She eyed him dubiously.
He leaned closer to her, so close that if he wanted to, he could wrap her in his arms and take full possession of her lush lips with his. It was tempting. It was oh so tempting.
“It’s true, Greta,” he said and watched her eyes spark with gold and green hues. “I don’t invite women into my bed. I wait for them to invite me into theirs. But you’re different, and the desire, the passion, I have for you is stronger than anything I’ve ever felt for any other woman.”
Her mouth trembled slightly and he continued, “In all of my life I’ve never been jealous of Mark, but when he hooked up with you, I was jealous of him for the first time. He had what I wanted...what I still want.”
“I should go,” she replied in a breathy voice, but she made no move to get up.
“You should stay,” he countered. “It’s a long drive back to Tulsa. You should stay here with me tonight and then tomorrow morning you can see the horse.”
Her eyes looked slightly glazed and he didn’t know if it was from the wine she’d drunk too fast or the blatant lust he knew shone from his own.
“Greta, if you want, you can spend the night in one of my guest rooms.” It wasn’t what he wanted, but he also didn’t want to coerce her in any way. He’d laid his cards out on the table and the next play was hers.
“I’ll stay,” she said slowly. “I’ll stay in one of your guest rooms and take a look at the horse in the morning and decide if she’s a project I want to take on.”
Disappointment winged through him, but he tamped it down. He knew he’d been forward and he really wasn’t surprised by her answer. He’d definitely been too open too quickly. It had been out of character for him, but when he’d seen her standing on his front porch, all of his desire for her, which had simmered for so long, had roared to full life.
“Then whenever you’re ready, I’ll show you to your room,” he replied.
“I think I’m ready now.” She stood and finished the last drink of wine in her glass.
He got up, as well, and took the glass from her and carried it and his own to the bar. He felt her gaze on his back and cursed himself for being a fool.
He should have just told her he’d alibied her because he’d been sure of her innocence and then told her about the horse he wanted her to work with. He should have never come at her with the open and honest passion that was in his heart and beat through his veins.
“I’ll get you a T-shirt to sleep in,” he said as he led her down the long hallway. They passed several bedrooms and two baths before he finally turned into a room that was located next to his master suite.
“This is lovely,” she said. She offered him a small smile. “My bedroom at home is decorated in shades of blue, too.”
“Then you should feel right at home here. There’s an en suite bathroom, where you should find whatever you need. There’s several new toothbrushes beneath the sink, and if you need something else that you can’t find, just ask.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” she replied.
“I’ll just go grab a T-shirt for you to sleep in.”
He left her standing in the guest room and went into his master suite and to the drawer that held his T-shirts. He pulled one out and for a brief moment imagined her wearing it and nothing else.
He shook his head and shoved the vision aside and then returned to the guest room, where she hadn’t moved a foot.
He handed her the T-shirt. “Thanks. This should be more comfortable than trying to sleep in my clothes,” she said. She shifted from one booted foot to the other, obviously uncomfortable.
“Then I’ll just tell you good-night,” he said. “I’m right next door if you can’t find what you need or if you change your mind about joining me.” Damn, he’d done it again.
“You’re very persistent,” she replied.
“I am when I know what I want.”
“Good night, Tyler,” she said.
“Good night.” He left the room and she closed the door behind him. He headed back to the great room and to the bar to put the glasses they had used into the dishwasher in the kitchen.
He certainly didn’t intend to give up on satisfying his desire for Greta. He’d shocked her tonight, but he could be a patient man and he’d swear there had been more than a hint of interest in her eyes.
Tonight wasn’t the end of things with Greta. He had a feeling it was just the beginning. All he had to do was convince her of that fact.
Greta lay in the center of the king-size bed, Tyler’s T-shirt smelling of fresh Oklahoma air and a hint of ocean-breeze fabric softener.
It was still early, just a little after nine, but she’d needed to escape from Tyler. She should’ve just driven home, but the truth was the wine had gone to her head, as had Tyler’s invitation to share his bed.
She’d heard him go into his room just a few minutes earlier. Since it was a Tuesday night, he probably had gone to bed early because he had to work the next day.
They both would have to be up early if he was going to show her his troubled horse before he left for work. The possibility of working with a new horse was exciting. She was in desperate need of a challenge, and training this horse would fit the bill.
She closed her eyes, seeking sleep, but her mind conjured up a vision of the man in the next room. Did he sleep in pajamas or was he naked beneath his sheets? His unbuttoned shirt had given her a tantalizing peek at his bare chest. What would he look like with no shirt? What would he look like naked? A rivulet of heat worked through her. Drat the man anyway.
Mark had never gazed at her with such an unabashed desire. She’d never seen utter lust, such blatant hunger for her, in any man’s eyes before tonight.
She’d seen it in Tyler’s and she’d be a fool not to admit that he’d stirred something in the very depths of her, a hunger she hadn’t known existed.
Mindless pleasure—she knew that was what she would find in his arms. Not love, not a promise for any future relationship. He’d offered her only one night of throwing caution to the wind and having uncomplicated sex with him.
After everything that had happened at the ranch over the past five months, mindless pleasure and uncomplicated sex sounded far too appealing.
She rolled over on her back and stared up at the ceiling, where pale moonlight danced tiny strands of illumination as it filtered through the slight part in the curtains at the window.
She couldn’t go to sleep, because she was hot and bothered and curious. She’d known in her head that Mark had been cheating on her long before she had acknowledged it in her heart. She hadn’t wanted to believe it, but the signs had been there.
Several times she’d thought of calling off the wedding, but for the first time in her life she’d enjoyed a real relationship with her mother, Abra. They had bonded over picking out flowers and deciding on arrangements, checking out caterers and choosing the size and flavor for the wedding cake.
She’d never seen her mother look so happy, and she’d felt incredibly responsible when Mark had broken their engagement, the wedding plans were called off, and her mother had fallen into one of her bouts of depression. At least her mother hadn’t jumped on a jet to head to Europe like she’d done in the past when the depression struck. Of course, her health wasn’t as good as it had once been.
Greta rolled over, this time curling into a fetal ball as a vision of Tyler once again filled