I reach for her, needing to wrap myself around the hottest, most beautiful girl on planet Earth. My gorgeous little hot-as-fuck Texan... Instead, I feel only the cool, empty sheets. I open my eyes. “Tex?” Maybe she’s in the shower. Or out on the balcony. I get out of bed, wrapping the sheet around my waist because I have a raging hard-on. Not that she minded The Beast last night. Fuck, that was a hot night. My cock is still on overdrive from the sweet, insanely beautiful perfection of her wriggling, nubile little body. “Tex?” I’m not sure why but my chest feels tight with something that might be... panic. She’s not in the shower. Or out on the balcony. She left? She fucking left. How could she do that? Her bag is gone. And her clothes. She told me she had an early flight, but after the night we just spent together, I thought she’d at least wake me to say goodbye. And give me her number. And agree to stay another night. Or two. I could have convinced her to, I’m sure of it. I look for a note and there is one. Ace, Thanks for an amazing night. xx Tex That’s it? I turn the note over, hoping for a phone number. Or an email address. Something. Anything. But there’s nothing. What the fuck, Texas? Damn it! I don’t even know the name of the woman who just gave me the best night of my entire fucking life. And not just because of the sex. Yes, the sex was phenomenal. But we also connected in a way that went beyond just physical—which, I can admit, has never, ever happened to me before in my life. Not even fucking close. The little Texan stranger with the sassy mouth and the ridiculously lush body has just... I don’t want to say she’s ruined me for anyone else, but the thought flashes through my brain. I don’t like it one bit. What I don’t like even more is that she’s gone and I have no way of tracking her down. I turn on the shower, not bothering to wait for the water to get warm. I need it cold, to cool the raging heat of my body and my fucking rock-hard cock. The water pummels my neck and shoulders but I don’t linger. The shower is huge, more than roomy enough for two, and my cock gets even harder at the thought of taking Tex in the shower. Why’d you run, baby girl? I’d be running my hands all over her hot, wet body, lifting her against the marble tiles, sliding inside her, making her come as she moaned into my mouth. Fucking fuck. I don’t even get myself off because I don’t want to take the time. There’s a chance I can catch up to her and bring her back. I turn off the shower and grab a towel. Throwing on some clothes, I shove the rest of my stuff into my bag. The state of the bed makes it obvious what went on in here last night. I hardly care about appearances, but where the duvet has been rolled over, I notice on the sheet a streak of blood. What the hell? Surely not. Tex was... a virgin? She told me she was 23. Who waits that long? And why? Especially when you look like a fallen angel and you have the most delicious body any man has ever seen or imagined. Damn, she was perfect. So sweetly hot and hungry for my mouth and my cock. Goddamn it. Why didn’t she tell me? Was I too rough with her? Did I hurt her? I’ve never been so feral for a woman as I was for Tex last night. I simply couldn’t get enough of her. I spent most of the night inside her, taking her again and again.
Is she okay? Is she sore? Is she regretting leaving me without saying goodbye? I need to find her. Does she want me to? Obviously not, if she left like that. Is it best this way? What I need to do is think about this objectively. I’m not a good man. Okay, I’m a good man. I’m just a man who’s terrible at relationships of any kind whatsoever. The wreckage of my past and especially the most recent attempt with Rylee—a name I don’t even want to think about in the same sentence as what happened to me last night—proved to me a long time ago that I’m not cut out for commitment. I’m too distracted for relationships. My business consumes me and has for a long time. I would have to take a st ep back from work to even consider having a relationship with someone like Tex. What the fuck are you even thinking right now? I grab my bag and punch the elevator button. I might be able to catch her. What are you going to do if you do catch her? Even if I was relationship material, she made it crystal clear that this was a one-time thing. She’s a career-minded girl. I get that. I respect that. She’s focused on her goals and doesn’t want anything to get in the way of her plans. But we were so fucking good together. I could tell she was inexperienced, but whatever hesitations she had were no match for how hot she was for me. As for my own raging lust, I couldn’t have controlled myself even if I’d wanted to. Her surrender to her own desire was the most beautiful thing that’s ever happened to me. We k ept coming back for more until we collapsed with exhaustion. My cock is thickening even more at the thought of how sweet she was as she kissed me with that lusty innocence. Her mouth. The quiver of her squirming body when I made her come for the first time. The sweet taste of her candy-pink pussy as I fucked her with my tongue. Hell. I adjust my briefcase because in a matter of minutes I’m going to be in public and my monster erection is showing no signs of deflating. The girl is an angel with a taste for the devil. Pure ecstasy. I’ve got an orgasm-hangover, but instead of feeling drained, all I want to do is feast on my dream girl again. Now. I get down to the lobby and it’s crowded with people who are moving at a much slower pace than I’m used to. It’s been too long since I’ve been away from New York. I sometimes forget that people can actually be relaxed. I scan the lobby and the outdoor area for her, searching with a degree of desperation I don’t even recognize. She’s not here. Damn it, Texas. Fine. Good. My one-night stand took off on me. Big deal. How could you do that to me, baby girl? I need to calm down. It was just sex. Than why did it feel so fucking good and real and intimate, in a way that’s digging into me and won’t let go? She wasn’t just sexy. She was also funny and smart. Cute and fun. The hint of nervousness slayed me and I was basically besotted from there on in. I’ve found other women attractive, of course, but their appeal always quickly—too quickly—became overshadowed by the pettiness and the demands. The catty neediness. The grasping meanness. Like with Rylee. I knew almost instantly that I could never love her. What are you even thinking right now? With Tex, it was like she got something about me. She wanted to please me, and when I pleased her, the most exquisite creature, it felt like the best fucking thing in the world was happening to both of us. She made me feel
like the luckiest man alive and the king of the world. She made me feel invincible. Fuck, I need to calm down. I head for the desk. “Checking out, Mr. Maddox?” the guy behind the desk asks me. “Yes.” “Did you enjoy your stay?” “Yes. Listen, a girl checked out just a short time ago. She’s... from Texas. Brown hair with sort of golden highlights. A few freckles.” Listen to yourself, man. “She was here for the conference.” I sound ridiculous but the guy is diplomatic. “I’m sorry, Mr. Maddox. There were four hundred conference attendees staying here this weekend and most of them have checked out this morning.” “Right.” “I hope you’ll come stay with us again, Mr. Maddox.” I mutter something I hope is appropriate as I rush toward the front door. My phone rings in my pocket and for a split second a flicker of hope pricks at the back of my soul—but it’s impossible. She doesn’t know my number. It’s Noah. “Hey.” “Hey, bro. How’s Hawaii?” He sounds tired. “It’s fucking good.” My brother sounds almost surprised by my answer. “Must be if you decided to stay an extra night. Did you manage to meet up with Ty?” “Yeah. He’s fine. He trusts us, which is reassuring. If he does, others will too, hopefully.” “We’ve had a call from the Gleeson Fund,” Noah says grimly. “They’ve heard a rumor about potential insider trading and they want a statement.” This is terrible news, obviously. But I’m distracted. I’m scanning the front of the hotel for Tex. “Have you given them one?” “No. I wanted to talk to you first.” Shit. Tex really is gone. “Cash?” “Yeah?” “What do you want me to tell them?” “Tell them we’re working around the clock to establish if there’s any basis to these claims. We will cooperate fully with any investigations that the SEC warrant necessary—which we’re confident they won’t. You can be honest, but for fuck’s sake, ask them to ke ep it quiet until we’ve isolated the incident and figured out if it’s legit. We’re innocent of the charges. If someone in our company isn’t, we’ll find them and prosecute them.” “Okay.” I hear Noah scribbling down my words. “I’m on my way to the airport now. I’ll be back this afternoon.” “Colton has some ideas,” Noah says. “Potential leads. We’ll run you through everything tonight.” “So you think we really do have someone screwing us from the inside?” Noah sighs. “It’s looking more and more likely, yeah. The SEC doesn’t generally make mistakes.” “Just focus on the investors. Reassure them that we’re doing everything we can and this could just be an inconsistency in the r eport.” “You and I both know it isn’t. That r eport was watertight.” “Yeah. I know. The most important thing is to make sure our investors don’t lose confidence.” “Agreed.” Noah takes a de ep breath. He sounds stressed. And tired. I shouldn’t have taken the extra day away, but I can’t regret doing it. It was the single most beautiful night of my life. Which sounds corny as fuck, but it was. If Tex hadn’t bolted, I’d have taken ten more. Still, I hate that I’ve left Noah to deal with all this. Sure, he’s got Colton there, but our youngest brother tends to dedicate a lot of time to his bed- hopping schedule and he also tends to take life in general a lot less seriously than Noah and me. “I’m sorry about the timing of my trip, Noah. I appreciate you holding down the fort. You’ve done a good job. As always.” “Thanks, bro. See you tonight.”
The valet gets me a taxi and I check a few emails on the way to the airport. I respond to a couple, but I can’t concentrate. It’s an avalanche of demands that can wait until I get back to New York. At the moment, she’s still too close to me. I glance at the cars we pass along the highway. Could one of them be her taxi? Is it possible her flight hasn’t left yet? For the first time in my life, the last thing on my mind is business. It’s terrible timing considering this issue has the potential to do us some real damage, but I still can’t get myself to focus on anything but the memory of my Texan dream girl. If only I’d asked for her fucking number. What kind of idiot doesn’t get the actual name of a woman he finds insanely attractive, doesn’t insist she give him her number, and then make sure to find out where he can send her flowers the minute she gets back to Dallas? I couldn’t do any of the above because I was too fucking distracted, feasting on her in every way I could. And now she’s gone. One night with her wasn’t enough. The non-stop hot sex marathon and multiple simultaneous orgasms didn’t get her out of my system at all. Very much the opposite, in fact. She dug herself into me with each fluttery squeeze and each delicate moan. My need to see her again flares in me like a new addiction. I need to fucking find her. I start googling. The name of the conference. The list of companies attending. The ones from Dallas.