02 Buck Naked (3 page)

She reached the center of town almost before she realized it, and considered herself lucky to find a parking place on Main Street. The entire time she did her shopping, Buck Montgomery occupied her thoughts. She was so distracted by the time she stopped at the office-supply store, she picked out some items she’d purchased the week before. The salesman jokingly asked her if she wasn’t a little young for her memory to be fading. Finally, she decided to stop and get something to eat. Maybe a full stomach would make her brain behave better. But as she went to open the door of Bit and Bite, a hand reached out ahead of her.

“Allow me.”

There it was, that deep, rich voice that haunted her dreams and sent shivers skating along her spine. And made the pulse deep inside her body throb hard and fast.

Buck
.

For a moment, she wondered if her mental musings had simply conjured him up. But then he pulled the door open for her with his lean, tanned hand and ushered her into the restaurant.

Amy stood in the little entrance area, tongue-tied. How was that possible? She was never at a loss for words, but somehow, after their inauspicious beginning, she couldn’t seem to form a simple sentence. She looked up at him and saw a grin teasing the corners of his mouth, his eyes alight with humor.

“How’s that tire holding up?”

She blinked. “What? Oh. Tire. Yes.” God, she sounded like an idiot. “No flats today, thank goodness. The little lady doesn’t need rescuing right now.”

He had the good grace to look embarrassed, but only slightly. “Well, I’m certainly glad to hear that. So, I assume you’re here because you’re planning to eat lunch?”

“Um, yes. I just finished my errands and realized I’m hungry.”

“Then let me show you I’m more of a gentleman than your first impression and buy your lunch.”

She laughed up at him. “Okay, but I don’t impress easily.”

Careful, Amy. This is a fire that can easily burn you.

But even as she acknowledged that, she realized this instant, electrical attraction was stronger than anything she’d ever felt with another man. And from the heat in his eyes, it was obvious he felt it too.

He guided her to a booth toward the back and waited until she was seated before he slid in opposite her. He took off his Stetson and placed it on the bench next to him, then fixed those onyx eyes on her. Amy realized she could easily get lost in those eyes. Her nipples hardened instantly, and she was sure he could see the pulse beating at the hollow of her throat.

“That’s some fine bull you nabbed the other day,” he said, then burst out laughing. “Sorry. I must be out of practice if that’s all I can think of to say to a beautiful woman.”

“It’s okay. Really. He is some beautiful animal. He’s being delivered today.”

“And you aren’t there to welcome him?”

She shook her head. “That’s really Matt’s bailiwick. I’ll see him when I get home.”

They sat in silence then, as if neither of them could think of anything else to say. Fortunately, the waitress appeared with glasses of water and menus. Amy could lose herself studying the menu and try to collect her thoughts. Should she go for dainty or feed her appetite?

Eat what you want, you idiot! Who are you trying to impress, anyway?

She looked up when the waitress reappeared. “Hamburger medium well with bleu cheese and mushrooms, hand-cut fries and a chocolate shake.”

Buck ordered the steak sandwich with fries and a soft drink. He studied her after handing the menu back to the waitress.

“I have to say,” he told her, “I don’t remember the last time I had a meal with a woman who ordered real food.”

“Then you must be eating with the wrong women,” she joked.

“No kidding,” he muttered, his body taut with tension. Then he exhaled slowly and visibly relaxed. “Just glad to see you go for something more than rabbit food.”

She grinned at him. “I’ve been known to eat a salad now and then. But I’m blessed with a high metabolism, plus I work it off around the ranch.”

Silence instantly dropped between them with all the subtlety of a lead weight. Amy fiddled with her napkin, very aware of Buck’s careful scrutiny. Again, she wondered what the hell she was doing here, anyway. He was exactly the kind of man she told herself to stay away from—tall, very masculine, very sexy. Probably had a hundred women chasing after him. Well, she was tired of being one of the pack. Especially for a man like Buck Montgomery, who was now her neighbor.

So why am I sitting here having lunch with him?

Because my head said no but my body and my mouth said yes.

She looked up to find him watching her with his mouth curved in a slight grin. Heat sizzled across the table with an almost visible snap. She squirmed slightly in her seat and searched for a new topic of conversation.

“Do I make you nervous?” His deep voice vibrated though her, the warmth of it like a heated cloud surrounding her and washing over her skin.

Amy cleared her throat. “Nervous?” She clasped her hands on the table in front of her, hoping Buck wouldn’t notice the tremors in them. “Not. Not at all. Is there some reason why you should?”

“No. No reason. You just seem…fidgety. I wondered if it was me.”

Yes.

“Of course not.” She searched for a topic of conversation. “So, when did you buy the Hayes Ranch? I didn’t even know it had sold.”

“About a month ago. It’ll take me a while to get it into shape, but I’m working at it.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the delivery of their food. Using the condiments took up a minute or so. Amy took a healthy bite of her burger and moaned in ecstasy.

“Still the best I’ve ever eaten,” she said around a mouthful of food.

“All their food is good. I eat here whenever I come into town.”

There was more silence as they consumed their lunch. Amy kept her eyes on her food, but she was more than cognizant of the heavy-lidded looks Buck kept giving her. She wondered what was on his mind. At the auction he hadn’t seemed all that interested in her, polite and nothing more after their rocky start. Yet now he seemed to be seducing her with his eyes from across the table.

When she finished the last bite of food, she patted her mouth with the napkin and leaned against the back of the seat.

“You missed a spot.” He moved his hand toward her and then jerked it back.

“A spot?” She frowned.

“Mustard. On your lower lip.”

Amy patted her mouth with her napkin and looked at the yellow smear on the white cloth. How embarrassing.

“I’m not usually a slob when I eat.” She ran the napkin over her mouth again.

“But then I wouldn’t have had the pleasure of catching that last little bit on your lip.”

I should just get up and leave before I get myself into trouble. This was a huge mistake.

“I’m curious.” She crumpled her napkin and set it on the table. “How did you happen to pick this particular area to settle in?”

He shrugged. “I looked at a lot of places. A lot of ranches. This area seemed to suit my needs the best.”

“What did you do before? Did you have another ranch somewhere? Or work on one?”

His face sobered as if someone had wiped a cloth over it. “For a couple of years.”

“And before that?”

His eyes now were cold and hard. “I did…other things.”

Amy had no idea what that meant, but the mood at the table had definitely shifted.

“Well.” She lifted her napkin, patted her mouth again nervously to give herself something to do. “I’m glad you found what you were looking for. I wish you good luck. You know you can always call on Matt for anything. Advice if you need it. Or whatever.”

Buck lifted an eyebrow. “Not you? You run the place with him, right?” Was he teasing her? Throwing her words from the auction back at her?

She managed a smile. “Only if you have trouble with your computer or the software. I handle that end of the ranch. Mostly.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The waitress dropped the check on the table and Buck expertly palmed it. The expression on his face hadn’t changed, but his eyes suddenly looked darker than midnight, as if unpleasant memories were crowding his brain.

And what’s that about?

“My treat,” he told her. “I did invite you to join me, right?”

“Oh. Well, then thank you.” She slid out of the booth. Then she remembered her discussion with Matt and Reenie. “I suppose you’re busy this weekend, but if you’re not, we’d like to invite you to the ranch for dinner Saturday night. Nothing fancy. Just barbecue steaks.”

“Are you hoping I’m busy or hoping I’m not?” His eyes, which a minute ago had been hard and black as coal, now came to life with a sparkle. “Is that a left-handed invitation? Did your brother have to bribe you to agree to it?”

She chuffed a laugh. “I guess it did sound that way. Sorry. And after you paid for my lunch. Okay, Mr. Montgomery, we would love to have you join us at Stark Ranch on Saturday for dinner. Very casual. About six o’clock. Will that work for you?”

His face relaxed and he chuckled. “Why, yes, Miss Stark. That will work for me just fine.”

“Good. We’ll see you then.”

She made it out the door as gracefully as she could and down the street to her truck. But once inside the cab, she leaned back against the leather and let out a long breath. What on earth had she been thinking about? Buck Montgomery was dangerous to her. He had the power to make her break every one of her resolutions, the most important being don’t get involved with a man who moved in a cloud of testosterone and seemed to command all the space around himself.

And what was all that about his background? She’d asked a simple question and he’d frozen up on her like an engine in Alaska. Shut her out completely. The mood at the table had shifted as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice on it. She almost hadn’t asked him to dinner, but she knew if she didn’t, Matt or Reenie would. Maybe if they got him to relax, he’d loosen up a bit.

And then what?

Amy smacked the steering wheel. Why couldn’t she fall for someone less electric, less sensual, less…less…masculine? She snorted at that. Yeah, right. Because men like that turned her off at once. She could barely get past a kiss. But men like Buck had broken her heart more than once. She’d have to guard it very carefully where he was concerned.

Buck drained the last of his soda and set the glass back on the table. He hoped the chill of the drink would kill the heat consuming his body. Eating lunch with Amy Stark had been bad enough. Accepting the dinner invitation had to be his stupid move of the day. Maybe the week. Had he not told himself after the auction that she was off-limits to him? That she was out of his class? If she knew his background, she might even take back her dinner invitation.

He’d struggled to keep it from Matt the few times they’d spoken. Of course people would be curious. A strange face in a small town surrounded by a close-knit group of ranch families? Stood to reason. A couple of times he’d caught people looking at him curiously. As if they thought they recognized him but weren’t sure. He’d cut his long hair, which drastically altered his appearance—who’d have thought it would make such a change?—and he’d changed the style of Stetson he wore. Additionally, he’d deliberately picked an area where he hadn’t appeared, a place where people were less likely to know about him or his reputation. Somehow he’d always missed the big event in San Antonio, and now that worked to his advantage as he tried hard to settle down in this ranching community nestled in the Texas Hill Country.

After all the hell-raising he’d done, he’d made up his mind to stay away from women until he established himself and left his past well behind. He certainly didn’t need to get involved with a woman like Amy Stark, high class, smart and sexy as all hell. The minute she found out about his past, she’d kick him out with the toe of those fancy boots she wore. And rightfully so.

But holy shit. Every time he saw her, his cock took over his thinking and led him straight into temptation. He couldn’t stop staring at her all through lunch. And that little smear of mustard on her lip had just been so enticing. He’d wanted to touch the softness of her mouth beneath his thumb, to press his lips against hers. His fingers itched to run through her thick, silken hair. To stroke her skin that looked smooth as satin. To—

He jerked himself back to reality.

He considered himself fortunate that he was getting this opportunity. God only knew he’d put up with enough shit accumulating enough money and making his plans. The last thing he needed to do was screw things up now. Matt Stark, who obviously had some clout in the area, had offered his friendship and his help. He couldn’t imagine that offer would still be in place if Matt knew about Buck’s background. Or if Buck got involved with Amy.

Shit, shit, shit.

Maybe he should just cut off his dick and hide it someplace. He knew it was going to get him into trouble.

Sighing, he slid out of the booth and headed for the cash register to pay the check. As he turned to leave, he nearly bumped into a tall man just entering the restaurant.