The Army Ranger's Surprise (the Men of At-Ease Ranch)

by Donna Michaels

  If someone told her that morning that she’d make out with Leo in his grandmother’s kitchen that evening she would’ve called them crazy. And yet she had just kissed Leo. Twice. In his grandmother’s kitchen.

  Who was the crazy one now?

  Reeling from the intensity of what just happened, Kaydee blinked. “That was even better than the first one.”

  “Makes me wonder if they’ll keep getting better and better.” A slow, sexy grin curved his lips. “Care to test that theory?”

  With her heart skipping another beat, she sent him an answering smile. “Perhaps we should.”

  Leo slowly pulled her to him and took her lips in another brain cell­–zapping kiss that had her fisting his shirt to keep from falling. This was crazy, and amazing, and she was happy to go insane with him. Pressing closer, she opened her mouth under his, loving the way he immediately dipped his tongue inside. With another low, sexy sound emanating from his throat, he kissed her slow and deliciously deep.

  It was official. Kaydee couldn’t feel her legs. They turned to goo. This was her first time experiencing kiss-induced goo-for-legs.

  She liked it. A lot.

  Perhaps too much. Because there was no way she could go back to being just an acquaintance or friend to Leo.

  Not after experiencing his mind-blowing kisses.

  But what if he didn’t want to be more than friends?

  His body stiffened up a second before he broke the kiss.

  Maybe he regretted everything. Maybe he wasn’t ready to let go like he had. Or maybe he wasn’t stiffening up. Maybe he was just hard all over, because he was…hard…all over. Heat pooled low in her belly and did nothing to alleviate her need for more of him.

  But did he need more of her? Or more important, did he want more of her? Kaydee wasn’t sure, and his neutral expression gave nothing away.

  …

  This wasn’t the first time in Leo’s life that he’d lost his senses, but it was the first time he’d lost them while sober. Intoxication was definitely involved, though. And her name was Kaydee. Damn. She tasted even better than he’d imagined. Sweet and lush like a ripe strawberry, and hot as hell.

  She rocked his world.

  All through a kiss. Several kisses, because he couldn’t seem to help himself. The delicious woman was dangerous to his self-control. Still, what was the harm? She appeared to enjoy it as much as he had.

  Her face was flushed, her lips were swollen and wet, and her ample chest rose and fell rapidly with her ragged breaths. As he stared into her gorgeous eyes, dark with the same desire still flowing through his veins, an unexpected thrill flooded his chest.

  He put that sexy look on her face.

  “So…that just happened,” she uttered between breaths, sending a piece of hair across her cheek.

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  “Can you explain to me what that was?”

  “No.” His lips twitched as he pushed the strand off her face with his finger and hooked it behind her ear. “I was hoping you could tell me.”

  It felt as if he’d gotten knocked on his ass.

  She released her death grip on his shirt and smoothed the material with her palms. “I would if I could, but I can’t, so I won’t.”

  Leo laughed. Kaydee had such an honest, spontaneous, lighthearted way that always put him at ease. It was her superpower. The amazing woman had pulled more laughs from him in the past few months than he’d had in the last two years. She was magical. Addicting.

  Trouble.

  Her gaze dropped to his mouth, and he watched her pull her plump lower lip between her teeth. His damn dick twitched in response.

  He was so fucking screwed.

  Releasing her, he cleared his dry-as-hell throat and stepped back. “We should probably eat.”

  Especially since supper wasn’t the root of his hunger.

  She blinked and gave her head a slight shake. “You’re right.” As her gaze cleared, a grin curved her lips. “If we don’t put a dent in that Crock-Pot meal we’ll suffer the wrath of Ava.”

  “True.” He laughed again. “We don’t want that.”

  But he did want Kaydee. Hell, he wanted her before they’d kissed. But now that he tasted her, Leo knew it was only a matter of time before they ended up in bed. Kaydee’s hunger was intense and matched his own. It was inevitable.

  A fact that both thrilled and scared the hell out of him.

  And if he didn’t focus on something else, he was going to burst and make a fool out of himself in the middle of his grandmother’s kitchen. So when they sat down to eat and she asked what his new position entailed, he gladly answered. Before long, he was asking questions, too. Personal ones. Something he’d never done with a woman before.

  Kaydee was full of firsts for him.

  “Where did you live before moving here?”

  “In a condo near Fort Worth,” she replied, a wistful smile curving her lips. “It had two bedrooms and one and a half baths. I tried to convince my grandfather to move in with me, but he’s too independent. He didn’t want a roommate. And even if he did, and wanted to keep his apartment, I couldn’t stay with him because he only had one bedroom. So he purchased the duplex in his neighborhood and asked me to move in to the other side. Of course I broke my lease and moved in. It’s actually a good setup. He has his privacy, but I can still keep an eye on him.”

  Leo frowned. Nate seemed fine to him. “Why do you need to keep an eye on him?”

  “He can’t drive at night, but he won’t admit it, and he’s gotten in a few fender benders because of it,” she replied. “Plus, he has blood sugar issues. My parents are worried about him being on his own. Especially when he was living here in Dallas. It was too far from me during rush hours and stuff if there was an emergency. And he refused to move to California where my dad’s stationed until he retires in two years.”

  Leo started to get the whole picture. “So you offered to look after him until they move back to Texas.”

  “Yes.” She smiled, and it did funny things to his chest. “It’s only two years. And I like this area. It has some really great perks.”

  Her gaze was warm and open, and a pretty blush filled her cheeks. She meant him, and surprisingly, he was all right with that. The urge to flee never materialized.

  “I’m glad you moved here. I think you’re amazing,” he said. “You gave up your place and your privacy to help your grandfather out.”

  Her selflessness was refreshing.

  She shrugged and dropped her gaze to her empty plate. “If I was so amazing, I would’ve found a place to rent close to his apartment instead of making him move. But it was his idea. In fact, he was the one who insisted on buying the duplex and moving here.” Her gaze rounded. “I’m sorry. I can’t believe I just told you all of that.”

  He smiled. “It’s okay. I’m glad you did.”

  He was also glad she moved into his grandmother’s neighborhood. Kaydee clearly thought she was being selfish, but what he saw was a woman trying to please everyone. She was caring and strong, and it added to her appeal.

  A hell of a lot.

  The brick wall shielding his heart cracked open enough for her to reach him. Any chance he might’ve had of fighting his attraction to her just bit the dust. But it was okay. He just needed to keep things light and fun so he didn’t hurt her.

  Or himself.

  Because once she found out about his past, this thing between them—whatever it was—would be over. And she would find out. It was only a matter of time.

  Chapter Five

  Midmorning on Monday, Kaydee sat in the coffee shop next to the salon enjoying a cup with Fiona. Her friend had to work that morning, but Kaydee didn’t go in until later that afternoon, which meant she got to check out the next prospective property alone.

  “You know what? I just had a great idea,” Fiona said, devious grin spreading across her face.

  Kaydee’s insides cringed. “Uh-oh. Whatever it is, my answer is no.”
>
  “But you don’t even know what it is yet.”

  “Don’t need to.” She shook her head. Hard. “I’ve seen that look too many times before, and always paid the price.”

  Fiona cocked her head. “Are you still sore about that surprise party?”

  She frowned. “Surprise party? You told me it was a costume party.” She swiped her phone off the table, thumbed through her photos until she found the one she wanted, then shoved it front of her friend’s nose. “I showed up dressed like Wonder Woman, remember?”

  “That was the surprise.” Fiona laughed. “But you looked amazing, and it got you two dates, didn’t it?”

  A smile tugged Kaydee’s lips. “True.” She put her phone down. “Although I could’ve done without Mr. Groper. He had more hands than an octopus.”

  “An octopus doesn’t have hands.”

  She groaned. “You know what I mean.”

  Fiona laughed. “I also know that none of those dates matter now that you have Leo.”

  Kaydee’s heart fluttered in her chest. “I don’t have Leo. We’re just friends.” She almost got away with that statement, but heat rushed into her cheeks.

  “Friends my ass.” Fiona’s gaze narrowed. “Just what did he work on this weekend? You or your house?”

  Both. “The house, of course.”

  “Are you trying to tell me you two didn’t kiss?”

  She lifted her chin. “I didn’t say that.” Her blush took away any chance she had of keeping that secret from her friend. Good thing she didn’t want to keep it a secret.

  “Yeah?” Fiona leaned closer. “How was it?”

  “Wonderful.” She sighed as the memory of his mind-boggling kisses warmed her from head to toe. “It was as if the world just faded away. I didn’t think brain fog was real until he kissed me.”

  “So…he kissed you more than once?”

  She nodded.

  “How many times?”

  Not nearly enough. She lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know. A couple on Friday. A few more on Saturday, and once yesterday, before he left.”

  Each time, they were more and more amazing. If his grandmother hadn’t been on the porch with her grandfather, she would’ve invited him to her place last night. Hell, she would’ve grabbed his hand and tugged him across the street straight into her house so she could give in to the urge to climb his body. Naked.

  “Then my idea is spot-on,” Fiona said, bringing Kaydee’s mind back to the present.

  She bit her tongue for a full thirty seconds before giving in. “Okay, what idea?”

  “Since the building you’re checking out for me today is halfway between here and Joyful, why don’t you invite Leo to lunch?”

  She widened her eyes. “I couldn’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because…it’s…I… What if he doesn’t want to?” she finally said. “He started his new job today. I think they’re ripping things out or something. I don’t want to seem like a pest.”

  Or pushy. Kaydee really liked Leo and was warming up to the idea of having some fun with him. Two years in Dallas could be a lot more fun with him in it. Last thing she wanted was to ruin that prospect.

  “Honey, the man kissed you every day for the past three days. You are not a pest. You’re an obsession. Trust me. New job or not, he’ll want to see you.”

  The property she was viewing for Fiona was about thirty-five miles south of town, which made it thirty minutes north of Joyful. “I don’t know, Fi. I’m not the type to put myself out there.”

  “Isn’t Leo different? Isn’t he worth taking that chance?” her friend asked, pushing Kaydee’s phone closer. “Go on. Call him.”

  Could it be that simple? Was her friend right? Would Leo actually agree?

  Even though the possibility was slight, Kaydee decided she couldn’t pass it up. “Okay. I’ll do it. But I’m going to text him instead.” She couldn’t bear to hear him reject her. It’d be easier to read. Right? Gathering courage, she scrolled through her contacts until his number appeared. They’d exchanged them months ago, in case she needed to contact him about his grandmother.

  Only, this had nothing to do with Ava.

  Before she lost her nerve, Kaydee typed out a quick explanation about her visit to Lansbury, asked him to lunch, then hit send. “Oh my God. I can’t believe I just did that! Is there a way I could stop it?”

  “No.” Fiona chuckled, wiggling the phone from Kaydee’s grasp before putting it on the table. “It’ll be okay. He’s going to accept. Trust me.”

  When a whole minute went by without a response, the nervousness fluttering through her stomach turned into a tight knot. “Dammit. I shouldn’t have done that. Now he’s trying to come up with a way to turn me down.”

  “You don’t know that,” Fiona insisted. “Give him a few minutes. He’s at work, remember? It’s not like he can just stop in the middle of busting things out.”

  She sighed. “True.”

  But the bravado rushing through her a few minutes ago was gone, leaving her full of uncertainty. What in the world had she been thinking?

  Before she could form an answer, her phone dinged with a text.

  Her pulse hiccuped. Leo actually responded. She met her friend’s gaze for a second, then picked up her phone and read the text.

  Do you know where the Lansbury Diner is? I can meet you at noon.

  Her stomach fluttered as if she’d suddenly swallowed a whole swarm of butterflies.

  Yes. I’ll see you there, she responded.

  “Well?” Anticipation vibrated through her friend’s tone. “What did he say?”

  Kaydee couldn’t stop the smile from tugging her lips. “We’re meeting in two hours.” Which was perfect, since her appointment with the Realtor wasn’t until one thirty.

  Fiona patted her hand. “See? Aren’t you glad you took the chance?”

  She blew out a breath and nodded but wasn’t sure she’d have the guts do it again.

  Unless, of course, lunch went well.

  …

  To say Leo was surprised was the understatement of the year. He’d never expected Kaydee to text him, let alone invite him to lunch. But more surprising than that had been his acceptance. He never even thought to decline.

  And considering how much he had enjoyed the past forty minutes of her company that afternoon, he was glad he had accepted. A thought that reverberated through his mind as they left the diner and he walked her to her vehicle.

  “So, where are you off to now?” he asked, stalling by her car, reluctant to go, even though he needed to get back to work. His first day as a supervisor was probably best spent supervising.

  “I’m supposed to meet the realtor a few streets from here,” she said, stopping at her door before turning to face him. “Thank you for taking time out of your first day to meet me.”

  He smiled. He couldn’t help it. “Thanks for the invite.”

  She stepped toward him, and he stood transfixed as he watched the color rise into her pretty face, deepening the brown of her mesmerizing eyes. The woman was adorable, and her open, hopeful gaze warmed his heart. A foreign feeling he was willing to experience again. And again. But only with Kaydee. It was as if his heart were slowly thawing, coming back to life.

  And when she placed her hands on his shoulders and lifted on tiptoe to brush her lips to his, a different organ woke up. One farther south. His favorite one.

  The warmth she brought to his body instantly increased. He slid his hands around her back, but he let her control the kiss. Like the woman, it was tentative and sweet, and a turn-on unlike anything he’d ever experienced. But all too soon it ended, and she released him.

  “So…” She cleared her throat and stepped back. “I guess I’ll see you Wednesday…when you come up to visit your grandmother. You are coming up to visit her then, right?”

  God, she really was adorable.

  “Yes.” He smiled and moved closer. He liked being close to her. Way too much. �
�What would you like me to work on?”

  A flash of heat flickered through her gaze. “M-me…I mean…my side.”

  Holy shit. Leo’s heart kicked the hell out of his ribs. He knew she was talking about her house and not offering herself, but damn. For a split second, he couldn’t deny the rush of pure pleasure that washed through him.

  This time, he cleared his throat. “Yeah, you,” he said, brushing her soft cheek with his thumb. “I’ve been fixing things on your grandfather’s side of the house. It’s time I tackled something on your side.”

  Ever since he’d known her, Kaydee always put her grandfather’s needs first. He admired the hell out of her for it. But now he wanted to do something for her. To scratch something off her to-do list.

  She gave her head a little shake as if to clear it, something she seemed to do a lot around him. “M-my upstairs shower needs tiling.”

  He smiled. “I’ll start working on that Wednesday evening.”

  “I…uh…can pitch in.” She drew in a deep breath as if oxygen-starved. “I’m off this Wednesday.”

  “Perfect. I’ll see you then.” And because he couldn’t help himself, he leaned in and kissed her.

  What was supposed to be a quick brush of lips swiftly morphed into a hot-as-hell embrace that had need canceling out all reason. Leo crushed Kaydee close, loving how she gripped his shoulders, as if he stole the strength from her legs.

  Yeah, he liked that. A lot.

  She tasted of tea and lemon, and if some asshole hadn’t driven by blowing his horn and whistling out his window, Leo would’ve deepened the kiss. But she deserved better than him ravishing her in the middle of a damn parking lot.

  With a reluctance he felt down to his steel-toed boots, he broke the kiss. “Sorry,” he rumbled. “I can’t seem to think straight with you in my arms.”

  “Ditto.” Her warm, ragged breath washed over his neck. “You fog my brain.”

  Good.

  His chest swelled. It’d been so long since any modicum of satisfaction paid him a visit.

  “I should go.” Kaydee pushed out of his arms and fumbled behind her for her door handle. “You need to get back to your crew, and I’ve…uh…got to see a guy…about a thing.” She yanked her door open and dropped into the seat, as if maybe he really had stolen the strength from her legs. “Good luck with the rest of your first day.”