Sex Ed (6 page)

"Satisfied?"

The sarcasm in Kendal 's voice couldn't be mistaken. Ed turned and faced the women across the bed, defeated. Confusion spun through Ed's mind. He didn't have a clue what was going on. "If there isn't a man in that bedroom, what was al that moaning?"

That's when he saw it. Light from the bedside table glinted off its sleek silver casing, winking at him like a beacon in a sea of rumpled sheets. He'd almost rather have found a man in Kendal 's bed than that.

A man he could pick up by his scrawny neck and kick his ass out with a great deal of pleasure.

A vibrator would remain unchal enged,

untouched by Ed's hands and left behind in a room with two women.
Holy Hell
.

Kendal 's lips turned up in a Mona-Lisa-smile.

"Were we keeping you awake?" She pressed a hand to her mouth, her eyes widening. "I'm sooo sorry. We were just getting into the movie. We promise to keep it down from now on."

Ed glared at Kendal , wanting to say something, but his brain couldn't put words to his thoughts.

Final y he managed, "Do that. I have to work in the morning."

"We'l be quiet." Kendal moved away from the door, motioning for Ed to fol ow. "I wouldn't want you to be too tired for tomorrow night's lesson."

Sex education was the last thing Ed wanted to think about before he attempted to sleep in what was left of the night.

Kendal walked him to the door and held it open, a smile playing around her lips. "I hope to use tonight's lesson on my guy tomorrow. I'l be sure to let you know how it goes." She started to close the door, clearly indicating an end to his visit.

When Ed didn't move, she looked at him wide-eyed. "Is there something else?"

Ed stared down into the eyes of a woman he wasn't sure he knew anymore. She sure as hel wasn't the kid sister of his friend. No sirree, she'd grown into a woman, ful of mischief and feminine wiles. "No. Just keep it down." He turned and left.

If he wasn't mistaken, Kendal giggled as she shut the door.

What the hel was that about?

And what was Lacey doing in Kendal 's

bedroom while Kendal was wearing nothing more than a sheet? And whose vibrator was that on the bed? What were they doing with it while watching a movie?

If he thought images of a naked Kendal were enough to keep him up al night, the images inspired by the two women together doomed him to sleeplessness for the week.
Holy Hell.
Why did Connor have to get deployed now? Why couldn't he wait until his little sister was safely married off to some farmer?

Ed stomped down the stairs to his apartment and slammed the door behind him.

For the next hour, he paced his bedroom floor, his ears straining to hear what was going on upstairs. Other than a few loud giggles, the thumping had stopped. At one point, he thought he heard the faint hum of a tiny motor. But that could have been his overactive imagination.

What was Kendal up to with Lacey? And why was she interested in a man when she was doing God-knows-what with a woman?

His mind stil spinning, Ed stripped out of his shorts and laid on top of his sheets, his dick hard as a rock, the clock displaying bright green as if mocking him.
One-fucking-thirty in the fucking
morning
. Ed couldn't believe he was lusting after Kendal Mason—his best friend's little sister. He had half a mind to pay a visit to the doctor for a mild sedative to keep him from getting a boner every time he was near Kendal . Was there such a thing as anti-Viagra?

And to think, some men couldn't get it up. Not Ed. He couldn't keep the poor boy down. He lifted his head. Moonlight shone off his stiff cock. Giving it a silver sheen much like the dildo in Kendal 's bed.

Holy Hell
.

For the tenth time, Ed paced the length of the barn. He'd yet to round-up his horse, much less saddle him for the day's work. His eyes burned from lack of sleep and he'd taken not one but three cold showers during the night to shake the effect of Kendal 's crazy request. Not to mention the silver vibrator mystery he wasn't sure he wanted to know about.

"Hey Ed, I thought you'd be out in the pen with Ranger by now."

"I should be." He performed a sharp about-face and marched to the other end of the barn, away from Grant.

"My, my. I don't think I've ever seen the great Ed Judson this riled. What's eating you?" Grant leaned against a stal door and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Kendal Mason."

"Is she out carousing with an undesirable?"

Guilt and desire warred in Ed’s gut. "I can't say."

"Spit it out."

"No, it's something I gotta work out for myself."

"Suit yourself. I'm here if you need to talk." Grant grabbed a bridle and was almost out the door when Ed broke.

"She wants me to give her sex education lessons," Ed blurted out through clenched teeth.

Grant spun to face Ed, his brows practical y meeting his hairline. "She what?"

"You heard me. She wants me to teach her how to attract a man, what a man likes from first date to al -the-way."

Grant stood with his jaw hanging down around his chest.

"Damn it, Grant, shut your mouth before I put a fist in it!" Ed spun on his boot heels, grabbed a bridle and headed out to the corral where Ranger awaited his scheduled morning exercise.

"Wait, wait," Grant trotted to keep up with Ed.

"Let me understand this. You mean to tel me little Kendal Mason asked
you
to teach her al about what a man likes?" Grant removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair. "So what's your problem?

You've been handed a gift from God."

"The Devil's temptation is more like it." Ed kicked at the ground. He needed a fight, wanting to punch something or someone. "I'm not fit to train horses in my current state of mind."

"Tel me how you managed to land this gig, I want one of my own."

"Not with Kendal , you don't." He glared at his boss and flung the bridle over the fence rail. "I didn't ask for it. She propositioned me and threatened to take her request to Whitey Ross if I turned her down." Ed slapped a palm on the rail so hard it stung.

Ranger flung his head back and trotted to the far side of the pen.

"Hel , I'm not fit to train horses today."

Grant laughed. "No, my friend, you'l get yourself thrown at this rate." The older man leaned his arms on the top rail of the fence and grinned out at Ranger. "Kendal Mason asked you to give her lessons in sex."

Ed growled.

"You know, she's not a baby anymore."

"You think I didn't notice?" Ed tipped his head backward, his eyes closed to the morning sun. His mind replayed Kendal 's breast peeking out from the poorly wrapped sheet, the line of her G-string panties disappearing between her butt cheeks, the way her nipples poked at the thin fabric of her tank top. "Hel , she's a ful grown woman."

"With the figure and desires to prove it." Grant shook his head. "Think she'd go out with me?"

He sucked in a breath through his nose before speaking. "I'm a hair's breadth away from landing my fist in your face, boss or no boss."

Grant held out his hands in front of his face and laughed aloud. "Sorry, just had to poke at you. You're wound tighter than a bowstring."

"You have no idea. I don't think I slept more than fifteen minutes last night."

"Maybe you should take the day off."

"No. I need to do something to keep my mind off Kendal and the lessons she'l expect from me tonight." Ed leaned his forehead against the fence rail, pressing against the rough wood. "I promised Connor I'd look out for her."

"Wow, you are in a bind."

"Yeah. I'm damned if I give her what she wants, and damned if Whitey takes over."

"Did she say why she wanted lessons?"

Ed's frown deepened, a snarl curling his lip.

"She's hot over some guy and wants to use the lessons to attract his attention."

"Did she say who the guy was?"

"No. But I think I have an idea." He swal owed hard against a tight throat. God, he hated to admit this. "She's been studying with some jerk from her col ege. I see him leaving as I get home from work."

"Maybe you need to get home early and check it out." Grant slapped a hand on Ed's back.

"Personal y, I'd love to be in your shoes, buddy.

Kendal is one hot little fil y."

"Grannttt," Ed warned.

Grant raised his hands again. "I'm just saying.

She's a grown woman and fair game in the eyes of every male in town. I'm surprised she's held off this long from latching onto a man. Can’t be from lack of some guys trying. You're a lucky dog that she picked you."

"Yeah, but Connor trusts me to look out for her, not fuck her. And she only wants sex education lessons to help her land another guy." A burst of red-hot rage slammed through his bloodstream, surging its way straight to his chest. "I gotta find out who this guy is and tel him to fuck off."

"Be careful, Ed. Sometimes tel ing a guy to back off only makes him want the girl more. It could backfire on you."

"I don't care. Connor's only been gone a month.

A goddamn month! I have thirteen more to go before I can walk away from this stupid promise."

Grant looked out across the paddock. "Don't know what to tel you. A cowboy's word is his honor."

"Yeah." Ed drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. "That's the problem. That and some randy boy poking around Kendal while she's as hot as a cat in heat."

"Stop. You're getting me al worked up." A grin spread across Grant's face. "I can just picture Kendal in that tight little jean skirt she wore the other night serving at the Ugly Stick Saloon." Grant shook his head. "She had every male in the building panting after her."

Ed groaned. "You see what I have to put up with?"

"Yeah, I don't envy your promise. Plus I real y don't see a way around these lessons you're supposed to teach her. How wil you show her what a man likes without actual y...showing her?"

"I was hoping you had some suggestions." Ed looked at his boss hopeful y.

"Short of buying a blow-up dol with anatomical y correct parts, I can't think of a thing."

"A blow-up dol ?" Ed's brows rose. "Can I get one of those from that adult shop out on the county line?"

"I'm almost positive they'l have them. I know they have the female dol s. Not so certain about the males." Grant shook his head. "Real y, though, you should just go for her body."

"What?" Ed stared at his friend. Had he lost his mind? "I can't do that, she's Connor’s
little
sister."

"Are you attracted to her?" Grant's gaze locked on Ed's,

His boss’s stare refused to let him shy away from the answer to that loaded question. "Damn it, yes." Ed looked out across the barnyard. "That's the problem. She's too damned pretty for my own good."

"Does the attraction go deeper than just the physical?"

His chest tightened, breathing becoming more difficult, and his head swam. "What do you mean?"

"Do you love the girl?"

"Of course I do. She's Connor's sister."

"No, do you L.O.V.E. the girl? As in wil ing to take her to the altar kind of love?" Grant stared hard.

A stare lasting long enough to make him squirm.

Ed looked away first. "I don't know."

"Think about it. Can you see her dating another man without getting mad about it?"

"No."

"Can you picture her in bed with someone other than you?"

"Hel , no." Ed shoved his hand through his hair, his body tense, visions of Kendal lying naked in bed rampaging through his head.
Holy Hell
, he wanted her. And he didn't want any man planting himself inside her. "Hel , no," he repeated.

Grant shrugged. "Then go for her. Connor wil understand and probably be happy she'd settle for his best friend, rather than a low-life like Whitey."

"I don't know if I'm ready to commit." Ed shook his head. "And I'd bet my leather chaps Connor didn't have
fuck my sister
in mind when he said take care of Kendal ."

"Yeah, but if you told him about Kendal 's little deal and Whitey, he'd switch gears real quick."

"I don't know. I talked to him last night. He was going out on maneuvers, probably getting shot at.

How can I tel him anything that wil have him so worried his head wouldn't be in the fight?"Ed leaned back against the corral fence.

"You're right. He doesn't need the worry." Grant's lips twisted. "Do you think your attraction to Kendal is more than because she's pretty?"

"I don't know. I spent most of my life thinking of her as a sister."

"And now?"

Ed's shoulders sagged. "Not at al . She's not the same kid in ponytails and she's got great..." He held his hands out at breast level, his thoughts on the perfect shape and size of her boobs. Then he remembered where he was and who he was talking to. "...skin. She's got great skin."

Grant laughed. "Go for the girl. You have it bad for her already."

Ed hooked his thumbs in his back pockets and stared at his boots. "She's having me show her what a guy likes for some other dude, not me."

"Then in the process of showing her, let her see what a great catch you are."

Ed snorted.

" As far as I see it, you got two choices. Check out the dol situation at the adult toy store, or go for the girl. Either way something's gotta give."

"Yeah."

"In the meantime, how about pounding some T-posts? There's a fence down on the northern edge of the ranch. Do some manual labor to burn off some of that testosterone."

"You're right." Ed smiled at his boss and friend.

"Thanks. At least, I have some options to think about."

"Yeah, and I'l have a very vivid image of Kendal Mason in her tight skirt, asking you to give her sex lessons to keep me warm al day in this ninety-degree weather." Grant's lips pressed into a line.

"Not sure I'm going to make it to lunch."

"She was wearing a tank top and thong panties."

Ed's eyes narrowed. "But get your mind out of the gutter with my girl."

"Your girl, is it?" Grant's eyes widened. "Getting territorial al the sudden?"