A Match Made In Texas by Anne Marie Novark Read Free Book Online Page A

groan. A thrill whisked through her knowing she had that affect on him.
     
    He lifted his head and took her mouth again. Kissed her with fierce urgency. His hands were hard, almost brutal, as he gripped her thighs. He ravaged her mouth, plundering and taking.
     
    He reached one hand down between them and cupped her, stroking her through her shorts. Her body instantly responded. His hand left her and she yearned for his touch there again. Then, she heard the rasp of his zipper as he started to pull it down.
     
    Breaking contact, Theresa shuddered as she tried to breathe. Her lungs empty, she gulped for air. Austin was breathing heavily, too. His face only inches away. His eyes gleaming with suppressed passion. Grasping her nape, he pulled her even closer. His lips brushed against hers.
     
    "Come on, sweetheart," he whispered. "It'll be good, I promise."
     
    Theresa knew it would be wonderful. But afterwards? What then? Somehow, she had to find the strength to end this moment of madness. Everything was going too fast. Spiraling out of control.
     
    "No. Austin, I can't do this. We can't do this." Releasing her legs from around his waist, she slid to the floor. For a moment, she felt herself wobble, her knees refusing to cooperate and hold her up. Her whole body shimmered with reaction. She had no idea how she had let it get this far.
     
    Austin stepped back and turned away. His shoulders heaved as he tried to regain control. It had been years since he had lost control like that. If he had ever lost control like that.
     
    "You're right," he said. "We can't do this. Not here. Not now. Stay away from me, Theresa Rogers. I'm giving you fair warning. I want you. But only in a physical way. I have nothing else to give you. You can either take it or leave it. It's your choice."
     
    He grabbed his Stetson and slammed out the door, leaving Theresa staring after him.
     
    ****
     
    Over the next couple of weeks, Theresa went through the motions of going to work, coming home, grading papers, and going to work again. She felt like something momentous was hanging in the balance. Some life-altering event was teetering in front of her. It had something to do with Austin McCade. And she didn't know if it would be good or bad.
     
    October blew in with a vengeance. The temperatures plummeted. Some nights reached near freezing. Theresa was still trying to get used to the weather and climate of West Texas. Very different from the Gulf Coast and Houston. It was drier and windier in the panhandle. And a lot colder. There would be no more tank tops and shorts for a while.
     
    Just the thought of tank tops made her shiver. And not because of the low temperatures. She couldn't seem to shake the picture of her and Austin kissing. She was still amazed at how quickly the kiss had escalated into hot, dangerous passion. They had almost made love. Right there in her living room. Except it wouldn't have been making love. It would have been having sex. At least, for Austin.
     
    Theresa assured herself that she wasn't in love with Austin. Not yet. But she was falling fast. She felt a connection to him, going beyond sexual attraction.
     
    She admired him for raising a daughter alone. He obviously adored Kelsey. She even admired his loyalty to his wife. The man was capable of strong emotions. Only, he had shut down when his wife had died.
     
    Theresa wondered if it would be worth trying to break through Austin's protective layering. Try to win his love. If he was capable of loving again. He wanted her sexually. He had admitted as much. And the way they had kissed. The way the sparks had ignited and exploded. It left her breathless just thinking about it.
     
    These same thoughts had been going around and around in her brain ever since that Saturday morning a couple of weeks ago. It was getting her nowhere. Austin had practically thrown an ultimatum at her, and she honestly didn't know what to do.
     
    Never having had an intimate relationship with a