Given all the work I’d already done to make sure Adventure Chasers was a success, I hadn’t considered the paperwork would be such a pain. But after spending nearly a full day at Town Hall talking to the Mayor, the mayor’s assistant, the President of the Chamber of Commerce and the Truly Office of Economic Development, I felt mildly sure that I had all the right documents to make sure everything would be covered when Sterling sold me that land.

“Is this it?”

“I promise that’s everything. If you have any questions, give me a call.” Baily Solomon flashed a sweet girl-next-door smile, but her outfit and that look in her eyes were all predatory.

“Yep, thanks.” I sent the mayor a wave as I hurried out of the ice-cold town hall building and into the early evening sunshine. It still wasn’t warm outside, but the illusion of warmth existed from the splashes of red and pink and purple across the sky. I needed to unwind. To relax. To get my mind off everything except the evening ahead. Kenzi had been avoiding me since I kissed her senseless, and while I wanted to be upset about it, my male ego was perfectly soothed by that. It had been a hell of a kiss and I wanted to repeat it.

Badly.

When I walked in the door, the place smelled like pizza. “Honey I’m home!” But that smile died on my face when I caught a glimpse of her in a royal blue bikini and a see through sarong. “Damn, Kenz. You’re smokin’ hot.” I had to bite down on my lip to keep from groaning at the way her hourglass figure was highlighted in the blue two piece.

She turned to me, plump tits jiggling just enough to make things interesting and uncomfortable, and rolled her eyes. “We need to take care of those photos. Go put on your swim trunks.”

“If you want me naked, sweetheart, all you have to do is ask.” Her gaze raked me over, hot and heavy like a caress.

“Now I know.”

When I returned in my swim trunks, Kenzi was outside spreading a blanket down on the grass, pushing her ass up in the air for my careful consideration. “We really have to stop meeting like this.”

“Do we?” She wiggled her ass a little and I laughed, giving her a sexy little pat on the butt. “Come on, then. Let’s be in love at the beach.”

It wasn’t hard to wrap my arms around her nipped in waist, to rest my hands on the curve of her hip as I pretended to look out over some body of water from my travels. I kept my hands all over her, exactly the way a man in love would. Or how I imagined a man in love would act, because I had no fucking clue.

“We have to do a kissing shot.”

“I think we have plenty of photos with your mouth all over me.” She shook her head, but her skin was flushed, hot to the touch and her breaths were shallow.

“That wasn’t having my mouth all over you, but I’m happy to show you.” My mouth watered to taste her. She always smelled so damn good, like a field of flowers and sex and nature. It was intoxicating and I just wanted to bury my face in it.

“Um, thanks but I’ll have to pass.”

For now, I let her words go because arguing would be pointless. She wanted me as much as I wanted her, so I just needed to show her she could trust me. I just hoped she could. “Suit yourself, sweetheart.”

Kenzi bit down on her lip adorably as she looked at the imagined horizon, smiling at something that piqued our curiosity. “We should do one of those annoyingly cutesy pictures of us in bed.”

Kenzi in bed and in my arms? Hell fucking yeah! “I mean, I guess if you think we should.”

She laughed and marched inside the house, leaving the blanket and beach gear discarded in the yard. “Change into pajamas and let’s go, Romeo.”

I did as she requested in about two minutes flat and waited on the bed for her get into her own pajamas, which I couldn’t wait to see. In my fantasies she wore completely impractical and frilly sexy lingerie in a rainbow of colors. But I’d settle for an extra small tank top that hugged her tits, one strap falling off her shoulder and panties so tiny I could see the outline of her plump lips. Maybe a hint of moisture from her arousal. Yeah, that would be perfect.

“Okay. Let’s do this.” She climbed on the bed in a pair of booty shorts and a t-shirt that met nearly all of my criteria. Even her hair was a little mussed, but I knew we could do better.

“Let me fix that for you,” I told her and ran my fingers through her hair, my cock stood at attention at the low moan that escaped from her. “Now you look like you’ve been in bed with me all night.”

With another roll of her green eyes, which was becoming my favorite expression of hers, she scooted down and into my arms. “You should probably hold the camera,” she said in a breathy voice that had my cock growing in my boxers. “And maybe do something about little Chase?”

“Little? Take that back!” I insisted and pressed Chase Junior against her round ass.

“What do you call him, Gabe? Morty? Chester?”

“I call him the Kenzi tamer, because that’s what he’s gonna do. Scared?”

She laughed and I took a few photos I knew would be good, because that laugh of hers was enough to make a man want to hear it again and again. “Not as scared as I should be.”

“Good.” I leaned forward, kissing her neck and nibbling her ear while she tried to resist me. Tried to pretend like she wasn’t affected, but her hard nipple digging into my palm told me otherwise. She moaned as my hand slid down her belly and barely into her waistband. “Tell me to stop, Kenzi.”

She didn’t. Not when my fingers slid through her swollen, wet folds and rubbed against her clit, over and over. Not when her hips began to undulate against my hand as one finger delved deep into her wet heat. “Oh!”

That fucking moan nearly undid me. “Tell me you want this, Kenzi.” The little vixen was determined to be silent and I was as determined to make her say my name. To acknowledge this. “Tell me.” She moaned when another finger joined the first inside her and then stopped.

“I do,” she bit out on a moan.

I plunged deep into her pussy again, spreading my fingers wide to stretch her out. “Fuck you’re so damn wet. Just for me too, baby. Tell me you want this, that this pussy is dripping for me.”

“I want this,” she finally relented breathlessly. With those words, I leaned forward and sucked a nipple through her thin shirt, wetting the front embarrassingly, but she felt too good to stop. She was so responsive to the fingers fucking her tight heat, the way my mouth brushed her nipples, even the feel of my hair under her fingertips.

I worked her hard, sliding my fingers deep and letting her juices coat them fully while my thumb rubbed furious circles on her clit. “Chase!”

“Better,” I growled and lifted her shirt up, desperate to have those sweet nipples on my tongue. Deeper and deeper I plunged until her back arched and she came on a little gasp. And my name on her lips. “Now that’s how you should always sound when you say my name.” I kissed her, stealing her lips and kissing her deeply as my fingers continued to play her like my favorite guitar, with care and intensity. She kept on pulsing around my fingers, squeezing them tight and sucking them deeper into her body.

“Do that and I always will.”

I ignored the heat that spread in my body at her words. These were just words people said in the heat of passion. “Yeah? Because I can’t wait to make you say my name as you come apart all over my cock. My tongue. I want to lick you so hard, so good that you say the word fuck. A lot. I want to hear it coming from those pretty little lips of yours while you grip my cock inside you.”

She shivered and smiled, tightening her body so my fingers were trapped. “Really? That’s what you want these lips to do?” She licked them for emphasis and I groaned. “Weird. But to each his own, I suppose.” When she relaxed her body, she laughed at my grunt of discomfort.

“Now that I know everything is on the table, I want to change my answer.”

The little tease laughed at me.

* * *

So far, dinner with Pete Sterling and his wife, Simona, was going well. I think they were convinced Kenzi and I were a real couple headed towards marital bliss. I hated lying to him, to anyone really, but Sterling brought this on himself. Who in the hell ever heard of a man tying a business deal to someone’s marital status? But thinking like that wouldn’t help, not now when Kenzi had such a delicious feast laid out before us.

She made plenty of food. Enough that we’d be feasting on leftovers for at least the next couple days. It was light fare, slightly exotic and delicious as hell.

“Babe, this is incredible.”

She beamed a smile up at me that was so stunning I felt my heart stutter and then skip a beat before it returned to normal. Or at least as normal as it ever was around Kenzi. “Thanks,” she winked and looked over at Simona. “This is actually his mother’s biscuit recipe. She’s a fantastic cook and her and my Gran constantly competed to outdo one another. Mrs. Donovan won the biscuit round.”

Simona’s hand flew to her chest as a deep, amused laugh erupted from her tiny frame. “That’s priceless, Kenzi! You really didn’t recognize them, Chase?”

I shrugged. “I’ve been traveling the world a lot and it’s been some time since I’ve tasted mom’s biscuits. Leave it up to Kenzi though, to remind me in the most embarrassing way possible.” I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” she giggled, her skin flushed a sexy shade of red.

“Well I love it all,” Pete began with a loud smack of his gut. “This food is addictive young lady.”

She smiled prettily and pushed garlic mashed potatoes across the table. “Thanks. Does that mean I shouldn’t tell you that the butter in these potatoes came from a plant so its heart healthy?”

He frowned and Simona grinned. “Genius, girl! See honey, now you can enjoy good food without sacrificing years with me.”

It all became clear. Sterling’s desire to sell, but his reluctance to do so. Just like my own father, it was time for Pete Sterling to start looking after his health. “Yeah,” he sighed unhappily. “I sure appreciate it,” he told Kenzi and took more potatoes, chewing happily. “Now tell me why I haven’t heard that the most eligible bachelor in Truly is no longer a bachelor?”

Kenzi froze, but it was so imperceptible that I didn’t think anyone else had noticed, but then she smiled and leaned back in her chair. “You want the honest answer, or the one I’ve been telling my friends and coworkers?”

“The honest reason, of course.” Simona practically cooed, chin resting in her hands to hear the gossip.

“I refused to tell anyone we were dating until I was sure he’d mounted his passport on the wall. This is a small town and I didn’t want to blab in case he was needed in Mozambique or some other far flung location.”

I didn’t care for that answer, but it made sense and it did cover a lot of bases. Sterling wore a scowl but it slowly disappeared. “I like this girl,” he said with a wink. “And what do you think about your fella’s adventure business?”

Kenzi was a natural, smiling up at me like I hung the moon and the stars in the sky just for her. “I’m happy he gets to do what he loves without scouring the globe to do it.” Her hand settled on my cheek in a loving gesture that even I wanted to believe, and I knew I needed to remind myself this wasn’t real. For all intents, Kenzi still hated me. She might want me, but she hadn’t forgiven me for vanishing a decade ago.

“You two are so wonderful! I just adore young love, it reminds me of when Peter courted me with wild flowers, cheap dinners we could barely afford and the best living room picnics I’ve ever been on!” She looked like a woman truly in love and for a brief moment, I was jealous of that. “So tell me, Chase, how did you guys meet?”

“Actually, Kenzi and I have known each other almost all our lives. She grew up here, and I grew up in the blue house next door. So we had a bit of a secret friendship over the years.” One that I regretted losing the better I got to know her again. I’d deprived us of a friendship that would have lasted, unlike the friends I was too ashamed to claim her in front of.

Simona frowned. “Why a secret?”

Kenzi shrugged and leaned in as though she was telling some big secret. “I wasn’t cool enough for Chase and his friends growing up. I was a weird kid with her hands always in the dirt or her face buried in a book, and I was awkward. A late bloomer.”

“She was great, Simona. But I was a dumb teenaged boy, and I cared more about what others thought than I should have. But I’d finally gotten my head un-stuck from my rear end and we had one great night. Unfortunately, it was also the night my life changed forever.” I paused and risked a glance over at Kenzi, who held plenty of questions in her green eyes. “I got a call in the middle of the night and it was for my first job. In Thailand. I wasn’t even a contender for the job, but the guy they’d actually hired had broken his leg on a bad fall down a snowy mountain, and everyone else had already taken other jobs. It was one of those moments where all the stars align to give you exactly what you want.” My gaze never left Kenzi’s, she hungrily absorbed every word I spoke.

“And that ripped you apart all these years,” Simona said, the romance lover in her on clear display tonight.

“I regretted it, of course. I didn’t know how to reach out to her after that, so I didn’t see her again until I started thinking about returning home. My mother reminded me, more than once, that Kenzi was still in town and more beautiful than ever.”

“She did not!” Kenzi’s skin was a pretty shade of pink.

“She absolutely did. She’s always loved you, Kenz.” And she never failed to remind me that she was single, gorgeous and would made a fantastic wife and mother.

“So, when are you kids planning on tying the knot?”

Kenzi laughed and set one hand on top of mine. “When I can be sure he won’t get the travel bug and disappear again.”

“Smart woman.”

“Thanks,” she beamed a smile at Sterling, reminding the old man what it was like to be the sole focus of a beautiful woman. “Who’s ready for dessert?”

Simona stood. “Well since you’ve gone through all the trouble.”

We watched the women go in silence. “We chose well.” It was all Sterling said as he sat back, a satisfied smile on his face.

By the time dessert was over, both Pete and Simona wore half-lidded, sleepy gazes and satisfied smiles. I felt that dinner had gone well, but that told me shit about what to expect in terms of the business deal.

“Coffee?” The question came without asking but judging by Pete’s smile, it was the right thing.

“No thanks, Chase. We need to get going before we both fall asleep here at your table.” He stood and grabbed his wife. “Kenzi, darling, you’re a wonderful chef and Chase is a lucky man.”

“I’d say the same of you, Mr. Sterling but I’m not sure which of you is luckier.” Simona grinned and wrapped her arms around Kenzi, whispering a few conspiratorial words. “Sounds great, Simona. Have a good night.”

A few minutes later, they were gone and my shoulders had relaxed for the first time in two and a half hours. “That went well, right?”

Kenzi leaned against the door and kicked off the sandals she’d worn tonight. “I think it went better than well. They’re nice people and Mr. Sterling just wants to feel like he knows who he’s selling his legacy to.”

“Legacy? It’s a piece of land that’s sat empty for years!” It wasn’t as if the man was considering selling me his business.

“A piece of family land. Something I would think you might understand since you came back to Truly rather than let your parents sell the house.”

Shit, she was right. I blew out a breath and nodded. “Okay, you’re right. I need something stronger than wine.”

Her laugh came out low and sexy, she placed a warm hand on my chest as she walked by, my eyes following the gentle sway of her ass and hips before my feet followed her into the kitchen. “I have tequila, gold and rainbow.”

I blinked. “What the hell is rainbow tequila?”

She laughed again and I swear that sound was becoming addictive to me. And my cock. “It’s tequila I infused with Skittles,” she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Right. How crazy of me to not know that.” I shook my head and rolled my eyes, stifling a laugh at the way she arched a brow my way. “Pour it up then, barkeep.” She did and slid the daisy covered shot glass my way with an impish smile.

“Drink up.”

I did, and the damn thing was delicious. Sliding the glass her way again, I watched Kenzi fill it up and slide it back before she poured one for herself. “That’s really good. Maybe we should’ve given some of this to the Sterlings.”

She laughed. “My food wasn’t coma inducing enough?”

I wouldn’t say her food induced a coma in me, more like a throbbing erection I couldn’t get rid of, especially when she licked the stray drops of tequila from her plump lips. “Your food was delicious, Kenzi. Thanks for tonight.”

“You’re welcome, and you’ll be happy to know that Simona oohed and aahed over our photos.”

“Can’t say I blame her. You look beautiful tonight, have I told you that?”

“Nope, but it’s never too late.”

I should have waited. Hell, I should have weighed my options. Just because I’d spent all of my adult life hopping from one spot on the globe to another didn’t mean I was a laid-back, by the seat of my pants kind of guy. I wasn’t. I waited and deliberated before making decisions. Except apparently where Kenzi was concerned. But in that moment, there was something about her that called to me, that made it imperative that I grab her in my arms and pull her close. “You look gorgeous tonight. I wanted to do this all night.” And then I lowered my mouth to hers and I kissed her, long and hard and intense. Her mouth tasted of chocolate mousse and Skittles flavored tequila, and I couldn’t get enough. Her tongue slid against mine, delicious wet hot friction sending a frisson of awareness through my veins.

Then Kenzi’s arms looped around my neck and I pulled closer so her soft plump tits were pressed against my chest, her thighs nestled against mine. When I pressed her body against the counter, I could feel her scorching hot center, and I wondered if she was as wet as imagined her to be. “Chase,” she moaned against my lips and I lifted her onto the counter and stepped between her legs.

“Yes, Kenzi. Tell me what you want.”

She pushed at my chest and I groaned, taking a step back as she clearly prepared to put an end to whatever fun we were having. Or about to have. My eyes remained glued to her body as she circled the counter and stopped at the doorway between the kitchen and living room. “What I want Chase, is you.” With a saucy smile, she lifted the hem of the dress over her head and let it fall to the floor.

Game. Fucking. On.