The Last Virgin in Texas Read online

  “I thought it would make your life a little easier. You work so hard, Gretchen.” He steps forward and puts his hands on my shoulders. “You’re not angry with me, are you?”

  I roll my eyes and rest my palms on his forearms. “Don’t be silly. I’m not angry, it’s just, I don’t want you to think you need to buy me things to make me happy. I don’t need any of that stuff.”

  “Okay, I promise. I won’t buy you anything else without asking first.” He winks. “Probably won’t, anyway. Now, go relax, and we’ll be in there in just a minute.”

  I flip on the television and am trying desperately to figure out the movie before and after puzzle on Wheel of Fortune when Tucker and Mr. Chips come back in the living room. Tucker glances at the television.

  “Easy. Mineral Deep Ocean.” He shrugs. “Of course, I have an advantage. I was in both of those.” And just like that, I remember once again that my boyfriend is a movie star.

  Mineral Deep was the indie movie that gave him his breakout role. Deep Ocean was the adventure thriller that got him an Oscar and landed him the starring role on Sins of the Father.

  I hated to admit it at the time, but I loved Deep Ocean. Also, he was naked in that one for several seconds. I might’ve watched those scenes a little more than is healthy.

  “Okay, Mr. Chips and I have something to show you. We’ve been working on this all week, haven’t we, buddy?”

  The pup sits up attentively, looking at Tucker, and I swear he’s smiling.

  “Okay, just like we practiced. Ready?”

  Tucker walks across the living room and taps his hip. Mr. Chips trots over to him. He holds up a treat in one hand, and his finger with the other, and takes a step. When he makes a sweeping motion with his finger, drawing a circle in the air, the pup takes a few jogging steps, then jumps, and does a back flip.

  “What? He can do tricks, now?” I stand and rush over to my dog who is now happily eating the treat Tucker tossed him upon successful completion of his task.

  I scoop him up in my arms and give him a squeeze, and Tucker pats his head. “He can. We’ve been working on that one for a while. My buddy Jason is an animal trainer in LA. I hung out with him on set while we were filming an arc of Sins that featured a dog, and he showed me some of his techniques.”

  He leans behind me, wrapping Mr. Chips and me both up in his strong arms.

  “That must be all you guys do all day.” I laugh.

  “Actually, that’s the other thing I wanted to tell you. I finished up my manuscript today. I mean, just the draft. I have to do a couple of read-throughs, do some edits, and polish it up before it’s ready to share.” He presses his cheek to the top of my head. “I’ve never been able to get so much writing done as I have since I’ve been here.”

  “I’m so glad to hear that, Tucker. I was afraid…I don’t know. I thought you’d be getting bored out here.”

  “No way. I like the quiet, and it’s good to see Mama and Daddy. Besides, being here with you?” He squeezes me tighter. “This feels more like being home than I have in years.”

  I set Mr. Chips down and turn to face him. My arms snake around his neck and I press my body to his. “You really feel that way?”

  “I really do. Is that…I mean, we hadn’t talked about it, but are you okay with me being here? Do you need some space?”

  I shake my head from side-to-side. “Never. I love having you here. I’m just a little worried about how I’ll be able to stand it whenever you have to go back to California.”

  He smooths my hair and tucks a tendril behind my ear. “Let’s not go lookin’ for worry. Let’s wait for it to come to us, alright? I’ve got some time before filming starts up again.”

  I nod my agreement. He’s right. I’m determined not to ruin a perfect today worrying about an uncertain tomorrow.

  Thirty-Nine

  “Okay, son, on the count of three. One, two…three!”

  Dad and I team-lift the last bag of feed into the bed of the pickup and he pulls the gate up until it closes with a thud.

  “Thanks, Henry. Good seein’ ya, Tucker.” Nate, the owner of the feed and seed, shakes my Dad’s hand, then mine before heading back inside. It’s one of a million things I love about being home.

  Back in LA, if you wanted to, you could probably go a week without talking to anyone at all, really. Nobody looks you in the eye unless they’re trying to sell you something. Not here. Here, people still close a deal, even a small one, with a firm handshake and a pat on the back.

  We hop in the truck and Dad turns to me. “Now, I don’t like keepin’ secrets from your Mama, but she’s not a real fan of me eatin’ too much junk food. So what say we stop by the Dairy Gem for a couple of milkshakes and it’ll be our little secret, hm?” He winks and I can’t help but laugh.

  “It’s a deal. We’ll pick up a malt for Gretchen and drop it by to her before we head back out to the farm, too. That be alright?”

  He nods. “You’re gettin’ serious about her, aren’t ya, son.” It’s not a question, but that’s fine, since he’s not wrong.

  “I’m crazy about her, Dad.” I smile as I look out the window into the sunshine of a Texas afternoon. “I love that girl.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. She’s a good girl, that Gretchen. Just make sure you’re doin’ right by her.” He looks over his glasses at me in the most fatherly way possible.

  “What’s that supposed to mean? You didn’t raise an asshole, did you?”

  “We did, but took that one back for an exchange and started over with you…ya know, a clean slate?” He laughs at his own joke and I can’t help but laugh as well. “In all seriousness, though, what I mean is, you gotta remember that Hollywood life takes some gettin’ used to. Remember when that first movie came out, and that reporter showed up on our front porch?”

  I laugh. “Mama came out with a shotgun and told them they had ten seconds to get off her property before she started shooting.”

  “Damn straight. But all the shit they were writin’ about you in the papers and on the internet had her dander up. Now…imagine the next time Gretchen has to read some lie about you and how that’ll feel.” He gives a half-shrug. “Just make sure she knows your heart, son, if you love her.”

  After we grab our shakes, we head over to the diner. It’s mid-afternoon, so things are pretty quiet. Shane from the grocery is polishing off a sandwich at the counter, and Dillon is sitting a couple of stools down. A woman I don’t know is sitting in the booth I was in for the photoshoot a few months ago.

  Dad and I grab a couple of stools at the counter. When Gretchen walks up, I hand her the malt and put my palms on the counter, stretching over it to plant a kiss on her cheek.

  “This is a nice surprise, but you do realize that bringin’ in outside food ain’t exactly good for business, right?” She grins as she wraps her lips around the straw and takes a sip.

  “You don’t sell milkshakes, so no competition,” I reply with a wink.

  “A piece of your cherry pie would be awfully good with this vanilla, though.” Dad holds his cup up and points it toward the pie case.

  Gretchen laughs that clear, pure laugh of hers and looks from him to me, cocking her brow up, jutting her hip to the side. “Make it two?”

  “Damn straight,” I reply.

  As she walks over to the pie case, I turn my attention to the pair of pupils I’ve felt boring a hole in me since we walked in.

  “Problem, Dillon?”

  He doesn’t look up. He just sips his coffee, eyes straight ahead.

  “Nah, no problem, Hollywood. Just keepin’ an eye on things around here. That’s what we locals do. Watch out for our own.”

  “Well, if you could keep your eyes off my girlfriend’s ass, I’d appreciate that.”

  This catches Shane’s attention. He wipes his mouth and throws the napkin down on the plate, turning his full attention to the show that’s about to unfold.

  “Girlfriend, huh? Well, that was fast, but I gue
ss that’s how you big city guys roll.” He sets his coffee cup down and turns to face me.

  And there it is. He thinks he knows me, thinks he knows my life, but he doesn’t know shit about how I feel about Gretchen. I’m done taking that self-righteous bullshit off people.

  I step down from the stool and Dad leans toward me.

  “Don’t be startin’ shit, Tucker.”

  “I got this, Daddy.”

  I step over to where Dillon is sitting and snatch up his bill. With the half-price discount for cops and firemen, it comes to just over two dollars. I take a hundred from my wallet and slap it down on the slip of paper.

  “I’d like to support my hometown police by taking care of your bill, Dillon. Must be time for you to make your rounds. Why don’t I walk you out, buddy?” I slap him on the shoulder.

  He picks up his hat and steps down from the stool. “I’ll see ya, Gretchen. If you need me, you know where to find me.” She smiles politely at Dillon and narrows her eyes at me.

  We step outside and walk toward Dillon’s patrol car.

  I square my shoulders and rest my hands on my waist. “Listen, I want you to cool it with that shit.”

  “With what? Lookin’ out for my friend? Sorry, can’t do that.” He opens his car door, placing it between us.

  “You know perfectly well what I mean. Gretchen and I are together. If you had an idea about goin’ out with her, you gotta get past that.” I tip my chin up at him. “So whaddya say? Give us a break, okay?”

  “I like Gretchen. Hate to see her hurt when you go flittin’ off back to California.” He puts his shades on, thinking he’s won.

  “Okay, fair enough, then. So how about this instead? I’m not asking you not to be friends with Gretchen, but if you don’t quit givin’ us shit, I’ll call Sherriff Beck and have you standing outside all day overseeing the drunk driver trash pickup detail on the highway for the next year. Is that clearer for ya?”

  He huffs and shakes his head. Before climbing into his patrol car, he adds one more thing. “I’ll see ya around, Tucker. Watch yourself. Don’t want you gettin’ a speedin’ ticket.”

  I walk back in and sit beside Dad. Gretchen hands me the plate of pie. “You done poundin’ your chest there, big boy?” She smirks.

  “For now.” I tuck my fork in, take a big bite full of pie, smile wide and give her a wink. “You really do have the best pie, sweetheart.”

  I’m sitting on the sofa, scrolling through email, the necessary evil that keeps me connected to all the bullshit I agreed to when I worked my deal with Ryan. I click on one from the production company with the subject line press and prep. It’s the one I’ve been dreading. It was only a matter of time. My break from reality is about to come to an end, and I have to be sure Gretchen and I are solid. The last thing I want is for her to question where we stand.

  She walks into the living room wearing a little, pale blue, cotton nightgown. Now, I’m not clicking on a damn thing. I’m not sure I could read right now, anyway. All the blood in my body has rushed to my dick at the sight of her sashaying across the living room. My eyes are glued to her every move.

  The nightgown has little flowers embroidered all over it, and the center of each flower is a little hole, so her skin peeks through here and there. It has skinny little straps that meet white trim that cuts across the perfect globes of flesh, dipping into a deep V.

  I put the laptop on the side table and settle back onto the sofa. She parts her lips and rests her index finger between them. Her eyes dart coyly to the side as she saunters closer. Her cheeks are pink, and I can smell the soap wafting off her skin from here. When she stands facing me, she shrugs her shoulders and laughs.

  “I ordered this online. I thought I should try to be sexier…that might be what you’re used to, but to be honest, I just feel kinda silly.” She reaches around the back of her neck and sweeps a cascade of hair to one side.

  I reach my hand up and she takes it, stepping forward to straddle me where I sit on the sofa. I slide my hands up her thighs, my fingers savoring her soft skin as they slide up to find her hips. I wait for the feeling of fabric against my fingertips, the tension of elastic that signals the waistband of her panties, but I don’t find it.

  I cock up an eyebrow and smirk at her.

  “Gretchen, you’re not wearing any panties?”

  She presses her top teeth into her bottom lip, worry in her brow, and shakes her head from side-to-side. “Is it too much? Cause honestly, I’m not sure how to do this kinda thing.”

  My eyelids grow heavier, and I tighten my grip on her hips, pulling her down to feel my erection through the thin fabric of my sleep shorts. When she feels me, she sucks in a breath, and her hands find my shoulders to steady herself as her hips start to move in slow circles.

  “I think you know exactly what you’re doing. You feel what you do to me?”

  She nods, a filthy grin tugging at her sweet lips.

  “You like that? That you can make me so crazy?” I press against her center and she grinds harder against my cock.

  She closes her eyes, her lips curling into a smile before she opens them and meets my gaze. “I fucking love it. I love that you want me as much as I want you.”

  I pull her close and crash my mouth to hers. The taste of her mouth is familiar and sweet. Her body is hot against mine as she leans into me. My dick is painful, desperately trying to rip through the fabric of my shorts to find her pussy.

  When she breaks the kiss, her eyes are dark and desperate. I know what she wants, and I know I’m the man to give it to her. I want to give her everything she could ever need, now, and always.

  I lift her off my lap and lead her to the bedroom. I ready myself and sit up against the headboard, pulling her to me. When she straddles me again, I tug on the strap of her nightgown and pull it down until it slides past her breast. My tongue slides across her skin, circling her nipple, and she fists my hair, pulling me closer.

  I palm her ass, guiding her until she’s hovering over my cock. When I pull her closer, her breath quickens. I press forward, pulling her down onto me. She’s so tight, and I’m a greedy asshole because I want more. She leans back, and I take her hips, pushing deeper as I pull her down onto my cock.

  She braces her palms on my chest as she rises and falls. She was so worried about being sexy for me, and here she is, riding me, looking more perfect in her freshly washed face and wild hair than any Hollywood beauty in her best on-screen makeup. She’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen and I can still hardly believe she’s mine.

  She murmurs a little cry of pleasure and it shoots right through me. I can’t hold back anymore.

  I brace her back with my palms and flip her onto the bed. She gasps as she hits the mattress, but I’m right there, guiding her, holding her.

  “I’m sorry, baby. I need more. I can’t hold back.”

  She folds her arms around my neck and gives me a sexy smirk. “I can take it. I want it all.”

  That’s all I need. I don’t hold back. We sway together until her body tenses and quakes beneath me. When she calls my name, I let go. The pleasure coiled at the base of my spine washes over me and I stroke deeper inside of her until I’m spent.

  I hold her close, after, stroking her hair as I clutch her warm body to my chest.

  “You’re especially sweet tonight.” She coos as she snuggles into me.

  She scratches her nails against my skin, and I wonder if I can convince her to just drop everything and come back to LA with me for good.

  I press a kiss to her forehead. “Just thinking about how lucky I am.”

  When her soft little snores tell me she has drifted off, I press another kiss to the top of her head and slip out of bed.

  Back in the living room, I crack open the laptop and look at the email again. When I read it, I mutter a swear under my breath. I slide my palms down my face, and Mr. Chips hops up beside me on the sofa.

  “I know, buddy. I don’t want to do it either. For righ
t now, though, this is how it has to be.”

  Apparently talking to dogs is who I am now.

  The little guy cocks his head to the side then, as if he feels bad for me, he snuggles down in my lap.

  I hesitate for a moment, my finger hovering over the button of the touchpad.

  I made commitments. I have to go, even though everything I want is asleep in the next room, not back in LA.

  I blow out a deep breath and press the button to book the flight. I don’t have much choice, after all. She knows I have to work so I’ll tell her all about it and reassure her.

  That can wait until tomorrow, though.

  I walk back into the bedroom and slide under the covers beside her. She rolls over and attaches herself to me as if it’s instinct.

  Tomorrow, I’ll tell her I’m heading back, but tonight I can fall asleep with my arms wrapped around the woman I love.

  Forty

  Maisie and Dodger are training a couple of new kids I hired to help out at the diner, and that means no work for me today. I slide out from under the warm embrace of the man I love, grab one of his t-shirts from off the chair and slip it over my head, and make my way to the kitchen.

  I pop a pod in the fancy coffee maker that appeared on my counter a few days ago and pull a dozen eggs and some bacon out of the fridge. I place the bacon in flat, even rows on an oversized baking sheet and pop it in the oven, then start adding eggs, cream, salt, and pepper to a bowl. I’m whisking away at the eggs when I feel a pair of big palms slide the t-shirt up and land on my bare ass.

  Soft kisses brush the side of my neck as Tucker nuzzles against me. Those happy little butterflies flitter through my belly. This just feels so…right. It’s like the universe has rewarded me for all those years of dating disasters.

  “Are you making breakfast?” He presses the words into my hair as he wraps his arms around me.

  “Bacon and eggs. The coffee is just about finished, too.”