Bad In Boots 02 - Ty's Temptation (3 page)

Evan’s fingers accidentally brushed his when she took the backpack. Her heart leapt and her breath hitched at the contact. She quickly glanced at him, hoping he hadn’t heard.

Ty’s penetrating gaze slid down her face, lingered at her breasts then returned to her lips. “See you in the morning.”

Even in the dim light, the heated look in his eyes told her he wanted to follow her to the bedroom. Heaven help her, she wanted him to. How could she be so attracted to a complete stranger?

She took a steadying breath to calm the rapid beating of her heart. “Thank you for your generosity. Good night.” Then she turned and walked into the bedroom.

Once Evan closed the bedroom door, Ty stretched out on the couch and folded his arms behind his head, contemplating her. Generosity? He chuckled at her comment. He was a selfish bastard through and through.

He could still smell her sweet vanilla and cinnamon scent, feel her warm body pressed to his, her generous breasts crushed against his chest while her heart beat at a rapid pace. He didn’t think it’d take much to seduce Evan, but for some reason he didn’t want to push her too fast. Maybe he liked anticipating just how she’d feel when he slid inside her. She was the perfect height, allowing for all kinds of sexual positions. His groin throbbed at the thought.

Evan looked nothing like the sophisticated women he normally slept with, yet there was something about her natural look…gorgeous shoulder-length wavy strawberry-blonde hair, wide-set sexy blue-brown eyes combined with the sprinkle of freckles across her nose made him hard as a rock as soon as he laid eyes on her. Not to mention she had a body he definitely wanted to explore from head to toe.

The blush he’d seen on her cheeks when he saw her naked made him think she hadn’t had many sexual partners. Yet her self-confidence told him she’d probably be open to just about anything he dished out. A slow smile curved his lips as he unzipped his pants and stroked his cock to full, rigid attention.

When he was almost at peak, Ty closed his eyes and focused on taking deep, even breaths until his erection diminished. He welcomed the biting challenge to his body just as he looked forward to exploring anything and everything Evan would allow while he pushed her to the limits of her sexual bounds. The woman had no idea just what kind of man she was sharing a house with. He learned a long time ago to leave his emotions and his conscience at the door. “No inhibitions, no limits” was a motto he’d lived by.

He frowned when he thought of how quickly she’d tied him and shoved that knife in his face. Her confidence and sassy attitude didn’t mesh with the story she told him about her old boyfriend. He intuitively knew she wasn’t the kind of woman to hide from her problems. He’d find out the truth soon enough.

Chapter Two

Evan awoke to a very quiet house. The sun was just peeking out over the horizon. Once she had her morning cup of coffee, she’d feed and check on Flash. Maybe she’d take her for a slow walk today.

Evan slid into a pair of blue jeans and a baby blue tank top then pulled her wavy hair back into a quick ponytail. As she brushed her teeth, she critiqued her face in the mirror. She had big, wide-set eyes, her best feature as far as she was concerned. The unusual color combination tended to draw people’s attention. Her nose was passable, not too big or too small, but she had a nice mouth. “Full lips,” Chad had called them. The few times he’d kissed her, he tried to suck them.

She removed her toothbrush from her mouth and took in her overall look. She was a farm-bred cowgirl from her wavy hair to the tips of her toes. All she was missing was her cowboy hat and boots. What would city-bred Ty, with his expensive, starched cotton shirts, silk-blend pants and Italian leather shoes, see in her?

She frowned as she spit the toothpaste in the sink then stuck her tongue out at herself in the mirror.

Nothing.

Disappointed, she turned to walk out of the bathroom and caught a glimpse of her jeans-encased rear in the mirror. Then again, Ty could be an ass man. A broad smile replaced her frown.
Work with what you’ve got, girl
, she told herself as she flipped the light switch off.

Evan was surprised to find the living room empty.
Where could Ty be?
she wondered as she made her way to the kitchen and pulled out a bag of ground coffee from the cabinet.

Staring through the white linen curtains over the sink, she peered out the window. Ty’s rental car was still parked in front of the house. Then she saw movement to her right that drew her attention. Ty stood thirty feet away, facing the rising sun. His chest and feet were bare, but he still wore the pants he had on yesterday. He moved with precise hand and foot actions as if he were doing some kind of solo martial arts practice.

Evan’s breath caught as she watched his fluid movements. She had to tear her gaze away to measure the coffee into the filter, add water and turn the coffeepot on.

The smell of fresh-brewed coffee wafted through the air along with the sound of the coffee filling the pot. Evan inhaled, enjoying the rich scent. As much as she loved coffee, she often thought it smelled better brewing than it actually tasted…at least until she added cream and sugar, she mentally amended with a smile as she opened the cabinet and reached up to pull down a coffee cup.

Just as her hand gripped the ceramic cup, warm fingers surrounded hers at the same time. Ty laid his chest against her back. Wow, how’d he get inside so fast, and without her hearing him enter?

“This has to be the sexiest backside I’ve seen in a very long time,” he whispered in her ear while he lowered their hands, cup and all, to the counter. “Morning, Evan.”

A shiver coursed through her at his seductive comment. Evan stared at his hand covering hers around the cup. She literally felt his heat from her shoulders to the base of her spine. His musky scent made her body heat up all over.

When he pulled away, she turned to face him and raised an eyebrow at the sheen of sweat that coated his chest and dampened the fringes of his close-cropped hair.

“You were working out?”

He flashed her a smile then nodded toward the coffeepot. “You make enough for me?”

Evan retrieved another coffee cup and filled it to the brim. Intuitively she knew this man took his coffee black. As she handed him the cup and watched him take his first sip, Evan took in his well-defined abs in the early morning light and her stomach fluttered. What would it feel like to have those abs pressed against her in more than just a teasing manner? The fact he worked out in his dress pants, not caring a whit that he sweated all over the expensive material surprised her. Was there a bit of the country boy in Ty? Come to think of it…why had he worked out in his dress pants?

She gestured with her empty cup toward him. “You work out in your dress clothes often?”

Ty glanced down at his attire and grimaced. “Only when my rental car is stolen with my suitcase in it.”

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know.”

Ty took a sip of his coffee and leaned against the counter. “I just hope they find the car and my suitcase soon or I’ll be doing some shopping.”

Once he finished speaking, Evan realized Ty was staring at her over his coffee cup. Those green eyes seemed to read so much, to stare right though her, picking up her innermost thoughts and doubts. Turning back to the coffeepot, she murmured, “Why don’t you sit down and I’ll make us some breakfast.”

“Got something on your mind?”

“What?” she asked as she turned back to see his dark eyebrow elevated in amusement.

A flush stole over her cheeks at his reminder she’d told him she cooked when she was mulling over something. “I’m just hungry. I figured feeding you is the least I can do for you allowing me to stay here.”

The look in Ty’s eyes shifted and the green color turned darker. “I look forward to tasting what you offer up,” he said in a husky tone before he turned and sat down at the table.

“Just sit tight. I’ll have breakfast done in no time,” she said in a bright voice. Her heart racing, Evan turned back to the stove and withdrew the skillet from the drawer below. The man was just too sexy for words. God, he was way out of her league. She was insane to think she’d have anything to offer him. Sure, she knew her own body, but she was inexperienced when it came to knowing what a man wanted…well, other than to get off as fast as he possibly could. Was that written in a how-to-be-a-man manual somewhere?

She opened the fridge and retrieved the bacon, then laid a few pieces of meat in the hot skillet, her mind whirling. But the good part was…if she made a fool of herself, Ty wouldn’t be around to remind her of it. No matter how tense she felt over bringing the subject up with Ty, she refused to talk herself out of this idea. While she turned the bacon with a fork, she felt even more certain Ty was perfect—in every since of the word. The man obviously wanted to pursue something with her. She’d be a fool not to take him up on it.

Once she’d set the cooked bacon on a napkin-lined plate, Evan pulled out the carton of eggs from the fridge and cracked a few eggs in the pan. While she scrambled the eggs with a spatula, her confidence built. She knew she was making the right decision.

After she’d placed the plate and silverware in front of him, Ty picked up his fork and dug into the food with gusto, commenting, “I don’t usually eat such a large breakfast.”

Evan sat down across from him with her own plate and utensils. She picked up her fork. “Me either. I’m usually too busy.”

“With your job?” Ty asked as he popped a forkful of eggs into his mouth.

She took a bite of her bacon and nodded.

After he swallowed, Ty tilted his head to the side, contemplating her. “Why don’t you go back to school and get your vet license? Then you can open up your own business.”

That was the second time he mentioned she strive to own the veterinary business. He seemed really bothered by the fact she deserved more out of her job, that she wasn’t working to her full potential. Then again, from his comments to her about her own career, Ty appeared to be the type of man who worked hard, strove to be at the top of the ladder, no matter the odds. She’d lay money on the fact he owned his own business.

“So what do you do?”

Ty picked up a piece of bacon and bit into it. “I’m part owner of an architecture firm in Maryland.”

Bingo!
“Ah, I was right.”

His brow creased. “About what?”

She smiled. “That you’re a very driven, career-minded person.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“Not at all. I was just making a comment.”

“You’re right. I’m very driven to reach my goals.” His voice dropped to a seductive purr. “In every aspect in my life.”

She couldn’t miss the sexual connotation of his tone. Well, this was as good a time as any, Evan thought as she took a breath. “About the offer you made to help me last night…”

Ty’s fork paused on the way to his mouth. He raised an eyebrow, his expression intrigued.

She plowed forward before she lost her courage. “I could use your help in one area. You know the boyfriend I told you about?”

Ty nodded.

“I think you could help get him off my back once and for all.”

“How can I help you?” he asked before he took another bite of eggs.

“You can sleep with me.”

Ty’s gaze jerked to hers and he choked on his food.

Alarmed, Evan jumped up and came around the table to touch his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Still coughing, Ty nodded and met her concerned gaze. “You want me to have sex with you to get rid of your boyfriend?”

She gave a half-laugh at the way it sounded coming from Ty. “I guess that sounded weird, huh?”

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into his lap. “Baby, I’ll be more than happy to accommodate you, but I have to know why my having sex with you would make your old boyfriend leave you alone.”

Relief flooded through her that Ty had said yes. Placing her hands on his broad shoulders, Evan laughed. “Getting rid of this blasted virginity once and for all should make Chad go away. I think he sees my virginity as some kind of trophy to notch into his bedpost. So once it’s gone, he’ll just see me as any other woman and move on.”

As soon as she said the word “virginity”, Evan felt Ty’s shoulders tense.

Ty set her back on the floor and adopted a tense expression. “I’m sorry, but I don’t ‘do’ virgins.”

His rejection hit her like a slap in the face. Evan’s ire rose when she noted the muscle jumping in his jaw and the fact he wasn’t looking at her any longer. She knew the man was fighting his desire. Damn him. He still wanted her, even if he had some hang-up against virgins. No way was she going to let him put a brick wall between them because of it. If he wanted to see her meet her full potential, the man was about to find out just how determined she could be when she set her mind to something.

She crossed her arms. “What’s wrong, Ty? You have something against virgins?”

He met her gaze head-on, anger flashing in the deep green depths. “Virgins expect commitment and I’m not a commitment kind of guy.”

“No worries there, big guy. I only asked you because you’re here for the short-term.”

Something flared in Ty’s gaze. Interest? Was he caving? She’d damn well make sure he did. She had a feeling this man couldn’t resist a challenge.