As if he understood this was it, the horse savored these more, actually drooling as he chewed.
“I take it no one fed his sweet tooth,” he said quietly, running his hands all over Gizmo’s face and neck.
“That is...” Kenzie gestured to the horse and then to Ty. “He’s addicted and you’re his dealer. I mean, you realize that, right? And Ididgive him sweets, just not quite as many. I mean, sugar cubes and apples and—”
“Sugar cubes are child’s play and apples don’t count.”
“I did the best I could.” Her voice was stiffer than her spine, which was poised to shatter.
He realized then that she’d taken his teasing as criticism. That hit him harder than having stirred up her old grief. He needed to keep things light between them, needed to ease the pall that seemed to hover over her like a dark cloud. “Darlin’, you know I’m yanking your chain.” He glanced around. “So what was it you wanted my help with?”
She watched him closely, her gaze guarded. “You up for it?”
He wasn’t about to admit he was wearing down, and fast. He needed to get the answers he’d come for. “Bring it on.”
“I’ll put these tools away. You get Gizmo back in his stall.” She retrieved the pitchfork and tossed it into the little trolley.
“And then?”
“Then you’re going to drop your drawers. The rest should be pretty self-explanatory.”
Tyson stood stock still for a split second. “You going to inoculate me?”
She grinned, but the gesture was off. Her words, however, weren’t. “Not exactly. But if you want to be patient to my nurse, that’s fine with me.”
Mouth dry, he struggled to issue the command that would direct Gizmo to return to his stall. Took two tries, but he managed.
“Hurry up, you giant slug,” he whispered harshly. “Your buddy here has a date with a cowgirl-cum-nurse he hopes will be even half as naughty as she just sounded.”
He shut the door behind the horse and latched it before slowly facing the interior of the room...and Kenzie heading toward him. The look on her face was impossible to interpret, divided as it was between forecasting personal injury and powerful pleasure. But when she caught him staring, she smoothed her features and blinked slowly as she licked her lips.
Something was clearly wrong. He wasn’t sure what it was, wasn’t sure she’d own it even if he pressed. The one thing he knew, could relate to, was the mind’s desire to cede control of the issue to the body’s ability to find a simpler solution. Whatever hurt she bore or anger she harbored would be soothed by this, this thing between them. And her reaction in this, her need for him, was the part of her he understood with startling clarity because her needs mirrored his—for touch, taste, companionship, comfort, home.Each other.
He reached for his belt buckle long before she was within arm’s reach.
14
KENZIEGRABBEDTHEfront of Ty’s jacket and pulled him into her.
One more time, she silently pleaded. Just give me one more time with him, and then I can live with the consequences.
She would do her level best to control the moment, to give only enough of herself that Ty wouldn’t realize what she felt for him. She would take as much as she could so she would have the memories to dole out to herself a bit at a time for the rest of her life. It would have to be enough because she had no alternatives. Not until Ty made his move anyway.
He pulled her into his arms on a self-satisfied sigh. “You’re like an addiction, Mackenzie. One I can’t seem to get enough of. I come down from the high you create to find I’m already craving my next hit.” He pulled her even closer to his body so they were pressed thigh to thigh, belly to belly, chest to chest. “And I want you to hit me again.”
Her laughter wasn’t as light as she intended. “Never ask a woman you’ve recently irritated to hit you, Tyson. Not without at least qualifying the request.”
He pulled away and looked down at her. “I’ll take whatever you dish out, woman. No complaints.”
A hard shock coursed through her, head to toe, and she jerked in his embrace.He doesn’t mean that, has no idea what he’s saying.
Brow furrowing, he stared at her with undisguised confusion. “Problem?”
No answer would have sufficed. Instead, she tightened her grip on his jacket and ran her other hand into his hair before pulling him back to her. “You talk too much.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”