don’t have problems? Get into fistfights? Refuse to talk to one another?”
He shrugged. “Not really. At least not about ranch stuff. Some folks think I oughta have resentment for Carson bein’ in charge when he’s just a few minutes older. But the truth is, I’d defer to him even if I was a few years older. His gut feeling ain’t ever been wrong. And that makes it easier on me, to be honest. Not everyone is cut out to give orders.” He took another drink of whiskey, surprised to see it was gone. He’d been pacing himself and by his count they’d been out here two hours.
“I know what you mean. At the shop, Carolyn takes the initiative in creating new styles and she loves all aspects of sewing. Whereas I… It doesn’t interest me. I mean, I’m competent. I do what I’m told with no problem, but Aunt Hulda accepts my limitations. She doesn’t expect me to be exactly like Carolyn. But when I come back here, that’s the only expectation everyone else in my family has—why can’t you be more like Carolyn?” Kimi drained her root beer. She plucked his glass out of his hand and gently set both empties in the grass.
Cal dropped his arm over her shoulder and stroked her soft skin. “So does that mean now that Carolyn’s married off…you’re just bidin’ your time until you can do the same so you don’t disappoint your family?”
Kimi snorted at his teasing tone. “Not likely. I could ask you the same question. You’n Carson have lived together and worked together your whole lives. You got resentment for havin’ to share your brother with my sister? Or maybe you’ll get married soon so you and the missus can do couple things with the Carson McKays.”
He put his lips on her ear. “Maybe you oughta marry me. At least I know you’d get along with your sister-in-law.” Once again her scent, a powdery sweetness with an underlying hint of smoke teased his nose.
She trembled as he breathed her in.
It wasn’t enough. He wanted to taste her mouth. Feel the gooseflesh rippling across her skin beneath his lips. “Kimi. Darlin’, look at me.”
She tipped her head back and turned her face toward his, keeping her cheek nestled against his biceps. “What?”
“I wanna kiss you. Christ, girl, I wanna eat you up. Then I remember you’re young and I oughten be entertaining those kinda thoughts at all. And I promised—”
Kimi put her finger over his lips. “You promised not to try and get me in bed. But you didn’t say a damn thing about not tryin’ to kiss me. In fact, you promised you were gonna have your mouth all over mine, remember?”
Without missing a beat, Cal planted his mouth on hers very softly, almost chastely, giving her a chance to pull away.
So when she parted her lips and arched up, pressing her chest to his, he groaned and forced himself to explore her, not devour her like his body demanded.
Her mouth tasted sweet—a bit of root beer lingered on her lips and he delicately licked it away. He tested how she reacted to each soft smooch, each tender nibble, each exploring flick of his tongue.
When Kimi tired of his slower pace, she dug her nails into the back of his neck, and pulled him forward, opening her mouth wider beneath his. Thrusting her tongue in to stroke, twirl and tangle. To drive him out of his fucking mind.
From just a kiss.
Cal couldn’t remember the last time he’d kissed a woman with no agenda beyond learning the shape of her mouth as it moved beneath his. Experiencing the unique flavor of her. Exchanging breath as the hunger expanded. Feeling her blood pulsing in her lips. Each kiss drove the need higher until he couldn’t think. Until his heartbeat thundered in his ears, in his chest, in his cock.
A sharp pain forced him to ease back, changing the tenor of the kiss from sizzling hot to sweetly warm.
He smiled when she chased his mouth, demanding more. “I’m not nearly done with you, but there’s a crick in my neck so I’ve gotta move.”
Then shy, inexperienced Kimi disappeared and she shifted to straddle his lap, with her knees touching the back of the swing. They were face to face. Mouth to mouth. She kept her eyes on his as she followed the contours of his shoulders to his neck with her hands. She swept her thumbs over the section of skin between his