After Sundown (12 page)

"Damn, you're one sexy lady." Leaving the sweet promise of her soft d
erriere, allowing her skirt to fall back
down
and cover her bottom, Cole's hand
s moved to her shoulders,
giving Kit a gentle nudge
. "Let's take this somewhere more comfortable."

Nodding in sile
nt agreement, Kit followed Cole, going up the staircase, down the hall and
into the master bedroom.
Flickering
flames blazed from the co
rner
fireplace. They illuminated the darkened room, sending firelight dancing along the bedroom walls
,
casting an enticing glow over the oversized bed.
The
blankets
were
turned down
,
revealing freshly laundered satin sheets and an inviting mound of plump pillows.

Burning pine
cones snapped and hissed from the fireplace, sending a fragrance of a mountain forest throughout the room. Soft, romantic music drifted down from hidden speakers. Chilled champagne rested in a gleaming, silver bucket at the bedside. Twin crystal
champagne flutes
waited to be filled.

Pausing for just a moment, Kit's enormous blue eyes surveyed the room. The sight inspired memories of
seduction
scenes from old Frank Sinatra movies. Cole didn't seem to notice Kit's
momentary
hesitation or her
wary expression.

Placing his open palms along her shoulders, Cole gently nudged Kit into his embrace. Sweeping his anxious hands down her back, he eagerly sought the soft flesh of her
bared bottom beneath the skirt
of the dress. Roughly pulling her body to meet the swelling
hardness
beneath his slacks, Cole's mouth ravaged Kit's neck, leaving a trail of enthusiastic wet kisses and gentle nips.

Closing her eyes, Kit gave into the erotic sensation. Tilting her head back, her body arched into his, relishing the feel of Cole's fingers as
he
lovingly molded the soft cheeks of her derriere. Releasing a low moan, Kit thought she would surely die from wanting Cole. Her hands went to encircle his neck, yet suddenly they were pushed downward
,
as Cole was busy slipping the dress off her shoulders.
When had he unfastened the zipper?

As the dress pooled at her feet,
she stepped out of her shoes.
Cole stepped back and moved his dark
gaze
over the woman he held at arm's length.
She wore
only a black lacy bra, revealing generous full breast
s
, a sexy garter belt and black silk nylons
.
Cole fairly groaned at the sight, his gaze dropped to the downy triangle framed
within
the boundaries of the garter.
Kit felt a wave of shyness, yet resisted the temptation to cover herself.

"
Go
d,
you're
beautiful
,
"
Cole said breathlessly
. "I don't think I want to take anything else off ... yet." His eyes continued to sweep over
her body.

"I don't know about that
,
" Kit said softly. Stepping closer to Cole
,
her hands went to the buttons of his shirt, attempting to unfasten the garment with
trembling
fingers.

Cole broke into a sudden, shaky laugh - delighted at his present circumstance. He wanted to
howl
. S
cream in delight. Rip off his clothes.

Moments later
,
his clothes were tossed in a forgotten heap. Gently leading Kit to the welcoming
bed
, Cole smiled at Kit's reaction to his nude body
. She seemed curious, a bit timid, yet not afraid
.
Used to
hard labor, his body was firm and
muscled.

Sitting on the edge of the bed Cole's eyes never left Kit's
gaze
.
Holding her nervous hands in his, he led her to his side.

"Cole," she whispered softly, attempting to control the mad fluttering within her chest. "I... I need to tell you something."

Giving her an encouraging smile, Cole's right hand released her fingertips and gently brushed the side of her face. She looked so damned nervous. Her expressive blue eyes were eno
rmous, reminding Cole of a blue-
eyed doe. He continued to caress her cheek, silently urging her to be unafraid.

"I think you should know
;
I've never been with anyone other than my husband."

"Are you
afrai
d,
Kit?" He asked softly, gently pulling her to sit beside him on the bed.

"No ... just a little nervous." Her pink tongue escaped briefly to moisten her lips,
and then
disappeared
.

"Do you want to stop?" Cole hated himself for asking the question
,
giving Kit another out. He
was tempted to dig out his shot
gun and shoot himself for such foolishness.

"Do you?" She asked timidly. Cole's harsh laugh
,
born of frustration was all the answer Kit needed. Putting an end to
the
foolishness, she moved onto the bed and in one quick motion pulled Cole over her, capturing his hips between the silky grasp of her nylon clad thighs.

Cole snapped. His mouth plundered. Hands explored. Kit moved r
estlessly beneath him, her legs massaged
his thigh. Capturing his face in her hands, Kit's mouth selfishly demanded his kisses, seeking his tongue. Cole was eager to comply.

It was going too fast
, m
uch too fast. Cole planned to gently seduce Kit, shower her body in kisses
, t
aste every inch of her skin
; e
xplore her fully.
Instead, t
heir passion burst into an uncontrollable blaze, and
if
the very house
bu
rned
down around them, they would never
notice. Nothing could be as hot as what was happening in the bed.

Cole
paused
just long enough to grab a condom from the nightstand.
Frantically,
he opened the package and Kit’s trembling hands helped slip it on his erect penis, just seconds before
Cole plunged full force into Kit's moist heat. Wrapping her legs around his waist, her passion met his - slamming their bodies together recklessly, caught in a shattering tailspin of uncontained need. Searching. Grasping. Demanding.

Cole's mouth drank in Kit'
s
cries as her body met his, thrust for thrust. Soaring to the sun, Kit's body hurled into a splintering release as it tightened like a snug glove over Cole's
hardness
. Reveling in the
evidence
of Kit's orgasm, Cole plunged one final time into her tight warmth before
finding his release
. Hugging her fiercely, unwilling to leave he
r body, Cole closed his eyes and thought he’d surely died and gone to heaven.

Chapter Fourteen

D
ying embers winked like a hundred wicked red eyes from the forgotten corner fireplace. The bedroom was
virtually
dark. Kit listened to the
rhythmic
breathing of the sleeping man whose arm held her captive. Staring into the semi-darkness, Kit was unable to sleep. Easing her body from Cole's sleeping grasp, she glanced at the digital alarm
cloc
k.
Its
illuminated face shone throug
h the blackness. It was almost
six
a.m.

Cat-like, Kit slipped from the bed. Standing over the
mattress
, her eyes long since adjusted to the darkness, Kit stared at the shadowed figure sprawled before her.
Trying to suppress tears
, she realized too late that
she had
allowed the impossible to happen. She had fallen in love with Cole Taylor. Chiding herself for being a fool, she scooped up her discarded clothing and moved silently from the room. Gently closing the door behind her, she made her way into the guest bathroom and turned on the light. Wasting no time, she quickly dressed.

Prior to this evening, Cole had revealed his intentions with brutal clarity. This was no date. It was a
prearranged
night of lust. No commitments. No promises. No future. Had the evening begun with less honesty - perhaps with the pretense of dinner out - leading to the bedroom - Kit would not be as reluctant to
wake up in Cole’s bed
.

Just what does one say in the morning to a
one-night
stand?
Kit imagined it would be horribly uncomfortable. Awkward. Downright
embarrassing
. It was going to be difficult enough seeing Cole day in and day out, remembering their shared passion.

In spite of her insecurities, Kit held a glimmer of hope that Cole's feelings toward her
went beyond satisfying
mutual sexual attraction. Yet, in case he harbored no such tender feelings, Kit was not strong enough to face a cool rejection after spending incredible hours in his arms. If his feelings extended beyond one night of lust, certainly he would express th
o
se emotions the next time they were together.

For now, she was too raw
, t
oo vulnerable. Rejection
would
be more bearable once
she had
pulled together her exposed emotions.

Golden shafts of sunlight
found their way
between
the slats of the
vertical
blinds,
washing Cole’s sleeping features in light
. Squinting at the unwelcomed
brightness
, Cole raised his forearm,
shielding
his eyes, warding
o
f
f
the
intrusion
.
Groggily
blinking away his
sleep-laden
eyes, Cole
stretched
, reaching out for the soft body of his bedmate. Grasping a
handful
of cool she
ets, he opened his eyes
.
Bolting
to a sitting position, Cole looked around the room. She was gone
.

"Kit!" Cole bounded from the bed a
nd
raced to the
master bath
. It was empty. Rushing back into the
bedroo
m,
he quickly surveyed the room.
There was n
o trace of discarded
feminine
clothing, and no
sign of his lover
except
the empty
champagne
glass and the
lingering scent of her fragrance on the crumpled bed linens.

"Damn!" Cole grabbed a
handful
of blanket and flung it impatiently.

Without
a
word,
she had left him. Furious, he stormed to the bathroom and cool
ed his anger beneath the shower
head.

"Cole? Yoo-hoo!" He heard her voice as soon as he
stepped
out of the shower. Throwing on a terry cloth robe, he hastily fastened the belt before
leaving
his bedroom. Drying his hair as he
walked down
the stairs, he spied Brenda. She stood
at
the fi
rst floor, looking up the stair
case, her right hand resting on the banister.

"
Mornin
g,
Cole
,
"
s
he said brightly. "I hope you don't mind. I let myself i
n
." Smiling sweetly, she waved a key in the air.
She wore
tailored designer slacks and a silk blouse.

"Good
mornin
g,
Brenda
." Cole
stopped
drying his hair and
draped
the discarded towel over his shoulders. "What are you doing here?"

"
Wel
l,
some hello that is!"
Brenda
huffed indignantly. "Is Megan here?"

"No. She spent the night with my brother." Less than thirty minutes
earlie
r,
he'd been furious to discover Ki
t's flight.
Suddenly,
he was relieved
with her absence.
Juggling
two women held no appeal for Cole Taylor.

"I thought I
w
ould take you out for Sunday breakfast. We could discuss the
Halloween
party. We haven't even talked about costumes!" Cole studied
Brenda
for a brief moment. Perhaps it was time to make a clean bre
ak from this relationship. What
ever
he had
discovered in the arms of Kit Landon, it
would
be impossible to explore the possibilities
fully
with another woman hovering in the wings.

“
Maybe breakfast out would be a good idea. We need to talk."

“
Mornin
g,
Brandon
,” Kit greeted her brother after he opened his front door.

"You're up bright and early
,
"
Brandon
replied, surprised to find his sister standing on his front porch so early in the morning, dressed as if she never made it home after her date the previous night. He opened the door wider and ushered her inside.

"I thought I'd just pick up Sarah. I hate to mess up your Sunday."

"Sorry,
but she’s
not here. Susan took her to church,
and then
there was some children's party afterwards. You know, something to
counteract
the demonic influence of
Hallowee
n,
"
Brandon
chuckled.

"When are they going to be back?"

“
Knowing my wife, not for a
couple hours.
I'm thinking it's about time I got that woman pregnant.
Every time
she latches on to your
kid,
all her motherly instincts come charging forward. If I don't get her knocked up soon, she's liable to be stealing Sarah."

"
Brandon
, do you have to be so crude?" Kit winced then playfully rapped his stomach with her fist.

"It's my
char
m,
"
Brandon
grinned foolishly.

"How about I take you to breakfast?" Kit was not prepared to spend the day alone. The last thing she wanted to do was
think
about Cole and
about
how good it had been.
S
ince s
he couldn't spend the morning with her daughter, her brother was the next best thing.

"Sure. Goin' out beats the hell
o
ut
ta
cold cereal."

Brandon and Kit had just pushed through the double doors, exiting the restaurant, when they came face
to face
with Cole and
Brenda
. Standing on the front walkway, all but Brenda had come to an abrupt standstill. Noticing Cole was no longer f
ollowing
her into the
restaurant;
Brenda
stopped and quickly surveyed the couple who was obviously
familiar
with Cole.

"
H
i,
Cole. How's it going?"
Brandon
spoke first. Kit was unable to utter a sound. Her eyes flitted from Cole to the beautiful woman at his side who was possessively clinging to his arm. Just hours
befor
e,
she had
shared a bed with this man. Already he was moving onto his next conquest. Kit wanted to run and hide.

"Brandon, Kit." Cole took an
uneasy
breath, wary of the uncertain expression flitting over Kit's face. Brenda cleared her
throat
, a terse reminder that she would not be ignored.
Quickl
y,
Cole made the brief introductions.

"Oh, you're the one who is watching sweet little Megan?"
Brenda
’s
tone made Kit
feel
as if s
he were being introduced as
Mary Poppins.

"
Ye
s,
I am
,
" Kit's tone was cool and reserved.
Schooling
her features, she refused to reveal her inner turmoil. Instead
,
she portrayed cool
indifference
.

"I'm so glad we ran into you. In fact, just the other
da
y,
Cole and I were talking about you."

Cole noticeabl
y tensed; he was prepared
to
drag
Brenda away. Kit greeted the comment by looking inquiringly at Cole, her brow c
r
o
o
ked
mockingly
.

"Cole and I have been planning a
Halloween
party for some time. Since Cole is the host, he really must find a sitter for Megan. Of course, he doesn't want her to miss the holiday, so we were
wondering
if Megan could go trick or treating with your daughter on
Halloween
. Perhaps she could spend the night."

"Brenda
,
" Cole
attempted
to
interrupt
, yet Brenda
ignored him and
continued to talk.