Texas Hot Read Free Page B

belonging that she’d never felt before. Gina dragged a breath into her lungs but jumped at an unexpected sound. Gasping, she turned, and placing her hands over her thumping heart, stared at the sexy, half-dressed cowboy.
    “Mitch! You scared the hell out of me!”
    His laughter was low and raspy, a little rough-around-the-edges. “Sorry about that. What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?”
    If she’d had trouble sleeping before, it was a foregone conclusion that any hope of it disappeared the moment she got an eyeful of all that bare, bronzed skin painted by silvery moonlight. The mountain-sized man, obviously fresh from a shower, wore his jeans low on his hips and her gaze helplessly focused in on the lines of his washboard abs.
    Gina’s fingers twitched and her mouth went dry.
    She’d seen plenty of gorgeous men in her thirty years but never anyone remotely resembling this guy. He was hard and ripped like a linebacker and more man than she’d ever seen before.  Drops of water clung to his dark hair and dotted his naked chest.  Gina’s libido went on red hot alert. She licked her lips then mentally gave herself a shake when she saw him frown.
    “I’m sorry. I’ll just go in. Don’t want to bother you,” he said and Gina realized she’d, no doubt, made him uncomfortable with all that dumb staring.
    Hoping to make amends, Gina took a step forward and forced a smile. “No, no, don’t leave. You just startled me.” She shrugged. “I think I’m just a little restless tonight.”
    Mitch nodded and the tension seemed to leave his shoulders as he leaned against the stone wall. He watched her quietly. “I can understand that. You’re in a new place with strange people. I get it. Actually, I’m the same. Never could get a fair night’s sleep in a hotel.”
    Gina rolled her eyes. “Believe me, this is so much nicer than the no-tell motels I’ve stayed in lately. This is like a little piece of heaven but it’ll take a little while to settle in here.” Needing something to distract her from the sight of Mitch McBride in all his half-naked glory, she turned to face the countryside. “It’s beautiful here.”
    “It is.” His voice was low, almost hypnotic and she felt him move closer, his body heat apparent despite the warmth of the night. He reached out and tucked a loose bit of her dark hair behind her ears and Gina looked at him. His green eyes took in the lines of her face and paused only briefly on her lips. A thick tension hovered between them but then he stepped back. “You fixed a nice dinner tonight. Why didn’t you eat with us?”
    “I’m an employee. It’s not proper.”
    “Fuck proper. We aren’t formal people and there’s no need for you to eat all by yourself. Dawson and I want to get to know you. Can’t speak for my brother, but hell, I don’t bite.” He grinned suddenly, his teeth flashing white against the darkness. “At least not too hard.”
    Laughter burst free, surprising and spontaneous . “You’re a bad man.”
    “I can be.” He moved another increment closer and a shiver of excitement raced over her flesh, down her bare arms and legs and straight to her belly. Impulsively, needing to put space between him and what could be a huge mistake, she stepped back.
    “Um.”
    Mitch back away and shook his head. “I’m sorry. Not a good thing to encroach on your personal space.”
    She paused. “It’s okay. Really. I’m just a little jumpy these days.”
    “Care to tell me why?”
    “I’d rather not, if you don’t mind.” She sucked a deep, cleansing breath into her lungs and looked straight into his eyes. “Let’s just say that I’m very happy to be here, I’ll enjoy my time, and then, I’ll move on down the road. I can’t even begin to think of this place as permanent with all the craziness in my life but I am relieved that I have a place to land for a while.”
    “It’s a shame you can’t stay, little yankee, and I’m man enough to admit you are damn sure the