Page 12 of Kentucky Nights (Dead Man’s Ranch #1)

I stand on the edge of the loft to see Dru standing there with a glass of—I sniff the air—lemonade in her hand. She drops the umbrella on the ground and sets the glass on the truck.

“I don’t know why I’m here,” she says, tilting her head up to speak to me. She’s drowning in my oversized shirt and sweatpants.

I have to swallow a growl of complete need as my want for her warms my blood.

Damn, they look much better on her than they do on me. She’s already in my clothes, and all I want to do is rip them free so I can worship her body the way she deserves.

Even with Daphne, the lust was there, but it was never like this. My skin feels tight, and my gums hurt to the point of tears as I hold in my fangs.

I jump down from the loft, my spurs spinning when I land, and I straighten to my full height. Lifting my hat off, I take slow and deliberate steps towards her, stopping a foot or so away so she doesn’t feel like I’m invading her space.

She already seems so lost. I can smell how wary she is just being this close to me.

“If you don’t mind me sayin,’ I’m glad you are here.” Our eyes meet, and I’m finally able to see her since she has showered and washed away all the dried blood, dirt, sweat, and whatever else had dried on her body. “My god,” the words are spoken on a slight growl. “You are beautiful, Dru.”

Out of all the stunning things I’ve seen in my life, Dru is and will always be the most beautiful. Prettier than a sunset fading on the pasture horizon with fireflies burning the night and the stars out by the billions.

She has brown skin that I’m dying to feel under my fingertips.

Her eyes are big and round, filled with innocence and fear.

Lashes surround hazel irises. Brown begins on the inside of the black ring, then forest green, and yellow just around the pupil.

A few dark brown freckles pepper across her high cheekbones and nose.

She has a heart-shaped face with a delicate, soft jawline.

Even her eyebrows are full and perfectly arched.

There isn’t one detail of her face that I’m not obsessed with.

I could stare at her all day, every day, and the time spent still wouldn’t be long enough to get my fill of her beauty.

I’m not proud of where my thoughts take me, but I’m still a man, and I’m wondering if there are any freckles on her body. I’d love to find out. I’d want to take my time, searching for every spot so I can lick and kiss, have her gasp and moan in ways that she’d thank me for.

My awe of who Fate has deemed my mate doesn’t stop there. Her hair is light red with beautiful, bouncy curls that almost touch her shoulders. I already feel the urge to run my fingers through it while her head is on my chest.

Maybe one day, my touch can put her to sleep instead of scaring her.

All the talk with Lorcan about dying again flies out the window when I have her in my sights. Death no longer exists in my future when she’s standing in front of me. It’s when I’m alone with my own thoughts that I remember the plan.

“I brought you a lemonade when I saw you working in the barn and thought you might be thirsty, but then vampires don’t drink lemonade, do they? I’m sorry that was so?—”

“—Thoughtful,” I finish her sentence, reaching for the glass she didn’t have to bring me at all.

“I don’t know much about other vampires, but I love a home-cooked meal and fresh lemonade.

” I take a large, generous gulp, downing half of it.

“Ah.” I lick my lips, wanting to get every drop.

“Thank you, ma’am. You didn’t have to do that. ”

She looks down, toying with the hem of the shirt. “You don’t have to call me ma’am. Call me Dru, please. I should go. I don’t know why I’m here. I’m bringing a vampire fucking lemonade,” she mumbles as she turns around, snagging her umbrella.

I reach for her, my hand clutching her arm, and the rotten stench of her fear has me release my hold on her.

“Apologies. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You-You didn’t.” Her voice shakes with the inability to cover her fear.

I grin, scratching the back of my head. “You don’t sound too convincing, Dru. Plus, I can smell your lie.” I tap my nose.

“I’m sorry.” She turns around to face me, and her beauty steals my breath.

“Don’t ever apologize for being afraid. You have every reason to fear me after what you have been through, but I promise, I am not going to hurt you.”

She crosses her arms and rubs her hands across them. She’s cold. Goosebumps arise across her flesh, a sensation I haven’t felt since I was turned.

“What’s crazy is that I believe you won’t hurt me. I don’t know why. You could at any minute. You could snap my neck when you decide you’re done with me. I just need a few more days, and I’ll be out of your hair. I need to call my friend, Carmen. She can come get me to take me home.”

I step forward, placing the half-drunk lemonade on the edge of the truck. “You don’t have to leave so soon. If you haven’t noticed, I’m the only one who works this ranch?—”

Romeo’s high-pitched neigh interrupts me.

“—Apologies. My horse and I work the ranch. I could always use another set of hands.” I know she needs the truth of why she can’t leave, and I’ll tell it to her. Soon. I just need more time to figure out what to say.

What do I say to someone who is afraid of me? I have a feeling she isn’t going to be too keen on being destined for a vampire.

She quirks a brow. “I have a job. I haven’t been there in a few days, and they are going to fire me if I’m not already. I have calls I have to make, and then I need to get back. You understand, don’t you?”

I swallow, hating that everything in her life is about to change. I’ve been there. I know what it is like to have plans and then have them ripped away from you.

“Of course I do. I can’t help that I enjoy your company is all, Miss Whitley.”

“Miss Whitley?” She shakes her head. “Sometimes you talk like you’re from another time.”

“I am, but I don’t really keep track of time, so I can’t give you an exact date of just how long I’ve been around.”

She leans against an empty stall, eyeing me as if she’s trying to figure out if I have another angle. “Just Dru, Kentucky.”

I tilt my chin in acknowledgement, unable to stop myself from grinning. “Yes, ma’am.”

That causes her to smile, and I know parts of my soul are tethering to her regardless of whether I want it or not.

“Why is it that I don’t want to be away from you?” she asks, rubbing her arms again. “Make it make sense because I can’t.”

I’m not ready to answer that. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to by the time this week is up. I open the truck door and grab my black coat. “Here, Darlin’. There’s no reason for you to be cold. May I?”

She nods, pushing herself off the stall. I drape the jacket over her, helping her with both sleeves.

“There. That ought to keep you warm, Dru.” I love seeing her in my clothes. Her hair against the dark black of the jacket reminds me of the sunset, the reds painting the night sky with the last breath of daylight.

“I think it’s a little big.” She holds out her arms and laughs when it falls to her thighs, the sleeves covering her hands by many inches.

I lean against the truck, my thumbs hooking in my belt loop, and say, “I think you look just right.”

“You sound like you’re flirting with me.”

I scoff, placing my hat on my head. “I suppose I am, but it has been a while.”

“How long is a while?”

“Years. I’ve lost count.” A small stab of guilt penetrates my heart when I think of Daphne. She wanted me to meet my mate. She never wanted me to not exist anymore. For some reason, she thinks the world needs me because it needs kindness.

I don’t think I’m kind at all. I’m resigned, and that’s a whole lot different than kindness.

Dru steps forward, and she doesn’t understand that the closer she gets, the harder it is for me to control myself. Her scent wraps around me like a blanket, warm and comforting like a hot day after being so cold.

And I’ve been cold for far too long. The bitter winter nights don’t even compare. Dru is melting all my reserves in just a matter of hours. What could she do with me if I were to give her eternity?

The closer she becomes, the more our bond strengthens.

There’s no way out of this for me. I know that no matter how much I’ve wanted to die over the years, staring into Dru’s hazel eyes, all I see is forever.

And that scares the hell out of me way more than Death ever will.