Crack the Whip (8 page)

Until that moment he hadn’t been sure but an idea popped into his brain. Now he just had to sell her on it.

“Rawhide is closed on Sundays. How about coming out to the ranch? I’ll get Josefina to pack us a basket. We can take a ride, have a little picnic.”

Katie slid her delicate finger around the rim of the cup.

And around again. Not looking at him. “Oh, Reece. So much time has passed and I’m…”

“You’re what, Katydid?”

He watched her blush again at his use of the nickname.

“I just don’t think we can recapture what we had.”

His gut tightened. He didn’t want what they’d had. He wanted what she’d seen him do with India when she watched tonight. He wanted her to know that he really wished he’d been with her. “I agree with you. I thought maybe we could go forward.” He leaned toward her, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Just a picnic, Katie. You haven’t been out to the ranch in a long time. And you’ll come in your own car. Leave any time you want to. We have to start somewhere.”

“I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize my job here. I really like it. If Sunday, or whatever, doesn’t work out, I don’t want to be in the position of having to leave.”

Reece reached across the table and captured her free hand. “I can promise you that won’t happen. You absolutely have my word.”

She frowned. “And exactly how would that work?

We’d…what…just avoid each other?”

He dropped his voice even lower. “We’re two intelligent adults, Katie, and we’ve known each other a long time. If there’s nothing left between us but friendship, then we’ll make that the best friendship we can. I promise.”

Round and round the rim of the cup the finger journeyed again. Reece found himself holding his breath.

“All right,” she said at last. “But if things get too…difficult Sunday…I’ll leave and we’ll still be okay. Right?”

He nodded, trying not to let his relief show. “You call all the shots.”

Was that a wicked gleam suddenly sparkling in her eyes?

“Really? I thought that was the role you liked to play.”

Now it was his turn to use coffee as a distraction. He took a healthy swallow, making a face at the now cool liquid.

“I think we’ll just call it a level playing field on Sunday.

How’s that?”

Her eyes still held that mischievous light. “Sounds good to me. What time?”

“Noon okay?” He could hardly believe she said yes. He was afraid to hope for anything other than the picnic, but he was going to try his damndest for more.

“Noon it is.” She looked around, obviously checking the activity in the lounge.

In one corner, Reece noticed two men slowly undressing a sub they shared. They’d been coming to Rawhide since it opened and brought their beautiful sub when they wanted to show her off to others. Or sometimes, if she’d been particularly bad, when they wanted to punish her in front of others.

In another corner, a male sub sat at the feet of his Mistress, stroking her cunt beneath her skirt while she carried on a conversation with another client. Near them, another couple was in the first getting-acquainted stages.

Every couch, chair, and table was completely filled. A good night at Rawhide.

Katie finished her coffee and checked her watch. “We have a demonstration with the St. Andrews Cross starting in twenty minutes. I need to make sure all the equipment is ready and the sub properly oiled.” She stood up. “I…This was nice. I’ll see you Sunday.”

He dipped his head once. “Sunday. I look forward to it.”

And that was certainly an understatement.

Katie changed clothes five times Sunday morning before eventually settling on a pair of jeans and a tank top in a shade of emerald that turned her eyes green. It was a warm, sunny day. Maybe she’d get a little tan on her arms and face.

Finally, she dug her old boots out of the closet. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d worn them. Certainly not in Atlanta. But they felt like old friends when she shoved her feet into them.

She took a last look in the mirror. Hair pulled back in a ponytail to keep it out of her face. Minimum of makeup, as much to open her skin to the sun as to keep Reece from thinking she wanted to impress him.

Who am I kidding? Of course I want to impress him. What
will I do if he makes a move? What will I do if he doesn’t?

Mentally smacking herself, she picked up her keys and purse and headed out to her car.

The Golden Spur looked almost exactly as it had the last time she’d seen it ten years ago. The shutters on the big limestone house wore a fresh coat of paint, as did the comfortable wooden furniture on the porch. Her stomach did a little flip when she noticed the swing still hanging from its hooks. As kids she and Reece had done a lot of necking there with his parents keeping a discreet eye on them. Their fatal car crash had devastated her as much as it had their sons.

The barns sparkled in the sunlight and the breeze carried the scent of fresh air with it. Katie inhaled, realizing just how much she missed the mingled aroma of hay, animal, and earth.

She saw one of the big Golden Spur double cab pickups parked in the gravel area, but there also was another truck, one with no logo on it. Reece was sitting on the front steps.

Next to him was one of the sexiest women Katie had ever seen. Lithe, tanned, and blonde, the stranger’s jeans and shirt couldn’t disguise the lush curves of her body. Jealousy instantly reared up and gave Katie a hard bite.

Reece stood as she climbed out of her car, heading toward her with a warm smile. The woman walked right beside him.

It had taken a lot of courage for Katie to come here today, knowing how things would probably turn out. She didn’t need another woman clouding the picture.

“Hey, sugar.” Reece wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Meet Elizabeth Gillibrand. She owns the Lucky L

horse farm a couple of miles from here. Liz, this is Katie Warren. She used to live around here.”

“Hello.” Her body tense in Reece’s casual embrace, Katie gave the woman a sharp nod.

Liz smiled and held out her hand. “Nice to meet you.” She gave Katie a curious look. “It must have been a long time since you’ve been here. I don’t remember seeing you around.”

“I left when I went to college, and shortly after that my folks moved to New Mexico.”

“Aha.” She looked from one to the other. “Well, I guess I’ll be running along. I have two more stops to make. Thanks for the check, Reece.” She focused her gaze on Katie. “I just came by to collect a check for the Cattleman’s Association scholarship fund. Reece has been very generous with us every year.”

Katie relaxed fractionally. So this wasn’t a social visit. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“We’ve been neighbors for the past five years and served on some committees together.” Liz leaned a little closer to her. “I can see now why he never gives any of the women around here the time of day. Where’s he been hiding you?”

Reece’s laugh was self-conscious. “No interrogation, Liz.

You know how I am about my privacy. Just like you.”

“Harmless teasing, Reece. That’s all. Well, see you at the meeting Wednesday night.”

“You got it.”

Liz climbed into her truck, and they watched her head off down the long driveway.

“Do you know her well?” Katie asked.

Reece shrugged. “We’re friendly, but no more so than I am with anyone else. Anyway, Liz is a very outgoing person, but she seems to keep an invisible wall around herself. I don’t think she has many friends.”

“She seems nice,” Katie told him almost primly.

He burst out laughing. “Nice, huh? Katydid, rest assured she’s no competition.”

“I didn’t mean—”

“It’s okay.” His face sobered. “I was afraid you’d change your mind about today and not show up.”

“And give you something to rag on me about? Not likely.”

“No ragging today. Come on. Josefina packed us a feast before she left for church.”

His hand closed over her upper arm and electricity singed every one of her nerve endings. Oh, god. How was she going to do this?

Reece led her through the house to the sparkling kitchen, picked up a canvas bag sitting on the counter, then strolled out the back door toward the barn. One of the hands was just leading two horses into the yard. She recognized Windsurfer at once, Reece’s Appaloosa, much older now but still huge and majestic. The other horse was smaller, a sorrel, with a friendly look in her eyes.

Reece hooked the canvas bag onto his saddle then took the sorrel’s reins from the man holding them. “Thanks, Randy. I’ll take it from here.”

Randy smiled, touched his hat and moved back into the barn.

“We only run a small crew on the weekends,” Reece said.

“Just enough to check the pastures. I rotate them so no one has to work every Sunday.”

“I remember your dad used to do that, too.” When she saw sadness wash briefly across his face she was sorry she’d mentioned his father. But then a smile brushed it away.

“He taught us a lot of good habits. Well.” He patted the sorrel. “This is Miss Daisy. She’s a good ride.”

“Miss Daisy?” Katie cocked an eyebrow.

“Vince, the idiot, and his wife had just watched
Driving
Miss Daisy
the night before she was born. My sister-in-law insisted that had to be her name.”

Katie laughed. “Well, I expect Miss Daisy and I will get along just fine.”

They rode out of the yard slowly, crossing the nearest pasture. Reece bent low in his saddle to open the gate in the furthest fence and closed it after they made their way through. The land opened to them, and he nudged his horse into a brisk canter. Katie easily kept up on the willing sorrel, laughing joyously as the wind caught a few strands of her hair and brushed against her skin. Her blood was racing in her veins and she had a sense of freedom she hadn’t felt in years.

Ten years to be exact.

Eventually Reece pulled up his mount at a spot very familiar to Katie—a creek that meandered through the ranch.

Three huge oak trees clustered in one spot, offering the perfect place for a picnic. She should know. She and Reece had picnicked often in this very spot. And had a lot of very hot sex.

She reined in her horse, shifting uncomfortably in her saddle. This place was so full of memories. Surely Reece knew that. And just as certainly, he’d deliberately chosen it. A nervous flutter danced through her stomach. And if he made a move on her, then what? Where did they go from here?

“Are you going to sit on that horse all day?” he teased, swinging easily to the ground and unhooking the canvas bag.

“Um, no. Just…looking around.”

“We used to spend a lot of time riding these pastures, Katydid. Remember?”

More than she wanted to.

She dismounted easily and tied the reins on the saddle.

Reece hadn’t hitched his horse to any of the trees so she didn’t, either, assuming they were both well-trained enough to just hang out.

“Come help me here,” he called, unrolling the blanket that had been tucked at the back of his saddle.

Together, they spread it on the ground, and Katie dropped onto it cross-legged while Reece unpacked their picnic and spread it out on a smaller checkered cloth.

“I’m surprised Josefina is still working for you,” she commented. “I thought she was ancient when I was a kid.”

Reece chuckled. “Not quite that ancient. But she’s not at the house full time anymore. Her daughter cleans once a week and irons. Josefina cooks for me every Monday and puts the stuff in the freezer. Microwaves are a wonderful invention.”

The picnic was delicious—cold fried chicken, potato salad, and brownies, along with a bottle of excellent wine. It reminded Katie of all the other picnics she and Reece had shared years ago. They chatted easily as they ate—about the ranch, movies they liked, surface topics. Everything but the elephant in the room. With the combination of good food, wine, and the ambience, she relaxed, enjoying the day. By the time they’d polished everything off, Katie was beginning to think this was exactly what Reece had told her it would be—two people renewing their friendship.

But was that what she really wanted? Or had she secretly hoped for a lot more?

She stretched out her legs and leaned back on her hands.

“You’ve certainly managed to get your life under control.”

His face sobered. “Not nearly enough, darlin’. At least not since you walked back into it.”

She sat up straight. “Listen, Reece…”

He grabbed the cloth to slide the food out of the way and stretched out beside her, gently easing her back down to the blanket. His fingers brushed a strand of hair from her cheek.

His touch almost singed her skin.

“I can listen to whatever you want to say, Katydid, but sometimes words just get in the way.”

I should move. I should push him away.

Instead, she watched as his face moved closer to hers and his mouth touched hers like the kiss of a butterfly’s wings.

Instant heat flashed through her, intensified as Reece trailed the outline of her lips with the tip of his tongue. He traced them over and over, like a kid licking an ice cream cone, until she wanted to grab his hair and pull him in tight.

“Don’t move a muscle,” he said, obviously sensing her intentions, maybe from the look in her eyes. “Just. Stay.

Right. There.”

Katie lay still, immobilized by his Dom voice and his expression, as his tongue did incredible things to her mouth.

His scent filled her nostrils, a wonderful mixture of spice and pasture and horse and soap. And man. Reece. It was so familiar to her that her womb contracted instantly in response.

“You taste just like you always did,” he murmured and thrust his tongue into her mouth.

It was like swallowing a live flame. Fire raced everywhere, dancing across her tongue, the roof of her mouth, inside her lips. Her breathing hitched, and she reached up to thread her fingers through his hair.

“No.” The single word was simple, but commanding One of his large hands closed over her wrists and stretched her arms over her head. His long fingers were like manacles binding her, but at that moment, she couldn’t have moved anyway. Just the sound of his voice had triggered the switch that tumbled her into subspace.