Texas Temptation (12 page)

Wouldn't she?

“That's not possible,” she whispered.

“He wasn't any happier about it then than he is now, but it's true, all right.”

“How—” she drew in a breath to steady herself “—how could you know? Jared never would have told you that.”

“Whiskey does a lot of things to a man, Bailey. Makes him forget, and it also loosens his tongue. We drank a lot of whiskey in Venezuela.”

Something flickered in Slater's eyes, a remembrance of a time past, but it was gone before Annie could identify it. “But he wouldn't have had to tell me,” Slater said. “It's written in fluorescent letters all over his face. He loves you, all right.”

Because her head was spinning, she closed her eyes. “Why...why are you telling me this?”

“Because Jared's too bullheaded to. And that's what this is all about, Bailey. It's about a second chance. A time to make things right, to put the past to rest and move on.”

“But he never let on. He never even looked at me.”

“Of course not,” Slater said. “There was a special bond between Jared and Jonathan, something only twins completely understand. You knocked Jared out cold the first time he saw you. He hated himself because he wanted you to be his. He's never forgiven himself for it.”

“And then Jonathan died,” she said quietly.

Slater nodded. “He felt that he'd betrayed Jonathan by falling in love with you. When Jared couldn't save Jonathan the night he fell, it only added to the guilt he was already feeling. If I hadn't been behind Jared and held him back, I swear he'd have jumped off the rig after Jonathan.”

Annie closed her eyes and folded her arms tightly to her, trying to stop the image of Jared having to watch his brother die, the feeling of helplessness....

Slater pulled her from the chair and put his big arms around her. When her shaking finally eased, she pulled away and looked at him. “Tonight, when I came in—you and Jared were arguing about me, weren't you?”

Slater grinned. “I told Jared I wanted to marry you.”

“You did what?” She backed away and put her hands on her hips.

“Well, I told Jared I was going to take you out on a date first.”

She frowned at him. “How thoughtful of you.”

Slater's grin broadened. “Jared didn't think so. He wanted to punch me out.”

She folded her arms. “So he won't have me, and he doesn't think anyone else should, either.”

“Something like that.”

An unreasonable anger built in her. Anger and frustration. Disappointment. Pain. All of it coursed through her. Hadn't she had enough?

Yes.

It was time to fight back. She narrowed her eyes and strode purposefully to the door.

“Hey, Bailey.”

She stopped at the doorway and looked over her shoulder at Slater.

“I would, you know.”

“Would what?”

“Marry you.”

She walked back to him, then touched his cheek and kissed him lightly on the lips. “Thanks, Slater,” she said softly. “If I thought you were serious, I might take you up on it.”

He smiled, and she thought he'd never looked so handsome.

Then, squaring her shoulders, she turned and left the office, determined to have it out with Jared once and for all.

* * *

Jared kicked the front door shut behind him and stalked into the kitchen. He stared long and hard at the bottle of whiskey on the counter, then swore and pulled a beer out of the refrigerator, instead.

Bottle in hand, he rummaged through the cupboards for something to eat. Cans and boxes stared coldly back at him. He slammed the doors and swore again.

Hey, Jared, you ever get tired of being single?

Slater's voice echoed in his head. Jared knew that his friend had been messing with him, but he'd been in no mood for it. In fact, he'd been looking for a way to relieve some of the tension that had been building in him as the target date came closer. Even if Slater hadn't been serious, punching the man in the face would have gone far toward alleviating that stress.

But what if Slater
had
been serious? Jared scowled at the bottle in his hand. What if he'd meant it when he said he wanted to marry Annie?

Nah. Jared shook his head. Slater had been hassling him, that's all. He wasn't the marrying kind.

Was he?

Jared remembered the way Annie had looked in that skirt and tight-fitting top. Just a glance from that woman could bring the strongest man to his knees.

He started to raise the bottle of beer to his mouth, then banged it down on the counter. Dammit, anyway! Why had he left them alone together like that? He started to head for the front door, then stopped.

One more day.
He only had to get through one more day. Whether they hit oil or not, Annie would be leaving. He'd have to learn to live with that.

He started to turn away when the front door flew open, and the object of his attention stood in the doorway. She slammed the door behind her and marched up to him.

“Jared Stone—” she leveled her gaze with his “—do you love me?”

Shocked, he stared at her. “What?”

“I said, do you love me?”

He couldn't be hearing her right. But she'd asked him twice.
Do you love me?
Panic gripped him. How could he answer that. He
couldn't
answer that.

“Annie,” he choked out. “I can't...you can't...”

“Can't what?” She moved closer.

He could feel the sweat bead his brow. He wanted to back away, to turn and run, but his feet felt like lead. “For God's sake...”

“The truth. That's all I'm asking for. Just say it, Jared.”

Heart pounding, he stared down at her. Her cheeks were flushed, her hazel eyes intense. She stood so close he could smell the floral perfume she wore, feel the heat of her body. His fingers curled, his palms ached, he wanted her so bad.

Do you love me?
He never allowed himself to think the words, let alone say them out loud. Well, except for one time, in a moment of weakness. The only person who'd ever known, the only person he'd ever told was...

Slater.

It was like a kick in the stomach. He went very still. “What did Slater tell you?”

She didn't blink an eye. “That you fell in love with me the first time we met.”

He was going to kill his foreman. Slowly. Painfully. “Slater has a big mouth.”

“He's honest, which is more than I can say for you. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea for me to marry him.”

Jared clenched his teeth. “Did he ask you?”

“In a way.”

“What did you say?” His voice was iron hard.

“I told him I'd think about it.”

He decided he wouldn't kill the man. He'd torture him. That would be more satisfying. “You don't love him.”

“So what? The man I do love is too big a jackass to even tell me he loves me. Why should I waste my time?”

The room was growing smaller, the corners moving in on him. He said nothing, just stood there, feeling as if a steel band was closing around his chest. He saw the pain and disappointment in her eyes.

“Goodbye, Jared,” she said softly, and turned away.

Without thinking, he took hold of her shoulders and brought her back around to face him. “Look at me, Annie,” he said raggedly.

She kept her gaze on the floor.

“Annie, please,
look at me.
”

Jaw set, she complied. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears.

“I can't love you.”

She flinched at his words. “Because of me, or because of Jonathan?”

“Don't do this to me—”

“To you! Don't do this to
you?
” She jerked out of his hold. “You are one self-centered bastard, Jared Stone. You're so wrapped up in your own guilt, have you once thought about
me?
About what I'm feeling?”

She tried to leave, but he grabbed her again. She struggled, but he held on to her tightly, forcing her to look at him.

“
Thought
about you?” he said with a hoarse laugh. “Lady, there isn't a moment goes by I don't think about you. Not one minute I don't wish to God that things were different, that I didn't love you so much my insides ache from wanting you.”

He closed his eyes, realizing he'd said it. He'd told her he loved her. Annie stilled in his arms. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a tear slide down her cheek.

“I do love you, Annie,” he said again, and pulled her tightly to him. “I love you so much it scares the hell out of me.”

He brought his mouth to hers. It was impossible not to. He tasted the salt of her tears, felt the quiet sob from her throat as he deepened the kiss. Her arms slid around his neck and he lifted her off the floor, grinding his mouth against hers like a man obsessed.

She clung to him, whimpering, and he carried her to the bedroom. His lips never left hers as he let her body slide down his until her feet touched the floor. She was so soft, so precious. He'd never wanted like this before; he never would again. She was the only woman he'd ever loved, and the realization was so profound he could hardly breathe.

He would have stopped, pulled away before this went any further, but she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and lifted her body snugly against his, moving against him in a way that drove all rational thought from his mind. There was only Annie and the wild driving need pumping through his body to possess her in the most primitive way.

He tugged at the sash of her skirt, pulling it loose, then dropping it to the floor. Impatient with the barrier of clothes between them, he quickly pulled her blouse away from her shoulders, unhooked her lacy white bra and slid both articles of clothing off, letting them fall beside the sash. He cupped her breasts and caressed the hardened tips, then bent her backward, giving him the freedom to taste the sweetness of her soft skin. She arched her back, straining against him as he took her into his mouth, murmuring her pleasure.

Annie was on fire from Jared's touch. Her breasts felt full and tight, and every touch and stroke of Jared's tongue sent sparks of pleasure racing over her skin. She burrowed her hands into his hair, murmuring incoherently to him.

I love you.
His words careened through her, making her dizzy with elation. She was in a whirlwind of sensation, certain she would be swept away at any moment, terrified that it was a dream and she would wake up. But he'd said it.
I love you.
She knew that didn't make him like it, but it was a start.

“Jared,” she whispered, “I love you.”

He moaned, and she wasn't sure if it was desire or despair, but she knew that she loved him so much she thought her heart might burst. The light of the setting sun was like a haze in the room, settling over their bodies in a soft golden glow.

“Make love to me, Jared,” she murmured. “Please.”

“I am, sweetheart. I am.”

He gathered the fabric of her skirt in his hands and lifted it, then slid his hand over her hip. He watched her, his eyes dark with passion as he pressed his knee between hers, opening her legs wider as he moved his hand over the smooth skin of her inner thighs. His fingers moved upward and traced the thin strip of her lace underwear. She shuddered at his touch.

There was a freedom in their lovemaking that hadn't been there before, an openness and honesty that had been missing the first time. It made the pleasure more intense, more exciting, and she reveled in the feeling, torn between wanting to laugh or cry at the depth of emotion swirling through her. She slid her hands up his arms and gripped his shoulders, holding on tightly because she was sure her knees would not be able to hold her.

He couldn't take his eyes off her. Her lips, still wet and swollen from his kiss, were parted, and her eyes were heavy with desire. Desire for him.
For him.
The realization surged through him like a thunderbolt. He cupped the silky juncture of her legs in his palm, marveling at the texture of her soft skin against his callused hand. She sighed when he slid one finger under the top band of lace, then gasped when he dipped lower and lightly stroked the sensitive folds of velvety flesh.

His heart pounded frantically in his chest. His blood raced as he delved into the liquid heat of her body. She was so tight, so ready for him. An urgency gripped him, and he pulled her closer, hungrily covering her mouth with his as he continued to caress her.

And then she was as crazy as he was. She twisted away from him, as if the pleasure was more than she could bear. She struggled with the buttons of his shirt, releasing them one by one, moving her hands and mouth over his bare chest, exploring every hard angle, making his skin burn, turning his insides into an inferno of need. He moaned when her hand moved lower to unsnap his jeans, then sucked in a sharp breath when she slid denim and underwear smoothly down his hips, freeing him for her touch.

Deep ragged breaths consumed him as he closed his eyes, luxuriating in the sensation of her smooth fingers stroking him. It wasn't possible to feel this intensely, this desperately, he thought, moving his hands over her shoulders and back. It couldn't be possible. He'd heard a man could die from this kind of pleasure, but he'd never believed it. Now he wasn't so sure.

They fell to the bed, and the mattress sank beneath them as he covered her body with his. His mouth moved over hers as he kicked off his jeans and boots. She lifted her hips as he tugged her skirt and underwear off.

The tension building inside Annie had become unbearable. Gasping, she wrapped her arms and legs around Jared, wanting frantically to join their bodies and feel him inside her. She made a soft cry of protest when he suddenly pulled away.

Confused, she watched as he reached into the nightstand, then smiled when she saw the small silver packet he pulled out.

She wanted to help, but with her hands shaking the way they were, she was afraid she'd only delay the process, and every second he was away from her was agony.