Secret Confessions: Down & Dusty — Clarissa (5 page)

He’d never been a fan of commitment. Yet another reason he loved the rodeo so much. He was always on the move, never settling in one place for more than a few days. Never attaching himself to any one woman.

Besides, this woman was Brandon’s, at least in the long term. He’d known that from the very start. He stepped back, his belly churning. ‘I’ve fixed the sagging door in the bathroom and the leaky tap in the kitchen. I’ll clean up the dishes and then you can let me know what else you’d like me to do.’

She cocked her head to the side. ‘Wow, impressive. I think I might have found Mr Perfect.’

Something inside his chest hurt. Damn he was a fool. He’d known this woman for little more than twenty-four hours. He blew out an unsteady breath. He’d only ever fucked women to ease an ache. He’d never gotten close enough to a woman to consider anything more. So what was it about Clarissa that made her so special?

Her vulnerability? Her beauty inside and out? Or just the way she affected him on so many levels?

Fucking hell. He should run a mile while he still had the strength to do it. Instead he waggled his eyebrows to break the utter gravity of the moment. ‘You’ve yet to see the best of me.’

Her lips parted and her face reddened a little more. Hell, even the dampness that stuck her tee to her breasts and torso, a dampness that slicked her upper lip, made him want to take her there and then. But he wasn’t a complete animal. Clarissa needed time to adjust to their sexual exploits, particularly when it was two men showing her the way.

He cleared his throat and said gently, ‘Why don’t you take the day off? Going by the dust on the grand piano in your living room, I assume you haven’t played her for quite some time.’

***

Brandon unsaddled Buck and gave the stallion a vague rub on his neck before releasing him into the home paddock.

His step was quick and eager as he strode toward the homestead. And it wasn’t just because he couldn’t wait to see Clarissa. He also couldn’t wait to share in the excitement about the storm building overhead, the rumble of thunder promising much rain.

But then the tinkling of Clarissa’s laughter and the discordant sound of a piano reached his ears. He paused on the lowest rung of the stairs, his hand gripping the post. She wasn’t one to be distracted from anything to do with her station, but he’d bet his last dollar she had no idea the drought was about to be broken.

He’d never in his life been a jealous person, not until the day he’d been hired as head stockmen of Langdown station. That had been the day he’d first seen Dean’s wife and fallen under her spell. The same day gut-burning jealousy for Dean—a man unworthy of his wife—had all but torn him apart.

When Dean had died a part of him had rejoiced and he’d hated himself for what he’d become. He didn’t deserve someone like Clarissa. He wasn’t good enough for someone of her sweet purity and goodness.

And then Adam had arrived, and the bull rider had known right away what Clarissa really wanted. She was a hot-blooded, passionate woman who needed a man to take care of her—two men.

He strode up the steps. He owed Adam big time. But as he surveyed the scene in the living room, where Adam sat on the piano seat with Clarissa while they played a horrendous version of chopsticks, he realised Adam owed him big time too.

The other man was completely unguarded, his heart on his sleeve as he stared longingly at Clarissa, time and time again. Brandon blew out a slow breath. Seemed he wasn’t alone in falling for Clarissa at first sight. But he’d bet Adam would stay in denial for a while longer yet. His friend always had been as stubborn as the bulls he rode.

He brushed a hand through his hair. If Clarissa truly desired two men in her life, he had it in his heart to share too. Adam was someone he respected and admired, a man whose integrity wouldn’t be questioned for the right woman. And Clarissa was most definitely the right woman for them both.

He stepped toward them to tell the good news, and the off-chord ‘music’ stopped as both Clarissa and Adam turned to him with a smile.

His lips curled into an even wider smile than theirs when the first fat drops of rain pinged on the roof … the sweetest music of all.

Thanks for reading CLARISSA. I hope you enjoyed it.

If you’d like to know more about me, my books, or to connect with me online, you can visit my webpage
www.melteshco.com
follow me on twitter
@melteshco
, or like my Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/mel.teshco

You can also follow me through my publisher’s page here
www.escapepublishing.com.au

Reviews can help readers find books, and I am grateful for all honest reviews. Thank you for taking the time to let others know what you’ve read, and what you thought.

You’ve just read a book in the
SECRET CONFESSIONS: DOWN & DUSTY
series. The other books in this series are
CASEY
,
LUCKY
,
KELLY
,
BROOKE
,
SKYE
,
MAREE
and
FRANKIE
.

If you liked this book, here are my other books:
SECRET CONFESSIONS: SYDNEY HOUSEWIVES – CAMILLA
and
PARALLEL ROADS
.

This book was published by Escape Publishing. If you’d like to sample some more great books from my fellow Escape Artists, please turn the page.

BESTSELLING TITLES BY ESCAPE PUBLISHING…

Secret Confessions: Down & Dusty — Skye
Rhyll Biest

Welcome to the heart—and heat—of Australia…

They say that no one has secrets in a small town—these women prove them wrong.

Eight brand-new stories from some of Australia's hottest writers in Australia's hottest genre. From the bar stools of the local pub to the wide open plains of the biggest stations in the world, these tales travel the dusty roads to the heart of Australia and the women who understand how to work hard—and play even harder.

In the latest in the wildly successful Secret Confessions series from Escape Publishing, the women of Down & Dusty invite you into their lives—and their bedrooms.

After five years in the city earning her veterinary degree, Skye Malone is happy to be heading back to Milpinyani Springs, and her best friend Bret. Sure, her crush on him is still at epic proportions, but she managed to ignore it this long, and a good friend is a valuable commodity in a small community like theirs. But Bret spent the last five years growing up, and suddenly Skye’s girlhood infatuation evolves into something much stronger and much more dangerous—an adult woman’s desire.

Secret Confessions: Sydney Housewives—Camilla
Mel Teshco

From the hottest writers in Australia comes a scintillating new series. Enter the world of Sydney’s elite, and find out what goes on behind the doors of the most exclusive addresses in the country…

Meet the Housewives of Sydney. They are wealthy, elegant, poised, and constantly in the public eye. But what goes on behind closed doors, in the private homes and parties where the cameras and paparazzi aren’t welcome? Delve into the most personal details of their relationships, their friendships and their lives. The only question is: can you handle the heat?

To all of Sydney’s society, she’s just the upstart, gold-digging waitress that somehow managed to snare one of Australia’s most eligible bachelors.

Camilla can’t pretend that the gossip and the innuendo that follows her wherever she goes doesn’t bother her, but when the world gets too much, she just stays in her beautiful home, with her beautiful husband. After all, no one knows what goes on behind closed doors, and plenty goes on at Camilla’s house.

Secret Confessions: Sydney Housewives

You’ve never met housewives as hot as these...They’re wealthy and glamorous. The elite of society. But appearances can be deceiving.

Eleven women are members of the influential Double Diamond Dinner Club. They are wealthy, elegant, poised and constantly in the public eye. But what goes on behind closed doors, in the private homes and parties where the cameras and paparazzi aren’t welcome?

Each woman has everything to lose if their fellow members learn of their needs, desires, and bedroom inclinations.

Eleven stories from eleven of Australia’s hottest authors — a scandalous, sexy collection that uncovers the privileged lives of Sydney’s affluent housewives: their work, their families, their friends and their men. Nothing is hidden, nothing is forbidden — and nothing will ever be the same.

Featuring: Rhian Cahill, Cate Ellink, Cathleen Ross, Tamsin Baker, Lexxie Couper, Shona Husk, Keziah Hill, Viveka Portman, Christina Phillips, Mel Teshco and Tracey O’Hara!

Secrets Revealed! Bonus four epilogues, exclusive to this digital bind-up!

Secret Confessions: Backstage
The Complete Collection

An All-Access pass to Sex, Love, and Rock ‘N Roll. Because what happens on tour doesn’t always stay on tour…

From Australia to the world…

Chicago.
The last stop of their wildly successful US tour sees Australia’s biggest rock band, The Screaming Tuesdays, in sultry, summertime Chicago to play two sold-out shows. But the stage is not where the action is, and no one knows what goes on behind the scenes...