Free Cougar in Texas: 3 (Rugged and Risque) by Calista Fox Page B

handed over a pretty, fuchsia-colored Gerbera daisy.
    “I saw this when I was walking out of Jess’ shop. It seemed more like your style than anything else.”
    She sighed, then smiled. “It is my style.” Taking the stem from him, she brought it to her nose and inhaled deeply. “The bouquet is beautiful, but you don’t need to impress me with extravagance. You know that, right?”
    His blue eyes shimmered under the golden light of the foyer chandelier as he said, “I realized that when I saw the daisy. But I still wanted you to have the big arrangement. You should never doubt you make a man want to do something ridiculous just to bring a smile to your lips or a tear of joy to your eyes.”
    She brushed away the drops on her cheeks. “I haven’t done anything yet to warrant a gazillion dollars worth of flowers.”
    He sniffed the air as the scent of hollandaise sauce and peach cobbler wafted from the kitchen. “Oh really?”
    With another smile, Reese told him, “I need a little more time to finish dinner.”
    “And I need to shower and change. Meet you back here in ten minutes?”
    “I’ll likely be the one with flour on her ass.”
    He chuckled. “I have no problem with that.” His head bent and he kissed her.
    Reese found herself leaning into him, deepening the kiss. He wrapped her in a tight embrace and she could have lost herself completely in the perfection of the moment. Had the timer on the stove not chimed loudly.
    She pulled away. “Damn. That thing is supposed to have good timing, not bad.”
    Caleb grinned at her. “Go do whatever you have to do. I’ll be back.”
    Watching him go was a foregone conclusion before he even walked off. The man had one hell of an ass.
    That’s because he’s only in his twenties.
    She had to brush off the thought, because tonight she was determined to see if something more substantial than lust existed between them. Perhaps the encouragement from her community made her feel this way. Obviously, speculation of her involvement with Caleb set right with her friends. She’d known they’d taken her side with the Tommy debacle, but she really hadn’t thought they’d jump on her rebound bandwagon with such enthusiasm. It increased her optimism, helping her to believe the chance she was taking was a smart one.
    She finished the filets and drizzled sauce over them. She loaded up the plates with asparagus and potatoes. The garnishes were already set out on the table.
    Caleb appeared, spiffed up in clean jeans and a white button-down shirt. Nadine had been right about him from the get-go. He really was one good-looking son of a gun. She smiled as he pulled the chair back for her. She’d lit two tapered candles in the center of the table and had set out the Gerbera daisy in a tall, slim glass as the centerpiece.
    “You realize everything you do makes my day, right?” he asked in a low voice.
    Her head tilted to the side. “No. I really haven’t done anything.”
    He eyed the stem in its makeshift vase, then his gaze shifted to the filet on his plate. “Yeah, you have. This is perfect. Beats the hell out of a five-star restaurant, though I’d happily treat you to that. It’s just so much more… real here. So honest. Intimate.”
    Everything she’d been looking for herself. Swallowing down a lump of emotion, she said, “Tommy always liked me to go out of my way for him. All the time. I didn’t mind at first. I wanted him to be happy. But after a while, when you know you’re being taken for granted, you start to resent not only the person who’s using you, but you begin to dislike yourself for allowing it to happen.”
    Caleb dropped a dollop of butter, followed by sour cream, onto his potato, then sprinkled on the chives. “I know what you’re saying. Maybe that’s why I see something different with you. I’m accustomed to women who are interested in me because of my family name and money. You haven’t even charged me for the room yet.”
    “We still