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 intense she could taste it. Maybe, just maybe, she thought, there was some feeling between them that could be nurtured into something stronger and infinitely more precious. If only he’d allow himself the chance.
His mouth left hers and charted a path to her earlobe. He caught the sensitive flesh between his teeth. His light stubble grazed her sensitive skin, and she shivered. His fingers worked on the buttons of her blouse, slowly undoing them. Cool air brushed across the upper slopes of her breasts, and her nipples tightened against the lacy webbing of her bra. He plucked at the sensitive tip through the sheer fabric until she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out.
A vague but logical part of her brain intruded on the moment, a cold dose of reality. “Kane… We can’t do this. Not here.”
“Megan…” His mouth moved to hers. “What am I going to do with you?” he asked between kisses.
Lord help her, she knew what she wanted him to do, but the sound of approaching footsteps instantly cleared any lingering fog clouding her good judgment. “Kane,” she said, turning her head from his lips and pushing his shoulders. “We have to stop.”
His mouth landed on her neck, and he nuzzled her. “Come to my room tonight.”
She squirmed frantically, which only served to link their bodies more intimately. “We can’t, Kane… please stop-”
“Oh, my goodness!”
A woman’s shocked voice echoing from behind Kane accomplished what Megan hadn’t been able to. Megan shook her head, wanting to apologize to him, but panic choked her. Kane straightened, the desire in his gaze eclipsed by apprehension and a gut-wrenching degree of dread. With a tenderness that made her heart ache, he pulled the sides of her blouse together and covered her decently before turning to face the woman standing just inside the barn. He was more concerned about her reputation than his own obvious arousal.
He brought his hands to hips and narrowed his gaze. With a resilience that amazed Megan, he composed himself into that cold, distant man.
Quickly buttoning her blouse, Megan shifted her gaze, looking over his shoulder to the woman. She was short and stocky, with graying brown hair and thick-rimmed glasses. One hand held a briefcase. Cradled in her other arm was a clipboard. Megan squinted at the identification tag pinned to her plain blue dress. The only words she could discern were Dept. of Human Services in big, bold type across the top of the tag. Megan held back a groan of dismay. The woman was a social worker!
“What can I do for you, Mrs. Henderson?” Kane asked, his voice so cold, Megan was surprised the woman didn’t get frostbite.
Mrs. Henderson pursed her lips. She set her briefcase on the ground, then jotted a few notes on a piece of paper attached to her clipboard. “I was just following up on a complaint, but I can see for myself that we have a problem here.”
“How do you figure? This is my home, and what I do here is my business.”
The woman raised an incredulous brow. “Including consorting with females in the middle of the day with your son just outside this barn?”
As if realizing the implications of what they’d done, Kane swore vividly. “Did the Lindens send you?”
“That’s confidential information,” she said, lifting her chin haughtily.
Kane released a harsh breath. “Yeah, well, it wouldn’t be the first time they’ve filed a complaint against me.”
The woman looked from Kane to Megan, eyeing her with a small degree of disdain. “Seems to me they had good reason.”
Kane swore again and scrubbed a hand roughly over his jaw. Guilt weighed heavily on Megan. She’d been responsible for what had transpired, or at least she’d been the instigating party. If she hadn’t challenged Kane and returned his kisses and caresses with such fervor, their escapade never would have gotten out of hand.
But it had, and they’d been caught And if she didn’t do something fast, Andrew would be the one to suffer the consequences.
She stepped next to Kane. He glared at her, tripling her guilt. He was furious, she knew. At her, himself and the situation. But beyond that green fire she witnessed fear and knew it was for Andrew’s welfare.
Megan glanced at the social worker, willing to take all the blame in order to protect the two people who’d come to mean so much to her. “Mrs. Henderson, this isn’t Kane’s fault-”
“He seemed a willing party, Ms…?”
Megan flushed. “Megan. Megan Sanders,” she said, watching as the woman made note of her name. “This isn’t what it seems.” Desperation laced her voice.
“Really?” The other woman scrutinized her with mocking curiosity. “Then maybe you’d like to explain what I saw?”
Suddenly, Megan realized how she must look after Kane’s passionate assault. Her hair fell in wild tangles around her face and shoulders, and her lips still tingled from his thorough kiss.
Her stomach flipped, and she scrambled for a plausible excuse. “I…we…” No believable explanation sprang readily to mind.
“Megan, leave it alone.” Kane’s voice was strong, steady and sure, despite the hard edge to his jaw. “Why don’t we go up to the house so we can discuss this?”
Mrs. Henderson nodded and picked up her briefcase. “That would be a good start.” Turning, she marched out of the barn.
With a long, resigned sigh, Kane started after her.
Megan grasped his sleeve, halting him. He met her gaze, and the worry shimmering there hit her like a fist to the midsection. What kind of penalty would he pay for their tryst, she wondered? Somehow, she knew it would be steep.
God, he probably hated her.
“Kane, surely that woman is only bluffing about the Lindens filing a complaint.” The desperation in her voice was real.
A bitter smile twisted his lips. “Just like everyone else in this town, Mrs. Henderson is in the Lindens’ pocket so deep-or rather, Patricia’s pocket-that I wouldn’t put it past Patricia to make sure Mrs. Henderson finds some kind of fault in this visit.”