Page 64 of Kayla's Cowboy

He kissed her again, his hands seeking her taut body. Blood surged into his groin again. Damn, how long had it been since he’d wanted a woman this much?

Realizing the state he was in, Kayla began to chuckle, and the shiver it sent through her drove his need to even greater intensity. Easing away, he hurriedly dealt with fresh protection and returned to the bed.

This time he moved more slowly, restraining the wild need so he could watch how his movements affected Kayla, learning what pleased her most. She slid her hands down his back and hips and he shuddered, moving faster while her head fell back and her climax began. He kept going, pleasuring her and himself in a way he couldn’t remember ever experiencing before.

Finally, he collapsed, gasping for air. He could feel her heart thrumming against his chest, the beat matching his own until both slowed and they became aware of the world.

In the distance, a horse neighed and Kayla suddenly pushed him away.

“Don’t worry, the kids can’t be back yet. It must be one of my ranch hands,” he said lazily.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“You’re angry.” Jackson was unaccountably disappointed. “You could have said no when I asked, though I suppose women are often—”

“Don’t say it,” Kayla ordered. “I’m not being inconsistent because I’m a woman. I made a choice, but that doesn’t mean I’m required to be happy about giving in to temptation with a guy who doesn’t trust women and treats sex as casual recreation.”

“I don’t,” he denied, though she had a certain amount of truth on her side. “Just earlier I was thinking how much I admire what you’ve done with your life, so you can’t claim I don’t trust you.”

“Yeah, you admire a teenage mother who made good. That isn’t the same as trusting me.”

Jackson snorted. “Hey, you have just as many trust issues as I do.”

“Possibly, but you’re just deflecting. I’m going downstairs in case Flora comes home or the kids return early. I do not want them figuring out what happened up here.”

Hell. He’d forgotten Flora might get back from shopping earlier than expected. While she usually visited family when she went into town, there were no guarantees.

Quickly Kayla squirmed back into her damp suit.

“I’ll be down in the pool,” she said, walking out.

For several minutes Jackson lay on the mattress, trying to control his unruly body. Damned if he couldn’t have made love to her again. He’d hardly been a monk since his divorce, but there had been nothing this good—a generous give-and-take of pleasure. Still, that didn’t mean it had been a smart idea.

With a sigh, he got up and remade the bed so it showed no signs of their vigorous activity. He wasn’t concerned about Flora—she wouldn’t be upstairs until she made the beds in the morning—but Morgan might see and wonder about it.

He’d only complicated matters by giving in to temptation. It would be wise to remember that he had two overriding goals—figuring out Morgan’s issues, and building a good relationship with Alex. To help reach the second goal, he was supposed to be forming a cordial partnership with Alex’s mother, not sneaking into bed with her.

* * *

AS KAYLA STEPPED into the pool, she was ready to tear her hair out. Didn’t she ever learn? Jackson McGregor was bad news for her. He was sexy as hell, but he had even more issues now than as a teenager. He didn’t listen to people, he didn’t trust women and he didn’t trust marriage. A triple threat. Not that she was interested in marrying him, but it was symbolic of the gulf between them.

And he had the nerve to criticize her struggle to trust? She’d grown up in a harsh world, where trusting the wrong person was dangerous...a world her mother had taken her back to when they’d left Schuyler. But she’d done what was necessary to survive and take care of her baby, and now that she was alone again she wasn’t about to let down her defenses, especially with a horny rancher trying to force himself into her family.

It was a reminder of how careful she needed to be with Alex, as well. Jackson might not be quite as chauvinistic as he sometimes seemed, but his opinion of the opposite sex wasn’t the best. It still worried her that Alex would pick up the wrong attitudes.

A wry grin tugged at Kayla’s mouth.

Luckily Alex’s best friend was a forthright teenage feminist who’d set him on his ear if he pulled any sexist nonsense.

“Something funny?” Jackson asked as he slid into the pool next to her.

“Not really.” They sat silently for a long while, then Kayla stirred restlessly. “I don’t understand how you let someone like Marcy affect you so much.”

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