Kylie wasn't certain if she'd heard a sound behind her or if her own body had alerted her to the fact that Chance was near. Whichever it was, she turned around so fast that she almost slipped off the step stool and had to fight to regain her balance.

Within an instant she was gathered into strong arms, avoiding a possible fall.

"You okay?"

The soft husky words from Chance's lips that fanned against her temple raised her temperature ten degrees. "Yes, I'm okay. You startled me. I hadn't heard you come in."

Instead of offering her any kind of explanation, he simply nodded as he held her body in his strong arms. For the next couple of seconds her mind questioned the sanity of them standing in her kitchen that way. What if the kids walked in?

She panicked at that possibility. "I'm okay, Chance. You can put me down now," she said, although she knew her voice lacked conviction.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, his tone deep and rich, and his gaze remaining steadily on hers.

No, Kylie thought. She wasn't sure. Desire, the likes of which she'd never encountered before, raced through her, igniting her awareness, her attraction and her fire. Her eyes locked with his and at that instant she felt safe and protected in his arms, even with the feel of his body growing hard beneath her, which reminded her of the kiss they had shared Friday at the car wash.

With her teeth she caught the edge of her bottom lip, thinking she was just where she had dreamed of being last night-in his arms. Would it be so terrible if she stayed there just a little longer?

"Where are the kids?" she asked softly, tilting her head back and not breaking eye contact.

"Outside, cooking the rest of the meat."

"That should take at least five minutes."

"I'm counting on at least ten," he said.

She felt him sliding her down his body, lowering her feet to the floor. But he kept his hand at her waist, not intending for her to go anywhere out of touching distance. When she was standing, her legs automatically parted slightly to gain her balance; ironically it was just enough room for him to pull her close and place his thigh between them. She felt him again, the hardness of his erection that was resting between her legs.

"Why didn't you let me know that you had come inside?" she asked as intense heat shot up her core.

An apologetic smile touched his lips. "I couldn't have spoken even if I had wanted to, Kylie. Seeing you on that stool like that had me barely breathing. Has anyone ever told you that you've got one h.e.l.l of a nice figure?"

She tried not to be touched by the thought that he liked the way her body looked. "Yes, but it never really mattered."

"Oh."

"Until now."

He bent toward her. "You're sure?"

"Positive."

He intended to be certain of that. Moving his hand to the swell of her hips, he gently pulled her closer as he leaned down and slanted his mouth over hers. She tasted sweeter than he remembered and he was helpless to do anything but deepen the kiss. He knew the exact moment she placed her arms around his neck, bringing their bodies closer into a locked embrace.

What he was sharing with her was a degree of pa.s.sion he hadn't shared with any woman in over seven years, and he was desperate for anything and everything she was offering. He suddenly felt it, a primitive need to bind her to him in the most elemental way. But he also knew he wanted more from her than just her body. He wanted her mind and soul as well.

The sound of their kids' laughter came through the closed window and they parted quickly, but he didn't release her. Resting his forehead against hers, he breathed in deeply, seeing the pa.s.sionate look in her eyes and knowing it mirrored his own.

He motioned his head toward the back door. "You don't think they're outside burning our dinner, do you?" he asked, making an attempt at gaining control.

"I hope not," she replied, trying to breathe again normally.

"I came inside to keep you company. Tiffany suggested it."

"Did she?"

"Yes. Is that a bad thing?"

"Only if it meant doing so would give her more time alone with Marcus."

Chance gave her an incredibly s.e.xy smile. "I didn't think of that. But I guess there's only so much they can do outside in the open."

Kylie smiled. "Thank heavens for that."

"And she happened to mention something to me that she said she hadn't told you about yet."

"What?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, hoping whatever it was would not make her fall dead in a faint. She had asked, and Tiffany, although upset with her for asking, had a.s.sured her that she was still a virgin.

Evidently Chance heard the panic in her voice and an easy smile touched his lips. "Relax, Kylie, that isn't it. Far from it."

"Thank goodness for that."

"I personally don't think they've taken their relationship to that level, which is a good thing. In fact I'm a little more confused than before by what she said, although it pleases me."

"Dammit, Chance, don't keep me hanging," Kylie said in a near desperate voice. "What did Tiffany tell you?"

"Our kids have decided that although they intend to remain girlfriend and boyfriend, they also intend to further their education by going off to college, after which they'll return here and then decide their future."

Kylie blinked. "Are you sure that's what she said?"

"I'm positive."

She shook her head. "It doesn't make sense. Earlier this week she was ranting and raving about how madly in love they were and nothing and no one would ever break them apart."

"I heard the same thing from Marcus. I guess they sat down and talked about it and in the end decided to take our advice. They were getting too serious way too fast."

"Whatever made them decide to slow things down, I'm extremely grateful for it. Do you think we still need to lay out the rules we came up with?"

Chance nodded. "They may think this way now but it might be a different story tomorrow. Besides, either way, there's plenty of trouble they can get into before Marcus actually leaves for school in two years."

And it was the kind of trouble Kylie was definitely familiar with. She agreed with Chance. It wouldn't hurt to let the kids know exactly where she and Chance stood and how they planned on handling the situation of them being a couple.

"Ready to go outside?" he asked.

"Just about. I just need to find that lid for the bowl of potato salad. That's what I was looking for when you came in."

"Then let me look for it."

Kylie watched as he crossed the room and, not needing a stool, reached up and opened the cabinet. He pulled out several lids. "Will one of these work?"

"Yes."

He placed them on the counter then crossed the room to her. He reached out and caressed his finger against her cheek. "Thanks for the kiss, Kylie. I needed it more than you will ever know."

He really didn't have to thank her. She'd needed it just as much as he had, although she wished she hadn't. "I think we need to get back outside now."

As much as Chance wanted to stay inside with her, a part of him knew she was right. "All right. Is there anything else you need for me to do before I go?"

A smile touched her lips. "No, but it might be a good idea for you to wipe your mouth. You're wearing the same shade lipstick I'm wearing."

"Now that the both of you are well fed, there's something Chance and I would like to discuss with you."

Both Marcus and Tiffany looked up from eating their ice cream. Marcus's smile faltered somewhat and Tiffany rolled her eyes heavenward. "I knew this day was going too good to last," she said. "What do you want to talk with us about, Mom?"

"Your relationship."

"What about it, Ms. Hagan?" Marcus asked her in a respectful tone.

Kylie glanced over at Chance, who nodded for her to continue. "Chance and I talked about the best way to approach the situation, especially since Tiffany isn't old enough to date yet."

"But I should be old enough, Mom. The other girls at my school began going out with boys when they were thirteen."

Kylie frowned. "I'm not going to discuss what the other girls are doing, Tiffany. You're my concern. And for me it's not a particular age but a maturity level. I personally don't think you're ready to begin dating."

"If you had your way I would never date!"

"That's not true. You're the one who has to prove to me that you're ready. But Chance and I do understand you and Marcus would like to spend some time together, so we came up with what we feel is a workable solution."

"And what solution is that?" Marcus asked when Tiffany refused to do so.

It was Chance who responded. "You and Tiffany can date only if the dates are chaperoned."

Tiffany glanced over at Marcus before looking back at their parents. "You mean that you'll be coming with us to the movies? Bowling? On picnics?"

"Yes," Kylie answered. "So what do you think?" She braced herself for her daughter's tirade.

"I think it's a wonderful idea," Tiffany said, smiling.

Kylie blinked. "You do?"

"Yes. Since Marcus and I will be getting married after college, I think it would be good that all four of us get to know each other." She smiled at Marcus. "Don't you agree, Marcus?"

He smiled back at Tiffany. "Right, and in the process we can prove to our parents just how responsible we are."

Kylie glanced over at Chance knowing he was just as confused as she was. Tiffany and Marcus were beaming. If anything, Kylie and Chance had thought their suggestion would be met with some pretty strong opposition.

"Well, if everyone agrees with our plan then that's great," he said.

"So how soon can we go someplace?" Tiffany asked excitedly.

"Where would you like to go?" Chance asked.

"Umm, I've never been camping and Marcus said you take him all the time."

Kylie rolled her eyes. "Tiffany, we're not talking about a family outing. We're talking about a date."

"I don't have a problem with Tiffany coming along the next time Marcus and I go camping," Chance said. "Of course that means that you'll have to come too, Kylie."

"Yes, Mom. You've never been camping before, either."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean we can just invite ourselves on a camping trip, Tiffany."

"But Mr. Steele invited us."

"Yes, but only after you-"

"It's okay, Kylie, honest," Chance cut in to say. "Marcus and I would love for you and Tiffany to go camping with us. My family owns a cabin in the mountains so we're really not talking about roughing it too much. The cabin has two bedrooms, so you and Tiffany can take one and Marcus and I can take the other."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Kylie said as her gaze moved from one person to the next. "When Chance and I thought of supervised activities we didn't mean anything that involved staying any place overnight."

"Yes, but it would be fun and different, Mom, and you and I have never done anything fun and different."

Kylie leaned back in her chair. She thought the two of them had done several things that were fun and different. How about that train ride from New York to California a few years ago? And then there was that vacation to Disney World for Tiffany's twelfth birthday. Had it really been three years ago? Okay, so they hadn't actually done a lot of time to do fun and different things together on a regular basis. But she really hadn't had the time since she'd been busy going to school and trying to move up the corporate ladder to provide for her and Tiffany.

"Please, Mom, just this once. Mr. Steele did say it would be okay."

Kylie glanced over at Chance. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

He smiled. "No, I don't mind. In fact I think it's a wonderful idea."

Chance's statement should have had a calming effect on her but it didn't. She was no longer concerned for Tiffany, but for herself. She didn't want to think about a weekend spent in a mountain cabin with Chance in such close quarters. With all the heat they could generate, the kids might think something was going on between them when it really wasn't.

"Well, Mom?"

The enthusiasm she heard in Tiffany's voice almost made her say yes, but a part of her held back. This was something she needed to really think about.

Instead of answering Tiffany, she looked over at Chance. "Let me think about it some more and I'll give you my answer within a week."

Chapter 6.