by Jaci Burton
She felt Kyle tense. "He got angry because you were unable to have a baby?"
She nodded.
"What an ass."
She nodded again. "I know. That was the last straw. Him blaming me for my inability to give him a child."
"And what you went through tonight, with Jenna. Knowing..."
"It's okay," she said as she stroked his damp hair. "I've known about this for a long time. And just because someone has a baby doesn't mean I'm going to fall apart."
"It hurt you though, didn't it? I saw it in your eyes, something there, but I didn't know then."
"I said I don't fall apart, I didn't say it doesn't hurt. It will always hurt. I really wanted children, Kyle, more than anything. More than breathing."
He stroked her hair and held her, giving her the solace she had desperately wanted for so long but never got from either Mark or her own mother.
"Thank you," she said as she pulled back and smiled at him.
"For what?"
"For tonight." She motioned toward the lake. "For this, for making love to me, showing me how it could be between a man and a woman."
"My pleasure," he said, his voice deepening as he lay back and pulled her against him, their bodies fitting together intimately, perfectly. "I'll be happy to show you anything you'd like," he added, a wicked gleam in his emerald eyes.
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Sabrina laughed as she bent to kiss his full lips. "I think there are many things I'd like to learn about," she said. "I have so many questions, and so much lost time to make up for. Do you think you can spare the time?"
He flipped her over on her back, drawing squeals of laughter from her as he covered her body and kissed her senseless. "You can take the rest of the night, babe."
And she did.
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Chapter Twelve
The ropings had paid off. There were more and more participants each week and an equal increase in spectators. And the money they made was phenomenal, as every weekend their income increased until the ranch had banked a considerable amount of money. Enough, in fact, to exist the entire summer without having to raise another dime.
With the money they'd make from the rodeo, the Rocking M would once again be profitable.
Sabrina had more than enough work to handle. Not only was she still learning ranching, she had also taken over the concessions for the ropings since Jenna wasn't quite up to jumping back in yet.
Little Matthew was only four weeks old, but already a ladies man.
She had to laugh every time the women fussed over him. Jenna always brought him outside during the ropings and she and the baby would be immediately swamped by auntie and grannie wanna-be's.
Okay, she had to admit she did a little bit of fussing over baby Matthew, too. Who wouldn't? With his round cheeks and big blue eyes he looked like an angel. And she couldn't get enough of him.
"I can't tell you how much I appreciate the break," Jenna said with a delighted sigh as she rested on the front porch swing while Sabrina held Matthew in her arms. "Where would we be without Auntie Sabrina?"
"Are you kidding? I love it." She cuddled the baby close to her, unable to resist pressing a kiss to his chubby little cheeks. He smelled like baby powder and lotion, so sweet it brought tears to her eyes whenever she held him.
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"You're not gonna cry again, are you?" Jenna rolled her eyes and laughed. "I swear if you tear up every time you hold Matthew I'm not going to let you near him anymore."
She cast Jenna a weepy grin as the baby gurgled at her, blowing spit bubbles from his cherubic lips. "I can't help it. He smells so good--like purity and innocence." She looked up at Jenna. "He's beautiful, Jenna."
Jenna beamed a new mother's grin. "Yeah, he is, isn't he?"
Petunia snorted her agreement, making both the women laugh.
"Ah yes, there's my baby," Sabrina said with a smile as she watched her pig patrol the front porch. Okay, maybe it was a pig, but Sabrina had grown to love her like any pet. Petunia was a constant companion, fairly clean considering she was a pig, and always stayed near Sabrina. Plus she was housebroken--what more could a pet owner ask for? If she couldn't have a baby, then at least she had her pig.
No one knew Sabrina wasn't able to have children. No one except Kyle and he swore he'd never tell. He said she had a right to her privacy and it was her choice who to tell or not.
"You two aren't ogling that kid again, are you?" Kyle walked up behind Sabrina and looked over her shoulder. "You'd think the newness would have worn off by now."
Oh sure, he'd like them to think he wasn't as loopy over the new baby as they were. But he wasn't fooling her. She caught the goofy face he made at the baby over her shoulder.
"Right, Uncle Kyle. Like you have no use for him at all," Jenna said with a laugh as he took the baby from Sabrina.
"Hey, I wasn't finished yet." Sabrina protested Kyle's theft of the baby.
"You're never finished holding him," he answered. "If I don't steal him away from you I'll never get a chance." He turned to her, smiling in a way that said he knew why holding Matthew meant so much to her. She returned the smile, touched by his tender gaze.
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The past few weeks had been amazing. Her knowledge of ranching was growing by leaps and bounds, and she was thrilled at the abilities she now possessed. Her confidence soared as her skills increased.
But it wasn't only ranching that had her glowing. It was her relationship with Kyle. They couldn't get enough of each other, stealing away every chance they could to be alone.
Despite his protestations of no involvement, he was as involved with her as she was with him. If they found themselves alone in the barn, he'd grab a quick kiss as soon as he made sure no one was looking. In the kitchen, the family room, out on the trail, anywhere they were by themselves he'd pull her into his arms, kiss her, and if time permitted, make wild, passionate love to her.
They kept their relationship to themselves, not wanting to broadcast it to anyone. The last thing they wanted was for people to think there was something going on between them. Because once her time on the ranch was over, what was happening between them would be over, too. Less messy this way. They'd have nothing to explain to anyone. Plus, Sabrina liked just keeping it between the two of them. More...intimate. A secret romantic relationship. Kind of thrilling, actually.
Okay, maybe for Kyle it was just sex. But for her it was something else. The thrill of a romance, of tender looks and passionate kisses. To her it was love.
She was having the time of her life. And falling hopelessly in love with Kyle in the process. A huge mistake since they had no future together, but she couldn't help herself. What she was going to do when the time came to leave she had no idea, but she wouldn't trade the past couple months with Kyle for anything. She'd leave when it was time--she'd have to, both for her and for him. But she'd leave without regret for having loved him.
Falling in love had been unexpected. After all, he'd made it perfectly clear he was only looking for a sexual relationship with her, and to that
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she had agreed. But every day they spent together convinced Sabrina her feelings for Kyle were genuine.
Yes, he was grouchy sometimes, and even yelled at her on occasion.
Even she was surprised to realize she could hold her own with him and yell right back. Something she'd never have done with Mark. But Kyle allowed it--expected it from her, even. He wasn't outward about it, and never said anything directly, but in his own way he was teaching her to stand up for herself, to never let a man push her around. Including him.
And he could also be tender, loving, romantic, making all her dreams come true. She felt her heart opening moment by moment and couldn't do a damn thing to stop it. Nor did she want to. She'd gone into this with her eyes wide open, and planned to keep them that
way.
In the meantime, it was thoroughly enjoyable to be in love.
Now that the rodeo was coming up in less than a week, her excitement level was growing. She had put her plan for the rodeo's success into action. Jenna loved the idea after Sabrina confided in her, and they agreed to keep it a secret from Kyle. Both of them were aware if he knew what Sabrina wanted to do, he'd have said no.
And that would be detrimental to the success of the rodeo.
Entries were already pouring in, and she could see the turnout was going to be much better than she expected. Fortunately, Kyle was too busy preparing the ranch and working with Brady and Luke on the stock to pay much attention to the other details, relying on Sabrina to handle it. She was pleased he put so much confidence in her abilities, considering she'd never done anything like this before.
No one mentioned Jackson Dent's rodeo, and Kyle wanted it that way. He said worrying about it would only distract them from their own event, and there wasn't much they could do about it anyway.
"Are you getting excited about the rodeo?" Jenna asked.
They sat on the swing and watched Kyle walk the length of the long white enclosure holding baby Matthew in his arms, Petunia following
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closely behind him as he paced back and forth. Apparently the pig had also bonded with Kyle.
"Very. I can't wait, actually," she whispered so Kyle couldn't hear.
"Not only for the rodeo itself, but to see his face when he finds out what I did."
Jenna smiled. "You did a great job. Have you seen the list of entrants lately?"
"I did. Much better than I thought. Kyle was very well liked in rodeo, wasn't he?"
"Yes he was. He made a lot of friends when he competed. Nice to see they're all still around."
"What are you two whispering about?" Kyle strode up, crying infant in hand, and handed him over to Jenna. "Matthew is wet. He stinks too."
He wrinkled his nose to accentuate the information.
Jenna laughed at his screwed up face. "Oh I see how it is. He's fine as long as he's fed, dry and smells good. But the minute he does anything that requires changing, you get all single guy on me."
Kyle nodded and gratefully gave up the smelly baby to Jenna. "You got that right."
Jenna went inside to change Matthew. Kyle sat on the porch swing next to Sabrina, his long legs stretched out in front of him. They both stared ahead at the activity near the corral.
Preparations for the rodeo were creating a bustle of activity at the ranch, much more than usual business. The extra horses and cattle that had been purchased were being brought in, along with the Rocking M's bulls.
"I'd love to fuck you right now," Kyle said quietly without looking at her.
Sabrina's body heated, the flush of arousal instantaneous. "That would be nice," she replied without glancing in his direction. "Think you could get around to that sometime soon?"
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"Oh I'm sure I can break free at some point today."
He rested his hand on the seat of the swing, his fingers lightly touching hers. She inhaled sharply, the slightest touch of his body to hers causing tingling sensations all the way to her toes. "I want you, Kyle."
He sighed heavily. "You drive me crazy, do you know that? I'm hard."
She risked a glance in his direction, watching the rise and fall of his chest as he circled her fingers. A glance further south showed his growing erection. He laid his other hand in his lap. She grinned. "Oh I hope so. I hope I make you want me as much as I want you."
"You're slowly killing me is what you're doing," he replied as he turned his head toward her.
His eyes were dark with desire, a look she was getting used to seeing.
She couldn't get enough of him. No matter how many times they touched, or kissed, or made love, it wasn't enough.
"Then I'll make sure you die happy." She slipped her hand out from under his and rose from the swing. "I have something in mind for later, if you can manage to catch up with me," she said with a half-smile.
"You can bet I'll manage," he said, the intimate promise reflected in his intense gaze heating through her. "Now get out of here. I have to sit and do some cattle counting or something until I'm fit to join the others."
Snorting, she headed into the office to busy herself with preparations for the rodeo. She needed to stay focused, stay active, until she could be alone with Kyle.
K K K
What a long day. He was tired, sore and sweaty. And needed a shower badly.
As he stepped inside the house, the cool air conditioning gave a welcome relief from the oppressive heat he'd worked in all day.
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Ignoring the disappointment he felt when he didn't find Sabrina waiting for him, he headed to the refrigerator for a cold drink. Over the past few weeks they'd developed a routine. At the end of each day he'd head into the house and would always find her waiting for him in the kitchen, something cold for him to drink in her hand. They'd move to the family room, curl up together on the sofa and talk about the day. One thing would lead into another, and soon they'd be making love.
Brady must be aware of what was going on between them, because he rarely spent the night in the house anymore. Although he never mentioned it to Kyle, and Kyle certainly didn't volunteer that he and Sabrina were lovers. Brady claimed his absence from the house was due to being busy with the horses, or some hot poker tournament going on in the clubhouse, but Kyle knew better. He was giving them time alone.
Either way, he was grateful. There wasn't enough time in the day to be alone with Sabrina.
He fixed a glass of iced tea, then started turning out the lights downstairs. Sabrina must have gone to bed early. Trying to force the disappointment from his mind, he headed up the stairs.
She did look kind of pale and tired today, and he wondered if she was working herself too hard. Not only had she taken over Jenna's duties at the ropings, but she was also knee-deep involved in the rodeo, and wouldn't let anyone help her with the paperwork and dealing with the entries.
Kyle was so busy practicing for the rodeo events while still trying to run the ranch he hadn't had time to argue with her about taking on too much. Maybe after he took a shower he'd knock on her door and they could talk.
Talk. Yeah right. Like he really wanted to talk to her. What he really wanted to do was walk through her door, strip her clothes off and kiss every inch of her beautiful body. Then lose himself in her until they were both so exhausted they passed out, wrapped in each other's arms.
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But what he should do is let her rest tonight. She looked like she needed it.
Once in his room he immediately stripped off his grimy clothes. He was so deep in thought when he entered the room he hadn't heard the noise coming from the bathroom. That was odd--his shower was running.
As he opened the door to his bathroom he was greeted by a cloud of steam so thick he couldn't see more than a few inches in front of his face. And not only was his shower running, but the closer he got to the oversized glass door the more he realized there was someone inside the shower.
And that someone was humming in a decidedly feminine voice.
Kyle opened the door and his most vivid fantasy came to life. An incredibly beautiful naked woman with streaming blonde hair turned to face him, a sultry smile and invitation spread over her face. Warm amber eyes gleamed brightly with desire as she beckoned to him with her crooked finger.
"Need a shower?" she asked with a devilish wink and an arched brow as she looked him over appreciatively from head to toe. Her blatant appraisal of his body started adrenaline pumping through Kyle's body.
He stepped inside the tile and glass enclosure and shut the door.
"As a matter of fact I do. I'm filthy, sweaty, and sore."
Sabrina pursed her lips. "Aww, poor baby. Let me help you wash the d
irt and sweat off." Rather than grabbing a washcloth or nearby sponge, she poured liquid soap into her hands and rubbed them together until a thick lather formed. "Turn around," she commanded.
His balls began to throb. Kyle did as he was told, presenting her with his back as he leaned his hands against the cool tile wall. He sighed deeply at the first touch of her slick, soapy hands. She spread the lather from the top of his shoulders to the lower part of his back, kneading his
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tired muscles in the process. Kyle groaned as she worked out the tougher kinks with her thumbs and fingers.
After she finished with his back, she soaped her hands again and moved down his body. He shuddered at the feel of her silky hands on his ass. Her murmurs of delight only made standing there, unmoving, harder. And that wasn't the only thing that was hard. His cock stood up, clamoring for the feel of her sweet hands.
"Now face me," she said in a throaty voice that sent thrills of anticipation through him.
He turned and smiled as her eyes gravitated over his chest, stomach, and lower, then quickly flew up to meet his. She grinned but didn't say a word, pouring more soap onto her hands.
She laid her hands on his shoulders, spreading the soap over his upper body from chest to stomach in agonizingly thorough circular motions. Her fingertips were light and gentle, weaving feathery trails through the soapy lather. She threaded her fingers in the curling hair on his chest, lightly scraping his skin with her nails. His breath caught and he inhaled sharply as jolts of desire traveled through him.
He prayed this torture would end soon so he could pull her close, kiss her mindless, then carry her out of the shower and make love to her.
He was wrong. The torment continued.
Her eyes never left his as she took the shower nozzle off the wall and rinsed his chest. Then she grabbed the soap and dropped to her knees in front of him.
He hissed as she soaped the most intimate parts of him, gently and thoroughly until he was pulsing in her hands. Bracing his palms on the wall of the shower, he gritted his teeth and mentally prayed for mercy.
The look of delight on her face was agony to him as he struggled to maintain composure while this sensuous nymph worked magic with her hands, stroking forward, then back, her fists priming his balls every time she touched them. He could come so easily, could shoot a hot load right
