Redeemed Hearts (Thoroughbred Men Series Book 3) (3 page)

He noticed that her eyes followed his mouth and she swallowed. He enjoyed the way she was an open book and he could read her like no other he had been out with before. She was refreshing to him.

Teri stammered a bit but didn’t pull her hand from him. She enjoyed the heat of his mouth on her, and him holding her hand made her feel cherished. Something she had not felt in a long time. She could not meet his eyes. In fact, she was having trouble focusing at all.

Teri shook her head, as if to clear it, and hesitated. Home. She needed to go home and sleep this off a bit. She had drunk way too much and wanted to lie down. “Home,” she mumbled. “Yes, home… Um, lemme think for a second,” she said confused. She felt his hand still holding hers and wondered if he touched more of her, how it would feel. She shook her head again.

Richard watched her with amusement. “Have you ever been drunk, Teri? Are you all right?” he asked. He saw she kept frowning. She would start to smile and then shake her head. “Teri? Are you feeling okay? Let me see your driver’s license to get your address. Do you want me to take you home or do you want to go inside Millie’s house?” Richard almost suggested his own home. If it had been anyone else, he might have. He wasn’t sure what stopped him or why he hadn’t headed there yet.

Teri grabbed her wallet and unzipped it. She handed it to him and shook her head again. “I can’t read it right now. I’m not feeling so good. I need to lie down, I think.” She breathed a sigh of relief as the windows were rolled down and fresh air streamed in.

Richard looked at her license and smiled. Her home was not far from their current location. He started the SUV, kept the windows down and pulled out of Jacob’s driveway. He watched her carefully to see if he needed to pull over. She sat still in the passenger seat, her eyes pinched shut and breathing evenly. He pulled onto the small, gravel road and pulled up to a small farmhouse. “Teri?” he said gently, wondering if she had fallen asleep. “Teri? Is this your home?” he asked again, a bit louder.

Teri opened her eyes and sighed happily. She was home. She wanted out of the vehicle and wanted to get undressed. She didn’t feel good and wanted to sleep. “Yup, that’s my place,” she said with a happy sigh and started to open the door.

Richard stepped on the brake quickly to stop the SUV. “Teri, we are still rolling. You have to wait till I finish pulling up the drive before you open the door,” he said smirking. She was really out of it or putting on a good show. He wasn’t sure which and assumed it was the first, although he had experience with the latter, too. He was tired of games and sincerely hoped it wasn’t a show for his sake. Richard put the Expedition into park and turned it off. He hopped out and circled the SUV, surprised at how remote her little place seemed to be, yet still inside the city limits.

Teri watched as he circled the rig and walked over to her door. She could barely see him in the dark and remembered that she forgot to change out the porch light. She had been in a hurry this morning to get out with Danielle. She should have taken the two minutes it would have taken and groaned. She really, really hated coming home in the dark. It was hard to find the keyhole and she was having issues focusing already. It would be next to impossible to open the old door.

She watched as he opened the door for her and held out his hand. She wanted to get out on her own, but couldn’t resist the urge to reach out to him. She liked the way he smiled at her and it made her feel so good. So alive.

Richard held out his hand to Teri to see if she could get out of the SUV by herself. He smiled when she delicately put her hand in his. Her hands felt so smooth to him and so delicate. He watched as she carefully placed a boot on the step bar and stood, only to flop back down. He chuckled at her and leaned across her body to unbuckle her. “Let’s try this again” he said huskily as he unbuckled her body. “That should make things a bit easier,” he said smiling.

Teri felt the heat from him and felt embarrassed that she had forgotten to unlatch herself from the buckle. She could smell his cologne. She watched those lips that had her fascinated all evening. Teri felt her own lips part and leaned forward towards him. She pressed her mouth to his and gave a soft sigh at how warm his lips were and how good they made her feel.

Richard gave a small start when she leaned forward and kissed him. It was so very unexpected and absolutely welcomed. He had wondered how her soft lips would taste. He felt her give a soft sigh against his mouth and smiled in delight. He liked her reaction and deepened the kiss for a moment. “Teri, let’s get you inside. Where are your keys?” he asked.

Teri pulled back, a bit surprised. She couldn’t believe she had leaned forward to kiss him. She barely knew him and hadn’t kissed anyone since Daniel had passed away. It was like she couldn’t help herself, though. She felt like she was dying of thirst and he was water. When she felt the heat of his body lean over her, she felt all resistance slip away.

Teri fumbled around and dug a key out from her wallet. She stepped out of the SUV and put her hand out to steady herself. She wasn’t sure she wanted his help or for him to touch her. Richard being close to her was making her feel things she hadn’t felt in years and it scared her a bit.

Richard offered several times to help her to the door, each time she shooed him away. Did she regret the kiss? He wondered if she was playing hard to get and frowned. He sincerely hoped not. He watched her as she steadied herself a few times. When she got to the end of the SUV, he watched her almost run into a newel post on the porch railing. “Teri, it’s this way,” he said stopping her quickly.

Teri reeled back from his hands touching her arms. His touch felt hot and electric and she wanted more. What was wrong with her? “Stop it! I know where my front door is,” she said, exasperated. Teri got even more frustrated when he laughed at her loudly.

Richard stood back and again let her try to get up to the porch. He smiled at her cursing at the rose bush she found in the dark. He laughed when she yelped and stumbled.

Richard swung her up in his arms. “C’mon, I am going to take a lesson from Jacob and just carry you before you hurt yourself,” he said huskily as he felt her body pressed against his.

Teri started to struggle when he picked her up, but his deep voice and soft words stopped her. When he spoke and held her, it was like her bones turned to liquid. She melted against him and rested her head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent. “Gosh, you smell so good. It’s doing things to me,” she mumbled and then groaned. She could not believe she said that aloud. That was it, she was never drinking again. She could feel a rumble of laughter from him and frowned again.

Richard cherished the feeling of her in his arms. She was a tiny slip of a woman that felt so curvy in all the right places. He would never admit that he almost dropped her when she started talking and revealed her internal monologue. As soon as she realized it, he started laughing and stumbled on a rock at the same time. He didn’t have far to go. He just needed to get up the front steps with her.

Richard set her down at the front door so they could find the key hole and was struck by the craziest thought. He wondered what it would be like to carry her over the threshold one day. He stepped back from her quickly, surprised by the thought. Maybe he was completely finished with playing around and this was his sign from above.

Teri finally opened the front door with a loud “Ta da!” and a flourish. The screen door creaked as she let it slam. Hearing it, she turned and held it open again. “Are you coming in? It’s the least I could do for my chauffeur for the night,” she said lightly and walked off, leaving him at the front door.

Richard hesitated. He wasn’t sure what to think and needed time to process. There was no way he was ready to be done with his playboy life. He wanted to be free and wanted to fool around still. This included fooling around with Teri apparently, he thought, as he looked through the screen door at her walking towards the back of the house. He opened the screen and jumped when it slammed, pulled shut by a large spring. “Teri? Where are you?” he asked loudly as he stepped into the front room.

Teri walked across the kitchen and kicked off her boots by the back door. She leaned down, one had bracing herself against the wall, and pulled off her socks. “There, much better!” she announced as she happily looked at her bare feet. “Want some hot tea or water?” she asked politely.

Richard walked over to the kitchen and leaned against the doorway, watching her. He enjoyed watching the way she moved and as she smiled at her toes wriggling, he smiled, too. He felt confused on the inside. He really liked her but was having the most insane thoughts pop into his head. He was starting to think maybe he should see a shrink. “Teri, I think I am going to go ahead and leave. Can I take a rain check? I would like to see you again, maybe with no alcohol involved,” he said wryly.

Teri nodded and turned off the burner. “I think that may be a good idea,” she said and walked towards him at the entrance of the kitchen. “Let me see you out,” she said politely. What was she doing inviting him into her home anyways? She didn’t want to need anyone and certainly not the playboy of town. Her alcohol was starting to wear off a bit and she was regaining a bit of her composure. Inviting him in was a truly bad idea. His presence was so very large in the kitchen entry and she was very aware of him physically.

Richard felt Teri scoot past him at the doorway and put his arm out to stop her. “Teri,” he said softly. “I want to see you again. When are you available?” he asked as he looked down at her face. Her eyes were stunning. He ran his finger down the side of her chin and watched those precious blue orbs close for a moment.

Teri felt overwhelmed with him so close to her. She could not think straight when he touched her. Even something as simple as stroking the side of her face, she felt lost. She placed her hands against his chest to steady herself and prepared to scoot past him. She wanted to move past him, she just could not yet.

Richard tilted her chin up to him and kissed her softly. Her hands on his chest were making his heart pound. He felt excited and nervous, like a young boy, and it was exhilarating to him. It was the same adrenaline rush he got racing into a burning building.

Richard felt a hot rush of anticipation and excitement. He had not felt that sensation with a woman in forever. “Teri,” he whispered and kissed her deeply, pulling her to him. He sampled her sweet lips. He broke off the kiss, tasted her neck and hesitated. “Teri, I have to go.” He didn’t want her to blame it on the liquor. He’d been down that road before. This, he wanted to be mutual and if it wasn’t, he would cross that bridge later.

Teri stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Yes, I think, maybe, that is a good idea. You seem really nice,” she whispered, embarrassed at how she was reacting to him.

Richard stood back awkwardly. “You seem really nice, too,” he replied. “Are you all right?” he asked. Nice? It was like watching a wall go up between them. Her touch was electric and made him stop, but now that they were creating some distance between them it was as if she regretted kissing him.

Teri could not look at him in the face. She was mortified at how open she had been, how forward she had been with him. She had not been touched in so long and apparently seemed to be so starved for affection that she fell into the arms of the first guy she came across. She wanted to be alone to think. “I am all right. Thank you for asking. I think you should go and maybe we will see each other later,” she suggested lightly.

Richard moved back and was surprised at the change in her. The evening was not ending how he wanted. He wasn’t even quite sure how, exactly, he wanted the night to finish, but it was not like this. That, he knew for sure. He didn’t have to beg a girl to talk to him, but this is what it was feeling like suddenly and he was confused. He wasn’t sure what to say any more. He stepped backwards farther and turned to leave. He stopped, hesitated. Richard almost pulled her to him again, but decided against it. He then went ahead and left.

Teri closed the door behind him with a long, drawn-out sigh. She moved to the window and watched his SUV pull out of the gravel driveway onto the road. Her body wanted to race after him and beg him to stay, but her mind did not agree. Her mind was arguing with itself and telling her that she was betraying Daniel’s memory…but it also said she should be happy. She was drunk, tired, turned on and now going to bed alone.

Some bachelorette party…

November 21st, 2014

Teri eyed the high heels dubiously. “I am seriously going to break my ankles, Millie. Do I have to wear these?” she whined as she looked at the four-inch stiletto heels. “I mean, YOU can wear them. You can really move in them… but why do I have to wear them?” Teri had never, ever worn high heels in her life and she didn’t look forward to starting now. Sure they looked great, made her legs look so long and slim, but they were uncomfortable as hell.

Millicent rolled her eyes at Teri’s tone of voice. “You have to wear them because it’s too late to change everyone else’s shoes and you all have to match. You agreed to wear them this one time for me over three months ago. Everyone will be dressed the same, shoes the same. Don’t do this to me, Teri. I can’t handle the stress! Nobody is wearing boots in my wedding either,” Millie said, raising her voice an octave.

Teri winced at the shriek. She silently slipped on the heels and flashed a big, fake smile to Millicent, trying to bring down the other woman’s panic attack. She was Bridezilla incarnate. It was hell. She had never seen so many shades of blue, so many different fabrics, nor so many different high heels.

It was bound to be an amazing display for the police-themed wedding tomorrow and she would be ready for it to be over. No offense towards Millie or Jacob intended at all. Teri stood up in the heels and tried to keep from turning her ankle. She definitely preferred sneakers or boots. She was happy to see that when she stood in the heels, Millie moved off to check on something else. “Whew! It’s a good thing we are close! Damn!” she said grumpily and sat down in a pew at the back of the stone church.