Honey Kisses (Romance on the Ranch Series #2) by Verna Clay Page B

him lifting a beer to her mouth and
wearing his shirt, and nothing else, was Pritzy Purvis.
    "Hi Annie," said the tall, leggy
beauty, and giggled.
    Ann looked from Pritzy to Jackson and her heart shattered
into a million pieces. Any ridiculous hope she'd harbored for the two of them,
no matter how often she'd squashed the feelings, faded with the sight of
Jackson and Pritzy half unclothed. The kitty snacks fell to the ground and she
covered her mouth with her hand. A whimper escaped and she ran back through the
mud room. Pelting rain drenched her and lightning split the sky as she rushed through
the gate. Thunder roared. The pasture had already turned into a mud bowl that
sucked at her feet and legs the same way finding Jackson and Pritzy together
sucked at her soul.
    * * *
    "Shit!" Jackson shouted.
    "Hon, what's the problem? She's just the
housekeeper."
    Jackson turned a frustrated look on Pritzy.
"Get dressed and go home! This was a stupid idea, anyway!"
    Pritzy opened her mouth in shock, but he was
already running toward the back door. "Go home!" he shouted over his
shoulder.
    The sky had opened and was pouring buckets when
he stepped outside. He saw Annie, slipping and sliding in the pasture. She fell
and righted herself. He yelled her name, but the sound was lost in a thunder
clap. He ran through the gate and into the field. She fell again, this time
flat on her stomach. He watched her push to her knees and then freeze in that
position.
    He slopped through the mud, rain stinging his
nakedness, and circled Annie, going down on his knees in front of her. She was staring
at the ground. He yelled her name above the storm and she slowly looked up. The
heartbreak in her eyes twisted his gut. Rain plastered their hair to their
faces and washed the mud from their bodies. Jackson said above the sound of the
rain, "Nothing happened, Annie. I sent her home."
    She looked blankly into his eyes and blinked
against the water dripping from her lashes.
    He leaned down and cupped her face in his hands.
"Annie, why do we keep fighting our desire for each other?"
    Suddenly, a cry escaped her throat and she threw
her arms around his neck, plastering her lips to his. Jackson moaned and kissed
her with unrestrained emotion. On their knees in the mud, they finally gave in
to years of frustration and suppressed longings. His tongue found hers in a
mating dance and then he strung kisses from her mouth to her eyes, her cheeks,
her nose, her ears, and back to her mouth.
    Lightning flashed, closer now, and he stood,
pulling her up with him and reaching under her legs, lifting her into the
shelter of his arms. Still kissing her, he walked as quickly as he could
through the slop to her cottage.
    Shoving the front door open, he strode to the
bathroom and turned on the shower. While the water heated, he kissed her
fiercely and removed her clothes. He released the zipper of his own pants and
stepped out of them. Entering the steaming shower he brought Annie with him. Lifting
her legs around his waist, he backed her against the shower stall. She locked
her eyes with his and placed her small hands on either side of his face,
staring into his soul.
    "Kiss me, Annie," he begged.
    Slowly, she brought her lips to his in a kiss
sweeter than honey. She lifted her mouth a fraction and said, "I love you,
Jackson."
    Her words sent him over the edge and he covered
her mouth with his, lost in a desire that drove him beyond reason. She belonged
to him and no one else.
    * * *
    Jackson pulled Annie close and tucked her
against his chest. He kissed the top of her head. The rain, now a drizzle, streamed
down the bedroom pane. He glanced at the clock: three A.M. Annie sighed in her
sleep. He stroked her silky hair and couldn't believe his stupidity in inviting
Pritzy into the house when she'd unexpectedly showed up. His only excuse was
that he'd been so angry after hearing what Alligator had to say about Annie
being the notorious "Hack," that he'd wanted to…what? Find