She rested her hand on his wrist and stood as she said, “Doesn’t matter now. Here, I get to care for Carter and dance with you.”
Another slow song started.
Dancing with Jess under the moonlight wasn’t something he’d planned, but he rose and offered his arms. “You struck me as fancy. Your clothes, car, everything about you is… expensive.”
She folded into his chest like she belonged to him. He held her small waist while she said, “It’s all just dressing.”
“Dry cleaning those clothes you wear will get expensive.” The fabric of her pants was soft, like linen, or cotton. She needed something durable, like denim. She smelled like vanilla ice cream. His lips tingled for a kiss as he asked, “Would you wear jeans on the farm?”
Her eyes widened as she asked, “Your farm with a mansion in the middle of it? A crystal chandelier in the living room?”
Maverick didn’t struggle with cash, but he didn’t want another woman only caring about his bank account. He swayed with her in his embrace. “Yes, here.”
She shrugged and then he twirled her. When she returned to his arms, she said, “Sure, I own jeans.”
He narrowed his gaze. Jess didn’t wear anything off the rack. The formula she’d insisted on for his son was high end, not found at the corner store. He would gladly pay the price because his son was able to sleep at last. “I don’t mean your Morgan jeans.”
She flinched, and her face went white, but she didn’t pull out of his arms. “How do you know the House of Morgan?”
Clothes? He didn't find them important other than durability. “The logo must be trademarked. I’m not blind to fashion and Alicia was a model.”
Her cheeks regained their color and she followed his steps again. “Fair enough. To circle back to you and your ex, you and her lawyer worked out details where you just got Carter this week, like the ad said?”
It was a story he couldn’t believe he’d lived through. He said quietly, “No. Carter has been here with nurses for weeks, but Alicia wanted a portion of my farm sales and argued over every detail with them. I refused and we fought over a final number so our custody deal ended last week. I always wanted my son and I was sorry the arrangements took so long.”
The song ended. Neither of them moved and the next slow song started. Once he led her again, she relaxed into his chest and made him feel like he'd won the lottery.
“So there is no chance you’ll want to get back together with your ex?” He halted abruptly.
Alicia wasn’t the type his mother would have wanted for him to spend his life with. She'd proved her lack of trustworthiness when she'd sent that note to his lawyer he was a father. She wasn’t emotional about anything except her career. His son needed to be grounded and live with him.
Maverick wondered if Jess’s question was a bridge to her own considerations and pressed his forehead to hers. “Absolutely not. Are you looking to forgive your ex?”
Her nose wrinkled but she didn’t pull back. “Forgive. That’s an interesting word. If he was sorry-”
And the last thing an abused woman should ever consider, in his opinion, so he interrupted, “That’s how women get hurt, when they explain away abuse,” he interrupted fast. “Safety trumps forgiveness.”
“Huh? I wasn’t abused. I-” She gently squeezed his shoulder in the dance. “I don’t want him in my life, but I don’t want to look back and hold hate in my heart. One day I hope to be like my sister. I want to fall in love with a great guy and be happy.”
Her soft lips seemed tasty. He kept the conversation neutral as he asked, “This is your sister who is a good mom?”
She laughed like she had some secret there and nodded. “Yeah. She’s always looked out for me, even when we were kids.”
“Why didn’t you go to her or your folks when you figured out you were in trouble?“
“My brothers always take care of everything. My sister is too close to them. And my mom is out of town.”
“Where?”
“My mom is currently vacationing in Europe.”
Perhaps unlike his ex-girlfriend, Jess came from a more stable family life as she had a good head on her shoulders. His mother might have liked her determination. “I don’t have a mom that your mom might make friends with.”
Her lips pouted and that just made the urge to kiss her more potent. “What happened to your mom?”
Good. This topic would kill his growing ardor. He ended the dance and stared out at the moon, placing his hands in his pockets. If she’d listened to him, she might be alive, but that sounded wrong as an answer. “She fell off the roof she was trying to fix herself.”
Jess’s face froze and a tear glistened in her eye as she said, “That’s horrible.”
He shrugged, though the two years that had passed often had him wishing she was still around, especially now that he had Carter. He could see his mother so clearly in the dark horizon, as if she was staring down at him. “My dad had died three years before her, so she was under my care. I bought her a house near her favorite country club, but after a storm, she couldn’t wait for me. She believed in checking the damage though she could have just called. I’d have paid an army to fix her roof if I got to keep her around.”
Jess hugged his side. “Well, I’m sure she’s proud of you, and happy that you have custody of your son.”
No one had hugged him the day he’d found out that she'd died. Alicia had just blinked and stared at him, asking what he wanted from her.
He should have known then to not get his heart involved and keep away from her.
Maverick wrapped his arms around Jess and pressed his lips to hers.
Awareness washed through him. Sweet, yes, but better than any ice cream flavor, including chocolate chip, his favorite. Jess packed a punch in her kiss that sent a shockwave.
He tightened his grip to claim more of her, but then his son let out a wail, the sound echoing through the baby monitor on the table.
Maverick let her go and took a step back as he said, “Speaking of Carter…”
She glanced at the monitor, then nodded at him and turned toward the house, her tone all business. “Thanks for dinner. Let me get him.”
“I’ll be there in just a moment,” he called behind her. “I missed him today.”
Her hips swung like she wanted him to notice her curves as she entered the house.
He took a step back and turned away. He needed to get himself under control. Kissing Jess Taylor was all sorts of wrong.
Jess lifted Carter from the crib and soothed his cries. Staying busy would stop her from remembering that kiss.
No one in or after she left college kissed like that.
Maverick Appleton had dynamite in his lips that sent her off course. She realized that every man or boy she'd kissed before him had been without skill. Maverick knew how to make every inch of her body bloom from just one kiss.
She rocked the baby in her arms and checked that he had his bottle--but It was empty. The double rockers were clearly for a family setting, and she was just the nanny. Right?
This ache to return to Carter's father had her pacing to the door, wondering if she should head out there.
Maybe she could go to the kitchen, see Maverick one more time, and grab a fresh bottle.
Her feet angled to follow that plan, but he’d said he’d come, and she believed him.
Jess did her most unnatural move ever when she jerked herself away from following her first thought. She waited and hummed to keep Carter happy.
Hopefully Maverick came with a bottle.
Carter stirred in her arms, but she adjusted him as she said, “Carter, it’s okay. Sorry the other stuff bothered your tummy, but hopefully your stomach is good now, sweetie pie. Your dad will bring in the new bottle.”
Behind her a light shone. She turned around and saw Maverick leaning on the doorframe, holding the bottle without being told. Her breath caught in her throat. He took up almost all the space with those muscles of h
is as he asked, “What was wrong? Why didn’t you turn the lights on?”
“Keep them off. He’ll probably sleep after.” She accepted the new bottle and slowly walked and rocked the baby, feeding him. “For now, he’s just hungry.”
He reached out and cupped his son’s head as he said, “You look peaceful when you hold him. Do you want children one day?”
Seriously? No man had ever asked her that. She’d talked with her friends about the possibility, but Maverick was the first guy to ask. Probably because he had his own baby now. She continued to gently sway to rock the boy to sleep. “I hoped to find a man that made me want a stable family life, but yeah. I used to enjoy babysitting.”
“From the inference then, having your own family wasn’t on your mind?”
“I finished college, studied for the CPA and started my first job. I just figured one day…”
“And now you get to practice.” He came into the nursery, taking up most of the space near her and her body had a jolt to it, as they headed toward the rockers. She sat and he took the wooden rocker next to her as he said, “I’d like to talk to you about pretending to be my fiancée.”
That sounded like a ticket to being caught. Anyone outside the farm might realize that Jess Taylor was actually Catherine Morgan. Then she’d never be in his arms dancing, or holding his son, again. She sighed as she rocked the baby. “Right. Sure. Now’s good unless my feeding your son bothers you.”
“Why would it?” He rocked beside her and stayed almost in sync with her motions as he said, “Tomorrow night the local farmers are getting together to decide our next candidate for governor.”
Local farmers. Catherine Morgan would never be there. Maybe she’d be safe enough to go as Jess. Carter was almost asleep in her arms now. “That sounds political.” And boring.
Maverick continued rocking next to her. “It is, but there is a dance afterward. Bob said that people are asking how it is that I suddenly have a son, and no wife. The last thing I need is one of my competitors sending some available daughter my way.”
Farmers and a small get-together sounded safe. No one would expect her to dazzle there. “So you want a fiancée for a night and that’s it?”
“Pretty much,” he said, his voice steady. “And if you’re up for it, a proper dance in a ballroom.”
If only it was possible to stay here for a while without the restrictions of being Catherine. Jess was seriously loving the change of pace her life had taken on the past two days. “I’ll happily be your date and dance with you again.”
He checked on his son and saw the boy was sleeping as she rocked. She didn’t dare move the baby until she was certain he was out. “Perfect," Maverick said. "In exchange, tell me who this ex of yours is and I’ll ensure you’re never bothered again.”
She didn't want to lie or have Maverick interfering with the press that painted her as an heiress gone bad. With a shrug she said, “My brothers are handling that part. I’m just lying low for a while.”
His face had a seriousness that made her body still as he asked, “How many brothers do you have?”
That answer might give her away as Catherine, but for now she thought of her birth mother and her brothers she'd had until she’d been kidnapped at five years old. “Four immediate brothers."
"Immediate?"
Her face heated. "I have a lot of half-siblings."
He nodded. “And your sister.”
Tess. The Taylors had taken her in when she was five and raised her until she'd started college, when her older adopted sister Tess had ended up dating Mitch, who turned out to be Catherine's biological brother. Tess had brought Mitch home to meet her, and that action had catapulted her back into the Morgan family. "And my sister that I talk to all the time, yeah.”
Maverick had no clue of the drama involved in her very existence. She pushed a strand of hair that didn’t stay in her ponytail behind her ear and wondered if she should put Carter in his crib--the baby was very relaxed. Maverick stopped rocking to lean closer to her. Her heart beat grew faster and her lips tingled like he might kiss her again, despite how she had his son in her arms. He asked, “You’ll stay long enough to help me find a replacement for you?”
Right. Her hair stood on end for no reason. She was here for a job and to hide out so that she didn’t cause Peter any scandal. She shifted the baby and prepared to get up. “Sure. Your home has been perfect. I’m happy I barged into your life.”
His lips pressed together, and every cell was on alert wondering what he’d say next. “Barge is a strong word.”
That was sweet actually. Him defending her actions. She amended, “Drove onto your farm.”
He stood up and held his hands out like he might hold her too. “I like that better. My son is asleep again.”
He lifted the baby from her arms and swayed until he put the baby into his crib again.
Her arms felt empty as she followed him. “Thanks.”
With his head, Maverick motioned toward the door. Images of joining him in his bed while they stripped off their clothes in a flurry of fabric flashed in her mind. “I’ll walk you to your room,” he said.
Right. She was clearly delusional. Maverick's kiss earlier hadn't meant an invitation for more. Her face was hot as she shook her head and said, “You don’t have to.”
He closed the door behind the nursery, and a spark rushed through her. They both walked down the hall a few steps and he put his hand in his pocket. “I want to apologize for kissing you earlier.”
Next he’d say how it had been a mistake. Never mind how he’d fueled her dreams. She wrapped her hand around his strong, muscular arm and tugged him closer. “Don’t apologize. I liked it. No one’s kissed me and made my toes curl like that before.”
His hot gaze stripped her bare without him touching her clothes at all. He smiled and asked, “Your toes curled?”
If only her imagination was possible. She rubbed her arms to get rid of the goosebumps as she said, “Maverick, you’re nothing like anyone I’d ever meet in my life and I love that about you.”
His face darkened and his voice lowered. “Don’t go using the word love. We just met.”
“Too fast then?” She laughed--not serious. She never planned on uttering those words to any guy. She raised her hand in the air to swear as she said, “I promise I’m not in love with you. I was just saying you’ve turned out to be… a man I’d like to kiss me again.”
His lips quirked upward like he’d laugh too. “Even if this is temporary?”
As soon as he knew her real name, he’d want nothing to do with her anyway. Her reputation and name would end this flirtation as Catherine wasn’t his type. And she wasn’t just Jess. She squared her shoulders and met his gaze. “We are definitely temporary.”
Again they walked and she ignored the tingles in her lips as he asked, “What are men in your world like, Jess?”
Not built like they could hold a house and everyone in it with their bare arms. Blood heated her insides as she glanced at him, up and down. “Not at home in jeans like you.”
Again that gaze of his stilled her heart and body as his lips curled. “Pretty boy types.”
Desire snapped in her lust-filled brain as she looked her fill at Maverick. She knew movie stars, rock stars, bankers, billionaires, and royal princes, but none of them made her weak at the knees. She lowered her head and said, “There are those but my family is mostly into business, so it’s a lot of suits and jackets."
"I have a suit."
And he probably filled that out well too.
"Some guys in my circle act like being creative makes them better than my family. But the ones I think are the worst are the men that live off their trust funds and judge those who work for a living.”
"I put in my hours of honest labor." He stopped outside her bedroom door. “Jess, city and country don’t end well together, but I’d like your permission to seduce you.”
There it was again--her heart beat faster and her ski
n jumped with awareness. She nodded. “Better get on that quick then. I was starting to lose hope.”
He winked and tipped his head like he had a cowboy hat on when he didn’t. “I just like to take my time and be sure it’s what we both want.”
Time wasn’t something they had. They both knew that, but she puffed her chest out and brushed against his arm. “I’m happy to find out what happens next then.”
He closed the gap between them. She lowered her eyes and his forehead pressed against hers. He smelled woodsy and masculine and her arms ached to hold him. Then he stepped back. “Well, goodnight.”
“That’s it?” She caught her breath.
As he walked away from her down the hall, she pressed herself against the wall for support and called out, “I expected a kiss or something after you said seduction.”
He returned right away and wrapped his arms around her. “One more for tonight, and then it’s bedtime for you… alone.”
To every other guy she’d met seduction equaled sex, as soon as possible. She stared at his lips as her own tingled again. He was bigger and stronger than most men, but not taking what she offered. “You confuse me, Maverick.”
“Good. You need to be kept on your toes.” His lips swooped in and claimed hers.
Claimed was too weak. It was more like he'd branded her because she forgot how anyone else might have ever kissed her.
The sun wasn’t up yet, but the roosters squawked in the distance, waking Maverick. It was time to get moving though his body was still in a dream state, wondering what it would be like to have Jess as his own.
This morning required a cold, cold shower to banish those thoughts.
He stepped beneath cool spray and let the water wash him. Two facts became clear. Tonight she would be his. And soon, he would have to let her go.
He’d held back last night because he knew that when he took her, she’d break down some of his defenses around his heart. She already chipped away at them, and he needed better armor against Miss Fancy. Sure she was gorgeous and smart, but it was her caring that made her dangerous.
Secret Cowboy Page 5
