Fox, Morgan - Discovering Temptation [Texas Stallions 1] (Siren Publishing Allure) (8 page)

“Oh,” she murmured. The red color in her face slowly receded. “I’m sorry. I seem to get defensive a lot faster these days.”

He closed the distance between them. “Why is that?” Pressing his lips together, he looked at her long and hard, waiting for her to tell him what she had hiding behind those sultry blue eyes.

* * * *

Abby studied him, wondering how she could’ve gotten so lucky to have three men under her roof that resembled rough-riding cowboy gods instead of ordinary men. Cooper’s broad shoulders filled her vision as he stood uncomfortably close. She wished she had grabbed her robe before leaving her room, since her nipples were showing a clear sign of her arousal and desire. She inhaled deeply and the scent of his body reminded her of fresh, new-fallen snow. His smooth olive skin seemed untarnished by hours spent in the sun.

Her heart raced as she admired the intensity in his gaze. She couldn’t think straight with him standing so close to her. One deep breath and surely her breast would rub up against his chest. She took a side step toward the refrigerator and created much-needed space.

“Um, what were we talking about?” she asked, trying her best to keep her composure.

He turned and leaned against the countertop and folded his arms over his chest. “Why are you so defensive?”

How could she possibly expect him to understand? She always believed that no one would truly understand what she had gone through living with a woman who only saw dollar signs and cared what society thought. How could she explain, without sounding like an ungrateful brat? “Look, it’s not important. I really just came out here to grab a drink and something to eat.”

“So you think your life is too complicated for a redneck like me to understand, then?” His tone with her had changed, making him sound annoyed and a little angry.

She choked on her words. “No,” she quickly retorted. “That’s not what I think at all.” Well, technically, wasn’t that exactly what she was thinking? “I just don’t think that the story of my life and an overbearing mother is worth listening to.”

His sexy blue eyes narrowed. “Why don’t you let me decide that?”

Abby watched him curiously. The heavy stare she witnessed told her he was dead serious, and the way he didn’t seem to want to budge from her side made it all the more obvious that he wasn’t planning on leaving without hearing her pathetic story.

“Look, it’s my own cross to bear, okay. I have mommy issues.” her eyes rounded as she emphasized the word mommy. “I’m not one for being paraded around like some freaking doll, and that’s exactly what my mother did to me. I was forced to live in her shadow and was critiqued at every turn. Nothing I did was ever good enough in her eyes.” She sighed hard, hating that her mother had had so much power over her. “I’m just tired of being questioned about every damn decision I make.”

“Your mother sounds like a real”—pausing, his eyes darted up to hers, and with a crooked smile, he finished his thought—“gem.”

Abby smiled at his polite description, which really meant something else altogether. “You could say that.”

“If I’m reading you right, taking over this ranch means a lot more than just hard work. This is basically a new start for you.”

Relieved that Cooper understood her, she relaxed a little, reached into the fridge, and pulled out a can of soda. “Yes, that’s exactly what this is.” The can hissed as she popped the aluminum top.

“Then having some lunatic wreak havoc on your plans must really piss you off?”

With a long hesitation, Abby finally admitted, “It does, more than I think any of you could possibly know. If the person attacking me is Jackson, I hope the cops find him and put him away. He’s the worst sort and my own damn fault.”

“How do you mean?”

She took a sip of her soda and leaned against the cabinet beside her. “My mother despised men with long hair, tattoos, and earrings. She hated anything that wasn’t proper.” Abby grinned from ear to ear, remembering the day vividly. “When I met Jackson, he was the perfect man to drive my mother crazy, and boy, did he ever. She freaked the moment I brought him over for dinner. I made sure she was having one of her late-afternoon tea parties when I did. She practically keeled over right there at the table.”

Grinning like the devil, he said, “So Jackson looked like a real badass then?”

She nodded. “Sadly, he didn’t just look it, he was it. I later discovered that he had a criminal record. When I found out just how awful he was, I tried to break things off, but he didn’t give a damn what I said. He was determined to be in my life whether I wanted him in it or not.”

“So your carefully calculated plan backfired?”

Carefully calculated was nothing like what she’d done when setting all of this into motion. What an idiot she’d been. “You can say that, except there was nothing strategic about what I did. It was purely based on hormonal stupidity.” She sighed hard. “Now Jackson may have found me here in Temptation, but I haven’t a clue how that’s possible since I haven’t told anyone where I was going.”

Cooper shrugged. “That’s actually an easy one to figure out.” Her eyes widened as he said, “Abby, he had you followed.” He moved to stand in front of her again, pinning her back against the cabinet. This time as he approached her, he reached out and took hold of her shoulders. His thumb gently massaged her skin. “If he didn’t want to let you go, what makes you think he wasn’t watching your every move?”

Her jaw dropped open, and she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand as his words sank in. “Oh, God, I hadn’t thought about that.”

Cooper’s arched brow disappeared under his golden-brown hair. “It’s going to be all right, Abby,” he assured her, rubbing her arms. “Tyler and Hunter both gave the sheriff their statements tonight, and I’m sure Tyler filled him in on your ex-boyfriend. Of course, I don’t think he knew much more than his name, but if this guy is the kind of trouble I think he is, it shouldn’t take much to identify him.”

She slumped forward just a bit, once again feeling a little defeated. “Now, don’t go and let a jackass like Jackson Cole get you into feeling like it’s the end of the world. He can’t hurt you as long as one of us is with you.” He cupped her face in his hands. His deep, ocean-blue eyes drilled into her, warming her soul just as the touch of his palms warmed her skin. “I know I can speak for my brothers when I tell you that we won’t let anything happen to you.” He gently pulled her against him and wrapped her securely into the confines of his arms. “If you need anything, Abby, my brothers and I are here for you.”

One of his strong hands rested at the nape of her neck, while the other spanned across her back, pressing her against him. Everything around her seemed to fade away except the heated feel of his touch through her shirt, burning into her skin. His warm breath danced inside her ear, causing her belly to shudder with nervous excitement.

She should’ve immediately pushed away from him the moment her thoughts turned primal and hungry, but instead, she simply eased back as his embrace loosened. The faint scent of coffee on his breath brushed over her face as she glanced up to meet his gaze. She couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed by her situation. The emotional sensations were so natural, it was easy to allow the brothers to be near her, to hold her, and to protect her.

Here she was in a house with three gorgeous men who just happened to want to keep her safe from a nasty ex-boyfriend. In some strange way, they all seemed to care for her. The compassion of the brothers left her speechless.

She studied him. His eyes darted to her lips as if preparing to sample her mouth. Her stomach lurched as he dipped his head lower. She froze, unwilling to part from the possibility of feeling Cooper’s mouth pressed against hers. She shouldn’t want him to kiss her, but she did.

The soft sweep of his lips over hers felt like a kiss she might’ve received from a good friend, but the heat in his eyes told her there was something else hiding deep inside those illustrious blues. Was he testing her? Did he want to see if she would reject the idea of his kiss? Obviously, she hadn’t.

His hands moved to cup her face, and with another brush of his lips, the innocent kiss no longer possessed the same friendly feel. This time, it was all-consuming, building into something that had her heart racing and her arms folding around his neck to keep him from moving away.

She tasted the coffee flavor that swirled on his tongue, and it, coupled with the clean scent of his body, had her toes curling as he possessed her lips. Kissing her deeper, he pulled her closer. She was captivated by the warmth of his caress and the power she felt as he ruled over her.

In moments, she was hauled off her feet. The strength of his hands massaged her buttocks and instinctively her legs wrapped around his waist. Lost in the kiss, she hadn’t realized that Cooper had moved with her in his arms. Her back was suddenly pressed against the far wall in the kitchen.

Deepening the kiss, his hands explored her body, caressing the underside of her breasts. She rocked her hips over his engorged cock, grinding against him. The feel of his body pressed against hers had the blood heating in her veins, the breath catching in her lungs.

Her hands roved all over his shoulders, back, and chest, reveling in the firm muscles and strength she felt radiating from every impressive inch of him.

Then her can of soda slipped from her fingers and hit the floor with a loud thump. Some of the contents leaked from the can. Startled, she pushed back and quickly looked away. Her cheeks burned with heat.

“Set me down,” she murmured, and wiggled her way out of his hold.

Once firmly planted on the ground, she reached for a dishtowel to clean up the mess. Picking up the can, she dried the small area.

Her belly knotted as she stood and met Cooper’s penetrating and lust-filled gaze. Her mouth bruised and tingling from his kiss, she whispered, “I should probably go to bed. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”

His hands dropped to his sides, and she moved around him. She was a little embarrassed that she’d allowed herself to lose control with him, but at the same time she knew she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t wanted it. For whatever reason, she had. A need to be accepted for who she was trampled away any thoughts that kissing him had been a mistake.

She turned to face him once more before leaving the kitchen. “Cooper.” She spoke his name softly, and he inclined his head in her direction. “Thank you for listening. It means a lot to know you’re here.”

He offered her a soft smile. “Anytime, Abby.”

Chapter Five

The next day, when Abby woke rested and feeling better than she ever thought possible, the house was already filled with the scents of breakfast. She could hear the banging of hammers just outside her window. The brothers had already started working, and she hadn’t even gotten out of bed. She groaned, wondering if the events of the last two days had actually happened, or if it was all some kind of dream.

She stepped to her window and pulled the sheer curtain back. Hunter’s adorable face beamed at her from the side. Nope, it wasn’t a dream. He was fixing the shutters that had fallen, his hazel eyes sparkling with the light of the morning sun.

Looking past Hunter, she caught sight of Tyler and Cooper working on the front fence. Her heart jumped as she studied them. The power of Tyler’s body filled her vision just as the memory of Cooper’s kiss warmed her deliciously.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Hunter’s crooked smile, and opened the window. “You Boyds don’t waste any time, do you?”

He held the hammer in midair, pausing only to respond to her. “No sense in allowing a perfectly gorgeous day to slip by. I was told to keep an eye on you, so that’s what I’ve been doing.” He winked, staring a little over her shoulder.

As she glanced back to lock onto what he was looking at, her mouth formed a giant
O
. His gaze landed on her bed. She whipped her head around to glare at him. “Have you been watching me sleep?” A strange flutter filled her belly and tingled straight between her legs.

Grinning, he said, “When I wasn’t hammering.”
Bang. Bang.