Innocence Lost (Lone Mountain Ranch Book 1)

Chapter 9

Inside the locker room, Kylie undressed. She took off her cowboy hat and moved her head from side to side, stretching out her tender neck. She sat down and took off her dust covered boots. While she undid the buttons on her blouse, she rolled her shoulders in circles, releasing some of the tension in her muscles. Her hands brushed over her breasts as they made their way down the buttons of her shirt. Goose bumps appeared on her flesh as the sensation spread from her nipples to the rest of her body. She stood up to unbutton her jeans and shimmied them down her legs. She stepped out of them and flung them into her locker.

She stretched her body, pulling her arms up over her head, feeling the ache in every muscle. Her entire body hurt, but it was a good pain. Riding was uplifting for her body, mind, and spirit. She removed her pink lace bra and panties. Kylie thought maybe she had too much confidence earlier, which was no excuse for her behavior today with Jax. She was still a married woman. The last thing she needed was to be a cheater like her husband. Kylie never should have tried to kiss him. She was loyal to Zane all of these years. If only he would have been loyal to her, she would not be in this mess.

She did not set out with the intention to kiss Jax. She thought he was a bad boy with his devilish eyes and smile, and she only wanted to flirt and be admired by another man besides Zane. She believed the stories from Heather and decided to take a chance. She was still surprised he pulled away from her.

Kylie placed the lingerie in her locker and locked it before entering the shower. She let the warm water rush over her and rinse away the thoughts wearing her down. She luxuriated in the lemon scented soap clinging to her body, wishing she could go back to this morning and start again.

Kylie's thoughts went to Zane. Now, she knew what it felt like all those years ago when Kylie pulled away from him when he kissed her at the senior party. It was embarrassing and also a huge kick to one's self-esteem. Kylie was young and naive back then and did not know how to act around boys. Now, she was an adult and did not have an excuse.

After the senior party, Kylie was really upset all weekend. Olivia came over on Sunday and tried to lift her spirits, telling her she was too good for him anyway. She ignored Zane's texts and phone calls much like she was doing now.

On Monday, she dreaded going to school. She got off the bus and bee lined it for the side entrance, so she did not have to see him. She did not care to see if he was waiting for her at the steps or not.

She assumed he had already moved on and found another willing girl. He was so hot, and all of the girls were constantly after him. When she left school, she also took the side entrance. She moved through the doors and saw him standing there, waiting for her. She froze as the crowd of students rushed past her.

He looked sad. She had never seen him look that way before. Kylie's heart hurt seeing him like that. She was sad, too. She really liked Zane, loved him really. She was hoping for more than one torrid night of passion.

He walked up to Kylie and apologized profusely, "I am sorry about Saturday. I really like you. You aren't like all of the other girls. You are right; we should get to know each other better first."

Kylie just stood there. She did not know what to say, and the thoughts froze in her head. She was a wreck all weekend over him.

"Please, Kylie. Accept my apology and give me another chance."

"I really like you, too," she finally said.

"Can we start over? Pretend like Saturday never happened?"

"Yes, I'd liked that," Kylie smiled and the fluttering feeling replaced the nauseous feeling in her stomach.

"Do you want to take a walk?"