If I Can Dream (Hell Yeah!) Page 7

  “Not to change the subject.” Virgil gave Tennessee a serious look. “We’ve heard about your other brother, Philip.”

  Ten tensed up, ready to defend his brother’s reputation. “Yes, it’s an unfortunate misunderstanding.”

  “That’s right. I wanted to tell you we didn’t believe a word of the accusations. Your brother has a glowing reputation.”

  “Thanks.” Ten felt more at ease.

  “Every family has its problems. My father was accused of insider trading in the oil business. He wasn’t guilty but something like that is hard for a family to go through. I think he would’ve been convicted if he hadn’t been in a wheelchair.” The as-yet-to-be-identified man stood, not extending his hand, but almost in an offensive posture. It was then that Tennessee recognized him. The bolo around his neck with the eerie red hand charm hanging from it was a dead giveaway. Greg O’Neil, Liam O’Neil’s son. “Maybe you should take him rock climbing and let him fall, might gain a little sympathy.”

  Everyone laughed awkwardly, having no idea what the odd exchange was all about. “Oh, excuse me,” Ben put his arm around the big man staring at Tennessee. “I’m remiss. Tennessee, this is Greg O’Neil. He’s a young man with a great head on his shoulders. You two remind me of one another.”

  Shit. If Tennessee had an enemy in the world, this was it. O’Neil blamed him for the injury and eventual death of his father. Tennessee had made a mistake, an honest mistake, but he’d failed to safely rescue Liam O’Neil from where he’d been stranded on a narrow ledge on El Capitan in the Guadalupe Mountains. A faulty harness had broken and he’d swung hard against the ledge, breaking his back.

  Ten, not wanting to make a scene, decided to play it cool. He’d apologized to this family over and over again. His insurance had paid out generously, he didn’t know what else to do or say. “We’ve met. Greg.” He nodded at the angry looking man, turning quickly to accept a glass of brandy from Rita who tapped him on the shoulder.

  “Ben told an amazing tale about how you rescued him, climbed down in that canyon and saved his life.” Sam lifted his glass in salute.

  “I didn’t do it alone, it was teamwork.” Tennessee expected Greg to say something else, thankfully he didn’t. Over the next few hours, despite the awkwardness of being in O’Neil’s company, he enjoyed a sumptuous dinner of prime rib and pheasant. He realized this was a unique opportunity, he was taking part in an interesting discussion with some of West Texas’ premier movers and shakers. The Gage brothers asked him question after question and soon he’d related to them about the time he’d rescued a couple in Canada. Ten hadn’t been the only one tracking them. A bear had given him a run for his money. He couldn’t help but cut his eyes toward Greg. Why wasn’t he making more smart-ass remarks? It was strange, his silence made him more wary than an out-right attack.

  Not counting O’Neil, Ten found himself enjoying the evening. The Gages and Ben Hunt weren’t walking egos like some wealthy men he’d met. They included Greg in on the conversation and if they didn’t share the history they did, Ten would’ve thought the man as genuine as the rest, more than just a pretty boy with surfer blond hair and a big hat.

  When they talked politics, Ten just nodded his head at appropriate points and when they quoted NASDAQ numbers, he listened but didn’t comment. As the exchange moved briefly to religion, he refrained from putting in his two cents. Political correctness didn’t interest him. He was raised Catholic by a very devout mother, and to honor her memory, he attended church regularly. Other than that, he didn’t take sides.

  The talk about a proposed wind farm especially interested him. For the first time, Ten wished he knew more about things other than how to read tracks and how to follow bent twigs and broken branches. Even as he had that thought, he remembered what his Dad told him. “Tennessee, any man who can read the near invisible trace of an animal across the forest floor can use that same ability to track a good deal or an opportunity. You just have to have faith in your instincts.”

  By the end of the evening, the men had given him a lot to think about. Running into O’Neil wasn’t something he would’ve chosen, but he’d probably never see him again. Hopefully. Tennessee hated to be the first to leave, but he had more important things to deal with at the moment. Namely Molly.

  After saying goodnight to everyone, Rita walked him to the door. “You were a hit tonight, Mr. McCoy. Daddy doesn’t warm up to everybody like that.” She edged a bit closer to him. “I wish you didn’t have to hurry off. We could take a walk.” She motioned upward to the big moon in the sky.

  “Thanks.” Ten tried to be gracious. “I enjoyed myself very much, but I need to be off.”

  Rita shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t blame you. The Gage twins can be a mood killer when they start talking about oil prices and pork bellies.”

  “Sleep well, Rita.” Ten climbed in his vehicle and hit the road while she made her way back inside. The hour was getting late. Molly’s class would let out in about ten minutes, which meant he’d be about ten minutes late getting there since it was a twenty minute drive. Hopefully she’d understand.

  Sitting on a stone bench in front of the museum, Molly watched the highway. She had a good view from where the museum sat on the side of the mountain next to the university. She checked her phone, he was late. Trying not to worry, she told herself he’d been out at the Hunt ranch and might not been able to leave right when he intended. Tennessee would be respectful and polite, that was one of the reasons she liked him so much. Of course, Rita was there. Beautiful, sophisticated Rita. Oh well, if he didn’t show up soon, she’d call to make sure he was okay. Ten had given her his number, obviously he meant for her to use it.

  When a car approached and put on its blinker, Molly sat up straighter. She didn’t know what type of vehicle Ten had rented, but when she saw the outline of that ever-present hat, she smiled in relief. He’d come. Not waiting for him to park, she hurried out to the road. He leaned over and opened her door. “Hey, how was your visit with the Hunts?”

  “Too long. Kiss me,” he demanded in a husky voice.

  Molly layered her lips over his, lingering long enough to make her breasts swell. “I’m glad to see you.”

  “Oh, me too, honey,” he murmured. “How about Rojo?”

  “I rode in with a neighbor.”

  “Good. Are you hungry?” he asked as he made a U-turn to head back to the hotel.

  “Not for food,” she said mildly, deciding she was going to enjoy their time together. No one was guaranteed tomorrow. She had no idea what their future held, but a man like Tennessee didn’t come along every day.

  “Fuck, baby, you’re gonna make me wreck.” Tennessee murmured as he tried to focus on getting them to the hotel in one piece.

  Watching the lights go by, Molly admitted to herself she was nervous. Needing to tell him what was on her heart, she blurted it all out. “You don’t have to worry. I’m on birth control. I’m not a virgin, but I haven’t been with anyone in a long time and my experiences can be counted on one hand. So, I hope you’re not expecting too much.”

  Tennessee took her hand in his. “This is our first time, that’s all that matters. The only thing I’m expecting is to lose myself in you. You have no idea how much I want you. Just you.”

  Molly’s heart thudded in her chest. “I can’t wait,” she whispered.

  Pulling into his parking spot, he was out and around to her side before she could gather her backpack off the floorboard. “You don’t have to wait. Let me carry that for you.”

  She handed her bag to him and he shouldered it, using his other hand to pull her close. Making their way through an arched gate, he chuckled. “I’m so damn hard I can barely walk.”

  “We’ll see what we can do about that.”

  Her natural teasing personality enchanted him. Life with Molly would never be boring. There were people sitting on the long terra-cotta paved verandah, listening to the sound of the water from the central fountain. Tennessee
nodded at them politely as he pulled out his key and opened the intricately carved antique doors that led into his room. Stepping back to allow her to enter first, Molly’s eyes went automatically to the huge king-size bed that dominated the room.

  “This is nice.” She noted the dark furniture, the silver sconces on the wall and the pair of cowboy chaps that hung predominately over the bed as decoration. “Definitely cowboy themed.”

  “I don’t see anything but you.” He whispered as he laid down his hat next to her bag on the bench at the end of the bed.

  Molly fingered the hem of her top. She had on the same clothes she’d worn earlier, there’d been no chance to change. “I don’t have anything with me to sleep in, sexy or otherwise.”

  Ten came to her, sliding his hand beneath her hair, cradling the side of her neck. “You won’t need anything, pretty girl. I plan on wrapping myself around you all night long.”

  “God, I want you.” She shook, a little from nerves and a lot from arousal. Grasping the collar of his white cowboy shirt, she tugged, the snaps popping opening quickly one by one.

  Savage satisfaction filled him as he felt her soft fingers move down his chest. “I have never wanted another woman the way I want you.” He feathered kisses across her face. “I’m shaking with it.” Running his hands underneath the bottom of her shirt, he caressed the warm smooth skin. “I need to see you.” Slowly with great care, he lifted the leather vest over her head, capturing her lips as soon as the material cleared her face.

  Molly had worn no bra and as she pressed up to him, her nipples were abraded by the hair on his chest and frissons of excitement bloomed on her body.

  “You’re exquisite. I love your tits.” As he deepened the kiss, his hands came up to tease her nipples.

  When she moaned, he cupped both breasts, his moan of desire making her knees weak. “Can I?” she tugged at his belt buckle.

  “Hell, allow me.” With two or three efficient moves, he’d undone his belt, slid down the zipper and shucked his boots, socks, jeans and briefs. “I bet this is a record.”

  “It might be.” She wasn’t talking about the amount of time it had taken him to undress. Her eyes were glued to his cock. She placed the heel of her hand at the head and the tip of her fingers didn’t reach the root. “You’re beautiful,” she breathed, winking at him, “a perfect Ten.”

  “In more ways than one,” he teased back. “I won’t hurt you,” he promised. “By the time I get through kissing you, you’ll be begging me to slip inside.”

  “Show me,” she offered as his hands went to her own jeans and he helped her pull them down and off.

  Once he had her undressed, Ten took her by the hand and held her at arm’s length. “Good golly, Miss Molly,” he whispered and whistled. “You are exquisite.” He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. “So beautiful.” Her body was perfectly formed, an elegant hour glass with generous breasts, a narrow waist and flared sensual hips. The smooth mound of her pussy made him lick his lips with longing. “I am going to have such a good time with you.”

  Joining their lips, he walked her back toward the bed. She could feel his big erection rubbing against her middle. “The first time I saw you, I thought you were too handsome for your own good.”

  Ten chuckled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Following her down on the bed, he couldn’t keep his eyes or hands off her supple breasts. “I can’t wait another moment.” Lowering his mouth, he swirled his tongue around one turgid nipple. Molly gasped and arched her back, pushing her tits up toward him. He welcomed them, taking as much of her breast into his mouth as he could. When he began sucking hard at one breast while massaging the nipple of the other between his fingers, she bucked so hard beneath him that he had to hold her down.

  Ten didn’t let up. She loved to have her breasts sucked, he could tell by how she was writhing and moaning. Her hands were moving over his shoulders and arms, using some of those same rubbing and kneading techniques she’d teased him with on the massage table. Ten couldn’t get enough, he pushed her tits together and gorged himself, sliding his lips from one pink peak to the other. They were melt-in-his-mouth sweet and he suckled at them until her fingers were digging almost painfully into his flesh. The pleasure he was finding in her was almost incomprehensible.

  “Ten-a-see!” she cried, wrapping her legs around his, needing to be as close as she could get.

  He craved her, his cock ached with unadulterated desperation. She’d confessed how little experience she had and how long it had been, so he had to make damn sure she was ready for him.

  Plus he wanted it to last, Ten wanted to savor this moment and this woman for as long as he could.

  His mouth blazed a trail from her chest to her neck, placing open-mouth sucking kisses on each inch of succulent flesh. She was amazing. For the first time he was as attracted to a woman’s personality and character as he was to her body. And what a body! Spread out before him was every man’s dream, an erotic playground of silky flesh and sweet curves. He wanted to kiss and touch every inch of her.

  Ten’s breath was coming hard and fast, he needed her as frantic for him as he was for her. With hands, lips and tongue he fed the heat that was blazing between them, worshiping every inch of her. When he had performed his own version of the head to toe attention she’d given him, he spread her legs and applied himself to a task he’d been dreaming of since the moment he’d seen her astride that horse. He’d been jealous, wanting to be the one between her legs. Kissing his way up the inside of her thigh, he nipped the tender flesh and smiled when she grasped him by the hair, clutching the long strands between her fingers.

  “You’re completely bare,” he whispered, mesmerized by the soft smooth mound and glistening pink folds.

  “I work in a spa, there are some perks,” she said, her voice hitching in her throat.

  With care, he opened the satiny lips of her sex, revealing a delicate opening and a swollen bud he knew pulsed with every beat of her heart. Valuing each keen of pleasure like gold, he used his tongue to rub and twirl around her clit.

  Molly was beyond thinking, she opened herself as wide as she could, inviting him to feast to his heart’s desire. The feel of his mouth on her pussy was almost more pleasure than she could stand. And when he nuzzled her sex, taking her clit between his lips to suck, she couldn’t have kept her hips still for anything. She pushed upward, demanding more. “God, Ten, yes!”

  Tennessee was trembling – fuckin’ trembling – with a need so powerful, he was afraid he’d just explode on the sheets. As he licked and laved her clit, he pushed one finger up into her sheath and the soft hot walls hugged him tight, beckoning him to push further. Ten was dying to do just that, he groaned at the thought of his hungry cock being squeezed in such lushness.

  Molly’s world wound tighter and tighter. Tennessee was making her burn. She raised her head and met his eyes and the intensity and desire she saw there caused her to shatter into a billion pinpoints of pure euphoria. Screaming his name, she gave herself to him body and soul. He might not understand the implications, but it made the surrender no less true.

  Unable to wait another moment, Ten rose up and eased down between her thighs, spread wide like the wings of a butterfly. She was so beautiful, there was nothing on God’s green earth he wanted more than her. Holding the gaze of those deep blue eyes, he held himself up and placed the head right at the mouth of the tender well, pushing forward until just the tip of his cock was enveloped in the embrace of her velvet walls. Ten threw back his head and bellowed, being inside of Molly was the closest thing to heaven he’d ever known.

  Molly clung to his shoulders, holding on as tightly as she could. “Oh, Ten, that feels so good,” she gasped. Raising her hips, she urged him to go deeper.

  Watching her closely, he pushed in slowly, giving her time to get used to him. Ten felt like he was being burned alive. She was the hottest thing he’d ever held against him and he was sure he’d be completely consumed. “Nothing has ev
er felt like this,” he murmured.

  “Love me, Tennessee, love me,” she keened as she locked her legs around his hips.

  Her sweet acquiescence freed him. With a low moan, he covered her lips with his and thrust to the hilt, burying himself completely within her. They were one. Over and over he plunged into her tight pussy as tongues tangled and her body arched up to cling to him, absorbing and meeting every pump of his hips. “Ten, oh Ten, it’s happening again!” she moaned, her fingernails marking his back, her little teeth scraping the skin of his neck.

  Hearing her bliss, feeling the rhythmic clamp of her pussy around his cock – that was all the incentive he needed. With a harsh cry he abandoned his restraint, hammering into her again and again – harder, faster, deeper. Burying his face in her neck, he erupted, glorying in the spasms of her pussy as she came again, tightening around him, milking his cock until he almost passed out from the pleasure.

  Molly cradled him close, stunned by what she’d just experienced. When he went limp in her arms, she kissed his sweat dampened brow.

  “Molly, Molly, I don’t know…I’ve never…”

  “I know,” she stroked his back. “Me either.”

  “I need to move, I’m too heavy,” he whispered.

  “No.” She tightened her arms around him. “You feel good on top of me. Stay.”

  They were still connected, he was still cradled in the sanctuary of her femininity. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be.” He held himself up on his forearms so he could look at her face.

  She moved a strand of his hair from his forehead. “I have to go back to the trailer. Work comes early in the morning.”

  “I need to hold you tonight.” Memories of the evening and the O’Neil’s were threatening to haunt his dreams. Placing his lips to her forehead, he rubbed them back and forth. “If you’ll sleep with me, I’ll set the alarm and get you home in enough time to change clothes, then bring you back.”

  Molly looked at his handsome face, trying to read his thoughts. “Don’t you have to go home tomorrow?”