Free StudinTexas by Calista Fox Page A

squeezed shut for a moment,
then she stared up at him and said, “If I didn’t have my gun, I wouldn’t have
had any way to defend myself, unless I could’ve gotten to a frying pan or a
knife. I keep the gun in an end table drawer in the living room, not far from
the front door. I never would have made it all the way into the kitchen if he
really wanted to—”
    Another tremor ran through her.
    Sam closed the gap between them. He caressed her cheek,
brushing away tears. “You’re in over your head, darlin’. Let me help you.”
    “I don’t want to be trouble for you. I have to handle this
myself, Sam.”
    He let out a low grunt. “I know when to take no for an
answer. This is not one of those times.”
    She smiled softly, despite the tension lingering between
them. “You can’t save everybody, cowboy.”
    “We’ll see about that.” His head dipped and he kissed her. A
sexy tangling of lips that turned hot and passionate when she opened her mouth
and his tongue delved inside. His fingers threaded through the silky strands at
her temple as his thumb glided over her cheekbone. His other hand rested on her
waist.
    He deepened the kiss, eliciting a moan of pleasure from her.
His cock swelled and the adrenaline pumped through him again.
    Her hand clutched the material of his shirt at his back. The
other splayed over his pecs. She returned his kiss with equaled fervor.
    Christ, she made him hot and hard. Her tight, curvy body,
intoxicating scent and addictive kisses had him believing there was a hell of a
lot more to the way he felt about her than the “crush” Reese had suggested.
    When they finally came up for air, they were both breathing
heavy. Yet he kept tangling his lips with hers, stealing soft kisses.
    “You do me in, darlin’,” he whispered against her mouth.
    “No one’s ever kissed me the way you do. So much fire and
reckless abandon.”
    “Like I can’t get enough of you?”
    She grinned. “It’s really very sexy.”
    He chuckled. But then he looked her deep in the eyes and
said, “I do know when to stop.”
    “Sam.” She sighed. Her fingers whisked over his clenched
jaw. “I already know you’re different. And after getting such a healthy dose of
reality in Nashville, I wouldn’t get involved with you—or anyone else—if I
thought I’d have to fight you off at some point. You’re not that type.”
    “You thought the same of the ex, though, right?”
    “I was naïve with him, admittedly. Lesson learned. I can
read the signs much clearer. Besides, the true testament of a man’s moral fiber
is what his family, friends and dog think of him. Or in your case, those horses
you take such good care of. And Reese is nuts about you. She’s a good judge of
character. I trust her.”
    “She did make the right choice with Caleb.”
    “I like him a lot.”
    “Not too much, I hope.”
    She laughed. “Nothing to worry about there, cowboy. You have
no competition.”
    Just a healthy amount of obstacles , he thought.
    Concerned over her situation with the ex, he said, “Maybe
you ought to stay at the inn. Reese brought it up last week, and Caleb and I
both thought it sounded like a good idea—even before I knew the extent of your
troubles.”
    “I appreciate the offer. But I can’t let this take over my
life. And I really do love my trailer.”
    “You don’t worry about him coming back?”
    “Think he’s got it through his head I’m going to shoot first
and ask questions later.”
    She unraveled herself from Sam and walked over to the opened
door on the driver’s side of her SUV.
    He asked, “You a good aim, darlin’?”
    She turned back to him. “My daddy taught me.”
    Sam swallowed hard, then said, “Shoot him in the leg, not
the heart. You’ll regret it later if you don’t.”
    Sky stepped toward him and rested a hand on his biceps. “Did
you kill someone when you were deployed?”
    “Two someones,” he confessed. “My unit was ambushed in
Afghanistan. Two of my guys