Texas Two Step (4 page)

“My ring’s in my luggage. I took it off when I decided to break up with Robert.”

Wes glanced down at her. “When did you decide that?”

“In Atlanta,” she answered matter-of-factly.

“When were you in Atlanta?” Shooter sounded surprised.

She looked at him. “When my flight from London landed there and I had to change planes.” She pivoted her head back to Wes. “I had to take an indoor train to get to my plane.”

“Yeah, the airport in Atlanta is big.” Wes glanced at her and sighed. “Okay, let’s go about this another way. What made you decide during a layover in Atlanta to break off your engagement with your fiancé?”

“His lying about the sandwich started it, I guess, but the kids probably were what made my final decision.”

“You have kids?” Wes sounded even more shocked than he had when she’d said she was engaged.

“No. That’s the problem. Do you want kids, Wes?”

Wes glanced at her. “Yeah, I do.”

“Lots of them?” Maryann asked him.

“A few. Three maybe.” Wes’s voiced softened. “You want kids?”

“Yes. I want a whole houseful.” She nodded so hard it made her head spin.

Shooter cleared his throat. “Um, I want kids too. That’s why I’ve been practicing making them as often as I can.”

Maryann giggled. “You’re funny.”

“He’s an ass.” Wes glanced over again. “So let’s get back to this broken engagement.”

“Well, that’s the problem. I don’t want to break up with him over the phone. That’s just mean, even if he is cheating on me.”

“Whoa, wait a minute. He’s cheating on you?” Shooter leaned forward to get her attention.

“I think so.” Maryann nodded. “I have no proof yet, but it doesn’t matter because he doesn’t carry my luggage or open doors or think I’m hot and he never will.” Her anger began to build with every new thing she thought of that bothered her about Robert. The contrast between him and the men with her in the truck was glaring. Suddenly, her decision was made. “That’s it. I’m calling him right now and breaking up with him.”

“Maryann, you’ve had a lot to drink. You might want to think about that first.” Wes was sounding an awful lot like her father at the moment. He was much hotter when he wasn’t lecturing her.

“No, I want to do it now. Then I can do what I want while I’m here and not feel guilty. Where’s my purse with my phone?”

“Here ya go.” Shooter dropped her purse in her lap. “Need me to help you dial?”

“Shooter…” Wes’s tone was full of warning.

“What? She decided to break it off in Atlanta. You weren’t drunk then, were you, darlin’?” Shooter touched her knee. Her legs fell apart as she imagined his hand reaching higher. She needed to make this call and now.

“No, I wasn’t. Now hush. I’m calling.”

“What time is it in London?” Shooter whispered.

“Not any time you’d want your drunk fiancé to call and break up with you, I’m sure,” Wes answered.

Maryann waved her hand at them. “Shh. It’s ringing.”

Now that she was set on doing it, she began to feel a little sick to her stomach. Then again, that could be the combination of the all-you-can-eat barbecue and too many big red plastic cups full of mysteriously strong drinks.

The ringing halted as Robert answered the phone. “It’s about bloody time you called to tell me you arrived.”

That was a lovely way to answer the phone. “I did call. I tried the office and your secretary said you’d called in sick. I tried your cell a few times and it was always off. I left a message.”

“Oh, uh, yeah. I didn’t feel well and called in.”

She was drunk, but she still had enough wits—and nerve—to try and catch Robert in his lies. She hoped her acting skills weren’t diminished by the alcohol. “I’m sorry. I guess that means you had to cancel that big meeting because you were sick.”

“Uh, yeah. I did. Real pain that was. Have to reschedule that.” He hesitated just a bit and Maryann realized exactly how often he did that. How many lies had he told her?

“Look, Robert. I know. I know you disappear from the office for two hours every day. I know you had no meeting scheduled yesterday. I even know there were no bleedin’ dodgy sandwiches.”

“What’s all this with the sandwich?” Shooter whispered.

Wes shushed him as Maryann continued. “I know you’re probably seeing someone else and you know what, I don’t care. I’m done. We’re done. I don’t want to marry you.”

She expected a denial, a lie, even anger at her accusation. Something typical of Robert. What she got was dead silence for what seemed like forever, then he let out a loud breath.

“I’m sorry, Maryann. I should have broken it off with you myself.” When Robert finally spoke, his voice was uncharacteristically apologetic.

“Why didn’t you?”

“Because she’s married. I thought as long as she and I couldn’t be together, I might as well stay with you.”

Maryann was gobsmacked. Robert couldn’t even act honorably in his indiscretions. It didn’t matter. She was done. “I’ll move out when I get back.”

“No, you keep the apartment. I’ll start moving out today.”

“How can you find a place—” she began to ask, and then it hit her. He already had another place. It was probably where he met her every day. It would be far cheaper than renting a hotel room for two hours daily week in and week out. “You truly are a git, Robert.”

She flipped the phone shut and sat in stunned silence.

In the dim quiet of the truck, as Maryann tried to absorb what Robert was and had always been, Wes’s cell phone rang, blaringly loudly.

He cursed under his breath and juggled the steering wheel and his phone, finally answering it on the second ring. “I’m on my way, Ellen.”

Wes paused and Maryann could hear the soft faraway sound of Ellen’s voice through the earpiece, though she couldn’t understand the words.

“Okay… Yeah, we’re still out with her… See you home later then.” Wes flipped the phone shut and shoved it into his shirt pocket. He glanced at her. “She got someone at work to change the tire for her. You okay?”

“Did you hear it all? Robert as well?”

Wes grimaced. “Yeah. Sorry. You okay?”

“I’m all right. It’s a bit of a relief actually, knowing the truth.”

“If he wasn’t across an ocean, you know he’d be facing us right about now and paying for what he did to you.” For the first time since she’d met him, Shooter didn’t have a ready smile or a playful tone in his voice.

She hadn’t cried when Robert admitted to having an affair, but the kindness of these two men who’d been perfect strangers to her just hours ago brought her to tears now. She swiped at her eyes as they began to brim. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m crying.”

“Don’t you apologize.” Shooter wrapped his arm around her shoulder and held her tight against him. “You can cry or cuss at him all you want. We don’t mind.”

Being in his arms seemed to bring on more emotions and Maryann started to shake.

“Ellen said on the phone if we wanted to stay out we should. She was going home to get some sleep and would see you in the morning. So…”

To her embarrassment when she tried to breathe in, it became more of a huge trembling sob.

“Aw, darlin’. I’m so sorry.” Shooter wrapped his other arm around her and rubbed her back.

Maryann pulled back enough to glance at Wes through her the tears she couldn’t seem to stop. “I’d rather not meet her like this.”

Wes nodded. “Shooter, is it all right if we all hang at your place for a while?”

“Of course.” He wiped her face with one hand. “That okay with you? It’s nothing special.”

“I’m sure it will be perfectly lovely. Thank you.” She forced a smile and let Shooter pull her head against his chest. She closed her eyes. For once she was going to sit back and let someone else take care of her. It felt nice.

Chapter Five

“Hey, Ellen. We’re going to hang out at Shooter’s place for a little bit. I didn’t want you to worry about us.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? Oh God, Maryann’s not into him, is she? Dang it, Wes. You had to take her out with him? A sweet British girl like her has no chance against a man like Shooter.”

Wes glanced over at Maryann, half-asleep on the couch while Shooter sat next to her, rubbing her back. Yeah, she was into him. It killed him to admit it, but the proof was right there in front of his eyes, snuggling like a kitten into his best friend’s lap while Wes wished it was him sitting there with her instead. “I’m doing my best here, Ellen. It’s been a hell of a night.”

“What happened?”

He explained it all as quietly and quickly as possible. It wasn’t exactly his place to tell Ellen about Maryann’s situation but he didn’t have much choice in the current situation.

When he’d finished, Ellen responded with a shocked, “Wow.”

Wes let out a short laugh. “Yeah, hell of a thing to have happen on her first night here.”

“Yeah, really. Poor thing. Thank you for taking care of her. I mean it, Wes. I really appreciate it.”

“It’s okay, El. She’s sweet. I like her.” Wasn’t that an understatement. He eyed Shooter, who’d moved on to stroking Maryann’s hair. “Listen. I’m gonna go get back to Maryann. I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Okay, but try to get some rest. You’re competing tomorrow night.”

So was Shooter. Wes would be damned if he went to sleep before Shooter did. Not with Maryann lying in his lap. “I know. I’ll grab a nap tomorrow if I have to.”

“All right. Night, Wes.”

“Night, sis.” Wes disconnected the call and shoved the phone in his pocket, but then wasn’t sure what to do with himself.

He was debating when Maryann lifted her head. “Is Ellen angry?”

“Not at all.” Wes walked around to the front of the couch and sat on the tiny space on the end. He pulled Maryann’s legs onto his lap. “You look like you’re feeling a little better.”

Better enough for Wes to get her out of there before Shooter made any more headway.

“I am. Thank you. Drinking the water helped.”

“I think he was talking about how you’re feeling in there.” Shooter smiled and laid his hand on her chest, just above where her heart—and not coincidentally her breast—was.

Wes could hear her quick intake of breath. She glanced down at Shooter’s hand, and then up at his face.

Definitely time to go.

“So, want to get going?” Wes sat forward, ready to scoop her up and carry her to the truck if he had to.

“No. I want to stay.”

Shooter grinned at him. “You heard the lady. She wants to stay. You can go if you want, Wes. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her.”

“Oh, I’m sure you will.” Wes was ready to spew fire when Maryann’s hand touched his thigh.

“I want us all to stay here tonight, together.”

Wes nearly choked. He shouldn’t assume she meant what he thought she meant. He must have misunderstood.

Even Shooter reacted to her suggestion. His eyebrows shot up. “You might want to elaborate on that, darlin’. Because my idea of us all staying together and yours might be different.”

“I don’t think so.” She sat up and leaned into Shooter, pressing her mouth to his.

As Wes watched her kiss his best friend, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer. Then she was turning toward him and her mouth was on his, hot and insistent. She swept her tongue inside his mouth and, bad man that he was, he let her and enjoyed it. She placed a hand on his stomach and he didn’t object when she moved it down dangerously close to his now rock-hard erection.

In fact, he kept kissing her, and liking it, until he felt Shooter’s weight shift on the couch. Wes opened his eyes to see his friend’s hands wrap around Maryann’s waist and begin to work on her jeans button.

He broke the kiss and pulled back just enough to be able to see her eyes, heavily-lidded from the alcohol and the hour. “Maryann, you’ve had a lot to drink.”

“I know.” Her soft, sexy voice cut through him even more than before now that he’d tasted her. “I’d never be brave enough to do this if I hadn’t.”

Brave or stupid? “I don’t take advantage of drunk women.”

“You’re not taking advantage of me. I started it. And I’m not that drunk. Hearing your fiancé has been snogging a married woman every day during lunch tends to sober a person up.”

Shooter, pressed up behind Maryann, rested his chin on her shoulder. “She’s fine. She knows what she’s doing.”

Wes scowled. Of course Shooter would say that. He was a dog when it came to women. He was considering saying that out loud when Maryann touched his face.

“Wes, I’ve spent my entire life doing what other people wanted for me. I went to the schools my parents chose. I studied what they thought was good for me. I’m a bleeding administrative assistant when I really wanted to study art. And then for the past two years I lived the life Robert wanted, not me. I want to live for me. Just once.”

Seeing the passion in her eyes, hearing it in her voice, made Wes want to knock Shooter off the couch, flip Maryann over onto her back and fuck her senseless. Instead, he took her hand in his, gave it a squeeze and said, “All right.” He glanced at Shooter. “Are there fairly clean sheets on your bed?”

Shooter’s expression was a comical mix of shock and excitement at Wes’s question. “Yeah. Changed ’em two days ago.”

Any number of things could be on them by now, knowing Shooter, but it would have to do. Wes nodded. “Then let’s take this to the bedroom. I’m assuming you’re well stocked.”

The only thing Shooter did do with women that Wes approved of wholeheartedly was always use protection.

Shooter smiled as he stood. “Always. Do you even have to ask?”

“Not really.” Wes stood himself and extended a hand down to Maryann, who was watching the exchange quietly. “Ready?”

“Yes.” She put her hand in his. She was shaking.

He squeezed her fingers. “You nervous?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“You sure you want to do this? I’ll take you to Ellen right now if you want and we’ll never talk about this again.”

Shooter scowled deeply behind Maryann but he needn’t have worried Wes was going to ruin his fun. Maryann pulled on Wes’s hand and started walking toward the open bedroom door. “I’m sure.”