Chapter 19

Killian slept little, and he knew it was more than just a strange bed. Hell, he’d slept in line shacks and on the ground in a bedroll. No, it was the image blasting into his brain every time he closed his eyes. The image of a sexy, tempting blonde with curls he wanted to run his fingers through and hazel eyes with intriguing gold flecks in them. It was the body that even in semi-sleep his hands kept reaching for, molding the shape of mouthwatering breasts. And the sweet, sweet pussy with its neatly trimmed adornment of dark-blonde hair. He could still feel her tongue in his mouth and the grasp of her inner walls around his cock, the intense shudders of the most powerful climax he’d ever had. It was a smile both innocent and sultry, and the easy manner surrounding it all.

He woke from a very erotic dream, embarrassed to find his fingers wrapped around his cock, stroking the swollen shaft. Groaning, he finished himself off in the shower, resisting the temptation to bang his head against the wall. One week, you idiot. One week and you’re gone. And even if he wasn’t, he still wasn’t fit for any kind of relationship with Lexie or her kind of woman.

He realized with shocking clarity he was falling in love with Lexie Choate. He, the man who had just decided he’d never have a permanent relationship with a woman, had fallen in love. His mother would tell him Fate was playing tricks on him.

His mother. Oh god! What would she say about the mess he was making? He didn’t really want to find out.

He had to get his head back on straight. He had to put his feelings for Lexie to rest when he came back for the one week with the others. He’d been pretty specific the first night, and they both agreed a week of fun would be just right for both of them. But would that really work? This had nothing to do with Lexie and everything to do with him, with his screwed-up head, and his plans for the future. He thought of what Lou and Marliss had said and knew they’d think him all kinds of a shit for what he’d be doing where Lexie was concerned.

How could he screw things up so badly? The worst part was he could hardly wait to see her again tonight. Knowing everything, didn’t that make him as bad as Dusty?

I rest my case.

It was late morning when Dusty’s plane landed in Kansas. Killian had left his ride at the small airfield, so he and Walt drove directly to the office. He followed Walt inside, knowing if he headed to Heart Starter he wouldn’t be able to tear himself away. He had a report to write, per Walt, and Elaine would have a ton of questions. He did, however, take a minute to call Lexie, tell her he was back, and ask her what time he should be at her place. Maybe tonight he could find the strength to tell her how bad he had it for her.

“Seven,” she told him. “And bring your appetite.”

“For you and the food,” he told her in a low voice he hoped conveyed his simmering hunger for her. Then he ended the call before he forgot his good intentions not to race down the street and see her.

Abby came into his office to place two folders on his desk. “Homework from Elaine,” she told him, then looked at his empty hands. “No sticky buns today?”

He almost told her he had another kind of sticky bun in mind, but he bit his tongue. “You’ll just have to suffer for one day, I’m afraid. Sorry.”

“I may have to give you a demerit,” she joked.

“I’ll bring you extra tomorrow,” he assured her. “Meanwhile, I’d better get busy writing up my report, or I’ll be in big trouble here.”

“At the very least.”

Elaine waited in his doorway. “You giving me demerits, too?”

She shook her head. “No, as a matter of fact, if I had gold stars, I’d be giving you some of those.”

“Oh?” He quirked an eyebrow. “What brings that on?”

She came into the office and dropped into a chair in front of his desk. “Walt gave an excellent report on you. He says you’re a natural at this business. Understood everything the geologist had to say. Asked the right questions. Even helped seal the deal on the leases.”

“I appreciate the good words from him.”

She tilted her head and studied him, eyes filled with curiosity. “I don’t suppose you’ve given a real thought to staying after this is all over, have you?”

“Not a real one,” he joked.

“I’m sure you must have plans, like your brothers. But this is an exciting business, Killian. New challenges all the time.”

“My brothers?” He studied her. “Well, you’ve had the pleasure of meeting two of my half-brothers so far. What did you think of them?”

She laughed and shook her finger at him. “Uh-uh. You aren’t getting anything out of me. Right now, I’m concentrating on you.”

“Well, next week you can concentrate on the last of my half-brothers.”

She flipped her hand in the air. “Half or whole, they’re still your brothers. I really believe you have more in common besides Dusty, if you guys would take time to really get to know each other.”

“I appreciate your intentions,” he said slowly, unwilling to offend this woman who was nothing but nice to him. “But I think emotions run too high as far as the four of us are concerned.”

“How can they run high? You’ve only just met each other.”

He picked up a rubber band and stretched it with two fingers. “And I think we’ve learned all we want to. Wouldn’t you resent it if you found out your mother wasn’t really married to your father? And there were three other women in the same situation? So you’re a bastard whose father didn’t even respect his mother.”