How to Seduce a Texan

Chapter 23

Brian watched Celeste as she stood in front of the stall. Her back had stiffened. He almost wished he hadn’t asked about her parents.

“I had foster parents,” she finally said.

She glanced over her shoulder, then looked away, but there was something in her eyes-so much pain.

He had a bad feeling in his gut. “Did they abuse you?” He couldn’t imagine anyone hurting Celeste. Just the thought made him furious.

“No, they were very good to me.”

He relaxed a little. At least they hadn’t hurt her.

“I never really felt as if I belonged, you know,” she went on. “I always felt as though I was on the outside looking in. They were nice, but it wasn’t the same as being part of a family. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew if I did something wrong or if circumstances changed, I could be shipped off to another family.”

“What about your parents?” he asked softly.

She was silent.

“Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to talk about it. My parents were killed when I was a baby. I know what it feels like to grow up without a mom and dad, although my grandparents were great, and I had Cal, too.”

She took a deep breath. “My father is in prison. He has been since I was eight.” She faced him and there was such sadness on her face that it tugged at his heart.

“What happened?”

“He murdered my mother.”

Ah, damn. He took a deep breath. “Where were you when it happened?” He clenched his hands. He’d never expected her to tell him that her father had murdered her mom. He couldn’t even imagine how hard that must’ve been.

“At school. When I came home, Daddy was sitting at the kitchen table, the gun beside him, just staring at it. My mother was lying in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor. I rushed over to her. Her eyes were open but I think I already knew she was dead. I ran out of the house crying. The police came and that was the last time I saw my father.”

“You don’t know why he did it?”

She seemed to snap out of the past. “When I was older, I looked up the newspaper articles. We were well off-some said rich-but my father apparently made bad investments, and then he lost his job.” She hugged her middle. “He killed her because he’d lost his job and they were going to lose everything. They say he planned to kill me, then himself. But when I came home, he didn’t make a move toward the gun. He just kept sitting there staring at it.”

Brian walked toward her, then took her into his arms. “I’m sorry.”

“My foster parents gave me a letter from him once. I was nine. He’d apparently tracked me down.” She raised her face. “I remember what he was like, what our life was like, and it had been happy. We lived in a big house and I took music lessons. I even had a dog, but when they took me away, I never saw her again.”

For the first time in his life, Brian felt utterly helpless. All he could do was hold her close.

“I threw the letter in the trash without reading it. My mother was a kind and gentle woman. If I listen hard enough, I can hear her laughter and sometimes I see her smile. He ripped her from me. He took everything away.”

“Not everything,” Brian told her. “You’re still alive and you have heart and spirit. No one can take that from you.”

Celeste laid her head on his shoulder. He wanted to make it all better, but he knew she would always live with her pain. Damn, that’s why she’d only had one suitcase and a junky car. She probably didn’t want possessions to rule her life like it had her father’s.

He kissed the top of her head just before she pulled away. Her expression was mortified.

“I can’t believe I opened up like that. I’ve never just spilled my guts before. I didn’t even talk about my father with my foster families. And I barely know you.”

She started to turn away from him again, but he clasped her arm. “It’s okay to talk about what hurts, and we might have just met, but I feel as though I’ve known you forever. I can’t explain it. Maybe I’m crazy, but I want to get to know you a lot better.”

“Even though my father is in prison?”

“But you had nothing to do with the choices he made. He ruined your life, your mother’s, and his. I don’t care about your past. I don’t think that’s who you are.”

“I think I could like you a lot.”

“Would that be so bad?”

“I don’t know. I don’t stay in one place very long,” she warned.

“You don’t have to run away from here. You’re safe now.”

“Safe. I’m not sure I know the meaning of the word.”

“I’ll teach it to you.”

When she looked up at him, he couldn’t resist pressing his lips to hers. His kiss was gentle, meant to tell her she didn’t have to be afraid around him, but it was all he could do to keep from crushing her to him. Dammit, he had to think about something else.

He pulled away and drew in a deep breath. “Want to see the colt?”

“Yeah.” Just the whisper of a smile touched her lips. She seemed happy that he’d changed the subject.

Brian led her down to the end of the barn. There were six stalls on each side. The barn was open on both ends today, so there was plenty of light inside.

“Does someone take care of all this for you?” she asked.

“My foreman manages the day-to-day operations of the ranch. We cut and bale our own hay-we’re self-sufficient.”

“But what if you had a bad year?”

“We could survive more than one bad year.” He knew why she asked. She was afraid if he went under, he might do what her father had done. “I’m a survivor, Celeste. I would find a way to make it in this world if things took a turn for the worse. Nothing would ever be so bad that I couldn’t find a solution.” He took a deep breath. “And even if I lost all this tomorrow, I could always go to work for someone. Possessions don’t rule me.”

She nodded, then moved closer to the stall. “Oh, look,” she said as she peered over the top rail. She stared at the mother and colt. “It must be wonderful to experience the birth of something so precious.”

He stood next to her. “One of the things I love about the country.”

“I know that you could never do what my father did,” she quietly told him.

He squeezed her arm. Maybe she would stop running away from her past now that she was here. Either that, or he’d look around one day and she’d be gone.

That thought left an emptiness inside him.

They walked back to the ranch in silence.

“Have dinner with me,” he said.

Her hesitation was brief. “Okay.”

“I have some work to take care of first. Is seven okay?”

“That would be fine.”

Once inside, they parted. Celeste went to her room. For a long moment, she stood in the middle of the room. Then she went to her suitcase and pulled out a worn photo album. Her fingers lightly caressed the dark green leather that bound the book.

It had been a long time since she’d looked at the pictures. She sat on the bed, then opened it. Her mother stared up at her from the first picture. She was beautiful and she was smiling.

In the next picture she was holding Celeste’s hand. Sometimes she could close her eyes and feel the softness of her mother’s skin. She turned the page and her father stared back at her. He was pushing her in the swing. She still didn’t know why she’d kept the pictures of him.

She carefully closed the album. The man sitting at the table that day, staring at the gun, hadn’t been her father. He was the man who’d killed her mother. That day her father had died in her heart. She hated him, but she loved him, too. For years she’d felt guilty but then realized it was okay to love the father he’d been and not what he’d become.

She put away the album and looked around the room. She was tired of running away from the past. Afraid that she’d look over her shoulder and the man who’d killed her mother would be right behind her, gun aimed at her head.

It was time she stopped running. Tiredness enveloped her. This was a good place-she could feel it in her heart-and Brian was a good man. She didn’t know where their relationship would take them, but she wanted to hang around long enough to find out.

She walked to her closet and took out a long white dress that had been worn only twice. She’d bought it on a whim because it was so pretty, that and she had matching white heels. Tonight would be a good night to wear the dress.

As soon as she soaked in the tub. Her spirits lifted. Rhonda had said they were closing early today because most of the guests were going on a hayride. She would have the place all to herself. She could already feel her body relaxing.

Brian glanced at his watch. He knew he’d told Celeste seven, but he couldn’t wait any longer. He left the office and went in search of her, but she wasn’t in her room.

Fear coursed through him. Had she packed up and left? He knew she didn’t stay in one place very long, but would she leave without saying good-bye?

He walked back down the hall and out the back door, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw her car. Okay, so where was she? He glanced toward the spa building and saw a light on. He knew everyone had already left for the day, so Celeste was probably there.

His steps were light, and he was grinning like an idiot when he walked inside. She wasn’t in the front area, but she’d turned the music on. Celtic, he thought. It was nice, peaceful.

He went to her massage room, frowning when she wasn’t there, either. He started to leave but heard a noise coming from the bath area.

When he tapped on the door, no one answered, so he pushed the door open. His breath caught in his throat. Celeste stood in the roman bath, drying off. She’d pulled her hair up on top of her head, but some of it had come loose and the moisture in the room had caused tendrils to curl about her face.

She looked up and froze, clutching the towel against her naked body.

“I’m sorry. I knocked,” he said, but his words were raspy.

“I didn’t hear you.”

“I should go.” But he couldn’t make his feet move.

“Don’t. Go, I mean. I don’t want you to.” She stepped out of the sunken tub and walked toward him. “I’ve been running for a long time and I want to stop, at least for a little while.” She stopped in front of him, then dropped the towel. “I need you.”

She didn’t have to say anything more. He took her into his arms and covered her mouth with his. She tasted sweet, like honey, and passionate all at the same time. He couldn’t get enough of her.

“I’ve waited a lifetime for you,” he finally said after he ended the kiss. He caressed her hair, her neck.

“I need you so much,” she whispered.

He knew she wasn’t just talking about sex. “Me, too.”

She leaned back and looked at him. Her smile was shy and seductive.

“Have I told you how beautiful you are?” he asked.

“I think you’ve mentioned it. But did I tell you that I think you’re handsome?”

He shook his head. “I want to make love to you.”

“I want it, too.”

“Are you sure? We can wait if you need time.”

“I’m sure and I don’t think I can wait much longer. My body feels as though it’s on fire.”

“God, I’m glad to hear you say that.”

He would’ve had to soak in a tub of ice cubes if she’d wanted to wait. Even then, it might not have put out the flame of passion roaring inside him.

He lifted her up and carried her into the therapy room, leaving the door open so he could see. “How soft do you think the massage table is?”

“Soft enough, not that I think I’d mind the floor right now.”

“Have I mentioned that you continually surprise me?”

“Do I?” She raised her eyebrows. “I think I like that I can do that. I hope it’s in a good way.”

“Oh, it certainly is that.” He cupped her breast, lightly running his thumb back and forth across the nipple. “Your skin is soft, almost silky.”

She unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders. “Are you sure you won’t let me give you a massage?”

“Sweetheart, you can massage my body any time you want, but later. Right now I just want to make sweet love to you.” He leaned his head down and took her into his mouth, rolling his tongue around her nipple. Damn, she was sweet.

She gasped, tugging his head closer. “Oh, damn, that feels good.”

He moved to her other breast and gave it just as much attention.

“I’m not very experienced. Only what I’ve read in books and I’ve been with a couple of men. I’m not sure I know exactly what to do.”

“So far I like the kind of books you read,” he said as he looked at her and grinned. Her face turned a rosy shade. He noticed she blushed easily.

“They were really good books.”

“Well, this is the real thing.” He lifted her and set her down on the table. “Lie back.” She did without question.

He started at her breasts, lightly caressing each one. She arched toward him, but he only moved down her body, over her abdomen, lightly grazing through the blond curls at the vee of her legs. “Don’t we have some oil around here?”

She swallowed hard. “In the drawer there’s lotion.”

He lit the candle while he was turned around, then got out a jar. He twisted the lid off and raised it to his nose. “Vanilla. It’s nice.”

“Brian?”

He smiled. “I thought I would give you a massage.” He scooped out some of the thick cream and put it on her stomach.

She sucked in her breath. “It’s cold. You’re supposed to rub it in your hands to warm it.”

“Cold is sexier. Besides, it won’t take long to warm.” He started at her shoulders and began to massage. He knew the exact moment she started to relax. Then he slid his hands down to her breasts.

Celeste wasn’t quite so relaxed as she had been. He tugged on her nipples, then circled the dark orbs, then massaged her breasts again.

“But I want to touch you,” she said.

“You will,” he promised.

“When?”

“Soon.”

“At least take off your clothes. I feel strange being the only one completely naked.”

He wiped his hands on a towel and tossed it to the side before removing the rest of his clothes. She stared at him the whole time. It was funny watching her reaction. She blushed, but she didn’t look away.

“Is this better?” he asked.

She visibly swallowed. “Wow.” She looked at his face. “I mean, yes, much better.”

He grinned. It was nice knowing he rated a wow.

“You’re laughing at me.”

“I would never do that. You’re wow, too.”

“There’s not much room on the table.”

“We’ll manage.”

“I rather thought we would.”

He again massaged lotion across her breasts, then slid his hands over her stomach and hips before moving to her thighs, then her calves. When he knew she was totally relaxed, he began to caress her sex. Light strokes at first, then with a little more pressure. She wiggled her bottom as he intensified his touch.

“You’re making it hard for me to think.”

“I don’t want you to think; I only want you to feel.”

“Then join me.”

“Like you said, there’s not much room on the table.”

She moved to her side. “Now there is, and I want to touch you, too.”

What could he do but join her. “If I fall, I’m taking you with me,” he said.

“Would you?”

“Probably, but I’d let you land on top.”

“Then maybe I wouldn’t mind landing so much if I was on top of you.” She reached between their bodies and stroked up his length, her touch just as feathery as his had been. He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. “That feels nice.”

“I bet I can make it feel better than nice,” she whispered close to his ear so that her hot breath tickled his face. She encircled his penis with her hand and began to slide his foreskin down, then back up. “How’s that?”

“Fantastic,” he breathed.

“I think I know how we can do this. Move onto your back.”

He didn’t know what she had in mind, but right now he was agreeable to just about anything. He held on to her and eased to his back. Her lotion-slick body easily slid over him until she was situated on top.

“Better?” she asked.

“Your naked body is pressed against mine. I can feel your luscious breasts and your tight nipples are poking my chest. Your sex is nestled against my erection. What do you think?”

Her laughter filled the room. “I didn’t know you could be funny.”

“Sweetheart, I’m serious as hell.” He grasped her ass and snuggled her in a little tighter to him. She gasped with pleasure.

“This is going to be so good.” She wiggled against him and he thought he was going to come right then and there.

“I need to get a condom out of my pocket,” he said.

“I’ll get it,” she quickly said, then was sliding off him and the table, and reaching for his pants. As soon as she had one she ripped it open, then looked at him. She didn’t move, only stared. “Good Lord, you’re beautiful.”

“And horny.”

She met his gaze. “Oh, right.” She looked at the condom, then him. Finally she thrust it toward him.

He rolled it on. Before he could do much more than that she was back on the table snuggled on top of him, then positioning herself so that she was sliding onto him. He grasped her hips, holding her as he joined in the motion of her body.

His passion-glazed eyes stared up at her, watching the way her breasts bounced. She was beautiful, she was gorgeous, she was…

Celeste cried out, her body stiffening. She was fascinating to watch as she came. Then he didn’t think anymore. He closed his eyes and let his release engulf him in the heat of the moment.

Her body collapsed on top of his, their ragged breathing filling the small room.

“I’ve never ever felt like this before,” she whispered.

“I know. I feel the same way.”

“This could get complicated.”

“I won’t let it. I promise.”

She nodded.

And he meant what he said. He knew there was something between them. He’d sensed it the minute she’d stepped from her car and raised her face as if to worship the sun.