“Goat’s milk. That’s what you have, right?” She edged toward the stove. Damn, if she wasn’t careful, she’d put a dent in the canister, since she had a death grip on it.
“Why don’t you let me make your hot chocolate?” He held out one large hand for the cocoa. “I’ll show you where everything is. Then you’ll know next time.”
He spoke in soothing tones, and Kylie felt like a wild filly he tamed to his touch.
Dumbly, she nodded and handed over the canister. “What is wrong with me?” she chastised herself.
“Nothing, darlin’. You’re not used to anything around here.”
I’m certainly not used to you, Viking Cowboy. Kylie took a step back, clutching the edge of the counter. I’m not used to your brothers, either. “Are Dono and Dash outside working?”
“I imagine Dono is rounding up some year old fillies we’re going to start trainin’ for riding horses, about now. Dash is probably getting the barn in order the way he likes it.”
Several questions popped into Kylie’s mind. None of them seemed appropriate to ask because she had no idea which one might light a fuse. “This is really awkward,” she burst out.
“Kylie, the only thing that matters to me is that you’re doin’ okay. Not too wore out after everything you’ve been through.” Reaching into the cupboard, he brought out two mugs. “Do you use a saucepan?”
“Actually, I just heat the water to boiling in a tea kettle, pour it into my cocoa mixture, then add the milk or ice cream.”
“I can boil water.” His tone teased her a bit. “Cocoa mixture?” He raised a brow, the hint of a grin twisting his mouth. His sheer super sexiness washed over her, hitching her breath painfully.
“Heaping tablespoon of cocoa powder. Three tablespoons of honey. Then, the herbs I put in, like Sarsaparilla, but that varies…depending…” She watched him lift up a ceramic clay pitcher and pour water into the saucepan he’d placed on a burner.
“How about trying an herbal tonic I got for you on the way back?” Pulling open a nearby drawer he brought out a pint-sized brown bottle. Their fingers brushed as he handed it to her. “Damn, woman, you’re like an electric shock, but feelin’ real good.”
“I could say the same for you,” Kylie bantered back. With the sizzlies racing through her, she concentrated on reading the list of ingredients. All of them were herbs she recognized as helpful to women, especially the red raspberry leaf.
“I’ll give it a try.” She handed the bottle back to him. Leaning back against the counter for any kind of support she could get, Kylie watched him spoon in the cocoa, then the honey in both mugs. He added a tablespoon of the tonic to one.
As he faced her, their gazes exploded into one another, feeling like fireworks rapid-firing back and forth to Kylie.
“Little Kylie, I’d grab you close, kiss you senseless, but we both know where that would lead. I don’t ride my horses when they’re not up to par, and certainly not my wife.”
Well, hell, what did she say to that? Despite her ignited needy body, no, she wasn’t up to par. “Yeah, you’re right. I do need some recovery time. To be honest, you look a bit tired.”
“Drivin’ all night. The ranch has always felt like home. With you here, it feels even more like home.” Turning back, he poured the boiling water in the mugs while he stirred with an efficiency she couldn’t help but admire.
Geez, if his simple words didn’t move a mountain inside her. Kylie had a deep suspicion Dillon would always be able to move her in this profound way. “Any sleep?”
“Couple of hours. Still Republic business goin’ on I need to tend to. I’ll go get the milk and ice cream, Sparks.”
“Sparks, alright,” she muttered to herself, her gaze glued on Dillon as he strode toward the cooler. He-man. The word took over her brain.
For something to do, Kylie opened the canister and took a whiff. Yep, nothing like it. Real rich-smelling cocoa.
“Guess we need to order in a big supply of all things chocolate.”
Whirling at the sound of his voice, Kylie nearly dropped the canister. Managing to save it against her chest, she put the lid back on and set it down. “Ice cream is good too.”
“I’ll setup an order list on screen. Whatever you want, you can put it there.” He handed her a small glass bottle of milk that had a clever spout design.
“Maybe that’s something I could learn to do, order stuff.” Turning around, she poured in the creamy foamy milk
“It would take a load off my mind, sweetheart. I’ll let you and Dash battle for orderin’ territory.” Dillon plopped a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream into his mug, then added one to hers from a container tucked under his arm that had to be several gallons.
“Where do you get the ice cream?”
“Always get a few tubs when I’m in El Paso at the best dairy store. The Robbins family has bred their own dairy herds since the nineteen twenties. The younger Robbins own and run the store, now. Then there’s Dorothy, closer by. She has goats and cows and likes making specialty types. Always lets me know when she has some extra. Her husbands don’t favor it.”
“And how many husbands does Dorothy have?”
“She’s got two, the Griffin cousins. They were raised like brothers.”
“Milk?” Kylie raised her brows and held up the bottle.
“Ice cream’ll do it, sweet thang. Come on, I’ll show you the cooler.”
“Better than a cold shower?” The question left her lips before she could think about not speaking it.
He halted a moment, then resumed his long stride. Kylie followed in his wake, glad the milk bottle was cold since her cheeks were miserably heated, not to mention other parts of her anatomy.
“Hell, for that, I’d need to slather on the ice cream,” he rumbled.
Kylie knew their minds had gone to the same image when, “Hell,” erupted from him again, and he moved with a faster stride.
In one instant, a wicked urge blistered through her. “Later, cowboy, when we’ve both had enough rest…I’ll lick ice cream off yours, if you’ll lick ice cream off mine.”
Dillon froze so fast that Kylie collided with his back, yet saved the milk, but not her breasts. A rush of pleasure possessed them and her nipples tightened, yearning for more contact with the solid wall of his back. Dillon stayed flash frozen for several seconds as she stepped backward.
“Sorry,” she offered. Not that she actually was, except she hadn’t exactly meant to torment him.
“Don’t say that.” He whipped around, almost comical as he protectively held the tub of ice cream. He lowered it slowly, placing it between them like a barrier. “I like it. More than like it. Keep talkin’ to me that way whenever you feel inspired, darlin’.”
Kylie nodded, even though uncertainty fluttered her belly. It was erased by his hooded gaze and the palpable feel of his passion for her.
“The ice cream’s going to melt.” She pointedly gazed at where his shaft would be. “Though, it is more effective than a blanket strung up between us.”
Throwing his head back, he guffawed heartily. Still thundering chuckles, he swung around heading for the cooler. “I may have to turn my whole bedroom into a cooler.”
“As long as you have ice cream, I’ll come visit you.”
“You’ve talked me into it. I’m getting a personal-size cooler. We’ll have our own supply of ice cream.”
Kylie talked her knees into not buckling and tried to blink away her swoony-whirling head. “What a way to sweet-tooth a girl.” She tossed the words at him as he opened the humongous stainless steel door.
“I’ll be sweet-toothin’ you often.”
The promise in his banter certainly curled her pussy curls.
Swinging the door outward, he gentlemanly waved her inside.
“Wow. No wonder you need this.” Huge slabs of beef hung from hooks and the surrounding shelves were filled with what looked like wrapped meats and produce in containers. There were also enormous glass
jars filled with flour, oats and other grains. “Nothing like being prepared.”
“Most of us, these days, keep the lessons of the past in mind. Good thing, too. There was a Union incursion a couple of days ago.”
After placing the ice cream container in its obvious spot, he faced her, his expression dead serious. “Usually, it’s just what we’d call a Union desperado pack. Twenty year olds looking to prove their manhood by trying to steal equipment and supplies from one of our outpost stations. We buckshot their behinds if they’re on foot or riding. Blow out their windows if they’re in vehicles, unless those on duty can tell they’re hungry. Then it’s just warning shots.”
“You don’t capture them?”
“No sense in it for us.” Moving beside her, he touched the back of her arm to guide her out of the cooler. “Why maintain prison camps? We have one prison fort here, Kylie, for spies. We keep it empty as possible. The Union sends infiltrators to be captured. They want intel from their implants.”
“Implants. Do you mean chips under the skin. RFID chips?”
He clicked the door shut behind them. “Those are easy to neutralize. Implants are usually in the brain stem and use the individual frequency of the person’s brain. Whatever the person sees, smells, or hears is transmitted by satellite to a Union military site.”
“That’s scary.”
“Depending on what intel we can gather, we’re plannin’ on destroying a receiver site in southeast Colorado that was just fired up.”
Kylie knew as sure as she spoke it. “You’re supposed to lead the mission, aren’t you?”
Halting, he faced her. “Part of the mission. Ain’t nothing I haven’t done many times before. And it’s still in the planning stage. May not happen.” His steel-gray eyes glittered with the savageness of his warrior nature.
“If that’s supposed to make me feel better, it doesn’t.”
He tipped her chin up, then stroked two fingers down her throat. “Like I said. It’s in the planning stages now. Nothin’ definite.”
“Yeah, well, my intuition is saying it’s going to happen.”
He gave her small lazy grin. “Nothing, no one can keep me from you.”
Everything inside Kylie desperately hoped so. How had she come to care for him so deeply, or become attached this fast? Damn. “The hot chocolate is probably not hot anymore,” she murmured. She had no argument that would convince him against leading the mission.
“Can’t say the same thing about myself, Sparks. Come on.” He moved beside her. “I don’t want to keep a woman from her hot chocolate.”
“Never a smart move, cowboy.” Kylie shook her hair and wished she wasn’t falling in love with the way he handled her, let alone the man, himself.
Picking up her mug, Dillon handed it to her and gave her a cocky knowing look as their fingers brushed. Kylie smirked at him and took a sip she didn’t taste because she was all silly tingly. With that latent powerful way of his, he lifted up his own mug and took a long taste.
“Let’s go look at the view from the office. Then you can sit on my lap and make up a shopping list.”
How could Kylie complain about his high-handedness when that sounded perfect to her? “Sure, lead the way.”
Dillon raised his brows, his expression I’ll play along for now. Launching himself from the counter, he led her from the kitchen. His stride reminded her of a sauntering bull. The way his enormous back tapered down to his waist and hips had her practically drooling into her hot chocolate.
“Damn, fine sexy butt, cowboy,” Kylie crooned, teasing him.
“Feel free to use it for your naughtiest desires, Sparks.”
“Hmmm…my naughtiest desires. I’ll have to do a review of my fantasies...”
Dillon spun around so fast, Kylie was caught in mid-step. His gaze glowed as if a bonfire possessed his eyes. “I want to know all your fantasies, sweet thang. I intend on fulfilling them.”
Kylie gulped, stunned by the intensity of his tone. “I’m flattered,” she barely managed to say because she could hardly breathe. After taking a sip to settle herself, she flipped her hair. “I doubt—”
“I’m not like most men, Kylie, if you were going to say most men don’t want to know every fantasy their wife has.”
“What about the ones the wife wants to keep only as a fantasy?”
“Start with the ones you do want.” His grin was pure lust and utter confidence. “Then tell me the ones you don’t want fulfilled.”
Shit…shoot! How many times in a day could her cheeks blaze to red? “Are you going to tell me yours?”
“Nope. I’m just gonna do them and watch you burn with pleasure, little darlin’.”
“No fair.” She spoke to his back, since he’d turned and resumed his stride. It was just as well, since she already burned. Just thinking about it, she felt her sex pulse, alive in a whole new way. “You’re like a gunslinger,” she partly shouted. “Only it’s your cock, not a gun.”
His robust laughter lassoed her the same way the rope had settled around her shoulders. “Best compliment I ever had from a woman. Keep ’em comin’.”
“Yeah, I’ll keep you coming alright.” Kylie’s temper shot her mouth off. Thing was, she didn’t care in this case.
His silence confused her, though until they entered what was obviously a room used as the main office and she heard the tiny beeps. Following the sound she saw what she thought was a computer monitor, much different from the small one she’d first seen. The shape was an elongated oval and took up half the length of the enormous sturdy desk.
Dillon snatched up a silver object in the shape of pen and touched the dark silvery screen. Setting the mug on a table tray, he dropped into the largest swivel chair Kylie had ever seen, then concentrated on the message he’d opened.
Not wanting to intrude, she hung back, watching. From what little Kylie could observe, it appeared as though technology on this Earth, or in the Texas Republic, had advanced beyond her Earth dimension.
Or, as she suspected, the real cutting-edge computers hadn’t been allowed out on the market. Yeah, what a major surprise that was. No Tesla free energy coils for the average person. Nope, no super duper computers allowed for Ted Turner’s bottom feeders.
Drinking her hot chocolate automatically, she took a few steps closer, drawn by the strange-looking keyboard Dillon used to type a reply. What really got Kylie’s attention, though, was when he wrote with the stylus on a flat surface of the keyboard and words appeared on the screen.
“Cool,” she whispered. “Hell,” she muttered in the following instant. That meant her jumpdrives wouldn’t work, probably. If there was a desktop tower, Kylie hadn’t spotted it. A sense of depression spread through her at the loss of her files and all her painstaking research.
“Still better than being in prison,” she consoled herself, even as tears splashed on her cheeks.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jerking Back On the Reins
“Prison?” Dillon glanced at his wife, concerned. Focusing back on the screen because it was critical, he motioned Kylie closer. “Right here on my lap, sweet thang.”
Hearing her pad closer, he opened his arm. As she came to him, he claimed her small waist lifting her onto his thighs. “Light as dandelion fluff.”
“That’s how you make me feel.”
Her weepy voice caused him to peer at her face. “Prison?” he demanded in the tone he used that brooked no disobedience.
“You’re busy.”
God Almighty, he was sweet goo over how she settled herself on him and twined her arms around his neck. “Yep, darlin’, I am. Talk to me.”
She sighed with resignation. “All my research is probably gone. Your computer system is different here.” Pausing, she sniffled. “But it’s better than going to prison.”
Dillon reached for a wipe cloth and placed it on her lap, then opened up Colonel Harris’s message.
Corporal Buck reports aerial reconnaissance has found the i
nstallation. Drones attacked, but were immediately disabled. Minimal damage to our craft. Need your input for the next phase. Details are encoded.
“Thanks.” She’d waited until he entered the rest of the message in Decode. “Was I supposed to see that?”
“You, my sexier-than-all-get-out wife, are now officially my new pardner.” Taking the cloth from her, he patted her face. “What’s different about our system?”
“I put everything on my jumpdrives. I don’t see—”
Twisting around, Dillon pulled open a drawer, halting her words. “Do they look similar to this?”
“The discs look similar to what I had, but I could only save my jumpdrives.”
“This is outdated, but still operational. We don’t toss out older tech. Never know when you might need it. Several times, it’s saved our hides.” Dillon shuffled inside the drawer for what they called info-drives. Finding a couple, he showed them to her. “Could be we have systems that will work.”
“Same idea. Different shape, though.”
“I’ll bet a kiss or two, I can round up a tech-creationist who is able to design a system that will work.”
Her little arms slipped around his neck again. “That would be so wonderful.”
His wife’s tentative response had his heart wrapping itself around her. She’d been abused by her world’s society to the point she was afraid let herself hope too much.
“Soon as we get your auto up here, I’ll see what I can rig up.”
Hearing the end tone of his Decoder, Dillon dropped the info-drives back in the drawer shutting it.
“You don’t have to worry. I can’t understand all the number stuff on your monitor, anyway.”
“It’s mostly coordinate points and possible attack flights.”
“Is Dono going to fly his ground jet?”
Lord above, it was good havin’ a woman around who actually listened to him and remembered what he and his brothers told her. He’d have to figure out ways to subtly encourage her. Not only because he just plain appreciated it. It was also crucial to her survival.
Branded by the Texans [Three Star Republic] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 22
