DebtofHonor (5 page)

Kaitlyn woke and slowly stretched, wincing as several
muscles in her body complained of misuse. She was going to be sore for a few
days, but it was a small price to pay for the pleasure of last night. But the
morning was here and it was time for her to go home.

The sun was shining in through the window. She had no idea
what time it was but suspected it was still early. There was no sign of Derek.
That was probably for the best.

She ignored the pang in her heart as she dragged herself out
of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. Kaitlyn studied her reflection in the
mirror. Her appearance might not have changed, but she wasn’t the same woman
who’d come here last night.

That woman had been ignorant in many ways. Now she
understood what it could and should be like between a woman and her lover.

She’d woken just before dawn with him sliding into her from
behind. Holding her in his arms, he’d slowly rocked them both to a gentle
climax. She’d shed a few tears and was grateful he hadn’t known.

Derek really had ruined her for other men.

There was no time to dawdle. Kaitlyn got a quick wash and
used his comb to get the tangles out of her hair. She wished she had a
toothbrush but settled on using some of his mouthwash.

She went back into the other room and gave Derek a silent
thank-you when she saw her clothing stacked neatly on the chair in the corner.
Her boots were sitting next to it.

It only took her two minutes to dress and stamp her feet
into her boots. Taking a deep breath, she took one last glance at the bed and
left the room, closing the door behind her.

She really didn’t expect to see Derek. Almost hoped she
wouldn’t. What do you say to someone after a night like the one they’d just
spent? “Thanks, it’s been nice.” Kaitlyn shook her head. There was nothing to
worry about. He’d be long gone, out and about and hard at work. It took a lot
of sweat, hard work and coordination to run a spread as big as the Double M.

But, to her surprise, Derek stood at the bottom of the
stairs waiting for her with a steaming mug of coffee held in his right hand.
“Here. Figured you could use this.”

She could smell the coffee and her stomach growled. She
hadn’t eaten much last night before she’d come here, too afraid her nerves
wouldn’t allow her to keep anything down.

“Thanks.” She reached for the mug, but he pulled it just out
of her reach. He leaned down and planted a quick kiss on her lips.

“Good morning.” His husky voice had her body stirring to
life.

She did her best to ignore it and reached for the coffee. He
handed over the mug and she took that first life-giving sip of the morning.
Closing her eyes, she savored that first hit of caffeine as it flooded her
system.

Derek chuckled. “I see you need coffee first thing in the
morning. Good to know.” Before she could begin to wonder what he meant by that,
he motioned her toward the kitchen. “Come on. Breakfast is ready.”

“I need to get going.”

His gaze narrowed. “Afraid, Kaitlyn?”

Her spine straightened and she tossed her hair over her
shoulder. “I’m not afraid of you or anyone. Last night should have proved
that.”

“Last night was incredible.” The low, intimate tone made her
hands tremble and she took another mouthful of coffee to try to hide her
reaction.

Knowing he would stall her until she ate something, she
stalked into the kitchen. A part of her was glad to have these final moments
with him, while another part of her knew it was a mistake to get any closer
than she already had.

Two skillets were on the stove, one filled with eggs, the
other with bacon. Toast was waiting to be put down in the toaster. He held her
chair while she slid into it. “I didn’t expect breakfast.” No man had ever
cooked for her before.

“What did you expect? For me to open the door and say ‘it’s
been fun’?” He went to the counter and pressed the lever down on the toaster
before turning off the burners on the stove. He turned and studied her intently
for a brief moment. “You did, didn’t you?”

“This was one night to pay off a debt,” she reminded him.

“A debt that wasn’t yours to pay.”

She set her coffee mug down as worry filled her. “You said
the debt would be paid.”

He slowly nodded. “And it will be.”

A sharp knock sounded on the back door. A second later it
swung open and a young man walked into the kitchen. Kaitlyn’s eyes widened and
she jumped out of her chair and went to him. “Daniel? What are you doing here?”

Her brother stopped in his tracks and yanked off his cowboy
hat. “Sis? What are you doing here?” He frowned even as he leaned down to kiss
her cheek. “You’re trying to pay off my debt, aren’t you? Trying to ‘handle’
the situation for me.”

“It’s not what you think,” she began, knowing she was lying
because that’s exactly what she was doing.

Daniel’s gaze cut to Derek. “Mr. Montague and I made a deal.
I work off my debt, and then, if everything works out, he’ll take me on
full-time. I’m a grown man now, Kaitlyn. It’s time I started acting like one.
There was no need for you to come out here.”

“A deal.” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Derek
had made a deal with her brother. What was last night all about if not paying
off the debt? “Why didn’t you tell me?” Her brother had been so vague about
what he’d been doing. She’d worried it was something illegal.

“Wanted to make sure everything was going to work out okay
before I did.” Daniel turned to his employer. “Barney sent me to tell you that
the mare you were worried about had her foal last night. Beauty too.”

Derek nodded. “Thanks. Tell him I’ll be there momentarily.”

Daniel nodded curtly and then turned to his sister. “I’ll
call you later. We’ll talk and I’ll explain everything.” Then he was gone,
leaving her totally at a loss for words.

She felt hurt and betrayed, by both men. Which was totally
stupid. The toaster popped, sounding loud in the dead silence between them.

“I told you it wasn’t your debt to pay, Kaitlyn.” Derek’s
words were like a dagger to her heart.

“Then what was last night all about? Was this your idea of a
joke?” She felt like a fool. She blinked back tears. She would not cry, but she
sure as hell wanted to get out of there and go home.

“Kaitlyn.”

She wasn’t going to listen, was through listening to men.
Derek and her brother could both go to hell. She whirled around and took off
for the front door. She didn’t get far before a strong arm wrapped around her
waist, pulling her to a dead stop.

“Let me go, you bully.” She slapped at his hands and kicked
at him, landing a blow to his shins.

“Settle down, wildcat. Let me explain.” He captured her hands
and spun her around until she was facing the wall, his big body crowding hers.
She was captured, plain and simple.

“There’s nothing to explain. You made a fool out of me.”
She’d given him her body and her heart and he’d only been having fun. Why would
he even suggest such a bargain when he’d already agreed to let Daniel work off
the debt owed?

“No, never that.” There was pain in his voice and she
wondered why he was so upset. He’d gotten what he wanted. The damage to his
property would be paid off and he had an entire night with her in his bed. It
was a win-win situation for Derek.

“Kaitlyn, it wasn’t like that.” His breath was warm against
her neck when he sighed. “I’ve wanted you for years, but you always pushed
aside any offer of help, any overture I made. I saw a chance to get what I
wanted and took it. Maybe it wasn’t the right thing to do, but it was the only
thing I could do.”

She tugged her hands out of his grip and slowly turned until
she was facing him. “What do you mean?” Derek had wanted her for years? She
felt slightly lightheaded. Surely she hadn’t heard him right.

He cupped her face and kissed her forehead. “God almighty,
Kaitlyn, I’ve dreamed about you since that day I came to buy your land. You
were so young, but so strong, so determined to do what was right for you and
your brother. I figured I’d give you a year to grow up some and get used to
your new life. But you shied away from me after that.”

“Of course I shied away. You’re Derek Montague. Your sexual
exploits are legend around here and everyone knows you never keep a woman
around for long.” And now she was just one of the many.

“Damn it, Kaitlyn. You ever wonder why I didn’t want any of
those women around for long?”

She shook her head. “No, I tried not to think about it at
all.”

He took a step back and raked his fingers through his hair,
leaving the front tousled. She tried not to notice how handsome he looked with
a lock of hair falling over his forehead. “Well, that puts me in my place,
doesn’t it?”

Derek’s eyes were dark with emotion as he leaned in closer.
Her back was against the wall. There was nowhere for her to retreat. “I didn’t
keep them around because I knew they weren’t the right woman for me.” He rubbed
his thumb across her bottom lip and she sucked in a breath, desperately trying
to ignore how her nipples were puckering beneath her shirt. “None of them was
you.” He kissed her, gently, softly. “It was always you, Kaitlyn.”

She felt as though she’d somehow stepped into an alternate
universe. Was Derek saying what she thought he was? “I don’t understand.”

“It’s easy, darlin’.” He rested his hands on her shoulders
and then stroked them down her back. When he reached her butt, he pulled her
into the cradle of his body. He was aroused, his cock hard against her stomach.
“I want you in my life. Permanently.”

“Permanently?” she parroted.

“Yeah.” He rocked her lightly in his arms, their bodies
swaying together. It was comforting. “I know it’s a lot. Probably too much too
soon but, Kaitlyn, I love you. I always have. That’s what last night was
about.”

Her thoughts were totally jumbled, but the one thing she did
hear loud and clear is that Derek Montague just said he loved her. “But you
don’t even know me,” she blurted.

He laughed and shook his head. “I know everything about you.
I’ve watched you for years. Sweated every time you dated a guy. I’d decided I
was through with waiting when you strode into my office with your checkbook in
hand, offering to pay off your brother’s debt. It was too good an opportunity
to pass up.”

“You took advantage of me,” she pointed out.

“I know and I can’t really say I’m sorry. Not when it led to
this.” He kissed the top of her head. “Give us a chance, Kaitlyn. Give me a
chance.”

She’d known he’d be trouble, but she’d had no idea just how
much. With three simple words he’d changed her life. “I think I love you too.”
There was no way to hold back the words, not now, not when he’d said them.

“You think, huh?”

She gave a small laugh and shrugged. “I know I have feelings
for you, but it’s so much, so fast.”

Derek scooped her into his arms and started toward the
stairs. “Guess I’ll have to work harder so you can make up your mind for sure.”

She hooked her arms around his neck. “What about work?”
Everyone who knew Derek knew that nothing short of death would keep him from
his daily chores and especially from his horses.

“Work will keep. This is more important.” He carried her
into his room and set her down on the bed.

She sat there stunned. Everyone knew the ranch came first
with Derek. “You really do love me.”

He yanked off one of her boots, then the other. “I really
do.”

The next hour was a blur as they stripped off their clothes
and made love. It was like the first time all over again. This time they both
knew what was at stake and it was more than a debt. It was the possibility of a
lifetime.

He touched her everywhere, stroking, licking and murmuring
praise. She returned the caresses, learning every inch of his strong, hard
body. And when they’d both orgasmed and were lying, sweaty and spent in each
other’s arms, she raised her head and looked down on him.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

She nodded. “I’m willing to give us a chance.”

His slow, easy smile warmed her heart and other intimate
parts of her body. “You won’t regret it.”

“I know,” she told him. “Oh, and one more thing.”

He hooked a strand of her hair over her shoulder. “What?”

“I love you.” She smiled, letting him see all the love she
carried in her heart.

He laughed and rolled them across the bed until she was
under him. He slid his cock into her, making her gasp.

“Again?”

“Again.” He started to move. “And again and again and again.
I’ll never get enough of you, Kaitlyn.”

She kissed him again to seal their deal.

N.J. Walters worked at a bookstore for several years and one
day had the idea that she would like to quit her job, sell everything she
owned, leave her hometown and write romance novels in a place where no one knew
her. And she did. Two years later, she went back to the same bookstore and
settled in for another seven years.

Although she was still fairly young, that was when the
mid-life crisis set in. Happily married to the love of her life, with his
encouragement (more like, "For God's sake, quit the job and just
write!") she gave notice at her job on a Friday morning. On Sunday afternoon,
she received a tentative acceptance for her first erotic romance novel,
Annabelle Lee, and life would never be the same.

N.J. has always been a voracious reader of romance novels,
and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, dragons,
time-travelers, seductive handymen and next-door neighbors with smoldering good
looks all vie for her attention. And she doesn't mind a bit. It's a tough life,
but someone's got to live it.

N.J. welcomes comments from readers. You can find her
website and email addresses on her
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Debt of Honor

ISBN 9781419948749

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Debt of Honor Copyright © 2014 N.J. Walters

Edited by Shannon Combs

Cover design and photography by Syneca

Model: Kevin

Electronic book publication January 2014

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