Wild Lust(19)

Reese continued to complain until he pulled the truck off the road in front of the one-lane gravel driveway that led to the rental house. Blane laughed and slid out of the truck, taking his groceries along with him.

He took a few long strides down the drive before turning around to see Reese, a scowl blackening his face. But the scowl only added to his enjoyment. “Hey, Reese.”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t wait up.”

Reese’s scowl deepened. Blane turned and headed down the drive. As he grew closer, he couldn’t help but whistle a happy tune.

The Richmand rental house was old with peeling paint. The once-white paint had grayed under the harsh Texas weather, and the lack of upkeep gave the small house a dilapidated appearance. Too bad she hadn’t found another rental, maybe one like the Carr brothers owned. But he was fairly certain she’d rented the house because of its location partway between Shatland and Forever. That and the fact that the house was close enough to the main road leading away from Forever to make a quick getaway.

“No one’s going anywhere tonight.” Since his hands were full carrying the groceries, he bumped his rear against the front door then stood up straight. He couldn’t wait to see her again. He could hardly blame Reese for giving in to temptation. Still, he’d never admit that to his brother.

When she didn’t answer, he set the bag on the front porch and rapped on the door. The house wasn’t big enough for her not to hear him. After waiting a couple of minutes, he decided to check around back.

He turned the corner of the house and came to a dead stop. Charlie was even more beautiful than he remembered. Dressed in a flowing sundress with spaghetti straps, her tanned skin glowed in the setting sun. Her long hair hung loose without the ball cap he’d seen her wearing since she’d arrived in Forever. Highlights of red and gold colored the dark tresses, and he could already feel their silky texture as her hair brushed over his skin. The sundress was thin, and he could see the outline of her long, shapely legs. He squinted. Was she bare under the dress?

Her nipples stood out like ripe raspberries against the pale flowers decorating the dress and, when a breeze came, the sundress whipped between her legs, outlining her crotch.

He dragged in a slow breath and reminded himself that he couldn’t pull a Reese and take her to bed. He wanted to make her realize how special she was before he got her between the sheets.

She bent over to place a bucket of water in front of the horse. The front of her dress dipped lower, giving him a tantalizing glimpse of the swell of her breasts. She stood and stroked the horse’s neck, her mouth moving as she spoke softly to Ripcord. Reaching behind her, she took one of the apples out of a basket and held it out for the horse.

“I wish I knew your name.” Her bright smile put the sun to shame.

“His name’s Ripcord.”

She whirled toward him, her luscious mouth opened in an O shape. How long would he have to wait to have her make an O with her mouth and put it around his cock? Not long, he hoped.

“What are you doing here?”

Although her question was spoken with a challenging tone, he couldn’t find any trace of anger or suspicion on her face. Her cheeks were bright from a day in the sun, but he guessed the pink coloring her skin came from another source.

“You know, people around here used to hang horse thieves. Some still do.” He sauntered over to her, taking his time so he wouldn’t startle either her or Ripcord.

“And what do they do to spies?”

Shit. He’d hoped she wouldn’t bring up that issue quite so fast. “Point taken.”

Her gaze scanned him as though she could see through his clothes. Did she know he could see through hers? His cock twitched to life, and he resisted the urge to reposition it. “Tell you what. I’ll forget about you stealing my horse if you’ll forget about us watching you.”

“Hmm. I don’t know that I’d call it watching or spying. The word stalking comes to mind.”

He flattened his hand over his heart. “Ouch. Miss, I am no stalker.” Girls tended to like his imitation of a Southern gentleman, and he was pleased to see that she was no exception.

“I asked you why you’re here.” Her cocoa-colored eyes narrowed. “Aside from getting your horse back.”

“Rupert, the man who works for us, will come around and get Ripcord home. Dutch, the best mechanic around these parts, is going to deliver your pickup later on. But I came to give you a peace offering. Let me cook you dinner to make up for getting off on the wrong foot.” He took a step closer and was happy when she didn’t move back from him.