Hurricane by Taige Crenshaw Page B

her against the nearest wall. Julianne opened her lips and let out a wanton chuckle. She knew exactly what she was doing to him. Julianne’s gaze dropped and the tip of her tongue came out again as she wet the edges once more. Keenan’s mind flashed to the fantasy he had that first night of meeting her. It would be so easy to open his pants, free his cock and she could go to her knees, taking him in.
    Keenan stifled a groan, then spoke, “I’m being a gentleman.”
    “I think I’d rather you be a sort of gentleman.” Julianne pursed her lips.
    Keenan wanted to kiss her full, soft looking, plump flesh of her mouth. She didn’t seem to have on any makeup, or, if she did, it was so minimal he couldn’t tell. Her bottom lip was deep pink, which didn’t seem to be from lipstick. Julianne turned, leaving him and going back into the house. She returned in moments and stepped outside to join him on the stoop. Keenan waited while she locked her door, then guided her down the steps. The softness of her shirt and her heated skin filled his palm. At his truck, he helped her in and looped around the hood to the driver’s side. After getting in the vehicle, he started up and got them on their way.
    “Another interesting set-up here, I see.”
    Julianne laughed. “Yes. It’s like Kindred Place. This was actually what gave us the idea of how we wanted it set up. Before you set off on another interrogation about me—yes, all my siblings live here in Locke Estate Four. Locke Estate One is our parents and two aunts and uncles. Locke Estate Two is one set of my cousins. Nine to be exact. Locke Estate Three is our other set of cousins, and there are eight of them.”
    Keenan did the math. “So between your parents, aunts, and uncles, they had twenty-four children. Talk about procreating.”
    “Yes.”
    “When you said earlier about living on the family estate, I had no clue this is what you meant. Doesn’t being so close to each other wear on you? Especially when you aren’t getting along.” Keenan reached the exit and made a left back onto Burrows Place.
    “There’s more than enough space between our homes that we don’t have to see each other if we are on the outs. It’s like Kindred Place in that way—close but not on top of each other. Although, it’s even more like that here since there’s much more acreage between the homes.”
    Keenan nodded. He had noticed the roads leading to the other houses were farther apart than at Kindred Place. From what he saw, the property seemed to be vast. As they drove past the other Locke Estates, he wondered how large the land actually was.
    “Do all the estates connect to each other?”
    “Yes.”
    He didn’t press her for how. Keenan was still working out that Julianne’s family seemed to not only be close-knit, but also had money.
    “Before you get it in your head I’m some sort of rich princess or some shit, I’m not. I worked hard to be where I am. All of my family has. Our parents taught us to work for what we want. They didn’t, and still don’t, believe in just giving us things.” She sounded defensive.
    Keenan glanced at her briefly. She was frowning, with her arms crossed over her chest. He couldn’t deny that his thoughts had gone that way, but, even if she was, he wasn’t about to walk away. The woman she was, and not what she had, fascinated him. Taking his hand off the wheel, he put it on her upper thigh, squeezing gently.
    “I don’t give a crap. I want to know you, Julianne Locke. And that’s what I plan to do.”
    He could tell she was looking at him, but he didn’t look away from the road. Julianne’s hand covered his on her leg and squeezed back.
    “You keep surprising me, Keenan. I can’t figure you out. Are you the easy-going guy you portray, or something else?”
    “I’m easy-going, but I have a few sides to me. Stop trying to fit me in a category and just get to know me. Just go with it.”
    “Okay. I will.”
    She kept her hand over his