Free Rescue Me by Teri Fowler

I had the excuse I needed to run away."
    "You love me?"   Seth got
to his feet and slid into the booth beside her.
    Maya nodded, barely able to make out his features through the tears
misting her eyes. "Yes, I love you. I can't deny it any more.   I'm sorry I hurt you, Seth. There's no excuse
for the way I've treated you. I was hurt very badly in the past by someone I
loved, and I thought I'd gotten over it. But something Larry said to me tonight
made me realize that I've let a past experience change who I am as a person,
and I nearly lost you because of it."
    Maya told him about Phil and how she'd always blamed herself for the
damage he'd done to her heart and mind both before and after his death.
    "I tried to deny what was happening between us and my feelings for
you, but all I did was hurt us both. I'm so sorry."
    He hugged her and wiped her tears away.   "You didn't hurt me, honey. I never dared hope you felt the same
way about me as I did about you, but I knew you wanted me, no matter how much
you claimed not to."
    Maya laughed, giving him a gentle shove. "There's that Texan ego
again, Mr. Coulter."
    Seth leaned closer, pinning her against the back of the booth, his lips
millimeters away from hers.   "It
ain't my ego talking if I'm right."
    She closed the gap between them, clasping his bristled jaw between her
palms and kissing him hard. Seth grunted in response and reached behind her to
grab her waist as he slid an arm under the back of her knees to lift her into
his lap without breaking the kiss.
    Maya felt the hard ridge of his erection pressing against her butt
through the thin fabric of her dress. His fingers dug in to the flesh of her
back as his tongue slid into her mouth, and he took control of the kiss she'd
started. The urge to get him home and naked in her bed made her wriggle off his
lap and shove him out of the booth ahead of her.
    Seth let her out and pulled her into his arms. "I'm not about to
let you run away again."
    "I'm not running away. I'm just gonna go grab my purse then tell
Larry we're leaving."
    "I'm gonna need a minute." Seth flicked his gaze downward,
reminding her, as if she needed it, that he had a massive erection.
    Maya giggled. "Can't you hide it with your bag?"
    He grinned. "I guess so, but don't expect me to walk too far."
    They escaped the bar and Larry's attempt to interrogate them about where
they were running off to so soon, and climbed in to Maya's white Mercedes
SLK.   Seth seemed impressed and gave a
low whistle.
    "So, you're rich, huh?"
    Maya tensed. "Not in LA terms, but I've been a television executive
for about ten years, and it pays very well. Is that a problem?"
    Seth shook his head and settled his weight in the plush leather seat. "As long as you don't expect me to live off your money, not at
all."
    "I've been there before, and I can tell you from bitter experience
that it doesn't work."
    "Was that one of the reasons you pushed me away?"
    "Oh my God! Is that what you think?"   Maya was horrified at the thought. She couldn't blame him though. There
wasn't much she hadn't accused him of over the last couple of months.
    "No, but you seemed really obsessed with me winning that
prize."
    "Yes, but for your sake, not mine. I know how much your ranch means
to you."
    Seth held her gaze for a moment then gave a slow, almost imperceptible
nod, and she knew he believed her. Maya gunned the engine to life and pulled
out of the parking lot behind the bar.
    Her small home in the hills came in to view minutes later, and she
parked in front of the house rather than putting her pride and joy in the
garage as she usually would. Maya couldn't wait to get the big sexy cowboy
who'd been stroking her cheek, caressing her arm and squeezing her thigh all
the way home, into her house.
    "Now this, I can handle."   Seth looked up at her unassuming stucco cottage that probably cost a lot
more than he thought it did, what with the insane real estate market in
LA.   "You gonna give me the