After Sundown (13 page)

"Of
cours
e,
we'll pay you extra."

"Certainly. Megan's welcome to spend Halloween with us. But you
don’t
need to worry about paying me extra. In fact, Mr. Taylor
’s
pay is so
generous,
I frequently throw in extras.
"
Flashing
another mocking smile at Cole, Kit noticed his jaw clenching in
anger
.
H
e was fairly
scowling
.

"We really must be going. Nice to meet
yo
u.”
W
ithout
waiting for a response, Kit dragged her brother to the car.

"What the hell was that all about?"
Brandon
asked once they were in the
vehicle
, moving down the highway. Shifting the gears, he glanced over at his sister who was staring out the side window.

"Nothing
,
"
she answered tersely.

"Kit, didn't you go out with Cole last night?"
During breakfast, when he asked his sister about her evening out, she made it clear
that
she didn’t want to talk about it. Not wanting to pry, he allowed Kit her privacy, yet now he was too curious to keep silent.

"Not
exactly
,
"
s
he mumbled.

"What do you mean,
not exactly
?
"

"It wasn't a date."
Her
gazed remained fixed
on
some unseen object
out the car window.

"Exactly what was it?"
Brandon
's voice was low and flat.
Turning abruptly to face her brother, Kit’s blue eyes blazed angrily
.

"We go
t together for a good fuck,” she spat.

“
Jesu
s,
Kit! You accused me of being crude!"
Brandon
swerved
to the side of the road and slammed on the
brakes.
“
Just what the hell do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. The sexual tension between
Cole and I has been unbearable.
"

"No kidding
,
"
Brandon
muttered under his breath, recalling the sparks of jealous
y
he had
witnessed during his first
meeting with Cole Taylor.

"We simply decided to
yield
to the
curiosity
and put an end to the tension."

"Put an end to the tension? Is that what you call it
?
"
Brandon
laughed
cruelly
. "There was enough tension back the
re
to light up the city for a month. I guess you didn't do a very good job." Kit didn't respond. They were both silent for a moment.

"Are you seriously telling me that you and Cole ... you didn't even go out to dinner or anything?"

"We didn't get together for dinner or anything but sex
,
" Kit s
aid
angrily
.

"That does
n't sound like
you,
Kit! My God!
" Suddenly the reality of Kit's words sunk in.

"I'm a grown woman
,
Brandon."

"I know that. I don't begrudge you a sex life. But hell, you're the relationship kind of woman
, n
ot the get laid type
,
"
he said angrily.

Kit absently shrugged
her shoulders
and looked back out the window. Yet, she didn't turn around quick enough for
Brandon
to miss the tears that were gathering in her
big
blue eyes.

"Shit
,
"
Brandon
shook his head
,
"
t
hat bastard."

With a quick jerking motion
,
he put the car back in gear
.
Brandon
drove
his car back on the highway and raced down the road.

"I'm
sorr
y,
Kit
,
"
Brandon
said softly, silently cursing the man who had hurt his sister. It was obvious to
Brandon
that Cole Taylor had seduced his lonely sister. Perhaps she had willingly settled for lust, yet in the afterglow
,
it was clear to
Brandon
that her feelings ran deeper.

"Don't be sorry for me. I'm a big girl. I knew exactly what I was doing."

"Did you?"
he asked in a soft voice.

Chapter Fifteen

When Cole returned home
,
he immediately phoned Kit. There was no answer. Every hour, on the hour, he tried again. Finally
,
he got into his car and drove to her house.
Evening
was
settling
in and the house was dark. There was no one home. Waiting for a good hour in his parked car, Cole stared at the house before finally returning home.

Kit's reaction to Brenda was unreadable. Had her eyes filled with tears or had she shouted angrily, he might believe her feelings for him matched his own
for her.
Unfortunately
, she had stood
stoically
calm, if not a bit icy.

Cole had wanted to throttle Brenda. Instead, he told her calmly that their relationship had come to its
end
. The news was delivered over bacon and eggs. Brenda's biggest disappointment seemed to stem from the
inconvenience
the
dissolved
relationship would have on her impending party.

Leaving work early on Monday, Cole raced to Kit's house.
The brother
greeted Cole rather than the sister.

"You're early
,
"
w
ere
Brandon
's only words as
he opened the door for Cole. "
Megan's upstairs. You want me to call her?"

"I need to talk to Kit." Cole walked through the
living room
and then turned into the kitchen, searching for Kit.

"She's not here
,
"
Brandon
called out to Cole's back.

"Where is she?" Cole growled impatiently.

"She went shopping. I got off work early and offered to watch the girls. She has a date Friday night and wanted to get a new dress."
He delivered the last sentence
with satisf
action. Cole froze and faced
Brandon
.

"A what?"
h
e asked incredulously.

"A date
,
something that two
civilized
people do to socialize
. You know, like dinner, a show. That sort of thing."
Brandon
smiled cockily.

"What the hell does that suppose to mean?" Cole's dark eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Nothing
,
"
Brandon
shrugged absently
.

“
Just who is she going out with?"

“
Geez
, Taylor, can't see where
my sister’s
personal life is any of your business
,
"
he
answered
with faux innocence.

"Go to hell,
Brandon
. Megan!" Cole walked to the staircase and yelled again. "Megan! We need to go. Now
!
"

Another day
went by
. It was Tuesday, the day before Halloween. Cole had not seen Kit since their uncomfortable encounter on Sunday morning. When recalling Brenda's thoughtless words and Kit's cool retort, Cole cringed.
Brandon
's announceme
nt of Kit'
s
upcoming
date evoked something deeper. Cole was seething. Did Kit's brother know what he was talking about? In all the weeks Cole had known Kit, he had never heard of another man.

One thing Cole had learned on Saturday night was that a single evening with Kit would not be enough. He needed more. Already Kit had admitted that she had no desire to consider remarriage until Sarah was grown. It was damned clear the woman wasn't meant for a life of
celibacy
. Hell, she'd practically burst into flames in his arms. Her body was made for loving, caressing, passion,
and for
Cole. If
Brandon
was correct about Kit dating again, then it was possible that Saturday night had shown Kit that she was ready to reenter the dating scene. Perhaps she simply had not been aware of the extent of her body's deprived needs. He'd be damned if he
were
willing to
relinquish
the treasure he'd discovered in Kit Landon's responsive body to another man. Cole and Kit were both
consenting
adults. They both had needs. She would damn w
ell sate those needs with Cole, and not
with
someone else.

Closing his eyes, Cole recalled his surprise when he discovered Kit
wasn’t wearing pantyhose
, but sexy silk nylons, secured by a lacy bit of a garter belt. Yet what had sent him over the edge was the discovery of her unclad
derriere
. That woman's bottom had the softest skin, over the
shapeliest
pair of cheeks
he had
ever
enjoyed. He could still vividly recall the sensations of his
fingers
massaging those twin mounds, molding and shaping
their
firm
lush softness within his hands.

Groaning in
remembrance
, Cole was annoyingly aware of the rock hardness
filling
his denims. If he and Kit had come to an understanding before Brenda complicated the situation, Cole was certain he would now be able to slip away from work for an hour and slip into the snug comfort of Kit Landon's welcoming heat. He was determined that
tonight;
he and Kit would come to an agreement. Their one night affair would be
extended
. To hell with his prior agreement that one night was enough.

Overhead
,
the sound of active little feet rattled the ceiling. Kit glanced upward,
praying
the half dozen children were not
destroying
the upstairs portion of her house.
The couch from her den
looked out of place and undersized
in her living room
.
Unable
to replace the
damaged
piece of
furniture
,
she decided to move the
sofa
into the living room
.

The transplanted sofa and eight folding chairs held members of the parent’s association. When Kit agreed to hold the monthly meeting in her home, she hadn’t expected it to last so long.
Glancing at her watch, she knew Cole would be arriving any minute to pick up his daughter.

Kit sat quietly
in a folding chair, the sound of chattering female voices filled her head, yet she had no idea what anyone was talking about. Instead, she was lost to her own private thoughts, contemplating the recent events in her life.

If Kit had wondered about Cole's feelings after
their passionate evening
,
the
encounter on Sunday had certainly made
his intentions
painfully clear.
Obviously, there had been no misunderstanding
. Closing her eyes, Kit was amazed to
discover
the depth of her
anguish
when she
realized
that Cole had not simply moved on to another woman, the woman was clearly a
regular
factor in his life. She never considered that he already had a girlfriend when he'd been campaigning to
get
her into his bed.

Pushing aside the hurt, Kit vowed she would survive.
To
be fair to Cole
,
something she was reluctantly willing to
do
- he had never made any promises.
Throughout
the entire seduction
,
Cole made it
perfectly
clear that his go
al was
simply a night of lust, n
othing more.

Noticing an abrupt
shift
in the conversation flow, Kit's mind returned to her surroundings. Opening her eyes
,
she glanced around the room and realized the women were looking
toward
the entry hall. Turning in her chair, Kit's blue eyes met the dark gaze of the man
standing
in the entry. Before she could stand up, a
thundering
of small feet stormed down the stairway. Leading the mad fray was young Megan, bounding to greet her father. Kit stood and briefly introduced Cole to the group of curious mothers. Quickly gathering Megan's
belongings
, Kit handed the items to a silent Cole
, before helping
Megan into her jacket.

Cole hadn’t expected to find a roomful of mothers in Kit’s home. He’d hoped he would be able to talk with Kit and come to some understanding about their relationship. While he
did not intend to suggest
a romantic involvement, he hoped Kit would be willing to continue with a sexual relationship, especially after he explained he was no longer seeing Brenda.
Resigned
to the fact he would be unable to speak to Kit
while her living
room
was
filled with women
, Cole reluctantly led his daughter from Kit's house.

On Halloween morning, the
smiling face of
a y
oung
pirate
greeted Cole
. Reaching for a box of cereal in the cluttered pantry, Cole was startled when Megan came barre
ling into the kitchen, a shiny gold hoop dangled
from one small ear.

"Yo
h
o,
Mat
ey,
" Cole chuck
l
ed,
taking in
the si
ght
of his young daughter in all her garish pirate splendor.

"How do I
loo
k,
Daddy?" Megan skipped around the room, giving a quick twirl to show off all angles of her costume.

"Where did you get that earring?" Cole asked
.

Experiencing a stab of guilt,
he realized Kit had been responsible for supplying the entire costume.
Absentl
y,
Megan's right hand reached for the ear and briefly touched the gold hoop
, which was a clip-on
.

"Kit gave it to me. Sarah has pierced ears. Could I get my ears pierced?"

"Pierce
d
ears?" Cole frowned. This was his baby. Did Sarah really
h
ave pierced ears? He needed to pay attention the next time he saw her. Giving his daughter a weak smile
,
he ruffled the top of her head.

"I don't
kno
w,
pumpkin. Let me think about it." Pouring his daughter a bowl of cereal, he watched as she ho
i
sted her small frame into a kitchen chair.