Texas Wild (8 page)

Yes, he’d heard that.

“That’s one of the reasons family is important to me, Rico. You
never know when you will need the closeness and support a family gives to each
other.” Silence lingered between them for a minute and then she asked, “What
about you? Were you close to your parents…your father…while growing up?”

He didn’t say anything for a while. Instead, he got up and
walked over to the refrigerator. To answer her question, he needed a beer. He
opened the refrigerator and glanced over his shoulder. “I’m having a beer. Want
one?”

“No, but I’ll take a soda.”

He nodded and grabbed a soda and a beer out of the refrigerator
and then closed the door. Returning to the table, he turned the chair around and
straddled it. “Yes. Although my father traveled a lot as a salesman, we were
close, and I thought the world of him.”

He popped the top on his beer, took a huge swig and then added,
“But that was before I found out what a two-bit, lying con artist he was. He was
married to my mother, who was living in Philly, while he was involved with
another woman out in California, stringing both of them along and lying through
his teeth. Making promises he knew he couldn’t keep.”

Rico took another swig of his beer. “Jessica’s grandfather
found out Jeff Claiborne was an imposter and told Jessica’s mother and my
mother. Hurt and humiliated that she’d given fifteen years to a man who’d lied
to her, Jessica’s mother committed suicide. My mother filed for a divorce. I was
in my first year of college. He came to see me, tried to make me think it was
all Mom’s fault and said, as males, he and I needed to stick together, and that
Mom wouldn’t divorce him if I put in a good word for him.”

Rico stared into his beer bottle, remembering that time, but
more importantly, remembering that day. He glanced back at her. “That day he
stopped being my hero and the man I admired most. It was bad enough that he’d
done wrong and wouldn’t admit to it, but to involve me and try to pit me against
Mom was unacceptable.”

Rico took another swig of his beer. A long one this time. He
rarely talked about that time in his life. Most people who knew his family knew
the story, and chances were that Megan knew it already since she was friends
with both of his sisters.

She reached out and took his hand in hers, and he felt a deep
stirring in his groin as they stared at each other, while the air surrounding
them became charged with a sexual current that sent sparks of desire through his
body. He knew she felt it, as well.

“I know that must have been a bad time for you, but that just
goes to show how a bad situation can turn into a good one. That’s what happened
for you, Savannah and Jessica once the three of you found out about each other,
right?”

Yes, that part of the situation had turned out well, because he
couldn’t imagine not having Jessica and Savannah in his life. But still,
whenever he thought of how Jessica had lost her mother, he would get angry all
over again. Yet he said, “Yes, you’re right.”

She smiled and released his hand. “I’ve been known to be right
a few times.”

For some reason, he felt at ease with her, more at ease than
he’d felt with any other woman. Why they were sitting here in the dark he wasn’t
sure. In addition to the sexual current in the room, there was also a degree of
intimacy to this conversation that was ramping up his libido, reminding him of
how long it had been since he’d slept with a woman. And when she had reached out
and touched his hand that hadn’t helped matters.

He studied her while she sipped on her soda. Even with the
sliver of light shining through the window from the outside, he could see the
smooth skin of her face, a beautiful shade of mocha.

She glanced over at him, caught him staring, and he felt
thrumming need escalate all through him. He’d kissed her twice now and could
kiss her a dozen more times and be just as satisfied. But at some point he would
want more. He intended to get more. She had been warned, and she hadn’t heeded
his warning. The attraction between them was too great.

He wouldn’t make love to her here. But they would make love,
that was a given.

However, he
would
take another
kiss. One that would let her know what was to come.

She stood. “I think I’ll go back to bed and try to sleep. You
did say we were leaving early, right?” she asked, walking over to the garbage
with her soda can.

“Yes, right after breakfast.” He didn’t say anything but his
gaze couldn’t help latching on to her backside. Even with her bathrobe on, he
could tell her behind was a shapely one. He’d admired it in jeans earlier that
day.

On impulse, he asked, “Do you want to go for a ride?”

She turned around. “A ride?”

“Yes. It’s a beautiful night outside.”

A frown tugged at her brow. “A ride where?”

“The south ridge. There’s a full moon, and the last time I went
there at night with Clint while rounding up horses under a full moon, the view
of the canyon was breathtaking.”

“And you want us to saddle horses and—”

“No,” he chuckled. “We’ll take my truck.”

She stared at him like he couldn’t be thinking clearly. “Do you
know what time it is?”

He nodded slowly as he held her gaze. “Yes, a time when
everyone else is sleeping, and we’re probably the only two people still
awake.”

She tilted her head and her gaze narrowed. “Why do you want me
to take a ride with you at this hour, Rico?”

He decided to be honest. “Because I want to take you someplace
where I can kiss you all over.”

Seven

T
he lower part of Megan’s stomach quivered,
and she released a slow breath. What he was asking her, and pretty darn
blatantly, was to go riding with him to the south ridge where they could park
and make out. They were too old for that sort of thing, weren’t they? Evidently
he didn’t think so, and he was a lot older than she was.

And what had he said about kissing her all over? Did he truly
know what he was asking of her? She needed to be sure. “Do you know what you’re
asking me when you ask me to go riding with you?”

A smile that was so sexy it could be patented touched his lips.
“Yeah.”

Well, she had gotten her answer. He had kissed her twice, and
now wanted to move to the next level. What had she really expected from a man
who’d told her he wanted her and intended to have her? In that case, she had
news for him: two kisses didn’t mean a thing. She had let her guard down and
released a little of her emotional control, but that didn’t mean she would
release any more. Whenever he kissed her, she couldn’t think straight, and she
considered doing things that weren’t like her.

She stood there and watched his hazel eyes travel all over her,
roaming up and down. When his gaze moved upward and snagged hers, the very air
between them crackled with an electrical charge that had certain parts of her
tingling.

“Are you afraid of me, Megan?” he asked softly.

Their gazes held for one searing moment. No, she wasn’t afraid
of him per se, but she was afraid of the things he had the ability to make her
feel, afraid of the desires he could stir in her, afraid of how she could lose
control around him. How could she make him understand that being in control was
a part of her that she wasn’t ready to let go of yet?

She shook her head. “No, I’m not afraid of you, Rico. But you
say things and do things I’m not used to. You once insinuated that my brothers
and cousins might have sheltered me from the realities of life, and I didn’t
agree with you. I still don’t, but I will say that I, of my own choosing,
decided not to take part in a lot of things other girls were probably into. I
like being my own person and not following the crowd.”

He nodded, and she could tell he was trying to follow her so
she wasn’t surprised when he asked, “And?”

“And I’ve never gone parking with a guy before.” There, she’d
said it. Now he knew what he was up against. But when she saw the unmistakable
look of deep hunger in his eyes, her heart began pounding, fast and furious.

Then he asked, “Are you saying no guy has ever taken you to
lover’s lane?”

Why did his question have to sound so seductive, and why did
she feel like her nerve endings were being scorched? “Yes, that’s what I’m
saying, and it was my decision and not theirs.”

He smiled. “I can believe that.”

“I saw it as a waste of time.” She broke eye contact with him
to look at his feet. They were bare. She’d seen men’s feet before, plenty of
times. With as many cousins and brothers as she had she couldn’t miss seeing
them. But Rico’s were different. They were beautiful but manly.

“Did you?”

She glanced back up at him. “Yes, it was a waste of time
because I wasn’t into that sort of thing.”

“You weren’t?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m too in control of my
emotions.”

“Yet you let go a little when we kissed,” he reminded her.

And she wished she hadn’t. “Yes, but I can’t do that too
often.”

He got up from the table, and she swallowed deeply while
watching him cross the floor and walk over to her on those beautiful but manly
bare feet. He came to a stop in front of her, reached out and took her hand. She
immediately felt that same sexual charge she’d felt when she’d taken his hand
earlier.

“Yet you did let go with me.”

Yes, and that’s what worried her. Why with him and only him?
Why not with Dr. Thad Miller, Dr. Otis Wells or any of the other doctors who’d
been trying for years to engage her in serious—or not so serious—affairs?

“Megan?”

“Yes?”

“Would you believe me if I were to say I would never
intentionally hurt you?”

“Yes.” She could believe that.

“And would it help matters if I let you set the pace?” he asked
huskily in a voice that stirred things inside of her.

“What do you mean?”

“You stay in control, and I’ll only do what you allow me to do
and nothing more.”

She suddenly felt a bit disoriented. What he evidently didn’t
quite yet understand was that he was a threat to her self-imposed control. But
then, hadn’t Ramsey said that she should let loose, be wild, release steam and
let her hair down every once in a while? But did that necessarily mean being
reckless?

“Megan?”

She stared up at him, studying his well-defined features.
Handsome, masculine. Refined. Strong. Controlled. But was he really controlled?
His features were solid, unmovable. The idea that perhaps he shared something in
common with her was a lot to think about. In the meantime…

Taking a ride with him couldn’t hurt anything. She couldn’t
sleep, and perhaps getting out and letting the wind hit her face would do her
some good. He did say he would let her be in control, and she believed him.
Although he had a tendency to speak his mind, he didn’t come across as the type
of man who would force himself on any woman. Besides, he knew her brothers and
cousins, and was friends with them. His sisters were married to Westmorelands,
and he wouldn’t dare do anything to jeopardize those relationships.

“Okay, I’ll go riding with you, Rico. Give me a minute to
change clothes.”

* * *

Rico smiled the moment he and Megan stepped outside. He
hadn’t lied. It was a beautiful night. He’d always said if he ever relocated
from Philadelphia, he would consider moving to Texas. It wasn’t too hot and it
wasn’t too cold, most of the time. He had fallen in love with the Lone Star
state that first time he’d gone hunting and fishing with his grandfather. His
grandparents had never approved of his mother’s marriage, but that hadn’t
stopped them from forging a relationship with their grandchildren.

“There’s a full moon tonight,” Megan said when he opened the
SUV’s door for her.

“Yes, and you know what they say about a full moon, don’t
you?”

She rolled her eyes. “If you’re trying to scare me, please
don’t. I’ve been known to watch scary movies and then be too afraid to stay at
my own place. I’ve crashed over at Ramsey’s or Dillon’s at times because I was
afraid to go home.”

He wanted to tell her that if she got scared tonight, she could
knock on his bedroom door and join him there at any time, but he bit back the
words. “Well, then I won’t scare you,” he said, grinning as he leaned over to
buckle her seat belt. She had changed into a pretty dress that buttoned up the
front. There were a lot of buttons, and his fingers itched to tackle every last
one of them.

And he thought she smelled good. Something sweet and sensual
with an allure that had him wanting to do more than buckle her seat belt. He
pulled back. “Is that too tight?”

“No, it’s fine.”

He heard the throatiness in her voice and wondered if she was
trying to downplay the very thing he was trying to highlight. “All right.” He
closed the door and then moved around the front of the truck to get in the
driver’s side.

“If it wasn’t for that full moon it would be pitch-black out
here.”

He smiled. “Yes, you won’t be able to see much, but what I’m
going to show you is beautiful. That’s why Clint had that cabin built near
there. It’s a stunning view of the canyon at night, and whenever there’s a full
moon the glow reflects off certain boulders, which makes the canyon appear to
light up.”

“I can’t wait to see it.”

And I can’t wait to taste you again,
he thought, as he kept his hand firmly on the steering wheel or else he’d
be tempted to reach across, lift the hem of her dress and stroke her thigh. When
it came to women, his manners were usually impeccable. However, around Megan he
was tempted to touch, feel and savor.

He glanced over at her when he steered the truck around a bend.
She was gnawing on her bottom lip, which meant she was nervous. This was a good
time to get her talking, about anything. So he decided to let the conversation
be about work. Hers.

“So you think they can do without you for thirty days?”

She glanced over at him and smiled. “That’s the same thing
Ramsey asked. No one is irreplaceable, you know.”

“What about all those doctors who’re pining for you?”

She rolled her eyes. “Evidently you didn’t believe me when I
said I don’t date much. Maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, but they call me
Iceberg Megan behind my back.”

He jerked his eyes from the road to glance over at her.
“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Does it bother you?”

“Not really. They prefer a willing woman in their beds, and I’m
not willing and their beds are the last places I’d want to be. I don’t hesitate
to let them know it.”

“Ouch.”

“Whatever,” she said, waving her hand in the air. “I don’t
intend to get in any man’s bed anytime soon.”

He wondered if she was issuing a warning, and he decided to
stay away from that topic. “Why did you decide to become an
anesthesiologist?”

She leaned back in the seat, getting comfortable. He liked
that. “When I got my tonsils out, this man came around to talk to me, saying he
would be the one putting me to sleep. He told me all about the wonderful dreams
I would have.”

“And did you?”

She looked confused. “Did I what?”

“Have wonderful dreams?”

“Yes, if you consider dreaming about a promised trip to Disney
World a wonderful dream.”

He started to chuckle and then he felt the rumble in his
stomach when he laughed. She was priceless. Wonderful company. Fun to have
around. “Did you get that trip to Disney World?”

“Yes!” she said with excitement in her voice. “It was the best
ever, and the first of many trips our family took together. There was the
time…”

He continued driving, paying attention to both the rugged roads
and to her. He liked the sound of her voice, and he noticed that more than
anything else, she liked talking about her family. She had adored her parents,
her uncle and aunt. And she thought the world of her brothers, cousins and
sisters. There were already a lot of Westmorelands. Yet she was hoping there
were still more.

His mother had been an only child, and he hadn’t known anything
about his father’s family. Jeff Claiborne had claimed he didn’t have any. Now
Rico wondered if that had been a lie like everything else.

She gasped. He glanced over at her and followed her gaze
through the windshield to look up at the sky. He brought the truck to a stop.
“What?”

“A shooting star. I saw it.”

“Did you?”

She nodded and continued to stare up at the sky. “Yes.”

He shifted his gaze to stare back at her. “Hurry and make a
wish.”

She closed her eyes. A few minutes later she reopened them and
smiled over at him. “Done.”

He turned the key in the ignition to start the truck back up.
“I’m glad.”

“Thanks for taking the time to let me do that. Most men would
have thought it was silly and not even suggested a wish.”

He grinned. “I’m not like most men.”

“I’m beginning to see that, Mr. Claiborne.”

He smiled as he kept driving, deciding not to tell her that if
the truth be known, she hadn’t seen anything yet.