Read Online Texas Two Step: Texas Montgomery Mavericks, Book 1 by Cynthia D’Alba - Free Book Online Page A

herself to feel the joy of being held by him again. Then she forced herself back to reality. “Nothing’s wrong. Really.” She pushed against his chest.
    His touch, so gentle and caring, was a caustic acid to her soul, bubbling all her guilt to the surface. Tonight had been a mistake. She’d been a fool to think she could walk away unscathed.
    “Stay the night.” He kissed her ear. “I’ll make it worth your while,” he said with a crooked grin.
    She shook her head. “I can’t, Mitch. I have to get home.”
    “Why? Stay.”
    This time she shoved hard enough to force him to take a step back. “I really have to go,” she repeated, her voice coarse with unshed tears. She had to get out of there, and fast.
    She untied the robe, letting it glide down her arms onto the floor. Wearing only her locket, she snatched her dress off the floor and wiggled it up her body. She shoved her feet into the pointed stilettos, her toes howling in protest.
    “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, hurrying to the door. “Good night, Mitch.”
    “Wait.” He stalked across the room, his long legs eating up the distance between them. Slamming his palm on the door, he held it closed. “You want to tell me what is going on here? Tonight was incredible. We connected as though we’d been apart for a day, not years. Don’t tell me you didn’t feel it too. Now you’re charging out of here like the hotel’s on fire. What happened? What’d I do wrong?”
    All of her strong bravado momentarily faltered. Her shoulders sagged. The air rushed from her lungs on a sigh. Recapturing her resolve, she stiffened upright. “It was wonderful. You were wonderful. Tonight was wonderful. Can’t we just leave it at that?” Let me go, please.
    “No, damn it, we can’t. Tell me what’s going on.”
    She lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug, an indifference she didn’t feel. “Nothing’s going on.” She cupped his face in her hands. His prickly whiskers stabbed into her palms. She stood for a moment, enjoyed the feeling of holding his unshaven face before she sighed and swallowed the gallon of tears threatening to overflow at any minute. “Let me go. Please. Don’t make this harder than it already is.”
    Please, please push me out the door. Please don’t be nice. Please don’t ask me to stay again. I only have so much strength.
    She leaned forward and kissed him and let her hands slid from his face. He caught one hand and brought it to his mouth, placing a kiss in her palm, branded her as sure as any of his cattle.
    “Stay with me tomorrow night. Bring a change of clothes. I want to spend as much time with you as I can.”
    Her mouth drew into a grim line. “I’ll try.”
    He captured her face between his hands and kissed her. “Tomorrow night.”
     
    Olivia raced home through quiet early morning Dallas streets. The stoplight in the intersection turned red and she braked. Argh. Why waste electricity to stop her at a red light when there was no traffic.
    Frustrated and furious with herself, she banged her fist on her steering wheel. She was a fool. An idiot. When she ran out of creative ways to describe the lunacy of her actions, she flipped on the radio, praying the music could shut up her internal voice. After one chorus of “I’ll Always Love You”, she flipped it back off and hit the gas. That was no help at all.
    Stupid. She’d thought she could handle sex with Mitch. Truly believed she could get him out of her system. That a little fling couldn’t hurt either of them.
    Ha!
    Streetlights glistened in rainbow colors when viewed through her tears.
    What a sad joke she’d played on herself. Not only had tonight not dampened her feelings for Mitch, now they were as deep and solid as oak-tree roots. She’d never be over him.
    But being with him wasn’t an option either. She’d accepted a life without Mitch years ago.
    They’d each made life-changing decisions in difficult situations. He’d never forgive her for the decision