by Cat Schield
Megan rolled onto her stomach and propped her chin on her hand. Her long lashes shadowed her blue eyes as she regarded him. “I hope you realize what just happened wasn’t about Rich calling me.”
He hadn’t. But now that she’d brought it up, Will wondered why she’d felt compelled to point that out.
“Okay.”
“I came to you tonight because I needed comfort and support,” she said, her blue eyes taking on a poignant intensity as she spoke. “And because I needed to feel like a normal woman instead of a victim.”
He reached out and swept a strand of hair off her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. The gesture sparked a flood of tenderness so he leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips.
Faster than he could’ve anticipated, the kiss turned hot and wet and needy. The suddenness of it set fire to his nerve endings. Breathing heavily, he pulled back.
No matter how heavily his mistakes over the last year weighed on his soul, losing himself in Megan calmed him.
Being with her felt like a beautiful dream. With all that had happened sometimes he wondered if he deserved to be happy.
“Maybe we should agree that we’re both in need of comfort,” he said.
She reached out and boldly trailed her fingertips over his chest before venturing lower. “And that we shouldn’t feel guilty about being there for each other in any way we can.”
A sigh formed on Will’s lips the way his body stirred back to life. “So for the moment we are going to let our passions get the better of us and not question if it’s the right thing to do?”
“That works for me.” With a full-blown grin lighting up her face, Megan suddenly pushed to her knees and straddled him. Her long hair swung forward and framed her face as she raked her nails over his nipples, causing him to expel a breath in a rough exhalation. “It’s going to be a lot more fun around here if we go with the flow instead of having to fight this attraction between us all the time.”
“I’m all for going with the flow,” he growled, any lingering tension melting out of him as he reached up to cup her head and draw her down for a deep, satisfying kiss.
* * *
Three days after Aaron and Kasey’s engagement party, Megan was adrift in a golden glow following the many passion-filled hours spent in Will’s arms. They’d gotten lost in a seductive bubble of hot showers, whispered sexual fantasies and creative positions. Never had she felt such heady desire or learned so much about her body in such a short period of time. Will had tricks up his sleeve she’d never imagined and she’d lost count how many times he’d made her come.
She’d even skipped work yesterday so they could take advantage of their final day of privacy before Lucy and Brody returned to the main house. It seemed as if once they’d settled the issue of their expectations when it came to their sexual relationship and what it might mean in the future, they were able to enjoy each other’s company without the dreaded what-ifs.
“How was your day?” Will asked, accepting the glass of whiskey Megan extended in his direction. Eyeing the level of amber liquid in her glass, he arched an eyebrow. “Or shouldn’t I ask?”
“Frustrating.” She exhaled wearily as she carried her drink to the couch. “One of our suppliers didn’t deliver on time, which puts our production behind schedule. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I hate being late for anything.”
“You are definitely the most prompt woman I’ve ever met,” Will said drily as he checked his cell phone before pocketing it.
“It’s frustrating having our production happening out of state,” she grumbled, “because I have to rely on other people to manage the operations.”
“What can you do about it?”
“I’ve considered locating a plant in Royal, but it’s a huge capital expense and I’d have to balance the operating costs to see if it makes sense.” Kicking off her shoes, she drilled her thumbs into the arch of her left foot.
“If you want to run some numbers, I’d be happy to take a look.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Will joined her on the couch and set his drink on the coffee table. Reaching down, he pulled both of her feet into his lap and slid his warm palms across her weary soles. The massage she’d enacted on her feet couldn’t compare to the robust combination of strength and heat of Will’s long fingers as he hit a particularly sensitive spot and a lusty moan rolled from her throat.
“Damn,” he murmured heatedly. “I love it when you make noises like that.”
A familiar flutter started up in her body and she regarded him from beneath her lashes. “Keep up what you’re doing and you’ll hear plenty more.”
In recent days they’d reached a level of comfort with each other that Megan had never known with Rich. At the same time, they weren’t venturing anywhere near the tough topics that could’ve shattered the harmony. And there were plenty of them, starting with whether it was wise to keep tearing up the sheets when the relationship had nowhere to go?
Will smirked. “Any idea how much time we have before dinner?”
Pleasure arrowed from Megan’s foot straight to her core. Heat surged through her, driven by her slow but insistent pulse. The man’s hands hadn’t moved beyond her feet but desire had awakened like a hungry cat.
“Enough time for a shower, I think,” she replied with a scorching glance at him from beneath her lashes. “I’m feeling a little dirty at the moment.”
“If you like my foot massage, you’ll be amazed at how well I can scrub your back.”
“I’m looking forward to a thorough demonstration of your prowess.”
Bubbles seemed to have filled her veins because as Megan raced toward Will’s master bedroom with him seconds behind her, her feet barely seemed to connect with the wide-planked pine floors.
An hour later Megan emerged from Will’s bedroom, satiated and relaxed, her insides warmed by a glow of contentment. They’d made leisurely love in the shower, luxuriating in the soapy slide of fingers over skin while hot water poured over them.
Megan marveled that as often as they’d surrendered to temptation in the past few days he continued to be able to surprise her.
Lucy and Brody were finishing up an apple cobbler dessert as Megan and Will made their way into the kitchen. Because Megan was in the lead, she got the full brunt of Lucy’s arched eyebrows and knowing grin.
“I wasn’t sure when you two were going to make an appearance,” Lucy said, “So we went ahead and ate without you.”
“Sorry about that,” Megan murmured. “We were talking about business and got sidetracked.”
“Sure.” Lucy’s voice dripped with irony. “You two are just a couple of workaholics.”
“I can’t get enough of Megan’s figures,” Will said, winking outrageously at his sister. “They’re just fascinating.”
“I’m sure,” Lucy retorted.
Will and Megan loaded their plates with roasted chicken, potatoes and salad, and carried them to the dining table where they sat in adjacent chairs and leaned into each other’s space. To prove to Lucy that they often discussed business over dinner, Megan shared her latest business troubles and Will spoke of the latest ventures into solar energy his company was making.
Lucy and Brody finished dessert and made their escape while Will explained how he approached his position as CEO of Spark Energy Solutions with an eye toward innovation. In addition to the company’s original energy resources of oil and coal, he was avidly pursuing various ways in which to generate energy, including geothermal power.
Megan smiled at Will’s passion. For nearly an hour as he’d regaled her with one tale after another, she’d been riveted both by the topics and his boyish enthusiasm. “Are you looking to move Spark Energy Solutions into that sector?”
“At the moment I’m not ready to expand our current operations.” A shadow passed across his features.
“But it’s something to investigate for the future.”
Megan reached out and touched his hand. “I imagine you’ve got a lot on your plate at the moment.”
She didn’t know what sort of shape Rich had left the company in, but she wouldn’t be surprised to hear he’d neglected the business.
“We have several key relationships that I’m working to repair,” Will admitted. “That and many other issues are monopolizing my focus at the moment.”
“You haven’t talked much about how Rich left things at SES, but it sounds like he made a mess there, as well.” Megan hoped Will took her up on this offer to listen.
For the last few months Megan had been overwhelmed by shame at being fooled and that had led her to shy away from talking in-depth to anyone about her sham of a marriage. Was Will similarly afflicted by doubt when it came to trusting after being nearly killed by a friend? She imagined he was kicking himself for being fooled the same way she was.
With Jason being dead, she wasn’t sure whom Will was talking to these days. Her throat tightened at their mutual loss. She didn’t always appreciate her brothers’ bossiness when it came to her, but she loved them fiercely. And Jason’s death had left a big hole in her life.
They both needed to share their stories with someone. Why not each other?
“As you know, there’s money missing,” Will admitted, his tone stark, expression flat. “A lot of it.”
“So it wasn’t just the Texas Cattleman’s Club that he stole from.” Although no one had spoken of Will’s financial losses, Megan had assumed Rich had helped himself to Will’s fortune.
“No. I think he intended to spread his thievery around in order to avoid anyone getting suspicious. But whatever accounts I had access to, Rich siphoned off what he quietly could and converted the funds to gold, which he’s stashed outside Royal.”
“But wouldn’t gold be impractical?” In this day and age, with shell companies and off-shore banking, surely Rich would’ve done better to hide his stolen money. “Why not just set up accounts in the Cayman Islands?”
“Maybe he was worried that after he faked my death, he couldn’t be able to access the funds or that the electronic trail would be discovered.” Will shook his head. “I’ve given up on trying to figure out Rich’s logic.”
“But gold?” Megan imagined Fort Knox, the gold reserves with stacks and stacks of bars that stretch for hundreds of feet. “How much would he have?”
“A gold bar weighs four hundred troy ounces. That’s around twenty-seven pounds and, at today’s rate, it’s worth a little over half a million dollars.”
“How big is that bar?” Megan screwed up her face as she tried to picture where Rich would store the gold.
Will held his hands about six inches apart. “This long. It would fit comfortably in my hand.”
“So the bricks would fit in a duffel bag. That wouldn’t be hard to hide.”
“Hide, no. The weight would be the issue. Just a dozen bars would be over three hundred pounds. You can’t exactly get on a plane carrying it.”
“What about driving across the border into Mexico?” Megan asked, remembering how Rich had spoken of places he’d visited and how he could see himself living like a king there.
“That’s what the FBI speculates he will try to do.”
“So where is the money?”
“Safe with the authorities.”
That was a relief, but Megan sensed there was more to the story and, given the way Lowell had come after her, that she might have a part to play. “So, if they have it, why hasn’t Rich left the area?”
“Two reasons. One, they left the stash in place, substituting the real gold bars for gold-covered tungsten. And they’re keeping surveillance on the cabin for when he comes back.” Will paused and gave her a searching look. “Second, I think he’s been pretty clear that he wants you.”
Anxiety rose at Will’s somber declaration but she deflected her fear into bitter reflection. “I can’t imagine why. He wasn’t too interested in having me before you returned to Royal,” she said, recalling how her frustration had built in the months following her honeymoon. “Rich was gone a lot while we were married and, even when he was in Royal, it’s not as if we spent quality time together.”
Her stomach ached as she revisited those hollow, lonely days and the steady leaching of happiness from her marriage. Not to mention the persistent erosion of her self-esteem. Maybe if their courtship hadn’t been so intense and uplifting, her disappointment might have been easier to bear.
“Do I need to remind you that he confronted you in your company’s parking lot and tried to get you to go with him?” Will pointed out, frowning at her.
“I’ve had a lot of time to think about that and I’m not sure that was as much about me as you.” Megan shook her head to forestall Will’s argument. “He took over your life after trying to kill you. Now that you’re back, the authorities want us to continue pretending to be married. Maybe he doesn’t realize our closeness is part of the operation to bring him to justice and wants to take me away from you in order to hurt you.”
“Is that how you see our closeness?” Will asked, his tone deceptively mild. “As part of an operation to capture him?”
“Of course not.”
She believed what was happening between them went way beyond playacting. But how far, she wasn’t ready to confront. Megan recognized that she and Will had mutually agreed to enjoy each other’s company without making things complicated by trying to define what they were doing or to dwell on the lasting repercussions.
“I’m glad to hear you’re not faking any of this,” Will said, reaching for her hand.
He absently played with her fingers while staring into her eyes before bringing her palm to his lips. Goose bumps broke out as he nipped at the fleshy part of her thumb before whisking a kiss along her love line.
“Not hardly,” she replied as her insides turned to mush, unsure what exactly he meant by this. “Everything you make me feel is absolutely real and impossible to fake.”
While this was a scary admission to make, Megan recognized that she continued to play it safe. Not knowing what the future held or how their feelings for each other might change once Rich was caught and her “marriage” to Will was dissolved, she continued to hold back when not in his arms.
Ironically, as difficult as it was for her to speak the truth of her heart and risk his rejection, she gave herself over to him completely when they made love. He brought something out in her during those raw, vulnerable moments that she’d never known before. She’d discovered a surprising strength in letting go.
Unfortunately, when passion faded, so did her confidence.
“Good.”
Without releasing her hand, Will got to his feet, tugging her out of her chair and up against his body. His other hand coasted down her back and over the swell of her butt, coaxing her hips into contact with his. His lips drifted down her neck.
“Now, are you ready for apple cobbler?” He nibbled on the cord in her throat, sending an electrical charge through her body. “Or should we see what else we can find for dessert?”
Nine
On the morning of Cora Lee’s harvest barbecue at the Ace in the Hole, the matriarch had staff and family scrambling this way and that at her bidding. Although the weather report had predicted clouds, the blue sky wasn’t having any of it. The sun blazed down on Will’s shoulders as he and Megan arranged picnic tables covered in red-and-white-checkered tablecloths on the expansive lawn beside the main house. The centerpieces consisted of tin buckets filled with bright yellow sunflowers and hurricane lanterns with votive candles that could be lit as darkness fell.
The food would be served buffet style. Since the day before, Cora Lee had been supervising the smoking of fifty pounds of brisket slathered with her secret barbecue recipe. The aroma wafting out of
the smoker was making Will’s mouth water. The smells brought back memories of so many wonderful parties growing up. He’d spent many a night while in Mexico dreaming of Cora Lee’s cooking and of home.
A hand on his arm brought him back to the moment. He looked in Megan’s direction and noted the questions in her eyes.
“I was just thinking how good everything smelled,” he explained, not telling her the whole truth. He hadn’t talked to anyone about his time in Mexico, but that compulsion to keep mum was stronger with Megan. He didn’t want to damage the growing trust between them. She expected him to be the same Will Sanders that existed before the fateful fishing trip and he hated to disappoint her.
Megan glanced toward the black, drum-shaped smoker. “Cora Lee makes the best brisket in the county. I imagine a whole lot of people will be loading up their plates today.”
The invited guests were family and a few close friends as well as ranch staff and their families. In the case of those closest to him, Will expected a number of the conversations to surround the manhunt for Lowell and the general frustration over how long it was taking to catch the guy.
“Good thing there’s going to be dancing later,” Will said, hoping she’d take a turn on the floor with him. “We’re going to want to work off some of the feast.”
A second later he found himself wondering if she’d enjoyed dancing with Rich. Will cursed himself for letting the question come up. Every time he pictured her with Lowell was another instance where Will validated Rich’s purpose in choosing Megan. The last thing he wanted was for anything like that to come between them.
Will put his hand on Megan’s back as Cora Lee approached them, feeling the stiffness in her body and wondering why Megan always tensed around his stepmother.
“Any further tasks you like for us to do?” he teased Cora Lee, hoping to ease the hostility between the women.
