Page 94 of A Rancher's Heart

Chapter Twenty-One

Tamara and Caleb snapped their heads to the side just in time to see Dustin round the corner, baseball bat raised threateningly.

The young man spotted them, his eyes widened, and he pivoted on the spot to give them his back. “Jeez, what the hell?”

Caleb grabbed at his pants and jerked them back into place. Tamara’s heart leap, somewhere between surprise and amusement.

“What’re you doing here?” Caleb demanded.

“It was too noisy in the bunkhouse so I decided to sleep in my old room downstairs. I heard these strange noises and I didn’t expect you guys back until tomorrow.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Is it safe to look yet?”

Tamara put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Poor kid.

Caleb didn’t seem to be as entertained about the whole thing. “Good night, Dustin.”

“I’ll go back to the bunkhouse,” he said.

“You do that.”

“Dustin,” Tamara interrupted before the kid could escape. She waited until he looked down the hallway, and even in the dim light the bright red colour splashed over his cheeks was clear. “We don’t have to tell you not to say anything about this, right?”

He nodded quickly. A hint of his usual youthful attitude reappeared along with a cocky smile. “Knew you liked him.”

This time she was the one who pointed down the hallway. “Go.”

“Going.” Dustin vanished.

Tamara and Caleb stood there in the hallway until the sound of the kitchen door closing echoed through the once again quiet house.

She turned to Caleb who stood inches away from her, his expression wary. “Well. That was unexpected,” she said.

He dragged a hand through his hair. “Complicates things.”

She shook her head, sliding her hands around his waist so she could nestle their bodies together. “Not really. This is still time for us, and we don’t have to make any commitments about what we’re doing. I’m okay with that. For the next two days we just go on how we began.”

“This isn’t a fling.”

“We don’t need to decide everything right now,” Tamara repeated.

Caleb took a deep breath. “You don’t think Dustin’ll say anything?”

If she knew Dustin, he’d probably have plenty to say, but it wouldn’t be to anybody but her or Caleb. “Talk to him tomorrow. He’s old enough to know how to keep his mouth shut.”

Her sexy cowboy still looked concerned, but he cupped her face in his hands and leaned in to kiss her, and the gentle pressure of his lips against hers was enough to wash away any worries of their escapade spreading too soon.

It was a whole different sensation to stand in the middle of a familiar place, pressed against his warm body and kissing in such a slow and leisurely way. They’d done the fast coupling in the car, and the blow job moments earlier had been hot and wild.

This was intimate in a way that touched her heart differently. Her pulse wasn’t racing although it was strong. She wasn’t squirming with sexual wildfire, but the need for the man she was pressed against was no less intense for all that it was quiet. Soft and slow and still sending her senses reeling.

He pulled back from her lips, pressing kisses to her temple then along her jaw and behind her ear. When he bit her neck her entire body shook, massive goose bumps rising. She moaned in approval.

“I want to see you naked,” he whispered.

She caught his hands and backed toward her bedroom, keeping their bodies in contact as they shuffled. “Me too.”

He grinned. “You want to see me naked, or you want me to see you naked?”

“Both. Right now, desperately.”