A Very Tempting Texan (Texas Cattleman’s Club: The Missing Mogul) (3 page)

“I run a fairly large herd of Santa Gertrudis. They’re a sturdy lot, and they keep a roof over my head. In the last couple of years I’ve even begun to hope we might make a decent profit in the near future.”

“Was the ranch always so close to the edge?”

“Oh, no. When my dad was alive, things flourished. But the year I took over, I made some dumb mistakes. Lost a number of animals to illness. Didn’t sell at the right times. Also lost calves that should have lived. But I learned slowly.” She grimaced. “That’s enough of me. I know your childhood wasn’t the greatest. Tell me about it.”

He shrugged, standing up to pace her small kitchen, uneasy with rehashing the years that had nearly wrecked his life. “My dad was a drifter. He hung around long enough to give me a legal name and then he hit the road. My mom was one of those women who lived in hope that her man would come back someday. She drank a lot. Most of the time I raised myself. By the time I was a teenager, I was pretty much angry all the time.”

“But you got past that.”

“Eventually. I worked for Old Man Pritchard for a while as a ranch hand...right after I graduated. Remember him? He took a liking to me and after that first year, sent me off to school...helped me with scholarship applications, job searches, all that stuff. In college I no longer carried around my reputation from being a badass in Royal. Suddenly I had a clean slate and the chance to be who I ought to have been long before then. I realized that I wanted to use my brain and make something of myself.”

“I’d say it worked.”

“I was lucky. I could have ended up on another path pretty easily.”

“Is it true that you want to run for governor one day?”

Her blunt question took him aback. Not really a topic he wanted to discuss. At least not yet.

He leaned against the counter. “Let’s save that for later. I’d rather you show me your bedroom at the moment.”

Her eyes widened and her lips parted. “I...uh...”

“I know you remember what it’s like with us. Trust me, Shannon. I’m not going to hurt you. Can you do that?”

Two

S
hannon’s stomach pitched. There was no teasing glint in his eye. No crooked smile to woo her. Only a blunt question.

“You’re a hard man to forget,” she admitted, her voice wry. He had said nothing more about his desire to buy the ranch, but his questions had been pointed and thorough.

“That’s not exactly an answer.” His scowl was dark. She shivered instinctively. Rory was completely masculine. Utterly sure of himself. Clearly her reticence displeased him.

But did she trust him? Or should she? Lacking the inclination to lay her heart on the line and have it crushed, she decided that if she went into this extremely impermanent relationship with eyes wide open, he
couldn’t
hurt her. She would indulge in his lovemaking one last time. Make one more memory. But she wouldn’t be stupid... or gullible. She had learned her lesson. Taking his hands in hers, she went up on tiptoe and kissed his chin. “My bedroom’s small. The tour won’t take long.”

He gripped her fingers hard enough to bruise, his pupils dilated. “I’m sure we can think of something to fill the time.”

The trip up the stairs seemed to take forever. She was shaking and so very aware that he was right behind her. Earlier, she’d sent him to the right side of the landing in search of the guest quarters. Her room was in the opposite direction, a sunlit, simply decorated space that looked much as it had for the last five years. Cotton curtains billowing at the open window. A chenille bedspread that had been her grandmother’s covering the queen-size bed. Cheerful rag rugs underfoot.

She had redecorated when her parents died, needing an activity to fill the hours when all she could do was grieve.

Rory was the first man to ever set foot in this room. She’d had a couple of serious boyfriends, one in college and another when she returned home to Royal and lived in her own apartment. That last relationship had ended in an engagement. And almost a wedding.

Shannon had been young and naive. She’d fallen—and fallen hard—for a man with blond good looks and a smooth smile. Discovering her beau’s duplicitous nature had devastated her. Because apparently, her fiancé was more interested in one day owning the Bar None than in loving Shannon. Finding out the truth had been a painful and salutary lesson about her inability to judge a man’s motives.

After that heartbreak and later the tragedy that took her parents, Shannon had withdrawn, not willing to risk her heart again. The night she met Rory at the Cattleman’s Club was the first time in years she had made the effort to “glam up” her usual casual style.

He’d been wearing a tux. Her black dress had been simple, but daring. Seeing the admiration in his gaze had awakened something inside her. Had made her believe that she could find happiness again. But Rory was glitz and glamour when she needed common sense and dependability. She ought to look for someone who shared her values and interests. Someone who could stand beside her as she kept her family’s dream alive.

Even knowing that, she had been unable to resist him.

She paused on the landing, out of breath though she climbed these stairs several times a day. Rory took her in his arms, his mouth finding hers with masterful confidence. His tongue slipped between her teeth to taste the moist recesses of her mouth. The bold possession lit a fire low in her belly.

When she moaned helplessly, he lifted her off her feet, pressing her to the wall. “I may not make it to your bedroom,” he said, the words muffled as he kissed his way from her ear to the sensitive curve where her neck met her shoulder.

“I forgot to make my bed.”

“Good,” he muttered. “That will save time.”

Scooping her into his arms, he carried her the few steps down the hall and across the threshold. As he dropped her onto the mattress, he came down beside her and began unbuttoning her blouse with haste.

She suddenly ran smack into an unpalatable thought. “Um, Rory...?”

“Hmm?” He dealt with the last button and peeled back the sides of her utilitarian blouse.

“I think I smell like cow. Will you give me a minute to take a shower?”

He froze, his lips hovering over her lace-covered breasts. Groaning, he dropped his head to her flat belly. “Will you believe me when I say it doesn’t matter?”

“It matters to me.” For the first time in weeks she was with the man she wanted beyond words, and she
really
didn’t want to make love to him without at least a few moments to prepare.

Rory sat up, cheekbones flushed, jaw hard as iron. “Two minutes,” he growled. “After that I’m coming in there to speed things along.”

She scrambled off the bed. “I would invite you to share, but it’s a really old bathroom, and it’s really small.”

He put a hand over his eyes as if the sight of her lace-clad curves was more than he could handle. “Go,” he said. “While I can still let you.”

Throwing open a drawer, she grabbed a set of lingerie and scooted into the bathroom. Not trusting Rory’s patience, she locked the door, wincing at the loud
snick
. Thankfully, she had washed her hair that morning, so she turned on the water, grabbed a bar of soap, and climbed into the old-fashioned tub, even though it was barely a quarter full. Soaping and scrubbing, she washed stem to stern and shut off the water, glancing at the clock on the wall with trepidation.

The chemise and bikinis she had chosen were navy blue with tiny yellow ribbons for trim.

She jumped when he pounded on the door. “Ten-second warning.”

“Almost done,” she cried, hopping on one foot as she pulled the pieces of nylon over damp skin.

She glanced in the mirror and smoothed her hair. No time for makeup or even a dash of mascara. This was as good as it was going to get. Throwing open the door with a flourish, she practically knocked Rory on his butt.

He regained his balance and glared at her, hands fisted at his hips. “You’re forty-five seconds late.”

Everything in the room seemed to pause and slide into slow motion. She could hear the grandfather clock downstairs in the foyer chiming the quarter hour. Outside, from one of the far fields, came the gentle mooing of cows. Shifting from one foot to the other, she met his hot gaze boldly. “Then maybe you’ll have to chastise me, Mr. Fentress.”

* * *

Rory felt dizzy as every drop of blood in his brain rushed southward to his erection. Shannon was rumpled, damp and utterly adorable. There had been many a night in the last months when he asked himself if he had exaggerated her appeal. Maybe in his memory, she was sweeter, hotter, more entertaining than any woman could be.

But no...now that he had seen her again, he knew that his mental pictures of her were completely accurate. She was
genuine
. And though that word didn’t really satisfy him, it was the best he could come up with at the moment. She was a natural beauty, a woman comfortable in her own skin. It was a testament to her hard work and drive that the Bar None still existed and that the Texas Cattleman’s Club had inducted her as a full member. She deserved their recognition and acceptance, even if it had been long overdue, and even if it had been an obligatory nod to her dead father.

Shannon stared at him curiously. “For a man who was in such a hurry, you sure are taking your time.”

He chuckled, his chest tight with a maelstrom of emotions he was hard-pressed to identify. First and foremost was hunger. For Shannon. Her skin glowed from her recent bath. And she smelled of strawberries. His hands trembled, so he shoved them in his pockets. His whole world was in flux, all his neat, well-defined plans in danger of crumbling like a house of cards. “I haven’t been able to forget you,” he said bluntly. “And believe me, I tried.”

He saw that his words hurt her. “We had chemistry,” she admitted. “But animal attraction burns itself out eventually.”

“So you don’t want me anymore?”

Her eyes flashed. “I didn’t say that.”

“What
are
you saying?”

She shrugged, her hands fisted at her sides. “You’re not like any man I’ve ever met. And when you were here the last time...in bed....” She trailed off, her cheeks pink.

“What?” he demanded. “What about bed?”

“I didn’t know it could be like that,” she said simply. “Raw. Intense. Fun...”

“And yet you gave me the boot.” His stomach settled slightly, hearing her admit to the same feelings that had knocked him on his ass. “Why did you end it?”

“Could have been a fluke.”

“I guess we’re about to find out.” Her answer was evasive, but he didn’t have the patience to push for the full truth.

He picked her up a second time and laid her on the bed then. He stripped off his shirt, kicked off his boots and shimmied out of his jeans. Wearing nothing but black knit boxers, he stretched out beside her and propped himself on an elbow. In this position he had access to take what he wanted.

He brushed her hair from her forehead. “I should have come back sooner,” he said. “But I had some plans to put in motion.”

“What plans?” Her chest rose and fell with rapid breathing. Though she appeared to be relaxed, upon closer inspection, he saw that she was unconsciously pleating the sheets with her fingers.

He knew he was doing a piss-poor job of getting this right. It was hard to speak rationally when all he could think about was making love to her. “We’ll talk later,” he promised rashly.

With unsteady hands he dragged her underwear down her legs and the little top over her head. Seeing her like this, a living, breathing version of the dreams that had tormented him night after night, made his head swim. He waited to put on a condom. That omission might be the only thing slowing him down at this point, and he wanted this to last.

Bracing himself above her on one hand, he brushed the other from her throat all the way to her legs...mapping her curves as if he were learning braille, noting the rises and valleys. Shannon twisted beneath his touch, her eyes wide open, her breathing choppy.

“I haven’t been able to sleep,” he admitted, pausing to play with her navel. “Every time I closed my eyes, you were there.”

She grabbed his wrist and raised his hand to her mouth, kissing his fingers. “I never thought of this ranch as a lonely place until after I left you in the hotel.”

“Why did you leave?”

“It was too much. I was scared and out of my depth. I thought you were trying to use sex to persuade me to sell you the ranch.”

“I was not.” Her assumption made him angry. “I’d known sexual desire many times, but what I felt for you was different.”

“I want to feel it again,” she whispered, her eyes shiny with unshed tears. He saw her doubts about his sincerity, her determination to protect herself. But the flame that burned them both couldn’t be denied.

He couldn’t wait any longer. Not this first time. As he rolled on protection and moved between her legs, he paused, certain that one other pertinent fact might appease her fears. “I haven’t been with another woman since the night I met you.” He didn’t dress it up. Didn’t try to explain. He simply laid it out there and looked her in the eyes, willing her to believe him.

Perhaps it was unwise. Such an admission gave a woman the upper hand. But she deserved to know.

She licked her lips, the shadows in her eyes lifting. “You’re telling me the truth?”

“I have no reason to lie. A sexy, saucy blonde caught my eye and smiled at me when I came back to Royal, and she’s been driving me crazy ever since.”

She framed his face in her hands, pulling his head down for a kiss. “I’m smiling now,” she whispered. “Make love to me, Rory.”

He didn’t need a second invitation. Positioning the head of his erection in the damp folds of her sex, he teased her for a moment with shallow thrusts. She cried out, arching her back and wrapping her legs around his waist. “More,” she pleaded, her voice slurred. “I want it all.”

With one powerful thrust, he joined their bodies. His scalp tingled. His muscles clenched. Every atom in his body froze and shivered, awash with lust and gratitude. “It’s not gonna last long,” he groaned. “Sorry, sweetheart.”

Wildly, he thrust inside her, driving deeper, longer, more forcefully. Shannon sobbed his name, her fingernails scoring his back. He relished the small pain. It made him feel alive....

He clamped down on his runaway desire, forcing himself to breathe deeply and move more slowly. Beneath him, Shannon twisted restlessly, urging him on. He chuckled hoarsely. “You’re used to being the boss, aren’t you, darlin’?”

Blue eyes clouded with arousal met his gaze. “Is that a problem?”

“Not at all. But this one is on me.” He took her hands and raised both arms over her head. The weight of his lower body pinned her to the bed. He manacled her wrists in one hand, rendering her immobile. “Relax,” he whispered.

Shannon’s breasts rose and fell in tempo with her rapid breathing. “Let me go.” It was a halfhearted command at best. Even as she said it, she clenched around him, as though fearful he would really pull away.

He rolled his hips, driving himself into her tight, wet passage. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

She cried out. “Please, Rory...”

Suddenly, the end was upon him. He groaned, his entire body shaking with tremors as he pounded his way to release. Sweet, sweet release.

He was barely aware of the moment she climaxed other than to acknowledge it and be relieved that in his rush he hadn’t left her behind.

When it was over, he rested his face on the mattress, too spent to even disconnect their bodies. Shannon’s fingers twined with his above her head, their bodies slick with sweat. The aroma of sex scented her sheets and lay heavy in the air.

“I need to tell you something,” he muttered, barely able to form the words. Even as he said them, he felt her body stiffen.

“Rory, I...”

Loudly, shrilly, his cell phone alerted him to an unpalatable reality. He rolled to his side, retrieved it and banged it against his forehead.

Shannon took it out of his hand. “Stop that,” she said. “What’s wrong?”

“I have to be at the club in forty-five minutes. A trio of well-heeled would-be supporters is waiting to hear my pitch as to why I should be the next state senate representative from their district.”