Taming the Texas Cowboy (Forever Texan Book 1) Read online

  “Are you angry with me?” Her voice squeaked out.

  Trey ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “More like scared spitless, honey. I didn’t know what I’d find when I got up here.”

  Maddie closed her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  Trey grabbed his first-aid kit from behind the seat and sidled up next to her. “I should be rightfully pissed, but I’m too doggone relieved right now. Hold still,” he said, ripping open an antiseptic wipe and dabbing at the cut on her forehead then the bruise on her face.

  She didn’t flinch, taking her medicine like a good patient.

  “What happened to Storm?”

  “He’s back at the ranch. I didn’t stick around long enough to see to him, though.”

  “We were doing fine, really, Trey. He’d progressed so far, but it was his first time out with a rider and . . . ”

  “And he wasn’t ready, Maddie. Don’t make me think about that right now.” Trey knew his anger would settle in later, after he got back to the ranch. Maddie had taken a stupid chance with Storm. She could have been killed or seriously injured. He might not have found her in time. But Trey shoved aside those worries for now, grateful that he had found her quickly and that she was safe. “I don’t want to get riled up.”

  Maddie’s green eyes rounded and she whispered softly, “You don’t?”

  Trey shook his head. “No,” he said, spreading his legs out wide and gently reaching for her. “Come rest against me. Looks like we’ll have to wait out the storm.”

  Maddie slid closer but it cost her to move. She’d be sore for days from that fall. Once she was snug against him, he wrapped his arms around her and rested her head just under his chin.

  “Are you cold?”

  Maddie shook her head.

  “Scared?”

  “Not anymore,” she answered.

  Trey angled his body so that he could slowly massage the muscles on her back. “How does this feel?”

  Maddie crooned, “Better than a hot fudge sundae.”

  Trey smiled. “That good?”

  Maddie nodded, laying her hand over his chest. If only she knew how fast his heart was beating at the moment. If only she knew how much holding and protecting her meant to him.

  “Yeah, that good.”

  Furious blasts of wind continued to disturb the night, but they were safe and warm inside his truck and right now, that’s all that mattered to Trey. With her body wedged against his, he could hold her all night long.

  Maddie brought her head up, out of the crook of his arm to brush her sweet lips to his cheek. The kiss pumped his blood faster through his veins. “Thank you for coming to my rescue.”

  Trey brushed his hand through her hair as reddish waves spilled over his fingertips, soft and smooth and silky. “You nearly gave me a heart attack, Maddie,” he whispered. “I’m gonna need a better thank-you.”

  Maddie slipped her hand inside an opened button on his shirt, stroking his flesh until his skin fairly sizzled. Then she lifted up and kissed him again, long and hard and beautifully Maddie.

  “Was that better, Trey?”

  “Better,” he croaked, barely catching his breath.

  Maddie stared into his eyes and every shred of willpower he could muster wasn’t enough for the intoxicating look of desire she cast him. His manhood rose to the occasion, pressing against his jeans uncomfortably and Trey was at a complete loss, helpless to hold back. “Ah hell, Maddie,” he whispered, brushing his lips to her ear, “how am I supposed to keep my hands off you now?”

  A sweet triumphant smile emerged on her face. She spoke softly, “Maybe you’re not supposed to, Trey. Maybe we were meant to be here together, trapped inside the truck, but trapped more by what our hearts are telling us.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” Trey admitted, closing his eyes, allowing her words to sink in. He ached for her physically, but his heart was involved too, and no matter how much he denied his feelings, he wanted Maddie with powerful, gut-wrenching need.

  The storm raged outside. The truck trembled as wind gusts rocked them back and forth. Small particles of earth spiraled up to strike the windshield encasing them in darkness.

  Trey was trapped by the storm, but he was also trapped by something stronger. His desire for Maddie. He knew if he touched her again, there would be no going back. Yet, he had to touch her. He had to feel her sleek skin under his palms, to slide his hands along her body and bring them both immeasurable pleasures. He’d fought the battle in his head long enough.

  Trey stretched out, using the full “king” of the cab and pulled Maddie down with him, so that her petite frame lay across his. She fit him perfectly, the feel of her slight weight upon him an intoxicating elixir. He wove his fingers in her hair and claimed her lips, taking her in a slow, deliberate, there’s-no-going-back-now kiss. Maddie moaned with pleasure and kissed him just as slowly, just as deliberately, moving on him to adjust her position and rubbing his body enough to destroy him.

  He ached for her. He’d never been so turned on in his life. He’d never wanted so much. He kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her nose, then stroked his tongue over her mouth. She opened for him and they kissed again, openmouthed and frenzied, with heat building and all semblance of grace disappearing. She was as hot for him as he was for her. He tore his mouth away long enough to whisper, “We have too many clothes on.”

  Without hesitation, Maddie sat up, pressing her derriere to his manhood, and unbuttoned her blouse. She took her time removing it. The ache below his waist grew harder with each second. Trey’s body pulsed with need, and when she unhooked her soft white cotton bra and her breasts spilled out, he went hot all over. “You’re beautiful, honey.”

  “Thank you.” She smiled and leaned forward. “Now it’s your turn,” she said softly and began unbuttoning his shirt. Trey helped her. He couldn’t get the damn thing off fast enough. And once done, he pulled her down again, crushing her breasts to his chest, molding her soft full flesh to his. Raw and powerful need assailed him. He took her in a wild, erotic kiss and then moved his mouth to her throat, kissing her, loving her, cupping her breasts in his hands, flicking his thumb over two erect pink peaks.

  Maddie moaned.

  Trey cursed, the need in him strong.

  They were both lost.

  He took her in his mouth then, his tongue stroking over one breast, moistening the rosy, pebbled nipple until Maddie sighed with pleasure. She wove her hand in his hair and guided him, showing him with each move, each little sound, what she enjoyed, what brought her satisfaction.

  Trey wanted to please her. He wanted to bring her every ounce of enjoyment he possibly could. This was no one-night stand, where his mind wasn’t attached to his body. He cared too much for Maddie not to make it good for her. And he wanted to make it damn good.

  “Baby,” she pleaded ever so softly.

  One plea, one softly spoken word from Maddie turned him inside out.

  Baby.

  Trey’s heart slammed against his chest. Powerful sensations ran a track race throughout his body. An overwhelming need to possess this woman, body and soul, struck him as hard as a staggering car crash. “Hold on, honey.”

  He reached down to unzip her jeans and slipped his hand inside, meeting with soft silk and lace. He played with the thin strap, amazed that this sensible, levelheaded doctor wore sexy panties.

  “A thong?” he asked, hooking his finger under the strap.

  She chuckled. “I’m afraid so.”

  “Damn.” He was done for. He knew that from this moment on whenever he’d see her on the ranch wearing her clinical lab coat, an erotic image would instantly flash in his head. Maddie Brooks and her mind-blowing thong.

  Trey kissed her again as he spread his hand flat against her belly and stroked her slowly. She whimpered, a little throaty sound that made his erection granite hard. He moved his fingers over her petal flesh, sliding back and forth, slowly, and erotically, bringing her pleasure and feeling her sweet heat. She rocked
with him now, both lost in the rhythm as their bodies ground together in unison.

  “I hope to God I have a condom,” he muttered.

  Maddie wove her fingers through his hair and gazed at him with half-lidded dewy eyes, her lips full and love-bruised, her sexy little body damp and slick. Trey no longer hoped; he prayed he had a rubber in his wallet.

  She pressed her mouth against his chest, laving his nipples with her tongue until he ached so much he had to lift her off him. “Let’s get naked.”

  Pants and boots were tossed off in a hurry. Trey fumbled around in his jeans, opened his wallet and pulled out a wrinkled foil packet. Instant relief washed over him. He didn’t know what he’d have done otherwise.

  Maddie took the packet from his hand and arched a brow. “Should I be glad you carry this around in your wallet?” she asked, and Trey understood she wasn’t exactly teasing.

  “It’s old, Maddie. Ancient. This brand is nearly obsolete.”

  Maddie smiled and ripped open the packet. “Old is good, Trey.”

  “It’s the truth.”

  Then she fitted the condom over his erection and lifted up, positioning herself over him. He slipped inside her, causing a little moan to escape her lips and sensation after sensation rocked him to the core. He’d never experienced anything so powerful in his life.

  The storm had ended and a sliver of moonlight lit the cab, shining upon Maddie as she rode him up and down, her movements graceful and slow and as heady a sight as Trey had ever seen. Trey took the pleasure she offered, fascinated by the beautiful woman making love to him, stunned by the woman creating her own kind of storm.

  Watching her face change with each stroke, each undulation with eyes closed and her head thrown back, Trey’s heart raced, his body shook and his soul—she’d touched that as well. “You’re amazing.”

  “Trey, I’ve never . . . ” But she didn’t finish her thought. She didn’t have to. Trey knew. He felt the same way.

  He guided her, helping her drive harder, faster, her breasts heaving, her hair flying as her body grew ready.

  “Hold on, honey,” he said, wanting to make this last as long as possible for reasons he couldn’t deal with at the moment. For now, he wanted to prolong the night, prolong the pleasure.

  Maddie’s only response was a slight little encouraging sound.

  Trey lifted her and together they rolled, bumping heads into the steering wheel and dashboard, until finally, she was under him. He kissed her again and again, touching her all over, breathing in the sexy scent of an aroused woman. Trey was more aroused than he’d ever been before.

  Maddie rested her back against the window, held on to the steering wheel for support and Trey too grabbed the steering wheel, entering her with one thrust that shook him violently. “Ah, Maddie,” he groaned, the pleasured pain almost too much to bear.

  “Trey,” she uttered.

  Trey was lost. He moved like lightning, driving deep into her and watching her expression shift from pleasure to something more. She moved with him, rocking when he rocked, rising when he rose and trembling when he trembled.

  He took her lips in one final deep kiss as he reached the highest plateau, taking her with him to a place he had never been before. With Maddie, everything seemed different, headier, sweeter. They combusted at the same time, Maddie’s sighs and moans echoing in his ears. Together and slowly, they came down to Earth. His brain couldn’t wrap around the sensations floating over his sated body. Too many emotions battled in his head.

  She quivered and he held her tight as minutes ticked by in silence, both of them needing the time to face reality. He’d almost forgotten what she’d been through tonight. And he hoped like hell he hadn’t hurt her. He maneuvered her so that she sat beside him. “Are you okay?”

  Maddie nodded. “A bit overwhelmed. That was . . .”

  “Incredible?”

  She peered into his eyes as soft light glimmered into the cab. “More than that, Trey. It was much more than incredible.”

  Trey’s breathing began to slow and his brain finally kicked into gear. A mounting uneasy tremor coursed through his body.

  He’d given in to his desire.

  He’d made love to Maddie.

  Now, her pretty eyes filled with hope and expectation.

  And Trey realized that he had done the thing he swore he would never do.

  *

  Maddie sat in the passenger side of the truck in front of the ranch house, watching Trey shut down the engine. After they’d made love, they’d dressed quickly and quietly and rode home in silence, Trey’s expression growing dimmer each second.

  Maddie’s emotions had been on a roller-coaster ride for much of the evening. First the fright of being tossed off Storm and left alone in bad weather; then the great relief that came when Trey rescued her. Confined in the truck and filled with strong desire, they’d made love. For Maddie, there weren’t sufficient words to describe making love to Trey—a dream come true, her fantasy in the flesh. She’d ridden a high she’d never known, discovered sensations she never knew existed and now this—Trey’s silent withdrawal, his distant body language.

  “Trey?” she asked finally. He hadn’t made a move to get out of the truck. He just sat there, running a hand down his face, seeming to do battle with something going on in his head. “I need to know where we go from here?”

  Trey turned to face her, a look of deep regret and anguish crossing his features. The look alone frightened her, and she almost couldn’t bear to hear what he had to say. But Maddie had never been a wilting willow—she fought her battles head on.

  “That’s just it, honey. There’s nowhere to go from here.”

  Stunned, Maddie sat there for a moment, letting his words sink in. He couldn’t possibly mean that it was over before it began. He couldn’t possibly mean that tonight meant nothing to him. Nothing but . . . sex. Maddie tried not to spit the words out bitterly, “So that’s it? A one-night stand?”

  “No,” he said adamantly. “You could never be a one-night stand.”

  “Then, what are you saying?” Maddie fought tears, barely keeping her emotions in check and waiting patiently for Trey’s explanation.

  Trey sighed deeply and peered out the truck’s windshield. “I never meant for any of this to happen, Maddie. I tried keeping to our business agreement. Things got out of control.”

  Maddie held her chin high. “We made love and it was wonderful, Trey. But apparently, it didn’t mean anything to you.”

  “It meant something to me,” he rushed out. “That much is more than true.”

  “Just great sex?”

  “The best sex of my life, Maddie. I won’t deny that. But it was more.”

  Maddie closed her eyes. She believed him and should have been elated at Trey’s admission but instead all she felt was gut-wrenching sorrow. She knew a brush-off when she heard one and feared what was coming next.

  He scrubbed his jaw and took a deep breath. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Then don’t.”

  His expression softened, his eyes brimming with regret. “I’m trying not to, Maddie. I’m trying damn hard to protect you.”

  “Protect me? From who? From . . . you?”

  “Well, yeah.”

  Trey paused and Maddie waited.

  “I’m no good with commitment,” he said finally. “I’ve failed too many times in the past. I have a bad track record with women. And the trait goes back generations. It’s like a curse.”

  “Trey, I don’t recall asking you for a commitment.”

  Trey pushed air out of his lungs. “No way, Maddie. I may not know a whole lot about women, but I do know one thing. You are definitely not a one-night, one-week or one-month stand. You’re a keeper. You’re the kind of woman that settles a man. I wish I was the settling kind, but I know I’m not. I don’t commit. I’ve tried and failed. Did you know I was once engaged?”

  His confession pinged straight to her heart. It hurt like hell picturin
g Trey involved with another woman. Offering her marriage. “No.”

  “Yeah, I was. And I left my fiancée just before the wedding. I ran off like a stupid fool and hurt her real bad. Left her to make all the explanations. Left her to deal with a broken heart. It really tore her up. I knew then that my fate was sealed. I’m just like my father and his father before him. They took what they wanted with no regard for the women who would get hurt. My father wasn’t a bad man. He just didn’t come to recognize his faults, until it was too late—five wives too late. The days of Will Walker are long gone. My great-great-grandfather was loyal. He had clarity. He knew what he wanted and went after it. He toughed it out and didn’t give up. He had what I lack, Maddie. Staying power.”

  Maddie’s heart ached, yet she found herself wanting to know more. Maybe it was the healer in her, or maybe it was just morbid curiosity, but she wanted to learn about Trey’s one-time engagement. “How long ago were you engaged?”

  “I was twenty-one. Ten years ago, give or take.”

  “You were young, Trey. You weren’t ready.”

  She thought about her good friend, Caroline, and what she’d been through because of a man who hadn’t been ready. He’d abandoned his wife and child, yet Maddie had a hard time comparing the two men. Trey was too good a man to abandon his family, but it was clear that he believed he would, and right now, that’s all that mattered—what Trey believed about himself.

  “I was ready enough to ask her to marry me. I was ready enough to set a wedding date. I was ready enough to make plans for a future. Only thing I wasn’t ready for was following through on my promises. Like I said, no staying power.”

  “And you think you’ll break my heart?”

  Trey closed his eyes briefly, “Yeah.” A frustrated sigh spilled out of his mouth as he studied her. “I’ll break your heart”

  She threw caution and all good sense to the wind. “Maybe I’m willing to take that chance.”

  Trey shook his head. “I can’t let you do that. You deserve better than me. You deserve someone who has everything to offer you. Someone steady.”