The Cowboy's Rebel Heart: An Enemies to Lovers Second Chance Romance (Wild Texas Hearts Book 4)

by Deborah Garland

  No one locked doors in Wild Heart

  Logan grabbed me and kissed me hard. His beast had been held back, but now it crashed through. “Can you...drive away? Just down the road. And then when I turn off, you can come back. The door will be open. I’m sorry.” He put his head down and cursed. “God, that sounds awful of me, doesn’t it? It’s not you, Delsey. I promise. If I chose to be with any woman now, I’d keep it a secret. I don’t know what Maddie can handle yet in that department. I’m sorry. Please don’t think I’m an asshole.”

  “I get it, I promise.” My head still felt fuzzy from the kiss. I held my breath and asked, “Are you sure you want me to come back?”

  His face hardened. “You don’t want to come back?”

  “I do. I just need to make sure you...”

  He kissed me again. Sweetly. Softly. He brushed the hair out of my eyes and touched my lips. “I’m sure. But I have a feeling we’re not going to be the same people by sunrise. Are you okay with that?”

  His words left me breathless. How would making love to me change him? The loan offer I would be making him before I left meant this relationship or whatever it was would spiral downward really fast. The sex may not have anything to do with it. “I think I’m ready to move on from who we were.”

  The screen door squeaked open and Maddie came out wearing jeans and sneakers under her winter coat. The curls I’d made for her were now swept up in a ponytail and she was back to being a girl. Not a date. Her steps to Logan’s truck were smooth and every minute she walked better and better.

  You did that, Delsey.

  Maddie’s not the same person because of you.

  But would Logan Grady let me fix his problems?

  “Say goodbye to Delsey, Mads.”

  The little girl halted and stared at Logan. “Goodbye, how?” Her voice reeked with panic.

  I took a breath and marched up to Maddie. “He meant goodnight.” I crouched, attempting to speak low, so Logan wouldn’t hear and immediately whine with all his objections. “I do have to go back to Houston on Sunday night, though.”

  Maddie’s breath hitched. “And you promise you’ll be back?”

  That Logan heard and he rolled his lips in, his eyes narrowing.

  “I promise.”

  “I thought you’d be different,” Maddie said, her voice low as she stared at the gravel under our feet.

  “What do you mean, sweetie?”

  “I’ve read so much about you. Saw your pictures. I thought you’d...”

  “What?”

  “I didn’t think you’d like me.”

  My heart squeezed. “Why not? You’re just like me, do you know that?” I tugged on her ponytail. “Except for all this gorgeous natural blonde hair and smooth wonderful skin, you’re just like me when I was your age.”

  “You had both your legs.”

  Jesus frickin’ Christ. Being strong, I said, “Yes, I did. But under those jeans, no one knows. I had to wear glasses that were this thick.” I showed her with my fingers. “Everyone saw that. And my face... Maddie, sweetie, my face was a disaster. Some doctor told my mother my acne was from all the grease in my hair, so she used to pull it back tight away from my face. Everyone saw my pimples. I couldn’t hide them. There wasn’t makeup back then to cover them properly.” I changed that.

  “I’m sorry.” Maddie reached out and I let her hand glide along a deep scar on my left cheek. “You can hardly see it.”

  “My makeup does that. And it helps so many other women.”

  “Hmmm. I guess having a fake leg isn’t so bad.”

  “This is who you are. Own it.” I felt like I was talking to someone I’d never see again and that hurt like hell. “You’re a wounded warrior princess. Be proud of who you are, no matter what’s on the outside.”

  “Do you promise I’ll see you before you leave?” she asked with shoulders tense and up around her ears like she was bracing for me to say no.

  “Yes,” I said, even though I had no idea what would happen when the sun came up tomorrow.

  I didn’t think Logan and I would be different people from the sex. But we may very well go back to mortal enemies when I try to give him a loan.

  Logan

  I SHUFFLED UNCOMFORTABLY watching Delsey and Maddie. What were they talking about? Another parenting lesson I had to face: respecting a kid’s privacy. When I was a kid, my DO NOT ENTER sign was my independence. Now as an adult, I couldn’t imagine giving Maddie the kind of freedom I’d wanted as a kid.

  She wasn’t me, though. Maddie wasn’t wild and rebellious. She was like...Delsey.

  As I watched the bond form between her and Maddie, I grew worried if spending the night with her would turn everything upside down. And not in a good way. If only one of us could have Delsey, I’d give her to Maddie. Right now, she needed a strong woman more than I did.

  Who the hell was I kidding? I needed her, too. Only, damn, she lived too far away. I needed more than Delsey occasionally in my bed. I need Delsey, in general, more than occasionally.

  I glanced at my house. Her house. The inevitability was, Maddie and I were moving. I’d told her and she hadn’t freaked out.

  What if we moved...to Houston?

  Now you’ve gone and lost your mind.

  No way would that woman have you on her arm back in her glamorous world. Did I think for one minute, nosey reporters wouldn’t dig into my past and find out just how our relationship started and why? Because I was a deadbeat who didn’t pay my rent.

  I wore my money-problem badge of honor with pride because I hadn’t taken handouts, but it wouldn’t be right to dull Delsey’s shine with some shitty spin on my financial woes. And where would Maddie fit in with all that? Having her disability put on display. And her actual deadbeat dad?

  Fuck. No!

  My head was spinning and I didn’t know who to look at when Delsey walked Maddie back to my truck.

  “So, I had a nice time, Logan.” She held out her hand to me.

  Maddie scoffed getting in my truck. “You two can smooch goodnight. I won’t look.”

  The levity was needed. I’d gone dark and deep inside my head and I didn’t want to be there. Didn’t want to play a what-if game. In the next hour, Delsey would be in my bed. And I’d be inside her. Deep. So fucking deep. Getting my fill. Giving her a good time, too. The best I could give. She deserved the best of me.

  “Thanks for being here for Maddie,” I said when she leaned in. She still smelled so damn good. Fresh and flowery.

  Her kiss on my cheek was gentle and even a little wet. “Last chance to run,” she whispered.

  “I’ll hunt you down,” I grunted.

  The dirty side of me liked naughty little games. Was Delsey up for some fun later?

  “Challenge accepted,” she said and stepped back.

  She glided to her Acadia, blowing a kiss to Maddie. Oh, the wonder in my niece’s eyes. Her hero came to life before her eyes. Delsey was real and spectacular. Everything Maddie hoped she’d be.

  And everything I’d feared because that woman had the power to make me fall in love with her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Delsey

  I wear my sunglasses at night...

  I tiptoed through CVS, my Dolce & Gabbana shades hiding my eyes and my hair covering as much of my face as I could without completely blinding myself. I’d driven off from Logan’s house like he’d asked, but didn’t double back right away. I slipped into town.

  The late hour meant most of Wild Heart was tucking middle school kids into bed or teenagers were scarfing down celebratory burgers after the big game in Colony. No one did Friday Night Lights better than Texas.

  The teenage boy at the counter barked out, “We’re closing in ten minutes.”

  I nodded, praying he didn’t recognize me. No way, was I asking where the condom aisle was. And hell’s bells, I wasn’t whipping out a credit card to buy them.

  Condoms. I was buying condoms. To have sex with Logan Grady.

/>   I stared helplessly at all the choices wondering why were there so many? When I was younger, this was a small-town mom-and-pop pharmacy that only carried lubricated and...unlubricated. Given how I was still soaked between the legs, I could go with unlubed. Except, that no longer seemed to be an option.

  I wasn’t even sure I would need the condoms. For all I knew, Logan had economy-size packs busting out of his medicine cabinet. These were my backup in case he didn’t have any. Or the ones he’d had were so old because he hadn’t been with anyone in a while. Let’s go with option B.

  Sizes? They came in sizes now? I snorted. That was easy. I reached for the bright red package marked extra-large. Smiling, I spun around and nearly dropped the box.

  Logan stared at me from the middle of the aisle. I must have looked like a deer caught in the headlights, but seeing me holding a box of condoms sent a smile spreading across his gorgeous mouth.

  Talk about a meet-frickin’-cute.

  He strutted up to me in his fitted corduroy bomber over his dress slacks. That face of his with all sharp lines, square jaw, and confident grin took my breath away. His eyes pinned me with a stare, but then drifted to the three-pack box tight in my grasp.

  “Extra-large? I should be flattered.” He looked ready to take me right there in the aisle, leaning against the Depends. Which was a stupid placement choice, unless it was put there as a buzzkill so men wouldn’t launch too soon.

  “From what I felt earlier, this was a safe bet,” I answered, leaning into him.

  He let go of a long exhale and scanned the racks. Rectangle boxes dangled on the hooks and I could almost hear pick me, pick me. Then his eyes drifted back to my hand. “Is that a type you buy often?”

  I snorted into his coat. “I’ve never bought condoms in my life.”

  “Get them delivered in Houston like chocolate chip cookies?”

  Now I roared, and he laughed with me, his hand closing around my waist. “Is that yes, or no? The laugh sounded like it could go either way.”

  “Most definitely, no. I just didn’t know if you would think of...this.” I drew a breath. “And I clearly was wrong.”

  “I can’t take risks, darlin’. I have enough on my plate. A baby ain’t...” He swallowed.

  “It’s okay, Logan. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to do things in the right order. So, um, Janey was never married?”

  “Christ, I wasn’t even thinking about her.” Clearly, since he wasn’t punching something. “No. I don’t know what happened, or didn’t happen there, but—”

  “Doesn’t matter,” I said, pressing further against him, our coats clinging, the static snapping. “Look what you have?” I whispered.

  “Damn straight,” he said, nodding. “I’m responsible. I want to do it all the right way. I’d hate to face something like that. Especially if I’d been in a situation where I wasn’t...” He paused.

  “Wasn’t what?”

  “In love.”

  My breath got stolen. This rebel boy had grown into a decent honorable man. And I’d missed it. How much more did I want to miss? He’d been dealt a blow and had to crawl his way back. He seemed mostly there. And I wanted to help him reach the finish line. I would be helping, whether he saw it that way or not. Because no frickin’ way was I throwing him out of the house.

  “Do you want to get out of here, or not?” Logan asked, brushing his lips against mine, our hands tangled around the box.

  “I do.” I kissed him back and whispered, “So much.”

  “Good,” he said, tugging the three-pack box away from me, and looked at it. He frowned and stepped back to the rack.

  Really, not extra-large? My heart fell. Then he pawed a different box and folded me under his arm.

  Glancing down at me as we walked, he said, “Right size. Wrong quantity.”

  Logan

  AT THE BASE OF MY DRIVEWAY, I hovered so Delsey could go in first. I had a plan. When she parked, I pulled in caddy corner, pinning my truck behind her Acadia. She wasn’t going anywhere.

  Not for several hours.

  Not till morning, at least.

  I had an all-night pass.

  In the future, we may only have the time it takes to get a burger and see a movie in town. I lost my footing getting out of the truck. We, I’d meant in my head me and Delsey, didn’t I? Like this could be some kind of permanent thing.

  Could my heart take what I was about to do? I’d had my share of one-night stands, but sex had always felt better with someone I actually liked. That’d been a really long time ago, though. And I passed like ten miles back when it came to Delsey.

  I was downright crazy about her.

  At that point, I realized how I’d put my heart on the line and didn’t even know it.

  And as much as I wanted to analyze the crap out of my feelings and shit on myself for falling for the wrong woman, my better senses smacked me. How in the world was she the wrong woman? She was beautiful. Great with Maddie. Generous. Smart. And rich, not that I needed that. In fact, her money was the thing that could tear us apart the easiest. Where I fit in her life and where she fit into mine on a day-to-day basis was our biggest challenge.

  Delsey met me at the porch and I lifted her up by the hips to set her on a higher step. Even down on the gravel, I towered over her. I kissed her without words because, at that point, there was nothing to say to get this party moving.

  When I got to the front door and opened it, she glided in. I liked how she looked in my house. She stood out so beautifully against the plain walls, old furniture, and shabby drapes

  Delsey unbuttoned her coat and I slid it from her shoulders.

  “Let’s go upstairs,” I said, kissing the back of her neck.

  “Wow, you wanna get right to it?”

  “You have no idea.” I took her face in my hands. “Do I have to fireman-carry you up there?”

  She stepped back, her right eyebrow raised. “Maybe.”

  “I’ll do it. I have the strength in my back to carry two of you up those stairs.”

  “Do you want two of me?”

  “Hell, no,” I said and then laughed. “Okay, that came out wrong. I want to give all of myself to you. No sharing.”

  “I like the sound of that. I work a lot of hours. And maybe Truitt did what he did because he felt neglected. I won’t make that mistake again. I like the idea of being yours. Tonight.”

  That crushed me, her taking the blame for another man betraying her. No one was forcing us to be together. We’d have to work at it. Fight against insurmountable odds. And the stakes were high. Never mind my heart. And Delsey’s. It was Maddie’s I worried about the most. I would protect her at any cost. And I already knew so would Delsey.

  Maddie would be upset to see her leave on Sunday. That had nothing to do with me. Even if there was still friction between me and Delsey, even if we hadn’t been able to get out of our own way, Delsey would have had the same impact on Maddie.

  Maddie adored her before she even showed up.

  I had adored her for much longer than that. I just kept telling myself it was a useless fantasy.

  Lost in thought, Delsey had taken my hand and urged me up the stairs. I’d been stalling again, hadn’t I? Christ, I was nervous. I hadn’t even taken off my coat. Cussing under my breath, I unbuttoned the waist-length corduroy jacket and fisted it until I got into my bedroom.

  I’d been ready to apologize for what it looked like, but Delsey started kissing me and I dropped my bomber to the floor. Our foreplay was outside behind the scoreboard. It was time for the main event.

  “Can I use your bathroom?” she asked.

  I grunted, “Sure, it’s the next door on the right.”

  “I’ll be right back,” she whispered and let her fingers run across my chest, the skin lighting up under her touch.

  I toed off my shoes and undid my belt. I bent down to pick up my coat, realizing I needed the box of condoms I’d shoved in my pocket. I’d been trying to be funny, buying a tw
elve-pack. That lousy three-pack would go in an hour if I had my way. I knew anything not used would expire. I’d have to make that point clear to Delsey, I didn’t want anyone else.

  I slid my pants down taking my boxers too, stepped out of them, and undid my shirt. I liked dressing up. Liked looking nice and elegant. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Delsey, we made a good-looking couple. That dress of hers. Woof. I couldn’t wait to peel it off her.

  Standing naked in my bedroom I caught my reflection, and the demons came a calling. Making me feel guilty for taking what I needed. Feeling the need to hide from myself, I slipped my hat back on and pushed it down low. I bit past the regret and guilt, ready to tell the voices in my head to fuck off when a glowing silhouette appeared under my door frame.

  Oh fuck. I should have known, she’d be on the same page as me. Delsey swaggered into my bedroom, naked as well.

  Almost.

  “Left the shoes on.” I crossed my arms, watching her. “I like how you think.”

  Her eyes moved across my body in a stare I goddamn felt. Flicking my hat up so she could see my eyes, she purred, “I like how you think, too.”

  It took another moment before she was in striking distance. I didn’t wait the extra two seconds when I pulled her in and kissed her. Hard. Deep. Her mouth felt so warm and just for me. Mine.

  “I’m yours tonight,” I breathed into her ear.

  “Mmmm.” Her fingers closed around my length, hard and bobbing from my body.

  I grunted, the hold shooting sparks through me. “See what you do to—” My words died in my throat watching her drop to her knees. “Delsey,” I groaned, my voice sawed out on a painful breath.

  I kept still, except for my hands tangled up in her soft wavy hair. She positioned herself in front of me, her thighs spread, and those high heels kicked out behind her so deliciously.

  I heaved my chest and felt a bead of sweat trickle down my spine and go right into the curve of my butt. That little feathering sensation against my asshole paled in comparison to Delsey’s precious mouth swallowing my cock. No dainty licks, no struggling to manage me. Her full lips parted and I slid right in. All of me. To the hilt.