"It's all right," she said.
"No. It's not!" He yanked off his hat and raked his hair back. "I could have taken a chance. I could have dined on my pride and grown some guts to come after you. But the truth is … I let you go." His features tightened. "You don't know how much I regret that," he said, closing his eyes briefly. "And I didn't come after you because … I was terrified if I opened that door again—" he looked at her "—you'd just slam it in my face." He shook his head, holding her gaze. "I couldn't take that. Not when I loved you so damn much."
"I would have opened the door."
He groaned, regret sluicing through him. "Aw, baby, I'm sorry. You don't know how much."
"Yes, I do." She took two steps and stopped, glancing to the side, and Kyle recognized the apprehension in her.
"I love you, baby."
Her gaze dew to his.
"I love you and I'm not leaving." He bore down on her, snow crunching beneath his boots. She stepped away. "I want you and Mimi and the family we can be and—" He stopped inches from her.
"And?" she said on a breathless gasp.
"And you close me off because it's easier than facing me and what you're feeling. You hide out here in the damn wilderness—" he waved to the open terrain "—because you think it protects your daughter, but it's you you're smothering. You're scared to love me."
"Yes!" she cried, hugging herself. "Yes. I'm afraid I'll hurt you again. You have no idea what it cost me to go on, Kyle. You don't know what I've done—"
"And I don't want to," he cut in, a hand up. "No." He shook his head when she tried to speak. "One step at a time."
Numbly she nodded, willing to push her secrets aside for the moment.
"But what about you, Max? Aren't you afraid I'll turn my back again?"
"No," came small and weary as she stared at his chest. Not yet.
"Why?"
She toyed with her jacket snap. "Because I've been a royal pain in the butt and you're still here."
"Look at me, Max." She did, and he let his gaze roam her wind-chapped features, the tears dried on her cheeks, the fresh ones still filling her eyes. Lord, how he loved this woman, he thought, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat like cut glass. "Then take a little risk." He yanked off his glove and held out his hand. "Come to me, baby. Give me another chance to love you right."
Maxie stared at his bare, callused palm, then his face—his handsome, vulnerable face. And her heart opened wide.
"I love you, Kyle Hayden," she said, and his features tightened. "I always have."
Kyle's insides melted. His gaze sketched her. His voice was a trembling rasp when he said, "Then trust me—I'll keep it safe this time."
Maxie flew to him, slamming against him, and Kyle clamped his arms around her, squeezing and squeezing. She buried her face in the curve of his throat and sobbed. Kyle closed his eyes tightly shut and held her, breathing in her scent, feeling all he'd wanted to feel for years.
Thank you, God, he thought. Thank you.
"Say it again," he whispered close to her ear.
And she gripped him tighter and whispered, "I love you. I love you."
Kyle's eyes burned, and he rocked her in his arms, content to hold her.
A light snow dusted them, coating their shoulders, pillowing on their hats. Icy wind skated gently over the white powder. The horse trotted close and stopped, pawing the ground, almost in shame for deserting her.
Kyle brushed his mouth over her throat, then whispered in her ear.
Maxie leaned back, blinking. "Kyle!" Her cheeks reddened. "Is that all you can think about right now?"
"Well, we do have twenty-four hours alone. We're real good at it—" he wiggled his brows "—and I can't think of anything, in the past seven years—" his expression softened "—that I've wanted to do more."
"Doesn't hurt that you're all—already prepared, huh?" She pressed her hips to his, feeling his hardness between them.
"That should tell you something, since it's damn freezing out here."
She smiled, loving that he wanted her so bad. "I'll race you." She nodded to the horse, clicking her tongue to call the skittish mount closer, and he glanced briefly, then grinned at her.
"I'll win."
She touched his jaw with a tenderness that bordered on reverence. "Fat chance, flyboy." She patted his cheek, hard. "And the first one home gets naked." She tore out of his arms. Kyle simply stood there, watching as she caught the horse's leads and swung onto the saddle. She bolted in a quick gallop.
She loved him, he thought, and his smile widened. She'd always loved him.
Kyle's brows drew down slightly as he turned toward the chopper. Conflicting thoughts stirred in the back of his mind, just out of reach. For about two seconds, he tried to remember their recent conversations, then quit, his thoughts on beating her home so he could strip her naked—himself.
* * *
Ten
« ^ »
The door jolted on its hinges as Kyle backed her up against it. Urgency cloaked his movements as his tongue pushed between her lips, his big body mashing her to the door. And she urged him on, plowing her fingers into his hair, knocking his hat to the floor somewhere near hers. She didn't care. She didn't care about anything except Kyle and showing him how much she loved him, how much she wanted him. She didn't waste a second, unleashing on him like a rainstorm, yanking at the snaps of his jacket shoving it down off his shoulders. He did the same to her, but it wasn't enough.
There were still too many clothes between him and the skin he'd been aching to taste so badly that he had dreams about it. He urged her away from the door, peeling off layers of thermal clothing as they moved toward the hall, leaving a trail with their heat.
Maxie yanked his shirt from his trousers, driving her hands beneath the fabric and feeling the warmth of his skin. "Kyle," she chanted over and over, tasting his mouth, his throat. They toed off boots and socks, Maxie yanking his shirt off over his head, groping, kissing anything exposed. He hurriedly unbuttoned her shirt, opening it, pausing in the middle of the hall to push her bra up and take one nipple deeply into his mouth. She moaned, sinking her fingers into his hair, bending back, then urging his mouth to hers. Her breasts brushed his naked chest, his hands fumbling with the bra clasp.
Suddenly Kyle pushed her up against the wall again, opening her jeans with frantic moves. "I need to touch you," he said on a rush, shoving her zipper down. She gasped as his hand found its way inside her panties, stroking her, pushing a finger between the damp folds. Maxie closed her eyes and tipped her head back, and Kyle watched the play of desire on her face. It made him harder.
"Kyle…" She rocked and inhaled, looking into his eyes. "We—I don't have protection."
He smiled, slow and deliberate. "I do."
"Get it. Now."
He kissed her deeply, then pulled away and darted into his room. Seconds later, he came back, his trousers open to relieve some of the strain, a fistful of foil squares in his hand. She took them, grabbed him by the waistband and pulled him into her bedroom.
Immediately she was on him, kissing him, unzipping his jeans. He stripped off her shirt, her bra, covering her breasts with his palms, his mouth rolling frantically over hers. His hands rode lower, shoving her jeans and panties downward, and Maxie slipped her hand inside his trousers, wrapping her fingers around his hardness.
Kyle groaned darkly. "Don't, baby," he murmured against the curve of her throat, even as he thrust into her touch. "I won't make it."
"Losing stamina in your old age?" Her fingertips glided over the tip of him as her tongue slicked his lips.
"If you keep that up, yeah."
With her teeth, Maxie tore open a foil square, rolled the condom into place. She took immense pleasure in his stillness, his short, rapid breaths.
His eyes opened. "I'm going to explode." His fingers flexed on her waist.
"I know."
"I want to do it inside you."
Maxie's legs wobbl
ed, and she licked her lips. "When?"
His gaze darkened with promise. "Now."
He shucked his jeans in one motion, then attacked hers, leaving them in a heap before gathering her in his arms. Naked flesh to naked flesh, they kissed and groped, staggering toward the bed. Maxie held him in her hand, pushing him down to tease him against her softness.
With a growl, he drove her back onto the bed, pushing open her thighs. He met her gaze. She guided him to her.
Kyle stilled, his chest heaving, his body trembling. He could feel the heat of her surround him. Then he shoved, filling her at once, pressing her deeper into the mattress. Maxie cried out his name, a breathless rush on her lips.
Kyle rose up, lacing his fingers with her, braced above her, her body exposed. For an instant they stared, bodies shuddering, hearts open. His gaze slicked over her to where they joined before meeting her gaze. His face lined with strain, he withdrew and pressed home. She arched, her feet digging into the mattress, her body like a sleek, pulsing cat. Meeting him, matching him, faster, harder.
"Oh, baby, you're so hot." He felt her feminine muscles clench and flex around him.
She thrust her hips, meeting his tempo. "Give me more," she breathed. "Hurry."
Suddenly he lowered onto her, his hips rocking, his gaze locked tight with hers. He watched her passion fracture, felt the wet heat of her ripple through him and just the feel of her delicate body flexing around him sent him over the edge. He lost a part of his soul, the eruption a hard grind through his body, and Kyle succumbed, stiffening, thrusting.
"I love you," she whispered against his mouth, gasping and gasping as he pushed deeper, harder. And still they strained for more, to linger and cling to the rapture. The fade of passion was slow, the trembling linking them like an unbreakable chain.
His lungs still working hard, Kyle gazed into her eyes, smoothing her hair from her cheek. "I love you, baby." It was intense and frightening, how hard they climaxed, how deep it drove into his blood. He was marked as well as if she'd carved her name on his chest. He tried easing his weight off her, but she wouldn't let him go, keeping him close, bodies still joined, hearts still pounding erratically.
"Don't leave," she said sleepily, burying her face in the warmth of his throat.
"Never," he whispered against her temple. "I'm home." Kyle sank into the pillows, smoothing his hands over her bare back until he fell asleep, well loved.
They slept hard, and it was after midnight when Maxie stirred awake. She blinked sleepily and stared into his soulful brown eyes.
"Years of frustration is hell on the body, huh?" Kyle said, and her lips curved. He was kneeling between her legs, stroking her thighs and the fire, barely touched, flamed. "I knew we were good together, but to pass out?"
She smiled. "Call it years of sexual frustration coming to an end."
"Nah," he said, leaning forward and sliding his hands along her legs. "We're just getting started." He caressed the flare of her hips, let his thumbs meet and press into the sweet bud of her need. She made a little sound, spreading her knees a little, and his fingers slicked over the sensitive bud, loving the way she caught her lip in her teeth to keep from moaning. He was going to make her scream tonight, he thought, enfolding her breasts in his palms. He brushed his thumbs over her nipples, circled them, watching them peak as his tongue snaked out to tick one pink tip.
He smiled against her flesh as she arched and breathed deeply, and he met her gaze, hands prowling over her skin, pushing her arms above her head. He hooked her hands over the edge of the carved headboard.
"Stay just like that," he said, nose to nose, his body a breath over hers.
Her expression questioned, her breathing quick. "What do you have in mind, Kyle?"
He laughed, a sinister sound laced with mischief. He kissed her, a long drugging play of lips and tongue. "Promise me you won't touch me."
"But I want to do more than touch you."
He smiled as his hands grazed down her arms, over her breasts. "But I want this to last, and if you touch me…"
She smiled, stretching languidly, aware of his gaze raking over her. "So. Old age has taken its toll, huh?"
He knelt between her feet, hands caressing again. "We'll see." He lifted her leg, his mouth on her calf as he propped her heel on his shoulder. He tasted her flesh, his free hand smoothing upward in slow deliberation, coming nearer and nearer to the source of her need. He nibbled at the inside of her knee, her thigh, smoothed her flesh. His breath was hot and moist on her skin, and she squirmed, whimpering, thrusting her hips.
"Kyle. This isn't fair."
He chuckled lowly, dipping his hands beneath her and squeezing her buttocks. His fingers rubbed near, but not near enough, his mouth toyed and taunted, yet denied her his kiss.
She couldn't stand it. "Touch me, please."
"Ah, that's what I like, Max begging for me." He splayed his hands high on her thighs, thumbs rubbing lightly over the join of her leg, hovering on the edge of the dark curls.
Maxie felt a rush of liquid drench her, and he met her gaze across the length of her body.
His dark eyes raked hungrily over her nakedness. "You look exceptionally lickable right now." He bent to drag his velvety tongue across her stomach, dipping into the contours, over the curve of her hip.
The headboard creaked, her arm muscles straining to bring him closer to her aching softness.
Suddenly he spread her thighs wide and ducked his head, laving her with his tongue. She shrieked and choked, lifting her hips as he ground his mouth against the slick wet heat. Cupping her buttocks in his palms, he held her to him when she squirmed, his tongue probing. She chanted his name, nearly snapped the headboard from its posts and Kyle parted her, thrusting two fingers inside.
Maxie came apart at the seams, shuddering, begging for him to stop and join her. But he refused and pushed her knee up, exposing her more.
"Stop, oh, please." He lifted his head, easing her leg off his shoulder, and she leaped on him, shoving him back onto the bed and straddling his legs.
"I ought to tie you up and do the same to you," she said.
"Oh?" he chuckled smugly, then grew still and silent as she bent and took him into her mouth. He growled, flexing on the bed and watched her.
The torture had its effect and he reached for her, dragging her over him. Maxie spread her thighs, her body open for his touch. She held his arousal against her dewy softness, letting him feel the heat of her.
"Baby, oh jeez." He was reaching for the foil packets, and Maxie didn't care. She felt wild and reckless, and the thought of having his baby, another of his babies, wouldn't stop her. But he did, quickly donning protection. Yet she was already inching up, then she was sliding down over him. Kyle sat up sharply and they stared, his body buried to the hilt inside her. He could feel her heart beating there.
"You still have power over me," she said.
"And I still love you, Max." He brushed her hair from her cheek. "This is how it should have been." He gripped her hips, giving them motion. She rose and fell with sweet cadence, tucking her hips to feel every inch of him. His body shuddered.
"Maxie—baby. I—"
She felt him flex and throb and she leaned back. Instantly Kyle pushed her into the mattress and withdrew, then thrust into her, once, twice. She laughed at his eagerness, his wild, frantic pushing. Then he left her, turning her sharply on her stomach, sliding an arm beneath her hips and lifting her. She glanced back over her shoulder, gripping the headboard. He entered her smoothly from behind. She moaned, wiggling against him.
Kyle stroked her, his arousal thick and heavy between her soft thighs. Reaching around, he touched the heart of her. She slammed back into him and called his name, telling him to hold nothing back. He didn't, taking their lovemaking to new and inventive levels. And Maxie met him and matched him at each one.
Hours later she was limp in his arms when they fell to the jumble of sheets.
"Remind me to tease you like tha
t more often."
He gazed into her eyes. "Just looking at you is enough."
A warm tingling spread over her.
Her body draping his, she folded her arms on his chest. "I love you, Kyle." She sighed. "And as much as I want to make love with you again, I'm hungry and we're out of condoms."
His grin was slow. "No. We're not."
Food was a priority with Maxie—an all-out grazing. He sat across from her at the kitchen table, watching her eat leftovers, which constituted desserts, fettucine and chicken. In that order.
"Where do you put it?" he said, propping his feet on the extra chair. "'Cause I know every inch of that delectable body."
"I know you do," she said, swiping her finger in a mound of chocolate. "But I think you missed a spot." She opened her robe and smeared the fudge frosting over the swell of her breast. Kyle grinned, then pulled her from the chair and onto his lap, laving at her breast, sliding his hand between her thighs. He found her, warm and wet, and she spread her legs a touch wider.
"I love it when you get hot for me."
"I always am."
"You hid it well."
"Years of practice." Maxie couldn't think of the reasons why they'd been apart, of the pain that would come when she fully exposed her secrets. She just wanted to indulge in Kyle.
"Not anymore. Give me everything, Max." His grip around her waist tightened, his face buried in the bend of her throat. "We've wasted so much time."
His fingers manipulated her, and she clung to him, cupping his face and kissing him as he brought her again and again to a shattering climax. She sagged in his arms, and he lifted her, carrying her to the living room.
THE RE-ENLISTED GROOM Page 14
