Page 30 of One Wild Texas Night
“That’s what I say. Damn, you’re gorgeous. I think I’d rather cancel the evening and take you to bed. Too bad I can’t cancel. But I can’t stop staring at you, either. You’re stunning.”
As she turned to get her purse, she glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “Thank you. That’s nice to hear. And you look good enough to kiss, except we won’t now because I don’t want to get the least bit messed. I have spent the entire day working for this look, and I want a few minutes to enjoy it intact.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said politely with laughter in his eyes. “I’m curious, though. Your hair isn’t the same length. Did you get a haircut? Or were you wearing a fake long braid?” he teased.
“I got a haircut. I didn’t need that much hair, but it was definitely mine.”
“I can’t stop looking at you.”
She smiled at him. “I hope not. That’s one goal I hoped to achieve. I wanted to get your attention,” she said and meant it. She wanted him to see her in a dress, some way other than as he usually did on the ranch, and especially this last week after all they’d gone through. She wanted this night out, and she had already gotten a reaction from him that made the effort worthwhile. She felt the same way looking at him. He looked so incredibly handsome. He took her breath away. She looked forward to the night out with him, and it was a good cause. Even though her family was angry with his family that they had bought the property first, she loved that old arena and was glad they had rebuilt.
“You’ve got my attention, all right. You’ve got my brain’s attention and you’ve got another area’s attention, too. If we have an earthquake or typhoon, get me moving, because I won’t notice it for looking at you.”
“No typhoons, no earthquakes in the forecast, but I’ll let you know if one happens.”
“Let’s go. As soon as I feel we can politely leave tonight, we will. I want to take you home with me.”
“You don’t have to do that here in Dallas. My Dallas home hasn’t burned.”
“I want you with me all night, in my arms, in my bed, where I can kiss every gorgeous inch of you. Okay?”
“More than okay,” she replied in a sultry voice, wanting to be with him, in his arms, in his bed. “I can’t wait to be with you later,” she said softly, her voice getting that breathy quality that she couldn’t avoid.
“To be truthful, I want you to show me what’s under that gorgeous red dress.”
“I’ll do my best to oblige,” she said, smiling at him.
“Maybe we should skip this party,” he said, studying her and sounding as if he meant it.
“No, we won’t. Stop trying. And we’re not leaving early. Not after what I paid for this dress, these shoes and my hair. Not to mention my new undergarments that you get to remove later.”
“Dang. That isn’t the way to ensure you’ll get to stay there long. That just makes me want to carry you off to bed now.”
“I just wanted you to know that I’m looking forward to later, but I want to go to the party now. Besides showing off my new clothes, this is for a really good cause. And I will have an evening with the most handsome man in Texas, and that is saying a lot.”
He smiled. “Thank you, my darling. Okay, let’s hit the road.”
Smiling, she picked up her envelope purse that matched her dress, closed the door and put the key into her purse.
“You’ll come home with me tonight, won’t you?” he asked.
“If you want, or you can come back here with me.”
“Come home with me. I’ll get you home when you’re ready.” He couldn’t wait for the evening to be over. He’d seen women he’d taken out who had new dresses, new hairstyles, gorgeous women who looked like they’d stepped off the pages of a glossy fashion magazine, but Claire had undergone the biggest change and the most beautiful one.
He can’t believe he didn’t realize how beautiful she was before. She was a good-looking woman, and now she was drop-dead gorgeous, and he was stunned how good she looked. He knew she worked on her ranch. Her clothes were practical for that. Her long braid had been practical for being out in the dust and the wind with horses or cattle. But this transformation was astonishing. And he knew what a gorgeous body was under that red silk dress.
He realized she was staring at him. “I’m sorry. Did you say something to me?”
She laughed. “A penny for your thoughts. That isn’t what I said, but I’m wondering what carried you away.”
“You did. I can’t get over how you look. I know you usually are dressed the best way to work on your ranch, but there is a vast difference between how you look on the ranch and how you look tonight.”
She smiled. “I must be scary on the ranch.”
“You’re not a damn bit scary. You look good on the ranch. Haven’t I conveyed that I thought you looked great?”
“As a matter of fact, yes, you have. I’m glad you think so tonight, too. I would hate to have gotten my hair cut and you not notice.”
