“I’ve got one for you.”
“That’d be great,” Shane said.
She sagged against him as the woman asked for the
particulars. Shane slid his arm around her and placed a credit card on the desk
when the front desk woman rattled off a price.
Kendall gave the woman a tired smile, and then they both
staggered off to the elevator. Neither of them said anything when the elevator
opened. In fact, the silence was so complete she swayed into Shane.
He hooked an arm around her shoulders. “Come on, sleepy.
Let’s get you into a bed.”
“I shouldn’t be tired.”
“Oh yeah, why’s that?”
“You’re the one who did all the driving.”
“Dark truck and a long day? We’re both tired, babe. Let’s
just get some sleep, and we can do the last leg tomorrow.”
She let him lead her to the correct door. Shane dropped
their bags as soon as they got inside.
“Shower.”
“Go ahead.”
Kendall gave him a tired smile from doorway. “Thanks for
everything you’re doing to get me home.” Before he could wave her thanks off
like he usually did, she closed the door and turned on the shower.
She spent a full ten minutes under the spray, letting the
heat pummel the tight muscles in her shoulders. By the time she was done, the
room was a steam bath, and she felt human again. Taking a few extra minutes to
blow-dry her hair seemed a little decadent, but she did it anyway. When it was
smooth as water down her back, she finally shut off the blow-dryer. She
couldn’t stand the thought of putting her dirty clothes back on, so she tucked
the towel under her arm and opened the door.
The room was dark, save for a sliver of light from the
streetlamps. Shane was on the bed, his feet still on the floor as he lay
sprawled in the center of the bedspread, sound asleep. The poor thing had to be
exhausted.
She reached into her bag and pulled out a T-shirt and
slipped it on, draping the towel over the chair. The idea of waking him pained
her, but she knew he’d regret it if she let him stay like that. Instead she
bent and took off his boots.
Not a flicker of movement. Just the gentle rise and fall of
his chest. She tugged his socks off and moved up to his jeans. He had two
layers of shirts on, and that would require way too much moving. Instead, she
unbuckled his jeans and peeled them open.
The beam of light slid across his flat belly and highlighted
his zipper.
Really? Did she need a beacon to show off exactly what she
wanted? It was time for them to be in bed, and he was tired beyond measure.
Resolutely she peeled his jeans down to his knees, and still he didn’t move.
Feeling better that she’d conquered the lust-brain half of
her consciousness, she slowly maneuvered his plaid button-down shirt off. When
he moaned lightly, she moved to his side and sat cross-legged until his
breathing returned to its slow cadence.
She could barely make out his features in the limited light,
but his jawline was finally relaxed in sleep. The feel of his soft beard under
her knuckles made her heart turn over. She brushed her thumb along his full
bottom lip. The light puff of breath against her skin felt like a caress.
Overtired and still achy, she shouldn’t want him. But she
did—good God, she wanted him. This could be the last time. Everything could
change tomorrow. She pushed his shirt up, smoothing her palm over the silky
hairs on his belly that led to his chest. Widening her touch, she felt the
firmness of his pectoral muscles and up to the tight bunch of muscles at his
shoulder that flowed into his neck.
She straddled his chest and gently pulled his shirt over his
chin and face. He gasped under her and automatically raised his arms to help
her take off his shirt.
“Sunshine?”
She smiled into the night. “No one else better be undressing
you.”
He snorted and sat up. She slid down his torso to his lap
and felt him wake up all over. Her hands rested at his neck, letting her
fingertips sift through his hair. The rumble of his moan burrowed into her
chest and wrapped around her heart.
“You smell like…” He nudged his nose into her hair and
behind her ear. “Christ, you smell good. Whatever it is, I want to eat you
alive.”
She laughed. “Peppermint.”
“I do love candy canes.” He coiled her hair around his hand
and pulled her head back. He used his teeth on the column of her neck. A caress
of lips and teeth with a hint of the tip of his tongue.
He scooted back on the bed, dragging her with him. Her shirt
sailed over her head and off the edge of the bed, and then his mouth was there.
On her. He cupped her small breasts in his hands and took long pulls on each
nipple until they were so distended she was afraid the pleasure would drive her
mad.
She reached between them and cupped his sac, then curled
around his shaft. “Inside me. Just like this. Nothing but us.”
SHANE PUSHED HIMSELF into her hand. The thought of sliding
into her without any protection, without any barriers, was enough to suck the
last of the blood out of his brain and put it firmly in his cock.
Just once? Hell, he knew he’d want it all the time.
But he couldn’t say no to her here in the dark.
Insulated with shadow and silence—even the scent of her was
different—there was no way he could say no.
He rolled down his boxers and moaned when she took him in
hand, leading him into her swollen heat. He dropped onto his back, his chest
arching with each inch that she took. She rose over him, her head back in
pleasure as she rode him.
He splayed his fingers over her belly; he ground the heel of
his hand over her mound. Part of him wanted to reach for the light. To watch
them coming together. With each fisting clasp of her body, he wanted to see his
cock disappear into her again and again. But there was something to be said for
the darkness.
She couldn’t see just how gone he was.
How easily she’d driven him to that edge of lust and tipped
him over into love. Loving her wasn’t smart, and it wasn’t well-timed, but it
was one of the truest things he’d ever known.
Kendall fell forward, her hair a curtain of moonlight in the
near dark. He banded his arms around her back and held her tightly. The tremble
of her body and her hitching breath gave him the last bit of permission to
finish. Needs denied for so long and the precious perfection of her welcoming
body killed what was left of his willpower.
He drove his cock into her. The warm, wet glide of her pussy
along with her sharp scent was all he needed. He came inside her. The mix of
their scents and the overwhelming exhaustion slapped him in the face, and he
collapsed under her.
With just enough presence of mind to make sure Kendall was
okay, he rolled them both onto their sides. He buried his nose in her neck and
soothed her with a light stroke down her hip.
The next time he truly woke, sunlight spilled into their
room, and they’d created a cocoon of warmth under the blankets. Naked, sated,
and still a little drunk on lack of sleep, he dozed again.
Sometime later she slipped away from him to go to the
window, drawing the curtains wider. Propping his head on his hand, he yawned
and was struck dumb by Kendall in full sunlight.
He rolled out of bed and slid an arm around her. She smiled
up at him. “Quite the view.”
“Yes, it is.”
Her smile broadened, and she leaned back against him. “The
snow, Shane.”
“That’s impressive too.”
She turned in his arms, and he kissed her. He wanted nothing
more than to drag her back into that huge bed and use it properly, but they
needed to get on the road. “Why don’t you order up some breakfast, and I’ll
take a shower.”
“Good idea.” She stepped away and grabbed a menu.
After showering and managing to hack down his steadily
growing beard with his electric trimmer, he opened the door to the scent of
bacon and syrup. Following his rumbling stomach, he snagged a pancake off her
plate and wrapped it around two pieces of bacon.
“Hey now!”
He grinned around his minisandwich. “Smells awesome.”
She nodded to the other plate with a cover on it. “That’s
yours.”
“I’ll take that too.”
She caged her mug with her fingers. “You’re not stealing my
coffee.”
He looked down at her coffee, if that was what she wanted to
call it—it was practically white with cream, and he was pretty sure there would
be a layer of sugar at the bottom. “That’s all right.”
“Don’t sneer at me, Oscar.”
He hiked his towel on his hip and sat down. The domesticity
felt good and right. He was pretty sure he’d be happy sniping over breakfast
with her every morning of his life. The fact that it didn’t scare him into
jackrabbiting for the door like it usually did was one more tick in the
future-looking-bright column.
She was right; the plows had been out, and the road was wet
with salt and melting snow. Already the sun was beaming down and cars were on
the road. Maybe they wouldn’t lose the entire Thanksgiving.
In fact, a new plan was forming. With the B and B becoming
part of his future, perhaps he could find a space for himself on the property
and work on his furniture during the downtimes between helping Kendall with the
Heron.
She probably wouldn’t need that much help from him since she
was so self-sufficient. They wouldn’t step on each other’s toes, and just maybe
a steady future was ahead of them. He was actually looking forward to it.
He packed them up as she finished in the bathroom. She came
out in his oversize thermal shirt and a tight pair of jeans. With her hair
slicked back in a tail, she looked fresh and ready to go.
“Ready, Sunshine?”
She tucked her hands into her back pockets with a distracted
smile. “Yes.”
“Did you call your mom?”
“I will in the car.”
He nodded, unsure why she was so restless. “Everything
good?”
“What?”
“You good?”
“Oh, yes. Of course.” She flashed him her fake smile and
picked up her knapsack. He followed her out the door with a frown.
The drive was quiet. The snow blanketed everything in a
fresh coat of white. Branches sagged under the heavy, wet snow. One thing he’d
noticed driving into the Northeast was that the roads all seemed to look the
same.
There was no artistry to the thruway, just endless exits and
state troopers dotting every third speed trap between the east- and westbound
traffic. The closer they got to Grafton State Park, the tighter Kendall curled
into herself.
Bradley Lake was on the edges of the state park. Trees and a
glass-smooth expanse of water hugged the road. Bare fingers of tree branches
reached for the water. It was probably quite lovely when it was in full
greenery.
But even with the wintry gray pallor to the tree branches,
it had a stark loveliness that California simply didn’t. Clouds streaked the
sky, leaving a wake of blue sky like an after burn. She’d said it was lovely,
but he hadn’t been prepared for just how much.
He’d loved the breakers off Monterey for the majority of his
life, but he found that the serene stones and trees suited him.
“This way?”
She nodded. “Turn up Heron Way and take a right at the large
oak.”
“There’s tons of trees.”
“You’ll know it when you see it.”
“All right,” he agreed. He was glad for the wide grip of his
truck tires on the gravel road. “No pavement?”
“The gravel is better for drainage in the spring.”
He nodded, and the huge tree came into view. Large was an
understatement. The tree had to be as old as the damn lake. It was huge and
knotty and needed a good trim. Weathered, gray rough-cut fences lined the
property along the lake’s edge. A lot of them needed repairs.
His chest tightened, and muscles bunched in his thighs and
shoulders. Almost everything needed repair from what he could see. A faded barn
with a warped door was the first thing he saw off the road into the
bed-and-breakfast. Huge river rock stones led to the door, but they needed
tamping and sanding for stability. The wraparound porch sagged in spots, but
the stairs looked new. They seemed to be pressure-treated wood, at least, but
they were unstained and didn’t match the rest of the deck.
The door was a cheery red with black-framed windows. Fat
pots of mums were strategically placed for color to draw the eye. The split
ranch-style house butted up against the water. He could see the edges of
Kendall’s precious dock.
A dock that looked as old and tired as the rest of the
property.
“This is your favorite place on earth? What the fuck,
Kendall?”
KENDALL CURLED THE unbendable ends of her straightened hair
around her finger. His gaze darted around the property with cold precision. She
saw the place through his eyes, and her eyes pricked with tears.
For years she’d been doing all the repairs on her own.
Fixing what she could, making the rest of the property work. She’d put all the
money she’d been able to into the dock out back and the deck coming into the
house.
She crossed her arms over her stomach. Day in and day out,
she’d done everything she could to keep up. Now, after some time away, it
seemed so…shabby. She was only one person. And the last few winters had been
harsh. It was all she could do to keep the fishing cabins winterized for people
who braved the ice fishing. But the year before had been a mild winter leaving
the cabins empty, and she’d dipped into her savings just to keep the taxes
paid.
“I’ve been doing the best I can.”
“You made it sound like it was a paradise in the middle of
upstate New York.”
“It is. It can be.” She hated the stutter of unease that
trembled through her.
He pulled off the gravel road and climbed out of the truck,
slamming the door. She hopped out and hurried around the front after him. He
paced along the fence, stopping at the split lower spindle. He crouched in
front of it and pinched the rotting wood.