Lone Star Burn: Love On Tap (Kindle Worlds Novella) (7 page)

Gray glanced at his second slice of French toast and decided,
When in Rome.
“I feel slighted. Where’s my smiley face? You can hold the peanut butter.”

“Coming right up!” Jennie wished she was able to kiss him for his beautiful gesture, and was thrilled they ate the six pieces of toast she’d made.

“Matt, the bus will be here in ten minutes and you still have to brush your teeth. Before you go, how about thanking Jennie for a great breakfast?”

“I don’t want a thank-you, I want a hug.” Jennie helped herself to a small squeeze and whispered in his ear, “Do you want me to feed Tiger?”

He nodded and smiled before running into the bathroom.

Gray stood up and slipped his arms around her. “I want a hug, too. Is there something going on with Matt that I should know about?”

“Nope! If he wants you to know, he’ll tell you himself.” Jennie stepped closer and his arms tightened. “Will you be home for dinner?”

“That sounds very domestic. I should be home by five. I’m making quite a few changes in my life, and spending more time with Matt is one of them. I just realized you don’t have my cell. It’s written on a sheet next to the house phone. Call if you have any problems.”

“I’m not use to being housebound, so I’m going to need a set of wheels.” She wasn’t about to confess she’d played snoop and knew about the cars in the barn.

“I hadn’t thought of that. Wait here.”

Jennie had just finished loading the dishwasher when Gray returned and held out a set of keys.

“My Maserati is in the barn.”

“Why do you drive a three-year-old truck when you have a Maserati?” It wasn’t like she wasn’t accustomed to driving expense cars. At home, she drove her brother’s Aston Martin.

“It’s from a lifetime ago, and driving one around here would make me stick out like a sore thumb. I run it every week, so you shouldn’t have any problems. There’s a second car. A red Mustang that belonged to my sister when she was a teenager. I had it fully restored and am saving it for Mathew when he’s old enough to drive.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you. I owe you a second apology. You really do know what is going on in Matt’s life. I jumped the gun.”

“Let’s just say you’re pointing me in a better direction.”

Matt came running into the kitchen with a backpack. He wore a lightweight jacket over his jeans and t-shirt. “I remembered my soccer gear.”

“Here’s your lunch,” Jennie said, and held out the thermal bag that she’d found in the freezer. “Have a good day at school.”

“I’ll wait with Matt till the bus comes and then I’m going to work. If you have any problems, call me.”

“’Bye,” she said, and returned his flirty wink.

By three-thirty, she’d done their wash, made the beds, vacuumed, and ordered the stuff for the party and more clothes for herself. The market had delivered her food order and she put everything away in the refrigerator and pantry. Tonight’s dinner would be spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, and salad. Dessert would be ice cream. If Mathew was hungry when he got home from school, he could have fruit, yogurt, or a few chocolate chip cookies she’d just taken out of the oven. She was also exhausted.

She’d just sat down to have a cup of tea when her brother called.

“Hey,” she said. “How’s married life?”

“I didn’t know a person could be this happy. How’s your trip going?”

“Great. I’m staying with a friend in Texas, but I need a favor. I can’t go into a long explanation, but I’m going to ask you to do something that probably isn’t ethical, since you work on the side of law and order.”

“Stop beating around the bush and tell me what you want me to do. I won’t get in trouble.”

“I need you to wave your magic forensic accountant wand and look into the financial background of Dottie Dimple, the caseworker who’s overseeing an adoption for a friend of mine.”

“You’re kidding. Right?”

The chuckle in her brother’s voice made her smile. “It’s for real. I’m not going to give you my friend’s name, to protect his privacy. It’s taking a lot longer than necessary, and I think she’s taking bribes to stop the adoption. Large deposits should be obvious. I can be way off-base, but I’m going with my gut.”

“I know how to do my job, Jennie. I’ll get on it tonight. When can we expect you? The house is ready whenever you get here. Nothing like having my sister as our next-door neighbor.”

“I should be there in about two weeks.” A pang of regret seeped into Jennie’s heart. No, she had another life beyond Fort Mavis.

At four-twenty-five, she decided to walk to the end of the driveway and wait for the school bus. The late afternoon sun was warm and the sky was a cloudless blue. She wore her white shorts and a tank top, and had gathered her hair into a ponytail. There were a few one-story homes on the two-lane country road that bordered horse farms. Tomorrow her new sneakers would be delivered and she could get back to her morning run.

Several cars slowed when they passed Gray’s house, and she offered a friendly wave. The warm, welcome feeling died when she spotted a familiar motorcycle slowly cruising past the house. He was dressed in black leather, rode without a safety helmet, and a large decal of a skull and crossbones covered the back of his jacket. He turned around and stopped his cycle directly in front of her.

“Well, if it ain’t Malibu Barbie,” he sneered, and let his eyes move up and down her bared legs. “Moved in with the rich bastard. Did he offer to replace your clothes if you take care of his itch?”

“You have a filthy mind and owe me four thousand dollars’ worth of clothes, you bastard!”

“I’d like to see you prove it.”

Jennie spotted the yellow school bus coming down the road. “Get out of here, you worthless piece of shit.”

Burt, too, spotted the bus. “That ain’t nice talk, especially around a kid. I meant what I said. I’m not done with you, bitch.”

Revenge was going to be very sweet. He’d be spreading the word that a woman of questionable character was warming Wolff’s bed right under the nose of his very young nephew, and corrupting his morals. He would also be calling child services.

Chapter 5

She waited until after Mathew had gone to bed before she told Grayson about their surprise visitor. They were sitting on the couch in the great room, and Grayson had spread out some of the paperwork he’d need for his meeting the following day.

“That bastard! Showing up here and threatening you. Tomorrow, I’m going to call the sheriff and let him know Burt paid a visit to my home. Technically that’s harassment, and I’m going to file a complaint against him. We know he trashed your clothes and slashed your tires, but we don’t have any proof.”

“I’m not afraid of Burt. He still pisses me off.”

“You don’t have to worry about being here alone for the next couple of days. Tomorrow morning, Larry and Boomer and a couple of their friends will be here to dismantle the furniture in the other guest bedroom and are carting it off to Goodwill. I ordered a desk, a couple of chairs, and some top-of-the-line office equipment. Everything should be delivered and set up the day after tomorrow. Thursday the cable company will be here to install additional wiring for my new office.”

“When you make up your mind to do something, you don’t waste time.”

“That all depends on how you look at it. I’ve got a beautiful woman sitting next to me and time is my enemy. You’ve only been here two days and it feels like I’ve known you forever. Dinner was perfect. Mathew said they were the best meatballs he’d ever eaten, and you make great cookies. He didn’t give me the usual hassle going to bed, and he told me about Tiger.”

“I’m glad. Did you ask him why he didn’t want to tell you about his pet?”

“He found a little kitten when he was in foster care and they told him he couldn’t keep it. Matt was afraid I would tell him he couldn’t keep Tiger.” A band of grief gripped Gray’s chest, so much he found it difficult to breathe. “When he told me that, I wanted to cry and lash out at the people who made him get rid of the kitten. I understand rule are rules, but shit, Jennie. My heart breaks for that kid. I told him he could bring Tiger into the house, and we’ll take him to the vet to get checked out.” Gray wiped the stray tear that did escape his eye. He offered a tense smile. “You’ve changed so much in such a short time.”

Jennie sniffed back her own tears. “Gray, I love being here with you and Mathew, but it isn’t real.” Jennie got up from the couch, took the papers from his hand, and lowered herself to his lap. She took his face in her hands and looked deep into his eyes that had just shed a tear of love. “It’s like we’re playing house inside these walls, but reality is out there. You and I have different lives, different goals. You are personally making strides to change your life and give Matt a happy home.”

It took everything to resist the hopeful expression on his beautiful face. “Please don’t ask me to stay, because I can’t.”

“And she reads minds, too, so you know what I want to do next.” He took her by the shoulders, slowly lowered her against the cushions, and propped one of the pillows under her head. “Do you think it would be safe if I made love to you a little bit?”

Jennie reached for the back of his head and removed the leather band from his hair. A rich black cape swept his shoulders. “No woman is safe around you, my gray wolf.”

“So now I’m your gray wolf? I like that.”

“For a little while.” Her fingers slipped into his hair on either side of his head and drew his mouth down to hers, and she captured all of his wild, untamed strength. There was something about her wolf that made her shed all moral restraint. She gripped his head and encouraged him to strengthen the pressure on her lips. She never wanted this kiss to end.

Gray had never experienced instant fire, but the first contact with her delectable mouth fed his seething need for this woman who was rocking his world. He plunged his tongue into her mouth to explore and indulge in her sweet taste. When it got difficult to breathe, he reluctantly released her mouth. But he wanted more.

“I need to see your girls,” he rasped, and searched for the edge of her shirt and drew it up to expose a black lacy demi-bra. The moment he undid the front clasp, they sprang free in invitation and he cupped each one. “Beautiful,” he said, and put his lips to one hard nub to suckle and savor while he massaged and committed to memory the warm silkiness of the other with his fingers.

She ran her fingers through his black mane while he gently suckled at her breasts. The burning ache between her legs had never been so powerful. They were playing with fire, because they couldn’t take things any further, not with Mathew just down the hall. But it was too good, too soon, to end their beautiful moment.

Jennie shifted her legs, encouraging him to stretch out full-length atop her. She could feel his throbbing heat right through their clothes. He wasn’t the only one who wanted to play, and she reached for the button on his jeans. The elastic band on his shorts offered slight resistance, and her fingers slipped beyond to find the dragon that was long, hot, and so very hard.

He groaned, seeking the tightness of the hand that closed around him. His lips and tongue entrapped her hard nipple in his mouth. He needed to appease his overwhelming need for his sweet Jennie. When the pad of her thumb explored the very swollen nub, he jerked in response, but sought more and pressed against her magic finger, which was making his need for her spiral out of control. “What are you doing?”

“Playing with fire.” She moved her hand lower and explored a little more. “Your boys are right and tight. You feel so wonderful,” she whispered before running the tip of her tongue along the edge of his ear. “I’m dying here and don’t know how to put out the forest fire burning between my legs.”

“You’re killing me, too, Barbie,” he warned, and reluctantly pulled her hand out from his jeans, but he was far from done. “There’s more than one way to do this. Hold on, baby. We’re going for a ride.”

He centered himself so their heat was perfectly aligned. He braced his arms on either side of Jennie, threw his head back like a stallion preparing to mount his mate, and thrust once, twice until she got his unspoken message. When her legs wrapped around his hips, he increased his speed and thrust harder and harder with a driving force, trying to reach her core, needing to bring them both to fulfillment.

Jennie wrapped her arms around his shoulders and braced for the ride of a lifetime. She’d never felt or experienced anything like it. The rough denim acted like a catalyst against their sensitive flesh, and fed the scalding fire in their bodies. The more he moved the wetter she got, but the pleasure built and built. The final onslaught of her climax gripped her body, and stars danced before eyes. She gasped, couldn’t breathe, and put her mouth to his shoulder to expel a silent scream when the tremors that gripped her body reached their peak.

Gray exploded at the same time he felt Jennie shudder and sink her teeth into his shoulder. He took deep breaths until he gradually slowed his heart rate. When she lowered her legs, he rolled to the side and drew Jennie close so that they lay face to face, sharing the pillow. He brushed the hair off her damp forehead and kissed her lightly. “This is not the way I wanted to make love to you, but I couldn’t stop.”