Not Really the Outdoor Type(9)

He was talking with a customer about fly-fishing, and though she was only half paying attention to their conversation, his deep voice made her pulse beat a little faster. She thumped a water canteen down on the shelf with a groan. A discussion about fly-fishing was about as far from erotic as you could get, and all she could think about was how much she wanted to jump his bones. How the heck could she still be having those thoughts after what Jason had done? The man had spanked her, for heaven’s sake. She shouldn’t want to go out with him, much less sleep with him. Just because she’d decided to forget about the spanking he’d given her didn’t mean she’d forgive him for doing it.

Determined to put thoughts of Jason from her mind once and for all, Kendall spent the rest of the day concentrating on her job. Other than having to bite her tongue when a pair of hunters came in asking for Buck Lure, the day was blissfully uneventful.

Thankfully, so was the rest of the week. Not only did she do her job well, but she succeeded in ignoring Jason. Most of the time, anyway. However, there were times— like when he flashed her that devastating grin of his—that ignoring him was almost a monumental task. It didn’t help that all the other employees asked to get off work early on Saturday to go to some big party, leaving her alone with Jason for the rest of the day. It was damn difficult to avoid him when they were the only ones there. Closing time couldn’t come fast enough for her.

Kendall was tempted to leave without saying goodnight to Jason, but her purse was in the back, and since she had to pass his office to pick it up, she couldn’t very well not say anything to him. She worked for him, after all. Besides, it would be rude.

Telling herself that was the only reason she stopped by his office, she knocked softly on the open door. Jason was sitting at his desk, and he looked up when she entered.

“I just wanted to let you know I’m leaving,” she said quietly.

He regarded her in silence for a moment, then nodded. “Thanks.”

She didn’t know why, but for some reason she waited for him to say more. But he went back to what he’d been doing before she had interrupted him, Sighing, she turned and walked down the hallway.

“Kendall!”

Jason’s voice stopped her just before she got to the front door. She turned around to see him jogging after her. Crap, what had she done now?

“I…um…” He ran his hand through his hair. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out dinner tonight.”

She blinked. “Dinner?”

He shrugged. “Yeah. I mean, I have to eat, and you have to eat. I thought we could grab something together.”

“Oh.” She willed her traitorous pulse to stop fluttering, but it didn’t listen. Maybe she was closer to forgiving him for that spanking than she’d thought. “Sure. I’d like that.”

The words were out before Kendall realized it, and once they were, she couldn’t take them back. At least not without looking like a complete idiot. Besides, this wasn’t a date. It was just two friends grabbing a bite.

“Great. I need to finish up some stuff here. How about I pick you up at your place in about an hour?”

“Sounds good.”

“I’ll see you then.”

He flashed her a grin and her pulse did that annoying flutter thing again. This wasn’t a date, she reminded herself. Just two friends having dinner together.

Right.




Jason was grinning like an idiot as he walked back to his office. He wasn’t sure Kendall would come back to work after the spanking he’d given her. When she’d walked into the store the next day he fully expected her to have the sheriff with her so he could arrest him for sexual harassment. But Kendall had acted like it’d never happened, so he had, too.

Pretending not to notice her had been a hell of a lot more difficult. He hadn’t thought about Kendall in years, but now that she was back, it was like she’d never left. When he was around her, he was that same lovesick senior he’d been in high school, only with a lot more physical urges. Considering he’d been full of raging hormones back then, that was saying something.

Even so, asking her to dinner had been a spur of the moment thing. He sure as hell never thought she’d agree to go out with him. Apparently, that spanking he’d given her hadn’t done as much damage as he’d feared. Not that he regretted giving her the spanking, because she’d definitely deserved it. Maybe he was simply justifying his actions, but warming her bottom had done her some good. She’d certainly kept her mind on her work since he’d given her cute, little ass those few well-aimed smacks.