Come and Get It (3 page)

“
So why do you take the
product out of the tin? On the cooking shows they put all the
powders and spices in tiny bowls.”

“
Pfftt.” She placed the cap
back on the tin of cinnamon. “That’s because they have all kinds of
assistants to help ’em make it look pretty for television. If I was
to put cream of tartar, baking powder, and baking soda in those
little dishes, you’d never be able to tell the difference. I use an
ingredient as the recipe calls for it and set it aside so I know
I’ve used it.”

“
Okay. What’s next, Julia
Child?” That deep, throaty laugh sounded again and his groin
tightened.

“
Very funny. The walnuts.
You do know what a walnut looks like, right?”

Quin dumped the chopped nuts into the
cookie dough. “I know what a nut looks like.” He gave her a pointed
look, then grinned.

Dixie folded the nuts into the dough.
“Now the raisins.” He dumped and she folded. “And the crowning
glory, chocolate chips.”

Quin dumped in the chocolate chips.
“How can these possibly be healthy with all these nuts and
chocolate chips?”

“
Nuts are good fat and the
chocolate chips are sweetened with whole grain, not sugar. In fact,
there is no sugar in this recipe.”

Quin frowned. “I saw
sugar.”

“
No, you saw stevia. And
brown sugar Splenda. So there.” She dipped a clean spoon into the
dough and took a taste. “Perfect. Now hand me the baking sheets on
the counter behind you.”

Once the cookie dough was scooped out
and placed on the AirBake cookie sheets, Dixie pulled two big bowls
of strawberries from the fridge.

“
Now what?” Quin
asked.

“
Now we make
chocolate-dipped strawberries for a baby shower I’m attending
Friday afternoon.”

“
Low-fat?”

“
Oh, no. These are the real
thing.” She began the process of melting dark chocolate in a double
boiler. “Now comes the good part.” She lined several cookie tins
with parchment paper and began dunking strawberries. “One for the
guests.” She set a plump berry on the paper and coated another with
chocolate. “And one for the cook.” She opened her mouth and bit
into a strawberry, moaning with delight as the juice spilled over
her lower lip.

Quin’s cock went from semi-erect to
stone hard. “Wait.” He reached out with his index finger and swiped
the juice from her chin, then sucked it from his fingers. He
grabbed a strawberry, dipped it, put it on the tray, then dipped
another. “One for the cook.” She ate it, watching him, eyelids at
half-mast, nostrils flaring. Yeah, she was as turned on as he was
and he wasn’t a man to let an opportunity pass.

“
Dixie.”

Her name rolled across his tongue like
a prayer as he gathered her to him. She didn’t protest when he
lowered his mouth to hers, pressing a tentative kiss against the
full lips. She opened to him and he lifted her onto the counter,
stepping between her legs to get closer.

With a sigh, she wrapped her arms
around his neck. “I’m a damn fool,” she murmured, but her lips
parted to accept his kiss.

Damn but she felt good in his arms,
those full breasts snug against his chest as the kiss became more
passionate. His hands caressed her back. God, he wanted to feel all
of her. Wanted her naked beneath him as he touched her, lips
exploring every inch of smooth, satiny skin. But not tonight.
Despite her need, Dixie wasn’t the type to spread her legs to any
Tom, Dick or Harry. Reluctantly, he eased away from her, pressed a
kiss to her forehead.

“
I should probably leave
before this goes any further.”

Dixie nodded, shuddered once.
“Probably a good idea.”

“
Will you have dinner with
me Friday night?”

“
I . . . yes.”

“
Will eight o’clock be
enough time for you to get the baby shower out of the way and get
ready?”

“
Eight is fine.” She turned
up her face when he leaned into her for a brief good-night
kiss.

“
Friday, then.”

He gave her a regretful look, but he
was whistling a happy tune as he climbed into his truck. Tomorrow
night he’d have his little Texas rose spread beneath him while he
gorged himself on her special brand of Southern
hospitality.

* * *

Dixie didn’t bother to suppress the
smile on her face at Quin’s avid appreciation of her outfit. She
decided on her favorite Victoria’s Secret dress, a yellow
cross-front body hugger with a built-in bra. Lemon-colored sandals
with three-inch heels brought her height up to just below his chin.
Oversized sunglasses, a couple of gold bangle bracelets and diamond
ear studs completed the simple yet elegant look.

“
Now I understand the
concept of the Yellow Rose of Texas,” Quin told her. “You’re
stunning.”

That caught her off guard and heat
washed over her. “Thank you, Mr. Halladay.”

“
Are you ever going to call
me Quin, or is referring to me as Mr. Halladay your way of keeping
me at arm’s length?” He preceded her out the door, offering her his
hand as she came down the stone stairs. “Watch your step in those
shoes.”

“
I can walk in these shoes
just fine, Quin,” she said, pointedly using his given name. And
normally she could, but her heel caught a pebble and she staggered.
She gasped when he laughed and swept her up in his arms, striding
to his truck. She couldn’t help but laugh. “My hero.”

“
Damn right.” He set her on
her feet and opened the passenger door. His hands went to her
waist, easily lifting her up into the seat of the four-wheel-drive.
He took advantage of the fact that her hands were on his shoulders
and leaned in for a leisurely kiss. When he broke the kiss, he
rested his forehead against hers. “Sweet as a pecan
praline.”

“
Damn right.” She swung her
legs into the cab of the truck and buckled her seat
belt.

Quin grinned at her. “That seat belt
won’t save you, pretty little Rose. I intend to have you in my
bed.” He shut the passenger side door before she could reply, but
didn’t miss her sweet mouth moving in protest.

“—
we’ll just see about
that, Quin Halladay,” he heard when he opened his own door. He
laughed. “Come on, Rose, admit it, you want me as much as I want
you.”

“
Ha!” She folded her arms
across her chest in a huff. “Shows how much you know about women.
And my name is Dixie Rose.”

Quin gave her a meaningful look.
“Everybody calls you Dixie Rose. I want a name that just I call
you. And Rose, I know a lot about women.” He put the truck in gear
and started back down the dirt road. “For instance, I know you’ve
probably got a very sensitive spot right behind your
knees.”

“
Pfftt.” She glared at him.
“Who doesn’t know that?”

“
And I know the underside
of your breasts are more sensitive. I could run my tongue along it
and have you moaning.”

“
Ha! Again, who doesn’t
know that?”

He had her going. “And when I have you
spread out in front of me, the things my mouth and tongue do to you
will have you begging to come.” He took brief glances at the road
leading from her place and continued to seduce her with his voice.
“After you do—come, I mean—I’ll slide my cock into that tight
little pussy and fuck you until you scream.”

“
Jesus.”

He laughed softly and she shivered at
his deliberately seductive laugh. “Oh, it’ll definitely be a
religious experience, Rose. For both of us.” He reached over and
took her limp hand from her lap, caressing the palm with his thumb.
“How long’s it been since you’ve had a man in your bed,
hm?”

The man was taking a great deal of
pleasure watching her squirm in her seat.

“
How long,
Rose?”

Her answer came out on a shaky breath.
“Too long.”

The fifty-eight-mile drive to
Kerrville promised to be sheer agony. Quin stopped talking about
taking her to bed, but he hadn’t released her hand, nor had he
stopped stroking her palm. He just drove along, chatting and asking
questions, like he hadn’t caused a gigantic damp spot in her
expensive silk panties.

“
So, you’ve lived in
Junction all your life?”

Dixie cut him a look. “Most of it. I
was born in Charleston, South Carolina, but Daddy moved us out here
not long after I was born. I was nineteen when my folks died, so I
quit college and came back home to keep the family
together.”

“
And you got married
when?”

“
When I was twenty-two. He
was killed in Iraq three years ago.”

“
And that’s when you
decided to open your catering business and give the construction
workers healthy food to eat?”

“
Yes. Why all the
questions?”

“
Just trying to get to know
you better, Rose.”

Dixie sighed. “I wish you wouldn’t
call me that.”

He looked over at her.
“Why?”

“
Because it’s
too—”

“
Intimate?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

Again with the soft laugh. “But we’re
going to get to know one another very intimately, Rose.”

God, she hated it when he chuckled
like that, all deep and throaty. Like he knew something she didn’t
and was gloating over it. “Says you.”

“
Says me.”

Dixie groaned when Quin turned the
truck into the parking lot of the Ranch Hotel. “Here? We’re going
here?”

“
We are.”

“
And I suppose you’re
staying here, too.”

“
As a matter of fact, I
am.”

Dixie pushed the button for her seat
belt but it wouldn’t release. “How convenient.” He rewarded her
with a lascivious grin. She watched in frustration as he got out,
walked around to her side of the truck, and opened the
door.

“
No matter what you think,
I didn’t rig the seat belt.” He leaned over her lap and fiddled
with the release. When he finally freed her, he grinned and turned
his head, nipping her breast.

Dixie rolled her eyes. “My God, you’re
relentless!”

“
Yes, ma’am,” he admitted.
“When I see something I want, I go after it.”

“
And what if I don’t want
you?”

He studied her face for a long moment.
“Oh, you want me, Rose.” One hand slid beneath the hem of her
dress, stroking the damp spot on her panties. “Can you honestly say
you don’t?”

Dixie sighed. “No, I
can’t.”

He offered her his hand and helped her
out of the truck. For some reason, it felt right when he placed his
hand on the small of her back and guided her into the restaurant,
his touch firm and possessive.

Dixie was mortified to find at least a
half dozen people she knew sitting in the dining room at the Ranch
Restaurant. She had no choice, really, she had to stop and say
hello, which meant introducing Quin to all and sundry. She could
practically feel their eyes on her as Quin took her hand and led
her to the table.

“
I hope you’re happy,” she
moaned. “Before we leave, it’ll be all over town that we were in
here together.”

Quin just smiled serenely and took her
hand, raising it to his lips. “So?”

“
So?” she hissed. “There’s
barely three thousand souls in my town and every one of them will
know I was in here holding hands with the fancy-pants architect
from California.” Dixie’s cheeks burned as he laughed. “I have a
reputation to uphold.”

“
I’m sorry, Rose. I don’t
mean to laugh, really I don’t, but you make it sound like you’re
still living in the old west.”

Dixie rolled her eyes. “Duh. In a way,
I am. The men around here respect women, protect them. But you let
a girl earn a reputation for loose morals and every cowboy from six
counties out will be knockin’ on her door.”

“
That doesn’t mean you have
to let them in.”

“
No, it don’t, but it don’t
make life any easier, either.”

He smiled and lowered his voice. “I’m
sorry. I didn’t realize. I’ll behave myself . . . for now. So what
shall we talk about?”

Dixie shrugged. “I don’t know. You
pretty much know the story of my life. Tell me about you. All I
really know is you’re from California and my guys don’t like you
very much.”

That surprised him. Eyebrows raised,
he asked, “Seriously? Why?”

Dixie laughed and leaned forward in
her seat. “They think you’re a superficial snob.”

He blinked, clearly taken aback. “Wow.
And here I thought I was acting on my best behavior.” His brow
puckered. “Wait, what about you? Do you think I’m a superficial
snob?”

She cocked her head and gave him an
appraising look. “Jury’s still out. Now, spill. I wanna know who
Quin Halladay really is.”

The waiter approached the table and
asked if they wanted something to drink. Quin ordered a bottle of
red wine and relaxed in his seat when the guy nodded and
departed.