Her Sexy Texas Cowboy

“She’s really putting in the effort to make sure nothing unexpected happens, huh?”

Jeremiah didn’t know why he would ask that. Maybe he was trying to remind himself exactly why he had to keep his hands off Renee. In public, at least.

Aaron smiled what Jeremiah called his “Jessica smile.” It was full of love, pure and simple. “Jessica wants everything to be as planned as possible, and she’s willing to do everything she can to make that happen.”

Jeremiah had no idea why that made Aaron smile, but he was glad his friend was so happy. Ever since Aaron had met Jessica in Las Vegas two years ago, he’d been happier than Jeremiah had ever seen him.

Being in love definitely didn’t seem that bad.

* * *

RENEE SAT AT the small circular kitchen table, trying not to fidget with her cup of tea. What was taking Jeremiah and Aaron so long?

After Jessica had taken Renee on a quick tour of the large, beautiful home she shared with Aaron, complete with white lace curtains like something out of a movie, they had settled into the kitchen so Jessica could keep an eye on dinner while they went over her notebook of wedding details to complete that week.

If Renee hadn’t been so focused on finding some time to get Jeremiah to herself, she would’ve probably had trouble not rolling her eyes at her sister’s binder full of lists, receipts and diagrams. It was detailed to the point of seeming neurotic.

Finally, after Jessica was nearly through all the pages regarding flowers, the back door opened and Aaron walked in, followed by Jeremiah. Aaron went over to the stove to check on something bubbling in a pot, while Jeremiah leaned against the counter near the back door they had just entered.

Jessica stopped her monologue and joined Aaron in the inspection of the meal, and Renee took advantage of the moment free from her sister’s view to take in all the glory of the man from her fantasies as he moved toward her. She stared at his jean-clad legs and slowly moved her eyes up his body, lingering on a few choice places. God, he was gorgeous. It made her breath catch in her throat.

When she finally reached his face, he was looking right at her, a sexy smile on his lips, as if he knew exactly what she’d been doing. His eyebrows were raised in question, and she gave him her final assessment with a smile of her own and the tiniest of nods. She very much approved of what she saw.

At the end of their silent conversation, Jeremiah turned to the two talking at the stove. He said, “I’ll take Renee’s suitcase upstairs and get her set up in a guest room.”

Renee jumped up from the table, nearly knocking over her tea, in her eagerness to follow him out of the room. After he’d gotten the nod from the couple and started to make his way toward the stairs with her suitcase, though, she hesitated for a moment. Was this really such a good idea? Flirting and some quick kisses in his truck were one thing, but was she really going to go through with this idea? The whole clandestine affair thing was so not like her.

But then Jeremiah turned and crooked a half smile and her insides melted, and she knew she wouldn’t give up this opportunity for anything. She scurried after him up the stairs, nearly bowling into him on the landing, where he’d stopped to wait for her.

As soon as she was near enough, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in close, pressing her body against his. She gasped at the heat and strength she could feel where her breasts and stomach touched him. Her nipples budded at the contact.

The force of her reaction to him made her nervous for a moment, but then he was kissing her and her ability to think evaporated.

As soon as his mouth was against hers, every notion of stopping fell away at once, and she leaned even closer into his heat. In the truck, the first kiss had been quick and impulsive; the second short, slow and full of promise. This one, however, could only be described as passionate. Very very passionate.

So passionate she was vaguely surprised her clothes didn’t disintegrate on contact.

Jeremiah’s tongue plunged into her mouth, taking everything he could, but giving so much in the process. Time slowed as every ounce of her focused on the physical sensations: the feel of his mouth against hers, the tingling of her fingers, the warm heat that had pooled low in her belly, making her push against his body even harder.

And what she felt there, hot and hard against her, only turned her on more.

* * *

JEREMIAH HATED TO pull away from Renee’s kiss yet again, but he managed to force himself to break away, though he kept his arm around her waist. When she tried to lean back in, he chuckled. She was deliciously disheveled, and he wanted both to tuck her hair behind her ear and to mess it up even more. He was able to keep himself in check, though. “We should probably move to someplace a little more...private...than here.”

Renee looked down the stairs, as if she expected to see Jessica looking up and glaring at them. “Right,” she said once she seemed sure that they were still alone. Her voice was low and she sounded out of breath, which sent even more blood pumping straight to his already-painful erection. “Which room is mine?” she asked, looking at the doors on both sides of the hallway.

Jeremiah gestured with his chin to the door on the left, keeping his eyes on her lips, only just able to keep himself from kissing her again. She broke away and turned to open the door. He reluctantly let her withdraw from his embrace. It surprised him how much he hated to have her leave his side, even if it was only for the moment it took to get inside the room.

He lifted her suitcase and followed her into the room, hoping he hadn’t ruined the moment enough that he’d just be setting down the luggage and walking back downstairs, but he didn’t have to wait long to be satisfied on that count.

He walked into the room and only had enough time to notice that Renee hadn’t turned on the overhead light, leaving the room in only the dim sunlight filtering through the window, before the door was closing behind him. He turned around just as the door clicked shut and Renee rushed back into his arms, picking up right where they’d left off.

Every curve of her was touching him, driving him wild. He pressed against her until she was backed up against the door, slipping one hand under her shirt. She moaned deep in the back of her throat as his hand slid up from her waist to her breast, and he echoed the sound as his fingers found her nipple, hard and erect.

He teased the peaked tip as he moved his mouth to her earlobe, eliciting another moan from her, and his unoccupied hand moved down to her thigh. Jeremiah knew they didn’t have much time, but he planned to take full advantage of this moment. The skirt she was wearing had ridden up dangerously high, leaving so much of her shapely legs exposed for his viewing pleasure. He drank in the sight as he pulled the skirt even higher, wishing the room was brighter so he could see Renee in all her glory.

When his fingers slid past her lacy panties to her folds, she gasped, and his entire body tensed as he felt her wet heat. He put his mouth to the place on her neck where her heartbeat throbbed as he stroked her with his fingers, dipping first one inside her, then two, and continuing to rub at her mound until she was holding on to him tightly, her head pressed back against the door, her eyes closed.

* * *

RENEE COULD BARELY stand as Jeremiah continued stroking her core, kissing along her throat and teasing her breast. He was playing her like a violin and damn if he wasn’t good at it. The growing tension low in her belly built until she couldn’t resist the wave as it crashed over her. She came hard, her entire body shivering with it as it ran through her.

She opened her eyes and saw Jeremiah smiling at her, his eyes smoldering with barely controlled need. And how she wanted to fill that need.

Renee reached down to the button of his jeans, anticipation boiling inside her. Just as she pulled down the zipper and moved to expose what, from the feel of it against the fabric, was a huge erection however, Jessica’s voice floated in from downstairs.

“Dinner’s ready! Time to eat!”

Damn. Renee stopped what she was doing and looked at Jeremiah. His expression was so pained that it made her laugh.

“Really? This is funny?” he asked, a smile crossing his own lips.

Renee leaned her head forward, letting it rest against Jeremiah’s chest as she tried to take a few breaths to calm herself down. But when she breathed in his scent, a mixture of some cologne that made her think of the outdoors and his own masculine smell, she had to lean back again. She wasn’t ready to go be around her sister and talk wedding so soon after that spectacular orgasm.

As if Jeremiah knew what she was thinking, he took a deep breath of his own. “I’ll head down first,” he said. “I can tell them you’re getting settled in your room and washing up.”

He sent one last smile her way as she moved away from the door, and then he was gone.

One thing she could say for him: Jeremiah was a good sport.

4

RENEE TOOK A shuddering breath and moved away from the door Jeremiah had just closed behind him, flicking the light on as she went. The house was large and had several guest rooms, each a different color. She suspected this was Jessica’s doing—it seemed very much like her sister to tell someone that they were staying in “the blue room,” and then give them a set of towels that matched.

Renee was in the green room, the mint-colored walls bright and friendly in the light thrown from the bedside lamp. Green vines crisscrossed the white background of the bedspread, and even the white chest of drawers had green accents. It was all so sweet and pretty that she had to smile.

She opened her suitcase on the floor and grabbed out a pair of pants and some fresh underwear, sliding out of the clothes that were suggestively mussed from her interaction with Jeremiah and putting on the new outfit, trying to flatten her hair as she did so. After a glance in the mirror and a swipe at her smeared makeup, she readied herself to go back downstairs.

She took one last calming breath, opened the door and made her way to where the rest of the group sat. When she stepped into the kitchen, she found quite the happy scene: Aaron’s arm around the back of Jessica’s chair, her body leaning into his and both of them laughing at something Jeremiah must have just said. He looked a little embarrassed, but was laughing, too. Everyone seemed comfortable and content, almost like a little family. How did she fit in here?

Her good mood sank a little as she realized that she didn’t. They were all Texas, and she was New York.

But then Jeremiah looked in her direction and his eyes lit up at the sight of her, and she was able to push those thoughts aside. She didn’t need to belong here. She would have a great week, fulfill a few fantasies, and then go back to New York to her dream job.

That was better than belonging in this little group, she told herself.

By the time she’d gone through these thoughts and felt reassured that her life was already everything she could want, really, Jessica had spotted her. She gestured at the full plate and empty seat clearly meant for her. “Come and get some food. I’m sure you haven’t had a decent home-cooked meal since...when was the last time you ate at Mom’s?”

Renee thought for a second as she sat down. “Almost two weeks ago.”

“What have you been living on since then?”

Renee didn’t want to answer, especially with Jeremiah watching her, that perpetual grin on his face, as if he was enjoying the interaction. “This and that,” she answered vaguely.

Jessica raised her eyebrows. “Sandwiches from the deli down the street and leftover pizza?”

“Veggie pizza,” Renee added, knowing that it didn’t make it sound any better. “I’m busy. And I don’t know how to cook. This looks amazing,” she said in an attempt to change the subject from her terrible eating habits.

Jessica smiled, clearly proud of herself. “It’s just an easy chicken recipe. Now get to eating,” she said, pointing at the plate.

Renee took a bite, reveling in the taste of fresh vegetables and roasted chicken. She really needed to eat real food more often, but after working all day, she was too exhausted to do more than grab something on the way to her apartment or toss old pizza in the microwave. Another thing to push from her mind. This was not the week to examine her faults.

“What were you laughing about when I came in?” she asked, trying to get the conversation going on another topic.

Aaron smiled at her. “Jeremiah was telling Jessica about the time he was hitting on our waitress at a diner in Tyler.”

Renee forced herself to smile, trying to tell herself that it was good to remember that Jeremiah wasn’t a settle-down kind of guy. According to the stories Jessica had told her, in fact, he was more of a hit-on-any-female-with-a-pulse kind of guy.

And that was very good, because there was no way she’d be falling for him. Fantasy sex only.

* * *

“TELL HER WHAT HAPPENED,” Aaron prompted, hitting Jeremiah lightly on the shoulder.

Jeremiah looked down at his plate, his blood pumping hard. Aaron had brought it up in the first place, and now he had to tell Renee about hitting on other women. Great.

He wanted to punch Aaron “playfully” on the arm, at least hard enough to leave a bruise, but he didn’t want to raise any eyebrows. There was no way he’d forget Renee’s number one rule and ruin the possibility of an amazing week.

“It was years ago,” he clarified, hoping Renee understood that he wasn’t that guy anymore.

Aaron leaned in toward Renee, clearly missing Jeremiah’s discomfort. “We sat down to get some lunch, and Jeremiah just has to hit on the really hot waitress. Because he’s Jeremiah and isn’t afraid to get turned down by anyone.”

Jeremiah forced himself not to glare at his friend. He had to keep it casual, no matter how much he wanted to kill the guy. If he tries to tell the story about the supermodel, he thought, I’ll tackle him right here at the table.

Aaron continued the story, completely oblivious. “He must have asked her out or made sexual innuendos one too many times, because, you know those ‘We reserve the right to refuse service’ signs? Yeah, I had to drive home hungry all because Jeremiah thought he might be able to get laid in the walk-in freezer or something.”

Aaron laughed again at the story. Jeremiah looked over to Renee to see her reaction. She was smiling and nodding, but he didn’t like the look in her eyes. Stupid Aaron.

After a silence that felt way too long to Jeremiah, Aaron started talking again. “Hey Jeremiah, tell Renee what happened with the—”

If he says supermodel I’m going to destroy him, Jeremiah thought, holding his fork in a death grip.

“—generator,” Aaron finished, to Jeremiah’s immense relief.

That was another embarrassing story, but at least it didn’t make him look like an asshole.

Jeremiah launched into the story before Aaron could say anything else. “Okay, so my generator was out of gas, right? Luckily, I have a few gas cans sitting around and poured some gas into it. Or at least what I thought was gas...”

* * *

RENEE WATCHED JEREMIAH go through the whole story, laughing aloud as he gestured wildly to show exactly how thick the smoke was as it billowed from the ruined piece of machinery.

For the most part, though, her attention wasn’t on his epic tale. It was on the width of his shoulders, the way his hair fell across his forehead, the mischievous glint in his eyes, the strength of his arms.

God, she wanted him. Just looking at him from across the table made her squirm in her seat. And judging by the performance upstairs, it was going to be amazing once they managed to get more than five minutes alone together.

She’d never felt so impatient in her life.

After dinner, Jessica turned to Renee and said, “Well, tomorrow we’ll start with the wedding stuff, but tonight I want to catch up, if you aren’t completely exhausted.”

Renee looked at her sister’s smile and tried to smile back, but it wasn’t easy. She realized that none of the scenarios running through her mind, most of which involved Jeremiah tearing pieces of clothing from her body, was going to happen tonight. There was just no way to get Jeremiah alone without letting Jessica in on the situation, which absolutely wasn’t going to happen. Stupid rule number one.

Renee could see that Jeremiah realized it, too, and he didn’t look too happy about it.

Dinner flew by. Renee tried not to look at Jeremiah, but constantly caught herself glancing over to where he sat. He seemed all casual confidence, and the ease he exuded amazed her. How could he be so relaxed after that little episode upstairs?

After dinner was done and the talk had lulled, though, his demeanor changed. Almost as if he should leave, but he didn’t want to. She didn’t want him to leave, either, but there was nothing to be done.

Finally, Jessica pulled the notebook out again and Jeremiah said his goodbyes. His eyes lingered on Renee for an extra second before he turned away. She watched as he walked out the door.

She cursed to herself. That was one opportunity gone.

Jessica had started talking to her, but she’d missed it. All Renee could think about was how she couldn’t wait until some unknown time to kiss him again. And what if she never got the chance?

She could hardly bear the thought. She was too close to let this lie.

“I think I left my phone in Jeremiah’s truck,” she blurted out, then rushed to the door without waiting for her sister to comment.

She imagined getting to his truck just before he pulled away and giving him one hell of a sensuous kiss that would leave him thinking of her all night.

Renee was off the porch and rounding the corner of the house in a blink, only to see Jeremiah just a couple feet away, walking toward her and directly in her path. She couldn’t stop herself in time and ran into him at full speed with a very unsexy “Oof.”

Slamming into his chest was like hitting a brick wall, and she bounced off and fell to the ground, the wind knocked out of her. As she sat in the dirt, a little cloud of dust settling around her, she was glad it was dim enough that he couldn’t see how red her cheeks were.

Jeremiah knelt close. “Are you all right?” he asked, trying to look her over for damage.

Even through her embarrassment, she couldn’t help but feel aroused. His hand, which was resting casually on her thigh, took her attention away from how silly she must look sprawled on the ground.

She stood, brushing dirt off herself. “I don’t know which is bruised more—my butt or my ego,” she murmured, half to herself.

He stopped his ministrations and cocked his head to one side. “That sounds familiar. Is that a quote from a movie?”

She was stunned he recognized it. “It’s from It Takes Two. Why do you know an obscure quote from a decades-old movie made for little girls?”

Jeremiah laughed. “I have a little sister. She loved those movies. Haven’t thought about them in years.”

There was a quiet moment. Then, “What were you doing running around the house?” he asked, the smile on his face indicating that he had a pretty good guess as to the answer.

Renee suddenly felt shy. It was one thing to run up and kiss someone, and another thing entirely to explain that plan while brushing dirt off your ass.

His smile widened as the silence grew, and before she could figure out a way to explain without making herself sound like a dork, he leaned in close and kissed her. His lips and tongue drove any thoughts of embarrassment from her mind. In fact, they drove out pretty much everything that wasn’t X-rated.

And then, yet again, the kiss was ended far too soon. Renee briefly considered hopping into Jeremiah’s truck and going with him to his place before coming to her senses. She cursed Jessica under her breath.

Jeremiah stepped back, creating enough distance between them that she was able to get herself under control. Mostly.

“I better get going,” he said, but he made no move to turn around and walk to his truck.

“Are you going to be around tomorrow?”

She had to ask. It would kill her to spend the next twenty-four hours wondering when they could continue where they had left off upstairs. It made her knees wobbly just thinking about it.

He grinned. “Can’t get enough of me, huh?”

She leaned in, pressing her body against every inch of his. “From that bulge in your pants, I don’t think you’ve had enough, either.”

She backed up, watching the pain of separation cross his face and feeling exactly the same. Her little tease was just as bad for her, and she almost regretted having made the move in the first place.

He let out a deep breath. “I haven’t had anywhere near enough. I’ll find a reason to be here tomorrow.”

The thought sent a thrill through her.

Reluctantly, they went their separate ways. Renee heard the door of his truck close behind her as she entered the house, wishing she was spread out on the bench seat of that truck.

“Did you find it?”

Renee almost asked what Jessica was talking about before her brain caught up, remembering her excuse for running out there in the first place. “Oh. No. It must be in my bag somewhere,” she replied, hoping she wasn’t blushing.

Jessica didn’t seem to see anything off about her behavior, which was a relief. Before Renee knew it, she was settled on the couch, tea in hand, her sister relaxing next to her. “We’ll be talking wedding all week, I’m sure, but for right now I really want to hear what’s happening back in New York.”

Renee raised an eyebrow. “We talk every week. How much do you think you’re missing?”

“Lots!” Jessica exclaimed. “I want face-to-face communication. So start talking.”

“Actually, I do have some news.”

Jessica leaned forward. “Guy news?”

Renee had to laugh. “No, work news.”

Jessica deflated a little. “All you ever have is work news. You work too much. When was the last time you went out with a guy?”

Renee thought for a moment. Not counting those kisses with Jeremiah, it had been... Well, longer than she’d like to admit.

Before she could formulate an answer, Jessica shook her head and said, “I thought so. What’s your work news?”

Renee told her sister about the meeting with Patty. By the time she finished, Jessica’s eyes were wide. “That’s a lot of responsibility. I’m so happy for you, but does this mean you’ll be working more than you already do?”

Jessica, always the worrier. Renee shrugged. “Patty always managed to keep things in balance. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

She didn’t want to admit to her sister that she was prepared to throw herself into this job with everything she had. If it meant a few more hours at the office, what did it matter? What else did she have to do?

The evening passed quickly, the two sisters swapping stories from their lives. Renee tried to stay focused on the moment, but her mind kept wandering to its two favorite subjects: work and Jeremiah.

If she wasn’t designing the perfect layout for the magazine’s next issue, she was imagining Jeremiah’s hands running all over her.

After the third time she caught herself with no idea what Jessica had been saying, Renee smiled apologetically at her sister. “I’m sorry, but I’m exhausted.”

Jessica jumped up, shaking her head. “Of course you are. I don’t know what I was thinking. We can talk more tomorrow.”

With that, she disappeared down a hallway and came back with fluffy yellow towels in her arms. “Here are some towels in case you want to rinse off before going to bed.”

Renee was amused. “And I was betting the towels would be green to match my room. I guess I was wrong on that one.”

Jessica looked appalled. “You put your things in the green room? You’re supposed to be in the yellow room across the hall.”