Don't Break (The Reluctant Heart Book 1) Read online

  Shanda woke up to the sound of her stomach grumbling. With everything going on, she hadn’t taken time to eat earlier. What energy she had, was used early on. The only thing that kept her going was the fire that Kenneth continued to ignite over and over again.

  She slipped out from under the covers, grabbed one of her bathrobes from behind the bedroom door and headed down to the kitchen. It wasn’t like this was her first midnight snack. Actually, it was pretty much a habit. Right now, she wasn’t looking for a quick bite. She was famished.

  Opening the refrigerator, she started pulling out a variety of cheese and fruit. She wished she had something more substantial, but she hadn’t done any food shopping this week. Between work and time with Kenneth, things were being put on the back burner. There were many things she loved about living in Hope Valley. The lack of late-night takeout wasn’t one of them.

  “You don’t happen to have any wine to go with that, do you?” Kenneth said, practically scaring her right out of her skin.

  She turned around to tell him not to sneak up on her, but when she caught sight of him standing there in her spare bathrobe, she almost died. “I’m not sure pink polka dots is your color,” she teased.

  “I thought about coming down here bare assed, figured this might be better. You didn’t happen to see what happened to my boxer shorts did you?”

  She snickered. “I think they ran off with my bra, because that is MIA too.” She opened the fridge and said, “I have some sweet white wine if that will do.”

  “Perfect.”

  He was about to sit when she said, “Let’s go out on the porch. It’s such a lovely night. We can watch the stars while enjoying our snack.”

  Kenneth frowned. “Damn, for a minute I thought you were going to offer me something else under those stars.”

  Shanda rolled her eyes. “I have no idea where you get the energy.”

  He walked over and opened her robe, his hands cupping her bare breasts, and said, “I’m sure you can figure it out.”

  Her nipples hardened, but she brushed his hands away and tied her robe tight with the sash. “If I don’t eat, I’ll pass out.” Then she grabbed the food and said, “The glasses are in the cupboard on the left. I’ll meet you out back.”

  They sat outside enjoying the cheese and grapes. She went light on sipping the wine until she had some substance in her.

  “I can’t remember seeing so many stars,” Kenneth said.

  “This is one of the things I love about the country. No streetlights around so the stars seem to shine even brighter. And do you notice something else?” She watched as Kenneth looked around and she added, “There is no one around. Well, if you look really heard, you might be able to see some cows out in the field, but only if the moon is full.”

  “I’m not sure it’s wise for a woman alone to live so…secluded. What if something happened?” Kenneth asked.

  “I would call 911 for help like you would in the city.”

  “I’m serious Shanda. Have you considered a bear coming out from the woods while you’re sitting on your porch?” he asked.

  Shanda looked around and said, “Lions and tigers and bears, oh damn. We better go inside. Before this I was just worried about mosquitoes.”

  Kenneth glared down at her. “You’re not funny,” he said firmly.

  She smiled up at him and said, “But you are. I’m twenty-eight and do you know how many bear attacks there have been here since I was born?” He shook his head. “None. And besides, with my allergy to bees, don’t you think those are more of a threat to me?”

  Kenneth didn’t back down. “Bears have been known for going on porches.”

  “Yes. But I’m sure they are going to think twice when they get caught in the fence keeping those cows and me separated. But we can go back inside if you’re…afraid,” she teased.

  He shot her a warning look. “I’m not afraid of anything.”

  Shanda put down her plate on the table beside her, then reached over and took his glass of wine and did the same. Getting up, she straddled Kenneth while facing him. “Then you won’t mind if we get a bit more…comfortable out here.”

  His hands instantly slid inside her robe and a shiver ran through her body. He kissed her neck and pulled her close. She could feel him growing hard. She would let him have some fun, but she had her own plans.

  Kenneth sucked her nipples and caressed her back and buttocks while grinding beneath her. Her own desire was building so quickly that she might forget why she’d started this. She pulled away and got up. He opened his mouth to say something and she placed a finger across his lips.

  “I believe I still owe you something as well,” she grinned, then dropped to her knees in front of him. Slowly, she slipped her hand into the robe he was wearing and opened it so she could get a good look. He had solid, rock-hard abs and just enough hair on his chest to drive her crazy. She’d explored most of him earlier, but there was one more thing she hadn’t done.

  Shanda let her hand start up his right leg. Kenneth’s hand stopped her instantly. “Close your eyes and just feel.” He didn’t release her, and she said, “Trust me.”

  She could feel his heart pounding in his chest, but he slowly released her hand. The more she touched him, the harder his body became, filled with need. In due time.

  Earlier, he’d had his fun with his sweet torture. Now it was her turn.

  Shanda leaned over, and blew on his hard cock. She heard him suck in his breath, and his hands were now on her shoulders. He wasn’t pushing her away, but instead, he was holding her long blonde hair to one side. Kenneth didn’t have his eyes closed. He wanted to watch and she had no problem with that.

  Looking up, she leaned over a bit more and with her tongue, she licked him from the base to the tip. His cock practically trembled as she twirled her tongue around the head before taking him into her mouth.

  “Shanda.” He hissed, and tried pulling back, but she wasn’t going to stop.

  As she licked him again she said, “Let me give you what you gave me.”

  He groaned and his fingers tangled in her hair as she took him in her mouth again, this time going farther down. Hungrily, she took him again and again deep into her throat, licking and sucking while her other hand cupped and massaged his balls.

  “Oh, God, baby, that feels so good.” Another groan rumbled through him. His body tensed as her tongue pressed firmly against his cock, licking the length of him and back to the tip again and again. Her rhythm became more aggressive each time and she wanted to bring him over the edge as he’d done to her.

  “Baby, you’re killing me.”

  Knowing the pleasure she was giving him turned her on. She took his large cock deeper than she thought she could, and she wanted more.

  “If you don’t stop now, I won’t be able to hold back.”

  She knew what he meant, but she wanted to taste everything he had to give. Sucking faster, she brought him to the brink, and with her other hand cupped his balls.

  “Fuck, yeah,” he growled, but then with one swift move he pulled her off him.

  “Why? You were so close,” she said.

  He reached into the pocket of the robe he was wearing and pulled out a condom. “We finish together.” She watched as he sheathed himself before pulling her back onto his lap.

  She was wet and ready for him, and this time, when she straddled him, his cock was deep inside of her. Kenneth gripped her butt and guided her as she rode him like a wild bronco. Her hair blew in the night breeze. He brushed her robe off her shoulders, but even the cool night air didn’t put out this fire.

  Again and again, he entered her and she met each with her own. She was moaning and crying out, biting her bottom lip to keep the sound from echoing through to the neighbors. But he was bringing her over the edge, and she could feel him tense as well.

  “Baby, I can’t hold back,” he said.

  She arched her back and thrashed as she exploded on him. They were panting and clinging
to each other when all of a sudden, the wooden bench they had been on gave way, and they went crashing onto the floor.

  They looked at each other in shock and confirmed no one was injured. Then they both burst out laughing.

  “Well, I guess you meant it. That was definitely not something I’ve experienced before.”

  She giggled. “I guess blowing all that glass is good for something,” she joked.

  What Kenneth didn’t know was, she had never done that before. He was the first man she’d ever tasted. And damn he tasted good.

  Chapter Eight

  She knew that morning was going to come, and she was going to hate having to go to work. Exhausted didn’t even begin to describe how she felt. Coffee wasn’t going to fix it either. She needed to close her eyes and get some sleep.

  Kenneth had left her place around four in the morning. But with him gone, she’d just lain there staring at the ceiling. It was as though her body was missing him and kept her awake. That wasn’t the case right now. Her eyes burned and at one point, she might have dozed off.

  The door of the shop opened and she quickly pulled herself together and tried to look alive. Cheery was going to be a stretch. But this wasn’t a customer. It was the last person she wanted to see this morning.

  “Granddad. What are you doing here?” The fog cleared from her brain really quickly. “Is something wrong?” she asked. He never just stopped in.

  “I’m not sure. My son called me late last night and suggested I stop in and talk to you. Would you happen to know why?” he asked.

  Dad. What did you do? Even if she’d been fully rested, she was unprepared for this. She had started the discussion with Kenneth last night, but became distracted and never finished. Shanda had hoped he’d be able to tell her how to move forward and still make Home Blown stable, if not successful. Now she was going to have to wing it. Granddad could read bullshit a mile away. And since Shanda was a horrible liar, she wasn’t even going to bother trying.

  “Granddad, I was planning on touching base with you, but only after I knew I had a good game plan moving forward. Why don’t you sit down, and I’ll bring you up to speed with what I’ve been doing?”

  “Can’t be good if you think I need to sit,” he stated.

  “It’s not bad. Well, not that bad.” She could see the worry lines appear across his forehead. She needed to start talking before it started to stress him out. “Granddad, do you trust me?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then come and sit. I have a lot to tell you.”

  There were stools behind the counter, so Shanda could still keep an eye out for a customer, while talking with her granddad.

  Once seated he said, “I’m not as young as I used to be, so maybe you can skip the fluff and just get to the point.”

  She smiled. “You’re not old Granddad, but I’ll do my best. But you’ll understand better if I tell you the entire story.”

  “How about you give me the short version and I’ll ask questions if I have any,” he offered.

  “Fine.” Should she just tell him the truth about Home Blown? She had no choice. “I’m not…doing as well as you might hope running the shop. I lack your…finesse.”

  “I don’t believe that. You just don’t give yourself enough credit.”

  “Granddad, do you want the facts or do you want to hear what you want to hear?” She realized that sounded…rude. “I’m sorry Granddad. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. I guess this is more difficult than I thought it would be.”

  “Only because you’re making it that way.”

  There was no beating around the bush or easing into it. Granddad wanted it straight, and that’s what he was going to get.

  “I don’t want to run the shop any longer,” she blurted.

  Her granddad didn’t even flinch. In a tone as though they were discussing the weather, he asked, “Did you want to close it, or hire someone to manage it?”

  She hadn’t given that any thought yet. “Granddad, I haven’t fully decided on what my next step should be. I’m working with someone who is helping me with these types of decisions.”

  “You’re letting a stranger guide you and not your family?” he asked, looking surprised.

  I’m surprised too, Granddad.

  “Granddad, what he is, is impartial. And also giving me some good advice. But trust me, I won’t close the doors without having a sit down with you and Dad. You entrusted me with the shop, and I won’t let you down.”

  He smiled. “What you do with Home Blown doesn’t change how I feel about you. I love you and I’m proud of you. This shop was my dream, Shanda. It doesn’t have to be yours. You will know what to do when you follow your heart.” Then he got up and added, “I’m going to meet your father for lunch. Don’t worry about him. I’ll let him know that you have this under control.”

  “But Granddad, I am not sure what I’m going to do yet.”

  He kissed her on the forehead and said, “You don’t have to know. If you only knew how many times I changed my mind and wanted to quit when I ran the shop, you’d be amazed.”

  “You wanted to close the doors?” Shanda couldn’t believe it. Her granddad loved the shop. He’d built it up all by himself.

  “Run, close, and some nights, get bloody drunk so I didn’t have to worry about it.”

  “That doesn’t sound like you at all,” she said.

  “Shanda, sometimes people only show you what they want you to see. But no matter what, there is always a side that no one sees except for the person they choose to share their life with. Your grandma knew and stood by me through the ups and downs. I hope you find someone who will be there for you, too.”

  I hope so. “Someday, Granddad. Thank you for coming and talking to me. I feel so much better.”

  “You don’t have to wait for me to show. I’m always willing to listen. I love you, Shanda. And I’m very proud of you.”

  Shanda fought back the tears and said, “I know, Granddad. And I love you too.” She gave him a tight squeeze before he left.

  Once alone, she sat back down, with a smile on her face. No matter what she decided to do, she was happy to know she had his love and support. She didn’t need to stress; her granddad would talk to her parents and smooth things out over there too. It didn’t solve the problem, but she felt a weight being lifted off her shoulders.

  Keeping her struggles to herself had been a mistake. The only reason why she had been facing it alone, was because she hadn’t let anyone in. It’d make sense if she weren’t from a close, loving family, but they had always supported each other. And we always will.

  Shanda still had a huge decision she needed to make. She loved Home Blown. It was more than just a shop to her. It held some of her more precious childhood memories. But she wasn’t a child any longer, and she needed to decide what she wanted for her future. Living someone else’s dream definitely wasn’t it. Did she want to let Home Blown go altogether? Hell no. Her passion, creativity, was here as well. But Granddad was right. She could own, yet not manage the place.

  She couldn’t afford to hire a manager right now. She barely could pay Brianna. Having her off for a few weeks really was a blessing. A manager would cost so much more. Of course, with the right one, if they brought in customers, maybe their expertise would pay for their salary.

  I need help.

  Kenneth had given her a lot of advice, and she tried recalling it. Her brain had been in overload, and she also had been distracted by his gorgeous eyes and sexy physique. It might not be easy, but she was going to need to focus solely on what Kenneth was saying when they spoke business. Might have to do it on the phone.

  There was so much she needed to think about. There were pros and cons on both sides. It’d be so easy to let it go and sell her pieces online. But there wasn’t any personal connection, like the one she had made with Krissy. If it had been a vase that she’d shipped, Krissy might never have sent Kenneth to her shop. Although he hadn’t purchased anyth
ing, and he never would, what he gave her was invaluable. She giggled and blushed. He does give it good, too.

  Shanda brushed away the thoughts of their lovemaking. This was business, and Kenneth had reminded her time and time again, that business always came first. Difficult as it was, she forced herself to think solely of Home Blown. She pulled out a piece of paper and made two columns: likes and dislikes. On the ‘likes’ column she listed creativity and making people happy. In the ‘dislike’ column, she didn’t even know where to begin. That list was endless. She wrote everything else.

  As she looked at the paper, there was no question in her mind what she wanted. She wasn’t walking away from Home Blown; there was a piece of her there. She was going to drive hard to make this successful, and not just for her. She wanted what she had with her granddad to be passed down to the next generation. Home Blown should, and needed to be, a family business.

  The easy part was over. She had a direction, and a goal: two things on Kenneth’s list of what a businessperson needed. Now the hard work would begin. She not only needed the tools to make her dream happen, but she needed the right person, one she could trust to handle sales and marketing, by her side. Finding that person wouldn’t happen by taking out an ad in the newspaper. It was going to need to be a strategic move based on logic and need.

  She was practically bubbling over with a newfound excitement. Surprisingly, it wasn’t DeeDee or her mom that she wanted to share that revelation with. It was Kenneth. They might not have known each other for very long, but he’d become special, important, to her. He was the person she wanted to tell first.

  Shanda picked up her cell phone and was about to dial his number. But this type of awesome news deserved to be delivered in person. Even though it was killing her, she needed to hold off.

  This is going to be the best Sunday picnic. I can’t wait to see his face.

  Kenneth closed his laptop. He was pleased with himself. When you triple your profits in one sale, how could the day be anything but good?