Page 40 of Stolen Kisses
Chapter 9
Krista watched Noah in the backyard for a long moment. He was wearing one of those mountain men flannel shirts with the sleeves rolled up over his massive forearms. And good grief, he was beautiful. Sweat beads rolled down his temple and he was tearing into that wood as if it’d offended him. With each forceful lift and lowering of his axe, Krista got a little more overheated. No worries that she’d be cold this weekend. None whatsoever.
She turned away from the window and blew out a breath. She’d wrestle her attraction to this man all weekend, but she would win. If she wanted a happily-ever-after in her own life, which she did, she needed to veer her thoughts toward someone else.
Her phone rang in her pocket and Grace’s name lit the screen. “Hey,” Krista answered.
Grace’s voice came across the line in broken pieces.
“Hey, Grace. I can’t hear you…Grace?”
The reception here was apparently nonexistent. “Grace, the connection here is bad,” she said, hoping Grace could at least hear her on the other side. “I’m going to hang up, but this place is amazing! You’re going to love it!…Okay, well, I’ll try to call you later. Bye.” Krista ended the call and set her cellphone down on the counter, then cast one more look at Noah because the sight of him chopping wood was just too good to pass up. Her body grew warm, hot, hotter. Who needed a fire when he was around?
Krista marched toward the main bedroom where she would be sleeping and emptied the bag of items from Sugar and Spicy onto the bed. Handcuffs, blindfold, massage oils, one large pink feather, For Her Pleasure condoms, and…
Wait, where did that come from?
Krista’s face scrunched at the pink toy. It was circular and made out of a jellylike material with a metal rod puncturing one end. She couldn’t even fathom what it was for. Noah must’ve tossed it in at the cash register.
Krista pushed a button and the toy buzzed to life in her hand. She squeaked and jumped back, tossing it on the bed as if it’d attacked her. Hearing the cabin door open and shut in the kitchen, she hurriedly reached for it and turned it off. Then she scooped it up and placed it inside the drawer with the other items. She didn’t want Noah to walk in and realize she had no idea what the toy did and highlight her inexperience in an area where Noah was obviously an expert.
“What are you up to back here?” Noah asked, poking his head into her bedroom door.
Krista nearly jumped five feet off the ground. “Me?” She whirled away from the dresser drawer where she’d placed the items and blinked back at him.
He grinned. There were beads of sweat all over his forehead. Sexy beads. “You found the surprise item, didn’t you?”
She shook her head, but she’d always been a bad liar. “No. No, I didn’t find any surprise items.” Her gaze averted. She pulled her lower lip in reflexively. Realizing she’d done her tell, she spit her lower lip back out.
“Yeah, you did. The extra thing in the bag is for Jack’s benefit.” He laughed. “If he can figure out what it is.”
Krista rolled her lips together, bouncing her gaze anywhere but Noah’s eyes. She did not want to admit that she didn’t know, either. She was so inexperienced in the sexual arena, it bordered on pathetic. She was well on her way to being thirty years old. Of course she should know what that pink jelly vibrating thingamabob was.
“Wait a minute.” Noah narrowed his eyes and she knew she was busted.
Changing the subject, she placed a hand on her hip. “It’s a little weird that you bought your brother a sex toy, don’t you think?” she asked, talking quickly.
His grin fell flat. “That is weird, isn’t it?”
She pressed a hand to her chest. “Grace is my friend. That’s different. And she asked me to.” Krista headed out of the bedroom, leaving the subject of her sexual inexperience there. “But Jack is your blood relative, so buying him a sex toy is a little creepy.” She continued talking. “So, did you chop enough wood?”
“Uh, yeah. Thought I’d shower off and then we could make some dinner. Sound good?”
Krista nodded, heading into the kitchen for a cool drink of water. Her throat was suddenly the Sahara Desert.
“Then we can talk about what else needs to be done while we’re here.”
Krista dipped into the fridge, stayed there a moment to let her flushed skin cool, and came back up. “Oh, Grace called, but my reception was awful. Is your phone working?”
Noah shook his head. “It never works up here. Part of the charm of this place is being disconnected from reality and the world.”
“What if there’s an emergency?” Krista asked.
“I have my own personal nurse.” He winked. “Going to shower now. See you in a minute. Then I’ll explain exactly what that item in the bag is if you want,” he called down the hall.
Krista groaned. “I know what it is,” she called back, lying and hoping to God he didn’t call her out on it.
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