Borrowed Cowboy (Shadow Maverick Ranch) (7 page)

Chapter Eleven

They couldn’t have ordered up a more perfect Saturday.

The sun shone like a ball of fire, but thankfully lacked the punch of heat that had killed him all summer. As it dropped to the west, the cooling temps were a Godsend for sure, but the reason gave him pause.

Pax glanced at the sky. Blue overhead, varying with early evening shades of light and dark. That wasn’t what bothered him. The clouds in the distance. Christ. He hoped the weather would hold a few more days. Not that the idea of being rained in with Reese didn’t make him salivate, but the storms forecasted to hit the area in the next day or two were the kind that could stir up trouble.

Pax scrubbed a hand over his face and threw a glare at the clouds.

Not tonight, motherfuckers. Not tonight.

He wouldn’t say no if his brothers called him home. They were already in shock over his impromptu overnighter. As though Pax hadn’t taken a day off in … shit. When
was
the last time he’d taken a whole day off?

Pax couldn’t remember. Gavin’s slack jaw as he’d handed over the keys made a whole lot more sense now.

Reese would understand if he had to back out on their night. Hell, she’d expect him to go, if his brothers needed him. She got it.

She got
him
.

Which made him all the more determined to make the most of the time they had.

He’d almost fucked it up. God, she deserved better than the crap he’d dealt at her apartment, all but accusing her of being just like his ex. Total dick move he wished he could erase.

Being with Reese again made him feel lighter than he had in years. He knew the risks of letting her in. As though he’d had a choice. Had he ever where Reese was concerned? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, he was willing to try.

Pax searched the group for her. There.

Goddamn, she was gorgeous.

She wore a pretty dress. One of those light, summer things that left her arms and a good portion of her chest exposed. Her hair was pulled up, exposing the delicate lines of her jaw and neck.

Thank fuck, she wasn’t one of those rail-thin girls he’d seen in way too many of Jade’s magazines. Oh no, his Reese had a woman’s curves that drove him to distraction every time she moved.

Reese caught him staring and raised a hand. Soft lips curved as though she had a secret she wasn’t quite ready to share. An unmistakable feeling of possession tightened his chest as she broke eye contact and passed
his
smile around to every stupid guy in her vicinity.

Interesting, how Reese sparked something inside him no other woman, not even his ex, had been capable of.

“Oh,” a delicate voice said beside him. “I know that look.”

Mrs. Sinclair was a tiny woman; the top of her head barely reached his chest. A classic beauty with wheat-colored hair and gentle blue eyes, she spoke with a cultured tone he wasn’t used to. Almost as though she belonged in a castle instead of on a stretch of Galveston beach.

She wore no makeup that he could see, but she didn’t need it. She didn’t look a day over thirty, yet he knew from Reese the woman was scaring the shit out of fifty.

And Paxton had liked her immediately.

Pax smiled down at her. “Ma’am?”

She waved her hand in the air as if swatting at a fly. “None of that ma’am stuff. Marjorie, please.”

Pax nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” He flinched as she swatted at him and laughed. “Marjorie it is, then.”

She settled in beside him. He’d been around enough women to know when one had something on her mind. He also knew it was best to wait it out.

“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” she finally asked.

The warm up.

“You picked the perfect time for this little shindig.” He glanced back at the sky. “Doesn’t look to hold long.”

“Reese mentioned you’re a rancher. The rain would be welcome, would it not?

At the mention of her name, his gaze sought her again. The wind blew her dress until he could see the contours of her body. Hair escaped and blew around her face. She talked with her hands. He’d forgotten that.

“A long, slow rain would be helpful. The forecast promises anything but.”

“Should I be worried?” Marjorie cast a look at the house, its wall of windows gleaming in the sun. “I’d hoped to stay tonight. Oh, dear. Should I have the house boarded up?”

Pax’s protective instincts kicked in. Surrounded by her friends, Marjorie turned to him, someone she’d known for an afternoon. Sweet fire, didn’t she have anyone who’d step up for her? Pax had no doubt of her capabilities, or her grit. Her husband had passed and they hadn’t had kids, but that shouldn’t mean she should have to shoulder everything alone.

“No,” he said, the decision a no-brainer. “You don’t need to worry about a thing. It might get noisy, which tends to shake up our herd, but you’ll be safe here. If it makes you feel better, I’ll be keeping an eye on things. If there’s any danger of the storm turning serious, either Reese or I will let you know. I’ll come out and take care of the house. I’m sure you have plenty of help, but I’d be glad to do it. With your permission, of course.” That last bit was for the pride shining in her eyes.

“Yes, well.” She cleared her throat. “You’re a good man to offer. If you say there’s no worry, then I’ll rest easy, thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure. Reese has talked about how much she loves working with you. It means a lot to her, being involved, helping you raise money. She cares about you. Anything I can do for you in return, consider it done.”

“She’s special, isn’t she?” Marjorie followed his gaze to Reese.

There it was. Her reason for seeking him out.

“She is.” But then again, he’d always thought so.

“We’re fortunate she decided to move back to the area, are we not? Reese has been a tremendous help to me and to the community. I heard she’d become quite sought after back east, and I understand why.”

Reese had gone to college on the east coast. Wait a second. “How long have you known her?”

Marjorie tapped her lips with an impeccably manicured fingernail. “I met Reese not long after she arrived. A little over two years ago, I suppose it would be now. We’ve become great friends.”

Two years? Reese had only been back in Texas for two years?

A soft hand touched his forearm. “Is everything all right?”

“I’m sorry,” he offered an apologetic smile. “I didn’t realize Reese hadn’t come home straight from college.” As temperamental as he’d been about discussing the past, he shouldn’t be surprised she’d shied away from the subject. Still, it brought back the unwelcome sensation that she was hiding something from him.

Which was ridiculous and paranoid. Feelings he’d have to ditch if he wanted to make this thing with Reese work.

Marjorie raised a hand to her brow, blocking the sun from eyes Pax would bet missed nothing. “My Montrose used to look at me the way you looked at Reese just now, so I ask you, does it matter when, or why, she moved back?”

She’d needed a reason to come home?

It seemed his search for reasons not to trust Reese worked on autopilot. If he held the reins, he’d wipe the slate clean. Deep down, he knew Reese would never pull the shit his ex had. But it was deep enough to take his brain a minute or two to get there.

“Reese tells me you and your husband were very happy.”

She dropped her hand, the sun causing her eyes to squint. “Marriage isn’t always sunshine and roses, but yes. We had a good life together.”

To hear Reese tell it, they’d had the ultimate fairytale, love-of-a-lifetime, relationship.

“Don’t look so surprised. We loved each other very much. That said, love is not immune to the trials of life. The merging of two lives, two personalities, however compatible, is never a smooth process. Montrose was a hard-working man. Much like yourself, I suppose. There were times I felt he worked too hard, stayed away too long.”

“He provided you a good life, didn’t he?” Nothing wrong with a man wanting the best for his wife. Or his family, as the case may be.

“He did. A very happy life.” She laughed softly. “With my husband, even the bad times weren’t so horrible.” She offered him a smile. “There’s never enough time to be with the person who owns your heart. Remember that, Paxton. Even if you have a lifetime, in the end, it won’t feel like enough.” She straightened her spine. “Oh, listen to me ramble on. By the way you’ve been watching Reese, I suspect you know all of this already.”

Pax wasn’t a stranger to loss. He’d lost his grandparents. His best friend. Hell, he’d even lost Reese. Once.

Now, he couldn’t imagine his future without her.

He plastered his most charming grin on his face and placed a kiss on Marjorie’s cheek.

“Yes, ma’am. I suppose I do.”

* * *

Pax pulled into the driveway and cut the lights.

“Where are we?” Reese leaned forward to look out the windshield.

“Nice, huh? It’s Gavin’s.”

“Gavin
has a house on the beach?”

“Isn’t that what I just said?” He threw open his door. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

They met up at the front of the truck. Reese’s eyes darted, apparently taking in every detail of the beachfront, blue-and-white house.

“It’s so beautiful. Are we really staying here?”

Pax rattled the set of keys hooked on his finger. “Got the keys right here. The place is all ours. For the next twenty-four hours, it’s just you and me.”

“Finally. I’ve been waiting to get you naked all day.”

A bark of laughter escaped from his throat. Good god, this woman.

Holding her hand in his, Pax all but dragged her up the walkway. He jammed the key into the lock. His hands shook with his need to get the door open and get her inside.

He didn’t even bother fumbling for the lights. It wasn’t dark enough yet that he couldn’t see, and he didn’t want to waste any more time.

There’s never enough time to be with the person who owns your heart.

A passing thought he ignored as he spun her, flattened her back to the door. “I’m sorry, Reese. Tour later, I promise. I can’t wait another minute.”

Her fingers curled against his chest. “So, stop waiting.”

The growl that came from his chest conveyed the raging need that strangled his balls. He got a fistful of her hair and jerked her head where he wanted it, then slammed his lips home.

Her greedy little hands tore at his shirt as he fisted her dress and hiked it up. He hooked her thigh around his hip and ground into her, letting her feel how much he wanted her.

The ability to go slow—or be gentle—had evaporated the second he got his hands on her.

“Fuck, Reese,” he said against her mouth. “Need to be inside you, sweets. More than I need to fucking
breathe
.”

She shoved at his chest. He fell back a step, shock rendering him temporarily speechless. “What…?”

She gifted him with a mischievous grin and slipped her panties down her legs. Gathering the material of her dress around her waist, he got a glimpse of the reddish-blonde curls between her thighs.

“What are you waiting for, cowboy? A formal invitation?”

Pax licked his lips as she turned, braced a hand against the door and arched toward him. He’d been thinking about this for a week.

Directing her, listening to her come last night almost did him in. He hadn’t been kidding about the ice pack.

“Jesus.” He ran a hand over the creamy smooth globe of her ass. “What you do to me. One of these days, I’m going to fuck you in a bed, all proper-like. Maybe even tonight.”

“Just not right now. Pax. Please.”

“Tell me you want me,” he demanded.

“Only you, Pax. Only you.”

Her words threatened to buckle his knees. God, let it be true. He’d damage any man who thought to touch her.

Mine!

He tore at his shorts. The button flew god knew where, and the zipper was a goner as he released his erection. He didn’t waste any time. He tapped the inside of her foot with his, widening her stance. His cock slid over her cleft. Fuck, she was ready. Poised at her entrance, one hand on her shoulder, one on her hip. Fuck, the heat of her against his head … he thrust in.

Twin groans filled the room. The scent of sex quickly followed as he pumped his hips, working himself inside her until she’d taken him all. Unable to stop the maelstrom of emotion that drove him, he gripped her hips, held on for the ride he had no power to stop. Not even when Reese shifted, dropped her shoulders. Before he knew what she was doing, his balls were in her hand. She cupped him none too gently, squeezed and rolled him until his vision went wonky.

“Harder, Pax.” Her nail scored the sensitive skin behind his sac.

“Reese. Stop. I’m hanging on by a thread here, sweetheart.”

Evil lived in the laugh that came out of her pretty throat. She tightened her inner muscles, her pussy griping him blind.

He bit his lip until he tasted blood, counted his thrusts, focused on the delicate curve of her spine. Anything to hold out a little longer.

He shoved her hand out of the way and moved in on the spot he knew would throw her over.

Just. A. Little. Longer.

Reese screamed out her orgasm. Pax followed with a yell of his own as he pumped his release deep within her body.

Mine.

The possessive thought settled over him, a blanket that thawed his cold, jaded heart.

He loved her. He fucking loved her.

God, had he ever stopped? He’d picked up the pieces of his life; he’d tried to learn to live without her, alongside grieving for his best friend. He’d moved on with what he’d had, but the pieces never quite fit.

Until now.

Pax eased from her body and scooped a limp Reese into his arms. She snuggled his neck; her satisfied hum filled him with his own sense of contentment.

His emotions were so raw, Pax felt flayed open. He wanted to devour Reese. Own her, leave his mark in a prehistoric kind of way. At the same time, he wanted to hold her, coddle her, protect her … give her everything she ever wanted.

Which meant he had some phone calls to make.

He carried her to the bedroom. Not the master—that was his brother’s space—but a bedroom almost as large with a king-sized bed and sliding glass door that led to the deck.

“Are you okay?” He held her a moment longer, enjoying the feel of her against him before he eased her feet to the floor.

“Hmm, mmm,” came her sleepy response.

Pax helped her out of her dress. She tossed her bra aside.

“Where’s the bathroom?”

Pax pointed to an adjoining door. “Through there. Do you mind if I open the slider?” He hooked his thumb at a smaller version of what adorned the living room. Gavin liked to hear the waves, so each room that faced the water had sliding glass doors.

The night air had cooled enough to be comfortable. Blankets wouldn’t be necessary, though.

“I don’t mind. It’ll be relaxing, falling asleep to the sound of the waves. Not that I need relaxing.” She tossed him a wink and her naked ass disappeared through the door.

Pax pulled the door open, taking a moment to enjoy the lull of the waves. He understood why Gavin refused to sell this place. It was the perfect getaway. Secluded and private, yet only a few hours from home.

Pax crawled into bed.

Reese walked back in stifling a yawn. “You wore me out.”

He lifted the sheet. “Come here, Reesey.”

She crawled over him and dropped to her side, settling her head on his shoulder and throwing a leg over his.

A perfect fit. The piece his life had been missing.

He played with her hair, let the silky strands fall through his fingers. Her breath slowed to the steady rhythm of sleep.

He loved her.

And, swear to God, he wasn’t letting her go again.