by Zoey Marcel
Justin was vanilla, but he cracked her up with his comments and mischief-loving ways. He called her his puma because she was a few years older than him. She thought it was cute.
She’d seen pictures of Quentin, but not Justin. She didn’t know their last names. Giving too many details to strangers online was a good way to wind up dead. She’d rather not, so she kept things on a first-name basis.
Nothing could happen long-term with either one of them anyway, because of her plans. Meeting either of them would be pointless.
Still...
She did a double-take when she saw something sphere-like come hurtling toward her vehicle from somewhere off the road. A metallic clank resulted just before an explosion followed. She screamed and lost control when a sonic boom and flames sprang up in front of the moving car. It felt like the vehicle might have jumped a bit. She veered off into the ditch and the engine died.
“Shit!” Her hands shook violently as she tried in vain to start the car.
What the hell just happened? Had her engine combusted at random, or had someone chucked a bomb at her? Here, in Laura Ingalls land, really?
A cotton-candy blue truck that looked like something out of a mid-twentieth century movie rolled to a stop.
“You all right?” a man called out to her.
“My car won’t start!” Her ears rang.
The stranger parked his truck and then ran over to her. Her engine kept stalling.
He yanked her car door open and helped her out after she grabbed her purse. “You okay?”
“I think so.”
“I was coming from that way and I saw an explosion and your car veer off the road. Did your engine blow up?”
She shook her head, still trembling when she saw the smoking car. “No. Something got thrown from the side of the road and then blew up. I think it was a bomb or something.”
“Oh my god!” a young man’s voice yelled from the distance.
She and the stranger with her turned to see a guy who was probably somewhere in his twenties come sprinting toward them.
“Are you okay?”
The male next to her looked confused. “Justin, what are you—”
The running young man—Justin, apparently—didn’t stop when he reached them. Rather, he collided with her. The other man next to her had to keep her from falling over and pull Justin back.
“I’m fine, thanks. Just shaken up,” she said.
“Justin, what are you doing out here all by yourself?” The male standing next to her had some kind of pleasing accent. She was no language connoisseur, but it sounded Cajun to her.
“I was just...” Justin’s voice trailed off and guilt changed his features before a “Forgive me” puppy grin came over his face. “Nothing.”
The man next to her eyed him suspiciously. “Don’t you have to be at the club soon for work?”
“Not for a few hours. I’ve got plenty of time to ride back.” Justin’s countenance clouded with worry when he looked at her again. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine, thanks. Justin, is it?”
He nodded with a charming grin and dazzling white teeth. “Yep, and you are?”
“Kendall.” She shook his hand, barely noticing that he moved something thin and metallic to his other hand before shaking hers.
“Nice to meet you, Kendall. I really am sorry.”
“For what?”
The stranger next to her picked up the object in Justin’s hand and narrowed his eyes on the younger man. “What the hell are you doing with a pin?”
Kendall became alarmed when she saw the pin in the man’s hand.
“I can explain.” Justin threw his hands out in front of him in defense. “I was playing with a grenade and threw it.”
“What?” she shrieked.
“I didn’t know it was live.”
The man next to her rolled his eyes. “You pulled a pin and threw a grenade at the road?”
Justin turned indignant. “I didn’t aim for the road. I was spinning around and then I released it.”
The Cajun-voiced gentleman rolled his eyes and shook his head like he was used to Justin’s antics. “Fuck. Is that the grenade our grandfather left you from the war?”
“Yeah, but I thought it was de-explodified.”
“That’s not a word, and you could have killed her.”
Justin appeared remorseful when he faced her again. “I’m so sorry. I don’t want you dead. You’re beautiful, and even if you weren’t, you should still live.”
Kendall smirked. She was still pissed about the car and having the crap scared out of her, but the punk didn’t act like he’d meant her any harm. “Thanks. Just forget it happened.”
“I’ll make it up to you. I can give you a ride back to town on my cow.”
She almost laughed. “Your cow?”
“Yeah, Sirloin. Where is he?”
“Over there, it looks like.” The stranger pointed to the horizon.
“Damn it! The boom must have scared him.” Justin glanced back at her before scampering off. “Hang on. I’ll catch him for you.”
“Justin!” The man continued when Justin stopped and looked back at him. “I’ll just give her a ride back to town. Concentrate on catching the steer. You’re paying for the damage you caused to her car.”
“It was a rental car,” she put in.
The man made a face. “Ah. Regardless, you owe her.”
Justin nodded, seeming stressed. “Okay. I’ll meet up with you guys later. Just don’t tell Dad. He thinks I’m improving.”
The man smiled a little as he watched Justin hurry off after the frolicking bovine. “Sadly he is. He’s a good kid. A bit of a troublemaker, but he has his calmer moments.”
“He seems nice.”
Really fucking foolish, though.
She flinched and felt a tide of warmth wash over her when the gentleman draped his arm over her shoulder and started to cross the street with her.
“I’ve got to get my things.” She pulled her suitcases from the back and he helped her wheel them across the road. “Thanks for the ride.”
“You bet. I’m René, by the way.”
Her stomach flip-flopped and filled with butterflies when she heard his name spoken in that hedonistic voice. It was sassy, lyrical, and completely hypnotic.
“Kendall.”
He gave her a friendly smile that she felt deep in her gut. “It’s a pleasure, Kendall. I wish the circumstances of our meeting had been better.”
“You and me both.”
He loaded her suitcases into his truck bed and then got the door for her on the passenger’s side. She paused for a second in appreciation before climbing in, guided by his helping hand. Chivalrous men weren’t a regularity in her experience.
René closed the door and then walked around and climbed up into the driver’s side. The slam of the door sent a thrilling jolt through her. She was in close quarters with one of the hottest men she’d ever laid eyes on. His addictive fragrance of whiskey, sweet tobacco, and undertones of citrus filled the truck. The aromatic combination smelled more like cologne than actual booze and smoke. She couldn’t get enough of it.
His thick brown hair had a slight wave to it that was swept back naturally in the front, but would probably look just as good messy. The scant brown goatee that graced his jawline was more akin to heavy stubble and his mustache was likewise growing in.
His gray T-shirt showcased his well-defined arms, and he wore a watch on one wrist. His faded jeans and leather cowboy boots added to his casual appearance. He had the scruffy look of a man who would be at home in flannel shirts, but his voice rang with the sophistication of fancy dinners and higher education with a trace of laid-back Southern hospitality thrown in for good measure.
At a guess, she would say he was probably in his mid-thirties.
He turned and looked at her with the darkest brown eyes she’d ever seen. “Where you headed?”
She swallowed to tamp down on the extra sali
va that almost came out in drooling admiration of his physique. “McKenna Downs.”
A charming smile warmed the rugged handsomeness of his face. “No kidding. That’s where I’m from.”
Kendall returned his smile, but her stomach was in jittery knots. “Oh yeah?” She cleared her throat to hide the unevenness of her aroused tone. “Do they have a hotel there?”
“Oh yeah, they have a hotel there.” Did she imagine the pleasure in his voice and the sudden heated darkening in his eyes?
Her slit moistened, and she internally reprimanded herself for blushing. “Would you mind taking me there, please?”
He flashed her another heart-stopping smile as he got the truck rumbling. “I’d be happy to, Kendall.”
She tried to hold his gaze long enough to smile in gratitude, but she averted her eyes to keep from flushing with color. The man was so damned alluring, it wasn’t even funny.
He made a U-turn in the road and drove back the way he came. “So, what’s a nice girl like you doing out here all by yourself?”
Had someone asked her that in California, she’d have run from the creeper. This man had a certain something she trusted. She wasn’t sure why. It was just a feeling, and she went with it.
“I’m actually visiting my sister as a surprise.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve seen her.”
“You plan on staying long?”
Again, the question was personal, but she didn’t pick up any lecher, “I’m gonna kill you” vibes coming from him.
“A few days.”
He glanced over his shoulder with a belly-tightening smirk. “You’ve got an awful lot of clothes for just a couple of days, cher.”
Something soft and warm swept over her at the endearment. It was sweet, and she hadn’t been called any pet names in a long time, not since her first boyfriend, Charlie Huntington.
She pushed him out of her mind, refusing to go there and miss him again. She had her dreams, and right now, she had a fine piece of man named René sitting next to her.
“I’m actually moving to New York,” she explained.
René went quiet for a minute. His expression spoke of disappointment. Why should it, though? “Well, in that case, you don’t have nearly enough luggage.”
“I’m having my belongings shipped to me once I get there.” She shifted in her seat. “Are you always this personal with strangers?”
He glanced at her, face dusted with concern and saturated with amusement. “Am I making you nervous?”
“No. I’m just not used to it.”
“Would it help if I told you about myself?”
“Sure.”
“My father owns a cattle ranch just outside of McKenna Downs. I’ve got three brothers. Well, two half-brothers. I had a different mother than them. Justin is my cousin, but I consider him my brother. He’s the one you just met.”
She caught herself checking his hand for a ring and feeling relieved by the absence of one. “Is it nice having brothers?”
“I’m actually the outcast in the family.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m a bastard and my mother was the only woman my father ever truly loved. Justin’s the only one in that family who’s nice to me. The other two hate me, I’m sure of it.”
“I’m sure they don’t hate you.” She almost reached for his hand to comfort him, just to comfort him, not because his muscles and tan skin screamed to be touched.
“You’re sweet to say so, but it’s true. It doesn’t bother me none anymore. I’m used to it.”
“Well, I’m glad you have one nice brother, uh, cousin, at least. I just have a sister, but she’s sweet.”
“What’s her name? I might know her, small town and all.”
“Melanie Laurie.”
René thought for a brief second and then chucked a smile at her. “Yeah, I know who you’re talking about. She’s a sweet girl.” His face turned to stone as if he’d had a revelation. “So your name is Kendall Laurie, then?”
Duh.
She nodded, perplexed by the seriousness that had come over him. “What?”
He shook his head and licked his teeth while focused on the road. “Nothing. You here to see anybody else in town?”
She shrugged, remembering the two men she’d met online and still debated whether or not to meet with. They lived in South Dakota, but she didn’t know where. She could text them and ask, but the destroyed rental car and good company that René gave her had her amply distracted for the time being.
“I hope I’m not being too forward when I say that you look like an Irish goddess and you seem like a sweet kid.” He gave her a sad, almost wistful look. “A man would have to be a fool to ever let you go.”
The compliment helped to dispel some of the awkwardness and she felt herself being disarmed by the smooth-talking cowboy. “Thank you...René.”
His name in her mouth made her tingly and shaky. Good grief, she was twenty-seven and this gorgeous hunk of muscle and flesh had turned her into a hormonal teenager.
His lips formed an obvious curve of pleasure on his manly face. “I like the way you say my name.”
Those butterflies in her stomach were going crazy with excitement.
“It’s a nice name.”
“You’ve got a good name, too, Kendall.”
Her heart thumped faster at the melodious sound of her name being caressed by the sinful beauty of his vocals. “Thank you.”
Her lips parted in shock when he reached for her hand while keeping focused on the road.
“Justin will probably be chasing that steer all afternoon. We’ll get your car out of that ditch and I’ll pay for the damages.”
“But it’s not your fault I crashed.”
René shook his head once. “Justin is broke. He’s living in an apartment on his own paycheck-to-paycheck to prove himself to our old man. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if the kid is in debt.”
Now she felt bad for Justin, even if the little pyro had hurled a grenade at her car.
“Like I said, I’ll pay for everything. He can always pay me back...when he’s seventy.”
She smiled and gave his hand a thankful squeeze before catching herself. “Thank you. I really appreciate the ride, too.”
He nodded, lips dipping in a lazy motion that radiated contentment rather than the frown that context helped refute. “It’s my pleasure. First we got to get you checked out.”
“I’m not hurt.”
“I’d feel better if you were checked out anyway. Wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.”
The words moved her. “Thanks.”
“I can show you around town if you like. By the time this business with the car is over with, it’ll probably be too late to see your sister today. I figured I’d take you to dinner and make sure you get to your hotel okay.”
Her pussy clenched and flooded with liquid heat. He sounded like he meant that in the most chivalrous of ways, but her cunt seemed to read between the lines.
“You don’t have to buy me dinner when you already—”
“I insist. I’m not broke or anything.” He flashed her a crooked smile. “And even if I was, we could still split a burrito and a coke.”
She grinned, feeling too shy to laugh with him yet, but his good-natured disposition was starting to relax her. “I’d like that. Thank you.”
The smile reached his dark eyes this time before he focused on the road again, and the hunger in them made her breath catch. When his thumb brushed lightly over her hand that he still held in his, she felt the organ in her chest swell with softness like a Puffalump.
It surprised her that she hardly knew the man and didn’t feel uneasy in his presence. Even more astonishing was the fact that his comments and generous mannerisms struck her as totally sincere. Maybe her short stay in McKenna Downs wouldn’t be so bad after all.
* * * *
René Huntington felt relieved that Kendall’s c
heck-up went smoothly. He was the most patient with his cousin Justin out of all the Huntingtons, but he was pretty sure he’d have had to string the kid up by his toes if anything had happened to Kendall.
He’d heard of love at first sight, but he never figured it would happen to him. One look at the porcelain-skinned beauty with gorgeous red curls tumbling down her back, and he was hooked. Her green eyes had silver tones in them and they were captivating. Her body wasn’t skinny or overweight. She was a happy medium with soft, alabaster curves he was aching to touch.
Her lavender fragrance titillated him whenever the breeze swept over her hair and skin and sent her distinguished floral essence his way.
She was about five foot seven to his five foot nine. Save for Justin, his brothers had him beat in the height department, but he was the only one of them that had ever been called a gentleman. He wasn’t saying they were assholes or anything, except of course for Charlie, but they were special.
Kendall called the rental car company and got that sorted out. René told her he’d send them a check for her.
It was evening by the time they got all that crap taken care of. Both were famished. He considered taking her to Bull’s Ass Saloon for drinks and burgers, but he couldn’t remember if Charlie was working there tonight. Kendall was Charlie’s ex-girlfriend. He’d loved her, but they broke up years ago when he’d been living out of state. Frankly, René didn’t know how his brother could let her slip away like that.
It didn’t matter. Charlie had his chance with her, and Kendall would only be here for a few days. René just figured he’d enjoy the time he had with her before she was gone.
He dropped her off at the hotel so she could shower and get settled in before they went to dinner together. While she was showering in her hotel room, he headed over to Leather & Lace, the BDSM club, to be sure Justin had made it to work okay. What he saw made him shake his head. Only Justin would think it was okay to ride into the middle of a sex club on a steer.
Justin’s boss, Aiden Friel, a macho Irishman and first-class hard-ass, came over pretty much immediately. The club wasn’t open yet, and René was torn between saving Justin’s ass and standing back with his imaginary popcorn and watching the show.
“Hi, boss.” Justin waved at him.
