Page 94 of Spilling the Tea

The next morning, upon waking, Zoey lay there and thought about the parts of Arabella’s book she’d read last night before dozing off to sleep. Her first week at the all-girls school had been difficult. Some girls were mean to her and made fun of her Southern accent. She’d called her father and threatened to run away if he didn’t come and take her home.

Waylon came but did not take her home. He took her to dinner instead and they talked for a long time. He assured her that going to this school was good for her to become the lady her mother would have wanted her to be and that he would never desert her. He looked forward to those times when she would come home, and he would come to see her when he could get away from the ranch. On that day, he told her how important she was to him and that she was the pride of his life. Arabella said she had cried that night because she’d gone to bed knowing how much her father loved her.

Zoey cried reading it. She wanted to believe that she and her father also had a special relationship, that she’d been important to him, and that she’d been the pride of Holton Prichard’s life. It was those times she wished she could remember her parents and the good times she believed they had together.

Pulling herself up in bed, she looked out the window, and suddenly she had another flashback. This one was her parents taking her for a walk around the lake.

The flashbacks were becoming more frequent now and always something different. She was happy about that and would be happier seeing Chance today. He’d called last night to say he would be returning home around six.

Before leaving for Austin, he had surprised her when he’d given her the key to his home. That was a giant step for a man who didn’t typically invite women to his house.

“What do you have planned, Zoey?”

Lucky’s question from yesterday came back to her. Just like Chance had done something that was not the norm for him, maybe she should do the same. She smiled, deciding that yes, she would. Her smile deepened when she thought of a plan. One she would execute with plenty of love.Love?Yes, love. She knew at that very moment that she had fallen in love with Chancellor Madaris.

***

Chance entered his home and immediately knew Zoey had been there. Her scent lingered in the air, and he enjoyed inhaling it. Suddenly, he heard a sound and turned around.

“Welcome home, Chance.”

A degree of joy that he felt curved his lips, and he immediately became aroused. This was his home, his sanctuary, his private space. And he couldn’t be happier that she was here sharing it with him, and damn, she looked good. She was wearing a cute short red dress that stopped midthigh with spaghetti straps that tied at the shoulders. The cut of the cleavage showed what some might consider an indecent amount of breast.

And he loved it.

“Doctor Prichard, are you making house calls now?” he asked, dropping his duffel bag and placing his Stetson on the rack before slowly walking toward her.

“Only for you, Rancher Madaris.”

He threw his head back and laughed when he stopped before her. “The doctor and the rancher has a nice ring to it,” he said.

Needing to touch her, he reached out and cupped her face. Then he leaned in and kissed her. Heat curled inside him when their lips touched, and he removed his hands from her face and wrapped them around her waist. He’d been hungry for the taste of her for days. He had missed her every minute of that time.

This was definitely a homecoming kind of kiss, and he relished it as a rush of desire clawed away at his insides. And the way her tongue was dueling with his was as raw as it was seductive.He was making love to her mouth in a way he intended to do with her body later, but for now, he needed this. The very essence of what was truly Zoey.

Breaking off the kiss, he drew a ragged breath and rested his forehead against hers. “Baby, you’re almost too much.”

“No, Chance. You are. Are you ready for dinner? I prepared a casserole.”

“Dinner can wait. I am ready for you.”

He swept her off her feet, into his arms, and headed up the stairs.

***

The last time, they had undressed each other in a heated rush. This time, Zoey was determined to take things slow and make it a night they would both remember. That was the plan. “I want to undress you, Chance.”

“Will I get to undress you?” he asked in that deep, husky voice that she loved hearing.

“Of course.”

“Then have at it, sweetheart.”

While standing there in his Western attire, looking sexier than any cowboy had a right to look, she could feel sensual vibes pouring off him. She was being consumed, drowning in all that was him.

Now to start removing his clothes. She went first for his shirt and began unbuttoning it. Her heart skipped a beat with every button she unfastened. He leaned in and whispered something in her ear, and his seductive words nearly made her lose it.

After tossing aside his shirt, she eased the belt from the loops of his jeans. “Have I ever told you how much I like your chest?”

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