Page 79 of The Last One You Loved

Thoughts of kissing McK were definitely at the forefront of my brain, but I still couldn’t help feeling uneasy about leaving Mila with the college crowd.

“She’ll be fine, Mads. You’ll be here bright and early to help with Thanksgiving, anyway, right?”

“Daddy, pleasssssseeeeee?” Mila’s eyes were wide, she had her hands in prayer mode under her chin, and she was still hopping from foot to foot.

“You’ll miss spending time with McKenna,” I told her in a last-ditch effort at finding a way out of this.

“I’m not worried. McKenna isn’t going to leave us anymore,” she said and then threw her arms around me, knowing I’d already given in. “I love you, Daddy.”

She took off into the living room, demanding to know what Sadie’s friends were playing.

“You sure?” I asked Sadie one more time.

“Oh, my God, yes! Just go before I throw the rolling pin at your thick skull.”

I headed for the door with McKenna. Sadie’s voice followed us out into the chilly evening air. “Have fun, you two. M&M sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”

I threw a one-fingered wave back in at her, and she chuckled as the door slammed shut behind us.

McK and I were quiet on the ride back to town. It wasn’t until we were nearly at the house that I realized I hadn’t told McKenna about arresting Sybil and the threats she’d thrown out. I was shocked to realize I hadn’t truly thought about any of it for hours. The Gears. Sybil. The threatening texts from Gregory. We’d had a peaceful day, and I wanted it to continue that way into the night, long enough for me to keep my promises I’d tossed at her earlier.

McK fidgeted, fingers tugging at her low ponytail.

“Where you at?” I asked as I pulled the Bronco into the garage.

“Nowhere, really,” she said, unbuckling and climbing out.

I let us in the back door, flicking on the kitchen light. The counters sparkled from the extra cleaning they’d gotten that morning, trying to wipe away all the cocoa powder.

I dropped my hat on the counter, reaching for her arm before she could step too far away. I drew her into me, chests colliding. The scent of hay and horses, of grass and sweat, surrounded us, but also the chocolate still hanging in the air and the natural sweetness of McKenna.

My hand landed on her collarbone, surrounding her neck, sliding a finger up and down along her pulse point. “McKenna.”

“Yes?”

“I think I’m going to have to break my promise.” My voice was thick, desire already licking through me now that we were alone, now that I had her in my house with my hands on her.

“Yeah? Not sure you can perform? I mean, how long has it been, monk?” she teased, but she was nervous. Her teeth bit down on her bottom lip, and her pulse fluttered under my touch.

“Oh, I’m quite sure I can perform. But I think we need to put the bath before the sex in order to wash away the smell of the horses.”

She pulled away, and I let her go. She took two steps backward, shot a glance toward the windows that were still shuttered, and then lifted her sweater over her head. She’d worn a bra today, probably because she’d known we were going riding, and I was slightly disappointed.

She took another step back and kicked off her shoes.

I followed. Every layer she took off, I echoed?shirt, shoes, pants?until we were in the hallway in just our underwear.

She hesitated on the final layers, standing there with her palm sliding over her stomach.

“Don’t stop,” I grunted out, my mouth watering and desire beating through me.

She tugged at the waistband of her underwear. “These? You want me to take these off?”

“I don’t know, McK,” I said, flicking at my waistband. “Do you want me to take these off?”

She licked her lips. I took a step toward her, and she didn’t move back. I was close enough that I could reach out and pull the cup of her bra down, freeing her, watching as her tip hardened even more under my touch. I flicked the straps off, moving even closer so I could reach behind her and undo the clasp. “This made things uneven.”

My palms surrounded her soft swells, fingers squeezing gently, and she let out a little whimper. I drew gentle circles around her peaks, and her breath grew ragged.