Trouble In Dixie (8 page)

"Daddy!" Dixie squealed and ran over to
throwing her arms around his neck. He hugged her, but his eyes
never left Katie's.

He was tense, and his eyes were wary, but
hopeful too. He swallowed a couple of times then he said,
"Katie..."

"Tommy," she said then walked into the
kitchen and over to the breakfast bar. "You guys need any
help?"

"Nah, we've got it under control," Cassie
told her and looked up from the big pot of sauce on the stove,
which she was stirring with a huge wooden spoon. "Get yourself a
glass of wine from the fridge, and relax," she said.

Wine sounded like a great idea to Katie, but
she knew it was going to take a lot more than that to relax her,
with Tommy Tucker here. If she'd know he was going to be here for
supper, she'd have delayed her arrival until later tonight, or
tomorrow.

Bending over, Katie reached into the fridge
and grabbed the bottle of chardonnay, then removed the cork and
filled the glass she'd set on the counter, then said to no one in
particular, "Since ya'll don't need help, I think I'm going to take
my wine out on the porch, if that's okay?"

Tommy's heated eyes had been following her
around the room, and it was making the hair on the back of her neck
stand up. She needed some space from the handsome cowboy to get
herself under control.

"Sure, that's fine, I'll call you when
everything is ready," Cassie told her with a soft smile.

CHAPTER FOUR

Katie hurried from the kitchen and quickly
made her way out to the porch swing. She huffed out a breath then
sat on the porch swing and started a steady rhythm with her foot.
The sun was setting and the air had cooled, so it was a perfect
time to sit out here alone and think. By the time she half-emptied
her wine glass, her nerves had settled a little. They edged back up
though, when the front door opened and closed softly, and looked up
to see Tommy standing there.

His eyes were shuttered, and his jaw
clenched when he asked, "Can I sit with you for a minute?" It was
like he expected her to turn him down, but he was asking
anyway.

Since the wine had loosened her up a little,
and her anger from earlier today had dissipated some, Katie thought
she'd surprise him, and said, "Sure, sit if you want," then put her
boot down to stop the swing.

His eyebrows raised, and his jaw relaxed a
little, then he walked in his loose-limbed way and sat down beside
her, then leaned back and pushed with his feet. He had a glass of
wine in his hand too.

"Thanks..." he said with a soft smile, and
the rumble of his deep voice vibrated inside her head and floated
along her nerve endings.

"It's not my house, you can sit anywhere you
like," she told him shortly, then took another swig of her wine,
determined not to look at him. She knew if she did, she'd want to
kiss him, then if she kissed him...enough of that, she thought and
emptied her glass.

"Thank you for spending time with
Dixie...for talking to her," he said then took a sip of his wine
too.

"No problem, we worked things out..." she
told him, watching the sun set behind the trees, looking like a big
melted orange popsicle.

He huffed out a frustrated breath, then
said, "She told me she lied...that surprised me."

"Shouldn't surprise you, she's a good kid,
she just needs a little guidance," Katie told him then looked his
way against her will. His hazel eyes were almost emerald in the
waning light, and they were fixed on her. She swallowed and looked
away quickly.

He reached over and grabbed the hand she had
resting on her thigh, and laced his fingers through hers. "Kate,
look at me..." he said in a low sensual tone.

"I can't, Tommy...I need to go inside," she
said in a choked voice, and pulled her hand from his, then went to
stand up. With a yank he had her in his lap, and his arms were
around her. He rubbed his nose in her hair and she heard him inhale
deeply.

"My god, you smell so damned good, I just
want to lick you everywhere...I want you so fucking bad, I hurt
with it," he admitted in a low, gravelly voice full of need.

"But you can't...or won't," she said in a
soft whisper, and turned her face toward him.

Tommy groaned and told her, "But I want
to...so damned bad," then his lips brushed hers softly a few times,
before he closed his mouth over hers in a scorching kiss. Even
though her brain told her to get up and remove herself from this
situation, her body wouldn't let her. Instead, she scooted up in
his lap, and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him with the
pent up passion, she'd been holding inside for months, giving him a
taste of how good things could be, if he'd just let go.

His hand moved up her side to just below her
breast and he cupped her, then ran a thumb over her nipple and she
moaned into his mouth. Her breathing was short and shallow and her
heart rose and dove in her chest like a car on a roller coaster.
Electric sparks of desire zinged along her spine down to her
center, as he pushed his tongue into her mouth and teased and
tempted hers to play.

She nibbled his lower lip and he groaned
then pulled her tighter to him. She felt his steely erection
pressing into her hip, and she wanted nothing more than to straddle
him and try to find some relief from the buzzing at the apex of her
thighs. He ran his thumb over her nipple again, and she couldn't
bear it anymore, "Tommy...please," she whispered in a desperate
voice.

He pulled back then put his forehead to
hers, his breathing more unsteady than her own. "I'm staying at the
bed and breakfast outside of town...Dixie is staying with your
sister," his voice was low and needy. "We can't let anyone know
though," he told her with a moan, and shut his eyes.

"I'll tell Karlie I'm staying here, then
come out there. If I ride my bike, nobody will know," she assured
him, with hope blossoming in her chest. It was finally going to
happen, she was going to make love with him.

"No! I don't want you on that bike, it's
dangerous...especially at night," he told her and his eyes
glittered with fear.

She snorted, then told him, "Well I'm sure
not going to walk, and they'll know if my truck is gone all
night...I'll ride my bike, I'll be careful, I promise."

"You weren't careful earlier today, you
about wiped out coming into that trailer park," he said seriously.
"My heart almost stopped."

She put her hand on his cheek and ordered,
"Stop worrying, I'll be fine...and you better not change your
mind..."

"Not a chance, sweetheart...I need you too
badly," he said then kissed her again tenderly.

Katie slid off his lap and stood, then
squeezed his hand, "Good...I'll see you tonight then, as soon as I
can get away. Now, I'm starved, let's go eat," she said with a wide
smile.

He walked up to her in the darkness and
pulled her to him, then rubbed his hips against hers. Katie moaned
and slid her arms around his waist and tiptoed to put another kiss
on his lips. "You feel so damned good, sugar...I don't know if I
can wait," she whispered over his lips, then licked them, and
kissed each corner of his mouth.

Tommy growled low in his throat, then
covered her mouth with his and devoured it, sucking her lower lip,
licking her top, then he found her tongue and teased it with his,
until she was panting and squirming against him. She whispered
frantically, "Hay loft...I saw one in the barn," then grabbed his
hand and tugged.

"Whoa, sugar...they'll be looking for us for
supper...we should wait," he said with a chuckle, then pulled her
back against him and kissed her neck, then whispered by her ear,
"Someone's out in the bunkhouse anyway, and I don't know about you,
but I'm gonna be making some noise."

Katie huffed out a frustrated breath, then
dropped her chin to her chest and nodded. "Let's go eat, then," she
said then pulled out of his arms and walked to the door.

So much for spontaneity, she thought, and a
little spark of anger fired in her chest. She was going to be his
dirty little secret, and she was going to accept that role. It
didn't make sense, with her new found assertiveness, but she'd take
what she could get with this man. She wanted him too badly. When it
didn't work for her anymore, she'd tell him, and move on.

He followed her inside the house to the
kitchen, and all eyes turned to them when they walked into the
room.

"Wondered where ya'll got off to, I was just
about to come and find you," Karlie said with a grin and
mischievous sparkle in her blue eyes.

"We were just sitting on the porch talking,"
Tommy said a little too quickly, which made Karlie's grin widen.
Katie knew her sister, and knew Karlie was teasing them to get a
rise, and Tommy was falling right into her snare.

"Need help setting the table, Cassie? Or
fixing drinks?" she offered and walked right past her sister
without saying a word.

"You can help make ice tea for everyone.
It's in the fridge, glasses are there," she said and pointed to a
cabinet next to the sink.

"Where's Gabe, Karlie?" she asked to put her
sister off the scent.

"He had to work tonight...think some cattle
got loose, and he drew the short straw," she said with a
chuckle.

"Oh, I know he loves those calls, right?"
Katie teased. "Didn't you tell me about an escaped emu or something
one time?"

Karlie shook her head and hooted, "Yeah, he
was covered from head to toe in mud...took him forever to catch the
thing, and he said that place stunk to high heaven."

Luke piped up and said, "Yeah, Cole had a
chicken rodeo one night, when a hauler overturned on the highway,"
then he belly laughed.

Katie gave Tommy a small satisfied smile,
when the conversation darted off in that direction, and they were
effectively off the hook. She saw his shoulders relax as he joined
in the conversation, while they served up dinner, then ate. She
looked over at Dixie who was nodding off intermittently between
bites, and she nodded her head in that direction, when Tommy
glanced her way.

"Dixie, you ready for bed, sugar?" he asked
with a grin. "You're not gonna look real pretty wearing that
spaghetti."

She yawned then rubbed her eyes, then
admitted, "Yeah, I'm sleepy, daddy."

Karlie got up and grabbed Dixie's plate and
then her own, and took them too the sink to scrape them the
disposal. She cast a glance at Katie and asked, "I guess we'll be
going, because I'm pretty tired too...Katie you coming to the
house?"

Katie glanced at Tommy out of the corner of
her eye and saw him stiffen, then replied nonchalantly, "I'm not
sure yet, I'll call you in a little while. I might sleep in the
camper, or maybe here if Cassie and Luke have room."

"Okay then, just let me know," Karlie told
her then walked up beside Dixie and asked, "You ready, for our
slumber party squirt?"

Dixie's eyes widened a little with
excitement, then drooped again, "I'm probably too tired tonight,
Karlie...maybe tomorrow night?" she asked hopefully.

"You got it...let's get out of here, Gabe
might be home by now," she said then walked over and gave Katie a
kiss on her cheek, "Night, sis...let me know if you need a place to
crash...our couch is short, but decently comfortable."

"She can stay here, we have room," Cassie
told her, then gently took a sleeping Bella from Luke's arms.

"Ya'll work it out then, I'm too tired to
think. Let's go, Dix..." Karlie said then helped the sleepy little
girl to her feet. "Night, and thanks for supper."

"You're welcome...ya'll be careful going
home," Luke told her and then walked them to the door.

"Night, everyone..." Cassie said then told
them, "Bella and I are going upstairs. Just grab a room if you
want, Katie. The first one on the right is empty."

"Thanks, Cassie," she said knowing full well
she wasn't going to be sleeping there tonight. "I'm going to clean
the kitchen up, you go ahead."

"You don't have to do that, I'll do it in
the morning..." she said with a yawn.

"Go! I'm handling it," Katie told her, then
shooed her toward the stairs.

Soon, it was only her and Tommy standing in
the kitchen and he looked at her nervously. "You sure about this,
sugar?" he asked sounding unsure himself.

Katie pinned him with her eyes and asked
angrily, "You backing out on me Tommy Tucker?"

He held up his hands and his face flushed,
"No way...I'm just giving you a chance to change your mind."

"If I changed my mind, you'd know it," she
said sassily then added, "Get the hell out of here, and I'll be
there shortly."

He chuckled then told her, "Yes ma'am...I'll
see you in a little bit," then kissed her cheek and hugged her for
a minute, before saying with a groan, "Damn, you feel good..."

"We're not gonna make it out of this
kitchen, if you don't get away from me...that breakfast bar is
looking awfully good," she murmured in a low voice.