Tied Up, Tied Down (Rough Riders 4)

“I’m trying to rectify that by opening a store in Sundance. So, which lotion?”

“Ah. Smells kinda like lemony dirt.”

She shuddered. “Spoken by a man who probably washes with Lava soap.”

“Don’t knock Lava, darlin’. It gets the dirt off. And I’m plenty dirty at the end of the workday.”

The food arrived. Instead of blathering on, Kade let the silence linger until they finished eating. Then the flirty waitress swung by with a tray of decadent desserts. “The chocolate cake looks good.” He prompted, “Skylar?”

“None for me, thanks.”

Kade frowned. He’d swear she’d been eyeballing that same piece of cake. “You don’t like sweets?”

“I love sweets. I’m trying to watch what I eat so I don’t have more of a weight problem.”

Being polite flew right out the window. “What weight problem? You’re perfect, all curvy and sexy and feminine like a woman oughta be. You’re gorgeous and if I wasn’t tryin’ so damn hard to be a gentleman I’d…” Nice going, now she’ll really think you’re reverting to Kane-like behavior. Kade sighed. “Never mind.”

Skylar angled closer, her eyes burned with interest. “No. Tell me, gentleman McKay.

What would you do?”

“I’d feed you the cake just to see your lips wrap around the fork. Then I’d watch your beautiful throat muscles work as you swallowed the sticky sweetness, fantasizin’ about smearin’ chocolate frosting down your neck so I could lick it off. Slowly. And when I finished feedin’ you, I’d press my mouth to yours for a thorough taste of you and the cake.”

She didn’t draw back or recoil.

“Shocked, darlin’?”

“I’m more than a little turned on, if you want to know the real truth.”

“Lucky for you I’m willin’ to share.” He enjoyed the first few bites, then shoved the plate in the middle of the table. “I wanna see you eat up.”

“Is that an order?” Skylar dug the tines of the fork into the mound of vanilla ice cream. “If I don’t eat a bite will you force feed me?”

“Do you want me to force feed you?”

“What if I said yes?”

“I’d be on your side of the table faster than you could blink.”

Skylar said, “Yes,” loud and clear.

Kade zoomed around and stretched his left arm along the back of her side of the booth, pressing his thigh to hers.

“You weren’t kidding.”

“Nope. I never turn down the opportunity to share a taste of the sweet stuff in life.”

He swirled the fork through the thick chocolate frosting and held it to her mouth. “Open for me.”

Her full lips parted slightly.

He slipped the fork inside. “Suck the sweetness off the tip. Just like that. Then I wanna see that pretty throat movin’ as you swallow every bit of sticky goodness.”

Kade broke eye contact only to watch her swallow. He groaned. “Again. Don’t know why I’m torturin’ myself, but I can’t help it. Lord, you have the sexiest neck I’ve ever seen.”

“First time a date has waxed poetic about the area above my ni**les,” she said huskily.

“Sweetheart, you’ve been datin’ the wrong man.” She didn’t know how true that was.

“I get that now.”

Kade scooped on another forkful and teased it across the seam of her mouth. “Lick it a little.”

Her tongue darted out.

“You want the whole thing, not just a dainty taste.”

“It’s too big.”

“You can take it. Open wide. You know you want to take it all.”

Those luscious red lips divided and her moist chocolate-scented breath drifted out.

He set the fork on her tongue. “Suck it off. Oh yeah, just like that.” His gaze zoomed to her throat. “I wanna sink my teeth into that hot spot where I see your pulse poundin’. I wanna lick it from bottom to top.”

“Stop.”

“What?” He dragged his eyes back to hers.

“I think the crotch on my nylons melted you’ve gotten me so hot. And suddenly I could care less about cake.”

Kade swept his thumb across the pouty swell of her bottom lip. He showed her the dab of chocolate he swiped before he brought it to his mouth and sucked it away.

“Mmm.”

“You are the devil.”

“Devil’s food, baby, the best kind.” Kade allowed a smirk. “That mean I’ve redeemed myself?”

“Uh.” She cleared her throat. “Yeah.”

“Will you go out with me again, Skylar? For coffee. To a movie.” He smiled slyly.

“Or just for dessert? Whatever you want.”

She appeared to consider him carefully. “How about if you meet me out front of the feed store at seven the night after next?”

“I’d like to pick you up at your place if it’s a date.”

“Not a good idea.”

Damn. Kade thought he’d been making progress with her. “Don’t you trust me?”

Skylar nudged him so he scooted out of the booth and she stood next to him. “After the way your sweet-talkin’ activated more than my sweet tooth? I don’t trust myself.”

She swept her fingers over brim of his hat. “Stay out of the drugstore aisle, McKay, and don’t be late.” A swish of her hips and she was gone.

Kade shook the memory away. He parked and studied the revitalized Sandstone Building. On the far end was Dewey’s Delish Dish, a family restaurant his cousin Carter’s wife Macie managed. On the other end was Healing Touch Massage, owned by AJ McKay, his cousin Cord’s wife.

Smack dab in the middle was Sky Blue and India’s Ink. And inside that space was his child.

Sweet Jesus. He’d never been so damn nervous in his life. He climbed out of his truck and sauntered up the wooden plank stairs. At the ornate metal door, he took a second to breathe, realizing the woozy sensation was from lack of oxygen to his addled brain.

A set of chimes tinkled when he entered the store.

Scents bombarded him. Not heavy and cloying like expensive perfume, but simple and sweet. Natural. Reminiscent of the wildflowers on the wide-open Wyoming prairie.

Reminiscent of Skylar.

Speak of the devil… Right then Skylar came around the corner and froze.

They stared at each other in complete shocked silence.