“You don’t have time for this.”
He could still hear Shank Murphy when Rance had dialed him up en route to the airport. Shank was the chief marketing director for Extreme Dream and Rance’s business partner. He’d had a fit when Rance had told him that he wouldn’t be flying back to Austin today because he had to do a favor for an old friend.
“You have to come back today. You’ve got to pick up your gear and catch a plane tomorrow in order to make personal appearances for the upcoming competition.”
“Pack and ship my gear and I’ll pick it up when I get there.”
“Tomorrow. You have to leave tomorrow. I don’t care where you are or what you’re doing.”
“I’ll be there.”
Which meant he had twenty-four hours to talk some sense into one very stubborn Deanie Codge.
He’d wanted to sling her over his shoulder and haul her off the plane the moment he’d set eyes on her, but that would have just made her mad. He didn’t want her mad. Mad meant stubborn, which meant she would do anything just to spite him. Including booking herself on the next flight out the minute his back was turned. No, he wanted her stuck so that she would have no choice but to listen to reason.
A sex camp, of all things. While the setup had looked respectable enough when he and Clay had looked it up on the Internet, Rance could only imagine what really went on at a place like that.
In fact, he’d spent the better part of the cab ride to the airport imagining it, and so he’d been pretty worked up before he’d seen her board the plane in her skimpy dress and do-me high heels.
Seeing her up close and personal, smelling the sweet sent of vanilla and sugar that still clung to her, hearing the slight breathlessness in her voice when she spoke worked him up even more. He knew then as he stared up at her that he wasn’t just here because of his friendship with Clay.
Deanie had been the one constant in his life. The one person he could count on to always be there. The one person who’d really liked him. The one person who’d cared.
The only person.
She couldn’t not be attracted to him anymore.
Particularly since he was about to bust his pants at the sight of her.
He tamped down his lust, shifted in his seat and put on his game face.
“Hey, there, Teeny.” He grinned when she reached him. “Fancy meeting you here.”
She glared down at him. “I’m going to kill you. First I’m going to shoot you, then I’m going to skin your sorry hide, and then I’m going to hang what’s left for the buzzards.”
“Careful with the sweet talk.” He winked. “Otherwise, I’m liable to think you’ve still got the hots for me.”
Her eyes softened and he knew then that she wasn’t as immune to him as she pretended to be. But then her expression hardened again. “In your dreams.”
He grinned, slow and sure. “Amen.”
AMEN?
As in he actually dreamed about her?Deanie entertained the possibility for several fast, furious heartbeats before reminding herself that this was Rance McGraw.
As in the Rance McGraw who’d never so much as glanced her way romantically while growing up.
As in the Rance McGraw who’d turned her down cold the night she’d offered her body to him.
“I can’t do it,” he’d told her.
Unfortunately, rumor said he’d done it with every cheerleader who’d shaken a pair of pompoms his way and so Deanie knew that it wasn’t so much the fact that he couldn’t do it, but that he couldn’t do it with her.
Or rather, he wouldn’t.
Because Deanie hadn’t been a cheerleader. Or a twirler. Or even a pep squad member. Heck, she hadn’t been a member of anything except the auto shop club and she’d only joined that because her brother, Clay, had served as president to earn extra credit in shop class. He’d promised to rally for the club and boost its membership, and so he’d recruited his best friend, Rance, to help him. That had been enough incentive for Deanie and she’d gladly forked over two dollars in dues and worked her buns off to help Clay pass his senior elective.
Clay.
The name stuck in her head and Rance’s sudden appearance started to make sense. Her brother had a wife who was nine months pregnant. He couldn’t come running after her. So he’d asked his oldest friend to do it for him.
“Clay put you up to this, didn’t he?” she asked with tight lips.
“Up to what?”
“This.” She gestured around. “You’re following me.”
“You’re the one who came to me, Teeny. I don’t recall jumping out of my seat to walk over to you.”
“You know what I mean.”
He gave her a wide-eyed look that might have hinted at innocence if the Devil himself hadn’t danced in the bright gold depths of his eyes. “I don’t have a clue.”
“Okay, if you’re not following me, then what are you doing?”
He held up a bag of pretzels. “Just having a damned fine snack, darlin’.”
She ignored the shiver that rippled through her at the endearment. “I mean, what are you doing on this plane? On this flight?”
He winked. “I’m on my way to camp.”
“You’re going to Camp E.D.E.N.?”
“Sure am.”
“But why? It’s a…” The word sex stalled on the tip of her tongue and her mouth went dry. She swallowed. “It’s not the sort of place you would want to go.”
“Actually, I think it’s exactly the sort of place I’d want to go.”
“Why? Because you need sex lessons?”
“I was thinking I could give a few.”
“You’re going as an instructor?”
He must have read the disbelief in her voice because his grin faltered just a little. “I’m truly hurt, Teeny, that you don’t think I have anything to offer by way of sexual expertise.” He stared up at her, into her, and his gaze added, I seem to recall a time when you felt completely different.
“You already have a job,” she said, eager to ignore the sudden memory that rushed at her. Of a moonlit creek bank and a desperately hopeful girl and…Uh, uh. She wasn’t going there.
Not now. Not ever again.
“This is just a little side project to break the monotony. I need some variety in my life.”
“You’re an extreme sports fanatic. Your life is nothing but variety.”
“Too much of anything can become routine.” He winked. “Say, maybe you’ll end up in one of my classes.”
It took everything she had not to give in to the sudden shiver that raced through her at the prospect.
First off, if he were an actual instructor, she wouldn’t get lucky enough to wind up in his class. Second, she knew full well that Camp E.D.E.N. only employed educated professionals. While Rance had the experience and know-how, he didn’t have a Ph.D. in sex education. Which meant he’d cooked up the story to cover the real reason for his presence.
Clay.
She planted her hands on her hips. “If Clay thinks I’m going to change my mind just because you’re here, he can think again. I’m going to Eden.”
“Then so am I.” He grinned. “After all, duty calls.”
SHE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN better than to leave a note.
Deanie spent the entire trip to Miami mentally kicking her own ass for being so stupid. But she hadn’t wanted Clay to worry. Unfortunately, she hadn’t wanted to lie to him, either, and so she was stuck with Rance for the entire flight.It was bad enough that he sat just a few rows behind and she had to hear his voice. But what made things worse was that she could feel him. Her nerves tingled, her hands shook and her heart pounded with awareness. She tried to talk to Savannah, but the woman was more interested in taking a nap before they arrived. Likewise, Mavoreen was snoring away in the row in front. Deanie was left with her magazines.
Unfortunately, makeup and clothes and Fifty Ways to Make Your Man Say Wow wasn’t enough to distract her from the knowledge that he was there.
> Behind her.
Watching her.
Even more, Rance himself reminded her every hour or so by heading to the men’s restroom near the cockpit. On his way back to his seat, he made it a point to meet and hold her gaze. And he grinned at her. And forced her heartbeat faster with the twinkle in his eyes. She couldn’t help but feel like the last barbecue rib at an Elks luncheon, and Rance was one hungry Elk.
Right.
No way did Rance actually hunger for her.
She told herself that as they flew the hundreds of miles to Miami, and she actually believed it by the time the plane touched down to pick up more passengers. But then they took off again and he made another bathroom trip, and the way he looked at her sparked the thought all over again.
Maybe he was telling the truth.
Maybe fate had orchestrated this chance meeting. Maybe they’d been thrown together so that their unspent lust for one another could be rekindled. At least her own would be rekindled. He hadn’t carried a torch for her back then, so his lusty fire would have just ignited at the sight of her. Maybe he’d realized what he’d been missing all these years and he would do any and everything to make it up to her.
Forget Mavoreen. Deanie was the seriously delusional one.
He was following her, checking up on her, plain and simple. Reason told her as much.
If only Rance didn’t keep stirring her doubt with his sexy-enough-to-be-a-sex-instructor grin.
Thankfully, the trip from Miami to Escapades Island was short. The Fasten Seat Belt light stayed on the entire time so Rance stayed in his seat. And Deanie managed to shake the whole attraction/fate theory.
“We have exactly twenty-two minutes before we take off for Eden,” the flight attendant announced once they’d rolled to a stop at the main gate at the Escapades airport. “Until then, everyone is free to move around the cabin.”
Uh, oh.
“This is where I get off,” Savannah declared as she gathered her purse and pushed to her feet. “Nice meeting you and happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Thanks. You know,” Deanie unfastened her seat belt and pushed to her feet, “I really need to stretch my legs. I’ll walk you out.” She followed Savannah down the aisle and up the terminal gate.
She wasn’t going to be a sitting duck for Rance and her own crazy fantasies.
And if he follows you?
She didn’t chance a glance over her shoulder. She wasn’t risking even more eye contact if he was following her. She said goodbye to Savannah once they reached the gate and headed into the small but busy terminal that serviced all flights to and from Escapades Island. She passed a newsstand and a bagel cart before she felt the hair on the back of her neck prickle.
He was following her, all right, and she knew just how to prove it and kill the maybe’s once and for all.
An instructor?
“My aunt Fanny,” she muttered to herself as she picked up her steps and rounded a corner.
She pulled open a small door to her left and disappeared into the dark interior. Groping for the light switch, she held her hand in position and waited. A few seconds later, the doorknob trembled.
Metal hinges creaked and a shaft of light peaked into the dark interior. She inched to the left, deeper into the darkness and waited for the door to swing wider. The light grew brighter and a large, unmistakable form stepped inside.
3
“I KNEW IT!” She flipped on the switch and light flooded the small room. “You are following me.”
“I am not.” Rance frowned.“Oh really? You’re standing in an airport storage closet.”
“So are you,” he retorted. “Maybe you’re the one following me.”
“Excuse me? I was here first,” she reminded him. “My brothers sent you here to spy on me, didn’t they?”
His mouth thinned as if he were about to deny it. “Actually, they sent me to talk some sense into you,” he finally said after a long moment.
She’d known the truth, but having it confirmed bothered her a lot more than she expected. Her chest tightened. She blinked against the sudden burning behind her eyes. “So all of that instructor stuff was just a bunch of BS?”
“They are always looking for qualified instructors according to their Web site.”
“But you’re not one of the chosen few.”
“I could be. If I wanted to be.”
“I should have known.” Hello? You did know.
She just hadn’t wanted to believe it. Deep down, she’d wanted to think that maybe Fate had finally smiled on her. Maybe all those years of dreaming hadn’t been wasted. Maybe it had just been poor timing.
And now the time was right and he’d followed her because he’d wanted to.
Wrong.
“Look, I’m sorry I lied to you, but it was for a good cause. Clay is worried about you and I promised him I would stick close and keep an eye out. I was afraid you would have walked off the plane back in San Antonio if I didn’t give you a convincing story.”
“I would have.”
“Which means it really was convincing.”
“Then.” She narrowed her gaze. “But now that I really think about it, I can see major holes.”
His mouth tightened into a frown. “It’s the tightest story I’ve ever heard.”
“Not really. I know you have a reputation back home, but it takes more than just a little backseat action to make a Camp E.D.E.N. instructor.”
“A little?” He arched an eyebrow at her.
“Okay, so a lot. But that’s small town stuff, which is always overexaggerated. Not to mention, that was years ago. You could have been celibate since then for all anyone knows. Which brings us to huge, gaping hole number one—you don’t have any solid references behind you.”
“I haven’t been celibate.”
“Says you.”
“And the press,” he reminded her.
“Everybody knows the media can blow things out of proportion. Last year Irma Sue Sinclair bought a push-up bra on a shopping trip to Austin. Two days later, the “About Town” column reported that she’d not only had her boobs done, but splurged on a tummy tuck and liposuction to boot.”
“That’s small-town gossip, not news.”
“You’re telling me that piece I saw on Inside Edition—the one with you eating a banana split off some centerfold’s belly—was news?”
“It was for charity.”
“It was for publicity. Look, I know you think you’ve maintained your reputation by ingesting all that whipped cream, but—”
“—and cherries.”
“—and cherries,” she added, ignoring the sudden vision that popped into her head of a very well-placed cherry and a certain tall, dark and handsome man trying to retrieve it with his mouth. “But just because you know your way around a seductive dessert, doesn’t make you an expert when it comes to sex.”
“Trust me.” His gaze glittered gold fire and she became acutely aware of the small size of the closet and his close proximity. “I’m fully qualified in that department.”
“That’s what you say. But talking the talk doesn’t make you a real expert. It takes moves. Skill. Action.” His frown deepened and she added, “If I were Camp E.D.E.N.’s owner, I would have only the most experienced instructors working for me. As a paying student, I expect a certain level of expertise.”
“And you don’t think I’ve reached that level?”
And then some. She shrugged. “It’s nothing personal. Camp E.D.E.N. needs teachers who can put their money where their mouth is…What are you doing?” she blurted as he stepped closer and she lost the precious few inches of distance between them.
“Putting my money where my mouth is.” He leaned down and his lips touched hers.
Deanie wasn’t sure what she’d expected from Rance, but she was damned sure what she didn’t expect.
A kiss.
A hot, wet, breath-stealing kiss.
Shock beat through her for the next few seconds as his l
ips nibbled at hers. But then he reached out, his large hands sliding around her waist, and her surprise faded amid the sudden tidal wave of lust that broke over her.
She slid her hands up and around his shoulders, his neck, and buried her fingers in his hair. His mouth slanted more fully over hers and his tongue plunged deep to tangle with hers. The kiss heated and shifted into overdrive as his hands slid down to cup her bottom and pull her tight against his hard crotch.
He rubbed her back and forth and she shuddered. He felt so good. So right.
Fate.
The word echoed in her head as she slid her hands beneath his T-shirt and stroked his bare skin. He reached between them and cupped her breast. He stroked the fullness through her thin sundress before sliding his fingers toward the gaping neckline. He traced the path where her plump skin plunged beneath the fabric and she trembled. His touch moved higher, following the strap that fastened around her neck. He paused over the hook and for a long moment, his hand cupped the back of her head and he simply kissed her. Deeply, thoroughly, his tongue stroking in a frenzied rhythm that picked her up like a tidal wave and carried her along for the ride.
She relished the taste and texture of him. A moan of protest curled up her throat when he finally pulled away. Her brain barely had time to register the fact that he’d unclasped the halter top of her dress and the material now bunched at her waist. Her bare breasts trembled from the sudden rush of air and she felt a moment of self-consciousness. But then he caught one nipple between his thumb and forefinger and squeezed, and a bolt of pleasure pierced her brain. Her lips parted on a gasp and then he was kissing her again.
Her hands dropped from his shoulders and traced a path down the hard wall of his chest. She pressed her palm over his erection, feeling him through the fabric of his shorts. She was this close to the zipper when the doorknob trembled.
Things happened fast in the next few seconds as Rance pulled away and caught the doorknob just as someone tried to open it from the other side.
“What the…” The voice carried from the other side as Rance jerked the door shut and held it tight while Deanie fumbled to cover herself.
Tall, Tanned & Texan Page 3