Texan’s Wedding-Night Wager / The Oilman’s Baby Bargain: Texan’s Wedding-Night Wager

“What do you suppose happened to these artists?” she asked, her expression thoughtful.

He shrugged. “They tried and failed. They probably went on to lead productive lives in some other field.”

Cara nodded. “One would hope. It’d be a shame not to do what you love to do, though.”

“Most people don’t, Cara. Most don’t enjoy the work they do. They simply have to do it to survive.”

Cara’s sky-blue eyes softened. “I feel extremely lucky that I found something I love to do.”

Kevin searched her expression for any sign of regret and found none. It irked him that she could dismiss their marriage so easily. “You were always good at everything you attempted.”

“Thank you,” she said. She sent him a smile that flattened quickly.

“What’s wrong?” Kevin asked, curious about her change of expression.

She shook her head and looked down at the tabletop. “Nothing.”

“Something,” he prodded.

She lifted her shoulders. “It’s just that, at times, I think I failed as…a wife.”

Floored by her admission, Kevin furrowed his brow. “Why?”

Emotions surfaced on her face and her eyes narrowed with pain. “I don’t know. Maybe because nothing I said or did kept you at home.”

Kevin leaned way back in his seat and studied her.

She continued. “My mother had the same issue with my dad. He was never home. Always working, until the day he died. You know he died of a heart attack. Fell facedown on his desk at the office.” Cara looked up for a second, holding back tears. “My mother said he died doing what he loved best.”

Anger bubbled in his gut. Cara had it all wrong if she was comparing her father to him. Their situations were entirely different. Cara’s father had had more wealth than he knew what to do with, while Kevin had had nothing and worked hard to bring their life up to a certain standard of living. He’d been determined to make his first million by age twenty-five.

For Cara.

Always for Cara.

“You think I didn’t love you enough?” Kevin asked. “That I wasn’t home because I wasn’t…what? Happy with you? Or because I found you lacking in some way?”

Cara shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now, Kevin.”

They’d had this argument before, but never with so much raw honesty. “I say it does—”

“Hey, Novak.” Lance walked in with Darius and both strode to their table. Kevin winced. He needed them here like a hole in the head.

Lance ignored Kevin and nearly lifted Cara out of her seat to give her a bear hug. “My God, you look great! It’s good to see you, Cara.”

“Same here, Lance.”

Darius moved in and gave Cara a hug, too, his low, easy voice greeting her. “You have brightened my day, woman.”

“Hi, Darius. How have you been?”

“I’ve got no complaints.”

Cara beamed seeing the two and, without invitation, both Lance and Darius took a seat, cramming Cara and Kevin into the booth. Kevin sat back and listened as Cara and his friends caught up on their lives.

The interruption actually was more beneficial than he’d originally thought, since it had lifted Cara’s mood. They’d gotten way off course with the discussion earlier and Kevin fully intended on charming his wife tonight. He’d been thinking about seeing her all day. And if nothing else, he could rely on a sinfully erotic chocolate dessert to get her in a risky frame of mind.

Cara had indulged herself fully, devouring obscene, hot-fudge cake while enjoying Kevin and his friends. She’d missed their friendship and remembered how much fun they’d all had in college. At the time, Kevin was the only one of the three men in a serious relationship. Now, the opposite was true. Lance had Kate, and Darius had Summer, while she and Kevin teetered on the edge of a divorce.

“They haven’t changed much.” Cara smiled, feeling melancholy on the drive back to her hotel.

“Those clowns? They’ll never change.” Kevin grinned.

When he stopped at a red light, he glanced at her, then leaned over to wipe a smudge of hot fudge from her bottom lip. “You’re messy.”

“Am not.”

Kevin licked the hot fudge from his thumb, making Cara squirm a little in her seat. His gaze focused on her mouth, and erotic thoughts entered her head.

“Oh, no?” Kevin’s voice went low and deep. “Then why do I have to clean you up?”

Puzzled, Cara squinted. “You don’t have to—”

“Yeah, I do.” He leaned in farther to cup her head in his hand and slanted his mouth over hers, his tongue doing a thorough swipe over her lips. Cara relished the liberties he took with her, enjoying every second of the kiss. When she began to kiss him back, savoring the moment, the car behind them honked.

“Darn it,” Kevin said, moving away. He glanced in the rearview mirror at the car behind them. “Hold your horses, buddy.” Kevin straightened in his seat and drove out of the intersection.

Cara’s chuckle had him turning her way.

“What’s so funny?”

“You haven’t changed your driving habits. Still arguing with everyone on the road.”

His eyes twinkled. “Idiots. All of them.” When he looked at Cara, a deep, rumbling laugh emerged.

“All of them but you, right?”

“You got that right, babe.” His charming grin unnerved her.

Cara settled in her seat, still smoldering from that one red-light kiss and feeling light of heart at the same time. Kevin and chocolate had that effect on her.

Memories flooded her senses of all the silly, lighthearted moments they had shared during their courtship. Kevin had been entertaining and easy to be with. He’d been irresistible, too, and Cara found that tonight, all those traits that made up the man she’d loved had surfaced.

Kevin reached for her hand. “It’s early and a beautiful night. Want to take a walk?”

Cara didn’t hesitate. She’d enjoyed the evening and didn’t want it to end. “I’d like that.”

Kevin squeezed her hand and nodded. “I know just the place.”

Cara leaned back in her seat, trusting Kevin to entertain her. He’d been doing a good job of it since she’d arrived back in Houston. Though their marriage was over, this short time together would help them heal from wounds inflicted years earlier. Maybe this was the salve they needed to repair their injuries so they could move on with their lives.

Whatever the reason for her carefree mood, Cara wouldn’t analyze it too deeply. She was on vacation from life at the moment, a small black hole in time where she and her soon-to-be-ex husband could enjoy each other’s company without repercussions.

She’d forget his blackmail for the time being, shoving his motives out of her head. In less than two weeks she’d be back in Dallas, planning her new studio design, doing what she loved doing.

Kevin stopped the car on a dirt road that overlooked Somerset Lake. Brilliant moonlit waters glistened with sapphire illumination. Kevin got out of the car and opened the door for her.

The air felt heavy and warm, typical for a summer Texas night. Crickets chirped on and off and, in the space of quiet, the gentlest rippling of waves could be heard.

Cara swallowed hard as she took in the view. This was the place they’d come with all their friends, to have picnics and bonfires during the summer. This was their place, the spot right beyond the picnic tables, where she and Kevin had first admitted their love for one another.

Cara took Kevin’s offered hand and followed him down a dusky, bluebonnet-laden path that led to the water. She took each step with care. She hated trampling on the flowers.

“You’re not going to hurt them, babe. They look delicate, but they’re resilient.”

Cara had heard that from Kevin before, in much the same way, but not about bluebonnets. He’d spoken those words about her when they’d had arguments about his workaholic tendencies.

You look delicate, but I know you’re resilient.

Apparently, he hadn’t thought she could be hurt. Yet even the most durable of flowers had a breaking point.

“Why take the chance?” she said softly. When Kevin glanced at her, she shrugged. “I don’t want to destroy them.”

Kevin let the comment go and Cara doubted he caught her true meaning.

“Remember this place?” he asked.

“How could I not? We came here almost every weekend in the summer.”

“That was some summer, wasn’t it?”

She knew he meant the summer when they’d fallen in love. They’d been inseparable. She nodded slowly and held his hand as they walked along the lakeshore.

“Tell me what happened after you left Somerset.”

Cara took a long, slow breath. A cricket chirped a few times, before she was able to formulate the words. “I…It was hard, Kevin. The hardest time of my life.”

Kevin remained silent. He gazed ahead, refusing to look into her eyes.

“When I decided to start Dancing Lights, my whole world opened up again.”

Kevin’s mouth twisted, though he tried very hard to conceal his angst.

Cara didn’t want to spoil the evening by talking about a sore subject. “I’m sorry, but you asked.”

They walked along the little cove and reached a clearing by another group of redwood picnic benches.

“Care to show me a thing or two about dancing? You know I have two left feet.”

“Here? There’s no music. And you don’t have two left feet. As I recall, you have some pretty good moves.”

Kevin grinned with mischief. He clamped his hands on her waist and pulled her against him. “As I recall, you liked all my moves.”

Cara gasped, immersed in the gleam of his dark blue eyes.

“But I’m talking about dance moves, babe. I could use a refresher, since I’m inviting you to Lance and Kate’s wedding reception at the club. I wouldn’t want to embarrass you with my lackluster dance steps.”

Cara blinked in surprise. She couldn’t go to Lance’s reception with Kevin. It was one thing to see him for a few casual dates privately, but being on his arm at a formal affair would give the wrong impression and make her dream things she had no right dreaming. “You won’t have to. I can’t go.”

“How do you know? I haven’t told you the date yet.”

“Because,” Cara said, stepping away from him to look at the calm waters for comfort. Weddings always made her sentimental and she already had enough to deal with. She didn’t need a reminder of their utter failure. “It’s just that I think—”

“Shh, you think too much,” Kevin said softly, searching her eyes. “You’re so beautiful in moonlight, Cara.” He leaned in and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

Her insides melted at his gentle touch and she reached up on tiptoes to kiss him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. Maybe it was this place and the memories it evoked, or maybe she’d just been too long without any real tenderness in her life, but right now, she needed to be with Kevin, kissing him and feeling like a woman again.

It wasn’t long before Kevin’s kisses turned her into Silly Putty, except there was nothing silly about the intensity he displayed. He pulled her along, walking backward until he sat upon the edge of a picnic table. He fitted her between his legs and continued to nibble on her mouth until he drew his lips downward to the base of her throat.

Pinpricks of excitement flew up and down her body. She tingled everywhere, breathing in his sexy cologne. The musky scent she recognized from years before drove her further into oblivion.

It was easy for him to untie her rope belt and pull her blouse down. With a groan of appreciation, he murmured her name and her heart rate sped up.

Kevin unfastened her bra with adept fingers and he pulled the garment away from her. “Damn it, sweetheart,” he murmured, the curse a soft and beautiful endearment.

Exposed from the waist up, the pushed-down sleeves of her blouse trapping her arms slightly, Cara could only watch as Kevin touched her breasts, caressing, weighing, cupping her with such tenderness, she wanted to cry.

He made eye contact as he flicked his thumbs over her nipples, toying with them and making her moan with pleasure.

“You still like me touching you,” he whispered, his torturous fingers breaking her out in a sweat.

She bit her lip and nodded. She loved the way Kevin touched her. He’d been the only man who could turn her on so fast, so furiously. But Cara gave as good as she got and she never let Kevin have the last word. “Seems to me,” she said, breathless, “you could put that mouth to better use.”

Kevin chuckled, then clamped his hands around her trapped arms and brought her closer. Her breast grazed his mouth and he teased her with tiny tongue swipes until her knees nearly buckled.

“Better?” he asked in a whisper and she nodded enthusiastically.

He filled his mouth with her, suckling and blowing hot breath over her breast. Her nipple stood erect and a rush of sizzling heat invaded her body. Everything below her waist throbbed.

Kevin was in no better shape. His body was rigid, the bulge of his desire pressed against her clothes. Crazy thoughts entered her head of making love to Kevin right here, out in the open, beside the lake where they’d first revealed their love for each other.

Kevin’s thoughts couldn’t have been far behind. He kissed her soundly and stood up, his manhood grazing her between the legs. “I need more, baby.”

Cara nodded and helped Kevin unzip her pants. He cosseted her close and slipped his hand inside. With nimble fingers, he pulled her panties aside and cupped her womanhood.

“Ohh.” His touch sent her mind reeling. She’d been so long without this, without Kevin bringing her pleasure.

Alone at the lake in the darkness, the night lit only by moonlight, Cara succumbed to Kevin’s ministrations. He slid his hand back and forth, his fingertips caressing her most sensitive skin. She rocked and swayed, and he kissed her while she moved over his hand.

“You feel so good, Cara,” he whispered over her lips. He slipped one finger inside.

Cara’s eyes closed. She surrendered to Kevin’s will. Every single part of her body tingled as he stroked her, slipping his finger up and down until she moved in rhythm like the music of a sexy samba. When she arched her back, Kevin followed her, sliding his lips along her throat, creating sensations that burned like a branding iron.

Whimpers of pleasure tumbled from her lips and Cara’s face twisted in ecstasy. “Oh, sweet heaven.”

Kevin cupped her breast with one hand and stroked her unmercifully with the other. Again and again, until Cara’s body rocked out of control.

“It’s so good, baby. Remember?”

Cara remembered. Kevin had always been an unselfish lover. But her thoughts stopped there, because she was too far gone to answer him. Her pleasure heightened and heightened, Kevin drawing out every quiver, every earth-shattering morsel of ecstasy, relentless in his pursuit.

Her muscles contracted and squeezed, her body quaked, and Kevin stopped his assault, allowing her to enjoy this moment on her own terms. He knew, oh, yes, how he knew to bring her the utmost pleasure.

Her orgasm came in slow, torturous, drawn-out bursts. Cara relished each mind-blowing second of shuddering release. Then slowly, slowly she came back down to earth.

When she opened her eyes, Kevin was watching her, his gaze smoldering with lust. “That was—”

“Heaven,” Cara whispered, not shy about her display.

Kevin shook his head. “The sexiest thing I’ve ever witnessed.”

Cara glanced down at his obvious erection. “Are you…okay?”

“I could make love to you ten times on this picnic table and not be satisfied.”

Cara squirmed, tempted by the erotic thought.

Kevin worked her zipper up and handed her back her bra. “But a deal’s a deal.”

Fully sated and feeling very lighthearted, Cara dressed. “A man of his word.”

Kevin inhaled a sharp breath. She knew how much he’d held back, for her pleasure. “Would have been safer to teach me how to dance.”

Cara couldn’t contain her smile. “Safety is overrated at times.”

Chapter Five

“So, you’ll come to Lance and Kate’s reception with me?”

Cara turned to Kevin before entering her hotel room. He stood close, boxing her in by the door. Her face still glowed from the attention he’d paid to her at the lake, and the taste of her lips still lingered on his mouth.

“Are you trying to manipulate me?” she asked coyly.

Kevin winced and faked a stab wound to the heart. “You’re killing me, Cara.”

Cara nibbled on her lower lip with indecision. She’d had him at his boiling point. It had been all he could do not to make love to her on that picnic table tonight. Desire and lust combined made for a heavy aphrodisiac.

“Why do you want me to go?”

Kevin tilted his head and spoke in a serious tone. “Regardless of what has happened between us, Lance has always been your friend. I know he’d want you to be there.”

“Why do you?” Cara asked, searching his eyes.

“You’re awfully suspicious.”

“Don’t I have a right to be? After all, you’re blackmailing me.”

“It’s not blackmail, Cara. We made a deal. And tonight, I asked you to celebrate the marriage of a good friend. It’s as simple as that.”

Kevin wanted her on his arm that night and he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible during these two weeks, but it surprised him how much it mattered to him.

Cara finally relented. “Okay. I’ll go and share in the celebration. Lance is a good man.”

Kevin nodded, glad that she’d changed her mind. “Good night, Cara.” He leaned in and pressed his mouth to hers, relishing the soft, subtle nuances of her giving lips and baby-soft skin. “I had a good time tonight.”

Cara closed her eyes briefly. An image of her panting out a rocking orgasm flashed in his head.

“Uh, Kevin. Maybe we shouldn’t—”

Kevin leaned in and kissed her a second time, stopping her next thought. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

She gazed into his eyes and shook her head as if trying to figure him out before turning to enter her hotel room.

Kevin left her and drove to his penthouse. He stripped out of his clothes immediately and walked into an icy-cold shower. The brisk spray rained down, easing his stubborn lust. But sexy images of Cara stayed with him throughout. It wasn’t easy to wash Cara from his system.

He wanted to make her pay for abandoning him. He wanted to charm her and bend her to his will. He’d succeeded somewhat, but Cara had always been bright. She was correct to be suspicious of him. The only trouble was that he, too, paid a price for his little plan.

He wanted her.

After he toweled off, he headed for his bar and poured himself two fingers of bourbon. Leaning against the black-granite counter, he lifted his glass in midair. “Here’s to you, Cara. My wife for just a few more days.”

After her lake encounter with Kevin, Cara warned herself she was playing with fire and vowed to keep her distance from her husband until Lance and Kate’s reception. It was much safer that way. She needed to keep her perspective and remember why she’d come to Houston.

She’d maintained that resolve for exactly twelve hours, until Kevin knocked at her door midmorning, wearing a full Astros baseball getup. She glanced at him, puzzled, noting his red jersey and baseball cap with the Astros’ official star logo. He waved box-seat tickets for the afternoon game in front of her and shot her a delicious grin.

When it dawned on her what he had in mind, she could hardly refuse his enticing offer. She was a huge Houston fan, going back to her high-school days. Going to a day game felt sinful and luxurious, and she felt that doubly with Kevin by her side.

Now, she sat in a box seat at Minute Maid Park, just behind home plate, eating a hot dog and slurping down a Diet Coke.

“Want another?” he asked, after inhaling two hot dogs in record time.

“Nope, but toss me that bag of peanuts and I’m good to go.”

Kevin smiled and set the bag on her lap. “Have at it, babe.”

They munched on peanuts, booed the bad calls, cheered the good ones and jumped from their seats when an Astro player made it on base. Kevin excused himself for a minute and when he returned, he plopped a red cap with a big white star on her head and handed her a jersey that matched his.

“Thank you!” After she put the jersey on over her blouse, she reached over and planted a big kiss on his cheek.

Kevin turned his head toward her and her kiss slid to his lips. He tasted of mustard and soda and sunshine and their kiss lasted far longer than expected. Kevin took her into his arms and, much like two teenagers in love, they lost themselves.

“Hey, get a room!”

The shout came from a few rows back and Kevin smiled as he broke off the kiss. “Not a bad idea.”

“Oh!” Cara straightened in her seat, a full flush of heat rising up her neck. She refused to look Kevin’s way for a few minutes but she did hear him chuckle several times.

The Astros won the game and, with their spirits buoyed, they strolled the ballpark hand-in-hand until the crowds diminished. Cara stood in the Grand Union lobby, the famous entrance to the ballpark that went back to the early beginnings of Houston. “Remember when they built the stadium?”

“Yeah, traffic was stopped up for months.”

Cara glanced at him. “But you thought it was cool that they’d use Union Station as the entrance.”

“Still do. It brings a lot of people to the downtown area. From a business standpoint, it was a great idea.”

“Speaking of business, how did you manage to get away from the office today?”

When they were living as man and wife, Kevin would have rather cut off his right arm than take a day off from work.

“I’ll make up for it tonight. Got a load of paperwork to sift through.”

Cara figured as much. He’d never let his work go, not even for a day. There were times he wouldn’t come to bed until two, the computer more of an enticement than she was. In the morning, she’d wake up to find him gone.

She remembered those lonely days and nights. Those memories stayed with her and marred the pleasant day she’d just had.

She remained quiet as Kevin took her back to the hotel, deciding it was a good idea not to invite him in. “I had fun today. Thank you for the invitation.” Her voice stiff and formal, Cara made up for her lack of grace with a little smile.

Kevin didn’t seem to notice the change in her. “Me, too. It’s been ages since I went to a game.”

“Because you’re too busy?”

Kevin weighed her question, studying her. “I know how to delegate work now, Cara,” he said, his tone none too gracious. “I haven’t gone to a game because…hell, you’re gonna make me say it?”

Stunned, Cara blinked. “Say what?”

Kevin shook his head and cursed. “Because it’s what we did. Me and you.”

“Oh.” She wasn’t sure she understood.

“I went a few times with the guys,” he admitted. Then Kevin’s voice went deep, and he tapped her baseball cap twice, planting it farther down on her forehead. “But they don’t look as cute as you in a baseball cap.”

Before she could react, Kevin leaned down and kissed her soundly on the lips, putting to shame the kiss they’d shared at the ballpark. After five minutes of making out hot and heavy at her door, Kevin backed away and caught his breath, his eyes devastatingly blue. “I’d better go. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Cara slumped by the door, not knowing if she was glad he’d left or angry that, once again, his work took precedence over her.

What difference did it make, anyway?

Soon she’d be the ex Mrs. Kevin Novak, and what he did or didn’t do with his time wouldn’t matter.

She clung to that thought and took it to bed with her, trying not to wonder when Kevin would call her again.

Cara fumed for the next two days. Kevin didn’t call. She knew she should be glad that she’d been given a reprieve from the relentless attention he paid her, yet she thought it all a waste of time. He’d forced her to stay in Houston for two weeks to obtain his signature. She’d put her life on hold for him. She’d made umpteen calls to her dance studio, dealing with problems and making important decisions from her hotel room instead of being where she was most needed.