Passion swept through Katie like wildfire. She told herself she was foolish for kissing Jack and that the smart move would be to pull back. In fact she intended to do just that. But the second his lips touched hers, she lost the ability to plan and be rational. She could only react to the need filling her.
He moved against her mouth, taking her with a hunger that made her breath catch in her throat. She parted for him, inviting him to taste her. When he slipped inside, she groaned low in her throat. The feel of his tongue against hers was so incredibly right. Need spiraled through her. Tension made her muscles quiver and shake. She was on fire; she was drowning. He’d always had the ability to reduce her to a puddle, and in the past eleven years, nothing had changed.
His arms came around her, hauling her close. She pressed herself against him, wanting to feel the heat and strength of him. This was like their kiss last week, yet better, because this time there weren’t going to be any interruptions. This time they could-
Her brain froze. She couldn’t actually be thinking about making love with Jack. That would be five kinds of crazy. Their relationship was complicated enough. They hadn’t worked out the details of their past, let alone figured out their present. She was living in his house with her nine-year-old son.
“Katie,” he breathed against her mouth, then settled his hands on her waist.
The pressure was familiar, and she reacted without thinking. She shifted, moving as he moved, stretching out her legs, sliding toward the wall, all the while still kissing him, tasting his familiar male essence, so sweet and tempting. She lowered herself onto the cot while he settled next to her. His leg slid between hers. Her leg came up, her knee resting on his hip. Arms slipped around each other until they were pressed together intimately, facing each other.
It was a position they’d assumed a hundred times before. Maybe even a thousand. As teenagers, they’d often lain together like this. Kissing, talking, touching noses together and laughing. Their bodies had ached with desire, his growing hard, hers damp and yielding. Yet they’d never once given in.
Jack broke the kiss and looked at her. His eyes were dark and unreadable. She didn’t know what he was thinking and she wasn’t about to ask. She could hear her heart pounding in the silence-he could probably hear it, too. Then one corner of his mouth tilted up.
“Some things never change,” he murmured. “Seems to me we’ve been in this position before.”
She swallowed and nodded, but didn’t speak. She couldn’t. She was afraid of what she would say. Part of her knew that this was insane, but that voice was small and easily ignored. The rest of her was screaming for Jack to touch her everywhere. She was practically vibrating with desire. Her blood raced; her breasts ached. She wanted to believe it was because she hadn’t made love in a long time, but she had a bad feeling that it was much more about the man lying next to her than any biological need.
“I want you,” he told her, stroking her cheek with his fingertips. “What do you want?”
He was giving her a chance to escape. She knew that she should probably take it, because making love would change everything. Yet the thought of getting up and walking away from him brought her physical pain. So she gave in to the foolish need and wrapped her arms around him, drawing him closer. Then she breathed his name.
Jack responded by shifting her onto her back and bending over her, brushing her lips with his. He moved slowly, tenderly, back and forth, driving her crazy. She clutched at him, grabbing his upper arms to urge him on. She parted her mouth. She stroked his lower lip with her tongue. He ignored her and continued his painfully slow, chaste kisses. Back and forth, back and forth.
Finally he touched the tip of his tongue to hers. She punished him by biting gently, making them both moan. Then he was kissing her deeply and she was able to lose herself in him. They explored each other, circling, tasting, learning remembered favorite games of chase and tag.
While their lips clung, he moved his hand to her belly and walked his fingers up to the first button on her shirt. Once again her heart began to hammer an increasing rhythm. She wanted him to go faster, not slower. She wanted to be naked and have him inside her, yet she wanted the moment to stretch on forever.
He moved with the sureness of a man who was comfortable undressing a woman. When he pulled open her shirt and rested his hand over her left breast, pure pleasure rippled through her. Even through the thin layer of fabric that was her bra, she felt his fingers and their warm caress. She arched into the embrace. Her nipples hardened, and when he touched the puckered tip, she gasped.
Something hard and masculine jutted into her hip in an answering response. He was aroused, she thought with pleasure. He wanted her.
Jack drew back enough to pull her into a sitting position. He tugged off her shirt, then reached behind her for the fastening of her bra. When the lacy fabric fell to her lap, he stared at her full breasts.
“Perfect,” he breathed, cupping her in his hands.
Even as he stared deeply into her eyes, his thumbs brushed against her nipples. She couldn’t look away and she couldn’t help reacting. She parted her lips and gave a soft moan.
“Again,” he demanded, teasing the tight buds and making her writhe.
A collection of nerves formed a one-way connection from her breasts to that most feminine place between her legs. With each brush of his thumb and fingers, she dampened and readied. An ache began, pulsing in time with her heartbeat.
He moved his hands to her back and lowered her onto the cot again. She brushed her bra to the floor. Jack jerked his shirt out of the waistband of his jeans then quickly unfastened the buttons. When he shrugged free of the garment, she stared at his bare chest, at the hard muscles defined beneath a light dusting of dark hair.
“I never saw you before,” he said, lowering himself until his chest barely touched her nipples. “All those years ago. You’d let me slip my hand under your shirt, but I wasn’t allowed to look.”
He moved back and forth, teasing her sensitive buds with the tickling friction of his chest hair. She shivered, nearly unable to bear the erotic caress.
“I wondered what you’d be like,” he continued, his voice low and hoarse. “The color of your nipples, the shape of your breasts, how they’d shift in my hands and how they felt pressed against my chest.”
His words sucked her into the past, to a time when she’d been scared to do much more than kiss the boy who had stolen her heart. She remembered the thrill of having him slip his hand up her shirt and how she’d thought about doing more. Now, with him on top of her, their bare skin brushing and touching, she wondered how she’d resisted him.
“I guess I had more backbone then.” She managed to speak.
He grinned. “I like you better spineless.”
He shifted, kneeling between her thighs, then bent and took her left nipple in his mouth. His tongue swept over her. Katie clutched his head, holding him to her. She cried his name as his fingers matched the movements on her other breast. It was too perfect, she thought, feeling herself sink deeper into the madness of passion. Deep tugs low in her belly responded to his gentle nibbles. When he sucked, she felt her hips arch. Her legs moved restlessly. Tension grew. If he touched her, even for a second, she knew she would climax instantly. The aching was unbearable.
She dug her fingers into his hair and inhaled the scent of him. It was too much. She couldn’t believe how aroused she was, and so quickly. She’d always been something of a slow starter, requiring concentrated effort to get ready. But it had only been a few minutes and she was so prepared that if they didn’t do something soon, she was going to explode.
Finally he straightened and stepped off the cot. He tugged off his boots and socks, then shoved down his jeans and briefs. His arousal sprang free, hard and ready, jutting toward her. She studied his body-the broad shoulders, narrow hips, long legs. He was everything she’d ever imagined a man to be.
He reached for her boots and pulled them off. The rest of her clothes followed. He loomed over her, looking at her. In a moment of self-consciousness she pressed her hand against her stomach to cover the silvery lines that were a legacy of her pregnancy. She was short and curvy and far from model perfect.
Jack pushed her hands away and bent to kiss the slender marks. “How could you think I wouldn’t want all of you?” he asked.
His casual acceptance made her eyes burn with unexpected tears. “Good line,” she said softly.
“Not a line. The truth.”
He returned to the cot, sliding next to her. His mouth lowered onto hers while his fingers moved between her thighs.
She told herself to be relaxed and adult about the whole thing. Control was important. She took deep breaths and swore to herself that she wasn’t going to make a fool of herself.
She was wrong.
The second he slipped into her waiting dampness and found that single spot of surrender, she actually screamed. Out loud. No doubt the horses were startled. Katie felt heat flare on her cheeks, but before she could try to explain or apologize, he was touching her in a circling rhythm that made her both tremble and tense.
She clutched him, needing to hang on. She wanted to explain that it wasn’t usually like this for her. That she could be unresponsive on occasion and for him not to take it personally. But speaking would have required more effort than she was willing to make. Because his fingers were pure magic and she didn’t want to think about anything else except the steady movements around and over, drawing her deeper and deeper into herself. Closer to that place of perfect pleasure.
Even as he kissed her, his fingers slipped inside her waiting warmth. He stroked slowly, making her legs fall open even more. Then he returned to the core of her femininity and began the dance again.
But this time was different. Her feeble attempts at control were useless. She was so incredibly close that she wasn’t able to prepare herself. One minute she was trying to catch her breath and the next the world dissolved into a million wonderful sensations. Everything felt exactly right-as if this was what she’d been born to do. Be with Jack, have him touch her and take her to paradise.
Even as she shivered from the last lingering contractions of her climax, he moved over her. She reached down to guide him inside. He filled her, stretching her slightly, making her draw her knees back. Their arms came around each other, and his mouth lowered to hers.
There was no awkward moment of discovery. Their movements were instantly correct, as if they’d always been intimate. The weight of him, the heat of him, the feel of his skin-everything was so right.
Their kiss deepened, tongues matching the thrusting movements of him inside her. The tension returned. Katie moved her hips to bring him in deeper, then felt the first flutter that promised another release. Delight filled her. She’d rarely been one to climax this way, yet she couldn’t imagine it not happening with Jack. Her body tensed in preparation. She reached down to grasp his hips. Muscles tensed and bunched with his movements. The combination of sensations was too much for her, and suddenly she was caught up again. Her muscles contracted in pure ecstasy.
He raised his head. She opened her eyes. They looked at each other. More pleasure swept through her. Despite the intimacy, she couldn’t turn away. Then he tensed. His face tightened, and his body shuddered. He gave one last, deep thrust and was still.
Jack lay tangled in Katie’s embrace. Their hearts pounded in unison as the heat from their bodies combined to blanket them in the warmth of surrender.
Home, he thought hazily. He’d finally come home. For the first time in his life he felt completely at peace. As if she was the one place he’d always belonged.
He rolled onto his side, pulling her with him. She opened her eyes and stared at him. Color stained her cheeks, neck and chest, more proof of her release. His hands sought and found the gentle curve of her hip, then moved to her rear. The feel of her silky skin made him want her again.
“Impressive,” she said with a slight smile. “And wouldn’t we give the town gossips something to talk about if they were to see us right about now?”
Not just the gossips, he thought. Members of both their families would be unamused. His mom wouldn’t care, but Nora would want blood, as would Aaron.
Reality returned with a thud that made him roll away from her. He sat up and stared at the pile of clothing on the floor. He didn’t want to get involved with anyone, he reminded himself. And if he had to sleep with a woman, Katie was the worst choice possible. Relationships didn’t last-he had plenty of proof of that. He was tired of the people in his life leaving him. No way was he going to fall for Katie a second time.
“This was a mistake,” he said bluntly, sitting with his back to her. “Getting involved would be a disaster for both of us.”
There was a moment of silence. He didn’t turn around because he didn’t want to see the expression on her face. Hurting her hadn’t been part of his plan, but he wasn’t about to take the words back.
“I don’t know which part of your comments to address first,” she said at last. “The part about this being a mistake or that getting involved would be a disaster.” She cleared her throat. “I’ll admit this wasn’t especially well thought out, but ‘disaster’ seems harsh.”
He finally forced himself to look at her. Something dark flashed through her eyes, but otherwise she didn’t give anything away.
“You don’t want to get involved, and neither do I,” he said. “And you’re not the sex-only type.”
“Are you?”
He sighed. “No.” This wasn’t going well. He tried a second time. “Katie, making love with you was terrific, but we can’t do it again.”
She sat up and slid past him. “I don’t recall asking you to,” she said as she grabbed her clothes and quickly put them on.
He watched her, knowing this was ending badly and not sure how to make it better. When she was dressed, she gave him a quick, insincere smile.
“Thanks so much for the afternoon delight. It was a thousand thrills and all that.”
“Katie, don’t,” he said, standing up and grabbing her hand. “Don’t leave like this.”
She glared at him. “How do you want me leave? We had something pretty special, Jack. Don’t panic. I don’t mean a rekindling of our relationship, just that the lovemaking was incredible. At least it was for me. I wasn’t expecting a marriage proposal at the end of it. Just a few minutes of sweet talk, a hug or two, then a chance to go our separate ways. But you couldn’t let that happen. You had to make it into something ugly.”
He was lower than a snake’s belly. “I didn’t-” He swore. He had meant to send a message, which she got. So why wasn’t he happy? “I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“You’re flattering yourself. I’m not hurt, I’m angry. Although you should be thrilled to know that I now agree with you. This was a mistake. One I have no intention of repeating.”
She walked out and slammed the door behind her. Less than a minute later, he heard her horse cantering away.
“Sleeping with the enemy,” Stephen Remington teased two days later. “Whatever do the neighbors think?”
Katie fought hard not to blush. Stephen didn’t know what had happened between her and Jack at the line shack. He was joking about the fact that she was living at the Darby ranch. Word had spread in the small town, and her current situation was all the buzz.
She looked up from the chart she held, pausing in the act of pretending to write notes. She raised her eyebrows. “They’re all a-twitter, as you can imagine, but they’ll recover. Some faster than others.”
She glanced out the big front window. Stephen’s medical offices were directly across the street from the Clip ’n’ Snip Hair Salon-Nora Darby’s place of business. No doubt Jack’s sister was there now, telling her many customers exactly what she thought about her brother and the oldest Fitzgerald woman sharing a ranch, if not a roof.
“All joking aside,” Stephen said, pulling up a chair and sitting next to her. “How are you holding up?”
She set down the chart and looked at her friend. They were seated in the reception area of Stephen’s medical suite. So far the afternoon had been quiet, with only a couple of appointments. They were alone, and Lone Star Canyon’s new physician was a kind man who was genuinely concerned about her welfare. Who better to talk with?
“I’m doing okay,” she said, knowing that it was nearly the truth. “Shane adores living with the Darby clan. Hattie spoils him and Jack is the father he never had. There are horses, dogs, video games. What’s not to like?”
Stephen studied her. He was tall and lanky. The white lab coat he wore identified him as a medical professional, but he would still garner respect and authority without it. His reddish blond hair came to the top of his collar. He had freckles and hazel eyes. He looked like a candidate for a cereal box-the all-American boy makes good.
“You told me all about Shane,” he said. “But what about Katie?”
“Katie is a mess,” she announced, thinking about the last time she’d spoken with Jack. The man had made her so angry, she’d wanted to put her fist through the wall. Fortunately she knew the consequences for the hand’s many delicate and necessary bones, so she’d resisted.
“What seems to be Katie’s problem?”
She smiled. “I’m not comfortable talking about myself in the third person.”
“Okay. Then what’s wrong with you?”
That made her laugh. “Wow. Talk about blunt. What is wrong with me?”
Stephen waited patiently, a look of expectancy on his face.
“It’s hard to explain,” she said, in part stalling and in part telling the truth. “I’m having some issues with Jack. He makes me crazy, but not in a good way.”
“How does he make you crazy?”
“He’s difficult and stubborn.” She couldn’t believe all the things he’d said to her after they’d made love. That it was a mistake. How could he? They were both still naked, and he was spouting that getting involved would be a mistake. She wasn’t sure she wanted to get involved with him or not, but it was as much her decision as his.
“He presumes,” she continued. “Like it’s all up to him and my vote doesn’t count. Is this a male thing? Does he expect me to sit around quietly while he makes all the decisions?”
Stephen blinked at her. “Want to tell me what we’re talking about?”
“Not really.” No way was she going to share that she and Jack had done the wild thing. She still couldn’t believe it herself.
He nodded toward the glass door. She followed his gaze and saw a young mother carrying an infant. “My two-thirty is a well baby visit. You’re saved by her timely arrival. But don’t think I won’t grill you later.”
“Grill away,” she said and watched him greet the woman. He led them to an examining room and closed the door.
Katie stared after them. Stephen was a nice man. Good-looking, intelligent, successful. He listened. He didn’t have any huge, obvious flaws. He would be a great catch.
She doubted she could be less interested.
Damn, she thought. Why did it have to be Jack? One would think that eleven years away from the man would have been enough time to get him out of her system. But that hadn’t happened. She’d been fooling herself since she’d arrived back in Lone Star Canyon. She’d thought that everything was fine. That she was in control. But she wasn’t. Not where he was concerned.
For her, nothing had changed.
It had taken being in his arms for her to see the truth. Touching him, making love with him had opened her eyes to the fact that she was still in love with him. She was beginning to think she’d never stopped loving him.
Love. Was it possible?
She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. She didn’t want that to be true, she told herself. Anything else would be okay, but not loving Jack. Just two days ago his cold rejection after their lovemaking had burned down to her soul. She still felt the ache of the wound.
While she’d felt connected and bonded when they’d made love, he’d felt nothing. Worse, he’d instantly regretted what they’d done. She’d fallen in love, and he wanted out.
She’d lied when she told him she didn’t want to do it again. Despite everything he’d said, she couldn’t stop thinking about how great they’d been, how right they’d felt together. At least it had felt right to her. Obviously Jack had felt something else.
He’d turned a wonderful moment into an ugly memory, and she would never forgive him for that. Unfortunately nothing could change the fact that she was stuck loving a man who didn’t want her.
He was the enemy of her family. His sister hated her, her father hated him. Half her siblings would never speak to her if they knew what had happened, and the same could be said for his brothers and sisters. She was homeless, struggling to help her son make an adjustment to a new town. Her father’s second marriage was dissolving. Oh, and she’d just realized she was immune to the only other single, attractive man she knew. Could it get worse?
Her brain, ever helpful, supplied an answer. Yes. Of course it could. She and Jack had made love without using protection, so she could very well be pregnant.
Oh, joy.