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

bluntly. “And believe me, I tried.”
    He saw that his words hurt her. “We had chemistry,” she admitted. “But animal attraction burns itself out eventually.”
    “So you don’t want me anymore?”
    Her eyes flashed. “I didn’t say that.”
    “What are you saying?”
    She shrugged, her hands fisted at her sides. “You’re not like any man I’ve ever met. And when you were here the last time...in bed....” She trailed off, her cheeks pink.
    “What?” he demanded. “What about bed?”
    “I didn’t know it could be like that,” she said simply. “Raw. Intense. Fun...”
    “And yet you gave me the boot.” His stomach settled slightly, hearing her admit to the same feelings that had knocked him on his ass. “Why did you end it?”
    “Could have been a fluke.”
    “I guess we’re about to find out.” Her answer was evasive, but he didn’t have the patience to push for the full truth.
    He picked her up a second time and laid her on the bed then. He stripped off his shirt, kicked off his boots and shimmied out of his jeans. Wearing nothing but black knit boxers, he stretched out beside her and propped himself on an elbow. In this position he had access to take what he wanted.
    He brushed her hair from her forehead. “I should have come back sooner,” he said. “But I had some plans to put in motion.”
    “What plans?” Her chest rose and fell with rapid breathing. Though she appeared to be relaxed, upon closer inspection, he saw that she was unconsciously pleating the sheets with her fingers.
    He knew he was doing a piss-poor job of getting this right. It was hard to speak rationally when all he could think about was making love to her. “We’ll talk later,” he promised rashly.
    With unsteady hands he dragged her underwear down her legs and the little top over her head. Seeing her like this, a living, breathing version of the dreams that had tormented him night after night, made his head swim. He waited to put on a condom. That omission might be the only thing slowing him down at this point, and he wanted this to last.
    Bracing himself above her on one hand, he brushed the other from her throat all the way to her legs...mapping her curves as if he were learning braille, noting the rises and valleys. Shannon twisted beneath his touch, her eyes wide open, her breathing choppy.
    “I haven’t been able to sleep,” he admitted, pausing to play with her navel. “Every time I closed my eyes, you were there.”
    She grabbed his wrist and raised his hand to her mouth, kissing his fingers. “I never thought of this ranch as a lonely place until after I left you in the hotel.”
    “Why did you leave?”
    “It was too much. I was scared and out of my depth. I thought you were trying to use sex to persuade me to sell you the ranch.”
    “I was not.” Her assumption made him angry. “I’d known sexual desire many times, but what I felt for you was different.”
    “I want to feel it again,” she whispered, her eyes shiny with unshed tears. He saw her doubts about his sincerity, her determination to protect herself. But the flame that burned them both couldn’t be denied.
    He couldn’t wait any longer. Not this first time. As he rolled on protection and moved between her legs, he paused, certain that one other pertinent fact might appease her fears. “I haven’t been with another woman since the night I met you.” He didn’t dress it up. Didn’t try to explain. He simply laid it out there and looked her in the eyes, willing her to believe him.
    Perhaps it was unwise. Such an admission gave a woman the upper hand. But she deserved to know.
    She licked her lips, the shadows in her eyes lifting. “You’re telling me the truth?”
    “I have no reason to lie. A sexy, saucy blonde caught my eye and smiled at me when I came back to Royal, and she’s been driving me crazy ever since.”
    She framed his face in her hands, pulling his head down for a kiss. “I’m smiling now,” she whispered.