Tied Up, Tied Down (Rough Riders #4)(4)

“Skylar had a girl?”


“Yep. Only the second McKay girl born in a hundred and twenty-three years. And she’s yours.”


His. He had a baby daughter. “Holy shit.” If Kade hadn’t been sitting down, he’d’ve been falling down. He repeated inanely, “A baby? Skylar had a baby? I’m a father?”


“It appears so.”


“What’s her name?”


“Eliza.”


Eliza. Pretty. His head spun. “Why didn’t she tell me?”


“I don’t know, son, but I suspect you’d better find out.”


Kade heaved himself out of the chair. “Damn straight.” He snagged his hat off the coat rack and stormed out to his truck.

Chapter Two


On the drive into town, Kade replayed his first meeting with Skylar Ellison. He’d thought of her and his dumb mistake in the endless days he’d lived alone up on the most remote part of the McKay ranch. He’d obsessed about her to the extent he’d memorized every damn word of every encounter. Every kiss, every touch.

That afternoon from last summer floated into his mind in perfect detail.

As Kade had stood on the sidewalk debating on whether to eat lunch before heading home, click click had sounded and he’d turned to see a woman in heels hustling down the sidewalk.

Mercy. She was all curves: hips, ass, thighs, and breasts. He loved women who looked like women and not a skeleton with skin. Her straight brown hair had a hint of red in the bright sunlight. Kade tipped his hat to her and stepped out of her way, figuring she’d pass right on by.

But Miss Sexy Curves bumped her pointy-toed purple shoes against his shit-covered boots and glared. “You were a total jerk to me the other night, Kane McKay. I don’t appreciate you ditching me at the restaurant. What kind of shithead—”


“Whoa. Wait a second. I’m not—”


“—the least bit sorry, yeah, I can tell. Why are you here? Trolling for a new woman who’ll give you a piece of ass on the first date since I wouldn’t?”


That f*cker Kane was such an *. At times like this it plain sucked they were identical twins and few people could tell them apart. This woman must be Kane’s date from the other night.

His brother was an idiot too. He’d just up and walked away from such a smoking hot firecracker?

“Got nothing to say, McKay?”


A really good idea occurred to him on how to make this right.

No. It was a bad idea. A terrible idea, his conscience warned.

The devil on his shoulder screamed, Do it. You and Kane used to switch places all the time. You’re not misleading her; you’re protecting the McKay name from another round of nasty gossip


Big surprise the pitchfork side won the battle .

“Actually, I do have somethin’ to say to you.” What the hell was her name again?

Something hippyishly weird. Aha. “Skylar.”


“I’m listening.”


“I’m sorry. I lost your number or I woulda called to apologize for bein’ a first class jerk. But I’d…ah…taken some allergy medicine and did it do a number on me. Normally I don’t act like that. Not that I remember a whole helluva lot besides goin’ home and crashin’.”


Skylar stared at him skeptically.

Crap. She wasn’t buying it. “Can I make it up to you? Buy you lunch? I swear I won’t run out again.”


“When?”


“How about now?”


“Sure. You don’t mind vegetarian?”


Fuck. Kade slapped on a fake smile. “Not at all.”


She laughed; it made him think of bells. “You are such a liar. Your family raises cattle. You probably shoot vegetarians.”


“Only if they’re part of PETA protestin’ inhuman treatment of our stock. That pisses us off.”


“I can imagine.”


“Besides, I eat salad. Not crazy about tofu. Or beans ground up and passed off as burgers. A burger is supposed to be meat. Beans are only good in tacos and chili.” Kade looked up. Damn. He’d been babbling.



Those luscious red lips divided and her moist chocolate-scented breath drifted out.

He set the fork on her tongue. “Suck it off. Oh yeah, just like that.” His gaze zoomed to her throat. “I wanna sink my teeth into that hot spot where I see your pulse poundin’. I wanna lick it from bottom to top.”


“Stop.”


“What?” He dragged his eyes back to hers.

“I think the crotch on my nylons melted you’ve gotten me so hot. And suddenly I could care less about cake.”


Kade swept his thumb across the pouty swell of her bottom lip. He showed her the dab of chocolate he swiped before he brought it to his mouth and sucked it away.

“Mmm.”


“You are the devil.”


“Devil’s food, baby, the best kind.” Kade allowed a smirk. “That mean I’ve redeemed myself?”


“Uh.” She cleared her throat. “Yeah.”


“Will you go out with me again, Skylar? For coffee. To a movie.” He smiled slyly.