Diana Palmer Texan Lovers: Calhoun / Justin / Tyler / Sutton's Way / Ethan / Connal

He smoothed back her hair, his eyes full of wonder. “Abby…I never dreamed how sweet it would be to belong to someone. To have someone of my own. And a family.” He touched her breasts tenderly. “Ever since the first time I touched you, I’ve felt as if there’d never been a woman for me. You make it all new and exciting. You make me feel whole.”

“You make me feel the same way.” She reached up to find his mouth with hers, kissing him slowly, tenderly. “Justin won’t like it if we go upstairs together.”

“He won’t see us,” he whispered and smiled wickedly. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”

“I’m nervous—”

“We’ll be married by tomorrow afternoon. I’ve already got the license. All we need is a blood test, and we can have that in the morning.

“You rake,” she said accusingly.

“Reformed rake.”

“All right,” she breathed.

He searched her eyes quietly. “I need you badly. But I can wait if you want me to.”

“You don’t want to,” she said.

He smiled. “I’ve felt married to you since that night in my apartment, Abby. A piece of paper and a few solemn words aren’t going to tie me to you any more firmly than I am right now. I love you, honey,” he said softly. “That’s the beginning and the end of my life, wrapped up in those words.”

She pressed against him. “I love you so.”

He helped her into her dress and led her out the back door, around through the guest bedroom and to the rear staircase. Then he picked her up, laughing softly, and carried her upstairs. He’d just made it to the landing and was turning the corner toward his own room when they ran headfirst into Justin and almost went down on the floor with the impact.

Abby gasped. Calhoun actually turned blood red. Justin’s eyebrows went up expressively. Then they just stared at each other.

“Tired of dancing?” Justin asked after a minute, his lips pursed mischievously.

Calhoun cleared his throat. “We were going to…”

“…talk,” Abby improvised.

Justin’s dark eyes went over Abby’s face, reading all the telltale signs there. Then he glanced toward Calhoun and stared him down.

“Oh, what the hell,” Calhoun muttered darkly. “You know damned good and well where we were going and why. But there’s something you don’t know. I love Abby. We’re getting married tomorrow. The license is in my pocket.”

“And the ring,” Abby added, faintly embarrassed at being caught in such a compromising situation.

“Congratulations,” Justin said pleasantly. “I couldn’t be happier for both of you. And if I might just add, it’s about time.”

Calhoun shifted Abby. “Thank you.”

“You’ll be a lovely brother-in-law,” Abby agreed.

“The very best,” Calhoun added.

Justin smiled. “It won’t work. I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you.”

“Damn it, Justin!” Calhoun ground out.

“Twenty-four hours is just overnight,” Justin continued. “Then you can both go to Houston and have a honeymoon in that penthouse apartment you bought.”

“Listen here…” Calhoun began.

“Abby, you tell him how you really feel about this,” Justin said, staring at her.

She grimaced, her hands linked around Calhoun’s neck. She sighed. “Well, I love him,” she said finally.

“I thought you wanted to,” Calhoun said softly, searching her embarrassed face. “I’d never have forced you.”

“Oh, I know that,” she said, her eyes worshipful. “But I couldn’t refuse you.”

He smiled ruefully. “You’re one of a kind,” he said gently. “And I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she whispered, smiling.

He kissed her softly. “I guess we’d better wait, since Justin is going to stand there until he takes root.”

“I guess we had,” Abby murmured.

Calhoun put Abby on her feet. “Well, let’s go downstairs and dance, Abby,” he said. “Then we can sing that terrific drinking song that Justin taught you.”

Justin glared at him, looking uncomfortable. “You started that.”

Calhoun’s eyebrows lanced upward. “All I did was dance with Shelby.”

Justin stared at him coldly. “And if you hadn’t been my brother, I’d have broken your jaw for it.”

There was a faint sound behind them, and Justin turned to find Shelby standing two steps behind him.

“Go ahead, Shelby, get an earful,” Justin said icily. “Does it please you that after six years I still feel murderous when another man touches you?”

“That works both ways, Justin,” Shelby said quietly. “Or didn’t you know that it would kill me to see you with another woman?”

She turned and stormed off downstairs. Justin stared after her, shocked.

“Why don’t you carry her upstairs?” Calhoun asked his brother with pursed lips. “Then Abby and I could stand on the landing and block your way.”

Justin said something in Spanish that Abby was glad she didn’t understand and stomped off downstairs.

Calhoun glanced at Abby’s questioning face and grinned. “I’ll tell you after we’re married,” he whispered in her ear.

* * *

And he did tell her two days later as they lay together in the big soft bed at his penthouse, sated and close in each other’s arms as the sun drifted lazily through the blinds.

“What did Justin say to you the night you started to carry me upstairs?” she asked drowsily.