Read Texas Heat (Stubborn Texas Siblings Book 2) Online
Authors: Faith Loveright
Tags: #Romance, #Cowboy
The house came into view and Travis’s eyebrows shot up in
surprise. He hadn’t expected much, given what she’d said
about having moved out of her brother’s house. He’d gotten
the impression it hadn’t been that long ago, but this was a
really nice house for someone just getting started in life.
“Thanks. A friend of mine drew up the p
lans according to
my ideas for the place, and then my brothers came together
to make my dream a reality. They aren’t very good at
letting me spread my wings and fly. Overprotective
obnoxiousness is just one of their flaws, but they’re good
brothers none the less,” she added laughing.
Climbing out of the cab of the truck, she headed towards
the front door and Travis followed her, looking at the
sprawling ranch style house. It was huge; all one floor with
a huge garage attached. He was a little surprised with the
size of it that she didn’t just run her business out of her
home instead of paying for the building in town, but he
wasn’t about to ask her about it. He’d already stuck his foot
in his mouth with her with the comment about the
mechanic and his assumption that it was a man. There was
no way he was going to do it again about her choice to
spend money to run her business somewhere other than her
house. It was her business and he was going to butt out.
“Before
my parents died, my Ma had bad knees and I was
told that it was a hereditary problem that tended to run in
females in our family. I didn’t want to take any chances
down the road, so I just figured I’d start out with no steps.
Less hassle fixing it later in life that way,” she answered,
shrugging her shoulders as if it really didn’t matter.
“Do I want to know why with such a huge garage, you
parked in the driveway?” he asked, following her into the
darkened interior of the house.
She let out a deep husky, sexier than Hell laugh and his
body hardened in response. “Honestly? The garage is full
of tools… a lawn mower, weed whacker, trimmer, hedge
clippers, shovels, rakes, engine puller, and all sorts of tools
that I eventually want to find a way to get out to my shop…
but I have to find room for them first. There’s a reason
they’re here and not there. It’s storage more than anything.
Someday, when I’ve made a little more money, I want to
move to a bigger shop. Someplace with enough room to set
up a full blown bay or two for complete rebuilds like I did
on my truck as well as my regular two bays for every day
fixes. I know I’d be able to muscle up more business if I
had the ability to do that sort of thing around here.”
“Wouldn’t you make more money in a bigger town?” he
asked, sitting down at the table while she went to the fridge
to see what she could come up with for dinner.
“Probably, but in order to understand why I don’t move,
you’d have to know my brothers better. Unless I’m married
and my husband just happens to live out of state, they’re
never going to allow me to leave. Their need to protect me
is too strong. Besides… this is my home. When you grow
up in a small town, you know and love everyone and the
idea of leaving breaks your heart. Even if I didn’t have my
brothers and I wasn’t attached though, the townspeople
would never accept my up and leaving… even for my
eventual husband. They all believe that I need them as
much as they need me, and who knows… maybe I do.”
“They must understand that you’d be better able to
support
yourself if you could make more money, which you’d
definitely be able to do in a little bit bigger town…” he
said, shaking his head, wondering how anyone could doubt
for a moment that she was able to take care of herself, no
matter what the situation was. He’d only known her for
about an hour now, and he knew she was stronger than she
looked.
“One would think,” she agreed, nodding her head as she
pulled a bagged salad and a bottle of dressing out of the
fridge. “Sadly, my brothers and everyone else in this town
still see me as a little girl incapable of taking care of
herself.”
Travis stood up and walked over to where she was pouring
the salad into a couple of bowls and bravely settled a hand
on the soft curve of her hip. “You’re definitely all woman,”
he said gruffly. “Any man who can look at you and see
anything less is a blind fool.”
She stiffened in shock and turned her head towards him,
surprise evident in her eyes. “Most men can’t see past my
job… I’m so much of a tom boy, everyone around here just
sees me as one of the guys. That is, unless they’re drunk or
desperate… so… which are you?”
His eyebrow lifted and he glided his hand upward and
brushed it against the side of her breast. “I’m not drunk or
desperate, and like I said before; anyone who can look at
you and see anything less than a very desirable woman, is
just plain stupid.”
Her eyes smoked over and she lifted her eyes to look into
his. “You’re a very sweet man, Travis,” she said huskily.
“Too damn gorgeous for your own good, but sweet.”
His mouth twitched and a tiny smile came across his lips,
bringing out his dimples. “I’ve been called a lot of things
by women… but sweet is rarely one of them. But I’m
mighty relieved you find me gorgeous. It makes me feel
much better about how drawn to you I feel. Would I get
slapped if I gave in to the need to kiss you right now?”
When her tongue snuck out to lick her lower lip, he
groaned and bent down and claimed her mouth in a kiss hot
enough to set the whole house on fire. If her phone hadn’t
rung at that very moment, Travis was sure that things
would have spiraled into something a lot more intense than
he’d considered when he’d first lowered his face to hers.
In his years of sexual experience, he had been with his fair
share of women, but none of them had ever sparked such an
intense desire in him so quickly. In a blink of an eye, this
woman had taken him from interested to needy, and he was
dizzy from the speed of it. The men in this town were
definitely out of their minds. That woman was hotter than a
blue flame.
She sighed and slumped against the wall after answering
the phone, sliding down to the floor. “Eric, lay off alright?
I’m home. I didn’t work all night, and I’m taking care of
myself. I’m not out on the town with some bad boy. Quit
worrying about me so much; I’m fine. And before you
freak out because you can’t find him, Jeff stopped by the
shop to tell me that he was heading out of town for a few
days to go look at an animal he’s interested in buying.
Now, go to your wife and kids and let me get back to my
dinner.”
There was a short pause before she spoke again and Travis
wondered what the man on the other end of the line was
saying until she spoke again. “It’s fine, big brother… I
forgive you. Just do me a favor and let me be. I need you to
allow me to prove that I don’t need you and Jeff constantly
leaning over my shoulder, taking care of every little thing
for me.”
Travis sat in the chair and watched her expressive face as
she listened to whatever he was saying on the other end,
thinking she was even more beautiful when she was
frustrated than she was when she was relaxed.
“Yes… my front door is locked. Honestly, Eric, what do
you think is going to happen to me? There’s so little crime
here in our town, the sheriff spends more time sleeping on
the job than he does enforcing the law.”
“For cripes sake… I’ll give you my word. I’m in for the
night, the door is locked and no one else is going to come
in here. Now, will you
PLEASE
let me go eat? I had a
really long day today and I’m starving.”
Sighing she stood up and hung it back on the hook,
grumbling under her breath as she made her way back to
the counter and carried the bowls over to the table; her
hands shaking the whole way. He watched as she settled
one of the bowls in front of him and then he reached for the
dressing when she put it down in the middle of the table.
Recognizing her need to gather her nerves before talking,
Travis silently began to eat his salad. When she was ready
to deal with him again, he was sure she’d let him know. He
could be patient for a while. He knew better than most how
hard it was when a family member tried telling a person
how they should be running their lives.
His lie to his mother was weighing heavily on his mind and
he had pretty much lost his appetite, but he didn’t want to
seem ungrateful or disrespectful of his generous host.
Especially not after kissing her; so he ate until his bowl was
empty.
She stood up and carried her half eaten salad over to the
fridge, slamming it down onto the top shelf. Travis flinched
and stood up, walking across the kitchen floor in three long
strides, standing just behind her. He set his bowl into the
sink and then wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling
her against his body and bending to press a kiss to the side
of her neck.
Laurie groaned and reluctantly pushed him away. “I need to
get some sleep, or I’ll be no good in the shop tomorrow. If
you’re in such a hurry to get out of here, I need to be on my
A game. Sorry, I don’t have a guest bed, but you can sleep
on the couch… it’s a pull out. There are sheets and blankets
in the hall closet. The bathroom is the second door on the
right. Goodnight, Travis.”
Having said that, she ran down the hall away from him and
all Travis could seem to do was watch and wish he had the
right to follow her. He’d never been so drawn to a woman
in his life. Knowing that she was so independent only made
matters worse for him.
Just thi
nking about how much further he’d wanted things to
go between them made his body even harder. He sighed in
resignation and headed down the hall to get what he needed
to make up the sofa bed. What Laurie had said had been
true. They both needed sleep because morning came early,
and they both needed to be at their best the following day.
In order for that to happen, they both needed sleep, and a
lot of it.
The next morning when Laurie came down the hall, she
was half asleep. She hadn’t slept much the night before.
Every time she’d closed her eyes, all she’d been able to do
was see the sexy hunk who was sleeping in her living room,
leaning over her with desire written all over his face. She
looked in the mirror and cringed at what she saw. Her eyes
were bloodshot and she had dark circles under them.
Knowing there wasn’t much she could do about it since she
wasn’t the sort to keep make up around the house; she
started the shower and climbed under the pulsing spray. It
felt reviving, sluicing over her heated skin and she tipped
her chin down with her back turned to the showerhead to
allow it to massage her tired muscles.
Travis heard the water in the shower and his groin
tightened again. He grumbled, groaned and gave up on
falling asleep. He’d lain there all night, trying to stop
thinking about how hot she’d made him… how good she’d
felt in his arms… how much he’d longed to pick her up and
carry her to her bed and take those kisses to their natural
conclusion.
He swung his legs over the edge of the mattress and stood
up. His legs carried him across the room and down the hall,
seemingly without him even realizing what he was doing
until he was standing just outside the bathroom door with
his hand on the doorknob.
“What are you doing, Robbins?” he asked himself, shaking
his head in disbelief at himself. “Kissing her is bad
enough… you can’t just let yourself into her shower and
take her up against the tile wall… she doesn’t even know
you… and you don’t know her.”
His hand fell from the doorknob and he leaned his forehead
against the bathroom door with his eyes closed in regret.
“Just walk away, Robbins,” he demanded, but he couldn’t
seem to make himself do it.
The water turned off and he heard the soft sounds of her
stepping out onto the linoleum. A deep groan came from
the back of his throat as he pictured her standing just on the
other side of the door in all of her naked glory. The next
thing he knew, the door he had been leaning on was yanked
open and he was faced with a wet irate woman standing in
front of him with just a towel wrapped around her body.
He knew it was wrong, but he couldn’t seem to drag his
eyes away from her long exposed legs. When he finally
managed that fate, they landed on the slopes of the tops of
her breasts where the towel was tucked and his groin
tightened even more than it had been before.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?” she demanded
angrily. She really was adorable when she was mad. It was
all his lust addled brain was capable of thinking for a few
minutes. Then he realized how angry it would make her if
she knew what he was thinking and made an effort to focus
on what she’d asked him and giving her an answer.
“Following my instinct,” he answered honestly. “I wasn’t
even aware of what I was doing when I headed towards the
sound of your shower… Honest to God,” he said, when she
shot him a glare of doubt. “When I realized what I was
about to do, I was trying to talk myself into walking away
and leaving you alone… but it wasn’t a very successful pep
talk. You’re a very desirable woman, Laurie.”
Her large eyes blinked and she turned around to face the
bathroom. “So you say. Just… let me get ready for work
and we’ll get to the shop. I’ll get your car fixed up for you
and you can get out of town the way you’re so anxious to
do. My brothers made me promise I wouldn’t get myself
wrapped up with anyone else that was just using me… and
knowing what a rush you’re in to get out of town, there’s
no doubt that it’s what you would be doing.”
Travis nodded his head and turned back towards the living
room. “I’ll pick the bedding up and put the couch back
together for you,” he offered, wondering at the
disappointment that zinged through him. It was something
to think about.
They were both quiet as Laurie drove them back to the
garage. Travis watched her climb out when they got there
and run to the door. She unlocked it and then flipped on all
the lights. Pointing to a chair by the front counter, she
headed towards the bay, talking to him.
“You can sit out here or you can come back; just stay out of
my way.”
Travis followed her out to the bay where his car sat silently.
He watched as she rolled her sleeves up over her elbows
and then unbuttoned the bottom of her shirt and tied it just
under her breasts. His mouth was watering at the sight she
made and he found that all he really wanted was to back her
up against the side of his car and ravage her.
She didn’t even look up at him before she had the hood up
on his car and her head bent over the engine with her arms
reaching down inside of all that metal that made no sense to
him. She pushed on hoses, tested fluid levels and then,
biting her lower lip, she removed the cover over the air
filter to look inside.
Already, she’d done more than he knew how to do when
something went wrong with his car. It was clear this
woman definitely knew what she was doing. She was silent
as she examined something. He couldn’t tell what it was
she was looking at, and even if he could see it, he probably
wouldn’t have known what it was.
“Do me a favor…” she said, not looking up. “Turn on the
radio over on the counter, and make it nice and loud. It’s
easier for me to think when I’ve got my tunes on. I hope
you like 80’s rock.”
“Normally, I tend to lean towards Country,” he answered,
following her directions. “But if it helps you concentrate,
I’ll happily deal with whatever music does it for you.”
She glanced up at him and he saw the raw heat in her eyes.
The sight jumpstarted his libido and he groaned; pointedly
turning his attention to the car instead of her hot body.
“So… any clues yet?” he asked, desperate to get her to stop
looking at him. If she didn’t take her eyes off his body
soon, he would no longer be able to behave himself around
her. One step in his direction on her part, and he couldn’t
be held responsible for his own actions, because his mind
would have been too clouded by lust to realize what he was
doing.
Laurie shook off the thoughts that had taken her mind over
when she’d seen the heat in his eyes and looked back at the
car. “Not yet. I’m going underneath to take a look from the
bottom to see what I can find.”
Travis watched as she lay down on a rolling creeper and
pushed herself under his car. He cleared his throat
awkwardly. “Would you mind if I took your truck and went
to go pick us up some lunch… I saw a diner on the way
here. I must admit, there’s not much I can do to help
here…. I know next to nothing about cars.”
“Sure,” Laurie said, feeling relieved. With him in
the
garage, she was finding it next to impossible to concentrate
on much of anything other than him. She could have looked
right at the problem with his car and not even seen it. “Why
don’t you grab us lunch, bring mine back here and then go
ahead and go back to my place. If anyone comes by and
tries giving you a hard time, tell them to give me a call and
I’ll let them know you’re allowed to be there. I’ll call the
house when I’m ready to come home for the night if the
car’s not ready. If your car is done, I’ll just drive it back
home at the end of the day.”
Travis stepped forward and touched her arm, rubbing
upwards towards her shoulder. He leaned down and
brushed a soft kiss across her mouth before grabbing her
keys out of her back pants pocket where he’d seen her stash
them and then turning and walking out the back door
without saying another word.
Laurie had the transmission almost completely torn apart
when her phone rang. Sighing heavily, she wiped her hands
on the grease rag and walked over to the counter. She saw a
bag of food sitting there next to the phone and she couldn’t
help but smile. Clearly she hadn’t heard Travis when he’d
stopped by to bring her lunch to her before heading back to
her house. She was humming when she picked the phone
up, half expecting it to be him.
“Hey sis,” Jeff’s voice said, sounding entirely too chipper.
“Just wanted to let you know the trip didn’t take nearly as
long as I expected. I’m back in town. Did Eric ask after
me?”
“I told him about your idiotic plan to spend per
fectly good
money on an animal, yes. But I didn’t say anything about
the fact that it was a bull that would later on try to kill
you,” she answered, feeling annoyed at her little brother.
“Come on, Laurie… I thought we had a deal. I don’t pester
you about your choices in life, and you don’t lay into me
about mine.”
“Are you actually going to hold to your part of the
bargain?” she asked in disbelief.
“I will if you will,” she answered, looking back over at the
car, thinking about its owner and the way he made her feel;
the way her brothers liked to play overprotective
Neanderthals with every man who dared pay attention to
her. Especially the ones that she showed interest in, and she
was definitely interested in Travis.
“Do we have a deal or don’t we? If you’re going to insist
on butting into my life, I will do the same to you.
Remember, Jeff… I’m the older sibling here, not you.”
“Fine,” he said, sighing heavily. “How about dinner
tonight? We should do something nice for Eric and
Maddie.”
“It might be a few days before I can get out there, Jeff; I’m
sorry. As soon as I can, you have my word; Eric’s place is
the first place I’ll go.”
Her brother finally hung up and Laurie felt as if she’d been
put through the ringer as she settled it back on the hook. At
this rate, she’d be hearing from Eric next. It would be really
nice if just once, she could get through an entire day
without her two well-meaning but obnoxious brothers
bombarding her with their insane need to baby her and tell
her how to run her life.