Taming the Texan

Their hips moved in perfect sync and she never let her eyes waver from his. There was a level of comfort with her he’d never found before. Finding something so rare had him drawing from her, using her in this moment.

When Alexa’s knees clenched tighter against him, Hayes leaned down and covered her mouth with his. He wanted them joined in every way possible. There wasn’t enough—he needed more.

Hayes reached down, slapped a hand over her hip and surged forward harder, faster. Alexa cried out, breaking their kiss and squeezing her eyes shut.

“Look at me,” he demanded, echoing her words. He wanted to see and feel every bit of her release. They were both drawing from each other and he didn’t want that bond severed…at least not yet.

Swollen lips, heavy lids, Alexa came apart all around him, which was all it took for Hayes to follow. His body tightened, he clenched his teeth, gripped that hip and lifted her leg even higher. Alexa’s fingertips trailed up his arms and over his shoulders. She threaded her fingers through his hair as his body slowly started to come back down.

After his tremors ceased, Hayes started to shift to the side, but Alexa locked her ankles behind his back.

“Wait,” she murmured. “One more minute. I’m not ready for reality just yet.”

Reality was a bitter bitch. He wasn’t ready to face it, either. But getting too cozy with this lush, passionate woman wasn’t the smartest idea. Forget the fact that she matched him perfectly in bed, but she’d also honed in on his deepest fears and still managed to calm him with little effort.

Hayes ultimately gave in to her request to stay just a little longer. When he rolled to the side, he pulled her with him and cradled her head in the crook of his arm. He’d never admit that his knee hurt like hell. This was worth the pain. She was worth the pain.

He wasn’t getting comfortable all nestled here with her in his bed, his home. He wasn’t. He was simply coming down from great sex. That’s all. This wasn’t snuggling or cuddling or post-coital bonding. Their bond had come and gone during their intense intimacy.

But when her hand slid over his chest, Hayes had to close his eyes, because the warmth and tenderness from this woman was climbing over that wall he’d erected.

What happened to the quickie he’d set out to have? The seduction he’d wanted since he saw her in the stables had somehow turned into lying in bed together in each other’s arms. How had they gotten to this point?

The second he’d discovered she was a mother, he’d vowed to keep his distance emotionally. Unfortunately, his emotions were scraped raw, exposed and easily accessible. And Alexa knew exactly how to make him feel, how to make him think about all the things he didn’t want rolling over in his mind.

She felt too damn good.

Just another minute. He’d hold her one more minute and lie to himself about how he didn’t enjoy this precious moment with this precious woman… Because right now, he truly didn’t want to be anywhere else.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Alexa grabbed Hayes’s T-shirt and slid it over her head. She’d apparently fallen asleep in his bed, but when she woke up, he was missing…and the bed was cool. Had he waited until she’d passed out and slipped away?

Regrets already?

Her tank top was still down in the study, so she pulled her jeans on to go with the shirt he had folded on his dresser. The sky outside the window had darkened and the rain continued to pour down. Alexa’s stomach growled as she padded through the room and into the hall. A light shone from the first-floor family room as she glanced over the balcony railing. Still no Hayes in sight.

Surely he wouldn’t mind if she went to the kitchen to find something to eat. Other than coffee, she hadn’t had a thing since she’d grabbed a granola bar on her way out to the B and B this morning.

Alexa gripped the handrail and froze. Had it only been this morning that she’d left her house?

This morning she hadn’t even known Hayes Elliott and she’d already been in his bed.

The woman she was here at Pebblebrook Ranch was not the single mother, teacher of special needs preschoolers. It was like she’d completely transformed into someone else the moment she got here.

Never in her life had she thought of having a temporary fling. She’d been married, then once widowed she’d focused solely on her son and providing for him. Dating hadn’t even been a priority, let alone sex.

Something about Hayes brought out a side of her she hadn’t even known existed. She’d only been with two people in her life before today, and one of those people had been her husband.

Pulling in a deep breath, Alexa descended the stairs. Some yeast-like aroma hit her as she got about halfway down. Pans clanging echoed through the house. Hopefully whatever he was making had enough for two.

Nerves curled in her belly. She truly hoped this wasn’t about to get awkward. As confident as she’d been before, well…that had all stemmed from desire.

Right now, she was back to boring Alexa. She could turn snarky at a moment’s notice if she started to get too overwhelmed by the intensity—and Hayes was definitely one intense man, in bed and out.