Taking Charge (Lone Star Burn #4)(54)

There was a chance he’d lose her. She wasn’t making idle threats. He could see the desperation in her eyes and hated not being able to instantly fix all her problems. He couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t want anyone to know about the text, but he knew how people reacted when they felt their back was up against a wall.

If they’d met somewhere else, in different circumstances, he would have taken it slower. She was right to feel rushed. They should have dated first, taken more time to get to know each other before bringing their relationship to this level.

Circumstances were not different, though. If he were given a chance to do the last two weeks over again, he would make all of the same choices. Once Wyatt had told him he didn’t think Lucy was safe, David’s course had been set.

He’d spent too much time wanting her and thinking he’d lost her to have spent a week on her ranch and not end up right where he was. He could have gone back to staying in the bunkhouse when they’d returned from Fort Mavis, but his need for her overshadowed his normally patient nature.

He didn’t like the line she was drawing in the sand. It put him in a no-win situation. On one hand, he could respect her wishes and not get involved, but if the texts were from Ted, it meant he was becoming bolder and more dangerous. If David was going to protect her, he needed to know whom he was dealing with. Which meant he needed to find out more about the text. If he didn’t want Lucy to throw him off her ranch, he’d have to do it without Lucy knowing he had.

Which meant deceiving her—something David hated introducing into their relationship.

He pulled her back into his arms and hugged her to him. The excitement of feeling her naked body flush against his faded momentarily against the emotions raging through him.

I’m sorry, Lucy. I know you need more time before you see us as a team, but time is something we may not have without this step.

He kissed her temple. “I won’t say anything to anyone.”

She searched his face. “You promise?”

His gut twisted. “Yes.” Then he kissed her with all the feeling raging within him. She kissed him back just as passionately, as if the fire they lit could somehow burn away whatever wall was still between them.

They tore at each other: both angry and scared and just hungry enough for each other that it was an animalistic mating. They were two people trying to prove something to themselves while also giving in to a lust that could not be denied.

When they collapsed into each other’s arms, sweaty and spent, David felt better.

And worse.





Chapter Sixteen


Two weeks later, in the office of her home, Lucy ended an invigorating phone call with Technically Anonymous Pleasure and closed her laptop. She was feeling good about the sales her website was generating as well as how responsive the founders of the company were to her suggestions. Word of mouth was spreading fast. All they had to do now was keep the momentum going.

A highly rated radio program had contacted TAP and asked to interview Lucy. They hadn’t asked for her by name, but they’d wanted to speak to the woman who was writing the popular blog attached to the company. Lucy came up with an alternative. Her blog was growing in popularity, mostly because of the contributions from other users, so Lucy suggested the company hire a well-known sex therapist to take calls during the radio program. She said it would engage customers more. She sent the woman a generous basket of product and was pleased when she endorsed several on air. The show had been a huge success and titillating enough to be mentioned on every news station.

A few days after that, a national news show had sensationalized the story into a global threat against marriage, warning that if this type of technology were allowed to continue unchecked, everyone would soon have their own sexbot.

Completely ridiculous, but the most searched-for item on the company site the next day had been . . . sexbots. Lucy had joked that if they created one, she would not be the one to test-drive it.

I don’t really want to try out any of these toys anymore.

She hadn’t shared that last part with them. They’d been too busy watching the news about their company unfold to notice that she hadn’t posted a new review of an item to her blog since she’d returned home.

David had said he liked sex toys. When they’d been in Fort Mavis, he’d even said he couldn’t wait to come back and try some of them out. Somehow, and Lucy was at a loss for how, that had changed. Her business had become something neither of them talked about.

Lucy wanted to ask him why, but things were going so well between them that she didn’t. She felt guilty about how she’d spoken to him the night she’d received the nasty text. He had been generous, kind, and open about his feelings for her. And how do I repay that? By threatening to throw him out the first night he sleeps over.

I’m a real piece of work.

She stood up and walked over to the box that contained all the toys she hadn’t yet tried. How am I going to review the rest of these if I don’t try them out?

She laughed sadly into her hand. Talk about job stress I’ll never discuss with my friends. How is work? Oh, too many projects piling up.

Turning away from the box, Lucy walked to her window and scanned the area for David. He was in the round pen with the mare he was determined to reform. Tony had written the horse off. Wyatt had even warned his family to stay away from her, but David wasn’t giving up that easily.