The McCoys weren’t the only ones to enjoy the basin. Twice a year, in May and August, he and his brother got together with the McCoys and rode tubes down from Tebow. The May outing didn’t happen, but he looked forward to the one this month.
“Oh. You have river access.”
That was a loaded oh. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just…didn’t know. That’s all.”
But it wasn’t all. He could feel a sudden tension rolling off her in waves. “Would you rather practice in the pool?”
Her brows rose. “Do people do that?”
“I’m not sure,” he answered honestly. “I’ve only ever seen paddleboarding on rivers, and lakes, and the Gulf. But it’s water, so I’m sure people do. Why? Do you not like rivers?”
There was a rigidity to her posture that wasn’t there a few seconds ago. Then it dawned on him. Logan stopped the truck and put it in park.
“Chloe, look at me.” He reached across the back of the seat to lightly squeeze her taut shoulder. “Were you in a flood?”
Her head snapped in his direction, telling him what her opened, but silent mouth could not. So did the emotions crossing her face. Uncertainty. Anxiety. Fear. Those he understood. Most soldiers had it. He had it. Anyone who lived through a traumatic experience suffered with them, and surviving a flood qualified. But the guilt in her gaze stumped him. That was a symptom of loss, or survival.
God, he hated to think the sweet woman had been through either.
“Did you lose someone in a flood?”
She cleared her throat and shook her head. “No.”
“It’s all right to talk about it. Sometimes it helps.”
The uncertainty and guilt disappeared from her gaze and was replaced by concern. She turned in her seat to face him fully. “Did you lose someone during deployment?”
He stiffened, unprepared for the switch in gears. For a woman to be concerned about him, other than his mother.
“A friend of mine told me it’s all right to talk about it. Sometimes it helps.” The clever sneak used his own advice on him.
A smile tugged at his lip. “Is that right? Must be a smart friend.”
“The smartest.”
The smile tugged harder. He brushed his thumb back and forth over her shoulder. Damn, she was soft. “How close is this friend?”
“Close enough to swat for trying to change the subject.”
He tossed his head back and laughed. The woman was too much. And just right. She saw through his bullshit and called him out on it. “I like you, Chloe,” he said for the second time that day, something he hadn’t felt in over a decade. It’s what made her different. Set her apart from other women. It wasn’t just sexual, although there was plenty of chemistry, a hell of a lot of chemistry, this went beyond. He liked her as a person.
“I like you too, Logan.” Color flooded her cheeks and brought a warmth to her gaze he felt straight through his chest. “And I’d really like to help, but I’m not going to push. Just know I’d be happy to listen if you ever decide to give that talking thing a try. Okay?”
Her compassion humbled him. Another plus for Chloe. And her lack of deceit was a huge turn on.
“Okay.” He squeezed her shoulder. “Same goes for you.”
She opened her mouth, looking like she wanted to say more, but closed it and nodded instead.
“So, what’s it to be? River? Or pool?”
She straightened her shoulders and drew in a breath. “River. I need to get a feel for the sport in the correct environment.”
Admiration added to the warmth spreading through his chest. “Okay, then river it is. The place we’re going is shallow. You’ll do fine.” With one last squeeze, he released her and drove the final four minutes to a spot he considered the most tranquil on the property. His favorite place. One he’d discovered when he used to visit as a child.
“Wow, Logan…this is so amazing.”
She seemed to have forgotten her earlier trepidation because as soon as he parked, she was out of the truck and walking toward the Guadalupe curving around a bank lined with tall cypress. Many afternoons in his youth Logan had climbed out onto a branch to drop a line in the water. It wasn’t so much about catching fish as it was the process. The surroundings. The peace he continued to enjoy to this day.
He’d never shared this spot with anyone but his brothers. It was special. His sanctuary. And the first place that popped into his mind to bring Chloe to teach her to paddleboard. The significance of that gesture spoke volumes about the trust he had in the woman.
His mind snagged on that realization and slowly digested while carrying their gear to the river’s edge.
“Can I help?”
“No, I’ve got it. Thanks.”
It was important for her to get acquainted with her surroundings, to screw up the courage to actually set foot in the water when the time came.
Today was turning into a hell of a lot more than just a paddleboard lesson. It was a life lesson. One, he too, would benefit from. Facing fears was an important part of life. Of healing. Moving forward was impossible while still held prisoner by the past. Something he’d learned a long time ago. Bitterness over losing his potential baseball career almost ate him alive, add in his ex’s abandonment in tandem, and he had been in sad shape. Pitiful. For years, anger and rage had led to living on the edge, and extreme sports filled a void. The more dangerous the better. Adrenaline became addicting. A drug. Risks meant nothing because he had nothing to live for…nothing to lose.
Then first deployment happened and risking his life held new meaning. Living and breathing and bleeding with the guys in the unit had changed his perspective. During the long days and nights, his mind started to clean house, ejecting the nonsense, the stuff that cluttered. Useless anger. It solved nothing. Held no purpose other than to take up space and leave less room for what really mattered. Friends. Family.
Life.
His gaze strayed to the woman standing a few feet away, gently touching one of the big cypress trees like a long lost friend. Her brown eyes were bright and full of wonder and memories. He dropped the paddles near the boards in the grass and straightened. The air was alive around her and it beckoned, pulled him in. A summer breeze blew his way, carrying her light, flowery scent, and before he knew it, he joined her by the tree.
“We used to have a big cypress in our yard.” Her smile was sweet and nostalgic. “My dad built a tree house for me and my sister. Man, we’d play in there for hours. Even in the summer when it was a thousand degrees, we’d sneak in there at night with our flashlights and read Harry Potter books to our kitten.”
In his mind, he could picture a younger version of the woman before him, sitting in the middle of the treehouse, flashlight in one hand, eagerly turning pages with the other, despite the sweat gathered on her brow.
“The day we got word he’d died in Afghanistan, my sister and I slept in that treehouse to be close to him.”
Her gaze was haunted now, and swirling with emotions. It broke his heart to think of a young Chloe going through such a loss. The need to touch her was too strong. He reached out and grabbed her hand to entwine their fingers.
“I’m sorry. It must’ve been hard.”
She lowered her gaze and shrugged.
Despite the routine procedure for his company to conduct in-depth research on an employee, he only read her marital status and business credentials. It hadn’t felt right to turn the page and sift through her life history. But he was curious. He wanted to know everything. Her likes and dislikes. Favorite color. Drink. Movie.
If she was a screamer during orgasm.
He gave himself a mental shake and brought his mind out of the gutter, guilt squeezing his chest at his insensitivity. “Do you plan to visit the treehouse now that you’re in Texas?”
A veil of sadness covered her face. “It washed away in a flood three months after he died.”
His heart squeezed so tight he could barely breathe. “How
old were you?”
“Fourteen.” She stiffened and her open gaze closed before his eyes. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I told you all of that.”
She tried to tug free but he tightened his hold.
“Hey, don’t be sorry. I’m honored you’re comfortable enough around me to share something so personal. I feel the same way, Chloe. Why do you think I brought you here?”
Her brow furrowed as confusion washed over her pretty face. “To teach me to paddleboard?”
His lips twitched. “No. What I mean is the Guadalupe is over two hundred and thirty miles long. There are plenty of other shallow areas I could’ve taken you today. I didn’t have to bring you to this particular spot. No one outside of family has been here, because I never brought anyone.”
At his confession, her hand trembled, and pulse pounded at the base of her throat, but it was the battle that raged in her gaze that interest him. Give in, or fight their attraction.
He voted for give in.
“I didn’t have to bring you here,” he repeated, lifting their still entwined fingers to brush his lips over her knuckles, enthralled by the way her eyes darkened to a chocolate brown. “But I wanted to share my favorite spot, my sanctuary with you.”
Her indrawn breath cooled the air. “I-I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to know.”
A strong surge of that chemistry flickered between them. This time with an added hunger since they’d sampled each other’s heat in that hot kiss they shared earlier. He shifted closer, careful to move slow, giving her time to pull away because she was the one fighting their attraction for reasons he had yet to discover.
As he moved in, she set her free hand on his chest and lifted up on tiptoe, exactly the invitation he’d hoped. Their mouths brushed a second before the damn phone in his pants started to ring.
She jerked back and tugged free, off limits replacing the invitation in her gaze. “I’ll…ah, give you some privacy.”
Removing the cell from his pocket, he grumbled a curse before even glancing at the screen. He didn’t give a fuck who it was, their timing sucked. The office. He blew out a breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. His fault. He asked his assistant to find out when the new ATVs were due in. Forcing a calm to his voice he didn’t feel, he answered, only half hearing his assistant’s ‘by the middle of next week’ projected date. He was too busy watching Chloe pick up a paddle. His mind kind of fuzzed over when she bent down, showing off a good amount of sweet ass. He mumbled a response and hung up.
She turned to face him and quirked a brow. “Is everything okay?”
From where he stood? Damn near perfect.
“Yes,” he replied. But it was better before the call. Something in her guarded gaze made him keep that thought to himself. She was back to being cautious. He didn’t want to push, so he gave her space, and kept things light. “Ready to get started?”
She nodded. “Yes. What’s first?”
“First, we strip.”
So much for not pushing.
Her jaw dropped along with the paddle. “What?”
He couldn’t help it, he laughed. “To our bathing suits. Unless you wanted to learn in the nude.”
Color swept up into her face as she shook her head. “No. Suits are good.”
As she walked over to the truck she grabbed the hem of her top and ripped it over her head. He knew he should look away, but hell, his body wasn’t listening to his brain and he about swallowed his tongue when she unbuttoned her shorts and they fell to her feet, revealing the sweetest curves he’d ever seen.
He was instantly hard and if he didn’t get himself under control he was going to embarrass them both by exploding where he stood. So he did the only thing he could. Turned and headed for the river, peeling off his shirt, and then sneakers before walking straight into the water, which was nowhere near high enough or cold enough to take care of his condition. He went all the way under and swam across the river before he came up for air. Then turned around and swam back.
By the time he emerged, a good five minutes later, his body had cooled to a manageable burn. Until he found her slathering sunscreen to her curves with slow, thorough strokes. Without a word, he about-faced and stalked back into the river in even worse shape than before.
Maybe next time the wood he carried into the water would actually be a paddleboard.
“Are you okay?” she asked when he returned.
He shook his head and snickered. “Probably not. You’re too damn hot, Chloe. My body refuses to take orders from my mind.”
Her mouth opened but nothing came out, until her gaze dropped to his throbbing crotch. “Oh…I…well, damn.”
“Exactly.” He thrust a hand through his wet hair and tried to keep his gaze from dipping below her chin.
He failed.
Her black bikini covered the important parts but showed off her true hourglass figure to perfection. Curves and valleys tempted his teetering restraint, and he swore the suit was designed to drive him insane.
Or kill him.
Forcing his gaze back to her face he sucked in a breath at the heat smoldering in her eyes. “Chloe, you have to stop looking at me like that or I won’t be able to keep my hands off you.”
She swallowed and nodded. “I will. As soon as I figure out how.”
Ah, hell.
It’d been a long time since he ached for a woman. No one had tempted him in a damn long while. Chloe did, with her warm, dark eyes, sweet smile, and the pulse racing at the base of her throat. He wanted to put his mouth there. Hell, he wanted to put his mouth on every inch of her beautiful body. Wanted to taste her again and was slowly losing the battle to give her space.
He reached for her hand, slowly tugging her closer so they stood toe-to-toe. “Any luck?”
“It’s so hard.”
Yes, he was. Damn hard.
“I’ve never had this kind of connection with anyone before.”
Logan traced a finger down her temple to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, and took in the tremor that racked her body at his touch. “Neither have I. What do you suggest we do?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “My mind is telling me to ignore it. I have a job to do. But my body is saying screw it. You deserve this.”
He could relate.
“Do I get a vote?”
A smile tugged her lips. “Maybe.” She placed a hand on his chest and slowly traced a path across his pec. It was as if she was testing the connection for a reaction.
He hoped she found one because her soft touch stirred a myriad of reactions in him.
“Wow.”
Her trembling, nearly naked body and tongue darting out to wet her lips was too damn much. He groaned and gave in, kissing her.
So damn good.
She tasted hot and hungry, and the way she pressed her curves into his body, her nipples pebbled tight, poking his chest through her swimsuit, drove him wild. He knew she’d feel great but the friction of flesh on flesh, hers soft and trembling against his hard and throbbing, forged a connection better than he’d ever experienced.
Her responses touched off needs and responses of his own. He angled his head and kissed her the way he liked it, open-mouthed, wet, and deep. A sexy moan rumbled in her throat. Things got a little crazy. Real fast. Her hands ran over his chest and down his arms, bumping his as he glided up her sides.
She mewled into his mouth and he lost his head a little. Hell, he’d lost it the moment she’d bumped into him yesterday and he’d stared into her warm brown eyes for the first time. She turned him upside down and inside out. He couldn’t think straight.
“Chloe,” he said, and from somewhere, he found the strength to pull back. Their gazes met, and the heat in hers almost had him crushing her close again. But they needed to talk. “We have to stop or I won’t be able to.”
She blew out a shaky breath and nodded. Then pushed out of his arms and stepped back. “Sor
ry. I lose all brain function when you’re near.”
“Ditto.”
Her chuckle echoed in the light breeze. “We’re kind of the blind leading the blind, then.”
“Yes.”
All too soon her gaze sobered. “I like you, Logan. A lot. Maybe too much.”
“Never.” He made to reach for her, needing to touch her after hearing that sweet admission from her lips, but she side stepped him.
“The problem is your father hired me to do a job.”
He heard what she wasn’t saying. “And you never mix business with pleasure.”
“Exactly.” She blew out a breath, a small smile tugging her lips. Decadent lips still wet and swollen from his kiss. “For years I’ve worked hard and made good money for other companies. Now I finally land a dream job, with the potential to make money for myself and be in a position to buy my own house, plus lease property for my own company.”
“How about this?” He stepped closer. “What if we cool it until you finish this job?”
She blinked at him, her eyes going wide. “You’d be okay with that?”
“Of course. Although, I won’t lie, it’ll probably kill me,” he admitted. “But, I’ll wait. You’re worth the wait. We’re worth the wait.” He waved a hand between them. “Do we have a deal?”
The tension in her body dissipated with her sigh. “Deal.” She thrust her hand toward him.
He shook it and released her. “Now, how about we get you paddleboarding?”
She smiled, and her whole face lit up brighter than the Texas sky. “Sounds great. What do you need me to do?”
He forced his mind out of the gutter and onto the task at hand. Teaching her the different parts of the board and proper way to carry one. “The Coast Guard classifies stand up paddle boards, or SUPs, as vessels, so always wear a PFD—personal flotation device. Safety whistles are also recommended and a light if you are paddling after sunset.”
“And are there different boards for different bodies of water?”
“Good question. The boards don’t vary but the leashes do.”
“And a leash is what secures your board to your ankle like in surfing.”
“Yes.” He nodded, not surprised she’d done her homework. “They are usually sold separately from the board. Leashes are specifically designed for surf, flatwater, or rivers.”
Hell Yeah!: Her Hell Yeah Cowboy (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Harland County Series Book 8) Page 6
