Ready-Made Bride

brought a peace offering,” she said softly.

He stopped his sanding and finally looked at her, a mocking smile lifting his mouth. “I suppose Andrew sent you out.”

“Yes,” she admitted, stunned by the heat in his green eyes. The man did an excellent job of keeping his distance emotionally but made no attempt to distance himself from the physical awareness that crackled between them. “But I wanted to talk to you anyway.”

Lifting a dark brow, he picked up a cookie and bit into it, chewing slowly. “‘Talking’ is what got us into trouble the other night. Or have you already forgotten what kind of trouble our conversations lead to?”

She flushed at his bold reference to their kiss and at the way his gaze focused on her lips, but she wasn’t about to shy away from his callous manner. “Is that what you call what happened between us? Trouble?”

“I call it a mistake.”

Liar, she thought. There had been too much raw need in the way his mouth had taken hers, too much hurt that needed sustenance. She’d given him that much, if only for a brief time.

As if he’d read her mind, his gaze darkened and he said, “If you were smart, you’d forget about that kiss.”

That’s kind of difficult to do when you branded me straight to my soul. Shaking that thought from her mind, she focused on the reason she’d come out here. “Do you plan to avoid me until I’m gone?”

“I’m gonna try.” He tossed another cookie into his mouth.

She didn’t know whether to feel indignant or amused by his valiant attempts to keep them separated. “What if I won’t let you?”

Bracing a hand on the worktable, he leaned close. “What makes you think you have a choice in the matter?”

“What makes you think you do?”

They stood nose to nose, boots to the tips of her espadrilles. Heat and the musky scent of man surrounded her, stirring something within her to vibrant life. Green eyes flashed with a multitude of emotions ranging from anger to passion. Knowing how easily their tempers could flare into desire, her heart picked up its beat.

She blew out a deep breath to release the chaos in her. “Dammit, Kane, do you think we can try and be civil to one another?”

“Why?” His tone brooked no compromise. Neither did his defensive stance.

“For Andrew’s sake! He’s upset because we aren’t talking. I don’t want to spend the rest of my vacation walking on eggshells when you’re around, or trying to make polite conversation.” She rubbed her forehead, forcing herself to calm down. When she looked at Kane again and saw those shadows in his gaze that tugged at her empty soul, she knew she was ready to take a chance at what she felt for him. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but I care for you-”

“You know nothing about me, Megan,” he said, cutting her off. He turned away and tossed his tools into a metal box.

She wasn’t about to let him retreat, not when she’d just bared a part of her heart. Stepping closer, she curled her fingers around his forearm, exposed by the sleeves he’d rolled up. He froze and looked at her with an icy glare.

She wasn’t daunted. “I know enough to realize you’re a very special man.”

His mouth curled into a bitter smile, and he pulled his arm from her grasp. “Yeah, so special I got a line of women knocking down my door.”

“Maybe you would if you dropped those damned shields and let someone past this tough facade of yours. You put on a real good act, Kane, but I’m not falling for it.”

He dropped a hammer into the metal box with a loud clank and gave her a quick, sweeping glance. “Don’t disillusion yourself, sweetheart. What you see is what you get.”

“What I see is someone who’s been hurt and betrayed. I know that feeling, Kane.”

Rough laughter escaped him. “Do you?”

His words would have mocked her if it hadn’t been for the pure torment in his eyes. “Yes, I do,” she whispered.

He straightened, and she watched him erect those internal barriers that kept him safe from anything that threatened his emotions. She wanted to tear them down, even if it meant risking rejection. What had started as a promise to Andrew had turned into a personal quest.

Now, she was willing to risk her heart. “Have you ever known that something was so right? That what you felt for someone transcended anything you’ve ever experienced before?”

His jaw clenched. “No.”

She bravely upped the stakes despite his denial. “Well, that’s how I feel about you.”

Part of that fortress crumbled, giving her a glimpse of the vulnerable man beneath. “What do you want from me, Megan?”

What she wanted scared her to death, because she couldn’t remember ever feeling so in love with a person. The fear was real, because he wouldn’t be an easy man to love, wouldn’t let her close enough to love her back. “I… I don’t know.”

Something dark and indiscernible flared in his gaze. He started toward her, and she instinctively stepped back until her spine pressed against the cool, plank wall of the barn. She had no idea what he intended.

He braced a forearm on the wall by her head, trapping her within the close proximity of his body. “I know what I want from you.” His voice was low and raspy.

Her heart raced at the sudden gleam in his eyes. The heat and scent of him filled her nostrils, and she pressed her palms to the wall behind her for support. “What?”

He spread his callused fingers around the base of her neck and pressed his thumb to the erratic pulse in her throat. “To finish what we started the other night.”

Damn him, he was trying to frighten her, but she wasn’t about to be bullied by his harsh tactics. She lifted her chin and steadily held his gaze. “Then do it,” she said.

Surprise, then something wild and reckless were reflected in his expression. Slowly, he framed her face in his large hands and moved closer so his thighs bracketed hers.

His mouth covered hers. He swallowed her startled gasp, then immediately deepened the contact. The tips of his fingers slipped into her hair, tangling in the strands while his lips and tongue continued their sensual, sweeping assault.

Sliding her hands up his muscled chest and around his neck, she held on for dear life. He insinuated a thigh between hers, and she shamelessly made room for him, welcoming the seductive pressure. His mouth slipped over hers, and his hands stroked her curves, molding her to him.

Kane tore his mouth from Megan’s and buried his face against her neck. His ragged breathing blew hot and damp over her skin. “Oh, God, Megan,” he gasped. “What are you doing to me?” His lips skimmed over her throat, followed by the soft caress of his tongue. “I want you so badly I ache constantly.”

Plunging her fingers into his thick hair, she lifted his head to meet his gaze. For once, his barriers were down, his fear of falling for her evident in his beautiful, stormy eyes. “Then you know exactly how I feel.”

“I don’t want this.” Trembling fingers gently touched her jaw, giving her a little more of the tenderness she knew he hid beneath layers of hurt. “You don’t want this.”

Grasping his hand before he could pull it away, she placed warm kisses on the tips of his fingers. “I do. More than anything.”

He closed his eyes, a groan rumbling in his chest. “No. It won’t work between us.”

She could feel his caring, could feel him fighting the attraction. She nuzzled his palm, wanting to give him everything in her heart. “Maybe you’re wrong.”

His big body shuddered, but he managed to shake his head. “I’ll only end up hurting you!”

Lifting her mouth to his, she nipped at his bottom lip, teasing and distracting him.

“Megan-”

“Shut up and kiss me, Kane.”

He stared at her with dark eyes, denying himself what he wanted. She licked her bottom lip and arched slowly into him. “Kiss me again,” she whispered.

With a low growl he did just that, a bottomless, soul-searching kiss brimming with emotion and a yearning so