Romancing the Sweet Side
Page 18
One hand might be caught, but her other was now pressing against Jack’s chest. It was a revelation to feel all that muscle and strength and know that it was for her protection, for her safety, for her pleasure. More heat blossomed between her thighs. She ground her fingernails into all that glorious muscle, and this time, he groaned.
“God, that feels good. Do it again, Beth.” She did. His eyes were closed, but he was smiling with real pleasure, she could see the dimple.
Jack moved, and she heard a clink as the spoon was put into the bowl. He released her hand and placed it beside her other on his chest, and soon, she was kneading flesh, reveling in the feel of him.
“I don’t know what to do next.”
He looked at her, his eyes glittering and assessing. “I’ve got you.” He drew her hands around his neck and cupped the back of her head. Slowly, his lips met hers, and she sighed at the taste of heaven that he offered. He feathered such soft kisses, and soon, she was following him, trying to capture more of his flavor, opening herself to him. She whimpered. He parted his lips against hers and entered her; she felt taken and loved every moment of it. She needed this man. She loved this man.
Long, long moments later, she tasted salt, and he was whispering against her lips.
“Shhhh, it’s all right. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”
“I need more.” Beth dragged his hand away from where it was cupping her cheek to her breast, and then, she flinched away.
“No, Beth, it’s too much, too soon.”
“No, it’s not.” She tried to pull him back toward her, forcing her body to withstand a more intimate touch, but she couldn’t get his arm to budge. She looked into his eyes, and they held an implacable expression.
“I said no. We’re not turning something so beautiful into something ugly.”
She swallowed and shuddered. “Let go of me. We can’t do this. I refuse to do this to you.”
“Do what? Make me happy? Bring me joy?”
“Tease you. I can’t be what you need.”
Jack brushed back the hair from her forehead. “I need you to listen to me. I need you to really hear me, okay?”
He seemed so intense, how could she not agree. Beth nodded.
“I love you. You’re worth waiting for.”
Her eyes burned. More tears flowed. “You can’t. I won’t let you.”
“It’s a done deal. I’m so happy about it, you can’t even imagine. You are so beautiful, and I’m not just talking about outside beauty. I’m talking about inside beauty. You are so caring, so loving, so smart, so brave. How could a guy not fall in love with you? Hell, the horse and the dogs follow you around.”
She giggle-snorted.
“How do you feel about me? I know you want to leave me because you don’t think you’ll ever heal. But if that weren’t an obstacle, what would you want?”
She sat there looking into the face of the best man she would ever know and couldn’t bring herself to lie.
“I would tell you I love you with all my heart. You are my everything.”
Ever so slowly, he wrapped her into his arms and brought her in close.
“That’s my girl.”
For the rest of the night, they rested closely together. Jack knew she was scared of the future, sure that she had nothing to offer. He didn’t press. They talked about anything and nothing, just drifting in the joy of being in love and in each other’s arms.
* * * *
“Jack, we have a major fucking problem.” Jack’s heart beat fast for a moment then went back to a normal rhythm. Now was the time for calm.
“What’s the problem, Mason?”
“Somehow it got into the system that Elsbeth Hildago was a registered patient at the San Antonio hospital.”
Jack didn’t say anything. It shouldn’t have been possible, but obviously, it was. No use crying over spilled milk. Instead you focus on how to contain the damage.
“What are you considering the options, Sir?”
“Clint wants her to go with him and Lydia.”
“That’s a negative; we wanted to separate them for a reason, that’s still valid now.”
“That’s what I think, but her cover is blown in San Antonio. What’s more, you’re on file as her fiancé. We need her transferred to somewhere new and split from you, too.”
“That’s a negative, too, Sir.”
“You don’t have a choice, soldier. That’s an order.”
“You don’t understand the situation. This is the woman I’m going to marry. Where she goes, I go.”
“You’re a stubborn son of a bitch, Preston.” Jack heard the other man sigh. “Okay, I hear you. We’ll make this work. You and Beth will stay together.”
“Thanks, Mason. You won’t regret this. I’ll protect her with my life.”
* * * *
Read Clint and Lydia’s Story December 15th in Her Loyal SEAL.
The Complete Novel of Jack and Beth will be available June 2016.
About the Author
Caitlyn O’Leary was raised in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. She has always been an avid reader. Her earliest creative-writing endeavors consisted of “ghost writing” exercises where she pretended to be her younger brothers and sister when she did their homework assignments.
Years in corporate America honed her ability to manipulate words by day, and at night, she read everything she could get her hands on, including many steamy romances.
Now happily married to her long, tall Texan and living in Southern California, Caitlyn has finally found the time to write erotic happily ever afters. She enjoys swimming, traveling, babysitting for her nieces and nephews, spending time with friends and family, and doing lots of “research” with her husband for upcoming novels.
Keep up with Caitlyn O’Leary:
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/nuhvey2
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CaitlynOLearyNA
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Website: http://www.caitlynoleary.com
Email: caitlyn@caitlynoleary.com
BOOKS BY CAITLYN O’LEARY
The Found Series
Revealed, Book One
Forsaken, Book Two
Healed, Book Three
Beloved, Book Four (March 2016)
Navy SEAL Series
Her Vigilant SEAL, Book One
Her Loyal SEAL, Book Two (January 2016)
Fate Harbor Series Published by Siren/Bookstrand
Trusting Chance, Book One
Protecting Olivia, Book Two
Claiming Kara, Book Three
Isabella’s Submission, Book Four
Cherishing Brianna, Book Five
Second Chancers Club
By
Dawn Montgomery
Chapter One
“Well, Clayton, I appreciate your concern.” I held open the door. Did he notice how white my knuckles were? “But as you can see, I have already hired a man for the job. I would hate to sweep one of your best men out from under you. You know what loyalty meant to Daddy.”
“Your daddy knew you needed a man to take care of you. David was a good man, good for this ranch.”
My anger flared to life and so did that twisted sick feeling I’d come to expect when anyone mentioned his name. “The only thing David was good for was losing at poker, drinking and running this ranch into the ground.”
Clayton’s eyes widened and his jowls extended in an over-exaggerated expression of shock. He could pretend all he wanted; I knew the truth. A majority of the Arroyo Ranch’s missing funds were likely stuffed in Clayton’s mattresses. Bad bets, sure things gone south and shady deals on feed and livestock were David’s fault. I wasn’t shifting the blame. Clayton, however, was right at the heart of almost every transaction. I knew it, even if the paper trail of receipts had suddenly gone missing along with my mother’s jewelry, m
y pickup truck and the last of my dwindling savings the day David moved on.
“I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Missy? I am just trying to be neighborly here. Your business is your business, of course. I just want what’s best for Arroyo.”
“I know you do, Clayton. And I appreciate that.” I noticed he didn’t say what was best for me. The ranch. It was always about the ranch and the natural creek running through it. Decades of land-and water-right disputes had peppered its history. Daddy would roll over in his grave if I ever accepted help from Clayton Clark and his shady bunch.
Clayton strode past me with a smirk on his round face, staring ahead. It gave me a moment to look him over. A perfectly pressed shirt was buttoned over his round beer belly. It was tucked into jeans that rested under his gut. My cousin had overheard him bragging that he still wore 32s. Thirty-two in the valley, she said, since his stomach was at least three times that circumference. The belt he wore was the only thing keeping those pants up around his hipbones. I doubted he’d done a hard day’s work in longer than I was alive. Two of his sons followed in his boot prints. Only one, the youngest, had broken free to make his own way.
“Before I go, I heard a rumor about Jake Taylor.”
My new foreman. Clayton Clark was making my head pound with his predictability. “What’s that?”
“I heard he was fired from the Lazy K near Tyler for stealing. Sure you want a man like that working here? I worry about you with no man around to take care of you.”
My stomach twisted, a perpetual state, it seemed, since I’d first realized just how much in the hole the Arroyo was. It was a man who got me into this mess in first place. No point in mentioning that though. A fine, arrogant ass of a pretend gentleman like Clayton wouldn’t understand.
What worried me most was that I didn’t know Jake had worked for the Lazy K. He never mentioned it in his list of references. Should I have done a more thorough background check? It took everything I had to keep my expression neutral. The moment he scented blood in the water, Clayton would go in for the kill. “I’ll stick with my instincts on this one, but thank you for your concern.”
Clayton grinned. “Those instincts of yours. How did it work out for David?”
I wanted to kick him in the rear and shove him out the door, but I was a lady first. “Well, as always, Clayton, it has been an experience.”
The old geezer laughed and waved as he made his way down the rustic hallway. He opened the door, and I followed him out onto the porch. The screen door slammed behind me with a familiar creak of metal springs.
With my office off the main house, I was able to keep traffic out of there. It wouldn’t do for anyone to see the lack of furniture inside. Stripping out the rooms and selling or pawning, outside the county, of course, what wasn’t nailed down was the only way I’d saved the ranch from foreclosure ten months ago. It would be another eight before I could even think about rebuying some of my family’s heirlooms. His glance toward the main house told me he probably knew about my losses. It burned me from the inside, but I would pretend all was right with the world and deliver him safely off my damn property.
It wasn’t until he got in his truck that I breathed a sigh of relief. I needed to calm down. With the utmost care, I walked back inside and gently closed the door behind me. Returning to the sanctuary of my office soothed me. Three rooms, a long hallway, a small kitchenette and bathroom were all I needed. One room was the hub of Arroyo’s daily activities and bookkeeping, another was my makeshift bedroom and the third housed the newest addition to my staff: Jake Taylor.
The same man whose aftershave now tickled my nose. I continued to stare out the window. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough to recognize a snake in the grass when I see one.”
I raised my eyebrows. He’d nailed old Clayton’s personality to a tee. “Any truth to that rumor about the Lazy K?”
“Some. I was fired for not giving a season’s notice before quitting.”
“And the part about you stealing?”
“Wasn’t me.”
I liked his calm way of speaking. That low-pitched timbre in his voice had put me instantly at ease the moment we met. It was also the reason why my hackles were rising. Was he fooling me?
“Any idea who might have been the thief, if there was one?”
“I have an idea, but people don’t want to see the bad in the people they trust. It’s easier to blame an outsider.”
Was that a barb for me? Or just one of his many observations? Either way, it stuck deep in my heart. My fists clenched. “I’ll be contacting the Lazy K.”
“Do what you need to.” He didn’t shift his stance. The boards in the hall creaked and groaned with old age, so I’d know if he shifted his gravity. He didn’t move from his spot. Confident. Steady.
I drew in a deep breath and tried to wash away the resentment burning inside me. It wasn’t Jake’s fault that my ex-husband had suckered me. If Jake was back at the house, he had a reason. Clayton’s arrival wouldn’t be enough to stir his curiosity. I was starting to wonder if the man ever spoke his thoughts without prodding. “Is there something you need?” He didn’t usually show up until after the cowhands had their evening meal. I’d grown used to being alone for most of the day and well into the night.
“We have a problem at the creek. I need you to come look at this.”
I swiped a hand over my mouth and nodded. “Let’s go.” I grabbed my keys and jacket. Jake held open the door and locked up behind us while I headed to the truck. A month of his country-boy courtesy still unnerved me. David had stopped being a gentleman the moment he put a ring on my finger. The screen door slammed behind us, and I climbed into the passenger side. The sun peaked out through the clouds, a burnished orange of a glorious Texas sunset.
Jake Taylor was a lot of things. A talker wasn’t one of them. His silence settled in the cab of the truck as we made our way to the creek. I ran my thumb across my bottom lip and then pressed hard so that the inside of my mouth molded around my teeth. As a kid, my mom used to slap my hand when I’d do it. It was the only time she got exasperated enough to raise a hand to me and was also the only habit I hadn’t been able to break in all my years on this Earth.
What could get Jake upset enough to bring me out here? A thousand possibilities rolled around in my head, but each one was dismissed as a non-possibility. Jake could handle almost anything on this ranch. That’s why I hired him. So whatever was waiting would have to be pretty intense.
“Fill me in a little before we get there.”
He glanced over at me and then back to his driving. “I believe we may have a squatter.”
I propped an elbow up on the door and rested my temple against my knuckles. “Did you call it in?”
“No, ma’am. I thought you’d want to take a look at this one yourself before I made a move.”
“All right.” I really wanted to ask more questions, but the truth was I trusted Jake’s judgment. About the ranch anyway. Every prediction he’d had was on the money, and the turnaround in productivity among the ranch hands couldn’t be denied.
I needed Jake.
I also needed him to not be a thief and liar. Damn Clayton for putting doubts in my head.
Chapter Two
The creek came into view, and a too-familiar pickup truck and bed tent sent my blood pressure into overdrive.
We got there, and I shoved open the door before he came to a stop. My boots hit the ground at a near-dead run. I knew before I got to the truck what I’d find.
I reached the mattress the moment Jake did, and if he hadn’t stepped between us, I would have ripped that jerk out of my truck and onto the ground.
“Let me go, Jake.”
His arm blocked my progress “You don’t want to do that. Not this way, at least. I need you to stay calm.”
“You know who this is.” I hissed it between my teeth.
“Yes. I d
o.”
I stared up into his sky-blue eyes and saw raw emotion reflected in them. Was it sympathy? Pity? I didn’t read humor in him. Not for this. The lines in his face had deepened.
I jerked out of his grip. Pity and sympathy were for suckers. I wasn’t a sucker, not anymore. “Why are you keeping me from my ex-husband?”
“I wouldn’t dream of interfering with a domestic dispute, Ms. Melanie. But I doubt you want to draw attention to his state.”
He gestured toward the tent, and I stepped back so I could get a better view. And there, naked as the day he was born, lay my ex-husband. Jake didn’t stop me when I strode around his extended arm. It dropped to his side with a sigh. I saw the cans and bottles before I inhaled. Beer and liquor, a dangerous combination for his temper, soaked the air around him while he snored away in a blissful drunken stupor. My stomach twisted, and I fought the urge to brain him in his sleep. Waking him right now was the worst thing I could ever do.
“He’s drunk.”
“Drunken fools and horses will always find their way back home.” Jake put a nice spin on an old adage.
“In the old days, I would have tiptoed around him in this state.”
“He dangerous?” Jake, if anything, seemed to step closer to me.
“Only to people he thinks he’s superior to.” Which included me and several of my cowhands. “The only reason I put up with him was because of his way with animals.”
“He never abused them?”
I shook my head. “Still, I’d rather kick his ass for taking off with the ranch’s funds and my truck.” And my mother’s jewelry. I’d never forgive him for that. “Give me one good reason why I don’t yank his ass out of the bed of my pickup truck and toss him into the creek?”