill said his granny swore by it, we decided to give it a try.”
“Well, the home remedy appears to have worked.” Mitzi smiled and gently repositioned the ice bag.
“You have good hands.”
When she looked up, her gaze met his. Memories flooded back. A cozy room. Rain pitter-pattering on the roof. The feel of Keenan’s warm flesh against her...
“I’m not the only one. You have good hands, too,” she murmured in a low tone.
His lips quirked in a grin and she basked in the warmth of his smile.
They’d shared so much. In the short time she’d known him, Mitzi had come to consider Keenan a close friend. She thought she knew everything there was to know about him. Today had shown her she’d been wrong. “I didn’t realize you were a runner.”
“I’m not.” He shrugged. “Stone Craft is one of the sponsors. Joel thought it was important we participate. I thought it’d be fun. I didn’t count on hornets making an appearance.”
“What are you doing this evening—?” she impulsively began.
“Keenan.” Gabe paused at the entrance of the tent. “Joel and I aren’t about to let a few oversized wasps keep us down. We’re going to finish the race. You coming?”
“You bet.” Keenan rose, gave Mitzi’s shoulder a squeeze. “Thanks, Doc. I’ll be seeing you.”
“Yeah,” Mitzi managed to mumble. “I’ll see you around.”
“Wow,” one of the nurses said to Mitzi as Keenan strode out. “He sure is hot. Who is he?”
Keenan disappeared from view and Mitzi resisted the urge to sigh. “A friend. A good friend.”