Do Me Right Read online

  "What do you think would make you happy?"

  She shook her head. "I can't tell you."

  The answer struck him as odd. He slid out from under her and propped himself up on one elbow so that he could see her face. "Because you don't know or because you don't trust me with the answer?"

  She smoothed the sheet between them, her eyes following the movement of her hand. "Maybe I don't trust myself."

  He kissed her shoulder. "You're a strong woman. You can trust yourself."

  Then she looked into his eyes. "What do you think would make you happy?"

  How had this conversation gotten so serious, anyway? He hadn't meant for that to happen. They were here to have a good time. To forget about their problems. He lay back and pulled her over on top of him. "Right now, this makes me happy. That's all I need to know."

  She stared down into his eyes and fit her crotch more firmly against his. "Right now, this makes me happy, too. This morning I was wondering if I even remembered how to be happy, so I guess that's something."

  "Yeah, I'd say it's something." He smoothed his hand across her back until it was resting on the curve of her bottom. He wanted her to be happy. Especially when she was with him. Because he sure as hell felt better around her than at any other time lately. "Why don't you come to the ranch with me this weekend?"

  She blinked. "What?"

  "I mean it. You could stand to get away from the shop and everything going on down there. And I'd like you to see the place."

  Deep frown lines formed between her eyes and she worried her lower lip between her teeth. "I don't know about going away for the weekend...."

  "Come on. You don't have other plans, do you? You need a break."

  "What will your sister think?"

  That she'd even care about his sister's opinion touched him; he'd come to think of her as someone who didn't waste time worrying about what others thought of her. He patted her bottom with both hands. "You won't be what she'll expect at first, but once she gets to know you, I know she'll like you. Besides, we'll stay at the guesthouse. You won't even see her that much." He squeezed her buns, feeling himself grow harder. "The ranch isn't that exciting, but I have a feeling we'll find plenty to entertain us." He grinned.

  A sultry look wiped out the nervousness he thought he'd glimpsed in her eyes. "All right. I'll do it. I'll admit I've always wondered what it would be like to have a real roll in the hay."

  "From what I remember, it's itchy." He rolled them both onto their sides and lowered his head to kiss the top of her breast.

  "Oh, so you take women home to the ranch all the time?" Her tone had an edge beyond teasing.

  He smiled, then closed his lips over her nipple, enjoying the way she suddenly arched against him. "Not unless you count Becky Sue Frazier in eleventh grade. And she wasn't there for the weekend, only one afternoon. And she fussed at me for messing up her hair and getting chaff down her underwear." Theresa's nipple was wet and very pink now; a hard, sensitive nub against his tongue. "I don't think she enjoyed the afternoon nearly as much as I did."

  "Oh. So you haven't taken a girl home since then?"

  "Nope." He'd always made it a point to keep his personal life separate from his family life. Not to mention, he didn't want to give his sister any ideas. He always figured if he brought a gal home, she'd start picking out a dress to wear to the wedding. But he didn't have to worry about that with Theresa. Kristen would take one look at the leather-clad tattoo artist and all thoughts of wedding planning would fly right out of her head.

  He transferred his attention to the other nipple. Theresa was breathing hard now. He loved that she was so responsive. Listening to her get turned on was a huge turn-on for him, too. "I think it's time for another dancing lesson," he said.

  "The perpendicular polka?"

  "Maybe." He slid down her body, pausing to suckle gently at her navel. "It'll be a surprise."

  "I'm beginning to like your surprises."

  "That's good, because I'm full of them. Sometimes I even surprise myself."

  Inviting her to the ranch had been a surprise; something he hadn't planned. But what the heck, they'd have a good time. He and Theresa always had a good time together. How many people in his life could he say that about?

  He slid lower until his mouth hovered over her clit, his hands on her thighs. "Should I keep going?" he asked--a purely rhetorical question, he was sure.

  She arched toward him. "What do you think?"

  "I think I'll keep going." He lowered his mouth on her and she let out a low moan.

  "That's good," she whispered. "Don't stop. Whatever you do, don't stop."

  THERESA TOLD HERSELF THERE was no reason for her to feel funny about going away for the weekend with Kyle. After all, people took trips together all the time and it didn't necessarily mean anything. Besides, he was absolutely right when he said she needed to get away. A few days away from all the politics and protesters would help her calm down and give her some perspective. And the ranch would be a kick. The closest she'd ever been to a cow was seeing them grazing along the side of the road.

  "I'll need you two to cover for me at the shop this weekend," she told Scott and Cherry the afternoon after Kyle issued his invitation. "I'm going out of town.""Cool. We can handle it." Scott grinned at Cherry, who quickly looked away.

  "So where are you going?" Cherry asked.

  "Oh, just on a short trip." Theresa waved her hand, as if the destination was of no consequence.

  "You going by yourself?" Scott asked.

  "Since when are you so nosy?" she asked.

  He grinned. "You must be going with someone if you're getting so bent about a simple question." He looked at Cherry. "I bet it's that cowboy."

  "His name is Kyle." Theresa snatched up the schedule book and flipped to the appointments for Saturday. "Now can the two of you figure out who works when, or do I have to sit down and make you a schedule?"

  "We'll work it out," Cherry said. "I have a performance Saturday evening, but I can work before and after that as long as I can practice here."

  "I don't see any problem with that." Theresa gave Scott a stern look. "Do you, Scott?"

  Two patches of red showed high on his cheekbones, but he stuck up his chin and shrugged. "I don't care if she plays. Maybe it'll make those sign carriers think we're highbrow."

  "Maybe so," Theresa said. Except the musician had spiky red hair and tattoos. "What about you, Scott? Are you free to work all weekend?"

  He shrugged again, a gesture that was really beginning to annoy her. "I know a few chicks will be disappointed, but I'll make it up to them."

  "Oh, you are so full of it." Cherry glared at him, then marched toward the back room.

  Theresa leaned toward Scott and lowered her voice. "Pouring it on a little thick, aren't you, Casanova?"

  "What? You don't believe a dude like me has chicks lining up for dates with him on a Saturday night? Woman, I have got a serious groove on. I can't believe you and that Cherry chick are dissing me."

  She shook her head. "Right, Scott. You're obviously irresistible."

  He straightened his shirt collar. "Damn straight I am. But hey, don't you worry about this weekend. I'll hold down the fort."

  "Right. And maybe you can use some of that amazing sex appeal of yours to pull in a few more paying customers while you're at it." She glanced down at the appointment book. "This is looking pretty pathetic."

  The bells on the back of the door jangled and Madeline breezed in. "Hey, girl," she said. "You're looking gorgeous as always." The two friends embraced. "I know you said you weren't interested in joining our campaign, but I thought I'd let you know the plan we've come up with."

  "What are you going to do?" Theresa leaned back against the front counter.

  "We're mounting a publicity campaign of our own. Our slogan is Save Sixth Street! Austin is known for the music scene and Sixth Street, and we think people need to remember that."

  Theresa had to admit the slo
gan was kind of catchy. "Do you think it will help?"

  "It can't hurt can it?" Madeline nodded. "And yes, I think it will help. We have Save Sixth Street! bumper stickers and T-shirts. We're asking all the businesses down here to take some. We're all chipping in to cover the printing costs. The bumper stickers are free to anyone who wants one, and the T-shirts are ten bucks. Who wouldn't pay a ten spot for a cool shirt?"

  Theresa grinned. "It sounds great."

  "Oh, it gets better. Shannon and the gang at Esther's Follies are writing a skit about 'Clean' Carter's dirty campaign, and they're going to make it a part of the show."

  Considering that Esther's Follies comedy show was one of the biggest attractions on Sixth Street for both locals and out-of-town visitors, that was good news. "This does sound like a terrific way to fight Carter and his bunch," Theresa said.

  "Then will you join us?" Madeline grinned.

  Theresa nodded. "Okay. Count me in."

  "Great! I knew you'd want to be a part of this."

  "But don't ask me to come to a lot of boring meetings."

  Madeline laughed. "With our group, the meetings are anything but boring. We're having a rally Saturday night. I'll let everyone on the committee know you'll be there."

  Theresa's face fell. "I won't be able to make it Saturday night. I'm going out of town."

  Madeline clapped her hands. "A vacation? You?" She laughed. "That's wonderful. Are you going by yourself?"

  "Uh, with a friend."

  "A man friend." Cherry emerged from the back room in time to insert her two cents.

  Theresa glared at the girl, but Cherry was too busy watching Scott as he made a show of moving heavy boxes of supplies from one shelf to the other, muscles bulging, to pay any attention to Theresa. She sighed and turned back to Madeline.

  The older woman leaned over and punched her on the arm. "You go, girl. Come down to the shop. I have some great new things in." She waggled her eyebrows. "Including some very sexy lingerie."

  To her great consternation, Theresa felt her cheeks warm. "I don't think I need anything, really," she said. "This is very casual." Besides, she and Kyle had never bothered with formalities like lingerie before. Though maybe some new silk underwear wouldn't hurt.... "Maybe I'll stop by this afternoon," she said.

  "You do that." Madeline moved toward the door. "I have to get back to work now, but I'll tell everyone you're on board. Someone will bring your T-shirts and stickers as soon as they're ready. And if you think of anything else we can do, let me know."

  Theresa stared after her friend, absently chewing her lower lip. It was great that the business owners were banding together to fight the protesters, but would it be enough?

  "So where are you going this weekend?" Cherry asked. She scooped up one of the cats, Mick, and cuddled him to her chin.

  "Oh, uh, Kyle's family's ranch. It's near Wimberley, I think. I guess I should get you the number in case there's an emergency."

  "Nah, we've got your cell phone. Besides, nothing's going to happen."

  "Nothing I can't handle, anyway," Scott said.

  Cherry rolled her eyes in Scott's direction, then looked back at Theresa. "So he's taking you home to meet the family--that sounds serious."

  She shook her head. "No, it's not like that at all. There's nothing serious between me and Kyle." She gripped the countertop until her knuckles ached. "We're just going to get away and have a little fun."

  It was all fun and games for the two of them, wasn't it? Neither one of them was interested in settling down. Why spoil a good thing by getting all serious, anyway?

  "Nobody ever said falling in love couldn't be fun," Cherry said. "The way I figure, it ought to be."

  "Shows what you know then," Theresa mumbled. Cherry was smart about a lot of things but love wasn't one of them, otherwise she'd have picked up on how much Scott was mooning over her and put him out of his misery.

  "What was that?" Cherry asked.

  "Nothing." She grabbed a magazine from a side table and flipped it open, pretending to concentrate on an article about new tattoo machines. She needed to get her head on straight here. She was obviously getting too emotional about this whole thing with Kyle.

  They were friends. Good friends showing each other a good time. She wasn't going to let herself get serious about him or anyone else. Thinking like that was a sure way to end up in trouble.

  THE FARTHER SHE GOT FROM Austin, the more uncomfortable Theresa felt. As Kyle's truck sped toward the family ranch Friday morning, she stared at the seeming miles of pastureland stretched out on either side of the road and felt overwhelmed by the sheer emptiness. She was used to buildings and people and noise and excitement, not all this nothing.

  "Relax. Everything is going to be fine," Kyle said.She straightened and tore her gaze from the side window. "What makes you think I'm nervous?" She crossed her arms, then uncrossed them and smoothed her hands down the thighs of her favorite leather pants.

  "You haven't said a word since we turned off 290. Anybody looking at you would think you were on your way to jail instead of a relaxing weekend away." He grinned. "But you don't have anything to worry about. Kristen's a nice person. You'll get along fine."

  She tried to coax her face into a more pleasant expression. Okay, so maybe she was a little tense. Only because she hated situations where she didn't know what to expect next. Who didn't? "I'm sure she is a nice person. And no offense, but I'm not worried whether she likes me or not. I accepted a long time ago that I strike certain, well, conventional people the wrong way."

  He glanced at her. "Is that why you're dressed to kill today?"

  She looked down at her leather pants, high-heeled boots, leather halter top and multiple necklaces and bracelets. She might have dressed in her bad-girl best, but no sense in giving any false impressions. "I like this outfit," she said, glancing in the visor mirror at her heavily mascaraed eyes and red, red lips.

  "Oh, I like it, too." He reached over and squeezed her knee. "You look hot. I can't wait to get you alone."

  She shifted, ignoring the flare of heat his touch sent through her. Yeah, she'd go for getting him alone. The more time she spent with just him--away from his family--the better she'd feel. Any way you looked at it, she wasn't the kind of woman men brought home for their family's approval. That was another reason for her in-your-face attire. This way, they'd get any doubts out of the way up-front as to exactly what kind of relationship she and Kyle were involved in. A woman dressed the way she was dressed was obviously a passing sexual fling and not a serious girlfriend.

  "It's not much farther," he said as they passed a long, low barn and a sign advertising Stud Service. "Maybe another ten, fifteen minutes."

  "I can understand why you don't want to live way out here." She gestured to the pastureland around them. "There's nothing and no one out here."

  "Believe it or not, it used to be a lot more isolated. Now there are all kinds of people and houses. Some of the old ranches have been sold and the land turned into subdivisions."

  "Did your family ever think about doing that?"

  He shook his head. "No, and it's probably selfish of me, but I'm glad of it. I may not want to live on the ranch, but part of me likes knowing it's still in the family. Fortunately Kristen and Ken love the place. I can count on them to keep it going."

  "Your brother-in-law's name is Ken?" She made a face. "What were your parents' names?"

  "Karen and Kurt."

  He laughed at her expression. "I know, it's too much, isn't it? Good thing I didn't have any more brothers or sisters or they'd have run out of names that started with K."

  "What happened to your parents? I mean, if you don't mind my asking."

  "I don't mind. My mom died of cancer when I was fifteen. My dad was killed a few years later in an accident. He was coming home from a stock sale one morning. It was raining and the road was slick and he missed a curve. They said he was killed instantly."

  "I'm sorry."

  "It's
okay. Even at the time, torn up as I was, I thought maybe he was happier. He never was the same after Mama died."

  "Wow. It's hard to imagine loving someone that much."

  He glanced at her. "It is. But I think that's what a really good marriage does for you. You start out thinking you love someone, but after a while you find out you love them even more."

  "Like I said, it's hard to imagine." Did marriages like that even exist anymore--if they ever had? Was it possible to live with someone day after day for years and grow closer, instead of further apart? Maybe. She knew a few couples who might qualify, but still, the odds didn't seem to be in anyone's favor to find that kind of, well, soul mate. "Who ran the ranch after your father died?" she asked.

  "Kristen was twenty-three then. She and Ken had just gotten married and were living on the ranch already. So they took over. I was already on the rodeo circuit. I thought maybe I should quit and come home to help her, but when I visited, it was obvious the two of them were doing a good job and didn't need me."

  "But your sister still wants you to live there and help?"

  He nodded. "Not because they need the help but because she's really big on family and everything. She can't understand why I wouldn't want to have a part in running the ranch."

  "But you've told her how you feel?"

  "Hell yes, I've told her. But she only hears what she wants to hear." He shook his head. "She's great, really. I don't want you to get the wrong idea. But when she gets an idea in her head, it's hard to change her mind."

  She glanced at the mustang tattoo on his arm. Guess that kind of stubbornness was a family trait.

  After a few minutes more, he slowed the truck and turned onto a lane. He shifted into Park and got out to open the gate, then got back in and drove forward. On the other side, he glanced at Theresa. "Ranch etiquette says that the passenger is in charge of opening and closing gates. I'm just telling you that in case you go riding with someone else while you're here this weekend."

  "Sure." She unsnapped her seat belt and grasped the door handle. "I can get it."

  "You don't have to get it now," he said. "I was just telling you."