Tyler meant to head back to the rodeo arena.
His brother was safe and sound for now.
But the real test would come when he boarded the bus for Texas A&M in a week.
Would Cooper follow through?
The question haunted him and made him even more restless because he knew that if his brother lost his nerve and went back to Gator and his crew again, there wouldn’t be a second out.
There would be nothing Tyler could do about it.
Just as he hadn’t been able to keep his dad from walking out, he wasn’t going to be able to keep Cooper from making the biggest mistake of his life.
The truth ate at Tyler as he hauled ass down the gravel road that led to town. But instead of turning down the main Farm Road, he found himself heading for the second turn that led away from Rebel, straight to Brandy.
She might not have gone home. Maybe she’d stopped off at the bakery. Or another bar. She could have gone someplace else to keep the party going.
She’d done it. She’d signed a deal with Foggy Bottom Distillers and now her future was set.
And his?
His shoulder ached from the last fall he’d taken on Junkyard Dog. One that Brett, himself, had witnessed and then chewed Tyler a new one about what he’d done wrong.
Too many things to count, but Brett could help.
He would help.
That was the other piece of good news.
But Tyler didn’t feel so good.
He felt desperate. Uncertain. Anxious.
Was she out celebrating with another man?
While most folks might think so, Tyler knew better. He knew her. She wouldn’t do that. While she might be interested in merely a good time, she wanted it with him.
He knew that much.
He felt it, and so he took the dirt road that led to the Tucker spread and the old Oldsmobile parked in the gravel driveway. Parking his truck, he climbed out and headed for the front steps. A quick knock and he waited.
She hauled open the door on the third knock. Wearing a pair of shorts and an oversized T-shirt, she looked soft and rumpled from sleep and he felt a moment’s regret that he’d obviously pulled her out of bed.
Until her gaze met his and he read the raw need blazing deep in the depths of her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Concern edged out the hunger, and a strange warmth spread through him.
“I talked to Cooper,” he murmured. He didn’t mean to tell her. He meant to push her backward and plaster his mouth against hers, no words required. But there was just something about the way she looked at him. As if she cared what he had to say.
What he felt.
“I don’t know what’s gotten into him. I told him what an idiot he’s being, but he won’t listen. He’s got a quick way to some easy money and suddenly studying for the next four years doesn’t have the same appeal. He doesn’t realize that what he’s doing is going to get him put away for a lot longer than four years.”
“He’s still got a few days. He’s smart. He’ll wise up.”
“And what if he doesn’t?” He voiced the one fear that nagged at him. That his brother would really and truly throw it all away. Just like their dad.
That Tyler would bust his own ass and do the same in Cheyenne.
“He will. You just need to give it some time. Trust me, my sister has made her fair share of mistakes, but she might finally be getting her act together. Just last night she swore to break up with her latest boyfriend face-to-face and straightforward. Talk about being spared six months of stalking.”
The wind trembled the bushes to her right. “And maybe not.” She grabbed Tyler’s arm and pulled him inside before sticking her head back out and yelling, “She’s not here. She had an all-nighter at the clinic.” The bushes trembled again and the sound of footsteps echoed and faded into the grumble of an engine.
“That should get rid of him for a while,” she said, turning back to Tyler.
“I’m sorry I didn’t make it back to the apartment that night,” he heard himself say before he could think better of it. “I shouldn’t have left you high and dry.”
She shrugged. “You changed your mind. It’s fine.”
“I didn’t change anything. I still want this.” His gaze collided with hers. “I want you.” And then he did what he’d wanted to do ever since she opened the door: He pulled her close and covered her mouth with his.
* * *
Sex, Brandy told herself, throwing herself into the single act of kissing Tyler McCall, desperate to ignore the strange feelings that had assailed her the moment she’d found him standing on her doorstep next to the old dusty swing where her parents had sat every Friday night.
One look at the rickety wood and she’d had the sudden vision of herself, barefoot and pregnant, rocking back and forth, Tyler next to her, no cakes or cookies in sight.
Like hell.
No matter how good he kissed. Or how he pulled her close and rubbed the base of her spine with his thumb until she wanted to melt onto her back and purr. Or how he held her close, his arms solid and strong and possessive, as if she actually meant more to him than a few moments of pleasure.
This wasn’t about forever.
It was about this moment, this kiss, this …
For the next few moments, she drank in the taste and feel of him, ran her hands up and down his solid arms, relished the ripple of muscle as he cupped her buttocks and pulled her closer, treasured the whisper of joy because they were together one more time. One last time.
The thought fed her desperation and she held on to him tighter as he rocked her, his hardness pressing into her. Heat flowered low in her belly, spreading from one nerve ending to the next until every inch of her body burned and sizzled like a match just struck.
She moaned into his mouth, communicating her need in a way that no words could touch. Without breaking the kiss, he swung her into his arms and headed down the hall for the nearest bedroom.
A few seconds later, her feet touched down in the small room she’d shared with Callie when they were children. Her sister had moved out once their parents had died, and Brandy had repainted the lime green with a bright pink that matched the bakery boxes she used at her shop. Frilly pink curtains framed the two windows that faced the side of the house. It was an ultrafeminine room that made Tyler McCall seem that much more masculine and dangerous by comparison.
A ripple of excitement went through her and she pressed herself up against him again. Need mounted and multiplied as she clawed at his shirt. He caught her wrists and pulled back, his grin slow and wicked and dangerous.
“Easy. We’ve got all night, sugar.”
“I’ve got to be at the bakery early for my apple loaves.”
“Early as in six or seven?”
“Four, so you’d better start undressing.” She meant to rip off her clothes and get busy, but then he touched her and her breath caught. Time seemed to stand still as he pulled her close. The hands that slid from her shoulder to her collarbone, and down, were strong and sure and possessive.
As if he were branding her his and only his.
Just as the thought struck, he touched the tip of her nipple through the soft fabric of her tee. The ripe tip throbbed in response and she barely caught the whimper that jumped to her lips.
He pressed a kiss to her lips then, coaxing them open with his tongue before delving deep for a long, heart-pounding moment. “I love every sound that you make,” he murmured when he finally pulled away. “Every gasp. Every whimper. Every cry.”
He pulled the shirt up and over her head, his hot fingertips grazing her skin, and she forgot everything except the need churning inside her.
Brandy closed her eyes and tilted her head back, arching her chest forward. She all but screamed at the first stroke of his callused thumb over her bare breast. The next several moments passed in a dizzying blur as he plucked and rolled her sensitive nipples, until they were red and ripe and aching for more.
He blazed a trail down her rib cage, his palms warm against her stomach. A deep male growl vibrated up his throat when his hands slid into her panties and found her wet and ready. One fingertip parted her swollen flesh and dipped inside.
She cried out, grabbing his shoulders, clutching fabric as she fought to feel his bare skin against her own.
He leaned back far enough and let her peel the material up and over his head. She tossed the T-shirt and went for his jeans, but he’d beaten her to the punch, his tanned fingers working at the zipper.
Metal grated and the jeans sagged onto his hips. He stepped back far enough to push them down and kick them free until he stood before her wearing only a pair of white briefs. He was rock-hard beneath the clingy cotton. A heartbeat later, the full length of him sprang forward, huge and greedy, as he pushed his underwear down and kicked it to the side.
But it wasn’t the sight of him naked and tanned and fully aroused that took her breath away, it was the heat burning in his gaze, making his eyes brighter and even more translucent. Like a shimmering Caribbean oasis reflecting the hot sun.
And oh how she wanted to dive in headfirst and hold her breath for as long as possible. Forever.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” she breathed when he made no move to remove her last item of clothing—a pair of skimpy bikini panties decorated with tiny pink polka dots.
“Soon,” he murmured. He cupped her, his palm warm through the thin covering.
An ache flowered low in her belly. “Soon isn’t soon enough. I can’t wait, Tyler. I need to feel you.” Anxiety zipped up and down her spine, along with a ripple of fear. “I want to feel you.”
Because she didn’t want to want him so deeply. So desperately.
If only she didn’t keep forgetting that all-important fact.