Free The Cowgirl's Secret (The Diamondback Ranch Series #) by Anne Marie Novark Page B

with you."
    Tori glanced over her shoulder at Raenell and Joe; they were plastered against each other, dreamily dancing, oblivious to everyone and everything around them.
    Sam touched her cheek and forced her to look at him again. "I can't take you to my house. Not with my mom there. I could get a hotel room . . ."
    "No!" Tori shook her head. She didn't want her first time to be in a strange impersonal hotel room. She took a deep breath for courage. "Raenell's spending the night with Joe. We can go to my place."
    In fact, Tori had cleaned the apartment from top to bottom in preparation. She'd put fresh sheets on her bed. She'd bought candles to help set the mood, and to be on the safe side, she'd actually bought some protection, too.
    She and Sam had been on several dates--well, if you didn't count this one, they'd only had two actual dates; the dance club didn't really count, neither did the several lunches they'd shared during the past month or so.
    No matter, the latent passion smoldering between them had burst into a conflagration of burning desire. Tori had known Sam wouldn't be content with sharing only kisses for much longer. Hell, she wasn't content with them any more, even though the kisses were toe-curling, stomach-twisting, heart-pounding and hot .
    Sam stopped dancing and stared down at her. Tori returned the stare, determined to be mature about the whole thing. Had he guessed she was still a virgin? And more importantly, would he see it as a good thing, as if she were giving him a special gift?
    His eyes held hers in a look as old as time itself. Tori's stomach turned somersaults. Another couple bumped into them as they stood together in the middle of the dance floor. Sam grabbed her hand and pulled her back to their table. "I'll tell Joe we're leaving. Wait right here."
    Tori watched him make his way to where Joe and Raenell were still dancing in their own little world. Sam tapped Joe's shoulder and his friend stopped dancing. He continued holding Raenell in his arms, while he listened to what Sam was telling him.
    It wasn't long before Sam came striding back toward her. Tori picked up her small purse, gripping it in her suddenly sweaty hands. This was a big step for her, inviting Sam to her apartment.
    "Let's go." He took her elbow in a warm clasp and guided her out of the club and into the night.
    Tori felt like he was leading her into a future that would never be the same.
    ***
    Sam pulled into a parking spot beside Tori's car outside her apartment building. The drive from downtown Dallas to Richardson had only taken twenty minutes or so. Tori had kept pretty quiet during the trip. Every time he glanced her way, her head was averted and she was twisting her hands nervously in her lap.
    "Here we are." He got out of the car and came around and opened the passenger side door.
    Tori jerked back to consciousness from a dreamlike state. She blinked up at him and worried her bottom lip with those perfect white teeth. She looked so young, so innocent. So sexy. He wanted her with an almost frightening intensity. The need to possess her was driving all rational thought from his overheated brain. He needed her to relax and trust him so he could sink inside her. Because he couldn't wait any longer.
    Whoa, Garza. Don 't get ahead of yourself.
    He looked down at Tori, who made no move to climb out of the car. She looked very unsure of herself. He couldn't deny it any longer. He'd bet good money she was still a virgin.
    She had to know what it meant to invite him to her apartment; she wasn't that young. For some reason, she was willing to let him be her first. The knowledge that she was giving up her virginity to him was humbling and only made the desire to possess her that much stronger. It also spurred a desire to protect her and keep her safe.
    His gut clenched with violent need. She was twenty-one years old, damn it. She was old enough, and she was willing. Or she would be willing once he set her at ease. Besides, her