Bad In Boots 02 - Ty's Temptation (2 page)

Once he’d swept up the broken pieces and dumped the rest of the broken lamp and electrical cord into the tall trash can inside the small pantry, Ty opened the cabinet above the counter. He retrieved a clean plate then searched the drawers for a knife and fork.

His mouth watered in anticipation as Ty cut himself a slice of pie and sat at the kitchen table. When he took that first bite, he closed his eyes at the delicious taste. The flavors of cinnamon and apples blended perfectly.
Jena has really learned to cook over the years
, he thought, remembering all the dinners his sister had botched when they were teens.

“Making yourself at home, I see,” Evan’s voice sounded from behind him.

Ty turned in the process of taking another bite of pie. The fork paused right before it reached his mouth. “I take it
Jena
didn’t make this pie for me?”

She shook her head, her eyes amused. “But I’m glad to see someone enjoying it. I usually only cook when I’m trying to work something out in my head. I find it therapeutic.” She gestured toward him. “Go ahead. You deserve it after cleaning up the mess I made. And now I owe your sister a lamp.”

Now that her hair was dry, Ty noted the gorgeous strawberry-blonde color. He smiled his appreciation of her cooking and took another bite. “You make a fantastic apple pie.”

Evan grinned and continued into the kitchen. “Thanks. I’m glad you like it.”

As she set the backpack she had on her shoulder down on the floor next to her chair, his gaze locked on the silver
Labrador
tag that jostled back and forth against the blue fabric.

He nodded toward her backpack. “Are you an animal lover or something?”

Evan’s gaze followed his line of sight to her backpack zipper pull. Her lips quirked upward. “I guess you could say that. I’m…kind of an assistant vet.”

“If Harm’s horse needs constant attention, why isn’t the vet tending to it?”

Evan retrieved another plate and fork. “He’s out of town on vacation for a couple of weeks, so I’m filling in for him,” she replied as she cut herself a slice of pie and sat down across from him.

“If he trusts you enough to fill in for him, why don’t you go to school, get your degree and either open your own practice or partner with him? At least then you’d get all the benefits.”

“And all the full-time responsibility!” Evan replied with a chuckle, knowing full well just how much. There was something about this man…she couldn’t put her finger on it, but she didn’t want him thinking she was some kind of brainiac. If he learned she was the town’s vet, he’d question how young she looked. Then he’d inevitably learn she had graduated from high school at sixteen, accelerated through college and moved on to vet school where she entered a dual degree program, earning both her DVM and MBA, before graduating at the young age of twenty-four, and she’d already have a strike against her. In her limited and disappointed experience with men, the male population shied away from women with extremely high IQs.

Just as she was about to take her first bite of pie, her cell phone rang. “Duty calls.” Evan gave Ty a half-smile as she jumped up to retrieve her cell phone from her backpack.

She flipped open the cell. “Hello?… Hey, Charlie… When did her water break?… The foal’s front hooves aren’t coming out first?… No, don’t try to turn it yourself. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Just try to keep the momma calm.”

When she snapped the phone closed, Ty glanced at his watch. “You should consider my suggestion. It seems you’re on call 24/7 anyway.”

She gave him a wry grin. “I’ll take it under advisement.” Picking up her backpack, she met his gaze. “I’ll collect my things and leave the place to you.”

“If Harm invited you, I don’t want to kick you out.”

“No worries. I’ll just drive over each morning and evening.” She pulled the house key off her keychain and set it on the table.

“Evan—”

Her cell phone rang again. “Hold that thought.” She put up her finger as she flipped open the phone.

“Hello?… Yes, I can squeeze you in. Bring Ranger by the office tomorrow morning. I’ll be in at nine.”

When she hung up, Ty raised his eyebrow. “I think that vet needs more help.”

She grinned and turned to walk toward the bedroom to collect her things, calling over her shoulder, “Yeah, he stays pretty busy.”

* * * * *

Three hours later, Evan rolled down her window as she approached her house. Even though Charlie had let her use the shower in his guest bathroom to get cleaned up and she now had on the spare set of clothes she carried around in her car, the scent of birth, sweat, manure and hay still filled her senses. She welcomed the fresh fall night air. The smell brought a nostalgic smile to her lips of skinny-dipping in
Sweet
Trails
Lake
and feeling the chill as the fall season cooled down the water a few degrees.

When she saw
Chad
’s pickup truck sitting in her driveway, her stomach tensed and she let out a deep sigh. Pushing on the gas, she drove right past her house. She’d gone out with a
Chad
twice a couple of months ago. Which was a mistake. She’d been attracted to the fact the man showed no fear of her father. Evan quickly learned
Chad
’s fearlessness had nothing to do with his own bravery, but had everything to do with the fact
Chad
’s father was mayor.

She thought she’d seen confidence in
Chad
. The truth was,
Chad
not only thumbed his nose at authority, but he walked around with a cocky confidence that wore off very quickly. He was a good-looking man, but it took more than looks for Evan. She’d turned Chad down when he’d asked her out for a third date. For a man who’d always gotten his way with ladies, Chad seemed to take it as a personal affront that she’d refused to sleep with him.

Ever since then, Chad had periodically shown up and asked her to go out with him. A couple of weeks ago, on the same day she received an invitation to Harm and Jena’s wedding, Chad called her and asked her to be his date for the upcoming wedding. So far he didn’t seem to want to take “no” for an answer. She didn’t feel threatened by Chad in any way—just annoyed—but she had a feeling the guy would hound her about the wedding until she gave in. She knew his ultimate goal—he was damned determined to add her to his list of conquests. She suspected the fact she was a virgin only made her more of a prize in Chad’s eyes.

She turned her SUV around in the cul-de-sac at the end of the street and headed back up the road. Hopefully Ty meant what he said about not wanting to kick her out. Sharing a house with the sexy man from Maryland sounded like a great way to remain AWOL for a few more days. She was too busy for Chad to bother at her office.

Once she’d parked her car by the stables, Evan cut the engine and walked into the building to check on Harm’s horse, Flash. She unwrapped the horse’s hurt leg and massaged the swollen area. While she pressed on the flesh, she was glad she didn’t feel any heat that would indicate infection. The swelling was almost gone. In another day, she’d take Flash back to Steele Way for some limited exercise. She knew Flash missed frolicking with the other horses. After tomorrow’s jaunt, Evan would be able to tell if Flash was ready to go back to the ranch full-time. She replaced the binding back around Flash’s leg and walked out of the stables. Retrieving her backpack from her car, she closed the door with a quiet click.

As she made way to the house, Evan glanced at her watch. It was nine-thirty and the house was dark. Ty must’ve turned in early. Now she wished she’d held onto the Double D house key. Then she could quietly let herself in without waking Ty. Evan skimmed her gaze over the door. There wasn’t a deadbolt, just the main door lock. Setting her backpack on the floor next to her, she unzipped it and pulled out a credit card from her wallet. She’d seen this technique on TV once and wasn’t sure if it’d work or not.

Biting her lip, she slid the stiff card between the door and the weather-stripping right where the latch would be. With careful movements, she grasped the doorknob with one hand and maneuvered the credit card with the other until she felt the latch give way.

Evan breathed a sigh of relief that she’d successfully unlocked the door. She shoved her credit card back in her wallet and zipped her backpack closed. Grasping her pack’s cloth handle across the top, she turned the doorknob, opened the door and stepped inside.

The cool air-conditioning caused chill bumps to form on her arms. Sheesh, the man must run very hot.
Now there’s an intriguing idea
, she thought with a wicked grin. Her lower belly tightened at the thought, but Evan didn’t have time to ponder any more because someone grabbed her neck and slammed her back against the open front door.

Reacting on pure instinct, Evan dropped her bag and brought her knee up, expecting to nail her attacker in the groin. Instead she met a hard muscular thigh as the man blocked her move.

“Evan? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Ty hissed in the dark. He released her neck and encircled her bare arms in a tight grip.

Her eyes quickly adjusted to the moonlight filtering through the front door. Ty stood in front of her wearing only his gray dress pants and an intense look on his face. Her gaze slid down his tightly cut chest to his trim, well-defined abs.

“I was trying not to wake you. I didn’t expect to be attacked,” she shot back while her heart slammed against her rib cage. Evan appreciated a nice body with the best of them, but more than anything else Ty’s scent caught her attention. She took a deep breath. He smelled so good, like sandalwood and musky male.

Ty’s grip on her arms loosened and he took a step closer. His fingers slowly trailed down her arms and a half-smile tilted the corners of his lips. He glanced at her tank top’s spaghetti straps as if he wanted to plant a kiss on her shoulder. “I thought you said you were going home.”

The husky timbre of his voice made her heart rate rev. Ty stood a good four inches taller than her five-foot-ten height. Perfect, she thought as her stomach fluttered at his nearness. The man made her senses come alive. There was just something about his quiet, intense approach that made her tingle all over. He exuded self-confidence without conscious effort. The combination was so devastating to her senses she couldn’t help but be affected by his nearness.

“Um, something came up and I decided if you didn’t mind sharing a house with me for a couple of days, I’d stay.”

“I like my privacy.” A frown creased his brow and his expression turned serious.

Her stomach pitched and disappointment rushed through her. She started to pick up the bag she’d dropped. “Okay, I’ll leave—”

The pressure of Ty’s fingers on her chin caused her to pause and meet his gaze.

“But I’ve been known to make exceptions.”

The deep register of his voice followed by his fingers skimming down her neck sent a shiver of heated response down her spine and straight to her core.

“Is that an invitation?” She knew her voice sounded breathless, but she didn’t care.

“Tell me why you’re hiding out here. Maybe I can help.”

His seductive low tone drew her in. Evan’s breath caught at the heat she felt emanating off his skin. This sexy man was giving her exactly what she wanted, the beginnings of an attraction between a man and a woman. No preconceived notions. No worry that she could run circles around him on an IQ level…nothing but pure and honest desire zinged between them. The way he made her feel—breathless and totally caught up—she realized he was the perfect man to lose her virginity to. He was only temporarily in Texas, so it’s not like he would think she’d expect anything more than a weekend from him.

He put his hand on the door behind her and leaned a bit closer. “Tell me what changed your mind.”

His encouraging, calm voice made her feel so comfortable with him.

Evan placed her hands tentatively on his bare chest. She couldn’t resist, he was so gorgeous. When her skin touched his, his warmth shot straight to her toes.

“I just prefer to avoid an old boyfriend who’s determined to have me as his date at your sister’s wedding. Once the wedding’s over, he’ll stop hounding me.”

Ty narrowed his gaze for a brief moment as if he knew there was more to what she told him. Then he pulled her away from the door. “Looks like we’ll be sharing quarters for a few days.” Picking up the backpack she’d dropped when he’d grabbed her, he followed her inside and kicked the door closed with his foot.

Evan stood in the dark, facing Ty. A pregnant silence stretched for a long, heated moment. The attraction arcing between them wove through the air making her aware of every breath she took.

“I’ll take the couch,” she offered.

“I think it’ll be a tight fit.”

“Huh?”

“That’s where I’m sleeping. You can have the bed.”

“I don’t want to kick you out of your bed, Ty.”

“You could always join me.” His gaze locked with hers, his suggestion blatant and honest.

Her heart galloped. Was he teasing her? It was hard to tell with his serious expression. “Um, I’ll take the bed.”

The corners of his lips tilted in amusement at her quick response. Handing her the bag, he said in a husky tone, “Sleep well.”