by Em Petrova
When he lifted his gaze to her face once more, he caught the gleam in her eyes. “I know the place. Wedding reception?” he asked.
She nodded, biting into her lip.
He didn’t want to look away from her plump lips now, but he pointed toward the crossroads. “Take that east about two miles. The Trinity Center’s off the beaten path, but you’ll see a white sign at the end of the road. Take that.”
Her gas pump shut off, and she reached for it.
“Let me do it.” He stepped up and drew the pump from her car. “Don’t want you getting gasoline on your dress.”
“I’ve never heard anybody drawl the word gasoline like that.”
His crooked smile was back. Something about this woman made him want to smile a lot, and he could use that right now, with memories of Adam so close.
“All the roads around here look the same to me. It’s easy to get lost.”
“C’mon. A smart girl like you who navigates the I-35 up in Texas Hill Country? You can surely master a few back roads.”
When she smiled, he zeroed in on the bow of her lips and the shine in her eyes. The connection on his end was unmistakable, but since she had ignored his texts, cut their dinner date short and told him flat out she didn’t want to date anyone, he was pretty sure it was one-sided.
“Listen, you…” She cut off her words and tipped her head, meeting his stare.
He cocked a brow. “Go on.”
“I’m headed to my ex’s wedding reception,” she blurted out.
He straightened.
“And I’d love to show up with a date.”
Lennon dipped his head, fixing his gaze on her dainty feet in those heels. He’d like to unbuckle the thin straps and kiss the skin underneath.
He looked up at her again. “I’ll go.”
Her mouth fell open. “Really? I’m so relieved—I didn’t want to go alone. It’s pretty awkward.”
“Why go at all then?”
She nibbled her lip. “I’m hoping one of our mutual friends might be there. In return for coming as my plus-one, you get all the prime rib you can eat and an open bar.”
“Hard to turn down good prime rib.” He scuffed his knuckles over his jaw. At least he’d shaved before leaving his momma’s house and could pass as presentable. His radar was going off too, though. Something about Edie’s expression had him wondering if her reason for going to the reception wasn’t deeper.
“Could you like… pretend…”
“You want a fake boyfriend, I’m your man.”
She grinned, and he saw the dark cloud over her expression wash away in a ray of sunlight. The woman’s delicate features were made even prettier when she smiled—and especially when she smiled at him.
He wasn’t feeling the deep pain of visiting Adam’s grave quite so much now, either.
“The reception starts in half an hour.” She looked him over again.
“I was on my way home from a visit with my momma, and I’ve got a freshly washed and ironed shirt in my truck.” He gestured to his old Ford.
Her grin spread. “Then it must be fate. I hope you’re hungry.”
He was—but for round hips and soft thighs to spread for a feast.
She climbed into her car, and he finished pumping his gas and then parked his truck around the side of the convenience store. He reached for his black dress shirt laid out on the passenger’s seat and slipped it on over his T-shirt, topping it all with a western string tie from his duffel bag.
He’d managed to score a second date with Edie—even if it was as her pretend boyfriend. What more could he want? He was getting an afternoon with a pretty girl and some prime rib.
It’d be enough for him any other time.
He ducked to check his appearance in the side mirror. With his best jeans and boots, he was good to go.
She pulled around the side of the store and parked. When he walked up to her passenger’s door, she hit the locks just as he reached for the handle.
He tossed his head back on a laugh. Now this was a side to her he hadn’t seen before. Playful and beautiful—a deadly combination.
Plus I get the prime rib.
She unlocked the door, and he climbed in with a chuckle, putting the seat all the way back in her small car to make room for his legs.
She brushed her shoulder-length blonde waves off her face and put the car in gear. While she drove, he focused on her legs and the sexy-as-hell high heel depressing the gas pedal.
She slanted a look at him, totally aware that he was gawking at her legs. “You didn’t tell me much about yourself now, only a few things about your past. You just said you were headed from your momma’s house. Don’t you live around here?”
“No, but I miss the peace and quiet.”
“What do you do?” she asked.
Answering that question was pretty easy when most women asked it. He always told them he was in law enforcement, which wasn’t altogether untrue. He and his twin had both gotten starts as state troopers, then Texas Rangers. For a while, he and Linc had been at opposite sides of Texas, until that day a bunch of Texas Rangers had banded together, and the Ranger Ops team had been formed as a division of Homeland Security.
For some reason, he didn’t want to give only partial truths to Edie. He wanted to be himself with her.
This sure as hell was unusual for him—he took women to bed and the only thing he ever dwelled on were her skills between the sheets. He felt something with her, though—something out of the ordinary. He’d stepped into foreign territory and wasn’t even armed.
He shifted position to get more comfortable and told her to take a left at the sign.
“I work for a government agency.” He didn’t even like giving her the half-truth, but it was the closest he could come to the full story.
“Sounds interesting.”
Before she could ask more, he changed the topic of conversation, steering it away from himself.
“What’s our story?” he asked.
She glanced at him, those baby blues taking all his focus. “I hadn’t thought up one. What do you think?”
“Met on the job. I was fixin’ the office lights and you couldn’t stop staring at me on the ladder near your desk.”
She giggled. “Should I be worried at how quickly you came up with that? Are you a compulsive liar or something?”
“No. Just used to thinking on the fly.”
“That’s a relief. I was worried you’ve done this before.”
“Well, I am in the business of rescuing damsels in distress.”
She sent him a long look as they bumped down the gravel road leading to the country barn that served as a reception center. “I’m not a damsel. But I can’t wait to see Jake’s face when I walk in with you, cowboy.”
* * * * *
She must be crazy. She’d only come to Jake’s reception hoping that Senator Arthur was attending too. Surely, her ex would have invited him, and the way Jake talked, they were close friends.
Was she really ready to come face-to-face with her biological father? She’d given this some long, hard thought and still didn’t know what she wanted to get out of meeting the senator.
Maybe it was some deep-rooted childhood daddy issues, always dreaming of her father seeing her and apologizing for not being there her entire life.
Of not claiming her.
She suddenly had the jitters. Maybe she was stupid for coming.
Sweeping her gaze around the room yet again, she lingered over all the blond men. Not one had the tall physique of Senator Arthur. He wasn’t here yet.
The place was filling up fast, and the large barn was actually a charming venue. She was surprised Jake would allow himself to be countrified, but she could see him wanting to please his new Barbie doll pageant queen bride.
The barnwood floors and high beams were where the country aspect of the reception ended, though. Small tables were covered in white linen, china and glassware as delicate as soap bubbles. The cente
rpieces must have cost hundreds of dollars each. In the corner wasn’t a country band with fiddle and banjo but a string quartet playing classical music at the moment.
The bride and groom had already made their entrance to much applause, and Edie clapped along with the rest of them, including Lennon. The man sat beside her, his pose relaxed. It was hot inside the building, and he had rolled his black dress shirt over his forearms, giving her an enticing view of tendons and veins snaking up under the cuffs.
Each time he brought his whiskey to his lips, she had to stifle a shiver of arousal.
Every other woman in the place was staring at Lennon too. She’d caught a few of the bolder ones giving him winks and smiles, but Lennon only returned their interest with a single nod of greeting.
He was definitely playing the devoted boyfriend, and Edie was grateful for it.
After a couple speeches from various wedding party members, dinner was announced. Everybody got up to head to the buffet, and Lennon seemed to be a pro at this part of the game, because he jumped up, grabbed Edie by the arm and steered her to the head of the line.
“How did you do that?” she whispered as he edged in front of a group of people.
“Easy. Give them the country smile.” He delivered it now, and she had to admit, it dazzled her with white teeth and creases around his hazel eyes.
She nodded dumbly and accepted the plate he put into her hands for her to fill.
She continued looking all around, checking the entrance over and over again for a glimpse of the senator, but he still wasn’t there when they took their seats at the table again to eat.
“I must say you delivered on the prime rib promise,” he drawled, knife and fork in hand. Even the way he held his fork was sexy, with the tines down.
A waiter came around asking if anybody wanted another drink, and she ordered a rum and Coke, though she had to watch herself. More than two drinks would lower her inhibitions, and she was already in danger of stripping off all her clothes for her sexy date. Watching the man eat prime rib and shoot back whiskey was hot enough, but did he have to look at her that way too? Like he’d eat her up next?
Maybe she’d made a mistake in saying no dating and then asking him to accompany her.
Maybe it was the texts he’d sent that she never answered. All of it was wearing her down. Either that, or it was the combination of his muscles and the rum.
“What would you have done if the prime rib wasn’t any good?” she asked.
He cocked a brow at her. “You’d have to pay me in dances. Actually, I think that’s part of the act, don’t you?”
“I don’t dance,” she said.
“We’ll see.” He grinned around another bite of meat.
After she’d picked at her meal, she realized she needed to soak up any alcohol in her stomach in case the senator did show up. After all, she couldn’t start spouting drunken accusations at him for abandoning her. So she buttered her dinner roll and picked it apart in pieces, popping each into her mouth.
Lennon was watching her with interest, his gaze dropping to her lips and lingering there before moving back to her fingers.
Her stomach swirled with a little warmth from the alcohol and a hell of a lot of attraction.
“How is it you don’t have a girlfriend?” she blurted out.
“Guess I haven’t met anybody worth keepin’ around.” His stare fixed on hers for several long heartbeats.
The bridal dance was announced, and then the dance floor flooded with couples. The senator was not among them. It was clear he wasn’t coming. And Edie didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed.
She was just considering whether or not her blood alcohol level was too high to leave the reception, when Lennon stood and took her by the hand. “Let’s dance.”
A shiver ran through her at the rumble of his deep voice.
He led her onto the dance floor. The bride and groom stood not far off, dancing awkwardly like there was a wedge between them, but Lennon hooked her around the waist and yanked Edie flush against him.
When he started to bump and grind in time to the music, Edie’s body caught on fire. The flames spreading through her groin must be from the rum and Cokes, right?
He shot a look over her head. “Your ex is lookin’ this way.” Without another word, Lennon kissed her.
And it was no soft brushing of lips. It was a claiming, all-consuming, openmouthed display that left her panting and she hoped her ex questioning his life right now.
He tore his lips away.
“That wasn’t part of the deal,” she said shakily.
His crooked grin cut a path up his cheek. “Did you mind it?”
She could only shake her head no, too turned on from the unplanned kiss. Actually, it had been the hottest kiss of her life.
She forgot about Jake or her father the senator who hadn’t shown up. Right now, she was in the arms of a very hot, intriguing cowboy who had enough moves to render her stupid. Between his tight grip on her hips and the shake of his ass to the next fast country song, Edie sure was drooling.
Every other woman in the place was staring at Lennon too, and no wonder. Looking at him felt like sinning. Dressed in slick black, a worn hat and boots, with his muscles popping out whenever he so much as flicked a finger and a crooked smile that hit a female right in all the lady parts, he was one hell of a fine specimen of manhood.
Finding him at the gas pump was the best luck she’d had in… well, ages.
Lennon stared deep into her eyes.
Too deep.
She wasn’t prepared for the odd mixture of feelings he stirred up inside her.
“What are you thinking?” His voice was gritty.
She didn’t need any entanglements. “No strings,” she told him.
She meant what she said—she wasn’t in the market for a relationship right now. Focusing on her internship and making it into a full-time position with Notable News was more than enough.
But… it had been so long since she’d let a man touch her this way, and she was practically gagging for more of it from Lennon.
The song switched back to a slow number. Lennon swooped her up against him even tighter, so not even a breath of air could shimmy between their bodies.
He whirled her, and she giggled.
“Having a good time?” he asked, low.
She planted a hand on his shoulder. “Actually, yes.”
“You sound surprised.”
“Does anybody go to an ex’s wedding and enjoy themselves?”
When he gave that crooked smile, she was sucked right in. Looking closer at his face, she saw his nose had been broken before and bore a bump on the bridge. He also had a scar through one brow and on a cheekbone. His little imperfections only lent to his rugged appearance, though.
“Would you go to an ex’s wedding?” she asked.
“Never kept in touch with any to be invited.” He whirled her, and all eyes were on them.
Lennon didn’t seem to notice at all, though, attention only on her.
“I have a confession to make, Edie.” His stare drilled into her, and she forgot she had feet, but he continued to move her around the dance floor between couples.
“What is it?” She sounded so breathless.
“I wasn’t kissin’ you for show.” To prove his point, he moved in and captured her mouth again. She stopped moving and put her arms around his neck, and he planted a hand on her lower back.
Desire shot through her entire body, and the world flowed away. She tumbled into forbidden territory for a long minute before dragging her mouth from his.
She stared up at him, chest heaving for air.
“Let’s go outside for a bit,” he said.
Exactly what she’d been thinking.
Or was that the two drinks talking? Two wasn’t a lot, and she felt as if she had all her faculties, though she definitely wouldn’t drive quite yet.
Which meant she had some time before she could leave…
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She nodded and slipped her hand into Lennon’s. He crushed her fingers lightly in his rough grip as he wove his way off the dance floor, past the staring newlyweds and straight out the door.
The day was hot, but the country venue offered some shady spots, and Lennon headed for one.
Her heels threatened to twist out from under her, and she drew to a stop. He tossed a look back at her, and she saw determination and desire stamped all over his handsome face. Her stomach tingled.
“My heels,” she said.
He bent and flicked the tiny buckle of one before sliding it off her foot. Then the other.
She could do nothing but stare at him, shocked he had managed the small buckles with such big hands.
Speaking of big hands… he had big feet too. Did that mean—?
“C’mon,” he rasped out and took her by the hand again. They crossed the grounds where the chairs from the wedding ceremony she hadn’t actually attended were being folded and loaded onto a truck to return to storage for the next nuptials. The land sloped downward, and she was grateful not to be wearing shoes right now, as she’d have a broken ankle. Lennon carried both her heels by the straps in his other hand, and it gave Edie a strange ripple in her stomach to know he cared enough to do it.
He let her go long enough to hold a branch for her, and she ducked beneath it. Her hair caught on a small bit of the branch, and he reached up to tug it free with the utmost tenderness. She gaped at him. Who was this man?
If he was pulling out a bag of tricks with seduction in mind, he had one hell of a stash and knew how to use it too.
He tossed a look at her. “All right?”
“Yes.” Her answer came out whisper soft.
The corner of his lips quirked again before he faced forward and continued down a small slope. To her surprise, a creek flowed through the land, cutting a zigzag path.
“Did you know this was here?”
“Never been here before. But I heard the water.”
“You heard the water. How the heck? Who are you?”
“I’m country,” he said, though he didn’t look at her.
“You could have been marrying Miss Deep South back there.”
