One Night With The Texan

“And tell them to go where?”

He took her purse from her hand and tossed it behind them on the sofa. Then he picked her up again and carried her to a bedroom, setting her down gently next to the bed. His lips found hers again in a smoldering kiss. She was dimly aware he was unbuttoning her blouse. She sensed coolness against her back and a freedom from any restrictions and hazily realized he had removed her blouse and her bra. She ran her arms across the cool, silken sheets. The scent of incense hung heavy in the air around them. With one fluid movement his jacket and T-shirt hit the floor and she heard the zipper on his jeans.

His body was magnificent and Tallie knew they were about to cross a line, one that seemed to be growing blurrier by the second. If she didn’t say no immediately, he was going to make love to her.

As if sensing her apprehension, he raised his head, watching her through the dim glow of the subdued lighting, his eyes almost black with desire.

Her gaze moved over his face, finally coming to rest on his mouth.

“Are...are you married?” she whispered, running one finger across his bottom lip.

“No.” He lightly bit the tip of her finger before sucking it gently into his mouth and then releasing it. A shot of pure heat speared through her. “I’m going to make love to you. But I need to know you’re okay with this.”

“Yes,” she said. More than he might ever know. Any other time her timidity would step in and she wouldn’t think of admitting such a thing. She wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol she’d consumed or the man.

“I was hoping you would say that.”

Bracing his weight on both his arms and one knee, he hovered over her, kissing her cheek and trailing his teeth across her jawline, causing a surge of heat to flood her lower regions.

Oh, yes. She was very sure she wanted this. To hell with caution and rational thinking. She reached out to touch his face and felt the coarse five-o’clock shadow. In his arms she ached, overwhelmed with the feeling she was incomplete, needing him to make her whole. He kissed the palm of her hand then proceeded to suckle her fingers one finger at a time. His heavy body settled over hers. She felt his erection, hard and unyielding against her core, and heard him emit a deep growl. Pure liquid heat ran through her veins and Tallie was lost. Her head fell back on the pillow as the world spun. She pressed against him out of pure instinct, needing more, her body demanding it.

This incredible man was about to make love to her. And she was going to let him. A complete stranger. She’d gone around the bend to insanity. She inhaled a deep breath, the need for him destroying the last of her common sense. Her body was on fire. Was she dreaming? Or was this her prince charming in disguise? In this moment it didn’t matter. She was his. And she really couldn’t imagine anything better.

He stripped her of her jeans and panties in short order. She heard his own jeans hit the floor and then he was back. The strands of gold, blue and red beads fell around her breasts. They felt cold compared to the heat that was raging through her. His hand slid down over her stomach and farther, testing to ensure she was ready for him. He adjusted his body over hers. She knew a moment of panic as she noted the immense size of him. She wouldn’t be able to compete with his overpowering strength. She suddenly felt small and helpless as she realized she would have no control.

“This is your last chance to say no,” he told her, as if reading her mind, his voice both deep and hoarse with emotion. His breathing was shallow. She felt the blunt end of his sex positioned at her core. “Once I’m inside you, I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to stop.”

All Tallie could do was nod her head and hope her instincts about this man were right. She wanted this. Just once in her life she wanted to be with a man who could give her the experience she’d previously only heard about. Just once.

In what seemed to be slow motion, his lips again descended, finding and suckling her breast. His large hand kneaded the other, gently pinching her swollen nipple, making her arch her back as she swelled under his touch. Then he cupped her head in his hands, as though holding her where she needed to be. She inhaled the raw scent of him, lost in the heady potency that surrounded him. She felt her body relax, her mind clear of all thought, accepting what was to come without any thought of denying him what she knew he was about to take. The breath left her lungs on a sigh as the world grew dark and he was all that existed.

He pushed inside and the last remnant of her mind disappeared. Even though he went slowly, careful not to hurt her, she’d never been filled to such a degree. She hadn’t realized how muscular he was; how much bigger his body felt against hers. She inhaled a shuddering breath. As if understanding, he stopped.

“Take it easy, hon,” he whispered against her ear. “Just let yourself relax.”

Seconds passed and the pressure turned to incessant need. When she pushed against him, he began to move. Deeper. Harder. It sent her spiraling and, almost instantaneously, with a cry, she exploded. He held her close, encouraging, speaking words that made her climax go on and on.

She heard the foil packet being ripped open and seconds later he returned to her. He raised her hands above her head and kissed her neck and breasts as he entered her and once again began to move. This time more forcefully, almost urgently, his strength obvious in the way he held her; the way he took her. He pounded into her until it was both too much and yet not enough, bringing her to the edge then backing off, over and over until she wanted to scream.

She whimpered her frustration.

“What is it you want, sweetheart?”

“Please,” she whispered, straining against him. “It’s so hot.”

The excessive heat between her legs burned and there was only one person who could give her relief.

He began to move again and this time it was with one intention. She became separated from reality, her body one with his. She couldn’t open to him enough as he fulfilled her every need, bringing her to orgasm then joining her. The groan he made as he found his release was the sexiest sound she’d ever heard.

He fell to her side and pulled her next to him, her head on his shoulder. She experienced the feeling of a warm, cozy cocoon, his heavy arms around her, holding her close. Later in the night she was awakened and, once again, knew mindless passion. Then, once again, she slept.

* * *

“Tallie!” a woman’s voice called out, followed by a knock on the door. “Tallie, where are you?”

She opened her eyes and looked around the room at the strange surroundings. “I’m in here,” she responded in a sleepy voice. The door opened and Ginger and Mac sailed into the room.

“When you never came back to the hotel, we got pretty worried,” Mac said, walking around the room. The soft morning sunlight attempted to enter through the edges of the lush, thick draperies. “Then early this morning some man called from your phone and left a message saying you were okay and where we could find you. He must have seen our panicky texts.”

Tallie sat up, immediately realizing she had on no clothes. Covering herself with the sheet, she rubbed her eyes and yawned. “What time is it?”

“Almost eight, you wicked, lucky girl.” Ginger smiled and winked at Tallie. “Who would have ever thought that, of the three of us, Miss Quiet Mouse would be the one to get lucky?”

“Eight...in the morning?”

“Yep. We need to get back to the hotel and pack. Our flight is at noon,” Mac reminded her. “And you will have two hours to tell us every naughty luscious tidbit of last night’s little escapade.” She tossed Tallie her clothes. “And this is one you’re not getting out of.”

“Are you going to see him again?” Ginger asked. “I couldn’t see him very well in the bar. Is he cute?”

Tallie didn’t know what to say. Cute was not an adjective she would use to describe him. Sixteen-year-old boys were cute. This was a man in every sense of the word. As far as his looks, she hadn’t gotten a very good look at him—everywhere they met, it had been dark. Would she recognize him again? Possibly. Possibly not. “I would have to say he was handsome,” she told Ginger. “And definitely sexy.”

“Yeah, we kinda got that.”

“He had a sexy voice when he called,” Mac added.

As Tallie moved to get out of bed she felt sore in places she never knew she had. She smiled to herself. He had been an exceedingly patient and proficient lover. Amazing. Just as she put her feet on the plush carpet a sight caught her eye. A folded store receipt. On the back was written “You are the best. Thanks, C—”

“What is that?” Ginger asked.

“Did he write you a note?” Mac asked, walking toward the bed. “I hope you got his phone number!”

Still staring at the receipt in her hand she slowly shook her head, still stunned that she’d lost all control last night.

“I don’t even know his name.”

Three

Three months later

Tallie looked around her at the open farmland extending as far as her eyes could see. A river snaked through the golden, knee-high wheat, feeding huge trees that grew sporadically in giant clumps near its edge. An old trapper’s shack that a sneeze could probably blow down sat under the branches of a giant, towering oak. To the east were cliffs, their dark red composite a vivid contrast to the white-gold of the wheat. Dark impressions on the face of the cliffs gave indication of caves, which could have at one time been home to ancient people.

It had taken her an enormous effort to get the huge bulldozers and other machinery to shut down on this site. But she’d finally ascertained which man was the head of this operation and waved the court document under his nose. Now, with the motors of the huge machines turned off, only the sound of the wind blowing through the wheat and the occasional call of a bird remained.

Somehow in this mass of timber, cliffs and cultivated soil that went on for miles she was supposed to find confirmation that an ancient people had, at one time, existed. A tribe of Native Americans never referenced in any record book in history. Never mentioned by scholars or spoken of in the homes of the people. Except one: her paternal grandmother’s. The day before she’d died.

When a person so dear to her heart asked Tallie to find her people and, with trembling hands, opened her palm and dropped a tiny token into hers, Tallie had no other option but to promise she would do as asked. A sense of calm had overtaken her ipokini and, with a smile, she’d handed Tallie one other item: a doeskin about two feet square, rolled and tied with a braid of leather.

On the inside of the doeskin was a crude, hand-drawn map. One large area, marked in faded red powder, must relate to what her grandmother had asked her to find. It encompassed an area from a river on the west where the water washed the roots of a massive oak tree to just beyond cliffs to the east. At various points inside the red circle were rudimentary images similar to those found in caves. A horse. A deer. A warrior with a lance. A teepee village. At the top, a cryptic design indicated mountains. Across the bottom the word Oshahunntee. The tribe of no existence. Like many of the words taught by her grandmother, it was also unknown to all but a few.

Her ipokini was not a wealthy woman. Her gold was encased in a heart as big as Texas and spread among all the people she’d helped for almost one hundred years. For her to give Tallie something that must have been so special to her was a great honor. Tallie had promised her then—and in her heart now—that she wouldn’t let her down.

She had been surprised when her boss, the chief curator at the museum where she’d worked the past three months, not only okayed her request to do this search but had, in fact, become quite excited when she’d showed him the map. Instead of making her take a leave, Dr. Sterling had endorsed it as an approved dig for the museum, though Tallie would have to cover her own personal expenses. Dr. Sterling had even been able to point her to the part of Texas the map seemed to describe. Now, with the court’s backing to explore the site, only one thing might stand between her and discovery. She was pregnant.

Dr. Sterling had voiced his concern about her condition and made her promise to check in regularly. He couldn’t spare another associate to send with her and had made it clear she would be on her own. She’d convinced him she was fine. And she was. Or soon would be. Beginning her third month of pregnancy, she was almost over the morning sickness. At least, she hoped so.

Discovering she was pregnant from her night in New Orleans had been a life-changing moment. Her memories of the encounter were so hazy, it was almost as if she’d been in a blackout. But she was left with a very real reminder of what had happened. She had no hope of finding the father, and initially, her dreams of the future had gone out the window. She couldn’t imagine traveling the world on archeological expeditions with a baby. Yet as the idea of having one settled into her mind and filled her heart, she made peace with it. Other single mothers worked and raised their children. She could, too. Admittedly, she would have to halt travel to remote sites until the baby was old enough, but just because she didn’t have a regular nine-to-five didn’t mean she’d have to throw away years of study just to be a mother.

But right now she would concentrate on the present and take the future one step at a time. She was healthy and happy and determined to find the proof of the lost tribe as she’d promised her grandmother she would. At least, she had to try.

A chill went down her spine at the thought that the lost tribe might actually prove to have existed. But why had her grandmother waited until she was dying to tell her? And where had the map been all these years? She’d spent a lot of time at her ipokini’s house as a child and had never seen it or anything like it. Tallie could only suppose her grandmother had her reasons and all she could do now was accept that some things would never be explained.

Clutching the court-issued injunction in her hand, she took another look around. The paperwork required the owner of the property to halt all operations for ninety days so that she could search for relics. She would concentrate on the present and take the future one step at a time.

Suddenly the wind kicked up, blowing her long hair in every direction. She fought to catch it at the back of her head and then pulled a band from the pocket of her jeans and secured it in a rough knot on her crown. The sound of a helicopter in the distance shattered the silence. It was coming toward her and not wasting any time, soon landing a safe distance from where she stood between the old trapper’s hut and the river. She didn’t have to be told who it was. Cole Masters, billionaire eight-times-over and owner of this land, had arrived. Dr. Sterling had mentioned she might receive some resistance from this man, whose reputation for doing things his way preceded him.

The man who emerged from the chopper was big. Broad shoulders, his biceps bulging beneath the rolled-up sleeves of the white-silk dress shirt. A blue tie had been loosened at the neck to accommodate the unbuttoned top of his shirt. Honey-brown eyes were emphasized by dark lashes. His short, dark brown hair and his thick beard gave him the look of a warrior. His chiseled jaw was set for a fight. His full lips were drawn into a line of disapproval and those eyes were fixed on her as he marched to where she stood. So this was the great Cole Masters. Alive and in person.

In spite of her professional approach to matters such as these, the closer he came, the more she felt her years of study and experience fading to nothing. On that realization, she took a deep breath and concentrated on why she was here. This dig was a one-shot attempt to prove something incredible. She wouldn’t allow herself to be swayed by his sex appeal or intimidated by his rumored bitterness and arrogance. She’d somehow maintain the professional attitude the situation called for.

“Cole Masters,” he introduced himself, extending his hand.

“Dr. Tallie Finley, archaeologist with the North Texas Natural History Museum,” she said as she accepted his hand. It was twice the size of hers and exceedingly warm. A slight electric current tingled between their grips, traveling some distance up her arm. She could tell by his frown he’d felt it, too. She quickly withdrew her hand.

“It’s you.” His brows raised in surprise and his demeanor became less in your face.

“Ah...yes. I’m me and I’m guessing this is what you want to see.” Something about him seemed vaguely familiar but she couldn’t quite place him.

She handed him the court document. “It allows an intrusive and extensive survey of the area indicated on the map as presented to the court.”

“You are Dr. Finley?”

Something had suddenly removed the harsh tone from Mr. Masters’s voice and replaced it with a slight hint of congeniality. Because she didn’t know what had caused the change, she was more off kilter than when she’d initially faced his hostility. Good grief. Had she failed to button her blouse? Was she wearing the oatmeal she’d had for breakfast?

“I am.”

“Dr. Finley...” he said again, and handed the paper back to her. He cleared his throat. “Do you see that heavy equipment over there?” He swung around and nodded at the bulldozers, cement trucks and other pieces of large equipment she couldn’t name. “We are in the middle of a project. The planning alone has taken years. These guys are here today to pour the foundations, all twenty-five of them. As you can see, the roughed-in plumbing is already installed. How are we supposed to do our work if you’re in the same area looking for whatever you think might be there?”

Her eyes were drawn to his lips. So full. So enticing. She swallowed hard. She again had that vague feeling of having met this man before but the only face that came to mind was the mysterious stranger who had seduced her. No way could the two men be the same.

“I understand this might be an inconvenience for you, Mr. Masters. But the reason I’m here is equally important. Possibly more so.” He drew back, shaking his head. “What I’m seeking could potentially be under the spot where you plan to pour concrete, which would be a problem. If there are artifacts there, they could be damaged by your construction. If you’ll tell your workers to move their equipment out of my work area, I’ll conduct my research as expeditiously as I can to get out of your way.”

“That’s it?” His eyes locked with hers and she felt a tingle run down her spine. Where had she seen those eyes before? Suddenly a feeling of deja vu ran rampant. “We halt our operation and get out of your way? On my land.” His frustration was coming back. She could see the muscles in his jaw working overtime. Something about his voice touched a nerve. She’d swear she’d heard it before, which was ridiculous. She didn’t run in the same circles as billionaires.

“I would assume the judge knew who owned this land when he signed the order. I would have to say he’s probably not going to change his mind. If you should decide to take your case before a higher court, it would take longer than I’ll be here.” Unless she found proof an ancient civilization existed, which would make the ninety-day limit moot, but she would be throwing gas on the fire to bring that up now.

“Yeah. He knows me. And I know that judge. My attorneys will handle this.”

“Of course. That’s entirely your right.” The man sure didn’t mind throwing his weight around. She’d never seen a court-ordered, ninety-day search permit overturned. But to smile, as she wanted to do, might provoke him further. She fought the urge. Neither of them needed that. Just the fact that he was here and causing a delay was bad enough.

He called out to one of his men. “Harvey, this is Dr. Finley.” His eyes flashed to hers then back to his foreman. “She has a map detailing an area in which she needs to work and has been given the authority to do so by the court. Temporarily. I want the area flagged. Call Michaels at the land surveyor’s office, if need be.”

Harvey didn’t look at all convinced he could do as asked, but he wasn’t going to tell his boss that. “Yes, sir.”

“And you’ll have to move the equipment. Find a rise, in case we get a storm, and make sure it’s all outside of her...work area. The concrete trucks need to go back to Latham’s Equipment.” He received another nod from his foreman. “Just what is it, exactly, you’re looking for, Doctor?” His hands rose to his hips. “Some kind of Indian relics?”

“Something like that.” It was a heck of a lot more than that. But because of his in-your-face attitude, she was hesitant to enlighten him further. He wouldn’t care and it was her experience the more a land owner knew, the worse they could make it for the archaeology team. “Actually, I’m looking for artifacts establishing my own family line. The recovery of such relics will be of great scientific value to the Native American Historical Society as well as to the National Historical Association. Do you keep cattle here? I need to know so I can take precautions if the answer is yes,” she continued.

“No,” he replied. “No cows or any other livestock allowed on this part of the property.”

* * *

He stared at her. His eyes narrowed as he looked, really looked, at her face. He couldn’t stop his eyes from roaming from her eyes and lips down her body, all the way to her toes. He ran one hand over his lower face as her identity confirmed in his mind. It hit him like a blow to his solar plexus. His expression changed to a smile he tried to hold in check.

Tallie Finley was the beautiful woman he’d spent the night with in New Orleans. No doubt.

Apparently she hadn’t recognized him. Yet. He currently wore a beard and was dressed in a suit and tie. He was certain she had a completely different perspective of him now than she had then. But he knew her. He would never forget those beautiful, voluptuous curves, that stunning face, the long, silky, ebony hair and that deep Southern drawl.

She was the vision he’d dreamed about and thought about for almost three months. While striking, in the darkness her eyes hadn’t been such a vivid green. Now they blazed emerald fire.

“Your eyes are so green.” It just came out. And right now they were spitting green daggers.

She stared like he’d gone daft then turned away, suddenly angry. “Is the color of my eyes of great importance?”

“No. No. I just...it surprised me, that’s all.”

“Yeah, well, a lot of things surprise me.”

Yeah, Cole thought. And she was going to face a whopper of a surprise just around the corner. He would wait to see how long it took her to figure it out.

She reached up and pulled the band from her hair. With a quick shake and a finger-comb it was floating on the breeze like a dark, wispy cloud.

Damn, she was a beautiful woman. Tall and slender. Still a head shorter than his six foot four, she appeared both fragile and resilient. He had firsthand, intimate knowledge she possessed both those qualities. Her eyes demanded respect. Her hair was long, past her waist, and so black it looked blue under the direct sunlight. He could see the determination in her stance; in the way she carried herself. High cheekbones and those brilliant green eyes stood out in her slightly bronzed face. A man could get lost in those eyes. Easily. But he saw the determination in them. She wasn’t here on a fool’s mission. She would fight for the right to work on this dig and uncover evidence of her Native American ancestors’ lost tribe. How did a man compete with something like that? If she was legit. If she was really here to find artifacts.

“Is there anything more I can do for you, Mr. Masters?”

He stepped toward her until less than a foot separated them. “That is the question.”

He was close enough that he could feel the warmth of her body.

She stepped back. “If not, I need to get busy.”