Texas Tea [Del Fantasma]

by Maura Anderson

  "I got it off the phone and programmed it into my cell when I took you back there last night. Since I had to put you to bed, I wasn't sure you'd remember any of our plans for today. I thought you might need a wake-up call."

  Oh shit. He'd even put her to bed? She spotted her boots and a small pile of clothes on the floor near the doorway, neatly folded. She was never that tidy; that had to be Matt's doing.

  She normally slept naked and she was still wearing panties—something she'd not realized until now. Not something she'd normally do, either. He'd undressed her while she was pretty much helpless but had left the thin scrap of lace in some sort of gesture to modesty?

  Why didn't she feel violated? Taken advantage of? He'd seen her naked, after all. But he'd also taken care of her and then left her alone to sleep. How many men would have done that? Most would have either dumped her just inside the door or would have taken advantage of her. Hell, some of them would have left her at the restaurant or outside the door.

  Matt was a very different man.

  "Lara?"

  "Oh. Ummm ... What time is it?” She looked around in vain for her travel alarm clock. It must still be in the bathroom where she'd had it yesterday morning.

  "It's seven a.m. I have to be at work at nine, so I thought I'd pick you up in an hour and we can have breakfast before we go to the park for the day. Would that give you enough time to get ready?"

  "I can be ready in a half hour. I don't take very long."

  "Okay, I'll be there at seven thirty then.” Was it her imagination or did he seem happy to come earlier.

  "I'll be ready."

  "Oh, just so you know.” His voice lowered to a sexy drawl. “I like women who don't hog the bathroom for hours and I love the underwear collection. I'll see you shortly."

  Before she could respond, he'd hung up. She gaped at the phone for a moment before she hung it up.

  Now fully awake, she hopped out of the bed and grabbed some clean clothes. She picked up the first knit shirt and pair of pants that came to hand but when she got to her collection of underwear, she made a more careful choice. He liked her underwear collection, did he? She finally decided on a chocolate brown and cream set made of lace and velvet. It was one of her favorites and Matt would probably like it, too.

  Her lingerie fetish had always been her own personal secret, her way of having a hidden feminine side that no one could judge her for and that she didn't have to justify to anyone. Now someone knew—

  Matt knew—and she found it surprisingly ... exciting. She wished she'd seen his face when he discovered what her casual, loose work clothes hid.

  Only fifteen minutes later and she was showered, dressed and ready to go. Thanks to the amount of sleep she'd gotten, her jet lag was almost gone as well. It was a relief to finally be clear-headed again.

  Looking around the bedroom, she realized what was missing. Where was her laptop? Always careful to lock it up wherever she was, having it out of sight was unusual. She kept multiple copies of her books as she worked on them, but she relied on the laptop and her portable printer while she was working. She'd not unpacked the printer yet and its box was still on the floor by the dresser.

  At a loss, she climbed onto the bed, crawled over the top and looked down onto the floor on the other side. Piled neatly beside the bed was a stack of the papers that had been on the bed yesterday. Her laptop was next to the stack, tilted up against the wall so it was safer from being accidentally stepped upon.

  Relief made her a tiny bit light-headed and a warm sensation filled her chest. Matt had been careful—not just with her, but also with her work. He seemed to understand that it wasn't just a hobby or pastime, as past boyfriends had. Their interest seemed to drop when she told them she wouldn't take nude pictures for them.

  Cameras. Where were her cameras? She had the vaguest memory of seeing the camera bag in Matt's truck so they were either still in there or maybe Matt had brought them home with her. She went out into the main room of the cottage to check. The camera bag was sitting safely on one of the chairs.

  He had brought them in for her.

  A piece of paper sat on top of the bag with her name printed on it with strong, slanted strokes.

  She picked up the paper and opened it to find Matt had left her several reminders in the same bold handwriting. One was that her car was still at the park. The other was that he would be by to pick her up for breakfast and would then take her to the park with him. He'd even said what a nice time he'd had with her at dinner and how smart and attractive she was.

  By the time she finished reading the note, Lara was torn between laughing and being a bit weepy. The wonderful man claimed to have had a good time with a woman who had fallen asleep during dinner, and had needed to be delivered home and undressed like a child. But his words, and his phone call, seemed sincere.

  And he thought she was both pretty and smart. A man who accepted her for what she was. At least for most of what she was. He still didn't know her big secret.

  He won't care, you know. He can accept all of you.

  The tingling sensation came and went almost instantly, the ghost apparently only interested in delivering its message as quickly as possible.

  "Thanks.” She said in a random direction since she had no idea where the ghost had spoken from.

  She glanced at her watch to find she still had a few minutes left before Matt was due to arrive. She needed to make sure she was ready to really dive into her work today. After removing her wad of clothing from the handle of the camera bag, she opened the bag and started her equipment check. She quickly changed the batteries in all her cameras, including the digital SLR that would be her primary tool today. The batteries she removed went into the chargers she'd stationed on the small kitchen counter and the previously charged ones were moved to the bag as spares. Several spare memory cards were tucked inside the bag as well.

  Thankfully, the keys to the B&B cottage had been sitting on top of the camera case, no doubt due to Matt as well. She needed them to lock the deadbolt as she left, so she laid them on top of the zipped up bag again. Matt's thoughtfulness had saved her from the normal process of trying to figure out where she'd last put that set of keys, but she still had to find the keys to her rental car. She started with the outside pockets of the camera bag and was happy to discover them in the first pocket she searched. She moved them to one of the pockets of her cargo pants.

  Money. She might need money. She certainly needed her driver's license. Just as she retrieved her wallet from the pair of pants she'd been wearing yesterday, a knock sounded at the cottage's front door.

  Darting out of the bedroom and toward the front door, she couldn't wait to see Matt again. Only when her hand was already on the doorknob did she have a brief moment of trepidation. How would he behave today? Would he treat her differently? The man had seen her naked. And commented on her choice in underwear. Worse yet, he had seen the fact she was far from tidy.

  She quelled her fears as best she could. It's not like he'd run or had said anything critical, after all. She opened the door to see Matt's tall body, more sexy than ever in his pressed and formal Park Ranger uniform.

  His lips curved in a slow, hot smile. “Good morning, Lara."

  He shocked her by opening his arms and pulling her immediately into them. Like an animal pouncing, he covered her open mouth with his own. His lips played over hers, gently teasing her skin with the texture of his own warm lips. Almost as quickly as the kiss started, it ended and Matt just held her close to him.

  Lara sighed, surrendering to the sense of comfort and leaned her body into his. She was surprisingly content just resting in the circle of his arms. Wanting to be even closer, she wrapped her own arms around his slender waist and hugged him to her. The sense of peace and acceptance quickly changed to arousal when she felt what she did to the self-possessed man. His uniform pants didn't conform to his body as well as his jeans did and she could feel his cock grow thicker and harder against her.
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br />   A foreign sense of power rippled through her. Plain, weird Lara had one of the most attractive men she'd ever met hard and wanting sex with her. With her.

  She rocked her hips gently, pressing herself against Matt. The combination of the ridge of his cock against her mound and the tug of her skimpy thong against her clit sent her arousal spiraling into a veritable storm.

  Matt made an animalistic sound and reached around to ease her away from his body. His face was tormented and his features appeared somehow sharper, more feral. Even the teeth biting his lower lip seemed sharper.

  The sensation she'd noticed the first time she met him, the hint of the spirit world, became stronger and more intense. She reveled in it and the heady power in having the sexy man at her mercy.

  She finally allowed Matt to disengage her arms from his waist and move her an arm's length away from him. When her body lost contact with his, she felt a fundamental sense of loneliness, almost emptiness. She tried to remind herself that he wasn't necessary to her existence, no matter what her body seemed to think at that particular moment.

  "We need to get breakfast now, if we want any.” Matt smiled a tight smile down at her. She could swear his teeth were a little long, the tips of his canines just showing when he talked. Why hadn't she noticed that yesterday? It was odd but very sexy in an untamed way.

  Food wasn't the top item on her list anymore but, remembering the only food available at the park was snack food from the vending machines, she knew Matt was right. Now that she was feeling more energetic, she didn't want to come near collapse again. “Can we stop at a grocery store too? I'd like buy some snacks to bring with me."

  He nodded and seemed to relax a little.

  Leaving the door open and Matt standing in the doorway, she turned to pick up her camera bag, the keys on top of it, and her jacket. A quick visual survey of the room didn't show anything obvious she was forgetting. Not that this was a guarantee, she reminded herself, but she certainly had the necessities for today's tasks.

  She turned off all but one light in the main room and made sure she'd left one on in the bedroom. When she came home alone, she hated coming home to a dark house. And last night was the only time in recent memory that she hadn't come home alone.

  Maybe tonight she wouldn't be coming home alone either. The thought of actually inviting Matt over and just how she might entertain him made her fancy thong instantly wet. The man could kiss beyond anything she'd even imagined—surely the rest of his skills would measure up. His cock certainly did.

  Another bolt of lust tore through her at the thought of being able to touch and admire all of him. This might become a very long day.

  She brushed past Matt at the door, turning to wait for him to shut the door so she could lock the deadbolt. The keys securely back in one of her pants’ pockets, she tossed on the jacket, not bothering to fasten it. At his gesture, she walked down the path to the street ahead of him, slinging the camera bag over her shoulder with the ease of long practice.

  "I got your note, Matt. Thank you for bringing me home and being a gentleman about it.” She smiled as she just spoke to thin air, trusting he would hear.

  She heard what sounded a little like a snarl before Matt answered. “Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't want to be a gentleman. I wanted a lot more, but I don't take advantage of unconscious women."

  He really didn't want to accept the idea that he might be a nice guy. Most men would glory in it, deserved or not. How interesting.

  Now even more sure that her lust for him was reciprocated, she allowed her hips a bit more freedom, a bit more of a feminine sway. Skills she'd never had opportunity to use before came to her as if she channeled the sexy spirit of a siren.

  She almost giggled at the low growl she heard from the man behind her. “It's true. How many men would have taken care of me the way you did?"

  "I have no idea how many would. I only know I wanted to.” An almost surly response.

  She waited by the truck's passenger door for Matt to open it and help her inside. As he carefully tucked the camera bag securely behind her seat, she leaned over until her face was next to his, separated by mere inches. “By the way, Matt, I'm really glad you liked my underwear. Wait until you see what I'm wearing today.

  With that she gently pushed him out of the way and shut the truck door, trying not to laugh as he ran around to his side.

  Chapter Nine

  Between the long run Coyote had taken, the multiple orgasms he'd given himself and his near arctic-cold shower this morning, he should be totally spent. Unable to get it up for anything. Then he endured the painfully arousing experience of watching Lara eat a hearty breakfast at one of his favorite diners.

  Right. Maybe his body had become immune to anything resembling satiation.

  That theory of being completely orgasmed out hadn't even stood up to giving her a good morning kiss.

  I wonder if blue balls can cause permanent damage? Mine are quickly moving from navy to indigo, so I sure hope the next step isn't them falling off ... though they might not ache so much if they did.

  The mental image of himself being gelded like the horses he'd grown up around in Texas wasn't one he really wanted to consider. Coyote cringed right along with him.

  Lara was now deliberately flirting with him. Licking her fingers slowly and sensually when jam from her toast got on them. Running her tongue along the rim of her tea mug before taking a sip. She even found ways to make the consumption of hash browns somehow enticing.

  He knew he'd been celibate for a while, but he'd been content. It really hadn't bothered him. Was that why he suddenly wanted to throw Lara onto the table and start consuming her for breakfast? Maybe he'd spent too long alone and now his hormones overflowed into lustful insanity.

  He might be able to understand wanting or needing sex, but why her specifically? He'd been propositioned by very lovely women on a regular basis at the park and didn't really have any interest in them. But he had no resistance to this one woman.

  Coyote began to yip and pace in the background. He really didn't like Matt paying attention to or thinking about any other woman. Unfortunately Coyote didn't think in words and the only thing Matt could figure out was that Coyote was set on having Lara.

  Ignoring Lara's seductive moves, he polished off the second half of the large omelet he'd ordered. This diner had some of the best country breakfasts around and in huge portions. The various meats packed into the omelet provided even more of the protein he craved. Just what a hungry shifter needed.

  Focused on finishing his meal so they could stop at the grocery store down the street and make sure he'd still be at work on time, he was startled by the small, feminine hand that snuck a thick piece of bacon off his plate.

  He tensed, ready to fight Coyote's instinctive reaction to anyone taking his food. No one ever stole Coyote's food without dire consequences. He waited. And waited. Finally, he felt for Coyote to try to get a sense of what was going on, still on his guard.

  Coyote was pleased. Proud that Lara was eating his food. Happy to cede some of his meal to her. This wasn't normal at all.

  He looked up to see Lara nibbling on the last half of the bacon strip with a teasing smile. The rest of her plate was already empty, so she must be waiting on him now.

  "Ready to go? The store is down the street."

  At her nod, he grabbed the check sitting on the edge of the table before she could and quickly stood up out of his booth seat.

  She devoured the last of the bacon in two quick bites and scooted down seat to the edge, dragging her jacket after her.

  Once he was sure she didn't need help out of the booth, he paid for the meal in spite of Lara's protests. She thought she should pay because she'd be able to write it off but his mom hadn't raised him to let a woman he invited to a meal pay for any part of it. He'd be damned if he allowed it now but, in deference to her protests, he handed her his copy of the receipt. It would probably just be wadded up in her pocket but he didn
't need it.

  Once they were in the truck, she broached the subject yet again. “Can I take a turn paying, please? You're making me feel like a kept woman here."

  Her tone was studiously light but he could tell it really bothered her. He wasn't quite sure why he was so certain of her feelings, but he was. And it was genuine; it wasn't the show of false feminism some women put on that was really just a test to see how much a man cared. Or, worse, the ones who refused to let a man do anything for them as if the mere act of courtesy was an insult to their ability to operate a door.

  Lara's feelings didn't have those nasty overtones.

  "Okay, sorry. My mother raised me with some strict rules of how a gentleman behaves toward a lady."

  Watching her face carefully, he saw the muscles relax as she considered his words. She hadn't actually been angry; she really didn't seem to like confrontation and pushing him to understand had caused her some stress.

  He was fascinated by her complexity. She really was a surprising mix of bravado and vulnerability, shyness and seduction. Almost like her masculine, overly large clothing covering sexy wisps of lace and satin.

  He wondered what secrets she was still hiding to protect herself. What would she do when she found out about Coyote?

  * * * *

  The trip through the grocery store was an interesting introduction into Lara's shopping habits. She wasn't actually chaotic, just ... disorganized. His own shopping trips were conducted in regimented marches up and down every aisle in order, sometimes with list in hand but usually with only a mental idea of what he needed.

  In comparison to that, her whim-of-the-moment method made him almost dizzy. She flitted quickly from drinks, to snacks, to the deli, then back to snacks. By the time she was done, she had a basket brimming with everything from sports drinks to sandwiches, to potato chips, to trail mix.

  He helped her unload the collection onto the cashier's turnstile, bemused at both the selection and the methodology. She had nearly enough food there to satiate him when he was really, really hungry. It was about twice or three times as much as any normal human would eat for lunch. Where in the world would she be able to put all this if she actually tried to eat it all?