A Woman's Touch

My father died a few years ago and left it to me.“
    „A working ranch?“ She was suddenly, intensely interested. She could picture him on a ranch.
    „Not any more. I keep a few horses for riding, but that’s about it these days. In the beginning the Stockbridges ran cattle on the Flaming Luck and later there was mining. But for the past few years it’s just been a place to go when I need to get away from work. Damn it, Becky, I don’t want to talk about the ranch.“
    The glass felt warm in her hand. „What do you want to talk about?“ Stupid question.
    „Us. You and me.“ He touched the side of her face, stroking her cheek. His fingertip was a little rough, excitingly so, as if he handled leather all day instead of paper. He must have felt the small shudder that went through Rebecca.
    „Are you afraid of me?“ he asked, his green eyes searching her face.
    „No. But I am afraid of the situation,“ she said honestly.
    He swore softly. „I know. Like I said, I’m not handling this very well. Blame it on inexperience.“
    Her smile was tremulous. She slanted him a quick, assessing glance. „Inexperience with office affairs, you mean?“
    „I’ve never gotten involved with anyone who worked for me,“ he stated. „I’ve always been convinced it’s a stupid thing to do.“
    Rebecca sighed. „It is a stupid thing to do.“
    „Not this time. This time, it’s the only thing I can do. I have no choice. I want you, Becky. And I think you want me.
    I know you’re nervous. I want to be able to reassure you, but I’m not certain how to go about it.“
    It would help if you told me you loved me, she thought. But he didn’t say that. Instead, Kyle bent his head and kissed her nape. His mouth lingered there. Rebecca closed her eyes, trembling beneath the intimate caress. She turned her head and caught his hand in her fingers. She pressed her lips into his palm, aware of a wave of longing that was unlike anything she had ever known.
    „Becky.“ With a low groan Kyle reached out and took the glass from her shaking ringers. He set it down beside his own, and then he pulled her fiercely into his arms. „Nothing else matters,“ he muttered hoarsely. „Remember that.
    Whatever happens, promise me you’ll remember that. This is all that’s important.“
    She lifted her head to search his glittering green gaze for answers to unspoken questions about the past, the present and the future. But when she parted her lips to speak, Kyle took her mouth with heady aggression. A low groan of desire rumbled through his chest.
    The current in which Rebecca was floating gathered force. She was no longer drifting gently toward the unseen culmination of her journey. She was being swept along on a flood tide of desire. Nothing in her past had prepared her for this level of emotional intensity. She had never expected to encounter such a violent need within herself. The depths of her own passion startled her, left her disoriented and confused. Instinctively she clung to Kyle.
    Kyle’s arms tightened around her, promising a haven of safety in which she could weather the approaching storm.
    His kiss altered, becoming less demanding and aggressive, more coaxing and intimate, probing and persuasive.
    Rebecca spread her fingers across his broad shoulders, feeling the strength of him through the crisp cotton of his shirt. His muscles rippled and flexed with a promise of power and sensuality under her hands. His palms moved down her back to her waist.
    „You’re so slender,“ he said against her lips. „I feel as if I could break you in half if I wasn’t careful.“
    Rebecca looked up at him with dreaming eyes. „Then you’ll have to be very careful, won’t you?“
    „You have my word on it. I’ll be very careful with you. Just trust me, baby. Let go of all your fears and trust me. I’ll take care of everything.“ He lifted her up into the hard, waiting heat of his thighs, making certain she could feel the need in him.
    She put her arms around his neck and kissed his throat, silently giving him her answer.
    „This is going to be so good. So right.“ Kyle picked her up and carried her down the hall to his bedroom.
    Rebecca felt the fierce determination surging in him and wondered at it. There were so many things she wanted to know in that moment, so many questions she wanted to ask. But there was no time. Kyle’s urgent desire came first.
    She understood that because her own need was threatening to consume her.