“Are you okay?” He held her a moment longer, enjoying the feel of her against him before he eased her feet to the floor.
“Hmm, mmm,” came her sleepy response.
Pax helped her out of her dress. She tossed her bra aside.
“Where’s the bathroom?”
Pax pointed to an adjoining door. “Through there. Do you mind if I open the slider?” He hooked his thumb at a smaller version of what adorned the living room. Gavin liked to hear the waves, so each room that faced the water had sliding glass doors.
The night air had cooled enough to be comfortable. Blankets wouldn’t be necessary, though.
“I don’t mind. It’ll be relaxing, falling asleep to the sound of the waves. Not that I need relaxing.” She tossed him a wink and her naked ass disappeared through the door.
Pax pulled the door open, taking a moment to enjoy the lull of the waves. He understood why Gavin refused to sell this place. It was the perfect getaway. Secluded and private, yet only a few hours from home.
Pax crawled into bed.
Reese walked back in stifling a yawn. “You wore me out.”
He lifted the sheet. “Come here, Reesey.”
She crawled over him and dropped to her side, settling her head on his shoulder and throwing a leg over his.
A perfect fit. The piece his life had been missing.
He played with her hair, let the silky strands fall through his fingers. Her breath slowed to the steady rhythm of sleep.
He loved her.
And, swear to God, he wasn’t letting her go again.
Chapter Twelve
Pax stumbled over his tongue when Reese walked into the kitchen.
The voice in his ear muted as she rounded the counter and headed for the coffee pot. She filled a mug and, with a grin and a saucy wink, slipped her bikini-clad body out to the deck.
Distantly aware of a buzz in his ear, Pax craned his neck as she settled on a chaise lounge and started rubbing lotion over her legs.
Fucking hell, that was sexy.
“Earth to Pax. What the shit? Did I lose you?”
Dragging his gaze away, Pax refocused on his phone call. “Sorry about that, Gav. Reese just woke up.”
His brother was quiet for a moment. “Do you need to call me back?”
“No, it’s cool. She’s outside catching some sun.”
“Ah. Gotcha. Lemme guess, skimpy bathing suit?”
Pax peeked out the door, just to refresh his memory. As bikinis went, he guessed it could be considered on the modest side. No tiny strings holding the thing together, all her bits securely covered. But still, bikini. Reese. A combination guaranteed to get his blood pumping.
“It’s a bathing suit, man. Skimpy or not, do the math.”
“I hear you. The first time Lauren came to the beach house … yeah, so not sharing that memory.” Gavin cleared his throat. “You sure you want to do this?”
“Positive.” It was all he’d thought about since last night. “It’s time. Hell, it’s past time, but I’m at a loss as to where to start.”
“No worries. I got this,” Gavin told him and Pax’s chest swelled. He really did have the greatest family. Ever.
“I really appreciate it, Gav. Let me know what you need from me.”
“You got it.”
Pax hung up, unable to keep the stupid grin from his face.
He swiped his own mug from the counter and stepped onto the deck. They had a few hours of broken sunshine, tops, before the rain came in and they had to head home. He planned to make the most of it.
His shadow blocked the sun from Reese’s face. She cracked an eyelid to look at him.
“Good morning.”
Fuck yeah, it was.
“Morning, sunshine.” He leaned down and kissed her lips.
“You look happy. Did you get some good news on the phone?”
Pax stretched out on the chaise next to hers, feeling happier than he had in years. At peace. “I hope so.” He rolled his head so he could look at her. “Gavin’s going to help me put my house on the market.”
“Is that something you’ve been wanting to do?”
Not until now. Until you.
He grabbed the sunscreen and started on his arms and chest. “It’s something I’ve needed to do for a long time. It’s not as though I live there. It’s been empty for awhile.”
Reese rolled to her side and propped her head against her hand. “So, where did you live before your parents went on their extended vacation?”
He smirked as her eyes followed the path of his hands. He didn’t give much thought to his looks, but he was damn glad she liked what she saw.
“The bunkhouse.”
“The bunkhouse,” she repeated as though she needed to hear it again. “Why in the world would you stay there?”
Wiping his hands across his stomach, he willed his dick to stay put. Hard seemed to be his permanent state around her, especially when she looked at him with such open appreciation. Made him feel like a goddamned superhero.
“Going to my house hadn’t really been an option.”
“You can tell me, you know. I’d like to know what happened, if you’re willing to share with me.”
He didn’t want to keep secrets from her. He was in this—all in—but where to start? He considered the options. Straight to the point seemed the best one.
“I got divorced because my ex-wife cheated. I caught her with two of our ranch hands. I walked into the barn and found them. All three of them.”
“Jesus. Pax.”
“Sorry. I guess I could sugarcoat it, but facts are facts, no matter how you dress ’em up.”
Now that he’d gotten started, he might as well tell her everything.
“You deserve to hear the story, so you’ll understand why I’ve done some of the things I’ve done. Tammy and I met a couple of years after I got out of college. At first, it was a casual thing. Then she started pursuing me pretty hard. After awhile, I just sort of stopped running. We were only married a couple of years.”
He hated talking about another woman with Reese. Reese was the only woman that mattered.
“Anyway, Gavin had been home on vacation. He, Clay, and I had gone to the fishing cabin for a couple of days. A storm rolled in, so we decided to head back early. I called, but she didn’t answer. She never answered, so I didn’t think much of it. I stabled Midas at the main barn back then—the one by the house—so my brothers and I rode there, trying to beat the rain.”
He hesitated, waiting for the familiar bitterness to fill him. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.
All he felt was relief. He was truly free.
“I was first through the door. I heard them before I saw them. I remember my feet. They were frozen in place.” The scene unfolded in his mind as it had a thousand times before as Reese sat quietly next to him.
“I watched them. For how long, I don’t know. A second or two probably. Tammy was naked. I remember that. The men she fucked hadn’t even bothered to take off their boots. They had their jeans around their knees and Tammy held between them, her legs wrapped around one while the other rammed her from behind.”
It replayed in his mind more as a low budget porn flick than an emotionally charged memory.
“Oh my god.” Her eyes glittered with unshed tears.
“It’s okay, Reesey. I was just one of many, as I found out later. That woman loved my money, but the reality of it was, it wasn’t my fault. There’s a word for women like her, but I’ll let you fill in the blank for yourself. Would’ve been nice if I’d figured out her extracurricular activities before I’d married her, but live and learn, right?”
“I’m sorry she hurt you, Pax. You must have loved her once.”
He shook his head. “Hindsight’s a funny thing. At the time, I thought I did.�
� He chuckled in wonder, realization finally falling into place. “Now, I know better. Kind of makes me an asshole for marrying a woman I didn’t love, doesn’t it?”
Reese rose up, her eyes blazing. “You’re not an asshole.”
He shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. I was seriously angry. I fought her for the house out of spite. She wanted to live there. I wanted a reminder of what happened so I wouldn’t make the same mistake again.”
“The mistake of trusting a woman not to betray you?”
He sighed. “We do the best we can in the moment we’re in, sweets. I’m just a man, flesh and blood. Understand this, Reese. I’m over it. One hundred percent. I’m ready to move on and leave the shit where it belongs, but I still get stuck in my head sometimes.” He thought about his conversation with Marjorie yesterday. “The point is—it’s a process, Reese. Selling the house is part of that. It’s not so much a reminder anymore as a dead weight. I have no desire to live there. It’s time to let it go. It’s time to let all of it go.”
Reese fell to her back. “I know all about trying to let go,” she whispered. “It didn’t work for me.”
“Huh?”
She stared at the sky. “It’s not important. There’s something I should tell you, about why I came back to Texas.”
“I’d wondered about that. Marjorie said you’ve only been back for a couple of years. I guess I assumed you’d come home after college.”
“I stayed in Connecticut after I graduated. I’d been there more than four years at that point, and I’d built somewhat of a life. I always missed Texas though.”
The selfish part of him hoped when she said Texas, she meant him. “So, what brought you back?” And was he going to hate the reason?
She stared at him, hard. “The man I was with got transferred to a firm in Houston.”
“You moved back home because of a man?” Oh yeah, he definitely hated that.
“There’s more.”
Of course there was. He rubbed his forehead, wanting to kick his own ass for starting them down this conversation trail.
“He asked me to marry him.”
On the outside, Pax kept his cool. Inside, he felt as if he’d taken a sucker punch to the kidney.
Reality check. He’d actually been married. No reason to think Reese wouldn’t have thought about doing it as well.
Holy shit, did she do it? How could he not know the answer to that?
“I’m going out on a limb here, but I’m assuming you said no.”
“Repeatedly.”
Thank fuck. “How long ago did you break it off with him?”
“It’s been awhile. Months.”
Months? Years, he could handle. Years meant distance and less chance of reconciliation.
Months implied recent.
“Why’d you keep turning him down?”
Reese gave him a shit-eating grin. “Because he kept asking.”
And she hadn’t answered the question.
“Reese.”
“It’s not a big deal, Pax.” She flexed and stretched her red-tipped toes. “To quote you, I’m over it.” Her head fell back against the chaise and she turned her face toward him. “Thank you for confiding in me. I wish…”
“What? What do you wish?”
She studied his face. “I wish we could stay longer, but since we can’t, could we save any more talk of exes for another time? I’d rather focus on you and me.”
“Right, makes sense. Enough of this serious downer shit.” Pax got to his feet and held a hand out for her. “Just you and me now. You up for a swim?”
“On one condition.”
“What’s that?”
She took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. She collapsed against his chest, her baby blues promising he’d like what came next. “That after our swim, you’ll help me shower all the saltwater out of my hair.”
Pax swung her into his arms. Laughter filled the air as she looped her arms around his neck.
He kissed the tip of her pert nose. “I’ll do you one better than that, sweets.” He took the steps down to the beach. “I’ll make sure to shower every inch of you.”
* * *
The rain started just as Pax pulled into her apartment complex. Neither of them spoke as he walked her to her door.
Now that she’d learned the pleasure of sleeping in Pax’s arms, she didn’t know how she’d go back to sleeping alone.
She wondered if he felt the same way.
He’d been different today. More relaxed than she’d ever seen him and holy cow, the smile he’d worn all day had melted her heart. There were other things too. The way he looked at her. The way he’d fucked her. She couldn’t put her finger on what had changed, but something had.
“Dinner tomorrow night?” he asked as he held out his hand for her key.
She handed it over and stepped aside so he could let them in. Interesting little habit he had there. With any other man, the move might appear as antiquated male chauvinism, but for Pax, it just worked.
“Are you sure? I mean, won’t you be needed at the ranch after being gone for a few days?”
He tossed her overnight bag on the couch. “I’ve got to eat.” He lifted her chin with his knuckle and brushed his lips against hers. “I can’t go another week without seeing you. Say yes, Reese. Give me something to look forward to.”
“In that case, I’d love to,” she murmured against his mouth.
The kiss that came wasn’t a kiss to devour. It was a kiss to devastate the senses. Slow. Soft. Complete.
A few minutes later, he eased the kiss. His forehead rested against hers as if he dreaded the tiniest separation.
“I’ll miss you tonight.” His hushed words warmed her. He pulled back and cupped her cheek, the intensity in his eyes making her wonder what was going on in that head of his.
“Pax?”
He blinked.
“’Night, Reesey.”
With a final quick kiss, he was out the door.
Reese stared after him.
Very different, indeed.
Chapter Thirteen
How he could go from the best day of his life to one of the shittiest was beyond him. Yet, here he was.
Pax fed Midas and then finished securing his tack. His clothes were soaked clean through, the weight of them making his movements slower than usual. He fucking hated storm season. They’d been lucky so far this year, but that could change in a heartbeat.
He sure as hell didn’t want to cancel his dinner with Reese. The thought of seeing her had gotten him through this hellish day, but how was he supposed to leave with another round of storms on the way? Simple. He couldn’t.
He toyed with the idea of inviting Reese to spend the night at the ranch. Now that he knew what it felt like to have her beside him, sleeping alone last night had been torture.
Guilt pinched his chest.
If the severe weather continued, he’d end up leaving her alone anyway as he checked on the stock. It would be selfish of him to ask her to drive through the storm. After their night at the beach house, it seemed his selfish impulses were at an all time high. He liked the way she curled around him as she slept. He liked waking up with her. Yeah, he wouldn’t mind a little more of that, but he wouldn’t risk her life for anything. He’d feel better knowing she was somewhere warm and dry. Safe.
Pax closed and secured the barn door as Clay’s truck came to a skidding halt beside him, spraying mud across his already filthy jeans.
“Thanks a lot, fuckwad.”
Even in the drizzling rain, Clay’s window was down and his arm hung out, fist tapping a nervous beat on the outside of the door. “Trouble in the west pasture.”
His heart ricocheted in his chest. “What kind of trouble?”
“Lightning hit along the tree line and star
ted a fire. Gavin said it was contained and the rain’ll finish it off, but it got the herd stirred up. Some broke through the fence. Several head are injured, although I don’t know all the details.”
Shit. There were calves out there. The western pasture was the largest, which meant it had the greatest potential for loss. Pax spun back to the barn door. “We’ll need the horses.”
“No, we won’t. The crew out there can handle the round up. If not, we’ll use their fucking horses and do it ourselves. Gavin’s more concerned with the numbers tangled up in barbed wire. With all the rain, the creek’s gotta be runnin’ high. If any cattle slip the ridge…” Clay’s fist banged against the door with urgency. “We’ve gotta go, Pax.”
Pax muttered a violent oath, his feet already moving. He jumped into the rolling truck and slammed the door. “Go.”
Clay hit the accelerator and made a hard left around the barn, angling the truck toward the service road that wasn’t much more than two overgrown ruts in the ground.
“I called Colt,” Clay informed him. “He’s headed over.”
Colton Lancaster, primary veterinarian for Shadow Maverick Ranch, was an old high school bud of Clay’s. “Great.”
Speaking of calling…
Pax wrestled his phone from his pocket with a silent thank you, Jade for convincing him to get the waterproof case.
The truck rocked hard, and Pax’s head bashed against his window. Pain exploded across the side of his face. His vision blurred. He bit back a curse and braced his palm against the roof of the truck, bracing himself against further assault.
Clay slowed the truck. “Sorry. We’re running out of daylight.”
Dark clouds covered the horizon, threatening to bring night several hours early. “A few more bruises won’t matter.” He swiped at his brow. Blood. More than a bruise then. “Just get us there.”
Clay gave him a quick glance. “Shit, you okay? We really need to fix this road.” He maneuvered around a hole big enough to keep them stuck until the storm passed.
“I’m fine. Let’s worry about fixing the road later.” With his free hand, Pax found Reese’s number and put the phone to his ear.
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