Matt—The Callahan Brothers (Brazos Bend Book 2) (13 page)

“Cheap! Lady, you’re the most expensive piece of” —he checked his words when she shot him a glare— “work I’ve ever run across. Do you want to know how much my hospital bill was?”

She sniffed. “I offered to pay.”

“I don’t want your money.” His voice dropped and he trailed a finger down her arm, both his words and touch bringing a shudder to her skin as he softly declared, “Heaven help me, I want you. Beneath me. On top of me. Every way I can have you. Now.”

O.M.G.

Heat rushed through Torie and it took every ounce of strength she could muster not to throw herself into his arms in wild, wanton abandon. But, he might not respect her, but she respected herself. She wasn’t going to fall into bed with a man just because kissing him curled her toes. “We haven’t even had a date.”

“I’ll take you to dinner.” He stepped forward, bent, and kissed her neck. “Afterwards.”

It was tempting—he was tempting—but she did have her pride. “I don’t sleep with men on our first date.”

“Then consider this our second. The first was on the island.” He nibbled her earlobe, then said, “Let’s go upstairs, Victoria.”

She wavered. It had been an awfully long time, and this man had starred in her fantasies for months. But despite the free-spirited ways, she wasn’t a slut. She didn’t jump into bed with a man on the spur of the moment. She always had a relationship with the men with whom she slept.

He saved your life. If that’s not a relationship, what is?
 

And this wasn’t really the spur of the moment, was it? Hadn’t she spent the last year and a half regretting that she’d missed her chance to be a Bond girl? Was she going to turn down this second chance and likely regret it the rest of her life?

 
She licked her lips, swallowed hard, then startled when she felt the stroke of a canine tongue against her ankle. Gigi. She’d forgotten all about her. And the promise she’d made to Janice Williams.

“I can’t go upstairs. I have to go to the groomer.”

“I don’t care if your legs are shaved or not.”

Gee, thanks.
“Janice Williams made an appointment for Gigi at her pet groomer for me, since so many of the parents wanted shots with her with their children tomorrow. The shop is staying open late to accommodate Gigi, so I have to go.”

Matt grimaced and released her, letting out a long sigh. “Right now, dogs have taken a big fall on my list of favorite animals. All right, Victoria. You have a safe trip to ... wherever.”

He turned around and walked away.

Torie’s heart sank as she cuddled Gigi close and watched him leave. He was leaving, just like that? They’d been minutes away from naked, and he turned off his turn-on like a light switch?

Yep, his name really was Bond, James Bond.

She sighed and whined at Gigi. “Sweetie, couldn’t you have found a rabbit to chase instead of my ankle to lick?”

As Matt Callahan opened the door to his truck and climbed into the cab, Torie tried to tell herself that this was for the best. The man didn’t like her. He lusted for her, but he didn’t like her. Self-pride alone should cause her to keep her clothes on. Yet, in that sentence, the word “alone” resonated more at the moment than did “self-pride.” She was so tired of being alone and scared and lonely.
 

Stop it. You’re flirting with self-pity, and that’s a destructive road to travel.

Torie drew in a deep, bracing breath, and told herself she’d dodged a bullet. If they’d gone to bed, she would have regretted it in the morning.

But at least you’d have had an orgasm. Maybe even multiples.

The truck’s engine roared to life. Through the windshield’s glass, their gazes met and held for a long moment. Then he nodded once and she sighed with real regret.

He put the engine into gear and made a U-turn on the road in front of Cottonwood Cottage. “Goodbye, Double-Oh-Yeah.”

Rising, she started to turn away as the truck approached the stop sign at the end of the street and tried to turn her attention to something...anything...other than Matt Callahan. Then, to her shock and surprise, the back-up lights on the pickup lit up. The truck flew up the street in reverse at stopped in front of the B&B. Leaving the vehicle running, he flung open the door and marched in her direction. He didn’t look happy. Torie’s heart climbed to her throat and everything feminine within her clutched tight.

“I don’t want to want you,” he declared.

“I don’t want to want you, either.”

“It’s a powerful chemistry.”

“Yes, it is.”

“We can drop the dog at the groomer, then make a quick stop by the drugstore. Okay?”

Her mouth dry, her pulse pounding, Torie swallowed hard, then nodded.

“Just so we’re clear on this, Victoria, this compromise of mine only goes so far. One time will not be enough for me.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I intend to buy the big box of rubbers. I want the whole freakin’ night.”

Her smile bloomed like the bluebonnets. Multiples!

Chapter Seven

Over the years, in places all over the world, Matt had learned to trust his instincts. Whenever he faced a decision with no clear-cut answer, he invariably went with his gut. Usually, it worked out well, but then, seldom were his instincts at war with themselves like they were right now. His gut was telling him to run like hell.

A more primitive urge pulsed louder.

As he climbed back behind the wheel, he admitted that some instincts were simply stronger than others. He, apparently, had surrendered to it.

As Torie buckled her seat belt, he reached for the CD case he’d rescued from his own truck. Moments later, pulsating hard rock mood music filled the cab. “So, where we taking the mutt?”

As the Stones rolled off a drum riff, Torie reached over and turned down the stereo. “A place called Kountry Klippers. Do you know it?”

“Yeah. We’ll be there in five.”

They dropped the dog off at the groomer, and while Torie cooed and cuddled her goodbyes, Matt made arrangements for the groomer to board Gigi overnight. Now that he’d decided which body part to listen to, damned if he’d let the four-legged puff ball interfere.

Next Matt made a quick call to Les to check the readiness of the lake house adjoining his property, making sure he’d have the privacy and other necessities he’d need for tonight. Les confirmed that the babe parade still didn’t know he owned the house, thank goodness. There were steaks in the fridge and wine in the cellar and locks on the doors. Now all they had to do was get there. When Torie finally tore herself away from her dog and joined him, Matt was pacing the parking lot.

“I’m sorry, Matt. This is the first time I’ve allowed Gigi out of my sight since the oven incident and it’s difficult to leave her. Maybe it’d be better if we went and had dinner while she’s being groomed. Then we could pick her back up on our way to ... well, wherever you’re taking me.”

“No.” It was all Matt could do not to scoop her up and throw her over his shoulder, then into the truck.

“But—”

“Gigi will be fine. I want to take you to bed, Victoria. Immediately.”

“You want a one-night stand, which is—”

“Standing. Lying. Sitting.”

“Oh, wow. Listen, Matt, that’s irresponsible enough as it is, but to leave my dog—”

“Swimming. Have you ever made love in a lake, Victoria?”

She reached for the truck to steady herself. “Water sex? Oh, talk about fantasy.”

“You can talk. I prefer to act.”

“Oh wow oh wow.” As his grin slowly dawned, she insisted, “I’m not easy, Callahan.”

“You’re telling me.” His tone was dry as he backed her toward his truck.

“I have my pride. But thinking about you naked and wet ...”

He growled low in his throat.

“Pride?” she muttered, then grumbled almost to herself, “Pride? Who am I kidding? At this point, I’m about ready to lay down in the parking lot for you.” She gave her head a disbelieving shake and added, “You might not believe it, but the fact that I even considered this ... this ... interlude ... is out of character for me.”

“Interlude is a nice word.” His gaze focused on the creamy length of her neck. He wanted to bite it.

He took another step forward and backed her against his truck. Heat from its sun baked metal wafted from its surface. He pressed his hot body against her front. He wondered which she thought was hotter.

“I figure it’s the stress,” she babbled as he leaned his head down and nibbled at that swanlike neck. “I wanted a timeout. An escape. A fantasy.”

“We’ll check my father’s attic.” Holding on to his control by a thread, Matt opened the passenger-side door. “I think one of my brothers stole a French maid’s costume and stashed it—”

“Not that kind of fantasy. It’s like I said before. Candlelight and soft music—not a quickie in an F150, Callahan. I want to wake up in your arms, not on your console.”

His hands grasped her waist and lifted her. “You want seduction.”

“I want romance.”

“I can do romance.” He set her in her seat, then grabbed a handful of her shirt at her breasts and pulled her toward him. This kiss was a slow, wet exploration designed to so distract her senses that she didn’t notice him loosening her shirt buttons until his hand slipped inside her bra and cupped her bare breast.

His rough palm spread over her soft, silky skin, cupping her, measuring her weight. He teased her nipple with his thumb and when she gasped against his mouth, he almost lost it.

A few minutes—or maybe hours—later, he ended the kiss, removed his hand, and shut the door. As he walked around to the driver’s-side door, he saw her looking into her visor mirror, fanning her rosy cheeks. Climbing into the cab, he heard her mutter, “Face it, Bradshaw. You are, too, easy.”

“I’m not complaining,” he observed.

They left the town of Brazos Bend on the main highway headed south. Matt concentrated on his driving for a time, effectively banking the heat between them. When he turned off the highway onto a two-lane farm-to-market road just about ten minutes from his lake place, he started in again. “What about fine red wine and dark chocolate?”

“What?”

“Do you find red wine and dark chocolate romantic?”

“Yes.” She drew in a shuddering breath. “Definitely.”

“Jazz or classical guitar?”

“I’m a John Coltrane fan.”

He tuned his satellite radio and the sultry sounds of a saxophone soon floated through the cab. “How about a starry sky and a full moon? Are those romantic?”

She glanced out the window to the star-studded sky above.

“Definitely.”

In a whiskey-smooth voice, he asked, “What about a man who wants you beyond reason?”

She visibly shuddered. “How much farther?”

“Ah, now, Victoria. We’re just getting started.”
 

***

Demon. Devil. Temptation driving a truck.

Torie’s thoughts spun as she watched his fingers beat a steady tempo on the steering wheel. Danger ... danger ... danger, it seemed to warn. Yet, he made her feel safe. And hot. And wet.

Man oh man. I’m losing it.

Actually, she’d lost it back in the parking lot when she’d agreed to this adventure.

What was she doing? Thirty minutes ago, she wouldn’t have let him touch her on a bet. Now she thought if he didn’t touch her soon, she might explode.

She needed this. The escape from the fear of the past few weeks. The fantasy that had haunted her since the island. She wanted to put aside reality for a little while and indulge. She wanted to have this man for one night with no regrets.

Torie sat back in her seat, closed her eyes, and asked herself if she was emotionally prepared to give herself under these circumstances. If she could pull it off without suffering regrets. “You don’t even like me. I’m the Evil Twin.”

“I’ve always been pulled toward the dark side.”

“But—”

“Listen, Shutterbug, I don’t know why it is, but you and I have enough chemistry between us to stock a research lab. I’m done fighting it. I suggest you do the same. I’ll give you the romance you want. I’ll make your body sing. Let that be enough.”

Torie drummed her fingers against her thigh. “Sing?”

“Like Kate Smith doing ‘God Bless America.’”

“Kate Smith?” Torie frowned. “Does that visual really work for you?”

A faint smile played across his mouth. “The only visual I have room for in my mind is the one of you in that scrap of a swimsuit on Soledad Island.”

Okay. That, she liked. The girl in her couldn’t help but be flattered.

The woman in her recalled her own vision—the one of Matt Callahan naked in the cave. Agent Yummy Buns.

All right. You win. No more second thoughts.
“So, you mentioned something about a date?”

“I was thinking of a moonlight cruise. I keep a couple of runabouts at my lake cabin and the weather tonight is perfect. We’ll need to wait an hour or so before the moon comes up, but I figure we can find a way to pass the time.”