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  “Now that would be telling, wouldn’t it?” he replied. He placed a hand against the paneled door above her head.

  Any other day, the remark would have made Katie’s temper soar. But now? Now it just didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. He might be on her doorstep, but he’d never be in her life. She moved to close the door. She couldn’t do this.

  “Wait.” He caught the door before she could slam it shut.

  “You said everything you needed to say.”

  “I said things I shouldn’t have said, Katie. Let me come in. We need to talk.”

  She studied his face. She’d seen him angry, amused, and in the throes of passion. Tonight he looked almost defeated. Something she couldn’t imagine the man had ever experienced.

  “Invite me in for coffee.”

  “I don’t drink coffee.” She wasn’t about to make this easy for him.

  “Katie,” he growled.

  “Fine. I’ll make hot chocolate.” She turned around and stomped off to her small kitchen. Well, kitchenette. Reaching up, she removed two thick white mugs from the top cabinet. She filled them with milk, added a packet of cocoa mix to each, then extra sugar and chocolate syrup. After carefully stirring the ingredients together, she placed them in the microwave to heat. She’d be damned if she gave the many any marshmallows.

  When she carried the drinks into the living room, she found her uninvited guest sprawled across her small sofa, his large body taking up more than his fair share of the available space. He took the mugs from her and placed them on the small side table. He didn’t move to make room for her to sit down and she was forced to squeeze between him and the arm rest. The sofa was the only place to sit in her small living room. No one besides Jessica ever came to see her and another piece of furniture would have just cost her money and taken up room she couldn’t spare.

  “Why are you here, Mr. Kinkaid?” Better to get right to the heart of the matter before hers broke completely.

  He leaned against the low back of the sofa. The brown micro-suede fabric enhanced his masculine appearance. He looked right at home. Her eyes went involuntarily to his prominent cheekbones, his slightly crooked nose, and his firm, sensuous mouth. She shivered.

  “Remembering how I taste?”

  “No,” she denied quickly even though that was exactly what she’d been doing.

  His gaze fell to her lips. “I remember, honey. I can’t forget. You taste sweet, like cotton candy.” His eyes held an unreadable expression. “Go get dressed. I’ll take you to dinner.”

  “No.”

  He laughed. “You enjoy telling me no, don’t you Katie-cat.”

  “Don’t call me that.” Kate was trying to reel in her spiraling senses. His words had thrown her off balance, instilling a ray of hope in spite of her best defense.

  “Why not? You’re a little kitten with hidden claws.”

  His smile bordered on being mean and Kate’s temper soared. She rose from the couch, intent on showing him the door. Her heart was too sore, too broken. She’d never get over him if she allowed him any more time in her life.

  “Get out, Mr. Kinkaid.” She pointed to the door, but instead of following her sharply spoken demand, he caught her hand and jerked her down on top of him. She could feel the pressure of his muscular thigh under her buttocks and the way his heart hammered against her breasts where they touched, chest to chest. Her face was mere inches from his and she could taste his breath on her lips as she stared at him. Arousal was swift and stunning in its force.

  He trailed his fingers down her cheek to the side of her throat and down to the opening of her shirt. There he traced a random pattern that sped up her already wildly beating heart. He pinned her hips to him and thrust upward, the swell of his body hard beneath her thighs.

  “John.”

  “Feel what you do to me, Katie.” He kept her pinned to his body as he moved. Her body pressed back involuntarily.

  Her body seemed to dissolve into him. Never had a man made her want so much. She could feel the heat radiating from him, engulfing her in its flames. She made a desperate sound in the back of her throat and shivered as the sensations washed over her. “I feel so…,” she whispered.

  “Tell me, baby.” The words went into Katie’s mouth as John kissed her like the hungry man that he was. He cupped the back of her head, holding her still as he ravished the mouth that belonged to him. He groaned as she squirmed against his aroused body.

  “What’s wrong, little Katie-cat?” he groaned against her parted lips. He knew what was wrong. He knew what she needed. She was his little shy kitten, but she was telling him everything with her movements. He knew more about women and sex than he cared to admit some days. She kissed him more with enthusiasm than experience and it turned him into a hot ball of need. He knew what she wanted and from now on, he intended to be the man that met her every need.

  He shifted her in his arms until her head lay on his right shoulder, her dark hair cascading over his arm. She looked sexy and wild. She looked like a woman who’d needed to be loved. His hand pushed her knees apart, giving him access to her body. “I’ll make it better, sweetheart.”

  “John.” Kate gave a token protest.

  He knew she wanted him. Was she stubborn enough to deny them both? He smiled but his hand kept moving up the soft fabric that covered her thigh. The waistband of her pajama pants was drawn tight with a ribbon. He untied it slowly, enjoying every sensation. God, she was so soft. Her stomach wasn’t flat or model perfect. It held a roundness that called to everything male inside him. He trailed his fingers down her middle until he reached her hidden treasures. “Tell me you don’t want this and I’ll stop.”

  “I can’t.” Her legs fell slightly open, giving him unspoken permission to continue.

  John’s hands roamed over her slowly, reverently. He loved a woman with curves. Katie was soft and feminine the way a woman should be. And she felt like home. Something he’d missed for the last twelve years. His grandfather had told him he’d been born with an old soul, but lately he’d started feeling the weight of the years, of the responsibility. He wanted someone to share his life. Someone to love.

  And Katie Lenard was that woman. Most of his acquaintances would think him an absolute idiot for falling under a woman’s spell so quickly. But John had always been an instinctive person who usually made the right decision the first time. He’d known from the beginning that Katie Lenard would be his forever. He’d just fought it. And he’d done such a good job he’d driven her away.

  Now he had to convince her she belonged to him. Always.

  He bit her lower lip gently then soothed it with his tongue as he eased his fingers under the waistband of her bottoms.

  “No, no, we can’t do this again.” She pushed against his shoulders.

  Slowly it seemed to get through to him that she was saying no. He withdrew his hand and leaned back. “You wanted me Katie.” His breath was harsh and ragged. “You still do, damn you.”

  “I don’t.” She shook her head. Seeing the anger in his face she relented. “You’re right. I do, but that’s not all I want. Please let me up.”

  He still had a grip on her shoulders, holding her to him. He let his arm drop to his side but made no move to help her from his lap. If she wanted to leave him, she could damn well do it on her own.

  Katie thought John looked impossibly arrogant. He still wore his leather jacket and his once neatly combed hair was rumpled from her fingers. She hadn’t even realized that she’d ran her fingers through the dark locks as he kissed her, so lost had she been in the sensation of his touch. No doubt her mouth looked as swollen as his from the intensity of their kisses. She knew if she hadn’t called a halt, she’d be lying beneath him right now feeling the surge of his body as he brought them both the most intense pleasure that she’d ever known. She went to move, but his arm came back around her.

  “What I said to you on the ranch was uncalled for.”

  She laid one hand on his chest, k
eeping him at a distance. “Yes, it was.”

  “My only excuse is that I’ve never had these feelings before. You exasperate the hell out of me, woman.” He ran a frustrated hand through his already disheveled hair. “I should never have let you leave the ranch that night. I should have tied you back to the bed and kept you there until you told me the truth.”

  Katie blushed as she remembered the one night they’d shared together. To say John was a demanding lover was the understatement of the year.

  “I was just so jealous. Crazy with it.” He laughed harshly. “I thought you’d gone from me to him.” His hand was faintly unsteady as he pushed back her hair. “I’d never felt the urge to deck a man as strongly as I did James. My own brother.”

  He sighed and placed a quick kiss on her parted lips. “Not only did I distrust you, I thought my brother had betrayed me as well.”

  Katie sighed, feeling the coldness in her chest warming a little. “You believed what you needed to believe.”

  “Come again?”

  “You weren’t ready.”

  “You’re probably right. But after that night in your arms I felt ready to take on the world, Katie.” He pulled her closer, his arms like steel bands, holding her tight. “I was scared. Scared you wouldn’t love me the way I loved you. Scared it happened so quickly. One minute I was on the phone closing a deal on a bull and the next you walk in looking so damn sexy in that little green skirt, I thought I’d explode just from the sight of you.”

  His lips found hers in a kiss that was dark and hungry and passionate. Yet it was so gentle and touching, it melted her heart.

  “How do you suppose we get to know each other better, Katie-cat?”

  “Well, we could do more of this.” Her sharp teeth nipped his earlobe then suckled gently, soothingly, eliciting a deep-throated grown.

  “More of this?” he questioned as his hand moved to cup her breast.

  Her breath hitched at his warm touch. “Yeah, more of that.”

  He eased his hand across her stomach. He moved it lower. “And this?”

  “Oh, yeah,” she groaned huskily, “lots more of that.”

  Those were the last words they spoke as he proceeded to show her just how much he loved her.

  *****

  Valentine’s Day was cold and snowy but Katie didn’t care. She had a boyfriend for Valentine’s Day. Not just a boyfriend, she had a cowboy. She giggled and hugged the knowledge to herself as she made her way to Jessica’s office. They were going to the cafeteria for lunch. Many of the desks she passed already sported large bouquets of roses and heart shaped boxes of candy. Again, Katie didn’t care. It would be nice if John sent her flowers, but she wasn’t expecting it. They were going to have dinner at her apartment. She was cooking pasta. Quick, simple, with easy clean up. Because she wanted to get to the dessert quickly. There would be no chocolate mousse or flaming Baked Alaska in a fancy restaurant. No her dessert would be John spread across her silk comforter—a smorgasbord of male delight.

  She couldn’t wait.

  “Are you ready for lunch?”

  Jessica sat behind her desk, her cell phone in her hand. She was rapidly texting. Katie sighed. Jessica and her phone were rarely parted for long.

  “Come on, already,” she pleaded when the other woman held up her hand indicating she would be just a minute more.

  Katie walked to the window and looked out over the city. The snow was continuing to fall and she hoped that wouldn’t hider John from showing up tonight. She loved John more and more every day. Even though it had been only a little less than a month since they’d met, she knew he was the man for her.

  “Okay, all done,” Jessica said, coming to her feet. “What are you doing over there? Let’s go.”

  Katie rolled her eyes and followed her sassy friend from the office.

  As they passed through the department, Katie suddenly noticed no one was at their desks. While it was lunch time, many employees chose to eat at their desk or work through lunch so they could leave a few minutes early. The silence was almost scary.

  The cafeteria was several floors down and the women took the elevator even though Katie knew she should be taking the stairs. While John said he loved her, curves and all, she knew she needed to eat healthier and exercise more. Not because she needed to lose weight, but because she wanted to stay healthy and be around for a long, long time.

  “So what are you having today?” Jessica asked as they neared the cafeteria doors.

  “Maybe a salad?”

  Jessica laughed.

  “What’s so funny? I can eat a salad if I want to.”

  Jessica stopped at the door, one hand on the large stainless steel handle. “I think tomorrow might be the day you’ll want a salad. We’re having a special lunch today. Prime rib with all the fixings.”

  “Oh, is that why there was no one at their desk?”

  Jessica laughed. “Yeah, that’s why.”

  She opened the door and ushered Katie inside.

  After a few steps Katie came to a dead stop. The lights were dimmed and the room was decorated like a movie set. Hearts in all different sizes hung from the ceiling and more lined the entire perimeter of the room. Their colors ranged from the palest of pinks to the darkest red. Some were covered in glitter while others were made from silk and satin. Each one was more beautiful than the last.

  The middle of the cafeteria was empty, the tables having been swept to the side. Each was dressed with a white tablecloth, an arrangement of colorful flowers and heart shaped candles. Fog-like smoke rose from the floor, giving the whole room a magical, other-worldly quality.

  “What in the world?” Katie spun around to question her friend.

  “Jessica told me how you felt about Valentine’s Day, Katie-cat. I want to make this Valentine’s Day extra special.”

  John stood behind her dressed in a dark gray suit. Jessica stood by the door, a huge smile on her face. Now that Katie’s eyes had adjusted to the light, she saw most of her co-workers were huddled in the back of the room on either side of Jessica.

  “What are you doing?”

  He stepped toward her, seeming to float across the floor, a bouquet of at least two dozen red roses and a shiny heart shaped box of candy in his hands. She had to be dreaming. He cleared his throat as though suddenly nervous. A smiling Jessica stepped forward and took the flowers and candy. Katie’s hand flew to her mouth when John dropped to one knee. A small red velvet box appeared in one hand. He opened it slowly.

  “Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife, Ms. Katie Lenard? And allowing me to spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you?”

  “Oh, John,” Katie whispered as tears flowed from her eyes.

  He took her trembling hand in his and slid the diamond solitaire on her finger, placing a lingering kiss there before looking up at her.

  “I’m taking that as a yes, sweetheart.” He rose and took her in his arms. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Katie-cat.”

  Tears of pure joy streamed down Katie’s face as her friends and co-workers cheered loudly. Everything was beautiful. She had everything she’d ever wished for. Flowers, candy, a diamond ring. But she held the best gift of all in her arms. Putting her mouth next to his ear, she whispered, “Happy Valentine’s Day, cowboy.”

  Thank you for purchasing a book by Joann Baker and Patricia Mason. We believe in happy endings and more importantly happily-ever-afters. Our heroes are alpha males through and through – cowboys or princes, lawmen or outlaws, corporate executives or blue collar mechanics – when they meet the “one” they’ll stop at nothing to have her. Our heroines are never Barbie-doll-perfect but they are always beautiful on the inside. Shy, awkward, plain, plus-sized – they have one thing in common, the ability to bring a man to his knees.

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