To Win Her Love

by Mackenzie Crowne

  V had made no mention of the change in her and Jake’s relationship, but as observant as his agent was, she must have noticed. Jake wasn’t exactly circumspect, flirting mercilessly and never passing up the opportunity to touch her. Unless the twins were present. Whenever they were around, he behaved like a perfect gentleman. She couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or bad.

  Then there was Tuck’s apparent inability to take no for an answer. His declaration of love at first sight was flattering, and his bold invitations to slip away with him for a weekend of debauchery made her laugh, especially since he was full of crap. And, she had to admit, Jake’s dark scowl, every time he learned his friend had been by the farm to see her, was thrilling, until Max explained the truth behind Tuck’s claims of undying love.

  Max found the whole thing hilarious. She, not so much. Imagine, a friendly competition to steal a woman away from someone you called a friend, simply to prove you could. Men were pigs. She should’ve accepted Tuck’s diamond tennis bracelet then dumped him on his ass.

  She should be furious to find herself an unwitting player in their sexist game and was, partly, but in those moments she and Jake managed to steal away, Tuck and the faceless women he and Jake had fought over through the years vanished. That suited her fine, considering the temporary nature of their romance. She’d taken the leap of faith Max insisted on, with thrilling results, but he was delusional if he thought what she and Jake had would last beyond the twelve weeks they’d been given.

  Pete’s custody stipulations set up a scenario allowing them to play house for a time, but Jake didn’t believe in forever any more than she did. The time was fast approaching when play time would end.

  She dropped the curtain and stomped from the window. She should be on top of the world. Instead, she was ready to rip her hair out. Sneaking around like a criminal when she hadn’t done a thing wrong rankled, and she was sick of it. No matter how the custody situation turned out, she and Jake would always have a connection through the girls. V was right, one way or another, either now or later, she’d have to face the press. Until she did, she’d be a prisoner of her own cowardice.

  To hell with that. Sharing her story without revealing her secrets would be a challenge, but not impossible. Looking at the situation logically, there were things she could do to lessen, if not eliminate, the possibility of anyone connecting her to her father. The idea of standing before the press made her stomach revolt. She’d do it, however, to reclaim her freedom, but not today. The only thing she’d be claiming today was a certain, hunky tight end.

  Thanks to the Marauders’ road schedule, and a Thursday night game, Jake had been gone for close to a week. When they spoke last night, he sounded tired but exuberant over the team’s latest victory. His single end zone dance of the night hadn’t clenched the record, but his thrilling one-handed touchdown catch brought him within two of the stat he so badly desired. They needed to celebrate, and she planned to make good use of the empty house.

  The rumble of his SUV coming up the drive sent her heart skittering. A quick click to save the data on her computer screen and she flew out into the hallway and down the stairs. Murphy raced at her heels, yipping with excitement. She skidded to a halt at the front door. Shifting her shoulders, a side-to-side toss of her head cracked her neck and settled her jumping nerves. Three deep breaths settled them further. Her hands shook but she didn’t care. She threw open the door.

  Jake wore a huge grin as he strode up the walkway and vaulted up the steps. His duffle bag hit the planks of the porch with a thud. She squeaked in surprise when he grabbed her waist. He lifted her off her feet and tucked her close. She moaned as his mouth claimed hers and her toes curled in her boots. Hot damn! Every woman should be greeted with an utterly ravenous kiss at least once in her life.

  She’d told herself she hadn’t fallen for him completely, and maybe she’d been right, but in the end it didn’t matter. The dizzying roll of her heart signaled its disastrous fall. Her world shifted seamlessly into a new dimension, and though she’d surely regret this moment later, she plunged her fingers into his hair, wrapped her legs around his waist, and embraced the inevitable—and the madness.

  Dappled sunlight skittered across her closed eyelids. Her head spun as his mouth devoured hers. Greedy, she met and returned his urgency, nipping and sucking, her tongue doing sensual battle with his. She clung to him, pressing her breasts to his chest in an attempt to assuage the pleasure/pain of her violently peaked nipples. He growled into her mouth and ran his hand along the back of her thigh, bare beneath her skirt, until his fingers closed around one silk-covered cheek and squeezed.

  Moist heat pooled between her thighs and she arched against him. He grunted, stepped inside the house, and slammed the door shut with the aid of a well-placed kick. She absorbed the shock of her back and ass slamming up against the hard wooden surface of the door and mourned the loss when his mouth left hers. Opening her eyes, she met the emerald fire burning in his.

  The shadow of a single dimple appeared with his lopsided smile. “Hi.”

  “Hi, yourself.” Was that her voice, all breathy and low? Geez. She could do voiceovers for old Marilyn Monroe movies.

  “Are the girls here?” He shoved Murphy’s head aside when the dog attempted to squeeze between them.

  “It’s Friday morning. They’re in school.”

  His nostrils flared with his deep inhale. He dipped his head to rest his forehead against hers. “Mary?”

  She had to take a bracing breath. “She went to visit her sister in Connecticut and do some last minute Christmas shopping. She’ll be back by six.”

  He straightened immediately and surprise lit his eyes. “The house is empty?”

  She nodded. “Empty except for you and me.” The dog whined happily at their feet. She grinned. “And Murphy.”

  Jake groaned and his eyes slid shut.

  Huh? Considering his heated greeting and the solid steel erection prodding her through his jeans, why was he groaning? And why had he stopped?

  Unease slithered down her spine. “Jake?”

  “Give me a moment, will you?”

  To do what? They had the house to themselves, an opportunity that came along rarely. Why wasn’t he kissing her senseless and carrying her upstairs at a run? “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” His chest expanded on a rumbling sigh. “I’m trying to slow things down.”

  “Why?”

  He opened his eyes and his lips twisted in a guilty grimace. “I barely said hello before I stuck my tongue down your throat. You’ve already accused me of having a one-track mind. I don’t want you adding horny bastard to the complaint.”

  Relief loosened her muscles, and she relaxed in his arms. He tightened his hold.

  She cocked her head and studied him. “Aren’t you a horny bastard with a one-track mind?”

  His grimace slid into a wide smile. “Pretty much.”

  “Thought so.”

  “Oh, really?”

  She giggled and shimmied her hips, pleased when his pupils dilated. “Is that a goalpost in your pocket, Malone, or are you happy to see me?” She yelped when he swatted her ass and headed for the stairs. “Ouch. That hurt.”

  “Serves you right, smart ass. I was trying to be a gentleman.” His long legs took the steps two at a time.

  “Well, don’t strain yourself. I happen to have changed my opinion on your one-track mind.”

  “You have, have you?” He grinned, passing by the door to her bedroom to enter the master suite.

  “I’ve decided horny bastards have their uses.” She laughed and twisted a finger in his silky hair. “By the way, you forgot your bag on the porch.”

  “Shit.” He stopped short beside the bed.

  She fluttered her lashes and grinned.

  “Fuck it. I’ll get it later. His teeth flashed in a wicked smile. Mischief danced in his sparkling eyes, warning her of what was coming. She let her
self fall when he opened his arms at the edge of his bed and wasn’t surprised when he landed on top of her a moment later. The blood rushed from her head, thanks to his single-minded attention to her mouth, and raced to the apex of her thighs when he switched the focus of his talented mouth to her straining breasts.

  He played her like an expert. She thrilled at the results. He drove her upward, stripping her of her clothes and taking his time in paying sweet homage to the bare skin he exposed with each sweep of his wide palmed hands. His mouth followed, whipping her into a frenzy of heated excitement. By the time he had them both naked, she was in danger of combusting.

  When he slipped inside her, his fevered gaze locked with hers, the world exploded on a bright and beautiful shower of color and sound.

  Chapter 25

  Gracie must have dozed off, waking to the thrill of Jake’s naked body spooned against her back. A muscled forearm draped over her hip to rest against her belly. His big hand cupped one breast. Content to while away the time surrounded by Jake on a lazy winter morning, she let her gaze wander around the suite her sister had lovingly decorated, and she sighed.

  He hummed quietly and tucked her closer. “You okay?”

  “Better than okay.” She rolled over and trailed her fingertips through the downy treasure trail bisecting his ridged abs. “I was thinking of how much my sister loved this room.”

  He raised his head from the pillow and shifted his body until she lay on her back with her head settled in the crook of his elbow. “Shit. I never once considered how painful spending time in your sister’s old space would be for you.”

  “Surprisingly, it isn’t. Maybe because Sarah was happy here.” She smiled gently at the realization then bit her lip. “What about you? Considering how you felt about him, I’m surprised you agreed to stay in Pete’s old room for one night, never mind twelve weeks. Does being in here make you uncomfortable?”

  She ducked her head to hide her cringe the moment the words left her mouth. Mentioning his father was like waving a red flag, inviting him to inquire about hers. Since they’d become intimate, he’d stepped up his attempts to discover her secrets. Oh, sure, he was charming in his quest, teasing her into talking about herself, but he was also sneaky, waiting until she was boneless and lightheaded from an orgasm he’d given her to hit her up with his probing questions.

  She couldn’t help being impressed by the tactic. If the ramifications weren’t dire, she might actually enjoy watching the way his mind worked, but the way he kept systematically introducing potential reasons for her avoidance of the press, he’d eventually arrive at the right subject.

  His smile turned lecherous, and he slid a thick thigh between hers. “Do I look uncomfortable?”

  Relief danced giddily up her spine, and she smiled. He dipped his mouth to hers, and her greedy body dampened despite its recent release. Flames of renewed excitement licked over her. She ran her fingertips over the naked expanse of his muscled chest and sighed when his lips left hers.

  The soft scrape of his stubbled chin, as he dropped nibbling kisses across her cheekbone, sent tingles of pleasure rippling over her skin. His breath bathed her ear in moist heat. “Speaking of fathers. You never did say what happened to yours.”

  The fire sparking its way through her blood stream fizzled, leaving her dizzy and chilled. Apparently eventually was now. The rat! Restarting her engine only to leave her idling. Ha! If he thought he had her so far gone she’d spill her guts, he had another think coming.

  Stick as close to the truth as possible, Gracie, and if he keeps pushing? Lie your ass off!

  “No, I didn’t.” She shifted enough to extricate herself from his arms. To her surprise, he let her sit up. Covering her breasts, she tucked the sheet under her armpits and settled her back against the headboard.

  He rolled on his side and propped his head up with one palm. “You aren’t close?”

  “How can someone be close to a person they’ve never met?”

  He blinked in surprise. “Ever?”

  She shrugged. “I didn’t have a clue who he was until after mom died and Sarah found her diary. Mom rarely talked about him and then mostly in generalities.”

  She fought the urge to squirm under the intensity of his stare.

  Finally, he grunted. “Who is he?”

  Overreacting would only alert him to the fact he’d finally hit pay dirt, but fielding his questions with a practiced aloofness would be dangerous as well. He knew her father personally. One wrong word and she could accidently tip him off. Then again, she’d been reticent to answer his questions up to this point. He’d be suspect of any change in her behavior.

  She tilted her chin in challenge and stabbed him with an accusing stare. “Why do you want to know?”

  Humor glittered in his eyes. “Calm down, tiger. I’m curious.”

  She elevated a brow. “No, you’re nosey.”

  He grinned. “Guilty as charged. I told you once I’d find out what you were hiding eventually. Why do I have the feeling we’ve finally stumbled on the reason behind your fears?”

  Shit!

  “Who is he?”

  Shit. Shit. Shit! How to answer? There was no way in hell she’d be giving him a name. She jerked up her chin. “He was a client of my mother’s boss.”

  “Was? Is he dead?”

  “No. Yes!” She growled low in her throat and her lips compressed into a self-disgusted frown. Damn it! He handed her the perfect solution and she’d spoken too quickly to take advantage. She wanted to smack her head back against the headboard.

  “I’ll take that as a no.” White teeth flashed in his smile. “A client, huh? What type of client?” Tiny wrinkles appeared at the corners of his watchful eyes. “Where did she work?”

  He thinks he can trick me into dropping clues to my father’s identity, does he? The sneaky rat.... Two could play that game.

  “For a guy. In an office.”

  He chuckled and some of her tension eased. “Damn, you’re suspicious.”

  Look who’s talking. She bared her teeth in a tight smile.

  He shook his head. “Lots of people are the product of a fling. Including me. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

  “I’m not ashamed.” She stiffened and jerked up her chin. “And their relationship wasn’t a fling. Not according to my mother’s diary, anyway.”

  Geez, she sounded defensive. Was she ashamed? The possibility was one she’d never considered. She’d have to give it some thought. Later. When Mr. Twenty Questions wasn’t around.

  “Then what happened? Why’d they break up?”

  She frowned. “They didn’t. Break up, I mean. He disappeared one day and from what Mom wrote, her boss may have had something to do with it.”

  “How so?”

  He might be a sneaky rat, using charm and sex appeal in his determination to discover her secrets, but there was no calculation in his eyes at the moment. Simple curiosity glimmered there.

  She tucked a lock of hair behind an ear. “Mom wasn’t a party girl. That’s what I meant about their relationship not being a fling. After Sarah’s father left Mom for another woman, she didn’t sleep around. Her boss knew that. He also knew she and my father had a summer romance, something he wasn’t happy about. One day everything was fine. The next, my father was gone, returning to college several weeks early without a word to my mother. When Mom turned up pregnant a month later, her boss fired her.”

  Disapproval wrinkled his brow. “Asshole.”

  She nodded. “With a capital A. Anyway, it was a long time ago.”

  He grunted. “Did she ever try to contact him? Your father?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Why not?”

  She chose her words with care. “Who knows? Maybe she didn’t know how to reach him, or maybe she was afraid she’d receive the same kind of reaction as your mother. Either way, she got another job and moved on. We weren’t rich by any standard,
but we made do. She took care of us.”

  “Until she died.” His eyes full of sympathy, he trailed the fingertips of his free hand down her exposed arm.

  Goose bumps popped. “Yeah, well, viral pneumonia can be a real bitch.”

  He winced softly and curled his fingers around hers. “I’m sorry, princess.”

  As diversions went, discussing her mother’s death was a painful one, but she’d embrace the change of topic happily. Still, her heart fluttered at the empathy in his eyes. She squeezed his fingers and sighed. “Me, too.”

  He brushed his thumb back and forth over the back of her hand. “My mom died when I was eighteen. As self-centered and as big a mess as she was, I’d basically been raising myself for years, but losing her was still a blow. Thankfully, she never had any more kids, because I don’t have what it takes to do what your sister did. She must have been a special woman.”

  Yes, her sister was special, but she disagreed with his assessment of what he would have done in Sarah’s place. Despite his upbringing, deep down, he had a caring heart. He could no more have walked away from his sisters at the age of eighteen than he could now. He’d have done what needed doing to keep them safe, exactly as Sarah did for her.

  She smiled and nodded. “I was pretty young, but old enough to understand how difficult things were for Sarah. She worked her ass off to take care of me, holding down two jobs, sometimes three, when she should’ve been off at college getting an education and falling in love.”

  He brushed a thumb over the back of her hand. “She loved you.”

  The tiny hairs on her arms stood on end. “And I loved her. I promised myself someday I’d pay her back. I never got the chance.”

  Sudden understanding darkened his eyes. “Until now.”

  She nodded. “Until now.”

  Whether the glint of emotion flashing in his eyes was guilt, determination or something else altogether, she couldn’t say with certainty.