Kyle tucked the veil behind her ear. Bracing his hands by her head, he focused on nuzzling her exposed skin. Her ears, her jaw, her neck, her temple, her hairline. Touching her…yet not.
“Kyle.”
He expanded his attentions to barely-there brushes of his mouth. Soft teases with his breath across her neck, cheek, ear, and temple. A fleeting press of his damp lips.
Celia whimpered softly. “Stop. I can’t function when you flip your seduction button on High.”
“I’ll dial it down a notch. If you do one thing for me.”
“What?”
“It involves the vibrator I heard you won.”
“Okay.”
Kyle peered at her flushed face. “Okay? That was easy. No arguing?”
Her molten gaze hooked his. “You turn me inside out every time you touch me. Why would I ever say no to you?”
He stared at her. Stunned by her acceptance of everything about him. Now was the time to tell her. “Celia. I—”
“Hey, lovebirds,” Harper said, stepping behind them. “You cannot skip out on your own party. Quit screwing around. Get back in there and mingle with your guests.”
“You this bossy with Bran?” Kyle asked.
“When he lets her be bossy.” Celia grabbed Kyle’s hand. “We’re going.”
Kyle didn’t have to argue with anyone to keep his wife by his side for the rest of the party. Food was spread out. The bar was hopping. Music started. The instant he and Celia found a place to sit, they were surrounded.
Bernice took Celia’s right side.
Pearl Tschetter sat on his left. She’d worn a very bridelike getup, white lace from her neck to her ankles, including lace gloves, and a puffy fur pimp hat. She carried a martini glass. A long cigarette holder would’ve been the crowning touch. “Now, Kyle, this might be overstepping my boundaries…”
Please don’t give me sex advice.
“But I wanted to mention I knew Marshall Townsend and his wife.”
Not what he’d expected. “You did?”
“Yes. Were you aware my husband owned the implement dealership outside Rawlins?”
Kyle shook his head.
“I did the books, he handled the sales. Anyway, Marshall was a decent fellow, not a particularly happy fellow. We had a Christmas party for our customers and he came every year.” Pearl tossed back her martini. “I’ll be blunt. I hated when his wife came with him. She was such a shrew. So I’m a little torqued off that he didn’t know about you until you were an adult. You might’ve been the one bright spot in his life, Kyle.”
“He could’ve contacted me after he found out I was his son and he didn’t. He left me everything on his deathbed. Not out of guilt, but because he wouldn’t have to look anyone in the eye and admit he’d cheated on his wife, even if his wife was a shrew, even when his wife had been dead for years. Saving face was the only thing that mattered. Not finding happiness and not finding me.” First time Kyle had said that out loud.
Pearl patted his hand. “Did it feel good to get that out?”
“Yeah, actually, it did.”
She drilled him in the chest with a lace-covered fingertip. “That isn’t something you oughta be telling me, boy; that’s something you oughta be sharing with Celia. Marriage rule number one: She is your confidante. Confide in each other before all others, without exception. Marriage rule number two: Don’t be the tough guy with her. She’s had enough of that in her life with the way her brothers raised her. Now that you know what’s in your bloodline, I came by to warn you. Especially now that I’ve heard Marshall had the chance to get to know you and didn’t take it. Don’t be like Marshall. Marriage rule number three: Don’t withhold your emotions from her. I’m not talking affections. Because emotions and affections are totally different things. You understand that, right?”
Ah. No, not until this minute, but I think I do now. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good.” Pearl picked up her martini glass and floated over to the bar.
Bizarre. He looked over to see scissor-happy Bernice fingering Celia’s braid.
“When will you let me take a whack at this mop of hair?”
“Never.” Kyle flashed his teeth and plucked the braid out of Bernice’s hand.
“A hair fetish. Interesting.” Bernice eyed Kyle. “You could use a trim, Shaggy. Stop in next week. I’m running a special.” And she was gone.
Then Celia’s voice was in his ear. “I could so totally get shit-faced right now.”
“Why? What did Bernice say to you?”
“She talked about my mom some more.”
“Did she warn you not to be like her?” he said half-jokingly.
Her gaze sharpened. “Were you listening to our conversation?”
“No. But I got the same lecture from Pearl, since she knew Marshall.”
“She did? What did she say about him?”
“That I have the bloodline to be a miserable, cheating dick who withholds my emotions. So don’t be one.”
“Bernice warned me not to give up my dreams just to be a rancher’s wife.” Celia set her hand on his forearm when he bristled. “She meant don’t give up barrel racing if I love it.”
Kyle’s eyes searched hers. “Do you love it?”
“Loved. Past tense.” Her eyes held indecision, as if she wanted to tell him something.
“We haven’t really talked about this. You know you can talk to me about anything, Cele.”
“We did talk a little that night.”
“Which night?”
“New Year’s Eve. Before you kissed me.”
He frowned. “The kiss was mutual.”
“I know. You get that cute little wrinkle right here”—she poked the center of his forehead—“when I don’t take responsibility for us making out like we’d just discovered kissing.”
His thoughts scrolled back. “I remember you said you were unhappy with your performances. I didn’t get the impression you intended to quit the circuit altogether.”
“That’s the impression I wanted you to have.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t want your pity, Kyle. I would’ve had to drop out anyway unless I started winning big. I was through all the money I won, some I’d set aside before I started competing full-time. Tanna let me tag along with her for the past two events. Because my travel funds were tight, I kept Mickey at Eli’s and Tanna let me borrow her super-speed horse. I wish I could say I did loads better on the dirt but I didn’t. It’s hard to admit that I’m not getting better. I’ve already reached the peak of my performance level.”
“Have I ever treated you with pity, Cele?”
She shook her head. “With annoyance. Sometimes with contempt.”
“I’m so glad those days are gone.” Kyle touched her cheek. “In fact, I want to tell you—”
“Hey, sis. We’re leavin’.”
For fuck’s sake. Every time he’d tried to tell her how he felt, somebody ruined the moment.
Maybe that’s a sign you oughta hold back.
They both looked up at Abe.
“Tyler’s fussy. Janie’s ready to go.”
Hank flanked Abe’s right side. “Brianna’s doin’ her screech-owl imitation, so we’re headed out too.” Celia seemed surprised when Hank lifted her into a big hug. “Don’t be a stranger. You guys should come hang out with us sometime.”
“Ah, sure. That’d be fun.”
“It’s great to have you home around Muddy Gap for good, sis.” Abe hugged her. “We’ll be in touch soon.”
She stared after them.
Kyle snaked his arms around her waist and pressed his lips into the back of her head. “Something wrong?”
“Will it be uncomfortable for you? That things have changed between you and Hank, and you and Abe because of me?”
“Things had changed between me’n them before you entered the picture. To be totally truthful, things were different between me’n Hank after he and Lainie ended up a couple.
Not because I was still holding a torch for her. But because I was still on the circuit and Hank wasn’t. Then Hank was ranching full-time with Abe and them two got closer, which is as it should be.”
She nestled her cheek into the spot on his neck that was made for her. “This might sound stupid. But I like bein’ isolated with you on the ranch. It’s our own little world. We don’t have to share it with anyone. We don’t have to worry about other people’s preconceived ideas about how we are with each other as a married couple. Especially since we’ve had a rocky past. In our house, in our bed, I get to be the real me.” She kissed his neck. “I like who I am when I’m with you, Kyle. I like who we are together.”
That was awful damn close to a declaration of love…wasn’t it? Here was his chance.
Then Celia lifted her head and looked at him. “So let’s go back in and see what else this group has in store for us.”
“We can’t just take off for home now?” So I can tell you how I feel without interruption?
“Nope. Buck up, little camper, and face the music. Literally.” She smirked. “I promised Garnet you’d dance with her at least once.”
“Jesus.”
“The good thing? She’s just as bad a dancer as you are.”
Chapter Seventeen
Kyle backed the truck up to the steps and unloaded the wedding shower haul. Celia transferred the gifts to the kitchen, living room, and bathroom.
He’d been so quiet on the drive home she wondered if he’d forgotten about her anything goes vibrator promise.
So when she walked into their bedroom and saw him sprawled on the bed, surrounded by four vibrators, and reading the…instruction manual…she couldn’t stop the small gasp.
He flashed his aw shucks you caught me grin. “I thought you might’ve been hidin’ from me.”
Celia pointed to the vibrators and lube. “After seeing all that? Maybe I should be.”
“Aw, kitten, it’ll be fun. I promise.” His gaze flicked over her, head to toe. “Strip.”
“But I wanted to take a shower first.”
Kyle shook his head. “You’ll just have to take another one when I’m done with you anyway. Clothes off. Now.”
As soon as she finished stripping, he was wearing that cocky little male smirk. “What?”
“You like it when I boss you around.”
The impulse to deny it was strong. She gave him a haughty look instead.
Which just made him laugh. “I’m curious about something.”
“What?”
“Don’t you already have a vibrator?”
“Why would you assume that?”
“Most women do. Is it hidden in the bedroom someplace? Maybe we oughta play a round of find the vibrator?”
Celia crossed her arms over her chest. “Have a ball. You won’t find one, because I don’t have one.”
That sinful dimple in his cheek winked at her. “Does that mean you have more than one?”
“For God’s sake, Kyle, no. I used to have a basic model and I—”
“Wore it out?” he supplied.
That’s when she pounced on him. Of course, he had the advantage because she was naked. He angled his head and sucked her nipple to distract her.
Then he rolled her and pinned her to the mattress. “Tell me why you don’t have at least one vibrator.”
“Fine. I had one. I bought it when I started traveling on the road because I didn’t have to worry about Hank or Abe finding it in my room. It was a serious eye-opener. It got me off fast.”
“Like how fast?”
“Under two minutes.”
His eyes widened. “Really? No pressure for us guys.”
“It felt good, it was fast, so I started using it a lot.”
“Define a lot.”
She’d never admitted this to anyone. It was sort of embarrassing. “At least five times a day.”
“Holy shit. Really?”
“Yeah. It was getting to be a problem. But what could I do? Call in to Dr. Oz and ask his advice about how to cure my obsession with a vibrating piece of plastic? I knew what he’d tell me to do. So I tossed it in the garbage when it ran out of batteries.”
“How long ago was this?”
“Hmmm…Last week?”
Kyle tickled her until she shrieked.
Damn man had always known all of her ticklish spots. “You deserved that!”
He backed off the bed and shed his clothes. His cock was already hard. He grabbed the longest vibrator off the bed. It had a cord and some funky attachments. “This one is actually supposed to be used as a massager.” Kyle studied the head, about the size of a squashed tennis ball. “I’ve never had a vibrator used on me. So, kitten, let’s see if that two-minute time frame works on a guy.”
“You want me to time it?”
He chuckled. “No, you’re gonna use it on me and I’ll set the timer. So, on your knees.”
Her entire body did a happy clench at the possibilities this wicked man could come up with just on the fly.
Kyle plugged in the massager. Then he perched on the edge of the bed, making the muscles and veins in his forearms pop out.
Before he said she couldn’t, Celia rubbed her face across those bulging tendons. Rough skin, soft hair, rock-hard muscles, all wrapped up in his musky scent. She let her tongue follow the prominent vein until she reached the bend in his elbow.
He tilted her face up. “As much as I love that, don’t get distracted. We’re on a fact-finding mission, remember?”
Celia laughed and sucked his cock all the way into her mouth.
“That just earned you time in the naughty chair,” he growled.
She let her teeth scrape the length of his shaft as she released it. Then she turned the vibrator on high and looked up at him. “Hit the stopwatch on your phone when this touches your dick.” Keeping an eye on his face, she placed the vibrating head on his balls.
“Jesus fucking Christ!” His whole body twitched.
She dragged it over them and back behind the tight sac. Then she slowly moved it up his shaft. When the vibrations reached the sweet spot beneath the cockhead, Celia was afraid Kyle was having some kind of seizure. She pulled the vibrator away; Kyle’s hand brought it right back to where she’d had it.
“Leave it,” he said gruffly.
Celia held the backside of his cock, letting the vibrator rest beneath the rim of his cockhead.
His breathing turned rabbit fast. His hands were clenched into fists. His head fell back. His thighs quivered. Then he let loose a wail and come erupted from his dick. Some splotches landed on the vibrating head. Some splashed her hand. Then he was done.
She shut off the machine and said, “Time.”
Kyle didn’t hear her. She grabbed his cell phone and checked the time. One minute and forty-seven seconds.
Heh-heh. Mr. Stamina didn’t even make the two-minute mark.
She bent down and brought his cock into her mouth, suckling him gently.
He sighed and patted her head. “Whoa. Never felt anything like that before. My dick is still vibrating.” Then he grabbed her hair and pulled her off, giving her a goofy smile. “The weird thing? My ears are ringing.”
“You warning me to hide this bad boy so you don’t go deaf?”
“No need. Stand up, kitten, and face the wall.”