Balt had been wrong. She wasn’t just an amazing woman. Kassia Green was the one Heath needed in his life. Strong enough to stand up to him, unafraid of his temper, and yet, caring enough to help him. That made her his.
Chapter Three
Bacon. Eggs. Toast. Even roasted potatoes. The smells were like right under her nose. Lord, her dreams were getting all together to real.
“Come on, sweets. Open those beautiful eyes.”
Great, now, she was hearing his darkly seductive tone in her dreams. Only dreams didn’t usually touch. She cracked her lids and saw a tray of food resting on the bed beside her prone body. Lifting her gaze from the wooden tray, she found a pair of steel grey eyes waiting.
Heath.
She blew out a breath and tried to figure out what he was doing here and why he brought food that smelled so damn good. “And you’re in my bedroom at this hour why?”
“Breakfast.” He jostled the tray. Crap, there was even coffee and orange juice on it.
“What will it cost me?”
“Just hear my apology.”
She shook her head and pushed up, shoving her hair back from her face so it no longer trailed down over the shoulder of her night shirt. “I don’t need one.”
“I need to give you one.”
He sat on the edge of the bed, the tray remained steady by his hand. As well as between them. She fought off a yawn. All she wanted to do was crawl back beneath the blankets and pretend she was back in Texas where it was warm and sunny.
“You brought me breakfast. Which, despite the early hour, is very thoughtful.” She didn’t hold grudges long. They were too much work. And she had much more important things to spend her time and energy on.
“Early hour? Balt said you got up early.”
“I’m still on Texas time which is earlier than I prefer to get up. Especially when it’s so damn cold out.”
“Just need a warm body to curl up against.”
Heat flooded her at his casually spoken words. “Right.” She ate a bite of the scrambled eggs. They were fluffy and delicious. A pleased moan escaped her lips. “This is good.” Another bite. “Really good.”
“Do you have plans for the day?” he asked. His voice seemed a bit deeper than it had been before.
A sip of coffee—which was sweetened as she liked it, a lot—before she answered. “Nope. Was going to bake some things, why?” She ate some potatoes. “I forgot to ask, how are you feeling today?”
“Better, thank you.”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out he didn’t like talking about what happened, and she wasn’t about to pry. She wasn’t a therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist or whatever he might need to work through the memories of his horrible experience. Kassia also had no designs to be any of those things. However, she had no problems being a friend.
“Good.” And she let it go at that. “So what did you have in mind to do today?”
The second the question was out, she realized how it could be interpreted. His eyes blazed molten before they cooled.
“I was going to go shopping and thought you might like to come with.”
She ate a bite of wheat toast, staring at him the entire time she chewed. “You want to spend the day with me?” Let’s face it, she hadn’t been expecting that.
“Scared to be around a cranky old bastard?”
The edge leaked in over his words, and she felt the chill down to the marrow of her bones. “Not hardly,” she scoffed. “It would take much more than you snapping and growling to scare me. I’m just surprised you’d like to be around me.”
He took her other piece of toast and bit into it. She wanted to be angry, but she couldn’t find it in her. Besides the act seemed so intimate it threw her. Dragging her tongue along her lower lip, she shrugged.
“I’m up for a trip. Walk around, see all the cold and cranky people who forget this is a season for celebrating.” She set the tray to the side and began to swing her legs off the side only to pause. “You need to leave.”
His smile did that funny thing to her insides again. “Why? You’re wearing a shirt.”
Perhaps she was but that was about it, aside from her panties. And he didn’t need to see them. “Out.”
“Don’t forget, I am good at washing backs,” he said as he took the tray with him to the door. “Or fronts.” Then, he slipped out.
She flopped back on the bed and groaned. I know how this is going to end. Me frigging myself in the shower. Yet again. Pounding her hand on the mattress, she took a few seconds to control her raging hormones. Then, she headed for the shower, determined to make it short and without her getting off to mental images of what she believed Heath Dixon could do to her. Or she him.
She failed at that simple task.
Three hours later, she walked beside Heath in a shopping center as he pushed a cart and added some things in it, here and there. Staring at all he added, she cleared her throat.
“Did you forget to pack a few things?” she asked.
“A few. I just want to be prepared for when the worst of this storm hits.”
She grabbed his arm, stopping him. Damn, he was all muscle. Today, he wore jeans and a sweatshirt, none of which did any good to calm her out-of-control, traitorous libido. Heath glanced down at her, brow raised in silent question.
“Worst of this storm? It’s going to get,” she grimaced when someone shoved her in the back and hurried on without the slightest apology, “worse?”
Oh God, at this rate she was going to be stuck here until summer. Heath continued to stare at her, and she realized she hadn’t let go of him. Dropping her gaze, she did the same to her hand, shoving it into her pocket for good measure. “I thought they were kidding when they said that,” she muttered more to herself than him.
“More snow’s coming. Don’t worry, Kassia. We’ll be fine. I just wanted to get a few more things. They know how to handle snow up here.”
“Great.” She loved Christmas, truly she did, but at this particular moment, she was seriously considering killing her cousin. What was that called, parricide? The killing of a close relative. Just plain old murder was what it would be. Nope, wait, premeditated because she sure as hell was thinking about it now.
“What’s wrong?”
“Just finding this unfair that my unscrupulous cousin Balt is off shagging with some big-titted woman in the Caribbean while I’m here at his house stuck in all this damn snow. Which apparently has more to come.”
“Not a fan of the snow I am coming to realize.”
“I like warm.” Where she could wear shorts and tank tops, not be bundled up so much she had a hard time seeing her bloody feet.
“I’m coming to understand that about you. Let’s go. Lunch is on me.”
She fell into step with him again as he continued pushing the cart through the store. Heath turned many heads, but to his credit, he didn’t seem to even notice the women who openly ogled him. He kept his eyes straight ahead, but Kassia wasn’t fooled, the man was aware of everything surrounding them.
She noticed his limp didn’t seem as pronounced today, and she was glad. They weren’t walking as if doing a power walk, so maybe it was good for him to get out and stretch it. The upturned collar of his coat hid the bruises on his neck, and yet, she wondered if they were bothering him as well.
The rest of the day passed with fun and ease. She liked Heath, genuinely liked him. He had a sense of humor, which she admired, and he wasn’t just some dumb solider who’d worn a uniform, like many of the ones she’d met. Still, despite all of that, she could see the strain and worry in his expression when he thought her attention was otherwise occupied. All she had to do was remember there were some things she didn’t say to him, and they would get through this time without any problems.
They shared a taxi on the way back, and she helped him carry his purchases up. While he put his things away, she got started on a meal. She had just spent twenty-four hours in his presence, and she had a great de
al of concern of how she would make it the rest of the time. Keeping her hands to herself, that is.
* * *
Kassia sighed as she folded the last of her laundry. Three days had gone by since she’d arrived back at Balt’s place to find her “guest” sleeping in the master bedroom and three days of intense longing had been the effect on her. She dreamed about him, brought herself to orgasm in the shower and bed thinking about him. Any spare minute she had, it seemed her mind found a way to conjure up Heath’s image. Just watching him eat dinner was a turn-on. She walked around in a state of arousal, and she was ready to kill someone.
They’d also gotten to know one another better, and she actually liked him, so it wasn’t just attraction riding her.
“I just need to fuckin’ get laid, that’s all,” she muttered, disgusted with herself for her feelings. It wasn’t like he didn’t seem interested; he did. But he seemed content to let her set the pace; he wasn’t going to make the first move. “Great, suddenly it’s all about women’s lib n’ shit. Why can’t he just grab me, back me against a wall and kiss me senseless? Or something like that.”
Using the heel of her foot, Kassia shut the dryer door, then turned it on, grabbed her stack of folded clothes and turned. Heath stood in the doorway, his shoulder resting against the wood of the doorjamb. His eyes the color of molten steel as he stared at her. One corner of his sexy bow-shaped mouth quirked up in a disarming sexy grin. Yet, determination and promise also lingered in his expression.
Shit! He heard me. The hand on the bottom of the pile tightened into a fist as she tried to control the shudder that raced through her. Her pussy clenched, and her nipples hardened as she stared at him. He wore a pair of loose-fitting jeans and a dark umber hued mock-turtleneck. The scent of the crisp outdoors filled her nose, and she could see a smattering of crystallized snowflakes which refused to melt across the broad shoulders and on his hair.
“Yes?” Kassia asked, arching a brow and praying he couldn’t see the flush she felt in her cheeks.
Instead of answering her, he pushed away from what held him up and moved toward her. Stalked was more like it. Kassia had never felt so hunted in her entire life before. The man pursuing her made her wonder if she’d just bitten off more than she could chew. His eyes pinned her to the very spot she stood and made her feel as though her feet sat encased in hardened concrete.
“What?” she tried again.
“I was just thinking…” Heath trailed off as he stopped before her, head cocked to the side.
Her heart rate increased tenfold. “Thinking what?”
“How right you were.”
She couldn’t contain the shudder those words evoked within her. Licking her lips, Kassia nearly grinned at the lust that filled his eyes. “About?”
Heath reached out with one hand and tucked some hair behind her ear. For a second, his gaze softened as he stared at her. Then, it changed. The slate color grew heated and burned her. His fingers wrapped into her hair, and he tightened his hold.
“This,” he said in a low growl.
Before she could blink, his mouth landed on hers with a ferocity that made her toes curl. His other hand knocked her clothes to the floor then he hauled her up against his hard body. Kassia immediately arched into his touch, her senses on fire.
His mouth nibbled along hers before he slid his tongue along the seam of her mouth. “Open for me, sweets,” he ordered, his voice low and seductive.
She opened to admit him and purred as he stroked along one cheek then the other. He tasted like coffee and mint; it was heady and addicting to her. The hand splayed against her back moved lower and lower until his fingers caressed the top of her butt. Even with her pants on, she could feel the heat from his palm searing her, branding her as his.
Kassia whimpered as his touch skimmed along the edge of her waistband before moving up under her shirt and trailing idly across the small of her back. The calluses teased her sensitive skin. Each time his touch headed down, she arched her hips forward into him. Her hands tangled themselves in his mock turtleneck, keeping them anchored close. When he began rocking back against her, she nearly melted.
Every inch of her body ached for more of his touch. Kassia jerked up on his top, sighing into his mouth as her hands landed on his warm skin, trying to be mindful of his bruises. Sucking hard on his tongue, she moved her arms up so his shirt inched higher, her meaning clear. The second he stepped back from her, he whipped off his sweater and let it fall to land on the mess her once neatly-folded clothes had made. It took two attempts to swallow as she stared at him. Not an ounce of fat was on his muscled physique. And yes, she’d known that but seeing it bared for her was a whole other experience.
“Your turn,” he said in a voice graveled with desire as his hands began pulling up her baggy sweatshirt. She closed her eyes as he removed it and released a hiss.
“Kassia.” That single word dragged from him and brought her eyes back to his.
Raw lust and primal desire sat etched into his face. Holding his gaze, she dragged her nails lightly across his chest, hitting his nipples. His eyes were stormy with emotions as he stared at her. He reached for her and lifted her off the ground, setting her on the dryer, the warmth from the machine minute compared to the roaring fire the man before her created within her.
Heath felt like he was going to explode in his pants. The urge to make her his own swarmed over him with a force he’d never experienced before. She sat on the edge of the running dryer, her curvaceous body easily riding the rocking motion, telling him she’d ride him with ease. She wore a sugared plum lace bra, the hue offset beautifully with her dark skin tone. Her stomach wasn’t perfectly flat. He didn’t care.
“Beautiful,” he muttered. Her skin was like the softest silk he’d ever felt. Wetting his lower lip, he tugged on the elastic waistband of her pants. Heath leaned in and kissed her again as she placed her hands on the top of the dryer and lifted her hips to help him in his quest. Her panties were plain cotton similar in color to her bra. The spicy aroma of her arousal reached his nose, and his cock throbbed insistently in his jeans.
He palmed one breast, loving the weight of her in his hand. His senses swirled as he tweaked her nipple. Her whimper shot straight through to his soul. It didn’t take long for him to remove the bra. Firm breasts sat before him, nipples the color of dark chocolate kisses, and his mouth watered at the prospect of suckling on them.
Grinding his back teeth, Heath reached for her again as he stepped up flush to the dryer. Moving her so their pelvises pressed against one another, he ground his mouth on hers in a demanding take-no-prisoners kiss. He growled with primitive pleasure as she gave what he asked and more.
Tongues thrust against one another. The fire in his blood heated hotter and hotter as she whimpered and latched her legs around his waist. Her curves felt amazing against him, and he longed to be buried deep within her. Reaching up, he shoved his hands deep into the silky mass she called hair and increased the power behind his kiss. The heels of her socked feet dug into the flesh of his buttocks.
Heath’s teeth drug along her bottom lip until he released it after ending the kiss. Damn her for being so desirable. A flush tinted her dark skin, her lips were swollen from the kisses they shared, and her breasts were still peaked and calling his mouth to taste them. Taking two fingers, he aligned them to her lips; his cock pulsed when they parted slightly and drew him in to her warm, wet mouth, her tongue swirling around and between them. Biting back a groan, he withdrew them and dragged his knuckles down over her chin and along her neck to her sternum. Circling each nipple, he then continued on his path down over her belly to the front of her panties.
Dipping below the elastic waistband, Heath allowed his fingers to skim over the hair covering her pussy, the dampness giving him more proof of her desire for him. One digit slid between the full lips and into the welcoming heat. A hiss of pleasure left her mouth as her hips shifted forward, pressing him farther into her. Her body tightened a
round him, conforming to his finger, cradling it in velvet softness.
“Heath,” she mumbled as she began undoing his jeans.
Her sultry voice only aroused him further. He inhaled sharply as her hands pushed his boxers down to follow the path his pants had taken. Heath shuddered as her smooth hand softly gripped his cock. In response, he added another finger to her tight wetness and got another sound of satisfaction from Kassia. Their heavy breathing combined with the low rumble of the dryer as he thrust in and out of her while she stroked him at the same pace.
Her teeth sank into his shoulder blade as her body clenched around him and coated his driving fingers with her thick cream. Heath could feel his balls tightening as her hand held him in a snugger grip, moving faster and faster.
“Stop, Kassia,” he ordered, amazed at how deep and graveled his voice was.
Her jaw released his skin and she looked at him. “Why?” Her tone was full of passion.
“I don’t want to come by your hand, not this time. I want my cock buried deep inside this pussy.” He scissored his fingers as he spoke, eliciting a groan and more desire to flare in her dark eyes turning them to melted cinnamon.
Removing his fingers, Heath held her gaze as he placed them in his mouth and cleaned them. She tasted divine. Were it not for the urge to slip between her thighs and unload within her, he would be on his knees, feasting on her essence. He stripped off her damp panties and placed the head of his arousal at her opening, grateful the height of the dryer made it so he wouldn’t have to put a lot of weight on his injured leg. But for this taste of heaven, to hell with my leg.
One press forward, and his eyes drifted closed with the feeling that swamped him. Her body welcomed him, and he never wanted to leave. Emotions welled up in him unlike anything he’d ever felt before. The urge to dominate, brand, and yes, even own, swamped him. A moan slipped from his lips as her velvet internal muscles gripped him. Kassia wrapped her legs around him again, allowing him deeper access yet. In and out, he pumped, the vibrating of the dryer adding to the experience. Her hands splayed across his back, and her nails began digging into his skin.
A Naughty Little Christmas (Cowboys, Cops, and Kilts: 8 Seasonally Seductive Romances from Bestselling Authors) Page 18
