Romance, Cowboy Style

Long moments elapsed, and finally Kevin raised his head up. With a finger, he lifted my chin so that I was looking at him and said, "Good mornin' Beautiful." I giggled. (I couldn't help myself. This man was so incredible, and besides, I'm not responsible for anything I do or any decisions I make before my first cup of coffee.) Then I nuzzled back down, my nose buried in his neck and a very contented smile on my face.

A couple of hours later, I woke up again, still on top of Kevin, his arms still wrapped tightly around me. I wriggled out of his embrace and in so doing, I inadvertently woke him up. Well, to be honest, one part in particular was already up. He let out a sleepy protest and made to pull me back into the bed for another round. I easily escaped to go over to the bar and start a pot of coffee. There were some muffins sitting on the counter, so I grabbed one of those and stood in the doorway of my room, just staring at Kevin. His hair was sleep tousled, a shadow of stubble graced his jawline and he looked like he might still be half asleep. All-in-all, a most desirable picture. Finally, the coffee was ready. As the first sip hit my bloodstream, I'd have sworn I was in heaven. By the time the third sip got there, I knew that I must've died sometime in the night. Here I was with the sexiest man I'd ever met after some incredible lovemaking, drinking a rich black cup of Columbia's finest and staring unashamedly at aforementioned sexy man. Life just didn't get better than this.

I was going to be proved wrong. After a quick breakfast, Kevin suggested that we hit the town, play tourists again. We both showered and dressed (which took a bit longer than one would expect, since we tried to save water by showering together – didn't work). We went all over the place, looking at historic buildings and landmarks. Kevin proved to be both intelligent and funny, which is always a very potent combination to me. He even laughed at my jokes, so I knew he was something special. The day was wonderful and he was a wonderful man to share it with. He took me out to dinner, then he told me to change into something suitable for dancing. After I got changed, he took me to his favorite honky tonk. He must've been a regular there, because everyone shouted greetings out to him. Several guys leered at me and demanded introductions, and not a few women looked at me with a combination of envy and hatred.

With Kevin's arm around me, I knew that I didn't have anything to worry about. He let everyone in the place know that he and I were Together with a capital T. I smiled at the women and the men both, letting them know that I was meant to be there if Kevin thought I was. There was no way I could miss the wistful expressions that came our way. Kevin led me out to the dance floor just as the band started playing a slow song. We went into each other's arms as if we'd been doing it for fifteen years. As that song segued into a faster number, I was lost. Being more of a Southern city girl, I'd never learned to two-step. Kevin taught me with patience and a lot of laughter as I stumbled over some of the steps. (The patience was all his; the laughter was mostly mine.) Hours later, the band played the last song of the night, and I found myself again in Kevin's arms. I rested my head on his shoulder and savored his fresh, musky scent – the scent that's his alone. As the last note faded in the air, Kevin led me back out to his car. We walked arm-in-arm, and I didn't want the night to end.

Back at my hotel, Kevin walked me up to my suite. Outside the door, he once again took me in his arms, just a sweet, tender embrace. "Deborah," he whispered in my ear, "I'm not ready to let you go. Marci will be back tomorrow, and I'm going to miss you." I could feel tears well up in my eyes, and one escaped to trickle down my cheek. I surreptitiously wiped it away and looked up at him, hoping the dim lights in the hallway would prevent him from seeing the evidence of my emotions. "Kevin darlin'," I replied, "That's tomorrow. I want tonight with you." I opened the door and he followed me inside. We slowly undressed each other, caught in the tension between wanting to make the night last and wanting to have as much time together naked as we could get. When we were both finally naked, we embraced again and fell together onto the bed. Our lovemaking that night was exquisitely tender, yet no less intense than it'd been the night before. Kevin felt perfect in me. It was like he was the half of me that I'd been missing.

Kevin and I made love several times during the night, each time sweet and precious for fear it'd be our last time. I finally woke up when the sun was already high in the sky, and Kevin was propped on his elbow staring at me. When I looked up and saw those beautiful eyes first thing, my heart turned over. I thought, I could easily get used to waking up like this. That errant thought shocked me, and I covered it up with a flirtatious smile as I asked, "Like what you see, Cowboy?" In all seriousness, Kevin replied, "Yes. Very much. In fact, I could get used to seeing you like this every morning." With my heart still doing flips in my chest, I said, "Let's talk a bit and see what we can arrange."

Kevin said, "Deborah, I'm being perfectly serious here. These last two days have been the best days of my life. Even if we'd never made love, they'd still have been wonderful. I'd like more of them with you. In fact..." He took a deep breath and continued, "I'd like a lot more of them with you – a lifetime's worth."

I couldn't breathe. The air was caught in my chest, my heart pounded and I could've sworn I heard angels singing. "Kevin," I started when I found my voice again, "What exactly are you saying?"

"Deborah, I know it's quick. After all, we just met two days ago. But with you, my life is complete. It's like you're the half of me that's been missing my whole life. Will you give me a lifetime of mornings? As my wife?"

I looked up at him. My first thought was, I can't believe he's asking me this before I've even had my first cup of coffee. What can I say? I'm not real romantic when I'm decaffeinated. My second thought was, Who needs coffee when I have him? I smiled, looking deep into his beautiful eyes. "Yes. I'll be your wife, Kevin." He grabbed me to him in a hug, and my tears of joy wet his chest. There's no way he couldn't have noticed them, but he let me think he did.

Sure enough, Marci returned to our suite later that day, and that night the three of us went out to dinner to celebrate. Marci and I spent time together as planned, but my nights were all Kevin's. As our last night in Houston wound to a close, Kevin and I lay in his bed watching the flames dance in the fireplace. While I love my home and have family there, I knew that he'd be miserable away from his ranch. Besides, my profession will travel, so I wasn't worried about finding a job. We set a wedding date for the following spring, giving us time to plan and to get to know each other better. As I drifted off to sleep in his arms, I couldn't help but smile. I came to Texas looking for fun and trouble. Instead I found the love of my life.