sighed. She was tired, frazzled and ravenous. More than anything, she wanted breakfast—even though it was now time for lunch—and then she wanted a shower. Knowing someone had touched her made her feel dirty. She wanted to scrub from head to toes in hot water.
Yet nothing would get done until she’d taken care of the cats. They depended on her, and they looked disappointed that she hadn’t yet fed them. “There’s the barrel. I have to screw the lid on tight or the raccoons open it and it’s a free-for-all. Every bit of the food would be gone in one day.”
Grinning, Miles said, “I never pictured you on a farm dealing with a herd of cats and raccoons.”
She waved a hand down at her hideous outfit. “Yeah, I never pictured it either.”
“Actually, you look cute.”
Her incredulous gaze shot to his, but he didn’t notice as he wrestled the lid off the barrel. He managed it a whole lot easier than she usually did, but then, he was made of muscle.
Cats had followed them in, and now more gathered as he opened their food source. Meows filled the air. It was tough to move with so many animals twining around their legs.
After he almost tripped, Miles said, “Impatient, aren’t they?”
“I’m late.”
“What time do you usually feed them?”
“By seven thirty or so at the latest. Generally I feed them, then get my coffee and sit on the porch to enjoy the morning before I get started on chores.”
“Somehow, that doesn’t sound awful.”
“No,” she agreed. “It was actually a nice routine.” If it weren’t for so many different things conspiring against her, she’d be loving life right about now.
Several of the cats were trying to stretch up to the top of the barrel. Smiling, Maxi pointed to the long metal channel against the wall behind the barrel. “I use the large scoop inside to fill that trough.”
He laughed. “A trough for cats.”
“Hey, it was the only thing I could think of to get them all fed at the same time.”
“You’re resourceful.”
Was that two compliments in a row? Maybe he wasn’t as angry as he’d seemed. More likely, it was his compassionate nature trying to make her more at ease.
But...she couldn’t be the only one feeling the sexual tension. Around Miles, it hit her like a tsunami. Even under the awful circumstances, she wasn’t immune to his appeal. In fact, because of everything she’d just gone through, she felt even more drawn to him and his strength.
Watching as he loaded the scoop, she said, “It’s actually a pig trough, but when you see them eating...well, let’s just say it fits.”
The cats carried on as if they hadn’t eaten in days, instead of just being late for breakfast. By the time Miles filled the trough, the cats had lined up side by side and were devouring their chow.
“That has to be half of a bag right there.”
“I buy in bulk,” she said. “I have to store the extra bags in the house, though, or the raccoons—”
“Throw a party?” Miles grinned down at her.
“They do!”
He laughed, but slowly, as his gaze roamed her face, the grin faded. He removed a dried weed from her hair, tucked a wayward lock behind her ear, then brushed his thumb over her cheek. He leaned toward her.
Her toes curled in the rubber boots. God, she’d missed his kiss so much, the taste of him, the feel of his firm lips and his clever tongue and—
“Wait.” She flattened a hand to his chest.
Expression enigmatic, Miles cleaned a smudge off her cheek. “You’re exhausted.”
Oh God. She’d freaked out over nothing.
Get a grip, Maxi.
After clearing her throat, she said, “Yes, and it shows.”
He flicked the end of her nose. “You still look cute.”
He’d said it again! Frazzled from the mixed signals, she propped her hands on her hips. “You’re either super horny or just trying to make me feel better.”
“How about a little of both?”
Shivering with awareness, Maxi took a safe step back before she thought too much about that big, hard body of his settling over her. “The thing is, I haven’t brushed my teeth yet this morning. In fact, not since yesterday morning. I would have last night before I went to bed, if I’d had a normal night. But normal nights around here are hard to come by.”
“I wasn’t coming on to you, babe. Your teeth are safe from me, so relax, okay?”
“Trying.” Unsuccessfully. On top of the dull headache still crowding the back of her skull, too many conflicting emotions bombarded her. “The reason I stopped you—”
“You were clear enough on why I’m here. I won’t be pressuring you, so stop worrying about that.”
Blast. If she was honest with herself, and she probably should be, the reason she’d thought of Miles the second she realized she needed help was because she wanted the closeness unique to him, not only his overpowering sex appeal, but the sense of security he gave her when he focused on her so intimately.
Sure, she’d sworn off guys. Her track record made that the sensible thing to do. But then she’d gotten to know Miles...
She might have expected him to be antagonistic after the way she’d ended things, but she hadn’t figured on him actually caring, had assumed she’d be only one in a line of women he knew. Obviously it had bothered him, probably because he wasn’t used to any type of rejection, and now this was going wrong fast.
Trying to recover a little ground, she explained, “I wasn’t exactly worried.” Hopeful, maybe, but not worried.
Staring up at the sky, Miles watched a turkey vulture, wings spread wide as it glided overhead with little effort. “The thing is, we do know each other.” This time he took her hand, folding it securely in his, and started them on their way. “Granted it was only those three times, but I can’t treat you like a stranger.”
No, they definitely weren’t strangers. In many ways, Miles knew her body better than she did. “I wouldn’t expect you to.” She’d specifically gone to him because she did know him—and odd as it seemed, she was completely at ease with him.
Always had been.
That first time with him had been nothing short of amazing. She hadn’t guessed that sex could be like that, so intense and incredibly hot, yet also tender, too. In comparison, what she’d known before Miles was just rutting.
She’d expected one thing and gotten something entirely
