“You still need to eat dinner,” he said.
“I’m full from lunch, which was so good. Thank you for going there.”
“I was thinking about dinner at my place tomorrow night. What do you think?” he asked, slowing down the closer they got to her driveway. He shined the bright lights, trying to better judge the turn in on the dark street.
“I owe you a freshly cooked dinner for all you just spent,” she said and pointed out the front window. “Right there. See it?”
Ty turned into driveway, pulling directly behind her father’s truck at the front of the house. “You don’t owe me anything, but I’d like you to come over. The problem is that I wasn’t lying when I said I was clueless in the kitchen. I can cook a steak and make a sandwich. That was pretty much my plan for my stay. You’d really have to be the cook to make any of this taste good.”
“I like to cook. It’s not a problem,” she said, unbuckling her seat belt as Ty put the truck in neutral and pulled the parking brake.
“We can take all this in, but then we’d just have to lug some to my place tomorrow.”
“We don’t really have room for all this stuff,” Kenzie said, reaching into the backseat and grabbing the leftover box from the restaurant, her purse, and sweater. Her door opened unexpectedly, and she looked over to see Ty standing there. She hadn’t even heard him leave the vehicle. “You have really great manners.”
“My mom insisted on them. It’s usually not appreciated,” he said and moved in closer, reaching to the center of the Jeep and clicking the overhead light off.
“Look, you need this food here, but if I take it back to my place, I’m pretty assured you’ll come over if for no reason other than to eat.” As he said those words, he bumped her legs, encouraging her to scoot them over. Facing her, he placed his hip close to her knees, sitting halfway on and halfway off the seat before taking her leftover box and placing it on the driver’s side seat. He moved her purse to the floor at her feet. It was such an odd move that she missed his hand going to her thigh with the other lifting to cup her neck. “I liked today a lot.”
“Me too,” she said, watching him with her brows snapping together. Her voice turned surprisingly small as the pad of his thumb caressed softly across her jaw.
“Then how should we divide that stuff up? I want you to eat more. Your family’s worried about that,” he said, moving forward on the seat to where his face was closer to hers.
“Do you have anything planned for tomorrow?”
“Nothing really. Whatever I want,” he said. The hand at her neck moved to her shoulder until his fingertips began caressing the neckline of her dress. The touch was so distracting she had a hard time concentrating.
“I could come over as soon as I can break free from the store and help divide this all up,” she offered as his hand trailed up toward her face, tracing a finger along the curve of her chin until he reached up, sliding his fingertip across her bottom lip.
“Great,” he said a little breathily. He lowered his head until his nose ran the length of her neck. He ghosted his lips across the skin right underneath her ear. She shuddered as he spoke. “I’ll come get you. Name the time.”
“I can drive,” she managed, closing her eyes when his tongue began his sweet sensual assault against his ear.
“I like picking you up, Kenzie.” His breath sent chills cascading down her spine. “I like that name. It fits you,” he said and returned to mouthing the skin at her neck. With her heart pounding, she leaned her head against the head rest, closing her eyes. The hand she’d fisted in her lap lifted to his chest of its own accord. Caution needled the back of her mind. She should stop this now. The driveway offered very little privacy and she’d already been caught once by her parents. Or maybe another way to look at it… Screw it. She wanted what Ty offered and lifted her hand to his face as she turned her head, opening for his kiss.
Lifting both her hands, she ran her palms across his bearded cheeks, threading her fingers into his thick hair. Ty moved in closer, wrapping an arm around her back as he fused their mouths together. Each kiss with this man was uniquely different, this one being a sweet seduction, slow in tempo yet equally as devastating to her heart. He plunged his tongue deeper at the same moment the hand on her thigh moved, sliding underneath her skirt. He continued exploring her mouth while he traced fingers across her leg, slowly moving up. No matter how badly she wanted that touch, now was not the time. She placed her hand on his arm, gripping his forearm, to stop his trek. She didn’t push him away, and his hand remained still on her thigh. Ty broke from the kiss but stayed in her personal space, those amber eyes staring at her. Only then did she realize that it was her clinging to him, her arm hooked around his neck, holding them together. Both his hands were on her body and her back involuntarily arched forward when he squeezed his palm around her breast.
“I want you,” he whispered, his breath caressing the skin of her face. He pushed past the restraint she had on his arm, but honestly it hadn’t taken much of an effort. She stared him straight in the eyes as his fingers skimmed forward until they reached the moist cotton of her panties. She let out a small sigh when he applied pressure and rubbed her through the thin fabric.
“Ty…” she said, her voice slightly anguished and her brows drawing together as she tightened the hook she had around his neck. He needed no other encouragement. Ty slipped a finger around the side of her panties. Even in the awkward position, she separated her thighs and pushed her hips forward to try to give him more access. His eyes never left hers, but turned seductively intense.
“You’re so wet. Is that all for me?” he asked, like she could even form coherent thought to answer. Instead, she leaned her forehead on his shoulder.
“We should stop,” she whispered.
“We could go back to my place,” he offered and his finger slid across her clit, making it impossible to think. Instinct alone had her gripping his arm again, but he kept his hand there, moving lower. “Let me,” he practically begged. When she lightened her grasp, he rotated his wrist and his middle finger slipped inside her, shoving as far in as he could go. “Damn, you’re hot.”
“We shouldn’t,” she said a little desperately. She wanted everything he was offering, but not here and definitely not right now. Ty slid his finger out and shoved back in, the pad of his thumb sliding forward to swirl around her nub. She used all the strength she could muster to grip his arm, intending to pull his hand away. All she could manage was to hang on as her heart stuttered in her chest and her body began to slowly unravel. Kenzie opened her mouth to say more, but only an encouraging whimper escaped. She was too far gone. She bit down on Ty’s shoulder to keep the sounds from escaping as she carefully thrust her hips forward, following his fingers with each move they made.
“I can see it feels good to you,” Ty whispered into her hair, applying pressure to his fast-paced, circling thumb. He took her arm from around his neck, his fingers sliding down until he reached her hand. He pressed her palm against his blue jeans, grinding it against his rock-hard cock. He guided her hand to firmly massage his dick while reaching lower to cup his balls. “Do you see how much I want you? I’m like this all the time since I met you. I can’t jack myself enough to get you out of my head.”
Her breath hitched in her throat, her fingernails digging into his arm, and the orgasm built so solidly there would be no holding back. With all the energy she had left, she leaned her head back against the headrest and lost herself to his touch. An earthshattering release spiraled forward, tensing her entire body. Kenzie thrust her hips, taking Ty as far as she could inside her channel. Her eyes screwed tightly closed, her lips parted, and it took every bit of her willpower to hold herself together. The only noise she allowed out was a long slow exhale of breath.
When she surfaced, she cracked her eyelids little more than a slit to see a very dazed Ty intently staring at her. Kenzie managed to look down at her hand on his crotch and then back at his face. Ty clearly wasn
’t into any kind of personal space boundaries. If she was any judge of facial expressions, he looked ready to crawl on top of her and end his agony. Biting at her bottom lip, she spoke in a whisper, “Not tonight. I need time.”
His face showed his disappointment then morphed into what she guessed might be internal struggle. He looked like he was going to push the issue, and he may have actually won that fight, but then he released her hand, letting her draw it away from his cock. He straightened her skirt and rose off the seat. Ty placed both his forearms on the top of the vehicle, looking back in on her. “Let me walk you to the door.” After a second of just staring at her, he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips one last time. “I like kissing you.”
In a daze, she reached for her purse and looked for where her sweater might be as Ty left her sitting there. His absence brought an immediate sense of loss. A trickle of fear skated up her spine as she realized the connection that was already developing inside her. She jerked her gaze to the driver’s side when the door opened. Thank God the interior lights were off. He was too smart; she had no doubt he’d pick up the emotion coursing through her.
“Is this your dinner?” he asked.
She looked over to see him holding the leftover box.
“It is.”
“Good. Eat it all tonight, okay?”
Once she stood on her own two feet, which luckily held her, she shut the door instead of answering. Kenzie didn’t turn until she’d put distance between them, walking around the truck toward the house. He was sweet to be worried about her food intake, but dear God, she had to keep perspective. Based on the crunching of the grass behind her, Ty had followed. At the top step, she turned back, and Ty was already there, handing her the box as he came up the steps, kissing her once again on the lips. “I enjoyed today more than you could know. Go inside. It’s cold. I’ll see you tomorrow. Call me and I’ll come get you.”
Ty left her standing there, only turning about halfway to the Jeep for a lift of the hand. Lord, she was in so much trouble.
Chapter 11
The best Ty could tell, he was absolutely hooked on McKenzie Stanton. The mere fact he stood in front of the mirror trimming his beard to eventually altogether remove it spoke volumes to the infatuation he’d developed toward that woman. He was captivated, totally consumed, and found he wanted to look his best for her.
Reaching for the shaving cream, Ty lathered his face while thinking about yesterday, much like he’d done about a million times over the last eighteen hours. They’d shared a really good day together. A date like any new couple might have, and on a scale of one to ten, as far as he was concerned, the day had turned out to be a twenty, because he’d fallen harder than he’d ever thought possible.
Through the whole date, Kenzie never turned him away. She held his hand every time he reached for her. She gave him soft kisses anytime he wanted one. She was gentle, kind, fun to be around, and sexy as hell, making her different than any other female he’d ever met before.
Although there was no coy pretense with her, Reed was right, he could see that she kept a purposeful distance. He loved the first part of that thought. It was such a turn-on to be able to read a woman and not have to guess what she was thinking or trying to tell him. The second was probably what drove him to clean up his appearance. He wanted her to want him and be comfortable enough to tell him about the parts of her life she kept hidden.
They were less than a week into meeting one another, but he already knew he wanted to continue this relationship, and he wasn’t entirely certain she was in the same emotional place.
Ty ran the razor across his face, thinking about what he should wear. Under normal circumstances, he’d have a closet full of handmade designer clothes. However, those were currently being relocated from New York City to Los Angeles. All he had were the clothes he’d had sent to lounge around in or go out and be rustic in. He’d have to decide if he needed to have anything nice to wear shipped here for the next few weeks. Kenzie was a down-to-earth woman, surely jeans and T-shirts were good with her.
Once clean-shaven, he bent over to splash water on his face. Ty’s thoughts, no matter how he tried to avoid it, automatically went to the way Kenzie looked having that orgasm by just riding his hand. Damn if that wasn’t a turn-on to end all turn-ons. She’d been one of the most alluring sights he’d ever seen. Her sweet body shook and that magnificent face transformed into something sensual and erotic, but she’d stayed so silent. He’d wondered all night if she’d held back a more vocal response because they were in the truck in front of her parents’ house or if that was just the way she came. He needed to find out that answer like he needed to breathe his next breath.
Ty reached for a towel, running the soft terrycloth over his face and ignoring the latest hard-on from that round of thoughts. Apparently he couldn’t jack himself enough with McKenzie Stanton in his life. He leaned forward, close to the mirror, to check the job he’d done. Deciding he’d gotten it all, he added aftershave and went for the closet. He had about thirty minutes before she’d arrived, and he still wanted to do his hair, style it like he regularly wore it in New York.
Twenty minutes later, he was dressed and waiting out on the front porch. He tried for casual and wished he’d not taken no for an answer and insisted on picking her up when they’d spoken earlier. All this nervous energy had him as excited as a high school kid on prom night.
~~~
“You look so different with your face shaved,” Kenzie commented, sitting with her legs tucked underneath her on the bench surrounding the back deck. Ty sat right beside her with her back resting against the side of his chest and his arms draped around her. She was sipping wine next to the warmth of the fire he’d built in the pit. There were only a few remnants left of the dinner she’d prepared, which was honestly a little surprising. Ty would have thought he’d have felt cheated by not having meat, even going so far as suggesting he start the grill, but she’d insisted he give this a try, and apparently, when her blue eyes met his, he’d give in and do anything she asked. For that, he was glad to say she was a very good cook and he didn’t feel deprived at all.
“It’ll grow back pretty quick, by tomorrow I’ll already have a good covering, but it was getting scraggly,” Ty said, reaching for the bottle of wine on the table, adding more to her glass before topping off his own. This was the first time she’d let her guard down enough to drink in front of him. One of his hard and fast rules would now come into play. There was no way he’d let her drive after drinking. On the plus side of that decision, maybe he’d get a little more of her time while she waited there to sober up.
“It’s beautiful out here. I’ve lived in this area for most of my life, but I’ve never seen it quite like this.” Her voice held a relaxed tone that Ty enjoyed hearing.
Ty had sat them side by side, scooting the patio table close to the ledge facing out over the mountain. Since the house was so far up, the moonlight made the view incredible, even a little romantic in his opinion.
“This was the scene in the picture online that made me bid on the house without seeing it,” he said, trailing his fingertips up the soft skin of her neck. She was dressed much like him, a T-shirt and jeans with a jacket draped over her shoulders. He’d methodically worked the collar down in order to reach her uncovered skin. “Your dinner was incredible. You’re a good cook.”
“I took a few classes in college. My mom always had a schedule for dinner and that still hasn’t changed. Monday, pork chops. Tuesday, spaghetti. When I got to college and found the cafeteria and all that selection, I think my world had finally righted itself. I was in heaven.”
“So you said you were homeschooled. Did you go straight into a university from here?” he asked, lifting a piece of her long hair, threading it through his fingers. He watched as the silky strands slipped free and fell back down around her shoulders.
“I did. I scored high on the entrance exams and got some scholarships. The rest I got loans for. I moved t
o the dorms my freshman year, and I loved being around all those people. It took me a little while to adjust to the socialization. I was pretty sheltered, but I loved the environment so much. Did you go to college?” she asked, turning her head to face him.
“No. I went straight from West Texas into modeling. I got a contract when I was seventeen, before my senior year started. It wasn’t really my thing, but I did well enough that it gave me the itch to try to act professionally.”
“I never read you were model,” she said, looking surprised.
“I told you I wasn’t very good. I got some commercial work. Flew across the world and spent the last half of my senior year in Milan and Paris. They thought I looked good in underwear. My first commercial was for Fruit of the Loom inside a football locker room. I remember I was so excited because I got to stand in the locker next to the speaking actor. You’d have thought I won an Oscar for all the effort I put into acting like a freshly showered jock,” he said, laughing a little. That sweet smile he loved so much broke across Kenzie face, and he lifted a finger, running it down her cheek.
“When did you get your first big break?” she asked, seeming truly interested.
“I was like twentyish. It was just me and my mom back then. The modeling wasn’t paying the bills. My mom was working two jobs, and I was trying hard to break into the industry. I waited tables and went on every casting call I could find. No one would hire me, but one day Clint Eastwood was having lunch in my section, and he thought I looked like a young him. I didn’t see it, still don’t—actually no one really agreed—but he’s no-nonsense, and when he gets something in his head, it’s just gonna be that way. So he decided it and that night I was put in front of a camera to see how I did. It’s been trail blazin’ ever since. I owe him everything.”
Acting Happy (Texas Desires #2) Page 12
