CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Hurtling down the road at speeds he never drove at home, Kieran surrendered to the restless fire that had taunted him since he was a lad. He’d kept it hidden, especially from Granny.
Sara, with her flame-red hair and her willing body, coaxed the fire out of hiding. It licked through his veins, demanding the thing he shouldn’t want…. freedom to do as he pleased.
If the problems magically disappeared.Oh, he could make them disappear. His mother had. She’d broken three hearts — Granny’s, Grandpa’s and his. Lucky’s, too, come to think of it.
He wouldn’t follow her lead. But pushing that little white vehicle to its limits gave him a dangerous taste of reckless abandon. And he liked it.
Once he turned onto the unpaved ranch road, he drove that stretch the way Lucky had, minding the ruts and watching for animals. Did Lucky have the fire in him, too? Maybe he’d ask. Or maybe he’d let it be.
“You looked like you were having fun.”
“I was, yeah, but not as much as I will in a few minutes.” His blood was hot, his jeans uncomfortable. “Would you be wearing underwear today?”
She laughed. “Yes.I always do. Last night was?—”
“A surprise for me.”
“Exactly. But since you’ve mentioned it, I’ll take off my bra while we’re driving, if that would make you happy.”
“It’ll make me go in a ditch.”
“Then never mind.” She took off his hat and laid it on the dash. Then she shook out her hair and ran her fingers through it.
Now that they’d blown out the chemical stink, he could smell the scent of her hair, a lemony one he remembered from the night before. It was stronger today. “Did you just wash your hair?”
“This morning, and now it has a mind of its own. “
“Smells good.” He itched to get his fingers in those silky strands.
“Thanks. Hey, when we get there, don’t do the cowboy thing and come around to let me out. It’ll be faster if I get myself out.”
“Okay. Fast is good.”
Her chuckle was low and sexy. “Impatient, are we?”
“Driving like an eejit stirred me up.”
“Stirred me up, too, and I wasn’t the one at the wheel.”
He sucked in a breath. “Good thing we’re almost there.” His pulse rate jumped as the turnoff came into view. What if Rance had come home for some reason? He said a prayer of thanks when the parking area turned out to be empty.
Sara unlatched her belt before he’d shut off the engine, and the minute he did she was out the door. “Meet you in there!”
In his haste to unfasten his belt he managed to jam it so the bleedin’ thing wouldn’t open. He was ready to wrench it from its moorings when it finally snapped free. Grabbing his hat, he lunged out of the car and banged his knee on the door. He slammed it shut so hard the wee vehicle shuddered.
Sending it a silent apology, he jogged to the steps and took them two at a time. She’d left the door open.
Her top lay on the closest end of the pool table and her bra dangled over the far end. A thump from the bedroom was followed by another — her boots hitting the hardwood. His vivid memory from last night sent an urgent message to his groin.
Closing the door, he left his hat on the rack next to it and began unbuttoning his shirt as he lengthened his stride. Sunlight streamed through windows left open on a clear day. The scent of pine mingled with the faint tang of woodsmoke from the hearth. Birds fluttered and chirped in the trees outside.
This.The visceral need for Sara pounded through his body, a primitive drumbeat that wouldn’t be denied. But he wanted more.
He craved all of it — the cabin in the woods, the majestic mountains defining the horizon, his brother and the big loving family scattered over this vibrant landscape, the freedom to make love in the middle of the day to the woman of his dreams.
When he walked into the bedroom, she’d just stepped out of her jeans. Still holding them, she turned to him with a smile. “There you are. I thought I’d lost you.”
