Taking Charge (Lone Star Burn #4)(47)
A few hours later, Lucy was tucked against David’s side on the porch swing of Sarah and Tony’s house. The evening air had cooled off just enough to make the thought of going inside something neither were ready to consider.
There was also the hanging question of how and if they would part for the night. Lucy wasn’t comfortable enough with David to share a room with him in the main house. She couldn’t imagine going back to the equally not-private bunkhouse with him. Eventually, they’d have to come to a decision, but at the moment, Lucy was right where she wanted to be.
As if he could hear her thoughts, David kissed the top of her head. “I had fun tonight.”
With her head resting on his strong shoulder, Lucy looked up at him from beneath her lashes. “Me too, if you can believe it. I’m glad I didn’t leave. I like Fort Mavis.”
David caressed her arm as he talked. “No town is perfect, but there are enough good people here to make up for the trouble that sometimes bubbles.”
“And they love you. If you ran for an office here, you’d win hands down.”
He shrugged. “Like I said, it’s a good town. We watch out for each other.”
“I was born in the town I live in, and I could count on one hand the number of people who like me.” It wasn’t something Lucy was proud of.
“So why stay? Why not sell the ranch and move on?”
“I promised my mother—”
“I don’t know a mother who would want her daughter to stay where she’s not happy.”
Lucy raised her head and sat up straight. “You don’t understand.”
He kept his arm around her. “Then explain it to me.”
Lucy pressed her lips together for a moment before speaking. She wasn’t sure she could explain something she was still working out for herself. “For a while, I told myself I was saving it for my brother. I also told myself I had to hold on to it because of the family history. I’m not sure either was the real reason. When I came home, David, I lost so much. I was ready to give up—” David’s eyes snapped to hers and she quickly added, “Not kill myself. Well, not physically, but I was dying on the inside, and I had started to think maybe it was for the best. Maybe feeling nothing was better than hurting so much. Thank God, I spoke to Sarah. She gave me the kick in the ass I needed. I knew I had to make a decision, and saving the ranch was what I decided to do.”
“That’s why you were angry when I stepped in.” David rubbed his cheek in memory.
“Yes. I need my business to work out. I need to pay you back. Not because it will save the ranch, but because it will save me.” Lucy laid a hand on his thigh, praying what she was saying made sense to him. “I want to be with you, but I’m so afraid of losing myself again.”
David turned to look out over the darkened driveway. “I want you to have that win, Lucy. Being with me doesn’t mean you can’t save your ranch on your own. There are no rules. We define what we have.”
Lucy wanted to believe that. She wanted to so badly. “Why are you so good to me?”
When David looked down at her again, the fire in his eyes made Lucy question why she worried about anything when it came to him. All the answers were right there for her to see. “We belong together. I knew that from the first moment I met you.”
Lucy leaned her head on his shoulder again. Her emotions were still too scattered to be able to say anything that would match the intensity of how he felt for her. She didn’t want to hurt him by saying less and didn’t want to lie, so she remained quiet. After a short time, she said, “You were right about how good being with my friends would feel. I needed this.”
David rested his chin lightly on her head. “It’s obvious Chelle and Sarah felt the same. Poor Sarah, she says whatever is on her mind, and we love that about her, but I bet she has trouble sleeping tonight.”
“I’ll talk to her tomorrow. I was angry, but, in the end, I’m glad it’s out there, I guess.”
David sighed. “I am.” He nuzzled the side of her face. “So, tell me, what exactly is a high-tech vibrator?”
She described some of them to him, and finished by saying, “I know it may be an unconventional way to make money, but I’m actually pretty good at selling them.”
“I don’t doubt it for a minute,” he murmured into her ear.
Even though her body was heating up, she gave him a slight push. “I’m serious. I went to school for marketing, but I’ve never really applied what I had learned. When I came across this business and heard they wanted someone to design the marketing plan, I wasn’t sure I could do it. But I know I can now. I get it. It’s not just putting products up on a website. It’s connecting with potential clients.”
David raised his head and arched an eyebrow. “And how do you do that?”
“Through a blog, and it’s working. It’s anonymous so I can be honest.”
“What do you write about exactly?”
Lucy blushed. “I try out one of the items, then share my experience with it online. That way, women know what to expect when they use it.”
David shifted and adjusted his jeans. Lucy glanced down at the bulging evidence of how the topic was arousing him. Knowing how easily she excited him was a turn-on for her, too. Lucy licked her bottom lip. “Sarah suggested I try them out with you so potential buyers would know how they work with couples. I know you said you were into toys, but now that you know what they’re like, are you still game?”