Sweetwater: The Kihn (The Sweet Series) (22 page)

“He’s not cutting it down,” I mumble.

She’s silent for a moment, which is unusual for Emma Rae. “What’s he gonna do then?”

“He’s... moving the fence.” I wish I didn’t have to get into this with her tonight.

Again, silence. “Why’s he doing that?”

I close my eyes. “I made him promise he wouldn’t cut it down.”

“How’d you do that?”

“Uh... Emma Rae, can we please talk about this later? I honestly don’t want to think about Lucas Santiago any more tonight.”

“He’s not cutting down a tree that might endanger his men. Instead, he’s going to the expense of moving a high-dollar fence. For you.”

I close my eyes again and sigh. “I’m going to tell him to go ahead. I understand why it has to come down.”

“Sofie.”

I recognize that tone. “Please, Emma Rae, I don’t want to think about him tonight.”

“Oh, but I bet you dream about him.” She sounds smug. “I know I do.”

I give a strangled laugh. “I don’t, and I’m going to tell Andy you’re dreaming about his boss instead of him,” I threaten, hoping she’s kidding.

“Oh, I dream about Andy too. They’re both right there doing wild and crazy things to my body.” I laugh. “Sofie, you can’t tell me you’re not dreaming about all those hot kisses.”

“What?”

Another silence comes from her. “Sofie, hasn’t Lucas kissed you?”

Now I’m silent. “No,” I finally answer, wary of her response.

“You’re kidding,” she states flatly.

“No.”

“So, what were you doing in his office tonight?”

“I told you.”

She huffs. “Unbelievable! You have the hottest guy I’ve ever seen totally into you, and you’re giving him back-off vibes.”

“No, I’m not.”
Was that why he didn’t kiss me earlier?

“I know you, Sofie Reece. You’re afraid to let yourself fall for him.”

“No, I’m not! I mean... I told you, Emma Rae, I don’t trust him.”

“He appears a whole hell of a lot more trustworthy than Nick.”

“Yes, and we all know how that went,” I reply right back.

“You won’t even give him a chance,” she says. “You keep slamming the door in his face.”

“Emma Rae, you don’t know everything,” I assure her.

“No, I don’t. You’re right. But if I were in your shoes, I’d have already had my way with him.” At my exasperated sigh, she continues. “I know you go slower and are more cautious than I am, but you have to give him a chance. I’ve seen the way you watch him—Sofie, you are as gone on this man as he is on you. Stop—” she pauses “—stop being afraid to love. Stop being afraid that if you give someone your heart—they’ll leave you,” she expresses gently.

“You... you think that’s what I’m doing?”
Am I afraid to love?

“Yeah, honey, I do.”

I take a deep breath. “Well, that—sucks.”

She laughs. “There’s hope for you yet.”

“Diane too?” I ask.

“Yeah, she thinks the same thing.”

I knew I wasn’t imagining the looks passing between them. “The man is full of himself,” I tell her.

“The man is hot,” she responds.

“He’s aggravating.”

“He’s hot!”

“He has a temper.”

“Of course he does. He’s hot!” I laugh. “Well, I’d better let you go so we can both get some sleep and dream about these hot men. All this training is tuckerin’ me out,” she confesses with a yawn. “Goodnight.”

“Night. Emma Rae?” I say before she can hang up.

“Yeah?”

“I’m going to a party in Springfield on Saturday night with Lucas.”

“What?” she exclaims.

“Niiight.” I’m smiling as I hang up. She calls right back, but I don’t answer. I snuggle down into my bed, and I think I’m asleep before my head hits the pillow.

The next day, work is busy and the day flies by. Bobbi is there. Murphy didn’t fire her, but he has her working the grocery side, keeping us apart. I’m glad he didn’t fire her. I know she needs her job.

At the training sessions, that night and the next, Lucas is a no show.

When we arrive at the arena Friday night, everyone is in high spirits in
anticipation of the weekend off. Lucas is absent. Again.

I start to worry maybe he’s changed his mind about me going with him the next night. I hope he’d let me know and not just stand me up. The prospect of Lucas not showing is more painful than I want to admit. We sail through the night’s training, and afterward, Diane, Emma Rae, and I decide to hang for a while at the Shotgun Shack while the guys play poker. Diane drops me off around twelve thirty, and as I get out of her car, a couple of Lucas’ men make their presence known.

I wash my face before crawling into bed. I’ve just gotten the covers situated
when the phone rings. I have a hunch it’s Sawyer again. “Yeeees,” I drawl.

“I didn’t ask the question yet,” a deep voice croons in my ear.

“Lucas,” I gasp. How can he make me feel his voice even over the phone?

“What are you doing?”

“Um... it’s one in the morning. I’m in bed.”

“Hmmm.” I bite my lip in reaction. “What are you wearing?” he asks.

My breath comes out in a rush of air, and my stomach gives a lurch. “That’s... none of your business.” I try to keep my breathing under control, even if I can’t control my heart rate.

“Whatever you sleep in, it can’t be anywhere near as sexy as my T-shirt.”

I almost moan thinking about being in his bed—in his arms. I grab my extra pillow and pull it up against my front, giving me something to hold on to. His laugh is low and seductive. I close my eyes and bite the pillow. We are both quiet for a moment.

“What are you calling for?” I ask, proud my voice sounds normal.

“I haven’t seen you in three days. I wanted to… touch base with you about tomorrow night.” So, he isn’t going to stand me up after all. I feel annoyed at my relief. “I’m not going to let you break our date,” he warns.

“It’s... not a date,” I reply, almost wishing it were. I wonder what a date with Lucas Santiago would be like. I bite my lip. Hard.

“That’s right. You made that stipulation, didn’t you?” His voice sounds peculiar. I don’t know what to say. “Tell me a secret,” he demands, his voice soft.

“What?” I’m not sure I heard him correctly.

“Tell me a secret,” he repeats.

“I’m not telling you a secret.”

“Why?”

“Because.”
Because I don’t think I trust you. Because I saw something in your eyes one night that frightens me.

“You can’t think of a good reason, can you?” he accuses, his voice smug.

“You are so cocky,” I declare.

His laugh is low, making me shiver. “I trust you. Don’t you trust me?”

I softly snort. “You’re making fun of me now.”

“Sofie, I am not making fun of you.” He sounds sincere. “You don’t trust me, do you?”

I move my spare pillow back behind my shoulders. “Did... did you call to start a fight?”

“You call this fighting?” He sounds amused.

I ask, with a catch in my heart, “Are you hoping I’ll get angry and refuse to go tomorrow night?”

There’s a long silence. “There is no way—you are
not
going with me tomorrow night, my sweet.” His voice holds a dark calm.

My heart lurches when he calls me
my sweet
. I relax at his words. I honestly do want to go with him.

“But I still want to know—do you trust me?”
His voice is so damned erotic!

I start to say no, but then I think about how safe I felt when he held me as I slept the night I stayed with him. I remember how he cared for me when Cal knocked me unconscious. The idea of him touching me inappropriately hadn’t even occurred to me until Diane put that notion in my head. When he came to rescue me from Nick, I recall how happy I was to see him.

The silence is p
alpable. “I think so. About some things,” I answer honestly.

“About some things.” His chuckle is rich and deep and gives me goose bumps. “Well,” he says, “I’ll have to work on that, won’t I?” I feel an unexpected pleasure at his words. “Unfortunately, I’ll be gone most of tomorrow or I’d take you out to dinner. But knowing Maryanne, there will be hors d’oeuvres.”

“That’s okay,” I say, wondering who Maryanne is.

“Sofie—I think tomorrow night, we won’t use your real name.”

“Why?” I sit up straighter.

“If it were only Walter and Maryanne…” He pauses. “There may be people at this party I don’t know, and I think it’s for the best. I don’t want anyone looking for you later.”

Well, since I don’t either, I’ll just have to go along with him on this. “Why do you think someone would be interested in finding me?”

He doesn’t immediately answer. “Let’s just play it safe.”

I can do that
. “Okay.”

“We need a name, easy to remember. What’s your middle name?” he asks.

“You’re going to call me Walker?” My voice chokes.

“Your middle name is Walker?” He laughs. “Sofia Walker Reece. Has a good ring to it,” he says, clearly amused.

“What’s your middle name?” I ask.

It’s his turn to choke. “Which one?” He laughs.

“You have two middle names?” When he doesn’t say anything, I ask, “What is your full name?” He’s silent, but I think I hear a faint chuckle. “I’ll just ask Max,” I tease.

“He’ll tell
you
,” he says wryly.

I wonder what he means by that. “Come on, I told you mine, and I don’t think even Emma Rae knows it.”

“You told me a secret,” he says, making a low growl sound in his throat that causes a reaction deep in my belly, and I gasp softly. His seductive laugh is full of dark promises. I’m pretty sure he knows exactly what he does to me. “Are you still with me, my sweet?”

“I’m… just waiting for you to give it up.” He gives a startled laugh.
Geez!
I say quickly, “Your name!”

He chuckles. “I know you’re blushing that glorious color.” He clears his throat. “Lucas Alajandro Alarico Basilio Santiago,” he says with an accent.

“You’re kidding... right?”

He laughs. “I’m afraid not.”

“And I believed my parents cruel for giving me Walker as a
middle name.”

“Ah—but my names were bestowed upon me with great honor,” he informs me with humor. “A long line of ancestors proudly entrusted me with their names.”

I have a sudden, uncomfortable suspicion. He is clearly rich. Does it go beyond that? “You’re not some kind of royalty or big shot from—where are you from?”

His laugh sounds a bit off. “From Spain—originally. I’d better let you get some rest,” he says abruptly. “I may keep you out late tomorrow.” I yawn, and he chuckles. “I’ll see you soon, my sweet,” he says in his beautiful voice, filling me with a longing I don’t understand.

“Goodnight.” I smile. Pillow talk with Lucas Santiago is fun.

I wake around noon. Sleeping in after the long week I’ve had feels good. Now that I’m awake, I’m eager to start my day.

Diane is coming over to help me with my makeup and hair around five, and I want to take a long, leisurely bath, pampering myself as part of getting ready. I know it isn’t a date, but I’ve never looked more forward to a night out. Lucas told me they’d have hors d’oeuvres and drinks, but I plan t
o eat a light meal before I go so I won’t have to worry about dropping food on my dress.

The afternoon flies by, and in no time at all, I’ve finished my bath. I slip into my nude strapless bra and panties. I love the pretty lingerie as much as my new dress. I wrap my robe about me while I finish getting ready. Diane applies my makeup with a light touch. She pulls my hair into a loose ponytail and twists it into a bun. She leaves part of my bangs down, and it looks really good. She helps me with my dress, and I’m ready. I’ve borrowed a black dressy coat from Lucy that goes perfectly with the dress.

At seven sharp, I watch Lucas get out of a shiny, new, black Camaro. It’s sleek and sexy, just like him. He’s wearing black slacks, a snow-white shirt with the top two buttons undone, and a dark jacket. He looks—yummy. The stubble of black whiskers along his jawline adds to his dark, sexy look. He truly is lethal.

I stand in the open doorway, unable to look away. His eyebrow lifts, and one side of his mouth tilts up. He
told
me to wear black and leave my hair down. I’ve done just the opposite. What does that tell you about me? As he steps onto the porch, his gaze moves over me. There’s so much heat in that look, I gulp.

“What?” I ask as I step back. I reach for my bag and coat. “Oh!” My voice imitates dismayed surprise. “You said little black dress, didn’t you? I could have sworn you said little black bag!” I hold up my black clutch.

He steps closer, and I draw in a sharp breath. Taller than usual in my four-inch heels, I’m closer to his mouth. It’s unnerving.

He reaches out and tips my chin up. He has a wickedly amused expression.

“I don’t believe for one moment you misunderstood me, but the way you look… I won’t be able to leave you alone for one minute tonight.” I raise my eyebrow in question, unsure what he means. He leans in, his nose close to my ear, and breathes in deeply, pulling me into his magic, turning my senses upside down. I sway toward him. “The other men at the party won’t be able to stay away from you. I’ll have to stay at your side to keep them away, and—” He looks down into my upturned face.

“Yes?” I breathe.

“I won’t be able to stay away myself.” He leans even closer.

“Oh.”

He’s going to kiss me, and I have a moment’s panic when I realize this is it. I’ll never be the same after. He hesitates and then steps back.

Wait! I want my kiss!

He takes my coat, holding it for me. His gaze is mocking as I slip it on.

Why doesn’t he kiss me?

He opens the front door. “After you, my sweet.” A note of something unfamiliar tints his voice.

As Lucas backs the Camaro out of the driveway, he presses a button and music surrounds us. I don’t recognize the song, but I like it. I glance around the car. “This is nice,” I say. “I didn’t know you owned a sports car.”

“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me,” he replies, his voice distant.

I glance at him quickly, unsure about his tone. Well—
hell!
Is he mad because I didn’t dress the way he told me? Is that why he didn’t kiss me? I don’t want him mad at me, but he needs to understand I’m not one of his men he can order to do as he bids. We drive in silence for a while, lost in our own thoughts.

Nervous over his quietness, I ask, “Where has Taylor been?”

“I sent him with Nick.”

“Oh.”

“Do you miss him?
” Lucas glances my way.

“Taylor?”

“No—Nick.”

“Oh, um...” I’m not sure how to explain what I feel about Nick. Well, actually, I feel nothing. “Not really. I don’t think about him. I know they say you never forget your first, but—” I glance at Lucas, and he gives me a quick look. Something in his expression makes me feel embarrassed. I just admitted Nick was my first and only boyfriend.