A Piece of Texas Trilogy

by Peggy Moreland

  “Then let’s kick up the speed a bit.” He flicked open the front closure of her bra, freeing her breasts, then used his mouth to force her back against the edge of the pool.

  She gasped at the contact, then knotted her fingers in his hair and clung as he suckled greedily. She didn’t even consider asking him to stop. She needed this, him. Deserved it after four long years of celibacy.

  He shifted, drawing her body to position between his thighs, then focused his attention on her breasts again.

  In the distance, music played softly from the outdoor speakers hidden beneath the eaves of the house. A blues number, the whine of the sax sexy and low. The only other sound in the night came from the water’s rhythmic lapping against the sides of the pool. Combined, they provided the perfect accompaniment for a slow seduction.

  But Leah wasn’t sure she could endure slow. It had been too long since she’d been with a man, and this one was unbelievably skilled with his mouth, his hands.

  Anxious to touch him, too, she closed her fingers around his sex and was stunned to find him already rock-hard beneath his boxers. She stroked her fingers down his length, up, but soon became frustrated by the fabric that kept her from touching him fully and slipped her fingers inside the fly.

  He flinched at the contact, then groaned and dropped his forehead to hers. “Leah?”

  She gulped, barely able to breathe. “What?”

  “Are you on the pill?”

  Thrown off by the question, she drew back slowly to peer at him. “Well…no.”

  His shoulders sagged. “Damn. I was afraid you were going to say that.” Heaving a sigh, he flopped down on the step next to her and dropped his head to his hands. “And to think I was once a Boy Scout,” he said miserably.

  She sat up slowly, drawing the cups of her bra together and fastening them into place while trying to reconcile her mind, as well as her throbbing body, that her celibacy wasn’t going to end that night. “What does being a Boy Scout have to do with anything?”

  “‘Be prepared.’ It’s the motto Boy Scouts live by.”

  She rolled her lips inward, trying her best not to laugh.

  He glanced her way and bumped his shoulder against hers. “Cut it out. This isn’t funny.”

  “No,” she agreed, then doubled over, laughing. “It’s hysterical!”

  Leah entered the last figure into her calculator, then hit the total button. After typing the amount into the appropriate column on the spreadsheet, she hit save, then sank back in her chair with a sigh of relief, the dreaded paperwork done for the day.

  She should’ve finished earlier—and would have if she’d been able to keep her mind on her work and off Sam. She chuckled, remembering his disappointed expression when he’d admitted to his failure to live up to the Boy Scouts motto of Be Prepared. He could be so darn cute at times. At others, totally irresistible.

  He had his faults, she reminded herself and straightened to tuck the invoices she’d recorded back into the file. He was stubborn, cocky and more than a little overbearing.

  He was also kind and thoughtful and unbelievably sexy.

  Kate stuck her head into her office. “Last customer just left.”

  Leah shot to her feet. “Quick. Put the Closed sign in the window before anyone else can get inside.”

  Tapping a finger to her temple in a salute, Kate disappeared from sight.

  Leah quickly shut down her computer, snagged her purse from beneath her desk, then headed out, slowing only long enough to switch off her office light.

  “How about a glass of wine?” Kate suggested. “My treat.”

  Leah hesitated a moment. She knew it was ridiculous, but she wanted to go home and see Sam.

  But then she remembered that this was Kate’s husband Frank’s, night to play softball with the guys, which meant Kate would be alone. “Sounds good,” she said, forcing a smile. “But I’m buying. You deserve a reward for the extra hours you put in this week.”

  “Won’t get an argument out of me,” Kate replied and led the way to the front door. “Let’s try out that new bar on the corner. I hear they serve nachos during happy hour. I’m starving.”

  “Fine with me.” Leah locked the door, then walked with Kate the short half block to the bar. Once inside, she hesitated, daunted by the number of people already crowded into the room. She glanced back toward the doorway. “Maybe we should try someplace else,” she suggested hopefully.

  Kate looped her arm through Leah’s. “No way,” she said as she dragged her into the melee. “I skipped lunch, remember? Another second without sustenance and I’ll faint dead away.” Spotting a couple leaving, Kate tugged Leah in that direction and pushed her into the booth they’d occupied before someone else could claim it.

  “Chardonnay okay with you?” she asked.

  Leah flapped a hand as she pulled a credit card from her purse to give to Kate. “Whatever you’re drinking is fine with me. Tell the bartender to open a tab.” While Kate went to the bar to order their drinks, Leah pulled out her cell phone and punched in her home number, wanting to let Craig know that she would be late. After four rings, the answering machine clicked on. Frowning, she disconnected the call.

  Kate returned, setting a glass of wine in front of Leah. “Problem?”

  Leah slid the phone back into her purse. “I called the house, but Craig didn’t answer.”

  Shrugging, Kate took a sip of her drink. “Maybe Patrice picked him up early for a change.”

  Leah gave her a pointed look.

  “Okay,” Kate conceded reluctantly. “So the woman isn’t a contender for Mother of the Year.”

  “That’s putting it mildly,” Leah said drily, then winced. “Maybe I should go home and check on him. Just to be safe.”

  Kate narrowed an eye. “You’re not going anywhere. Craig is old enough to look after himself. Besides, Sam’s there, isn’t he?”

  “Probably.”

  “So if the house caught fire or something equally bad had happened, Sam would call you, right?”

  “I suppose.”

  “Then there’s no reason for you to worry.” Kate lifted her glass in a toast and smiled. “Here’s to another successful event staged by the highly acclaimed Stylized Events.”

  Reminded of the complimentary mention her business had received in the morning newspaper, Leah tapped her glass against Kate’s and added, “Which wouldn’t have been possible without the help of my talented assistant.”

  Kate took a sip of her wine. “Not that I don’t adore praise, but Sam deserves a chunk of the credit. I swear, that man’s got muscles on top of muscles. Did you see the way he was tossing those tables around? As if they were made of paper instead of two tons of metal and wood.”

  “He was definitely a lifesaver,” Leah agreed.

  “And he even helped make the sparklers. Frank would cut off his right arm before he’d touch anything crafty like that. ‘Girl stuff,’ he calls it.” She huffed. “He acts like any activity that doesn’t end in the word ball will emasculate him.”

  Leah chuckled, always entertained by Kate’s exaggerated stories about her husband Frank. “I have to admit, Sam surprised me with his willingness to tackle whatever we put in front of him.”

  “And he’s such a hottie, too. Have you checked out his butt? The man’s got a body to die for.”

  Leah took a sip of her wine to avoid Kate’s gaze. “He’s okay, I guess.”

  Kate choked a breath. “Are you blind? He’s drop-dead gorgeous!”

  When Leah said nothing, Kate narrowed her eyes. “Oh, I get it,” she said slowly. “You’ve got the hots for him and don’t want to admit it.”

  Leah dropped her mouth open, then quickly looked around to make sure no one had overheard. “I do not,” she whispered angrily. “And would you please lower your voice. I’d prefer my personal life remain private.”

  Kate hooted a laugh. “So there is something going on between you two.” She braced her arms on the table and leaned for
ward expectantly. “Spill. I want all the details.”

  Leah drew back and took a nervous sip of her wine. “There’s nothing to tell.”

  As stubborn as a bulldog once she sank her teeth into something, Kate leaned closer. “I bet he’s a good kisser, isn’t he?”

  Leah felt a blush creep up her neck. “If you like your job, you’ll drop this subject, and I mean now.”

  “Come on, Leah,” she begged. “Give an old married a woman a thrill.”

  “Three years of marriage doesn’t qualify as ‘old.’”

  “It does when you’re married to ESPN. Come on, share. Wet? Dry? French?”

  Leah rolled her eyes. “You’re sick. Really sick.”

  “I’ll bet he Frenches.”

  Leah dropped her forehead to the table with a moan.

  “Uh-oh,” Kate murmured. “Trouble at six o’clock.”

  Leah jerked up her head, knowing by Kate’s tone what she meant by trouble.

  “Well, look who’s here,” a male voice said from behind her.

  Leah set her jaw, then turned to greet her ex. “Why, Louis,” she said, her smile as fake as his. “What a surprise seeing you here. Cheryl must have lengthened your leash. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you stray this far without her.”

  His eyes darkened at the sugarcoated barb, but he managed to keep his smile in place. “As a matter of fact, she’ll be joining me soon.”

  Since she’d rather choke to death than breathe the same air as her ex and the woman he’d had an affair with through most of their married life, she glanced at her wristwatch.

  “Would you look at the time?” she said in dismay and gathered her purse. “Sorry to rush off,” she said as she rose and brushed past Louis, “but I need to get home and check on Craig.”

  “Please tell me you’re not still playing nursemaid to that dysfunctional family of yours?”

  The cruel remark struck her back like a knife, dragging her to a stop. Hauling in a deep breath, she forced herself on, telling herself it didn’t matter. Louis’s opinion was no longer important to her. She wasn’t married to him any longer. And she certainly wasn’t in love with him.

  Sometimes she wondered if she ever was.

  Four

  That night, Leah lay in her bed, unable to sleep. Craig hadn’t been home when she’d arrived, which alone would have been enough to keep her awake worrying about his safety, his whereabouts. The fact that Sam wasn’t home, either, only increased her concerns.

  She’d finally broken down and called her sister-in-law and was relieved when she’d overheard Craig talking to someone in the background. She had wanted to question Patrice about Craig’s activities that afternoon, but she’d feared she would only upset her sister-in-law if she did. The woman was already teetering on the edge of emotional instability, and Leah wasn’t about to take a chance on knocking her over the edge into a complete breakdown.

  Knowing that Craig was safe should have relieved her enough to allow her to sleep. But her mind refused to shut down, building every possible scenario to explain Craig’s break from their agreed routine.

  Hoping a glass of warm milk would settle her nerves, she climbed from bed and tugged on her robe as she traipsed down the stairs. She had just pulled the milk from the refrigerator when she heard a noise behind her. Sure that it had come from the laundry room, she set the milk down and tiptoed toward the closed door. Easing it open, she peeked inside.

  And found Sam sitting on the floor, his back propped against the dryer, reading a magazine.

  She pushed the door wider. “What on earth are you doing?”

  He looked up from the magazine, then laid it aside, his expression sheepish. “Sorry. I was trying to be quiet.”

  Distracted by his bare chest and the faded sweatpants that rode low on his hips, it took a moment for what he’d said to register. She shook her head. “You didn’t wake me. I came downstairs to get a glass of milk.”

  “Trouble sleeping?”

  She dragged a hand over her hair, assuming her wild hairstyle was what had given her away. Reluc tant to share her concerns, especially after Louis’s catty remark about her dysfunctional family, she said hesitantly, “Sort of,” then decided she had to know. “Did you see Craig this afternoon?”

  “Yeah. Not for long, though. He didn’t get here until just before his mom came to pick him up. Why? Is there a problem?”

  She paced the width of the laundry room and back, worrying her thumbnail. “I don’t know. Kate invited me to have a glass of wine after work. I tried to call from the bar to tell Craig that I was going to be late, but I got the answering machine.”

  “He didn’t get the message. I can vouch for him on that one, because he never went inside. Barely made it up the drive, before his mom showed up.”

  “Did he say where he’d been?”

  He shook his head. “No. But, to be honest, we didn’t talk. Wasn’t time.”

  She wrung her hands. “I knew I shouldn’t have gone with Kate. I should’ve come straight home like I always do.”

  He caught her hand and pulled her down to sit on the floor with him in front of the dryer. “Now don’t go beating yourself up over this,” he scolded gently. “You’re entitled to a life, too.”

  She hugged her knees to her chest. “But he’s my responsibility. If something had happened to him or he’d gotten into some kind of trouble, I’d never forgive myself.”

  “And you being home is going to prevent either of those things from happening?”

  “Yes,” she said defiantly.

  “Come on, Leah. Even if you had been home, you couldn’t have done anything. He wasn’t here for you to protect.”

  She dropped her chin to her knees in dejection, knowing what he said was probably true.

  He draped an arm around her shoulders and hauled her back to hug against his side. “Raising kids is hell, isn’t it?

  “You have no idea,” she said miserably. She hesitated a moment, then decided he might as well know it all. “Craig’s been running around with a different crowd lately. Some real losers, if you ask me. I haven’t actually caught him at it, but I’m afraid he might be experimenting with drugs.”

  “Peer pressure is tough these days. A lot worse than when we were kids.” He stretched out his legs and settled her more comfortably at his side. “But I wouldn’t give up on Craig just yet. He seems like a good kid.”

  “He is…or was.”

  “Focus on is,” he ordered firmly, then gave her an encouraging smile. “He’ll come around. You’ll see. Heck, look at me. I got into more trouble than ten kids put together and I turned out all right.”

  In spite of her concern for her nephew, she bit back a smile. “In your opinion, maybe.”

  He drew back, feigning hurt. “You don’t think I’m a nice guy?”

  She lifted a shoulder. “You’re okay, I guess.”

  “Just okay?” He heaved an exaggerated sigh. “Man, you really know how to hurt a guy.”

  She bumped her shoulder against his chest. “As if I could hurt that overinflated ego of yours.”

  Chuckling, he hugged her to his side. “So tell me did you and Kate have a good time?”

  She shrugged again. “At first.”

  “Don’t tell me you girls had a tiff?”

  “No. Nothing like that. Louis showed up. My ex.” Her anger returned as she remembered his parting remark. “He really knows what buttons to push to set me off. I can’t believe I ever thought myself in love with him. He’s heartless, cruel and would lie when the truth would serve him better.”

  “Sounds like a real charming fellow.”

  “Oh, he can be charming, all right,” she said drily. “Don’t doubt that for a minute. The problem is, it’s usually when he wants something or after he’s done something wrong and he’s trying to weasel his way back into your good graces.” She pressed her fingers to her temples and shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about him. When I so much as think his name, I
wind up with a headache.”

  “All right by me,” he said agreeably. He waited a beat, then said, “I went shopping today.”

  She swept at a piece of lint that clung to her robe. “I wondered where you were when I got home. What did you buy? More car parts?”

  “That, too.”

  She glanced his way, wondering why he was being so evasive. “Am I supposed to guess?”

  “That might be fun.”

  Hiding a smile, she gave him a slow look up and down. “Well, it certainly wasn’t clothes.”

  “I’ll give you a hint. Drugstore.”

  She stared, her smile fading as she realized what he’d bought. “Oh,” she said, unable to think of a response.

  He beamed a proud smile. “Giant economy-size package. Nearly gave the little white-haired lady at the checkout a heart attack.”

  She laughed, imagining him plopping his purchase down on the counter in front of some sweet old lady. “You probably did.”

  When he said nothing more, only looked at her expectantly, she lowered her gaze and plucked at the ends of her robe’s sash. “This is awkward.”

  “Second thoughts?”

  She shook her head. “No. It’s just that before it was…spontaneous. This seems so—I don’t know—premeditated.”

  “Premeditated is a word reserved for courtrooms and murder trials.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Yeah,” he said, and heaved a disappointed sigh. “I guess I do.” He forced a smile and hugged her to his side. “There’s nothing that says we have to use them tonight.”

  Unsure if she was relieved or disappointed that he’d accepted her reluctance so easily, she pushed slowly to her feet. “I guess I better get back to bed. It’s late.”

  “Yeah, it is.” He picked up the magazine he’d been reading and began to flip pages. “’Night, Leah.”

  Unsure why she suddenly had the wildest urge to snatch the magazine from his hand and bop him over the head with it, she mumbled a halfhearted “’Night, Sam” and turned for her room.

  Leah couldn’t blame her sleeplessness on worries over Craig any longer. Now it was Sam who was keeping her awake.