I pull her around to straddle me, her legs wrapping behind me as I cup her face. “Shayanne, I’m not trying to put you anywhere you don’t want to be. And I don’t think you’re some silly little girl. We wouldn’t be where we are right now if I did. When I look at you, I see a woman, strong and responsible, with a daring side a mile wide, who knocked me on my ass when I just opened my eyes and saw you again.”
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, I’m such a daredevil.” She dismisses the idea completely as she throws her arms over my shoulders and fidgets with the curls at the nape of my neck. I’ve been meaning to get a haircut, but now I’m thinking I’ll leave it because she seems to like it. And I like her hands gripping my hair too.
“Uhm, who exactly stomped her way onto private property, committed a little light breaking and entering into my barn, and then threw herself at me? That’d be you, Miss Shayanne Tannen, Daredevil.” I boop her on the nose as I say her full name intentionally.
She blushes, although I can feel the heat more than see it in the moonlight, but she argues back, taking me on that roller coaster only she can get me to ride. “The door was unlocked, so that’s only entering, not breaking. And you kissed me first.”
I crowd in close to her, whispering hotly in her ear. “This started long before I kissed you, honey. And we both know it. It started the second you sat down beside me at Hank’s, looking sexy and bright as the sun.” That was the moment my brain short-circuited, and it had nothing to do with the trip away from home or the long drive alone.
Nope, it was all Shayanne, the girl who became a woman, who’s become my obsession.
She rubs her cheek along mine, my scruff making a scratching sound against her soft skin that makes me think of doing it to her bare thighs as I sip at her.
“Honey?” she questions the endearment. “Is that what I am?”
“Because your skin is honey gold, your hair flashes amber in the sun, and you taste so fucking sweet,” I explain, punctuating the words with a soft kiss.
“It’ll do,” she groans into my lips, accepting the name.
It feels like I just got the wildest mustang to take the slightest pressure of a halter, the first start of gentling her to not just want me but to truly trust me.
I reward us both with another kiss, harder and hotter this time, and the passion ignites instantly as she pulls me toward her, but I’m already in her orbit. I may have led her around the dance floor, but she’s leading me around by other things that have nothing to do with music.
Our tongues fight for dominance, battling for breath as our teeth clack together. But neither of us cares, just wanting more of this. Suffocation finally wins over desire, and I press my forehead to hers, panting breathlessly. “Fuck, Shay.”
I can see her smile up close, her cheeks lifting and her eyes flashing like fireworks. She looks like the cat that got the cream, but I’m feeling like I’m the lucky one here.
“Let’s go for a walk,” I tell her, pulling away before she can stop me. She makes a whimpering sound of argument, but I press a finger to her mouth. “If we stay here, I’m not going to be able to hold myself back from you, and I’m not fucking you for the first time in a dirty barn or on the hard ground. Not until there’s no doubt in your mind, and not without a date first. So let’s go, Shayanne.”
It’s heavy-handed, and for a second, I wonder if she’ll recoil from me again. It wouldn’t surprise me after what she’s said about how her dad treats her, but I would never treat Shayanne like that. This isn’t me trying to keep her down. It’s me trying to respect her and treat her the way she deserves when I’m at the end of my rope.
“Well, all right then. Though I’m thinking a dirty, hard fucking sounds just fine too.” She hops off my lap and bends down to grab the blanket, shooing me off it as her words freeze me where I sit.
Her round ass is in the air in front of me, and I can’t help but remember that I’m the only man who’s seen her naked, looked at her pretty pussy, and tasted her sweet honey. The only one who’ll be fucking her in a dirty barn, too, but not yet. So I fight the urge to pull her back down to the blanket and stand up, getting out of her way.
She lays the folded blanket over the lowest branch of the tree, asking if we can leave it there. I agree, mostly because it’s a sign that she plans on coming back here with me. Besides, it sort of marks the tree as ours, and I like that.
We walk in the night air, holding hands and whispering to each other even though no one is around to hear. But disturbing the sounds of the night feels intrusive, like this is a time and place we shouldn’t be, but I’d go anywhere, anytime with this woman.
“How you doing now?” I ask, wanting to make sure she’s solid now.
“Still in shock a little, I think,” she answers, and because I can’t see her face fully in the moonlight, I’m not sure how to take that.
“Good shock, like ‘oh, my God, Luke is the best’, or bad shock, like ‘what the fuck have I done?’” I say lightly, though I’m holding my breath to hear her answer.
She laughs, and I feel the vibration against my side as she cuddles up next to me and I lay my arm over her shoulders. “Maybe a bit of both?” she says. “Luke, you’re a lot of man to take in, and that’s a good thing. Still, I think about how you and Brody looked at each other, and all I can think of is 9-1-1. That’s not so good. But maybe I’m in shock because I think I can live with that.”
I can’t help but smile, thinking she’s right. I’m a bit in shock too, I guess.
Just a few days ago, I was just working in the barn, researching horses and their success rates and admonishing myself to not think about Shayanne after our unexpected dinner. It hadn’t been going all that well, my mind returning to her again and again. But I’d been holding strong.
Until she walked in, all long legs and wavy hair, damn near daring me to take her the way I wanted to even if she had no fucking idea what she was asking for. And then she ran, but now she’s back.
As far as roller coaster loop-de-loops go, she is already my favorite unexpected twist.
“Me too,” I tell her softly as I run my hand up and down her arm, letting her know that I’m leaning more toward the good kind of shock. “I think your strutting into the barn was the best surprise I’ve gotten in longer than I can remember. And I don’t spook easily, at least not usually. Sorta helps with the horses, you know?”
Shayanne laughs quietly. “You surprised me too. I didn’t know when I came over that it was going to be like this. I would’ve worn cuter lingerie or something.” She laughs nervously, but I think she’s talking about more than just what we did that let me see her panties and bra.
I stop her, turning to meet Shayanne’s eyes. “I like you as you. Plain jeans, regular old panties, whatever. You never need to dress up for me. I don’t need all that muss and fuss unless you do. I just wanted you . . . want you,” I correct myself. “You might’ve come over to ask me about pumpkin puree, but I think we both know we wanted more. At Hank’s, at the tree, at our dinner date, and right now.”
It’s the God’s honest truth. I can virtually see the sparkles of desire dancing between us, but it’s not just physical. Or at least, not only physical. There’s something special about her, and I want to know everything about her.
I lean down, searching for her lips, and she lifts to her toes to meet me halfway. It’s sweet and too short when she pulls back with a smile.
“Why did you stop it every time? I feel like I’m seducing you into something you’re not sure you want.” She drops her voice into a sultry tone, but it’s cartoonish and playful. I can sense the real question underneath, though.
I tilt her chin up, bringing her eyes to mine. “I didn’t see you before, literally and figuratively. Not even at Sophie’s wedding, really. Not till Hank’s, and then it hit me hard, Shay. But I know who your family is and who my family is. I didn’t want to cause you problems. I still don’t want to cause you trouble. And you’re young, Shay.”
“I didn’t see you either, but I do now, Luke Bennett. I might be young, but I know a good one when I see him, and you’re one of the best. There’s no way my daddy and brothers are gonna believe that.” She sighs, resigned as she drops her head. “I’m gonna have to fight them, unless . . .”
“Shayanne Tannen, are you asking me to be your dirty little secret?” I tease.
I hadn’t thought of it until just now, but truthfully, it’d solve most of the problems she’s worried about and keep my nose straight and pretty instead of broken from one of the Tannen boys’ fists.
Not that they’d get the drop on me. I haven’t only spent my time in bars learning to two-step. There’ve been a couple of brawls in there too. Nothing serious, but I’ve been the new guy in town a few too many times. Some guys feel the need to piss on their territory just because you dared to cross the county line.
She grins, the moonlight glinting off her white smile. “What? No!” she says, laughing as she pushes at my chest. “You think I’m really worried about handling my brothers?”
I lift my eyebrows at her, amused at her little phrase at the end, probably one she picked up from Sophie, most likely. “It’s fine, Shay. We don’t have to solve all the world’s issues tonight. We can start with just us. Do you want to see me again?”
Her nod is fast and furious, her hair actually whipping into my face she’s so adamant. “Do you want to see me again?” she asks, repeating my words.
“Fuck yes, woman,” I say, picking her up and spinning her around. “Every night, if I can.”
She hollers, and I set her back down, covering the sound with a kiss, capturing her bubbly giggles. “You have to be quiet, honey, or we’re gonna get caught.”
I hear the tiniest moan in her throat and chase it, pressing my lips to the long column of her neck. “Ooh, I think you like that naughty idea, don’tcha?”
With a breathy purr, she says, “Yes.”
And that tells me more than I ever thought I’d know about Shayanne Tannen. She’s a daredevil, but with a soft heart of gold for her family. She’s a good girl with a dirty side. Most importantly, she likes me, even though she shouldn’t.
We kiss for several minutes, the moon the only witness to our shamelessly wanton need, and I memorize every sound she makes, learning what she likes and what drives her wild.
Realizing it’s getting late, I reluctantly ask, “Want me to take you home? Or at least to the property line?”
It’s a test and I damn well know it, but I offer it anyway.
She nods, confident and certain. “To the fence line.”
It feels like a step in the right direction, but truthfully, it’s a huge leap.
Today has been a fork in the road for us both, and I’m just glad we’re taking the rest of the trip together, even if there are some serious potholes in our future.
“Come on. I’ll walk you home,” I say with a satisfied smile, leading her across the fields with her hand tucked into mine.
Chapter 9
Luke
The kitchen table is full, like it always is at its best. Full of food, full of family, and full of love, if you look close enough.
Sure, next to me, Mark’s got Katelyn at his right, though only because Mama said she couldn’t sit in his lap at the dinner table. They’re still so possessive of each other. Well, more than that, but no one’s mentioning that with Mama around, especially not at her dinner table. You’d be cut off from dessert for a month, maybe longer.
Across from me sit Sophie and James, who still look so wrapped up in each other that I’m surprised they’re not tied at the hip and singing love songs to each other. At the foot of the table is Mama’s place, across from Pops’s seat until Mark had begrudgingly taken it when we’d needed the space.
But even with all the coupledom going on, you don’t have to scratch too far under the surface to see the love between us boys. We pick and argue and needle like the devil himself, but that’s just the brotherly way, or at least it is for us. But behind every veiled insult is deep love, acceptance, and belonging.
Even so, I always sort of disappear into the middle. And it’s not because I’ve got some middle-child syndrome. Mark’s this looming, gruff presence that everyone’s always been aware of, even when he was a kid. And James is the wild child rebel who keeps everyone on their toes because you never know what he’s going to do next.
And me? I’m not loud nor quiet, not impulsive nor cautious, and not bold nor timid. Just somewhere in the middle of it all. Call me Switzerland, neutral and forgettable.
It’s never been something I’ve particularly thought about until tonight when Sophie is looking at me through narrowed eyes like she can see into my soul and I feel uncomfortably put on the spot in a major way.
“So, are we going to talk about the clinic, Luke?” she says, and though it’s her usual voice, it seems to echo around the table as every eye turns to me. I swear I even hear silverware scrape across a plate.
That’s probably Mark, if I had to guess, because he asks the follow-up. “What happened at the clinic?”
If I could shoot daggers with my eyes, I’d be launching automatic knife warfare Sophie’s way right now. “Nothing happened. Just talked to Doc about a stud he wanted to see if I was interested in.” I’m praying she’s receiving my ‘abort mission’ message, but Mama scents blood.
“Aaaand . . . ?” Mama prompts. She has no idea what Sophie’s talking about, but she’ll excise the truth like a scalpel-wielding surgeon. The CIA should hire Mama for interrogations, she’s that good.
“That’s it. Doc has a friend with a retired racehorse. We talked about his potential.” I look to Mama, making sure to meet her eyes fully so I don’t seem like I’m hiding anything. “In my professional opinion, he won’t be a frequent request because his results were spotty at best and he’s on the shorter side of average. Maybe he’ll be appealing to average riders or the endurance racers, though.”
I shrug like that’s all there was to the conversation and I have no idea what Sophie is hinting at. But Mama must hear something in my voice because I can see the crow’s feet at the edges of her eyes deepen, and I know I’m in for it.
If you saw Mama walking around town, you might not think much of her. She’s on the petite side, blonde hair that’s starting to show a distinguished gray, bright blue eyes . . . all pretty packaging that houses the kindest disposition you’ve ever met. I’ve heard her described as a ‘sweetheart’ more times than I can count, and that’s true. She’s got a heart full of love and will share it with the world like rain falling on the earth.
Unless she’s responsible for making sure you don’t turn into an absolute hooligan. Us boys have never once been fooled by Mama’s sweetness. We’ve always known it comes with a framework of steel. Her smiles might look like sugar wouldn’t melt in her mouth, but I’ve seen her smile nice-as-can-be with her mouth while her eyes promised punishment my little hiney didn’t ever want to know. She’s a good woman, a tough mother, and unfortunately, she knows all of my games.
Mama looks into my soul with her lie-detector eyes, and I call on the experience dodging her during my misspent teen years and look right back unflinchingly. After a long stretch of three heartbeats, her brow lifts a half-inch. I win . . . for now.
“Mmm-hmm.” She doesn’t believe me in the least. There’s going to be a round two. Mama’s just letting me skate while James and Mark are around.
Sophie, though, is like a dog with a bone, going after me even harder than Mama and blowing the situation up even before I can dig my spoon into the mashed potatoes. “And then you nearly came to blows with Brody Tannen.” She mi
mics boxing, her little fists punching at the air as she bobs and weaves her head left and right. “Bam, bam, pew-pew-pew,” she says, adding sound effects to her mimed fight.
James leans forward, eager as a kid in a candy store. “Did you hit him? Tell me you hit him and busted his nose.” He turns to Sophie next to him, matching her air punches as they smile playfully. They’re quite the pair, a perfect match.
“James,” Mark admonishes him, simple but effective. And though James and Sophie stop their antics, their smiles only grow wider. Especially when Mark turns his attention to me, his voice not changing at all in tone. “Luke.”
How he manages to only say our names but communicate so much is a testament to his position as the strong leader of our family, Mama aside. And though I still remember the days when we would goof around as kids, those days are few and far between now. In their place, Mark rocks his grumpy asshole vibe that’s been softened slightly by Katelyn, who’s currently placing her hand over his on their shared corner of the table.
“Mark,” I continue his rollcall of names. He grunts once, a warning to get on with it. “Fine,” I huff, leaning back and abandoning my mashed potatoes, knowing I won’t get back to them until they’re cold and the gravy’s gloopy, dammit. “While I was at Doc’s, Brody and Shayanne came in to make a delivery. He was an ass, as always, but we exchanged pleasantries and everything was fine. No one got in a fight,” I finish, giving as few details as possible.
I also definitely leave out any details about Shayanne’s late-night text and our rendezvous at the tree.
See, I’m good at being a dirty little secret, I think smugly. These lips are sealed!
I lift a brow at Sophie for starting this whole mess with her big mouth, and she grins back, not chagrined at all by my attempts to make the interaction sound minor but rather pleased with herself.
But then Mama jumps back into the fray. “Luke Bennett, first of all, language. And you be nice to the Tannen kids. They haven’t had it easy, which all of you very well know, so don’t go causing any problems when they’ve already got enough on their plates.”
Racing Hearts: Bennett Boys Ranch Page 10
