Chapter 2

 

 

Kyler was tempted to skip dinner in favor of sleep, but he forced himself to walk up the path and into the main house. He could hear a multitude of voices chattering excitedly as he entered the dining room. Little did he know he’d be leaving it a completely changed man. It wasn’t due to any personal revelation, or anything anyone did or said. It was because the past that he’d long since given up on had walked through the door and met his surprised gaze with one of her own.

“Monica.” The word came out in a hushed tone that was so filled with emotion he cringed inside. His heart lurched, and it felt like time stood still as he took her in. He’d begun to think he’d imagined her all those years ago. A beautiful nymph who’d appeared and disappeared suddenly, leaving nothing but heartache behind. Now, seeing her in person again, he was devastated to realize she was as stunning as he remembered. Like an ebony waterfall, her hair swung as she spun his way, purple eyes flashing with surprise. Her lips parted in an O of shock, and she took a step backward. “Kyler?” He nodded, and she tilted her head, her eyes drifting down his body. “You look like shit.”

Her words were exactly what he would expect out of her, and he laughed, breaking the tension that had locked him in place. Rushing forward, he wrapped her in his arms, lifting her against his chest, and spinning her around in a circle, completely uncaring that the others in the room had turned curious eyes their way “Damn, woman! I never thought I’d see you again. You’re gorgeous!”

“Put me down, you horse’s ass. You know I hate heights.” She was grinning as he lowered her to the floor. His eyes locked on her lips, and he couldn’t stop himself. The kiss was as scorching hot as he remembered, and he felt it from their connected lips all the way to the center of his soul. He probably wouldn’t have stopped except she sucker punched him in the gut. “Damn it. I didn’t say you could do that.”

“Where the hell have you been?” he replied, ignoring her protests because he could see the desire reflected back at him in her beautiful lavender eyes. He’d missed those eyes. In fact, in the last couple of years, he’d found himself trying—and failing—to find something—anything—that matched their perfect color.

“Here and there,” she answered awkwardly, shifting her gaze to their audience. “Um, hey everyone. So if you didn’t guess, we know each other.”

“No way!” Lacy said, rolling her eyes as everyone laughed.

“How?” Jeanette asked, her fists planted on her hips as if she was jealous of the knowledge. Not that he cared. He’d never expected to see Monica again, and all that mattered at this moment was that she was here, live and in person.

“Monica is the one that got away,” Kyler said. “We met at a bar, and she seduced me. Four months later, she was gone.”

“That’s not exactly what happened,” she protested.

“So you didn’t meet at a bar?” Hawke asked.

Groaning, Monica stepped free of Kyler’s grip, and he had to fight back the urge to follow her. Every cell in his body seemed afraid to let her get away.

“Yes, we met at a bar. I was in Seattle on a long-term job. He was living in an apartment above the bar. I disagree with how the seduction happened,” Monica said, shooting a dirty look his way. “I seem to recall I tried to make my escape a couple of times that night, but you—”

“Whatever you want to call it, you did disappear four months later without a word of explanation. Where the hell did you go?” Now that the initial shock and thrill had worn off, Kyler wanted answers. He’d fallen completely off the edge of reality when she vanished with no forwarding address. That had been the trigger for him to completely embrace his addictions.

“This isn’t the best place to discuss this, Ky.” Monica’s eyes darting to the side as if to remind him there were others in the room.

It was against his better judgment to let it slide, but he knew she was right. There was only one practical solution. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her firmly behind him as he spun away from the packed dining room and toward the kitchen.

“Kyler, stop!” she gasped as he pulled her away.

“Hey!” Jeanette protested, and Kyler could hear Hawke shushing her. He wasn’t sure what miracle had happened to have Hawke on his side, but he was grateful. He had to get answers.

She stopped protesting by the time they reached the back door and relaxed the tension in her arm so it was easier for him to lead her. Relieved by her change in demeanor, he slowed his steps and stopped on the back patio, turning to face her.

His body seemed magnetically drawn to hers, and within a breath, he had her back pressed against the side of the house, his hips aligned with hers, and his hands cupping her face as he drank in the sensation of having her in his arms again.

“Do you know how much I’ve missed you?” he rasped against her throat, kissing his way across her pulse point and up over her chin to her lips. She’d never been a limp lover, and their connection flamed quickly.

Lips locked, and tongues tangled as they both melted into the embrace. Her glossy hair tumbled over her shoulders into his face. It smelled like apricots, and his cock twitched.

With both hands, he lifted her, fitting her thighs around his hips so that he could rock against her hot core. He needed to feel her again. She’d been the only thing in the world that ever brought him joy, and he felt like a parched man in the desert drinking from a crystal-clear oasis.

Whatever beautiful twist of fate had brought her back into his life didn’t matter; all that mattered to him now was keeping her there.

 

~ ~ ~ ~

 

Monica was underwater. She was drowning in sensation and need, and struggling to breathe. Each time she felt close to the surface, Kyler’s talented mouth pulled her back down beneath the waves. His body was slimmer than before, but his muscles were firmer, his shoulders thicker. When he lifted her up, her body reacted instinctively and she quivered with pleasure when the ridge of his cock fit tightly against her spread vulva.

They’d been together for such a short time, but it had been so amazing that it had overwhelmed her. Kyler wasn’t the kind of man who flitted from woman to woman, or place to place. He was the kind of man you married, and settled down with.

Just like that, the boiling blood in her veins froze solid, and she went stock still in his arms. “Kyler stop.” Her voice was husky and tight, but her tone was firm.

His response time was delayed, but eventually, he pulled back and lifted his eyes to lock with hers. “What is it? Is the siding too rough? My cabin is just down the road, and the bed is soft—”

“No. It’s not the siding; it’s the situation. Let me down.” When he didn’t comply, she let out a small growl of exasperation. “Kyler, please, let me down. We can talk, but I can’t let you overwhelm me like this.”

“Me? Overwhelm you? That’s ridiculous.”

He released his grip on her ass, allowing her legs to drop and her body to slide down his. A jolt of fiery pleasure shot through her, and she trembled as she stood there. He didn’t step back, so there were mere inches between them, and she considered throwing caution to the wind and letting him take her right then and there. If only the situation was different.

She looked him over this time, taking in the sharpness of his cheekbones, and the five o’clock shadow on his jaw. The boyish sparkle was gone from his green eyes, and a sadness had been left behind. What had he been through since she’d last seen him?

“I like the hat,” she finally murmured.

Kyler stared at her in confusion for a moment before he reached up to tip the cowboy hat off his head, exposing his shaggy blond hair. “I tried to avoid it, but after the first cattle drive in the rain, I realized those cowboys might have something with these hats. Keeps the rain and sun off your face and neck.”

“It makes you look…” She hesitated, and his pale eyebrow arched in question. “Dangerous.”

Kyler’s full lips curved up into a wicked grin, and he cupped her jaw. “The only danger you’ll face with me, is if you leave me without a word again.”

Monica wanted to turn her head into his hand and melt into his arms again, but it wouldn’t be right. No more than it was right for her to lead him on before.

“I didn’t leave without a word.”

“You left a note that said, ‘I’m sorry.’ That’s it. No explanation, no list of regrets, no forwarding address.” Kyler’s voice held a note of accusation that stung.

“I couldn’t think of anything else to say, And I didn’t know where I was headed, so I couldn’t leave a forwarding address. Besides, you were just hard headed enough you would have come after me.”

“Damn right I would have.” He brought his other hand up and held her face, peering deep into her eyes, all of the questions, fears, and frustrations evident in his gaze. “Why’d you leave me, Mon? What did I do?”

“You didn’t do anything. Or anything wrong, I mean. I just…” Shaking her head, she pulled free of his penetrating stare, and stepped to the side. After a few deep breaths and a couple of feet of space, she turned back. “So what have you been up to since I saw you last? Besides cattle drives in North Dakota.”

Kyler didn’t respond for a moment, then he seemed to decide to let her avoidance slide for now. “Well, let’s see… I got fired from my job a few weeks after you left because I stopped showing up, and when I did show, I smelled like weed.”

Monica’s mind raced. She knew he enjoyed a hit or two occasionally when they were socializing, but the idea of him doing more than that was a shock.

“Without a job, I didn’t have the money to buy the weed I wanted, so I took up my buddy’s offer to sell it here and there. Next thing you know, I’m hooked on several other drugs and in jail for theft.” He turned away from her, and moved to lean his back against the house so he could stare out to the empty pasture. “I overdosed, and thanks to my mom’s intervention, I wound up here after a couple of stints of rehab. This is where I grew up.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

He shrugged and stayed silent.

“Are you…okay now?”

His laughter was empty, as he crossed his arms over his muscular chest, exposing the veiny forearms with their crisp blond hair that turned her on so much. “Okay? Do you mean am I still an addict? Yes, and that will never go away, but I’m fighting every day to stay sober. I’m lucky to be alive, and Drannon offered me a place to live and work, so I’d say, yes, I’m okay.”

“Good, you deserve a solid place to plant roots. I’m sorry you had to go through all of that to find it.” She moved to take a seat at the picnic table a few feet away.

“And you? What have you been doing since Seattle?”

“Working. I’m still freelancing mostly, but I took a job for a sports magazine that gives me steady work and connections that have really paid off for me. I basically live out of my backpack and camera bag.”

“No more nature photography, huh?” he asked, reminding her that she’d shared her secret dream of working for National Geographic with him.

With a shrug, she shook her head. “Gotta go where the wind takes me. The money is in photographing sports heroes, not gophers.”

When their combined laughter died off, they faced each other in an awkward silence.

“Look, Kyler, I’m sorry if I left things unresolved, but I’m not good at goodbyes.” Her stomach twisted in knots at the same time as her body ached to be back in his arms. It was an unsettling feeling. “I wanted to tell you I was leaving, but I honestly just didn’t know how.”

“And it seemed like a better idea to just leave me hanging?” His earlier ardor had been replaced with anger, and while others might have cringed at the flash of fury in his green eyes, Monica knew she had nothing to worry about. Kyler was hard as nails with everyone but her. It was a juxtaposition in his character that had always piqued her curiosity.

“No, it was just how it happened. I had to catch a flight that morning, and I tried to find a moment to tell you the night before, but you came home with rigatoni and wine, and we had sex, and…”

“And? You didn’t think to say, ‘Hey Ky, before we get to the multiple orgasm portion of the evening, I’ll be gone when you wake up in the morning.’ Really, Mon?”

Monica sighed, and shook her head. “I handled it badly, but arguing about what happened isn’t going to change it.”

“You’re right about that.” His response was hard, but she could see the indecision on his face. There were too many things between them, and too much time had passed.

“After granddad’s funeral, I realized we were walking different paths, and when the job opportunity came up, I jumped on it. I didn’t mean to hurt you, and I honestly had no idea you were here. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have—”

He moved to stand directly in front of her, covering her lips with his hand. “My mom always says, yesterday is history; tomorrow is a mystery; that’s why today is a gift. You’re here now, and that’s absolutely all that matters. Come on.”

The voice in her head was screaming at her to tell him no and go back inside the house, but she couldn’t resist his charming smile, or the spark of desire in his eyes. How quickly his emotions rose and fell was a bit off-putting, but knowing he still wanted her so badly was equally flattering.

Allowing him to lead her down a stone walkway, she took in a new view of the ranch. “This place is so big. It’s like the Ponderosa in Bonanza.”

He chuckled. “Sort of. The guys have worked hard to make improvements, but there have been some setbacks. Last year there was a flood that damaged a lot of the buildings and wiped out some of the crops.”

“Wow. You can’t tell. It looks so picturesque. My fingers are itching to take pictures.”

Kyler lifted her hand to his lips, and she trembled at the soft contact. “Later. Right now, I want to act out all the pictures in my head. I’ve been dreaming about you for years.”

Monica’s heart beat harder in her chest, and she inhaled sharply. Why did that make her panties wet? She’d hurt him so badly, and yet he still wanted her. “We really shouldn’t, I mean, I’m here to help Jeanette, not fall into your bed.”

Her words fell on obviously deaf ears as they entered his simple cabin. There were only a few pieces of furniture here and there, but at least it was clean. That was more than she could say for his apartment when they’d first met. He’d been the epitome of a bachelor back then. Pizza boxes, beer cans, and hunting magazines had littered every flat surface of his place the first time she’d visited.

“Do they have maid service around here too?” she teased, trying to peek into each open doorway as he pulled her down a hallway.

Kyler laughed. “Nope, I just had to clean up my act. Drannon set me straight a few months ago when I screwed up so badly I nearly got kicked off the place.”

“What happened?”

She never got an answer because they’d reached his bedroom, and the moment they were close enough, Kyler pushed her down on the bed and fell on top of her. Giggling at his rush, she shook her head. “Hey, I’m not that kinda girl, cowboy.”

“That’s okay. I’m not a cowboy,” he growled against her throat, making her moan. She loved feeling the edge of his teeth against her sensitive skin.

“Kyler, I’m not sure this is a good idea—”

His mouth met hers, and she lost her train of thought. It no longer mattered that he was a forever kinda guy, and she was a love ’em and leave ’em kinda girl. All that mattered was how perfectly they fit together, and doing so, created something beautiful.

“I’ve missed these beauties,” he murmured against her chest, shoving her shirt up to her chin and tugging her bra down.

“Mmm, yes, bite them like that.” Monica couldn’t control her own reaction to being back in Kyler’s arms. She wanted him as much today as she had the day she’d first laid eyes on him in that bar. He was pierced and tattooed, and with his shaggy blond hair, he rocked the sexy bad boy look. What woman wouldn’t want a bad boy to get down and dirty with?

Kyler moved against her, and she hissed out a breath as electricity shot through her veins. Her clit throbbed, and she wiggled, rocking her pussy up against him. His eyes shot up to hers, humor lighting them a brilliant green so the tiny flecks of brown there normally nearly vanished, and he grinned around his mouthful of nipple. Reaching one hand between them, he stroked the seam of her jeans right where she wanted it the most, and she whimpered.

“I have to get these clothes off or I’m going to combust,” she growled, trying to pull off her shirt and bra simultaneously. Her abrupt movements forced him to let go of his prize, and he let out a husky laugh.

“Monica McCray, ever the impatient one. Let me help you before you hurt yourself.”

She ignored his teasing in favor of accepting his help, and before long, they were both naked. As he tossed the last of his clothes to the side, she held up her hand to make him pause for a moment beside the bed.

A frown darkened his beautiful face, and a muscle in his jaw ticked. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she whispered before clearing her throat, “I just wanted a moment to take it all in.”

Once again, his smile was cocky, and he slowly turned in a circle so that she could take note of all the new artwork adorning his body. Two years ago, he’d already sported the ink on his biceps and ribs, but now his back was nearly completely inked over, and silver metal glinted from his nipples, and…

“Holy shit, is that a dick piercing?” She gaped at the small ring that dangled from the head of his cock.

Kyler’s hand slid down to stroke his shaft, and he ran his thumb over the piercing. “Yep. It’s called a Prince Albert. I had it done a few months after you left.”

“Why?” The word was out of her mouth before she could second-guess it, and she immediately backpedaled. “I mean, it’s hot as fuck, but didn’t it hurt?”

He shrugged, and tweaked the metal again. Pre-cum glistened from the tip of his dick, and she felt her mouth water. She wanted to taste him and his piercing. “No more than any of the rest. Besides, it feels fucking amazing when it’s deep inside a woman.”

Monica tried not to cringe at the instant vision of his cock entering someone else’s pussy. She’d made the choice to leave; she couldn’t be hypocritical about him moving on after she was gone.

“Does it ever get stuck? I mean, on your zipper or anything?”

“Geez Mon,”—he rolled his eyes—“can we play twenty questions later?”

“Shit, yeah, sorry. You just surprised me, that’s all.” She held out her arms, and he moved close, dipping his head for a kiss.

“I’m glad to know I can still shock and awe,” he joked.

“Well, you’ve managed shock, let’s work on the awe.” She rolled her body up, pressing her wet pussy against his thick cock, making them both groan.

“Damn, you’re soaked.” Kyler dropped kisses on her breasts and torso, sinking to the floor next to the bed, and pulling her hips closer to the edge. “I need the taste of you on my tongue. Don’t hold back, I want to hear you come at least twice before I fuck the hell out of you, baby.”

Her temperature sky rocketed at his words alone, but when his hot breath whispered across her swollen clit, she felt her eyes roll back in her head. Giving herself over to the pleasure she knew was coming, she grabbed her own breasts, squeezing and tugging at them while he feasted on her flesh. His tongue danced from one end to the other before dipping inside her to taunt her aching passage.

Kyler was a master at oral sex, or at least in Monica’s experience he was. She’d never had an orgasm with any other man, and she desperately craved the release she knew was coming. It took mere moments of his exquisite torture to send her shooting off the edge of a climax, and when she drifted back into herself her body was twisting and shuddering as he continued to lap up every bit of juice from her tingling cunt.

“One more, baby. Give me one more, and then I’ll fill you with my cock. I can’t wait to feel your heat around me. Squeezing the fucking life out of my dick,” he spoke against her vulva, his words vibrating through the already sensitive parts, and making her cry out for mercy. Not that she truly wanted it. No, right now, all she wanted was Kyler. Everything he had to offer and more, and she was afraid it would still not be enough to satisfy the emptiness she carried inside.

 

~ ~ ~ ~

 

Kyler couldn’t believe how his fortunes had shifted. Hours ago, he’d felt alone and lost, working his body to the bone for someone else’s legacy, but now, he held the woman he loved in his arms, and tasted her on his tongue. Monica might not have realized it yet, but the moment she stepped back into his life, she’d become a permanent fixture. No way was he letting her run this time.

When she trembled and tightened around his face again, he smiled at her over her mound, and pressed a soft kiss to her bright pink clit. He loved having her juices smeared all over his face. It was a mark of possession, and he wore it with pride as he rose above her, fitting his body to hers like they’d been carved from the same piece of clay.

His cock slid into her tight passage, fitting her perfectly as it always had. In his mind, they’d been made for each other. Her body the perfect complement to his.

Together, they rode the wave of passion like a tsunami racing toward land. There was nothing soft or sweet about their coming together. It was all rough waters, and pounding surf. Kyler felt like his heart left his body the moment she dug her nails into his back, screaming his name as he filled her with his white-hot cum. Together they were so much more than they’d ever be apart.