Black Sheep Heir

by Yvonne Lindsay

  “That was delicious, but I find myself craving something else,” she said in a low voice as she straddled his legs and gently pushed him back to lie down on the blanket.

  “Tell me more.”

  “Well, technically you were going to show me, remember? But it’s a good thing I’m an equal opportunity kind of girl.”

  A smile spread across his lips and his hands settled at her waist, sliding beneath her sweater to burn like a brand against her bare skin. She sighed a little and leaned down, brushing her lips across his, again and again. Just lightly, teasing. One of his hands slid up her back and cupped the back of her head, drawing her to him and encouraging her to kiss him properly. And, because she wanted to, she did.

  She loved kissing him. Loved the taste, the feel, the texture of him. He moved his hand again, clearly enjoying what she offered and happy to take it. She shifted slightly so she could kiss a trail across his cheekbones, then along his jaw and down his throat until she nipped the skin at its base. He groaned in response. Emboldened, Chloe pushed his T-shirt up, exposing his chest. Miles helped her by lifting his torso slightly, and she slid the shirt off him completely and dropped it beside them.

  She ran her hands over his shoulders, his arms. Then skimmed across his belly and back up over his ribs and his chest.

  “You are magnificent,” she whispered with a reverence that would leave him in no doubt as to just how true the words were that she spoke.

  She kissed him again, then. Firmly on the mouth. Taking her time to dip her tongue to duel with his as her hands continued to touch and follow every curve and hollow of his body. Her fingers glided to the waistband of his jeans and his hips bucked beneath her touch.

  “Impatient, are we?” she asked, smiling against his lips.

  “For you? Always.”

  She moved her hand over the now-bulging denim of his jeans and gripped him firmly through the fabric.

  “We need to do something about this,” she whispered, and moved lower on him.

  Her fingers dealt with the button at the waistband of his jeans before slowly, carefully, lowering the zipper. Miles lifted his hips as she tugged his jeans down, together with his briefs, exposing his arousal to the warm air and her even more heated gaze. She traced his erection with her fingers, letting her nails graze ever so lightly over his sensitive tip before she lowered to him and took him into the warm, wet cavern of her mouth.

  He groaned again and his hips thrust upward, as if he couldn’t get quite enough of the sensation of her mouth and tongue on him. Chloe encircled the base of his penis with her hand and slowly let her fingers glide up and swirled her tongue gently over his swollen flesh as she did so. She kept up her momentum, subtly increasing the pressure of her hand and her tongue until she felt him fall apart beneath her.

  This was what she wanted for him. Complete abandon. No cares. No stress. No worries. Just the deep satisfaction of knowing someone else could, and would, give him what he most desired. She took her mouth from him and moved to lie with her head on his chest. Instantly his hands were on her and began stroking through her hair, which had begun to slide free from its knot. Then his fingers drifted lower, rubbing circles on her back. She felt him kiss the top of her head.

  “I think that from now on this will forever be one of my favorite places in the whole world,” he rumbled.

  His voice was thick, and beneath her ear she could hear his heart still hammering in his chest.

  “Mine, too.”

  They lay like that for some time—just being in the moment. Listening to the sounds of the birds in the trees and the lazily buzzing insects around them. Reveling in the whisper of the breeze in the trees and shrubs that wrapped them in their own cocoon and the gentle lap of the water on the lake’s edge.

  And then Miles rolled her onto her side and sat up to kick off his boots and socks and completely remove his jeans.

  “I feel overdressed,” Chloe said as she stretched out on the blanket.

  “You most definitely are. Thankfully, I’m just the man you need to solve that particular issue.”

  “You are, are you?”

  “Indeed. Solving problems, all kinds of problems, is my forte.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever met a man with a forte before,” she mused.

  Miles laughed out loud. “I’ve never met a woman who could steal the breath clean out of my lungs, send me to heaven and make me laugh all within the space of a few minutes.”

  “Perhaps that is my forte,” she teased.

  But even though her tone was light, her heart was bursting with the realization that she wanted to be that woman for him. Every day. And, as he began to worship her body, the way she’d worshipped his, Chloe was forced to acknowledge that she was fast losing her heart to Miles Wingate. She could only hope he wanted it as much as she wanted to give it to him.

  Ten

  They were late back to the house and there was a great flurry of activity around the property as they approached.

  “What’s happening?”

  “That’ll be the guys finishing the setup for the fireworks display tonight.”

  “Fireworks display?” she asked. “You mean, like a big display or just the family setting off a few rockets and firecrackers?”

  Miles laughed. “A proper display. Family tradition. And heaven knows you can’t buck tradition. Mom always invites anyone she knows who isn’t attending the Cattleman’s Club celebrations to come along. She takes it quite personally if they choose the club over her.”

  “Um, so how many people are we talking, here?”

  “A hundred or so.”

  “A hundred? That’s hardly a casual barbecue,” Chloe declared, feeling flustered. “I thought it was only going to be family.”

  Miles looked at her across the back of his horse as he dragged the saddle off. “I’m sorry. I thought I had told you that the July fourth barbecue and fireworks was an annual thing. Given what’s happening with WinJet, I suggested axing it but Mom insisted it was a better idea to keep things running as usual so as to avoid any unnecessary attention.”

  “Well, I’m certainly going to need more than five minutes to get ready, if I’m going to be suitable for public consumption. I hope I’ve packed something appropriate.”

  Chloe lifted a hand and pulled a piece of grass from her hair. Miles put his saddle up on its stand and came over to her, and tugged a couple more pieces from her hair for good measure.

  “You look beautiful in anything. Honestly, this is just casual. Just think of it as a family get-together—just with a really big family.”

  He bent down and gave her a kiss as Ava walked into the stables.

  “Well,” his mother said with a definite snip in her voice. “So glad you two decided to return on time. The rest of the family is gathering in the living room before our guests arrive. Perhaps you could join them when you’re ready.”

  Without awaiting a response, Ava turned around and walked back to the house. Chloe chewed her lower lip. Anxiety roped through her stomach, tightening like a boa constrictor. Her eyes met Miles’s.

  “She really doesn’t like me.”

  “It’s not you. She’s still mad at me for not joining the family business, and she is mad at whoever has caused the problems at WinJet. Obviously she’s really worried, because I’ve never seen her be so openly rude before. I apologize for her behavior, Chloe. You can be sure I’ll call her on it when I get the opportunity.”

  “Oh, please don’t. I don’t want to cause any more friction.”

  “Oh, there’s friction aplenty without dragging you into her nest.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “You’re a part of my life and I won’t have her treat you like that. Not now, not ever.”

  They finished with the horses and tack and made their way quickly up to the house. After another quick shower, Chloe sorted through th
e items she’d brought with her and chose a fitted pair of white jeans together with a black sequined tunic and a cute pair of silver ballet shoes. Her hair was a mess so she did what she could to brush it into a bun and used a set of diamanté studded pins to secure it in place. She was quick with her makeup, choosing to accentuate her eyes and not to wear foundation. The blush of warmth from the sun and Miles’s lovemaking had given her a glow that made makeup almost redundant. A quick slick of lip color and she was done.

  Miles smiled as he waited for her by the bed. “You’re wasted on this crowd, Chloe. Right now, I don’t particularly want to share you with anyone.”

  She smiled back at him, feeling that inner glow expand by several notches.

  “You’re too good for me,” she murmured.

  As the words fell from her lips she realized she wasn’t being trite. She truly meant it. What would it be like to come clean with Miles—tell him the truth about why she’d inserted herself into his life? He deserved to know, but telling him would mean giving up on all her plans—giving up on finally seeing her mom vindicated and genuinely happy again. Even if she wanted to, Chloe knew she couldn’t do that, and it was beginning to tear her apart.

  There was a knock at their bedroom door.

  “Yeah,” Miles called out.

  Sebastian’s voice floated through the door. “You better hurry on down. Mom’s getting antsy.”

  “Well, we can’t have that, can we?” Miles muttered to Chloe with a liberal dose of sarcasm. “We’ll be right there,” he called back to Sebastian.

  “Come on,” Chloe cajoled him. “This is obviously important to her. Let’s not be any later than we already are.”

  “I like you more and more every minute, you know that?” Miles said, taking her hand and leading her out of the room. “Mom was outright rude, and you’re still prepared to play nice and soothe her sensibilities?”

  “Miles, I’m a guest in her house, and I’m here with her son. I don’t want to do anything to upset her.”

  “And I won’t stand for her upsetting you, either. You know that, right?”

  “I don’t deserve you,” she whispered, and squeezed his hand tight.

  They were at the bottom of the stairs and people were pouring through the front door and being directed by additional staff out through the back to the patio and pool area where the barbecue had been set up.

  “Looks like we’re right on time,” Miles remarked as they moved through the crowd and headed in the same direction.

  Outside, the entire area had been converted with a patriotic and festive scene. Red, white and blue bunting hung from the veranda overhang and the uprights were wound with ribbons.

  “Your family really goes all out, huh?” Chloe said, looking around her.

  “Yes, we do,” Ava answered, drawing up from behind.

  Chloe started in surprise. She hadn’t even seen the woman coming nearer.

  “Mrs. Wingate, the decorations look wonderful.”

  “Thank you.” Ava inclined her head graciously. “I don’t think you’ve met our good family friend, Keith Cooper, yet, have you? Keith, come on over and meet the young lady Miles brought down from Chicago with him.”

  A tall man, with the remnants of an athletic build, extracted himself from the people he’d been talking to and walked over to Miles and Chloe.

  “Keith, this is Chloe Fitzgerald. Chloe, this is Keith Cooper.”

  Cooper offered his hand to Chloe and gave her a quick handshake. He only took the tips of her fingers, not even offering her the courtesy of a proper handshake. It was something that always bothered her when she met certain men. As if they thought the little woman couldn’t handle a full-on palm-to-palm grasp. Personally, she found it disrespectful.

  When Mr. Cooper let her hand go, he snaked a possessive arm around Ava’s waist. Chloe felt Miles stiffen beside her at the familiarity.

  “Keith is an old family friend. He and Dad went way back. In fact, they were rivals for Mom’s hand in marriage,” Miles pointed out quite deliberately.

  Chloe could feel an undercurrent vibrating in the air between the three others.

  “And the better man won the fair maiden,” Keith said with a wide smile.

  But Chloe could see the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I need to speak to the caterers for a moment,” Ava said, smoothly extracting herself from Keith’s touch.

  The man turned his attention to Chloe.

  “Fitzgerald, name sounds familiar. You’re from Chicago, you say?”

  “Yes, I teach elementary school there.”

  “Hmm, and we’ve never met? You kind of look familiar.”

  Chloe felt her blood turn to ice in her veins. She’d been told often enough that she looked like her mother. Had this man ever met Loretta Fitzgerald? Had he known her dad? If so, he could potentially expose her right now. Here in front of everyone. That wasn’t how she wanted to do things. When she told Miles the truth of her identity, she wanted that to be in privacy.

  “I’m sorry, I’ve never had the pleasure,” Chloe forced herself to respond as smoothly as she could. “And Fitzgerald is a fairly common name. Those Scots travelled far and wide, didn’t they?”

  The man laughed. “They certainly did. Still, I’m sure if I know you from somewhere it’ll come back to me. It always does.”

  Someone from over by the oversize barbecue hailed him, and he turned and waved to them before making his excuses and leaving Miles and Chloe to themselves. She watched him walk away, feeling as though a ticking time bomb had been activated inside her. Keith Cooper must have known her parents. If he was as close to the Wingate family and as entrenched in the business as he appeared to be, he probably would have known about Trent Wingate’s offer to her father, too. And he’d have known what had happened next when that offer had failed to materialize.

  A bitter taste flooded her mouth, and she gladly accepted the glass of champagne Miles took from a passing waiter and offered her. She downed half of it in one desperate gulp.

  “Thirsty?” Miles asked with a quizzical look on his face.

  “I probably should have started with water,” she said, forcing a laugh. “I promise I’ll go slower with the rest.”

  He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “I don’t blame you for reaching for a little liquid courage. My family en masse is quite enough, but with all of the hangers-on as well? It makes a good case for drinking. Come on. Let’s go check out the buffet.”

  Chloe nodded and tucked her free hand in the crook of his arm and fought the sensation that she was rapidly losing control of the world around her. It was clear that she really hadn’t thought things through properly. While her mom had severed ties with everyone back here in Royal when they’d moved to Chicago, people could still remember her and a gathering like this was bound to prompt memories. Chloe could only hope that no one connected her to the late John Fitzgerald, and she also wanted to distract Miles from possibly pressing her more about how Cooper might have known her.

  “Miles, I got the impression you’re not all that happy about Mr. Cooper and your mom?”

  He firmed his lips before replying.

  “He and Dad were cut from the same cloth. Maybe I just see too much of my father in him. I can’t help feeling he’s just been biding his time until the coast was clear so he could win Mom back, and I think the way he is around her now, a little too familiar. He—” Miles paused for a moment choosing his words carefully. “He doesn’t have the best track record with women. Keith’s been married and divorced three times, and he’s known to have a temper.”

  “You know, watching them, I don’t think you need to worry. Your mom isn’t as into him as he is into her.”

  “Let’s hope you’re right.”

  * * *

  Miles looked up as Sebastian joined him
for breakfast. His brother looked tense. In fact, it had been a tense week all round. Everyone had been walking on eggshells, waiting to see whether the DEA would lay charges against WinJet or not. Tempers had been frayed, and even family dinners in the evenings had failed to create the bonhomie that his mother had so prided herself on.

  “Any news?” Miles asked, putting his coffee mug down on the table.

  “Yeah, I heard just now. They’re preparing the case to officially charge us with drug trafficking.”

  “What? No. There’s been a mistake.”

  Sebastian looked as if he’d aged ten years overnight. “No mistake. A large supply of drugs was found concealed in cargo holds of three planes nearing completion. They say the street value is estimated at millions of dollars.”

  Miles let out a long, low whistle. “What happens now?”

  “We tell our very expensive team of lawyers to fight the charges for us and fight hard. Oh, and if the charges aren’t bad enough, WinJet’s assets are tainted by what the DEA have deemed probable drug trafficking. They’re freezing the company’s assets with a view to forfeiture if we’re found guilty.”

  “They can’t actually seize property until you’re found guilty, though, right?”

  Sebastian nodded. “But when the asset freeze becomes public knowledge, there won’t be enough damage control in the world to save us. WinJet can’t continue to trade under the freeze. All the company’s real estate and accounts will be inaccessible to us. I’m not going to lie to you. This, and the roll-on effect, is going to hit us hard.”

  “Have you told Mom and Sutton yet?”

  “No, and I’m not looking forward to it. Miles, I really need you to up your game on finding out who is behind the safety report tampering. I can’t help feeling the fire and the drugs are somehow tied together.”