Tex Read online

  Who knew all I had to do was kiss the man to get it?

  “I trust you’ll keep my secret,” Tex says to me, his tone serious.

  I gulp a swallow, meeting those dark, intense eyes. “Of course you can trust me.” My nipples pebble, and I drop my gaze. If I don’t keep myself occupied, I might do more than kiss him. I’d never live down the humiliation if Tex Wilder rejected me. “How long have you had the place?” I slowly wander the open concept kitchen and living area. The furniture is sparse, but the framed pictures on the wall are plentiful.

  “Bought it last summer.”

  “Wow, you’re pretty good at keeping secrets then.”

  Tex moves toward the fridge, opening the door and poking his head inside. “I don’t have much,” he says. “Some beer. Bottled water. Can’t say I trust the orange juice.”

  I stop in front of a framed picture from a movie set I recognize. Tex has been in three different films, and I’ve watched them all so many times I have everyone’s lines memorized. “I’d be up for a beer.”

  I hear the crack of two bottles caps, but not the approaching footsteps that would have warned me about his proximity. “Here you go.”

  “Thanks.” Our fingers brush against each other as he hands me a cold bottle, and I’m instantly transported back to that steamy kiss. Tex didn’t freeze under my impulsive move. His lips moved right along with mine, almost like he wanted to kiss me. I want so badly to ask him, to know if maybe, just maybe, Tex Wilder might be into me.

  “This is from my first movie,” he says with a nod toward the framed photo I’m admiring.

  “I know.”

  “Do you?”

  “Who in this town doesn’t know about your movie star status?” I tease.

  “Just minor roles,” he says. “I’m nobody.”

  Did I imagine the hurt in his voice? I turn to him and dare to gaze into the depths of his eyes for the answer. It’s a dangerous thing to do, and I might live to regret it. “You’re not nobody, Tex.” I want to tell the man he’s everything. I almost do. But fear holds me back. If things get awkward between us, we’re stuck together. “Everybody loves you. Not just the actor version. The entertainer.”

  He shrugs a laugh. “That’s acting too, sweetheart.” Tex steps away and takes a drink. The electric cloud between us thins, but I feel pulled to him just the same. I fight the urge and take a sip from my own bottle.

  I continue to roam until I reach a short hallway. The bedroom door is wide open, and the moonlight pouring in from the window reveals a large bed. I can’t seem to tear my eyes away. Surely it’s safer to stare at a piece of furniture than the cowboy behind me.

  “To be safe, we should stay the night,” Tex says from the opposite side of the kitchen island. “Will that be a problem?”

  TEX

  “Nope. No problem here.” Gemma still hasn’t turned around from the hallway, which means I still haven’t stopped staring at her ass. The urge to grab her is so overwhelming I have to force myself to put distance between us.

  “There’s no cell reception out here,” I add. It’s the last out I’m giving her. I’m drawn to Gemma in ways I shouldn’t be. She’s too sweet for a broken cowboy. The last thing I want to do is destroy her.

  “I told Liz I was with you,” she says, finally turning toward me.

  My eyes sweep over her curves, practically making me salivate. For months I’ve fantasized about stripping Gemma down naked and kissing every inch of her body. Desire for her has tugged at me in my dreams. Would it scare her to know that I stroked myself to her image in the shower just this morning?

  Fuck me. I need to do something—anything—to distract myself from misbehaving. “What’s your story Gemma?” I ask, going to the fridge for a second beer.

  “My story?”

  “Yeah. Where’d you grow up? What do you do? That sort of thing.”

  Gemma slips onto a barstool on the opposite side of the island and leans against the counter. It’s impossible not to admire the generous cleavage on display.

  “Grew up here,” says Gemma. “Born and raised. Both of my parents have passed away. My younger sister Liz is my only remaining family. I’m a high school drama teacher.” She shrugs, her finger circling the rim of her bottle. “I guess that’s kind of all there is to tell.”

  I should leave it alone. The more I get to know about Gemma, the harder it will be to resist her. But I can’t help myself. “What’s your favorite childhood memory?”

  “Oh, that’s an easy one,” she says. “My family took a trip to Universal Studios in Hollywood. I was nine at the time. It was the most magical experience of my life. It’s the reason I became a drama teacher, really.”

  “You like acting.”

  Gemma leans back, but it doesn’t help distract me from her tits. Fuck this is going to be a long night.

  “I like the possibly of being someone else for a little while,” she answers. “It’s fun. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  Though my movie roles have all required me to be a cowboy, they definitely did allow me to become someone else entirely. “I guess.”

  Gemma empties her beer. I envy the bottle that got to feel her lips pressing against it. That kiss is on replay in my mind. I want to kiss her again, but I know where it’ll lead. Straight to a heartbroken Gemma. “We should get some sleep,” I say. “It’s late.”

  She slips off her stool and comes around the kitchen island to rinse out her bottle in the sink. Our hips brush and my breath hitches. “Only one bed, huh?” She’s staring into the sink, so I can’t see the expression on her face.

  “I can sleep out here.”

  “Where?”

  “On the couch.”

  Gemma laughs. “It’s a loveseat. It’s way too short.”

  When I picked out the furniture for this place, I never intended to have a guest. It was perfect for one man. “Take the bed, Gemma.” The mattress is only a full size.

  “We’re adults, Tex. We can both sleep in the bed and behave ourselves. Right?”

  “Right.” But it’s a lie. How the hell will I keep my hands to myself with Gemma sleeping right beside me?

  4

  GEMMA

  “You never wanted to be a bull rider?” I ask Tex from my spot on the bed. Despite our best attempts to sleep, it’s been impossible. Neither of us are tired, and the sexual tension is swirling like a cyclone in the short gap between our bodies.

  “Nah. Those guys are nuts.”

  We both laugh, as we’ve done many times while lying here together. It’s … comfortable. I’m still nervous as hell and hornier than I think I’ve ever been in my entire life, but propped on my side with Tex across from me in the moonlit room feels natural.

  “Your turn,” I say to Tex. Once we determined neither of us were going to sleep easily, we decided to swap questions.

  “What would you be if you could be anything?”

  The truth is, I’m pretty happy being me. Maybe to some people, being a high school drama teacher isn’t that exciting. I know it’s my calling, and I’m damn good at it. But in effort to keep things fun and lighthearted, I give Tex a different answer. “I always thought it might be fun to be a famous actress. Pretend to be someone different every movie. Strut down the red carpet. Have more money than I’d ever know how to spend.”

  “It’s not all glitz and glamour,” Tex says, the smile dropping from his lips.

  “It’s just a fantasy, Tex.” I daringly reach my hand out and use the tips of my fingers to lift his frown into a smile. I had hoped to make us laugh, but instead we’re both breathing heavier.

  I wait for him to tell me to ask the next question. Instead, he takes my hand into his own and brings my fingers to his lips.

  My panties were soaked hours ago, but my center tingles with urgency. I’ve spent so many nights tossing and turning, wishing Tex were in my bed with me.

  And here he is.

  To feel the brush of his lips against my skin is riveting. He ki
sses my fingers once more then pushes my hand back toward me. “Gemma, you’re a very special woman.”

  I cringe, my heart sinking. I’ve heard this line before. “Thanks?”

  He sits up, those dark eyes peering down at me. “I’m a broken man. I can’t offer you what you want.”

  It’s embarrassing how quickly hot tears assault the corners of my eyes. Of course Tex Wilder isn’t interested in me that way. If he was, it wouldn’t have taken him a year and an isolated cabin to admit it. I roll off the bed and hurry out of the room, swiping at the stupid tears.

  “Gemma,” he says.

  Since leaving isn’t an option tonight unless I want to walk several miles, I’ll sleep on the loveseat. I gather the throw blanket from the top of the couch cushion. It’s small, but it’ll keep me from freezing.

  “Gemma, stop.”

  “It’s fine, Tex,” I reply without turning around. I won’t let him see me cry. “Just go to bed.”

  The familiar woodsy cologne surrounds me at his approach. “Gemma, I didn’t mean it like that.” His hands cup my shoulders and turn me toward him, but I refuse to look up into those eyes.

  “Of course you did.” I try to shimmy out of his grip but fail. Even embarrassed as I am right now, the heat of his touch is doing all sorts of things to my body. Every nerve ending is awake. “I’m not your cover model type, and it’s okay. Let’s not make this any more awkward than it already is.” Hopefully I can skip a couple of rodeo weekends and things will go back to normal.

  Hopefully.

  “You really think that’s what this is about?”

  Like an idiot, I meet his gaze. I’m snared in a trap. So many emotions swirl in his eyes it’d take a lifetime to unravel them all. “What else would it be?”

  “All I want is to kiss you again, Gemma. Every last inch of you.”

  My eyes widen at his declaration. Because I’ve been unable to look away from him, I can see the sincerity of his words. “Then what’s stopping you?”

  TEX

  Desire is pulsing through every vein in my body for Gemma. I’ve noticed her since the first time I saw her, more than a year ago in a local coffee shop. I didn’t even say hello to her then, and I’ve always regretted it.

  But the heartache was very real back then. I knew I couldn’t trust myself not to hurt someone else when I was so badly mangled, so very black inside. I’m still mangled, but Gemma’s presence makes me feel hopeful that I’m mending somehow.

  “You deserve someone who can love you with his whole heart. I don’t have a whole heart.”

  Gemma steps closer and reaches a hand to my cheek. “Then let me help you make it whole again.”

  Resisting her kiss would be futile. Like refusing air to breath. I gather her into my arms and devour her mouth, finishing what we started at the rodeo. I kiss her until we’re both heaving and out of breath. Then I move my lips along her neck.

  Her fingers dig into the back of my head as I move lower.

  I slide my hands down her back until they’re cupped on her ass. In one swoop, I lift her up and she puts her legs around my waist. I carry her to the bedroom and set her on the edge of the mattress. “I meant what I said. I want to kiss every inch of you.”

  Though I’m eager to have her, I force myself to go slow. I remove her jeans with agonizing leisure, kneeling before her as I shimmy them from her ankles and onto the floor. I kiss my way up one leg and down the other.

  “You’re going to kill me,” she says.

  “I’ve wanted you too long to rush this.”

  “What?”

  I lift her shirt over her head, not shy at all about running them over the sides of her tits. “Did you think I didn’t notice you and this hot body of yours?” I kiss her nipples through the fabric of her bra.

  “Why would you notice me?”

  I lock my gaze with hers. “Because you’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.”

  “You’ve hardly ever talked to me.”

  Unclasping her bra, I urge her to lie down. “I never felt worthy of you, Gemma.” I grab a tit in each hand and start my not-so-gentle massage, kissing a trail between them. “If you think I’ve never thought about being inside you, you’re wrong. I’ve wanted you for so long.”

  “I’ve wanted you, too.”

  A part of me has known this to be true for months. The part of me that was pretty damn good at denial. I take my time kissing my way down to her panties. Slowly, I peel those away too. “I don’t want to hurt you, Gemma. I’d never forgive myself if I did.”

  “You didn’t even stay long enough at the wedding to dance with me,” she says. From between her legs, I watch the heavy rise and fall of her tits. “I was going to ask you.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t stay.” My lips trace a line along the inside of her thighs. “Please, let me make it up to you.” The sweet scent of her pussy has been teasing me long enough. I spread her lips and stroke her slowly with my tongue. Gemma gasps and fists a hand in my hair.

  “First,” I say against her swollen nub, “I’m going to eat your sweet, sweet pussy.” Her hips buck against my mouth. I know the vibration of my voice is adding an extra layer of pleasure. “And when I’m done, sweetheart, I’m going to do what I’ve wanted to do since the first time I saw you.” She’s moaning louder, panting heavier. “I’m going to bury my cock deep inside you and claim you for myself.”

  5

  GEMMA

  The vibrations of Tex’s mouth against my pussy are insane. His tongue and his mouth are working some form of magic down there. An alarming number of moans and cries escape from my mouth, but I don’t care.

  Tex freaking Wilder is eating me out.

  The sinfully hot cowboy got me naked. He’s wanted me all this time. If this is some fantasy dream, I hope I never wake up.

  I feel a finger slip inside my channel, and my hips buck toward his mouth on reflex.

  “That’s it, Gemma,” he says with his mouth fused to my cunt. “Rock that pussy.”

  In all of my fantasies, I don’t think I’ve pictured anything as hot as this scene right here, with Tex between my legs. I do as he says and gyrate my hips against his mouth as his finger slides in and out of me. With the hand I’ve had fisted in his hair since this all started, I push him harder against me.

  His greedy laugh buzzes against my increasingly sensitive bud. My eyelids keep trying to fall closed, but I fight it. I want to watch him devour me as I near the edge. I cry out his name as an orgasm consumes every nerve ending in my body.

  “I could do that all night,” I hear Tex say as I feel the weight of him climb up the bed. Somewhere in that explosion, my eyes clamped shut. But now that they’re open, I see that Tex is missing his clothes. “But I have other things in mind.”

  He straddles me, revealing himself to me as he sits on his bent legs. Holy shit that man is packing. I’ve always imagined Tex was well-endowed but I had no freaking idea he was so massive. Precum glistens against the moonlight. “Do you want me to use protection?” he asks. Still, I can’t peel my gaze away from his hard length.

  “I’m on the pill. There’s been no one, Tex. Not in years. I’ve been waiting … for you.”

  Lifting my ass, he sets me on his thighs. “There’s no turning back from this, Gemma. You’ll belong to me. Are you ready for what this means?”

  “I’ve been ready.”

  He uses his hand to rub his dick through my soaked pussy, coating himself in my wetness before setting me back on the bed. Lowering himself and hovering on top of me, Tex lines his cock up with my entrance. I feel his tip nudge my opening. “Tell me how you want it, Gemma.”

  My nipples tingle with excitement at such a dirty question. “Don’t hold back. I want it all.” I wrap my legs around his lower back and lock my ankles as he sinks his entire length into me at once.

  I’m certain I’ve gone blind. The shock of his size is riveting through me, but I feel complete. Tex pulls out and plunge
s back it, giving me exactly what I asked for. I rock my hips in rhythm, meeting him with each thrust. I’m still sensitive from my first orgasm, but I feel another building.

  Every smile, every accidental brush against each other, every stolen moment of conversation flashes through my mind as the wave of pleasure builds and builds. I’ve been in love with Tex Wilder for what feels like forever. I want to tell him how I feel. I want to confess my true feelings while he’s inside me, closer to me than he could ever get.

  But something holds me back.

  Fear. Always fear.

  “Come inside me, Tex. Please come inside me,” I plead, wanting that one last thing to cement this most intimate moment. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I don’t want to leave with any regrets.

  “Come with me,” he orders, pumping faster. He shackles my hips with his hands and goes harder until we both explode together.

  TEX

  I know my heart is not whole, but as I release myself inside Gemma, I know she can help me become whole again. The truth I’ve been denying for so long is more evident now than ever. Gemma Hollingsworth is meant to have a permanent place in my life.

  “I can’t believe I waited so long,” I say once we both catch our breath and I drop onto my back beside her.

  She turns her head toward me and gives me a sultry smile. “It was worth the wait. I won’t be able to walk for two days.”

  “Better bank on four or five then, because we are not done.” I draw her into my arms. She nestles her head against my chest, and nothing has ever felt more right in my entire life. I’m repulsed at myself for ever getting involved with my ex when Gemma has been right here in my hometown this entire time.

  Why didn’t I meet her earlier in my life?

  “I wish we could stay out here,” Gemma says as she traces soft circles on my chest. “Forget about reality for a while. This is kind of nice, you know?”