Taking Charge (Lone Star Burn #4)(50)

And that’s how it is done, darlin’.

David rolled over, cleaned himself off, and then, spent, flopped back down onto the bed.

“Lucy?”

“Yes?” she asked in a whisper.

“When we get back to your house, let’s try that toy.”

She chuckled. “See, I told you my blog was effective.”

He could have told her that her writing skills had nothing to do with the fact that he was dying to try all the toys with her, but he kept that thought to himself. “It sure was. Lucy, I won’t want to sleep in the bunkhouse in Mavis.”

She breathed in audibly. “You want to move in?”

“We’ll make love every night. You’ll fall asleep in my arms. I’ll wake you with a kiss each morning. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that. You want this as much as I do. Say yes, Lucy.”

He waited for what felt like an eternity for her to answer. The longer she didn’t say anything, the more he began to worry he’d pushed her for too much too soon.

“Yes,” she said, then hung up.

David tossed his phone on the bed beside him and stared up at the ceiling. The last thing he wanted to do was go to sleep. He wanted to throw open his window and yell that she was his.

He wanted to join her in the main house and hold her until the sun came up.

He held himself back because he knew she needed more time before she could fully give herself to him. For now, he would bask in the relief that she wasn’t unreachable.

She’d said yes.





Chapter Fourteen


The next morning, Lucy showered early and, although she dressed simply, took extra care with her hair and makeup. While applying the finishing touches, she paused and studied the woman looking back at her. There was a life in her eyes that hadn’t been there for so long, Lucy had doubted it would ever return. She glimpsed the woman she’d been before her father died, and the thought brought a smile to her lips.

No, she couldn’t go back, but she could go on.

And not just survive.

She could live and laugh again.

She thought about David.

Maybe even love one day.

The glow on her cheeks had nothing to do with the makeup she’d applied and everything to do with memories from the day before. When she thought about how hard she came last night—just from hearing David’s incredibly sexy voice demanding she touch herself and imagining blowing him—she couldn’t stop smiling.

David was a gentle soul, but he was also a confident, dominant man, and . . . and the more she was with him, the less she wanted to imagine her life without him.

So much had changed in one day. When she thought about how new everything was, fear nipped at her heels, but she refused to let it affect her mood.

The optimistic woman in the mirror deserved a chance to prove that happy endings were possible. She’d paid her dues. She’d survived more than she ever thought she could. Was it impossible to believe she might deserve someone as good as David in her life?

Lucy made her way downstairs and was surprised to see Chelle already there. She was talking to a still apologetic-looking Sarah. As soon as they heard her, they both turned.

Sarah said, “Lucy, I still feel awful about—”

Lucy closed the distance between them in a few long strides and threw her arms around her, swallowing the rest of what Sarah would have said in a tight hug. “You will never know how grateful I am to have you in my life.” She turned and hugged Chelle. “You too. Let’s not worry about something that actually turned out for the best. I’m glad it’s out there.”

The happiness Lucy had seen on her own face was reflected in the smiles of her friends. Sarah said, “Tony is showing David and Mason one of the horses. I told them to take their time. Let’s make a big breakfast. We were supposed to head to town today, but what do you think about hanging out here?”

Chelle said she thought Mason would probably love being able to truly relax without worrying about who was watching.

Lucy agreed. She really liked Fort Mavis, but her friends were the reason she’d come, and having a stress-free day with them sounded perfect.

They headed into the kitchen together as Sarah joked, “Funniest thing about the vegetables we were preparing for dinner last night. They ended up all over the floor. I cleaned it up, but what do you think could have done that? Squirrels?”

Lucy slapped her forehead. “I meant to clean that up. Sorry, Sarah.”

Chelle rounded her eyes in feigned innocence. “I don’t know what else could have been on your mind.”

Sarah winked at Lucy. “Details are not necessary, but I sanitized the whole kitchen.”

Lucy sat on one of the stools that lined the kitchen island and wagged a finger at Chelle. “We contained ourselves until we got upstairs, but Sarah, you should have heard Chelle and Mason. I was mortified to be caught with David, and those two were calling upstairs to us. I was dying.”

Chelle shrugged and smiled. “We wanted to see you. Besides, aren’t you glad we waited for you? Last night was fun.”

“It really was,” Lucy agreed with a huge smile.

Sarah started taking supplies out of the refrigerator and cabinets, placing them on the island. “You and David are adorable together. I knew he liked you, but when I see him with you . . .” Sarah sighed dreamily. “Love is a beautiful thing.”