Lies That Bind (7 page)

Chapter Five

Nate wasn’t her boyfriend. Not that that would have stopped Rex in the long run.

The hell it wouldn’t.

Rex braced his hands on the side of the scorching hot Suburban. Yeah, he wouldn’t have liked it, but what choice would he have had? It was her property, their livelihood. He would have sucked hind tit to keep their investment intact. That spawned an image he could live without.

“Fuck.” He scrubbed his palms over his face, trying to wipe away the memory of all they’d been through.

He replaced it with the image of her acquiescing to him in there, the way she lined up so fine against him, and the euphoria of knowing Nate was nothing more than a friend. He’d ignore the occasional fuck-buddy aspect of it. It threatened his control. Although there was nothing controlled about the way he felt now. He wanted her, plain and simple, and he wanted her now. He wanted Tessa to remember what it felt like when they were together. He sure as hell hadn’t forgotten. The memory gnawed at his gut day and night. Rex didn’t care that he was walking the road to heartache again. She’d leave just as soon as she was able. Nothing was going to stop her. But maybe, just maybe, they could give her one tie to the ranch she could never deny.

I should wait for Tyler.

“I locked up the house just in case.”

Rex jumped at the sound of her voice behind him. There was no sense hiding his reaction or the unrelenting erection he’d had since he set eyes on her. She was like a drug he couldn’t get enough of. He’d loved her more than his heart could bear at times. The hell with Tyler. He could have his time alone with her later.

Rex turned to face her. She stood with her hands clasped, blue eyes monitoring his every move and expression. “You do realize I
am
tempted to say screw foreplay.” He saw a barely perceptible gulp in her throat.

“I do,” she said, her voice barely a notch above a whisper.

Nipples thrust out from behind her bra and T-shirt as if begging for his touch. He knew she’d be as hard elsewhere, wet and wanting there too.

Rex closed the distance between them and cupped his hand around her neck. Tessa’s lips parted, ready…
expecting
a kiss. It killed him not to give her one, but he knew one taste of her mouth and he’d have her splayed on the nearest flat surface and fucking her six ways to Sunday. This was about the buildup before the release. The dance before mating. Raw and untamed.

He burrowed his face into her neck, just below her ear, and licked down the column while he breathed deep. She trembled and finger-crawled her way up his torso. He clamped his hand on her ass and hauled her close enough to feel what she did to him. Torture was pulling away when she plucked at his nipple.

Tessa stared up at him, mouth open, lips moist. A silent battle of wills ensued between them. Rex nearly caved. God knew, his cock begged him to. Electricity crackled over his skin, urging his clothes to drop and his groin to tighten. Her long eyelashes swept downward, then up again, and those dark eyes peered at him.

“I’ve missed you.”

The acknowledgment stole his breath. Rex cupped her chin. “I’ve missed you too.
We’ve
missed you.” The three of them had something no one else would replace, and God knew he’d tried to replace her this last year.

He felt her heartbeat thud in time with his. She hypnotized him with the glide of her tongue over her wet lips. He imagined it around his cock, her on her knees before him, his fingers tangled in her long dark hair. She ran her finger up his torso, then parked it at the base of his throat. Her gaze locked on that spot, her tongue swiping again over her lips.

“I swear I don’t know whether to fuck you or spank you.”

“Or both?” she asked. “Right here? Right now?”

Oh yeah
. “Is that what Nate did for you?” Rex cursed his impetuous tongue.

Tessa shoved him away. “That was uncalled for.” She turned and headed for the pipe corral. “The hell with you. I can do this on my own.”

Another image popped into his head. Rex forced it away and hurried to catch up with her. He snagged her around the waist before she vaulted the fence. “Would it help to say I’m sorry?”

“It wouldn’t hurt.”

Tessa tugged away from him and looped her hand over the top rail. He expected her to crawl over. Instead, she slipped between the fence openings, giving him a very fine and tempting view of her sweet ass. Too tempting to resist.

Rex landed a hard smack. She sucked in a breath and bit her lower lip. He landed another. Her low groan speared his balls.

She eased from the opening, wrapped her hands over the middle pipe, and lifted her backside for more. “Is that the best you can do, cowboy? Goodness, you are out of practice.”

Rex chuckled. “Am I?”

He rubbed his hand between her thighs. Her knees buckled, and he swore he heard a tiny whimper. He palmed his crotch with his free hand and tried to find a comfortable position. The only one he could think of was buried deep inside her. Ass-hugging jeans and wide-open spaces made that tricky.

Rex slid his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. She curled her hand around his neck, lips seeking his. He ignored them. His target was lower. A flick of his thumb released her jeans. He shoved his hand inside. Silky panties offered no barrier to his goal. The jeans were a different matter. Finally, he shoved his middle finger between her slick folds. Her hard little clit greeted him.

Tessa writhed into the touch. He focused on her, on making her come, not on how damn fine her ass felt, grinding against his cock. Or how much he wanted to haul her back to the house and strip her naked. Sink into her heat. Fuck her to exhaustion, then spread her wide and do it all over again.

He shoved his hand under her T-shirt, yanked her bra down, and squeezed her breast. Another soft cry tightened his balls all the more.

Rex knew his crotch had a damp spot. It was the least of his concerns at the moment. Not coming all over himself was his biggest. He pinched her nipple, hoping to buy himself some time. Tessa enjoyed it too much. So did he.

Rex glanced around. No one for miles, as far as he could see, and the barn hid them from anyone peeking out the inn’s windows. “Ah, hell.”

He bent her forward. Tessa grappled for a handhold on the middle rail. Rex peeled her tight jeans to her ankles with one hand while he fumbled to release his cock with the other. His eyes glazed over at the sight of bare flesh. His balls clenched. Fire raced over the erection threatening to split him in two.

He fisted the raging beast as it sprang free, raked it down her crack as he squatted into position. Tessa stretched on tiptoe and pressed against him, onto him. Rex groaned at the feel of her flesh enclosing him. A shudder quaked through him. He fought the rise as he slipped his fingers around to her clit.

Her breath caught with every other gasp as he brought her to the top once more. He stayed lodged deep while her pussy muscles squeezed his cock, demanding to be fucked. She came with a force he hadn’t seen in too long. A force he had every intention of matching. He grabbed her hips and pounded into her.

Rex wanted to be sweet and gentle. He wanted it to last a long time. None of that was going to happen. This was what he’d craved in those long dark nights.
Her
bonded with him. He plunged hard and let go. Liquid fire poured from him. It felt like he hadn’t come in forever. And he hadn’t, not like this. Not with the woman he loved.

The aftermath left him weak and gasping for breath. Somehow he managed to find the wherewithal to ease from her body and help her right her clothes. But he took his time doing so amid kisses and caresses over her backside, along her thighs, then covering her lips when she turned into him. And it was her hands that tucked his finally flaccid penis back into its home. Her hands that stirred the horny bastard back to life.

“Had enough foreplay? Ready to take this inside?” he asked.

“Oh yes. As soon as I can convince my legs to move again.”

“I can take care of that.” Rex scooped her into his arms and carried her toward the house.

“My hero…as always,” she said with a laugh.

No, not always. Not when it counted the most. Not when his own stubborn pride had kept him from going after her. The guilt was almost too much to bear. Yet here he was, taking her back into the home where they’d lived, the bedroom the three of them had shared at the end of the upstairs hall. The reminder of all they’d lost.

Rex’s steps faltered inside the house. As much as he wanted Tessa, he couldn’t do this, not here. He set her on her feet. She turned into his arms without pause, pressing her palm over his aching heart.

“Not here.” Tessa skimmed her fingers down until they reached his, then linked their hands together.

So, she felt it too. At least she hadn’t said no.

“Agreed.” He swept his keys off the junk table in one hand. “We’re going to my place.”

“Good.” Hands still linked, Tessa pulled him outside and straight toward the vehicle.

* * * *

Relief seeped into Tessa’s veins. She wanted to remember crawling into that big bed upstairs all nice and snug between Rex and Tyler. Wanted to remember the laughter, the meals, the plans. Will readings and harsh words had usurped the fun times, stealing the afterglow of sex with Rex.

Did those same thoughts run through his mind? Considering the guarded look in his eyes at the mere prospect of taking those stairs, Tessa would say yes. Their biggest argument—their only argument—had been in that room. Their silence now said it all.

Rex drove the big vehicle around the back of the inn, then down the narrow oyster-shelled roads to the rainbow of bungalows at the far edge of the area. They’d turned what would have been nondescript little boxes-on-the-hillside buildings elsewhere into palettes of color. No two were the same. The different colors helped disguise the sameness of the design. Each one was cozy, with all the basic amenities of home. Attached carports provided the image of protection for vehicles, and Rex’s little red sedan was parked next to a bright yellow-gold bungalow. A shaded porch on the east side protected it from the morning sun. Another patio out back contained a barbecue grill with table and chairs. All in all, a little home away from home, or in this case…home.

The interior of each square house was simple as well. No hallways, pocket doors to the bathroom and both bedrooms, and the kitchen was a straight shot back from the living room with only a breakfast bar as a divider. Maximum comfort in a minimum amount of space.

“When did you get them finished?” she asked.

“About six months ago. Tyler and I used the life insurance money Mike left us.”

Tessa had refused her portion outright, leaving it to be divided among Rex, Tyler, and Derek. She was glad to see their portion had gone back into the business.

“When did you and Tyler move out of the ranch house?”

“The day you left.”

She didn’t try to analyze the why of it. Everything had changed that night. Trying to scale that obstacle now? Too much water under the bridge. Too much distance. Too much time. Too much everything. All the sex in the world wasn’t going to fix the hurt. It certainly wasn’t going to change anything.

“Furnished?” she asked as Rex came to a stop behind his car.

“The ones for rental are. But Tyler and I put our own stamp on our houses.”

She wondered how Derek felt, being suddenly deserted by all of them. More guilt. Derek had been a people person. Then he’d suddenly been alone.

Rex brushed his hand over her thigh. “Come on. Let’s get out of this heat.”

Their seat belts clicked in unison. Heat poured in when the doors opened. Air-conditioned comfort never sounded so sweet.

“I gotta say, sex outside in the August heat really takes it out of a person.” A kind way of telling Rex she wasn’t up for more right now, not with all the memories running through her head.

“I can remember a time when it didn’t bother us at all.”

That made her laugh. “And the mosquitoes that went with it?”

Rex winced. “Older is better. But apparently not smarter.” He twisted to face her. “I didn’t use a condom. I’m so used to not having to do so with us.”

“It’s okay. Nothing’s changed. Still on the pill. And before you ask, Nate always used one.”

“Good to know.”

She tilted her head to one side. “Your frown says differently. Come on. I’m about to melt in a puddle, and I’d love to see how well you’ve nested.”

“You mean, if I learned anything from living with you.”

Tessa smiled. “Something like that.”

Rex grinned back. “I think you’ll be pleased.” He shouldered open the truck door, disappeared, then reappeared with her bags and had the house unlocked a second before she reached the porch.

Still smiling, he pushed the door open and ushered her in with a sweep of his arm.

A cacophony of color embraced Tessa when she stepped inside. He’d added flourish to the dark blue sofa and chair—pillows in light jewel tones, and a peach-and-sherbet rose-in-bloom afghan—along with lace doilies of peacock blue under the lamps with magnolia-blossom designs on the two maple end tables.

“It’s beautiful.” And lifted her spirits more than she could say.

“See? I paid attention.” He set her bags down. “Go check out my bedroom.”

Tessa walked to the largest bedroom and slid the case door aside. A patchwork quilt added country charm to the queen-size bed. “It’s beautiful. Where did you find it?” she asked, smiling.

“A yard sale.”

Feigning a gasp, she spun around, hand to chest. “Oh my God, where’s Rex Williams, and what have you done to him?”

“Ha-ha.” He stepped around her and went over to the bed, where he folded the quilt back. “Come on.” He patted the pillowed mattress. Downy comfort beckoned. “A rest will do us both good.”

“I’m hot and sweaty.” But it was oh so tempting. The long night, the flight, the turmoil of emotions, and hot sex had taken their toll.

Rex wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Me too.”

“You’re crawling into bed with me?” She sank to the edge of the bed.