It Must Have Been the Mistletoe(64)

“Is that your criterion for love? How far you go with a guy?” And how pathetic was he when his heart leaped up to do a little victory dance at the fact that their naked exchanges must put him pretty high on the emotional charts.

“I’d say it’s a pretty good criterion, wouldn’t you?” she teased, obviously trying to lighten the mood. “It takes a strong emotional connection to make the sex incredible. And why waste time on anything less than incredible?”

All his worries melted away.

“Of course, incredible’s going to be interesting when my family finds out,” Rita said with a little grimace. “You think you’ll have a hard time? How do you think it’s going to be for me? I’m bringing home one of the Cole girls. And the wildest one, at that.”

“The wildest…”

He barely heard Rita’s whispered words.

“Randy’s got such a major grudge against you, I even went with Benny to that bar to keep you from…”

Tyler’s mouth was about two seconds ahead of his brain. By the time the mental warning flashed, it was too late.

Rita pulled back.

“From what?” Her eyes narrowed. “To keep me, the wild Cole sister, away from your brother? Is that why you slept with me? A distraction so I wouldn’t go after Randy when we got home?”

“Bad word choice.” He gave her his most charming smile. His brain was still stumbling behind, though, and he couldn’t think of a good excuse, so he used the fallback option.

Running the palm of his hand along the silky smooth warmth of her hip, he leaned closer to brush his lips over hers.

She hissed. Tyler pulled back fast. From the look in her eyes, she wouldn’t hesitate to bite.



RITA FELT SO EMOTIONALLY battered it actually hurt to move. But she’d be damned if she’d lie there bare-assed naked with someone who thought so little of her.

Throwing off the covers, she leaped from the warm bed, suddenly feeling exposed. She grabbed her sweater, pulling it on without bothering with a bra.

“C’mon, sweetheart. Don’t be this way.” He had the nerve to sound all innocent, like he hadn’t just done the emotional equivalent of telling a kid there was no such thing as Santa Claus.

“You hit on me in the bar to piss Benny off,” she accused him as realization hit her like a brick wall. Shards of pain sliced through her, making it hard to catch her breath enough to speak. “You were trying to blow my ride home.”

That sexy, multiple orgasm glow left his face and it hardened into stiff, unreadable lines. But Tyler didn’t say a word.

“You went along with giving me a ride home to keep an eye on me, didn’t you?” He still kept silent, but the answer was clear in his eyes.

“You’re making it sound ugly and premeditated, like I was trying to hurt you,” he finally said.

Feeling more naked than ever, Rita glanced around the room in search of her jeans. Grabbing her panties, she had them halfway up her thighs when a thought hit her.

“You didn’t have any stops to make, did you?” Her breath lodged painfully in her chest, and she had to swallow before continuing. “You made that up to drag the trip out. To give your brother time to get away before I got home.”

“Look, you’re turning this into a bigger deal than it really is,” he protested.

“Do you deny it?” she asked, hoping like crazy he would. Even if it was a lie, she wanted to hear the words.

But Tyler Ramsey never backed down from a fight. Instead he shifted into a sitting position, leaning against the headboard and slapping his arms across his chest.

“I don’t deny I was looking out for my family. That’s what I do. It had nothing to do with you, really.”

Her jeans on now, Rita almost zipped up her fingers as they fumbled in shock at his words. “Nothing to do with me?”

“Look, you’re stronger than Randy. You don’t get what it’s like to fail. To carry a torch, to wish for someone who’s way out of your league.”

Wasn’t her entire life a series of failures? The biggest one lying there naked right now? And she wasn’t even talking about the pathetic torch she’d carried for him all these years. Unwilling to let him see her tears, she started packing.

“What’re you doing?”

“What’s it look like I’m doing?” Hurt fueling her movements, Rita tossed her belongings, willy-nilly, into her tote bag.

“Get real,” Tyler chided in that “I’m a man so I can see you’re acting ridiculous” tone that made her want to stop tossing things in her bag and aim it at his head instead. “What’re you going to do? Sleep in the truck?”