Incompatibly Yours: Charity Anthology Supporting Fertility Research (13 page)

They rounded a large area of brush and Julie sighed. In front of her was a pond surrounded by sparse trees, the moon reflected in the water perfectly. "It's beautiful."

The horse came to a stop. Clay swung down off the horse then reached up to her. She twisted, putting her hands on his shoulders. Again, with effortless ease he lifted her off the horse. She wasn't a small woman, and honestly that impressed the hell out of her. The last man who had lifted her had moaned and groaned like he was going to die.

"Texas is full of beautiful things." He smiled as he slowly lowered her.

Okay, just wow. The way he said that sent shivers, chills, and zings throughout her body. She was just going to pretend he meant her, just this once, and then she would get back to reality. Once her feet touched the ground he opened his mouth again and yeah, reality came back full force, smacking her upside the head.

"I want to thank you for everything you've done for Bo."

"Oh, well you could have told me that back there." Julie hoped she kept the hurt out of her voice. "You didn't need to bring me out here just to tell me that."

"That's not why—"

"And I didn't do anything you didn't pay me for." Julie kept going, not caring she'd interrupted him. "He did it all himself anyway. Except for that first day, he was one of the easiest patients I've ever dealt with."

"Julie, I—"

"But, yeah. I guess I should be getting back to my sis—"

Clay grabbed Julie, pulling her to him. "Shut up," he growled as he grabbed her chin, pulling her face up to meet his. "I didn't bring you out here to talk about my brother."

"Did you just tell me to shut up?" Julie frowned, but didn't pull away from him.

He chuckled. "Yes, I did." He leaned closer to her. "It's hard to kiss someone who keeps talking."

"Finally." She sighed, but then gasped at what she'd just said aloud.

"Exactly." His grin grew. "Ever since your tumble down the stairs this is all I've been able to think of."

"High school for me," she replied, then rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I just said all that out loud."

"High school?" He frowned.

"Yeah." She felt the heat in her cheeks. "I had the biggest crush on you."

"No, you didn't." He shook his head, his eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't even look at me and if you did say hi you practically ran the other way."

"Believe me." Julie wished she had kept her damn mouth shut. She didn't want to be having a conversation at that moment. She wanted her kiss, a kiss she had wanted since high school. "Big crush, ask my sister. Now can you please kiss me so I know exactly what I have missed out on all these years?"

And kiss her he did, to the point she was breathless. She'd never believed before when people said they were kissed breathless, but Clay made her a believer. If she passed out she wouldn't be surprised, but she would rather the man keep kissing her and holding her tight than draw another breath. The way his hands ran possessively over her body drove her insane, and she didn't want it to stop. Her hands were doing some exploring of their own, and the tightening of his muscles at her every pass turned her on even more.

"Jesus." Clay pulled away, his glazed eyes staring into hers. "Honey, if you don't stop staring at me like that we aren't making it back to the party anytime soon."

Julie knew exactly what she wanted to happen. She was an adult with a clear mind and conscience. She wanted Clay Marshall with a passion that couldn't be denied. Reaching down, she grasped the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head.

"Promise," she whispered as she flicked open the front clasp of her bra, letting it slide off her shoulders to the ground. Oh, God. It so was not like her, but she also wasn't a coward. She prayed that it wasn't the biggest mistake she had ever made. His rejection would destroy her.

His eyes roamed over her body, a muscle ticked in his jaw, and a growl rumbled in his throat.

As he stood there staring at her, she felt a twinge of doubt curl through her mind. Did he not want her? Did she just make a total fool out of herself? Quickly she covered her breasts as she reached down for her shirt.

"Don't!" His order was a harsh rasp. When she stopped and straightened back up, he reached out to gently move her arm back to her side. "I have never seen anything more beautiful in Texas or anywhere, for that matter. You are absolutely stunning."

Julie felt the tears before she could stop them. One ran from the corner of her eye, down her cheek, and dripped from her chin to her breast. His eyes followed its path. Slowly, he reached out to wipe its trail away. As he touched her breast, she held her breath, afraid to move… afraid he would stop.

His eyes rose to meet hers once again. "You deserve more than this." He looked around before looking back at her. "I don't even have a blanket."

Reaching out, she laid her hand against his cheek as her eyes searched their surroundings. "This, as you call it, is a part of you and I can't think of a better place." She ran her thumb across his bottom lip. "And I'm sure you can think of a way that doesn't require a blanket. I want you, Clay."

"And I have never wanted anything more than I want you." Clay pulled her into his arms. "But once this happens, you are mine, Julie Daniels."

"I've been yours for a long time, Clay," she whispered against his mouth. "You just never knew it."

Chapter Eight

Since the night of the party, not a day went by without Julie seeing Clay. No matter what they had going on—because they both were busy—they made sure to see each other. Her fear of not having anything in common with Clay had been put to rest. It made things interesting and it definitely never got boring, because they were each trying to convert the other to what they liked.

She had also been taking Jessica over to help Bo learn to read braille. She had a suspicion there was a budding romance between those two, because honestly, it had been almost two months since Jessica had given Bo the book and he still hadn't gotten the hang of braille. She didn't believe that for a minute. Bo was a smart man and picked things up quick.

Taking one last glance at herself in the mirror, she saw the change in her own eyes. She looked happy and content. If anyone had told her two months ago she would be dating Clay Marshall, she would have laughed in their face.

At the knock on her front door, her smile widened. Quickly making her way out of her room, she swung open the door and jumped into Clay's arms.

"Miss me?" He laughed, catching her.

"Always." She nuzzled his neck then took his kiss. "Where we going?"

"It's a surprise," he teased. "Are you ready?"

Nodding, she grabbed her bag. "Not even a hint?"

"No, ma'am." He wrapped his arm around her. Opening the passenger-side door, he lifted her into his truck and placed a kiss on her cheek. Once inside, he started the truck and pulled away from her small apartment building. "How was your day?"

"Busy." Julie scooted closer to him; he put his hand on her leg after shifting into the next gear. "Got a new client today. He's in pretty bad shape."

"He?" Clay glanced at her before looking back to the road.

"Yeah, Todd Frazer." Julie placed her hand on his. "You know him?"

"No, can't say I do," Clay replied, still staring straight ahead.

"Anyway, he was injured at work," Julie continued. "A pipe burst and steam hit him in the face. He received third-degree burns on his head, face, and neck as well as his eyes. Usually when you get flash steam burns to the eyes, the eyelids get the worst of it, but from what I understand, this happened so fast that his eyes took most of the damage before he had time to shut them."

"Is it permanent?" Clay turned into his driveway.

"Yes, it is. He has healed everywhere else, but he is so angry." Julie frowned, glancing around. "Why are we here? Is this the surprise?"

Clay parked the truck and turned it off. "Are you safe?"

Julie turned to look at him. "Well, I don't know," she teased. "Depends on what your surprise is."

"That's not what I'm talking about." Clay didn't smile. "You said this man is angry. How angry?"

Julie knew Clay was remembering Bo's threats against her. She needed to tread lightly, but she wasn't going to lie to him. "Not only did this man lose his sight, his appearance has changed. Of course he can't see it, but he can feel the scars." She turned in the seat to face him. "And his wife of ten years left him, taking their daughter."

Clay made a noise in the back of his throat. "I'd say he's pretty angry." He ran his hand through his hair. "How is he with you?"

"Okay," Julie replied, wishing she had kept her mouth shut.

"Don't lie to me, Julie," Clay demanded, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Is this man a danger to you?"

"This is my job, Clay." Julie still didn't answer because honestly, she wasn't sure yet. Even though Todd Frazer was a different case than she had ever dealt with, it was a case she would see through to the end.

"I know that, but this isn't easy for me," Clay replied, finally breaking eye contact. "To even think you are in danger drives me insane. I wanted to beat the hell out of my own brother when he threatened you, and at that time I didn't know my true feelings for you."

"I'll be careful, Clay. I promise." Julie climbed across the seat and straddled him, not caring the steering wheel was digging into her back. "But you have to trust that I know what I'm doing.

"Now please, let's not argue." Julie kissed his neck. "Let's have a nice night together."

"Do you have to shower this man?" Clay growled when she nipped his ear.

"I'm not answering that question." Julie used her tongue to soothe her bite.

"I'm an alpha, Julie. You are mine and I protect what's mine." Clay grabbed her hair, gently pulling her head back to look at him. "Get used to it."

Julie moaned, feeling him swell underneath her. "What else does it mean to belong to an alpha?"

"You're about to find out." Clay proceeded to show her exactly what that meant.

★★★

Once they made it out of the truck, Clay led her to the barn where he saddled up his horse, Samson. Once he'd mounted, he reached his hand down to her. This time she took it without any hesitation.

They rode mostly in silence. A few times, Clay pointed out things. They ended up back at the pond, which she'd named their special place. The moon wasn't as bright as the first night they'd gone there, but there was still a warm glow. He again helped her off the horse, but this time he lowered her to the ground slowly with her body against his.

They walked around the pond, not saying much, just enjoying each other's company. He tried to show her how to skip rocks, but she failed miserably at it. He laughed at her efforts and she threw the rocks at him, which she was much better at.

They sat down next to the pond with her nestled in the V of his legs, his arms tight around her. "It is so peaceful here." Julie sighed, laying her head back against his hard chest.

Clay murmured lazily under his breath. "You have no idea, do you?"

"About what?" Julie closed her eyes, liking the rumble of his chest against her back when he talked.

"How I really felt about you in high school." His answer surprised her.

"Yeah, you felt sorry for the nerdy girl and said hi just to make her day," she teased. But then again, that was truly what she thought.

"No." He turned her to face him. "How could someone as smart as you fall for a cowboy like me?"

Julie just sat there, staring at him with a stunned expression on her face. "A cowboy like you?" Julie whispered. "You were the most handsome cowboy in school, who had any girl he wanted and too many friends to count. You can't expect me to feel sorry for you."

"I didn't want any girl, and one true friend is worth way more than a thousand fake friends," Clay replied, his eyes searching hers. "We were two lonely souls who liked each other, but didn't take that chance."

Julie nodded. "Maybe it was for the best." She touched the side of his face. "It could be it wasn't meant to be at that time."

Clay pulled away from her and stood before pulling her up. He left her, walked to his horse, and opened up the saddlebag. Turning, he walked back to her and knelt at her feet.

"You've seen what I have to offer you, Julie. I have a decent house, but it comes with my blind brother. I have plenty of land filled with horses and a pretty decent business." Clay opened a small box and held it up to her. "I'm not taking the chance of making the same mistake I made in high school. Will you marry me, Julie Daniels?"

Julie didn't even look at the ring; her eyes stayed on his. "None of that matters to me, Clay. I would marry you without the house and blind brother, horses, or land." She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Is that a yes?" he whispered against her hair.

Laughing and crying at the same time, Julie nodded. "That's a yes, Clay."