Down in Texas

by Delilah Devlin

  “I like the place. Tara’s good people.”

  “Tara Toomey? I’ve met her. I mean, I guess I’ve met everyone in town—it’s not that big—but I don’t know her well.”

  “You’ll get the chance.”

  Suddenly his hand eased over her thigh, and her misgivings returned. “Um…Danny?”

  “Does this distract you?”

  “What do you think?”

  He settled closer on the seat. “I think the road’s straight…pretty empty. It’s a fifteen-minute drive,” his hand slipped between her legs, “and you smell good enough to eat.”

  The silky slide of his voice pricked her nipples into points. She licked her lips. “What do you have in mind?”

  “Just keep your eyes on the road.”

  6

  Danny knew he was being a devious bastard, but Maggie’s refusal to commit to their relationship had forced his hand.

  Knowing her stubborn little mind, she’d caved to his invitation while her mind had been muddled with passion, but she still held out hope she could control how deeply she slid toward surrender.

  Perhaps she thought she could have her “little something” on the side, keeping secret just how close their relationship was.

  However, he had other plans. Tonight there’d be no turning back, no denying she wasn’t on the market for any other man to snap up.

  In her pretty pink dress, she looked fresh and innocent, despite the maturity that softened her body. And she had no clue her soft brown eyes gave away her feelings every time her gaze landed on him. The woman was falling hard, and he’d make sure to give her another firm nudge toward the edge.

  Even before they reached the saloon, he’d have her so turned inside-out she wouldn’t be able to pretend their relationship was a casual thing. He’d keep her aroused, needy, responsive to every little touch of his hands and body. Anyone looking at them together would guess the truth. Then what could she say?

  Already her breasts lifted against the silk. The thickness of her bra hid her dimpling nipples, but the rioting color adding blush to her cheeks and the skin above the rounded bodice of her dress told him what he would find if he slipped his hand inside.

  Danny might be a few years shy of her ideal man, but he had a wealth of experience to share. Maggie would know soon enough she’d underestimated him.

  His fingers glided in a lazy path up the inside her thigh. “What color panties are you wearing?”

  A shocked laugh escaped her. “I beg your pardon?”

  “Are they pink to match your dress?” he asked, remembering the pink pair she’d worn the first time he’d seen her naked.

  “Guess you’ll have to wait to find out,” she said breathlessly.

  “Don’t know if I can do that, sweetheart. Wait, that is.”

  “But we’re in the middle of the highway.”

  “The sun’s going down. No one will see what we do if you pull the truck to the side of the road.”

  “I’m not having sex with you on a public road. Can’t you wait? We just made—”

  “You have a lot to learn about a young man’s libido. And it’s your own damn fault. One look at you in that pretty pink dress, and all I could think about were all the pretty pink things I want to kiss.”

  “Danny!”

  His palm smoothed along her thigh, pulling up her skirt.

  She closed her legs, trapping his hand. “Danny, I’m serious. Not here.”

  “Then pull up to that gate,” he said, lifting his chin toward a small dirt road leading to a gate in the fence they passed.

  “That’s McKinnon’s land.”

  “And he’s probably sitting in his kitchen now eating his supper. Pull over.” His hand slid higher between her tightly clasped thighs and cupped her sex.

  She jerked the truck to the right, sliding in gravel as she came to halt at the gate.

  Danny slipped out, opened it, and then waited while she sat in the cab. By the mutinous pout of her lips, he figured he had a fifty-fifty chance of walking home.

  He held the gate and her stare, not breathing until she slowly pulled forward. He closed the gate behind them and climbed back into the cab. “Just behind those trees,” he said, pointing toward three mesquites standing close together.

  “Anyone looking will see the truck.”

  “They won’t be looking. And we’re cutting the lights.”

  “This is ridiculous!”

  “We won’t be long. Trust me?”

  Maggie blew out an exasperated breath. “You’ve gotta be kidding. Every time you say that, you do something so wicked—”

  “Aren’t you dying to find out what I have in mind now?”

  “I’m not getting naked with you here,” she whispered furiously, bright color staining her cheeks.

  “Won’t have to,” he drawled. “Just lift your skirt.”

  Her tongue slid out to wet her lips. “Are we going to do it right here? The steering wheel’s in the way.”

  “How about we get out of the truck? We can stand on the side facing away from the road. No one will see a thing, even if they did happen to glance our way.”

  Maggie rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe I’m letting you talk me into this.”

  “But you’re going to do it, aren’t you?”

  She shot a glare his way and then opened her door and slid out, walking slowly around to join him as he jumped out eagerly.

  When they faced each other, he lifted his hand and twirled his fingers, telling her silently to turn around.

  With a heated huff, she faced the truck.

  “You might want to hold on to something,” he said silkily, stepping closer to slide his hands around her waist.

  Although the sun had slipped below the horizon, the air was still hot. The light, floral scent she wore intensified in the heat, tickling his nose, inviting him to find every place she’d applied perfume to her skin.

  He smoothed his hands around her belly and then glided them up to cup her breasts through her clothing. Right away, he knew he was going to change one little stipulation. He lifted her hair from the back of her neck and slowly pulled down her zipper.

  “Thought you said I only had to lift my skirt.”

  “Can’t help myself. I need to touch your breasts.”

  The dress opened, falling off her shoulders. He made quick work of the hooks at the back of her bra and slid the straps down her arms and then reached around to cup her large, firm breasts.

  Her sigh was filled with blissful relief.

  “You can’t know how hard I get just thinking about touching you. You’re so goddamn soft.” He massaged her for a long time, waiting until her head fell back against his shoulder and her body leaned against him, pliant and relaxed.

  Then he pulled up her skirt and reached underneath to snag the edge of her panties. He tugged them down, waiting as she stepped out of them, and then he tossed them through the window of the cab.

  “Try not to wrinkle my dress,” she whispered as he bunched it in his hands.

  He snorted behind her but let down the fabric and rolled it carefully up. “That better?” he whispered.

  Her nod was short, her body already tensing.

  “Hold up your dress so my hands are free.”

  She did so, standing with her dress bunched around her waist, her chest bare, her bottom and sex exposed.

  Danny smiled behind her. She was so eager, so curious, she didn’t offer a single protest now. “Place one foot on the foot rail.”

  When she placed her sandal on the foot rail, he ran his hands down her outer thighs and then up again, smoothing around to come inside, stopping just below her pussy. “Open wider.”

  A soft, strained moan quivered from her lips, but she widened her stance, giving him access. His fingers traced her outer lips, feathering over her soft curls, and then tugged at the folds as he parted them. A moist sigh broke when he opened her damp, inner lips. He slid a finger inside her.

  Her breaths
deepened.

  Looking over her shoulder, he could see her nipples beading, the areolae dimpling as he thrust his finger slowly in and out of her slick center.

  “I can’t believe you talked me into this.”

  “Funny how little you fussed about it.”

  “Guess I was curious.”

  “Hold on. Don’t move.”

  Maggie held her skirts and her breath while Danny moved away. Suddenly he was crawling between her legs, coming up under her, and sliding his back against the truck as he knelt between her legs.

  His mouth was at just the right height….

  “Sweet Jesus….” she breathed as his lips closed in, his tongue striking out to flutter against her clit.

  Her fingers uncurled from around her skirt, and it drifted down to surround him. She braced one hand against the truck and lifted the other to her breast. She fondled herself as his mouth got down to the serious business of pleasuring her.

  Danny had the knack, seemed to sense when she needed his fingers gliding deep and her clit stroked harder. Or maybe he simply listened as she begged.

  “God, do that again. Deeper…oh!” Her knees wobbled, and she clutched the door handle to hold herself up as another sexy flicker of his tongue sent shivers through her thighs.

  “Come for me,” he rasped. “Don’t hold back.”

  A short, painful laugh gusted from her. Hold back? Was he kidding?

  His mouth drew on her clit, suckling hard, and Maggie jerked back her head, a moan ripping from her. A fluttering convulsion caressed the fingers sliding sinuously inside her.

  As she came down from the precipice, Danny’s hands caressed her bottom to soothe her, and Maggie wondered where the staid, rancher’s wife was.

  Unbelievably she stood in the middle of nowhere, her body mostly exposed to the warm air drifting over her heated skin, while a cowboy gave her oral sex.

  A silly smile tilted her lips.

  Danny drew away, crawled out from under her, and straightened. Then his calloused hands pulled the edges of her dress together and started tugging up the zipper.

  “My bra,” she said softly.

  “Leave it off.”

  “I’ll bounce.”

  “So long as you don’t run from me, no one will notice.”

  “They’ll see my nipples.”

  He snuggled close to her back, his arms enfolding her. “They’ll be smashed against my chest while we dance, so they won’t see a thing.”

  Maggie shook her head, sure he was going to drive her out of her mind. “Do you have an answer for everything?”

  “Not to the most important question.”

  That stopped the retort she’d been ready to fling. She stepped off the foot rail and grimaced. “I’m wet.”

  He let her go, reached through the truck’s window to swipe her undies from the seat, and held them out to her.

  “I didn’t bring a spare.”

  “I want you naked under that dress anyway.”

  She used the panties to clean up, shaking her head all the while. Life with Danny was sure full of surprises. Too bad it couldn’t last.

  Danny pulled into the parking lot in front of the bar in Honkytonk, cut the engine, and then cast Maggie a sideways glance.

  The woman still fidgeted with the front of her dress, pulling at the fabric to try to loosen it around her breasts. When she saw him looking, she folded her arms over her chest.

  “Are you gonna stay like that all evening?”

  “I don’t ever go without. I have reasons.”

  “I know. Two of them.”

  Her gaze narrowed on him, her lips pursed. “Why did I never notice this nasty side of you, Danny Tynan?”

  “Never got me mad enough, I guess.”

  Her eyes rounded. “You’re angry with me, but why?”

  “Let’s just go inside.” When she started to let herself out of the truck, he drew in a deep breath. “Wait, let me get that for you.”

  “I can manage just fine on my own.”

  “Let me pretend I’m a gentleman.”

  “Fine.” She pressed her lips together and waited while he got out and circled the vehicle.

  When he opened the door, she turned sideways, holding her skirts firmly around her, and let him assist her from the truck.

  “Still don’t know why you could be mad,” she grumbled. “I’ve let you do everything you wanted.”

  “Yes, you have,” he said quietly.

  She tugged at her bodice again.

  “Stop that.”

  “But it’s snug. It doesn’t fit right without the bra.”

  “I like the way it looks. I can see your shape.”

  “Exactly!” She sighed and reached for the door handle. “Look, this isn’t going to be any fun for you. Maybe I should take your truck home. You can catch a ride with one of the guys.”

  Danny pressed his mouth into a thin line and backed her up to the truck.

  Her head tilted back as he crowded close, eyes glittering in the dark. Confusion creased the delicate skin between her brows.

  He released a pent-up breath and pressed against her. “I’m sorry.”

  Her expression softened, unhappiness drawing down the corners of her lips. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s my problem. Not yours.”

  “Do I want to know what it is?”

  One corner of his mouth quirked upward. “Definitely not. I’m feeling ornery.”

  Her head canted, and then her hand slipped between their bodies, gliding up his thigh and cupping his erection. “Looks like a rather big problem,” she said, a smile curving her lips. “Guess you’ll have to walk close behind me.”

  “Very close.”

  “We don’t have to stay long, do we?”

  At the hopeful note in her voice, he wondered if she was eager to help him with his problem or just wanted an excuse to escape a public outing with him. “You still worried about what people will say?”

  Maggie’s lips twitched and then settled into a shy grin. “I’m thinking the ladies will be ready to scratch my eyes out.”

  He lifted one eyebrow. “The men are all gonna be sniffin’ around your skirts.”

  Her finger traced the buttons down his shirt, stopping at his belt. Looking up from under the fringe of her thick lashes, she gave him a wink. “They’ll be wondering what an old lady like me used for bait.”

  Dazed, Danny wondered when she’d gathered the reins. Somehow he was the one with the hard-on ready to eat bullets and follow her all night long like a lovesick puppy dog. He crooked his elbow and gritted his teeth. “Ready?”

  She shook her head. “Not yet.” Then she grabbed his shirt collar, stood on tiptoe, and kissed his mouth, putting the stamp on her ownership. “Let’s get this over with,” she said, staring unblinking into his eyes. “I’m already wishing we were heading back home.”

  Danny didn’t think he’d ever really understand her. Hot and cold. Shy and then confident. He was beginning to think unraveling the mystery was a journey he never wanted to end.

  Music blared through the old-fashioned double doors as they stepped onto the porch. Once inside, he scanned the crowd, found his quarry, and herded Maggie straight toward the bar.

  Brandon Tynan glanced over his shoulder, and his mouth stretched into a wide smile. His gaze fell on Maggie and then snapped back.

  Danny smiled and nodded. “Meet Maggie Dermott. Maggie, this is my brother, Brandon.”

  “Maggie, very nice to meet you,” Brand said, holding out his hand.

  When Maggie placed her hand inside Brand’s, he kept it. “My brother giving you hell?”

  Maggie laughed and gave Brand a pained look. “You know him better than me. What do you think?”

  Brandon’s smile widened. “I think you’re doin’ just fine.” He let go of her hand and swung his arm around his brother’s shoulder. “So, you gonna be my best man?”

  Danny stood stock-still for a moment and then whooped, wrapping hi
s arms around his brother to lift him off his feet. When he set him down, he lifted one eyebrow. “She ask you?”

  Brand shook his head. “Can’t say as I remember who did the askin’.”

  “Where’s my new sister?”

  “Gone to the ladies’ room. She’ll be right back.”

  Danny leaned over the bar. “Hey, Tara!” he shouted down the counter. “Did you hear?”

  Tara Toomey turned from the customer she’d just smacked in the head and flashed a bright smile. “Did I hear? You think Lyssa could hold her pee for two seconds without tellin’ me?”

  She strode toward them, her gaze landing on Maggie. “Maggie Dermott, how the hell are ya?”

  Maggie seemed surprised the woman knew her name. She gave Danny a quick, tight smile before answering. “I don’t get away from the ranch much.”

  Danny watched the way Tara’s glance went from Maggie to himself, saw the light dawning in her blue eyes. She blew a silent whistle. “Looks like we need drinks all the way around.” Then she leaned across the bar toward Maggie and whispered loudly, “I’ll need to see some ID.”

  Maggie pulled back, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion.

  Tara shook her head. “Seeing as how I don’t know you all that well, I have the right to ask.”

  “I promise I’m legal age to drink.”

  Tara lifted her chin and held out her hand.

  Maggie’s back stiffened, but she reached into the slim clutch she carried and took out her house keys with her license suspended from the chain in its leather and plastic carrier. She held it out to Tara, who pulled it toward her.

  Maggie didn’t let go, and Danny wondered if the two women were going to get into a tug-of-war over the license.

  Brand shot him a glance, but Danny just shrugged, not knowing what Tara was up to.

  Tara held the license at arm’s length. “Well, well…that husband of yours was robbin’ the cradle when he snatched you up.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “I went to school with Douglas Dermott. And you look a whole lot younger than me. I was just curious,” she said with a toothsome smile. “See you’re dating someone at least within a decade of your own age now.”