Texas Kissing (28 page)

We gasped and panted our way down from our peaks and then I lifted myself off of him. I slumped back onto my own seat, eyes closed and chest heaving.

I heard Bull thumb the ignition. There was a few second’s pause as the fans spun up and—

Heavenly, icy air washed across our sweat-soaked bodies. We both groaned in blessed relief. I opened my mouth and drank the cold air in, gulping it down like water. I offered up a little prayer to the inventor of air conditioning.

I didn’t want to open my eyes. I was so exhausted, so shell-shocked by what we’d just done, that I just flopped there. God, had I really just done that by the side of the road...and had I really gone so out of control at the thought of his naked cock inside me? It had been so powerful—instinctual, almost.

I was still trying to figure it out when I felt his huge hand grasp mine. We held hands like that for a full minute, just panting and cooling down.

“God, Lily,” he whispered. “You’re incredible.”

It went off like a warm bomb in my chest. I leaned against him. “So where’s this perfect place you’re taking me?” I asked. “A hotel? A seedy motel? Some mom and pop guest house?”

He smiled. “Ever been camping?”

Antonio

I was ready to give up.

It’s not easy, searching for a place when all you have to go on is its mascot. I didn’t even know if I was looking for a bar or a restaurant or a goddamn bowling alley. I just knew it was in Texas...and Texas is a big place.

I didn’t even know if this was a genuine lead or a wild goose chase. For all I knew, that napkin had been dropped by a nurse. Or Tessa may have passed through Texas but barely stopped there and she was in fucking Brazil by now. But it was all I had to go on. Every other avenue I’d tried had gone nowhere.

But I’d spent days Googling and hadn’t found a damn thing. Now I was slumped in front of my laptop, glowering at the screen, half-drunk on Scotch. The bearded prospector grinned at me from the napkin I’d pinned to the wall. I’d nearly torn the thing to shreds more than once. He was just so fucking annoying—

On a whim, I typed
bar annoying prospector
into Google.

Immediately, a photo taken in a bar appeared. Grinning, drunken faces...and, beside them, a puppet version of the prospector. The text below griped about how annoying the thing was.

It was so unexpected, after days of failure, that I just stared at it in shock. Then I saw that they’d tagged the bar’s Facebook page. I grabbed the mouse and clicked.

Lucky Pete’s.
Gold Lake, Texas.

Lily

I grinned as I unloaded my last bag from the trunk of my Toyota and added it to the pile.

Bull walked out of the stables...and stopped dead.

My grin faltered. “What?” I asked blankly.

He stared at my bags. “What’s
that?!”

I looked down at my backpack. And suitcase. And laptop bag. And the bag for my spare batteries and cables. And the garbage sack holding pillows and blankets. “My stuff?”

He pushed back his hat and scratched his head. “I said only bring the essentials.”

“These
are
the essentials.” I looked at his pick up. “There’s plenty of room.”

He burst out laughing—that big, booming laugh that was as large as he was. “This is a camping trip. We’re not taking a car.” And he led Caliope and Apollo out of the stable.

I looked at the horses and then at my stuff. “How much
can
I take?” I asked.

“I already got food and bedding rolls. You can take one little bag. Some clothes. That’s all you need.”

One small bag?!
I looked at my laptop bag.
If I don’t change my clothes for the whole trip, or take any toiletries....

No. I had to face up to it: I was going to have to go a day without a computer. Glowering, I packed everything except a few changes of clothes and my wash bag back into the car.

This time, I managed to get up onto Caliope after only a few attempts and I wasn’t half as nervous. Maybe I was starting to get used to being around big, powerful animals.

I glanced across at Bull and my smile came back.

Bull

There are some mighty fine sights in Texas. Sunsets. Cattle drives. A pitcher of ice cold beer.

But the sight of Lily’s perfect, round ass bouncing up and down in her saddle...that beat every last one of them. It was even better than when we’d been horse riding. Back then, I’d had to imagine what it’d feel like to have her bouncing on top of me. Now I knew and the memory of it made my cock rise every time I saw that tight denim hit the leather.

And now, we’d gotten rid of all the tension because she’d finally spilled her big secret. I should have figured it out on my own. What
would
make a forger so twitchy and nervous? Of course the FBI had been on her tail. I could fill in the blanks myself. They must have nearly caught her in New York and that’s why she’d had to skip town. It explained everything.

I even knew why she hadn’t told me. She’d figured—correctly—that I’d beat the hell out of anyone who tried to take her away from me. If I ever saw that Calahan guy again....

“Your boss is definitely okay with this?” Lily asked over her shoulder. “I don’t want you getting in trouble.”

I shook my head. “He was eager to get me outta there. Truth is, I barely ever use my vacation time. I enjoy what I do, you know? Why would I want to sit around at home when I can be on the ranch?”

I was taking us in a different direction, this time, into some low hills where there was some greenery and a lake. Only a short ride—two, two and a half hours.

After only an hour, though, Lily was getting antsy. She was looking around at the desert scrub, clearly seeing something I wasn’t. “What?” I asked.

“There’s just...nothing,” she said. “No buildings. No roads. Not even a telegraph pole. I bet I don’t even have a cell phone signal.” She dug her phone out of her pocket. “I don’t.”

“That’s the general idea.”

“What if we run into a snake?”

“I’ll stamp on it,” I told her.

“What if the horses run off and we run out of water and die of thirst?”

“I’ll find us a creek.”

“What if—”

“You really don’t like the country, do you?” I asked, amused.

“I do like it. I mean, it’s beautiful. I like looking at it.” She gazed around, shrinking down in her saddle. “I’m just not sure about being
in
it.”

I rode closer and leaned sideways in my saddle so that our shoulders touched. We rode on like that for a few minutes and I gradually felt her relax.

We began to climb into the hills. We weren’t following any trail, but the route was clear in my mind. I’d ridden out here to clear my head plenty of times when some local girl had flipped out and raged at me, just because I’d slept with her best friend. It was weird, but I couldn’t imagine doing that to Lily.

It was starting to hit me just how little I’d cared about all of those girls I’d fucked, and how much I cared about the woman beside me now.

I thought of all the girls back in town. All those tight, toned bodies and those flicks of long, golden hair. Their giggling and bitchiness as they backstabbed each other, the way they thrust out their tits and slipped arms around my waist, cozying up to me before I even knew their name. And I didn’t miss them. Not for a second. I’d take Lily over any of them...
all
of them.

“Lily?” I just kinda blurted it out.

She turned and looked at me expectantly, green eyes huge, black hair glossy and shimmering in the sunlight. We were just passing under some trees and, in the green dappled light, she looked like a goddamn fairy queen, soft and pale and perfect.

My words died in my throat. I only now realized what I’d been about to say: something along the lines of
I love you. What? What the fuck?
I’d already told her I was falling for her and that’d freaked her out for a while. If I unleashed the L-word she’d likely split and gallop right back to town.

At least, I told myself that’s why I was scared. Deep down, I was horribly aware of the real reason: I like to think of myself as an honest guy, at least in the sack. All of those local girls I’d bedded, and not once had I told them I loved them because it had never been true. The thought that it might be, with Lily...it was terrifying. Even for me, and I’m not scared of a goddamn thing. Except heights.

“What?” asked Lily, frowning.

I swallowed. “You want some water?” I asked. “It doesn’t do to get dehydrated.”

She nodded, took the bottle I offered and glugged some, and I tried to remember to breathe as I watched her chest move under her blouse.
 

“It’s just up here,” I told her. And rode on ahead before I said something dumb and messed things up. What I wanted to show her was just around the next bend and, as we got there, I looked back to see her reaction.

It wasn’t a disappointment.