first time, more than I ever expected him to be, and, meeting his gape, I knew he was everything my heart loved.
Yup. I loved him. I loved this man that I knew so well in words and nothing of physically. It didn’t matter though. Not knowing all of him yet didn’t deter my heart. I knew enough to decide that he would always be enough for me, and every minute more I spent with him made it more difficult to imagine ever living without him again.
There was no humor in his stare, only hot, sizzling passion. “Let’s go, beautiful.”
With a wave at the table, a half-hearted good-bye, and a few snickers from Trent and Tate followed by a barking scold from Linda, I let him lead me back outside. The sun was setting in the distance, alluding to the hours we’d passed inside with his family.
Robotically, I broke away from his flank and approached the passenger side of the vehicle. I was just about to reach for the door handle when he twirled me, pulling me into his arms and pressing my back against his truck. His hands cradled my face, the only warning he gave before he captured my lips.
Electricity zapped my nerve endings, igniting my soul and awakening my body. He pressed his hard form against me, making me aware of his erection, as he meticulously tasted and teased my mouth.
I clung to his forearms, delighting in the feel of his muscles beneath my palms, flexing and moving, fighting for restraint, for control.
He kissed me thoroughly; answering every question I may have had as to how bad he wanted me. He kissed me tenderly, kindling every desire I had as a woman to be cherished. He kissed me long, stealing every breath in me and replacing it with his own.
My breasts swelled with need, my nipples pressing through the fabric of my bra and tank. He had to have known the effect he had on me, yet he didn’t rush to acknowledge it.
He pulled back; our breaths harsh, quick pants as we stared into each other. He swept his thumbs along the apples of my cheeks, just beneath my glasses. “I’ve been wanting to do that all damn day.”
I bit back a grin. “I’ve been wanting you to do it all day.” Feeling confident, I stretched up on my tiptoes and pecked his lips. “You were worth the wait, Sergeant First Class Russell.”
He gave me a once over that had me ready to strip on command in his parents’ driveway. “As were you, Miss Maxlyn.” He slung an arm around my waist and moved us aside to open the passenger door. He ensured I was comfortably seated and buckled before he closed it.
I laughed heartily , relaxing into the leather seat, as I watched him walk around the front of the truck. He rolled his shoulders several times and adjusted his jeans at the crotch twice along the way. It seemed we were both suffering on some levels.
He climbed into his truck with ease. His gaze was hot on me, his lips pursed tightly. If not for the humor in his depths, I would have believed him. “Anyone ever tell you not to tease a soldier? I’m a ticking time bomb, beautiful.” His voice held a mix of taunt and truth.
I bit my lower lip, my heart pumping evenly. “No more than some of my book boyfriends.”
His brows dipped inwards as his truck roared to life. He stared out the windshield for a long minute before he angled himself to take me in. “No more book boyfriends. I want to be your one and only.”
My chest compressed. My throat tightened even as my heart sprinted faster, eagerly, with abandon. My mind struggled to merge all he’d written with the man before me. In ways, he felt like another book boyfriend. I read his words and believed he was too good to be true, to be real.
But he was real. Taylor was handsome, wonderful, caring, protective, more than his words ever conveyed. He was more than I thought I would get. He was all I’d dreamed and never believed I would receive outside a fictional character.
And now, now he was asking to be my one and only. He was asking me to give up fiction for reality, as if it
The Big Rich: The Rise, Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes