“This is Cole Watson.”
“Call me Doc.”
Kate smiled. “Doc Watson? Are you an actual doctor or a Sherlock Holmes fan?”
“Both.”
“Me, too. Well, not the doctor part, but I love the books.”
Doc beamed at her, and just that quickly, she’d won him over, too.
“And this is Hugh Bradley.”
“Heff, please.”
“Do I want to know?” she asked.
Sandy laughed. “Probably not.”
“Nice to meet you all.”
They returned the sentiment.
“Go on now,” Sam said, making a shooing motion with her hands. “Give Kate the grand tour while we love on these pups.”
“On it,” Mad Dog said with a grin. With his hand on Kate’s lower back in a blatant show of possession, he guided her out of the room.
“They seem awfully anxious to be rid of us,” she commented.
He suspected he knew Sam’s motivation. She was playing matchmaker, and Sandy was her willing accomplice.
“Ulterior motives,” was what he said.
She laughed. “Right. Recipes and websites.”
Close enough.
He took her around the property, down by the lake, and through the woods to a clearing he’d found. The sun was shining, turning the landscape into a sea of frosty white diamonds; the air was brisk and invigorating.
His favorite part? Hands down, being with Kate.
Thanks to the comm sets he’d grabbed on their way out, they were able to talk over the sound of the machines. He was also able to hear her delighted whoops when they opened throttle and went all out. His girl was something of a daredevil, he discovered. And yes, she was one hundred percent his girl. He was certain of it.
At one point, she asked him where he stayed, so after he showed her everything there was to see, he took her to his trailer.
“This is where you live, huh?”
“For the time being. Eventually, I’ll have a cabin like Smoke and Heff, but it’s not a priority.”
It was a trailer, so it took all of about thirty seconds to show her the whole thing. She paused in the bedroom and did a gradual one-eighty until she was facing him again. She had nowhere else to go. The narrow hallway was only big enough for one person, and his shoulders practically brushed both sides.
“I like it,” she said, looking up at him with those pretty blue eyes, cheeks made pink from the cold and wind. “It’s cozy.”
A sudden, powerful urge rose up inside him, and he instantly realized his mistake. Having Kate there, in his personal space, alone, summoned up all kinds of wicked imagery, none of which was conducive to his slow-and-steady plan.
“Can I get you something to drink? Are you thirsty?”
Her eyes blazed. “You could say that.”
Shit. He backed up a step. “Kate ...”
She blinked. “I thought maybe you brought me here, so we ...” She exhaled and slightly shook her head, focusing her gaze on his boots. “Wishful thinking, I guess. I’m sorry. Water. Water would be great, thanks.”
“Kate, look at me.”
She shook her head again. He placed his hand under her chin and lifted slightly. It gutted him that she thought he was rejecting her.
“Fuck, Kate. I’m trying to be a gentleman here.”
“What if I don’t want you to be such a gentleman?” she whispered.
“You need to be sure. Once we do this, there’s no going back.”
Fire flashed in her eyes. “So you’ve said. And I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Yes, you are.” The words came out sounding gruffer than usual as he released the tight rein on his control and moved forward, crowding her until the backs of her legs hit the bed.
Yes, he’d wanted to take things slow but not at the cost of her doubting what she meant to him.
He pushed lightly on her shoulders until she sat and then loomed over her until she was forced to lean back on her elbows. He caged her to the bed with his arms.
“One last time. Are you sure this is what you want?”
She nodded.
“Words, Kate. I need to hear you say it.”
“I’m sure. I want this. I want you.”
“Then, grab something and hold on, baby, because I’m not going to stop unless you tell me to. Got it?”
“Got it.”
Her hands went around his neck and gripped his hair. He kissed her lips, her jaw. She lifted her chin, making it easier for him to blaze a path down the delicate column of her neck. She smelled so fucking good. Like snow and vanilla and fucking his.
One hand kept a firm grip in his hair. The other moved over his shoulder and down along his side until she was able to slip it under the fabric. He hissed; the feel of her fingers and the scrape of her nails exploring his bare skin was like pouring gasoline on the fire already racing through his veins.
“Take it off,” she commanded, tugging impatiently at his shirt.
He pulled back enough to oblige.
Her eyes glistened, and she licked her lips. “Even better than the pictures.”
“Your turn,” he growled, his voice thick with lust and want.
She grinned and pulled at the hem of her top, revealing lush, full breasts barely contained in white satin and lace, leaving him salivating like the mad dog he was. Before he could fully process that, she reached behind her and undid the clasp, removing her bra and tossing it off to the side.
“Fuck, Kate.”
He wasted no time in coming over her again, filling his large palms with her gorgeous breasts. His mouth followed shortly after, pressing open-mouthed kisses to her fragrant skin, flicking one diamond-hard nipple with his tongue before sucking hard and then repeating the process with the other.
She arched up, pulling him closer, begging for more.
He could stay there for hours, but the feel of her nails digging into his shoulders accelerated his timeline. He worked his way down her gorgeous body, pressing kisses over her belly until he reached her jeans. Intent on his task, tugging them down the moment she lifted her hips.
Then, he was on his knees, wrapping his hands around her ankles and pulling her to the edge of the bed. She rose up to watch as he kissed the inside of one thigh from her knee to where she really wanted him and then repeated the same on the other side. He could feel her heat, scent her desire, as her impatience grew.
Her fingers tangled in his hair again, scraping her nails against his scalp as she guided him where she wanted him to go. She knew what she needed and wasn’t afraid to ask for it. It was so fucking hot. He didn’t have to worry about reading and interpreting signals, which meant he could let her direct him so he could concentrate on giving her pleasure.
The moment his lips touched her petal-soft flesh, she made this sound—something between a moan and a scream—that reached right down into his fucking soul. His balls tightened, and his dick throbbed, wanting in on a piece of that.
Later. At that moment, taking care of his girl was his sole priority.
He flattened his tongue and stroked along her slick folds, and then he rimmed her entrance and teased her with little stabs. Every time he felt her getting close, he changed his methods, wanting to take her even higher. When her legs were shaking and her breath was coming in heavy pants, he slipped one finger inside her and sucked on her tight little nub.