Burning Desire

by Marie Harte

  Then again, when it came to her personal life, her father had never been all that rational.

  She settled in her bed and thought she’d be up half the night worrying. To her surprise, she dropped off like a rock and missed the text Carrie sent hours later.

  ***

  Carrie had just changed into a tank and boxers, her idea of pajamas, when someone knocked on her door. To her shock, Melissa stood outside, looking peeved.

  Upon opening the door, Carrie stared.

  Melissa stared back. Several inches shorter, curvy, and with dark-brown hair and eyes, the woman was a knockout. If only someone could curb her wicked tongue and resentment of all things Bree.

  “Come in, princess.”

  Melissa flushed. “Thanks. I would have called, but—”

  “You wanted to catch me in my undies. No problem.”

  Melissa glared. “Look, can we talk?”

  “Sure.” Carrie felt incomplete, so she fetched a silk, designer robe from her closet and returned, chic and fabulous. “Ah, now I feel better. Thirsty?”

  “Water would be great.” Melissa sat on the couch, her eyes puffy from crying, her pert nose red. And still she could have walked on any runway Carrie once had. Well, maybe if she’d been a little bit taller.

  “What’s up, buttercup?” Carrie sat next to her, leaving a full cushion between them as she turned to face her guest. “And what did you and yummy Tex talk about on the way home?”

  Melissa looked at her, and Carrie had the odd sensation of being fully dissected. “He’s into Bree. I can tell.”

  “Really? I don’t know. Maybe.” Best to act as if she had no idea.

  “They have something between them. I could feel it.”

  Honestly, so could Carrie. It was in the way the pair didn’t look at each other so damn hard. Tex had tried, but his gaze had sought Bree’s too many times. And Carrie’s dunderhead friend had memorized the contents on her plate instead of being normal and making eye contact with anyone other than her stepmother—or quick glimpses of Tex—throughout the meal.

  Carrie shrugged. “What’s your point?”

  “I wanted to see what she liked about him, so I had him drive me home. And he was nice. He didn’t hit on me or talk bad about anyone. Not even Bill. He gave me some excellent questions to ask myself.”

  “Ah, okay.” Even for Melissa, she was acting weird. “What do you care about what Tex is like? You hate Bree.”

  Melissa looked uncomfortable. “I’m trying to be a better person. I’m seeing a therapist about my issues.”

  Holy crap. Talk about life changes.

  “What exactly did Tex say that helped?”

  “Carrie, have you ever felt a spark with your partners? Like, a sexual spark, or more?”

  “Sure.”

  “I never do.”

  “Never?”

  “The good sex is never great, and it wears away from good after a few times. Then we have nothing in common. And it’s not just Bill. It’s all of them.” She sighed. “I’m not that big a bitch—”

  “Oh, no?”

  Melissa glared. “—that I think I’m better than everyone else. I just act that way.” Tears filled her eyes. “It’s like I’m in this never-ending jealousy loop with Bree, and she’s clueless about it, which makes it worse.”

  “Explain.”

  “She’s the pretty one. The successful one. The smart one.”

  “Hey, moron, you have an MBA from Stanford and make six figures plus a yearly bonus at your job.”

  “But it doesn’t matter. Mom and Dad love her more.”

  “Oh, wow. You really are that immature.”

  “What?”

  Carrie felt bad for her. “Melissa, you and Bree were never close. I get it. You were jealous of her, and she had no idea why you hated her.”

  An odd look crossed Melissa’s face. “Yeah, yeah. I’m a petty bitch. Let’s move on.”

  Carrie grinned, liking this Melissa. “Why are you here?”

  “I never have that spark with anyone. But I have it with you.”

  “I—what?”

  “I think I might be gay.”

  “Wait. Hold on.” Carrie wondered, “Did Bree put you up to this? Because statistically speaking, I had to be right one of these days.”

  “Huh?”

  “You’re telling me you like girls.”

  “Women, and I’m not sure.”

  “You know what I mean. Have you ever been with a woman?”

  “Sexually? No.” Melissa flushed.

  Carrie was suddenly, shockingly, incredibly turned on, and feeling so unlike herself. Whoa. Totally not the time to be attracted! This is Bree’s sister. And she’s very confused. “Melissa, just wait. I get that things with Bill didn’t work out. And your other relationships haven’t either. But that doesn’t mean you’re a lesbian.” Carrie tried to be kind. “Or maybe you are. Or you’re bisexual. Or asexual. Or some other type of sexual. Who knows? You don’t need labels to be happy. You just need to be happy inside. The rest comes when you center yourself. And that is thousands of dollars of therapy talking, so believe it.”

  Melissa smiled.

  Carrie felt uncomfortably drawn to that smile.

  “Will you help me answer a few questions?”

  “Um, I guess. Just please tell me you aren’t out to sabotage my best friend and a sexy Texan she’s not interested in.”

  “I’m not.” Melissa laughed. “They’re pretty dopey thinking no one would see how much they like each other.”

  “That’s what I said.” Carrie sighed. “Okay, so ask your questions. I’ll answer them if I can.”

  “That’s what I was hoping you’d say.” Melissa smiled.

  And Carrie forgot all about Bree and focused on what a spark really meant. And why it mattered.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Tex spent Sunday with his friends at Brad’s mom’s house for a picnic. Oscar and Gerty were there, as was Avery, Brad’s girlfriend. Bubbles tentatively nosed Klingon when the puppy wasn’t too busy bothering an older Maltese. Otherwise she lay under a table, waiting for someone to drop food.

  Tex had missed his buddies. They ate hot dogs and burgers and harassed each other over cornhole, only the best darn outdoor game to be created. Unfortunately, Avery was pretty damn good and a sore winner.

  “Hey, Tex.” She smiled at his defeat. “Who’s the dog you brought with you? Bubbles?”

  Hearing her name, Bubbles ambled over to Avery for some welcomed belly rubs.

  “Oh, she’s so cute! How old is she?”

  “Seven, I think.” He sighed. “I want to keep her. I already love her, but I have no time to give her the attention she deserves, and it’s killing me.”

  “Could she maybe be a station dog?”

  “I thought about that. I’d have to get permission, but I just don’t see that for her. She’s still a little timid with crowds. This picnic is as busy as we’ve been, and she’s been under the table for most of it. She’s sweet but likes it quiet.” He checked his phone. His brother hadn’t texted back about Tex’s plan for the family to take her. “I want my family to keep her down in Texas. She could live out her life on the ranch or with my folks. She’d be outside a lot or could have plenty of quiet indoors. They’d love her.” He knew they would, his momma especially.

  “We can try to home her here. I know we could get her with a good family.”

  “I know, I just don’t want her to go.” Christ, he felt tears in his eyes looking at the damn dog, who looked at him with so much love. He blamed his emotional state on Bree, who was stirring him up in weird ways.

  Avery patted his arm while he blinked away useless emotion. “It’s okay. I feel the same way when I see all these lonely animals that have no place to go and no room at Pets Fur Lif
e.”

  Just then, his phone buzzed. “Hold on.”

  Yo, loser. We’re making a road trip. We’ll take the dog home with us. Wyatt shot him a thumbs-up emoji.

  His heart lightened. Who’s we?

  Me, Oliver, and Josh. Uncle Owen wants our idiot cousin to do something useful, and he’s got another month until boot camp.

  Tex breathed easier, feeling less guilt for finding Bubbles another home. Awesome. Let me know when. You can stay with me.

  Duh. Later, little guy.

  Tex looked down at Bubbles. “Hey, good-lookin’, I think I got you a new place to live. And it’s full of Southern dogs, so you’ll have a great place to lay down your head begging for ribs.”

  As if she understood him, Bubbles barked and grinned.

  If only all females were this easy to manage. The guys heard the good news and cheered, Oscar especially, as he looked forward to meeting the brother Tex had told him so much about, Oscar and Wyatt having so much in common.

  Brad’s mom made the party complete with some dance moves to technopunk that had everyone laughing.

  The hours passed. Tex hated to leave but had to get in a workout. He hadn’t been lying last night about all the good food putting some sag on his wag. Reggie agreed to go with him, so after stopping by his place to grab his stuff and drop off Bubbles, Tex joined Reggie in some running gear and took a five-mile run around Reggie’s neighborhood. They talked as they ran, the workout good for breathing control but not too strenuous.

  “So, you and Bree, huh?” Reggie commented.

  “It’s not going until we finish her project. Then her dad will try to demote me for looking at her or breathing her same air.”

  Reggie raised a brow. “That’s not right.”

  “I told him that. Not exactly about me and Bree, but in general.” Tex relayed his conversation from the previous night.

  “Fuck, that’s rough. You can say what you want about HR and the union, but Gilchrist is smart. He’ll find ways to keep you under his thumb. And you can use your union rep forever, and it still won’t help. Networking, son. It’s all about who you know.”

  “And who you don’t blow, apparently.” Tex groaned. “Reggie, I really like her. I’m not out to fuck and fly. I want to be with her. But I love my job. I don’t want to lose it.”

  “So maybe you’re no longer the love-them-and-leave-them-eventually type?” Reggie put on a burst of speed that Tex easily matched. Reggie started breathing hard. “I hate that you’re fast.”

  “And sexy and smart and strong. I know.”

  “I can out-bench you.”

  Tex smirked. “If it makes you feel better, yep, you sure can.” The reality was Reggie could lift more. The strongest in their group, the guy surely looked it. His arms and chest were bodybuilder-huge. Of course, he’d only gotten that big since breaking it off with Amy.

  “You can haul my big ass out of a fire without too much of a struggle.” Tex gave him a thumbs-up, and Reggie flipped him off. “You have that going for you, Reginald.” He laughed at the face Reggie made. “But I’ll outrun you any day of the week. Comes from chasing after stray cattle as a kid. I used to run for miles instead of going to preschool. That’s how they raise ranch kids.”

  “No kidding?”

  “Of course I’m kidding. Duh. Wrangling cows as a toddler?” Tex laughed. “Yeah, right.”

  “Sometimes I hate you.”

  “Only sometimes. I’m making progress now, ain’t I?”

  After having to run from Reggie on a sprint back, Tex eventually made it to his truck and parted ways from his buddy. He went home, did some much-needed laundry, and played with Bubbles before giving in and texting Bree. She’d asked for a day’s space, but he missed her. And if she didn’t want to talk to him, she could ignore her phone, he reasoned.

  She texted back right away, which made him feel better. Melissa is being weird. Not sure what’s going on.

  She ok? U ok?

  Bree called him. “Sorry. I can’t text all this when my brain is on overload. Melissa is acting really strange. Carrie too. She hasn’t called me back, and I left three messages.”

  “Um, maybe she’s busy?”

  “It’s me, Tex. When I call, Carrie answers. Something’s up. Plus, I can’t stop thinking about my dad. He’s insane for actually thinking he can still tell me who to date.”

  “I’m sorry. Hope I didn’t make things worse when I talked to him. All I said was that you should be able to decide who you go out with. I never said or hinted it might be me.”

  “Well, all I know is, if he tries to make your life miserable for any reason, you let me know. That’s not happening.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She chuckled. “What did you do today without me ordering you around the city?”

  He told her about his picnic, the run with Reggie, and doing chores.

  She had done her own set of chores and made her dad apologize by fixing her shower.

  “Nicely played.” He paused. “Did he ask how you knew to stop the water?”

  “I told him I’d googled it. After the crap he put you through at dinner, I didn’t want to let him know you’d been in my—gasp—house. I’m telling you, Tex. It makes no sense. My dad is a good guy. He’s just not rational about my social life.”

  “He’s a dad. They’re known to be odd. My dad once dumped a load of manure in Liam’s bed to make a point about his room looking ‘like a shit house’—his quote. Needless to say, my brother kept his room neat from then on. But my momma was not happy about Dad’s way of handling things.”

  She laughed. “I can imagine.”

  They chatted about more family experiences, and he told her his brothers and cousin would be making an appearance in a few weeks. He wondered what they’d think of her.

  “Oh, wow. More McGoverns. I can’t wait to meet them.” She paused. “I mean, if they’re around when I’m around.”

  “I’m sure that can be arranged.” It warmed him that she thought about a future with him in it. Then he worried what that might mean. Reggie’s comment about Tex being a love-them-and-leave-them-eventually type hit home. Was possibly ruining his career worth a month or two of being with Bree? No way—that was normally what he’d say before cutting himself loose. But he couldn’t. Not yet. Should he say something about his uncertainty? Or wait?

  “Oh, man.” Bree let out a breath. “It’s getting late, and I still have some things to do before tomorrow. Can you swing by to get me at eight? Or is that too early?”

  “No problem. I plan to get in a workout before I grab you. Back to getting up early. You’ve been spoiling me.”

  “Good. No more sleeping in for you.”

  He sighed. “You’re a morning person. I thought you were just a perky blond, but now I can see it’s in your DNA. You like getting up early.”

  “Yep.” She sounded cheerful, and that made him smile.

  “See you tomorrow then. It’s supposed to warm up to seventy, so be prepared to sweat.”

  “Ha ha.”

  Seattleites prized their warm temperatures and considered anything above sixty to be hot.

  “Sweet dreams, Bree.”

  She paused. “You just had to say that, didn’t you?”

  “Huh?”

  “Never mind. I’ll see you tomorrow, Romeo. Be prepared to find us a fire. I need more heat for my photographs.” She hung up.

  Confused yet charmed, Tex did his crunches before hitting the sack. And damned if he didn’t dream about Bree doing all manner of things without clothes on.

  He woke to a raging hard-on and took his fantasies of her to the shower to work them out. He’d always been a sexual guy, but he’d never jerked himself off so much when dancing around a woman. He and Bree surely had some intense chemistry.

  When he met h
er Monday morning, it was business as usual. They cautiously handled each other in a polite yet friendly manner, Bree sticking to her photography and Tex doing his best to keep it professional. Being near her caused everything inside him to stand up and shout, but he figured he’d keep it cool and focus on the job.

  The day went well, and he felt proud for being able to pull back and view being with Bree as a job. Well, except for those small smiles she had just for him or the flirty way he kept teasing her, complimenting her, and using any excuse to touch her. The hand on the small of her back. Helping her out of the truck. Helping her into the truck. Leaning close to smell her shampoo.

  God, he had it bad.

  He promised himself he’d be better the next day, and to give himself a break, he decided to take her to Station 44.

  After picking her up Tuesday morning, he informed her of the plan. “Okay, we haven’t taken a lot of shots of my station since the first day, so I thought we could follow the gang today to see what’s what around town.”

  “We haven’t taken shots?”

  He flushed. “I mean you.”

  “Ha. You’re blushing. So cute.”

  “Hush, woman. You’re distracting me.”

  She chuckled.

  “I talked to the guys, and I’m calling in our bet.”

  “What bet?”

  “Brad and I beat the pants off Mack and Reggie at Spades last week. It’s sad really. In the Marine Corps, you spend a lot of time waiting around and end up playing a lot of cards or dominoes. Brad’s almost as good as I am.”

  “He was in the Marines too, right?”

  “Yeah. All four of our crew are prior service. Mack was in the Air Force as military police. Brad and I were infantry. Reggie was a sonar tech in the Navy. After we got out, we all met at one point or another and got assigned together, and we stuck. I guess it helps we all did time in the military first. We’ve been together for years. Anyway, that’s not what you asked. Point is, Mack and Reggie still don’t get that they just can’t beat us, and I like to remind them as often as I can.”

  “I’ll bet you do.”

  “They lost, and now they have to clean our cars and bring in treats from Sofa’s.”