Time Out (15 page)

“I do,” she
whimpered, as though admitting the truth pained her. “You know I
do.”

Gliding his
hands all over her body, he said, “Tell me this is mine. Tell me
I’m the only man who has the right to touch you this way.” He
wasn’t fighting fair, but she wasn’t playing by the rules either.
He rolled her nipples between his thumb and forefinger. “Tell
me.”

“I’m…
yours.”

He seized her
hips when she moved against him. “Tell me again. Look me in the eye
and tell me.”

Her eyes held
his for a highly charged moment before she finally whispered, “I’m
yours.”

He pulled her
down into his arms, caressing her and whispering words of adoration
as their bodies finally succumbed to the bliss of completion.

***

Megan had
barely had time to eat all day, and by seven o’clock, she was more
than ready for a hot bath and a soft bed.

“I thought I
might find you here.”

Megan looked up
to see Shaw Carver leaning in her doorway. She smiled. “Hey,
stranger. What brings you by?”

“You haven’t
been returnin’ my calls. I figured this was the only way I’d get to
see you.”

She hadn’t been
avoiding him. She’d been so caught up in Nick for the past week,
she’d barely had time to think about anyone or anything else. Every
night, she ended up at his house, despite her vow that she would
drive down the dirt road to his parents’ home. No matter how often
she told herself being with him was a bad idea, a little voice in
her head told her to steal moments of pleasure whenever she could.
Once she left Nashville, the memories of their time together would
have to last her a lifetime.

She stood up
and slipped into the high heels under her desk. “I’m sorry about
that. I’ve just been so busy with work.”

“How does a
burger at Jimmy’s sound?”

Since Nick had
texted to tell her he couldn’t hook up with her until eleven, she
knew she had time to spare. Her conscience told her she owed Shaw
an explanation.

“A burger
sounds great. I’m famished.”

They drove to
Jimmy’s in Shaw’s truck while making easy small talk about her work
and the upcoming Derby one of his horses was racing in.

Once they
arrived at Jimmy’s, Megan spotted J.T. behind the bar talking to
one of his customers. J.T. lifted an eyebrow and frowned when he
saw her with Shaw, but she just smiled and waved. She didn’t feel
like taking on Nick’s family.

Since it was
Friday night, the bar was already crowded. The only remaining booth
was near the door, but Megan and Shaw agreed they didn’t mind.

Once they’d
placed their order, Shaw reached across the table for her hand.
“I’ve missed you. Where you been hidin’?”

“I’ve
been…”

“What the hell
is this?”

Megan closed
her eyes and sank deeper in her seat. Nick hadn’t said where he was
going tonight, and she hadn’t thought to ask. Obviously, she should
have.

“Get the hell
out of here, McCall,” Shaw said. “The lady and I are just catchin’
up.”

“Is that
right?”

Megan felt the
hostility emanating from Nick. As much as she would like to slink
away, she knew that wasn’t an option, so she forced herself to face
him. “Can we talk about this later?” She looked past him and saw a
group of guys about Nick’s age crowding around the bar, watching
their exchange with amused interest. “Your friends?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he
said, leaning closer. “Now you wanna tell me what the hell you’re
doin’ here with him?”

“She doesn’t
owe you an explanation, McCall.”

The tension
between the two men had always been palpable, but Megan felt it
getting thicker with every passing second. If she didn’t do
something fast, they’d be spilling blood all over J.T.’s floor.
“Will you excuse us for just a minute, Shaw? I need to have a word
with Nick in private.”

“Don’t be
afraid to put him in his place, sugar. I’ve been doin’ it all our
lives,” Shaw said, grinning.

When Nick
attempted to get closer to Shaw, Megan seized Nick’s hand and led
him away. Deciding the dance floor was as good a place to talk as
any, she found a spot and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling
him into her arms when he seemed reluctant to close the gap between
them.

He was still
scowling when his hands came around her waist, pulling her closer.
“Start talkin’.”

“Shaw stopped
by my office and asked if I wanted to grab a burger with him. End
of story.”

“I thought I
made myself clear.” His blue eyes glittered with fury, his jaw
clenched tight, when he looked at her. “You’re with me, only me.
That means you don’t go out for a goddamn burger with a guy you
know I can’t stand, or any guy for that matter.”

Megan took a
deep breath and counted to ten, promising herself she wouldn’t make
a scene. People had started to recognize her from her TV show, and
the last thing she needed was bad press. “I don’t appreciate being
told where I can go. You don’t own me.”

He drew her in
tight, whispering in her ear, “I owned you last night. When you
were beggin’ me to make you come over and over again, I owned
you.”

She pushed
against his chest, heeding the warning bells going off inside her
head. “You bastard! Who the hell do you think you are?”

His arms
tightened around her waist like steel bands. “If you think I’m
gonna let you go back to your date, you’re crazy.”

“Take your
hands off me!” She felt his heart pounding, and she knew they were
both on the verge of snapping. She’d never had a man try to lay
claim to her before, and she would be damned if she allowed Nick
McCall to get away with thinking he had that right.

“Tell me you
drove here,” Nick said.

“No. I came
with Shaw.”

“You’re leavin’
with me.”

“No, I’m not,”
Megan said.

“Yes, you
are.”

She felt his
arousal prodding her stomach, and she cursed her body for
responding even though she was furious. “I’m going to stay here and
have dinner with Shaw. If you don’t like it, you can leave.”

Megan was
almost afraid she’d pushed him too far when she saw the rage in his
eyes. She knew his feud with Shaw had gone on for decades, and she
didn’t want to be the match that lit his fuse.

“If he lays one
hand on you, he’s gonna be pickin’ his teeth up off the floor.”

She had no
doubt he meant it. She would be a fool to fan the inferno raging
inside of him. “I came here with him because I wanted to tell him
in person I couldn’t see him anymore. This isn’t a date.”

He relaxed
marginally. “Do you know what it did to me, walkin’ in here and
seein’ you with him? His hands on you…” He swore softly. “He wants
you, Meg, and it’s eatin’ me up inside.”

Because she
knew how difficult admitting that was, she drew his head down and
whispered, “I thought I did a pretty a good job of convincing you
you’re the only man I want right now.”

His fingers dug
into her waist. “Why the hell do you always do that? Why do you
qualify it like you need to remind me I’m just a temporary fixture
in your life? I’m not good enough for the long haul. I get
that.”

She was rocked
by the hurt lurking beneath the anger. “Nick, I didn’t mean-”

“I’m not some
A-list actor or a goddamn rock star. I know that. You could have
any man you want. Why the hell would you want some worthless
cowboy, right?”

“What are you
talking about? I’m with you because I can’t stand not being with
you.” She framed his face with her hands, forcing him to look at
her. For the first time, she wanted him to see what their
relationship was doing to her. “I think about you all the time. I
count the hours until I can find some stupid reason to show up on
your doorstep. I hold my breath waiting for you to answer the door,
praying you haven’t changed your mind about me in the last twelve
hours.” By the time she finished, she was shaking and breathless…
and he stared at her as if he was seeing her for the first
time.

He hugged her
fiercely. “I’d give anything to make love to you right now. Not
because I’m jealous that you’re here with Carver and I need to
prove that you’re mine…” He kissed her tenderly, resting his
forehead against hers. “I need to show you how I feel about you,
Meg. There are no words to describe this crazy connection. Only
when I’m inside of you do I feel like you really get how much you
mean to me.”

Megan knew
exactly what he meant. During the daylight hours, she worked
tirelessly to convince herself theirs was a meaningless, temporary
affair, but as soon as they closed his bedroom door, the truth
closed in.

“Can you just
give me some time with Shaw? Please. I need to explain.”

He seemed to
consider her request. “Fine, but you’re leavin’ with me. You’re
goin’ home to make love to
me
.”

His fierce
possessiveness should have sent her running, but for someone who’d
never felt wanted or loved, it was a welcome change. “It’s a deal.”
She reached up to kiss him, curling her arm around his neck. “That
was just to tide you over.”

Nick held her
hand when she stepped out of his arms. “Meg?”

“What?”

“Just remember…
I’m crazy about you.”

***

Nick fisted his
hand on the table as he watched the woman he cared about cozying up
to the man he despised. They hadn’t touched since he’d warned Megan
against it, but every time Carver made her laugh, Nick’s gut
twisted as though he had witnessed a physical caress.

“What the
hell’s goin on between you and Carver’s chick, man?” James
asked.

He’d been
friends with that group of guys since high school. They all knew
Shaw Carver and how much Nick hated him.

“She’s not
Carver’s woman. She’s mine.”

Nick’s best
friend, Warren, nudged his shoulder. “I think someone should tell
her the score. From where I’m sittin’, she and Carver look pretty
tight.”

Nick finished
off his third Jack Daniels. Megan was still working on her first
glass of wine. She’d be driving his car home. “I warned her not to
let him get too close.”

James stole a
glance at her. “She looks familiar. I haven’t seen you two
together, so where the hell have I seen her?”

“On TV,” their
friend Kevin chimed in. “She does that country music show.”

“That’s right,”
James said, snapping his fingers. “Man, she’s even hotter in
person.”

“Watch it,”
Nick said as he gestured for another round of drinks.

“Why haven’t
you told me about her?” Warren asked.

“We haven’t
been seein’ each other that long.”

The waitress
rested her hand on Nick’s shoulder when she delivered their drinks,
and Nick couldn’t hide his smile when he spotted Megan shooting
daggers through the back of the waitress’s head.

“So, is it
serious, or what?” Warren asked.

“I’d like it to
be.” That was an understatement. He’d never pursued a woman that
way before, never been so terrified he was less than she
needed.

“So why the
hell is she out with Carver?” James asked, drinking his beer.

“They were
seein’ each other before we hooked up.” Nick glared when Megan
leaned across the table and rested her hand on Shaw’s forearm. “She
said she’s here to tell him about us.”

“What’s there
to tell? You bangin’ her, or what?” Kevin asked, grinning.

Those guys had
known him half his life, so Nick wouldn’t normally have been
offended, but his feelings for Megan were different. “Mind your own
business, asshole.”

The three men
looked at each other and laughed. They said in unison, “He’s
bangin’ her.”

“So, watchin’
your woman with the enemy must make you crazy, huh, McCall?” James
laughed.

Nick knew his
friends were just trying to get a rise out of him. He would have
done the same thing, but they didn’t know how close he was to
losing it. Just seeing them together pushed him closer to the edge
than he’d ever been before, and he didn’t know how to suppress the
rage. With every fiber of his being, he wanted to pick Megan up and
carry her away from Carver. He couldn’t risk alienating her when
they were finally getting closer.

“I suggest we
change the subject,” Nick said.

J.T. walked up
and gripped his nephew’s shoulder. “I want to make sure y’all have
a ride home before I head out.”

The guys all
said they did before J.T. turned to Nick. “How ‘bout you? Did you
drive tonight?”

“Yeah, but Meg
didn’t. She’ll be drivin’ my car home.”

Nick was
grateful he’d brought his convertible instead of his pickup. As
much as he’d love to see Megan shifting gears in her tight little
dress and high heels, he didn’t think they’d make it all the way to
the ranch without him directing her to pull off on some dark,
deserted road.

He wanted her
so badly. He could almost smell her perfume, taste her on his lips.
His hands itched with the urge to caress her skin, to feel her
under him again, hear her crying out his name. His desire went
beyond needing to wipe the image of Carver out of her mind. He
wanted to possess her the way she possessed him.

“Why him?” Shaw
groaned. “Of all the guys you could have picked, why the hell did
it have to be him?”

Megan hadn’t
said it in so many words, but Shaw was a perceptive man. The way
her eyes had drifted to Nick all night made guessing the reason for
her distraction easy.

“I’m so sorry.
I never intended to start seeing him, it just kind of happened. I
want you to know, I wasn’t with him while I was dating you. I
swear.”

“That’s
somethin’, I guess.” Shaw scowled as he reached for his beer. “Damn
it, Megan, you and I could have had somethin’ special if you’d
given me half a chance.”