Take Me Back To Texas

by Amy Lillard

“Don’t give us that,” Candy took her by the arm and pulled her into the living room. One of them had started Grease on the VCR. She’d rather talk about Sandy and Danny’s problems and leave JD out of this.

  “It’s nothing, Candy. Really.” Elizabeth grabbed a soda and popped it open, knowing she wasn’t going to sleep a wink drinking caffeine this late at night, but she needed something to wet her suddenly dry throat. “I’m only going to be here for another week. Two at the most.”

  “A lot can happen in seven days.”

  Elizabeth looked to Ginger. One of them had to be grounded in earth.

  Ginger shrugged.

  It was worse than she thought. Both of them had lost their minds.

  “He doesn’t want a relationship.”

  “And you do?” Candy asked.

  “Of course not,” she scoffed. “I have a wonderful career and everything I could possibly want.”

  Candy fell silent, studying her fresh manicure for flaws. “Are you sure about that?”

  Was she? “Of course.” But couldn’t meet their eyes as she said the words.

  This was what she wanted. Well, now it was. There had been a time when she had wanted nothing more than to get married and live out her days with JD in this one horse town. And now…?

  “Downer alert,” Elizabeth proclaimed, throwing her arms into the air. “This is supposed to be a party, and parties are supposed to be fun.”

  “You’re right, of course.” Ginger smiled but the action didn’t reach her eyes.

  The girls gathered around the television just as Sandy and Danny started signing “You’re the One That I Want.”

  They sang along, not missing one oo-oo-oo, but Elizabeth couldn’t help but think about JD, and why he was always the one she wanted by her side.

  Chapter Seven

  Monday brought with it that soft early summer rain that always reminded Elizabeth of Texas. She set the coffee pot to brewing her morning caffeine fix, wishing the whole while for a cup of the good stuff JD had brought by that first morning she was back. Or was it the company she craved?

  She sighed and added creamer to her cup, thinking instead about the day ahead of her.

  Left to her own devices yesterday she had managed to get through all but the upstairs linen closet and the attic. The living room was stacked above her head with boxes to be shipped.

  It would probably be better to rent a truck and drive the mess back to LA, but if she were truly being honest, she wasn’t ready to think about leaving Texas just yet. Was it knowing that she would never see JD again that had her dallying this morning? She didn’t know, but the thought of JD’s deep blue eyes had her forgetting dreams and willing to accept things as they came.

  “Bethie Grace?”

  She heard the front door shut behind him. “In the kitchen.”

  She held her breath as he walked into the room, dark splatters of rain across his shoulders. More droplets clung to the ends of his dark hair. “It’s raining good out there.”

  “I wasn’t expecting you today.”

  “Really?” He sat a white and green sack on the table and went around to the cabinets.

  With a disturbing familiarity, he pulled a mug down from the shelf and filled it with coffee. “I’ve still got the entire upstairs to paint.”

  “No word from Travis?”

  He leaned his rear against the counter and crossed one ankle over the other. “Nope.” He shook his head, his mouth a grim line. “I don’t know if he’s too far gone or hiding out because he knows I’m looking for him.”

  “Sad.”

  “Looks like you made a lot of progress this weekend.” He inclined his head toward the front room.

  “I got a few things done.”

  “Are you still willing to help me paint?”

  “Of course.”

  He nodded, then turned to look out the window above the sink.

  The rain was really coming down now, pattering against the roof and pouring off the edge of the porch.

  His shoulders rose as he took a deep breath. “I can’t do this.”

  “W-what?” She had been expecting some comment about the weather, and his words took her off guard.

  “I thought I could pretend like Saturday never happened.” He turned to face her, his eyes as stormy as the skies outside. “But I can’t. If it’s all right with you, I’ll finish painting after you l—after you’ve finished with your sorting.” He didn’t wait for her answer, just dumped the remains of his coffee down the sink and rinsed out the mug.

  He was already halfway to the door before she found her voice. “What about your breakfast?”

  He stopped, his back to her. An incredulous-sounding chuckle escaped him as he scrubbed his hands over his face. “That’s all you’re worried about? Food?” He turned back to face her, but didn’t meet her gaze.

  She shook her head. “I want to know what it is you don’t want to talk about.” She just needed to hear him say it. Heart pounding, she pushed to her feet. “Is it so hard to admit that there may still be something between us?”

  “The admitting isn’t the problem.”

  She eased a little closer to him, close enough that she could smell the rain on his clothes, his shampoo, and the irresistible essence that was all JD. Then she took a step back. “I’m not going to beg you, hoping you’ll see what’s in front of your face.”

  This was ridiculous, two adults acting like they were teenagers. She turned on her heel and stalked away from him. She had better things to do with her time than beat her head against the wall over lingering puppy love.

  She needed to keep in mind the phone call he’d made to her fourteen years ago. The call about his betrayal, that he was marrying someone else. Except now she knew the truth about that call and the sacrifices he’d made for the innocent child involved. The same child he was trying so hard to protect even still.

  JD’s fingers wrapped around her elbow, and he spun her around to face him.

  “Is that what you want? For me to beg you? For me to tell you that every time I see you, I want to hold you in my arms and pretend the last fifteen years never happened?”

  She shook her head. Remorse, regret, and longing clogged her throat.

  “Then what would you have me do?”

  Her eyes fluttered closed. “Kiss me,” she whispered.

  He didn’t need a second invitation. In an instant, she was wrapped in his warm embrace. His lips crashed down on hers in a plundering kiss that stole her breath and all the reasons why they shouldn’t be doing this.

  How could she refuse him? This was JD, her first love, her first heartache, the other half of her soul.

  Being in his arms once again was all she had ever dreamed. He was warm, solid, and all hers.

  His lips left hers and traveled down the side of her jaw, the slope of her neck to lightly kiss the ridge of her collar bone. He seemed to be slowing down when she needed him to speed up. Kiss her like there was no tomorrow. Because for the two of them, there wasn’t.

  Loving JD was a one-time deal, simply making the most of the situation at hand. Tomorrow or the next day, one day soon, she’d head back to California and that would be that.

  “Awh, Bethie Grace.” He tucked her head beneath his jaw and rested his chin on top.

  Or perhaps he didn’t feel the same…

  She stepped a little closer to him, rubbing against the evidence of his desire. He wanted her. She smiled to herself and ran her fingers down his shirt and the hard ridges of muscle it covered.

  He sucked in a breath as her fingers traveled lower still.

  “Bethie Grace,” he choked, capturing her hand with his own. “This is hard enough without you doing that.”

  “I’ll say it is.” She laughed and pulled him closer even as he made to step away.

  He leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. He blew out a breath and opened them. “It’s not nice to push a man beyond his limitations. And I’m there. If you keep this up
, I won’t be able to stop.”

  “That was the plan.”

  A fire ignited in that dark blue gaze. “I don’t think—”

  She didn’t need to hear the rest. She could fill in the blanks. I don’t think this is a good idea. I don’t think this is something we can walk away from. I don’t think we should. “You think too much.” She pulled his lips back to hers.

  A deep groan rumbled in his chest as he released the tight hold he had on his desire. He took over the kiss, running his fingers through her hair and cupping her face in his palms to guide her. Simply kissing her again and again until she felt dizzy with wanting him.

  Despite the urgency that trembled in his touch, he took his time, exploring her lips, her mouth, the curve of her neck until finally he pulled her T-shirt over her head.

  “I have missed you,” he said as his hungry gaze feasted on the sight of her. The lacy bra, breasts straining for his touch.

  She resisted the urge to lift her arms and shield herself. This was JD, and she let him look. But she didn’t look like she did back then. She had taken care of herself over the years, but the fact remained that she was more than a decade older than the cheerleader he’d held in his arms.

  “JD—”

  He stopped her words by placing a finger over her lips. “You’re beautiful, you know that? Even more beautiful to me than you were back then.”

  It was a lie. It had to be, but she’d let him tell it. What was wrong with a few bedroom lies?

  She reached up and started on the buttons of his shirt. He watched her as she slid them from their holes, then groaned when her searching fingers slid underneath the fabric. She loved that she held as much power over him as he did her. He made her squirm with longing, sigh with pleasure, and want more than he could ever give. But she’d take what they had available to them—now.

  He took her by the hand and led her to the back bedroom. A lifetime of pictures and memorabilia was piled on the bed. “This is not going according to plan,” JD growled.

  She could almost see the cogs turning in his brain weighing the time it would take to clear the bed and if either of them had that long to wait.

  Elizabeth laughed and pulled him to the stairs. It was the longest two flights of her life. But then they stumbled into the attic room and tumbled onto the bed. He scooted her out of her jeans, leaving her dressed in only a bra and panties.

  He expertly rolled her underneath him and propped himself up on his elbows. The fabric of his jeans chafed her belly, but she relished the feel of him on top, his weight pressing her deeper into the down-filled mattress. The unbuttoned sides of his shirt brushed against her passion-sensitive skin.

  “You’re really sure about this?” he asked, a hair’s breadth from kissing her once more.

  “Why do you keep asking me that?”

  “This is it. All we have is this very minute.”

  “I don’t recall asking you for any more.”

  “But—”

  “Are you trying to talk me out of making love with you?”

  “I—” He broke off as she moved her hand between them.

  He sucked in a quick breath as her fingers threaded through the mat of hair on his chest, then slipped lower to follow the line that disappeared behind the waistband of his jeans.

  “Bethie Grace?”

  “We started this, and I fully plan to see it to the end.”

  He leaned in and kissed her, as sweet as Texas honey. She slid her other hand between them and worked on the fastener of his jeans.

  In a heartbeat, he had reversed their positions to allow her better access. He helped as she shucked off his jeans, then sat up for an instant to rid himself of his shirt.

  Elizabeth used the position to her advantage, running her fingers through his dark hair and holding him for her kiss. She barely registered the jagged scar on his shoulder as he expertly unfastened her bra.

  Her breasts spilled from their lacy cups eager for his touch. He was obliging, lifting them, pressing them together and kissing his way from her mouth to her pebbled nipples. She could think of little else but him and the sensations he created within her.

  Now was not the time to be self-conscious or timid. Now was the time for reacquainting, loving, and making up for lost time.

  She sighed as he continued his sexy onslaught. Every touch, lick, and nibble was the same yet different, familiar yet new. How many nights had she dreamed about being held in his arms once again? So many that she had begun to believe the magic that existed between them was enhanced by her imagination. She was wrong.

  His touch was pure heaven, all that she had remembered and more.

  His hands glided around her back, lifted her buttocks a bit higher and slid his fingers under the lacy edge of her panty leg. Her breath caught as he slipped inside her, those talented fingers pushing her higher and closer to release.

  “JD,” she gasped.

  “Let go,” he urged. Then his thumb slid forward, and she was lost.

  He captured her cries in his own mouth as he kissed her. She continued to ride it out, him caressing her, heightening the desire with every stroke.

  She buried her face in his shoulder, spent but still needing that most intimate connection with him.

  He rolled her onto her back, left for a moment then was back, ready.

  She opened herself for him, welcoming his weight as he pressed for entrance.

  He filled her completely, slowly, nearly driving her mad with this new need she had for him. Finding release wasn’t enough. She needed him. She bucked against him, but he held back, prolonging the moment of his own pleasure.

  He pulled away from her just as slowly. Every inch of him moved slowly away, then slowly back until she thought she would scream with need.

  “Wait…This…I—I didn’t even get to touch you,” she panted. He filled her once more quickening the pace with each stroke.

  “You can touch me next time.” He gritted. It seemed his teasing was working against him as well.

  “Next time.” She liked the sound of that.

  She raised her hips, met him stroke for stroke, urged him faster until their tempo pounded harder than the rain outside.

  Another wave of pleasure rose inside her, building and building until she thought she might burst from the intense pressure.

  One last thrust and he called out her name. He wrapped his arms around her lifting her from the bed as he sent them both over the edge into paradise. Pressed against him, she felt every shudder, every tremble, every ripple of desire as he found his pleasure with her.

  It was more, so much more than she remembered, being loved by JD.

  Spent, he rolled to the side, pulling her with him. She lay sprawled across him, loving the feel of his rapid breaths as she tried to get her own under control.

  He smiled at her, kissed her lips, then pushed her head to his chest. His heart beat strong and true under her ear. She closed her eyes. No words were necessary. It was just one more reason why she loved him so.

  The thought wasn’t even a surprise to her. She loved JD Carmichael. She always had. Yet it didn’t change anything. His life was in Loveless while she was a Cali girl now. But for the time being, they would be together. They could love and laugh and when the time came, she’d be out of his life once again.

  The rain pattered against the tin roof of the house, lulling her into another world, one where she and JD didn’t have to fight their differences and could make love all day long. It was a foolish dream, but beautiful all the same.

  ****

  “Are you leaving?” She rolled drowsily to her stomach as JD eased from the bed and started gathering his clothes.

  “I’ve got to pick up Mallory.” He sounded as reluctant to leave as she was to see him go.

  “You never did tell me what she was like.”

  He stopped buttoning his shirt and turned his steady gaze toward her. “She’s a lot like me, I suppose.”

  That made sense. After all
she had been raised in a single parent household. It stood to reason that she would have a lot more in common with him than with the mother she was too young to remember.

  “Who does she look like?”

  Me,” he said, sitting on top of her grandfather’s trunk and slipping into his boots.

  “Poor thing,” Elizabeth said.

  JD laughed and threw a pillow at her. Outside the rain continued its song against the roof.

  His eyes turned serious as he made his way back to the bed. He leaned down and kissed her, his lips clinging to hers as if he never wanted it to end.

  “I’ve got to be at the other site tomorrow. I’ll see you Wednesday?”

  Elizabeth nodded. “Wednesday.”

  And then he was gone.

  ****

  Thankfully there was enough work in the attic to keep Elizabeth so busy JD wasn’t constantly on her mind. She only thought about him with every third breath she took.

  The afternoon spent in his arms was stolen time, but she would take it. There was not much future in loving a man who lived hundreds of miles away, yet she had always loved him. She had lived without his touch for fifteen years. She could learn to do it again once her time in Texas came to an end.

  She closed the lid on her grandfather’s steamer trunk. Everything there was a keepsake, pressed flowers and ribbons, tickets from long forgotten events. Mementos that only meant something to her grandmother, yet Elizabeth was loath to pitch them. Or maybe she just wanted her siblings to have the chance to see them, get to know their grandmother better, as well as she and Nathan, the eldest of the McGees.

  She marked the trunk with instructions to send it to California and tried not to count down the days until she was there once more.

  ****

  JD watched Mallory drag her fork through the Mexican casserole.

  Something was definitely bothering her. Whether it was the rain cancelling soccer practice, or something else he wasn’t sure. Please don’t let it be that boy.

  “Something wrong, Mal?”

  She shrugged one shoulder and propped her elbow on the table.

  He cleared his throat.

  She dropped her arm back into her lap. “Is Rosie ever coming back?”