Her Secret Texas Valentine

by Helen Lacey

  They didn’t talk much on the trip back to her condo, nor when she opened the security gate and walked up the path and then headed inside. Bruce came to greet them at racing pace, tail wagging and tongue lolling. Val discreetly locked him in the laundry with his bedding and favorite toys and returned to find Jake standing in the middle of the living room, his overnight bag at his feet, looking sexier than any man had the right to look.

  She glanced down at her jeans and shirt. “I think I’ll take a shower.” She took a couple of steps and then turned. “Are you joining me?”

  His eyes widened. “Is that an invitation?”

  “Absolutely.”

  He picked up his bag and wordlessly followed her down the hall. Strangely, her bedroom seemed smaller with the both of them in it. She’d never had a man in this bed before, as she’d moved into the place the week after she ended things with Hugh. Since then she hadn’t been intimate with anyone.

  She stalled at the end of the bed. “I haven’t done this for a while.”

  “Me either,” he said and dropped the bag. “But I’m pretty sure we’ll make out just fine.”

  Val smiled. As always, he had a way of putting her at ease. “Birth control?”

  He withdrew a box of condoms from his bag and placed it on the bedside table. “Got it.”

  She ditched her jacket and draped it over the chair in the corner of the room and then quickly closed the shutters. She flicked on the bedside lamp, kicked off her boots, removed her socks and returned to the end of the bed.

  Jake hadn’t moved an inch. He stared at her, long and blistering, and the desire in his expression fueled her confidence. She reached for the buttons on her shirt, ignoring her trembling fingers as she slowly undid them. Then he finally moved, pulling his own shirt free of his jeans and dispensing with the buttons quickly. His chest was spectacular, his skin like satin stretched over pressed steel, with a sexy smattering of blond hair on his pecs. Val swallowed hard, stepping backward, dispensing with her shirt and jeans with record speed as she made her way to the bathroom. The large shower could easily accommodate two people, and once she was naked, she turned on the water and stepped inside, waiting as steam filled the space. He joined her moments later.

  Never in her life had she seen a man with more masculine angles, more muscle, more sinew and strength. He was perfectly proportioned, generously so, and she swallowed hard as her gaze lowered and then moved back up to his handsome face.

  He looked at her, her face, her shoulders, her breasts, her waist, her hips and legs, and with every second of their visual connection, Val was drawn further into his world. He didn’t touch her, didn’t speak, didn’t move, didn’t do anything other than offer complete and unadulterated appraisal as the water sluiced over them, creating an erotic image that would remain with her forever.

  “You’re so very beautiful, Valene,” he said finally.

  She stepped forward, making contact, feeling his skin, so hot and wet and so utterly desirable she almost buckled at the knees. He must have sensed her reaction, because his arms came around her, settling on her hips, urging her closer. And then he kissed her, taking her mouth in a wild and erotic way that defied anything she’d experienced before. With the hot water beating down on them, with their skin slipping against each other, with his big hands splayed against her hips, Val lost all coherent thought. His tongue was in her mouth, his desire undeniable, his passion for her like a potent force, and she longed for it, craved it, needed it like she needed air in her lungs. She wrapped her arms around his waist and slid them upward, feeling his muscles clench firmer with every stroke of her hands. And she kissed him back, hotly and passionately. She gave up her lips and her tongue and reveled in the feelings he evoked throughout her entire body. As he kissed her, he touched her breasts, rousing the nipples to life, placing his mouth there and driving her wild. And he touched her intimately and so expertly she had to lean back against the cool tiles for support, craving the release he incited in her. His touch was addictive, his caress firm yet gentle, and she couldn’t get enough of him.

  “We have to get out of here,” he muttered raggedly against her mouth.

  Val managed to garner some strength in her legs and quickly turned off the water. She passed him a towel and grabbed one for herself and took a few moments to dry herself before she padded back into the bedroom, unbelievably unselfconscious. She’d never been so at ease with a lover, so in tune, so...free. She’d never wanted to make love with someone like she wanted to with Jake.

  Once they were on the bed, he took her into his arms, holding her head steady, gazing into her upturned face. “Tell me what you’re feeling,” he whispered.

  Val reached up and pulled his head toward hers. “Happy.”

  He kissed her again, smiling against her lips. And he touched her. He made her scorch, he made her writhe, he made her ache. He traced his tongue across her nipples over and over; he ran his fingers along every part of her, finding unbelievably erogenous places Val had never known she possessed. He caressed between her thighs skillfully, drawing her higher and higher toward release, kissing her in time with the rhythm his fingers created.

  And when she could stand no more of the incredible erotic torture he was bestowing, he quickly grabbed a condom, sheathed himself and moved over her, holding her head gently between his hands, kissing her mouth in a deeply erotic way that made her instinctively lift her hips to meet him.

  He entered her slowly, not breaking their visual contact, and in that moment, Val realized what she’d suspected for the past week and now couldn’t deny. She was falling in love with Jake. And the passion she felt, the connection she experienced with him, was real. It was intense. It was everything she had dreamed of.

  She kissed him, saying his name, gripping his hips in a message as old as time, and he moved inside her, his body a part of hers, her body a part of his. The rhythm he created was steady, not rushed, not hasty or self-serving. It didn’t take long for her to succumb, and she flew higher than she ever had before, feeling the white-hot rush of release sweep through her entire body as wave after wave of pleasure coursed through her. And then she felt him shudder and she held on, experiencing both power and acquiescence in the moment he found that same release.

  He rolled over, his breathing hard, his broad chest rising up and down as he dragged air into his lungs. “Be back in a second,” he said and swung his legs off the bed and then headed for the bathroom.

  By the time he returned, Val had moved the coverlet down and ditched some of the pillows. He slid back into bed and pushed away the sheet she was suddenly desperate to have covering her nakedness.

  “Oh, no,” he said and kissed her soundly. “We’re past the self-conscious stage, sweetheart.”

  “Easy for you to say,” she breathed and traced her fingers through the slight smatter of hair on his chest. “You’re perfect in every way. And I’m not.”

  He eased her onto her side and ran a hand along her hip. “You look pretty perfect from here.”

  “That’s just your post-sex vision,” she said and pouted a little. “In a couple of hours, you’ll see things differently.”

  “In a couple of hours,” he said as he rubbed his thumb gently over one budded nipple, “I intend to make love to you again.”

  Val moaned. “I’ve never had anyone make me feel like this before.”

  “Ditto.”

  It wasn’t a declaration of love. It wasn’t even close. But it was...something.

  “I need to send a great big thank-you to the dating app people,” she said on a dreamy sigh. “You know, it’s a Robinson Tech app.”

  “I know,” he replied and kissed her, lingering a little. “I signed on, remember?”

  She chuckled. “That’s right, your sister’s suggestion. I think I like your sister.”

  “Well, I’m sure she’ll like you, too. Now,” he s
aid as he rolled her over until she was lying on top of him, “how about we stop talking about anyone else who’s not in this room. And you can tell me exactly what you would like me to do, Ms. Fortunado, to make you happy.”

  Val’s entire body thrummed. “This,” she said, feeling his arousal, “makes me happy.”

  They made love again, taking time to stroke and touch and get to know each other, and Val knew she had never been as intimate or as close to another human being in her entire life. When he was inside her again, she was on top of him, feeling so sexy and powerful, so in tune with her entire body, she could barely get enough breath into her lungs. Jake gripped her hips, guiding her in a way that gifted them both the most mind-blowing pleasure and cemented in her mind and heart what she had suspected. She wasn’t falling in love with Jake. She was in love with him.

  Completely and irrevocably.

  Afterward they slept for a while, and then Val slipped out of bed to make coffee. It was after six o’clock and they’d been in bed for several hours. She was behind the counter, wearing his lucky shirt, when he appeared in the doorway, in nothing but his jeans with the snap undone. Her libido did a crazy leap.

  “Hey,” she said and smiled. “Hungry? I have the makings of a somewhat great pasta dish in my refrigerator.”

  He smiled. “Or we could order takeout from Toscano’s.”

  Val glanced at the clock on the wall. “At this hour, and on Valentine’s Day? I don’t like our chances.”

  “Serge owes me a favor. You know, you look very sexy in my shirt.”

  She touched the fabric with idle fingers. “It’s soft.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. You?”

  “Never better.”

  That was how she felt, too. As though she had finally found exactly where she wanted to be. And with whom. Well, not exactly where, because she knew that city living wasn’t appealing to Jake. But Val wondered if there was a middle road for them.

  He nodded. “I have something for you.”

  Her gaze roved up and down him possessively and then she grinned. “Something else?”

  He laughed and then disappeared back into the bedroom for a moment. By the time he returned, Val had the dinner ingredients laid out on the countertop. He carried a small, flat parcel wrapped in bright pink tissue paper. There was a card attached, and she read that first. The sentiment inside was romantic and exactly what she would expect from a man like Jake. Val sat on a counter stool and opened the gift, sighing when she saw what he’d given her. A picture of herself and Bruce, sketched in intricate detail and beautifully showcased in a silver frame. She looked at the likeness, saw something in the expression he’d drawn, how he’d made her look good, and she glanced at him.

  “Is this how you really see me? No little bump in my nose, no pointy chin, no flaws?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Thank you,” she said on a sigh. “I love it.”

  Jake moved forward and stood between her legs, settling his hand lightly on her shoulders. “What to get the girl who has everything,” he said and rested his chin on the top of her head.

  Valene inhaled the musky and intoxicating scent of him. “I don’t have everything.”

  He reached down and grasped her chin, tilting her head backward. “No?”

  She met his gaze. “Well, actually, at the moment, it feels like I do.”

  And as he kissed her, as their mouths met and he pulled her close, Val knew she had everything she’d ever wanted. His friendship. His body. His trust.

  And, if she was lucky, his heart.

  Chapter Ten

  On Monday, life returned to normal. Sort of. Val was still in a kind of dreamy, post-Valentine’s weekend of sensual bliss, recalling every romantic and passionate moment they had spent together, when Maddie popped her head around the doorway to her office at eleven o’clock.

  “How was your weekend?” her sister asked.

  Val looked up, smiled and felt heat scorch her cheeks. “Perfect.”

  “Really?” Her sister looked skeptical.

  “I’m not going to pretend I don’t care simply because I haven’t known him very long.”

  “It’s only been a few weeks,” ever-practical Maddie reminded her.

  “Some of us don’t need five years to figure out who we want to be with,” Val said pointedly. “Although we are all glad that you and Zach came to your senses and realized you were meant to be together.”

  Maddie’s steep brows rose significantly. “Oh, I see...you’re in love with Jake now?”

  She didn’t bother denying it. “Yes.”

  “And is he in love with you?” Maddie asked and stepped into her office.

  Val shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s not like we’ve said the words or anything. But I feel... I feel very strongly about Jake.”

  Her sister’s expression softened. “I hope he’s everything you believe he is.”

  “He’s more,” Val assured her sister. “He’s got integrity and strength, and he’s so incredibly nice. As it turns out, I don’t care about wealth or power or career. I care that he makes me laugh, that I feel like I’m my genuine self when we’re together. That he’s not judging me, not resenting me, not trying to get something from me, and not with me because we’re from the same kind of family.”

  “Are you sure?” Maddie asked quietly.

  “Positive. He’s not after our money or our name. If you could see the way the people around him look up to him,” she said and sighed, “you’d realize that Jake is very much his own man.”

  “You slept with him?”

  She nodded. “And it was incredible. I’ve never experienced real passion, or desire, or real chemistry before. I mean, I’ve imagined feeling like this, but I never quite believed I’d find it. But with Jake I feel all of those things. Don’t ask me to play the caution card, Maddie. It’s not in my nature, and I like feeling this way.”

  When her sister left shortly afterward, Val got back to work, but her mind wasn’t completely focused on the task. She took a call from Karl Messer and another from a potential new client in Austin she was seeing the following week. Despite losing the Butterworth account, Valene had never been busier. It was her time to shine, she thought. Her time to prove to her family that she could have a serious career and not simply playact. She knew that’s what they thought. Oh, they loved and supported her too much to say so, but in her heart she knew none of her family truly believed she was cut out for business. She knew they figured she’d grow tired of the work soon enough and then get married and have a family. And maybe she would. Because the more she considered the idea of getting married and having babies, the more the notion appealed to her.

  Beautiful little blond babies with glittering blue eyes.

  Jake’s babies.

  She sent him a playful text at lunchtime.

  You’re distracting me. V.

  A few minutes later, her cell pinged in response.

  I don’t see how. I’m in the corral branding calves. J.

  Val swooned over the heart emoji he added to the end of the message.

  Call me tonight. V.

  He did call, and they talked for half an hour, about random and mundane things. And she loved how they could talk about the simple stuff—even the weather—and it was still fresh and exciting.

  She drove to Austin Tuesday morning for a meeting and stayed the night, returning Wednesday. In the evening Jake came to her place and Val had every intention of making dinner. Until he kissed her and then she was lost. They made love quickly and passionately and she was stripped of every thread of self-control as she came apart in his arms. Afterward, they took a shower together and he helped her prepare dinner and she accepted that he was a much better cook than she was. Later, once the food was eaten and the dishes cleared, he suggested they watc
h a movie.

  He even supplied the DVD. A zombie flick, one she hadn’t seen.

  “How did you know which one to get?” she asked as they snuggled on the couch, with Bruce doing his best to get into a comfy spot between them. In the end, the dog made do with his basket at the foot of the sofa. “This kind of movie isn’t your thing.”

  He laughed. “My sister made a few suggestions. It’s something you two have in common.”

  “What’s that?” she teased. “That we’re both crazy about you? Me especially.”

  He kissed her mouth. “You know, if there are any clowns in this flick, we’re sleeping with the light on tonight.”

  “Oh, you think you’re going to be sleeping,” she said and turned, straddling him and moving her hips in a way that was deliberately provocative. “Not a chance.”

  As it turned out, there weren’t any clowns in the movie, but Val quickly lost interest in watching once Jake began kissing her neck. They went to bed around ten, leaving the light on because he insisted on seeing her, and she experienced such acute and mind-blowing pleasure in his arms, Val thought she might pass out. There was something impossibly erotic about watching him reach the peak of pleasure, knowing she was giving him every part of herself, knowing every touch, every kiss, every slide of her hand and mouth were just for him. Just as his touch was for her alone. The night became a voyage of sensual discovery, of pleasure and release, and there were quiet moments of gentle vulnerability that filled her heart with so much love, she wasn’t sure where he ended and she began. His every touch was like worship against her skin, every kiss was like a brand, every sigh a memento she would treasure forever.

  In the morning they woke early and took the dog for a walk and then returned to eat breakfast together. He was ready to leave at eight, and she kissed him goodbye with the promise of seeing him Saturday morning at the shelter.