Tears filled her wide blue eyes until Kelsey wrenched away from his hold and blinked them away. “Thanks for the coffee. I need to get to work.”
“Keep your curtains and window closed and leave the door open,” he instructed as she hopped off the stool with mug in hand. “Greg’s working the cattle today. When you’re ready for a break, let me know and we can join him.”
She waved her free hand. “Don’t you have guest duties?”
He shook his head. “The hunting party left at dawn and won’t return until tonight and our two couples are taking off on their own in their vehicles. The next group activity isn’t until we swim with the horses, tomorrow.”
“Lucky me then. I’ll be your only obligation today.”
Devin watched her walk down the hall, wishing he could erase the insecurity and despair that had returned to her wide blue eyes by telling her she wasn’t an obligation. But just because he’d softened toward having her here and was determined to ensure she stayed safe now they knew the threat against her was real didn’t mean she wasn’t an obligation. He wouldn’t lie and wouldn’t say something he wasn’t sure was true and add to her burden of coping with the two most important people in her life having already done that.
I don’t care, I don’t care. Honestly, why should it bother her Devin hadn’t denied she was just an obligation, even after last night? It shouldn’t upset Kelsey so much, just as learning the McAllisters had taken her in and kept such close tabs on her all these years because they felt duty bound shouldn’t hurt. But it did.
Her phone buzzed as she reached her room, but when she saw Theresa’s name on the screen, she tossed it on the bed without answering. She didn’t bother closing the door as she stripped off her nightgown, grabbed her jeans and a top and then padded naked into the hall toward the bathroom. Both Devin and Greg had seen and touched every inch of her body and knew where she was lacking, she mused, looking down at her small, B cup breasts. Losing herself in pleasure had been a welcome respite from the grief the McAllisters’ revelations had unleashed and she didn’t regret pleading for more from both men.
Three hours later, Kelsey shoved away from the computer with frustration crawling under her skin from the nonstop upsetting thoughts still plaguing her. All four of her previous break-ups combined didn’t hurt her as much as the McAllisters’ deception, but just like with those disappointments, she was determined to put it behind her and move on. After changing into shorts, she left her room in search of Devin.
She found him in their shared office, sitting behind the desk with a scowl on his face as he stared at the computer screen in front of him. Shoving aside the sudden longing for a comforting hug from him, she crossed her arms and stated, “I’m going to the creek to visit with Otis and Silas. Are you coming?”
Crap. Why does that cool, appraising look get to me every time? “If you’re leaving the house, so am I. Making sure you stay safe has to be easier than figuring out Greg’s accounting.”
She wasn’t in the mood to be nice, so why did she find herself offering her services? “I can take a look at your books this afternoon, if you want.” She shrugged, as if she didn’t care if either he or Greg trusted her with their financial information.
“I would be forever grateful, and I know Greg would be too.” Crossing the room, he surprised her by doing exactly what she wanted him to. Clasping her elbows, he hauled her against him and swooped down to take her lips in a searing kiss that brought her to her toes.
Kelsey forgot about her hurt feelings and pissy mood as Devin lifted her higher. On a low moan, she wrapped her legs around his waist, crossing her ankles against his back to secure her place as she rocked her crotch against his hard bulge. With one step, he had her pressed up against the wall, his mouth still moving with aggressive force over hers, his tongue never slowing in his invasive stroking inside her mouth. One hand shifted to her butt then under the loose leg of her shorts followed by a finger wedging inside her panties to tease her pussy lips.
She whimpered and tried to make it easier for him to slide that finger inside her. He did, just enough to rub her swollen clit and send her into the throes of a quick, gushing climax. Shaking from the sudden onslaught, she mewled as he released her lips and pulled out of her pussy at the same time.
“There. Feel better?” he asked as he moved back and she dropped her legs with a soft sigh.
Kelsey blinked several times to get her bearings while the last tremors of pleasure dwindled to small pulses. “I… why did you do that?”
“Because I wanted to, and you needed me to. Let’s go. I could use a walk.”
Devin held her hand and kept her at his side as they trekked through the woods to the creek. Kelsey remained quiet, telling herself that kiss and considerate orgasm meant nothing. As if knowing what was going on in her head, Devin gave her the silence, if not the space, she needed to come to terms with his about face toward her. As if she didn’t have enough to muddle her thinking already.
“There you are.” Silas waved them over as soon as they emerged from the trees.
Sinking down onto the ground by their camp chairs, she wrinkled her nose as Otis reeled in a wiggling trout. “I still don’t get it, but hey, whatever floats your boat, guys.”
“She’s a city girl,” Devin drawled, sitting next to her and taking the pole Otis handed him.
“And don’t you forget it,” she retorted.
He didn’t look at her as he tossed the line and said, “No, baby, I won’t.”
I’ll miss the way he calls me baby in that slow drawl. Just one more thing to fret over, she bemoaned.
They hung out for an hour, the guys tossing their catches into a bucket after Devin offered to grill them this evening. As he took her hand and led her back down the wooded path, Kelsey found herself reluctant for the other guests to return to the ranch. She rather enjoyed having Devin to herself. The only thing that could have made the afternoon better would have been Greg’s presence too.
Halfway back to the ranch an uneasy feeling skittered down her back, turning her palms damp and lifting the tiny hairs on her arms. Casting a quick look through the dense foliage, an eerie, uncomfortable sense of being watched crept under her skin.
“What’s wrong?” Devin moved closer, his body tense against hers as he looked around, his free hand inching around behind him.
“Just a funny feeling. Are you carrying a gun?” He nodded without taking his eyes off the woods. Instead of alarming her, knowing he was armed helped ease the trepidation alarming her. “Someone needs to neutralize this threat against me fast,” she grumbled, picking up her step. “I’ll be damned if I spend my last week here cowering in fear.”
“Working on it,” he assured her, both of them breathing easier once they emerged from the woods.