She looked up at him. Her eyes wide but not with passion, more with…he couldn’t identify the emotion.
He brushed a kiss against her lips and found that her mouth was dry and the kiss was rather blah.
Lance worried that he’d be trapped in a passionless marriage. It was clear that Lexi wasn’t attracted to him and he knew he wasn’t to her.
“Thank you for the gift. It’s very pretty.”
“You’re welcome,” he said.
A horn honked outside and Lexi glanced at her watch. “That should be my cab.”
“I would’ve taken you,” Lance said.
“I didn’t want to be a bother. Thank you for inviting me to the party today. I really enjoyed the chance to see what kind of a company Brody Oil & Gas is.”
“You’re welcome. Kate said she was going to invite you to attend a meeting with the party-planning staff.”
“Sounds great. I’ll look forward to her call,” Lexi said as she left the house and walked to her cab. She kept talking brightly the entire time and Lance held the door for her as she got into the cab.
She smiled up at him as she said goodbye and he closed the door, standing there watching her be driven away.
He rubbbed the back of his neck, having a bad feeling that his marriage to Lexi was going to be a mistake. And he prided himself on not making any mistakes. He wondered if he should have ended things with her today, but he couldn’t have. There was something vulnerable about Lexi. He needed to talk to Mitch about his feelings for her, as well.
There was more between the two of them than he could guess at. But that was a worry for another day. Right now he had a party to host and several staff members to take care of and that was exactly what he was going to do.
After he found Kate.
He needed to talk to her and see her. She had always been his touchstone at Brody Oil & Gas and he realized he needed her by his side now.
Kate was glad when the sun set. Soon it would be time for the Fourth of July fireworks to go off. They had always been her favourite. She’d spent most of the afternoon and evening trying to avoid Lance.
She felt…well, stupid. She was supposed to be getting over him, not falling deeper in love with him each day.
It was silly, really, but seeing the way he’d reacted to Lexi’s being sick had affected her. For all his rough ways, she knew that Lance was the kind of guy who’d stand by his friends, no matter what.
And there had been a part of her that had realized that he treated Lexi like a friend and nothing more. Much the same way he’d been treating her for all these years until she’d quit.
What Kate needed was another job in another town, but she really couldn’t imagine living anywhere other than south Texas. Unlike some of her friends from high school, she’d never wanted to live anywhere except here.
She liked the warmth and humidity that came with Houston. She liked the cosmopolitan city aspects of the area and the wide-open spaces that were only a few hours’ drive away.
A few kids were running around with sparklers and Kate felt a lump at the back of her throat as she thought about the families.
She’d always wanted one of her own but it had never really seemed like she’d have one and now…well, now she seemed no closer to having kids and a husband than she’d been for a while.
“Hey, girl!” Becca called.
“Becca! I’m so glad you could swing by here. Thanks for coming.” Kate gave her friend a hug and they walked up the tiki-light path toward the viewing area for the fireworks.
“Wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Sorry it took so long to get here.”
“Not a problem,” Kate said. “I think Lance is going to the Texas Cattleman’s Club later for an after-party and I just wanted…”
“A friend,” Becca said. “I get it. So how was everything today?”
“Well, good, I think. I kissed Lance and it was…”
“What?”
“Everything I imagined it would be. But then Lexi had heat exhaustion and he had to go to her.”
Becca slipped her arm through Kate’s. “Was she okay?”
“Yes. But it made me realize I don’t want to have an affair with Lance. I want to be able to have a relationship with him where we can be seen as a couple. Not one where I have to hide.”
“Good for you. Being a mistress isn’t something that would suit you,” Becca said.
“Would it suit you?”
“Hell, no.”
Both women laughed.
“Is there any other man you are interested in?” Becca asked.
“Not really. I think that Marcus likes me.”
Becca laughed again, and Kate relaxed for the first time all day, feeling safe in the presence of her friend. Becca was the one person who she knew loved her no matter what. She didn’t care if Kate was fat or wore ugly clothes—Becca liked her anyway.
“That’s not surprising, you’re a very attractive woman.”
“Yeah, right. You’re my friend, you have to say that,” Kate said. “One thing that was shocking was Lance. He didn’t like me flirting with Marcus.”
“Too bad,” Becca said. “Lance Brody had his chance with you and he let it slip by.”
“Maybe I regret that, Becca.”
“Good,” Becca said. “It’s about time you realized that, Lance.”
Kate flushed with embarrassment as Lance stepped up behind them.
“Yes, it is,” Lance said.
Lance joined the women and they went to the main BBQ area. They chatted while the band played, and Becca got up to dance. Kate glanced at Lance. She felt like she wanted to dance, too, but knew they couldn’t—not while he was engaged to Lexi.
“I have something I want to show you,” Lance said, and led her away from the crowd.
“The perfect spot to watch the fireworks.”
“Where would that be?”
“In my arms.”
She stopped. “Don’t say anything you don’t mean, Lance.”
“I’m not.”
“What about Lexi? How is she, by the way?” Kate asked. What she’d seen of the Senator’s daughter had been brief, but she bore the woman no ill will.
“Fine. She went back to her hotel to get some rest.”
“That’s good,” Kate said. “I can’t do this—have an affair with a man who belongs to another woman.”
Lance cupped her face in his hands. “Today cemented for me the fact that I need you, Kate. I’m sorry I didn’t wake up earlier to the fact that you are an incredible woman.”
Kate steeled her heart against just believing his words. “What changed your mind?”
“Seeing your hot body,” he said.
“That’s not flattering,” she said.
“Yes, it is. And it’s the truth. I’m not going to lie to you and try to make you believe that I had some kind of emotional realization when you said you were going to quit. It was really when I got a look at you…I realized that you had everything I wanted.”
“Lance—”
“What? Would you prefer I made up lies and told you stories? You know I’m not that kind of guy. I’m also not the kind of man who lets something he wants slip through his fingers. And I want you, Kate.”
His raw language got to her as little else could. She’d long wanted Lance and hearing him tell her that he felt the same…it was a powerful aphrodisiac.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. There was a lot of passion in his kiss and she stopped trying to think this through, stopped trying to make her attraction to Lance go away. The thought that maybe this was the only way to free herself entered her mind.
But she knew she was only placating herself. She wanted Lance Brody and now that he had his arms around her, she wasn’t going to walk away. Not until she had the chance to experience what it was really like to be his woman.
That was the one thing she’d wanted since her very first day at Brody Oil and Gas. She wrapped her arms around his shou
lders and went up on tiptoe to bring her body more fully into contact with his.
He slid his tongue over hers and she tangled her fingers in the silky hair at the back of his neck. As she ran her fingers through it, she felt everything inside of her clench.
She was in Lance’s arms!
Lance had no real plan of seduction. He just wanted to kiss Kate because it seemed a sacrilege not to. This was the Fourth of July and he was a red-blooded male, a Texan who’d learned the hard way that you had to fight for what you wanted.
And he wanted Kate Thornton. He lifted her into his arms and stepped off the lighted path. He walked up to his house with patriotic music blaring in the background and fireworks going off all around them.
Kate rested her head on his shoulder and held on to him with a strong grip. He knew that the attraction between them was mutual but until this moment hadn’t realized just how much that would mean to him.
He just wanted to know what she’d be like in his bed. To know if the woman he couldn’t live without in his work life would also be as important to his personal life. His gut said yes.
“You look fierce,” she said.
“Do I?”
She nodded. “Are you sure about this?”
“Hell yes,” he said, reaching down to open the door to the living room. He walked up the stairs to his bedroom without pausing to turn on a light.
“I’m not,” she said.
The shyness in her voice stopped him. He couldn’t force himself on her. He never wanted passion between them to be all about him. He knew Kate well enough, had observed the changes in her and knew she had doubts about herself.
And he wanted to show her that he loved her as she was…well, loved her body, he corrected.
“I’m not rushing you, Kate,” Lance said. He set her on her feet and led her out onto his private balcony, gesturing to one of the lounge chairs that faced the east and the fireworks.
“How about a red-hot and boom?”
She shook her head. “I had one last year and think I still might be a little drunk from it.”
He laughed. It was then that he realized he was nervous. He knew his way around an oil field and a boardroom but a woman—one who mattered to him—that was an entirely different subject. And Kate had somehow become this woman who mattered to him.
“Champagne?” he asked.
“I’m good,” she said.
“Still nervous?”
“A little. You know, I’ve been wanting to be here with you…like this…for longer than I can remember,” she said.
“Is it what you imagined?”
She shook her head, those long silky curls of hers brushing against her collar.
“What can I do to make it better?” he asked. He sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulder. She was practically a little bird now with tiny arms and shoulders. He hugged her close. “Why’d you lose weight?”
She shrugged and looked away.
“Sorry, was that too personal?”
She started to nod and then turned to pin him with her dark-chocolate stare. “I had to. It wasn’t healthy for me and I was tired of being invisible.”
“You weren’t completely,” he said.
“Yes, I was. Or you would have invited me up here a lot sooner,” she said, standing up.
She paced over to the railing and leaned back against it, facing him.
“Does it bother you that I didn’t?”
“Of course. But not for the reasons you think. It bothers me because I have wasted so many years of my life.”
“You’re not old, Kate,” he said.
“I’m old enough. And it took your engagement to another woman to snap me out of the trance I’ve been in.”
“My engagement?”
“I told you, I’ve wanted you for a long time,” Kate said.
“I’m sorry, Katie-girl. My engagement…it was done for political purposes.”
“Really? What about Lexi? Does she know that? Don’t you care for her at all?”
Lance stood up, as well. “She knows that we are engaged for our families’ sakes. And to be honest, tonight I realized that I can’t go through with the fake engagement.”
“Why not?”
Lance wasn’t the kind of man who liked to talk about his feelings but he knew better than to keep quiet this time. “It just didn’t seem right to marry her.”
He walked slowly over to Kate, stopping when barely an inch of space separated them. “Don’t you want to know why?”
Kate stared up at him. How could he have ever missed how beautiful her eyes were?
“Why?” she asked in a breathy voice.
“I can’t marry her when you are the one woman I can’t get out of my mind.”
“You can’t…Are you serious?”
“Serious as a heart attack, baby. And I’m not about to let you go until we’ve figured this out.”
Seven
Kate felt overwhelmed by Lance. She put her hands on his chest and leaned forward to kiss him, licking her lips the second before her mouth touched his. She kept her mouth open, feeling the exhalation of his breath against her. She closed her eyes and rubbed her lips over his.
She let herself make this moment into a memory that she’d remember for the rest of her life. If the last week had taught her anything it was that Lance was important to her. And that forever…well, forever might not be in the cards for them.
But now was. Right now. She curled her fingers around his arms and touched his tongue lightly with hers, stroking it into his open mouth. She tasted the beer he’d drunk earlier and something that was starting to be familiar to her. A taste that was just Lance.
She started to withdraw from his mouth and felt his teeth close lightly around her tongue. He angled his head and she felt his hand on her ribs right below her breasts. His other hand tangled in the hair at the back of her head.
He held her so strongly as his mouth moved over hers, as he took complete control of the embrace and of her body. Shivers spread down her body from her lips past her neck. Her breasts felt fuller as she continued kissing him. She leaned forward and felt the tips of her breasts brush his chest.
She moaned, and then was embarrassed and broke away.
He stopped her. “What is it, honey?”
She shook her head. How had she thought that she could be with this sophisticated man? Had she forgotten that the hair and clothes were just window dressing? Inside she was still Kate Thornton.
But this was Lance Brody and he didn’t take no for an answer. He pulled her back into his arms, his hands falling to the small of her back, holding her against his rock-hard body. His erection nudged the bottom of her stomach.
She glanced up and saw that he was watching her. And she realized she wanted to see more of him. All of him. How often did dreams come true?
If she walked away now, the makeover would be just what she’d called it—window dressing. Nothing more than a facade on her dusty old life. But she had changed.
She put her hands on Lance’s face, drew his head down to hers. “You are the best kisser.”
He smiled at her, just a little half smile that made her pulse race. “I’m just getting started.”
Kate let herself relax and stop worrying about the future, about everything other than this moment. She wanted Lance. He wanted her. Together, they were going to make this moment one of the most memorable.
Lance kissed her again and then lifted her in his arms. She realized she liked the way he carried her around. She loved the feeling that came with being in his arms. Since Kate was big for most of her life, Lance was the first man to carry her as an adult. And it made her feel beautiful, like the sexy girls that men always carried in the movies.
Lance carried her over the threshold, back into his bedroom. He kissed her so tenderly before slowly undressing her.
She crossed her arms over her breasts, knowing despite the weight loss that she still wasn’t perfect. This body…she gl
anced down at it. Her breasts had fine white stretch marks. And her stomach wasn’t flat. She wondered sometimes if it would ever be.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m not very good-looking naked,” she said.
He shook his head and drew her hands away from her body, holding her arms open so she felt so damned exposed. Too exposed. She couldn’t do this.
Just when she was about to turn away, he pulled her into his arms, hugging her close to his clothed body. “Kate, can’t you feel what you do to me?”
He took her hand and drew it down his body to his erection. It was hard and proud, pressing against his jeans. She stroked him through his clothes.
He traced his finger over her breasts, circling around the white fleshy globe before coming closer to her nipple. It beaded up and she bit her lower lip, waiting in anticipation of his touch.
“Katie?”
“Hmm?”
“You have one hot, sexy body,” he said. His finger rubbed over her nipple, making it impossible for her to remember her own arguments.
A moment later, his head dipped down and he suckled her, drawing her nipple into his mouth. She rubbed her hands over his short hair.
“Lance, take your shirt off,” she said. She surprised herself with her demand. But she wanted to enjoy every second she had with Lance, and she needed to see his chest.
He lifted his head and stood there in front of her. “You take it off for me.”
She reached for his shirt and drew it up and over his head. He tossed it aside and she couldn’t help but reach for his chest. She touched his muscles over his breastbone and then followed the line of hair that tapered down, disappearing into his waistband.
“I like you without your shirt on,” she said.
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
She felt more vulnerable now than she had just a second before. She hadn’t meant to leave herself so open to him. Yet, at the same time, she knew there was no other way for her to react to him.
He didn’t say anything else, just bent to trace the line of her neck to the base. He licked her there and then dropped the softest kiss on her.
She couldn’t think as he stood back up and lifted her onto the bed. He bent down to capture the tip of her breast in his mouth. He sucked her deep in his mouth, his teeth lightly scraping against her sensitive flesh. His other hand played at her other breast, arousing her, making her arch against him in need.
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