by Katie Dowe
“We are good together.” He took her hand and she was about to pull away when he tucked it through his arm. “I want to show you the other animals. How was work?”
“Exciting. There are so many things to learn.”
“Take your time.”
They walked for a bit longer in silence. The moon was high in the sky and the wind whistled through the trees. Muted conversations and laughter sounded from a barn-like building, which indicated that the men were having a down time.
“If you show me some cute little pig I am not going to want to eat those delicious hams Juno prepares.”
“And that would be a pity,” his hand covered over hers lightly as they walked. “These pigs are muddy and disgusting so you have nothing to worry about.”
He stared down at her as she burst out laughing. His heart slammed inside his chest and he felt as if he could not breathe! She was exquisite! He shook his head as she pulled away from him and ran towards the pen where the sheep were. “They are so cute!” she whispered as if she did not want to wake them.
“They are.” He followed behind her. “We don’t have a lot. Too much upkeep. They are mostly kept for food.”
“You kill them?” she looked at him horrified.
“That delicious mutton chops you had yesterday was due to one of these.” He teased her.
“That’s horrible.”
“Did you enjoy it?”
“That’s beside the point.”
He came behind her and trapped her against the rails with his body. “It’s exactly the point,” he told her softly.
Alexis felt his muscled body against her and went rigid with shock and something else. “What are you doing?” her throat was dry and her body felt hot.
“I have no idea.” He said with a rueful laugh as he bent his head to kiss her exposed neck. “I figured I would keep you warm.”
“I am warm.” She cleared her throat.
He turned her around to face him. “I should leave you alone to get well. I should not be doing this but I want to kiss you and it is all I have been thinking about.” He did not wait for her to respond but lowered his head and took her lips with his slowly. Alexis knew she should move her head, blast him and tell him that this was not what she wanted! She wanted to say something but for the life of her the words would not come! She opened her mouth beneath his and with a sigh he captured her tongue gently, his mouth moving over hers lightly as if waiting for her to say no to tell him to stop. Her fingers curled into his denim jacket and held on tightly as her body trembled against his. Everything went still as he explored her mouth with his. Somewhere nearby an owl hooted but not loud enough to break the spell. They were lost in each other and it seemed as if time stood still as well. Kurt felt the punch in his gut, the clamminess of his skin, the sweat pooling at the back of his neck and the desire tunneling through his entire body! His arms went around her waist lifting her up against him as he deepened the kiss. He needed this, he needed her and for the first time in his life he knew he was not going to be able to let her get away.
With superhuman effort he broke the kiss and lifted his head to look down at her. He had dislodged the rubber band from her hair and it flowed around her face. Her lips were swollen and wet from his kiss and her dark brown eyes were wide.
“If I did not stop--” he broke off and took her lips with his again, this time the control unleashed as he dug his fingers in her waist. His mouth devoured hers leaving little doubt as to his desire. Alexis felt her head spinning and she clung to him returning the kiss and welcoming the savagery of it! He broke away again and this time he stumbled backwards, his fingers plunging through his hair as he stared at her.
“Go inside,” he said harshly, his blue eyes darkened.
“I am not--”
“Dammit, go in Alexis. Please.”
She stared at him for a moment and then walked away hurriedly almost running back to the house.
Kurt stared after her and made sure she made it inside before he strode back to the paddock. He mounted Thunderbolt and slapped him with his gloves. The horse needed no further urging as he shot off surefooted in the dark with Kurt on his back giving him his head. He only slowed down when they came to the wooded section of the grounds. He reined in the horse and sat there looking out over into the trees, his expression grim!
Chapter 4
Alexis twist and turned in her bed. She had come in and had gone straight to the bathroom to take off her clothes and put on her pajamas. How dared he! She thought furiously as she pulled the blankets over her. He had kissed her! She had not asked him to and he had done so! “Oh God!” she whispered as she touched her lips still stinging from the kiss. He had stirred up so much feelings inside her! She did not need that right now. Her life was complicated. She had no idea who she really was. She had spent nights trying to remember her past and it was not happening. Doctor McLeod had told her that it would happen when she least expects it but she was beginning to think she would never remember! Was the plane crash so traumatic that she inadvertently did not want to remember? And who was the other man who had died? With a sob she buried her face into the pillow and eventually went to sleep.
*****
Kurt stopped at her door. He had stayed out until almost midnight before coming in. He placed his hands over the panel and leaned against it. She was not ready and he should know better. He was about to move away when he heard her scream! His heart jumped inside his chest and he opened the door and rushed inside. He found her flailing on the bed. She felt his touch and opened her eyes in panic. “Hush, it’s me,” he took her into his arms. She resisted at first and then rest her head on his chest. Kurt stroked her back until the trembling stopped. “Nightmare?” he murmured softly.
She nodded.
“I am here.” He did not ask her what it was and figured she would tell him or maybe not. He just wanted to be here for her. “Better?”
She nodded and curled her fingers into his jacket. He eased away and she clung.
“I am not leaving,” he whispered as he braced her back onto the bed. He moved and shrugged out of his jacket and took his boots off. He had been heading to his suite to take a shower but that was not important now. She needed him. He climbed onto the bed with her and pulled her into his arms. “Try and get some sleep.” She curled into his arms and he held her close, closing his eyes as he felt her warmth against him.
“I have not had one for a couple of days. I thought they had stopped.”
“You should have said something,” he eased away a little and she lifted her head to look at him.
“Why?”
His blue eyes met hers and he shrugged helplessly. “I want to be here for you Alexis.”
“I can’t,” she firmly ignored the tripping of her heart.
“Can’t what?” he asked her softly.
“I cannot do this.” She moved against him unconsciously and he felt the imprint of her body against his.
“I won’t do anything unless you ask me to.” He whispered as he used his fingers to tuck the wisps of hair away from her face. “I promise. Go to sleep.”
“Maybe I have a husband somewhere who is going crazy looking for me. Maybe there are children. Oh God what if there are children?”
He went still for that. He had not thought about that aspect of it. What if she is married? Had a family?
“Go to sleep. I will try and find out.”
*****
Kurt paced the length of his office as he waited for his P.I. to come in. It had been a week since he had gone to her room and stayed with her for the night. And he had avoided her because if she was in fact married with a family he was going to have a very hard time accepting it!
The door opened and Grant came in closing the door behind him. It was midafternoon and he was supposed to be out in the field. It had rained a day ago and there had been some flooding.
“What did you find out?” he asked impatiently as the man came in.
“She
is not married and she does not have kids.”
Kurt sank down into his chair, the relief swamping him. “Anything else?”
Grant hesitated a little. She was involved with the guy who died. Miller Langston. He was the owner of the magazine she worked for.”
He leaned his head back against the rest and closed his eyes. He was going to be competing with a dead man!
“The magazine was going under. If he had not died in the crash he would have declared bankruptcy.”
“Anybody came to claim the body?”
“Some cousin from Colorado.”
“Thanks Grant.” Kurt nodded as the man left the file on his desk and left.
She was not married but she had been involved with the guy. Had she been in love with him? Where had they been going to and why? The plane had been chartered. For a man who had no money, why had he chartered a plane? Was he planning on proposing to her? He gave a tortured sigh as he plunged his fingers through his hair. He was going to tell her and see her reaction!
*****
“Here you go,” Kathy dumped an armful of clothes onto her bed Saturday morning as she was getting ready to go out for breakfast. She had been at the ranch for three weeks and she actually loved it here! She had not seen Kurt much since he had come to her room that night and stayed with her. The offices were opened on Saturdays but only the members of the family worked and Alexis had said she would as well. She handled the press releases very well and had been assigned a small office of her own.
“What’s this?”
“Your own clothes. You are Tessa’s height but you make her boobs look like marbles,” the girl said with an impish smile. “So Kurt ordered stuff from Romano’s.”
Alexis wrinkled her brow at the name which seemed familiar.
“Don’t worry about the cost. You are totally worth it.”
“I want to pay my way.” Alexis wandered over to the bed and picked up a black and white wool dress with a stunning diagonal pattern. “This is not me.”
“It is you,” Kathy said firmly as she came alongside her and plucked out a designer skin tight jeans and a champagne colored blouse with long sleeves. “These you can wear to the barn dance next Saturday. You have such a lovely skin tone and I would kill for your curves. You hardly need makeup but we ordered you the whole works: makeup, lotions, creams and hair products as well as perfumes.”
“I am not going to be able to pay you guys back.”
“You are doing excellent work. Don’t worry about it.”
*****
He had not been to the club in weeks. Usually on Saturdays he would take time out and go and take a load off. He had an apartment in town. He would fly out there and leave his plane at the private hanger he shared with several members and make a day of it and then fly back the next day, feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the work. But this time it was different. He had not wanted to leave but he had to get away from her and do some thinking. He had told her about the guy and the magazine and she had looked at him hopelessly lost and told him she could not remember. He had wanted her to say that the guy had meant nothing to her but she did not remember. He wanted a clear path and he knew it was not fair but that was the way he felt!
“Good to see you man!” Patrick Copeland clapped him on the back as he entered the main lounge. The place was filled with men socializing and he could hear the sounds of several games going on. There was a huge casino like room situated to one side where friendly wagers were placed and cards were shuffled and played. “How the hell are you?”
“Good,” Kurt allowed his blue eyes to roam the place. “Too cold for tennis or golf?”
“I just figured I would try and win at least one hand at poker today. I want to go home and tell my wife that I beat the pants off Brad for a change.”
“You are going to have to deal with me as well.” Kurt told him with a wicked grin.
“You bastard,” Patrick gave him a baleful look as they made their way into the room.
“Hey guys, look who I found lurking outside.” Patrick said as soon as they entered the room.
“If it isn’t the cowboy himself,” Aiden drawled as he sipped his brandy.
“No jodhpurs?” the taunt came from Paul Carter as he looked up from his cards.
“Not today” Kurt told them with a grin. “Are you ladies ready to get your asses whooped?”
*****
Kathy stopped suddenly as she saw the man lounging against the bale, his hands behind his head and his hat partially covering his face. Jake Montgomery was a new addition to the Murphy’s family and had been assigned to the very young horses that needed training. He had been working at the ranch for a few weeks now and kept mostly to himself.
Kathy was about to leave when he pushed back his hat and looked at her. “I am sorry to intrude.”
“It’s your property,” he drawled, his light green eyes roving over her exquisitely beautiful face. “Is there something I can help you with?”
Kathy was about to blast him for his insolence but something made her keep her tongue. “No,” she said frostily.
“Okay then,” he covered his face with his hat again and dismissed her.
Kathy was furious! She was used to men falling over themselves when they saw her and this-
“Don’t you have work to do?” she asked him loftily.
“No,” he said without moving his hat.
With a flash of fury she went right over and dragged the hat from his face. His eyes met hers and almost smiled at the fury he saw there. He sat up and ran his fingers through his tousled dark brown hair. “I have a feeling that you are upset about something Ms. Murphy. What have I done?”
“You are insolent and I should report you.” She told him heatedly.
“If you think I was insolent than I will certainly apologize. But I don’t think I was.” He taunted her.
Before she knew what she was doing she swung her hand at his face but before it could connect he gripped her wrist and held on. “I am afraid I cannot allow you to do that,” he drawled coolly as he stared at her.
“Let go of me.” She hissed, her breasts heaving.
“Are you going to have at me again?”
She stared at him furiously and then shook her head no.
“I don’t believe you,” his darkly attractive face creased in a small smile.
“What?”
“I don’t believe you, Princess.”
“How dare you!”
Without warning, he pulled her up against him and took her lips with his in a kiss that dragged the breath from her body!
*****
The insistent pounding on the door would not stop! She had spent the day helping to feed some of the farm animals along with Tessa and Kathy and had enjoyed the experience. Now she was in her room getting ready for bed. “I am coming,” she called out as she wrapped the robe around her nakedness.
She pulled the door opened and saw him standing there.
“Kurt what are you--” he did not allow her to finish as he came inside and pushed the door shut before taking her into his arms. She fought him but her heart was not into it. Her mouth opened underneath his and her arms circled his neck. He lifted her up and strode with her into the bedroom where he put her onto the bed and stood there looking down at her. “I tried to stay away,” he told her harshly. “I can’t.”
She did not answer but her look said it all. With a hoarse groan, he quickly took off his clothes leaving his underwear on. Alexis released the string of her robe and eased out of it. He stared at her curves, the full breasts with the large nipples already hardened. His eyes wandered down to her flat stomach and then her pubic area before coming back to look into her eyes. His large callused hands wandered over her body causing her to arch towards his. He did not take his eyes off hers wanting to gauge her reaction. He reached upwards and palmed her breasts, using his thumbs to slide over the pebble-like nipples. Alexis moaned and shifted restlessly. He bent his head, his hair shieldin
g his face as he took a nipple inside his mouth. Alexis felt the fire clenched inside her, almost overpowering her as his tongue swirled around the tight bud. Her hands clenched into fists on the sheets. She felt the air backing up inside her throat and she had to bite her lip to keep from screaming! He lifted his head and stared at her parted lips, his dark blue eyes unreadable. His hand was on her flat stomach so he could feel her flesh vibrating. He was as hard as a rock but he wanted to take his time and he was scared of being compared to him!
“Kurt,” her throat was dry as she looked up at him.
“Yes?” his hand went between her legs and he eased them open, his fingers seeking the warmth of her sex. He entered her slowly, his eyes on hers as he worked his fingers into the wetness of her.
“Please.” She whispered achingly.
“Tell me.” His voice was hoarse.
“I want you.” She moved against his fingers and he increased the pace.
“Good enough.” He used his thumb to rub against the bud. She could not stop the scream that erupted from her! It was too much!
“Let go,” he whispered, his eyes glittering. She did and came with a long low moan as she clutched his hand tightly. He removed his fingers slowly and knelt on the bed to take off his underwear. His erection sprang to attention thick and scary looking! He came over her and she arched her body towards him. He settled on his hands and hovered over her before guiding his erection into her. Alexis lifted her legs and wrapped them around his trim waist. His body was toned to perfection, the muscles prominent all over. His chest was smooth and broad. He lowered himself and entered her deeply closing his eyes at the tightness of her. Alexis dug her fingers into his shoulders as she moved against him. His thrust started out lazy as if he had all the time in the world before becoming fevered and impatient. He lowered his head and took her lips with his, the kiss bruising and passionate. His hands wandered down to her hips and his fingers bit into her flesh as he brought her up and against him.
His heart pounded inside his chest and his body felt as if it would combust at the slightest touch! He felt the tightness inside his testicles. He felt the trembling of her body which mirrored the shuddering of hers. He lifted his head and looked down at her, his breathing harsh. His hands framed her face brushing back the wisps of dark hair. “I have not used anything,” he whispered. “I am usually careful.”
