Lone Star Secrets

by Cat Schield

  “It’s too complicated.” Megan ignored her rapidly beating heart. “And as much as I like him, I’m sure he sees me as the woman who married his greatest enemy.”

  “But he knows you were fooled. He also knows you married Will Sanders. That’s got to give him a lot to think about.”

  Too much. Megan suspected Will had a lot of questions where her past decisions were concerned.

  “I think he’ll always wonder about my reasons for wanting to be with him,” she said, recalling what Cora Lee had intimated. “What if he thinks all I’m interested in is being Mrs. Will Sanders?”

  “Why would he think that? You have success and money in your own right. And you’re certainly not the type to marry a man for position or wealth.” Dani shook her head. “I don’t think you’re giving him enough credit.”

  Megan wished she could be sure Will’s family wouldn’t eventually convince him he was better off without her.

  “And what about what happened between the two of you after Jason’s memorial service?” Dani asked. She’d been delighted at the prospect of something good coming out of all the terrible things that had happened to Will and Megan. “Surely that’s something you can build on.”

  “We were both hurting.” Since it had happened, Megan had alternately dwelled on and shied away from thinking about the blazing-hot passion she’d felt in Will’s arms. Could something so powerful be a mistake? Yet could she trust her own feelings any more in the wake of being fooled by Richard Lowell?

  “And nothing has happened since?” When Megan didn’t immediately respond, Dani pounced. “See that’s what I’m talking about!”

  “We haven’t slept together again.”

  “So what has happened?”

  “We might’ve kissed. But we’ve agreed not to take it any further.”

  Dani rolled her eyes in disgust. “Both of you have been dancing around your attraction for each other for far too long. Why don’t you just tell him how you feel and see where it leads?”

  “Because I don’t want to create an awkward situation between us while I’m living at the ranch.”

  “But what if you two are meant to be together only you’ll never know because you don’t tackle your issues?”

  “Maybe once Rich is caught, Will and I can have a conversation, but too much is up in the air right now. It’s just too complicated.”

  Dani looked frustrated but nodded instead of arguing further. “I’ll try to be patient, but don’t expect me to let it go.”

  Megan recognized that her friend meant well and her eagerness for Megan to find happiness with Will was because Dani had reconnected with Cole and was madly in love. For a second Megan experienced a stab of envy. During those early days with imposter Will, she’d also believed herself in the best relationship of her life, but it had been one big lie. Not that Megan considered that Dani and Cole were anything except the real deal. There would be no startling revelations in their future. No breakdown of trust or respect.

  “Just do me a favor,” Dani continued. “Don’t put up walls against Will. I know you’re running scared right now, but I think he’s good for you and vice versa. You two need each other for moral support. I’m just worried that if you put on the brakes too hard he might get the idea that you’re not interested in him.”

  “I promise not to shut him down altogether.”

  Megan wasn’t sure she’d have to worry about that since Will had behaved like a total gentleman since she’d moved in. Except for that first night, but how that kiss had come about was a little blurry in her memory. Had she encouraged him or had he taken the initiative? She only knew she had desperately wanted him to kiss her and so he had. And it had been mind-blowing.

  “Wonderful,” Dani said. “Now let’s talk about what we’re going to have for dessert.”

  Megan laughed. “We haven’t even ordered lunch yet.”

  “Life is short. Eat dessert first.”

  Six

  The night of Aaron and Kasey’s engagement party, Will strolled into the Texas Cattleman’s Club with Megan on his arm, all too aware of the glances being thrown their way. He wasn’t sure what was to blame for the stir. Megan’s stunning appearance or the two of them showing up together, looking relaxed and comfortable in each other’s company.

  While most of the party guests knew Richard Lowell had been impersonating Will for a year, the case wasn’t common knowledge to the majority of folks living in Royal. Ever since Will had started showing up around town instead of being holed up at the ranch as he’d been through much of the summer, he noticed people that avoided him or regarded him warily.

  From one peculiar conversation after another, he’d determined that Rich had behaved erratically while pretending to be him. Fortunately those who knew him best had attributed his short temper, secretiveness and occasional odd turn of phrase as a result of the injuries he’d suffered from the boating explosion. More than anything Will wished he could come clean with the people he’d known all his life and explain that Lowell had been impersonating him, but while Rich remained at large, the authorities wanted Will to continue the farce.

  The only good part of any of it was spending time with Megan and pretending to be her husband, a role he grew into a little more each day.

  “Have I told you how beautiful you look?” he murmured, guiding her toward the meeting room where Aaron and Kasey’s engagement party was taking place.

  At his compliment, her long black lashes fanned her flawless skin. With most women this behavior would be deliberate flirtation, but Megan was too genuine to toy with him. “Several times in fact.”

  Thanks to all the time he’d spent with her recently, Will now understood that she was wary of flattery. Yet it spoke to her growing trust that a half smile curved her lips, telling him she was pleased but reticent about showing how much.

  “Too much?”

  Her pale blue eyes glinted like sunshine on water as she met his gaze. “No, it’s okay. I believe you mean it.”

  It continued to amaze him that a woman as beautiful and successful as Megan, with all she had going for her, remained locked in doubt. How could he not want to give her everything?

  “Are you nervous?” he asked, noting a slight tremor in her slender form. “I promise not to leave your side.”

  “Well, that would be a change. I’m not sure that some of the people here will know what to make of you as an attentive husband.” Pain lingered beneath her light tone. Almost as soon as the words were out, however, she squeezed his arm. “I’m sorry. I know it wasn’t you and I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “No, I’m sorry.” Regret sliced through him. Every time he faced his failure, it opened another wound on his soul. Some days the pain grew too intense to bear. “Damn it. If only I’d seen through him. It’s my fault all this happened. Rich should never have had the chance to hurt anyone.”

  “Your logic is flawed,” she said. “If we’d been married before the boating accident then I would have been married to him when he returned pretending to be you.”

  Will shook his head, not letting himself off so easily. “But you would’ve recognized the difference and called him out.”

  “He was pretty convincing,” she reminded him. “He fooled your family and your friends.”

  “You would’ve known the difference,” he insisted.

  “What makes you so sure?”

  Instead of entering the party, he detoured into the hallway that led to the club’s offices. At this time of day, the narrow corridor was empty and Will exploited the isolation by backing Megan against the wall.

  “This.”

  He leaned down and seized her lips with his, taking advantage of her surprised gasp to slide his tongue along her teeth and beyond. It wasn’t a romantic kiss, full of promise and longing, but a deliberate claiming, meant to demonstrate his power ov
er her senses.

  She met the demanding thrust with equal fervor, a soft moan escaping her throat as she knotted her fingers into his hair and pulled him closer still. Her ardor made the kiss go hot in an instant. A shudder racked her form as he eased the hard planes of his chest and abs into her yielding breasts and soft belly. She moaned when he slid his leg between her thighs and made glancing contact with her most sensitive spot. The sound consumed him and he caressed his tongue down her neck, desperate for a taste of more than just her lips.

  His willpower deteriorated with each desperate rasp of his breath. She smelled spicy, the scent more exotic than what she usually wore. It made him think of all the faraway places he’d like to make love to her.

  He cupped his palm over her breast, feeling the tight nipple through the fabric of her dress. She flexed her fingers in his hair and pushed into the caress. Fondling her like this only added to his frustration as his erection pushed relentlessly against his zipper. The ache awoke him to their surroundings even as her teeth raked down his neck.

  With a growl, he fought to bring himself back under control and was shocked at the difficulty. He didn’t lose control like this. Well, once. And it had been this woman whose hunger had stormed his defenses and set him to devouring her.

  Crushing his mouth over hers once more, he felt her melting beneath the hot caress of his tongue. Relentless, intoxicating desire pulsed through him, demanding release. It would take ten seconds to free himself, shift her underwear aside and plunge into her. His hand was on the move to his zipper before the thought had completely formed in his mind. To his amazement, his fingers encountered her hand as it darted toward his belt.

  “Megan.” That was as far as he got as her fingers advanced too fast for him to stop and closed over his hard-on.

  A groan ripped from his chest even as his hips bucked beneath her inquisitive touch. He still had his hand on her breast and her nipples peaked still harder. He plucked at them, and she cried out. The sound awoke him to their situation.

  Almost too late, he realized that while the risk of discovery wasn’t likely, they’d let themselves get so carried away the entire engagement party could’ve paraded past while they remained lost in each other.

  With painful regret, he eased her hand away from his erection and pinned it beside her head, recalling the reason he’d dragged her to this isolated spot in the first place.

  “Tell me if you would have been fooled by anything less than this,” he demanded, dragging his lips across her cheek and down her neck, savoring the agitated press and retreat of her breast against his palm.

  She trembled and her breath puffed out in a ragged chuckle. “No, I wouldn’t have been fooled. Your kisses aren’t like any I’ve ever known. In your arms I feel things... You make me crazy. Anything you ask I’d give you.”

  While part of him reveled in her words, another reminded him that lust was not love. The former they shared in abundance, but the latter was far trickier. Did he even know what love was? Will was pretty sure he could recognize it in others. Aaron and Kasey were a prime example of two people who were meant for each other.

  Will had glimpsed the signs even before Kasey had moved into Aaron’s home to act as a nanny for Jason’s seven-year-old daughter after her father’s disappearance. From the first, the intensity with which Aaron looked at Kasey broadcast that his interest in her was anything but professional.

  At first Will had been an amused observer, enjoying the spectacle of the brooding, brilliant and driven businessman falling for his sweet and sassy administrative assistant. But soon Will had noticed the joke was on him as Aaron suddenly had it all, leaving Will to face how empty his life had become.

  Which was when he decided his business successes weren’t enough. He wanted a solid marriage. A family of his own.

  “Megan—” He winced at his regretful tone and knew it was responsible for her sharp intake of breath.

  “Don’t you dare apologize.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, ignoring her command. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

  “Damn you, Will Sanders! I bare myself to you and you apologize. You are the most frustrating man I’ve ever met.”

  “I know and I’m sorry.”

  “Stop apologizing.” She smacked him hard in the chest with her clenched fists. “I wanted you to kiss me. In truth, I want even more. And I won’t make excuses for that. It’s good with you. It’s better than good. It’s fantastic.”

  “I feel the same way. You make me lose control and I don’t want to do that with you.” He pushed to arm’s length and gazed down at her beautiful face, seeing that his clumsy words had hurt her. “You’re misunderstanding me. The situation we’re in isn’t real. And it’s dangerous. Were pretending to be something we’re not and I think it might be causing both of us to take things where we wouldn’t if circumstances were different.”

  “So you don’t think we’d be attracted to each other if we weren’t pretending to be married?”

  “No, that’s not what I mean,” Will insisted. “I would be attracted to you no matter what the situation, but emotions get tangled up and I care too much about you to be anything but completely truthful.”

  “I get it. We’re playacting. Pretending to be something we’re not.” She flashed a smile that curved her lips but brought no joy to the bruised blue of her eyes. “We’re not married. And certainly not in love. Which means no one around us will question our behavior because I’m pretty sure fake Will and I weren’t in love, either.”

  “Megan—”

  “It’s fine,” she assured him, ejecting the two words in a way that convinced him she was anything but. “I’m going to detour to the ladies’ room and fix my lipstick. I’ll meet you inside.”

  Before Will could bumble another attempt to explain and cause even more damage, Megan slipped away from him and headed for the main corridor. He remained in place for a long moment, kicking himself and wondering when he’d become so inept when it came to talking to women.

  * * *

  Reapplying her lipstick became a trial as Megan’s hand continued to shake in the aftermath of Will’s passionate kiss and subsequent rejection. How dare he kiss her like that and then apologize! Especially after she’d followed Dani’s advice and told him how he made her feel. It made her rethink her decision to stop retreating behind her defenses as she’d been doing since Will had first returned to Royal and she’d discovered she’d been married to an imposter.

  But she couldn’t keep bottling up her emotions. As she’d recently discovered, developing a thick skin hadn’t prevented her from being humiliated. Nor was denying her growing longing for Will making her happy.

  As she skimmed bright red lipstick along her bottom lip, she considered all that Will had said moments before. Was it fair to attribute mere sexual attraction to what was happening between them? Or was she kidding herself that the ache in her heart was real? Could her desire to be with him stem from proximity and pretending to be married?

  I don’t want to lose control with you.

  Why the hell not? What was so wrong about letting go with her? Was he worried that she might fall for him? A ragged laugh tore at Megan’s throat. She suspected it was a little too late to close the barn door on that one. Her fascination with Will was a decade old. From a time when her vulnerable heart jumped every time he slid into his seat in the AP Literature class.

  The ladies’ room door opened and two women swept in on a tide of laughter and perfume. Realizing she’d dawdled for too long, Megan dropped her lipstick into her evening clutch and headed for the door. To her surprise, Will hadn’t gone into the party without her. As soon as she stepped into the hallway, he pushed off the wall and came toward her.

  Dressed in a meticulously tailored charcoal suit and white shirt, he looked every inch a wealthy, successful man and her heart gave a great jolt at the dynamic power
he exuded. Every cell in her body called for her to be his and it frustrated her to be denied.

  “You didn’t have to wait for me,” she said, cursing her breathless tone.

  “I didn’t handle things very well a little while ago.”

  “I disagree.” She headed toward the party and he fell into step beside her. “You spoke your mind and I appreciate your honesty.”

  “But you’re not happy about what I said.”

  “I’m neither happy nor unhappy.” Megan was amazed that she uttered the whopping lie with such equanimity. Fastening on a guileless expression, she took Will’s arm as they crossed the threshold and entered the engagement party room.

  “I want to explain where I’m coming from.”

  “We don’t have time for that. Maybe later tonight we can discuss how to coexist peacefully until Rich is caught.” The reasonable statement made her heart twist in agony.

  “Coexist peacefully?” He gave a rough chuckle. “There’s not an instant where I feel peaceful around you.”

  Confusion flaring, Megan shot a glance his way, but before she could do more than gather breath to chastise him for bombarding her with mixed signals, they were approached by Will’s stepbrother, Jesse Navarro, and his beautiful wife.

  “Jillian, that color is perfect on you,” Megan gushed, smiling as she took in the glamorous blonde’s empire-cut dress in brilliant emerald that teased out the flecks of green in her hazel eyes. She’d pulled her long, wavy hair into a simple high pony to better show off the diamond dangles that hung from her ears. “You look fantastic.”

  “So do you,” Jillian said, cuing in on Megan’s black pumps, designed to look like ballet toe shoes with attached ribbons that wrapped around her ankle and then tied in bows. “Those shoes are stunning.”

  “Part of my winter collection. Text me your size and I’ll send you a pair.”

  Megan wasn’t being completely altruistic. Thanks to all the years Jillian had danced, her long, slender legs were toned and sexy. Having Jillian wearing her designer shoes would be great advertising.