DebtofHonor (2 page)

Kaitlyn walked as fast as she dared over the field. She’d
parked her vehicle well off the road, hiding it behind a stand of trees. She
felt stupid to be skulking around as if she were doing something wrong. Both
she and Derek were single adults. Who cared if they slept together?

She should call off the whole thing. She’d offered to pay
for the damage to his property. He’d turned down her offer of money so it was
his problem, not hers.

She slowed until she came to a full halt. What was she
doing? She’d obviously lost her mind.

She’d spent the past twenty-four hours alternately worrying
about where her brother was—Daniel still wasn’t answering her calls and hadn’t
come home last night, but thankfully he’d left a message—and second-guessing
her decision to sleep with Derek. She was an emotional wreck and physically
exhausted. She hadn’t slept well last night and had tried to work away her
worries. Her house had never been so clean and her small yard was as neat as a
pin.

She looked forward and then back. Which way to go?

“What’s it going to be?” The deep male voice startled her
and she jumped back, stumbling slightly before righting herself. Derek stepped
out of the shadows and into the moonlight.

“I didn’t know you were there.” She placed her hand over her
racing heart and tried to slow her breathing.

“I know.” He came toward her and stopped about a foot away
and held out his hand. “Come up to the house, Kaitlyn. We can talk.”

She knew if she took his hand she was agreeing to do a lot
more than simply talk, but the idea of spending time with Derek and being in
his bed tantalized her. Knowing she’d already made her choice or she wouldn’t
be here, she reached out and took his hand. His strong fingers closed around
hers and he tugged her forward.

They walked in silence for a few minutes. “I really didn’t
think you’d come.”

Kaitlyn didn’t know whether she should be insulted by his
words or worried that he’d actually hoped she’d stay home. “I can go if you
want.” She tried to pull her hand from his but he tightened his grip and pulled
her closer.

“No, you’re here now and you’re staying.” He sighed and
rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. “At least for a while. I know
we agreed to one night, but I won’t hold you to that. You can leave whenever
you want to.”

The house came into view. She’d always loved the two-story
home with its wraparound porch and dark-green shutters. A large swing sat at
one end of the front porch and Kaitlyn wondered what it would be like to sit
there on a summer afternoon, drinking an ice-cold lemonade as she watched for
Derek to come in from the fields.

She stopped suddenly. She couldn’t think like that, not for
a minute. This was one night and one night only. To imagine it was more would
only lead to heartbreak.

“You okay?” She could hear the concern in his tone.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She started walking again and hurried up
the steps, deliberately not looking at the lovely swing.

Derek opened the door and held it for her, inviting her into
his home. She’d been here yesterday, but that was different. Tonight she was
here for a whole other reason.

Kaitlyn took a deep breath and stepped over the threshold.

Derek shut and locked the door, letting out a low breath of
relief now that he had Kaitlyn inside his home. It had been touch and go there
for a moment and he’d half expected her to bolt. She was nervous as a filly
near her first stallion.

He cocked his head to one side and studied her as she
glanced nervously around the foyer. She was wearing jeans and boots, topped by
a plain T-shirt and navy-blue sweater. She hadn’t exactly dressed up for
tonight. But he’d smelled that lovely lavender scent wafting up from her skin.
He couldn’t wait to see if she smelled like that all over.

“How about a drink?” He headed into the living room and
hoped she’d follow him and not take the opportunity to bolt. He had to get her
to relax or tonight would be a fiasco. “Whiskey?” He went to the small bar in
the corner of the room and paused with his hand on the bottle.

“You go ahead. I’m not much of a drinker.”

He poured two drinks, picked them up and carried them across
the room. She was hovering just inside the doorway. “Here, have just a sip or
two. You’re strung tighter than a bowstring.”

She took the glass and shrugged. “What did you expect?”

What had he expected? Something stupid, like her falling
into his arms. He was an idiot. He walked to the large leather sofa and sat,
motioning for her to sit next to him. “Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to bite.”

As he suspected, his taunt about her being afraid moved her
across the room and onto the sofa next to him. He took a deep swallow of the
expensive liquor, letting it slide down his throat. It burned and then warmed
his stomach. “This isn’t going to work.”

Kaitlyn frowned and set her untouched drink down on the
coffee table. “What do you mean? I’m here, aren’t I?”

“But you don’t want to be.” That was apparent now and he found
he didn’t want an unwilling Kaitlyn.

She jumped up and began to pace. “I’m nervous, okay. Why
wouldn’t I be?”

He placed his glass next to hers and then rose. He wasn’t
certain what to do and that had to be a first for him. He always knew what to
do, always knew his own mind. His feelings for Kaitlyn had always confused him.

He caught her by the shoulders and brought her pacing to a
halt. “What do you want, Kaitlyn? Tell me and whatever it is, I’ll make it
happen.”

She stared at him with her stormy blue eyes. “You. I want
you.”

Kaitlyn couldn’t believe she’d blurted that out loud. And
she couldn’t even blame it on the alcohol because she hadn’t even had any.
Derek was watching her as if she were a ticking time bomb, not that she could
blame him. She’d agreed to sleep with him. Her coming here at the appointed
time was her unspoken agreement that she was willing to do so to clear her
family debt with him. Yet, she’d had one foot out the door since she walked
through it and now he was giving her an out.

And she didn’t want to take it.

She should be running for the front door and escaping to the
safety of her home. They could both pretend tonight hadn’t happened. But she
knew if she did that she’d always have regrets. She’d put all her own wants and
needs aside for ten long years. Now the one thing she wanted was in front of
her and she was going to reach out and take it.

Derek’s hands were heavy on her shoulders and his blue eyes
were filled with concern. That wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted to see desire
shining from his eyes, for her.

As always, he looked good enough to eat. His blond hair was
short in the back but a bit longer in the front. A lock fell onto his forehead
and she longed to touch it to see if it was as soft as it looked. It was the
only softness on the man. His body was big and hard, honed from years of
backbreaking work.

He was wearing his usual attire of well-worn blue jeans,
scuffed leather boots and a plain shirt, although the shirt was fancier than
the ones he usually wore. It was white, but had pearl buttons and some fancy
stitching around the collar and pocket. The white of his shirt against the deep
tan of his skin made her heart skip a beat. His shoulders strained the seams of
the garment.

“Kaitlyn?” She could see the question in his eyes and knew
he would abide by whatever she decided. It was all up to her.

She went up onto her toes, grabbed his shoulders for support
and kissed him. At first his lips were cool and unresponsive. Just as she was
about to admit she’d made a huge mistake and pull away, his hands stroked down
her back and yanked her closer. His mouth opened and his lips brushed against
hers.

She moaned and he slid his tongue between her lips and into
her mouth. Had she thought his lips cool? They were actually hot. He was hot.

He angled his head and deepened the kiss. Kaitlyn forgot
every other man she’d ever kissed. Not that there’d been many, but none of them
compared to Derek. He kissed her as if there was nothing more important in the
entire world, as if she was the only woman he wanted to kiss.

It was a heady sensation.

She clung to his shoulders, loving the flex and play of his
muscles as he moved his hands up and down her back, alternately soothing and
exciting her. Her nipples ached beneath her clothing so she rubbed them against
his broad chest. He groaned and his tongue ravaged her mouth. He took all the
air from her lungs and then gave it back to her. By the time he pulled away
they were both breathless.

“Will you come to bed with me, Kaitlyn?”

This was it. After this there would be no turning back.

She nodded. “Yes.” She knew if she didn’t she’d regret it
’til her dying day. She wouldn’t think about tomorrow or the consequences of
her actions. Tonight she was living for the moment, hoping to suck every single
drop of pleasure out of it. Tomorrow would take care of itself.

Derek’s blue eyes darkened and he scooped her off her feet,
holding her easily. He left the room and walked slowly up the stairs. She felt
no sense of urgency from him, only a deep sense of pleasure.

She looked around, curious about his home. She didn’t get to
see much before he carried her into a bedroom at the end of the hallway. The
bedside lamp was on, casting a warm glow over the space.

It was very masculine and all Derek. The floors were hardwood,
but the large wooden expanse was broken up by a rug in various shades of browns
and greens. A dark-green comforter covered the king-sized bed, which was
flanked by bedside tables. Two pine chests of drawers filled one wall. An
overstuffed brown chair sat in one corner. There was another door leading off
the room, which she assumed led to his private bathroom.

Scattered around the room were reminders of the man who
occupied it. A pair of cowboy boots sat next to one of the chests of drawers. A
lasso was coiled next to the chair. Change scattered across the top of one of
the dressers.

He set her on her feet next to the bed. She fidgeted
slightly, her gaze flitting everywhere but him. She was extremely nervous even
though she wanted what was going to happen next.

“Kaitlyn, look at me.” She found she couldn’t resist the
command in his voice. She swallowed hard and met his gaze. “You can stop me at
any time. Do you understand?”

She nodded. She had to get a grip on herself. She was acting
like a nervous virgin.

Derek stepped back and began to open his shirt. One button
at a time, he slowly revealed the wide, tanned plane of his chest. She’d seen
plenty of half-naked men in her life and a couple of naked ones too, but none
fired her senses or made her pussy clench like Derek did.

He yanked the tails out of his jeans and shrugged out of the
shirt, tossing it onto the chair in the corner. His forearms were thick and
dusted with a light coating of hair. His biceps were huge. Her gaze wandered
over his chest from his firm pecs and down the thick slabs of muscles that made
up his abs, all the way down to his narrow waist.

The man was built like a god.

“Now you.” He reached for her sweater and had it down her
arms and off before she could think to object. She wished she’d dressed up a
bit more, worn something a little fancier. But it was too late for that now.

She lifted the hem of her T-shirt and yanked it over her
head. Trying to duplicate his nonchalance, she tossed it on top of his shirt.
His nostrils flared and his lips hardened. He reached for her, cupping her
bra-clad breasts.

“You certainly keep these well hidden.”

Kaitlyn felt her cheeks getting warm and damned herself for
blushing. She’d always been self-conscious about her chest and had tried to
downplay it her entire life.

His thumbs circled her nipples until they were hard nubs
pushing against their cotton covering. “So beautifully responsive.”

He reached around her back for the clasp and had it opened
in a split second. She wasn’t sure if she should be impressed or appalled by his
apparent skill at undressing a woman.

He eased the straps down her arms and let the bra fall to
the floor. While he studied her breasts, she watched him. And what she saw
relaxed her. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. She glanced lower and saw
the hard ridge of his arousal pressing against the zipper of his jeans. She
smiled slowly.

They were actually going to do this.

Derek cupped Kaitlyn’s naked breasts. They filled his hands
and he had very large hands. He’d always known she had a great figure. It was
impossible to miss those spectacular long legs of hers. But he’d never realized
just how stacked she was. She kept these darlings strapped down tight.

He rubbed his fingers over her large nipples, his dick
jerking when she moaned. She was so responsive to his every touch. He pinched
her nipples lightly and was rewarded when she moaned again. Damn, tonight was
going to be fun. But first he had to get her naked.

He picked her up and set her on the end of the bed. He
lifted one of her feet and tugged on her boot. She fell back and let out a
laugh before she propped herself up on her arms and watched him as he pulled
off her boot and dropped it onto the floor. Her other boot followed.

Then he went for the fastener on her jeans. She didn’t
object. It was killing him to take this slowly. He wanted to yank off her
clothes, turn her over and fuck her from behind, driving into her, claiming her
as his own.

His hands stilled on her zipper. That’s what he’d always
wanted, wasn’t it? He’d always wanted to claim Kaitlyn as his own. That was why
no other woman could ever fill the aching void within him. He’d been waiting
for her all these years.

“Derek?” He could hear the question in her voice but shook
his head. He didn’t want to talk, not now. Not when he had her half naked in
front of him.