Flawless Surrender (5 page)

*****

The scent of food drifted on the air as Dalton stepped into the living room, and his stomach growled. How long had it been since he had eaten a home cooked dinner?

Watching from the end of the hallway, he looked Zoey over. She had certainly grown into a stunning woman. Her curvy body was on the shorter side, but she far made up for it with her big personality. She was sexy as hell, and his cock took note as her long black hair swung down her back with her movements. Her back was to him as she worked at the stove, and if he wanted a better look at her perfectly round ass, he would have to move closer.

“Something smells delicious,” he said as he walked across the living room. Her head came up and she turned those enormous blue eyes on him with a million dollar smile.

“Tanner doesn’t keep the kitchen very well stocked, so I’m making do tonight. I found a beef pot roast in the freezer and I made up some egg noodles. There’s corn bread in the oven, would you mind setting the table?”

Dalton smiled back at the easy way Zoey made herself at home. The girl hadn’t even had time to unpack her stuff, and yet she was scrambling around the kitchen making noodles from scratch. She was a gem. “You got it, pretty lady, and believe me, I’m not a picky eater. If you knew some of the things I’ve eaten during the last ten years…” He shivered and shook his head making her laugh. The husky tinkle of her giggle went straight to his nuts and the moment her back was to him, he adjusted himself.

It had been months since he’d had sex, and his dick was as hard as a wooden fence post just being close to a gorgeous woman. Her scent was a blend of almond and honey and he wanted to lick her skin to see if she tasted that way too.

“So how does it feel to be back in the US?”

“Weird. It’s just as hot here, but it’s a lot cleaner. I miss the work, and I miss the people, but I’m beginning to wonder if the world is trying to tell me that I needed to move on.” Dalton had the table set pretty quickly, and he moved back to the kitchen to watch Zoey again.

“You’ve been gone a long time. Give yourself a few days to adjust,” she responded easily as she bent over to pull the bread from the oven.

A groan slipped from his throat at the sight of her perfectly heart shaped ass, and she stood quickly. He could see her cheeks turning red and he sighed. “I’m sorry, Zoey. I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable. You have to know how beautiful you are, and I’ve been out of the dating scene for a long time. Forgive me.”

She waved a hand at him, “There’s nothing to forgive. Just forget it. Can you let Tanner know that dinner’s ready?”

“You just did.” Tanner appeared from the direction of the living room and by the glare he was giving Dalton, he had heard their conversation. “Smells fantastic, Zoey. Anything I can do?”

“Nope, just take a seat at the table. I’ll bring it over in just a second.” She bustled around collecting various things and bringing them to the dining table as he and Tanner both took their seats. It felt too good to have her there, serving them dinner at their mothers table, and Dalton had to check himself.

He had barely been back and he was already considering making a play for a woman that his brother clearly had his hat set for already. What kind of an idiot was he? He forced his thoughts back to dinner and making polite conversation, trying hard to forget the lovely bit of female who sat across from him. Did she know she made a sexy O with her full lips when she blew on her spoon of noodles? Would she look that hot with his cock in her mouth?

A flash of heat shot down his spine and his cock throbbed in his jeans. Fidgeting to find a comfortable seat, Dalton turned to Tanner instead. “Heard anything out of Clint?”

“No, and I didn’t really expect to.”

“But he turned thirty last week, I would have thought…” Dalton’s voice trailed off and he looked back to his bowl.

“Thought what? That he would actually stick to his word and come back to the ranch?” Tanner snapped. “Yeah sure, and I’ll grow a tail and start braying like a donkey too. Clint won’t do anything he doesn’t want to.”

Zoey stared at the two of them, and a small worry line creased her brow. “I’m missing something.”

“Our baby brother made a promise to our mother that if he didn’t have a great acting career by the time he was thirty he would come back to the ranch,” Tanner said with a snort. “Other than a few commercials, the last I heard he was working for a lawn care service in L.A. Sorry, Professor, but I highly doubt he follows through on that promise.”

Dalton sighed with frustration. This was how it worked between them. Tanner was cynical, Clint was flighty, and Dalton played mediator. “I sent him an email to let him know I was coming home, maybe he will get in touch and at least let us know he’s okay.”

“You guys don’t keep in touch?” Zoey’s question wasn’t so much odd as uncomfortable. Dalton had never liked the fact that he had drifted so far away from his brothers, and having her point it out made him feel like an ass.

“Not really. We’ve all been busy.”

She took a sip of water and shrugged. “I always wanted siblings when I was a kid. Rachel is pretty much my sister, and until she had Juliet and got busier, we talked every other day. I can’t imagine not making time for your brothers.”

“Do you talk to your mother every day?” Tanner asked softly and Dalton frowned when Zoey’s face went pale. There was more to that question, and his protective instinct jumped to the surface when she fumbled with her spoon.

“Shut up, Tanner. She was just making an observation, and she’s right. Even if you don’t like it.” Dalton turned back to Zoey with a small smile, “Dinner is wonderful, pretty lady, thank you for taking the time to cook it for us. Tanner and I will clean up to show you how appreciative we are.”

She smiled but it was still shaky, “You’re welcome. I love cooking, but I haven’t had much of a chance to do it with just me to cook for. Any favorites I should add to the menu?”

He brightened at her question, “Do you know how to make fried chicken?”

She rolled her eyes laughing, “I’m from Texas. Of course I know how to make fried chicken.”

“Marry me,” he said, playfully sighing and grabbing her hand from across the table. When she laughed and shook her head, warmth filled his chest. He was looking forward to hearing that sound from her more often.

“I can’t marry you, you don’t have a job.”

Dalton reached out and tweaked her nose with his fingertip, “Well I’m calling dibs on it when you change your mind. As long as you cook for me, I will promise you all of the hot sex you want. Any time, any place.”

Zoey’s cheeks turned pink and she laughed, but Dalton could tell she was turned on. Her lush pink lips parted and her eyes sparkled with a fire that he hadn’t noticed before. It hinted at a deep well of passion that Dalton’s cock absolutely wanted the chance to explore.

Hmmm…coming home might not have been such a bad thing
. Tanner intervened and changed the subject. No amount of superficial chat altered the course of his fantasies though, and by the end of the evening, Dalton hurried up to his apartment with the sole intention of alleviating the hard-on that was mashed against his zipper.

Living with Zoey Carson might prove to be his undoing.

*****

From the kitchen sink, Tanner watched as Zoey settled onto the sofa, tucking her sexy feet under her. She always seemed to be hiding her feet for some reason and it made him want to laugh. Laughing was not going to help the throbbing erection in his jeans though. He wanted to strangle Dalton for all of his flirting and teasing throughout dinner.

Every time he mentioned sex and Zoey in the same breath the temperature of the room seemed to shoot up, and Tanner’s jeans got tighter. It didn’t help that Zoey seemed interested. Her grapefruit sized tits seemed to lift up and reach out for attention with their hard nipples.

He couldn’t resist mulling over what color the tempting tips would be. A lush pink like her lips, or more of a dusky rose color or maybe a soft brown to match her honey sweet scent?

A plate dropped from his hands, shattering in the sink and taking a tiny chunk of his thumb with it.

“Fucking hell!” Before he could move, Zoey was at his side and reaching for his hand. He snatched it back, earning a hard glare from her gorgeous blue eyes.

“Oh stop it. It’s just a little cut. Come on, let’s go get you cleaned up, and then we can clear away the glass.” Her small hand grabbed his forearm and tugged him along behind her until they reached the hallway bathroom.

“What is it about men and injuries? Do they think just because we’re women we can’t see them bleed?” She crouched down wading through the miscellaneous medical supplies in the cabinet under the sink and before he knew it, she was gently cleaning his injury. Her sexy lips pursed as she blew on the stinging flesh before wrapping it with gauze. “Well, thankfully you won’t need stitches. The cut is probably too wide to stitch shut anyways. You should be more careful.”

Tanner felt the blow to his pride and he huffed, “The plate slipped out of my hand. It’s not like it attacked me.”

“Maybe not, but the next injury could be worse.” She bent over in the tiny space to put the supplies back, and Tanner sucked in a breath. They were in a small room and she was in front of him, bent practically in half so her heart shaped ass was in a direct line with his aching cock.

“At this rate I’ll need stitches in my cock,” he grumbled. Zoey stood up so fast she swayed on her feet, and the shock on her face made his blood run cold. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud, damn it.

“What?” she whispered, and he felt a flush of embarrassment rise in his cheeks.

“Nothing. I was just commenting about what time it was. I still need to do a few things in the barn after I clean up that glass.” Tanner spun on his heel and stomped down the hallway, eager to put some space between them.

Zoey didn’t seem to feel the same way as she followed him closely and grabbed his arm when he reached for the broken dish. “No, you go take care of whatever you still need to, I’ll clean this up.”

“I said I would do the dishes, and I meant it. It was just an accident and a little cut.”

“Yes, but you need to let it heal. Sticking it back in that water isn’t the way to do that. Besides, I could use a little quiet time to think. You two gave me a lot to think about tonight. Go on out and get your chores done. There are only a couple of dishes left anyways.”

She was so damn amenable. Why couldn’t she be the bitchy woman he’s avoided for the last few years? The one that seemed to loathe him with a never ending well of angry passion.

“Fine, whatever.”

He was marching his way out to the barn before he could even think through what she had said. What had they given her to think about, other than sex? His gut tightened. This was turning into a mistake of epic proportions. His dream woman was going to be sleeping in a bed not fifteen feet away from his own king size bed, and now he knew for a fact his younger brother wanted to sleep with her too. What would he do if the two of them hooked up?

Fuck that.

There was no way in hell he was going to let Dalton flirt his way into Zoey’s pants. Zoey Carson was off limits, and tomorrow morning he would make that fact crystal clear to Dalton because if he didn’t…well…living with Zoey might just be his undoing.

Zoey spent Sunday making herself at home on the Triple T. The house was comfortable, and the kitchen well stocked with every utensil imaginable. She had even found a second freezer full of meat in the laundry room, but there was barely a scrap to be found in the cupboards.

She was making a list of groceries she needed to get, when Dalton came in from outside. His cheeks were flushed red and his blonde hair was windblown. Wearing snug wranglers and borrowed boots, he had slipped back into the Texas cowboy role with ease, and her libido took notice.

“Whew! Fall is on the air today I think,” he said as he ran his long fingers through his shaggy locks. “Smells good in here, what are you making?”

“Cinnamon bread to go with the chili for dinner tonight. Is it cold outside?” Zoey tapped the pen against her lips before realizing his eyes were zeroed in on the phallic item against her mouth. She frowned and dropped the pen to her lap.

“No it’s not cold, but the wind is strong today. Whatcha doing?” He plopped down next to her, snatching the paper from her lap and throwing one arm behind her across the back of the sofa.

“Hey! I’m making a grocery list. Tanner apparently only eats meat, so there is barely anything in the kitchen to cook with. I found the cinnamon all the way in the back of the top cabinet and it had never even been opened.” She tugged the list out of his hands, and smoothed it out before applying her pen to it again. “Is there anything you can think of that I should add to the list? Anything you need?”

Dalton brushed a piece of her long hair back over her ear with a small smile on his face. “At this moment, nothing I need or want can go on that list.”

Zoey’s stomach clenched her panties grew damp at the subtle hint. He was way too close for comfort with his big body pressing against her side. The blended scent of man and the outdoors filled her nose, making her mouth water. Her hand was shaking a little as she capped the pen and started to stand.

Dalton grabbed the belt loop on the back of her jeans, surprising her and throwing her off balance so she tumbled down on to his lap. “Whoa!”

“Easy now, I just didn’t want you to run away from me. You act like you’re scared of me, Zoey love, and I would hate for you to be scared of me.” He looked down at her with a pair of the sexiest blue bedroom eyes Zoey had ever seen and she shivered.

“I’m not scared of you, but this is inappropriate.”

He looked taken aback, and his eyebrow lifted in question, “Why? You’re a gorgeous woman and I’m a lonely man. We’re both single, so what’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is that Zoey is here under my roof and my protection. So you will not be hitting on her or making her uncomfortable, Dalton Keegan.” Tanner’s voice was hard and cold, and Zoey let out a small ‘eep’ of surprise before scrambling off Dalton’s lap and across the room so she stood an equal distance from the two men.

Tanner filled the doorway to the living room, tapping his heavy leather gloves against his thigh in irritation. His jaw was clenched and the dark look on his face was currently directed at Dalton. She had seen that look before.

One day four years ago at Robin’s bar. She was out with Rachel, and a couple of other friends from college celebrating the end of midterms when she spotted his large body slouched at the bar downing a beer. In her slightly inebriated state she felt sexy and strong and she took it upon herself to offer him a night of pleasure.

To her horror and shame, he turned her down flat, barely even looking at her as he broke her heart and bruised her pride. She had been mortified and from that moment she swore she would never offer herself to another man, much less Tanner Keegan. And yet here she was, sitting in his brother’s lap, considering letting Dalton seduce her clothes off and show her what a good time he could give her.

Tanner’s interruption was the splash of ice water on her face she needed to regain her composure. “Its fine, Tanner, he was just playing around.”

“No I wasn’t, but I didn’t realize that big brother had staked a claim on you already. My apologies,” Dalton said with a nod in Tanner’s direction. When Tanner nodded in acceptance, Zoey got pissed.

“What? Staked a claim on me? You two have got to be fucking kidding me! Neither of you has any right to stake a claim on me. I’m my own person.” She stomped over to Tanner and shoved her index finger into the center of his wide chest. “You! You turned
me
down, not the other way around, buster, so don’t even think you stand a chance of staking a claim on this piece of ass.” Tanner’s eyes widened but his dark look didn’t change at all. Spinning around, she pointed at Dalton who threw both hands up in the air, “And you! I haven’t seen you in a decade, so don’t you dare start throwing out sexy words and flirting. I don’t give a crap how lonely you are, you can go back to Africa and fuck a rhino because neither of you are going to seduce me or claim me anytime soon. Got it?”

Her breath was coming in pants as adrenaline rushed through her veins. Who the hell did these two think they were? She wasn’t living here to be a temporary lay for a couple of cowboys. In fact, if that’s how this was going to play out, she was going to get her stuff and head for her car. She would rather sleep in the backseat for a year than be taken advantage of.

The silence in the room was suffocating, but slowly the tension slipped away with her anger. When she felt a little more in control, she threw her shoulders back and lifted her chin in challenge. Dalton’s grin skittered over her nerves, but she didn’t snap.

“We got it, Zoey. You aren’t interested. Now, we’re all going to forget this ever happened and go back to whatever we were doing,” Tanner said quietly from behind her. A tingling sensation coursed down her spine at his low and slow cowboy drawl.

“Thank you,” she said, letting her head drop slightly. “I am going to run into town to the Mercantile for groceries. Is there anything you want to add to the list?”

“I’ll drive. I need to stop by Brooks Pastures to pick up the saddle Mack was fixing for me, and get some fertilizer from The Garden Hut.” Tanner turned to look at Dalton pointedly.

“I think I’ll just head back out to the west pasture. Maybe check the lines. It feels awfully good to be in a saddle again.” He gave Zoey a playful wink and she knew that the subject of her seduction wasn’t done yet. She watched as he went back out the front door, letting the screen slam behind him.

“I’m sorry for that, Zoey, if I had known that he would try to…” Tanner stopped and Zoey jerked her gaze back to him.

“Try to what? Seduce me? Do you honestly think that I’m that easy, Tanner? Just because I flirted with you one drunk night at Robin’s? Well, I’m not. I’ve had plenty of experience fending off lonely cowboys trying to get into my bed. I can handle Dalton.”

The timer on the stove buzzed and she hurried into the kitchen to pull the bread from the oven. The scent of cinnamon and sugar perfumed the air, and she sighed with pleasure at the golden brown loaf as she put it on the counter.

“You made bread?” Tanner sounded so surprised that she laughed.

“Yes, and chili too. I’m going to grab my purse, and shoes. I want to get back here in time to sneak in an afternoon nap before dinner.” Without letting him respond, she headed down the hallway toward her room. There was no way she would ever be able to admit how much of a lie her rant was. She wanted both Keegan cowboys, and the idea of one of them staking a claim on her made her pussy wet and her tits swell.

She knew that it was wrong, but an idea tickled the back of her brain all the same. Dalton lived in the apartment over the garage, which meant that if she made her way into his bed one night, there was no way Tanner would ever know. For a brief moment she considered the same could be said in reverse if she found herself in Tanner’s bed, but she nixed that idea quickly. Tanner wasn’t interested. He had made that clear. If she wanted to ride a Keegan cowboy, it would have to be Dalton.

*****

“So, have you slept with him yet?”

Zoey choked on the gum she was chewing and Rachel handed her a glass of water. “I’ve only been there one night, Rach! Are you serious?"

Rachel grinned, her brown eyes twinkling. “It took me less than two hours to get naked, so I have a warped frame of reference.”

“Yeah, well your men brought you here with the express intent of getting you naked. Tanner doesn’t see me as anything more than a younger sister he’s responsible for.”

“Ha! That’s rich!” Rachel laughed loudly, and Zoey glared at her best friend. “You need to open your eyes, woman. That man is hopelessly in lust with you. He looks at you like a steak cooked to perfection on a starving man’s plate. I swear I was looking for burn marks on your ass earlier when you guys got here because the hot look in his eyes as he watched you walk away from the truck should have left scars.”

“Shut up,” Zoey grumbled.

Rachel was seated in a padded rocking chair with Juliet suckling at her breast happily. Zoey couldn’t help the surge of jealousy that went through her. It was easy for Rachel to say things like that because she was happily married to four men. No such luck for her best friend. Zoey had a feeling she was destined to a life of being the best friend, and not a wife.

“Does that hurt?” she asked as her curiosity finally got the best of her.

Rachel smiled down at her daughter, “It did at first, but not really anymore. Maybe I got used to it, I don’t know. I like being able to breast feed her. It’s our alone time without all of the daddies involved.”

“But I fed her with a bottle, and I know the guys do too.”

Rachel snorted, “Oh yeah, believe me I pump too. Breast milk freezes, and sometimes mommy needs time away from being the milk cow.”

Tanner’s voice drifted through the front door and Zoey sighed. “I guess that means our visit is over. The Master is calling me.”

“You know you can come over any time. Mom might be here, but that doesn’t have to stop you from visiting.” Rachel gave her a concerned look.

“I know. Wait, where is your mom?”

“Napping. She took Jules for me last night so I could have a whole night of sleep.”

Zoey laughed at the blissful look on Rachel’s face, “You mean to tell me that with four men in the house you’re still the one to get up every night with the baby?”

“Of course. They love Juliet to pieces, but they all sleep like freaking rocks. They wouldn’t wake up if the house was burning down.”

“Zoey? We need to go.” Both women turned as Tanner stepped into the living room. When his eyes landed on Rachel whose boob was unashamedly out for her daughter's feeding, he actually flushed and shuffled awkwardly. “Sorry, Rachel, uh Zoey, we better get going.”

“It’s okay, Tanner, it’s just a boob,” Zoey said with a laugh as she waved to Rachel, “I’ll call you later this week.”

“Sounds good, don’t let the job get you down, Zoey. Not when so many other things in your life are looking up,” Rachel responded. When Zoey snorted in disagreement Tanner gave her a frown and a questioning look.

There was no way Zoey was going to touch that subject with a ten foot pole so she ignored it and stepped past Tanner onto the front porch. Mack Thompson was standing at the foot of the steps, and Zoey gave him a grin.

“Hey, Mack, I haven’t seen you for a while. Where have you been hiding?” she asked the enormous man.

Mack was six foot five and built like a locomotive. He had muscles on top of muscles that should have looked intimidating with the red bandana tied over his blonde curls. Instead, he looked almost angelic when he smiled because his two deep dimples appeared and his crystal clear blue eyes sparkled.

He held his hand out in a gentlemanly fashion to help her down the steps and she giggled but accepted it. “Zoey, aren’t you looking beautiful. I actually had to take a quick trip to Chicago to pick up my brother. He managed to hurt himself and needed a place to stay for a bit while he recovered.”

“I didn’t even know you had a brother, I’m sorry to hear he’s injured. What happened?”

“He plays pro football, and he took a hard hit. Tore the ligaments in his shoulder, so he’s down for the next eight to twelve weeks,” Mack answered.

“Ryker and Sawyer make quite the pair exchanging moans and groans over their injuries,” Hudson said as he came out of the barn and stepped closer to the three of them. “Hey, Zoey, I didn’t realize you were with Tanner today.”

“Hey yourself, handsome. I’m just tagging along. I have to go to the Merc, Tanner doesn’t exactly keep his cupboards stocked. So Ryker, huh? I’ll have to make up a casserole for you two bachelors and drop it off to say hello,” she said, smiling up at Mack.

Beside her she felt Tanner tense from head to toe, and she had to bite back a laugh. Maybe there was something to what Rachel said. Tanner seemed slightly jealous of the attention she was giving Mack, and she wondered how he would feel if she actually pursued the big man.

“Ryk would love that I’m sure.”

“Good, then I’ll stop by one evening later this week. I better go now before Tanner turns purple. I seem to be frustrating him to no end lately. Bye, guys.” She headed for the truck without saying another word to Tanner and hefted herself up into the seat while he said his goodbyes.

They were nearly to town before either of them spoke.

“Do you have a thing for Mack?”

Zoey was stunned that he asked, and she turned to stare at his profile. His knuckles were white where he gripped the steering wheel, and his jaw was clenched, but otherwise there was no expression on his face.

“I don’t know. He’s good looking that’s for sure. Why do you care?”

Tanner grimaced, “I guess I don’t.”

After a few more moments he turned and met her eyes. “I care.”

Just like that, he stole all of the air from her lungs. She felt warm and cold all over, and her stomach flipped over. “Why?”

“Zoey, I didn’t mean to hurt you at Robin’s that night. You were drunk, and it wouldn’t have been right for me to take advantage of you. You deserved better.”

Zoey’s back went up, “I deserved to be shot down? Embarrassed? Shamed in front of half the county? Yeah, great, thanks. I’m so glad you were trying to do the right thing.”

“Stop, don’t be like that. I really was trying to be a decent guy.”

“You wouldn’t even look at me, Tanner. How is that being a good guy?”

Tanner’s eyes flashed golden and he gave her a hard look before turning his eyes back to the road and parking the car. Zoey reached for the door handle, but stopped when he grabbed her chin.

“If I had looked at you, you would have been able to see the truth on my face. You would have seen how much I wanted to scoop you up in my arms and cart you away to my bed. You would have known that I was desperate to peel those skintight jeans off your sexy ass and taste you. That all I could think about was sinking my cock into your tight pussy and fucking you until you screamed my name. That’s why I didn’t look at you. I had to be strong, because in that moment, you were weak.”

Tanner’s hand dropped and he flung his truck door open launching himself out of the cab. Zoey watched as he extracted a credit card from his wallet and stomped into the small grocery store with it. Once he was out of view, she slowly climbed out of the truck herself, wobbling on legs that were distinctly unsteady.

Tanner wanted her. Not just for a housekeeper and cook, he said he wanted to sleep with her. It was music to her ears, and yet she had no clue how she should proceed. Should she beg him to carry out his illicit fantasies, or pretend he never spoke them?

She was just stepping into the shop when he reached the door to leave. “I took care of whatever the bill is already with Hal, so just get whatever we need and I’ll be waiting in the truck when you’re done.”

Then he was gone, disappeared down the sidewalk to The Garden Hut. Leaving her stunned and horny in the middle of the only grocery in town as though he had never spoken those life changing words. What a disaster her life was turning out to be.

Sighing heavily, she forced herself to complete her shopping, grimacing as the total appeared on the cash register. The owner of the Mercantile, Hal McCrite, gave her a wink and a smile as he input Tanner’s payment information and helped bag her purchases.

“So you’re living on the Triple T then, are ya?” Hal was a portly man in his late sixties who had a handlebar mustache and three chins. He was kind, but nosey, and everyone knew he had a thing for Dottie who owned the Ice Cream Shoppe.

“Yes, temporarily. My building was one of the ones bought up by Schmidt.” She turned away to help put the groceries back into the small cart, hoping he would drop it.

Of course he didn’t, and Zoey felt a hot blush creep over her cheeks when he said, “I didn’t realize you and Tanner had taken up.”

“We haven’t “taken up”. He’s just a friend helping another friend out of a tight spot.”

Hal’s smile spread eclipsed only by the long ends of his mustache that desperately needed trimming. “Sure, sure. I understand. Have a nice day, Zoey.”

Zoey shoved the cart in front of her, declining the bag boys offer to help. She’d had more than enough help for the day. All she wanted to do was go back to the relative privacy of the Triple T, and hope everyone in Stone River forgot about her. It wasn’t until she was out the door and in front of Tanner’s truck that his words whispered through her brain again. He eased out of the driver’s seat and over to her side to help load the groceries into the back of the truck.

“Jesus, did you leave anything in the store?” he muttered and Zoey’s temper cracked.

“Well maybe I would have if you’d had anything in your God Damn kitchen besides meat. Humans aren’t able to survive on meat alone, you know? And where do you get off saying something like that to me and then just climbing out of the car like it wasn’t anything. You don’t work a girl up and then walk away. It’s just plain wrong. Did you ever stop to think about how I felt? Did you ever consider that maybe what you wanted was the same damn thing I wanted? Huh?” By the end of her tirade Zoey’s voice had risen several octaves, and Tanner’s eyelids had lowered until he glared at her through narrow slits.

She glanced around her, seeing for the first time that there were several people standing on the sidewalk listening to her tantrum. Embarrassment flooded her and she dropped her head.

“Shit. I’m sorry.”

“I should hope so. Get in the truck, and we’ll continue this conversation at home,” Tanner’s voice was hard, and his demand was cold.

Zoey hurried to do what she was told praying that she hadn’t just screwed up the smidge of a chance she had with Tanner. After he opened up to her, she had no right to yell at him like that.

The two of them rode home in complete silence, and Tanner unloaded all of the groceries alone while growling at her to stay out of his way. She chose to remain quiet as she put the food away, still wondering if he would address it, or pretend it never happened.

When she shut the cabinet door for the last time, she let out a groan of frustration. Her eyes were burning with the need to have a good cry, but she refused to give in to it. Turning around, she let out a gasp of surprise finding Tanner standing a few feet behind her watching her.

She stared up into his hard expression and swallowed hard when he started to move closer.

“What do you want, Zoey?” he asked softly from only inches away. The tips of her breasts brushed against his chest, and even though there were several layers of fabric between them, she felt them harden.

“What do you mean?” she stammered, staring up at his lips. She couldn’t drag her eyes away from them.

“You asked me if I ever considered what you wanted, so now I’m asking you. What do you want?”

Her mouth dropped open, but she wasn’t able to force out words.

“Come on. Where’s that bravado you had back in town?” The corner of his lips curled up in a mocking smile and she went for broke.

“Kiss me.”

His sharp inhale and flaring nostrils were the only indication that she caught him off guard. He hesitated only a moment before dropping his mouth to capture hers in a hard lip lock.

Fire coursed through her veins as his mouth moved on hers, branding her and making her ache. It blew her fantasies out of the water, and she clung to him. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he pressed her back into the cabinets. She could feel his thumbs pressing into her hips just above her hipbones. If he held her any tighter she would have bruises in the morning.

His tongue slid past the barrier of her teeth to dance with hers, and she moaned into his mouth, opening wider to give him access. She could feel the hard length of his cock pressing against her stomach and she rubbed against him like a cat on a scratching post. Just when she was ready to shuck her clothes and fuck like rabbits on the kitchen counter, his hands fell away and he stepped backwards.

Zoey swayed on her feet and made a little whimpering sound of protest as she struggled to come back to earth. One look at Tanner and her heart plummeted. His jaw worked, and his now kiss swollen lips were tight with tension.

“Shit, I shouldn’t have done that.”

“What?” She stared up at him praying that he wasn’t regretting such a spectacular moment. Her worst fears were confirmed when he pushed away from her several steps.

“Christ, I know better. I need to get out of here.” And he was gone.

Zoey stood there for several minutes in shock before she slid to the floor and buried her face in her hands to have a much needed cry.

Just when she thought she was making progress with Tanner, he had to go and fuck it up. God, she could just throttle him sometimes. Leaving her horny and pissed off was not in his best interests when she was the one cooking his dinner. The moment the thought crossed her mind she let out an emotional laugh. No matter what he did to push her buttons, she cared about him way too much to consider hurting him back.

Pushing herself off the floor, she headed for her room. If she was going to be miserable with her hurt feelings, then she would at least be sexually satisfied. Masturbation was rapidly becoming her favorite past time.