She
blinked and lowered her hand. “She would?”
“Yeah. Mom’s always been crazy about you.” Just like me.
“She doesn’t hate me?”
Fritz looked up sharply, frowning at the dampness in her
eyes. “’Course not, sugar. Why would you think that?”
“Well, because…” She shook her head, looked down at her
plate.
“You think because of what happened between us she’d stopped
caring about you? That’s not true. You don’t remember how she used to say you
were like a daughter to her?”
“Yes, but that was before I left. I bet if you asked her now
she wouldn’t feel that way.”
Fritz picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles. “She never
said one bad thing about you after you left. Not one.”
He left out how his mom used to recite that stupid,
cheesy-ass phrase about loving something enough to set it free because it was
too damn corny for his vocal chords to repeat.
One corner of her mouth tilted up. “Really?”
“I swear it.”
When her smile grew brighter, Fritz felt himself go warm at
the sight. She was so fucking beautiful, but when Kai blessed him with a
genuine smile, it almost knocked him off his feet. Good thing he was sitting
down.
“I’d love to see her too.”
“Good. I’ll tell her but you know when I do she’s gonna
expect you to hold to it.”
“I will.” She waved at the pages of drawings and paperwork
she’d neatly stacked so they could eat at his kitchen table. “What’s all this?”
“Something Sage and I are playing around with.”
Kai picked up one of the drawings and studied it closer. “Is
this a part for a tractor?”
“ Implement , and yes, it’s a sketch of an idea we’ve
got for a planter. We’re always bitchin’ about the ones on the market,
brainstorming ways to make ’em better, so one day we sat down and started
scratching out ideas. It kinda took off from there. Are you finished eating?”
Fritz stood and took his plate to the sink. She reached for another drawing,
absently pushing her plate aside. He took that as a yes and removed hers as
well.
“These are good, detailed drawings. Did you do them or did
Sage?”
“Sage.”
“Have you made any prototypes?”
“A few.”
She looked up at him, wide-eyed. “And?”
“And what?”
“Did they work like you’d hoped?”
He leaned over her, trapping her between his arms and the
table. “The planter did but the others still need fine-tunin’.”
“Have you thought about maybe applying for a patent and
marketing them to companies?”
He kissed the crown of her head, breathing in the smell of
his shampoo on her hair. “We’ve tossed it around.”
Kai leaned back in the chair, tilting her head to look up at
him. “I have a degree in marketing, you know. I could help you with that.”
When he brushed her hair away from her shoulder and planted
a lingering kiss on the side of her neck, a breathy sigh slid past her lips.
“Is that so?”
“Why do I get the feeling your focus just shifted away from
this conversation?” she asked drily, tossing the drawing onto the table.
Sliding a hand into the deep V of his shirt, he cupped one
warm, plump breast, tweaking her nipple between his fingers. She groaned
softly.
“Because it did.”
Chapter Seven
Fritz hauled her to her feet, turning her in his arms as he
did. Framing her face in his palms, he kissed her, slow and deep and hot. He’d
never forgotten how it felt to kiss Kai. Every woman in the interim had been
judged by the remembered feel of Kai’s mouth under his. None had ever measured
up. She’d always tasted just right.
The bite of her nails in his bare back made him lift his
head. Her eyelids fluttered open and he grinned at the lazy look of renewed
desire on her beautiful face.
“Back to bed. Take off the shirt and wait for me,” he said,
adding an edge of bossiness to his voice in hopes of getting a tart response.
Instead, she lifted her chin in a haughty gesture, humor dancing in her eyes,
and padded
blinked and lowered her hand. “She would?”
“Yeah. Mom’s always been crazy about you.” Just like me.
“She doesn’t hate me?”
Fritz looked up sharply, frowning at the dampness in her
eyes. “’Course not, sugar. Why would you think that?”
“Well, because…” She shook her head, looked down at her
plate.
“You think because of what happened between us she’d stopped
caring about you? That’s not true. You don’t remember how she used to say you
were like a daughter to her?”
“Yes, but that was before I left. I bet if you asked her now
she wouldn’t feel that way.”
Fritz picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles. “She never
said one bad thing about you after you left. Not one.”
He left out how his mom used to recite that stupid,
cheesy-ass phrase about loving something enough to set it free because it was
too damn corny for his vocal chords to repeat.
One corner of her mouth tilted up. “Really?”
“I swear it.”
When her smile grew brighter, Fritz felt himself go warm at
the sight. She was so fucking beautiful, but when Kai blessed him with a
genuine smile, it almost knocked him off his feet. Good thing he was sitting
down.
“I’d love to see her too.”
“Good. I’ll tell her but you know when I do she’s gonna
expect you to hold to it.”
“I will.” She waved at the pages of drawings and paperwork
she’d neatly stacked so they could eat at his kitchen table. “What’s all this?”
“Something Sage and I are playing around with.”
Kai picked up one of the drawings and studied it closer. “Is
this a part for a tractor?”
“ Implement , and yes, it’s a sketch of an idea we’ve
got for a planter. We’re always bitchin’ about the ones on the market,
brainstorming ways to make ’em better, so one day we sat down and started
scratching out ideas. It kinda took off from there. Are you finished eating?”
Fritz stood and took his plate to the sink. She reached for another drawing,
absently pushing her plate aside. He took that as a yes and removed hers as
well.
“These are good, detailed drawings. Did you do them or did
Sage?”
“Sage.”
“Have you made any prototypes?”
“A few.”
She looked up at him, wide-eyed. “And?”
“And what?”
“Did they work like you’d hoped?”
He leaned over her, trapping her between his arms and the
table. “The planter did but the others still need fine-tunin’.”
“Have you thought about maybe applying for a patent and
marketing them to companies?”
He kissed the crown of her head, breathing in the smell of
his shampoo on her hair. “We’ve tossed it around.”
Kai leaned back in the chair, tilting her head to look up at
him. “I have a degree in marketing, you know. I could help you with that.”
When he brushed her hair away from her shoulder and planted
a lingering kiss on the side of her neck, a breathy sigh slid past her lips.
“Is that so?”
“Why do I get the feeling your focus just shifted away from
this conversation?” she asked drily, tossing the drawing onto the table.
Sliding a hand into the deep V of his shirt, he cupped one
warm, plump breast, tweaking her nipple between his fingers. She groaned
softly.
“Because it did.”
Chapter Seven
Fritz hauled her to her feet, turning her in his arms as he
did. Framing her face in his palms, he kissed her, slow and deep and hot. He’d
never forgotten how it felt to kiss Kai. Every woman in the interim had been
judged by the remembered feel of Kai’s mouth under his. None had ever measured
up. She’d always tasted just right.
The bite of her nails in his bare back made him lift his
head. Her eyelids fluttered open and he grinned at the lazy look of renewed
desire on her beautiful face.
“Back to bed. Take off the shirt and wait for me,” he said,
adding an edge of bossiness to his voice in hopes of getting a tart response.
Instead, she lifted her chin in a haughty gesture, humor dancing in her eyes,
and padded
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