An alarm went off somewhere, and Kris threw her hand out in the darkness, searching for the source of it, when her palm landed on a face instead. He grunted, and she smirked, running her hand lower across Edmund’s naked chest until she reached his quickly swelling length.

“Oy,” he grumbled with a throaty laugh. “Too early.”

“Never too early,” she replied but removed her hand as she climbed over his body to grab her cell and turn off the alarm. Her splaying over him gave him access to her ass, and he squeezed it before tickling her sides. She cackled, trying to get away, but he rolled her over and pinned her down, tickling her until she begged him to stop. His lips slanted over hers, and he kissed her deeply, pushing her down into the pillows as he took her cell from her and tossed it on the couch.

“Too early,” he repeated and curled her against his chest. “Go back to sleep.”

“I should get to the shop,” she said lamely, not wanting to move out of the warmth of his arms.

“It’s Saturday,” he murmured and nuzzled her neck. “I think you can take a morning to sleep in.”

He had a point, and Kris only had one delivery coming in that afternoon. The engine for his Mustang was finally arriving, which meant she no longer had an excuse not to work on his car. She drifted off to sleep for a while longer before her cell dinged again and she sighed. Edmund’s arms closed around her tighter, but when it started ringing, he cursed and released her from his hold.

She kissed his cheek and hopped out of bed to grab her cell off the couch. “What’s up?”

“Your delivery came early,” Charlie told her on the other end. “I just wanted to let you know.”

“Why are you at the shop?” she asked, confused.

“Because the guy got here, and you weren’t here yet,” he said. “It’s nearly noon.”

“What!” Kris peeked out the curtain and cursed. “Alright, I’m on my way over. Just put it by the Mustang and lock up.”

“Sorry to interrupt your morning,” he said through his laughter, and she hung up on him.

“What’s wrong?” Edmund asked sleepily, sitting up in bed.

Kris’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of all that bare skin she wanted to tackle back to the bed, but she needed to get to the shop and start working on the engine. It would take a few days to get everything put back together—if she took her time, which she planned on doing.

“Nothing. We slept ‘til noon, and your engine just arrived.”

“Oh,” he said quietly. “Great, that’s great.”

“I’m going to head over and get started on the work,” she said, but he got up from the bed and caught her hand as she walked towards the bathroom. “What’s wrong?”

Desire and worry warred in his eyes as he stared down at her. “Do you have to start working on it right away? I mean, it is the weekend, and we missed breakfast. We should get lunch first so you’re not hungry while you’re working.”

Kris loved that he was trying to stall and gave in without hesitation. “Lunch first, then,” she agreed.

He said he’d get the shower going, and with a bounce to his gait, he scurried into the bathroom. She heard the faucet turn on as a knock sounded at the door. Slipping on her jeans and his t-shirt, she closed the bathroom door so no one would catch a glimpse of him naked and peeked out the eye-hole.

“Kris, I know you’re in there,” Grams said sharply. “Open this door, or I’ll open it for you.”

“Shit,” she whispered. Her palms sweaty and feeling as if she was five years old again, Kris unlocked the door and stepped out into the hall. “Morning, Grams. I was just… uh, just paying Edmund a visit to talk about his car.”

Grams held up her hand to stop Kris’s babbling, and to her surprise, the old woman smiled. “Don’t lie. It doesn’t suit you well at all.”

Kris let out a breath. “So you’re not going to lecture me?”

“Normally, I would, but I have decided that I would much rather see you happy,” she said and patted Kris’s cheek. “He makes you happy, and though I might not completely agree with whatever is happening right under my nose, you are old enough to do what you want with your life. Just be careful, that’s all I ask.”

“I’m always careful, Grams,” she assured her, and they embraced. “Thanks.”

“For what? It’s about time you found yourself a damn husband and settled down,” she insisted, and Kris’s head fell with an annoyed sigh on her shoulder. “Just saying. I won’t live forever. I’d like to know my family will be taken care of.”

“She will be,” Edmund said as he opened the door to the room. He wore his jeans and had found another shirt before he stepped out. “I promise I’ll take care of her for you.”

Grams gripped his hand tightly. Kris was speechless as she watched the old woman’s face fill with such love and understanding. “You remind me so much of her grandpa. That old man knew how to make me laugh for hours and taught me what it meant to care for someone. He dealt with my bluntness, too,” she added and nudged Kris’s side. “Well, I’ll let you two get back to your weekend, and Kris? Stay away from the house a little longer. Your parents are cooking up another one of their get-rich schemes, and I don’t want you anywhere near it.”

Kris shook her head. “Why don’t I just kick them out and be done with it?”

“Because they’ll start all sorts of trouble, and it’s not worth it. They’ll leave soon enough,” she assured her. “And if not, I’ll drag the sheriff into it and kick them out myself.” With an angry huff, she turned around and walked back down the hall, muttering under her breath.

Kris grinned at Edmund. “You didn’t have to say all that, you know.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked as his hands slipped around her waist. “I meant every word.”

“But your car. It’ll be done soon, and I can’t ask you to stay here,” she said, even though that was exactly what she wanted to do. “This town is too small for you. You’d hate it.”

“And you haven’t thought of coming with me?” he asked with a raised brow.

Kris’s mouth fell open and clamped shut at the idea of moving in with Edmund. “Actually, no,” she said through a laugh. “That idea never occurred to me.”

“And why not?” he asked, resting his forehead against hers.

“You don’t think this is too fast for you? I mean, we literally just met, and the last thing I want to do is turn out to be that clingy girlfriend you wind up resenting,” she rambled. “And your family? Or your ex? Won’t they hate me?”

“I don’t care what they have to say about my life,” he said, his tone deepening. “Not anymore.”

“I’m nothing like your last fiancée, and I have no idea how to act in your world,” she continued, worried about trying to fit in. But Edmund kissed her, letting his tongue trace her lower lip, and she sighed against his mouth. He stepped backwards, bringing her into the room, and she closed the door behind her. “You’re sure?” she asked quietly, wondering why she was panicked all of a sudden. So unsure of herself.

But the loving gaze Edmund graced her with chased all her fears away. “I’ve never been more sure of something in my life. I don’t know what this is, but I’m not about to let it fall to the wayside because we grew up differently.”

“And Grams and Dennis? They still need me.”

“We’ll figure it out as we go,” he promised. “But whatever we decide, we’re staying together.” He swallowed hard, and his jaw tensed. “I… uh, I wanted to tell you something but wasn’t sure how you would react, but I’m just going to say it.” Kris held her breath as her heart beat loudly against her ribs. “I think I’m falling for you,” he whispered. “Falling in love with you, I mean.”

She let out a breath and leapt into his arms, kissing him fiercely as he held her close and spun around the room. “God, I was hoping you’d say that,” she said against his lips. “I’m falling for you, too. Head over heels.”

Their kiss grew heated until Kris’s blood burned in her veins and all she wanted was to spend every waking moment with this man in her arms. They fumbled with each other’s clothes in a mad rush to be closer, to claim the other. Stripped naked, Edmund picked her up and held her against the wall as he explored the depths of her mouth, thrusting his tongue as he pressed his hips lower, seeking entrance. Kris shifted and when he drove inside her, they groaned together. He rubbed hard on her clit with each thrust, and she dragged her nails down his back as ecstasy flooded every nerve in her body, reaching towards her very being. Edmund was hers, and she was his, only his.

The climax was sharp and quick, tearing a cry from her throat as he growled against her neck, swelling within her folds as he spilled his love into her. His lips brushed along her collarbone as she shivered, wishing he could stay buried inside her forever, filling her, completing her.

“Lunch?” she asked as her stomach growled from their latest exertions.

He kissed her nose and let her slide down his body to land on her feet. “Lunch sounds great.”

* * *

Edmund grinned again, unable to stop since he’d admitted to Kris he loved her. There was no use denying it any longer or worrying it was something else. He loved that woman, and he was not going to let her go. There would be a fight from his parents, but he vowed to do whatever necessary to ensure a future with Kris. His parents would have to accept the fact that their son had found the woman he was going to marry, not for her wealth or the status of her family, but for love. He knew the idea was radical to his parents because they had barely showed an ounce of love for each other the whole time he was growing up.

“Damn,” Kris muttered from across the garage.

“What’s wrong?” he asked from where he sat on the short stool by his Mustang.

“I forgot to pick up a few things from the hardware store. Mind watching the shop for me while I go get them?”

“I think I can handle it,” he said as she sauntered over to him and positioned herself between his thighs.

“And don’t even think of touching your car while I’m gone,” she warned, poking him hard in the chest. “I see that gleam in your eyes. Just let me do my work, and she’ll be running in no time.”

He kissed the back of both her hands, one after the other. “I won’t touch a thing.”

Kris nibbled her tongue, kissed his lips briefly, and hurried for the door. “Be back in twenty!”

He waved her away, and the door closed solidly behind her. He pushed up from his stool and paced around his car. “Don’t worry, old girl, we’ll get you fixed up and you and I are going to take a very different trip home,” he said. He pictured driving his Mustang with Kris beside him on the road, driving her finished car. “I’m even bringing home a friend for you.”

His gaze shifted to the Judge behind him, and he wondered how many parts she needed to finish him. Her birthday was in August, a small tidbit Grams had dropped when they were leaving the inn that afternoon. Maybe he’d gift her the rest of what she needed so she could finish her dream car, but something told him Kris wouldn’t accept such a gift. He would just have to find another way to ensure she had the time and funds to work on her car whenever they figured out where they would live.

The door to the garage opened, and he turned with a smile, ready to tell whoever it was that Kris would be back in a few, but when he saw Sharon and Leroy, his smile stiffened and he crossed his arms.

“Ah, there he is,” Leroy announced loudly. “Just the man we were hoping to see.”

“You aren’t looking for your daughter?” he asked crossly.

Sharon smacked Leroy on the arm, and he glared at her. “Course we were. Leroy just wanted to talk to you both, that’s what he meant. Where is our little girl?”

“She had to run to the hardware store,” he said. “What do you need to talk to us about? Are you leaving town already?” He smirked as their smiles disappeared, and they both leered at him. Usually, Edmund strove to be the gentleman in all situations, but when Kris was involved, that man disappeared and he turned into a protector.

“Our daughter didn’t have to leave on account of us,” Sharon snapped. “We’re her parents. She should want to be around us, but she spends every waking minute with you. You took my daughter away.”

“And so you want me to leave town?” he asked. “That’s not happening unless Kris herself asks me to, and between you and me, she’ll ask you two to leave before she broaches the subject with me.”

Leroy stepped between Edmund and Sharon, glaring. “You can’t talk to my wife like that.”

“My apologies,” he said quickly. “Happy?”

“No, we came to talk to our daughter and you about a proposition,” Leroy said stiffly and straightened to his full height. Edmund did the same, and the man sagged beneath his shadow. “We know a guy who could make us all a lot of money.”

“Doing what exactly?”

“He deals with horses, breeding ‘em, selling ‘em, and the like. We know you deal with horses. The man wants to go big, and we’re ready to help him, but we need a backer.”

“You want money,” Edmund said bluntly. “And you’re going to ask your daughter for it.”

“We need collateral,” he argued. “She has the house and this shop. They’re not worth much, but they’ll do the trick.”

“No,” Edmund growled. “You are not putting her life on the line for your gain.”

Leroy grunted in annoyance, and Sharon’s mouth fell open. “You know as soon as you leave town, we’ll be back, and sooner or later, she’ll give in. We’re family, and family always helps family.”

“And if I never leave?” Edmund asked. “What then?”

Leroy and Sharon both took a step back, the first startled by the answer. “Why would you stay?”

“Because I’m in love with your daughter, an emotion I don’t think the two of you have ever felt for her in your lives. You two are going to leave her alone from now on. You’re not going to stay at her house, and you’re not going to ask her for money.”

“Pay us what we need and we’ll go away,” Leroy suggested as his voice shook. “She’ll never see us again.”

Edmund started to reach for his wallet but stopped. “No. I know everyone in the horse business in the state. If I make inquiries into this man you want to do business with and find out the two of you are involved in any way, I’ll be sure to set the authorities on you for doing business with a man I guarantee is not licensed to do whatever it is he’s doing.”

Leroy glared as Sharon grabbed his hand and tried to pull him away. “Leroy, let’s just go.”

“No, he can’t do that just because he’s rich. You snobs are all the same. Throwing your money around, thinking you can tell everyone else what to do! Damn our daughter for falling for a man like you!”

Edmund raised his fist but stopped before he punched Kris’s dad. “Actually, we’re not. You’ll find my name is very well respected because of how well we take care of the horses involved in our business. I suggest you find futures for yourselves outside of Kentucky.”

Sharon’s face paled, and Edmund debated on demanding they tell him the name of the man they were trying to do business with. Leroy cursed and rushed out the door, dragging his wife behind him. As the door slammed shut behind them, Edmund let out a shaky breath, running his hands through his hair as he paced around the garage. He kicked the closest wall, cursing at the pain in his throbbing toes, but at least it hadn’t been Kris’s dad. He knew parents could be controlling and manipulative with their kids, but to try and drag them into a get-rich scheme that would only damage the life Kris had built for herself? She would lose everything, and her parents couldn’t care less for her well-being. They only wanted a quick fix for their lives. His desire to get her out of this town only grew, and he contemplated the best way to convince her of that without mentioning his encounter with her parents.

The door opened again, and Kris walked in, her face down as she dug through a paper sack. “I’m back. Did you touch it?” she asked without looking up.

“Nope,” he said, hoping he sounded normal. “Didn’t touch a thing.”

“Uh-huh. Why do you look guilty, then?” she asked when she finally glanced at him.

He shrugged and shoved his hands in his pocket. “No idea,” he replied and sidled over to her. “Are you in the mood for some darts tonight? I think we need a rematch.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she purred as she ran her finger down hit chest. “I think this time, I might win.”

“What are we betting?”

“I’m not sure,” she said. “You already hold what I have to offer.”

He grinned. “Oh, I’m sure we’ll come up with something. Just give it time.”