Betting the Farm Read online

  Chapter Two

  Every time Kai giggled, Fritz felt as if he’d been punched in the chest with an iron fist. Every time she rolled her head on the back of his truck seat and pinned him with those stunning ice-blue eyes, his blood pushed through his veins in a thick, hot rush. And every single time she made that little breathy sighing noise in her throat, his dick got harder. Right now, he could use it to hammer nails into a brick wall.

  She’d kicked her shoes off in the parking lot of the bar before scrambling gracelessly up into his truck, giving him a mind-melting view of her toned thighs and the bottom curve of her perfect ass. He’d scooped up the shoes and tossed them in behind her, guessing they probably cost as much as one of the new aluminum rims on his Ford F-250.

  To kill time, he was meandering around on clay back roads because she’d said she wasn’t ready to go home. Truthfully, he didn’t want to take her home. He wanted to haul her back to his place, strip her out of that sexy dress and violate her nine ways ’til Sunday because six ways would never be enough. He wouldn’t do that, but it didn’t hurt to want.

  Or maybe it did. He certainly had one body part hurting right now.

  Besides, the sex might feel great while it was happening, but he’d only be opening himself up to more hurt in the aftermath. Kai wasn’t a woman you could do once and forget. Like a tattoo, she got under your skin and never left. Instead, you carried her around with you forever.

  Fritz shook his head.

  This was not the smartest idea he’d ever had. He should’ve left her in the bar for Seth to take home, but God knows who else would’ve hit on her before the night was over. At the rate she was going with the JD shots, someone could’ve easily taken advantage of her, although not without a valiant fight if she was conscious. He supposed he could’ve called her brother Josh to come pick her up, but that would’ve pissed her off too.

  So they’d ride and talk and when she was ready, he’d walk her to her front door—or maybe prop her against it—ring the doorbell and drive away. Yep, that’s what he would do. Be the perfect gentleman, even though his dick was begging him to be someone else. Someone who’d be buried in regret the next morning, unable to look at himself in the mirror.

  She nudged him with the bottle of Jack. Fritz pretended to take a sip, keeping his lips pressed together while he tipped the bottle. When she wasn’t looking, he poured the rest of it out the window of his truck. It was a shame to waste good whiskey like that but she was sloshed enough already.

  “All gone,” he told her, waggling the empty bottle in front of her face. Her bottom lip poked out in a fake pout then she giggled again.

  “S’fine. I haven’t done shots in years,” she drawled, her Southern lilt getting more pronounced the drunker she got. Her words came slowly enough he could watch her lips form them.

  Christ.

  She’d eaten off her lipstick and Fritz wanted to smother that soft, pink mouth with a hard kiss, see if she still tasted as sweet as he remembered. Her bare feet were braced against his dashboard, the tips of her toes painted the same crimson shade as her dress. The hem of said dress had slid down her thighs toward her lap and the fancy updo her hair had been in earlier was coming loose and falling around her shoulders. Fritz had rolled the windows down because he figured she could use the fresh air, and it was whipping the silky strands across her face. Every once in a while she’d impatiently push it back with her hands or puff it away from her mouth. Meanwhile, he kept a death grip on his steering wheel to keep from touching her.

  Impressive diamond studs sparkled in her earlobes occasionally when they caught the moonlight, a blatant reminder of the kind of privileged life she was accustomed to living. It also hadn’t escaped his attention that her left ring finger was bare.

  Fritz pulled into the edge of one of his family’s cornfields and cut the truck’s engine, leaving the radio playing softly on a local country station. Drawing his knee up, he turned his body to face her on the seat.

  “I thought you were engaged, Kai.”

  She held up her left hand between them, wiggling her fingers. “Not anymore. We broke up six months ago. I can’t remember now what I found interesting about him. Phillip was a bore with a capital B. He could bore air, he was so boring.” She busted out laughing at her own silly joke.

  Why did that little piece of information make him happy? He tamped that emotion back down into its place. She certainly didn’t seem torn up about the breakup.

  “How did he take it when you broke it off?”

  “Claimed I was making the biggest mistake of my life by dumping him. He said, ‘I’m going to be a United States senator one day, and you could be the wife of a senator, and you’re throwing all that away’. Whatever.” She waved her hand through the air dismissively. “Like I care ’bout that crap. I never said I wanted to be a senator’s wife. I didn’t wanna be a lawyer’s wife either. Mostly I jus’ didn’t wanna be his wife. He was sooo bore-ing.”

  Fritz chuckled. “You mentioned that. Were your parents upset you ended it?”

  “Oh. My. God! You would’ve thought I committed murder or somethin’. You know how my mother is—always pushing. Tonight at Stacey’s wedding she was forcin’ Trent Lathrop on me.” Her face scrunched into a grimace. “Ewww, he’s jus’ nasty, with his big ol’ fat belly and bad comb-over and reeeeally bad breath.” Collapsing in another fit of giggles, she slid farther down in the truck seat.

  He liked her like this—soft and feminine, relaxed and sexy, letting her guard down. Gone was the stubborn wench from inside the bar. It wouldn’t last, he knew. She’d wake up tomorrow morning with the mother of all hangovers and be as cranky as they come. Still didn’t mean he wouldn’t like to be around her in the morning, stupid as that thought was. Right now though, he was going to enjoy her for as long as he could, even if it was a form of self-torture.

  “I’m still thirsty. Do you have anything else to drink?” she asked.

  “I think I’ve got water in the cooler in the back of my truck.”

  Fritz jumped down to the ground and rummaged through the ice in his cooler until he found a bottle of water. Living in the South and working on a farm, he always carried around something cold to drink, even in the wintertime. He wiped the moisture from the outside of the bottle on the leg of his jeans and climbed back inside the truck. Kai was busy snatching the pins from her hair and carelessly tossing them onto the floorboard.

  When he twisted the cap off the bottle of water and handed it to her, she sighed. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Fritz watched her throat work as she swallowed. Her bottom lip glistened with wetness and again, he fought the urge to lean over and suck it clean.

  Dammit, she was so beautiful it hurt to look at her sometimes. More so now than when she’d left town. Left him. Her body had filled out into soft, womanly curves and taut lines. His eyes kept zeroing in on her nipples puckered beneath her dress and the juncture of her thighs that she was inadvertently giving him quick peeks at when she swung her knees back and forth. Real gentlemanly there, asshole. His perverted cock throbbed with every heavy beat of his heart. At this rate, his balls would be sore for a week. It looked like a cold shower was in order when he got home tonight.

  “What happened to you and that Penelope chick?” she asked.

  Her question caught him off guard. “You knew about that?”

  She ripped at the plastic label on the bottle of water. “Josh told me he heard you might get married.” Her voice dropped a little but Fritz picked up on it. Was it sadness behind her words or was that wishful thinking on his part?

  Fritz shrugged. “They were just rumors. I wasn’t in love with her.”

  And she wasn’t you. None of them were you.

  Damn if he hadn’t tried his best to find her replacement, though. Being near her again like this, close enough to smell, touch, taste, just hammered home the fact that he’d never really gotten over her. There was no replacement for Kai.

  Fuck, why’d he have to go and play the part of white knight again?

  “Oh.” She yawned and her eyelids drooped a bit.

  “Want me to take you home?”

  Her gaze met his and she gave him a small, sleepy smile. “No, but I don’t have any other place to go, so I guess I have no choice.”

  The vulnerability in her voice nearly broke him in half while he wondered why exactly she didn’t want to go home. Even big, fancy mansions could be lonely and empty, he guessed. She had a choice but in her current inebriated state, she didn’t have the faculties to make that decision and he couldn’t do it for her.

  Fritz couldn’t resist touching her then. He trailed his fingertips across her smooth, flushed cheek. Kai closed her eyes and turned her head into his palm, seeking his caress.

  “Fritz.” His name was one long, sexy sigh. “I’ve missed you.”

  He frowned at the way his heart thumped over those unexpected words, and then whispered, “I’ve missed you too.”

  Her shoulders relaxed and she slumped against his arm.

  She’d passed out cold.

  Well hell, what was he going to do now?

  * * * * *

  The angel in his bed was stirring. Fritz propped his shoulder against the jamb of his bedroom door, lifting his coffee cup to his lips to take a sip.

  Kai was sprawled across the mattress on her stomach, the white sheet twisted around her waist, his pillows shoved either out of the way or off the bed. One long, tanned leg stuck out from under the covers and her foot hung off the edge. Her arms were stretched above her head, giving him a tantalizing glimpse at the side of one creamy, plumped breast. A thin white line crossed the sun-kissed skin of her back, reminding him of days long past.

  He couldn’t
count the number of times he’d kissed that skin, how many scorching summer evenings they’d spent skinny-dipping in Turner Creek. His mouth curved into a smile at the memory, despite the melancholy ache in his chest that nipped at its heels. They’d sure made their fair share of them in just two short years.

  Rays of sunshine streamed in through the window, highlighting the different shades of gold in her hair. It was a bit darker now, more like the color of dry wheat. Back then, it had been nearly as pale as corn silk. She’d wear it in long braids once in a while, and the tips would curl around her nipples when wet. God, but he’d tried to forget those times—and failed miserably.

  She stirred again, shifting on the bed. Fritz ducked around the corner so she wouldn’t catch him ogling her. The sheets rustled softly. He closed his eyes and pictured her in his mind’s eye, stretching like a cat in the sun. Naked, sleek, warm from sleep.

  “Jesus,” she groaned. Then, “Ow.”

  He grinned again. Uh-huh, that gorgeous head was pounding.

  He tiptoed back to the kitchen and found a bottle of aspirin then topped off his cup of coffee.

  “Where the hell am I?” she grumbled.

  Fritz answered from the hallway. “You’re in my bed, Kai. Can I come in?”

  “Crap, I’m naked. Hold on.” More rustling sounds, then, “Okay.”

  He strolled to the side of the bed and sank down next to her hip. The sheet was wrapped tightly around her chest. She sat forward, squinting at him through the heavy fall of her mussed hair. And heaven help him, she smelled good. Like rumpled cotton and sunshine.

  He rattled the bottle of aspirin. “Want some?”

  Wincing, she asked, “Would it kill me if I took the whole bottle?”

  “Probably not a good idea.” He shook out two in his palm and offered them to her with his coffee.

  “Mm, that’s good.” Her eyes drifted closed as she wrapped both hands around the warm mug.

  “Keep it. It’s my third, so I don’t need any more.”

  She frowned. “Third? What time is it?”

  “Nine-thirty.”

  Kai glanced down at herself then up at his bare chest. All he wore was his jeans.

  “I don’t remember much after we left the bar. Did we…?”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her what it would mean if they’d had sex. It was hard to tell from her mood whether she was hoping they did, but then she wouldn’t remember it. That was the last thing Fritz wanted. If he was ever lucky enough to get Kai back in his bed, he could damn well guarantee it would be memorable for both of them.

  “We didn’t,” he said as evenly as he could manage. “You passed out on me in the truck. I couldn’t see taking you home like that and gettin’ your folks all lathered up, so I brought you back here.”

  “This is your house?”

  “It was my Granny Carter’s place. You’ve been here before. Remember it?”

  Kai glanced around the room while she sipped the steaming cup of coffee. “I never saw the bedrooms, but I’m fairly sure she believed in curtains.”

  Fritz laughed out loud then stopped when she winced again. “Sorry,” he whispered, teasing her. “I’m always up before the sun rises anyway. Granny died three years ago and I hated to see the place sit here and rot, so I moved in and fixed it up a little.”

  “I’m so sorry. I know you loved her a lot.”

  He gave Kai a crooked smile and tucked a wild strand of hair behind her ear. “She was pretty special.” You’re pretty special. “Want to take a shower? It might make you feel better.”

  She shook her head. “Just let me get this cup of coffee down and I’ll be good to go. Can you take me home? My parents shouldn’t be there because they do brunch at the country club on Sunday mornings.”

  That stung a little, making his spine straighten. Were they right back to where they’d been six years ago? With Kai dodging her folks because they didn’t approve of her being with him?

  Biting his tongue, he nodded and pushed to his feet. “Your clothes are on the chair.”

  Kai brushed her hair out of her eyes, cocked her head. “Since I was unconscious last night, how did I take off my dress?”

  “I haven’t the slightest idea how you managed that.” He winked. “I’ll be in the kitchen when you’re ready.”

  While Fritz waited for Kai to dress, he turned off the coffee maker and washed the pot, trying hard not to think about how good she looked in his bed. Finally, after all the times they’d fooled around in his truck or under the stars, he had her in his bed and he’d spent the night on the damn couch. Those sheets would stay on the mattress until her scent was long gone.

  True, he could have left her in that tight dress, but he figured she’d be more comfortable out of it. At least that’s what he told his conscience. And no matter how hard his conscience berated him for it, he’d stood beside the bed and looked his fill of her smokin’ hot naked body. He’d hoped the image would burn itself into his brain before he covered her with the sheet.

  He’d seen Kai naked many times, but back then he’d had the raging hormones of a randy teenager and unable to fully appreciate her budding curves, her soft skin and natural beauty. What he’d seen last night stole his breath from his lungs. He wanted to touch her, taste her, bury himself inside her and stay forever. The realization that she still affected him the way she did shook him to his very soul.

  “I’m ready,” she said from behind him.

  He glanced down at his hands, at the white-knuckle grip he had on the edge of the sink, and let out a quiet sigh. “Let me grab a shirt and my keys and I’ll take you home.”

  Chapter Three

  At dinner that evening, Kai pushed her food around her plate with her fork, still slightly woozy from the excess alcohol she’d drunk the night before. The conversation between her parents and Josh was just background noise until her mother poked her arm.

  “Sorry, Mom, did you say something?”

  “I asked what happened to you last night. One minute you were there and the next time I looked up, you were gone.”

  Lifting her tea glass to her lips, she sipped then lied. “Oh, I, uh…went to Grace’s.”

  “Grace’s, huh?” Josh asked with a sly grin. “Funny, I talked to her at brunch this morning and she said—” Kai kicked his shin beneath the table. “Ow!”

  Her dad was busy cutting into his pork chop and her mom frowned in confusion before continuing. “Well, Trent was disappointed that you left. I think he was planning to ask you out.”

  “Mom, Trent Lathrop doesn’t interest me in the least,” she said, fighting a shudder of revulsion.

  Her mother blinked like she’d spoken in Swahili. “But he’s a prominent young businessman here in town, dear. He and his father have a very successful law practice.”

  Ugh. It took all Kai could do not to groan out loud. “Please, no more lawyers. In fact I wish you would stop trying to fix me up altogether. I just moved back. I need time to get my feet underneath me before I jump into dating again.”

  “If you’re not going to date, you should at least be social. There are very few attractive, eligible young men in Serenity. You wouldn’t want to cut off your nose to spite your face.”

  Oh, good grief.

  And there were plenty of attractive, eligible men in Serenity. The word her mom had left out of her criteria was “rich”, but it went without saying that’s what she meant. One of Elizabeth Donnelly’s main goals in life was to find her daughter a wealthy, socially prominent husband.

  Nothing had changed since she’d sat at this dinner table when she was a teenager. Her mother still babbled away about everything and nothing, her father retreated into his own little world because he couldn’t get a word in edgewise, Josh did his level best to try to stir up trouble because he was bored out of his mind, and Kai…

  Well, she wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole.

  Her dad mercifully weighed in. “Elizabeth, leave Kai alone. For goodness sake, she’s been home a week and you’re already trying to marry her off.” He gave Kai a quick wink and she smiled back at him, wanting to give him a big sloppy kiss on the cheek for shutting her mother up, or making a valiant effort on Kai’s behalf. “Ready to start putting that marketing degree to good use?” her dad asked. “There’s a desk at Donnelly Motors with your name on it.”