THE TEXAS RENEGADE REURNS

by Charlene Sands

  The hint of sweet vanilla teased his nose as Alex stepped closer to Cara. He inhaled deeply to savor her scent over the more potent musty barn smells of earth and straw. Images flashed in his mind like a flip book, one scene after another. Cara giving him cooking lessons. Cara just stepping out of the shower. Cara sprawled out across his bed, waiting for him. “I know something about missing someone you care about.”

  The slightest flicker in her eyes told him she’d heard his comment. “Cara, look at me.”

  Her eyes closed as if she was in silent prayer. A few seconds ticked by, and he used that time to move a step closer. His heart hammered hard as he waited. And finally she turned and opened her eyes. They fluttered like butterfly wings.

  She wasn’t as immune to him as he’d feared.

  “Alex, what are you doing here?”

  “I met with Chance earlier. We rode.”

  “I mean, what are you doing here?”

  “I got lucky. I was pulling away after seeing Chance and my sister when I spotted you coming in here.”

  “Oh.” She nibbled on her lip and looked away. No eye contact. He wondered if his candor broke through some of her defensive walls. “Did you follow me?”

  They’d already wasted enough time, months, and he’d be damned if he let her slip through his fingers now because of his foolishness and her pride, so he told her the absolute truth. “I am not following you, if that’s what you’re asking.” He couldn’t blame her for wondering. Yesterday, he’d hijacked her from her office. Today was simply a blessed accident. “But as soon as I saw you, I followed you inside the stable.”

  Her eyes lifted to his.

  He brought his hand to her face and touched her cheek gently with his fingertips. Breath puffed from her chest in a whispered sigh as she closed her eyes and absorbed his warmth, telling him what he wanted, needed to know, with unspoken words. “You haven’t forgotten what it was like between us?”

  Her head moved. “No.”

  “We had heat, Cara.” He drew deep from the well of her sweet scent and brought his mouth to hers. His lips hovered over hers and he rasped, “We still do.”

  She kept shaking her head, but her eyes betrayed her. She still cared, she still loved him. No longer fierce and protective, those orbs of blue welcomed him with timid acceptance. He had to prove to her he wouldn’t hurt her again. If she gave him another chance, he would show her pleasure and try his damnedest to make her happy.

  “Alex.” He took her plea as invitation and not rejection.

  He thumbed her chin up and brought his mouth down. A squeaky noise erupted from her mouth as soon as their lips met and Alex smiled then, unable to hide his satisfaction. She was everything to him and he wanted to be everything to her. Again.

  Her mouth was exquisite and he wanted more...already, so much more. He’d been too long without her, and the evidence wasn’t too far south of his belt buckle.

  He put his hands on her waist and drew her up against him. Her body fit him perfectly. She was snug against him as the kiss deepened. He nipped at her lower lip and she opened for him, her breaths as ragged and rapid as his own.

  He swept through her luscious mouth and groaned as she met his demands. Licking her with his tongue, he tasted the sweetly heady combination of wholesome and sexy all rolled up into one. Cara had been forbidden fruit, the daughter of his rival, his best friend’s girl, yet he hadn’t been able to keep away from her. He couldn’t now. Her taste permeated his core, giving him an erection that strained fiercely, killing him in small measures. His juices flowing hot and liquid, he splayed his hands around her backside and with a quick, gentle jerk, her hips collided with his. “This is our heat, Cara.”

  She answered with a low, aching moan rushing from her lips.

  He let his hands roam over her jeans and cursed the damn sequined pockets barricading him from feeling more of her. He ached to touch bare skin, to feel her warmth and curve his hands over the twin swells of her cheeks. He broke contact with her mouth only long enough to take another ragged breath. “I remember you. What we had.”

  “Alex.” She jerked her head back far enough to meet with his eyes. She gulped air, her eyes liquid clear and hungry. “We can’t...”

  He blocked out her refusal and grabbed her hand. Tugging her along, away from the stalls, away from any daylight, he found an empty office at the end of the barn that was no longer in use. He pulled her inside, noting an old pine desk and dusty papers covering a metal file cabinet. The door locked and the plastic blinds were already lowered on the indoor window.

  She glanced at the desk, her brows arched in silent thrill. He was way beyond that, thrill too shallow a word for what he felt for her, but he could not take her on that filthy desk. He thought too much of her. She deserved more. He settled against the wall, and pulled her to him. She landed flat against his chest, her curvy body flush against him. He groaned at the perfect fit, the way she filled in the hollow spaces both of his needy body and his vacant heart. He’d blown it with her. There was no sugarcoating the obvious. He would make her remember the couple they’d once been one little gasp, one smoldering kiss, one fantastic orgasm at a time.

  He cupped the back of her neck and jerked her head forward. Her mouth was a breath away. “You have no idea...what you do to me.”

  Cara started to make a quick retort—she was sharp with her tongue—but he was quicker. He crushed his mouth to hers, staking a claim that was long ago decided. She didn’t pull away, didn’t rebuke his bold move bringing her inside the abandoned office. She was torn, though, with indecision; he tasted it in her kiss, her slightly stiff body against his. He hoped to melt her, to make her see the truth about them.

  Alex was not a patient man. But he’d wait for Cara as long as it would take. But not before he left his mark on her. Not before he gave her a memory they would never forget.

  His senses pulsed as he deepened the kiss and murmured soft, loving words. He broke through her rigidness, nuzzling her throat, his nose tickled by silky locks of her hair. He touched her shoulders and smoothed his hands down her arms. Her body responded with little tremors that he felt under his fingers. “You’re so beautiful, Cara.”

  “So are you.... That’s why this is so hard for me.”

  “I’m sorry for all I have done to you, sweetheart.”

  “Don’t...say any more,” she whispered. And in that whisper he knew she asked not for apologies that were hard to accept but for something more carnal. Something he’d planned to do for her anyway. “Let me make it up to you.”

  Already his hands were on her waist, his fingers nimble on the button of her jeans. He unfastened it and took the zipper in his thumb and forefinger. She didn’t protest, didn’t jerk away, but the tremors escalated and there was a twinge of movement toward him, enough encouragement for him to continue. He held her hip steady with one hand and inched down the teeth of her zipper with the other. Her jeans separated over her belly, and she splayed her legs open. For him. Alex dipped his hand inside her heat, brushing his thumb and pinkie finger against her firm, smooth thighs. Lacy material covered his destination, and he moved it away with a single finger slide.

  She gasped, her body shaking now and arching toward him.

  He touched a finger to her folds.

  Sweat beaded his forehead, and other parts of his anatomy grew damp. His mind whirled and landed on thoughts of her coming to his bedside when he was still injured. Bringing her body to his, seducing him with soft words, pleas to help him remember her. She climbed him and took him inside her, trying to help, trying to rekindle what they’d had.

  Today, he intended to do the same. To bring her pleasure, to ask for forgiveness, to give her the pleasure she so deserved and take nothing in return.

  He brought another finger to join in, caressing her with applied but gentle pressure. “Ah...C
ara. Tell me this doesn’t feel right.”

  She whimpered and melted into him.

  His lips sucked moisture from her mouth.

  A low and guttural groan emerged from her throat. It was sweet to his ears.

  When he touched her again, she jerked in response and sucked on his mouth, kissing him feverishly.

  Heat.

  “I haven’t forgotten what you like, Cara, my love.”

  He opened his hand wide, separating her thighs more, and cupped her with his palm. Shallow breaths hissed from her lips, and he extended his hand, lifting the heart of his palm up, meeting with awaiting flesh that welcomed the intrusion. He palmed her up and down, and she gyrated in full sync to his cadence, the thrusts of his hand.

  “Please, Alex...”

  A look of lust and pent-up desire captured her expression as her plea ripped him to shreds. His blood pulsed like rapid fire through his veins. He’d almost forgotten his mission to bring her the greatest pleasure. With damp folds beckoning, he inserted his finger and found the most sensitive, heat-driven spot of her womanhood. His strokes meant more than mere sex—they were telling her with each glide, each tease, that he remembered how to please her. That he loved to pleasure her. That she meant the world to him.

  Brazen cries broke through her softer sounds. It was beautiful to see her react to him, to see her doubts subside, her hatred of him disappear. Today, right now, he was not a piranha but a man who cared deeply about her. A man who would sacrifice for her. A man who owed her so much more than this.

  Yet, she was a beautiful woman, signaling him for more. He could hang clothes on his erection, with the way it stood now. He would never be named for sainthood and wasn’t sure how much more he could take. The tantalizing scent of her sweat fragranced the air and it was time. He applied greater pressure to her soft wet folds. “Now, Cara.”

  The quakes started slowly, a building of frenetic energy that escalated with every bold caress. He summoned every bit of moisture from her pulsating body and whispered commands encouraging her limitlessly to rocket the release and give in to the intensity. “Take it, Cara. All of it,” he rasped quickly and quietly into her ear.

  In another second, she exploded around them both, her juices a firebrand to his hand and relief to his heart. Tension poured out of her like a balloon rapidly losing air, releasing pressure. After her spasms ended, he let her come down naturally, squeezing her tight with one arm, planting tiny kisses to her face while his hand remained at her womanhood, reluctant to leave until she was completely through.

  He’d brought her to orgasm in less than a minute’s time. It had always been that way with Cara and him. They ignited like dry wood to flame and burned brightest when they were together.

  “Alex...” She sighed, cradling his cheeks in her hands. She kissed him lightly and then the bright wild flare in her eyes dimmed. It wasn’t enough. He knew it wouldn’t be. Cara hadn’t just been injured by his betrayal; it was nearly a death blow to her.

  “It was beautiful,” he said, crooking up half his mouth. “And only for you.”

  This didn’t change anything, she told him with a gleam of silent regret in her eyes. But then, a glimmer of light returned for a quick second, giving him a morsel of hope before she turned away.

  With her back to him, she zippered her jeans and straightened her blouse and ponytail. He regretted not slipping that rubber band off and riding his hands through her honey-blond locks.

  Alex composed himself, his manhood still inflated behind his trousers. If he couldn’t have Cara, a cold shower would have to do.

  She stared at the window to his side, her eyes narrowing and her face twisting up. “I don’t know when I’ll forgive you, Alex. I don’t know if I can.”

  “I am impatient, Cara. I want us together now. But I will wait for you to decide. I will do just about anything for you.”

  Her gaze slipped below his waist. “Are you going to be okay?”

  He shrugged and leaned back against the wall. Looking at her through heavy lids, he answered, “I will survive. Today was for you, Cara. But if you should ever want...need me, I will always be available to you.”

  Amusement invaded her eyes as she smiled. Her quick orgasm and this smile brought him hope. “For a booty call?”

  “Dios.” He pushed off the wall and stepped toward her. Her face still held the remnants of sexual satisfaction. Imagining her coming to him freely for late-night lovemaking didn’t help his swollen manhood one bit. “I would not refuse you in any way. At any time.”

  Her sharp inhalation reached his ears when she nodded. “I’ll remember that.”

  Alex wasn’t keeping score, but he might have won this round today.

  Distant voices drifted into the room, disturbing their privacy. Immediately, Alex took her hand and walked her to the back of the office near the file cabinet and away from any light that would reveal their silhouettes. He did so only for her protection. He didn’t give a damn who saw what, thought what, when it came to Cara. But she would care. She would not want Chance’s work crew seeing them coming out of the office together and getting the wrong impression.

  Or in this case, the right impression.

  Any embarrassment to her would land on his shoulders and he was already digging himself out of a foxhole with her.

  “I think they’re gone,” he whispered, squeezing her hand.

  Cara stared at the door. “I’ve got to get out of here.” She pulled her hand free, and he wondered if she was relieved or sorry to go. From the tone of her voice, he couldn’t tell. “I’ve got an early dinner date with my father. The last thing I need is for him to question me if I’m late.”

  “He should not have that much control over you, Cara.”

  Cara’s shoulders stiffened, and she glanced away.

  The last thing he wanted to do was make her angry right now.

  “The same way you shouldn’t have allowed your father to manipulate you into doing something deceitful?” Her gaze fell back on him now.

  It hadn’t taken much manipulation on Rodrigo’s part. Alex had needed a change of scenery, a change of lifestyle and wanted to branch out on his own. He had not thought of the consequences of his actions, that much was true, and he’d wanted to prove his worth to his masterful business tycoon father. But to fall so hard for Windsor’s beautiful daughter? He hadn’t seen that coming. And the train wreck was not over yet. “You’re right. I tried to please my father, the same way you try to please yours.”

  “He wanted a son, an heir for Windsor Energy and all he got was me. But I love him. We have a complicated relationship.”

  “Yes. The same is true with my father. Complicated. Powerful men usually are. But your father should be glad to have such a loving, loyal daughter. You’re every bit as good as a son. He should know that.”

  If Alex could prove her father guilty of his abduction, he would have to hurt her all over again. He didn’t entertain the thought very long. Cara was halfway to the door.

  She unlocked the handle and put her hand on the knob.

  “Cara?”

  She turned, her watery blue eyes pleading with him to let her go. “I can’t do this...”

  He had more to tell her. More he wanted to share. But it hurt to see her in such pain. To see her nibble at her bruised lips with indecision. He wouldn’t press her. Today was about pleasing her. “Go...I’ll wait a few minutes before I leave.”

  She nodded. “Goodbye, Alex.”

  Her tone slashed him with finality.

  It wasn’t over. She should know that about him. He painted on a smile for her. “I will see you soon, sweetheart.”

  She walked out, and Alex’s breath pushed out of his chest. He glanced down. It would be a few minutes more before he could exit the office. Cara was going to be his again. He d
idn’t know how he would accomplish it, but it would happen. He was determined.

  And that was one trait he’d inherited from his old man: he never gave up when he wanted something.

  Three

  Solid stone walls of the Texas Cattleman’s Club gave him a friendlier greeting than some of the cold wooden faces staring at him as he entered the one-story building and made his way to a reserved private room. Judging eyes admonished him and gave him no reason to feel welcome. He hadn’t been thrown out of the club. Not yet. And he would make sure that he wasn’t. Amends took time and he had a plan in mind that would put smiles on the members’ faces. He damn well hoped it wouldn’t backfire.

  The club was a place where he’d made friends, negotiated handshake deals until they could be ironed out by Legal, where he’d played hard and where he’d often keep open ears for any news about Windsor Energy.

  He opened one of the double-paneled doors and let himself inside. Immediately, his gaze flew to the two men he’d asked here. They sat in bulky brown leather chairs, three tumblers of whiskey two inches high rested on a chunky black-walnut table. A large landscape of Texas plains, cattle and drovers hung over a massive stone fireplace.

  The men rose as he entered, and he extended his hand to the sheriff of Royal first and then to the TCC president and owner of the Straight Arrow Ranch. “Nate, thanks for coming. Gil, same goes to you.”

  Bailey Collins, Gil’s fiancée, was once assigned as the state’s special investigator to solve his disappearance. When Alex returned to town, the case had been given lower priority and was turned over to local authorities and del Toro’s private investigators.

  The men sat down, and Alex took a seat on a comfortable sofa facing them. Leaning forward, bracing his elbows on his knees, he got right down to business. “I appreciate you being here, so I’m not going to waste your time. Or mine. I think I’ve got some proof about my kidnapping that you both need to know.”

  Nate and Gil exchanged glances.