Burning Desire by Marie Harte

Chapter Nine

Tex had been so grateful that Bree had forgiven him for being “a total dickhead with delusions of grandeur, barely good enough to suck her toes” that he agreed to whatever she asked for all day long.

That night, he left her at her house with a pleasant goodbye and waited in the truck for her to go inside. She’d made no more mention of them having sex or agreeing to a date night after the two weeks ended. But he had hope. Now he just had to stop being so honest with her and keep his big mouth shut.

Although…Tex’s speech about being afraid to mess up a good thing had worked perfectly. Yet the more Tex thought about what he’d said, the more he wondered if he’d ended up stumbling upon a deeper truth. He had been worried about messing up a good thing. And he did often flake on relationships once he realized they had no spark instead of trying to make the spark happen. It was like his parents’ perfect marriage impacted him in a negative way. Instead of having a great example of a relationship to strive for, he constantly feared he’d never live up to grand expectations and ended everything before it could really begin.

Damn. He should charge himself for his own therapy.

He sat, his mind loopy, and watched as Bree picked up the bouquet of flowers by her door before letting herself inside her house. He drove home, ignoring the ringing of his cell phone and the beeping of several texts.

Once in the door, he gave Bubbles some love and went outside to throw the ball for her. The dog had started to lose her reserve, finally, her tail wagging like mad when she saw him after an absence. She didn’t jump up on him, a polite gal. But she refused to leave his side when he was at home.

And that level of attention made him sad for her, that she’d been so lacking for God knew how long. His old dog had followed him around, sure, but then the pup had done her own thing. Hanging with his brothers or just chasing crickets outside in the yard.

Not Bubbles. She wanted nothing but to be with Tex, and he felt awful for leaving her alone whenever he went to work. At least Oscar and Gertie had been giving her love when he hadn’t been by to do so. He called Oscar.

“Yo. It’s Oscar. Speak to me.”

“Oscar, it’s Tex.”

“I know. And I still picked up! Imagine that.”

“Asshole. Any word on a home for Bubbles?”

“Not yet. We’ve had a few folks interested, but they didn’t check out. Bubbles needs caring and outdoor space. Stimulation with lots of love.”

“She follows me all over the place when I get home. It’s not fair to her to be alone all day. I know you’ve been swinging by to let her out and play with her. Hey, if you want, you can stay at my place with Klingon when I’m not home. I just… I don’t want her to be alone so much.”

The dog kept looking at him, her dark-brown eyes huge with love and need. Tex felt suffocated, the same way he had with so many of his exes.

He wasn’t doing right by the dog, and both Bubbles and he would be torn up when she left.

Oh my God. I’m a basket case.“I’m going to try to see if I can find her a place.”

“Whatever you can do, man. We’re also going to put her on the show next week. You know, Avery’s show for Searching the Needle Weekly with the pet adoption segment. It would be great if you could show up too.”

“Maybe.” Yet as much as Tex wanted Bubbles to find a good family, the idea of her leaving hurt. Bad. “Fuck. I don’t know.”

“Tex?”

He felt jumpy. “I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later about it, okay?”

“Sure, man. And seriously, thanks so much. She’s already worlds better living with you. You have no idea how withdrawn she was with Scott.” Oscar disconnected.

Great. More guilt.

Bubbles stared up at him and smiled, panting, her ears perked as she watched him.

Tex stared back. “You’re emotionally needy and physically challenging.” He stared at the dog hair on the floor. “You’re shedding, Bubbles.”

She didn’t blink.

“Where’s your ball?”

She barked. Ball—her new magic word.

After twenty more minutes spent playing fetch, she caved to taking some water while he set some ground beef in a pan to go with the leftover veggies he’d made the other night. Tex could cook okay, but he wasn’t a genius in the kitchen.

His phone vibrated again, and he checked, seeing a message from Bree. Several messages, actually.

His heart raced. He dialed her, his voice calm while the rest of him buzzed with excitement. “You called?”

“You got me flowers?”

He grinned. “You like them?” Considering his luck with Bree, he worried he’d made a mistake. “Oh, man, you’re not allergic or anything, are you?”

“No. They’re great.” She paused. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I did. I was a horse’s ass. A huge jackhole. Remember?”

“‘Jackhole’ is a new one. I like it.” She laughed. “Thanks, Tex. The flowers are really sweet.”

They hadn’t been cheap, but Bree was worth it. “I said it, and I’ll say it again. I’m really sorry about before.”

“Stop it already.”

He pumped his fist. Yes.

“Look, we’ll let bygones be bygones. Why don’t you come over for dinner tomorrow? And bring Bubbles. How does steak sound?”

“Great. I can pick up a few before—”

“No. This is on me. We’re good, Tex. Relax.”

“Just good, not great?”

She snorted. “One step at a time, cowboy. Keep being a stand-up guy—don’t hurt yourself, now—and we just might get to that date when we’re done.”

“Hot damn. Okay. And yeah, dinner tomorrow sounds great. I’ll pick you up in the morning at nine for work, okay?”

“Yes, but feel free to wear casual clothes. Unless you’re partial to your uniform. I want to do some work in my office, and I’d like your input on some of my shots.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Some explanation about some of the shots I took would help. And I’m curious as to what photos pop out at you.”

“Okay. Sure. See you at nine.”

But the next morning, Bree didn’t answer her door. He knocked. No answer. He pulled out his phone, thinking maybe she’d slept in. He called but she didn’t pick up. Odd. He stood there and thought he heard something. He knocked again. “Bree?”

The door flew open, and Bree yanked him inside. He stared at her in shock.

She wore nothing but a drenched, knee-length, terrycloth robe that clung to her.

“Bree?” came out as a croak.

“Help me!”

He followed her to her bathroom, the floor covered in sopping towels. The shower sprayed into a full tub, which was overflowing.

“I have a slow drain, and I can’t get the water to turn off.” She flipped a hank of wet hair back.

He couldn’t help grinning. “You look like a drowned rat.” A sexy rat. Her robe really showed off her assets, plastered to her as it was. His mouth watered as he raked his gaze over her breasts and thighs.

“Help. Me.” She planted her hands on her hips.

He held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. Where’s your water shutoff valve?”

“How the hell would I know?”

He sighed. “Where’s your water heater? Any valve-looking things?”

“That’s all in the garage.” She muttered, “I think.”

“Show me.” He followed her into the garage, spotted a valve he hoped would turn off the water to the house, and shut it off. “Tools?”

She pointed to a toolbox that looked as if it had never been opened. “My dad gave it to me years ago.”

“Right. Go check to make sure the water’s off in the bathroom, would you?”

“Okay.” She left.

He dragged the toolbox inside and paused in the hallway to remove his shoes and socks and roll up his jeans.

“Water’s off,” she called from the bathroom.

He entered, walking over the wet floor. The tub continued to drain, the water now below the edge and sinking. He rolled his pants higher and waited until it had gone halfway down before stepping in the tub.

Bree hovered nearby. “Can I help?”

“I’ll let you know.” He’d propped the toolbox on the counter and leaned over to grab a flathead screwdriver. He popped off the cover plate to the shower handle and pulled the knob assembly off the valve stem. Then he fetched a pair of pliers from the toolkit and used them to turn the stem counterclockwise. It wouldn’t go any more.

“Okay, this should do it. The water is off, but you might need to replace the cartridge inside. Only reason I know this is that my parents had this exact same problem last year, and I watched my dad fix it. One heck of a Christmas, I can tell you, four of us sharing one shower.”

She smiled. “Thanks, Tex.”

Her robe gaped, and try as he might, he couldn’t help looking. She had the nicest breasts…

He glanced up to see her following his stare. “Oh, uh, sorry.”

She looked at him with a frown.

He blurted, “I can’t help it. You’re all wet, and they’re right there. It’s like they’re begging me to get closer.” Stop. Talking. He turned mute, but he couldn’t blink, his entire being focused on her wet, stacked chest.

“You like my rack, eh?” Bree was smiling at him. “Are wet T-shirts your thing?”

He found it safe to smile back.

Mistake.

She turned, grabbed a bowl that for some reason sat in the bathroom filled with water, and tossed it at him, hitting him right in the face and chest. And it was cold.

“Damn it.” He staggered back, slipped, and nearly fell on his ass in the tub, then said to hell with it and plopped down in the inches of water remaining.

“Oh, shoot. Are you okay?” She leaned forward with concern, and he yanked her down on top of him.

“There you go. Now we’re both miserable.” And he had an armful of Brianna Gilchrist.

Which was not at all a good idea.

He no longer felt the cold. Her robe gaped, leaving a wealth of her slick, wet skin visible and so close… He had his hands on her thighs, holding her over him, her legs spread as she straddled his hips in her unusually wide tub.

“It’s like a spa tub,” he said, the inane words not connected to the spike of blood pressure rushing below the belt. His jeans felt way too tight, her legs way too smooth.

“I like to take baths a lot.”

“Yeah?” He had trouble breathing, his focus on her proximity.

“Your T-shirt is all wet. Sit back and lift up your arms.” Oh, shit. Her voice had gone husky.

He sat up for balance, careful not to move her off him, and lifted his arms.

She drew his shirt off and tossed the sopping fabric. Then she looked at him. Really looked.

The air thickened. His body felt sensitive all over, and when she stroked his chest, flicking her fingers over his nipples, his desire shot into hyperdrive.

Fuck. Me.

Bree stared, her mouth open in a sexy O.

He felt so hard, he hurt. “You’re all wet.”

The pause between them gave more meaning to what he said.

She bit her lower lip, and Tex felt like he’d entered another dimension, one where his porn fantasies meshed with real life.

“I am wet. All over. Want to see?”

What the…?“Jesus. Are you kidding?”

“I want you. Do you want me?”

He dragged her down and kissed her, which was all the answer she needed.

***

Bree couldn’t handle the pressure any longer. She’d been lusting after this man for months. And the past week and a half had been frustrating, because even when she wasn’t sure she liked Tex, she wanted him.

She sure the hell hadn’t planned to wake up late then deal with a possessed shower, but to get Tex McGovern wet and half-naked? Priceless.

She ground over that large bulge between his legs, sighing when he parted her robe and put his hot, callused hands over her breasts. He cupped her and took over the kiss, grinding up against her while he fondled her into a fevered arousal. And his hands had nothing on his mouth.

His tongue filled her, stroking and persuading, his moans more than setting her off. She wanted him inside her. Now. “Tex, I—” she started as he ran his mouth across her cheek and down her throat.

The wet robe slid down her arms and stopped at her elbows, the fabric parted so that she was all but naked on top of Tex.

“I knew you’d be hot as fuck, but this is insane,” he muttered and latched onto her breast.

She gasped as he teethed her, sucking the nub with a roughness that turned her into a mindless, needy creature. She was drenching his jeans, and it wasn’t just water messing the fabric.

He turned to her other breast, and she could only hold on to him, running her hands through his hair, keeping him where it felt best.

“Need to be in you,” he said as he drew back to stare at her. He looked her over, lingering on the junction of her thighs resting over his groin. “You got any condoms?”

“In the bedroom, I think.” Honestly, she found it difficult to do more than feel. She used birth control and always practiced safe sex, so she was safe. But was Tex?

He startled her into a gasp before she could ask, easing her over his shoulder as he stood. He left the bathroom with speed. “Which way?” he asked as he grabbed a dry towel from the rack.

Are we doing this? Oh my God. We’re really doing this!“To the left.” Anticipation made her light-headed, that or the fact she slumped over Tex’s shoulder, staring at his tight ass as he hightailed it to her bedroom.

He set her down gently and removed the robe from her. “First time’s gonna be fast,” he said, staring at her. He unzipped and pushed down his clothes, then kicked them off. “Grab a condom.”

She hurried to her nightstand and came back with one. “Here.” She handed it to him.

“Not yet.” He stalked her, and she backed away before she realized it. The back of her knees hit the bed. “Tex?”

“You say no and I’m gone.” Tense, he waited.

“Yes. I’m saying yes.”

“Then get on the bed and spread your legs. You clean?”

She blushed. “Yes.”

“Me too.” Then he was all business, his body tight, his muscles huge, and his cock…magnificent. She wanted so badly to take his picture, right then and there.

“Bree?”

“Tex?”

“Darlin’, my eyes are up here.” He sounded amused.

She blinked and met his gaze. “Sorry, it’s just so big.”

“I know.” He chuckled. “Now if you want to see how good it feels inside you, lie back on the bed and spread those gorgeous legs. I can’t wait anymore.”

“Me neither.” She hurried, not feeling self-conscious as much as dying to feel satisfied and praying he wasn’t a dud in bed. Still, even if he was, he was dynamite to look at—Carrie had been correct in that.

But instead of covering her and thrusting deep, Tex blanketed her with his body, leaning up on his elbows so as not to crush her, and kissed her. He kept on kissing her while that thick cock brushed against her belly, so incredibly thick.

She moaned, needing him, her body on fire to have him.

Then his fingers were there, skimming her clit, and she shot up against him, on edge.

He moaned and thrust his tongue in and out of her mouth, following with his fingers in and out of her body.

To her embarrassment, she teetered on the verge of orgasm already. “No, Tex, wait,” she said when she could catch a breath. “I’m almost there.”

“So why stop?” He continued to kiss her throat, his fingers now toying with her belly while he angled his cock between her legs. Not penetrating, just resting against her. And each time he shifted even the littlest bit, she shivered, ever closer to orgasm.

“I want you in me.” She gasped and closed her eyes. “In me, Tex.”

She heard rusting, felt him move off her, and then he was back.

“Condom’s on. I’m so fuckin’ hard, Bree. I promise, next time will be longer.”

“You with all the talking. Get to it already,” she ordered, not needing a play-by-play.

He chuckled before positioning himself, prepared to enter her. “You ready for a hard fuck, Bree?” He leaned forward to kiss her again, making love to her mouth until she was begging him to take her.

“Please, Tex. God, now.”

“That’s it, darlin’. You need me, don’t you?” The jerk gave her little bits of himself, driving her crazy.

Her body hummed, close and then not close, edging too slowly toward climax. He grazed her nipples as he moved, and he whispered dirty things he planned on doing to her the next time.

Then he lifted up on his hands to look down at her. She blinked up, watching him as he pushed inside her, inch by inch. So damn big. And so incredibly good…

“Tex,” she breathed, electrified when he pumped and grazed the sensitive bundle between her legs. “Oh, yes, yes.” She couldn’t stop the orgasm that rushed through her, nor could she stop seizing as he shoved hard and continued to fuck her.

The pounding took her to new heights, so big and wonderfully raw. He didn’t last much longer than she had, and before she knew it, he’d thrust one final time and jerked inside her, moaning her name.

She’d closed her eyes, because she had to open them to see him. He shuddered over her, small pumps of his hips as he emptied into the condom. She shivered, the pleasure awe-inspiring. She’d never had an orgasm last so long. Or been so loud about it. She recalled shouting his name as she came.

Tex looked down at her, and his intensity had yet to dim.

He gave one final push before easing out of her and cringing. “Sorry. I’m a little sensitive. I think you made me see black there for a minute.”

She grinned, feeling too good for any recriminations or self-doubt. “Me too.”

“Be right back.” He returned without the condom, his cock still half-hard.

“Does that thing ever go down?”

“After a workout.”

“You mean at the gym, it gets hard?” Odd.

“What?” He stood next to the bed and stared down at her in question. “No, darlin’.” He chuckled. “I meant after having sex. A workout. With you though, it’s going to stay hard until I take care of this need. You and me got some more to work out.”

“Again? Now?” She looked at him, and it appeared he’d need more time.

“Give me a little room to breathe. I’m good for it. Besides, I didn’t get near enough time with those breasts and that pussy.”

“Tex.” She blushed.

He grinned and settled next to her on the bed again, this time resting on his side as he studied her body. “I’m just gonna say it. You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” His accent thickened. “I’ve imagined this in just about every way possible. But doing what we just did didn’t come close to what I thought it would be.”

“It was worse?” Great. Now she felt self-conscious.

“No, dippy. It was fucking fantastic.” He frowned. “But if you have to ask that, I musta done something wrong.”

“No, it was great. It…” She watched him draw closer to her breasts. He closed his eyes as he sucked her nipple, making love to her body. She bit back a moan, wishing she didn’t respond so readily. But the man had it easy with her. He had only to look at her and she was aroused.

“Tex, oh.”

He continued to kiss her while he cupped and toyed with her other breast. Then he swapped the attention, his hands all over the place.

She needed to touch him as well, so she ran her hands over his shoulders and pecs, down his nipples to his belly.

“Yeah, touch me like that. Fuck, Bree. You feel so good.” He moved over her and kissed his way steadily down her body.

Would he keep moving lower?

Why, yes, he would indeed.

She sucked in a breath when he blew over her sensitive flesh. Then he put his mouth over her—licking, sucking—and added a finger inside her. She groaned and arched into his touch, exhausted yet wound up at the same time, letting him lead her all the way to a loud, moaning climax.

But instead of shoving up inside her, he kissed his way back up her body, then turned to lie on his back beside her. She caught her breath and looked at him, only to see him thick and hard once more.

“Touch me.” He drew her hand to his erection, and she could barely wrap her hand around him. “Oh, yeah. That’s it.” He closed his eyes as she pumped him, marveling at his size.

She wanted to feel him again inside her. “Reach into the nightstand for another condom. I think I have more.”

“Oh, God, please.” He sounded desperate.

She chuckled.

He found one and handed it to her. “Put it on me.”

She did, taking her time to roll it down. He writhed, and she loved it. Despite being sated, she wanted to feel him stretching her out, filling her up. She straddled him and took him in hand, then slowly sank over him until she rested against his pelvis.

“You feel so big,” she said on a breath, incredulous at the fullness inside her.

“This.” He reached up and held her breasts in his hands. “Fucking this. I want you to ride me. Yeah, up and down. Let me watch those tits bounce.” He continued with even dirtier talk, and hearing him say such blunt things excited her to no end.

Before she knew it, she was slamming up and down over him, encouraged by his moans and pleas for more. He pinched her nipples, so she did the same to him. Then the tricky devil slid a hand between her legs to rub her while she rode him. And her unstoppable libido raced him to the end, their speeded coupling growing more intense.

“That’s it. Fuck yourself with my dick. Up and down. Yeah, more.” He sounded hoarse, his body taut, his face tight with agony.

Then he shouted and seized, and she jerked against him, coming once more as his clever fingers and thick shaft brought her to a foggy state of ecstasy.

When she’d finally wound down, she felt as if she’d run a marathon. Weak and trembly, she eased off him, taking the condom from him and disposing of it. She returned to the bed and crawled over it to lie next to him, her heart taking its own time to slow down.

As the minutes passed, the awkwardness she’d been hoping to avoid settled over them.

“So, um, I didn’t plan this,” he said, staring at the ceiling.

She looked up as well, finding a pattern in the texture. “Me neither.”

A pause.

“What do you want to do about it?” he asked.

A good question.

“How about we pretend it never happened? We continue to work together, finish up the project. Then when it’s over, we have that date.”

He rolled over to look at her, his face slack with repletion, his eyes hazy with a satisfied smile. “I can do that. I can’t swear I won’t envision you naked. Or not think about this every damn second until that date. But I won’t tell a soul, and I won’t act any different at work. Deal?”

She nodded, relieved. He wasn’t making a fuss, and he seemed to understand. She held a hand toward him. “Deal.”

“Oh, hell, no. We just fucked, baby. No handshake seals our deal.” Tex leaned over and kissed her until they were both panting.

“Nope, nope.” Tex pulled back. “Sorry. I can get carried away. If it were up to me, we’d spend all day in your bed. I have so many more fantasies with you to fill out. Say, you don’t own a cheerleader outfit, do you?”

She flushed. “No, you big ass. I do not.”

He chuckled. “Kidding. Kind of.”

She sighed.

“Okay, I’ll go get dressed in my…well, my clothes are wet.”

Your pants are a little wet from me as well.She felt her cheeks heat. “How about we give them a quick run through the washer and dryer? I’ll get dressed, and we’ll have breakfast while your clothes dry.”

“That’s a deal.” He smiled, traced her lips with his finger, and kissed her again. “One more week. I can handle that. Just friends, no sex. This never happened.”

“Right.” She kissed him back. “Okay, getting up, here. Because if I don’t, I might never leave.”

Sadly, he had no idea she meant that.