Free The Lover (Blazing Hearts) by Kennedy Kovit Page B

that he’d gone far from town. He’d had plenty of chances to make a new life for himself somewhere else but he never had.
    “ Five months,” she replied, something off in her voice.
    Five months? She ’d been back five fucking months and hadn’t bothered to look him up? He shook his head. “Erica?”
    She sighed and lowered her head. “ I saw you when I first got back. I was in my car; you were standing near your truck.” She looked up, her green gaze locking on him. “Parked behind The Fine Dutch bar, fucking the living hell out of some blonde. I didn’t want to bother you.”
    His gut clenched. She knew the truth about him. That he was a manwhore now. Just what most people called him behind his back. He tried to put his hand over hers but she pulled away.
    They’d been young—sweet sixteen. The sex, looking back on it, had been about as vanilla as you could get, but it had branded him, forever cementing her in his mind and his heart. When her family had up and moved to Detroit because her father had gotten a job with one of the big three auto manufactures, he’d been devastated. They’d written to each other a lot and even emailed often, but after six months, the letters and emails slowed. After a year, they stopped. He moved on with his life and so did she.
    “ You’re back for good?” he asked, his throat tight. He was off his game around her. Always had been. Didn’t help that she was even better looking than he imagined she’d grow up to be.
    “ What do you want to drink, Kaleb?” she asked, her voice short.
    “ I’d like to talk with you.”
    She snorted. “ Not much to talk about. I was gone. Now I’m back.”
    Damn, she was even sexier with her stubborn redheaded side showing through. He wanted to drag her onto the bar top, inch her shirt up and find out if her nipples were as light pink as he was imagining them to be. His mouth watered at the idea of sucking a pebble-like berry between his teeth while he cupped her tits in his hands. Damn her for being so sexy and so spirited. It just made her appeal to him all the more.
    The Drink ’s owner, John McCutcheon, strolled up along the backside of the bar, near Erica. John had been a Garnes’ Ranch boy when he was younger. They all shared a bond and a brotherly code of sorts. With an incline of his head, John said a hundred things. Mostly, good to see you, brother . Secondly, his gaze went to the group of men. Kaleb knew what that meant.
    Possible trouble.
    “Erica, no biting the patrons,” teased John with a sugary-sweet smile, something that was hard for the former Special Operative to pull off.
    Erica huffed, her green eyes ablaze with a challenge. “I only bit the one guy because he grabbed my breast.”
    Jealous y and rage filled Kaleb. No man was to touch her. No man but him. He clenched his fists. “Who? Where?”
    John put his hands on the bar top. “ Take it easy, slugger. She bit the crap out of him and then I kicked the shit out of him. He’s not here, nor is he comin’ back if he knows what’s good for him.”
    Erica ’s hand shot out and the next thing Kaleb knew it was on his forearm. “Thank you for taking offense for me, but I had it covered.”
    He stared at her hand as if it was a hot brand on his skin. His cock pushed at his zipper, begging to be free. He gritted his teeth and had to draw his arm away from her touch. It was that or actually toss her on the bar top and lift her shirt to get a peek at those glorious tits of hers.
    “ Anyway, thanks.” Shrugging, she returned to work as if he wasn’t even there.
    With a bruised ego, he locked gazes with John. “ You should have called and told me she was back.”
    “ Why? So you could rush here and get shot down sooner?” John questioned. He leaned in closer, his sandy-blond hair covering one blue eye. “She’s workin’ for half pay in exchange for that efficiency apartment above the back buildin’.”
    “ You already pay crap. You cut that in