Ty didn’t think too much about keeping his balance. He simply held on and let her come to him, encouraging her to take what she wanted and give him what he needed in exchange. Somehow, though, his need seemed larger, more visceral, than simple desire. Of course, given the way his body responded, his cock hardening in a painful rush and his heart thundering so loudly in his ears that he struggled to hear anything else, he wasn’t going to dismiss the power of desire.
Kenzie moved again in an effort to better accommodate the limited motion his neck brace allowed. Despite the clothing between them, he could feel her nipples harden against his chest. Then she sighed his name. It was her response that grounded Ty in the moment, gave him his footing and offered him the kind of reassurance he’d been searching for since he’d woken from the coma. Here, with her, he found safety, a surety of self, a sense of purpose. He could give her what she desired. And what she desired was him.
Yet the experience of holding her in his arms wasn’t all that simple. True, he wanted nothing more than to lose himself in her, to take the warmth she offered and let her spend the morning convincing him that he was, indeed, alive. He also wanted to rail against her for things that weren’t her fault—the fact that she had two good legs, strong arms, a steady gait and, above all, the freedom to do as she pleased.
Conflicted, he pulled away, ending the kiss.
Her eyelids fluttered open and she blinked, her pupils wide enough they almost consumed the cornflower blue of her irises. “It’s hard to fight with you when you kiss me senseless.”
One corner of his mouth kicked up despite the fact that he tried his best to not smile. “That’s the point.”
“Yeah, well, it’s cheating.” She smiled, contentment radiating from her in waves.
The realization she was happy nearly knocked the wind out of him.How can she stand here and be happy?
Fighting to regain control of the moment, he glanced over her shoulder at Gizmo, who stood with his head up, ears forward and eyes bright. Ty shook his head and then forced himself to meet Kenzie’s gaze. “It’s not cheating. I’ve just never been one to depend on words when actions get the job done without complicating things.”
And with her, it always worked that way. Words hadn’t ever been necessary between them. In fact, words tended only to muddle things. Without words, what existed between them was, and had always been, a simple case of mutual want that ruled the moment and drove their actions.
She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. “No sense complicating anything.”
“You know I don’t do complicated, darlin’.”
She stiffened, her fingers digging into his arms. The smile that had pulled at the corners of her mouth disappeared, her expressive face closing down.
Ty wanted to retrieve the words, take them back. He wanted to figure out how to say what had to be said—that he wasn’t available for more than the moment, never again, not even for her—without stealing that blissful look from her face. But his old man had taught him early on that words, once offered up, could never be taken back.
KENZIETRIEDNOTto react. Honest.
She failed.
And she didn’t fail on a minor level. This failure proved epic. And the longer Ty’s words looped through her mind, the more her reaction gained first traction, then speed and finally purpose.
She’d heard him admit to Gizmo that there might have been something between them. Then to her face he’d crushed that hope.
She knew her eyes had shuttered, knew her face wore a neutral expression. It was a tactic her father had mastered for negotiating, as well as in difficult social situations. Her dad used the opportunity to craft a strategic response. Kenzie had spent a lifetime emulating the very same affect but had never expected it to come in so handy. She was surprised to realize that, for her, strategy wasn’t a factor. She needed the time to figure out how she was going to hide the body, because killing Tyson Covington had taken on spectacular appeal.
Stepping away from the man lest she strangle him, she gave a curt nod. “Sure thing,darlin’.Why complicate somethin’ so simple as a friends-with-bennies arrangement, right?” Her tone was so caustic it should have burned the barn down around them.
“Kenzie, I—”
“No need to finish that sentence,” she volunteered. “Mixing up something as straightforward as this is foolish. I get it. You made sure of that.”
He tried to smile at her, but whatever he saw in her face made that smile falter. “I should go.”
“Typical.” The single word cracked across the air like a rifle’s report. “Things get uncomfortable and you find the nearest exit.” She crossed her arms under her breasts. “Go on, then. Call one of your brothers. They’ll be the fastest way out of here for you. Eli!” she shouted. “Cade! Bring the Mule, would you? This cowboy wants to ride into the sunset.” She rounded on Ty, chest heaving. “I’m sure they’ll be here in no time, rushing in to save their little brother from assuming responsibility. And since you won’t—assume responsibility, that is—I will. I’ll manage Gizmo and his recovery.”
Ty’s eyes blazed with undisguised anger. “Excuse me?”
“I said—”
“I heard what you said,” he snapped. “It isn’t a matter of mechoosingnot to manage Gizmo’s recovery, and you know it.”
“No, Ty. What I ‘know’ is that you’re supposed to be recovering from an injury. Instead, you’re acting as if you’re sitting around waiting to die. What I ‘know’ is that if you don’t get your ass down here and invest in your animals, someone’s going to do it for you. I can’t speak to your other horses, but as far as Gizmo is concerned, that someone will be me.” Realization almost blinded her. This was her chance to solidify the lies and make them truths. “If I have to take over, I’ll do it based on the extreme investments—both financial and personal—thatyourequested I make to ensure Gizmo’s well-being. That was the foundation of this partnership after all.”
“Like hell!” His shout reverberated through the barn. “I want the partnership dissolved.”
“Yeah? How,exactly, do you suggest we accomplish that? Are you going to repay me for doing exactly what you asked me to do, Ty? For being financially responsible for all of the medical bills and seeing the horse through recovery? Or maybe you think if you walk away, it will justgoaway. Is that it? Do you honestly believe I should have done it—anyof it—without expecting fair recompense? After all, you said it yourself just moments ago. We don’t have the kind of relationship that would warrant me doing something out of the sheer goodness of my heart.”