Read Online Belonging to Bandera by Tina Leonard - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Tina Leonard
Ads: Link
the heart.”
He scowled. “Holly, you are baiting the wrong bull.”
But she was right. He was enjoying having her around. Even if it alarmed him that she thought she knew him.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I know I’m safe with you.”
“No, you’re not.” He thought about that for a few seconds, remembering their time in the balloon. “Although I’m not certain why you’re not safe. I think it has to do with your lips.”
“My lips?”
“Yeah. They fit mine very well. I think that’s a bad sign. You’re definitely not safe.”
“Oh.” She looked at him for a second. “Well, maybe they didn’t fit as good as you remembered.”
He thought they probably fit better. “Pull over.”
“Here?”
“Just to the shoulder. Put on the hazard lights.”
“I hardly think it’s needed. We’re the only car I’ve seen in probably ten minutes.” But she flipped theflashing lights on, stopping the truck on the shoulder. “Now what?”
“Kiss me.”
She blinked. “You had me pull over so you could command a kiss?”
“Yes.” He pointed to her lips. “I want to know if those—” he touched a finger gently to the soft velvet of her mouth “—are as matched to mine as I thought they were.”
“There’s no such thing as matching mouths,” she protested. “People are not puzzles.”
“You are and I am, and these are the pieces that may or may not fit.”
It was all nonsense, but he had to know, Bandera thought, bringing her to him with strong hands. His lips touched hers, then claimed them—but the best part was she kissed him back.
Nothing had ever felt better in his life. “You’re scaring me real bad,” he said huskily before kissing her faster, harder. “And I don’t scare easy.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, closing her eyes as he kissed her mouth, her chin, her neck.
“You fit me,” he said, “and yet you nearly married a poor excuse of a man. You should be ashamed.”
“But he asked, and I thought I loved him.” She pulled back slightly to look at Bandera. “Even if I loved you, you would never ask.”
He didn’t want to go into what he would orwouldn’t do, so he touched the sequins on her pretty top. “Never say yes to someone who isn’t a perfect fit.”
“I never said yes at all. Except to the marriage proposal,” she said, her eyes lustrous in the waning light.
“You would say yes to me.”
She laughed. “You keep thinking that, cowboy.” Flipping off the hazard lights, she pulled back onto the road. “Saying no kept me out of a lot of trouble. What if I’d say yes and become pregnant?”
She stared at him, no longer smiling, before looking fixedly back at the road.
“Well, you and I wouldn’t be kissing,” he said matter-of-factly. “But suppose you met The One. And you let yourself get all bugged out. You’d be too nervous to say yes and then he’d go off on his white steed and you’d have missed the handsome prince.”
She thought about that. “I thought I had The One. And now I’m kissing you.” She flipped the radio to a country and western station, sighing. “I chose Bach and Handel for my wedding music.”
“That was your first mistake. What’s wrong with Willie?”
She turned her head to stare at him. “Willie Nelson for a wedding march?”
“Or at least a groom-warmer.”
“Groom-warmer?”
“Well, they probably pipe some kind of music into keep the groom calm. I’d want Willie. Waylon. And the boys.”
She groaned. “My wedding was going to be very elegant.”
“And yet it got messy. That’s because you didn’t plan it right, with the correct groom. Was Chuck a cowboy?”
“No.”
“Ever ridden a horse?”
“No.”
“Did you have a piñata in the backyard for the kiddies to swing at?”
“At a wedding?” Holly asked.
“And were the guests drinking beer and wine, or those fancy things with plastic swords floating around in them, usually piercing an olive as big as a golf ball? I want
He scowled. “Holly, you are baiting the wrong bull.”
But she was right. He was enjoying having her around. Even if it alarmed him that she thought she knew him.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I know I’m safe with you.”
“No, you’re not.” He thought about that for a few seconds, remembering their time in the balloon. “Although I’m not certain why you’re not safe. I think it has to do with your lips.”
“My lips?”
“Yeah. They fit mine very well. I think that’s a bad sign. You’re definitely not safe.”
“Oh.” She looked at him for a second. “Well, maybe they didn’t fit as good as you remembered.”
He thought they probably fit better. “Pull over.”
“Here?”
“Just to the shoulder. Put on the hazard lights.”
“I hardly think it’s needed. We’re the only car I’ve seen in probably ten minutes.” But she flipped theflashing lights on, stopping the truck on the shoulder. “Now what?”
“Kiss me.”
She blinked. “You had me pull over so you could command a kiss?”
“Yes.” He pointed to her lips. “I want to know if those—” he touched a finger gently to the soft velvet of her mouth “—are as matched to mine as I thought they were.”
“There’s no such thing as matching mouths,” she protested. “People are not puzzles.”
“You are and I am, and these are the pieces that may or may not fit.”
It was all nonsense, but he had to know, Bandera thought, bringing her to him with strong hands. His lips touched hers, then claimed them—but the best part was she kissed him back.
Nothing had ever felt better in his life. “You’re scaring me real bad,” he said huskily before kissing her faster, harder. “And I don’t scare easy.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, closing her eyes as he kissed her mouth, her chin, her neck.
“You fit me,” he said, “and yet you nearly married a poor excuse of a man. You should be ashamed.”
“But he asked, and I thought I loved him.” She pulled back slightly to look at Bandera. “Even if I loved you, you would never ask.”
He didn’t want to go into what he would orwouldn’t do, so he touched the sequins on her pretty top. “Never say yes to someone who isn’t a perfect fit.”
“I never said yes at all. Except to the marriage proposal,” she said, her eyes lustrous in the waning light.
“You would say yes to me.”
She laughed. “You keep thinking that, cowboy.” Flipping off the hazard lights, she pulled back onto the road. “Saying no kept me out of a lot of trouble. What if I’d say yes and become pregnant?”
She stared at him, no longer smiling, before looking fixedly back at the road.
“Well, you and I wouldn’t be kissing,” he said matter-of-factly. “But suppose you met The One. And you let yourself get all bugged out. You’d be too nervous to say yes and then he’d go off on his white steed and you’d have missed the handsome prince.”
She thought about that. “I thought I had The One. And now I’m kissing you.” She flipped the radio to a country and western station, sighing. “I chose Bach and Handel for my wedding music.”
“That was your first mistake. What’s wrong with Willie?”
She turned her head to stare at him. “Willie Nelson for a wedding march?”
“Or at least a groom-warmer.”
“Groom-warmer?”
“Well, they probably pipe some kind of music into keep the groom calm. I’d want Willie. Waylon. And the boys.”
She groaned. “My wedding was going to be very elegant.”
“And yet it got messy. That’s because you didn’t plan it right, with the correct groom. Was Chuck a cowboy?”
“No.”
“Ever ridden a horse?”
“No.”
“Did you have a piñata in the backyard for the kiddies to swing at?”
“At a wedding?” Holly asked.
“And were the guests drinking beer and wine, or those fancy things with plastic swords floating around in them, usually piercing an olive as big as a golf ball? I want
Similar Books
