She felt her nipples pucker, felt the rush of heat to her loins. Her lips parted as her breathing became shallow. Honey knew the signs, knew what they meant. And tried desperately to deny what she was feeling.
"Honey?" he repeated in a raw voice.
Jesse hadn't moved, but if possible, his body had tautened. His nostrils flared. She saw the pulse throb at his temple. What did he want from her? What did he expect? He was a stranger. A drifter. A man who loved danger.
She wasn't going to get involved with him. Not this way. Not any way. Not now. Not ever.
"No!" Honey felt as though she were escaping some invisible bond as she skittered down the ladder, nearly falling in her haste.
"Honey!" he shouted after her. "Wait!"
Honey hadn't thought he could get off the roof so fast, but she had no intention of waiting around for him. She started for the house on the run. She was terrified, not of the drifter, but of her own feelings. If he touched her…
Honey was fast, but Jesse was faster. He caught her just as she was starting up the front steps and followed her onto the shaded porch. When Jesse grabbed her arm to stop her, momentum slammed her body back around and into his. He tightened his arms around her to keep them both from falling.
Honey would have protested, except she couldn't catch her breath. It was a mistake to look up, because the sight of his eyes, dark with desire, made her gasp. Jesse captured her mouth with his. His hand thrust into the curls at her nape and held her head so she couldn't escape his kiss.
Honey wished she could have said she fought him. But she didn't. Because from the instant his lips took possession of hers, she was lost. His mouth was hard at first, demanding, and only softened as she melted into his arms. By then he was biting at her lips, his tongue seeking entrance. He tasted like coffee, and something else, something distinctly male. His kiss thrilled her, and she wanted more.
It was only when Honey felt herself pushing against Jesse that she realized he had spread his legs and pulled her into the cradle of his thighs. She could feel his arousal, the hard bulge that had caught her unsuspecting attention so short a time ago. She heard a low, throaty groan and realized it had come from her.
Jesse's mouth mimicked the undulation of their bodies. Honey had never felt so alive. Her pulse thrummed, her body quickened. With excitement. With anticipation. It had been so long. She needed-craved-more. How could this stranger, this drifter, make her feel so much? Need so much?
At first Honey couldn't identify the shrill sound that interfered with her concentration.
Pleasure. Desire. Need.
The sound persisted, distracting her. Finally she realized it was the phone.
Honey hadn't been aware of her hands, but she discovered they were clutching handfuls of Jesse's black hair. His hat had fallen to the porch behind him. She stiffened. Slowly, she slid her hands.away.
"The phone," she gasped, pushing now at his shoulders.
Honey felt Jesse's reluctance to release her. Whether he recognized the panic in her eyes, or the presumption of what he had done, he finally let her go. But he didn't step away. Honey had to do that herself.
"The phone," she repeated.
"You'd better answer it." It was clear he would rather she didn't. His body radiated tension.
Honey stood there another moment staring, her body alive with unmet needs, before she turned and raced inside the house. For a second she thought he would follow her, but from the corner of her eye she saw him whirl on his booted heel and head toward the barn.
She was panting by the time she snatched the phone from its cradle. "H-hello?"
"Honey? Why didn't you answer? Is everything all right?"
Dear Lord. It was Adam. Honey held her hand over the receiver and took several deep breaths, trying to regain her composure. There was nothing she could do about the pink spots on her cheeks except be grateful he wasn't there to see them.
At least there was one good thing that had come from the drifter's kiss. Honey knew now, without a doubt, that she could never marry Adam Philips. The sooner she.told Adam, the better. Only she couldn't tell him over the phone. She owed him the courtesy of refusing him to his face.
"Honey, talk to me. What's going on?" Adam demanded.
"Everything's fine, Adam. I'm just a little breathless, that's all. I was outside when the phone started ringing," she explained.
"Oh. I called to see if your hired hand showed up."
"He's here."
There was a long pause. Honey wasn't about to volunteer any information about the man. If Adam was curious, he could ask.
"Oh," Adam said again.
To Honey's relief, it didn't appear he was going to pursue the subject.
"I know I said I wouldn't call until next week," he continued, "but an old school friend of mine in Amarillo called and asked me to come for a visit. His divorce is final and he needs some moral support. I'm leaving today and I don't know when I'll be back. I just wanted to let you know.''
Good old reliable Adam. Honey rubbed at the furrow on her brow. "Adam, is there any chance you could come by here on your way out of town? I need to talk to you."
"I wish I could, but I'm trying to catch a flight out of San Antonitf and it's going to be close if I leave right now. Can you tell me over the phone?"
"Adam, I-"
Honey felt the hair prickle on the back of her neck. She turned and saw that Jesse had stepped inside the kitchen door.
She stared at him helplessly. She swallowed.
"Honey? Are you still there?" Adam said.
"I'll see you when you get back, Adam. Have a good trip."
Honey hung up the phone without waiting to hear Adam's reply. She stared at Jesse, unable to move. He had put his shirt back on, but left it unsnapped so a strip of sun-warmed skin glistened down the middle of his chest. He had retrieved his Stetson and it sat tipped back off his forehead. His thumbs were slung into the front of the beltless jeans. He had cocked a hip, but he looked anything but relaxed.
"The repairs on the roof are done," he said. "I wanted to make sure it's all right with you if I saddle up that black stud to round up those steers that need vaccinating."
"Night Wind was Cale's horse," Honey said. "He hasn't been ridden much since-"
Naturally Jesse would want to ride the wildest, most dangerous horse in the stable. And why not? The man and the stallion were well matched.
"Of course, you can take Night Wind," she said. "If you wait a minute, I'll come with you."
"I don't think that's a good idea."
She didn't ask why not. He could use the distance and so could she. "All right," she said. "The steers that need to be vaccinated are in the west pasture. Come get me when you've got them herded into the corral next to the barn."
He tipped his hat, angled his mouth in that crooked smile and left.
Honey stared at the spot where he had been. She closed her eyes to shut out the vision of Jesse Whitelaw in her kitchen. It was plain as a white picket fence that she wasn't going to be able to forget the man anytime soon.
At least she had a respite for a couple of hours. She realized suddenly that because of Jesse's interruption she hadn't been able to refuse Adam's offer of marriage.
Horsefeathers!
She should never have kissed Jesse. Not that she had made any commitment to Adam, but she owed it to him to decline his offer before he found her in a compromising position with some other man. And not that she intended to get involved with Jesse Whitelaw, but so far, where that drifter was concerned, she hadn't felt as though things were under control. The smart move was to keep her distance from the man. That shouldn't be a problem. No problem at all.
Three
The black stud had more than a little buck in him, which suited Jesse just fine. He was in the mood for a fight, and the stud gave it to him. By the time the horse had settled down, Jesse had covered most of the rolling prairie that led to the west pasture. It wouldn't take long to herd the steers back to the chutes at the barn where they would be vaccinated. Only he had some business to conduct first.