Page 33 of A Fortunes of Texas Christmas (Fortunes of Texas)

“Oui,” she said and smiled. “Yes.” Her fingertips curled around his. “After all, I am your only friend in Austin.”

He tugged her hand toward his mouth and gently kissed her knuckles. “True.”

“So maybe you should stop doing that,” she said and pulled her hand away. “Even though it’s very...nice.”

“Sweet? Nice?” Amersen made a face. “Mon Dieu...I have clearly lost my...” His voice trailed off as he searched for the right word.

“Mojo?” she suggested and laughed, dipping a chunk of bread into the sauce on her plate. “Rest assured, Amersen, you are as charming as ever. And tempting. And if you weren’t leaving in a matter of days, I would probably drag you into my bedroom right now and have my way with you. But you are. So I won’t.”

God, he loved her honesty. It was like a blast of fresh air every time she spoke. She kept talking, about Christmas and needing to go gift shopping, and as he listened to her lovely voice, he realized he’d never been more attracted to a woman in his life. And he tried not to think about how all the blood in his body had surged to the lower half of his anatomy when she’d mentioned them having sex. He wanted to make love to her so much he could barely concentrate on what she was saying.

While she made coffee and prepped dessert, Amersen remained in his seat, elbows on the table, his chin resting on his linked hands, listening contentedly to her almost musical voice and thinking he’d never met a woman with more beautiful hair. It was long and lustrous, cascading down her back in a wave. He wanted to run his fingers through it, to anchor her head and kiss her again and again and taste the sweetness of her lips against his own.

“Texas sheet cake,” she said and placed a small plate in front of him, along with a steaming mug of coffee. “Kind of like a brownie, but gooier and delicious. Try it,” she offered and licked a little chocolate frosting off her thumb. “Trust me, once you taste it, you won’t go in for those fancy French desserts like crème brûlée or éclairs ever again.”

Amersen wasn’t about to tell her he didn’t like desserts all that much. Her sheer enthusiasm meant he’d spoon sugar into his mouth rather than curb her animation. He tasted the cake, ignoring the way the sugary sweetness wreaked havoc on his palate, doused it with a sip of coffee and then smiled. “Yes...very good.”

She smiled back, as though he’d gifted her some great compliment. “So, what will we be doing tomorrow?”

He shrugged lightly. “Breakfast. Shopping. Taking in the sights. I thought you could show me around this town of yours.”

“Deal,” she said and grinned. “And I’ll take you to a gift shop so you can take some souvenirs home. Nothing screams Texas more than a baseball cap in the colors of the state flag. Although it might ruin that sexy, just-tumbled-out-of-bed hair of yours.”

He grimaced. “Perhaps I’ll stick with a key ring instead.”

“Oh, live dangerously, Beaudin,” she said and laughed.

Amersen pushed back his chair and stood, moving around the table. He took her hand and silently asked her permission to draw her gently to her feet, pulling her close. Then he grasped her chin and tilted her head back.

“Is this dangerous enough?” he asked, feeling every inch of her pressed against him. He was half-aroused and not afraid to let her know it. Because he would never take any more than she was prepared to give willingly. And she knew that about him—he was certain of it. Her gaze was slumberous and tempting, her cheeks tinged pink, her mouth slightly parted, inviting his kiss. He moved closer, dipping his head to reach her lips, feeling her sigh like a breath as he angled his mouth over hers. Her hands moved around him, resting on his hips for a moment before she slid them up his back. Her lips tasted like chocolate, and he suddenly decided he did like sweets. When she thrust her tongue into his mouth, sensation arrowed directly to his groin.

He could have taken her there and then. He could have lifted her up and carried her to the counter, stripped off her jeans and panties, and plunged inside her, feeling her slick and tight around him, seeking the sensual oblivion he craved. But he wanted more than some quick, mindless release. He wanted to tease her, taste her, feel every inch of her skin with his mouth and hands. He wanted to watch her come apart beneath him. He wanted to be inside her, to feel her shudder, to absorb every pulse of pleasure as she reached orgasm. And he wanted to make her forget every other man she’d known.

“You can’t stay,” she moaned against his mouth. “You just can’t.”

“I know,” he muttered.

“Go,” she said, still kissing him. “Go...before I change my mind.”

Leaving her a few minutes later was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. He yearned. He craved. He ached. And he knew she felt exactly the same way.

Amersen also knew that being just friends with Robin Harbin was totally out of the question.

Chapter Seven

By the time breakfast was done the next morning and they were back walking down East Sixth Street, it was close to 11:00 a.m. Robin had always enjoyed exploring the city, and having Amersen for company made the experience richer than she dared think about.

The night before, she’d been so close to asking him to stay and make love to her. Somehow, she’d come to her senses. Just. Making him leave was like slicing open her heart and denying her body what it craved most. She’d never experienced such rampant, overwhelming desire for anyone before. Not her high school boyfriend. And certainly not Trey. By comparison, her feelings for both other men had been lukewarm at best. But Amersen evoked passion she hadn’t known she possessed. It was like he had tapped into a part of her and awakened sexual desire and longing.

“What are you thinking about?”

Amersen’s voice jerked her back into the present. She certainly wasn’t going to admit she’d been thinking about how good it would be to have sex with him!

“Shopping,” she said and smiled, feeling a shot of electricity strike up her arm as their fingers accidentally touched. “We have to get that key ring, remember? I need to get something for Kate and Sterling for Christmas. And Otis, my right-hand man at the ranch. You can help me choose.”

He nodded. “Lead the way.”

In worn jeans that she suspected cost a fortune, a blue sweater and his leather jacket, he looked effortlessly masculine. He had a long black scarf around his neck that looked like it cost more than she earned in a week and did nothing to lessen the purely alpha male picture he evoked. His hair was mussed in its usual sexy style, his jaw had a sexy stubble that was too damned arousing for words and he smelled so good she could barely stand being more than six inches from his side. Just being around him was an aphrodisiac. And the more time they spent together, the more she wanted to share his company.

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