Cupid Cures: Small Town Western Contemporary (Return to Cupid, Texas Book 5)

by Sylvia McDaniel

  As if he read her mind, in answer to her question, his lips covered hers. Rolling her to her back, pressing into her, his legs firm and hard, his chest wet and warm and so thrilling.

  The feel of his hands gripping her head, holding her mouth in place as he ravished her lips, plundering and taking what he wanted left her shivering. Never having been kissed like this before, she moaned deep in her throat, she didn't want this to end. Pulse pounding in her ears, her blood rushing through her, heating her body in areas never aroused before, Tempe clung to Kyle.

  "Hey, Doc," Joe called.

  Breaking apart, Kyle jumped to his feet and pulled her with him.

  Quickly, she snatched on her wet polo over her head. What just happened?

  Never before had she kissed a man until lust like a river flowed through her. Never before had she kissed a man until all she could think about was shedding her own clothes.

  On Friday night, Kyle stared around at the Valentino's bar. Tempe stood at his side, watching as Meghan blew her candles out, celebrating her birthday. Country and western music blasted from the speakers and he wondered what his friends would think if they knew Scott Gaston's daughter was here in their midst.

  She'd shocked him. Slowly, as the days went by, the realization of what she must have endured crept into his consciousness and overwhelmed him. No, she didn't want pity, but still the thought of his parents being involved in some kind of scandal that could have devastated their family would be heartbreaking. It was bad enough his father died so young and his mother soon after.

  To this day, he still wanted to go running into the house, calling out for his mom and dad, telling them what had happened at school that day. But they were gone and life went on.

  At Meghan's party he was standing here uncertainty thundering through him. Between Tempe's revelations and the stress of yet another sick heifer, he felt like his world was spinning out of control. They were still waiting on test results. Desperately, he needed to have fun.

  "Come on Tempe, dance with me. You do know how to country and western dance, don't you?"

  "Well, I can do a mean salsa."

  "With peppers or without?"

  Shaking her head at him, she said, "You are a goofball."

  "Keeps life interesting. Why don't you salsa, and I'll do the two step."

  The gravity of what she experienced and how she came out a winner stunned him. All evening he was reminded of the strength of this woman. At twenty-one he'd been busy working hard in school, getting his education, while his brother took care of the ranch.

  Smiling at him she took his hand as he led her out on to the floor. Gracefully she fell into step with him.

  The feel of her soft womanly curves pressed against him, the smell of her filling his lungs. Alone she buried her mother, changed her name and graduated college with a GPA high enough to get a scholarship into a veterinary program.

  "The doctor can dance," he said twirling her.

  "I never said I couldn't. All I said is I can salsa. Remember, my background. All society children take dance lessons. Don't want to make daddy look bad at an elegant ball."

  Cringing inside, he couldn't imagine the life ripped from her. Even contemplating where she came from took some getting used to.

  His eyes met hers in the darkened room and he didn't know how to handle the emotions roaring through him. So he did what he always did, he made a joke trying to alleviate his unease. "What a woman. She salsa's, two-steps, delivers puppies, and examines a cow's uterus. You're just an all around sexy girl."

  "Okay, charm boy, turn it down a notch. The women in this bar are looking at you like you're a tasty meal and they're starving. Somehow I gather you've been here before."

  What could he say, he wasn't really a playboy, but like to come dancing at Valentino's and had been here enough times to have danced with quite a few of these women and taken several out.

  "Let's say there never has been just any woman. I've dated, but becoming a vet consumed me from the time I entered college until I received my degree. Then I worked with another doctor in the city, until I came back to buy the old Doc out here in Cupid. So romance has not been a full time occupation for me."

  "And now?"

  With a quick glance around at the women standing on the edge of the floor. "Am I wrong to want a woman who is my equal?"

  The words caused him to gaze at Tempe. The doctor was his equal in every sense of the word, she was smart, intelligent and would challenge him to be a better man, a better veterinarian. But she had drawbacks. Big ones, like, she was Scott Gaston's daughter. A vet from the USDA. Not no, but hell no.

  Yet, cradled in his arms, she seemed so right, like she belonged beside him.Working together, they made a great team and was so laid back, easy going. Tempting lips beckoned him and glancing at her mouth as the blood rushed to his groin leaving him hard.

  The music changed and he pulled her closer, feeling her body crushed against his own, her breasts rubbing on his chest, causing his blood to pump through his heart at a rapid speed.

  There was no question what his friends were thinking. No way would you ever convince him Tempe came into in his life because of that statue. That had nothing to do with why she was here. In fact, he sent the original lab samples to the USDA.

  "No, it's not wrong to want an equal," Tempe responded, her emerald eyes darkening as she stared at him. "If I were able to marry, an equal is exactly what I would want."

  The memory of her kiss, the two of them rolling around on the ground like a couple of pigs in heat came back to him. Leaning in, he smelled the sweetness of her scent.

  That day at the ranchers had been an exciting afternoon of working together. When the water fight ended with a kiss he'd wanted to bring her home and finish what they'd started. Instead, they had gone back to the clinic and after they cleaned up, gone out to dinner.

  Today, they had waited all day for the test results, only to be disappointed. The tension of the day stretched between them like a tight wire connecting them. Only he wasn't certain it was just the results of the tests. Since that hot kiss, all he could think about was her in his bed. And he wanted her there now.

  Knowing he was being forward, but unable to stop himself, he placed his hands on her buttocks and pressed her against him, letting her see what she did to him. No longer would he hide the way this woman tempted him. Even in college, no one ever enticed him the way Tempe had his blood heating.

  For a second her green eyes went wide and then she tilted her head at him. "That gun of yours is cocked and loaded.""

  The music stopped and they stood there a moment, staring. Somehow they had reached a crossroads. The blaze in her eyes shimmered in the light, a question in the gorgeous circles that he had the answer to. Yes, oh yes.

  "We've made our appearance here, told her happy birthday. Maybe it's time to go home."

  "Yes," she said, her voice breathless. "I'm ready."

  "We're not going to say goodbye, let's go."

  "Want to race?" she asked, her eyes large in the darkness.

  There was so much he liked about this girl, that he had to keep reminding himself that she was the enemy. The agent from the USDA, sent to put down cows. Yet, she was so much more.

  "I'll beat you out the door."

  "Already halfway there," she said running.

  He sprinted after her, certain that Dr. Tempe Tangier, daughter of a famous criminal would be in his bed tonight.

  Chapter 5

  As they pulled up in the drive of the clinic, Tempe suddenly became nervous. On the dance floor, she'd been emboldened by the music, the crowd, the confidence she felt as a woman. But now, she wasn't certain coming back here, alone with Kyle, with this growing attraction between them was such a good idea.

  Getting out of the car, they silently walked up to the front door. Had it only been four days ago, she sat in her car watching a naked man trying to break into the clinic?

  And now as he opened the door and they walke
d inside the building, she swallowed nervously. What would they do now? There were still so many things Kyle didn't know about her.

  Closing and locking the door behind him, Kyle turned to her, his earthy eyes gazing at her hungrily.

  With a growl, Kyle lifted her into his arms, and toted her up the stairs. Shock rippled along her spine and she gasped. "What are you doing?"

  "What I wanted to do days ago."

  Heat filled her and she stared at him as he carried her through the door, kicking it closed with his foot. Did he understand they could never be together? Why would any man want to join with her and the shadow that clung to her.

  Carrying her through the house, he took her into the bedroom, where he let her feet slide to the floor. Keeping her body tightly against his, she savored every hard inch of him, from his muscled ABS all the way to his rocklike thighs.

  Though still clothed, the feel of his body--solid like stone, only warm and flexible--slid against her, igniting a fire in her womanly parts in response to the touch of his rigid male member.

  "Do you want me?" he asked, his mouth close to her ear, his tongue tracing the lobe and running along her neck. "We're both in the moment people. Do you want to quench this heat between us?"

  Her lungs seized and she moaned, giving him access to her shoulder, loving the ripples of slithering fieriness that shimmered through her.

  "Yes, oh yes. I want you," she whispered, knowing she had waited for years for this moment.

  Like a starving man, his lips covered her own, claiming her, branding her, demanding a response. Whimpering, she sagged against him, overwhelmed with the passion raging inside her. Her body was warming, heating to a level never before experienced. With a tug, he pulled her shirt over her head, his hands reaching for the waistband of her clothing.

  Placing her hand on his chest, gasping for breath, she broke the kiss. "Wait."

  Leaning down, she slipped her shoes off her feet. Then pushed him down on the bed. While there, she yanked off his cowboy boots and socks. Removing his shirt, he tossed it onto the floor and began to work on the belt at his waist.

  Shucking her jeans, she reached up and unsnapped the hooks on her bra and let the garment fall. As he removed his pants, she ditched her panties and then drank in the sight of him.

  What am I doing? But she pushed the rational thought aside and admired the beauty of his muscular body.

  A lean, muscled body, his skin an even tone of brown, the cowboy had her breath stuttering. His manhood stood erect and a quiver went through her.

  Life had been difficult, men scarce and while it seemed impossible, she waited never having the opportunity besides a quick fling in a bar. Not the way she dreamed of losing her virginity.

  Gasping at the strength that exuded from him, she crawled onto the bed beside him. He grasped her arm and pulled her on top and she revelled in the touch of his velvety smooth skin over rigid muscles.

  "We fit together, well," he said softly in her ear. "Your breasts crushed against my chest, your womanly pelvis smashed against me, make me want to take you hard and fast. Oh, Tempe, you've been a temptation since that very first night."

  Kyle's words were like an inferno to her ears, causing her to cling to him as his mouth once again covered hers. Flipping her onto her back, his lips trailed down her chest, his hands gripping her own, holding them down on either side of her as he descended trailing kisses to her nipples.

  At the caress of his mouth, she cried out as he drew the hardened kernel between his lips, suckling, carrying ripples of need centering in her middle. What was this feeling she never experienced before. Sure the textbooks had explained the sex act many times over, but she never participated in the act before tonight. And she was grateful Kyle was her first.

  "Kyle," she sighed and he moved to the other breast, swirling his tongue around, lightly nipping her with his teeth.

  "Oh," she moaned as her body came alive beneath his heated caresses.

  When she thought she could experience nothing more, his fingers parted her legs and delved into her center. With a guttural sound of satisfaction at the moisture he found there, he teased her with his fingertips as she ached for something more.

  With gentle strokes, she gasped. "Kyle."

  "You're so tight," he whispered, his voice deep and throaty.

  The idea crossed her mind that maybe she should tell him, but at this moment, she really didn't care. There was no time for explanations. Only the brush of his fingers, the skim of his caress, the deepening of his gaze were all that mattered.

  Reaching over, he opened a drawer and pulled out a package. In a matter of moments, he rolled the latex down over his member.

  Rising over her, he spread her open with his muscular thighs, his powerful tool advancing against the opening that eagerly wanted him. Staring into the gleam of his eyes, she watched as with a groan, he thrust, pressing until he filled her. The sting of pain, nothing compared to the flames pulsing through her.

  "What the hell," he said with a gasp. "You're a virgin."

  "Please, don't stop," she cried.

  They were joined as one, and passion drove every question from her as he plunged into her time and again, climbing, reaching for something she'd never experienced. With every thrust, she felt as if his name was being scrolled across her heart. With every stroke, he made her his own. With every kiss, she became his.

  Seeking to understand, she stared into his eyes, and her world started to unravel. Like the universe was exploding as every cell strove toward the brilliant light that flashed through her, sending shock waves rattling like a tidal wave washing her ashore.

  In a husky voice, she heard Kyle call her name as his body shattered around her, clinging to her like two lost souls adhered by a mere thread to the earth.

  Slumping over her he rolled to her side, cradling her body against him. Both breathed like a race horse after a race, their chests aching for more air. In silence, she lay beside him, unwinding as the tingles disappeared, leaving a behind a sense of bliss.

  Running her fingertips along the arm that cradled her, tears pricked her eyes. What the hell had she done? She gave herself to a man, told him of her past, left herself vulnerable to hurt and manipulation. Was she crazy? The lawyer warned her and in a moment of passion, she'd broken every rule he gave her.

  Afterwards Kyle, gazed at her. Why hadn't she told him she was a virgin? Would it have made a difference?

  "Okay, I'm scared. Most women don't make it past the first semester of college without losing their virginity. Yet here you are."

  "In college, I was still Tempe Gaston. My father and his associates were all on trial, while I attended school. Only because of the inheritance I acquired from my mother, could I afford to go. It wasn't easy. During the court case, I learned to be creative to walk across campus without reporters following me. But a party life?"

  A sarcastic giggle escaped from her lips. "No sorority would consider me. Who would want to date a girl whose parents probably lost money because of her father? Quickly, I became the social outcast. Sometimes ridiculed. Always the object of pranks."

  Kyle remembered his years in college, the ones where he had been partying and learning and figuring out how to be an adult. A young woman having to deal with a family crisis, so public she couldn't go anywhere without reporters trailing her every move would be difficult. Not to mention, the kids in school hating you. Inside his stomach clenched, hurting for her.

  "After my mother killed herself, the lawyer convinced me to change my name. Before I entered the veterinary program at Colorado State University - halfway across the continent away from my poisonous family, I changed my name.

  Funny, he thought about going to that school, but chose Texas A&M instead. The urge to her happiness overcame him and he held her tight. After all, she went through, she deserved someone to care for her and make her happy. Right now, he intended to be that man.

  A smile crossed her face. "Even then I feared graduating at th
e head of my class afraid someone would see my picture and recognize me. So I graduated number eleven. Just below the top ten, not to draw attention."

  "How did you go to work for the USDA?"

  A heavy sigh came from her and he knew talking about all this stuff must be painful for her. "Actually, they recruited me. The salary is nice and I decided the job would help me reach my goal quicker."

  The thought of trying to get your education while your life is played out on national television must have been horrifying. Bullies were like a bad traffic day in Dallas, coming at you from all directions.

  "Have you tried to get a loan and start a practice?" he asked.

  Shaking her head, she snorted. "The banks are always excited to talk to me, until they learn my true identity. Then they run. Tempe Gaston is connected to the man who cost them millions and though I'm innocent, no one is willing to take a chance on me."

  With startling clarity he realized this would follow her the rest of her life. No wonder she said she couldn't drag anyone into her screwed up life. One smart, investigative reporter could hunt her down and make her existence hell.

  "Tempe Tanzier doesn't have enough credit to obtain a loan to open her own hospital. So here I am, working, saving, building a large down payment for a bank to lend me enough money to get me started."

  A pang of sympathy went through Kyle, causing his chest to tighten. He'd been fortunate. The inheritance he received bought the old vet's clinic.

  For years Kyle recognized he was blessed. Not only had his parents left each one of their children a lump sum, but also shares in the family ranch. Jim was the CEO and main owner, but the others still had a stake in the operation.

  Watching the graduates of his class, struggle he was grateful to his parents forethought and consideration .

  "How long have you been with them?"

  "A year.," she said, snuggling up against his body. "I'll probably be with them at least one more."

  Quietly, he sat and held her again thinking back to what started this conversation. Being her first was an honor that she'd chosen him, but he still had questions that needed answered.