Page 39 of No One But You

Kora: I saved it and now have to fix a part of the fence. Those goats are amazing escape artists. Saw you with Chloe. You’ve got some moves.

Kai: Maybe I can stop by tomorrow and help you with the fence? And you know all about my moves.

I watched as dots appeared and went away, then appeared again, then went away.

“Kai, you good?” Bryson got my attention and tapped on his beer bottle.

“I’m good.” I held my hand over my beer. No way did I need another beer. Especially if I got an answer I’d love. Something like why wait for tomorrow? No time like the present.

Finally, a text came through.

Kora: Sure. Come over tomorrow about ten.

My face fell. Tomorrow. I’d have to wait until tomorrow.

“Is Kora good?” Darlene asked quietly across the table as Bryson and Lance talked loudly about the local football team and weren’t paying us any attention.

“Yep. All’s good. The goats are back in safe and sound.” I pocketed my phone. “I’m going to stop over tomorrow to help her out.”

“I’m sure you will,” Bryson said.

“Sometimes it’s difficult to corral that girl’s goats,” Lance said.

The men glanced at each other and rolled with laughter.

What a clever metaphor. I knew they were right. I could already tell that Kora would be as big a challenge to corral as her goats, but I sure couldn’t wait to try.

I pulled into the hair salon parking lot after leaving the pub and tried hard to fight the urge to stop over Kora’s. The pull to see her and start a round two was intense, but I was determined not to do anything about it. If she’d wanted to see me, she would have invited me over.

I leaned heavily on Matilda’s steering wheel. “Do I leave it alone, or just go to her?” I asked the truck. I liked talking to Matilda. She was never judgmental and always told me what I wanted to hear.

I forced myself through the door of the hair salon, and a picture of Kora in my arms with her legs wrapped around my waist while I pushed her against the wall flashed into my mind. The thought of her kiss seared a flame of hunger in my chest.

The need and desperation in those kisses. The desire in her eyes. I leaned hard against the kitchen counter as my jeans became uncomfortably tight. I took several deep breaths to control the throbbing in my crotch.

Ten o’clock wouldn’t come soon enough.

Chapter 14

Kora

“What the flying fuck are you doing, Percy?” Percy was on top of the trash can that held their food, and I had to nudge him to get him off so I could feed them. I finally succeeded, but before I could open the can, he jumped back up. “You’re being a pain in my ass today.” I patted his neck and then gave him a hard shove, causing him to jump off. Thank God.

“Baaa,” Percy retorted.

“Whatever. Be mad at me all you want. I can’t feed you if you’re standing on top of your food. Now go.” I shooed him away and was able to scoop goat feed from the container and latched down the lid.

“Baa,” Percy said again before he munched away on the food I poured into his feed trough.

“See, I told you. I can get things done so much quicker if you don’t help me. Be more like Jackson. He stays out of the way.”

“Baa,” Percy answered.

“Dumbass goat. It’s a good thing I love you.”

“Arguing with farm animals is a thing with you. First a cow, now a goat. What did the goat do?”

Kai. My heart did a flutter thing as I turned away from the goats, and there he was, leaning on the gate, one arm draped on the top rung and the other in his back pocket. That man was a picture of perfection.

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