“We’ll do what we can to see that it’s running again soon. Lydia?”
The tone he used to speak her name sent a rivulet of heat up her spine, and she hesitated for a moment before looking up into his eyes. “Clayton, I—”
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as he lifted his hands to her jaw and gave her the gentlest kiss she’d ever experienced. His hand was steady at her jaw, but his breath shuddered slightly, possibly giving a hint of the passion he was trying to control.
Her pussy bloomed with heat and moisture for him, and her heart pounded in her chest as his fingers slid into the hair at the nape of her neck and tilted her head back a bit farther so he could deepen the kiss. She groaned as his tongue slid sensuously against hers and she tasted his mouth for the first time. Her pussy quivered with longing, and she realized she was holding tightly to his shirt front.
Lord, have mercy. I am putty in their hands.
He retreated from the kiss slowly, stroking her lower lip with his thumb and flicking the tip of his tongue against it before withdrawing.
“Any regrets so far?” His voice was laden with desire, and as her befuddled brain came back online she became aware of the long, hard ridge at his groin pressed against her abdomen.
Incapable of speech, she gave a small shake of her head as she gazed into his eyes.
Brushing his lower lip against hers, he murmured, “My only regret is that I haven’t done that before now. I wish I’d been as persistent as my brother and that I had been with him yesterday.”
“Clayton—”
He smiled and laid a fingertip over her lips. “I know you need time, Lydi.” He sighed and said, “I have time to make up for and I feel—” He hesitated and then released her with a sigh.
“You feel what?” What, please! Tell me because I have no idea what I’m doing!
He smiled almost apologetically at her and said, “There will be plenty of time to talk later. I’m sorry if I got a little pushy there.”
“Oh. Okay. Um—I have something heating up downstairs.”
Boy, do I ever!
The moment the words were out of her mouth, her cheeks flooded with heat and she ducked around him and hurried out the door. Heating up downstairs, indeed. She needed a fresh change of panties she was so wet from his kiss.
Downstairs, the pot of water on the stove was just coming to a boil, and she went back to chopping vegetables for a salad and doing the prep work for garlic bread. It wasn’t a complicated meal, but it would satisfy them and help her get acclimated to working in the big kitchen.
While she worked, her mind dwelt on how she would reorganize everything and what duties she would allow her helper to handle. For now, the house was in need of a thorough dusting and cleaning and supplies and tools would have to be ordered.
It was easier to think about the next concrete step than it was to consider Clayton’s words upstairs. She wished she could see into his mind.
The back screen door banged shut, and she heard the sound of footsteps on the screened-in back porch. The back door opened, and she looked up at a very tall, dark-headed cowboy. Surprise showed in his deep green eyes when he turned as he closed the door and caught sight of her.
“Oh! I’m sorry, ma’am. I hope I didn’t scare you.”
He was positively enormous, but he had a gentle quality to the way he spoke and she was put at ease by his good manners. He seemed vaguely familiar, and she wondered if he’d come with Chance on one of his stops at the café.
“Not at all. I’m Lydia. I think we may have met before.” She held out her hand and smiled as he looked at his dusty hand then rubbed it against his jeans before offering it to her.
“Yes, ma’am. You worked at the Oasis Café in Fort Stockton. I remember you. It’s nice to see you again. I’m Gil James.”
“Pleased to meet you. Was there something you needed, Gil? Maybe I can help.”
“I’ve got a headache and we’re out of Tylenol at the house. I was wondering if Chance and Clayton had anything I could take to get rid of it.”
Eyeing him critically, Lydia went to the cabinet by the sink and got down the Tylenol she’d seen in there earlier. Judging by the way his brows were knit together, the headache must be pretty fierce, and the heat no doubt made it even worse. She opened the bottle and handed him three then gave him a full glass of water.
Following her gut instinct, she went to work finding what she needed while he took the tablets. “Gil, you live here, right?”
After gulping the water, he nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
She found a travel cup and filled it with ice, took down a big coffee mug and poured that morning’s leftover coffee in it then stuck it in the microwave for a minute.