Timing (279 page)

i hes.

. All of

f us had

d showered

d and changed, and we were

r

all in sweats and T-shir

i t

r s, even May.

. I had made her sit

i while I

I

prepared snacks and serv

r ed eve

v ryone

n . As I was

s moving around the

table

l , I

I told her that she

e should think about datin

i g, since she was still

hot. Tyle

l r

r choke

k d, and R

a

R nd nearly

l spit out his mil

i k.

“St

S efa

f n Joss!” she

h la

l ughe

h d at me

m . “My

M goodness, but you do just

s

speak your mind!”

“What?

t ” I

I a

sked a

s I took a seat be

b side Ra

R nd.

“Are

r you insa

s ne

n ?” Ra

R nd was incre

r dulous.

. “My mother does not

date!”

“Why not?”

“Because she’s my mother!”

I

I looked at Ty

T le

l r, who had made a

noise

s like he

h was dy

d ing.

“What he said.”

“That makes no sense

s ,”

, I assure

r d him, my eyes flicking back to

May. “You should date.”

Sh

S e took a deep bre

r ath. “A

“ ctuall

l y

l , I am.”

.

“What?

t ” R

and ga

g sped before he sta

t rted c

oughing.

“That’s great,”

, I beame

m d a

t her.

r “Tell

l us all about h

im.”

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Mary Calmes

“You’re what?” Rand barely got out, coughing harder.

“I think something went down the wrong hole,” May giggled.

Tyler thumped Rand on the back as I laughed at him.

“You’re such a prude, man. Your mother’s still young, and sex is

a very natural part of any relationship that she would be in.”

He had to put his head between his knees.

May slapped my leg, trying for all the world to look serious.

“You’re going to kill him.”

I shrugged. “You need to date and have sex and live your life.

You just aren’t allowed to dress like Ben’s mother.” I shot her a look

“Oh heavens, did you see that too?” Her eyes widened as she

looked at me. “My goodness sakes, it was horrible! Do you think

maybe Ben’s father is tomcattin’ around, so she’s trying to get his

roving eye back on her?”

“Maybe,” I agreed. “That would make sense, wouldn’t it?”

“Can you two—Christ!” Rand yelled. “What the Cantwells do

with—Mother, who the hell are you dating?”

She smiled at him. “Would you like to meet my beau?”

“Well, yeah.” He cleared his throat, scowling at me. “If you have

a—well, yeah, I need to give my approval.”

I scoffed.

“You think I don’t?” He glared at me.

“No, I don’t,” I chuckled.

May pointed at me. “What he said.”

“You—”

“But I would love for you to meet him.” She grinned. “How about

Monday night?” She looked back at me. “Why don’t you come too?”

“Oh,” I exhaled. “My meeting got moved from Monday to

tomorrow, or today, since it’s already Sunday, so I’ll probably be on a

plane home later today instead of Tuesday morning like I originally

planned.”

Timing

151

“But you could stay until Tuesday,” Rand said, bumping my knee

under the table. “You could if you wanted.”

My eyes hit his.

“Stef… you could.”

“I could.” I smiled at him.

“Then it’s settled.” He took a breath. “Stef and me’ll meet the

beau.”

Her smile was luminous as she looked at me. “Thank you,

darling.”

But I hadn’t done anything.

A half hour later, I was doing the dishes, still not tired, just

content.

“This is so domestic of you,” Rand said as he walked up behind

me, his lips finding a sensitive spot behind my ear that seemed to be

suddenly and without warning connected to my cock.

“Oh God, what’re you doing?”

He moved his mouth to the back of my neck, one arm sliding

across my abdomen, his other hand sliding down over my ass.

“Watch yourself,” I cautioned him. “They’re gonna see.”

His hand slid over my hip on a path toward my groin as he licked

a line up the side of my neck.

“Stop.” I tried to bump him off me, but he tightened his grip as I

felt his teeth on my shoulder.

His deep sigh made me smile. The man liked having me

wriggling around in his arms. “You’re gonna get us in trouble,” I teased

him.

“God, you smell good,” he said, his face in my hair, inhaling

deeply.

“Stop,” I said, trying to see if Rand’s mom and uncle could see

him molesting me. The way the bar curved around, I wasn’t sure.

“Your skin is so hot,” he said absently, cupping me through my

jeans.

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Mary Calmes

“Christ.” I jerked forward into the cabinet, banging the door.

“Ticklish?”

“Stop.”

“Rand,” May called over to him.

I felt his warm breath on the back of my neck, knew he had

turned to look at his mother.

“Who’s Jenny marrying?”

“Some lawyer,” he responded, his hands moving on me, sliding

up under my T-shirt, over my skin. “Can you hurry up with this?”

I nodded and took a breath, letting my head fall back on his

shoulder, closing my eyes to keep my body in check. “Maybe if you

left me alone, it would go faster.”

He chuckled before burying his face in my shoulder. “I don’t

think I can… you feel too good,” he mumbled, gently biting his way

down my shoulder.

My body went up in flames.

“What time we gotta be at your meetin’ in the morning?”

“Are you gonna go with me?”

“I plan to spend every second with you from now ’til you gotta

go… or don’t gotta go.”

“What does that mean?”

His arms wrapped me up tightly, crushing me. “You want me to

say—I’ll say… I want you to stay here with me, Stef. I want you to go

home and pack up all your shit and move into my house and live with

me. That’s what I want.”

I couldn’t breathe. He stepped back so I could turn around and

look at him.

“That’s what I want, since you’re askin’,” he said, his hands on

my face, lifting it so that as he stepped back into me, he tilted my chin

up. “Stefan Joss, I want you.”

Staring up into his gorgeous eyes, I was glad that he had said my

name and reminded me what it was. My mind had gone completely

blank.

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153

“Speak.”

“Rand, honey, I’m goin’ on to bed, and Tyler’s walkin’ back to

his place! Night, Stef!”

They were both in the living room, and I hadn’t even realized

they had left.

“Hey.”

The brilliant turquoise of his eyes, the laugh lines at the corners—

just looking at the man made me happy, and apparently looking at me

did the same for him.

“I will settle, if I have to, for you sayin’ that you’ll be back in a

week after you fly away. I have a ranch to run or I’d get on a plane and

go to you, but I got things I can only do in one place. But it seems to

me that you got yourself more options than you figured.”

He meant Mr. Cantwell.

“But you think on it,” he said, smiling at me. “Right now I need

you to wash off your hands, leave them dishes, and go on upstairs and

get in my bed.”

“But Rand, your mom—”

“Go on.”

I studied him.

“What are you tryin’ to see?”

“How can you just change your whole life in a couple of days?”

“’Cause I’ve had a whole lot of time to think on it.”

I nodded before turning back to the sink. “I gotta finish cleaning

up, and you’ve got stuff to check on before bed, so I’ll meet you

upstairs.”

After several minutes, I realized he was still standing there.

“What?”

He just shook his head and went out the back door.

It was peaceful being alone in the huge kitchen, wiping down the

counters, putting pots and pans from earlier in the day away and

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Mary Calmes

watering the herb garden growing in the windowsill. Everything was in

its place, and all the lights except the one over the stove were off when

I was finally pleased with how it looked.

Walking to the screen door, I stood silently looking out at the

darkness, realizing that the sky was a deep cobalt blue, but with the full

moon, I could still see everything, hear the sounds of the cattle, see the

lights of the stockyards in the distance, and smell wet earth and

wildflowers. It was peaceful, relaxing. There really was something to

be said for life on a ranch.

When I heard Rand whistling, I knew he had the dogs with him.

Since I’d seen Charlotte do it many times, I went to the chest that

doubled as a coffee table in the living room and got out the blankets. In

the winter, the dogs slept in front of the fireplace. In the summer, they

slept in the same spot, just without the benefit of flickering flames. I

heard them whimpering at the screen door, heard Rand telling them to

hold on, and walked over and let them in. I was of great interest, and

once I had greeted all four of them, patted them and given them all

love, I led them to the blankets. Trained well, they were all down, tails

thumping, as Rand came in the house.

“Oh.” He was surprised, smiling at me. “You got ’em settled.”

“I filled up their water bowls in the kitchen,” I told him before

heading for the stairs. “I know you still gotta lock the house up, so I’ll

see you upstairs.”

“I’ll be right there,” he called after me.

“Yes, dear.”

“Hey.”

I looked over at him before I started up. The smile on his face was

surprising. “What?”

“That just sounded real nice, is all. I think a man could get used to

having you around to take care of him and his home.”

“Me?”

His smile made his eyes sparkle in the low light. “Yes, you.”

But I never wanted to take care of anyone. Simple things, small

things that other people did, took for granted, I never even thought of.

Timing

155

Men I had dated complained because I would make myself something

to eat and not even offer. I was cold and uncaring because I didn’t run

errands or cook or clean. I was the opposite of domestic; I normally ate

standing up unless I was out to dinner, and I never lifted a finger in the

home of anyone that I dated. Not ever, for any man, but three days of

Rand Holloway’s attention and I was going soft. Shit.

“Stef.”

I looked back over at him.

“Go on up.”

In the upstairs bathroom, I washed my face, needing to clear my

head, and heard Rand in his bedroom. Moving to the doorway, I looked

for him in the darkness. The moonlight streaming in the window made

him easy to see. Turned away from me, he was holding his left wrist in

his right hand over his head, and without realizing it, he made me catch

my breath. The man was a work of art, a study in power and strength.

The rippling muscles in his shoulders and back, the smooth skin, the

jeans riding low on his narrow hips… I was ready to fall down and

worship him if he asked it of me.

“Rand.”

He dropped his arms, turning to look at me.

“You’re really beautiful, you know.”

The deep grunt made me smile. “Ain’t but one of us beautiful,” he

gestured me close. “Now c’mere and lock the door behind you.”

When I was almost to the huge king-sized bed, he dived onto it.

“Rand, what’re—”

But my voice was cut off as he grabbed my wrist and yanked me

down on top of him. I scrambled out of his grip and had him flat on his

back a second later. The way he looked up at me, his eyes heavy-

lidded, full of need, was very arousing. I leaned over and nibbled up the

side of his neck, and the answering groan made it sound like he was

going to die. When I moved to his mouth, he let out a deep sigh and

wrapped his arms around my neck, holding me close. I kissed him long

and languidly, taking my time because he seemed to need the closeness

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Mary Calmes

just as much as I did. When I felt his hands finally start to stray,

clutching at my back, my ass, urging me to move, I did. I rose up off of

him, and he was up instantly, yanking at his jeans, frantic to get

everything off as quickly as possible. I had to smile because it was

pretty heady stuff to know that I was the reason for his speed. He