Killian (The Sons of Dusty Walker Book 3) Read online

  “Still, I expect you’ll be kicking the dust of Red Creek from your heels when you’re done here.”

  “For more reasons than you know.” Even if he was tempted, how could he enter into a long-term relationship with a woman like Lexie Choate when his heritage was a philanderer like Dusty Walker? What if it was in his genes to be unfaithful? They’d start off with one big strike against them, and he’d never do that to her.

  “Those look like some big heavy thoughts,” Lou commented.

  Killian rubbed his cheek. “If only you knew.”

  “Maybe not as heavy as you think if you haul them out in the daylight.” Marliss frowned. “Too bad we can’t convince one of you yahoos to stay around and run the company, the way Dusty wanted.”

  Killian studied them both. “What did my…the others say?”

  “I think y’all will find out at the end of the month. But I want to get back to Lexie.” She glared at him the way his mother had when he screwed something up. “I’d hate for someone to do that young lady wrong.”

  Killian forced himself not to squirm in his seat, feeling his neck redden. “Lexie knows I’m only here for a week,” he assured them. “We’ve talked about it and decided there’s no reason why we can’t enjoy each other’s company for the short haul.”

  “Short haul?” Marliss sniffed. “Don’t you dally with her emotions, Killian Walker. She’s had enough grief.”

  He wrinkled his forehead. “Grief? What kind of grief?”

  “That’s for me to know and her to tell you if she wants. Just keep this in mind. Lou and me will be looking over your shoulder.”

  He shook his head. “You sound like you’re my mother.”

  “Just watching out for everyone.” She rose from the table. “Hadn’t you best be getting on to work?”

  He grinned. “Yes, Mom. I’m on my way.”

  “You might want to carve out a little time to check out this piece of property,” Lou suggested. “It’s got the best view in the county, not to mention a lot of plusses you ain’t discovered yet.”

  “I’ll do that. Thanks for pointing it out.”

  “I mean, if this got to be my piece of property, I’d want to know about every blade of grass.”

  “I hear you,” he called as he hurried out of the kitchen.

  Grabbing his Stetson from the peg in the front hall, he headed out to the garage. He was anxious to get out of there before the old couple found a few more things to throw at him. But as he headed down the driveway in the silver SUV, he drove slowly, glancing left and right. Osprey Lake sparkled in the morning sunlight and, beyond, the property stretched in both directions. Completely unbidden, a question popped into his brain.

  I wonder if you can raise horses out here?

  *****

  Despite how little sleep she’d gotten, Lexie was up at her usual predawn hour to begin her baking. Killian kept her company for a little while, but then he insisted on leaving. He told her he didn’t want to subject her to the gossip if people saw him leaving in the daylight hours.

  “I don’t care,” she kept telling him.

  “But I do.” He’d kissed her on the tip of her nose. “There’ll be enough tongues wagging as it is. Hell, I’d stand in your window nude with a sign saying Lexie Rocks if I didn’t know what the fallout would be. I’m thinking of you, darlin’.”

  She wanted to tell him she was tired of being such a good girl. It was boring. Maybe boring was what she’d wanted when she first came home and opened the coffee shop, but she was ready for a little spice. And Killian Walker was definitely her choice from the spice rack, even if he would be gone by the end of the week.

  But what if I can get him to change his mind?

  She gave herself a mental smack. Trying to nail him to Red Creek was a sure path to disaster. She could tell, not just from what he said but from the things he didn’t say. At least, this way, when he left, it would be with great memories of her and, hopefully, a desire for more. Sometime. Someplace.

  She’d had a feeling last night Killian had been holding something back, and not just an inner part of himself. The sex had been way off the charts, yet she sensed a darkness in him he’d managed to put a leash on. Could she find the key to opening that door? If so, when he left she’d have some darkly erotic memories to keep her very warm on the long nights afterwards.

  As she pulled the last of the pans from the oven, however, she contented herself with knowing there were traces of his on her linens, a sharp earthy scent that made her hormones dance and shout. She paused and wrapped her arms around her body, imagining they were his arms and remembering the feel of them holding her close to him. She closed her eyes, remembering the warmth of him, the feel of the hard planes of his chest against her breasts. The soft, scratchy sensation of the curls of his chest hair on her skin. His thick cock slowly sliding into the wet clasp of her body, stretching her, filling her completely.

  And orgasms so explosive, she still felt the tremors from when she came completely apart.

  There was something else wrapping around her, too. Something too dangerous for her to think about. Killian was leaving when his stint at D. Walker Minerals was up. He’d been pretty open that his future plans did not include the company or Red Creek. She needed to put a lid on the intense emotions she felt for him or she’d really be hurting when he left.

  She glanced at the clock and realized she was a little ahead of schedule, so she headed back upstairs. In her bedroom, she pulled on a pair of shorts and a long ratty sleep shirt she used when she immersed herself in her secret. Well, sort of secret. People knew about it, but they had no idea she still harbored secret dreams, or that they were her medicine when she needed comfort.

  She took a moment to fix herself a cup of coffee then carried it with her to the closed door in the wall opposite the front of the apartment. When she opened it, she took a moment to look around the room. Sunlight poured in through the big window, bathing the room in natural light and kissing the canvases stacked against the wall. Two unfinished ones stood on easels, angled to take maximum benefit of the natural light. They were uncovered because, for one thing, hardly anyone ever came up to her apartment and, for another, she never brought a guest into this room.

  Holding her mug and sipping from it, she considered the painting she’d started yesterday morning before opening Heart Starter. In seconds, she was holding her brush and palette and filling in the portrait of Killian Walker with bold strokes. At least, after he left, she’d have an image of him to keep her heart warm. She stopped a moment to set the little alarm clock she kept on a low table. If she didn’t, she’d be up here absorbed in her painting while the hordes knocked down the door of Heart Starter.

  She was thankful her parents hadn’t asked many questions about the blowup with Rick, its effect on her career, and her abrupt return to Red Creek. After two years, she still wasn’t ready to discuss it. But getting back to her art was proving to be great therapy for her. Maybe one of these days—

  The ringing of the telephone interrupted her thoughts. She looked at the number on the screen and sighed. The town gossips had probably been at it again.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “I know you’re always up early,” Sarah Choate said. “So I don’t think I’m waking you.”

  “No, I was up. How are you?”

  “I’m fine. I’m calling to see how you are? I haven’t heard from you since last weekend.”

  “I’ve been—” Been what? Busy with the sexiest man she’d ever met?

  “I hear another of Dusty Walker’s sons is in town,” her mother went on. “Rumor has it he’s become a regular customer at Heart Starter.”

  “Mom.” Lexie sighed. “He likes my cinnamon rolls.”

  “And a lot more, the way I hear it.” Her mother chuckled. Then, in a more serious voice, she said, “Honey, I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

  “Because I had dinner twice with a good-looking man?” She ground her teeth then reminded
herself her mother was just really concerned for her. “It’s okay, really. He’s here for a week and then gone. I’m having a little fun for a change. Isn’t that what you’ve been telling me to do?”

  “Of course. You can’t blame me for being a mother, though, right?” Then, as if knowing it was time to stop pushing, she said, “How about coming out for dinner Sunday? Your brother is going to Skype from Afghanistan, and I know he’d love to talk to you, too.”

  “Sure. That would be great.” She worried about her brother all the time, his being in such a dangerous place. Talking to him this way would make her feel better, as it always did. And take her mind off the fact that by then Killian would be gone.

  “Okay. Good. Make it around noon.”

  “See you then.”

  Hanging up, she glanced at the clock. Time to get dressed and open up for business. With a sigh of reluctance, she cleaned her brushes, closed the door to the room, and headed for the shower.

  Despite the early rush of business and a steady stream of customers after that, the morning passed so slowly, Lexie wondered if someone had tied cement on the movement of time. She had glanced at the clock for maybe the hundredth time when the jangling bell signaled the door opening again. She turned away from the back counter where she’d been restocking the machines in time to see Killian walk into the shop.

  She felt as if the sun had come out, casting its golden glow on everything and surrounding them with a shimmering heat. The same heat she felt when she and Killian made love.

  “Morning.” The scar at the corner of his mouth dimpled when he grinned at her.

  “Morning to you. The usual?”

  He laughed. “Am I getting predictable?”

  “You know what they say,” she told him. “Predictability is a good foundation.”

  “They also say there is pleasure in the unexpected.” He winked. “Maybe the best thing is a mixture of both.”

  “Maybe. So on that note, would you like a couple of slices of coffee cake instead of cinnamon rolls today?”

  He laughed again, the sound rolling through her like sunshine. “Sure. I’ll live dangerously. But don’t mess with Abby’s sticky buns.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  “I think I’ll eat mine here today. And how about straight espresso instead of my usual plain old dull coffee with a shot?”

  Lexie had a feeling they were discussing something way more intimate than food and drink here.

  “Something to give you a jolt?” she teased, and was rewarded with a darkening of his irises and a flash of light in the deep obsidian.

  “If you think I can handle it.”

  “I’ll make sure of that.”

  As she put the order together, she glanced around the shop and noted almost every person staring at them with open curiosity. Killian lifted his head in a gesture of greeting, nodded, and said, “Howdy, everyone.”

  Several people murmured greetings to him, and many of them smiled. Did he see how friendly people were in this town, or was he putting on a show until his week was over? She gave herself a mental shake; she needed to quit thinking of those things. He’d be leaving soon. Too soon. She just needed to stick the hope he might stay in the back of her mind.

  Lexie was very conscious of him watching her as he took a seat at a little corner table and slowly ate his coffee cake and drank his coffee. She had to keep dragging her eyes away from him because the sight of him made her nipples peak and moisture dampen her panties. The pulse in her pussy could have given competition to a jungle drum. She hoped nobody in the shop had any idea she was so turned on.

  Finally, she went into the back room and splashed cold water on her face and hands at the sink. When she returned to the front, Killian was dumping his trash in the big barrel next to the sugar and cream area. He waited until she filled an order for a walk-in before moving up to the counter.

  “I have to go out of town later today,” he told her in a low voice. “That means dinner is out tonight.”

  Disappointment slivered through her, but she forced herself to smile. “I understand.”

  “It’s the damn office. Walt Forester wants me to fly to Georgia with him to meet a geologist we work with. Apparently, he’s finished with a study we requested on land near Stone Mountain, and he thinks it’s worth offering leases for. Plus we’ll visit some sites already under contract, so I can get a real feel for things in the field.”

  “Really?” Her eyebrows flew up. “But that’s great, right?”

  He gave her a rueful grin. “Yeah, for the people who own the land. For me, it means a night away from you.”

  She glanced self-consciously at her customers. “Um—”

  “They can’t hear me,” he assured her. “I’m talking too low. I wouldn’t embarrass you.” Now, he looked around. “At least any more than these people already do. I’m the latest topic of conversation, right?”

  “Small towns,” she pointed out.

  “I know. I grew up in one. So, we’re taking one of Dusty’s planes—”

  “Wow. High cotton,” she interrupted.

  “Doesn’t make up for missing you. But I’ll be back by noon tomorrow, so don’t make plans for tomorrow night. Got it?”

  “Pretty confident, are you?” she teased.

  “No, just don’t want to waste whatever time is left.”

  At the reminder their situation had an end time, sadness washed through her, but she deliberately pushed it away.

  “Um, how about if I make dinner for us tomorrow night? We can eat in.”

  Heat simmered in his eyes again at her words. “In more ways than one, darlin’. In more ways than one.”

  It took all her self-discipline to maintain a casual appearance when he waved and headed out the door. Then, in order to avoid the gossips ready to bombard her with questions, she hurried into the back room and busied herself straightening things up back there. She hadn’t wanted to tell him how disappointed she was at his announcement, but the thought of a night without him took the shine off the day.

  The portrait. She’d work on his portrait tonight. When he was gone, she’d hang it in her bedroom so she could look at him every night. And while she worked, she’d plan their evening together. Maybe if she pulled out all the stops, she could find out if Killian Walker really did have a dark side, and if he’d take her with him on a walk down its erotic path.

  Chapter Six

  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 pret
ty 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.”