Kaydee. His grandmother’s neighbor. With a ready smile, infectious laughter, and a warm brown gaze that mesmerized and drew him in, she was half the reason he was eager to spend the weekend up there.
More than half. Although he’d never tell her.
He couldn’t head down that road. In order to achieve the kind of a relationship his buddies had with their women, he’d have to open up and share his past and all the damn shame and guilt that came with it. No woman deserved that.
No woman deserved the mess that washim.
Better to leave things alone and settle for the enjoyment he got from living on the ranch and working at Foxtrot, the construction company his buddies owned.
“You could always bring her here for a nice picnic. I can whip up something simple for you to eat,” Vince said. “And you know Emma would be happy to bake you a pie.”
And he’d be happy to leave the damn conversation. “Thanks, but it’s not necessary. Have a great weekend.”
Without waiting for their reply, he pivoted on his heel and walked out the door. Taking it upon himself to spend more time with his grandmother wasn’t just a great reason to leave the ranch, it was also a great reason to possibly bump into Kaydee. She lived across the street and a few houses down from his grandmother. He should know—he’d helped her move in to one side of the duplex and her grandfather move in to the other last September.
He got in his truck and started the hour’s drive north toward Dallas with the woman on his mind. Being around her always brought a sense of calm. She looked at him through these gorgeous brown eyes that conveyed a warmth he felt right down to his boots. And her upbeat, sunny disposition—which he normally shied away from—always made him feel alive. It was almost addicting. Hell, itwasaddicting, and lately, he found himself going through withdrawal.
Not long after she moved in, he started to run into her at the rec center, mostly on senior citizen night when he was there to pick his grandmother up from bingo. Not that his spirited grandmother wasn’t capable of driving. No. She could drive, just not without a license. Too many speeding tickets saw to that. Yeah, his gram had a bit of a lead foot. But he was grateful for it, because he sometimes got to meet Kaydee at the center when she was there to get her grandfather.
You need to get yourself a woman.
Stone’s words echoed through Leo’s mind. If he were to follow that advice, then Kaydee was the one he’d pursue. His pulse kicked up a notch at the thought, then slowed to a crawl. The point was moot. A woman as bright and shiny as Kaydee deserved better than him and his dark past.
By the time he pulled into Gram’s driveway and cut the engine, he’d put those foolish thoughts aside. No sense in entertaining something so far out of reach. He wasn’t the type to live with his head in the clouds. More like stuck in the dirt.
With a snicker rumbling up his throat, he knocked twice before entering. It was his normal ritual, and he enjoyed hearing his grandmother huff that he should just walk in without knocking. Today, she didn’t pay him any mind.
No. She was too damn busy sitting on the couch necking with the neighbor.
What the hell?
Leo made the mistake of sucking in a breath while still snickering. Now he coughed and sputtered, which broke the couple apart.
His grandmother arched a brow. “What? I’m eighty-one. Not dead.”
And he was never going to get that damn image out of his head.
“You’re late. We ate without you.” Her voice was stern, but her gaze twinkled. “I saved you a plate. It’s on the kitchen counter.”
“Thanks.” He transferred his gaze to the man she just checked for tonsils. “Nate.”
With the same twinkle in his eyes andI’m not sorryexpression as his grandmother, the guy smiled. “Good to see you, Leo.”
Gram waved toward the kitchen. “Go on. Eat your supper while I continue to have my dessert.”
His stomach rolled. Twice. Fuck. Eating wasn’t an option now. But standing there was even worse. Christ, he didn’t need more images of his gram going at it hot and heavy in his head. Fighting his gag reflex, he scrambled from the room, booked it through the dining room and straight into the kitchen…and stopped dead.
Kaydee stood by the sink with her back to him while she washed dishes. Except she wasn’t exactly standing. She had a set of white earbuds in her ears and was either dancing or doing some kind of ritual for the dishwashing gods.
Intrigued, Leo dropped his duffel in the corner and leaned against the wall to watch the show. A smile twitched his lips. Her moves were uncoordinated, but her enthusiasm was stellar. The woman gave everything her all. Dancing…badly. Caring for her grandfather by giving up her own place to move next to him. Her garden, which bordered both sides of her house in a mixture of flowers and vegetables—because she’d gotten the seeds mixed up.
Kaydee’s ability to embrace her mistakes and turn them into something positive left him in awe.
So did the way her jeans hugged her sweet ass. They conformed to her rounded curves like a second skin, and the more she moved the more his zipper bit into his thickening erection. Not good. Guilt propelled him forward to put an end to his viewing pleasure.
As he neared, he cleared his throat a few times, but she didn’t hear him, just continued to dance and test both his integrity and that of his zipper. Damn thing wasn’t the only object ready to burst. His whole groin was hard and throbbing now. A reaction he’d grown accustomed to around her.
“Kaydee,” he said as she wiggled while spraying a pot with water.
