Page 7 of Home Town Knight

WasI awful for not telling Tex my real job?

I was a nonfiction writer, for all intents and purposes. I wrote the truth, and I got paid for it. Still, it wasn’t completely accurate. I was all set to clarify things. Fess up that I wrote for a newspaper and wasn’t working on a book, as Tex had assumed. But neither Tex nor Dean asked more about my writing, so I didn’t correct the record.

I got the sense that Tex didn’t want to discuss his job either, whatever it really was. Wildlife-related or not.

His dinner arrived, and he dug in. I sipped my beer as we watched the 2000s action movie that played on the screen over Dean’s head. We took turns gasping at the wild stunts and rolling our eyes at the one-liners. He pushed his empty plate forward. Ordered us a couple more beers.

Eight o’clock passed. Then nine. My early bedtime kept getting later, but I didn’t feel like moving from this spot. Not yet.

The more I sat with Tex, the cuter he got. Maybe it was the idea of him in a cowboy hat, which would’ve matched his vibe perfectly. That rough, raspy voice. He was quiet, not filling the gaps with useless chatter, yet just feisty enough tokeep things interesting. Dean’s obvious regard for him was sweet, and it also spoke volumes. I knew what those military connections meant.

My dad had been an Air Force vet, and his squadron buddies had stuck with him fiercely until the end, even when most everyone else had abandoned Dad after the accusations. They’d been his pallbearers, several of them weeping openly as they carried the casket up the aisle.

Tex crossed his arms on the bar, turning to me. His shoulder nudged mine. “You’re frowning. Want me to ask Dean to change the channel?”

“No, it’s not the movie. Thinking of something else. I get sentimental after a few beers.”

“I know how that is. Want to talk about it?” Our knees brushed, then stayed in contact. His larger thigh was solid and warm against mine.

“Family stuff. And no, I’d rather not go there. Not tonight.”

“Ah.” He tilted his head so I could just see his dark blues beneath the brim of his cap.

That look grabbed hold of something in my chest. Drew me in like a magnet. No way could I have looked anywhere else.

“How about this,” he said. “You don’t let me talk about anything serious, and I’ll do the same for you. We’ll keep it light. Enjoy each other’s company. Until you’re ready to say goodnight.”

In just those few sentences, he’d put the control in my hands. And he’d captured exactly how I was feeling tonight. I wanted to escape my regular everyday life, my issues at work, and the past that still haunted me.

And I had a feeling this man, more than any other, could help me forget. At least until tomorrow, when I’d go back to real life.

My throat was dry, so I took a sip of beer. “Throw in a skillet cookie sundae to share, and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

He held out his hand, and I slid mine into his grip. He cradled my fingers, his calloused thumb brushing in a light caress. Second time our bare skin had touched tonight, and it was just as intense as the first, even though I worked hard once again to hide his effect on me.

I knew. Right then.

So much for that early bedtime.

A couple of hours later, we’d finished off the cookie sundae and joked our way through another movie. Then moved on to arguing about music. We both wore grins big enough to light up the room, which had gotten dimmer and quieter as the hours had flown by. Dean had faded into the background until I realized he wasn’t even standing behind the bar anymore.

And the more animated our conversation had grown, the closer we’d been inching, until our sides were sandwiched together without a centimeter of space between. My shoulder in the curve between his bicep and deltoid. The side seam of my jeans overlapping his. I’d crossed my legs, and my dangling foot rested on top of his boot. He smelledgood. Fresh and clean and masculine.

Then, I realized the rest of the hotel bar had cleared out. Dean was turning chairs upside down on the tables. He hadn’t bothered Tex and me in an hour at least.

“Is the bar closing?” I asked.

Tex glanced over his shoulder at his friend, who was focused on clean-up rather than us. “It’s been closed for tenminutes. That’s okay, though. Dean won’t throw us out. Unless…you want to go somewhere else?”

I sat back and looked at him. Hunger sharpened his gaze. Naked, undisguisedwant.

Until now, Tex had kept his promise about keeping things light. We’d been flirting, but there hadn’t been any pressure behind it. No hard sell. While we’d been sitting together, I’d felt his entire attention on me, but he hadn’t been trying to impress me or push me. I trusted that he’d really meant what he’d said. That we would say goodnight whenIwas ready.

This was him shooting his shot. Letting me know that he wanted us to enjoy each other in far more intimate ways.

My nipples tightened. Desire rushed in my veins like honey whiskey, thick and sweet and strong. I was lost in those dark blue eyes.

“I’m ready to head out, actually. It’s been fun.” I’d put my dinner on the room, and Tex had paid for most of my drinks. I grabbed my room key and my phone. The rest of my stuff was already upstairs.

---