Chapter Eight
Layla was shocked she didn’t collide with Avery’s truck in the side drive.
Her gaze was on the house.
More specifically, the front porch.
She managed to pull alongside his vehicle without incident and shoved the shifter into Park. She shut off the engine but left the keys in the ignition, knowing no one was going to steal the rental the production company had provided her with because Layla didn’t have her own car. Not much point when she was rarely ever home.
Avery came down the steps to open her door, and while the sight of him momentarily diverted her attention, it quickly returned to the deck. All lit up.
Not vibrantly, obnoxiously lit up.
Warmly, beautifully lit up.
She slipped from behind the wheel. He closed the door, rounded to the passenger side, and retrieved her “necessities” bag. Her suitcase for the week was in her trunk.
She stared at the scene before her, with nary a breath in her body.
Candles emitting a soft golden illumination and multicolored blooms alternated up each step, on both sides. Same for the top and bottom of the railings. He’d added twinkling lights to the base of the two planted trees on opposite ends and had draped lightweight blankets over the sofa and chairs that were laden with pillows. Soft music floated from the house.
All rendering Layla speechless.
He grinned and said, “A more proper way to introduce you to my home.”
Layla’s heart constricted like a big fist was squeezing it tight. Tears pricked the backs of her eyes. Emotion clogged her throat.
She opened her mouth to speak, but still ... no words flowed.
“You do like candles, right?” Avery asked in a hesitant voice. “We had all these left over from the BBQ event. The glasses too. Wyatt—she’s my cousin—suggested all this, but I arranged everything myself.” His brow knitted. “Maybe I went overboard.”
Layla tore her gaze from the subtle opulence and the entire entrancing setting.
“You just went around picking flowers for me?” she asked, stunned.
“Well, to be fair, we do have a lot of them.”
Now her heart nearly splintered. “Avery.” The only thing she could say before tears pooled in her eyes.
She pressed her hand to her trembling lips as her gaze slid to the most romantic display she’d ever laid eyes on.
Finding her voice, though it was frail, she said, “No one’s ever done anything like this for me.”
“I find that hard to believe, darlin’.”
“Believe it, cowboy.” She glanced up at him. “No one.”
She noted his consternation and had to remedy it.
She brushed away a few drops, slipped her hand in his free one, and said, “It’s lovely, Avery. Thank you.”
“I just wanted you to know ...” His voice trailed off. He gave a slight shake of his head. Let out a strangled sound—and tried again. “That I like you being here. And you can visit anytime.”
She twined her arm around his, snuggling close. She inhaled his fresh masculine scent. Let more tears fall.
“I’m not sure this is good or bad,” he confessed. “You crying ... us getting more tangled up with each other ...”
“I can drive back to Serrano,” she offered. Though it was the last thing she wanted to do.
“What about all this food I made?” he teased.
She gazed up at him. “I’m sure the wranglers will find room in their bellies.”
“Ain’t that a fact.”
They stared at each other. Until she thought all these feelings would choke her.
She said, “Let’s just see how the evening goes. Yes?”
“I’ll give you three guesses on how it’s gonna go.”
“But I only need the one.” She craned her neck, gave him a soft kiss, then batted her damp lashes.
He grinned. “My thought too.”
He guided her up to the seating area, depositing her tote at the screen door. Through it, she could see more golden accents. So he hadn’t just concentrated on this one spot for them. That practically liquified her as she sank onto the sofa and he sat next to her, reaching for the bottle of wine and then pulling the cork. He poured them both a glass, and she positioned herself to face him so they could tap rims.
“You’re ruining me for all other men, cowboy.”
“That’s sort of the point, honey.”
“Consider me sufficiently wooed.”
He chuckled. “I just didn’t have a better term for it.”
“It’s elegant.”
“Bringing all these tears to your eyes isn’t.”
He grabbed a napkin and dabbed at her cheeks. She didn’t pull away.
Perhaps that was why he said, “Something happened to you, and I don’t know what it is, Layla. But you aren’t afraid of me.”
“No,” she said with absolute conviction.
“Even though this . . . thing . . . between us is unsolvable.”
“I won’t give up my career.” She was adamant about this. “It’s what I’ve wanted almost my whole life.”
“I can’t give up this ranch. It’s who I am.”
“I already know that, Avery. It’s another reason I wanted you on the show. Your devotion is commendable.” She smiled and added, “As amazing a coup as it would be if I could steal you from this place and take you on the road as my cohost ... I have no delusions of being able to do that. No. Point-blank, I wouldn’t even suggest it.”
“Interesting how we’ve already arrived at this stage. And yet we’re not relenting.”
“Knowing we should?”
He sipped. Sighed. Then said, “I won’t deny I ran through all the what-ifs, with the accompanying, ‘Why would we torture ourselves?’ Seems we’re destined for misery.”
Her stomach knotted. Because she couldn’t reject his statements, contradict them.
“Well, I’m here now ...,” she simply said.
He kissed her and murmured, “Doesn’t that just make my night?”
He poured more wine and angled the tapas plate her way.
She told him, “Not to be more of a downer, but I have to start thinking of a concept for next season, now that we have this roster nailed. I need a proposal for our sponsors.”
“Have you considered food trucks?” he asked. “There are some serious BBQ offerings to be had. Not just in the Southwest but all over the country.”
He winced.
She caught it.
She chewed on a tomato-basil cracker with mozzarella and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. “You’re providing me with options that will take me to the West Coast? The East Coast?”
“Maybe Canada and Mexico.”
She stared at him. “You really do understand what drives me, cowboy.”
“Not saying it’s easy to accept. But you have a great platform, and you love what you do. Why wouldn’t I support that?”
She leaned in close and swept her lips over his. Stared into his eyes again. She whispered, “You might be the holy grail.”
“It’s not a far-fetched notion to say I’ll always be here. Pretty much etched in stone, truth be told.”
She considered this. “You’re almost a three-hour drive from San Antonio.”
“And I can’t make a jaunt your way and be back here for breakfast with no sleep.”
“That whole ‘no sleep’ thing is enticing.” She kissed him again. And said, “Bottom line is ... I wouldn’t mind coming to you.”
“You have the access code.”
She knew it was judiciously given out.
Still . . .
“Monday nights in your bed is enough for you?” she asked.
“Nope. Not by a long shot.”
Okay, that said so much.
“But I don’t want to dissect that right now,” he told her.
He put their wineglasses on the end table and pulled her into his lap. His fingers combed through her hair. She’d not straightened the long curls, since he’d said he liked them.
She kissed him. Faintly at first. Enjoying the heat oozing from his every pore. Thrilling over how he wound his arm around the small of her back, keeping her close.
Her fingers released the snaps of his shirt as their lips twisted and tasted.
This was definitely a glorious way to end her workweek, right before she started up again on Wednesday.
And knowing her next segment was here on the ranch, she could overlook the agony of only getting one night a week with this man. She didn’t bother to wonder how long that might last. He could get tired of the lack of physical contact sooner rather than later. Not to mention the emotional disconnect.
She was in his arms now, and that mattered most for the time being.
Her nails grazed his abs, and the muscles flexed. He wriggled a bit, as though to get comfortable against a tightening crotch.
She whispered, “There’s nothing like a cowboy getting all worked up. Not that I’ve had experience with one until now.”
“You just keep doing what you’re doing, darlin’.”
“In that case ...” She kissed him more passionately. He responded fervently.
And there they went again, getting lost in each other.
She shifted so that she could straddle him.
He eased her shrug over her shoulders, and the humid air drifted over her flesh. Her thin-strapped top rustled in the gentle breeze, caressing her skin as much as his fingers did as they glided down her arms. Making her shiver.
Their languid pace and the sultry atmosphere had her melting into him.
In between sensuous kisses, she murmured, “This beats the hell out of a lonely hotel room.”
“Let’s not talk about lonely, honey. We won’t be doing ourselves any favors.”
“Point taken.”
“Just keep kissing me.”
She did.
Song after song played in the background. Stars glittered in the sky. Crickets and frogs found their own perfect harmony. She glanced around from time to time, when she needed a breath, and marveled at the tranquil surroundings and the flickering of the faux candle flames.
His hands slipped under the chemise material partially covering her and found the clasp to her strapless bra. He unhooked it with a finger and thumb, then peeled it away, tossing it aside. He palmed her breasts and massaged with a tinge of insistency that conveyed his need for her, but also his contentment with maintaining their leisurely pace. Relaying how much he held himself in check, when she sensed he wanted more.
That sent a ripple of delight through her.
She suggested, “Why don’t we take this party upstairs, cowboy?”
He didn’t hesitate. Didn’t say a word. Just stood in one stealthy movement as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Though she unraveled from him at the door so he could use a remote to turn off the candles and another for the tunes.
“We’ll get the rest later,” he said but snatched up her bag to bring it inside.
He closed the door behind them.
Layla observed the same assortment of candles and flowers leading up to the mezzanine. There were scattered petals along the corridor to Avery’s suite.
She glanced over her shoulder. “You don’t do anything halfway, do you, cowboy?”
“I’m sure I forgot something,” he admitted. “This isn’t my norm.”
Yet he flipped on the gas fireplace, “lit” more candles, and tapped another playlist. Voilà ... the romantic mood continued.
“My pulse is wicked fast,” she told him as he pulled her into his arms again. “And there are some insane things happening between my legs.”
“Which is where I want to be.”
“Ah, we always find our way to the right juncture.”
“That unto itself is a sexy connotation.”
He wasted no time getting them naked. Jerked back the bedding. Pressed her down onto the mattress as she spread her legs for him.
Her hands skated up his biceps to his broad shoulders. She sighed serenely. “You have a strapping build, Avery Reed.”
“Feel free to take full advantage of me, honey.”
She nipped his lip. And said, “Can’t help myself.”
“Ditto.” His gaze slid over her.
Then he inched down a bit, his lips skimming over her collarbone to the tops of her breasts. His tongue curled around one pebbled center, flitting provocatively. He moved lower, teasing her stomach with butterfly flicks.
Exhilaration rippled through her as his fingertips grazed her slick folds.
“Why does it feel like an eternity since you touched me?” she murmured.
“Because we should be doing this every night.”
“There is that.”
Irrational yet desirable.
She said, “At least we get these stolen moments.”
“I have huge thoughts on how to maximize them.”
“I was hoping . . .”
His tongue drew lazy circles around her navel. He bit lightly at the rim.
She threaded her hands through his lush hair. Her lids drifted closed.
Layla’s body begged for more, but she didn’t urge him on. He’d reach his destination when he was good and ready. Sure enough, he maneuvered himself in the V her thighs created, and his warm breath blew over her exposed flesh, making it quiver.
He spread her folds with his thumbs and fluttered the tip of his tongue over her clit.
A whimper escaped her. She sucked in her cheeks, holding another one at bay.
But she had no control over the writhing of her body.
He teased the knot of nerves with more of the quick flickers. Toyed with her folds with long licks. Then traced her opening with his tongue. All so electrifying and decadent.
She gripped his biceps, holding him in place. He knew what she wanted—and she knew he was going to give it to her.
Two fingers penetrated her, and she couldn’t stop the next rasping breath from filling the quiet room.
“Avery . . .”
“Baby, let me get you off. I want you crazed for me.”
“Sooo close.”
He put extra effort into his combination of fluttering and stroking. Pushing her higher.
Until she shattered.
Moments later, he was sheathed and inside her.
And that was only the beginning ...