Her Unbridled Cowboy (Harland County Series) (25 page)

Well, hell.
Did he just...
His
heart slammed against his ribs. Hard. Connor transferred his gaze to Kerri whose
face rapidly turned pink.

“Okay, so, ah…time to go,” she
said, pulling her ex away from the truck. “Got a plane to catch. Bye.”

“Bye.” Cole waved, until Kerri
pulled out of the parking lot. Then he slowly turned to Connor. “Holy shit,
bro. Kerri’s ex-husband just gave you the go ahead to date his former wife.”

Son-of-a-bitch…
if Connor had
gotten that same message.

T
uesday evening, Kerri
shut off her stove, intent on taking a break from perfecting her chili for the
upcoming cook off. Foster’s Creamery was open. And their ice cream was calling.
Loudly. She’d slaved for two hours on this particular batch, and had high
hopes. This could be the recipe she entered next month.

So, now was a good time to venture
across the street and down the boardwalk to fetch an ice cream cone. Or, better
yet, a pint.

It would give her chili a chance to
sit and cool and stew, allow it to marinate and soak up all the flavors from
the spices she added.

And
Kerri the chance to feed
her sadly neglected chocolate addiction.

Slipping into her jacket as she
opened the door, Kerri nearly jumped out of her skin when she found Connor
standing there, hand raised as if to knock.

“Hey,” he said, recovering first.

Placing a hand to her pounding
chest, she nodded. “Hey, yourself. You scared me.”

“Sorry, darlin’. Didn’t mean to.”

She shook her head. This was
becoming routine. “It’s okay. Is something wrong?”

“No…well, yeah. I wanted to say I
was sorry about the other night. And I brought a peace offering.” His mouth
twitched into a slight grin as he brought his arm out from behind him.

Ice cream.
Foster’s
ice
cream. A pint. Of chocolate.
Glory be
, he’d read her mind. Or taste
buds.

She smiled and stood aside. “In
that case, come in.”

She’d wanted to talk to him, too.
Ever since her conversation with Jordan last week, Kerri had been meaning to
call the cowboy, or drop by the ranch…or something. Thanks to her sister
enlightening her on the role she’d played that disastrous night, Kerri owed the
man an apology. Between working on the chili, perfecting her menu, and trying
to cook up the courage, time had gotten away from her. So, now, was good.

Besides, he had chocolate ice cream.
Foster’s chocolate ice cream. She’d let a pack of wolves in if they had
chocolate.

He nodded and walked in.

Hiding a snicker, she hung up her
coat then followed the cowboy into her slightly messy kitchen.

“Mmm…smells good in here,” he said,
setting the offering on the island while he shed his coat and hat on a nearby
stool.

Kerri smiled. “Working on my chili
for the cook off.”

His brows rose. “You entered?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “Thanks to
Emma. She’s got me doing the basket raffle, too. Says it’ll be good
advertisement for the restaurant.”

“She’s right,” he agreed, easing
down on a stool. “And, hell, as for the cook off…” He closed his eyes and
inhaled, then reopened them. “Darlin’, if you could win on smell alone, you’d
take the grand prize.”

“Thanks. I’m excited about the cook
off. I’m glad it’s opened to professionals.” Kerri sighed. “But not about the
raffle. I’m just not crazy about having to eat with a stranger who bought my
goods.”

A low laugh rumbled from the
handsome cowboy. “Bought your goods, huh?”

She smiled. “Emma’s words.”

“Ah.” Again he nodded, gaze glued
to her face.

The intensity of his stare made her
blush, and it wasn’t just her face that heated. Darn it. What was with her body
and this cowboy, anyway?

Nothing. That was the problem.

Whoa.
She shook her head.
Not
even going to…

Ice cream. Right. She rushed to the
cupboard, grabbed a bowl, then two spoons and headed back to the island.

“Here.” She handed him the bowl and
a spoon.

He frowned. “Aren’t you going to
eat any?”

She opened the ice cream, then glanced
at him. “Oh yeah.” Scooping a few mouthfuls into his bowl, she smiled and
pulled the pint closer. “I don’t need a bowl.”

He chuckled. “Oh, I see how it is.”

“That’s right,” she said, shoving
her spoon into the ice cream, her mouth dutifully watering before she tasted.
“Mmm…” Kerri closed her eyes and savored the flavor as the cold treasure slid
down her throat. Old man Foster sure knew how to blend his chocolate. She
opened her eyes and enjoyed another spoon before looking at Connor. The heat in
his gaze set her stomach a flutter.  

She pointed her spoon at him. “The
way I see it. You owe me a bigger apology, so I get more.”

He looked down at his small helping
before glancing back at her. “Then here,” he said, pushing the bowl her way. “This
is yours, too. I owe you a huge apology, Kerri, and you do
not
owe me
any.”

Stupid watery eyes
. She
sniffed. “Dang it, Connor. Why do you have to go and be so sweet?” She jammed
her spoon in the ice cream in order to swipe the wetness from her face.

“Ah, hell, darlin’. I’m not sweet,”
he claimed, an uncomfortable look pinching his face.

But she knew differently. He was
sweet. And he probably tasted sweet about now, too. And chocolatey, because,
like her, he’d already had a few spoonfuls of ice cream.

What a combination. Shards of heat
sliced low in her belly. Connor and chocolate ice cream…

Holding her gaze, he lowered his
spoon and swallowed. “Jesus, Kerri. What are you thinking right now?”

That I need my head examined.

Or him, covered in chocolate so she
could lick it off.

She shook her head and cleared her
throat, neither helping to dispel the desire now coursing through her body at
mach speed.

“Nothing,” she replied. “Just that
I’m sorry about the other night. About making you think Duke and I…that
we…because we didn’t. I swear.”

God, she hoped he believed her. She
didn’t know why it was so important, only that it was.

He slid off the stool and stepped
to her, grabbing her hand and tugging until she looked up at him. “It’s okay,
Kerri. I know. I do believe you. But at the time…not so much.” He drew in a
breath and slowly exhaled. “I’m sorry. I was such an ass. The things I did. The
things I said. I should’ve trusted you.”

Wow. She stared up at him, unable
to tear her gaze away from his troubled face. She hadn’t expected the
T
word. According to Jordan, he had trust issues. It was a good sign that he
recognized his faults.

“If it had been anybody but Duke, I
would’ve let you alone. I wouldn’t have liked it, but I would’ve let you be.”

Her heart rate increased. He
wouldn’t like her to be with someone else… What did that mean?

“Kerri, Duke is bad news. I just
didn’t want him to hurt you.” He gave a derisive laugh. “But in the end, it was
me who hurt you. And I am
really
sorry.”

She freed a hand to touch his face.
“It’s okay. I understand, now. And like I said, I’m to blame too. I’m the one
who made you think I’d slept with the guy. I just never thought you and I’d end
up on the couch…”

Her voice trailed off. It felt
weird to say
making out
. And the way her heart was slamming against her
ribs, she couldn’t really get any more words out.

“Me either,” he said, reaching up
to cup the hand she still held against his face.

She should’ve dropped it, let him
go, but dang, he felt good. Slight scruff from his five o’clock shadow scraped her
palm while rough calluses scraped the back of her hand. A tremor started at
that hand and raced straight down to her toes, increasing the tingle in all her
good parts.

The next thing she knew, they were
stepping into each other and kissing.
Oh, dang me
,
kissing
. His
mouth was warm and seeking and tasty. Yeah, he tasted of chocolate and man. All
man.

She shifted closer, practically
climbing up him, which he helped by lifting her right off the floor without
ever breaking the kiss.

He had an arm around her back,
cupping the back of her head while the other cupped her butt, holding her in
place. And what a place. A great place. Her new favorite place. He was hot and
hard, and she felt every incredible inch of him pressing into her, right smack
low in the belly.

By the time they broke for air, and
he let her gently slide down his body until her feet hit the floor, she was a
trembling, panting, wet heap of need. His arms remained around her, thank
goodness, or she’d be a trembling mass on his boots.

Kerri dropped her forehead to his
thundering chest and drew in a few ragged breaths. “Okay…wow. I don’t even know
what that was.”

His chuckle rumbled against her
head before he cupped her chin and tipped her head back until their gazes met.
“I’d say that was pretty incredible.”

Dang. Yeah, it was.
But she didn’t
know what she was doing. She nodded, then closed her eyes. This was just too
much.

“Don’t you think so?” he asked, his
tone troubled.

Again, she nodded and opened her
eyes. “Yes, I do. It’s just…I don’t want to give you the wrong impression.”

“What do you mean?” Now he was
frowning. “Are you saying you’re not attracted to me?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I am.
Very much so. It’s just…” She sighed. God, this was hard, especially with his
thumb caressing her chin. “Look, Connor, you’ve been with…you’ve had...lots of
experience. And...I haven’t.” She laughed a small, cynical laugh. “I’ve only
had one lover, and he didn’t even like…”

Crap. She pulled out of his embrace
and strode to the sink.
Holy, crud.
She almost told him.
God, how
embarrassing.

“Kerri. Hey,” he said, big hands
caressing her shoulders from behind. “What is it? What didn’t your ex like?
Surely you don’t mean you, because I saw the way he looked at you, and he most
definitely has feelings for you.”

She nodded, drawing in a shaky
breath. “I know. It’s not that.”

Connor turned her to face him and
bent slightly at the knee to look into her eyes. “Then what is it?”

She squeezed them shut as if that
would keep the secret in. “Please don’t make me say it,” she whispered.

Two warm hands cupped her face.
“Say what?”

Eyes still closed, she shook her
head.

“Come on, darlin’. Get it out.
You’ll feel better,” he gently urged.

She’d already
gotten it out
with
Jordan and had her little talk with Lance. And he was right. She had felt
better. But telling this big, virile, hunk of a man she’d been having sex with
a guy who preferred guys, was more than she could handle.

“Kerri, open your eyes. Look at
me,” he said, still lightly caressing her face.

She inhaled and forced her eyes to
open, and was staggered by the amount of compassion warming his brown eyes to a
delicious caramel hue.

“Are you trying to tell me Lance is
gay?”

Her sharp inhale and obvious
clenching of her body as she did her impression of rigor mortis should’ve
answered his question. But in case that wasn’t confirmation enough, she gave
him a curt nod before the sudden onslaught of tears rolled down her cheeks.

He groaned and crushed her tight against
him. “Ah, darlin’. I’m sorry,” he said, stroking her hair, while she burrowed
deeper into his accepting warmth. “I really am, but it makes sense.”

Okay, poke her with an electrode,
she was shocked.

Kerri drew back. “W-what do you
mean?”

He brushed her tears aside and
smiled. “The guy had to be gay to let someone as hot and gorgeous as you get
away.”

Her mouth dropped open and eyes
widened. She was channeling that darn electrode again. “Y-you think I’m hot?”

“Hell, yeah, darlin’.” And to prove
it, he pressed her against the sink and ground into her. “I’d love to show you
how much. In fact, I’d love to show you a lot of things,” he said, running
those big, wonderful hands up and down her body, bringing with them a trail of
heat, while his mouth lowered to kiss a path up her neck. “I can guarantee you,
you’ve been missing out.”

Kerri clutched at him as sensations
rushed through her body in wave after delicious wave.

“What do you say, darlin’? Want to
let me show you how a cowboy makes love to a woman?”

She shook. Literally shook at his
words. Well, that certainly made it clear what her body thought about his
offer, but Kerri wasn’t sure. She was afraid.

“What are you afraid of?” he asked
as if reading her mind.

The bugger.

Drawing in a deep breath, she fought
the urge to cross her eyes as he sunk his teeth into the curve of her neck. “Th-that
I’ll disappoint you.”

There, she said it. It was out
there, floating in the miniscule space between them.

He drew back and locked gazes.
“Darlin’, you could never,
ever
disappoint. Trust me.”

She shook her head. “But I wouldn’t
know what you’d want.”

“
You
, Kerri,” he said,
wrapping his hands around her hips and drawing her up close against him. “I
just want you.”

She backed up a little. “But what
about our parents? Won’t it make it awkward at family functions?”

“Isn’t it awkward now?”

She laughed. “Yeah, I see your point.”

“Good.” He drew her close again.

But she put her hands on his chest
to stop him. “Wait. Connor, you do know I’m not staying, right? Once this
restaurant has an established clientele, I plan to head back to California and reopen Comets, or maybe look for a Top Chef position.”

Last thing she wanted to do was
hurt this guy. To become another city girl who left him. “I just want to be as
honest with you as possible.”