Tara narrowed her gaze at him. “Just what I said. She was checking out. She apologized to me for not staying for Delaney’s party, but she said that she felt under the circumstances it was best if she left. She then got into her rental car and drove off.”
“Damn.” Ian rubbed the tension that suddenly appeared at the back of his neck. “Did she say where she was going?”
Tara glared at Ian and placed her hands on her hips. “Maybe. But then why should I tell you anything. You had your chance with her, Ian Westmoreland. Twice.”
Ian glared back and then he looked at Thorn for help. His cousin merely laughed and said, “Hey, don’t look at me. That’s the same look she gives me before telling me to go sleep on the couch.”
Ian held back his retort that, considering Tara’s condition, it seemed Thorn hadn’t spent too many nights on the couch. He shook his head. He knew how loyal the women in the Westmoreland family were to each other, and there was no doubt in his mind that they had now included Brooke in their little network. That was fine with him since he intended to make a Westmoreland woman out of her—but, he had to find her to do so.
First he had to convince Tara that he was worthy of Brooke’s affections. “Okay, Tara, I blew it. I know that now. I owe Brooke a big apology.”
She rolled her eyes and cross her arms over her chest. “That’s all you think you owe her?”
He drew in a deep breath in desperation. “And what else do you have in mind?”
“A huge diamond would be nice.”
Ian thought about strangling her but knew he would have to deal with Thorn. Although Ian would be the first to admit that Thorn had mellowed some since he’d gotten married, nobody in their right mind would intentionally get on Thorn’s bad side.
“A huge diamond is no problem. She deserves a lot more than that.”
Tara studied him as if she was considering his words. Then she asked, “And do you love her?”
“Yes.” He didn’t hesitate in answering. “More than life itself, and I just hope she’ll forgive me for being such a fool.”
Tara shrugged. “I hope she will, too. She looked pretty sad when she left here tonight and nothing I said could convince her to stay.”
Ian nodded and thought he’d try his luck again by asking, “And where did she go?”
Tara looked at him for a long moment before saying, “To Reno. She couldn’t get a flight out tonight so she’s going to stay at a hotel in Reno and fly out sometime tomorrow.”
Panic gripped Ian. He was beginning to come completely unraveled. “Do you happen to know which hotel?”
Tara took her sweet little time in answering. “The Reno Hilton.”
With that knowledge in hand, Ian was out of the casino in a flash.
* * *
“Yes, Malcolm, I’m fine,” Brooke said, biting down on her bottom lip to keep from crying. “No, I’m not at the casino. I’m at a hotel in Reno,” she added when he asked her whereabouts. “I’ll be flying home tomorrow.”
Moments later she said, “It’s a long story, Malcolm, and I don’t want to go into details tonight. I’ll call you when I’m back in town and we’ll talk then.”
Brooke hung up the phone. According to Malcolm, everyone at national headquarters was blissfully enjoying the news of the capture of the Waterloo Gang. The director wanted to meet with her to express his special thanks. Everyone was celebrating. That is, everyone but Walter Thurgood. From what Malcolm had said, the man was pretty pissed off that he wasn’t able to get the credit. In a way, she was glad things had worked out the way they did. Had Thurgood shown up he would have tried to throw his weight around. But she, Dare and Vance had proven to be a rather good team. And then there was Ian.
Ian.
Just thinking his name brought a piercing pain to her heart. During the course of the night, she had felt his eyes on her. And each time she imagined what he thought of her, her heart would break that much more. As she explained to Tara, who’d tried to talk her out of leaving the Rolling Cascade, there was no way she could stay there any longer with Ian thinking the worst of her.
She glanced up when she heard a knock on her hotel room door. She crossed the room wondering who it could be at this hour. It was past three in the morning. “Yes?”
“It’s Ian, Brooke.”
Her heart began pounding hard in her chest. Ian? What was he doing here? Had he followed her all the way to Reno just to let her know, again, how little he trusted her? Well, she had news for him. Whether he wanted to believe it or not, she hadn’t done anything wrong and she refused to put up with his attitude any longer.
After removing the security lock she angrily snatched open the door. “What are you doing—”
Before she could finish getting the words out, a single white rose was placed in her face, followed by a red one. When he lowered the roses she saw him standing there. She had to take a full minute to catch her breath.
“I’m here to ask your forgiveness, Brooke, for a lot of things. May I come in?”
She didn’t answer. Instead, after a couple of moments she stepped aside. When he walked past her, her body began humming the moment she caught his masculine scent. Once he stood in the middle of her room, she closed the door and turned to face him. He looked as tired as she felt, but even with exhaustion lining his face, he still looked good to her.
“Is the media still at the casino?” she asked.
“Yes, they’re still there. I left them in Vance’s capable hands.”
She nodded. “I would offer you something to drink but…”
“That’s fine. There’s a lot I have to say, but I don’t know where to start. I guess the first thing I should say is that I’m sorry for being so quick to jump to conclusions. I’m sorry for not trusting you, not believing in you. My only excuse, and it’s really not one, is that I love you so much, Brooke, and I was scared to put that much love into your hands again. I was so hurt the last time.”
“Don’t you think I was hurt as well, Ian?” she asked quietly. “It wasn’t all about you. It was about us. I loved you enough to do anything to protect you. And over the years, nothing changed. If I hadn’t still loved you as much as I did, I would not have cared if the Bureau sent someone to prove what I already know. You’re an honest man who wouldn’t do anything illegal.”
She breathed in deeply before she continued, “This week has been real. My feelings and my emotions were genuine. I wasn’t using you to find out information. The very idea that you thought I had…”
Ian crossed the room and cupped her face in his hands. “I admit I was wrong, sweetheart. Call me stupid. Call me a fool. Call me overly cautious. But I’m here asking, begging for you to give me, us, another chance. My life is nothing without you in it. I’ve seen that for four years. I love you, Brooke. I believe in you. I made a huge mistake, one I plan to make up for the rest of my life. Please say you forgive me and that you still love me.”
She looked deeply into his eyes. She put the roses on the table, reached up and covered his hands with hers. “I love you, Ian, and I forgive you.”
A wave of relief flooded his body just seconds before he lowered his face to hers and captured her lips. He kissed her long, hard and deep, needing the connection, the affection, and the realization that she was giving him, giving them, another chance. Coming here had been his ultimate gamble. But it had paid off.
When she wrapped her arms around his shoulders he picked her up into his arms. He needed to touch her, taste her, make love to her. He needed to forge a new beginning for them that included a life together that would last forever. Knowing there was only one way to get that closeness, that special connection that he craved, he walked over to the bed and placed her on it. Love combined with hunger drove him. He knew he had to show her just how much she meant to him. How much he loved her.
Pulling back slightly, he began trailing kisses along her neck and shoulders as he began removing the clothes from her body. Moments later he dragged
in a deep breath when he had completely undressed her. He stood back from the bed and stared at her, absorbing every aspect of her that he loved and cherished.
After removing his clothes he returned to the bed and pulled her closer to him. “I love you, Brooke. I didn’t realize how much until I spent time with you these past two weeks. And I knew then that we were meant to be together.”
“And I love you, too,” she whispered when he cupped her butt and pulled her against the throbbing heat of his erection. And then he was kissing her again, putting into action what he’d said earlier in words. Love was driving him, propelling him to taste every inch of her, feel her moaning and writhing and whimpering under his lips. And when he knew she couldn’t take any more, he stretched his body over hers, ran his fingertips down her cheek and whispered, “I love you,” just seconds before he drove into her, connecting their bodies as one. And then he began moving, rocking, pushing her toward a climax so powerful he had to fight back the spasms that wanted to overtake him in the process.
Meticulously, methodically and with as much precision and love as any one man could have for any woman, Ian made love to her, igniting urges and cravings to explosive degrees. He took his time, wanting her to feel the love he was expressing. He wanted to show her that she was the only woman he wanted, the only one he could and would ever love.
“Ian!”
And when the explosion hit and skyrocketed them into another world, he held on and groaned when his release shot deep into her body. And when she bucked and tightened her legs around him he knew he was where he would always belong.
When they came back down to earth he pulled her into his arms, needing to hold her. He closed his eyes briefly, knowing this was paradise and heaven all rolled into one. Then he opened his eyes, knowing there was one other thing he had to do to make his life complete.
Rising up over her, he looked into the eyes of the woman he loved. “Will you marry me, Brooke? Will you share your life with me forever?”
He saw the tears that formed in her eyes, saw the trembling of her lips and heard the emotion in her voice when she whispered, “Yes. I’ll marry you.”
Smiling, he leaned down and rubbed his bearded face against her neck, knowing he was the happiest man in the world. He pulled back and, still smiling deeply, he said, “Come here, sweetheart.”
And then he was pulling her into his arms again, intent on making love to his very special lady until daybreak and even beyond that.
EPILOGUE
Delaney’s surprise birthday party was a huge success. Tears rimmed her eyes after she walked into the darkened ballroom and the lights flashed on and she was suddenly surrounded by family and friends. Even the secretary of state made an appearance.
With an expression of pure happiness on her face and love shining in her eyes, Delaney turned to her husband and gave His Highness a thank-you kiss that to Brooke’s way of thinking was as passionate as it was priceless.
She had always thought Prince Jamal Ari Yasir was an extremely handsome man and she still thought so, and tonight, dressed in his native Middle Eastern attire, he looked every bit the dashing sheikh. It was evident that he was deeply in love with his wife. But nothing was more touching than the moment the prince presented his princess with that case of diamonds. She quickly became the envy of every woman in the room. Except one….
Brooke smiled, glancing at the tall, dashing, handsome man at her side. Of course, when Ian’s family had seen them together they had begun asking questions. Ian and Brooke hadn’t given the response they had agreed to earlier. Instead they truthfully and most happily said, “Yes, we’re back together and we are planning a June wedding here at the Rolling Cascade.”
No one seemed more thrilled with the news than Ian’s mom. She had taken Brooke into her arms in a huge hug and whispered into her ear, “I knew he would eventually come to his senses. Welcome to the family, dear.”
And speaking of family…
Brooke finally got to meet Uncle Corey’s triplets and found that Clint and Cole were two extremely handsome men—typical Westmoreland men. And with her awe-inspiring beauty, Casey Westmoreland was grabbing a lot of male attention.
Brooke also got to meet all the Westmoreland wives. The Claiborne sisters, Jessica and Savannah, married to Chase and Durango. She met Storm’s wife, Jayla, and Stone’s wife, Madison. Uncle Corey had gripped her in a huge bear hug before introducing her to his new wife, Abby, who was also Madison’s mother. Brooke smiled. Talk about keeping things in the family.
After Delaney’s party, Ian whisked Brooke off to his conservatory and there on bended knees and under the moon and the stars, he again asked her to be his wife and presented her with a huge diamond engagement ring.
Tears flowed down her face when he slipped the ring on her finger. When he stood up, she looked at him with complete love shining in her eyes. He pulled her into his arms. “I want to kiss you under a shooting star,” he whispered before trailing kisses along her jaw and neck.
“Do you think we can handle any more passion?” she asked, smiling.
“Oh, I think so. I think that together the two of us can handle just about anything.”
And when he leaned down and kissed her, she believed him. Considering all they had been through, they could handle just about anything.
* * * * *
Seduction, Westmoreland Style
Brenda Jackson
CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Epilogue
CHAPTER ONE
Casey Westmoreland entered the barn and paused, mesmerized by the sound of the warm, seductive masculine voice speaking gently to the huge black stallion being given a brush down. She was mesmerized even more by the man himself.
McKinnon Quinn.
In her opinion, he was as gorgeous as any one male had a right to be. Mixed with Blackfoot Indian and African-American Creole, she couldn’t help but wish for more time to just stand there and admire what she saw.
Tall and ruggedly built with thick wavy black hair that fell to his shoulder blades, his blue shirt swathed a massive chest, and the well-worn jeans that covered a well-structured butt almost took her breath away when he leaned over to replace the brush with a comb. She didn’t need for him to turn around to know what his features looked like. They were ingrained deep in her brain. He had an angular face with eyes as dark as a raven’s wing, high cheekbones, medium-brown skin that almost appeared golden, a straight nose, stubborn jaw and full lips. She took a trembling breath and felt the warmth of a blush stain her cheeks just thinking about those lips and her secret fantasy of having her way with them.
Another thing she knew about McKinnon Quinn was, that at thirty-four, he was considered by many—especially now that his best friend and her cousin, Durango Westmoreland, had recently gotten married—to be the most eligible bachelor in Bozeman, Montana and its surrounding areas. She’d also heard his bachelor status was something he valued with no plans to relinquish.
It was her opinion from their first meeting a little over two years ago that there was a quiet and innately controlled nature about him. Although he shared a rather close relationship with her cousins, there was still something about him that gave the impression that not too many others got close to him. He picked those he wanted to be associated with and any others he kept at a distance. Whenever she was around him she always felt he was watching her, and she could always feel his gaze on her like it was some sort of a physical caress.
“Are you going to state your business or just stand there?”
His words, spoken in a deep, cutting voice, caught her off guard and made her wonder if he had eyes in the back of his head. S
he was certain she hadn’t made a sound, yet he had sensed her presence anyway.
“I know how important grooming time is and didn’t want to intrude,” Casey heard herself saying after a moment, deciding to finally speak up.
It was only then that he turned around and she forced herself to continue breathing—especially when a surprised glint shone in the dark eyes that connected with hers. “Casey Westmoreland. Durango mentioned you were here visiting your dad,” he said in a voice as intense as the eyes looking at her.
Your dad. That term in itself was something Casey was still getting used to since discovering she had a father who was very much alive after being told he had died before she was born.
“I’m not visiting, exactly. I’ve decided to move to Bozeman permanently,” she said, wishing he wasn’t staring at her so intently.
She watched as he hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans—a stance that immediately placed emphasis to his entire muscular physique. Surprise once again lit his eyes. “You’re moving to Bozeman? Permanently?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He all but snapped the question and she wondered why he would care one way or the other. “Corey…I mean, my dad, is hoping that moving to Bozeman will give us a chance to get to know each other better.” Even after two and a half years it was still somewhat difficult to call Corey Westmoreland “Dad” as her two brothers had begun doing.
McKinnon nodded and she noted that the eyes studying her were more intense than before. He had a close connection to her father since Corey was the best friend of McKinnon’s father. In fact, to her way of thinking, it was a deeper connection than the one she herself shared with Corey if for no other reason than because McKinnon had known her father a lot longer than she had.
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