Chapter 11
Liberty woke the next morning feeling slightly disoriented. She stared at the bright sunlight shining in through the crack of the curtains for a second before she realized what was wrong.
She’d slept through the night.
Last night, she’d climbed into bed and fallen right to sleep. She hadn’t counted sheep. She hadn’t worried about losing the ranch or the list of things she needed to get done when she got back to Houston. She’d just conked out and slept through the entire night. Since she couldn’t remember the last time that had happened, it freaked her out.
She had to be coming down with something.
She felt her forehead, but she didn’t feel hot. Nor did she have a stomachache or a headache. In fact, she felt better and more energized than she had in a long time. She felt like she could run a marathon. Or maybe a triathlon. She tried to figure out what she had done differently last night than all the sleepless nights before.
Only one word popped into her head.
Jesse.
The man was cocky and annoying, but he was also entertaining. She had laughed more last night than she had laughed in a long time. He had swung them so high in the swing that she hadn’t been able to stop shrieking with glee. Once he’d brought the swing to a stop, he twisted the ropes and whirled them around like a top. She’d giggled so hard she’d almost peed her pants.
When they had stopped spinning, she should have gotten off his lap. But she hadn’t. She had just sat there with her arms looped around his neck, wishing he would kiss her. She’d figured that one little ol’ kiss wouldn’t hurt anything. She could kiss him and not go to bed with him.
But he hadn’t kissed her.
Instead, he had looked up into the branches of the old oak tree and challenged her to a tree-climbing contest. She had taken him up on the challenge, of course, and quickly figured out that climbing the tree had been much easier when she was a kid. But she’d done it and taunted Jesse from the high branch she sat on. He’d taken off his boots and easily scaled the tree and joined her, whereupon they had gotten into a heated verbal battle on who had done it quicker.
Even that had made her laugh.
By the time they climbed down and he walked her back to the house, with his boots dangling from one hand and the other resting on the small of her back, she hadn’t been able to stop smiling. She had even invited him to sit on the porch.
He had declined, then hopped in his obnoxious truck and left.
Without trying to kiss her once.
Her eyes narrowed on the shaft of light shining in through the opening in the curtains.
What was the man up to? If he was trying to seduce her, he was doing a piss-poor job.
The thought had her angry all over again. But this time at herself.
“What are you thinking, Liberty Holiday? You should be thankful he’s not trying to seduce you, instead of lying here wishing he had. You have a bet to win. And you damn well aren’t going to win it by kissing Jesse.”
She jumped out of bed and headed into the bathroom to shower.
Once she was dressed, she went downstairs to discover that everyone was gone. In the kitchen, she spied the note on the refrigerator from her mama, reminding her about Daddy’s heart specialist appointment in Austin and Mimi’s book club meeting in town. Mimi had even taken Tay-Tay with her.
Which meant Liberty was alone.
Being alone wasn’t something Liberty was used to. As a twin, she’d had company even in the womb. She quickly tried calling Belle. When her sister didn’t answer, she tried calling her other four sisters. Not one answered. Obviously, everyone had something to do this morning but her.
She sighed and flopped down in a kitchen chair. “So much for being ready to win a triathlon.” She tapped her phone and started looking at ideas on Pinterest for a five-year-old girl’s birthday party. She had just started making a list of things she needed when the doorbell rang.
She sprang up like a jack-in-the-box. Hopefully, it was someone from the Wi-Fi company. But when she opened the door, there was no one there. A large box sat on the doormat and a FedEx truck was heading down the road in a cloud of dust.
She picked up the box and carried it inside. She set it on the kitchen counter before looking to see who it was addressed to. Libby Lou Holiday. Besides Mimi, there was only one person who called her that.
Taking a knife from a drawer, she opened the box. Inside, she found three other boxes. She opened the first one and discovered a box of mocha chocolate muffins from some online specialty bakery. The second box had a straw cowboy hat with a feather sticking in its brim. And the box on the bottom held a pair of brand-new brown roper boots.
The ornery man hadn’t gotten her one thing she’d asked for. And yet, she ended up liking everything he’d picked out. The muffins were almost as good as Sheryl Ann’s. The cowboy hat looked adorable on. And the boots fit her to perfection with just enough give.
Of course, she couldn’t keep them. Well, maybe the muffins since she’d already eaten one. But the hat and the boots she had to return . . . after she did a little teasing. She picked up her phone and tapped the screen.
What happened to the diamonds and Ferragamos?
She only had to wait a moment for the reply.
Those requests were from Liberty Holiday, tough businesswoman. My gifts are for Libby Lou, fun-lovin’ country gal.
She laughed as she texted back. Fun-lovin’ country gals like diamonds and designer heels too.
He replied right away. But this fun-lovin’ country boy likes you in hats and boots.
Thank you, but I can’t accept them. At least not the boots and hat. I ate a muffin.
Well, that’s a shame because I got them on sale and they’re nonrefundable. I guess I’ll have to find another fun-lovin’ country gal to give them to.
She didn’t know what bothered her most: another woman getting the cute hat and comfy boots or Jesse giving them to her.
Fine. If you can’t return them, I’ll keep them. Thank you.
You’re welcome.
She should leave it at that, but she was too starved for company to listen to logical thinking.
What are you doing?
Just answering emails. You?
Planning a little girl’s birthday party.
Sounds about as exciting as answering emails. Only a second later another text came in. Would a fun-lovin’ country girl want to go on a picnic at Cooper Springs?
The last thing she needed to do if she wanted to win the bet was be alone with Jesse. But when she answered, it wasn’t to decline.
With swimsuits?
Only if you insist.
I insist.
Party pooper. I’ll pick you up at noon. Bring the muffins.
I’m not sharing my muffins.
Then I won’t share my tacos.
Tito’s?
Where else would I get tacos in Wilder?
Fine, I’ll share my muffins. Two shredded pork with extra spicy salsa.
Oh, you can bet that I’ll bring the extra spice, darlin’.
It seemed that the seduction was about to begin.
Why that made Liberty smile, she didn’t know.
Three hours later, she was sitting cross-legged on the blanket she’d brought to Cooper Springs enjoying the best tacos in Texas and tapping notes on her phone. She’d come up with some ideas for Pip’s party on the way to Cooper Springs and she wanted to jot them down before she forgot them.
Jesse was stretched out next to her with his eyes closed. It was hard to keep her focus when so much naked skin was on display. The only thing he wore was a pair of shark-print swim trunks that rode so low on his six-pack stomach she could see the white skin bordering his tan line. A thin line of reddish hair ran from the dark shadow of his belly button under the waistband of his trunks. Trunks that didn’t leave much to the imagination. She could see the outline of his—
“Are you eyeballing my taco?”
Her gaze flashed up to his face. His eyes were closed, but he must have seen her gawking at his body. She quickly came up with an excuse. “I’m just concerned you’re going to get burned. Did you put on sunscreen?”
“Yes, ma’am, but I’m also one of those rare redheads who doesn’t burn easily.”
Her gaze returned to his chest and the question popped out before she could stop it. “Do you work out shirtless?” He still didn’t open his eyes, but a smirk tickled the corners of his mouth. She tried to cover her blooper. “I’m just asking because your chest is tanned and . . .”
“And so muscular it hurts your eyes?”
She rolled her eyes and went back to making her list. “Never mind.”
He sat up, hooking his arms over his bent knees. “I work out at a gym when I can, but usually with a shirt on. I only go without a shirt when I’m doing yard work.”
“Yard work? You have a yard?”
“No. But Corbin’s trailer does and it’s filled with weeds. Or it used to be.”
She started at him. “Corbin’s trailer? You’re staying out at Corbin’s uncle’s place?”
“It’s Corbin’s now. So I thought I’d help him clean it up. It’s in pretty rough shape.”
“Why would he want to clean it up? He can’t be planning on keeping it.”
“Why not?”
“Because I saw it when his uncle owned it and it was pathetic then. I’m sure it’s even more so now. And I’m sure he has a nicer home or apartment.”
“He does.” Jesse shrugged. “But maybe he wants to keep his uncle’s place because of the memories.”
Liberty snorted. “Not likely. His uncle wasn’t what you would call a good memory maker. The only memories I have of him are coming drunk to the high school games and making scenes or getting in arguments with people in town or my daddy. He was an angry man who never had a kind word to say to anyone. Especially poor Corbin. I’m surprised Corbin didn’t tell you.”
Jesse’s eyes held a sadness Liberty had never seen before. “No. He never mentioned it.”
That wasn’t so strange. The men she knew struggled to talk about anything but business, sports, or ranching. She started to go back to her list when Jesse reached over and took her phone.
“Hey! Give that back.”
He shook his head. “I didn’t invite you on a picnic so I could sit here and watch you tap away on your phone.”
“You weren’t sitting. You were lying.” She held out a hand. “Give it back.”
He lifted his eyebrows. “Or what?”
“Or I’m going to make you pay.”
His eyes twinkled. “Really? Then make me pay, Libby Lou.”
She hesitated for only a second before she lunged for her phone. But he was much faster and moved it out of her reach . . . and kept moving it out of her reach as she kept trying to grab it. Finally she got so angry, she growled and tackled him back to the blanket. A wrestling match ensued. Not that Jesse did much wrestling. He mostly just lay there, laughing, as he moved his arm to keep her phone just out of her reach.
“I’m warning you, Jesse Cates, if you don’t give me back my phone—”
He easily rolled her over until he was on top.
Just like that, she forgot all about her phone. All she could think about was the way her body felt tucked beneath all those muscles.
She had never liked men being on top. It made her feel trapped. But with Jesse, she didn’t feel trapped. She felt . . . safe. Like being wrapped in her great-grandma’s quilt. Except instead of patched material, the blanket was made of hard muscle and a rapidly thumping heart. As she looked into his soft brown eyes, she felt no need to be on top. No need to take control.
“Or you’ll do what, Libby Lou?” he said in a voice that was husky and sexy.
Only one thing popped into her mind.
As it turned out, she took control after all.
She slid her hands over the broad width of his shoulders, enjoying the feel of his sun-toasted skin, before she glided them up the corded muscles of his neck and cradled his whiskered jaw. “Or this.” She kissed him.
As soon as their mouths collided, she realized how much she had longed for this. She felt ravenous and Jesse was the only one who could feed the hunger inside her. But instead of joining in on her frenzied kiss, he drew back and whispered against her lips.
“Slow down, Libby. There’s no rush.” He sipped at her mouth a few times before he deepened the kiss, teaching her the difference between a rushed devouring and a slow, unhurried mating of lips and tongues. He didn’t just taste her. He savored her, turning her into a puddle of want and need.
He wanted her too. She could feel him growing hard against the top of her leg. She shifted to get that hardness exactly where she wanted it. When he rubbed his erection against the aching spot, she groaned with the pleasure it ignited.
She was losing the bet. Her mind knew this. But her body didn’t seem to care. It wanted more. She opened her legs as he continued to rock against her. When he wasn’t moving fast enough, she slipped her hands to his butt to urge him on. He chuckled against her lips before he followed her instruction, rubbing his hard length against her until the pulsing ache between her legs turned into an explosive release.
As she dug her fingers into his butt cheeks and arched into him, he slowed his movements and eased her down from her orgasm with feather-soft kisses and words of encouragement.
“That’s it, Lib. Ride it out, baby.”
She wilted down to the blanket and sighed, completely spent and relaxed . . . for about three seconds. Then her mind plopped back into her head and she realized what she’d done.
She shoved him off and scrambled to her feet. “If you think for one second that you’ve won the bet, Jesse Cates, you can think again. Our bet was about you getting me in bed and that means sex. What we just had wasn’t sex. That was just me reaching orgasm by myself.”
He rested back on his forearms, his red hair mussed, and his brown eyes hazed with desire. “Well, there’s no doubt, darlin’, that you were the only one who had an orgasm.” He glanced down at the front of his swim trunks. The thin waterproof fabric did nothing to disguise his large erection. “But I think I had a little something to do with it.”
She couldn’t argue. “Fine. You had something to do with it. But it wasn’t sex.”
He rolled to his feet and shrugged. “Then I guess I’ll have to up my game.” He started toward her and she held up a hand.
“Now just because I let you give me an orgasm that doesn’t mean—” Before she could finish, he walked right past her and dove into the springs. He rose up out of the water with a loud hoot and a wide smile.
“Come on in, Libby Lou. The water feels great!”
After what had just happened, she had no desire to test her willpower again. “No, thank you, I need to get back to my party planning.” She turned to the blanket and froze. “Where’s my phone?” She looked back at him. “Don’t you dare tell me that you took it into the springs.”
“Now would I do something like that when I know how much you love your phone?”
“Then where is it?”
“I’ll be happy to tell you if you can beat me at a race.” He winked. “Ready, set , go!” He took off swimming for the opposite shore. Liberty had no choice but to slip off her cover-up and dive into the water. He still beat her by a good ten yards.
But she wasn’t mad. She was finding it harder and harder to stay mad at Jesse.
She laughed as she splashed him with water. “Then I guess we’re even.”
He gave her a heated look. “Oh, no, Libby Lou. We’re not even. It’s now one orgasm to none. But just to be clear, I don’t mind at all if you go up by two . . . or three.”
It took every ounce of willpower she had to turn from the steamy promise in those eyes and swim for shore.