Going Home (3 page)

She was falling in love with Kip.

***

Needing her makeup bag and her bridesmaid's gown, Alexis and Kip made their way back to her parents' house. Happy to find the place completely empty, she used the key under the welcome mat and entered through the front door.

"Help yourself to anything in the fridge," she called out, making her way to the bathroom to take a hot shower. "There's also a television back in my old bedroom. Feel free to flip through the channels or whatever. I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Sounds good," he replied as she shut the bathroom door behind her.

There was a part of her that wanted to freak out; to run from the sudden feelings she had for Kip. Lord knows she'd been through her fair share of men in Miami, but this was the first time that Alexis could say she was actually starting to fall in love.

And it was incredibly sudden. Hell, she didn't even know his last name.

Sighing, she turned the water over to almost the highest setting and let the steam fill the room. Stripping off her clothes and not caring where they landed, she stepped inside the small enclosure and let the water flow over her swollen and sensitive breasts, reminding her of their lovemaking.

Just knowing Kip was outside the door and down the hall only made her horny all over again. Cursing aloud, Alexis could feel the ache in her pussy that signified a wanting of being cock-claimed once more.

Washing her hair and covering her silken skin in body-wash, she made quick work of her time in the shower. A moment later, she was drying off her lean body and wrapping her auburn hair in a towel.

Before Alexis stepped out of the bathroom, she threw on a tank top and a pair of yoga pants. Making her way down the hall, she noticed Kip sitting on her childhood bed.

"What is it you've got there?" she asked, noticing the thick book in his hands.

"Ah, nothing." His smirk told her otherwise.

"Seriously!" She plopped down next to him on the edge of the mattress.

"Sexy Lexi?" Kip questioned, an eyebrow raised as he flipped through the Broken Branch High School yearbook from the bookshelf.

"Shut up. I was like sixteen," Alexis replied, feeling the color rise in her cheeks and attempting to snatch it out of his hands. "Besides, I'm sure you had plenty of nicknames in high school."

"Nope," he declared with a wicked grin, moving closer to her. "Besides, even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

"Hey! No fair!" She pretended to pout, watching with wide eyes as his lips moved closer to hers.

"One day, we'll be in my childhood bedroom in Texas and you can make fun of me for things written in my high school yearbook. Until then, we're on
your
turf, which means I can give you a hard time about whatever silly childhood nicknames appear in this book." Kip held up the yearbook before planting a peck on her pink mouth.

This new information surprised Alexis. "Oh? Planning on taking me home already, cowboy?" she giggled, pulling her wet hair from its terrycloth confines and tossing the towel on the floor.

"Well, why the hell not?" He smirked. "You
are
the kind of woman I'd be happy to show off."

Alexis smiled. "And impress all of those jocks in school that gave you silly nicknames?"

Kip smirked. "Maybe. Unless it turns out that I
was
one of them. Then it would just be cementing my place in the hierarchy of high school legends."

"Oh, really!" she laughed. "Then by all means, show me off all you want." 

Before they could continue their banter, Alexis's cell phone began to ring, spouting off some rock song about a "crazy bitch."

"That'd be Jen," Alexis said, rolling her eyes.

Kip roared. "Seriously? You hate your sister
that
much to give her a ringtone like
that
?"

"Let me ask you this, cowboy. Do you have any siblings?"

Kip paused a moment before answering. "Yes, I have a brother." 

"And how would you rate your relationship with your brother?"

"Point taken." Alexis could see Kip shift uncomfortably at the mention of his kin. 

"So, now you know why I chose the ringtone I did for my sister." Alexis grabbed her cell phone, turned it off, and plopped it back down on the dresser with a loud thud. Moving closer, she began to plant a trail of kisses across his jawline and neck.

"Isn't Bridezilla going to be on the rampage if you don't go help her get ready?" Kip asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Frankly, she could take over all of Japan right now and I wouldn't care," she nonchalantly replied, switching her attention to working the fly of his jeans. Expertly undoing his belt buckle and working the button, she began to slide the zipper down.

Only, Kip's hand caught her wrists, stopping her from any further action.

"Nope," he declared. "Next time either one of us does anything like that, it'll be
me
on
you
." Kissing her cheek softly, he let go of her arms and gave her a wink. "Just think of all the things I'll be doing to you tonight while you stand up at the front of that church."

Alexis sighed and nodded her head. She knew he was right. It
was
her sister's wedding day and, as a bridesmaid, she
was
obligated to go help her. "Fine, but only because you make a damn good argument," she replied, a teasing tone to her voice.

"I know I do," Kip confidently replied with a twinkle in his eyes. Reaching down, he slapped her ass playfully. "Now, go get ready. The happy couple needs us there in a bit and we don't want to keep them waiting."

***

Checking his reflection in the bathroom mirror, Kip raked his fingers through his hair and sighed. Spending the last day or so with Alexis had been absolutely magical, making him wonder if there was more to life than horses and the rodeo circuit.

Maybe Brian's got this whole thing right
, he thought to himself. M
aybe it might be a good time to find a woman and think about settling down.

Of course, he didn't want just
any
woman. He wanted Alexis.

Frankly, there'd just been something about the spark in her eye when they'd bantered back in forth at the rehearsal dinner that had caught his attention. Every single interaction and moment together past that had merely been icing on the cake.

Including the sex.

She smelled like cinnamon and vanilla and her kiss tasted like the finest wine he'd ever had. Frankly, in a short period of time, he'd fallen for her—and he'd fallen hard.

After she'd gotten almost ready for the wedding ceremony, he had dropped her and her ridiculously tacky bridesmaid's dress off to go help her sister. In the hour that had passed since, Kip had discovered that he actually missed her.

He hadn't been lying when he said he wanted to take her home to Texas to meet his family, although many of them were already at the wedding. He hadn't told Alexis—and frankly, wasn't sure how—that her soon-to-be brother in-law was really his sibling.

Despite the crazy pseudo-family-tree issues, Kip still knew he wanted something with Alexis. After all, his grandpa always said when you found the one you wanted to spend the rest of your life with, you just
know
. Now, Kip completely and totally understood his sentiment.

Putting on his suit and tie, he barely remembered he had a championship ride at the PRRA finals only a couple hours after the wedding. In fact, he'd forgotten almost entirely about the primary reason why he was in Broken Branch since meeting Alexis.

Sighing, he grabbed his gear and got it ready to go. There would be no time after the ceremony to prepare and he wouldn't even really be able to make the reception.

Before meeting Alexis, he'd been fine with that idea. Now, he couldn't wait to have her back in his arms again—enjoying every square inch of her softness and femininity—without having to worry about what state was next on his work schedule.

***

It was nearly time for the ceremony to begin, yet the bride was nowhere to be found.

"Have you seen your sister?" Carolyn Caldwell, Brian's mother, nervously asked Alexis.

"Not in a couple hours," she replied, giving the woman a wry look. "Listen, Mrs. Caldwell. Jen loves your son. I'm sure she's not going to go all runaway bride or anything." 

While guests anxiously mingled in the great hall of the church, Alexis was happy to see Kip walk in. He looked great, wearing a suit and tie along with the familiar black cowboy hat from the night before.

Waving to him from across the room, she felt her heart rate quicken.
If only there were a way to make every single person in the room disappear right now
, she earnestly thought to herself as she saw him head towards the area where the groomsmen were getting ready.

"Ah, I see you've met my oldest son!" Carolyn said with a smile, reminding Alexis that she was still standing there. "He's a wild one, but I know he'll settle down someday soon… Just like Brian."

"Wait… what?" Alexis placed her hands on her hips, turning to face the woman. "Which one is Kip?"

"The good-looking cowboy over there in the black hat. He's one of Brian's groomsmen." Carolyn smiled. "In fact, he's the whole reason why the wedding was in Broken Branch to begin with. He's competing in the finals later tonight and he talked Brian and Jen into having the wedding here so he wouldn't have to miss one or the other."

Alexis stopped listening long before Kip and Brian's mother was finished. Why hadn't Kip told her he was Brian's brother? Not that it mattered, but she probably would have censored herself when talking about his sibling and soon-to-be sister in-law.

Frowning, she decided she needed to talk directly to Kip to sort things out. Excusing herself from her conversation with Mrs. Caldwell, she crossed the chapel and headed in the direction of where Kip was. 

Before she could, she nearly bumped into one of the gossipy blondes from Jennifer's circle of friends.

"Didn't you hear? Jennifer caught Brian naked with some waitress in the reception hall's back room just before the ceremony. She called the whole thing off," the girl explained, a slight twinkle in her eyes. Alexis knew that her sister's so-called friends were really bitches waiting for each other to fall off the social ladder, so she wasn't nearly as surprised at the women's incessant gossiping as she should have been.

Good to know even Jen has her limits
, Alexis thought to herself, suppressing a smile and shaking her head instead. "Oh, that's terrible."

"I know. Isn't it?" the woman smiled. "I mean,
on their wedding day…
"

Alexis was pretty sure she didn't hear another word come out of the woman's mouth. Kip walked into the room, stealing her attention.

"Outside! Now, cowboy!" she demanded, grabbing his arm and pulling him out to the parking lot.

"Whoa. Okay," Kip agreed, following the spunky redhead outside the church.

"Were you even going to tell me?" she asked, her voice low and full of irritation. "Not that it matters or anything, but still." 

Kip shot her a concerned look before realizing what she was talking about. "Ah. So you know about Brian being my brother."

"Yes," she told him, trying to keep her irritation at bay. "Turns out he is somewhat of a dog, too."

Kip frowned. "Wouldn't be the first time the idiot has put himself in a compromising situation. He's kind of the black sheep of our family," he explained. "And how did you know he was my brother?"

"Your mom."

"Ah." Kip forced a smile. "Carolyn does like making introductions." He moved his body square with hers, placing his arm around her waist and pulling her closer. "I hope this doesn't change things between us," he said softly. "I don't want you to be mad at me for not saying anything, Lexi."

"Why would it?" Alexis asked, her temper starting to calm down. "Other than the fact that it makes me wonder what else you are hiding from me."

"There isn't anything else," he reassured her, before planting a soft kiss on her lips. Alexis's pussy began to throb, reminding her of the sudden and deep attraction she had for this man.
Her cowboy
. "Despite not telling you who my brother was, I'm still me."

Looking into his eyes, Alexis felt a sense of calmness overtake her. What seemed like a big deal a few minutes ago didn't seem so bad now.

After a moment, he planted a slow kiss on her lips, causing her to sigh. "There's something I've got to go do ton—" he started.

"Your ride tonight. That's right," she finished. As much as Alexis hated him leaving her side, she knew he had work to do.

"Will you be there?" Kip asked sweetly.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, cowboy!" Alexis replied, wrapping her arms around his neck in a sweet embrace. "After all, I have to see what all those guys in the bar last night were whispering about."

"Good," he said, kissing her one final time. "Go find your sister. I'll see you at the arena soon."

As she watched him walk away, Alexis grinned. "I guess going home for a few days was worth it, after all," she said aloud to herself.

***

After finding a sobbing Jennifer in the church back room, Alexis took the time to calm her sister down. A few mutterings of "he wasn't really worth it" and "you could totally do better than that" and she felt she'd done enough. Thankfully, people Alexis considered closer friends to Jen arrived, making it easy for her to slip out of the pity party for the jilted bride. After all, she had someplace important to be.

Alexis had just managed to change into jeans and make her way to the rodeo arena before Kip's ride. As soon as she sat down, she could see his name in bold lights on the announcement board.

Growing up in a town that had an
eat-sleep-breathe
mentality about rodeo, she already knew what saddle bronc riding entailed. Basically, Kip would be strapped to the back of a horse that hadn't been trained to accommodate a rider. He'd have to hang on until the whistle sounded. If he did, he'd be judged on how well he did as one half of his score. The other half would depend on the animal's performance, which could vary from day to day and event to event.