Happy whoops rent the air. Colt lumbered across the dirt, the tattered fringe on his chaps flapping, clearly in shock. He hugged Chassie, clapped Trevor on the back, and studied the award. After a second or so, he faced the audience and raised it above his head. He seemed too choked up to speak.
The crowd went wild. A lump rose in Skylar’s throat when the McKays and the Wests ran across the arena to celebrate with Colt. Maybe Kade would rather be with his family tonight, instead of sixty miles away.
She loaded Eliza in her car and headed home.
Chapter Fourteen
The rodeo didn’t wear Eliza out. She’d just put the baby down a few hours later when Kade’s truck pulled up.
Perfect timing.
Thump sounded on the porch as Kade removed his dirty boots, like he always did.
The man was so thoughtful. The door squeaked open and shut. He paused on the rug, after hanging up his jacket and saw her standing in the hallway.
“Hey. Got done and got gone as quick as I could.”
“I thought you might call and say you were hanging out with your family tonight.”
Silence.
In two strides he had her face cupped in his rough hands and was kissing her like he planned to eat her alive. Several minutes of tongue-tangling kisses that left her bare toes curling into the wooden floor, he broke his mouth free. “Does that seem like I’d rather be with anyone besides you?”
“Ah. No.”
“Good. Hang tight. I need to wash the grime off. I shouldna been touchin’ you.”
“I didn’t mind.”
“Is Eliza sleepin’?”
“Down for the count. She’s in her crib.”
“I’ll poke my head in and check on her.”
“Do you want me to come upstairs?”
“No. Go on into the living room. I’ll be down lickety-split.”
Sky heard the shower turn on. She tried to sit but that lasted all of thirty seconds before she was up and pacing again. Her emotions ranged from nervous to excited, back to nervous.
The day’s events played in her mind. Kade taking control. Dictating to her. Not by humiliating her, but teaching her with not-so-gentle determination. And it was sexy as all get out, being in the position of giving him pleasure, watching the ecstasy on his gorgeous face, bringing that violent response to his body. She hadn’t been angling for false praise when she’d admitted her inadequacies regarding o**l s*x. But Kade acted as if she was a blowjob master and she couldn’t wait to do it again.
The stairs creaked. She saw Kade striding toward her buck-ass nekkid.
She was so staggered all she could do was stand and stare. And drool. Oh man.
Broad. Muscled. Big. Everywhere. Kade McKay was a perfect male specimen.
What would he think when he saw her? With her less-than-perfect body?
Again, he brought his mouth down on hers, intoxicating her with another bone-melting kiss. He murmured, “I wanna see you, Sky. All of you. I’m settin’ the nekkid rule in place right now.”
“The naked rule?”
“Yep. I say ‘get nekkid’ and you do it. That’s the rule.”
“Simple.”
“I thought so.”
Kade nibbled at her lips and jaw as he unbuttoned her lace blouse. Once it was completely undone, he peeled it down her arms and it fluttered to the floor.
Her stomach fluttered in response.
His callused hands slid down the sides of her body to rest on her hips. Work-roughened fingertips traced the skin beneath the waistband of her skirt to the zipper in the back. Zzzz sounded as her skirt hit the rug, leaving her standing in a pair of turquoise bikini panties and a plain white sports bra, which she realized didn’t match the panties at all.
Skylar wanted to protest her near nakedness, to hide her body against his, but Kade was having none of it.
“Lose the bra.”
She eased away and lifted it over her head. Soon as she finished, her chin dropped to her chest and her hair fell over her face.
“Look at me.”
It took all her courage to meet his gaze.
“Don’t you know you’re gorgeous? Ripe and lush and beautiful?”
“I don’t feel beautiful, Kade. I’ve always been a little too round, a little too soft, a little too womanly. It just got worse after Eliza was born and now I’m still carrying around this extra baby weight…”
“I didn’t notice.”
Sky couldn’t help it; she snorted.
He smoothed a section of hair from her hot cheek. “Is that why we’ve been makin’ love in the dark?”
She nodded. “I didn’t want you to see me naked. I thought you’d…”
“What? Jump on you like a horny toad?”
“No. I thought you’d be disappointed.”
“Wrong. I’ve been dyin’ to see you completely nekkid since the first time you barreled up to me wearin’ them wicked purple heels. I thought about you standin’ in front of me, wearin’ nothin’ but them sexy-ass shoes and a big ol’ smile.” He kissed her so sweetly tears prickled behind her lids. “Trust me, the last thing I am is disappointed. The last thing I’m gonna do is spend time talkin’ when I could be touchin’ you. Or tastin’ you.” He put his mouth against her ear. “You been thinkin’ about this afternoon?”
“Yes.”
“It was amazingly f**kin’ hot to see you goin’ down on me. Did you like makin’ me weak-kneed and at your mercy?”
“Yes.”
“Did you touch yourself while you were thinkin’ about what I might be doin’ to you tonight?”
“No.”
“Good answer. Turn around slowly, darlin’.”
Skylar complied.
“Keep your eyes open. No more hidin’ from me. Ever.” Kade punctuated his last command with a nip to her earlobe.
He dropped to his knees behind her and tapped her ankles. “Wider. Like that.”
She held her breath, even as her heart raced, and her blood pumped faster. She was pretty sure her face was the same color as a tomato. Kade’s magic fingertips danced up the back of her calves to stroke the vulnerable area behind her knees. Her trembles increased when his warm mouth followed the same path, first up her right calf, from the tight tendons above her heel, to bestow a teasing lick to that sensitive crease. She gasped.
He chuckled and repeated the erotic process on the other side.
When he started in on butterfly flicks of his tongue across the backs of her thighs, especially the line where her legs met the lower curve of her ass, her knees buckled.