by Sara Orwig
Could she stick by what she had told him? She reminded herself again to resist his charm. Get through the next few nights and this job would be over, she told herself, and she might not ever see him again.
He seemed willing to dance the night away, continuing without a word about going home. She hadn’t danced like this in a long time—fast, constant, energetic. The more they danced, the more vitality and energy seemed to radiate from him. It was after midnight when she pointed out the time.
“Let’s go home, Allison,” he said, leaning close to her ear. “The band will be quitting soon anyway.”
As soon as she nodded, Jared took her hand and they headed toward their table. Minutes later, they stepped into the cool night. Music and light spilled out with them, and Jared caught her, spinning her around on the wooden front porch of the sprawling honky-tonk.
She danced with him, their boot heels scraping the floorboards of the porch until he pulled her to him, and she laughed, bracing her hands against his chest.
“C’mon,” he said, taking her hand.
She rushed down the steps to keep up with his long legs.
“Lady, that’s the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”
“I agree,” she admitted, receiving a wide grin from him and knowing she shouldn’t encourage him.
They talked all the way to the mansion, and inside agreed to have hot chocolate and some cookies. Vitality still oozed from him, and she sat and talked, aware the hour was growing really late but hating to end the evening.
Finally she stood, holding her empty mug. “Jared, the sun will be coming up soon. I need to get some sleep.”
He came to his feet, picking up his mug and an empty plate. “All right, darlin’. Let’s go to bed.”
His words evoked the sizzling reaction she was certain he intended.
Ignoring him, she placed her mug in the kitchen sink. He draped his arm lightly across her shoulders as they climbed the stairs. At the door to her room, he turned her to face him, slipping his arm around her waist.
“Tonight was even greater than I expected. It’s good to be with you, Allison.”
“I had a wonderful time, too. I haven’t been dancing like that since college. Thanks for the evening,” she said, thinking how polite they each sounded. Yet as she stood there looking into his green eyes, desire was hot, palpable and tugging at her. When her gaze lowered to his mouth, her heartbeat quickened. In spite of all her reasons to avoid more sensual encounters with him, she wanted to kiss him.
Inhaling deeply, she glanced up to catch him looking at her mouth and then meeting her gaze. She couldn’t wait for him to kiss her. As if she had no control over herself, she moved slightly closer to him, reaching up to place her hand on his shoulder.
“Allison.” His whisper coaxed her closer, his husky tone enveloping her.
Her breath left her as she slipped her hand to his nape and watched him lean toward her. Wanting him more than ever, she closed her eyes. Reason shattered and desire burned while she stepped into his embrace. His arm tightened around her waist. His mouth opened hers, and his tongue played over her lips, before he kissed her deeply in a heart-stopping, breathtaking kiss.
He had to feel and hear her pounding heart. How could a kiss conjure up such magic as to melt her resistance? Wrapping both arms around his neck, she clung tightly, pressing against him even before his hand slipped over her bottom and then pulled her closer.
His hand caressed her throat and gradually slipped lower to unfasten the buttons of her shirt and allow him access. Finally, pushing away her lacy bra, he cupped her breast. His hands were warm, caressing her. Moaning with pleasure, she tugged at the buttons on his shirt and then ran her hand across his chest, tangling her fingers in his thick mat of chest hair.
His passionate kisses deepened while he walked her backward into her suite. Continuing to kiss her, he swept her into his arms to carry her to the bed.
Summoning willpower, she grasped his shoulders. “I can’t, Jared,” she whispered. “This isn’t what I came to do,” she said, wanting him more than she ever had.
He put her down on the bed. His green eyes had darkened with passion while his mouth was red from their kisses. Locks of black hair tumbled over his forehead. His unbuttoned shirt was open, revealing his muscled chest. Longing tore at her to pull him down to the bed, to kiss him senseless and make love for the rest of night.
He slowly straightened, standing in silence to look down at her. “I’ll do what you want,” he whispered. “But someday, you won’t tell me no.”
Her heart thudded. She wanted to toss caution, wisdom, everything aside and risk a broken heart, but she held back. Fighting what she wanted with all her heart, she stared silently at him as he stepped away. His jeans bulged, and he looked like a man interrupted in the throes of making love.
“You know what you want,” he whispered.
She fisted her hands to keep from reaching for him. For another long minute they stared at each other. Then he gave her a sweeping glance and left, closing the door behind him.
She sat up, clinging to the bed, telling herself not to run after him or call out to him. “Let him go,” she whispered to herself. “Let him go.” He would break her heart in every way. She couldn’t deal with his lifestyle, and she couldn’t have a casual affair. At this point in her life, she was ready for marriage. She wondered if he truly would ever be ready for a deep, lasting commitment. As for his lifestyle—his wild hobbies could be devastating. She wanted a quiet, ordinary life with a man who loved her. A man whose biggest risk was to drive on a vacation.
If only she didn’t have this intense, hot reaction to Jared.
Still now her mouth tingled, and her body was on fire. Every nerve sizzled. She wanted his kisses and caresses even more because she already knew the ecstasy of his lovemaking. Why had she found this in Jared, someone so totally unsuitable for her?
Shaking her head, she slipped off the bed and went to shower, moving automatically with her thoughts on Jared and her body still vibrating from his touch. She had more than a week to go with him. Maybe weeks. Should she let go, take some risks herself?
An hour later she lay in darkness, still in torment, continuing to long for him while sleep eluded her. She glanced toward the door. “Are you sleeping, Jared?” she whispered.
* * *
Sunday they flew to Dallas and she took the day off, driving to her condo, which was near her family home. Relieved to be away from Jared and temptation, she left later to spend the evening with her dad.
Early Monday, she’d received a text message from Jared telling her that he had gone to his office and would see her in the late afternoon. She followed his directions to his home, in a gated community of multimillion-dollar estates.
As soon as she gave the gatekeeper her name, large iron gates swung open. She followed the winding drive through an area thick with oaks until the road curved and only a few scattered ones remained in view. All her attention was drawn to the three-story Greek Revival mansion with wings, a wide porch across the front, a portico in the center entrance and tall, graceful Corinthian columns along the porch. The mansion was not what she had imagined Jared would own. She had envisioned something smaller, less breathtaking, less imposing that matched his laid-back personality. He had grown up in a home very much like her own, only a few blocks away from her family home. That was still what she had pictured him living in, not this magnificent mansion.
She parked in front, and the wide door opened. A tall sandy-haired man invited her inside. “Miss Tyler, I’m Stan Pinchly, Marline’s husband. Please call me Stan. If you’ll follow me, Jared has already left for his office.”
“Thank you,” she said, following him along a wide hallway that held a rectangular reflecting pool with a splashing fountain, marble floors, potted palms and oil paintings along the
walls. A curving staircase led to the second floor, and she followed Stan into the living area of a suite of rooms.
“I’ll bring your things up, and if you need anything, just let me know.”
“Thank you, Stan,” she replied, looking at sunlight spilling through wide windows, highlighting a fruitwood sofa upholstered in bright red poppies with two red wingback chairs and a fruitwood rocker. Shelves of books lined one wall of the room, while art hung on the others. She walked through to the large bedroom, her gaze on an imposing four-poster bed that stopped her in her tracks. She couldn’t help but picture herself in it with Jared, his arms wrapped around her, the sheets a tangled mass.
Trying to erase the torrid image, she shook her head. But it persisted.
Jared was even more appealing than he had been when she had been eighteen. And far more dangerous to her heart now. They were getting to know each other, and the more time they spent together, the more she wanted to be with him.
Tonight, would she be able to resist his kisses? Did she even want to? Despite his opinion, they could never be called harmless. Not at all. They were the beginnings of a powerful seduction.
Five
Jared entered the restaurant and headed through the main lobby for the room reserved for their business breakfast club. He passed a splashing fountain and pots of ficus trees, his footsteps cushioned by the thick, deep blue carpet.
The club had two dozen members. Each one had achieved millionaire status or more, and Jared had known eight of them since high school or earlier, including Sloan, his closest friend.
Jared entered the private room where long, linen-covered tables formed a U shape in front of mahogany-paneled walls. Paintings of hunting scenes with hounds and men on horses hung on the walls, each picture in an oversize dark wood frame. Near the tables, members stood in clusters, some with morning drinks of orange juice or Bloody Marys in their hands.
Across the room, Sloan stood in a circle of men and waved, motioning Jared over. As Jared greeted other members and walked around the room toward his friend, he thought of Allison’s silky blond hair. Sloan had no such inheritance. His straight light brown hair was combed neatly away from his face. He did not have Allison’s indigo eyes, but a far lighter shade of blue. There was a faint facial resemblance in their bone structure, but no one would pick them out of the crowd as brother and sister.
Tall, broad shouldered, Sloan was a great friend, except where his sister was concerned. When it came to Allison, Sloan lost his calm balance and became far more the mother bear than a mother hen.
Wearing a pin-striped tailor-made suit, Sloan looked the successful businessman he was, but Jared still saw the gangly friend who was competitive in sports, ready for fun on the weekends and a class-A worrier, who throughout college always saw to it that they had a designated driver from parties and bars.
“I thought maybe you would be in Houston,” Sloan said, shaking hands in greeting with Jared, looking intently at his friend.
“No, I’m right here at home. Your sister is taking inventory, and she said your dad will do the research. She sends the info and pictures back to him on her laptop.” He had no plan to let Sloan in on the secret that Allison was in Dallas.
“She’s been a tremendous help to him, and she enables him to keep the business, which is good. We’re all happy about that. I figured you’d go rushing down there to see what she’s doing.”
“I hired her to deal with the house.” He clapped his friend on the shoulder. “So how are the little Tylers?” Jared asked, knowing Sloan would stop thinking about Allison if the subject of his children came up.
“Virginia and Megan still treat Jake like their doll. He loves the attention, so they’re all happy. I expect this to last until he’s old enough to get into their things.” Sloan pulled out his phone and touched it, holding it for Jared to look. “This picture was taken last night.”
Jared looked at Sloan’s wife, Leah, her mop of curly brown hair framing her face. She held all three children, with the baby in the middle and both little girls on each side. Virginia had Leah’s thick curls while Megan had silky blond hair and big eyes, making Jared think of Allison.
“Good-looking family, Sloan. That’s great.”
“It’s super great,” he said, putting away the phone. “Having a five-year-old, a three-year-old and a one-year-old keeps Leah hopping.”
“Keeps you busy, too.”
He nodded. “But never too busy.” He leaned in toward Jared and said in a conspiratorial tone, “I’ve got some property that will go on the market in a few months that’s right by your office. You might want to look at it sometime.”
“Sure, I do. Where is it—the old building to the north?” Jared asked, thankful they had moved on to other topics.
“Here come the Delaneys,” Sloan said, giving a slight wave, and Jared turned to see Will, Zach, Ryan and his brother-in-law, Garrett Cantrell, with them. They were all tall men. Zach bore little resemblance to his brothers that Jared could see with his curly brown hair and blue eyes. It still was difficult to believe the demolition man had stopped traveling to jobs all over the world and settled into married life without a grumble.
As they greeted each other, Sloan smiled. “It’s good to see all of you. Seems like at least one of you has missed the past few breakfasts. How’s the family, Will? How’s little Caroline and the baby?”
“They’re great. Ava said Caroline is a big help to her, so that’s good. Caroline loves little Adam.”
“It’s nice you named your baby for your older brother, Caroline’s daddy,” Jared said. “You’ve been a super uncle to her after Adam’s death, and now you’re really a dad to her. You’re doing a great job.”
“Thanks, Jared. Caroline loves having her little brother named for Adam. To her, he’s not a half brother, he’s just her brother. All of us like having another Adam in the family.”
“That’s great. We’ll have to get together,” Jared said. “I haven’t seen the Delaney families for a while. We’ll have a shindig soon.” He glanced around. “It looks as if the breakfast buffet is set up. Everyone ready?”
As they joined the line that was forming, Jared fell into step beside Ryan. “We’ll leave the old married men to themselves. At the moment they’re looking at kid pictures.” Ryan grabbed a plate and began piling on food.
“Ryan, I’ve been to Houston. The house is filled with such beautiful old things that I—”
“Jared, don’t even ask again. None of us want anything,” Ryan said, shaking his head and smiling. “Do what you want with your inheritance.”
“All right. Soon you won’t even have a choice.”
“Suits me fine.” He added more to his plate. “In August I’m riding in a rodeo in Tombstone. Any chance you’ll be participating, too?”
“That rodeo is not on my calendar, so maybe you’ll win one this year.”
Ryan grinned. “Now if I can just find a third one, I’ll have a banner year with my winnings.”
“That’s a positive outlook,” Jared teased as Ryan again turned his attention to the food spread before them.
Jared thought he might get through breakfast and away without Sloan mentioning his sister again, but as they left the restaurant, Sloan turned to him. “Hey, buddy, sorry I bugged you about Allison.”
Jared laughed as he shook his head. “No, you’re not sorry. If I left here for Houston, you’d call me tonight and start quizzing me.”
Sloan shrugged. “Maybe so. I just have to take care of my family. She’s an innocent, and you’re a wild man who would break her heart in every way.”
“As I recall, your sister’s over twenty-one, and I suspect she can take care of herself plenty well.”
“Allison is a worrier just like I am.”
“What’s this? Worry runs in the family?
Worry is not an inherited trait, my friend.”
“The propensity to worry may be inherited.” He reached out to shake hands with his friend. “It was good to see you, Jared.”
“You too, though I feel sorry for Virginia and Megan when they start dating. What a dad you’ll be for your girls to bring some boy home to.”
Sloan smiled. “Maybe I’ll mellow out by then.”
“You’ll be worse. I’ll call you about that property.”
“Okay. See you,” Sloan said as Jared walked away to his car. He felt no guilt for not telling Sloan that Allison was also in Dallas. Sloan would find out soon enough, and besides, it would save him from worrying.
His thoughts shifted to Allison and his step quickened. He was going to the office for a couple of appointments, but he wanted to get through with them and get home as soon as he could. He wanted to be with her, and he already missed her as if they had been separated days instead of overnight.
* * *
Throughout the morning, Allison prowled the first floor of his mansion. Marline cooked, but had already told Allison that she and Stan would leave at noon. Jared had said he would have to be gone until late afternoon, which suited her. For the afternoon she would be alone and probably could work faster. Later, she would be alone with Jared, a prospect that made her tingle.
His home was beautiful. She far preferred it to his inherited mansion. There was more light, more windows, giving the house an airier feel. The antiques he had took her breath away. Apparently they had the same taste, and Jared had acquired some fantastic furniture and pieces.
At two o’clock she was in the study when she heard the bell at the front door. If Jared had expected someone, he would have told her. She assumed it was a delivery that had been approved to get past the gatekeeper.
On her way to the door, she glanced out a window and saw a long black limo at the curb, and her curiosity grew. Was Jared out there with a limo?
When she opened the door, she looked into the light brown eyes of the most beautiful auburn-haired woman she had ever seen. Tall, with a full figure, she wore a clingy white suit. Allison knew instantly she was facing Dawn Rainsford, whose eyes narrowed as she stared at Allison.
