Cole was unusually quiet as he drove them back to Koyama'. As always by that time of the morning, ranch life was in full swing, and people were busy with various jobs. Cole pulled in and parked but reached across to stay Kennedy’s hand before she could open the door.
Kennedy looked at him, then glanced in the back at Serena and Clay.
“They know,” said Cole. “We haven’t fooled a single one of them.”
“But what is it they know?” she asked.
“That you and Cole have a past,” said Serena.
“And a future,” added Clay, leaning forward to put his hand on Kennedy’s shoulder. “There’s not a one of us that isn’t rooting for you.”
Cole rolled his eyes. “How high?”
Clay grinned. “You can’t get better than a seventy-five twenty-five split with the seventy-five going to it being a done deal.”
Kennedy whirled in her seat. “Are you telling me there’s a betting pool?”
Cole laid his hand on her thigh. “Baby, it’s a ranch. We bet on everything: what color the next foal will be, which calf will get stuck in the mud, who will get the next broken bone. It doesn’t mean anything bad...”
“I don’t know that I agree,” said Kennedy, turning back around and trying for the door handle again.
“Stay. My woman waits until I open the door for her,” said Cole quietly.
Serena laughed. “Get used to it. The Waverly boys, as Doc calls them, have some pretty ingrained old-fashioned notions, but some of them are kind of sweet.”
“Come on, Serena,” said Clay. “Let’s leave them to fight it out. We can head in, and I’ll help you with lunch.”
“Fine, but you are not cutting my veggies. You made a mess of them last time.”
Clay got out before Serena slid over and followed behind through the door he held open for her.
“I wasn’t ready to tell...”
“You didn’t have to,” said Cole. “They never bought the idea that we didn’t have a past nor that we either weren’t together or wouldn’t be by the time this was over. I know what you said about your firm, but does it really matter?”
“Cole, please don’t ask me to choose between you and my career again.”
“I’m not. I realize you chose me and got burned. But my question is, is there a middle ground? I want you to think about that and I want you to know if there isn’t, this time, I choose you.”
She turned to look at him. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying straight out that if it comes down to you versus anything else, I choose you. I will never not make you my first priority.”
She searched his face and saw the open vulnerability he was offering her. She saw truth and regret from his choices from long ago. She took his face in her hands and pressed her lips against his.
“How about this time we choose together and choose us?”
He agreed and pulled her into his body to kiss her more thoroughly, collapsing the world to just the space that enclosed only the two of them. There was something about the way Cole kissed and the kind of purring noise that set all of her nerve endings on fire. She’d known from the time she’d met him that she liked a little dominance with her sex, but nothing like with Cole. He dominated, she submitted, and somehow that’s what felt right.
Cole got out of the car, and she waited for him to come around, open her door, and let her out. She had to admit that there was something rather nice about having him do that. She wasn’t prepared for the loud round of applause from the crowd that had gathered round. People cheered and called out to them both, but mostly to her. Kennedy thought she would die of embarrassment.
She was sure of it when Cole swept her off her feet, cradling her to his chest and rumbling loudly as he carried her back to the guesthouse amid a chorus of well wishes. Deciding it was better to embrace it than try to hide from it, she swept his black Stetson off his head and placed it on hers. The action immediately doubled the cheers from the ranch staff.
Kennedy reached down and opened the door to the guesthouse and Cole carried her all the way in. He kicked the door closed behind them, set her down on her feet, and was pulling her close when his cell buzzed. Cole ignored it.
“Don’t you think you ought to get that?”
“Is it you? Because if it isn’t you, whoever it is can wait,” he growled.
She wasn’t sure why, but something about his declaration in the car, being swept off her feet—literally—and now his wanting to push the world away, tipped the scales forever in his favor.
“Do you think that’ll work with your brothers?”
“No but shooting them if they come through that door might do the trick.”
It wasn’t funny, but she laughed. “Let’s try and keep murder down to a minimum, okay?”
“You haven’t been with my brothers long enough to make that request. How about no more than one a day.”
The cell phone buzzed again. Cole ignored it. He pulled her into his body, molding her to his muscular frame. He lowered his head and his lips brushed against hers. His cock was rock hard between them, and she wound her arms around his neck. As he ran his tongue along her bottom lip, the door opened behind them.
“Who died?” Cole growled as he turned around.
“What?” asked Cade.
“Who died? Because unless somebody I like has died, get out.”
“Cash and Evie are flying in. They should be here in less than an hour. We thought it might be good if we were all together for lunch.” Cade looked her squarely in the eye. “And we are all together, right?”
“Yes. And I think you’re right. I’d like to get a shower, then we’ll head up.”
“I’m going to hold you to that, Counselor,” Cade said as he turned and left them.
“Come on, let’s go get in the shower,” she said to Cole.
“I don’t think so, baby. I get you naked and we won’t be going anywhere for several hours if not all night.”
Kennedy stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. “Sometimes, you say the nicest things.”
He laughed and followed her into the bath. They undressed and he adjusted the water, pulling her in behind him, closing the glass door, then pushing her into the wall behind her. He lowered his head to hers and whispered, “How wet are you?”
“Very,” she answered, pulling his head down and kissing him deeply as his hand slipped between her legs and she moaned. “Time.”
“They can wait.”
Cole lifted her off the ground. She never ceased to be amazed by his brute strength. He used the tile wall for leverage, raising her just high enough so that he could lower her down again onto his fully engorged cock.
Kennedy hadn’t lied when she’d told him she was wet, but even though her body provided him with enough lubrication to allow her to be impaled easily, she still felt every inch of him stretching and grazing her inner walls. The light sprinkling of hair on his chest brushed against her breasts, making her sensitive nipples stiffen in response.
“God, you feel good,” he rumbled as he pressed her against the wall, using it and her for balance.
Kennedy wrapped her legs around his waist, causing her to be spread wider, but still giving her a sense of security. Cole ground his groin against her, his pelvic bone rubbing her clit. He thrust up into her, again and again, slamming his cock home. Her muscles clamped down and her head fell back as she climaxed, reveling in his erotic embrace. Heat and pleasure flowed throughout her system. Perfection.
As her pussy continued to convulse around his cock, Cole’s head dropped forward onto her shoulder as he held her close and his cock swelled, groaning as he tightened his grip and his cum flowed into her.
Cole held her in his arms as he lifted her off his cock and they stood under the pelting spray of the shower. He was the only thing holding her up. She was completely boneless as she sagged into him. He loved everything about her as he began to run the natural sea sponge over her body. She had the most perfect body with curves and softness in all the right places. A body made for a man to fuck long, hard, and often, and he intended to do just that. With gentle hands and soft kisses, he washed them both clean.
He turned off the water and they stepped out into the steamy bath. He grabbed a fluffy towel and began to pat the water from her skin. He ran the towel along every inch of her, ensuring she was not only dry, but warm. He disbursed kisses liberally along the places he dried, allowing his lips to linger on her breasts and neck. He knelt to dry her mons, her sex, and her legs, nuzzling as he went. He made her tremble as he worked on her.
When he was done, he stood and wrapped the towel around the length of her hair, trying to squeeze out as much of the water from the blonde tresses as he could.
“That feels so good,” she said, leaning back into his body, letting her hands come to rest on his hips.
When she was dry, Kennedy reached for the other dry towel and repeated the ritual he’d just used to remove the water from his skin. When they couldn’t put it off any longer, they dressed and headed up to the house with their arms around each other.
They entered the kitchen to see Cash and Evie had arrived earlier than they’d thought they would. Evie LaSalle looked nothing like Cash’s usual type and yet seeing them side-by-side, there was no doubt in his mind that they belonged together. Maybe that was why no one had believed he and Kennedy’s protestations that they weren’t a couple. Maybe when you were bonded spirits it was easy to spot.
“I hope we’re getting the family discount,” quipped Cash as they joined them.
Evie elbowed him in the solar plexus. Oh yeah, Cole liked her already.
“At least he didn’t try to include her in a million-dollar sale for a bull,” she teased.
“I’d have paid a million for you alone,” he teased back.
The banter was so easy between them. He wanted that for he and Kennedy, too. In fact, he wanted their own version of each of his brother’s relationships.
Evie laughed softly. “You have to watch out for the Waverly brothers; they’re real smooth talkers.”
“When they’re not too busy fucking or growling,” Kennedy agreed.
“You’re right, Trey. I like her a lot. She may yet be able to muzzle the whole lot of them.”
“Why use a muzzle?” asked Serena. “Ball gags are so much more effective.”
“Said the erotic romance book cover designer,” said Clay, hugging her close.
While Serena finished making breakfast with Evie, the rest of the family and Doc moved into the dining room.
“Clay...” started Kennedy with a drawn-out pause. “I need you to understand that you can’t leave the ranch.”
“Easy enough to do,” he said. “All my stock is already on the range.”
Kennedy shook her head. “No, the main ranch compound. The open range, the homestead, and especially the mesa are all off limits. Violate that and the judge will toss your ass in jail so fast it’ll make your head spin.”
“I’ll ride out to check on them,” said Serena.
“No,” was the collective response from all four brothers.
“Do you think they practice that?” asked Kennedy.
“Listen up, buttercup. You and your girlfriends don’t leave this compound without an appropriate escort, and for the record, that doesn’t mean Trey,” said Cole.
“That’s ridiculous,” said Serena. “I have a job...”
“Which I’m sure Wes will understand if you aren’t there,” said Clay.
“He doesn’t understand,” she said to Kennedy before turning to Clay. “Babe, a criminal trial like this will take weeks to even get to court and who knows how long to get adjudicated after that.”
Kennedy nodded. “I told you all from the get-go, this is a marathon not a sprint. There will be witnesses to interview, documents to prepare. I can do a lot of the work if Serena can spare me a couple of hours a day. I also don’t think it will hurt for us to be seen as going about our daily lives as if we didn’t have a care in the world.”
“Well, I’ll take her to and from her job then,” said Clay.
“No, you won’t,” said Kennedy. “What part of ranch compound do you not get? We are not going to violate the judge’s order. If we do, trust me the prosecutor will use it against us. And I cannot say it often enough, Clay needs to have an alibi at all times.”
“What about the rest of us?” asked Cade.
“It would be better if all four of you made sure you weren’t off doing things on your own, but it is imperative that Clay have someone who can verify his every move. Doc, what do we know about the other dead guy?”
“Lorna’s father? Not much. His son was supposed to come up from Louisiana to identify the body but got delayed. And now he’s grousing about no one knowing where Lorna or her brother are,” answered Doc.
“If any of you knows where Lorna and her brother are, now would be a good time to speak up. And don’t try closing ranks on me. I’ve been informed that I’m family now,” said Kennedy.
“You are, Grey. And if they were available, we’d tell you. The fact is, Lorna knew she wasn’t liked, and her brother isn’t much better than her father. I imagine she took off and Toby went to help her,” said Cole.
Kennedy looked at all of them, sure there was something they weren’t saying. “You haven’t had any luck, Trey?”
“No. Their horses came in riderless, but the reins had been tied around the saddle horn, so my guess is they sent them back to the ranch. There’s been no trace of them since.”
“Kennedy, do you still want to try and sanction the prosecutor and the sheriff?”
“No, I’m going to let it ride for now. If they play straight from here on out, I won’t go after them.”
The rest of dinner felt very much like any family gathering. Kennedy was surprised at how at home she felt amongst the Waverly clan. The brothers were close, and to her surprise, she could imagine raising a family here at Koyama'. It was obvious how deep Cole’s roots ran and how profound and abiding his love was for his family, his heritage, and this land they’d occupied for more than two centuries. Trey, Evie, and Serena were all women she could see welcoming into her life as sisters. Did she really want to return to Seattle? Cole had said he would choose her, and she knew he meant it. But she was beginning to believe that didn’t mean he had to leave here. What would it be like to be a small-town lawyer? Did she even have to be? She had a well-deserved reputation as a hired gun. Couldn’t she do that from here?
“A penny for your thoughts,” Cole rumbled quietly as he nuzzled her neck.
“I think they’re probably worth more than that. I was just quietly contemplating the future.”
“Whatever you want, as long as it includes me.”
Suddenly, the funny friendly banter around the table was gone. It seemed everyone had become focused on she and Cole.
“That’s a promise you made me this morning in the SUV. I’m holding you to it. You break faith with me, Cole Waverly, and I’ll sue your ass to kingdom come and back again,” she said before kissing him to a thunderous round of clapping and cheering.
“Well then, Counselor, I guess I’d better seal the deal with the right inducement.”
Cole stood and left the dining room, crossing the foyer into the study, and opening the antique safe. He drew out a small strong box and brought it back to the dining room table. Opening it, he drew out a small ring box.
“Cole I wasn’t...”
“No way, Grey. I’ve been waiting a long time to do this.” He dropped to one knee and took her hand in his. “Kennedy Greyson, the only love of my life, in the presence of our friends and family, I’m asking you to marry me. I swear I’ll love you to the end of my days and beyond and will make sure you never regret it.”
Kennedy slid off the chair and knelt in front of him. “I’ve never much cared for the whole down on one knee thing. It seems to close to begging. I swear you will never have to beg me for anything ever again. So yes, Cole Waverly, the only love of my life, in the presence of our friends and family, I will marry you and swear to love you forever. I’m not sure you won’t regret it, but it’ll all be legal. And since I’m a lawyer, I’d slay you in a divorce.”