Cowboy 12 Pack
Page 163
“Me neither.” Adriana frowned. “So is that the problem? He’s too good for us? Because let me tell you—”
Kendra held up her hand. “Hey, slow down, girl. It’s nothing like that.”
“Then what is it?”
She twirled the bottle again before raising it and taking another swallow. When she lowered the beer, she stared at it. How could she put into words what she felt when she wasn’t sure what it was?
“Dios mío, you want him.”
She snapped her gaze to Adriana and gave the barest nod.
“Yeehaw! It’s about time. He’s a hot man. So what’s the problem? Isn’t he attracted to you?”
Kendra rubbed her eyes again, suddenly sure Adriana would never understand the predicament. “I don’t know. I think he might be, but it doesn’t matter. Don’t you see? I’m his boss. I can’t sleep with him. That would show favoritism amongst the employees.”
Adriana opened her mouth to speak, but Kendra cut her off. “No, I’m not going to become a perk of working here for all the male employees.”
The bartender pouted before taking another sip of beer. “Hey, it was just a thought.”
Kendra allowed a small grin to curve her lips. Some people would think her nuts to have hired a former prostitute as a bartender, a former madam as a cook, a current drunk as a landscaper, a hacker as a security guard and a brokenhearted college grad as a bookkeeper, but these were her kind of people. The question was, where did Wade fit into their motley group? At least each of the last stable managers had some flaw. She had yet to find his, unless being perfect was a flaw.
“So let me get this straight. You want the cowboy and think he wants you but can’t because he’s your employee and that would show favoritism. Is that right?”
She sighed. “Yes. And I can’t even sleep at night because all I can think about is him and what it would be like to have sex with him. So I really am tired.”
Adriana put her hands on her hips. “First, you don’t go to sleep at night anyway. You go to bed in the early-morning hours like me. Second, if you want him that bad, I say go for it. I doubt Billy will be jealous and Powell works at night so how would he know?”
She shook her head. “No, this place is too small and we are too close for me to do that. I’ll just have to grin and bear it for the next two months, three weeks and four days.” She groaned silently. She couldn’t imagine being so close to Wade and not touching him. She stared at her almost empty beer. So this is what was meant by the phrase “crying in your beer.” She’d certainly seen her mother do it when her father didn’t come home at night, but she’d always given him what for the next morning.
Those nights usually found Kendra at Buddy and Ginger’s, learning to play poker. The childless couple lived only three doors down and had always been a safe haven for her…until they’d been forced out of the pathetic excuse of a trailer park. How attracted to her would Wade Johnson be if he knew she’d learned to play poker at the age of seven.
She sighed and looked up, about to take her last couple swallows, when Adriana’s expression halted her. The woman’s smile reminded Kendra of Wile E. Coyote when he thought he had the Road Runner in his sights. Nothing good ever happened for that damn coyote. “Adriana, what are you thinking?”
The sudden innocent look thrown her way did nothing to dispel her concerns. She lowered her voice to be more stern. “Adriana. Tell me.”
Her bartender threw back the rest of her beer and set the bottle down on the bar with a thud. “Just leave it to me and follow my lead tonight.”
Kendra shook her head and jumped off the barstool. “No. You behave yourself and I will too. Forget it.” Grabbing her beer, she turned and stalked to her office.
That Adriana hadn’t pouted made her very uneasy. Kendra’s best bet was to stay away from her. Maybe then she could avoid whatever plans were spinning in that hot woman’s head.
*
WADE LEFT THE kitchen with a covered plate of food. He’d bet his favorite chaps Kendra hadn’t eaten anything yet. The woman certainly wasn’t afraid of manual labor or getting dirty. At dinner he heard she’d put together a bookcase in her own casita. That didn’t fit with someone who could afford to build a resort unless she had investors. Maybe that was why she was so driven, anxious to open. He, on the other hand, wasn’t thrilled at the idea of leading naked people on trail rides.
“Taking another midnight snack?”
Wade shrugged as he strolled up to Powell, the nighttime security guard. “Maybe.” Wade wasn’t sure how the young man could protect the property. He was thin as a mesquite branch and his gun pulled his pants down.
Powell readjusted the baseball cap with “security” printed on it, his blond hair sticking out an inch all around it. “I don’t know how you do it. I’ve been trying to butter-up Selma for six months now, but she never offers me a plate for while I’m on patrol.”
“Maybe you should try asking her.”
Powell’s eyes widened. “Damn, you know I think you’re right. I’ve never asked her. Thanks.”
“No problem. Did the sheriff find you this afternoon?”
“Huh?” Powell looked away. “I guess not. I was still sleeping.” He met Wade’s gaze. “Need that sleep if I’m going to stay alert all night, you know?”
“I prefer the mornings myself.”
“Not me.” Powell stood a bit straighter. “I’ve always been a night person, like the boss. I figure that’s an asset in the law enforcement business.”
Wade moved the covered plate to his other hand to avoid burning himself. Selma had heated the dish in the oven when she heard the food was for Kendra. “Do you want to be a policeman?”
“I kind of already am. I mean, doing security here. Plus, I’ve applied for the police academy. I figure this job will help me get in.”
“So you’ll leave here if you’re accepted?”
Powell flushed, hitching up his pants. “Well yeah, but, well, it can take months, years to get in and I still may not make it. Anyway, I need to get to work. Good night.”
“Good night.” Wade watched Powell climb into his golf cart and head down the road toward the creek bed. He doubted very much the man would ever be accepted into the academy. He didn’t have the confidence or the presence. Shaking his head, Wade continued toward Kendra’s office.
He’d been thinking about her all afternoon. Although she’d kept her composure with Harper around, he’d seen that look of wanting in her eyes again when he’d brushed the horses. He’d had to take a deep breath as sharp sexual need raced through his body. If she could show such strong emotion when his shirt was off, what made her so stoic the rest of the time? His grandmother used to say still waters ran deep, and for the first time he could associate that with a person.
He rapped twice on the door and entered. As he expected, her eyes were focused on the computer screen. She hadn’t even heard him knock. “Time for dinner.”
“What? Oh, already?”
He shook his head. “It’s after eight.”
She looked at her screen again. “Guess I’ll grab a shake.”
Setting the dish of food on the table, he strode to her desk and rolled her in her chair to the space beside the computer. Then he piled up the papers and moved them to the edge of the desk.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m making you eat your dinner. Selma prepared it especially for you.” He placed the covered plate in front of her and pulled the fork and knife wrapped in a napkin out of his back pocket. “Here. Now eat.”
She stared at the food as if she’d never seen such a thing before finally really looking at him. Her eyes were wide. “No one has ever brought me my dinner. Thank you.”
Something in her gaze had him swallowing a lump in his throat. When she’d said “no one,” she’d truly meant it. That simple statement was too heartbreaking to contemplate. So he pretended she hadn’t just revealed a significant piece of her life and grabbed a chair from her ta
ble. He placed it next to her, which put him directly in front of her computer and dropped his hat on her desk.
Quickly, he minimized all seven of her screens and opened her browser. “You eat while I find the websites we need for you to go shopping.”
She gazed at him with that unreadable look of hers as she chewed. After she swallowed, she nodded. “Thanks.” She turned back to her food, practically shoveling it in her mouth like a man who’d been out on the range all day. No wonder the woman was so thin. She didn’t stop working to eat.
Forcing himself to look at the computer instead of the attractive woman sitting next to him, he pulled up a few websites he liked then closed one. No need to overwhelm her with choices. Some women would try on every dress in their size to be sure they’d left no stone unturned. His twin cousins were like that and they were only seventeen.
Glancing at Kendra, he caught her expression of bliss as she bit into Selma’s giant biscuit. He’d slathered butter on it, and a drop of the warm, salty liquid dribbled along the corner of Kendra’s lip. Even as his groin tightened at the sight, her tongue came out to lick it clean.
Stifling a groan, he whipped his gaze back to the screen. Shopping was much safer than watching his boss eat. Clicking on the women’s section of the two sites, he quickly had a dozen outfits chosen. Nothing too frilly. That wasn’t her. Everything he’d chosen edged toward ranch owner and less toward innocent farm girl. Everything except one outfit that would be a fantasy for him, just to see her reaction.
“Okay, I’m ready to shop.” Kendra wiped her mouth on the napkin he’d brought then picked up the dirty dish and set it on her table.
He stood and pulled out the chair he’d been using. “I’ve picked out a dozen or so for you to look at. I’m not sure what your price range is, so if it’s too much, we can probably find something cheaper on other sites, but I need to know what you like.”
She hesitated before the chair and he sensed nervousness, yet her expression showed nothing. Was he starting to read her in other ways?
“I appreciate it.” She sat and he pushed her chair forward. Her hands grasped the desk as if she’d been surprised by the movement. Hadn’t she had her chair pushed in for her before? His curiosity was piqued.
In no time she was perusing his choices. Unlike most women he knew, she didn’t ooh and aah over the clothes. Instead, she appeared to analyze each one, zooming in on pictures, scrutinizing the skirt lengths. Every skirt that ended mid-calf or higher she closed out.
When she came upon the jeans he’d chosen, she stopped. “Do you really think it would be appropriate to wear jeans?”
“I do. It may not be what you want to greet your guests in, but if you decide to go riding with them, or if you are having a barbeque with them, it would be fine.”
She reviewed the three pair he’d chosen and closed out one. Her faith in his judgment stoked his pride. Then she clicked on his fantasy outfit. She’d never wear it, but he couldn’t wait to see her reaction.
She stared at the low-cut, white frilly top with no sleeves that ended just beneath the model’s breasts. The matching skirt barely covered the woman’s ass. He grinned.
“Perfect.” She turned and looked up at him. “I think I should wear this the first day the resort is open.”
“What?”
She turned back to the screen. “Absolutely. I wish there were more like this one. Are there?”
He lowered his brows at the thought of her greeting her guests in that outfit. Shit. “Uh, I’m not sure that would be such a good idea. It wasn’t really the occasion I was thinking.”
“Then when?” She zoomed in on the top, making the woman’s breasts appear huge.
He swallowed hard. “I thought that outfit would be more suitable for a private visit. Say, if you had someone special over for dinner.” His blood heated at being caught. No matter what, he refused to tell her it was something he’d love to see her in.
He sat down in her office chair and studied her. She tried to hide it, but he noticed the hint of a grin on her face. She was teasing him.
“I definitely have to buy this one.”
“If you do, I will hold you to modeling it for me, just to make sure it fits right.”
She faced him then in surprise, but he couldn’t hold his smirk.
She laughed and the picture disappeared. “That’s not going to happen. But I do like these other ones. I’ll order them.”
Wade’s heart tripped at her laughter. Her whole face changed, making her downright breath-stopping.
“Oh damn, I’m going to need cowboy boots, right?”
She faced him again and he attempted to focus. “Yup, and a hat too.”
“That’s right. You said you wanted me to try yours.”
He did? He didn’t remember that. He’d never let anyone wear his hat. He must have looked confused because she nodded.
“Yes, you said I should try it with my hair down.” She reached up and unclipped the mass of dark waves.
His heart started to beat double time. It took all his willpower not to grab her to him and kiss her, burying his hands in her long, curly strands. Her hair transformed her usually stern face into that of a confident siren. Someone he could envision on top of him, her hair brushing his face as she leaned over him.
“Wade?”
He shook himself. “Yeah.”
“I can’t try it on unless you give it to me.”
“Right.” He handed her the black felt hat. “Always handle the hat at the brim, not the crown.”
“Okay.” She set it on her head. Again, though her expression was bland, he sensed she was anxious about this.
She had nothing to be anxious about. Despite the hat being far too big, she looked hot. His blood revved, his balls tightened and his body heated. The last thing he needed was for her to be sauntering about looking good enough for a roll in the hay. Best to be truthful. “That look is more for an evening out. I’m not sure it’s as businesslike as you want. Why don’t you put your hair up and try it?”
She nodded once and placed his hat on her desk. Scooping up her hair again, she twirled it around and clipped it. He could imagine her doing the same thing after sex and he had to adjust his position in the chair to make room for his growing erection.
Depositing the hat on her head, she turned expectantly to him. “How about now?”
Shit, the woman was sexy no matter what, but at least this way he could hold on to his control a bit more. “That’s better. The problem is hats and boots really have to be tried on to find the right size.”
She took his hat off and carefully handed it back to him. He willed himself not to inhale her scent on it before dropping it back on the desk.
“I can always order a couple of each and whatever doesn’t fit I can send back. I need to have everything before next week.”
The woman obviously had no worries about money. As soon as his three months were up, he would breathe a lot easier too. He’d have a good deposit stashed away for a piece of land and he would have fulfilled his obligation to Dale…that is if he stopped ogling the boss and started questioning the employees. From what he’d witnessed so far, everyone here was loyal to her. What would she think if she found out his job at Poker Flat was twofold and included spying on her? His stomach tightened, a feeling he didn’t like at all.
“Could you find a few you think would work?”
Find what? What were they talking about? “Probably. Do you have anything particular in mind?”
She cocked her head and stared at him. Shit, had he made any sense?
“I think I’d like a hat that is not as heavy as yours, but I’m clueless about boots.”
Hats and boots. Right. “Sure, let me see.”
She stood and moved the chair she’d sat in back to the table, so he wheeled her office chair in front of the computer and pulled up two hat and two boot styles, one for jeans and one for dresses. That reminded him she’d deleted all the short-skirt options. Anoth
er interesting fact about Miss Kendra Lowe.
She stood behind him, her body heat seeping through his shirt and warming his shoulder.
“I like those.” She pointed to the pair of plain black women’s boots he’d selected for casual wear. They had simple stitching and came almost to the knee.
Her almond-rose scent followed her arm movement and it took all his control not to take her hand and set it against the growing bulge in his pants. “I’ll let you order your size.”
“What about the hat size?” Her arm withdrew, but her hand rested on his shoulder, causing his light cotton shirt to suddenly feel far too warm.
He took a deep breath. “That’s a good question.” He looked up at her and despite her control over her features, he could feel her leaning toward him, her body sending off signals she wanted to be close. It was far more than he could withstand.
He rose, pushed the office chair out from between them and cupped her head at the back of her neck. The minute he touched her soft skin and silky hair, his path was set. Gently, he moved his hands to her crown, as if approaching an unbroken colt. He lowered his voice. “I’d say you are about a seven and an eighth. I would suggest getting that size and one larger to accommodate your hair up like this.” He couldn’t have resisted touching the clump of hair on the back of her head even if someone promised to give him a ranch if he didn’t. Without questioning himself, he unclipped the dark mass and ran his hand through it. Its soft waves flowed through his fingers like water around the rocks in a creek.
She gazed up at him and her face changed. His cock hardened as desire flooded her features.
He found his hand grasping the back of her head, tilting her face. He smoothed his other down her back and pulled her closer. Her intake of breath at his movement was the only encouragement he needed. Lowering his face, he softly brushed her lips.
The smallest of noises came from the back of her throat. He couldn’t stop. He craved more.
KENDRA MELTED INTO Wade when his tongue breached her lips and swept inside her mouth. His strong gentleness caused ripples of wanting to echo throughout her body. She grasped his neck, pressing herself against him. Her hips moving against his, pushing against the hard bulge beneath his jeans.