Taken Home (Lone Star Burn) (2 page)

Chapter Two

At the end of the ceremony, Chelle linked arms with David, and together they followed the other couples and the bride and groom down the aisle. Tension stood out in David’s normally relaxed face. Chelle tugged on his arm. He leaned in, and she said, “Is it awful having Lucy in the bridal party, too?”

His expression went deliberately blank. “No reason why it should be.”

“I heard you and she—”

“You heard wrong,” David said firmly and raised his head.

“I’m sorry,” Chelle said. The last thing she wanted to do was to make David feel worse than he probably already did.

He laid his hand over hers on his arm. “Things work out the way they’re meant to, Chelle.”

Chelle’s attention darted to the blond man who was still standing in the back of the church.
You mean like a beautiful man showing up just when I’d resigned myself to possibly dying a virgin?
Chelle held in the thought. She couldn’t imagine what David’s reaction would have been if she’d shared it. Instead, she asked, “David, who is that man standing in the back?”

David followed her gaze and made a face. “California State Senator Mason Thorne. He’s a friend of Charles’s.”

Keeping her voice down as they approached him, Chelle asked, “Is he single?”

David frowned. “Steer clear of that one, Chelle. He’s a player. He went from being a movie star to a politician. Men like that have egos the size of Texas. He’ll only be looking for one thing when he comes alone to a wedding.”

Oh, I hope so.
Chelle craned her neck to catch one last look at the state senator before walking out of the main part of the church and into the foyer. She pieced together what she’d heard about Mason from Sarah and Melanie. He’d started off as a child star, had some blockbusters that made him a household name, then walked away from that career. Although all of that was fascinating, it didn’t compare to how she’d felt when she’d looked at him. She’d finally felt that spark she’d been holding out for.
He’s alone. I’m alone.
“I’ll be careful,” Chelle promised.
Well, not too careful. I can’t let an opportunity like this pass me by. If Ava Edwards could sleep with most of the football team, surely I can have one wild night and not regret it. Would a man like that bring a condom?

Oh my God, am I honestly thinking about sleeping with a man I don’t even know?

Yes.

Please, yes.

It’s time to stop waiting and start living.

Carefully. I don’t want to go through what Melanie did.

So I hope he brought protection with him.

That’s not good enough. People make their own fate.

I need a condom.

The problem with living in a small town was that if she walked into a pharmacy and purchased any type of birth control, her phone would be ringing within minutes, and it would likely be her mother asking who she was intending to do the deed with.
Hell, by now she’d probably be relieved.

Like dating, her options when it came to getting what she wanted were limited. She could hope the senator traveled with one, or she could ask Melanie or Sarah if they had one. No, if she did that, she’d be forced to answer a slew of questions she didn’t want to consider the answers to. Like “Is this a wise course of action?”

Whoever she asked had to be discreet. Someone who wouldn’t want the details. Someone like David. As they stood on the stairs of the church together, waiting for instructions on where to go for the photo session, Chelle tugged on David’s arm again. He inclined his head to hear her. “Do you have a condom?” she asked softly.

His head snapped around, and he met her eyes. “A what?”

The photographer asked them to stand and pose. Chelle faced forward with her best photogenic smile and said through her teeth, “You heard me. I don’t want to explain myself. Either you have one or you don’t. You can give it to me or not, but let’s not talk about it.”

The photographer moved on to take a photo of Melanie with Charles. Chelle shook her head in disappointment. It was probably too much to expect a man like David to have one.

Chelle felt something pressed into her hand. She looked down, and a huge smile spread across her face. She tucked the condom into the side of her lace bra, then went up onto her tiptoes and gave David a kiss on the cheek. “If I was at all attracted to you—” She stopped herself there when she thought about how that sounded. “You know what I mean.”

David chuckled. “I do. Just be careful.”

Chelle glanced over her shoulder and saw Mason watching her from just outside the church door. She turned away with a smile she was sure was even brighter than before.
I don’t want to be careful. I want to be spontaneous for once. And tonight I’m going to be.

For the next hour, the bridal party was shuffled around the church steps and lawn for individual and group photos. The day was getting warmer, but Chelle didn’t mind. She felt like she floated from one shot to the next. All she could think about was the man who looked like he was waiting for her to finish.

Near the end of the session, the photographer asked if he could take one more shot of her alone. She posed beside a tree and looked over the photographer’s shoulder to see if Mason was still on the church steps. He was. Their eyes met briefly, and Chelle’s libido went into overdrive.
How could I feel this good when we haven’t done more than look at each other?

“Have you ever thought of modeling?” the photographer asked. “You have a presence that’s truly captivating. An expression that could sell anything. I can’t quite describe it, but it’s beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Chelle said with a smile that could not be suppressed. Although she dreamed of doing something outside of helping her parents run their ranch, she was realistic about her looks. She also knew exactly what the man could likely see in her eyes. She’d never been as excited about anything as she was about testing whether or not kissing Senator Thorne could possibly feel as good as she imagined. “I have to go.”

On any other day, Chelle would have played harder to get. She would have pretended not to notice how Mason was watching her as if she were his prey for the evening. That day, however, she wanted there to be zero chance of him losing interest and moving on. A man that hot could tempt a few of the married women to consider bending their vows a bit, and that was not a risk she was willing to take.

She hiked up the bodice of her dress and walked up the church steps to where Mason was standing. She didn’t stop until she was about a foot in front of him. Even leaning against the outside wall of the church, he was gloriously tall, which forced her to tip her head back to look up at him. “Hi,” she said breathlessly. “My name is Chelle Landon.”

The smile he gave her had her innards quivering with desire. He straightened, looming even higher above her. She stared into his blue eyes, wondering if there was anything more beautiful on the whole planet. “I know,” he said in a deep voice that exceeded her fantasy of how sexy he would sound. He held out his hand. “I’m Mason Thorne.”

His strong hand swallowed Chelle’s small one. That simple touch sent her imagination running with how his hands would feel on other parts of her body.
Wow. So this is what it’s supposed to feel like. This is desire.
She shook his hand forcefully—longer than she meant to, but only realizing it when he looked down at their hands. “Sorry,” she said and broke their connection. “We don’t get many new people in Fort Mavis. I’m so used to knowing everyone.”

Mason gave her a charming smile. “Then that gives you an advantage today. I hardly know anyone. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure’s mine,” Chelle said quickly.
At least I hope it will be. Stop. Don’t ruin this by sounding like an idiot. Try to look cool.
“I have to ride to the reception with the wedding party, but Sarah said the seats aren’t assigned for dinner, so maybe we could sit together. I’d love to hear what you think of Fort Mavis.”
Or anything.

“I’d like that.” He looked down at her for a long moment with an expression Chelle couldn’t decipher. “I have something I’d like to ask you, but we can discuss it later when we have more time.”

Chelle heard Melanie calling for her. It wasn’t easy, but she tore her eyes away from Mason and turned. The rest of the wedding party was waiting beside the limo. “I have to go.”

“I’ll save a seat for you at the reception.”

Unable to think of an intelligent response, Chelle merely nodded and darted down the steps toward the limo.
Something he wants to ask me.
That was blunt, but maybe that’s how people from the city were. Direct with what they wanted. It didn’t matter, really. He’d be gone by the next day anyway. Why waste the evening pretending they didn’t both want the same thing?

David was at the limo, holding the door open for her. Their eyes met briefly, and she said, “Don’t say it, or I’ll ask about Lucy again.”

Message sent and received. David nodded, and Chelle slid inside the limo beside Melanie.

As they pulled out, Melanie turned to Chelle and in a low voice said, “I saw you talking to Charles’s friend Mason. I don’t like to say anything bad about anyone, and he’s a good friend to Charles, but you need to be careful. He goes through women like some people go through bottles of water. He’ll flirt and flatter you, but it doesn’t mean anything.”

Chelle smoothed the skirt of her dress and crossed her ankles. “I appreciate the warning.”

Melanie pursed her lips, then said, “I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“I can take care of myself, thank you.” Being wanted by a man like Mason, even if it didn’t turn into anything serious, wouldn’t hurt nearly as much as not being wanted by him. Had she and Melanie been alone, Chelle might have even explained that to her. Melanie had spent enough years on her own before meeting Charles that she would understand. Instead, she changed the subject to a topic she knew would distract Melanie. “Jace looked like a little man when I saw him standing next to Charles. They get on well, don’t they? Is he riding over with your parents?”

Melanie’s eyes misted, and she linked her hand with Charles’s. “He’s growing up so fast. I used to worry that I hadn’t done right by him, but he has good men in his life, and that will make all the difference. Charles is going to make a great father.” She turned to the other two men in the limo. “I am really lucky. David, Jace wouldn’t be nearly the kind soul he is if it weren’t for you. And Dean, he wouldn’t be grounded as often if you hadn’t shared your childhood stories with him.”

Dean smiled shamelessly. “A boy has to get his wild out while he’s young, or he’ll spend the rest of his life trying to hold it in.”

Chelle laughed. “That doesn’t sound like advice a sheriff should give. Does the same apply to girls?”

Even though there wasn’t an ounce of attraction between them, Dean was fun to flirt with. He winked at her. “You tell me, darlin’.”

Chelle blushed deeply, looked out the limo window, and whispered to herself, “Oh yes. Yes it does.”

Seated at a table in a small reception hall in what appeared to be the nicest hotel in the area, Mason downed his drink, then told himself to go easy. He was irritated with himself for the way his cock had come to life while he watched Chelle posing for the wedding photos. There was something about her, something he couldn’t look away from, and he didn’t like it. Not one bit.

She didn’t seem like someone who would understand that sex could occur with no commitment. Which was a problem. She also found him attractive. Another problem. And then there were the unsettling feelings that had coursed through him when she’d kissed David on the cheek. He’d wanted to walk over and demand she stop.
Ridiculous. I’m not the jealous type, and she means nothing to me.
He looked down at the ice in the bottom of his glass, then pushed the glass away.
I should stop drinking before I accidentally sleep with her.

The music changed, and a man asked everyone to stand while the bridal party entered the room. Due to his height, Mason was easily able to watch them walk in.
Damn.
People said brides glowed, but Chelle positively beamed, even in her secondary role. Her eyes met his, and he felt the connection like a punch that sent him rocking back onto his heels. He attributed the sensation to the liquor he’d imbibed.

The bridal party stood off to one side as the bride and groom danced, then they paired up and joined them. Once they’d all been dancing for a while, the DJ asked the onlookers to please sit. Mason did so gladly. He was done watching Chelle laugh as David swung her around the dance floor.

Mason introduced himself to the people at his table. They asked him a hundred questions, sending his head spinning, making him feel as if he were being interviewed. He must have missed the song ending, because he wasn’t aware Chelle was at his side until he heard her voice.

“May I join you?” Chelle asked.

Mason instantly stood and pulled out the chair beside him. “Of course. I saved a seat for you.”

She gave him a look from beneath her long lashes that sent his heart racing. “Thank you.”

She took the seat beside him, and he sat down once again, chastising himself silently.
Don’t be a fool. This is not the time, nor is she the woman, for what you’re thinking.

After a short pause, he asked, “Did you grow up around here?”

She took the napkin from her plate and placed it on her lap, then leaned toward him and said in a low voice, “I sure did. You know how you can tell? If you look around the room at the people who are staring at us, most of them are related to me in some way.”

“Even David?” He wasn’t sure why he asked that.

He didn’t like the way Chelle smiled at the mention of that hulk of a cowboy’s name. “No, there are a few people who aren’t family, and he’s one of them.”

Mason frowned. “You two seem close enough.”

Chelle gave him a curious look. “In this town, everyone knows everyone else. He runs the ranch that abuts my parents’ place. It’d be strange if I didn’t know him.”