by Jill Sanders
Her eyes slid open and for a moment she thought she was going to cry when she noticed the tenderness there.
He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers before his hips flexed slightly. She did feel a burst of slight pain, but it was quickly overcome by joy at being closer to anyone than she’d ever been before. Her legs wrapped around his, holding him to her.
He grew still until she moved her hips. Then he closed his eyes and dove deep into her as his kisses grew more urgent.
She’d never felt anything like being this close to Luke before. His skin heated next to her own burning skin. She felt the slap of his body next to hers and his mouth pleasured hers until finally she felt herself building once more. Just as she was about to jump over the edge, she heard him growl, “Yes, come for me,” again.
“Luke,” she cried out as she felt herself spinning once more. She felt him stiffen above her and heard him growl out her name and knew she would never feel regret about that night. About letting Lucas James be her first.
Chapter Eleven
Luke was trying to process what the hell had just happened. His heart rate was still way above normal and he was pretty sure he’d just broken a ton of moral rules. He wasn’t willing to dwell on that just yet.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he finally asked once he’d caught his breath.
“Hmmm?” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders once more. They had fallen flat on the mattress but were now roaming his back, causing him to stir once more.
Instead of enjoying the feeling, he pulled away and looked down at her. “That this… that I was… your first.”
She was smiling up at him and just the sight of her hair fanned out on the pillow was causing him to grow hard again.
“Why would I? Besides, I had the feeling that if you knew”—her arms pulled him back down to her— “you wouldn’t have let this happen.” She leaned up and kissed him until he melted back down into her arms.
“Damn straight,” he said without any energy. “You deserve… better for your first…”
She chuckled. “Better than the best?” She wrapped her legs around him once more.
“Careful, you might give me a big head,” he joked.
“I don’t see you having that problem.” She pulled on his shoulder until he came back down and covered her. His hips started moving on their own and before he knew it, he was fighting for breath once more.
“I can’t stop myself… around you,” he growled into her hair as she rained kisses down his neck.
“Good.” Her nails were scrapping his sides, driving him nuts. He rolled her hips up until he gripped her tight butt. When he felt her convulse around him and heard her cry out again, only then did he let himself go once more.
He must have slept, since the sunlight in his face woke him. Her body was tangled in his. Her sexy legs wrapped around his hip and her hair was next to his face. Her face was squished against his chest. He enjoyed the feeling of her breathing, her entire body rising and falling with each breath. He counted the breaths, then counted her heartbeats against his.
Closing his eyes, he wished he could stay the entire day here, with her. Unfortunately, he had Chase and Lauren’s bull being delivered later that morning.
Glancing at the clock, he figured he had enough time to enjoy a shower with Tessa, and maybe head downstairs for a cup of coffee and one of Holly’s cinnamon rolls.
When he moved, Tessa tried to snuggle deeper into his chest. He solved the problem by simply picking her up and carrying her to the bathroom with him.
He stopped just inside the doorway and whistled.
“Hmmm?” She pushed her hair out of her eyes and looked up at him.
“Nice digs.” He smiled down at her. “I’m going to have to take notes for when I remodel my bathroom.”
She chuckled. “This is the reason I decided to move here, instead of in the small house with dad. Besides…” He felt her stiffen, but didn’t give her time to stress about her father’s love life. Instead, he walked towards the shower and stepped in, then reached to turn on the spray.
“It’s cold!” She screamed and tried to get out of his arms.
“Course it is. How else are you going to wake up?” He chuckled and released her until she stood on her own.
She reached for the knobs, only to have him turn her around and hold her against the stone wall. “No, it’s perfect.” He chuckled when she tried to kick out. Giving her no time, he dipped his head and kissed her until there was steam coming from both of their bodies.
“Someone could get hurt like that,” she said, as she dried her hair with a towel.
“You’ve got those sticky things on the floor.” He pulled on his jeans and hunted for his shirt. “Besides, those handles on the wall come in real handy.” He heard her laugh.
“I’d never thought about using them… quite like that before.”
He glanced over his shoulder towards her. “No, but I bet you won’t forget it now.”
She shook her head and then pulled on a shirt to hide the blush. But he’d seen her cheeks turn pink and couldn’t stop the smile, knowing he’d caused it.
When they walked down the stairs and into Holly’s, hand in hand, he tried to convince her to spend the day with him at his place.
“We could go riding until you have to come into work.”
She calculated. “I’m off Fridays and Saturdays.”
“You are?”
“Yes, this week. I switched with someone so I didn’t have to drag my butt in after last night.” She waved at the blonde behind the counter.
“Perfect.” He stopped her from walking further into the place. “So, spend the day with me. We’ll take a ride, have a picnic, then…” He whispered in her ear until the pink returned to her cheeks.
“Well, are you two coming or going?” Holly said from behind the counter. “Before you decide, I’ve got a fresh pan of cinnamon rolls that just came out of the oven.”
“Coming!” they both said at the same time. They laughed and walked towards the bar area.
“So… last night happened,” Holly said, leaning against the counter. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my husband with every ounce of being, but… damn.” She fluttered her eyelashes at him and chuckled. “Boy, you’ve got some lungs.”
He didn’t know what to say. Actually, he’d seen the woman and her husband enjoying themselves last night. Travis Nolan was one of the men around town he hardly knew anything about. He’d actually only seen the man once or twice.
“Um… thanks, I think.” Now it was his turn to blush. He turned to the menu and focused on picking out a coffee instead.
After they ordered, they picked a table and waited for their coffee and cinnamon rolls to be delivered.
“She was just joking with you,” Tessa added as she reached for his hands.
“I know.” He shifted, and glanced around and she chuckled. “What?”
“Nothing. I think it’s cute that you get embarrassed.”
“I’m not…” She stopped him by raising her eyebrows. “Okay, maybe a little. I’ve heard what her husband does… did for a living. Not to mention what her father did. I’ve actually read his book. Um, her book.” He frowned and tilted his head.
“Her book, about her father. His notes and poems are in it, but she wrote it. She’s actually writing another one.”
“Oh?” He leaned forward. He’d really enjoyed the first book.
“About her husband,” she added. He waited until after their food and drinks were delivered.
“Thanks, Karlene,” Tessa said, then reached for her mug.
“Isn’t her name April?” He frowned after the blonde.
“No, April is her sister. She works here too.”
“Oh.” He shrugged and reached for his coffee.
“You really don’t know that many people in town, do you?”
He shrugged again. “Not yet. I’m getting there.”
She tilted her head. “How l
ong have you lived here?”
He calculated as he bit into the hot roll but lost his train of thought when the sugary goodness melted in his mouth. “Damn!” He groaned. “This is almost as good as last night… and this morning.” He winked at her, causing her to blush once more. “I like doing that.”
She turned beet read. “What?” She almost coughed it out.
“Making you blush,” he joked. He knew what she was thinking and didn’t mind.
“Oh.” She reached for her roll and he watched her eyes roll and close with pleasure. “Well, why have you avoided meeting people?” she asked after a moment of silence.
“I haven’t avoided it… per se.” He took another bite of his roll.
“No?” She sighed. “What’s the clerks name at the Grocery Stop?” He shrugged. “How about the owner of the hardware store?” He shrugged again. “What about the gas attendant?” Upon his blank stare, she shook her head. “Do you know anyone in town besides the one’s I’ve introduced you to?”
He thought about it. “I know Mama.”
“She doesn’t really count. She makes a point to know everyone.”
He chuckled. “Okay, how about Grant. I’ve had him and his father come out and check up on my herd.”
She nodded. “Yes, I suppose that counts.”
“Oh, I cut my finger pretty deep on the barbed fence a few weeks after moving in and met… Merissa? At the clinic. She’s married to… Ryan?”
“Melissa. She goes by Missy. She’s married to Reece, who is Ryan’s twin.”
“Okay, now you’re just confusing me.” He laughed.
“I guess I can see how you’d get confused.”
“I’ve been wondering why you hang out with people a few years older than you, rather than the people in town your own age.” He finished off his roll and took the last sip of his coffee.
“No reason,” she said, but he knew she was hiding something. Just then, the door opened and Alex rushed in. When she spotted them, she rushed over.
***
“I didn’t…” Alex started, then stopped, held up a finger, and leaned on her knees to take several deep breaths.
“What?” Tessa instantly worried. “Is something wrong?” She started to get up from the table.
“No,” Alex shook her head then pulled up a chair and sat next to them. “Oh, are those cinnamon rolls?” She glanced at Tessa’s almost empty plate. Pushing the plate towards Alex, she waited until her friend shoved the last bite into her mouth. “Thanks, I ran all the way from Mama’s.”
Tessa laughed. “It’s only two blocks.”
“Uh, yeah. Try doing that after having two kids.” She held up her fingers close to Tessa’s eyes. “Two!”
Tessa smiled. “Okay, do you need some water or some oxygen?”
Alex smirked at her and narrowed her eyes. “You just wait… someday…”
“Was there something you had to tell us?” Tessa burst in.
“Oh!” A huge smile flooded Alex’s face. “Okay, first let me premise this with the fact that it wasn’t really my fault. Since I couldn’t be there last night, I asked Haley to record… you know, so I could see how it went…”
“Um…” Tessa shook her head, not quite understanding.
“Well, anyway, since the file was too large to email, and I still haven’t figure out how to do that whole share thingie…” She rolled her eyes. “Wes figured out how to put the video up on YouTube. So, by the time I finally made it into Mama’s this morning and logged into my iPad…” She glanced around. “Damn.” She looked towards the door where her husband was walking in, holding a child in each arm and a large diaper bag over his shoulders. He was frowning and smiling at the same time.
“Oh!” Alex rushed over to him, took her iPad from the diaper bag, and kissed him solidly on his lips. “Thanks!”
Grant nodded, then turned and walked back out the door.
“Would you mind telling me what is going on?” Tessa asked, only to have Alex turn to Luke.
“I hope it’s okay… I mean… You’re a hit.”
“What?” He frowned over at her and Tessa could tell he was as confused as she was.
Instead of answering, Alex opened up her iPad, logged in to the Wi-Fi, and hit play.
There on the screen was Luke singing her song last night. Even in the darkness of the room, his entire body was lit up. Since the entire crowd was silent, his voice rang clear.
Goosebumps grew all over Tessa as she listened to the entire song. By the time it was over, there were tears sliding down her face.
“It’s beautiful.” Alex sighed. She reached over and hit pause. “And has over a hundred-thousand views.”
“What!” Tessa looked at the screen and sure enough, they were quickly approaching the hundred and fifty thousand mark. “Oh my…”
“I…” Luke shook his head.
“The duet of you two has almost as many.”
Tessa was really critical about her own performance, but tried hard not to focus on her own voice. Instead, she focused on Luke’s. The number under that video shocked her, too.
“I… I don’t understand.” She shook her head.
“You’re an overnight hit,” Alex said, smiling big.
Her eyes moved over to Luke. His color had paled and he actually looked a little sick.
“Luke?” She reached for him.
“I…” He shook his head. “I have to go… the bull.” He quickly got up and rushed from the room.
“I…” Alex frowned. “I didn’t mean…”
“I think he’s just a little shocked. He’s so shy.” She patted Alex’s hand and rushed outside, but Luke’s truck had already disappeared around the corner.
“I’m sorry, Tessa.” Alex walked out and stood beside her. “I didn’t mean for anyone else to see it. Only me.”
She smiled at Alex. “It’s okay. Really,” she said as she bit her bottom lip with worry.
Chapter Twelve
Chase had dropped off the bull named Roger, which, oddly, suited the thing perfectly. Five minutes after being released into the pen with all his heifers, the darn thing had rolled in the mud pit left over from last week’s rain. He looked like he’d enjoyed every minute of it.
Luke sat on the fence and watched the cattle get to know one another. The scene from the coffee shop played over and over in his mind. So many emotions flooded him. Nerves, fear, anger. He didn’t know why he was angry.
It wasn’t as if Alex had meant to give away Tessa’s songs. His mind played over numbers. If she’d been paid each time someone had listened to her songs, she’d have enough money to stop working at the diner. Hell, maybe even enough for her to live comfortably, if she could secure a deal because of it.
He didn’t know much about the legal aspects of things. Since it was on YouTube, did that mean she had given up her rights to the songs?
And how did he feel about people watching him sing? Sure, he’d played in front of about a hundred people in the Rusty Rail, but he’d never imagined anything close to a hundred thousand. No way. Never.
He was determined to go inside and do a little research on the internet when he heard the car turn down his drive. He frowned when he saw Tessa’s sedan. His heart sank slightly and he felt guilty for leaving the coffee shop like he had.
“Are you okay?” she asked once she’d gotten out of the car. She’d changed from her shorts and shirt into a pair of long jeans and a long-sleeved flannel riding shirt. Even her dusty boots said she had been planning on going riding. Her hair was tied back with a blue ribbon.
“I’m fine. How are you?” He reached for her and she walked into his arms.
“I’m okay.” She chuckled a little.
“I’m sorry,” he blurted out.
“For?” She waited.
He released a breath, then shook his head. “I guess, for everything.”
“Luke, are you mad at me?”
“No!” He took her closer into his arms. “Of cours
e not. Why would I be?”
“Haley and Alex didn’t mean any harm.”
“I know.” He brushed away a strand of hair that had blown in her eyes.
“Are you… upset? Embarrassed? What?” She leaned back and dropped her arms. After a moment of silence, she stomped her foot lightly and added, “Luke, talk to me.”
“I… I thought you’d be upset. I’m sorry I left. I was just… I don’t know.” He walked over and blindly watched the cows playing in the fields. “I guess I’m scared you’re going to be upset that you didn’t make a deal.”
“A deal?” She walked over and leaned against the fence next to him. “What are you talking about?”
“A deal with your agent. I mean, so many people have your song now. And you still aren’t getting paid for the first few songs.”
She shocked him by bending over and laughing, hard and long. She didn’t stop until he put a hand on her shoulder.
“You… here I was, worried that we’d upset you by having you become the sexiest cowboy singer ever recorded and here you are… worried that I’m not getting paid for the songs I wrote.” She smiled up at him and he pretty much lost what it was he was trying to stress.
“Um…” He shook his head.
“Luke. You’re nuts, you know that.” She walked over and turned him until he was facing her. “Don’t worry about me. Enjoy your stardom.”
She stood back and smiled at him. “After you left, I got a call from my agent.”
“And?” He held in his excitement.
“And, he’s decided who’s going to sing my songs.”
He waited, holding his breath. “Who?”
“You.” She leaned up and brushed a kiss on his lips.
“Me?” He stepped back, but realized the fence was right behind him.
“Yes. He’s coming down next week to listen to you sing, live. If he likes what he hears, he has a few record companies that are willing to sign you.”
“Me?” he asked again, shaking his head.
“Yes, you. That is… if you enjoyed singing on stage and liked singing my songs and want to keep doing it.”
“I love singing your songs.” He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her rubbing her body against his. “I loved singing.” When his eyes opened, he couldn’t stop himself from smiling back at her. “So, that means, you’ll finally get paid for your songs?”