“Lucky you.”
Thinking of the challenging puzzle facing her, Elizabeth replied, “I’ll be busy but I think it’s going to be interesting too.”
“Not as interesting as hearing about that guy you won’t tell me about.”
Jack Harley was not open for discussion. “There’s nothing to tell. Gotta go.” She marched down the hall with Mandy’s call for her to have fun echoing behind her.
Back in her office, Elizabeth discovered a vase filled with daises on her desk. She buried her face in the soft, white petals, breathing in the heady scent.
Did escorts send flowers? If they did, the flowers probably would be gaudy long-stem red roses instead of sweet, endearing daises. And an escort would include the cost in his bill.
Assuming they were from her dad, she slipped the note off the clear plastic holder.
From Jack.
Chapter Ten
The bright, clean scent of straw mingled with worn leather and horses. An occasional bump of a water bucket, as one of the animals took a drink, broke the quiet.
Elizabeth scanned the inside of the barn, looking for him—her cowboy. Her heart pounded in expectation, its heavy rhythm pushing her blood so desperately it made her dizzy. With tremulous hands, she tried to shake the dampness from the floral cotton dress that clung to her legs and torso.
The sun had come up right after the storm and the tiny white buttons of her dress caught its long rays and blinked. Now that the intense storm had passed, the damp heat had become more oppressive.
She lifted her hair from her neck, hoping to catch even a light breeze but none whispered past to cool her. She crept further into the barn, seeking the shade it provided but the darkness did nothing to gentle the heat rising deep within her.
Instinctively, she knew he’d be riding in soon. Any minute…any second… Her body ached, her pussy tingled, as she imaged the way his rough hands would skim over her body. How he’d hold her firmly when he thrust his rock-hard cock into her.
“I knew you’d be here.”
Elizabeth spun.
With the dazzling sunshine at his back, she couldn’t see his face but still her pulse leaped as she moved toward him.
Mounted on his horse, he was more rough and rugged than she had remembered. A plump raindrop rolled off his hat and streamed into the collar of the long duster draped over his powerful body.
With practiced ease, he swung out of the saddle and lifted the reins over the horse’s head to guide the animal to a small corral beside the barn. He shrugged off the rain-soaked coat, flung it onto a wide hook hanging on the wall. His sweat-soaked shirt molded to his work-hard muscles.
The cowboy strode back to the animal, his hips shifting and his long legs jerked with each stride. The image made her needy ache turn to a slow, needy burn. Her mouth went dry and she sucked in a shaky breath.
He loosened the cinch, lifted the saddle from the horse. After he laid it on a horizontal rail he moved back to the animal to remove the bridle.
With a swish of its tail, it trotted out into the corral.
“Come on over here,” he said, confident she would do as he commanded.
Elizabeth dropped the single daisy she’d been holding and rushed to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and instinctively spreading her legs slightly. When his lips covered hers, she moaned, arching back and pressing firmly into him.
With a low growl, he lifted his mouth from hers and swung one arm down to sweep her off the ground. She clung to him as he carried her into the barn. His collarbone rubbed against her cheek but she kept still, breathing in his heady masculine smell—soap and clean, outdoor air.
His kicked open an empty stall door, dropping to his knees and spreading her across a bed of straw.
As soon as he let go, Elizabeth glanced up. Her heart stalled with confusion. It wasn’t her cowboy. It was another man, one with brown hair and knowing green eyes, a man who was vaguely familiar.
He held her gaze only a second longer before scanning the neckline of her dress. Her breath caught in her throat, her pussy flashed with heat, aching and needy. He laid the back of his hand on her neck then ran his fingers across her collarbone. His warmth burned through her skin. That light touch wasn’t enough.
She wanted more, even from this stranger.
He knew what she wanted. He loosened the top button of the damp dress. Mesmerized, she watched his suntanned fingers work each button loose. After he freed each one, he kissed her lightly, taking his time to admire the way her nipples peaked perfectly, awaiting his touch. The last button popped apart and he pulled her dress off her shoulders, gently shoving it halfway down her arms, tangling her in the cotton.
His insatiable gaze roamed over her thin, white lace bra and bare stomach. When he shifted his gaze to hers, his eyes were dark with commanding desire.
She needed him to push her deeper into the pile of straw, make love to her. Yet remained motionless.
What was he waiting for? What did he want?
Elizabeth studied his expression but all she found was desire that matched her own. She found nothing to tell her what to do next. Female instinct told her that if she didn’t please him, he’d go. Leaving her trembling with need and desire. Unsatisfied.
She tried to shrug out of her dress but the damp fabric stuck to her arms, clinging and refusing to let go. When she looked up, he was watching her.
In a blinding flash, she knew who he was. Her heart beat faster, so hard that she thought her chest might burst. Again she struggled against the material of her dress but it held firm and unyielding.
It was too late. He was backing away, leaving her alone with her wants.
With a moan of anguish, she cried for him…
—
Elizabeth fought against the sheets twisting around her shoulders. She blinked against the darkness and after a couple of seconds, her eyes adjusted to the night. The glowing digital clock read twelve o’clock.
With a disgusted sigh, she dropped onto the stiff hotel pillows.
What’s wrong with me?
Even though she was alone, she blushed as she relived the details of her dream. The cowboy, the flowered dress, the rain, even her own desperate longing, it was like something out of a Fifties paperback.
And she’d been right smack in the middle of it. Aching with needy desire.
Elizabeth didn’t like things that didn’t make sense. She really didn’t like losing control. Thoughts, even dreams, should fit into a person’s vision for life. They should reflect goals, hopes.
That dream didn’t tell her anything, except that she had been thinking about sex entirely too much. Who could blame her though, with a man like Jack Harley showing up and doing outrageous things to her? How was she supposed to be thinking?
She tugged at the sheet and blanket. Getting annoyed with him didn’t make sense. It wasn’t his fault. After all, she’d initiated the whole thing by coming to him in the first place. Thinking about sex was a natural progression of things.
Things. Like wanton kisses and dark, rough men?
It wasn’t that she wanted to give up her business suits and become a rancher’s wife. It was… What? What was her subconscious trying to tell her?
As she smoothed the bedding, she struggled to remember the last images of the dream. Whatever had happened had startled her enough to wake her up.
Finally, it hit.
She’d been so concerned about what kind of man she wanted, that she’d never stopped to consider what kind of man might want her. And once they found each other, what could she do to entice him into staying around?
This question set up a whole new dilemma. Obviously, going by the way she acted in her dream, she had no ideas.
Reluctantly, she added a new goal to her list. Now, not only did she have to figure out what kind of man she wanted but she also had to figure out what kind of man would want her. That and what to do with him once she got him.
Could she attract a man?
> If she couldn’t, she might have to take her mother up on that offer to get to know Hale Crompton.
Elizabeth Crompton.
She shivered. That would never do. She wasn’t going to give up her dream of passion and happily ever after just because an unknown variable had been thrown into the mix. What to do about this latest issue? How did a woman go about discovering whether or not she had what it took?
Naturally, she thought of Jack. She did seem to have an impact on him.
Elizabeth turned to the glowing clock. Twelve twenty-six. If she went back to sleep she’d probably have another dream featuring Jack Harley. There was no telling what scenario her brain would cook up next. A moonlit beach with her wearing nothing but a tiny, black bikini? Jack rising up from the pounding surf splashing toward her with powerful strides?
No, not Jack. She had to keep herself from thinking about things in terms of Jack Harley. She needed to start thinking about all the other men in the world. One of those nameless men was her perfect mate and she had to find him. She only needed Jack to get her ready for the hunt.
Knowing several hours of late-night reading lay ahead, she climbed out of bed to get her book. She found it on top of the stack of copies she’d made at the St. Louis office of Anderson Airways.
Unfortunately, Mrs. Anderson’s suspicions about Michael Mackenzie were right on. He’d been embezzling money for the past nine months. Small amounts at first but he must’ve gotten hooked because the more recent amounts were quite large. The man must not have thought much of Ms. Anderson’s abilities, because he hardly did anything to cover his trail. After a couple entries didn’t match up, Elizabeth made a guess and dug deeper into the fuel records.
Her hunch paid off. He’d been using receipts to skim off money. With any luck, she’d get what she needed to confirm her suspicions at the Chicago office and be on her way back to Houston within a day or two.
Then it was time to take things with Jack to the next level.
—
Jack rolled his chair toward his office window but instead of admiring the city view he reread the directions he’d written down from the message Elizabeth left on his answering machine. The answering machine with the very plain message he’d recorded the morning after he and Elizabeth went to The Runner.
He tapped the top of the paper. He’d listened to the message three times. Something in her voice was different. Aggressive? He rubbed his neck. If that was it, that could mean only one thing. She’d uncovered the truth.
During the past ten days, he’d discovered something that made their situation even more tangled than he’d realized. Ms. Malone and Elizabeth worked at the same place. If the two of them talked regularly about Steve, there was absolutely no way he could tell Elizabeth who he was. Their relationship would put Mandy’s case in jeopardy. Not to mention what it would do to his reputation in Houston.
Stuffing the note with directions to the bar into his pocket, he rehashed the situation again. He should’ve pointed out her mistake right away but after her proposition, what man could blame him for playing along? Now that he knew her better, he had even more to lose. A friendship, possibly more, that was beginning to mean more to him every time he thought of her.
That woman made him crazy. Take that workman bit. Digging up the plain navy clothes had been easy enough but he’d felt pretty stupid trudging through the lobby of her upscale office building dressed in a costume.
“Yo, Jack. Do you do any work in here, or do you sit around staring out the window?”
Jack spun at his cousin’s voice. “Hey.” He pointed to the chair across from his desk.
Denton strutted into the room and perched on the arm of the chair. Even away from the bar, he looked dark and scruffy. Damned if he wasn’t glad to see him anyway.
“Do tell,” Denton said, sweeping his shaggy hair out of his eyes. “What was the deal with that woman?”
Jack folded his arms across his chest. “What do you mean, the deal?”
“You made me an accomplice. So, what gives?”
“Like I told you at The Runner. You don’t get to know.”
“You’re going to keep up your end of the bargain aren’t you? You’re not going to back out of that dinner?”
Jack nodded. “I’m a man of my word.”
“Like I didn’t already know that.” Denton slipped two tickets out of his back pocket and tossed them onto the desk. “You owe me two hundred bucks.”
“Two hundred dollars?” Before, back in Dallas, the expense would’ve been a no-brainer but now, as he was starting own practice, money was tight.
“It’s for charity, man, don’t complain.”
Jack eyed his cousin’s beat-up leather jacket and faded jeans. “Since when do you care about charity?”
Denton flashed that smile that always served as a warning. Jack knew the answer before it tumbled out of his mouth. “Me, I’m my own charity case but a certain woman I know cares about the organization putting it on. I can’t remember if we’re saving manatees or eagles…or children. But it’s something like that.”
“You actually hooked up with a decent woman for once?”
Denton’s mouth curled into a sinful grin. “Don’t worry. She’s not too decent.”
“I’m amazed you can get a date at all.”
“Women like guys like me. Maybe you ought to try it and see what it gets you.”
“Try what?”
“Living on the edge, not taking life so seriously, you know.”
“No, I don’t know.”
Denton stretched out his arms, gesturing to the clean white walls of the office. “That’s the problem with you.”
“I said I’d go to the dinner. That doesn’t mean I have to listen to your assessment of my lifestyle.”
“You don’t have a lifestyle.” He thumped on the desk. “You have work.”
“Not that I have to explain this to you but that’s why I left Dallas.”
“You do want to cut lose and have some fun? I bet that little hottie will be more than happy to show you how.”
“She isn’t that kind of woman.”
Denton shook his head. “You’re wrong about that, cousin. I saw the way she was ogling that cowboy. She’s primed and ready for a tumble.”
Jack scowled at Denton’s wording but he gave the comment some consideration. Knowing he might regret it, he asked, “Did she seem…interested?”
“Don’t go getting all girlish and emotional on me. Yes, cousin, she looked interested. I noticed how cozy you were over at the pool table.”
Jack wanted to regret being so physical in a public place but he didn’t. If he were to do the whole thing over again, he might’ve taken things even further. If only to push Elizabeth. As it was, if she’d found out the truth, he might never get another chance.
“I assume you’ll be at this dinner.”
“Wouldn’t miss my chance to help those less fortunate. Whoever, or whatever, they are. Anyway, the four of us will be at the same table.”
Jack didn’t like the sound of that. “The four of us?”
“Yeah, you, me and our girls.”
“Our girls?”
“Don’t be dense. Our dates. It’ll be chick heaven and I plan to take full advantage of the extra stars in my woman’s eyes. Bring your hottie, she’ll love it.”
Jack imagined Elizabeth seated across the table from Denton and his female of the week. “I don’t think it’d be such a good idea.”
“Well, cousin, you’d better bring somebody.” He swung his leg off the arm of the chair and sauntered toward the door. “I’ll be much too busy to waste my time talking to you.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“You will thank me. Later.”
With that he offered a half salute and disappeared. Right after Jack heard the office door click shut, the phone rang and he snatched it up.
“Hi. Mr. Harley? This is Mandy Malone.”
Jack grabbed a pen and a pad of paper. “What ha
ppened? You okay?”
“I’m fine. Really.” She paused, then rushed on. “I’m been thinking it over some more, since we talked yesterday and, I guess… I want to go ahead.”
The determination in her voice touched a nerve. “You sure something didn’t happen?”
“Nothing new. I’m fine. Really. Let’s just do it, okay?”
She had guts. “You’re doing the right thing.”
“Well, I don’t know,” she replied, her voice dropping until it almost disappeared. “I guess.”
“I have almost everything I need to get started. I’ll call you as soon as I hear something.”
He hated that an honest woman like Ms. Malone had to live through something like Steve Rawlings’ harassment but he was grateful for the case. It would be his first real opportunity to make a name for himself in Houston. He wanted people to know he was an attorney who stood up for what was right. Not some lawyer who’d sway whichever way suited his client.
When Jack replaced the blank legal pad, the tickets his cousin had forced on him caught his eye. Dinner Under the Stars. The event promised to be ”a magical evening of food, dancing and moonlit walks in the gardens”. It was exactly the type of thing that would be filled with local businessmen and a few politicians. People he needed to get connected with to get his practice off and running.
The tiny clock on his desk chimed. He had just enough time to get home and change before meeting Elizabeth. If he was lucky and she hadn’t already found out about him, he’d find a way to put the brakes on until Ms. Malone’s case was over. If Elizabeth had found out about him, he’d take what he had coming.
—
Silken jazz met Jack at the entrance of Monday Blues. He paused in the doorway, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the smoky darkness. His gut tensed while he searched the circle of tall tables surrounding the dance floor. No Elizabeth.
This wasn’t the best place for guys to pick up women. Almost everyone seemed to be in pairs. After surveying the scene and ruling out the tiny private patios past the dance floor, he decided the best place to wait was at the bar.
He found a stool near the end, so he could watch the door. Her selection of a quiet place was a good sign. If she was going to tell him off, she wouldn’t have chosen an intimate club.
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