Keena waited for her to blurt it out, not wanting to move or breathe in case she spooked the flighty woman into saying nothing, yet hinting at so much.
With her hand on the door and her back to Keena, she said, “It’s not for me to say why you should just go home. He’s never been into any woman like he’s into you. Never. Sure, he’s had affairs, but not with guests. He goes off on trips, and Kate, who cleans his house, says there is always a woman’s scent on his clothes when he returns. So we know he’s not celibate.”
When she didn’t say anything more or leave, Keena stomped over to her and pulled her around to face her. “What are you getting at, Mirabelle? What’s the big deal?”
The older woman’s eyes narrowed on her face, determination sparking in her glare. “We love him. He’s always been good to us, but it is better that things stay like they are. Better for him.”
The door clicked with too much finality after Mirabelle left. Keena sank into a chair staring at the empty fireplace. Someone had cleaned it out, although she knew guests were responsible for doing it themselves. In fact, since she had become closer to Ryan, there were a lot of privileges she enjoyed that the other guests didn’t. She didn’t know why it never occurred to her before that he must be important here.
Booted feet echoed on her porch, and the knob turned at her door. She didn’t have to see him to know it was Ryan, but she didn’t look his way or get up. “Your girlfriend all settled?”
He didn’t answer.
“Are you mad because I snatched her off Annabel and basically shoved her in the dirt?”
Ryan still didn’t say a word. She turned to look at him but couldn’t read the expression on his face. He crossed the room, picked her up, and sat down in her chair before placing her on his lap. Keena shivered against his solid chest, encircled in his arms. What did Mirabelle mean when she said it was better for Ryan if he remained as he was? Not that they were in danger of falling for each other. She knew that she wouldn’t let herself go. Mirabelle telling her that Ryan went out to meet women on a regular basis served to reinforce it for her, and the fact that he had such a healthy appetite for sex. More often than not, she was worn to a frazzle, and he was raring to go, waiting for her to recover so they could make love again. No, she could never satisfy a man like him.
He pressed his nose into the hollow at the base of her throat and kissed her there a few times. “What did Mirabelle want?”
“To tell me to stay away from you.”
He drew back, anger darkening his eyes. “What? I’ll have a talk—”
“Why didn’t you tell me you own the ranch? This is the business venture you were talking about that time we were discussing your background, isn’t it? Why didn’t you say so?”
“Does it matter?”
She leaned back into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder. “Not that you own it but that you felt you couldn’t tell me. I guess you like your privacy. No one pays you any mind as you come and go, but if they knew you were the man in charge, they would, wouldn’t they?”
He nodded. “Yes.” He played with the end of one her braids, twirling it about his finger. “Besides that, most of the women I know hear I own a profitable ranch, and they see dollar signs. With Jeb’s help and experience, this place pulls in a tidy sum every year. The guests on vacation are just giving back in a way, but the cattle is where my money comes from. I think that’s why Anne stayed with me at first, maybe why she got involved with me in the first place.”
Rather than cater to his self-pity, Keena tried to tease him out of it. She wiggled her hips on his lap. “Don’t sell yourself short, baby. You have certain tricks that make a woman keep coming back for more.”
Ryan grew thick and long in seconds. His eyes widened, and a slow grin spread over his face. He squeezed her hips. “Tell me you can take me after that stunt, woman!”
Keena laughed. She pushed his hands away and jumped up to run into the bedroom. Ryan followed like a dangerous predator, and she, his delicious prey. He pounced, but she slipped away on the far side of the room. The bed lay between them, and Ryan raised a dark eyebrow at her. He tore the blankets from the bed.
“Ryan! I just made that.”
“And I’m unmaking it.”
He stood up straight and, to her delight, began to undress. He kicked his boots off, tossed his hat on a chair, and unbuckled his belt. Just the sound of his zipper descending had her wet and squirming while she watched. When his shirt was unbuttoned, she licked her lips remembering how good his smooth, salty skin was under her tongue.
With his clothes in a pile on the floor, Ryan climbed on the bed and stretched out, an inviting expression on his face. Keena shook her head. The man was not ashamed of his body in the least, and why would he be? She let her gaze travel over the hard planes and enjoyed the way his muscles contracted and rippled with his movements. Too tempted to stay where she was, she peeled off her clothing and walked up to the edge of the bed, with hands on her hips. Ryan had admired her body enough by now that she wasn’t self-conscious either.
“You think you can handle all this, cowboy?” she asked him with deliberate sass.
He pretended to consider her body, her heavy breasts, her too-curvy hips, and her thighs thicker than she liked, but still passable. When his gaze stopped at the small patch between her legs, she resisted the impulse to put her hand over it. He looked ravenous.
“Do you know how beautiful you are?” he asked and reached out to her.
Keena touched her fingertips to his palm. He guided her to turn to the side, and shivered when he grabbed her ass, stroked it, and squeezed.
“I can’t get enough. I think it might not be possible. Lie down. I’m starving.”
She did as he asked, embracing the flutter of anticipation in her belly. No man she’d met savored her like Ryan. “What are you going to do?”
“You know what?” he teased. With practiced hands, he spread her legs. “I could eat you for hours.”
“Ryan.”
He kissed her kneecaps, stroked down her inner thighs, and positioned his shoulders below her. From the first lick, Keena lost it. She raised her heels until she was on tiptoe, her thighs spread as far as she could get them. Ryan delved deep into her heat, laving her juices like they were the best flavor he’d ever experienced. He squeezed her ass and raised it a little to meet his thrusting tongue.
Keena squirmed and moaned for more. She pulled at his head, pushing into him. Her orgasm loomed strong and wild until she thought she’d faint. All of a sudden, Ryan stopped. Keena cried out, but her lover grinned down at her.
He flipped their positions and tugged her on top of him. With strength she had marveled at from the beginning, he held her body above him and scooted her higher so that her sex lay near his face.
“Sit on my chin and let me feast,” he instructed.
Almost coming from his words, Keena obeyed, holding herself in place with the headboard so she wouldn’t put too much pressure on him. Something told her this man could take everything she laid on him.
Ryan sucked at her juices, and when they ran out, he teased her button with the tip of his tongue and his lips until her cream flowed again. Gasping for breath, Keena pumped her hips, slow and gentle. Her climax roared through her, weakened her, but Ryan hadn’t gotten enough. He licked her from top to bottom, stuck his fingers inside her, and worked her moist passage until she came a second time. All the while, he flicked her bud with his tongue or took it between his lips.
When she could take no more after coming four times, she whimpered, “You’re so good, Ryan, but I have to rest a minute.” She climbed down from his face and lay across the bed. Ryan scooted close to her, spooned her, and wrapped her in his arms.
He kissed the top of her head tucked beneath his chin. “Don’t worry. I’ll wait for you.”
Somehow his words seemed so powerful, full of meaning beyond the surface. She closed her eyes, ignoring the tears wetting them. She couldn’t h
ave. She couldn’t possibly have fallen for Ryan. She’d just been on the verge of marrying another man. Was her heart fickle? She couldn’t believe it. She wouldn’t trust the ache to be with him always, not with the barriers they had between them. What was she going to do?
Chapter Ten
What was his secret? Why did he come to her no earlier than midnight most of the time, and why did Mirabelle believe that he was better off with affairs and nothing more serious? Was it because he couldn’t commit or be faithful to a woman after having his heart broken? Keena sighed as she fought with the line on her fishing rod. She didn’t know why she’d decided to try this particular activity since she damn sure wasn’t going to touch the fish if she caught it, and she didn’t know what she was doing, even after Jerry had gone over it with her three times.
No matter how she tried to concentrate, she couldn’t get her mind off Ryan. She wanted to be with him, which was all the more reason to tell him she needed some alone time. He had said that he needed it as well, had been neglecting work. Now that she knew he owned the place, she bet he did have things to do.
Frustrated and fed up, she tossed the fishing rod aside and went to sit down on the drier grass a little farther away from the water’s edge. Jerry, who had gone off to help someone else, came strolling her way with a grin on his face. “Gave up, huh?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I can’t do it. I don’t have that much interest in doing it. Truthfully, I wanted to go riding but not by myself.” She turned her head to keep him from reading in her eyes who she wanted to be with.
“You’ve got it bad, hm?” he asked her.
Keena cut her eyes at him. “I don’t know what you mean. Horseback riding? Yes, I can’t believe I love it so much. What will I do when I’m back in New York?”
He hesitated and reached for her hand. “My parents have a small farm, a couple of horses in PA. You can visit there. I can meet you sometimes. Free of charge.”
Keena blinked. He couldn’t be serious. He had to know that she and Ryan were lovers, or at least were interested in each other, yet he wouldn’t give up. Maybe he was like Mirabelle, felt such a thing was doomed to failure and would leave her open to him in the end. His next words confirmed her suspicions.
“You know you and he can’t work, right?”
Jerry’s tone was casual, but she saw the intensity in his stare, directed toward his hand over hers. Keena pulled away. “Why is that?”
“I can’t say, but it won’t work. He’s not for you.”
She rounded on him. “I don’t know what all the damn secrecy and protection of Ryan is about, but I don’t appreciate everybody meddling in my business. Not that you have a right to know, but I’m not looking for love or even a long-term relationship. I’m a woman on vacation, having a little fun. That’s all. So get the hell over it, and tell that to anybody else who wants to have a say in what I do and to who!”
She stood up to go, but Jerry caught her arm and kept her from moving. “Hey, sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to upset you or get in your business. You just don’t understand.”
She crossed her arms and faced him. “Well why don’t you explain it to me, Jerry?” She raised her eyebrows when he didn’t speak. “I’m waiting.”
He glanced toward the water, shuffling from one foot to the other. “I can’t.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think so.”
“Look, my offer still stands, Keena. I like you, and if what you’re saying is true, that you and Ryan aren’t serious, then I’d like to have a chance to get to know you better. I’m planning on moving on from here, start up something of my own. My parents are getting up in age, and well . . .”
She disengaged her arm from his hand and took a step back. “I think you’re nice.”
He frowned. “Nice?”
“Yes, nice.” She shrugged. “I went for what I thought was nice before, and it got me nowhere. Not that I’m looking for a bad boy or anything. Just, I think you’re wanting to settle down, raise a family. I don’t know if I’m looking for that anymore, and seriously, you’re much younger than I am.”
He stood to his full height. “I’m twenty-seven.”
“And I’m thirty-four.”
His eyebrows rose. “You look much younger.”
“Thanks.”
He rushed on. “But I don’t care about that. We’re adults.” He hesitated as if debating his next words. “You say you’re not looking for a bad boy, but what if you’ve found one? What if he hurts you, really hurts you?”
“That’s enough, Jerry!”
They both whirled to see Ryan standing there. Keena froze, not a little shaken by the rage she saw in Ryan’s face. It seemed too coincidental to Jerry’s words of what if her lover hurt her. She wanted to ask him what he meant, but not with Ryan here. Ryan had always seemed calm, his emotions controlled. Had the story about Anne leaving him because of an injury she saw no evidence of all been a lie? Had he hurt her in some way? She didn’t want to believe that.
“Don’t you have work to do?” Ryan asked Jerry.
Jerry glanced toward the setting sun. “I’m finished for the day.”
“Then you have an early start tomorrow,” Ryan insisted.
For a minute, Keena thought he would resist the obvious dismissal Ryan hinted at, but his shoulders sagged, and he nodded. “Yeah, I do have to be up early. Keena, I enjoyed our time together. Please think about my offer, and I’ll give you my number before you leave so we can get together.”
He cast a defiant look in Ryan’s direction and stomped off. Ryan waited until his employee was out of sight before he closed the space between Keena and himself and grasped her around the waist. She gasped when he dragged her roughly toward him.
“What was that about? What offer did he make you?” he demanded.
Keena frowned. “If you stop manhandling me, I might tell you.”
They stared into each other’s eyes for a few beats, and then Ryan eased his hold but didn’t move his hands from her sides. “I’m sorry. I know he likes you, and I don’t like it.”
She rolled her eyes. “You mean you know he likes me, and it makes you nervous that he will tell me your secret.”
That startled him, she thought. He went still like a statue, not seeming to breathe.
“What did he say, Keena? Tell me.”
She thought about lying, but what was the point? Ryan had some deep, dark secret, and from the looks of things, she’d do better to pack up her things and get the heck back home while her heart wasn’t in danger—at least while she didn’t think it was in danger. When she said nothing, Ryan stroked her sides and leaned down to kiss her. He had decided on charm, she figured.
He smelled good, felt good, and being in his strong arms, listening to the sweet words he spoke in her ears, how could she walk away before it was time? She wanted to absorb everything he offered, to ride with him, and talk to him. But maybe being here on this ranch was a dream, one soon to end, and the real world, her students, and the city awaited her.
“He wants me to meet him at his parents’ farm in Pennsylvania. You’re right. He likes me, but I’m not interested.”
“Good.”
Ryan ran his hands down over her ass and lifted her into him. His hard-on made her wet for more. He licked her neck, breathed deep against her skin. A shudder went through him, and he pushed her back, almost knocking her off her feet. With his heavy hands on her shoulders, he steadied her.
Keena stared at him, trying to figure out his odd mood. “What is it?”
“I’ve been thinking about how we can continue for a while. I have something I have to do tonight. Will you wait for me?”
She nodded. “Of course. I always do.”
He grinned. “Okay, I won’t kiss you again or hold you, else I won’t leave. I’ll be back. Stay away from Jerry. Got it?”
She smirked. “Got it.”
He touched the brim of his hat while dipping his head and then turned and walked away. Keena’s heart fl
uttered. She was already in too deep with him, yet the thought of what he would suggest later filled her with hope she didn’t want to feel.
* * * *
Keena couldn’t sleep no matter how hard she tried. She’d showered and slipped into a nightie hours ago, but all she did then was pace. The hours passed at a snail’s pace, and for the millionth time, she checked the clock. Twelve fifteen. He was late. She went over to the door, opened it, and peeked out into the darkness. No sounds other than the normal night ones reached her. She sighed.
She closed the door and sat down at the chessboard to play a game with herself. One a.m. rolled around, and he still wasn’t there. She turned off all the lights and stomped into her room. “If he thinks I am going to sit up all night waiting on his ass, he has another think coming.”
Not until she was about to slip into bed did she hear something at the front door. She hesitated and then strolled at her leisure back into the sitting room. She clicked a lamp on, but no one came in. For the second time, she went to the door to open it. A note was tacked on the outside.
Keena,
Ryan running late. Please meet him at his cabin.
“At his cabin?” She frowned. She knew which cabin Ryan used when he wasn’t staying at his house. After Jade had mentioned it, she had asked Ryan where he lived, and he had told her it was a couple miles down the road, wherever that was. But he stayed in one of the cabins sometimes when work kept him here late. Yet, Ryan had never requested her to come to his cabin, and who did he get to leave her a note? She shrugged. Probably one of the hands who hadn’t gone home for the night, she figured. He must have thought she was already sleeping. Everyone but Ryan seemed to recognize a need to sleep sometimes.
She threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt and then pulled on her boots. By the time she had grabbed a flashlight and headed outside, thunder echoed in the sky, and to the west, lightning flashed. A storm was rolling in. She grinned, thinking of being curled up before a roaring fireplace in Ryan’s arms. Annoyed at how fast the man rose to her mind at all times, she tested her emotions by trying to bring up Steven in her mind. His image rose with no problem, and she did experience a tug of regret, maybe even an ache, but nothing close to what she had felt when she arrived here. The knowledge both encouraged and alarmed her. She could not have replaced her feelings for Steven with feelings for Ryan so soon.
Rein in the Night Page 8
