Chapter 2

Jeffrey did his best to stay removed and balanced as he led Theresa toward the mares his father wanted her to inspect. He remembered her as a gangly, young, flat chested, freckle-faced girl with braces. The woman whose company he shared was anything but gangly and flat chested. Her braces were long gone, leaving a beautiful set of pearly white teeth. Her freckles had either faded or were cleverly concealed with makeup that had that natural effect of looking like she had no makeup on at all.

He’d deliberately concealed his face and body when he first approached her in order to hide the effects she’d had on him, both physically and emotionally. She was the most stunning woman he’d seen in ages and he was hard because of it. He needed his baggy coat to cover what his tight jeans would certainly reveal.

His body longed for her, even if his mind resisted. His divorce had devastated him to the point he’d sworn off women, no matter how lovely and sexy they might be.

He remembered the way the twelve-year-old Theresa mooned over him. He’d found it endearing, yet, he was somehow happy that she clearly no longer felt that way. Had she shown an interest, he might have been tempted to break his vow and take her right there and then. It was years since he’d bedded a woman. He hadn’t even missed it until he laid eyes on her. Now, his body was hard and hot; longing for release.

He’d managed to cool down enough to be able to remove his raincoat by the time they reached the mares’ stalls. He feared losing control when she slipped out of her slicker and he got a clear view of her abundant breasts, narrow waist, and full hips. Her body was curvy, but not plump. He couldn’t help thinking of how perfect she’d be as a centerfold for a magazine or even a calendar pin up. It seemed a shame to cover such lusciousness with jeans and a tee shirt; even if they were tight fitting.

He smiled at the thought of the possibility that she might still be mooning over him. Those were the actions of a young girl. She couldn’t have been more than twelve or thirteen. That was an age when hormones started to blossom, and love became an alluring fantasy. He imagined she’d mooned over plenty of guys back then. From the looks of her, he was sure she’d had her fair share of dates over the years as well. Someone as hot as Theresa Burk would have more than enough opportunities with men. How silly of him to think she might still harbor feelings for him. For all he knew, she was shacked up with some guy or maybe even on her way to the marriage alter. He didn’t see an engagement ring, but, since she was working with livestock could be rough business, it wouldn’t be unusual for her to leave an expensive diamond ring on the nightstand until she was finished with work.

He managed to get through their meeting with his desires under control. He waited until he watched her climb into her truck before his urges came alive at the sight of her tucking a part of her tee that had escaped its confines back into her jeans. The posture she’d assumed in order to accomplish the task forced her breasts outward and brought attention to her succulent backside in the tightly fitted, faded jeans. It didn’t help that she’d held her still damp slicker against her body, causing the wet tee shirt to cling to her plump breast when she tossed the coat into the cab ahead of her.

He practically limped to his apartment above the stables. With the impatience of a sailor just come ashore, he raced to the bathroom, grabbed a bottle of lotion from the cabinet, and put a good amount in the palm of his hand. With his free hand, he dropped his pants. The lotion felt cool at first, but quickly warmed as he did what he needed to do or go mad. He closed his eyes and thought of Theresa’s plump breasts. Her name escaped his lips as he surrendered to the much-needed release.

His legs felt weak as he leaned against the wall of his bathroom and regained his composure. With a sigh of disgust and disappointment in himself, he stared at his reflection in the mirror while he washed with hot, soapy water.

What was wrong with him? It wasn’t the fact that he’d jerked off. That was something he did often. It was that he’d managed to keep himself free of desires for a woman since his divorce from his slut wife, Penelope, and he wanted to keep it that way. He’d learned, first-hand, what cheating liars women were when he found his wife in their bed with a co-worker after coming home unexpectedly. Women were nothing but trouble.

He made himself a promise. Theresa Burk would never take control of his desires again. It didn’t matter that she’d done nothing to instigate it. He blamed her anyway. She was a woman and women were trouble to be avoided.