Free DebtofHonor by N.J. Walter Page B

imagine that clever mouth on various parts of his anatomy.
“I’ll figure something out.”
    Derek slowly walked toward her. He stopped when the tip of
his boot brushed against the toe of her low-heeled shoe. They were so close he
could smell her skin. It was warm with a hint of lavender. Not perfume. Not
strong enough. Probably lotion, which meant her entire body would smell that
good.
    He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers. Her breath
caught in her throat. “Sealed with a kiss.” He took a step back, otherwise he’d
sweep her into his arms and carry her up to his room right now. “Everything
will be okay.” For some reason he felt the need to reassure her. In spite of
her outward composure, he knew he’d shaken her with his unconventional demand.
    Her eyes darkened and she frowned. “I’m not so sure of
that.” Turning on her heel, she strode down the hallway and out the front door
of his home. He watched her the whole way, his eyes glued to the gentle sway of
her perfect ass. He reached down between his legs to adjust his cock, trying to
find a more comfortable position. It didn’t work.
    “Damn it.” Derek stalked back to his desk and swept the
pieces of her check into the garbage. He didn’t regret what he’d done. He
couldn’t. He’d waited ten years to get Kaitlyn where he wanted her, and he
consoled himself with the knowledge she could have said no. He’d told her she
didn’t owe him anything. It was pride making her come tomorrow night, her need
to feel as though she’d paid the debt owed him. But it was still her choice and
she could always call off the whole thing.
    That notion didn’t make him feel any better. He grabbed his
Stetson from the corner of his desk and jammed it on his head as he headed
toward the back of the house. Work was the best thing for him. Anything to get
his mind off the hours between now and tomorrow night.
     
    Kaitlyn was shaking as she drove off the Double M ranch and
hit the blacktop that headed toward town. It was anger making her shake, she
told herself. It wasn’t arousal. It couldn’t be.
    But it was.
    She eased over to the side of the road and put her car in
park. She sat there, gripping the steering wheel until her knuckles were white.
“What have I done?”
    Her voice sounded strange, almost as if it wasn’t hers. She
felt disconnected from reality. Had she just agreed to spend the night in
Derek’s bed, doing whatever he wanted?
    Another shiver racked her body and goose bumps raced down
her arms. She felt cold one moment and hot the next. She completely ignored the
fact that her nipples were puckered and her breasts felt heavy.
    She’d known Derek all her life and had been very aware of
him for the past decade. How could she not? Derek was a prime male specimen and
she was only human. But female intuition had warned her to stay clear of him.
Derek was a hard man and he’d gone through a lot of women over the years. Not
that he was ever mean or lied to them—word got around fast in a town this
small. No, every woman knew that his first and only love was his ranch. Any
woman would play second fiddle to that.
    And he never made any promises either. The gossip grapevine
was alive and well in their small town. In spite of the way he never stayed
long with one woman, Derek had managed to remain friends with most of them. Not
an easy feat.
    And she’d promised to spend a night in his bed.
    What had she been thinking?
    Obviously, she hadn’t been thinking at all. Not about the
debt Daniel owed Derek. Not about making things right. The only thing she’d
been able to think at all is that she had a chance to make all her sexual
fantasies come true.
    For years, Derek had starred in all her late-night sexual
fantasies, both when she’d been awake and sleeping. He was big and strong, his
hands calloused and hard.
    She licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry at the thought
of having those hands on her body. Her phone rang, jolting her back to