Tempted By The Texan

“They did a better job than I would have done, that’s for sure,” he commented. When they reached the top floor, he opened the first door they came to and flipped on the light switch to turn on the bedside lamps. “If you don’t like this room, there are four more to choose from.”

“This will be fine,” she said, looking around. Decorated in a cool shade of green and cream, the colors complemented the Native American artwork on the walls and the handwoven area rugs on the hardwood floor. “Bria and the others should consider going into interior decorating.”

“I was going to leave the bedrooms empty, but Bria pointed out that I needed to furnish them in case I had guests.” He shrugged. “I doubt that I’ll ever have that many, since all of my brothers live close by.”

“If you don’t think you’ll need the rooms, why did you buy such a big house?” she asked, unable to see the logic in him paying for something he didn’t intend to use.

“I wanted the land,” he admitted. “It’s close enough to all of my brothers’ ranches that we can help each other out when needed and not have to drive more than an hour or so to get there.” He gave her a half smile. “The house just came with it.”

She wasn’t surprised Jaron wanted to live close to his foster brothers. From what her sister had told her, all six of them had been in trouble with the law when they were teenagers and the foster-care system had given up on them as lost causes. They’d been sent to the Last Chance Ranch, and thanks to a special man named Hank Calvert and his unique way of using ranch work and rodeo to teach them life lessons, all of the boys had worked through their troubles and turned their lives around. They had all become honest, productive adults, and because of their similar problems when they were boys and having no families to return to once they were of age, they had bonded into a very close family of their own.

“I wish I could live closer to Bria and Sam,” Mariah said wistfully. Living a couple of hours away, she didn’t get to see her only sibling nearly as much as she would have liked.

Jaron surprised her, and if his expression was any indication, he might have stunned himself when he stepped closer and brushed a wayward strand of her hair from her cheek. “Maybe one day that real estate place you work for will open a branch office somewhere around here and you’ll be able to live closer to your sister.”

She knew he meant the gesture as comforting, but his gentle touch and the knowledge that she no longer had a job with the company caused her to blink back tears. “I doubt...that will ever happen.”

“What’s wrong, Mariah?” His deep baritone was filled with gentle concern.

“Nothing,” she lied. “It’s been a really tough day. And one that I would just as soon forget.”

She didn’t want to go into the dismal turn her life had taken. She’d lost a boyfriend, a roommate and her job in less than twenty-four hours, and when she’d left Fort Worth after her meeting, she’d planned on having a good cry once she got home. The boyfriend hadn’t really bothered her because they hadn’t been seeing each other more than a couple of weeks and their relationship hadn’t been serious. In fact, it never would have been. They both knew that one day they’d stop seeing each other and she hadn’t even bothered mentioning that she was seeing him to her sister. But the loss of her roommate and her job had been devastating. Her roommate had left without notice, and she was going to have to find a way to pay both halves of the rent. Without her job, she had no way of doing that. But since her car broke down and she couldn’t be alone for that cleansing cry, she’d just have to keep her tears at bay for a while longer.

Jaron seemed to hesitate a moment before he wrapped his arms around her and drew her to his broad chest for a supportive hug. “I’m sure you’ll feel better after a good night’s sleep.”

“I doubt it, but thanks for the encouragement.” She knew he was only trying to set her mind at ease, but the feel of his strong arms around her was absolutely wonderful, and without thinking she snuggled closer into his reassuring embrace.

She felt him go perfectly still. “Mariah...I think I’d better let you get some sleep.”

She nodded but couldn’t bring herself to pull away from him. “That would probably be for the best,” she agreed.

When neither of them moved, Jaron used his index finger to lift her chin until their gazes met. “Tell me to get the hell away from you and leave you alone, Mariah.”

Staring up at him, she knew she should do as he commanded. But without hesitation, she slowly shook her head. “I can’t do that, Jaron.”

“What I’m feeling right now is wrong,” he warned, his expression testament to his inner turmoil. “I’m no good for you.”

“That’s your opinion,” she said softly. “It isn’t mine and never has been.”

He stared at her a moment before he shook his head. “Don’t say that, Mariah.”

“I’m just being honest, Jaron,” she answered quietly.

He closed his eyes a moment, as if struggling with himself, before opening them to capture her gaze with his. Slowly lowering his head, he kissed her so tenderly it sent shivers of anticipation up her spine. But instead of him releasing her and taking a step back as she thought he would do, his mouth settled more fully over hers for a deeper caress.

When his tongue touched hers, the heat that she’d felt the first time he kissed her came rushing back and caused her knees to give way. As he caught her to him, he stroked and teased her with precise care and Mariah felt the growing evidence of his need against her lower belly. An answering desire caused an empty ache deep in the most feminine part of her. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized where things were going. She knew without question that if she asked him to call a halt to things, he would do it no matter how difficult it was for him. But that wasn’t what she wanted. She had waited for what seemed like an eternity for him to hold her like this and now that he was, she never wanted it to end.

Feeling as if her head was spinning from the intense longing coursing through her, she was vaguely aware that he tightened his arms around her a moment before he lifted his head to stare down at her. “Mariah, kissing is one thing. But it’s going to go way beyond that if we don’t stop this right now.”

“Jaron, I don’t care how far this goes,” she said honestly. She raised her arms to circle his neck and tangled her fingers in his thick dark brown hair brushing the collar of his shirt. “I’ve wanted you to hold me like this since the moment we met.”

“Don’t say that.” When he closed his eyes, a muscle twitched along his lean jaw and she knew he was struggling to do what he thought was right. “I’m not the kind of man you need, Mariah.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, cowboy,” she whispered, cupping his cheek with her palm. “You’re exactly what I’ve always needed.”

Two

Jaron felt as if he’d been struck by a bolt of lightning when Mariah touched his face with her delicate hand. He might have had a chance to harden his resolve and not let things go too far between them if she hadn’t admitted that she had always needed him. But her softly spoken words and the feel of her touch sent a flash fire streaking through his veins and made thinking clearly all but impossible. He’d wanted her for years, and not allowing himself to hold her, kiss her, had been his own personal hell.

He knew it was wrong—that he should walk away and leave her alone. But when he looked down at the woman in his arms, he knew in his heart that wasn’t going to happen. He needed Mariah more than he needed his next breath, needed to lose himself in her softness and forget for one night that she could never be his.

When she pressed a kiss to the exposed skin at the open collar of his shirt, then looked up at him, the desire in her brilliant green eyes robbed him of breath. She for damned sure wasn’t helping him win the battle over the hormones racing through his veins at the speed of light.

“Jaron, I know you need me just as much as I need you.”

There was no sense in denying it. Hell, he was certain she could feel the evidence pressed against her. But he had to give her one last chance to save them both from doing something he knew as surely as he knew his own name they would both end up regretting with the morning light.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked. “Once that line is crossed, there’s no going back, Mariah.”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my entire life,” she said without hesitation. “I don’t like the way things have been between us recently, and I don’t think you do, either.”

“I’m not promising anything beyond tonight,” he warned her.

She shook her head. “I’m not asking for more.”

She might not be asking, but he knew Mariah well enough to know she wasn’t a one-night stand kind of woman. If she slept with a man, she would expect it to be the start of a relationship. Unfortunately, he had wanted her for longer than he cared to remember and turning back now just wasn’t an option.

Groaning, he buried his face in her silky dark brown hair and tried to remind himself of all the reasons making love to Mariah would be a bad idea. For the life of him, he couldn’t remember a single one. A man had his limits, and Jaron knew that he had reached the end of the line with his.

For the past several years he’d fought against giving in to the attraction between them. But now that he’d finally held her soft body to his and tasted her sweetness, he couldn’t seem to stop himself. Maybe it was due to the years of denial or more likely the loneliness that had settled in when he watched his brothers with their families—knowing that due to the fear he had of turning out to be like his father he would never allow himself to have a family of his own. He wasn’t entirely sure what the reason was, and it really didn’t matter. He’d deal with the guilt and regret in the morning. Tonight he was going to forget about the problems making love to her would cause and love Mariah as if there was no tomorrow.

“Let’s go to my room,” he suggested, taking her hand in his to lead her down the hall.

As they entered the master suite, Jaron flipped the light switch to turn on the bedside lamps, casting a soft glow over the king-size bed. Closing the door behind them, he immediately took Mariah in his arms and lowered his head to rain kisses along her cheek, down the column of her neck to her collarbone.

“Are you protected, Mariah?” he asked, removing her black leather jacket, then kissing the satiny skin exposed by the dropped shoulder of her slinky red dress.

“I... Um, no,” she said, sounding delightfully breathless.

“Don’t worry.” He continued to nip and taste her. “I’ll take care of it.”

When he raised his head, the desire clouding her pretty green eyes rendered him speechless. She was without a doubt the most beautiful, exciting woman he had ever known, and unless he missed his guess, she didn’t have a clue how hot and sexy she was.

“There’s probably...something you should...know,” she said, sounding a little unsure.

“Have you changed your mind?” he asked, torn between knowing it would be in the best interest of both of them if she had and at the same time dreading her response.

“No, I haven’t changed my mind.” There wasn’t a moment’s hesitation in her answer and, God help him, he was thankful.

“Whatever it is, it can wait until later,” he said, bending to remove his boots.

“But I think it’s something you’ll probably want to know,” she said, sounding a little uncertain.

Straightening, he gave her a quick kiss. “Do you want to make love with me, Mariah?” When she nodded, he shook his head. “That’s all I need to know.”

He didn’t want to hear confessions about other men she’d been with. All he wanted to do was focus on bringing her the most pleasure she had ever experienced in any man’s arms.

As he kissed his way across her collarbone, she reached up to push her dress down her arms. Stopping her, he shook his head as he lightly skimmed his hands across her bare shoulders then down her arms, taking the stretchy fabric as he went. “I’ve been thinking about peeling this little number off you since I watched you walk into the Broken Spoke.”

When he lowered the knit dress to her waist, then slid it over her shapely hips and down her long legs to lie in a pool around her shiny black high heels, his heart stuttered at the sight of her. Her strapless black lacy bra and matching panties barely covered her feminine secrets and sent his blood pressure up into stroke range. Put a pair of those fancy wings on her back and Mariah could easily model for that famous lingerie company every man with a pulse found so fascinating.

“You’re gorgeous,” he said, feeling as if all of the oxygen had been sucked from the room as he squatted down to remove her shoes.

“Thank you.” When he straightened, she stepped forward to reach for the snaps on his chambray shirt. “But you’re a little overdressed for this, don’t you think, cowboy?”

As he watched, Mariah unfastened his shirt, pushed it from his shoulders and tossed it aside to place her hands on his bare chest. His pulse sped up and it felt as though he’d been branded where her soft palms rested. How many times had he speculated how her delicate hands would feel when she touched him like this? Nothing he could have imagined came close to the excitement racing through his veins at that moment.

“I knew your body would be beautiful,” she said as she traced the valley between his pectoral muscles with her index finger.

“Looks can be deceiving,” he said, thankful that she couldn’t see the ugly imperfections he’d spent most of his life trying to hide.

Before she could ask him what he meant, Jaron unbuckled his belt, released the snap at the top of his jeans, then gingerly eased the zipper down over his persistent erection. Shoving his jeans and boxer briefs to his ankles, he quickly stepped out of them and kicked them to the side.

He silently watched as Mariah’s gaze traveled the length of his body. He could tell she was trying not to be conspicuous. But when she noticed his arousal, her eyes widened a moment before she lifted them to meet his.

“I’m just a man, darlin’,” he said, reaching behind her to unfasten her bra. “You aren’t afraid of me, are you?”

“N-no,” she murmured. “Being afraid of you has never crossed my mind.”

“Good.” Tossing the scrap of black lace to the pile of clothes on the floor, he kissed her deeply before cupping her breasts in his palms as he stared into her pretty eyes. “I promise we’ll be perfect together, Mariah.”

“I—I know,” she said, shivering when he kissed each one of the taut peaks, then moved his hands to slip his thumbs into the waistband of her panties.

He slowly lowered them over her slender hips and down her thighs, and when he tossed them aside he stepped back to appreciate her gorgeous body. Everything about her was perfect, and he felt humbled at the knowledge that a woman as stunning as Mariah would want to be with him.

“You’re amazing,” he said, his voice sounding a lot like a rusty hinge.

When he took her in his arms, the feel of her soft, feminine body pressed to his much harder one sent a shock wave the entire length of him. He had never allowed himself to speculate what it would be like to hold her nude body to his—to have their bare skin touching. But he knew for certain that he never could have imagined anything as erotic or sensual as what he was experiencing at that moment.

When she sagged against him, Jaron swung her up into his arms and carried her over to place her in the middle of his king-size bed. Her long dark brown hair spread across his pillow and her lithe body lying on the black satin sheets was an image he knew he would never forget.

Opening the bedside table’s drawer, he removed a small foil packet and, tucking it under his pillow, stretched out beside her to take her in his arms. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” he asked, not really expecting an answer.

“Not as beautiful as you are,” she said, raising her arms to his shoulders. From the look on her face, he knew the moment she felt the scars on his shoulder that he normally kept covered. “Are these from participating in the rough stock events for so many years?”

He didn’t want to lie to her, but he didn’t want to explain, either. “Everyone who competes in rodeo has a few,” he said, making sure he kept his answer vague. He did have a couple of scars from riding the rough stock, just not the ones under her fingertips.

To distract her from asking more about them, he fused his mouth with hers and kissed her with all of the need he had denied for almost as long as he had known her. Sweet and soft, when her lips melded with his, Jaron forgot about anything but the woman in his arms and the heat inside him that had built to a fever pitch. He had wanted Mariah for years and he found it damned near impossible to think about anything but burying himself so deep inside her that they lost sight of where he ended and she began.

Unable to wait any longer, he kissed his way down to her collarbone as he moved his hand along her side to her hip and beyond. Caressing her satin skin, he parted her to stroke the soft folds with tender care. The fire inside him threatened to burn out of control at her readiness for him. She needed him as much as he needed her.

“Mariah, I promise next time we’ll go slower,” he said, reaching for the packet under his pillow. “But right now, I need to be inside you.”

“I need that...too,” she said, her tone breathless.

He quickly arranged their protection and nudged her knees apart to rise over her. When she raised her arms to his shoulders and closed her eyes, he leaned down for a brief kiss.

“Open your eyes, Mariah,” he commanded.

When she did, he captured her gaze with his as he guided himself to her. The desire and the depth of emotion he saw in her rapt expression were humbling, and unable to wait any longer, he slowly, gently moved forward.

The mind-blowing tightness as he carefully entered her robbed him of breath. It felt as if she had never...

He immediately froze. “Mariah...are you a virgin?” he asked hesitantly. He hadn’t even considered the possibility that she’d never been with a man. But he was for damned sure thinking about it now.

“Y-yes,” she answered.

Jaron closed his eyes as he waged the biggest battle he’d ever fought in his entire life. The logical part of his brain advised him to get out of bed, send her back to the guest room, then go downstairs to his game room and drink himself into a useless stupor. But his body was urging him to complete the act of loving her—to make her his and damn the inevitable consequences.

She must have sensed the conflict within him because, wrapping her long legs around him, she captured his face with her soft hands. “Jaron, I want this. I want you.”

He might have been able to win his inner struggle if he hadn’t seen the desire coloring her smooth cheeks or heard the urgency in her sweet voice. But the combination of her heartfelt declaration and the feel of her tight body surrounding his was more than he could resist.

“Forgive me, darlin’,” he said, pushing himself forward to breach the thin barrier blocking his way. Her eyes widened and a soft moan passed her parted lips when he sank himself completely inside her.

Holding his lower body perfectly still, Jaron kissed away the lone tear slowly trickling down her cheek. He hated that in order to love Mariah this first time he had to cause her pain. But as he felt her body relax around him, he knew that she was adjusting to his presence and, easing himself back and then forward, he set a pace he hoped would cause her the least amount of discomfort. He knew she probably wouldn’t derive much pleasure from their lovemaking, but that wasn’t going to keep him from trying to give her whatever pleasure he possibly could.

As the driving force of the tension holding them captive increased, Jaron held himself in check until he felt Mariah begin to respond to his gentle movement. Only then did he increase the depth and strength of his strokes.

When he felt her tiny feminine muscles begin to tighten around him, he knew she was close to realizing the satisfaction they both sought and, reaching between them, he touched her in a way he knew would send her over the edge. Her fulfillment triggered his own and, gathering her close, he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t pass out from the extraordinary sensations of his release.

Collapsing on top of her, Jaron buried his face in her silky hair and tried to catch his breath as he slowly drifted back to reality. He had never experienced anything as intense or as meaningful as being one with Mariah.

As his strength returned, he eased himself to her side and pulled her into his arms. “Are you all right?”

With her head pillowed on his shoulder, she nodded as she rested her hand on his chest. “I’m fine.” She yawned. “That was amazing.”

He could tell by the sound of her voice that she was drowsy and, remembering that she’d mentioned having a rough day, he kissed the top of her head and reached over to turn off the bedside lamp. “Get some rest, darlin’.”

He’d barely finished making the suggestion before he could tell that Mariah had dozed off. Long after he was sure she was sound asleep, he continued to hold her close as he stared up at the ceiling. What the hell had he done?

No matter how much he would like to go back to the way things had been between them in the past, it would never be the same again. He’d not only crossed the line with her, he had taken something that she could give to only one man.

He closed his eyes as he fought the need building inside him once again. He wanted her, and just the thought that he had been the first man to touch her like this sent heat streaking throughout his body with lightning speed.

It hadn’t even crossed his mind that she might still be a virgin. Hell, Mariah was twenty-five years old and he knew for certain that over the years she’d dated several men. So why him? Why had he been the one she chose to be the first man she made love with?

Unable to think clearly with Mariah in his arms, Jaron contented himself with simply holding her while she slept until sometime around dawn, when he reluctantly eased away from her and got out of bed to pick up their clothes. Folding hers, he placed them on the bench at the end of the bed, then took a quick shower and got dressed.

As he started to leave the room, he turned to gaze at the beautiful woman sleeping peacefully in his bed. How had he let things get so out of hand with her? Why had he ignored that voice of reason in his head, telling him to walk away before he did something he was sure to regret? And how was he going to be with her at family gatherings without losing his mind from wanting her and not allowing himself to touch her?

Guilt and regret so strong it threatened to choke him settled in his gut and, shaking his head, Jaron headed downstairs for a stiff drink. He needed to shore up his resolve and do what he knew was right and would be the best for Mariah. As soon as his men repaired her car, he was going to send her on her way and hope like hell one day he could forget the most incredible night of his entire life.

* * *

When Mariah awoke the following morning to sunlight peeping through a part in the drapes, two things were immediately apparent—she was in Jaron’s bed and he wasn’t with her. She was a little disappointed, but not really surprised. Bria had told her that ranchers usually started their days before dawn and sometimes worked until well past sundown. Now that Jaron owned the Wild Maverick Ranch, it stood to reason that he would keep those hours, as well.

Lying there surrounded by his clean masculine scent on the black satin sheets, Mariah’s heart skipped a beat as she thought about the shift in the direction of their relationship. After all these years, Jaron had finally recognized she was no longer an eighteen-year-old girl with stars in her eyes. He had finally seen her as the woman she had become, albeit almost grudgingly. But she was certain that even he would have to admit that what they had shared was beautiful.