She shuddered. “How come you didn’t hit it?”
“I saw it, but my truck’s set up higher than your car. I didn’t have time to warn you.”
His fingers felt good as they massaged her neck, her shoulders, her arms, checking her over and steadying her. “I’m fine, really. It was my own stupidity. My mind was a million miles away. I saw you stop, but my reaction was slow.”
“You wouldn’t have been expecting a deer in the road,” he said kindly.
All she wanted to do was melt into his arms. “Where’s Joy?”
“I left her up in the truck. She’d made a nest in my jacket and was perfectly happy not to come back out into the cold. Are you sure you’re fine?”
Looking up at him, she said, “Well, having never hit a deer before, I think I’m woozy.”
He frowned. “Woozy?”
“Yeah. Isn’t that funny? I feel light-headed.”
“Maybe you have a concussion.”
She could hear the instant worry in his voice. “No,” she said slowly, “I didn’t hit my head. I think I’m just envisioning poor Bambi—”
“Hey.” He took her into his arms and held her close. “Don’t think about it, okay? The deer was dead and didn’t feel a thing. You didn’t hurt the deer. In fact, I heard a rumor that it was an evil deer, out looking for little forest creatures to lure from their warm, snug homes. You did the world a favor. Okay?”
“Evil deer?” But she giggled, in spite of herself. “Thanks. I’m feeling better now.” More from his chest and his solid warmth than his silliness, but that felt good, too.
“Good. We’re going to leave your car here, until I can come back with my brothers so they can help me tow it back up this embankment.”
“Oh, no. I don’t want you to go to the trouble. I’ll call a service.”
He laughed, and she loved the sound of it coming from deep in his chest.
“We are the service in this town. Didn’t you see the size of my truck?”
“I hadn’t looked.” She’d only been looking at him.
“Other people buy bling-bling. We bought the biggest trucks they had on the market. Therefore, we became the towing service by default. We even pulled Shoeshine Johnson’s bus out of the pond when it slipped in.”
“How does a bus slip into a pond?” This man was telling her whoppers just to get her to calm down, and it was working better than wine.
“That’s a story for another time. Come on. I need to get you warm. Easy up the hill,” he said, more carrying her than letting her walk.
“I’m fine, Fannin. I can walk. Really.”
“Yeah, but it feels good to push on your behind. Unprofessional, but we’re outside of working hours. Right?”
She giggled. “I guess so.” The feel of his hands all over her was too good to complain about, anyway. He made her feel dainty.
“In fact, I’m grateful to that evil deer. Without him, I wouldn’t be having this much fun.”
He helped her into the truck, tucking a blanket around her legs. As promised, Joy was nestled into his jacket, completely undisturbed by the excitement her mother had just suffered. “Thank you,” Kelly said. “I’m perfect now.”
Nodding, he said, “You were perfect from the start.”
And then he leaned in to kiss her, just a soft kiss, but it started fireworks in her heart. Kelly groaned, wishing she didn’t feel her self-control slipping, but she did and she wanted more. Suddenly, the redhead inside of her took over as she turned her legs to the edge of the seat and locked them around his waist.
“Kiss me, cowboy,” she said. “Kiss me like you’re on fire for me.”
“I think I burst into flames when I had my hand on your butt,” he said before kissing her hard. “I know parts of me were definitely not feeling the wind chill.”
She moaned, a sigh of pleasure, but he pulled away to look into her eyes. “Are you sure you’re not hurting anywhere?”
Only my heart, she thought, and then she pulled him back to her mouth. “I want you,” she said against his lips.
He stiffened with surprise, but only for a second. Then he shoved her skirt up her legs, rubbing her thighs above her knee-high boots. “Are you sure? You’re okay with this?”
I’m as okay with this as any thirty-year-old redheaded, six-foot woman could ever be. She had hot, horny cowboy between her legs—he was such a strong man—she’d never be in this fantasy again in her whole life. “I know I’m not what you ordered, but—”
“Forget what I ordered. I’d say you more than meet the requirements,” he said gruffly, unbuttoning her ladylike sweater. “You’re too beautiful for words. You should always wear sweaters.”
She giggled, slightly nervous about her size. He unsnapped her red bra from the back and then buried his face in her breasts as if he hadn’t had a decent meal in weeks, and Kelly relaxed, throwing her head back, gasping as he feasted. She ran her fingers over his shoulders, burying them in his hair and knocking his hat to the ground.
“I’m sorry,” she said, but he stopped her apology and awkwardness by kissing her until she was breathless. A storm rose inside her, and she squeezed her eyes shut until she felt his fingers stroking inside her thighs, creeping inside her red thong. She was slick, and that was embarrassing, so she shifted, trying to pull her legs together so he wouldn’t find out. But he did. And he groaned, loud, deep, and Kelly stiffened, wondering if he was disappointed. Turned off.
But he slipped his fingers inside her, his mouth all over hers, his tongue licking inside her, and all Kelly could do was hang on to him as he pushed her to some edge she’d never been to before. Wave after wave of pleasure hit her, freezing her unexpectedly, making her cry out against his mouth.
He moved his hands to shove his jeans down, but he didn’t remove his mouth from hers. In fact, he seemed to kiss her harder, as if he needed her for his very breath. She heard something like paper tearing, and Fannin muttered, “It’s old, but please, let it still have staying power,” and the next thing she knew, he’d moved his hands to her hips and was slowly pulling her thong down her thighs. She didn’t make him do any more of the work after the thong left his hands. Moving to the very edge of the seat, she took hold of him, guiding him to her opening. He groaned again, that deep sound she loved, and then he entered her, his own passion making him thrust eagerly.
Stars of pain blinded her, but she didn’t cry out. She clutched his shoulders tighter, wrapping her strong legs tightly around him, loving the feel of his passion for her. Tears came to her eyes and fell down her cheeks, but they were soaked up by the flannel of his shirt.
And then he cried out, a sound unlike anything she’d ever heard. When he slumped against her, she cradled his head to her. “Fannin?” she whispered after a moment.
“Mmm?”
“Are you all right?”
He kissed her lips tenderly. “Yeah. You?”
She was sore but happy. “Fine.”
“You’re pretty resilient for a woman who drove down an embankment.”
She smiled into his eyes. “I come from sturdy stock.”
“I’ll say.”
Her gaze lowered as she remembered her mother. What would she think if she saw her daughter throwing herself at a Jefferson male like this—any man, for