Kissed by a Carrington. Linda Hudson-Smith

Leaning in, she kissed him gently on the cheek. “Thanks for believing in me. The donation to the home was never a condition of the date. I was always going to pay. I simply wanted the date to be with you. Remember?” Kelly had wanted to go out with Houston for the reasons she’d cited. She had wanted to find out if her bombshell reaction to him was real.

      “I’m glad that’s settled. Think you’d like to hang out with me again?” he queried.

      “Based on your commitment rules, I’d think you’d be the one to shy away.”

      “We’ve already discussed that. You know where I stand. There’s nothing wrong with a man and woman becoming friends. Is there?”

      There is when one is hot as Hades for the other. “You’re right.” She looked at the clock on her dashboard. “This has been interesting, but I’ve got to go.”

      “Hot date?” Houston instantly wished he hadn’t asked such a personal question.

      “Red-hot,” she remarked. Her hot date was with a steaming bath.

      Houston reached for the handle and opened the door. Just before sliding off the seat, he leaned his head back in, catching her off guard as he kissed her. “Friends.”

      “Friends,” she repeated, bewildered by the airy, fleeting kiss to her mouth. It was one of the sweetest kisses ever, though his lips had barely grazed hers.

      Removing the cell phone from his belt, Houston handed it to Kelly. “Please store your home number for me so I can call. I’ll also give you my contact information.”

      Taking hold of his phone, Kelly suddenly felt giddy inside. Wishing he wasn’t watching her so intently, she punched in the ten digits, hating the trembling in her fingers. Feeling shook up inside, Kelly inserted just her initials—K.C. Worried he may not find it like that, she erased it and put in her full name, adding M.D.

      Kelly handed the phone back to Houston. Their hands touched. Then their eyes connected in a fiery way. As the heat of seduction emanated through their bodies, concentrated gazes held steady for several seconds.

      Staring into Houston’s eyes was like looking into a midnight sky. It was too easy for Kelly to get totally lost in his dark gaze, too effortless for her to forget the world existed when he could draw her into his with a mere glance or a lingering one.

      While making her way into the beautifully decorated master bathroom of her home, with its fancy gold and brass fixtures, Kelly stripped out of her clothes. An entire wall behind the dressing table was mirrored. Black-and-white wallpaper with red-and-gold trim adorned both the spacious bathroom and the large but cozy bedroom.

      A plush, downy-soft white comforter, matching sheets and pillow shams were adorned with a pattern of large hand-stitched black roses and an intricate edging done in Christmas red. The oversize master suite, her favorite space of all, was open and airy.

      An oval-shaped tub, surrounded by a step-up black-and-gold-veined marble apron, was adorned with red, black and gold candles in every size and shape. The window nearest the tub looked down onto an in-ground pool/spa amidst a stone deck. Two majestic Magnolia trees stood watch over a lovely evergreen garden. The custom-built Clear Lake home, amidst a forestlike setting, was less than a year old.

      It was nowhere near dark, but Kelly closed the slats on the plantation shutters. Filling the tub with water before turning on the strong pulsating jets, she lit cranberry- and jasmine-scented candles. Before she could step up and down into the tub, the phone rang. Dashing across the room, she quickly reached for the portable extension on the dressing table.

      “Is this too soon for you?” Houston asked.

      “Soon enough,” she sang out, laughing softly. “Where are you?”

      “I’m on the road leading to my place, which is so unlike the large spreads my brothers own. Austin had his before he got married. Both are staunch cowboy ranchers.”

      “Cowboys, huh? What about you?”

      “I’m the urban cowboy in the family. We grew up on a ranch with hundreds and hundreds of acres of land, where our parents still live. Daddy taught us all he knew about ranching, but it’s more in Austin’s and Dallas’s blood than mine. My home is surrounded by plenty of forested acreage in South Shore Harbor off 518. What I love most are the innumerable trees and lake access, yet the trees can be hazardous during hurricane season. I’ll have to invite you over. The landscaping alone is worth the trip.”

      “I’ll just bet it is,” she said, her tone seductively taunting. Exploring the landscape of his hot body would be more than worth it. “Tell me more about the urban cowboy.”

      “I appreciate the land, while Austin and Dallas love to work it. I enjoy planting the occasional shrubs and flowers, but I don’t have stables to muck or fences to mend. My brothers have qualified personnel to tend to the vast acreage and the horses and other animals. I have a gardener and a pool man. My housekeeper, Aleigha Swan, comes once a week. She cooks for me on occasion, but mainly handles the catering for parties and other special events I host quite frequently. I love to entertain at home.”

      “So, there are some big differences between you and your brothers. You look so much alike I imagined you also thought and acted the same way. Silly of me, I guess.”

      “Not really. Lots of folks think that way. And we are very much alike. Our parents did a great job in raising us to become our own individuals. There are a host of things that set apart Austin, Dallas and me. We grew up with the same values and principles, hung out together constantly, but each triplet has our own patented personality and our own special way of doing things and living our lives. We all have problems, but loving each other isn’t one of them. The Carringtons are a devoted crew. I’d love for you to come to one of our family dinners. They’re off the hook and so is the food.”

      Kelly looked surprised. “Is that an invitation?”

      Houston thought about what Kelly had asked. “Yeah, it is. We do dinner once a week when everyone is in town. Let me know when it’s a good time for you.”

      Kelly nodded. “I’ll do that. Sounds like a nice evening. Thanks.”

      Houston smiled as he opened the remote-controlled gates securing the lavish homes. “Thanks for pulling over earlier today. I’m glad we had the conversation. Again, I’m sorry.” Kelly closed her eyes. “Me, too. It’s all good.”

      Houston parked in the long circular driveway. Instead of getting out of his car, he just sat there, thinking hard about what he’d said and done. Only a short time ago he’d been spouting off his commitment speech to Kelly. Today, he’d asked her for date, a real one, a first date with one of the most intelligent women he’d run across, not to mention one of the most beautiful. His idea of spending time with the opposite sex was supposed to be fun, honest and uncomplicated, without any game playing on his part. “Keeping it real” was his favorite mantra.

      As much as Houston hated to admit it, he was more than merely intrigued by Kelly. There were many things about her that blew him away. He was taken with her in a big way, feeling things he’d never allowed himself to indulge in. The lady doctor was intellectually, socially and physically correct. She appealed to him on every important level he could think of. Her wit was sharp, but oh, so sweet, which required him to be on his toes and his best behavior. Kelly made him laugh, made his heart dance.

       Was it possible for one woman to have it all?

      As Houston thought about a beautiful lady named Angelica Carrington, he knew it was a definite possibility. His mother, a rare gem, was one woman who had it all.

      Then there was Austin’s wife, Ashleigh, and Dallas’s girlfriend, Lanier. Both brothers had chosen women who had many attributes mirroring those of their mother. Houston had always known that when he went for a lifelong partner she’d have to possess the same qualities as the beautiful, spirited woman who’d raised him, the wonderful lady whose heart overflowed with kindness and love. His wife had to be the same