Charlie Munroe took satisfaction as the wrench skimmed just over Dane's ear and clanged against the metal wall of the garage. She turned on her heel and made her way to her office, unzipping her coveralls and stepping out of them quickly, revealing the denim shorts and tank top she wore beneath.
She ignored her shaking hands as she closed the office door behind her and locked it. She slipped into the bathroom and soaped off the grease from her hands and face. Maybe when she came out he'd be gone, and she could pretend she hadn't just seen Dane MacKenzie, big as life and looking better than ever.
She slipped out of the bathroom and heaved a sigh of relief when she didn't see him in the garage. She dug her purse and car keys out of the bottom drawer of her desk, her hands steadier, her heart heavier.
What the hell was Dane doing back in Surrender? The last she'd heard he'd been traveling alongside a battalion of soldiers in the Middle East and writing a column about his experiences for the New York Times.
He was not supposed to be in Surrender. She'd only been back six months herself. It had been her only option after her father had died and left her to handle the affairs of his sprawling ranch. And as much as she'd resented the idea at first, moving back had been the best thing for Jayden. He'd hated leaving his school and his friends in Chicago, but he'd adjusted since the move. The animals and the male influence of all the ranch hands had helped the transition. She knew it was going to be hard on him when she sold the place, but she couldn't take care of it all by herself. And the money she got from the ranch would go a long way for paying college tuition in the next nine years.
Until just now, she'd had plans to stay in Surrender permanently. Her shop was doing well and she was surrounded by the people who knew her best. But as soon as she'd seen Dane's face, her first instinct had been to run. To speed back to the ranch, throw her clothes and Jayden's in the trunk, and get out of town.
Dane MacKenzie walking back into her life was not good. God, how was she going to tell Jayden? The answer was easy. She wouldn't tell him. There was no way she was going to present him with the dad he'd never known only to watch him walk away again when the next big story came or when his feet itched to move on.
"Dammit, Charlotte, you could have killed me."
Charlie gasped as the outside door to the office opened. It was the door customers used to check in their cars. Dammit. She'd forgotten to lock it in her hurry to get out.
"Charlie. My name is Charlie. You know I hate to be called Charlotte."
The fact of the matter was, she'd loved being called Charlotte, but only by Dane. When he said it, it made her feel beautiful, special. She still remembered the sound of his voice as he buried himself inside of her, calling her name from his lips.
"You used to love it," he said, and by the huskiness of his voice she knew he was reliving the same memories she was.
His voice surrounded her, as if he were physically touching her, and she bit back a moan. The short glimpse she'd gotten of him had sent her dormant libido into overdrive. He was harder than he'd been at twenty-two. His rangy body corded with muscle, and his skin darkened by the sun. His golden hair hung shaggy over his ears and collar, and his eyes—God, his eyes were the same pale, crystalline blue—but they were harder, steeled by things she could probably never imagine.
She'd never gotten over him. He'd destroyed every youthful dream of love she'd ever had. And he'd left her with a child to raise on her own. Granted, he hadn't known about Jayden. Dane was an honorable man, and he would have been there for him if she'd told him. But she'd be damned if she used a child to keep a man. Besides, she'd have had to track him down to give him the information, and at the time she'd been too stunned and heartbroken to care.
With Dane's brothers living in the community, she'd had no choice but to leave Surrender and go out on her own. Jayden was the spitting image of Dane, and there was no way she could have kept that secret from the MacKenzie brothers. Even now, she went out of her way to make sure they never crossed each other’s path in town. They'd only gotten glimpses of him at best.
"What a shame I missed," she said, her smile menacing.
She didn't bother to make eye contact as she made her way around the desk and toward the exit. The heat overtaking her body told her everything she needed to know. They still had chemistry in spades. Only this time she wasn't a naïve girl waiting for her prince to come. She moved to walk around him and felt his heat draw her closer, but she gritted her teeth and pushed open the door.
"If you're going to stay here, make sure you lock the door behind you," she said. She felt the heat of his hand around her upper arm and froze. "Get your hands off me."
He dropped his hand but moved his body so he blocked her path. "Are you really going to just leave?"
"Sure, why does that surprise you? Last time I checked you were an expert at it. Besides, I've got plans."
"We have some things to talk about. I've spent the last ten years thinking about you, wondering where you were and what you were doing with your life. I'd like to catch up."
She burst out in laughter before she could control herself, and she watched his eyes narrow in anger.
"Save it, Dane. You don't have to try and put a band-aid on my bruised ego with half-assed explanations. You can at least be honest. Besides, the past is the past. We've both got our lives now."
"Is that why you threw that wrench at me? Because you've left the past in the past?"
"It was a gut reaction," she growled out. "I'd prefer to see you roasting over hot coals in hell, but I'll have to settle for never seeing you again. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get home."
She hoped he believed the lie. She had no one to go home to tonight. Jayden was spending the night at a friend's house, and the ranch hands were hardly company. Most of them had their own wives to go home to. The rest of them spent their nights at Duffey's Bar and Grill, drinking, dancing and picking up women.
He ran his finger up her arm, skimming it across her neck until it rested over her racing pulse. "My brothers told me you left town and hadn't been back."
She tried to keep the surprise from her expression. He'd checked up on her? And then dread filled her soul. How much checking had he done? Did he know about Jayden? Maybe that's why he'd shown up after all these years.
"I've only been back in town about six months. My dad passed away and left me the ranch."
"I'm sorry about your dad. He was a good man." He adjusted his position again so she was neatly blocked against the wall. "Did you know, I couldn't understand the sudden pull I had to come home? All I knew was that I needed to be here. And now that I'm here, everything feels right. Even though I wasn't expecting to see you in Surrender, I was hoping the whole way home that you would be here waiting for me."
"I was through waiting for you to come back ten minutes after you left," she lied. "Let me go."
"There aren't enough words for me to tell you how sorry I am that I had to leave. I was young and stupid. Too much was happening to me around that time. Loving you—my mom's death—" He paused and swallowed hard at the memory that obviously still affected him. "And I was running as fast and far as I could to escape something I didn't recognize until later was fear."
She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. It wasn't fair that he could make her feel sympathy for the boy he was. That he could still make her want.
"What do you want, Dane?" she asked, warily.
"What I've always wanted. You."
He moved closer, so their breaths mingled and the touch of his hand against her neck raised chills over her heated flesh. He dipped his head lower, as if to kiss her, and she put her hand against his chest to hold him back.
"You had me, Dane. I'm not yours anymore."
"Are you married?" The look of stricken panic in his eyes almost made her lie. It would have served him right if she had married. But during the ten years he'd been gone she'd only dated a few times. And she hadn't let any of those men touch her intimately. It just hadn't felt right. It hadn't been Dane, and she’d been too focused on being a mother.
"No. I'm not married," she admitted.
"Good, because I'd hate to have to kill him."
He crushed his mouth to hers with a passion she never thought she'd feel again. His mouth was hot over hers, his tongue wild as it parted her lips and delved inside.
She put her hands against his shoulders, thinking to push him away, but they wound their way around his neck and her fingers buried into the thickness of his hair. He growled against her lips and pulled her hips close to his, so her mound pressed against the hardness behind his zipper. Moisture pooled between her thighs and throaty moans of pleasure escaped her lips.
He hitched her up so her legs wrapped around his waist and carried her to the flat surface of the desk. He pushed the papers aside and followed her down. His hands were everywhere, caressing, arousing, until she wasn't sure she could hold all the pleasure inside any longer. Dane MacKenzie was the only man she'd ever been with. The thought of another man's hands on her body brought revulsion. Even when her body had demanded release in the middle of the night, she'd tried to pretend it wasn't Dane haunting her dreams and riding her body like he had so many times before.
His weight was heavy and familiar against her. Guilt and regret swamped her and she stiffened in his arms. She didn't know if she could do this and keep her heart hardened against him. For Jayden's sake, she had to. She would take her own pleasure—because she had needs too, dammit—and then she'd walk away and go about her own life. She was an adult. She could do this.
He kissed his way down her neck, nipping at the sensitive skin until she relaxed against him. He pulled her tank top up, so it rested just above the lush mounds of her breasts. He unclasped the front snap of her bra with one hand, and Charlie watched as his eyes darkened with pleasure. He held her hands loosely above her head, devouring the sight of her displayed before him.
"Christ, you're beautiful." He leaned down slowly and took a rigid nipple in his mouth, nipping gently before laving it with the flat of his tongue to soothe. "I haven't been able to get your taste out of my memory. So sweet. Like cream and something darker. Something forbidden."
"Dane," she moaned. "Please."
He pulled her shirt and bra off and tossed them to the floor, and she struggled against his grasp, trying to break free of his hold.
"I want to touch you," she begged. "Let me touch you."
Charlie ran her hands over his chest, purring in pure female appreciation. It was hard not to compare the young man he'd been to who he was now. She slipped her hands beneath his shirt and raked her nails down his chest, causing him to shudder under her touch. She reveled in the power she held and moved her hands away from him and back to her own body. She saw his eyes darken as she cupped her breasts and offered herself to him.
"Christ, Charlotte. You're driving me crazy."
"Good," she purred. "Hurry."
He took control of the situation before she made him lose all his senses and jerked the shirt over his head. His hands went to the buckle of his jeans. It was full dark outside now and the glare of headlights coming down the main road lit on the planes and angles of Dane's body.
"Ohmigod, move,” she said. “Someone might see us in here."
Mortification flushed through Charlie's body, stifling the arousal. She still had to live in this town, even if Dane chose not to, and small town gossip would never let her live down something so embarrassing as literally being caught with her pants down in her place of business.
"Relax,” he whispered. “No one can see us. The angle's wrong."
"The garage is wide open, Dane. Anyone could walk in."
"We'll just have to hurry. This first time."
He unbuckled his belt and unsnapped his jeans, his gaze challenging, daring her to call a stop to everything just because she was afraid of getting caught. The thrill of excitement coursed through her veins, and she knew it was too late to turn back. She wanted him too bad, and nothing was going to stop her from having him. Especially not herself.
Charlie trailed her hands down the rough hair on his chest to where his hands worked at his zipper. She took over the task, pushing his jeans past his hips until his throbbing erection stood proudly before her.
"You have no idea what the hungry look in your eyes does to my self-control."
"If I remember right,” she said, her voice deep and throaty, “You were never very big on self-control anyway."
She wrapped her fingers around his length and cradled his sac in her hands, pumping her fist slowly until his head dropped back in surrender. Moisture beaded on the tip of his cock and she licked her lips in anticipation. The feel of him, hot and heavy in her hands was so familiar it hurt. This part of his body definitely hadn't changed.
"I want to taste you." She wanted to do everything to him, and have everything done to her in return. If all she had was this one last shot at unspeakable pleasure, she wanted to do it all. She wanted to make memories that would keep her warm at night.
"I won't last if you put your mouth on me. It's been too long."
She tried not to think of the last woman who'd pleasured his body, or wonder exactly how long it had been, but it was hard to keep jealousy from rearing its ugly head. He must have felt her stiffen against him because he took hold of her hands just before she could pull away. He restrained her wrists with one hand while he quickly stripped off her shorts and panties, leaving her bare before him.
"Mmm, this is new," he said, staring at the completely waxed area between her thighs. He released her wrists in surprise, but she didn't move. "I like it. A lot. I can see how wet you are for me." He touched his finger to the damp petals of her folds, and she dropped her head back on the desk, shaking with her need to be filled. "So pretty."
He knelt in front of her and propped her legs over his shoulders, splaying her open before him. She tried to close her legs, unused to the intimate attention, but he wouldn't let her hide from him.
"Relax, baby. I've been here before."
Yeah, but I've given birth since then. As much as she'd wanted the body she'd once had, that had never again been possible after Jayden was born. She was a lot curvier. Everywhere.
But all thoughts of her body went forgotten as his mouth touched her. She arched off the desk, and her fingers tangled in his hair, unsure whether to pull him closer or push him away.
"Oh, God. Dane. I can't…It's too much."
"Never." His finger slid inside of her, then he joined it with a second, and his mouth closed over the hidden nub between her folds. He curved his fingers and pressed against her inner walls as his tongue flicked her clit rapidly.
Heat gathered in her belly and tingles formed across her scalp, fingers, and toes—all racing inward as her body bowed and her cries echoed off the walls. Colors danced behind her closed lids as the orgasm ripped through her and left her limp against the cool wood of the desk, her body lightly damp with sweat and her juices dripping freely down her thighs.
"You taste just as I remembered."
Dane moved slowly over her body until the coarse hairs of his chest rubbed against her sensitive nipples. She moaned as she felt the broad tip of his cock prod at her folds, and she wrapped her legs around his waist with anticipation. He kissed her deeply the same moment he plunged into her, and they both groaned in tandem, on the edge of a precipice neither could describe.
"Jesus. You're so fucking tight."
Her breath caught at his invasion, unused as she was to such intimacy, and she was thankful he gave her a moment to adjust to his size. But then he started to move against her, and she only felt pleasure. Her nails raked down his back and she arched her hips up to take more of him. There could never be enough.
"More, more," she begged. "Harder." Mindless words escaped her lips as he granted her every wish.
He pivoted his entire length in and out of her body until she felt like one massive nerve ending. Sweat covered their bodies, and their cries and moans were primal—animals who'd found their mates.
His lips devoured hers and swallowed her cries as she tightened around him, her body wracked with tremors, pulsing in ecstasy.
"Charlotte," he said, thrusting one last time before stiffening against her. She felt his seed as he exploded inside of her and another smaller orgasm ripped through her.
Dane collapsed on top of her and buried his face in her throat, but she was too exhausted to care. She had to find the energy to get up. If she didn't leave soon, there was no way she could keep him from seeing the tears that wanted to escape. It wasn't going to be as easy to walk away as she wanted.