Texas Fandango: Texas Montgomery Mavericks, Book 3 (9 page)

And yes, other women ogling Drake shot shards of red-hot possessiveness through her. Her response was to jump up and meet him as he waded in from his ride and give him as scalding a kiss as she was capable of giving. Let them feast on that.

One day when she’d gone back to the suite for a hat she’d forgotten, she stepped onto their terrace in time to see three women hitting on him as he sat in a beach chair near the water’s edge. She’d stood on the terrace and watched for a while. From this distance, she could tell he was giving them the brush-off. While her green-eyed monster roared inside, it was still thrilling and sexy as hell to know he was hers and not available to any other female, at least not for another five days.

After those five days? She didn’t know what, if anything, would happen. He hadn’t said anything that would give any indication that he wanted more than just these two weeks. And she’d been tuned in, listening to his every word, trying to find hidden meanings in every statement, look and touch.

She was terrified to tell him how she felt about him, even scarier was how long she’d felt that way. He’d been an integral member of the Montgomery family forever. He and her cousin Travis had been like brothers. She thought Travis probably shared more confidences with Drake than his own brothers. The last thing she’d want was to do anything that might make him feel uncomfortable around the family or worse, drive him totally away.

As hard as it was, she would keep her mouth shut and not go all emotional crazy around Drake. And as much as she wanted to be in the driver’s seat, she’d already put herself out there declaring this would be a vacation of sex. How much more obvious did she have to be? In her world, women did not have sex with men they weren’t attracted to. He had to know that. So she’d wait for him to put into words the messages she inferred by his actions. Until then, she’d let her kisses and touches speak for her.

The sex at night, and many times during the day, was like nothing she’d ever experienced. Always hot. Always erotic. And it always left her sated but wanting more. She wasn’t sure if it was because Drake was overly talented in love-making or because of the deep feelings she had for him. Man or emotion? She didn’t know and she didn’t care. All she did know was that she’d give anything to have this for the rest of her life.

Oral sex wasn’t a new activity for her, but for some reason, giving Drake head brought out the naughty girl in her. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t lick, taste and touch if it gave him pleasure. She feared nothing except this being a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

They spent most of their time together but not all. When she wasn’t with him, she was thinking about him. He was funny and smart and without a doubt the most gifted lover she’d ever known…and maybe would ever know.

No matter how much she scolded herself, or chastised her foolishness, her infatuation had grown. She’d fallen in love with him. Head over heels, a forever-and-ever kind of love and no amount of fighting the ballooning attraction stemmed its growth.

She hadn’t asked for anything beyond this time together because she was afraid of his answer. If she confessed her feelings or asked for more and he said no, the rejection would simply kill her.

No, she had to accept what she had…the here and now. Some people went through their whole lives and never knew what love felt like. Now she did. It was wonderful, glorious and painful.

When he left her, and he would if his lack of talking about the future was any indication, she’d survive. It’d hurt, but she’d survive. The best thing she could do for herself was live in the moment, love to her fullest and go home with memories to last a lifetime.

A couple of times she’d awakened and just watched him sleep. His strong, square jaw. His long lashes splayed on his cheeks. The early morning scruff on his face. His lips, pink and full, looking so kissable. Heaven help her, he was as handsome asleep as he was awake.

A couple of days before they were scheduled to leave, she came back from the spa and found him on the patio, drink in hand, watching the waves roll in. After her hour-long chocolate massage, she was overcooked-noodle relaxed.

She wrapped her arms around his neck from the back. “Hey. What’s shaking?”

He dropped his head back. “Hmm. You smell great. Kiss me.”

Grinning, she leaned down and brushed his lips.

“More,” he ordered. “Or you won’t get your surprise.”

“A surprise? For me?” She started to pull her arms back so she could look for her surprise, but he grabbed her elbows.

“Not ’til you give me a good kiss.”

She smiled and leaned forward. Her lips pressed against his and parted. He slid his tongue into her mouth and she sighed. He tasted of bourbon, sunshine and pure raw testosterone. So yummy. The best thing she’d had in her mouth all day.

Their tongues tangled and twisted together, each trying to outdo the other with finesse, but he beat her hands down. He could swirl and touch places that made her toes curl. He ran the tip of his tongue along the inside surface of her teeth and into the space between her lower lip and her bottom row of teeth.

She moaned her approval and threaded her fingers into his hair.

Directing her with tugs on her elbow, he walked her around his chair to pull her into his lap, their lips and tongues never losing contact.

“Now that’s how you ask for your present,” he said when he finally broke the kiss.

“What? That wasn’t my present?”

He laughed and swatted her ass. “Nope. Go look on the bed.”

“But I’m so comfortable,” she said, snuggling next to his chest and wiggling her bottom against his thighs and groin.

“It’s something you’re going to look great in.” He kissed the end of her nose.

She climbed from his lap and walked to the bedroom to retrieve the wrapped box on the bed. When she returned and began to sit in the lounger beside his, he hauled her back into his lap. She wiggled her hips to get settled, feeling his penis grow thicker below her.

“Witch,” he said. “Be still. Now open your present.”

She twitched a couple of more times for good measure and then turned her attention to the box. The sticker on the corner bore the name of the store in the main lodge. She yanked the ribbon away and pried the lid off. She gasped. The white tissue paper inside lovingly caressed the fire-engine-red bikini she’d been drooling over when they’d arrived.

“I love it,” she said, holding up the small scrap of material that was the bottom. “How did you know?”

“I saw you admiring it last week and I knew it was perfect for you. Go put it on and let’s get in the pool.”

“Put it on just so you can take it off?”

His smile was lecherous. “You know it, babe.”

The suit stayed on for maybe ten minutes, with seven of those her parading around the pool and striking poses for him. When she hit the water, the suit hit the patio floor.

The night before they were scheduled to leave, sleep was once again evasive for Drake. After the draining round of sex they’d just had, he should have dropped into a coma. Instead, his mind had whirled and his body tossed and turned. So as not to disturb KC, who’d fallen into a deep sleep, he climbed out of the bed, found a pair of shorts the butler hadn’t packed yet and went out on the patio.

The night air was thick with salt tang and humidity but the breeze helped to make it comfortable. He sat in the lounge thinking
I could live here
. And it wasn’t just the fabulous condo and setting. It was the overwhelming joy in life he’d found here.

In some ways, he was more relaxed and at ease than any time in his life. Good food. Mind-blowing sex. Stimulating conversation. The perfect woman.

But in other ways, he was as jittery as a virgin on a wedding night. For the past twelve days, he’d fought his growing affection for KC, but it was getting harder to keep his feelings to himself.

Damn it. He’d been down this road before. Hell, hadn’t he jumped at the last two relationships after just a couple of weeks? And look how well those had gone. Maybe as he’d done with Stella and Magda, he was reading things into KC’s words and actions that weren’t there. Sure, she liked him. And she sure loved the sex, but beyond that? He didn’t know.

He propped his head in his hand. Looking back, he’d always been a crappy reader of women and their signals. Determining KC’s feelings for him by watching for signs and gestures could be unreliable at best and totally wrong at worst. His friendship with the Montgomery family, particularly Travis, went far back into childhood. The last thing he needed, or wanted, was to do anything that would put a burr under Travis’s saddle.

Okay then. His decision was made. What he’d do for now was nothing. KC was great at saying exactly what she wanted, and if she had feelings for him she’d let him know. If she made it clear she wanted this relationship to continue past this vacation, he’d be thrilled. If she didn’t, then he’d have to rethink his plan. After all, they had a long flight home tomorrow for her to suggest they continue seeing each other. If she felt for him half what he felt for her, they’d be a couple before the plane taxied for takeoff.

The morning they left, rain rolled into the luxury resort. KC couldn’t help but think the nasty, foul weather fit her mood perfectly. Her two weeks were up. Drake had said nothing about continuing their liaison—or whatever it was—when they got home, and she sure wasn’t going to bring it up. She’d done her part when she’d invited herself along and made him agree to sex. Any promotion of the next step in their relationship—if they even really had one—had to come from him.

The flight to Puerto Rico was bumpy and scary as they traversed the rain and clouds. However, once they left San Juan for Dallas, the jet got above the cloud bank and the craft settled down for a smooth, uneventful ride.

Drake was pleasant on both flights. Laughing, holding her hand, making sure her luggage was dealt with. He mentioned how much he’d needed the vacation, how much fun he’d had and how glad he was she’d made him go. He never said anything about love, or like or anything else regarding how he felt about her. And nothing concerning the future.

And damn it. She wasn’t going to ask.

What she had noticed was that as they got closer and closer to Dallas, Drake became more and more distant. When they got into his SUV for the ride from Dallas back to Whispering Springs, she was almost in tears. The clicking down of their time together sounded like a death knell in her mind. Her time with him was almost over.

She promised herself she’d be a mature woman. Strong. Decisive. Go on this vacation and come home. Cling to the memories and not the man. And she would. Starting tomorrow. Tonight, she planned to cry herself to sleep and move on.

He unloaded her bags from his Range Rover and hauled them into her kitchen.

“Leave everything here,” she said. “The laundry room’s down here so there’s no reason to lug everything upstairs and then have to bring it back down to wash.” She hugged him and gave him a very quick peck on his mouth. “Thank you for the vacation of a lifetime.”

His head snapped back. “Okay. Glad you have fun. So did I. Um, I…”

“Yeah, me too. I’ll see you around.” She opened her front door and waited for him to exit. “Thanks again.”

The minute he cleared the threshold, she closed it. She didn’t want him to say the words goodbye. She didn’t believe she’d survive it.

Chapter Eight

Monday morning, KC hit her office door ready to tackle bears if she needed to. Drake had left on Saturday and she’d not heard from him since. She’d allowed herself a huge pity party on Sunday, but it was hard to be seriously sad when Jazz had been so glad to see her.

“Have fun?” Margaret asked. “You’ve brought home quite the tan.”

“I did. Loads. I miss anything interesting while I was gone?”

“The new dentist came by and introduced himself.”

“Really? Cute?”

Margaret leaned forward. “Very cute. I heard that he’s been taking Caroline Graham and Lydia out to lunch. Jason wasn’t too happy about Lydia going.”

“Please. He’s being silly. Besides, what does he think is going to happen over a meal? A ménage during lunch at the Lone Star?”

“Well, that’d certainly liven up the place, wouldn’t it?”

The two women laughed.

“Anything big on my calendar this week?”

“Not really. You’ve got a couple of appointments with new clients, but both are wills and trusts. Your mail is on your desk. Welcome back.”

KC opened her office door and groaned. There was a huge stack of mail to go through. She’d had Margaret pick up her house mail during the past two weeks rather than stopping it, so it was piled here with any office mail that needed her attention.

“Welcome back is right.” She looked at her receptionist. “I’m going in. If you haven’t heard from me by the time you leave, make sure I didn’t suffocate under the pile of papers.”

“Will do,” Margaret said with a laugh.

KC dug into the mail, separating bills and personal mail from junk mail and flyers. There was an invitation to a pool party to watch the Dallas Cowboys in a preseason football game. It was a special Wednesday game, not the usual Friday or Monday. The party was being hosted by a couple of old friends.