An Eye for an Eye: Zach and Katie's Story (Redwood Falls)

by Chance, Lynda

  “You’re so busy.”

  Her words sent worry down his spine. “Am I too busy, baby?”

  “No, I’m not complaining,” she answered quickly and to his relief, truthfully. “I’m just trying to help you out with a friendly reminder. Everyone is expecting us, and I’m only making sure that we’re still going.”

  Zach breathed a sigh of relief. He always tried to keep his life balanced. He had to work, but the most important things in the world to him were Katie and the kids. He reached out and put his hands on her hips and pulled her toward him.

  When she was close enough to soothe him, he looked up into eyes so green he thought he’d never get tired of watching them. “I wouldn’t ever forget about taking you and the kids home. I’m never more at peace than when we’re together in Redwood Falls.”

  “Me, too.” Katie watched him steadily with a look of happiness shining from her eyes that did crazy things to his insides.

  “I love you,” the words spilled from his mouth as his hands tightened on her hips.

  “I love you, too.” Her words were softly spoken, but the depth of her feelings blazed across her face for him to see.

  Yeah, it couldn’t be better than this.

  ####

  The End

  ####

  Redwood Falls, Book One: Josh and Hannah

  Now Available

  ****

  By special request, coming soon in the Redwood Falls series:

  Ethan and Ava’s story

  Excerpt:

  Copyright 2014 Lynda Chance ‘All Rights Reserved’

  Ethan sat in the passenger seat as Ty pulled his beat up car into the driveway and put the vehicle in park. From where he sat, Ethan watched the Anderson house and looked for any telltale movement from the windows while the engine idled. He felt the motion of Ty’s head as his friend turned to stare at him as if he were a dumbfuck. “What?” Ethan asked.

  “There’s a six-pack of Coke in the fridge.” Ethan heard the distracted words that shot from Ty’s mouth as his buddy pulled his cell phone from his pocket and looked down at it.

  “You want me to go get it?” Ethan asked as Ty sat behind the wheel with his attention centered on the cell phone in his hand.

  “Yeah,” Ty said distractedly.

  “It’s your house,” Ethan complained mildly. He didn’t want to go in that house. Hell. Fucking. No.

  “Get your lazy ass out of the car and get the damn Cokes. It’s going to be hot at the lake, we’ll need ‘em,” Ty shot off his mouth.

  Ethan didn’t want to make a big deal out of this, but he didn’t want to run into Ty’s little sister, either. The girl packed a punch already and she’d been fucking with his equilibrium for longer than he cared to think about. “There’s no one home?” Ethan asked hopefully.

  “You know damn good and well my parents are at work.”

  “What about your sister?” Jesus. Ethan knew he sounded like an idiot.

  Ty looked up from texting with an immediate scowl on his face. “What about her?”

  “Is she home?”

  “How the hell should I know? Who cares? Hurry up.” Ty glowered at him before his concentration dropped to his phone again.

  Ethan steeled his guts to go ahead and go inside before he said something stupid that would tip Ty off to the fact that he wanted to screw Ava, big time. Without wasting any more time, he climbed out of the car and went through the back door, which was rarely locked. He’d been friends with Ty since elementary school, and Ethan knew this house like the palm of his hand.

  He walked straight into the kitchen and was about to open the refrigerator door when he heard the noise. He stood with his hand on the door for how long, he had no idea. The noise was low and humming, and he tried like hell not to walk farther into the house to investigate. But he literally couldn’t stop himself. The possibility of what he might find was like crack to a drug addict. Continuing to fight himself, he was drawn like steel to a magnet and began walking through the small house toward the bedrooms to investigate.

  As he walked through the living room and came closer to the bedrooms, he recognized the noise as a blow dryer. Shit. What the hell was he doing? It had to be Ava. She had to be in her bedroom drying her hair.

  So just turn around and leave. Like a robot, ignoring the brain screaming in his head, Ethan walked into the hallway and looked toward her bedroom door, which was closed. Turn the fuck around and leave. Even as he ordered himself to do that, he took two more steps into the hallway and froze when he realized the humming sound was coming from the bathroom, and that the door stood completely open.

  As if in slow motion, he turned to look in that direction and what he saw immediately hit him like a sucker-punch to the stomach as lust hit him hard and heavy.

  Shit a fucking brick. Oh my God.

  His chest literally constricted and he thought for a second he might have a heart attack.

  Ava was damn near naked, and at the sight, a rush of blood left Ethan’s brain and flooded to his groin, bring his cock to attention in two seconds flat. She stood in front of the bathroom vanity, dressed only in a bra and underwear, and her arms were lifted over her head as she held the dryer with one hand and a brush with the other. Her skin was lightly tanned from the sun, and the way she was stretching up to reach above her head lengthened her torso and pushed her breasts out.

  And they weren’t small breasts. Jesus Christ, no. Her breasts were full and bouncy and he was sure he was going to have a heart attack right then and there from the visual in front of his face. He couldn’t be more aroused; his cock was pushing painfully against the zipper of his cargo shorts and there wasn’t anything else he wanted more than to walk over and touch her. He wanted to do that, this very instant.

  He wanted to kiss her, yeah. He wanted to touch her lips and taste her and fill his hands with those bouncy tits.

  Shit, he wanted it so bad. But he wanted more than that. He wanted to do her. He’d been wanting to fuck her for at least a couple of years now, and what the hell kind of life would he have if he never got to have that? What the shit was he supposed to do? Start dating some random chick just to take his mind away from Ava? And then what? End up married to someone else and never, ever get to know what it felt like to sink inside of the girl he really wanted?

  That would suck pure shit. He’d regret it for the rest of his life if he never got to sink inside of Ava and hold those naked tits in his hands.

  He didn’t know how long he silently stood there staring at her and fantasizing, but it was long enough that she must have felt his eyes roaming all over her.

  She swiveled as she looked his way. A touch of panic lit her eyes and the color drained from her face. Her arms came down, and she switched the blow dryer off as she continued to watch him as if she were a deer caught in headlights. As if he were a wild animal about to attack.

  Yeah, he felt like a fucking predator. He wanted to eat her. He could taste her already.

  Was she a virgin?

  He’d bet good money that she was. Redwood Falls was a small town; there would be gossip if she’d been sleeping with someone. And damn if her being untouched didn’t please him. Just the thought of someone getting a hold of her was pissing him off.

  Ty wouldn’t stand for that shit anyway. He’d probably kill somebody who looked at his little sister the wrong way.

  Shit, Ty would kill him. Ethan had known it all along.

  Ty would want to murder him in cold blood just for the thoughts that had been blasting through his head.

  Ethan’s eyes dropped from the troubled look in Ava’s eyes down to the smooth softness of the lips he wanted to drag between his teeth. He followed the line of her neck and could barely make out the small quiver of her pulse there. He stepped closer and her chest lifted as she inhaled sharply in obvious alarm.

  Ethan stopped. He felt the involuntary fisting of his fingers as he tried to gain control. His abdominals tightened with the attempt as his cocke
d jerked against his underwear. He was itching to touch her.

  He stepped closer again and her eyes widened. A blush stole over her cheeks and a mortified expression crossed her features.

  Ethan wanted to feel sorry for her, he really did. He was sure it was embarrassing the shit out of her to be caught like this in her underwear. He should be a gentleman and turn around and leave.

  When had he ever been a gentleman?

  His feet started moving, but he didn’t turn to leave. Oh, hell, no, he walked straight toward her and stood staring at her, up close, where he could see every nuance of every expression that crossed her face. He stood up close, where he could see her heart beating in her throat, and not just imagine seeing it there. Up close, where he could see the pink color of her nipples showing through the thin white material of her plain cotton bra.

  Fuck and double fuck. He wanted to touch her so bad he could feel the blood racing through his veins, at least what blood was left that hadn’t already made his cock rock hard.

  But he couldn’t touch her. She looked terrified, and goddamnit, Ty would kill him. Pissed that he couldn’t have what he wanted, Ethan reached up and braced his hands on the doorframe so they wouldn’t sink around her upper arms and drag her to him.

  He couldn’t trust his damn hands. His fingers tightened around the wood and he clenched down hard on the doorframe even as he felt his hands shake with the effort. His torso swayed toward her, and she took a stumbling, half step backwards. His frown intensified as she inched away from him, ever so slowly.

  His eyes slid down her body, his gaze coming to a halt on the perfect, vertical slash of her navel. Another wave of heat hit him, and he closed his eyes momentarily, trying to get his shit together. When he opened them, he knew he hadn’t gotten a grip yet, and against his will, his eyes dropped to the juncture between her thighs. He briefly thought about every girl he’d ever fucked, always trying to find a substitute for the one standing in front of him because he couldn’t have her.

  Yeah, that shit hadn’t ever worked. He’d always wanted this one girl and that one hot little place between her thighs where his eyes were glued now. His dick hardened even more, and Ethan felt his nostrils flare and his abdominals tighten, as if in anticipation of a body blow.

  He had no idea how long he stood there, but he knew he had to take advantage of this opportunity to check out her body. This was a once in a lifetime moment, and there was no way he could look away. His heart stalled before it started pounding again with the knowledge that this might be the only time he could see her like this. He began to get pissed off again just thinking about it.

  Damn her fucking brother. Why did Ty have to be one of his best goddamn friends?

  Frustration and anger began to eat at him, even as his hands continued to itch to touch her.

  Through a haze of lust, Ethan was aware of the backdoor opening and knew all at once that Ty was coming to find him. He didn’t care if Ty was her brother, he’d be damned if anyone else would get to see her like this. A wave of fury encompassed him when he thought about the question of whether or not anyone had seen her like this. His mouth opened and he heard the pissed off words that shot from his mouth, “Do you know how to close a fucking door?”

  Her face paled, and Ethan felt bad for snapping at her, but that’s all the time he had left. He reached down and took the doorknob into his fist and slammed the door shut, with her safely inside, where no one else could see her tempting little body.

  Three seconds later, Ty rounded the corner into the hallway and saw him standing there. “What are you doing?” he asked with what sounded like suspicion to Ethan.

  Fuck. “Nothing. I heard a noise. It’s probably your sister. Let’s go.” He pushed passed Ty, and went through to the kitchen and pulled the six-pack of Cokes from the fridge.

  They left through the backdoor and drove to the lake and joined Josh and a bunch of other kids from school.

  Ethan should have had fun the rest of the day. There was no reason he shouldn’t have.

  Except for the knowledge that a hot little chick was probably going to come between him and one of his best damn friends.

  So yeah, the day sucked.

  ****

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  Other Books by Lynda Chance:

  Pursuit

  The Mistress Mistake

  Marco’s Redemption

  Under the Cowboy’s Control

  His Indecent Proposal

  The Louisiana Liaisons Trilogy Box Set

  Historical Westerns:

  The Sheriff and the Innocent Housekeeper

  The Rancher’s Virgin Acquisition

  Temptation in Texas:

  The Thrill of the Chase

  Mike and Megan

  Logan and Lauren

  Ranchers of Chatum County Series:

  Staking His Claim

  Sarah’s Surrender

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