Not that he wasn’t pleasured beyond his wildest imagination each and every time. But as soon as they were finished, he could take her again, and again, and again… He was beginning to wonder whether he’d ever get enough of this small but surprisingly strong woman.
If he didn’t get himself under control soon, he would be no better than his pathetic father. Is this what had happened to his dad? Had the man been so infatuated with Byron’s mother that, after she had control over his body, she had been able to destroy him? It seemed a very likely conclusion to make from the way things had ended with his parents.
Sex was essential to survival. It might not be listed as one of the food groups, but it certainly should be. But even so, a myriad of women were ready and waiting to offer the use of their bodies. There was no reason a man should ever lock himself down with just one.
Okay, the thought of making love with any woman other than McKenzie turned his stomach. But that was something he would have to change. Maybe he needed to just cut this off, to push her out of his life, at least if he wanted to keep his sanity intact. He didn’t need answers to who she was. Screw all the mystery.
It was settled, then. He was going to fly McKenzie back home, release her from her contract with him, and never see her again.
Even though she was friends with his sister-in-law, he could easily avoid her. But just the thought of acting that way infuriated him. Since when did he, Byron Knight, ever need to hide from anything or anyone? He hadn’t done it since he was a child and witnessed the gruesome murder of his parents. That day had hardened him, and he was determined to stay hard.
As he shifted uncomfortably on the front porch, he realized he was already hard in other ways. They had last made love only a few hours before, and it was taking every ounce of strength within him not to march into the cabin and wake her by sinking deep within her tight body. And how could a madam be so tight? He’d barely fit inside her the first time.
There was so much that didn’t fit when it came to McKenzie. And the entire point of this weekend had been to exorcise her from his system, not find more questions he feared he would not ever receive answers to. He’d planned on satisfying his body’s needs first, and then interrogating her.
He’d never gotten around to the interrogation part.
He had to stay focused, to remember who and what she was. She had messed in the life of his brother. And if a person messed with one of the brothers, then they messed with all of them.
Tyler and Blake were the only blood he had, the only true friends he had, the only two people on the planet he would take a bullet for. Oh, wait. There was also Justin, so Byron guessed it wasn’t only the three of them anymore. He now had a nephew, and soon another niece or nephew.
No matter how hard he tried to resist opening his heart, he was being forced against his will to do so. He hadn’t wanted to like Justin, not at all. He was an interloper. But how could he not adore the small boy with so much strength? The kid reminded him a lot of his brother, even though his brother hadn’t known of the boy’s existence until last year.
Why did everything have to change? Why couldn’t they have just gone through their lives with no bumps in the road? His eyes narrowed. Because Blake had met McKenzie Beaumont.
The creaking of the door alerted him to the fact that he was no longer alone, but even without it, he would have known. Though he sure as hell didn’t want to, Byron had a sense of when McKenzie was around. He felt her presence.
But it didn’t fill him with anger. Instead, the feel of her satin-encased arms wrapping around his back brought peace to his thoughts. Her open hands slid beneath his shirt and caressed the skin of his stomach as she leaned into his back.
“Morning,” she mumbled.
The raspy sound of her sleepy voice sent lust surging through him. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath as he tried to tamp down his desire.
“You’re up a lot earlier than I thought you’d be,” he said. Almost against his will, his hands lifted to settle over hers, and his fingers caressed her soft skin.
“I woke up cold without you lying there,” she whispered.
Her words should again have sent terror through him, or anger, or anything other than an odd sense of joy. He didn’t want her to get used to him being there. This was all temporary, and though she’d said she knew the score here, she was getting too familiar already.
So why wasn’t he pushing her away?
“I have an obligatory party I’m attending next Friday. You will come with me,” he found himself saying. Huh? Yep, he’d called it right. Insanity.
Her hands stilled on his skin and her body tensed the slightest bit, before he felt her take a breath and relax. She resumed caressing his skin, but he could feel the tension inside her.
“I would rather not.” He waited, but she didn’t elaborate.
Turning, he leaned against the rail of the porch and tugged her into his arms, needing to look in her eyes, to see what she was trying to hide.
“I want you to be there.” If he wanted it, then she should know that’s exactly what he would get.
“No, you don’t. I’m not good with parties, and I’m sure you have a list of people willing to go with you.”
Anger flashed through him again. She was right. That was far too much like a date, and they weren’t dating. They weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend. They weren’t anything to each other. He should be grateful she was refusing him.
So why wasn’t he?
“I know what I want. If I said I want you there, then I want you there,” he said, a dangerous edge to his voice.
She was quiet for a moment as she looked at him. “We both know what we’re doing, Byron. Don’t try to make it something it’s not.” She spoke with a smile, but he knew she wasn’t kidding.
Before he could make a response, a wicked gleam lit her eyes, and she pulled from his grasp, then dropped to her knees, and reached inside the sweats he wore. She pulled him free, and the cool air didn’t affect his hardness at all. No shrinkage.
“What are you doing, McKenzie? People could be walking by,” he said, turning to look out at the trail, which was only a few hundred yards from their cabin.
“Then you’d better shield me,” she said before taking him in her mouth and making him forget everything they’d been talking about.
Within minutes, Byron felt his release coming. “Stop now,” he groaned, but his fingers were tangled in her hair.
His words only served to spur her on and speed her up, and he barely managed to muffle his cry as he spilled his seed inside the warm recesses of her mouth. After he stopped shaking, he pulled her back up into his arms, covering himself as he again tried to figure out what the hell she was doing to him.