Tempted by the Texan
“You look absolutely beautiful,” he said, taking her hand in his when she reached the bottom step.
She smiled. “You clean up pretty nice yourself, cowboy.”
He gave her a kiss so soft and so tender it brought tears to her eyes. “I love this dress,” he whispered close to her ear.
A shiver of anticipation coursed through her. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” she asked, wondering if that throaty female voice was really hers.
“Not yet,” he said, leading her down the hall. He stopped just before they reached the kitchen. “Close your eyes.”
“Jaron, what—”
He placed his index finger to her lips to silence her. “I want this to be a surprise,” he said, kissing her bare shoulder.
Her skin tingled where his lips had been and she didn’t think twice about doing as he commanded. “Don’t let me walk into anything,” she said, laughing breathlessly. As he put his arm around her waist to guide her and they continued on across the kitchen, she sensed that they weren’t alone. “Jaron?”
“Just keep your eyes closed, darlin’.”
Not wanting to ruin his surprise, she continued to allow him to lead her, and even with her eyes closed, she could tell they had entered the darkened sunroom. “May I open my eyes now?”
“Give me just a minute,” he said, stepping away from her. She suddenly smelled the acrid scent of a lit match a moment before Jaron returned to her side. “You can open them now, Mariah.”
The room was dark except for a lit single white taper in a gold candleholder sitting in the middle of a small round table along the south wall of windows. Two white china table settings sat across from each other on the red tablecloth, and when she looked up at the room’s glass ceiling, the dark night sky outside was sprinkled with thousands of twinkling stars.
“Jaron, this is gorgeous,” she said, turning to put her arms around his neck. “But who’s in the kitchen?”
He laughed and, wrapping his arms around her waist, kissed the tip of her nose. “The caterer and her assistant.”
“How did you manage to pull all of this together in the short time I was upstairs?” she asked.
“Darlin’, it takes me less than thirty minutes to get a shower, shave and put my clothes on,” he said, grinning. “It takes you a good hour and a half to do whatever you do to get ready to go somewhere.”
“Are you complaining?” she asked, raising one eyebrow.
“Hell no!” He gave her a kiss that curled her toes inside her four-inch heels. “I’d wait all day for the way you look tonight.”
“That sounds like a line from a song,” she said, laughing.
He shrugged as he led her over to the table. “I don’t know if it is or not, but it’s the truth.” Holding her chair for her to sit down, he seated himself in the chair across from her. “I hope you don’t mind not going out for the evening.”
“Not at all,” she said as the caterer’s assistant approached the table with a bottle of champagne.
After the man filled crystal flutes with the sparkling wine and went back to the kitchen, Jaron reached across to cover her hand with his. “I didn’t want to share you with anyone this evening.”
His words and the warmth of his touch sent goose bumps shimmering over her skin. “I’m glad,” she whispered as the waiter appeared again with their plates of food.
Sitting under the stars, they enjoyed a delicious dinner of prime rib, asparagus and rice pilaf. When they were finished, the waiter discreetly cleared the table. The chef joined them a few moments later carrying a silver tray filled with juicy chocolate-dipped strawberries. Thanking them for using the catering service, the woman bade them good-night before she and the waiter left.
“I couldn’t have asked for a nicer evening,” Mariah said as Jaron picked up one of the strawberries and held it to her lips. Taking a bite of the decadent dessert, she savored the mixed flavors of the tart berry with just the right amount of semisweet dark chocolate. “Thank you. This has been perfect.”
He shook his head as he fed her the rest of the strawberry. “It’s not over yet, darlin’.”
“What else do you have planned?” she asked, marveling at his romantic gestures thus far.
“You’ll see,” he answered, smiling as he wiped a drop of strawberry juice from her lower lip.
Taking the tip of his finger into her mouth, she licked the droplet away and watched as his eyes darkened to navy. “I’m looking forward to finding out what other surprises you have in store for me,” she said, feeling warmed all over by his heated gaze.