Sure strides took her toward Rex and Tyler. False bravado but bravado nonetheless. No one needed to know her emotions danced a fine edge. Too many thoughts conspired against her control. Tessa fought every one, only too aware of the man coming up behind her and the two cowboys in front of her.
Her breath hitched. She wanted to run to them, toss her arms around them both, and feel them press her between them, shielding her from the world. Tessa shoved the emotion back where it belonged, behind her walls, and yanked her badass persona to the forefront. It was her protection against the world. The one that made her a formidable and well-respected businesswoman.
Both men relaxed their rigid stance as she neared, making her second-guess herself. A hint of dimples kissed Tyler’s suntanned cheeks. Rex’s square jaw was set but not clenched. Seeing their eyes would have helped her judge them better. She could tell a lot from a person’s eyes, especially theirs.
She pushed her sunglasses up, using them as a headband. Tyler snatched his off, stuffing the stem into his shirt pocket, lowering his defense shields, as it were. Seeing his chocolate-brown eyes and the hint of sparkle in them helped. Maybe things weren’t as they seemed.
It was Tyler who moved first, stepping forward to close the distance between them. Tessa quickened her pace, her arms opening of their own volition. In seconds he’d swooped her into a hug, lifting her sneakered toes off the ground. She held on for dear life, eyes closed, her face burrowed into his neck, inhaling the scent of one of the men she’d loved yet left. Strong, calloused fingers slipped under her T-shirt and spanned her back.
“God, I’ve missed you.”
His voice rumbled in her ear. The swell of his erection against her stomach backed up the words.
“I’ve missed you too,” she whispered. So much.
He kissed her cheek as he eased them apart. All too soon, three feet of space stood between them. The distance killed her. She wanted to grab his face and seal her lips to his.
“Sorry, we’re a little sweaty.” Tyler swept his hand down his flat torso. “We had a tour group arrive this morning.”
Despite the tragedy, it would still be business as usual. Tessa wondered if any of the guests realized one of the owners had died.
“They’re on a trail ride and picnic.” Tyler pointed to a line of oak trees far to the left. “Our in-house guests are—”
“Smart enough to stay inside in the middle of a hot August day.”
Rex’s deep voice rivaled thunder. There’d be no hugs from him. He wasn’t happy to see her. Judging from the scowl he shot over her shoulder, he wasn’t happy to see Nate either.
Tyler squeezed her shoulder—a touch Tessa took as a silent apology for Rex’s behavior—then let go.
She tried to soothe Rex’s ruffled feathers with an introduction. “This is Nate Bridger.”
“Your lover of the moment?”
Jealousy? So he did care. A pity he’d used a snide tone that ruffled her feathers. She stared Rex down. “And it’s your business because…?”
Rex fidgeted enough to let Tessa know she’d won the round. She didn’t gloat. Somehow she suspected it was the first of many. Rex definitely liked to be in charge. Well, so did she. Being at war gave her the distance she needed to stay away.
“I was asking because of accommodations.” Rex braced his hands on his lean hips. “We’ve got a full house at Rustlers. I’d planned to have you stay in my bungalow for the duration of your stay. I’ll bunk at the ranch house.” One eyebrow lifted behind his dark glasses. “Unless you’d prefer to stay there.”
Ah, the ranch house. The scene of the crime. A reminder that her life wasn’t what she thought it was, that she wasn’t who she’d thought she was. He had a lot of nerve. The cut hurt. Words failed her. Her lower lip betrayed her emotion first, quivering. All the willpower in the world wouldn’t stop it. Her carefully erected walls crumbled.
Tears blurred her vision. She reached for her sunglasses to cover her eyes. A tear had the nerve to trickle down her cheek before she could do so. Gaze locked on Rex’s shadowed eyes, she felt the droplet wiggle toward her chin but refused to acknowledge it by wiping it away.
“The ranch house would be perfect.” She slipped her sunglasses into place. “Be a dear and fetch my bags.”
Tessa walked on to the Suburban, knowing at least two men watched her go and that neither of them was Rex. That was fine with her. She didn’t need him to notice she measured every step, using the energy to shore up emotional buttresses, and that one trip would mire her in a wasteland of agony so great, she’d never pull free.
Wasn’t that already the case? Mike Ford had seen to that a year before.
Chapter Two
The tears nearly did Rex in, and he’d been close to caving from the second he’d laid eyes on her. The erection trapped behind his fly and trying to peek above his belt buckle had a lot to do with that. He’d missed her more than he could stand this last year, and he hated himself for that. She’d made herself damn clear when she’d severed ties, lumping them in with Mike’s foolishness. It felt like someone had cut his heart out. Rex counted himself lucky she’d left. He didn’t need that kind of nonsense in his life. If she cared as much as she claimed, nothing would have mattered but them. She would have leaned on them in the turmoil that followed Mike’s bombshell. They were better off without her.
But with Derek’s death and her departure, all Rex could think about was seeing Tessa again, wrapping her in his arms, pressing her into the mattress, and fucking her until the cows came home.
The order to fetch her bags gave him the perspective he needed. She had a lot of nerve, showing up with a fucking boyfriend. It galled him even more that the guy wasn’t bad to look at, a good match for her. He wanted to plow his fist into the guy’s perfect nose. Then Tyler had the nerve to cave in, to give her the greeting Rex had dreamed of. Although in his dreams, he didn’t let go, and her legs were wrapped around his waist as he carried her to the Suburban and made her his again. Tyler, ever the peacemaker. Bastard.
Rex played back the image of her walking into Tyler’s arms. Her long black hair fluttering behind her, dark blue eyes as intense as ever, her cute button nose. Quivering lips.
He cursed the rise that thudded relentlessly below his belt. His lack of control bugged the shit out of him. Rex didn’t want to want her so badly, didn’t want to feel jealousy claw his gut.
“What the fuck was that all about?”
Tyler smacked his shoulder, shocking him into the present.
“You might as well add asshole to your résumé.”
Tyler was going to kill him the first chance he got. If Tessa’s boyfriend didn’t get to him first. The man was seriously scary, and Rex didn’t intimidate easily. Maybe it was Nate Bridger’s five o’clock shadow that promised he could be one bad sumbitch if pissed off, or the fact that he hovered over Tessa like a dragon ready to swoop her off to his lair.
Another rush burned fire in his groin. This one wasn’t so easy to hide.
“I don’t trust her,” he whispered harshly, one eye on the pilot lurking behind them.
“Which is exactly why you should be making nice,” Tyler hissed back.
“She can kiss my…” He started to grab his crotch, then thankfully reconsidered when the idea of her lips on his cock appealed to him way too much. “She can kiss my ass if she thinks she’s going to get a piece of our business.” Not that having her lips on his ass was any less enticing.
Tyler loosened a beleaguered sigh. They’d been on tenterhooks since Derek’s death, emotional on so many levels, Rex couldn’t even count. He tried to tell himself it was better to focus on the business than to allow the grief to take over. If he slipped, he’d lose his mind.
“Whoa, where the hell did that come from?” Tyler faced off toward him, hands braced on his hips. “Why would she want it? She made herself pretty clear.”
“Derek’s death changes everything.”
“You don’t know that.�
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Even though Tyler kept his voice low, Rex suspected Nate heard anyway.
“At the worst, she’ll be an absentee owner,” Tyler added.
All the reasoning in the world didn’t quell Rex’s worries. Nothing would until this was over and done with and he knew for certain where they stood.
“Just go get her bags and get in the fucking truck.” Tyler gestured toward the plane, then turned on his heel and walked toward the vehicle.
“I’m not getting her bags. Let the pilot do it.” He’d said that loud enough to make sure that her ladyship and the man behind him heard, then wished he hadn’t when the words sounded like he was a six-year-old.
“Tessa is the pilot,” Nate said from behind him.
Of course she was, because Rex really needed something more at this point to make him feel like an idiot.
Nate walked up beside him and stared at the SUV. He seemed less imposing now. The tension in his shoulders and the glower were gone. Rex figured he could take him.
“I’d leave the luggage where it is. I doubt she’ll be staying long.”
Ten minutes ago, Rex would have shouted Hallelujah! over that news. After all, it’d been what they’d hoped—that Tessa wouldn’t want anything to do with the ranch. Now?
“Good.” A lie. Nate’s news didn’t set well. It only fueled Rex’s worries and frustration. The ache in his loins before was nothing compared to how he felt now.
Images and possibilities of how he could win her back played through Rex’s mind, and the order to fetch her suitcases still lingered. Her command grated against Rex’s nature. She’d given him an order, not asked nicely. That attitude wasn’t going to cut it.
Sweat trickled down his back. At least he could rectify this version of hot. Not giving a shit who watched, he stripped down to his white T-shirt, bunched the western shirt in his fist, and strode toward the truck. It pissed him off all the more that she didn’t bother to spare him a single glance when he walked up to the rear door. Which probably wasn’t a bad thing, considering his erection threatened to trip his feet.
He grabbed the handle, pulled the door open, and filled the frame with his body, one arm draped on the scorching roof, the other blocking any exit she might try to make. She looked at him now, damn it, her eyes wide behind those sunglasses.
“My mama and daddy always told us to say please and thank you, Tessa. Words you used to know well.”
Rex was barely conscious of Tyler whipping around in the driver’s seat. His focus was on Tessa. Her pulse fluttered at the base of her throat, begging to be licked. There was a slow plunge along her neck and her throat as she swallowed.
“Please.”
The barely whispered word empowered Rex in a way he hadn’t anticipated. He eased away from the door and returned to the plane, where Nate still stood, green paisley suitcases at his feet.
“Thought I’d save you a little effort.” Nate slung his duffel bag over his shoulder and took the smaller bag, leaving the larger one.
Rex muttered his thanks and wrapped his hand around the handle. They walked in tandem to the Suburban, then stashed the luggage in the back. Nate wasted little time claiming the front seat, leaving the back next to Tessa free. Rex hesitated for a second, wondering if this was a test or a trick, then decided he didn’t care. She wouldn’t get to him. Not this time. Not ever again.
Her breath caught a bit when Rex opened the rear door on the driver’s side, and heat poured into the air-conditioned vehicle. But he swore he saw goose bumps on her arm. Her reaction played havoc with Rex’s control. The hell with manners. He wanted to drag her into the third-row seating. To press her beneath him, wrap her legs around his hips, and hump her through their clothing.
His obsession added to the blood threatening to split his erection. It grated on Rex’s nerves, frustrated the hell out of him. The fact she’d seemingly turned her nose up at him made it all the worse. Rex wanted to haul her over his knee and teach her a few manners, dip his fingers between the wet heat of her thighs. Right here. Right now.
Tessa burrowed under his skin with every second he was near her. It didn’t help that she smelled like blackberries ripe from the bush. She made him nervous, antsy…horny as hell. Why did she have to bring her damn boyfriend? All he could think about was her all tangled up with Nate. All he could think about was the jealousy eating him from the inside out. All he could think about was peeling those figure-hugging jeans off her hips and…
Tyler twisted around in his seat. “I hate to throw this at you, Tessa, but apparently Derek was very specific about what he wanted and when he wanted it in the event of his death. Hence, he wanted his will read as soon as you got here.” He waved his hand toward the ranch house.
Rex rolled his eyes. Good God, Tyler was using words like hence now.
“His attorney’s waiting for us,” Tyler added.
Tessa pulled in a slow breath and turned toward the window. How could anyone look so strong yet vulnerable at the same time? Now Rex wanted to wrap his arm around her and tell her it was going to be all right, even though he suspected they were about to find out that she had them by the balls. There were really no surprises forthcoming, as far as they knew. Nothing in Derek’s will could undermine operations. Only Tessa could do that. The question was, would she?
“Hey…” Tyler leaned over and slid his hand over her knee. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you when I spoke to you on the phone. We were told Derek didn’t want you to know.”
Why was that? Because she wouldn’t have come if she suspected Derek named her in his will? Maybe there was hope after all. Maybe she really didn’t want any part of this, and things could go on as they always had. Again, the thought didn’t please him as much as it should have.
At Tessa’s nod, Tyler scuffed his palm over her knee. She relaxed a little—or was that a shiver?—and settled into the seat as Tyler turned to start the vehicle. It was a little too late for sympathetic gestures now. Rex had already made an ass of himself. The best he could do was move forward from here.
“Has there been any further word on what exactly happened to Derek?” she asked.
It killed Rex to talk about it. He hated even more the lack of information. “It’s sketchy and pure conjecture for the moment. When he came out to get the bod…to get Derek, the medical examiner suggested he might have broken his back or neck. We have no idea why he chose to ride out at the crack of dawn with rain still threatening. The best we can figure is that he went out to evaluate the logistics of selling hunting leases in the hopes of cleaning out the feral pigs. Those damn javelina are still creating havoc, tearing up the fields, rooting three feet deep in some places. Looks like Derek’s horse hit one of those divots and fell. The wind kicking up like it did might have spooked her into running. Ranch hand found him a couple hours later.”
Tessa hugged her arms around her midriff. Rex had the sense that she would’ve curled into a ball if it weren’t for the seat belt holding her in place. The image nailed him right in the heart. He slipped his hand over her shoulder, expecting to draw back a bloody stub either from her or her companion in the front seat, but Tessa accepted his touch, and Nate didn’t budge, though his gaze tracked them in the visor mirror.
“The horse?” Her voice quivered.
“Rosie was old, and it was a bad fall. Took out both forelegs. Derek had a .45 in his hand. Horse took a shot to the head. We can only hope he was able to put her down before…” Before the javelina got to them both.
A furrow appeared between her eyebrows. “If he’d broken his back or neck, how could he have drawn and used a weapon?”
They’d been asking that same question. All they knew for sure was that Derek was lying next to his horse with the gun near what was left of his hand, and there wasn’t much left. Judging from the condition of the horse, they’d guessed both had taken a hard fall. Rex prayed Derek had died from his injuries before the pigs went in.
“He was far out. With that and the wind and li
ghtning, we never heard the shot. Never realized he’d gone until…” Until way too much time had passed. The guilt was killing Rex, eating a hole in his gut the size of Texas. And he sure as hell wasn’t horny anymore.
Tessa looked as beat down by it all as they were.
Rex wanted to pull her closer, shared grief and all that. Wanted to drag her under the covers and bury himself in her body and forget the world for a while, maybe forever.
“I’m going to want to see him,” she said.
Rex pulled away. “No, you don’t.” He wished he could wipe the image from his memory.
Tyler cleared his throat. “Exposure, animals, insects. Among other things.”
“The javelina found him first.” Her words came out on a whisper, like it was too horrible to imagine much less say aloud. It was.
The pigs had been eating on him for awhile. Any longer and there wouldn’t have been any remains at all—the bad weather had been good for something. Those were details he didn’t want Tessa to know. It was bad enough he and Tyler had seen Derek in that condition.
“Yeah,” he replied softly.
Tessa sucked in a breath but didn’t let it out.
Rex leaned her way and cupped her shoulder. “I know.”
She released her breath in a barely perceptible sigh that shuddered through Rex.
“I know exactly how you feel.” He turned as far as the seat belt allowed. “I’ve felt that way since yesterday.” And it’d doubled since she’d arrived. That unable-to-breathe-or think-straight feeling.
“Do you need to get out?” Tyler asked.
Tessa slowly shook her head. “No, thank you. I’m fine. Everything just hit me.”
Rex could see the strength that suddenly seemed to shimmer over her body, taking control. It chased away pretty and replaced it with beautiful.
Nate twisted around in his seat. “It’s been a hard time for everyone, and the next couple of days aren’t going to make it any better. Let’s get your meeting with the attorney over with. You’ll all feel better for it.”
Lies That Bind Page 2