Brought to His Knees-Tough Guys Laid Low By Love
Page 79
She gulped in air, her hands still lightly cupping him. Smiling, he grasped her hands around his dick, thrusting his hips forward so she felt just how hard he was. “I may have tried to get you out of one head, but this one…” He held her hands to him, moving them up and down. “This one has not cooperated. It always wants you.”
A low moan escaped her lips and her eyes slowly closed. She glided her hands up and down him with a greedy need he craved.
“Bowie…” her body inched toward his. He knew what she wanted, he wanted it too.
“I mean it Mavis, when I drive balls–deep inside you, I’m not stopping for hours and I’m not doing it on the side of the road.”
She blinked several times, as if she were trying to clear a fog away. “Let’s find that cabin.”
He nodded, moving away, leaving his body to ache and beg to be back close to her. He strode toward the back of the truck, sighing as he stopped to adjust his pants and pray his hard–on would relax. Sanity slowly crept back into his mind. He’d tried to tell himself he could be around her; he lied to himself that he was over her. Now he had to pretend he could survive when she left again.
Chapter Three
Mavis sat in stunned silence. Her body tingled from head to toe and every freaking place in between. She slid her sunglasses down, hoping she would appear cool and collected. She was far from it. Why had she tested him? She’d known the moment the words left her mouth she shouldn’t have opened that particular can of worms. So what if she wondered whether he still fantasied about her or whether he too fucked people in hopes of forgetting about what they’d had? Of the men she’d had sex with, none came close to Bowie. He owned her, whether she wanted to fully admit it or not. There would never be another man who could make her body ignite like he did.
She dared a glance over at Bowie. His back was board–stiff. The soft lips, which just minutes ago had been tormenting her, were drawn into a tight line. She could sense the tension rolling off him.
“The lake is up here on the right. I can’t remember if Lake Boar has a central office that keeps up with cabin documents or not.”
She secretly hoped they didn’t. While she wanted her brother home safe and sound she also yearned to forget the past and stay in the present where only she and Bowie existed. The next move between them would have to come from her. Bowie had pulled back and she knew him well enough to know it was her turn to make the decision about what would or wouldn’t happen between them.
She wondered if he’d ever dated anyone seriously. She’d casually asked her brother about him, but Wes never gave her much information. In fact Wes always told her if she wanted to know anything about Bowie Sinet that she could call him herself instead of sneaking around trying to get info. Of course she’d never had the guts to do it. While she could call together a meeting with men who owned foreign countries to discuss oil and business she couldn’t dial Bowie’s number.
She glanced at the pig trail of a road he was turning down. Nothing about Boar Lake seemed familiar. She remembered vaguely something about a lake and her mother.
“You know…” She searched through the memories. “When I was little, before my mom died, I remember something about a lake. My father isn’t a part of that memory but my mom and Wes are. It’s so strange, almost like a dream.”
Her thoughts centered around one memory she’d assumed was a dream. Her and Wes running around a small cabin, her mother sitting on the front porch laughing and reading a book. All she could remember was just happiness and how her mother had smiled at them as they ran around screaming like banshees.
Bowie slowed the Tahoe down as they hit a bump in the dirt road. “When you say little, how young?”
She closed her eyes, trying to pull the memory out of her mind. How old would they have been? “I’m not sure. I honestly don’t remember. I just assumed it was a dream since I only have that one scene in my mind.”
Bowie’s head nodded. “Your mom died when you were nine and you said your dad wasn’t in the memory. If I’m remembering right, the only way he’d have let your mom go away like that was if he’d had to go to Houston. Your mom hated Houston.”
Bowie’s memory was much better than her own. “You’re good.”
A cocky grin split his lips. “You know it.”
She smiled and shook her head. He might be thirty, but he still had a hint of teenage cockiness. “Anyhow, you’re right. Mom hated Houston, despised going to meet with any of his business friends. And he never let her out of sight except when he went there. I’d have to look at the records to be sure, but when I was doing the books to close out Tanem Oil I found out he almost lost the company in the early eighties.”
Bowie cocked his head to the side, before biting his lip. “That would have been when you were about nine. Maybe he almost lost it after your mom died?”
She shook her head. No, she’d found it strange because the dates were before her mother’s death. “No, the dates were before she died.”
“Ok, so you’re thinking your mom was going to a cabin when your dad was busy in Houston then?” His questioning tone said he wasn’t sure what she was implying.
“He was crazy, insanely jealous. He always acted as if he owned her and us. The only way Mom would have ever chanced spending any time away from the ranch was if she were sure he wouldn’t be back to find her missing.”
Bowie slowed the Tahoe as they approached an opening, which revealed a huge lake. One she didn’t recognize at all. “This isn’t the place. If Weston has a cabin on a lake it will be the one Mom had taken us to.”
“You’re more than likely right but, as the memory isn’t real clear, I still say we check this place out anyway.” Bowie had his sheriff–y voice going. He was in pure authority figure mode. Sexy as hell!
She smiled over at him. “You like being sheriff don’t you?”
He nodded. “I do.”
“You seem to be good at it. Got any suggestions about where to look next?” She glanced out the window, watching a person glide across the lake in a small canoe. The water barely shifted as the paddle sliced through the water. She’d never been canoeing and wasn’t sure she ever wanted to go.
“I say we keep checking the lakes with cabins. There is a small chance he has one not around a lake but I don’t think so. My gut is saying he’s too sentimental not to have bought the lake y’all went to as kids. Wes is like that.” He stopped the Tahoe at a rangers’ station. “You want to come in with me or you want to stay here?”
She wanted to find her brother, but knew this was not the place. “I’ll stay out here and get some papers done. This isn’t it.” She opened another document on her computer.
“I trust you, but I have to be sure.” He turned the truck off, got out and strode away.
Why did he trust her? After what had happened to him because of her why would he? He’d once trusted her with his future and she’d ruined it. The night her father had caught them in the barn, Bowie lost his football scholarship and her father had made damn sure no college would ever offer him another one. He’d ruined his future and Bowie had gone off to the marines not long after she’d escaped the hell her father put her through.
She’d often yearned to call Bowie, to tell him she was sorry for everything, but she had never been able to bring herself to do it. Instead she’d focused her life on ruining her father and destroying him. After five years she’d done it, and he’d died fighting her. A good person didn’t smile because she’d destroyed her father. Mavis Tanem was no longer a good person. Satisfaction welled deep within a dark corner of her soul.
“What are you smiling about?” Bowie slipped back inside the Tahoe.
Instantly shame washed over her. “Um…nothing.” She swallowed hard. “So was I right?”
Bowie cocked one eyebrow up. He knew she was lying and more than likely that she didn’t want to talk about what she had been smiling over. “Yeah, you were. We’ve got a little bit before the sun goes down and if we’re
relying on you to recognize the lake then we’ll be spending the night somewhere.”
Anticipation flooded her. They would be staying overnight somewhere. The urge to scream ’yes’ nearly overwhelmed her. What was wrong with her? She should be freaking out about her brother being missing and not lusting over a guy.
Bowie pulled out of the rangers’ station and headed back toward the road. “There’s a place up the road, about twenty minutes away, where we can stay. The rooms are decent, food is good and we can sit down with a map to pinpoint some more places to look. I need to make a few phone calls and see what I can find.”
She nodded. “I can call Laney. She finds people for a living. Maybe she has some avenues that you can’t use.” Laney often tiptoed over the legal/not legal line.
A bark of laughter came from Bowie. He shook his head, but smiled. “You call Laney. I’m sure her avenues will be faster than mine, but keep me on a need to know basis. I’d hate to have to arrest you two.”
A smile spread across her face. Joy touched her. Next to her brother and Hart, Laney was one of a few people who made her smile.
“I’ll wait to call her. I’d hate to be arrested too.” Although handcuffed by Bowie Sinet wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Fire shot through her. Damn her mind. She had to stop.
Bowie must have sensed her thoughts, as he turned his head toward her and pulled his glasses down to appraise her. “I don’t know. It might be worth the paperwork to keep you in town under my supervision for a little longer.” He winked, sending a flame of desire down to her pussy.
“Naw, it’d just make your life hell. First you’d have to put up with my bitching then you’d have Corrine harassing you. Lord knows, nobody needs all that drama.”
A genuine laugh filled the air. His smile was bright and inviting. Her heart ached. It’d been so long since she’d seen it and she yearned to see it every day for the rest of her life but knew she couldn’t. He deserved better than her.
“Corrine is drama all the time anyway.”
“Yet, you still sleep with her.” She hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
“And how would you know unless you’ve been checking up on me?” His questioning tone told her she had just let the cat out of the bag. He’d never give up without her admitting she had checked up on him.
She packed up her computer. It was pointless. Whatever paperwork she needed to review would have to be taken care of after she left. No way could she focus on anything besides her brother and Bowie.
She sighed. “Alright, so I occasionally might have hinted about you. But Wes and Hart never told me you were sheriff or even out of the Marines. All I know is that Wes said you went home with Corrine a few times.”
He nodded. “A few. Only when my dreams won’t stop haunting me.” He eyed her for a long, slow second.
His words hit her like a punch in the stomach. “I’m your ghost?” She whispered. She didn’t want to be the thing that haunted him. Not like her father haunted her. It was hell. Pure and simple hell. “I’m sorry.”
“No, not a ghost.” His words were soft. He turned toward her, shaking his head. “I’m not drunk enough to admit all my secrets, so let’s have this conversation some other time.” A smile tugged on his lips.
He’d shut down. Mavis’s gut clenched. She yearned to know where she stood with him. His kisses and passion had scattered all thoughts of him truly hating her. She had spent years believing he did but those moments of pure passion showed her he might have some anger toward her but still cared for her. Dreams from the past threatened her sanity. She had to get herself under control. Dreaming of anything more than a night of pleasure with Bowie would only bring her heartache. Losing him a second time would kill her.
“Another time then.” She tried to return the smile. Sighing she glanced back out the window. The sun had begun to slowly lower in the sky. They had about an hour of daylight left.
“Chelsea Lake isn’t too far. They have a few cabins there. Mom and dad used to take us there for vacations. It’s worth a shot to try it too. When we get there we can rent a cabin for the night and make our calls.”
She grinned over at him. “I remember y’all went one time and when y’all came back you were so sunburned you couldn’t sit down without screaming for two days.” And of course, as horribly mean children, Hart, Wes, Terrel and herself had ran by him slapping his back to make him scream louder.
“That was horrible. Who knew you could get that red?” He shook his head. “And y’all were jackasses.”
She threw her head back laughing. “Yes we were, until your mom and mine threatened us.”
“They knew y’all would die if they tore down that old fort your granddad built.”
She continued to laugh and nod. “They were right too. That fort was awesome.”
Her grandfather had built an old–styled treehouse fort for them. He’d thought of everything a young kid would want and made sure it was in the fort. It had windows to look out, a rooftop hideout, and a fire pole to slide down. He’d even added a slide for her because ladies in training weren’t supposed to slide down a fire pole.
“You know it’s still there. Not too long ago Terrell had a little scare.” He wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “Me, Wes, and Hart went out to the old fort and cleaned it up. It’s not in bad shape. Your granddad built it well.”
A little scare? “So Hart and you aren’t the only Sinet boys who sin a lot?”
His hand shot to his heart. “You’re hurting my feelings here. I can’t believe you’d imply we ho around.”
She huffed. “Those sin boys…” She clucked, laughing at his scrunched up face.
“Well at least us sin boys know how to do it right.”
She laughed, deep and genuine. “Don’t know about all the sin boys but one sure did.”
“Did?” He eased the Tahoe to a side road, where a bright neon sign blinked off and on. “Honey, I still do.”
She just bet he did. In fact she was sure of it. “Yeah, yeah.” She tried playing off the flirting. She had to control herself.
A bump in the road jarred her back to her surroundings. A small diner sat on her left and an even smaller cabin was beside it. The yellow paint on the wood of the diner was faded, the sign saying Penny’s Diner flashed neon blue. There were two older cars parked in the tiny parking lot. Although the building looked old, everything was clean. The windows glistened against the afternoon sun and there wasn’t a piece of trash anywhere to be seen.
As an oil driller she’d roamed all over small town America and knew better than to judge diners by just the outside. In most cases the ones that were faded and a little ragged looking always turned out to be the best.
She unbuckled, easing from the truck. Glancing back over at Bowie, she stretched her legs. Her body was stiff from riding. Tension ran down her spine. “I need to walk a little before we sit down to eat.”
“Go ahead. I’m going to give the office a call. I want to make sure everything is okay back home. Then I need to call a friend of mine in Fort Worth. He can look up property records quicker than I can.”
She pulled her phone from her pocket, no missed calls. Damn, she was hoping and praying someone had heard from her brother. “I need to call Laney. After that I’ll get us a cabin. Maybe there’s one with two rooms.”
She didn’t wait for an answer. Instead she strode off toward a small walking trail. She figured with a lake close by it had to lead down to it. She needed to get her head in order. Her brother was missing, maybe hurt or worse, her business needed her, and she couldn’t stop herself craving Bowie Sinet.
She rubbed her wrists. Though the pain was long gone, scars still marred the inside of each wrist. The long thin scars reminded her of everything she’d lost. She sat on a log near a stream which fed down to the hidden lake. Tears blurred her vision. Bowie and her had planned a life together. He had encouraged her to get a business plan and start her own drilling business. He’d never had an interest
in oil. Instead he’d wanted to engineer new drilling equipment. Their plan had been to head to college then to conquer the world.
Their plan came to a catastrophic end the night she made the mistake of telling him she was pregnant. Had she picked any other time, any other place, maybe her father wouldn’t have heard and destroyed them both.
She wiped viciously at her eyes. She would not cry any more over her father beating her almost to death, her miscarrying the baby she had loved so much, or about her trying to kill herself. No, she had moved on. Her father had gotten what he deserved, Bowie was happy now and, as soon as she found Wes, so would she be.
Life moved on. Time didn’t stand still. People survived.
In that moment she knew all those things were true. Had her life turned out differently, who knew how many other people her father would have destroyed?
Resolved to finally put everything behind her and live in the now instead of the past, she grabbed her phone to call Laney. If anyone could track down secret records, Laney could. With Laney on the job, Mavis just had to figure out her next move with Bowie. Either she acted on the yearning and lust which still vibrated between them or she walked away again. This time when she walked away it would be because she wanted to, not because someone forced her. This time Bowie and she would make their own choices.
Chapter Four
Bowie stared at the small, full size bed. What were they supposed to do? Damn the other campers. Not one single cabin left had a couch or even a recliner. According to Mavis the only cabins left were singles with a full bed only. Hell, he hated sleeping on the floor.
“Did they at least have extra blankets? I can let the back seats down in the Tahoe and sleep back there.” He cringed at the thought.
She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t be stupid.”
He glared back at her. He was trying to do the right thing and keep his distance. “I’m not, but if I have to sleep in the same bed with you it’s going to be bad for one of us.”