A Perfect Fit (10 page)

          The corners of Beau’s mouth turned up in a smile. “If it were left up to me I know what I would do.” His hands began moving down her body, pausing long enough to squeeze her butt.

          “Really, what?” She didn’t want his undying love. She didn’t even want a commitment. All she wanted to know was that he was willing to give it some time to see where things went between them. She would like to know he wasn’t just using her as a sex toy for the weekend, even though she was benefiting from it too.

          “Keep you naked and tied to my bed.”

          Her heart sank. “Until you grow tired of me?” Marissa braced herself for his answer, but she had to know.

          Suddenly she found herself at the receiving end of a scowl. Beau’s eyes narrowed on her with a hardness that was as tangible as a slap, and his hand stilled from caressing her bottom. Marissa had to wonder if she’d hit a nerve with him, or perhaps backed him into a corner.

          “Is that what you believe?” His tone was as cold as ice.

          Marissa remained quiet. She’d been teasing, kind of, trying to keep the conversation light between them. It was apparent by the change in Beau that he had taken her comment seriously, and didn’t like it.

          “Is that the kind of men you like?”

          “No!” she was quick to insist.

          “When I said I’d keep you naked and tied to my bed it was for purely selfish reasons. Not to use you whenever I feel like it. The truth is, I want you, Marissa. And not just for this weekend.” His sensuous mouth tightened into a white line. “I think we owe it to ourselves to give it some time. To see where this physical attraction leads.”

          Marissa found herself grinning. “Calm down, cowboy.” She tried to move up his body to kiss him, but he took hold of her wrists and held them behind her back. “We want the same things.” She gasped and struggled briefly, wiggling helplessly against him. “Don’t you want to kiss me?” she pouted playfully, unbelievably happy that they were on the same page.

          His gaze moved over her face and down to her lovely breasts. Being crushed against his chest didn’t keep her nipples from hardening. She slipped her knee between his legs, intent on teasing him.  

          “Don’t you want to touch me?” she asked softly. He grunted. “Run your hands over my body? Between my legs?” There was no mistaking the awareness flaring in his eyes, yet he seemed determined not to give into Marissa’s playfulness. “Or have I finally worn you out?”

          Beau let loose a bark of laughter, and shook his head with resignation. “I knew you were going to be trouble.”

          “Then it’s good thing I haven’t disappointed you.” Beau didn’t let her wrists go, but he did lean forward and kiss her. It was short, but no less satisfying.

          “So tell me, trouble-what are you thinking about?”

          Marissa decided to tell him exactly what she thought. She smiled. “I think we like each other, cowboy. We certainly have sexual chemistry. But we’re both adult enough to know there’s more to a relationship than hot sex.”

          “And?”

          She shrugged. “Like you said, we owe it to ourselves to give it some time.” Marissa suddenly felt shy. She lowered her gaze. “I’m willing to, ah, wait, and see what develops.”

          Beau’s hand moved beneath her chin. A little nudge forced her to raise her face until she met his gaze. “Are you sure that’s what you want? Being tied down to one man? You live a pretty hectic life, you travel a lot.”

          “So do you, cowboy.”

          He nodded. “Yep.” He kissed Marissa tenderly, one, two, three soft pecks before planting his mouth firmly on hers, taking her lips in a sensuous attack that turned her blood warm. He took all she could give, demanding more. She willingly opened her mouth to his seeking tongue, moaning loudly. When he pulled back, it was way too soon. “So, what now, lady?”

          She thought for a moment. “I think we’d better get out of this pool before we turn into prunes.” Beau helped her up.

          She didn’t realize he was right behind her until she reached for the towel she’d hung over the back of her lounger. Before she could cover her nudity, his arms came around her, and he took the towel. She swung around and faced him as he opened it and pulled it around her, jerking her against him.

          “Maybe it’s a good thing you’re leaving here on Monday. I can’t think of anything else when you’re around.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “What’s your schedule like between now and the Fourth of July?”

          That was a month away. Marissa thought for a moment. Kirk handled her schedule and he made all her travel arrangements. He booked her modeling assignments, and limited the information he shared with her so she wouldn’t feel overwhelmed.

          “The only thing I know right now is that I head out to California on Monday. Kirk booked a TV commercial for me, modeling underwear for a top name brand. I’ll have him give you a call.”

          “So I can’t see you in person, but I can watch you on TV, in your underwear? Do you know what that’s going to do to me?”

          “Make you that much happier to see me in person?” Marissa couldn’t stop the mischievous grin from covering her face.

          “Cute.” He jerked her closer against him. “Getting back to the Fourth of July. We always hold an old-fashioned cookout here. It’s an all-day and into-the-evening thing, and everyone in the county from miles around comes. Think you can make it?”

          Marissa knew she would do whatever it took to be there, but decided to keep it to herself. She didn’t want to seem too eager or available. “I’ll do my best, cowboy. But that’s a month away. What happens if I manage any time off before then?”

          “Call me. I’ll come to you.”

          Marissa liked the sound of that.  

Epilogue

Fourth of July…

          Marissa’s jaw dropped as she neared the ranch. It was mid-morning and she was amazed at the number of vehicles already parked in the yard. Most were trucks, in a wide range of ages and conditions. It was clear, which were working vehicles and which were for personal use. When her gaze found the guests, she realized they all had three things in common-jeans, boots, and cowboy hats. She was glad she’d had the foresight to wear jeans and boots, but she didn’t own a hat.

          From all appearances, it looked like the Evans brothers had hired some professionals to handle the food preparation and cooking. Smoke billowed from several smokers. Rows of picnic tables had been set up and covered with red and white gingham table clothes. Mountains of paper plates, bowls, and cups were at the end of each table. There were kegs of what she assumed was beer, if the men gathered around them was any indication.

          She could hear music, and when she got closer to the house she saw a country band had been set up in a gazebo. Unsure of where to park, she pulled her leased car closer to the barn, parked by the fence, and turned off the ignition. She pulled off her sunglasses and tossed them onto the dashboard.

          God, she couldn’t wait to see Beau. Kirk had booked her so solidly through the last few weeks that she hadn’t been able to get any real time off, except for an afternoon here and there. He had been unable to get away, too, working back-to-back jobs. So they’d made do with nightly phone calls that only accomplished one thing. Leaving her lonely, horny, and a little more in love with the man.

          As she walked toward the house she spotted Beau talking to a couple of men at the bottom of the steps. His back was to her. She felt her pulse race as she let her gaze travel over his taut backside. Dressed like all the other men in faded work jeans, boots, and a cowboy hat, he was a vision for sore eyes.

          With a big smile on her face, Marissa walked up behind him, catching a whiff of his aftershave. She reached for his hat, stepped in front of him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. The happy surprise in his eyes was all worth it.

          “I’m back, cowboy.” Marissa stood on tiptoe and planted a long kiss on his lips. Slowly he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his embrace. That small hesitation planted a seed of doubt in her mind. Wasn’t he happy to see her? But when he didn’t open his mouth, she slowly drew back with mild concern.

          “Well, hello, darlin. That’s the best damn welcome I’ve had all day.”

          Marissa met the amusement in his eyes with a frown. Then it dawned on her that she’d mistaken one of Beau’s brothers for him. Her jaw dropped. She was too embarrassed to say anything, much less move.

          His eyes shifted at something over her shoulder. “Brother, I think this little beauty is yours.” He turned her around slowly.

          Marissa was vaguely aware of laughter surrounding them as she turned to face Beau.

          “I see you’ve met my brother, Chaz.”

          The brother whose priority in life was getting women in his bed. Still in shock, all she could do was nod.

          Beau stepped closer to her, amusement swimming in his eyes. “Do I get such a warm welcome, honey?”

          With Chaz’s hat still in her hand, she spun around and put it back on his head. When she faced Beau again she didn’t hesitate to throw herself into his arms. There was no hesitation in his crushing embrace. He lifted Marissa off her feet.

          “Hell, I missed you,” he said just before his mouth closed over hers.

          Marissa gave herself up to his smoldering kiss, happy to be back in his arms again, wondering why she’d ever left in the first place. Beau held her tightly, and this time she got the tongue action she wanted. She didn’t know how long they kissed, but when he pulled back, she was breathless and tingling all over.

          “I missed you, too, cowboy,” she smiled with tears in her eyes. “And I’ve got a whole week to show you how much.”

          “Just one week?” he teased.

          “Well, I’m pretty sure by the end of a week you’ll be, ah, worn out.” Marissa glanced around, noticing more people had arrived. “Do you think we can go someplace to have a quiet conversation?”

          Beau grabbed her by the hand and led her to the barn. Once inside he took her to the back where bales of hay were stacked. A small mountain of loose hay was in the corner as if someone had swept it there to pick up later. He pulled Marissa down with him, arranging her on his lap. Laughing, she wrinkled her nose.

          “You’ll learn to love it,” he said with regard to the strong animal smells. “Now what do you want to talk about?”

          Marissa shrugged. “I just wanted to be alone with you for a few minutes.” She glanced up at him. “I really missed you, Beau.”

          “I think you know how I feel,” he said gruffly.

          “Do I?” Marissa didn’t want to assume anything, and she’d made a promise to herself that she wouldn’t hem haw around when she saw Beau again but would tell him exactly how she felt. “I, ah, think it’s safe to say that we are, ah, involved.” So much for not hem hawing around. “Emotionally,” she added.
There, I said it.
She held her breath.

          “Is that so,” Beau said after a moment of studying her intently.

          Marissa couldn’t read anything in the tone of his voice. “Don’t you think so?” Then she thought about it. Maybe it was too soon for him. Maybe he didn’t know how he felt. She refused to let it get her down, not after the way he’d welcomed her with that toe-curling kiss. The hardest thing she’d ever had to do was keep the smile plastered on her face while staring up at him, waiting for some kind of response.

          “I only know one thing, darlin.” Beau leaned back, dragging her down with him, enclosing her in his arms. “I want you in my life. Physically, emotionally, every way there is. These last few weeks have been hell without you.”

          “So, you do think we have something, cowboy?” Marissa teased.

          His answer was to roll with her so that she ended up lying in the hay. Then his lips were moving sensuously, seductively over hers, drawing out her willing response. A series of short kisses and then one long, deep kiss that reached all the way to Marissa’s soul. It was the kind of kiss that pulled the raw emotion from her, leaving her eyes burning. She held on to Beau, trying to convey how she felt.

          “Does that answer your question?” His voice was hoarse.

          Marissa nodded, a tight knot in her throat keeping her from speaking at first. “I just wanted to make sure,” she said throatily. Her heart was swelling with an emotion she was almost afraid to expose. “Now, where were we?”

          His passionate kiss was all the answer Marissa needed.

The End

Author’s Other Books

Whiskey Creek Press Torrid
– http://www.whiskeycreekpresstorrid.com

It’s All in the Jeans

Wicked Desire

The Cowboy Way

Someone to Love Me

Passionate Encounters

Yield to Me – coming March 2013

The Wild Rose Press
– http://www.thewildrosepress.com