Chapter 16

Somewhere a bird chirped,its song bright, excited, and unrelenting. A part of Scarlett was annoyed, but the other part knew exactly how the bird felt. However, wasn't it too early to be this happy?

Slowly, Scarlett opened her eyes. She blinked away the last bits of sleep and took stock of her current situation. She was on her side facing a window in a bedroom that wasn't hers. A warm body was at her back, and every single muscle she owned was sore. A soft smile touched her face, and she bit her lips, remembering the night before. God it was the most delicious kind of sore.

Heat touched her cheeks, and she closed her eyes again. The things Taz had done to her. The things she'd done to him. When he'd bent her over the third time and he used his fingers there, while his tongue was there…

She blushed and rolled onto her back, then glanced over to the man responsible for more orgasms than she could count. No, that was a lie, she'd had at least ten. Maybe more.

Taz was asleep, on his stomach, one arm flung over his head, the other curled against his chest. His hair was a mess, from her hands no doubt, and she bent close to smooth a lock from his eyes, studying him. With his features relaxed she saw the young man he'd been, and she bent closer still, noticing a small scar near his hairline. She touched it. Kissed it. But he was deep under.

"I wore you out," she murmured, delighted, but suddenly restless. Carefully she slipped from the bed and tiptoed into the adjoining bathroom, where she stilled at her reflection in the mirror. Had she ever looked like that? So…so damn satisfied?

Scarlett padded over to the sink and peered closer. Her mouth was swollen from kisses, her color was high, and her eyes glistened. She angled her head to the side and spied something at the base of her neck, then moved closer still for a better look.

Was that a hickey? She giggled and found another love bite near her ear. Geez, she hadn't had one of those since high school. What would her brothers think?

Did she care what anyone thought? The answer to that was a big fat no.

She rummaged in the drawer and found a spare toothbrush, still in the package, and used it to brush her teeth. Then grabbed a washcloth from the linen cupboard and did a quick clean up. After that she returned to the bedroom and found her panties on the floor, along with her dress, which was rumpled but would have to do. Her sandals were near the door. She grabbed them and, with one last look at Taz, left his bedroom.

She paused on the landing, then curious, walked to the girls' room which was across the hall from Taz's. She leaned against the doorframe, eyes wandering the room. There were twin beds, separated by a large window, one made up with pink bedding, the other with purple. A host of stuffed animals crowded the beds along with a pillow on each with their name embroidered. She walked inside the room with a smile. Cameron liked unicorns as much as she liked Barbie.

They each had their own dresser but shared a bathroom. A walk-in closet was divided with one girl on the left who preferred purple, Ryan she thought. And the other side mostly pink and green. A small table underneath the window was home to several framed photos and Scarlett wandered over for a look. There was a photo of Taylor and Matt before the accident, a beautiful shot of the two of them just after the twins were born, as well as a couple pictures of Martha and her granddaughters. But it was the photo of Taz holding the girls at about six months or so that caught her attention. She picked it up and ran her finger over his face. Even then there was the kind of love only a parent could have.

He really was the whole package.

Scarlett put the photo back and headed downstairs to the kitchen. She was ravenous but needed caffeine more. There was no Keurig, no pods in this house. She found coffee grounds and a filter and once she had a pot brewing, searched for her phone which was in her bag somewhere in the foyer. She found it and walked back to the kitchen as she found Benton's name and waited for him to answer.

"You're up early," he said. "Thought I wouldn't hear from you at least until noon. You have a good time last night?"

She blushed, because she'd had the best time, but that wasn't something she wanted to discuss with her big brother. "I'm just letting you know I'll be home soon." She glanced at the clock. It was just past seven. "Give me an hour or so."

"Don't hurry on my account. Dad's here and Hank and Nora are still sleeping."

"Really? Hank's usually wanting his bottle right about now."

"Pretty sure dad had them up way past their bedtime. So, seriously, don't rush. We got it covered."

"Okay, well, I'll see you later."

"Scarlett?"

Strong arms wrapped themselves around her and distracted she barely got a reply out. "Yeah?"

"It was nice to see you smiling last night."

Benton ended the call and Scarlett tossed her phone onto the counter, leaning into the warm, hard body at her back.

"Good morning," Taz said kissing her neck, his hands sliding up to cup her breasts. A throb began, low in her belly, and spread quickly to between her legs as he turned her around and claimed her lips in the sweetest kiss. It was gentle, a whisper of a touch really, and she groaned into him, head falling back as he yanked down the top of her dress and covered her nipple with his mouth. He began to suckle, and each pull shot directly down her body.

God, were his hands and mouth magic?

She was wet. Ready. She pulled at her skirt and moved into him, her intention clear.

"You're going to kill me; you know that right?" A crooked grin touched his face as he took her by the hips and hoisted her onto the kitchen table.

"I hear it's the best way to die." Her thong was on the floor, her dress pooled around her waist exposing her breasts and her legs. She spread them as he stepped out of his boxers, pulled her to the edge of the table, his cock hard and ready and…

"Jesus," she cried out as he plunged inside.

Taz began to thrust, and she clung to him, his mouth near her ear. "Jesus has nothing to do with this." He yanked her head back as his body plundered hers. "This is all Pullman." It was a quick, hard, and electrifying coupling, and when he came, he growled her name, his body empty, hers clinging to him.

For a few moments the only sound was their ragged breaths as they tried to get hold of themselves.

"Shit," he muttered. "We didn't use a condom."

Shit. She blushed. "I'm on the pill. I learned my lesson the hard way."

He cupped her face. "I've never not used one. You don't need to worry about?—"

She put her fingers on his mouth. "I'm not worried."

His hands still cradled her face, and he kissed her tenderly. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Famished."

"Okay, then." He helped her down from the table. "Let's clean up and then we can eat."

Had she ever been this intimate with a man? Scarlett was silent as they both washed up in the bathroom. She already missed the feel of him inside her. Would that go away? Or was she cursed to feel half alive from this moment on?

Taz insisted she sit while he made breakfast, and she sipped her coffee, watching him over the rim while he puttered in the kitchen. He was still only in his boxers and as far as Scarlett was concerned, he could stay that way forever. He was beautiful. Perfect. Incredibly masculine, with broad shoulders, a tapered waist, and the kind of abs featured in men's health magazines.

"How did you get that scar?" There was a long thin line down his right side.

Taz glanced over his shoulder, and when their eyes connected her heart skipped a beat. Or two. She really needed to get a handle on how she reacted to him. It was too soon to be so damn reactive.

"Fell off a bull who didn't take kindly to the fact I was on his back in the first place. The rodeo clown didn't get there in time, and Telluride was pissed."

"That the bull?"

"Yep. One hell of a monster with the kind of nasty streak you don't forget."

He placed a plate of food in front of Scarlett and grabbed the stool beside her.

"Why did you get into bull riding?" She munched on a piece of bacon while Taz took a sip of coffee.

"That's a complicated answer."

She leaned into him with her shoulder. "I've got time to listen."

Taz seemed to be considering what to say and then sat back with a shrug. "My mom is a Temple; her family has ties to Texas that go back generations. Temple Holdings is the family business, and we've got our fingers in most every pie that you can have, real estate and oil being the two big ones."

"Temple Oil?" This surprised her. "I had no idea."

"It's not something I generally advertise on account of those complications." He picked at his eggs. "My mother met my dad at a rodeo when she was seventeen and he wasn't much older. They fell in love. Or rather, she did. I don't know if he can appreciate the concept. My grandfather wanted her to end things. Told her that my dad was a no-good son of a bitch who would hurt her and leave her. She refused to give him up and Granddad Temple cut off all contact, both financial and physical. She went from living the kind of life that came with being a Temple, to holed up in a trailer with a man who cheated on her every chance he got. By the time she figured out he was the bastard her father had told her he was, she had me and Taylor."

Taz gripped his fork tightly and she knew this was still fresh for him. But then the pain of family never goes away. It might lessen in time, but the wound was always there, waiting to open and bleed.

"She was a goddamn Temple and worked two jobs—cleaning a motel and serving in a diner—to make ends meet. I hated my grandfather for that, but I hated my dad more. I started rodeoing when I was sixteen and by the time I was eighteen I had more sponsors than I needed. I won my first championship and didn't look back. My father rode bulls the same way he fathered, without passion, gumption, or talent." He looked at Scarlett. "I didn't ride because I loved it. I rode because my grandfather hated it, and because my dad was jealous of my success." He shrugged and got back to eating. "But I made a lot of money, and I was able to support Mom and Taylor and we had a good life."

"It was a means to an end."

"Yeah, I guess it was."

"Do you talk to them?"

Taz pushed his plate away and got up from the table. He took hers and ran them under water. "My grandfather died a few years back. We had a relationship in the end. I mostly played nice for my mother, but when he died, he shocked us all by leaving me in charge of Temple Holdings."

"That's why you take trips to Texas."

He nodded. "As for my dad, I haven't talked to him since I was twelve, though I did spot him in the crowd once, when I was competing. I locked eyes on that man and told myself I'd never acknowledge him again." Taz placed their dishes in the dishwasher. "I hear he's still in Texas, outside of Dallas I think, living with some woman and her pack of kids. Using her for what she's got to offer him, no doubt. He always was a charmer."

"Something you inherited from him." They both turned as Martha Pullman walked into the kitchen. Dressed simply in a pink sleeveless silk top and cream-colored linen shorts, she was an attractive woman. Her hair was pinned back, showing the kind of bone structure most women wished for, the waves soft, blonde with a hint of silver. She wore minimal makeup: a brush of soft pink on her lips, and some neutral shadow on her eyes. Eyes which, looked from Taz to Scarlett and back to Taz.

"The girls ran upstairs, they thought you'd still be in bed."

"We didn't hear them," he replied, lazily, walking around the kitchen island to give his mother a hug.

"I see that. You might want to get dressed," she said dryly.

He chuckled and headed for the laundry room, and more than a little embarrassed to be found with her half-dressed son, after the night she'd spent with him, Scarlett offered a small smile.

"Nice to see you again, Martha."

"You too," Martha replied. "You must have had a good time at the dance last night."

"We did."

"I'm glad. It's been too long since Taz has been so…amiable." She winked. "I'm assuming you're the reason."

Just then Taz walked back into the kitchen. He'd pulled on a pair of jeans and had Cameron in one arm, Ryan in the other.

"Gammy, we found Daddy! He was in his underwear." They giggled uncontrollably, but stopped when they spied Scarlett. "Is baby Hank here?"

"No," she said, suddenly feeling like she should be anywhere other than where she was. "I should go."

"Let me pack up the girls and I'll take you home." Taz set them down and walked over.

"Don't worry about it," Martha said. "I can take Scarlett home. I'm headed that way."

He frowned. "To the Triple B?"

"I told you I'd be early because I was meeting a friend."

"I remember."

"That friend is Manley."

Surprised, Scarlett's eyes widened as Martha glanced her way. "You ready? I don't want to be late."