A Very Tempting Texan (Texas Cattleman’s Club: The Missing Mogul) Read Online Free Page A

threshold. As he dropped her onto the mattress, he came down beside her and began unbuttoning her blouse with haste.
    She suddenly ran smack into an unpalatable thought. “Um, Rory...?”
    “Hmm?” He dealt with the last button and peeled back the sides of her utilitarian blouse.
    “I think I smell like cow. Will you give me a minute to take a shower?”
    He froze, his lips hovering over her lace-covered breasts. Groaning, he dropped his head to her flat belly. “Will you believe me when I say it doesn’t matter?”
    “It matters to me.” For the first time in weeks she was with the man she wanted beyond words, and she really didn’t want to make love to him without at least a few moments to prepare.
    Rory sat up, cheekbones flushed, jaw hard as iron. “Two minutes,” he growled. “After that I’m coming in there to speed things along.”
    She scrambled off the bed. “I would invite you to share, but it’s a really old bathroom, and it’s really small.”
    He put a hand over his eyes as if the sight of her lace-clad curves was more than he could handle. “Go,” he said. “While I can still let you.”
    Throwing open a drawer, she grabbed a set of lingerie and scooted into the bathroom. Not trusting Rory’s patience, she locked the door, wincing at the loud snick . Thankfully, she had washed her hair that morning, so she turned on the water, grabbed a bar of soap, and climbed into the old-fashioned tub, even though it was barely a quarter full. Soaping and scrubbing, she washed stem to stern and shut off the water, glancing at the clock on the wall with trepidation.
    The chemise and bikinis she had chosen were navy blue with tiny yellow ribbons for trim.
    She jumped when he pounded on the door. “Ten-second warning.”
    “Almost done,” she cried, hopping on one foot as she pulled the pieces of nylon over damp skin.
    She glanced in the mirror and smoothed her hair. No time for makeup or even a dash of mascara. This was as good as it was going to get. Throwing open the door with a flourish, she practically knocked Rory on his butt.
    He regained his balance and glared at her, hands fisted at his hips. “You’re forty-five seconds late.”
    Everything in the room seemed to pause and slide into slow motion. She could hear the grandfather clock downstairs in the foyer chiming the quarter hour. Outside, from one of the far fields, came the gentle mooing of cows. Shifting from one foot to the other, she met his hot gaze boldly. “Then maybe you’ll have to chastise me, Mr. Fentress.”
    * * *
    Rory felt dizzy as every drop of blood in his brain rushed southward to his erection. Shannon was rumpled, damp and utterly adorable. There had been many a night in the last months when he asked himself if he had exaggerated her appeal. Maybe in his memory, she was sweeter, hotter, more entertaining than any woman could be.
    But no...now that he had seen her again, he knew that his mental pictures of her were completely accurate. She was genuine . And though that word didn’t really satisfy him, it was the best he could come up with at the moment. She was a natural beauty, a woman comfortable in her own skin. It was a testament to her hard work and drive that the Bar None still existed and that the Texas Cattleman’s Club had inducted her as a full member. She deserved their recognition and acceptance, even if it had been long overdue, and even if it had been an obligatory nod to her dead father.
    Shannon stared at him curiously. “For a man who was in such a hurry, you sure are taking your time.”
    He chuckled, his chest tight with a maelstrom of emotions he was hard-pressed to identify. First and foremost was hunger. For Shannon. Her skin glowed from her recent bath. And she smelled of strawberries. His hands trembled, so he shoved them in his pockets. His whole world was in flux, all his neat, well-defined plans in danger of crumbling like a house of cards. “I haven’t been able to forget you,” he said