Free Loving You: A Cowboy Romance (Texas Hill Country Romance Book 1) by Mae Martini

drove off.
    Cord watched his every move as he breathed heavy with his jaw still ticking.
    Annie placed her hand in his free hand. She could see he was visibly upset.
    When he felt her soft hand in his, he turned to her and he slowly relaxed.
    “Hank!” He called again, not realizing Hank never left.
    “Right here,” he said.
    Cord flung him back the rifle and Hank walked back inside the barn.
    “You, okay?” he asked Annie.              
    “Me?” she said incredulously. “Cord, you just threatened to shoot a man.”
    Cord looked at her then looked around, not really seeing anything, then back to her again.
    “Aw hell, Annie, I wasn’t gonna shoot him.” He chuckled. “I was just gonna fire off a warning shot… Twenty-seven years old, and her old man thinks she’s a virgin.”
    They both laughed as he pulled her into him. Annie was relieved to see him relax.
    “Annie, I’m so sorry. I’m not sure what to do,” he said into her hair.
    “Wait, what do you mean… about us?” She pulled back to see his face, suddenly feeling very insecure.
    “No, I’m sure about us, I want to explore us and I hope you do, too. I mean I don’t know how to get through to Lisa that there is nothing between us.” He paused. He pulled back a little and raised his hand to his eyes and rubbed. “I’m going to have to run to my parent’s house and fill them in before Jamerson does. You want to come along?” he asked, chuckling.
    “Gee, let me think about that… uh, no,” she said, smiling.
    God, he loved that smile. He placed a hand in back of her head and brought his head down to kiss her lips. He gave her one, then another, and, still another quick kiss.
    “You want to come inside with me?” he asked with a most sexy look on his face.
    “It’s getting late, Cord, I’m having dinner with Calista, then we’re going to meet up with Rory, Dan, and I think, Jake and Jennie at Roxy’s.”
    “Roxy’s, huh. Not sure I want to do that tonight. Go have a good time. I’ll see you tomorrow night? They’re all coming over to my house tomorrow night for the HBO fight.”
    “When you say they all, do you mean-”
    “I mean everyone but Lisa, darlin’,” he said with a smile not reaching his eyes.
    “Oh, okay, I’ll see you then. Thanks for the lesson,” she said as she got into her car.

Chapter 9
     
                 
     
    The doorbell rang as Cord was on the second floor in his bedroom. He ran to a spare bedroom in the front of the house and saw Jake’s car. At the top of the stairs he yelled down loud enough.
    “It’s open!”
    Calista turned the knob and walked in first, carrying a bag full of groceries, followed by Annie, who was carrying a cake box and a tray of fruit. Jennie came in with a bag of wine, and Jake brought in a couple of cases of beer.
    “Hey, Cord,” Calista said.
    “Hi, C, what up?” Cord said, not looking at her, but acknowledging her. He only had eyes for Annie as he came walking down the stairs barefoot with nothing on but a pair of gray sweat shorts, drying his hair with a towel.
    Oh, yummy! Thought Annie and she couldn’t help but drool over his beautiful, tanned sculptured chest.
    When their eyes met, they were grinning like a couple of teenagers in love.
    Calista rolled her eyes.
    Jake said to Cord, “Hey buddy, get the door.”
    Cord didn’t. He was too occupied looking at Annie that Jennie said. “I got it, honey.”
    “Thanks, baby,” Jake said. “Geez, Cord, Annie’s not the only one here, you know.” He added.
    “Hey,” Cord said to Annie, hearing Jake, but choosing to ignore him at the moment.
    “Hi,” she said back.
    He kissed her lips and sucked her lower lip into his mouth for a taste of her sweetness and breathed in her scent. God, he could never get enough of her scent.
    “Let me take that for you,” he said as he took the cake and tray from her. He carried them to the kitchen, bypassing Calista along the way.
    “Thanks a lot for the