STORY EXCERPT

It was crazy, maddening, but she would enjoy it all the same. Her hands were at Grant’s collar. She brought him to her again. This time, she easily took the lead. Her tongue swirled with his and as her traitorous body melded against his muscular form, one thought swept through her mind.

This man could destroy her. He could walk right into her life as if he’d never left because his vacated spot had been held in reserve.

He tangled her hair around his fingers and pulled her head back. Staring into her eyes, he whispered, “Still such a wildcat when you have the right man to crank you up.”

“Crank me up?” She grabbed some semblance of control then. “Don’t make me spit and cuss.”

He laughed. “Still have an anger management problem I see.”

“If that were true, I would’ve kicked you off this place the second I saw you!”

“But you didn’t,” he reminded her, caressing her cheek with his knuckles. “Want me to tell you why?”

Fuck if she cared why. The fact of the matter was the obvious. It was always the obvious. Grant could snap his fingers, shoot her a wink or a smile, and she’d jump right into his arms and beg him to drag her off to the closest bed.

As if he realized precisely what was rolling through her mind, he framed her face and kissed her with more passion. Feverish kisses were exchanged so she wasn’t a bit surprised when he cupped and squeezed the fullness of her breast.

A dozen sensations shot through her body the second he touched her. Why had she always responded to him as if she were desperate for his approval, his love? Why hadn’t she slammed the door in his face and just put a stop to this before it all began again? Was she really that desperate or was it like her mother had always said.

Gasping, she pulled back and stared at him, aware of the lust between them, the chemistry that they simply couldn’t deny. Perhaps her mother had been right. Maybe Grant was the love of her life.

“I missed you, too.”

For a split second, she saw the mockery in his face and it infuriated her, but there was more than one way to tame a stud. “I thought I told you to shut up and kiss me.”

He bit his lip and studied her. “There’s something different about you.”

“Yeah?” She was a few years older and a whole lot wiser. And she wasn’t above using a man for sex. Maybe she’d tell him that for kicks.

“Yeah.” His lips were on hers once more. This time, the kiss was destined to lead to a raunchy kind of place, the grinding and grunting, slamming and fucking kind of place.

As luck would have it, they didn’t make it that far.

Kell cleared his throat. “Man, I’m sorry, but there’s an eighteen wheeler idling next to the loading chute. I’m assuming the driver may not know where to turn around.”

“Your timing is perfect.” Kara pushed away a puckered Grant and ducked under his arm. Embarrassed by her behavior, she stormed to the rear of the house with her wrist mashed against her lips.

“Kara!”

She waved him off and rushed to the back porch, certain she would die if he chased her down and made her talk about what had just happened.

Had she lost her ever-loving mind? What had she been thinking? How could she let the only man she’d ever loved waltz back into her life as if he’d never left? And why had he returned? More importantly, why had he dared to kiss her after everything he’d done to her?

Entering her too-clean farmhouse, she hid out in the dirt-free mudroom with her back against the door. Trembling, she brushed her fingertips against her bruised lips, still far too aware of the passionate kiss she’d shared with the man who’d once left her for a woman who was nearly twice his age.

Grant had shattered her heart. He’d destroyed her soul.

Now that he was back in her life again, she needed to make a few decisions. One, how far was she willing to go with the man she no longer trusted? Two, if he remained on her payroll, what were the terms and conditions of his employment? And three, where and how did Kell fit in all this?

She slumped to the floor and drew her knees to her chest. Luckily, she was the boss and she didn’t have to make a quick decision.

Tugging her phone from her jeans, she dialed Grant’s old number. She was seconds away from hanging up when she heard a raspy, “Let me guess, unload the trailer, send the driver on his way, and start mucking stalls?”

He knew her routine even today.

“Let Kell do it. I need to talk to you.” She disconnected the call and pressed her head against the door. “What in heaven’s name have I done now?” She understood the answer, of course. She’d summoned a lover, an old friend who knew how to give a girl a good fuck.

Kara could use one of those about right now.

ADULT EXCERPT

Clearly having a good time, Kara sighed in pleasure as Kell drove his hand between her legs. His fingers were likely dancing at her pussy, skimming her damp folds.

All things considered, Grant should’ve remained seated. He should’ve been forced to watch.

He’d broken a good woman’s heart and she hadn’t moved on. She hadn’t looked for a second chance at love. He’d taken away her stability and destroyed her trust in others.

“Hmmm,” she whispered, her head turning from side to side. Her flushed expression told all tales as her back arched, her legs quivered. “Right there. Oh, yes. Mmm…”

Grant jerked at the sound of her rising climax. He stared straight ahead. Even after all this time, he still knew her so well. He could tell how close she was to orgasm based on her little whimpers.

She held Kell’s complete attention and deserved as much. Grant and Kell had shared women in the past so Grant wasn’t a stranger to watching. The oddity in this moment had more to do with Kara and seeing her respond to another man’s touch.

“Like that?” Kell pinched her nipple through the sexy black French lace chemise. “Tell me, sweetheart.”

“Yes.” Her back bowed. Her legs parted. “What else do you want me to like?” She rubbed her middle finger back and forth across the swell of her bottom lip. Soon, her fingers strummed against her clit. “Do you want me to play so you can watch?”

“Damn right,” Kell crooned, reaching under her body and pulling at his cock. “You can do whatever you want to do, lover.”

Grant swallowed. Who was this seductress on the prowl and what had she done with the brokenhearted gal Ellie Fay had described?

Kell helped Kara to her feet and untied the bow at the back of her sexy little number. The sight of her pretty tail made Grant as hard as a steel rod. If Ellie Fay had told facts and not suspicions, Kara’s bed had been vacant since their split.

With Ellie’s information, Grant possessed the advantage of experience. He understood how to turn Kara on and how far was too far. There were firsts they could still enjoy together. Kara’s fine ass had never been tapped, never been breached because his woman hadn’t been touched since the last time he’d touched her.

Undoubtedly in tune with Grant’s ideas, too, Kell pushed aside the material she wore. Once the satin ribbons fell to the wayside, he walked his fingers down Kara’s back and whispered at her ear.

She giggled, turned her head to her shoulder, and said, “I’ll let Grant join us after we’ve tortured him enough. For now, he can stay there. I want him to know what it feels like to be an outsider, to want the person in the bed you can’t approach.”

Talk about a shot through the heart.

Karma was a real bitch but Margo had been just as brutal. Perhaps he should’ve told Kara as much. When Margo had kicked him to the curb, she’d treated him like an outsider, a hired hand. He’d paid a price for the experience and contacts he’d gained. With that had come humiliation, sorrow, and a desperate need to break free of a bitter old woman with perverse goals.

One day, he’d tell Kara how he’d gotten what he’d deserved. For now, he would let her enjoy the moment. Her actions were justifiable revenge and regardless of how he felt about her now or how she’d always felt about him, this sort of retribution was just.

Grant had made bad decisions. He’d let her down. He’d let her go and spent the last few years without her by his side.

Another hour wouldn’t kill him.