Taken, Not Spurred (Lone Star Burn) (22 page)

Chapter Twenty-Four

T
he next morning, dressed only in one of Tony’s plaid shirts, Sarah left him sleeping in their bed and slipped away to the bathroom for a moment. She looked in the mirror and smiled. Her hair was loose in a tangled mess. The makeup she hadn’t taken the time to remove was smudged beneath her eyes.

I look like we spent the night doing exactly what we did. Eventually, one of us will have to go downstairs for food, and I can’t look like this if there is any chance it might be me.

She turned on the water and slid out of Tony’s shirt. A few moments later, Sarah closed her eyes and sighed as she relaxed in the full tub. She smiled as she replayed every wonderful, hot moment of the night before. They’d barely made it in the door before they’d ripped each other’s clothing off and had sex on the stairs while heading to his bedroom.

Eventually, temporarily spent, they’d cuddled in his bed and talked. He told her about the changes he wanted to make at his ranch, and she told him about her plans to self-publish her stories. Her heart nearly burst with pride when he explained that he’d given a house to Melanie and Jace. He wasn’t a man who boasted about what he did. He told her because there were no more barriers between them. No more secrets.

“Did you hear any more from Lucy about her ranch? I made the call. Don’t know if it did much good. I figure we should send David out there to see what’s going on. He’s good with the business side of ranching.”

“You’d do that?” Sarah had asked in awe.

He’d kissed her and said, “I would do anything for you or those you care about.”

And she believed him because, as frustrating as he sometimes was, Tony was a man who didn’t say a word more than he meant.

Breshall Haas is sure going to be busy, because book three is already coming alive for me. My two broken characters will finally bring each other as much comfort as they do passion.
She smiled as she remembered how Tony had looked tied to the bed at the cabin, as willing to be taken as she ever was. She sank deeper beneath the warm water and watched the book play out in her imagination, like a movie.

Being taken.

It keeps getting better and better.

Wrapped only in a towel, Sarah walked back into the bedroom and saw Tony happily reading her notebook. He put it down on his lap and said, “That will always remind me of the day we met.”

Sarah looked down and laughed. “Let’s not tell anyone that story, deal?”

He smiled and held up her notebook, revealing the evidence of his excitement standing erect beneath the sheet. “I see you have been busy. I like your new story, but I have a few questions.”

Sarah sat and turned to face him, knowing that when she lifted her leg onto the bed she’d give him an intimate view. He sucked in a breath, his attention no longer focused on her writing. “What did you want to know?”

He met her eyes, desire sizzling the air between them. “What?”

Sarah ran a hand down the sheet, caressing one of his thighs through the smooth cotton. “You said you had questions.”

He reached behind her head and pulled her closer, murmuring against her lips. “It doesn’t matter.”

The temptation to sink into his arms warred with the need to know what he thought about her writing. She put a hand on his shoulder and said, “I want your feedback. My writing isn’t a hobby to me—it’s a part of me. What do you think?”

He shifted and pulled her down beside him in the bed and tucked her into his side. “First, why does he have to be a billionaire? Are millions not sexy enough?”

Sarah ran her hand across the light hair of his chest. “Don’t be jealous. He’s not real.”

Tony kissed her lightly on her forehead. “He’d better not be, because he and I share some similar techniques.” Despite his obvious hard-on, he reopened her notebook and pointed to a scene she had written. “I think I could do this better than you described it, though. I had some ideas while I read it.”

“You did?” Sarah asked, allowing her towel to fall to one side. She moved the sheet aside and took him in her hand, caressing him while she spoke. “I don’t mind trying that again. For research purposes, of course.”

“Of course,” he said huskily, half closing his eyes with pleasure. He flipped to another part of the notebook and said, “And I’m not sure this particular move is even humanly possible.”

Sarah moved her hand lower, cupping his balls gently. “Only one way to find out.” Then she took the notebook and turned to a scene near the end. “What did you think of this part?”

He reread a line, then rolled over so they were face-to-face on the bed. His thumb circled and teased one of her nipples until it was hard and begging for his mouth. “I thought it lacked sufficient detail, but that’s something we can fix together.”

Suddenly more serious, Tony said, “I never meant to make you feel like what you described in the second book. I wasn’t ready for what you were offering me. But I’m ready now.”

Looking into his loving green eyes, Sarah thought about how much they had both changed. They’d each been lost in their own way, and together had found a way back. Nothing would change the past. Even love couldn’t do that, but they no longer had to face it alone.

There are things we can fix and things we can’t. I guess life is about figuring out which is which, and dealing with both the best you can.

And if you’re lucky, you find someone who loves you, scars and all.

Tony rolled on top of her, seeming to sense the serious direction of her thoughts. He kissed her cheek softly and said, “Let’s take it slow and gentle this time.”

Sarah dropped her notebook on the floor beside the bed.

My cowbo
y . . .

Gentle or rough.

When it’s right, they’re both good.

Author’s Note

P
aso Finos are a wonderful, smoothly gaited breed and are not necessarily well represented by my depiction of them. I own a Paso Fino and I adore him. He’s a backyard horse that has been my best friend for longer than I’ve been married. If you’re interested in the elegance and gait of the breed, read about them online. If you prefer to think of the breed in terms of the quirky personality of one woman’s equine friend, that’s my Scooter.

Also, use discretion if attempting to re-create any of the spicier scenes in this book. The author is not responsible for those of you who feel inspired and then fall from a tree. And please, drive responsibly.

Acknowledgments

I
am so grateful to everyone who was part of the process of creating first
Gentling the Cowboy
and then the republished version,
Taken, Not Spurred.
Thank you to:

My very patient beta readers—Karen Lawson, Heather Bell, Marion Archer, Yeu Khun, Kathy Dubois, Janet Hitchcock—who read multiple versions of the same chapters until I felt they were right. Thank you Karen and Janet for giving me the “Fuck-It List.”

My editors: Karen Lawson, Janet Hitchcock, Nina Pearlman, JoVon Sotak, and Robin Cruise.

Melanie Hanna, for helping me organize the business side of publishing.

Melody Anne, for putting me in the back of
Seduced
in her Surrender series. She went from being an author I promote with to a real friend. Thank you, Mel, for all you do! I hope we continue on this wild ride together for a long, long time.

Bunny Giordano and Lucy Wright, for lending me their fun names for characters.

My Roadies, whose continued kindness and support often bring out my sloppily grateful and sometimes tearful side.

And finally, to my readers: Two years ago, when my teaching job was once again cut because of budget issues, I was afraid. Since then, publishing my romances has not only given me more time with my children, but it has also given me a more stable means to support my family. I cannot thank you enough.

As always, thank you to my husband, Tony, who listens to each story so many times, he dreams about the characters. I love you, hon.

And my family who supports me in this adventure and is the reason I do what do every day. Love you!

About the Author

R
uth Cardello was born the youngest of eleven children in a small city in northern Rhode Island. She lived in Boston, Paris, Orlando, and New York before coming full circle and moving back to Rhode Island, where she lives with her husband and three children. Before turning her attention to writing, Ruth was an educator for twenty years, eleven of which she spent as a kindergarten teacher. She is the author of seven previous novels including
Bedding the Billionaire
, which was a
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestseller.
Taken, Not Spurred
is the debut book in the Lone Star Burn series. To receive notification when a new book is available, sign up for Ruth’s mailing list at
RuthCardello.com
or follow her on Facebook,
www.facebook.com/ruthcardello
.