Yet, if he accepted Red Bucket's offer, he'd no longer own the store. He'd be a manager, and he'd have to listen and abide by the rules and regulations of the parent company. His time wouldn't be his own, any more than the store or the products he'd sell.
For a moment, he looked at the blue sky with the clouds floating lazily along an invisible pathway. Pop, what would you think of Red Bucket owning your store?
The answer came in words Grey had often heard from his father. You need to be your own boss, son. You make the decisions and call the shots. It's the only way to run a business.
Grey knew it wasn't the only way, but it was the right way for him. It made him proud that through Kit's help Corey's Hardware could carry on the tradition his grandfather had started. He did not want to sell the store. He didn't want to be a link in a chain.
Hearing singing coming from the kitchen, Grey smiled and climbed Kit's back porch steps. He rapped, but she didn't hear. As he opened the door, he could see her standing at the sink in a white blouse and flowered skirt, singing her heart out as she washed vegetables. She was so beautiful, so alive, and had become such a major part of his life. He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.
She gave a yelp. "Grey, you scared me half to death."
His reply was a soft nuzzle on her neck.
She sighed, saying, "But I think I'll forgive you."
Brushing her hair aside, he explored the area below her ear. When he teased her earlobe with his tongue, she melted against him, and he knew she could feel his arousal. Gently, he lifted his head and turned her around in his arms. "Maybe we could skip supper," he said with a husky catch in his voice.
She wove her fingers into his hair and lifted her face for his kiss. When he touched her, he forgot about the future and thought only about the moment. He couldn't believe his need for Kit hadn't diminished in any measure. Breaking the kiss, he held her face in his hands. "I think you cast a spell over me."
"What kind of spell?"
"The kind that made me wish I hadn't dropped you off last night."
"But you wanted to spend some time with Deedee."
"Um hmm. And I did. But I couldn't get to sleep thinking about exactly how you might look in a nightgown, how I'd like to enjoy the sight, then strip it off of you." He could see the desire in Kit's eyes growing brighter with his words.
"We could postpone supper and I could model one for you," she suggested quietly.
"A fantasy come true. How much luckier can a man get?" he breathed before his lips came down on hers again. His tongue breached her lips without waiting for her to open.
He couldn't taste enough of her sweetness. Her soft moans flamed his desire as much as the lingering scent of her perfume, the softness of her hair, the satin of her skin. His hands passed up and down her back, and when he ached for her so much it was painful, he cupped her bottom, bringing her softness to his hardness, not caring about nightgowns, or clothes, or food or drink. All he needed was Kit and her passion surrounding him.
She gasped when he lifted her up against him.
"Did I shock you?" he growled as he kissed her chin, her neck, her ear.
"No, I want you, too. But at this rate—"
Something in her voice alerted him that she wanted to stop...at least momentarily.
"What's wrong?" he asked, letting her slide to the floor.
"Nothing's wrong. But we should be prepared this time. We wouldn't want to tempt fate twice."
Wouldn't he? He could think of nothing he'd like better than to see Kit pregnant with his child. His child.
Yet how could he even consider it when they'd known each other such a short time...when he had Deedee to think about and her future as well as his.
"You're right. Unfortunately, my good sense flies out the window when I get anywhere close to you."
She gave him a bright smile, then took his hand and led him to the bedroom.
"Kit, this is a bad idea if I need to go to the drug store..."
Once inside the room, decorated in colors of the sunset, with a giant rainbow stretching across the spread, Kit went to a small bag on the long maple dresser. With a smile, she handed it to him.
Peeking inside, he grinned. It was a box of condoms. "Only one box?" he teased.
"Greyson Corey," she said in mock indignation, hands on her hips. "You're...you're..."
"Needing you," he filled in, hastily dropping the bag on the bed and pulling her into his arms again. "The hell with the nightgown," he murmured. "We'll save that for another time."
When he kissed her, the flames quickly licked at him again. Suddenly impatient with their clothes, he pulled her blouse from her skirt and found her warm skin. The problem was—this was one of those blouses with tiny buttons, and he groaned as he thought about how long it would take to unfasten each and every one.
With a deep breath, he backed away from her. Then he started on the top button, his gaze on hers. "I'm thinking of all the things I want to do with you, every place I'd like to kiss."
When his fingers fumbled with the third button, she asked, "Do you want me to do it?"
He shook his head. "No. I want to do the unveiling myself."
His knuckles brushed her breast and he felt her tremble. For him. With him. After he finished with the last button, he pushed the blouse from her shoulders, then unfastened her bra. When he nudged the straps from her shoulders, she let it fall to the floor.
He'd never needed a woman this much.
With her breathing, her breasts rose and fell and she stood perfectly still...waiting...anticipating as he was. His gaze caressed her as he let the moment stretch, adding to the excitement.
But he couldn't wait long.
He brought his lips to her nipple, gently laving it with his tongue.
"Oh, Grey."
He raised his head. "What?"
"I can't tell you how that makes me feel inside. It makes me realize I'm a woman in the deepest sense of the word."
He brought his lips to her.
She tugged his shirt with enough strength to make him lift his head. "Equal," she whispered. "I want us to be equal."
"Baby, we're going to be as equal as any two people can get," he growled as he let her lift his shirt over his head.
Once it flew to the floor beside her bra, she ran her hands feverishly over the whorls of hair on his chest, through them, then her nails grazed his nipples and the throbbing in his loins demanded satisfaction. He reached for the fastener on her skirt.
With her skirt puddled on the floor, he stared at the wisp of nylon covering the golden triangle of curls. When he thought about kissing her there...
He stripped her panties down her legs and touched her before she could kick them out of the way. She moaned when his fingers slipped up the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, teasing, stroking, tempting her to let him touch more. Leaning against the dresser, she closed her eyes.
But he wanted her eyes open. On him. "Watch me, Kit. Watch me give you pleasure."
When she opened her eyes again, he saw that she'd decided to accept the challenge.
Grey realized he didn't want her to forget who was touching her...who was giving her pleasure. It might be ridiculous, but he still felt jealous of Trent Higgins. If he had anything to say about it, he'd wipe every trace of the man from her mind and her memory.
Stroking her thighs slowly, Grey watched her blue eyes become hungrier...needier. She bit her lower lip as he caressed higher. The curls teased his fingers as much as he was teasing her. Finally, he ventured into the heart of her desire.
"Grey!"
"What, baby?"
"I want more," she said on a breathless sigh.
"So do I," he replied, feeling her moisture...her readiness. When he slipped inside, she gasped.
Bending, he kissed around her navel, always touching her, inflaming his need as he was inflaming hers. His lips nuzzled and wet her skin.
> "Let me touch you," she finally pleaded. "Like you're touching me."
Just the thought of it made Grey strip off his clothes and come back to her in less than a moment. And when she curled her hand around him, he thought he'd explode.
"Kit..."
"Don't tell me to stop," she chided gently, as she ran her thumb over the velvet tip of his manhood, lingering there, making him crazy with wanting her.
But when she brushed down him again, his control snapped. Turning away from her, he reached for the bag on the bed.
His fingers fumbled with the packet. She took it from him and slid out the condom. With eager touches, gentle fingertips, and obvious desire to bring him pleasure, she prepared him, sliding the condom on slowly, driving him even wilder with need. The bed seemed too far away as he lifted her onto the dresser and spread her legs.
Surprise flashed in Kit's eyes, but when he plunged into her, she gripped him with her knees. He caught her gasp with a kiss that was as intense as their joining. Her tightness milked him as he thrust into her again and again, swiftly, smoothly, until they both glistened with sweat and quivered from the wave sweeping over them. The few bottles on the dresser jangled as Kit arched into him, clasping his backside, meeting him with an acceptance that fueled him on.
The crescendo built swiftly, catching them in its power, tossing them into its depth. Grey tore his mouth from hers just before the final burst. She cried out and his guttural groan answered her as they held each other with a strength coming from the passion they'd shared.
Propped against the dresser, he dropped his head to her shoulder and kissed it.
Still joined to him, she contracted around him, an aftershock that made him groan and want her all over again. Finally, he lifted her from the dresser and carried her to the bed. When he came down next to her, she was smiling in a dazed way.
"I'm glad your dresser's practically empty," he admitted with a wry grin.
"I'll never spray on perfume again without remembering," she teased.
He cuddled her against him, pleased by her observation, wanting to make many more memories. Before he could put the thought into words, the phone by her bed rang.
She picked it up and checked the caller ID. "Maggie," she said. "I can let it go to voicemail–"
Grey shook his head. "Go ahead and take it. I don't mind."
Kit's body was still humming from the excitement of their lovemaking when she said, "Hi. What's going on?"
"Kit, I don't know what to do. Eric and I had a fight and..." Her sister's voice broke.
"What happened?" Kit prompted gently.
"We argued. He stormed out. I don't know where he is or if he's even coming home tonight. He's been gone for over an hour... Kit, he was so angry...this is the first fight we've had since we were married..." Tears broke her words again.
"Do you want me to come over?"
There was a slight hesitation. "No. I'll come to your place. Maybe you can help me sort it out. I'll be there in ten minutes."
As Kit replaced the receiver, Grey asked, "What's wrong?"
"Maggie and Eric had a fight. She's coming over. She didn't give me a chance to tell her you're here."
He took Kit in his arms and hugged her. "I'll leave when she gets here."
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she said, "You're a very understanding man."
"I know how important family is." Grey's green eyes drew her to him as potently as his words and she realized, better than anyone, he did understand about family. He seemed to understand everything that mattered. She couldn't be wrong about that, could she? He'd loved her so passionately... Would the doubts ever go away? Would she ever know she could trust him completely?
His lips were hot, persuasive, commanding. She opened hers and took him inside. When he groaned, he caressed her back with long strokes that pressed them close again. Her legs tangled with his. His kiss took her deeper and deeper into passion as his tongue searched and explored and teased her. She forgot the doubts. Almost.
Gently, with a teasing laugh, she pulled away, regretting the necessity of stopping before they could find satisfaction again. "I have to get dressed. Maggie will be here soon."
Grey suggested slyly, "Maybe I can just take a walk and after she leaves, you can model a nightgown."
Kit liked Grey here. She liked him in her life. She loved him. And the thought scared her to death.
They dressed together, glancing at each other, smiling often. Kit had just fastened her skirt when the doorbell rang. She said, "I'll let her in."
Combing her hair with her fingers, Kit called as she walked, "I'm coming."
When she opened the door, her sister saw Kit's flushed cheeks, her mussed hair, and a moment later Grey standing in the living room. "Am I interrupting something?"
Maggie's nose was red, her eyes overly bright. Kit put her arm around her. "No. Come on in."
"I was just leaving," Grey said as he moved tow N
"You don't have to go," Maggie said in a firm voice. "In fact, maybe you can explain the male psyche to me," she said waving her arm through the air. "I swear, you'd think Eric would know by now that something like this would upset me. I can't believe he did it."
"What happened?" Kit asked as she guided her sister to her new furniture which had finally arrived. Grey stood beside her inviting green and salmon-striped chair, not looking comfortable in the situation.
The words poured out of Maggie. "I told you Eric wants to move. He thinks we need a bigger house. I like our house. My office is perfect where it is, and my clients know where I am."
"You said you and Eric discussed it."
Maggie frowned. "We did. Without coming to a decision. I thought we'd stay where we are for another year, at least."
"So what happened?"
"Eric put a retainer on a house today!" her sister exploded. "Without me even seeing it. Without telling me first. Can you believe it?"
Kit knew Eric was a take-charge kind of guy. But he loved Maggie more than life and he would never do anything to purposefully hurt her. "What was his reasoning?"
"That's what I asked him and he got angry. He said he saw the perfect house for us so he did something about it. How does he know it's perfect when I didn't even see it! And why didn't he tell me he'd contacted a real estate agent?" She looked at Grey with confusion and hurt.
Running his hand over his chin, he looked even more uncomfortable than a few minutes before. "Maggie, I certainly can't tell you Eric's motives."
She looked annoyed. "I know that. But tell me what it is about men that they think their decisions are the right decisions. I would never even think of putting a down payment on something so big..." She covered her face with her hands. "Oh, darn."
Maggie had loosened up quite a bit since she'd married Eric. She'd been reserved all her life but Eric had released the vibrancy that had always bubbled below the surface. It was obvious that she was hurt by his unilateral decision. Kit saw a tear run down her sister's cheek and for once in her life, she wasn't sure what to say. She loved Maggie and she respected and had learned true affection for her brother-in-law.
Grey came closer and finally stopped at Maggie's chair. "I can't tell you what Eric was thinking, but anybody who looks at you two together can tell he thinks the sun rises and sets on you. He wouldn't do this to hurt you."
Maggie looked up, her eyes brimming with hurt. "He had to, I wouldn't like the idea. I don't want to move."
"Why?" Kit asked.
"I told you."
"But what's the real reason. If you're thinking about having a baby, if you're with Eric, what does it matter where you live?"
"But I decorated the house myself, and I've always been happy there. It's a symbol of...independence."
Kit patted her sister's arm. "Maybe that's the problem. Maybe it doesn't feel like home to Eric. Maybe it feels like yours, rather than a house that belongs to both of you."
"Then
why did he pick one out on his own?" Maggie asked, her voice rising.
Grey said, "Maggie, men like to feel that they're taking care of the people they love. He probably didn't want somebody else to buy the house before you could see it. That can happen."
Kit suggested, "Maybe he thought this would give you a little nudge to at least get you looking. Let's face it, Sis, you can be somewhat inflexible at times."
Maggie didn't deny it. She looked at Grey. "So he might have done what he thought was best for me."
"Could be. Did he tell you anything about the house?"
"He said it was in a beautiful neighborhood with lots of trees. There's a nursery and a guest room, too. I think he said something about a winding staircase...I don't know. I guess I stopped listening because I was so upset he decided on his own."
The doorbell rang. Kit didn't need her sixth sense to know who was at her door. Giving Maggie her it-will-be-all-right look, she opened the front door.
Eric's face was drawn, his tie tugged down and hanging to one side. His gaze settled on his wife, and he didn't look away.
Kit moved to the side and said, "Come on in. I'll go get us something to drink." She glanced at Grey and disappeared into the kitchen.
Before Grey could move to the kitchen, Maggie stood and went to her husband. "I'm sorry if I overreacted."
He enfolded her in his arms. "I should never have done it like that. I should have come to get you and taken you with me. But the real estate agent called me with the new listing..."
"I didn't even know you'd contacted a real estate agent."
Eric's face showed his consternation. "I know. I should have told you. I'm sorry, sweetheart. If you don't want to move, we won't move. Your happiness means everything to me. I went about this all wrong—"
Maggie pressed her fingers to his lips. "I know you're right about needing more space. If you want me to consider this house, I will."
He held her face in his hands. "We don't have to take it. I want you to understand that. It has to be what we both want."
Maggie nodded and Eric kissed her.
Grey felt like a voyeur. Would he and Kit ever share this kind of love? Would they be able to compromise, recognizing each other's needs? Respecting them? All his feelings for Kit had ambushed Grey until he had to be sure he was making the right decisions.
Kit And Kisses Page 13
