Maya’s Triple Dare(Divine Creek Ranch 6)(11)
It had been pure luck that he’d encountered Morgan’s attorney at an exclusive restaurant in Austin. Knowing he and Morgan were partners and that Frank was dating Maya, the chump had mentioned the by-chance finding of the safe-deposit key to him. The items he’d unsuccessfully searched her house and home safe for must be in that safe-deposit box. Maya didn’t know that he had a house key and knew her security password for the alarm.
After promising to pass on his greetings to Maya, Frank had gloated for the rest of the afternoon. Once he had the contents of that safe-deposit box he’d be happy. He could fuck her until he got tired of her then off her when she became a nuisance, just like Morgan.
* * * *
Maya fought drowsiness as the pickup truck ate up miles and miles of Interstate Highway 10. When her head bobbed for the third time, Kendall chuckled and reached into the back seat and pulled out a thick, fluffy flannel jacket and balled it into a pillow.
“Want to lean over and rest your head on the console? There’s no point in us both losing sleep.”
“You don’t want me to help you stay awake?”
“No. I’m doing great. If you’re sleepy, don’t fight it.”
If Kendall only knew what all she was fighting at the moment, what would he think? She’d seen his reaction to her words in the kitchen and had frankly enjoyed it, but she didn’t want him to be uncomfortable on the long drive, and so she’d kept her impure thoughts to herself.
She laid her head down on the voluminous jacket, enjoying the scent of man permeating the thick flannel. It didn’t smell like Kendall.
She stroked the flannel, which she could tell was red by the lights of the dashboard. “Whose jacket is this?”
“Richard’s. It should be fairly clean. Is it all right?”
Richard, who was so tall and quiet with pale blue eyes that fascinated her.
“Yes. I was just wondering. It doesn’t smell like you.”
She turned her nose against the fabric and inhaled again. It smelled faintly of laundry detergent, manly musk, and the outdoors. She liked it, and noticed her body liked it, too.
Pondering her reaction to the unfamiliar scent, she wondered at the way she was wired. Though deeply in love with Morgan and happily committed to him, she’d always felt a loving, deep connection to Kendall. Morgan was witty, professional, and dominant, where Kendall was all outdoors, earthy, and playfully sexy. Loving them both would’ve been incredible. She’d always had a resounding need for the differences which made them unique.
But being one of the top real estate brokers in the Texas hill country area made Morgan much too visible and vulnerable to public opinion. For that reason she’d never asked.
Now, here she was, reacting to another man’s scent. What did that say about her?
She closed her eyes as Kendall stroked her long hair and caressed her cheekbone. His touch sent tremors through her, and a note of sadness for what could never be echoed in her heart, followed by the refrain of Morgan’s words in the letter. Be the daring girl I married…have the life you wanted and didn’t dare ask for.
Kendall’s voice in the quiet of the cab plucked at her heartstrings. “I wish I’d known.”
Her heart clenched and a tear leaked from her eye, but for the first time in a long time it didn’t feel like grief. It felt more like longing. She’d had days in the last year where she thought she’d never laugh or smile ever again. Somehow that tear marked the beginning of a new chapter between them.
“I wish I could’ve asked. I imagine you must be wondering what kind of woman I am,” she murmured, voicing her real fear.
“I know what kind of woman you are, Maya. You’re the kind who has enough love in her heart for more than one man. I happen to like that about you. Do you think it’s possible you could feel that way again?”
Except for the fact she’d reacted to Richard’s scent on the jacket, she might’ve been surprised by his question. Maybe it was just the way she was put together, to want more than one man loving her and to be capable of loving more than one man with all her heart.
“I’d have to give it some thought, but yeah, I suppose it’s possible. Why?” She looked up at him in the dim light and saw the slight smile on his lips. “Boone and Richard?”
He looked down at her, stroked her temple, and replied, “Maybe. Yeah. But we have plenty of time to mull that over.”
* * * *
Maya awoke to the sensation of Kendall’s warm hand rubbing her upper arm. She glanced at the clock on the dash and saw it was almost four in the morning.
“We’re here,” Kendall said as he continued touching her. She glanced out the window into the darkness and couldn’t tell much about “here” beyond the light shining on the front porch of the ranch house. “We’ll tuck you into bed as soon as we get inside.”