wood? Or should she turn away?
"No!" she murmured to herself. But she didn't move away, and the knot in her stomach tightened in answer to a heated yearning lower in her body. "Damn you, Bonner. Damn you."
But he didn't hear her. And if he had, he would have been surprised that she'd even noticed him. Every time he turned a corner in his own house and came upon her unexpectedly, he remembered her warning and gave her the distance she'd demanded. It was the least he could do.
For himself, it was the smartest move he could make. It kept him from thinking of skin so fair that he could see tiny blue veins pulsing with life just beyond the surface. It kept him from wondering if it… and she… felt as soft as she looked. It kept him from digging his fingers into her hair, tilting her beautiful mouth up to his, and tasting the anger and the passion that was always present. Wisely he kept his distance.
But keeping his distance didn't stop the wanting. Cody tried to excuse his lust as nothing more than normal, unfulfilled needs. It had been a long time since he'd had a woman. Obviously his housekeeper was one in spades. He was just horny, nothing more, and if he told himself that often enough, surely he would begin to believe it. Surely.
Queen watched the scene until the last stick of wood was added to the stack. She watched until Cody yanked his shirt from the truck seat and slipped it on, leaving it open and dangling over his jeans. Then he began to unbuckle his belt, loosening it enough to tuck the shirt back inside. She tried to ignore the spiral of dark hair on his chest that disappeared below the waistband of his pants and knew that would be impossible. That was when she moved.
"Oh, God," she whispered, and turned to the sink, leaning over it and splashing her face wildly with cold running water. But she couldn't wash Cody Bonner out of her system, not that easily. "I've got to get out of here," she muttered. "I can't… I won't let this happen to me."
The door slammed open as all four Bonner men burst into the kitchen.
"Queen! Did you see? We cut a whole load of wood. Boy, we're gonna be warm this winter, huh? When it snows I'll show you how to build a fire. I was a Boy Scout. I can build good fires."
Will's announcement dumbfounded her. She buried her face in a towel, pretending to dry it off so they wouldn't see the look in her eyes. By the time it snowed she would be gone. How would this timid, lost child deal with another woman leaving him at this tender age? How in hell had she ever gotten herself into this mess?
"Queenie, I'm hungry. Can we eat lunch early? I worked real hard."
J.J.'s plea did the trick. Food! She could always hide her feelings behind work.
"Sounds good to me," she said, dropping the towel and turning to the refrigerator. Maybe if she left her head inside the open door long enough, the heat on her face would have time to disappear.
"Son, her name is Queen, not Queenie. Why don't you try remembering that, okay?"
By mutual agreement and for the sake of what little truth lay in the reason for her presence in the Bonner household, the title "Aunt" had been dropped from her name; but J.J. refused to give up calling her Queenie, no matter how many times he was corrected.
Once again, Cody's gentle rebuke went unheeded as the boy replied calmly, "No, I like Queenie best. If I had a dog, I'd call it Queenie. It's a good name, I think."
Queen laughed aloud.
Cody caught his breath. Joy completely changed Queen Houston's personality. So rarely did she allow herself the luxury of pleasure that he could only stare. When she smiled, she was absolutely beautiful.
"No, it's okay," she said. "I'd rather be named for a dog than a…"
The rest of her sentence trailed into silence, and she dropped her train of thought, unwilling to finish what she'd started to say. But she should have expected what came next.
"Where did you get your name?" Donny asked. "It's real… different." It was obvious that
"No!" she murmured to herself. But she didn't move away, and the knot in her stomach tightened in answer to a heated yearning lower in her body. "Damn you, Bonner. Damn you."
But he didn't hear her. And if he had, he would have been surprised that she'd even noticed him. Every time he turned a corner in his own house and came upon her unexpectedly, he remembered her warning and gave her the distance she'd demanded. It was the least he could do.
For himself, it was the smartest move he could make. It kept him from thinking of skin so fair that he could see tiny blue veins pulsing with life just beyond the surface. It kept him from wondering if it… and she… felt as soft as she looked. It kept him from digging his fingers into her hair, tilting her beautiful mouth up to his, and tasting the anger and the passion that was always present. Wisely he kept his distance.
But keeping his distance didn't stop the wanting. Cody tried to excuse his lust as nothing more than normal, unfulfilled needs. It had been a long time since he'd had a woman. Obviously his housekeeper was one in spades. He was just horny, nothing more, and if he told himself that often enough, surely he would begin to believe it. Surely.
Queen watched the scene until the last stick of wood was added to the stack. She watched until Cody yanked his shirt from the truck seat and slipped it on, leaving it open and dangling over his jeans. Then he began to unbuckle his belt, loosening it enough to tuck the shirt back inside. She tried to ignore the spiral of dark hair on his chest that disappeared below the waistband of his pants and knew that would be impossible. That was when she moved.
"Oh, God," she whispered, and turned to the sink, leaning over it and splashing her face wildly with cold running water. But she couldn't wash Cody Bonner out of her system, not that easily. "I've got to get out of here," she muttered. "I can't… I won't let this happen to me."
The door slammed open as all four Bonner men burst into the kitchen.
"Queen! Did you see? We cut a whole load of wood. Boy, we're gonna be warm this winter, huh? When it snows I'll show you how to build a fire. I was a Boy Scout. I can build good fires."
Will's announcement dumbfounded her. She buried her face in a towel, pretending to dry it off so they wouldn't see the look in her eyes. By the time it snowed she would be gone. How would this timid, lost child deal with another woman leaving him at this tender age? How in hell had she ever gotten herself into this mess?
"Queenie, I'm hungry. Can we eat lunch early? I worked real hard."
J.J.'s plea did the trick. Food! She could always hide her feelings behind work.
"Sounds good to me," she said, dropping the towel and turning to the refrigerator. Maybe if she left her head inside the open door long enough, the heat on her face would have time to disappear.
"Son, her name is Queen, not Queenie. Why don't you try remembering that, okay?"
By mutual agreement and for the sake of what little truth lay in the reason for her presence in the Bonner household, the title "Aunt" had been dropped from her name; but J.J. refused to give up calling her Queenie, no matter how many times he was corrected.
Once again, Cody's gentle rebuke went unheeded as the boy replied calmly, "No, I like Queenie best. If I had a dog, I'd call it Queenie. It's a good name, I think."
Queen laughed aloud.
Cody caught his breath. Joy completely changed Queen Houston's personality. So rarely did she allow herself the luxury of pleasure that he could only stare. When she smiled, she was absolutely beautiful.
"No, it's okay," she said. "I'd rather be named for a dog than a…"
The rest of her sentence trailed into silence, and she dropped her train of thought, unwilling to finish what she'd started to say. But she should have expected what came next.
"Where did you get your name?" Donny asked. "It's real… different." It was obvious that
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