The Ranger's Passionate Love (14 page)

He doesn't look so bad himself
, reflected Kyara. Even relaxed, his muscles made clear lines along his body. Each curve flowed into the next, not bulky and harsh, but in smooth, silken lines. His smile, caring yet somehow tentative, made her ache for him all over again. She let what she was feeling shine out through her eyes, just as his feelings showed through his.

She wasn't sure if it was his look or the cold of the room, but her tightening nipples called her out of the moment. She closed the blinds, then moved to the door, flipping on the overhead light.

"We should get you back to your grandmother," she said, her voice steadier than she really felt.

He sighed, but pulled the blankets to the side and began to hunt for his clothes. Kyara turned away before she could get caught up in watching him again, whisking through the door and into the bathroom.

This is going to be complicated
, whispered a tiny, traitorous part of her mind. But the voice was soon drowned out in the giddy hum of the morning after. Even given how busy they were going to be, both today and in all the days to follow, it wasn't hard to cast it aside and, just for a moment, be happy for herself.

“So Jan's home and all settled in?” asked Kyara as they walked along the trail. The day was cold, but they were bundled up. The bite of the air was invigorating. Plus, her hand was intertwined with Jason's. After only a few days together, it felt good.

It feels really good,
Kyara admitted to herself.
Not at all something I was looking for, but very, very good.

“Yeah,” said Jason. “I'm going to move in with her for a bit. Turns out it's really hard to get someone released from the hospital if you can't prove that they'll be taken care of at home. Not that I mind, honestly. I'll feel better knowing I'm right there.”

“And I am,” pointed out Kyara. “Well, right across the street, anyway.”

He smiled at her, and the look filled her with a giddy warmth.

“Thank you again for that,” he said. “I know I've thanked you a hundred times before, but it really meant a lot to me to have someone there.”

“Of course,” she said quietly, just enjoying the attention.

“And I do have to admit, I'm not totally distraught at the thought of being right across the street from a certain beautiful chef I know,” he said playfully.

Kyara made a face at him.

“Crystal's a little young for you, you know,” she teased.

“True,” he paused to sigh dramatically, “but when you find something special, you just have to go for it. That's why I've had to bring you out into the woods. I'm afraid I'll have to kill you and hide the evidence so that she and I can be together in our forbidden love.”

“I understand,” Kyara said with mock solemnity. “I wish you two the best of luck.” She leaned up to give him a peck on the cheek, but he swept her up, holding her to him as he explored her lips with his own. Even hugging through their heavy coats, Kyara felt a rush of warmth at his touch.

When he finally put her down, she shook her head a little to clear it.

“Why are we out here?” she asked. “When you said we should go on a real date, I sort of thought you meant the movies or something.”

“What, this isn't beautiful enough for you?” he asked, gesturing at the scenery around them. Kyara paused to take it in. A light dusting of snow, untouched from the night before, coated everything in a thin white blanket. Weak sunlight filtered down, just enough to give the world a sparkle without being painfully bright. Just beyond them started the woods, dark and deep even in the afternoon light.

“It is,” said Kyara faintly. “I suppose I was too caught up in other things to notice.”

Jason's smile matched her own.

“Well, city girl,” he said. “I thought we might continue getting used to the woods. Your new home has some amazing and beautiful places for people who are willing and able to find them.”

“Places we can't drive to?” asked Kyara, putting on her heaviest accent and a false tone of horror.

Jason snorted.

“Those are for tourists. Like it or not, you're becoming one of us now. That means knowing the really good spots.”

Kyara nodded, not entirely sure how she felt about being labeled “one of us.”

“Alright then, oh Guru of the mountain ranges. If I’m going to be one of you, you’ve got to teach me what you know,” she told him.

For the next hour they walked through the woods. Jason showed her different trees, and tracks.

This isn't really my thing
, Kyara found herself thinking,
but he seems too happy out here. So peaceful. I could get very used to seeing him like this.

In time their walk turned into more of a game of hide-and-seek, with Kyara using her new skills to move from tree to tree as quietly as she could while Jason tried to track her.

“What if I lose you?” Kyara asked him. “I mean, sure, it's easy to follow in the snow, but under some of these trees it's practically bare.”

Jason's smile was easy and confident.

“Even the heaviest snows have trouble getting below these older trees,” Jason admitted. “The needles can give you away, but you have to be a much more experienced tracker to pick up on that. Fortunately, I am.”

And so he was. Despite her best efforts, he always caught up to her, stealing kisses each time he did.

Finally, Kyara found herself backed up against a steep incline down to the river, not yet frozen over. She was eying the bank, trying to decide if she could make it down without slipping.

“Don't,” came Jason's voice, a hint of urgency coloring it. “If you get soaked all over, you’ll never keep warm enough. Stay dry, stay warm, stay alive.”

Kyara looked down at the stream again, then backed up.

“Good tip,” she said.

“Besides,” followed up Jason, “I have a surprise for you.”

“Oh?” Kyara asked. “I hope it doesn't involve going too much farther. I'm a little lost as it is.”

Jason shook his head.

“We're actually not that far from where we started. The trail does a big loop around from north to west, and the town is south of here, so as long as you go in one direction you're bound to hit one or the other. No, come on, there's just something I want to show you down the stream.”

Together, they followed the river bed, the energizing air of the afternoon just starting to give way to real cold. Rounding a bend, Kyara saw where they were headed.

The building looked old, its woods stained dark and strong, but it didn't look rickety. The stone and logs supporting it all looked thick and powerful. As they go closer, Kyara saw that it had been recently reinforced by newer, paler wood.

“While we've been working on the trail, the crew from the other end has been coming down to fix this,” Jason explained. “It was an old mill. We're hoping to make it something of a waypoint and camping site along the trail. Speaking of which....”

Jason moved to the heavy door of the entrance and pushed it aside. Inside the old building was dark, but he'd set up several candles and prepared a fire in the center of the flat stone floor.

“The guys would kill me if they knew I was making a fire inside here, but I thought we might need to warm up this evening. Besides, what they don't know won't kill them.”

Kyara stepped inside, enjoying the view as Jason got the fire going. She rubbed her hands together to work some heat back into them. Jason glanced at her, then pulled her closer to the barely glowing fire. He moved her hands to rub her chest instead of each other.

“Keep your core warm, he instructed her firmly. “Your outside can freeze, but not your heart.”

“For my next surprise” he announced as he pulled out a large steamer truck from a niche in the wall. Inside was a small sampling of food and a single sleeping bag. He waggled his eyebrows at her, then began to set up for dinner.

Kyara laughed as Jason burned their fire-cooked dinner. Her giggles left her leaning on him as she tried to get her breath back.

“OK, that settles it,” she managed between laughs. “Our next date is in my kitchen. You clearly have some things to learn, too.”

“I am an expert at eating, not cooking,” he said with mock-dignity, studying the withered remains of what should have been a baked potato. Kyara burst into giggles all over again, falling over into his lap.

A solid, persistent throbbing from inside his pants made Kyara feel a rush of a very different kind altogether.

“Did you actually have fun and learn things?” he asked from above her.

“Hmm,” she said. “Let me see.” She let her hands wander over his jacket, tugging the zipper until the layers beneath it were exposed.

“You can go straight where you're headed if you line it up with a tree,” she quoted, tugging up on her clothes to kiss along his belly just above his cock.

“If a trail works in loops, it's harder to get lost,” she murmured, curving her kisses around to head back down toward his pants. He reached for her, running his hands along her thighs, trying to work upwards, but she swatted his hands away with a tsk.

“Uh uh. If I get soaked, it could be very dangerous. Staying dry is staying alive.”

Jason groaned as she pressed against his erection.

She moved suddenly to straddle his lap, her hands looped behind his back as she stared into his eyes.

“We should get in the sleeping bag,” she told him.

He nodded, his mind clearly on the steps after that.

She kissed him, once, with quiet passion.

“After all,” she said. “Outside can freeze, but not your heart.”

Then there was no speaking for a long, long time.

Kyara hummed to herself as she bustled around the kitchen, expertly keeping four dishes going as once, even as she kept an eye on Crystal's work as well. The weeks had blurred together into months, but all happy ones.

A bell dinged from the dining area, and Crystal swept over to check on it with the ease of long practice. She moved with the same vibrant energy Kyara did, despite it being the first day of her Christmas break.

I was prepared for sulky teen. It's easy to forget that she's graduating in a few months. I wonder if she'll want to come work here full time? I could sure use her. I was worried business would slow down, either with the cold or when the novelty wore off, but we seem to be doing just fine.

Kyara heard a small, “ummmmmmm” from the window. She spun, wondering what Crystal could be seeing to produce such a sound. Though snow hadn't stuck for more than a few days at a time, everyone had moved indoors lately, and the closer quarters were making people a little testier.

Crystal was staring at the ticket as if she'd never seen one before.

"Kyara," said Crystal, her voice full of curiosity and caution. "I think this one is for you."

Kyara bustled over. Crystal handed her the ticket without a word.

The ticket was not in the handwriting of any of the dining room staff. In large, blocky letters, the note read.

"SOME OF MAMA'S FRIED CHICKEN, AND A HUG FROM MY SISTER."

With a cry of surprise, Kyara rushed into the dining area.

Two large, black men stood awkwardly in the center of the dining room.

The older, Trip, had the build of a linebacker. His face was just starting to go round, but that couldn't hide his square jaw and high cheekbones. His suit fit him perfectly.

The younger one, Marcus, was just a few inches shorter, but leaner, made of hard muscle. A thin pencil of a mustache, one he insisted made him look older, twitched above his tightly compressed mouth.

While Trip seemed cool and collected, Marcus' eyes tried to take in the entire room at once, darting from white face to white face as if he expected them all to attack at any minute.

Kyara stood, staring at them in total shock. They stared back. Then, without a word, Trip swept forward, catching her up in an enormous bear hug. Helplessly, Kyara submitted to her brother's embrace, shuddering a little under the impact when her other brother joined in as well.

"Boys," she choked out eventually, "It's wonderful to see you, but I'm gonna need some air."

Wordlessly, they placed her feet back on the floor without backing up.

Kyara became aware of the overwhelming silence in the dining room. She smiled, by now completely used to how quietly nosy the whole little town was.

That said,
she decided,
no sense in making more of a scene.

"Well," she said at last. "I only have one order for the two of you. Sit down and order proper. And no bullying my staff. I've got a business to run here, and you two can just wait until after the dinner rush is over." She nodded, shooing them away with her hands just like their mother had always done. The giant men responded, Trip with an amused twist to his mouth, Marcus with a glare.

Kyara whisked back into the kitchen, her mind reeling.

It's wonderful to see them, but what are they doing here?

More importantly, how did they find me?