02 Buck Naked (6 page)

“Okay.” She held up a hand. “Here’s the way it is. I’m going out on a date, I’m well over twenty-one, neither of you are my parents and I’m not answering any questions. Oh, and I don’t know when I’ll be home, so don’t ask.”

“Why, Amy,” Matt teased. “Us old folks are just settled in for a night at home.”

“Yeah, with your eyes glued to the door.” She walked over to stand in front of him. “You listen to me, Matthew Stark. One word out of line, one inch of your nose in my business and I’ll make your life a living hell.”

Reenie laughed. “She’s got your number, Matt.”

“You may say hello to him,” Amy went on. “Cordially. Tell us to have a good time and then shut up.”

“Not too good a time,” Matt said with a straight face.

Amy would have given him a snotty reply, but the doorbell rang at that moment. She took a deep breath, curved her lips in a smile and opened the door. And nearly swallowed her tongue. Buck Montgomery stood there in all his six-foot-plus glory, looking far too sexy for his own good. For
her
own good.

His muscular body was clad in black jeans and a white long-sleeved western shirt that set off his dark complexion. Where the top two snaps were open, the dark, curly hair from his chest just peeked out, and her hands itched to touch it. His thick black hair, which just brushed the collar of his shirt, was carefully combed but gave off a silent invitation to run her fingers through it. His feet were shod in spit-polished black boots that looked hand-tooled. But it was the heat in his eyes that singed her and blazed straight through her body.

Matt had risen from the couch and stood beside her, hand held out.

“Did you want to tell me her curfew, Dad?” Buck’s mouth turned up in a grin as the two men shook hands. “Because I think that’s gone by the wayside.”

“Matt just likes to take his big-brother role a little too seriously,” Amy snapped. “If he doesn’t back off, I might be tempted to give you a synopsis of his wild bachelor days.”

“Hey!” Matt gave her an innocent look. “Just shaking hands with a friend here.”

But the atmosphere was clear to everyone. And in Matt’s eyes, she saw his acknowledgment of her words:
Message received. Mind your own business.

“Well.” Amy edged toward the door. “I’d love to continue this wonderful conversation, but I think it’s time for us to go.”

Buck’s smile made her pussy throb, and his possessive arm around her heated her blood.

“You got it, darlin’.”

Buck laughed, a rich, deep sound as he handed her up into the cab of his truck. “I think your brother’s worried about his little sister,” he told her.

“My brother keeps forgetting I’m not twelve.” She ground her teeth, then forced herself to relax. She had enough to be tense about tonight without throwing Matt into the mix.

“I think if I had a younger sister who looked like you, I’d be worried too.” He slid behind the steering wheel.

“Should he be worried?” she teased.

The look he gave her was smoldering and there was nothing at all humorous in it. “Probably.” Then he started the truck, backed up and headed out of the driveway.

“Where are we going?” Amy asked, searching for something safe to discuss.

“I did a little research. There’s a nice restaurant, nothing fancy, in the next town over. The Ranch House. I’m sure you’ve eaten there.”

“Yes, I have. Several times. It lives up to its reputation for the best steaks in Texas.” She gave him a curious look. “Was there a reason you didn’t want to eat in town here?”

He was silent for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully. “I thought you might like something a little more private. Out of the way. I didn’t think you’d want everyone stopping by the table asking you questions.”

She frowned. “I’m not ashamed for people to see me with you, if that’s what you’re thinking. Are you?”

He was silent for so long Amy wasn’t sure she wanted to hear his answer.

“Well?” she prompted, anger beginning to rise inside her.

“No. Not at all. Far from it. Will you just take my word for it that until we’re sure where this is going, we should keep a low profile? Please?”

There was something there, but she wasn’t ready to push it yet. Not now. At least until she learned how tonight turned out.

“Okay. If you’re more comfortable this way, I’m fine with it.”

She could actually see the tension drain from his body. Whatever this was, sooner or later she was going to find out. But for tonight she’d just concentrate on enjoying herself.

The hostess led them to a corner booth where the lighting was dim and enhanced only by the glow of the candle on the table. Watching Amy walk in front of him, hips swaying with a natural rhythm, it had taken every bit of his self-control not to smooth his hands over her body. The fact they were in a public place was a great deterrent. He’d promised himself to go slow tonight, not leap on her like a starving man. Try to take his signals from her. If and when the stories of his past came out—and he had no doubt that at some point they’d surface—he hoped she’d have a picture of a man totally different from the one he’d been. And know he wasn’t capable of such a savage crime.

Amy ordered a glass of white wine, but he settled for his usual black coffee. She looked at him across the table, curiosity in her eyes.

“I noticed you didn’t drink the other night either,” she said. “Any special reason?”

“Alcohol doesn’t agree with me.” He forced a smile. “Does that make me socially unacceptable?”

She laughed, a light, musical sound. “No. Just an object of curiosity. Of course, for me it puts you at the top of the list.”

“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Uh-huh. Before he settled down, Matt could drink anyone under the table. And often did. Sometime we’ll get him to tell you about the night he and Reenie met.” She studied him and then set her wine glass aside.

“Amy, don’t leave your drink just because I’m not having one. I’m aware that I’m usually the odd man out.” Too bad he hadn’t started this years ago.

“Don’t give it a thought.” She took a sip of her ice water. “Actually I’d have to say being sober makes an evening more memorable.”

“Okay, then.” And he planned on thoroughly enjoying every minute of this night, as well as making it memorable. For both of them.

Watching her eat was another seductive episode. She cut her meat carefully, chewed slowly, the enjoyment plain on the face. When she scooped some of the fully loaded baked potato into her mouth, he couldn’t stop himself from reaching across the table and catching one bead of the potato at the corner of her lip. It reminded him of the smear of mustard when they’d had lunch.

She looked at him when he touched her, and for a moment he was afraid she’d brush his hand away. Then she smiled and very slowly ran her tongue over her lip. In an instant, he was almost painfully hard, his cock begging for freedom from restriction. He imagined those full lips wrapped around him, pulling on him, and took a healthy swallow of coffee to distract himself.

Amy lowered her eyes to her plate, that same little smile playing at her lips, as if she knew exactly what she was doing to him. By the time they got to the chocolate cake, he was nearly ready to rip off her clothes in the restaurant. And she, the little minx, was well aware of it. He could barely even remember all the things they’d talked about during the meal. And watching her slowly eat a slice of Heavenly Chocolate Cake almost had him pulling her across the table then and there. Who knew a meal could be so sensual?

They had finished the last of their coffee, the mood surrounding them one of intimacy and heat, when a man walked by with his friends. One of them stopped and turned back to their booth. Buck didn’t recognize him, but he knew his kind—slick, moneyed, arrogant. Full of himself. Was he a friend of Amy’s? No, couldn’t be. Amy was looking daggers at him.

“Hey, short stuff.” As the man touched her hand, his mouth turned up in a self-confident grin. “Where you been keeping yourself?”

“Same place as always.” She yanked her hand away from him. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

“Aw, come on.” He trailed his fingertips lightly over her arm. “Don’t be that way. We had some good times together, right?”

“You did, anyway,” she snapped at him, brushing away his fingers. She tried to slide out of the booth, but he blocked her way.

He shifted his gaze to Buck. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”

Buck reached across the table and linked his fingers with Amy’s, glad when she gave them a little squeeze.

“Buck Montgomery,” he said. “And you would be?”

The man narrowed his eyes, his expression far from friendly. “Cade Hannigan. You’re new in the area.”

“Yes.” Buck bit off the word. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re in the middle of a conversation.”

But the man didn’t move. “I just wanted to chat a minute with Amy here. She and I go way back. Right, short stuff?” He said it with an air of self-importance that made Buck want to smash his face against the wall.

“Buck just told you.” She glared at him. “We’re busy with our own conversation. Anyway, I have nothing to say to you. So take your friends and move along to your own table.”

Anger flashed across Cade’s face for a brief moment. It was obvious he didn’t like being embarrassed in front of his friends. “We’re not finished here,” he warned.

“Yes. We are. So just get over it.” She looked at Buck. “I think I’d like to get out of here now. The clientele just took a nosedive.”

“No problem.” He stood up to signal for his check, effectively blocking Cade from the booth. “You’ll excuse us, right?” he said to the man.

With one last, angry look at Amy, Cade moved away, muttering something to his friends. Buck paid the check and then they were outside. Amy sagged against him, huddling in the cradle of his arm.

“I’m sorry about that.” She said it in a voice so low he almost didn’t hear her.

“No problem. I used to eat guys like him for breakfast. I gather he’s not as good a friend as he seems to think.”

“He’s a total asshole and an insufferable jerk.” Her voice now was tight with anger. “It took all of my self-control to keep from kicking him in the balls.”

Buck laughed “I hope you never get that mad at me.” He opened the door of the truck. “Let’s not let him ruin what so far has been a great evening, okay?”

She sat ramrod straight now, as if anger had replaced embarrassment. Then she visibly forced herself to relax. “Okay. All right. I’ll try.”

“If you were thinking of telling me to take you right home because that jackass spoiled the mood, think again. That gives him power he doesn’t have.”

“You’re right. Can I just wish his balls would fall off?” She smiled at him, a smile that arrowed straight to his groin and made his balls ache.

He winked. “Whatever you want, sugar.”

He pulled out onto the two-lane highway, and as they rolled through the night with the moon hanging like a translucent globe in the sky surrounded by diamond-like stars, he could actually feel the tension easing from Amy inch by inch. A good thing, he thought. Only one of them needed to be uptight. And he was that, all right.

When he’d issued the invitation for tonight—okay, the demand—he hadn’t thought much beyond getting her alone and getting her naked. The
where
hadn’t concerned him until he took a cold shower and tried to figure it out. Not a hotel. Too glossy. Slick. Contrived, like a setup. Anyway, they’d have to drive into San Antonio to get away from prying eyes. There was certainly no place in the county.

He’d finally decided to bring her to his ranch. There wasn’t much furniture, but he’d invested in a good bedroom set so his room at least looked settled. He hadn’t had to think about things like clean sheets and towels when he was drinking heavily and banging any female who could breathe, or getting his jollies quick and dirty during the two years he dried out and learned to be a rancher. In fact, this was the first time he’d deliberately planned to have sex with a woman who appealed to him on all fronts. And the first time he remembered being nervous.

He kept thinking he was making a huge mistake, but he couldn’t have stopped himself short of knocking himself out.

“You’re so quiet all of a sudden.” Amy’s soft voice broke the silence. “Change your mind? I know Cade Hannigan sort of put a damper on things.”

Buck reached over for her hand and wove his fingers with hers. He hated the note of hesitation he heard. He’d worried a lot that this was a bad idea to begin with, but it had more to do with him and his background. And what would happen if she ever found out. He certainly didn’t want her to think it was her fault.

“A load of dynamite couldn’t change my mind,” he told her. “I know men like Hannigan. All show and no go. They’re takers and users. Not worth a minute of my time thinking about him.”

Her hand relaxed in his. “Good. That’s good.” He turned in to his driveway, and she leaned forward. “We’re at your ranch. And wow. You’ve got the outside looking terrific. Frank Hayes had kind of let things go.”

Buck snorted. “No kidding. I think that’s why I got it so cheap. Small herd of cattle, lack of upkeep. I think he and his wife were just glad to get out of here.”