“It would be more beautiful with you on it, babydoll.” His eyes burned with desire as he pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. His lips were hot and moist as he pressed them to hers, his tongue dueling passionately with hers as she opened for him. Maya’s body pulsated with need, and she wound her arms around him tightly. Pressed close to him, she could feel his growing erection against her abdomen. Kendall’s squeezed her ass cheeks hard and groaned before he released her. A calf bawled in one of the pastures, and Maya chuckled as he broke their kiss.
Maya said, “Duty calls, I know. Do you mind if I explore?” She wanted to get a better look at what could possibly become her home. She wished Boone and Richard were here. She was anxious to talk with them and find out for herself what it was they wanted with her. She believed Kendall when he said they weren’t after a fling, but she need to hear that from them, too.
Kendall shook his head and said, “Just be mindful of where you’re walking. Take a bottle of water with you. You can get dehydrated fast out here.” He reached into the cooler in the back of the truck.
She accepted the bottle of water from him. “Are Richard and Boone coming here after work?” It was already midafternoon, but she didn’t know how late they worked.
“They’ll be here in an hour or two. There’s a creek at the rear of the property. It’s the border between Jack’s ranch and ours. Certain times of the year it flows pretty heavily.” Now that sounded like a place for all kinds of fun.
“Is it deep?”
“In places, yes. If you’d like, I could hang a rope in one of the oak trees. It’s great for swimming and fishing.”
Maya hummed as she walked in the direction he pointed and said suggestively, “Sounds like fun. Maybe I’ll go skinny-dippin’.”
“Behave,” he said in a growly tone from behind her.
“Where’s the fun in that?” she murmured so he’d just barely hear her. She kept walking, placing both hands in a protective gesture over her ass cheeks. Looking over her shoulder, Maya stuck her tongue out at him playfully.
“Woman.”
His sexy, longing tone spoke volumes to her, and she turned as she walked to blow him a kiss. It was unkind of her to tempt him like that when he absolutely had to get his chores done, especially given his late start.
“Hey!” Kendall called out to her.
“What?”
“Watch for snakes!”
Maya grinned broadly and didn’t bother to suppress a sexy chuckle as she eyed the enormous bulge at his groin. “Some snakes I like. I’ll watch out for them, though.”
Kendall laughed and said, “Again with the innuendos, woman. Have fun. I’ll send Boone and Richard after you when they get here.”
“Goody!”
Grateful she’d dressed in jeans and her lace-up ropers, Maya explored the terrain, careful to not lose track of the path she took as she wandered. She found the creek when she headed toward the shade of a long stand of ancient oak trees. Maya hazarded a guess that their ranch must be at least two hundred acres.
She carefully climbed between the strands of barbed wire that kept the cattle from entering the creek and made her way down the creek bank. The shade was solid over water that flowed invitingly. She found a large, flat rock out in the water a few feet from the creek bank that looked solid enough to hold her weight. Jumping onto it from the bank, Maya sat down to untie her boots and take off her socks. The rock was cool underneath her and felt good in the heat. The trees were fairly thick and provided quite a lot of cover.
The idea of swimming here crossed her mind. She’d wear her bikini beneath her clothes next time. The thought of skinny-dipping here floated through her mind next, and she liked that idea even better, especially if she wasn’t alone. One, two, or three cowboys might make it a whole lot more fun.
Maya laughed out loud even as her heart lurched in her chest. She still missed Morgan, but she was filled with gratitude toward him as she sat on the rock. If he hadn’t had the forethought to put those words down on paper for her on the slim chance she would need them one day, she wouldn’t be here. She’d still be muddling through life in San Marcos. She’d still be dealing with Frank Reeves.
He’d had the nerve to tell her the night before that he’d been there for her for the last year and she owed him. She’d finally convinced him to leave with the assurance that Kendall would be leaving, too. It was none of Frank’s business that she planned to be with Kendall when he left.
After his highhanded treatment last night she hoped he was pissed when he found out she wasn’t home. She’d finally silenced her text message alert alarm after the fifth text message he’d sent while she was exploring. He’d figure out she was unavailable eventually.