Harlequin Special Edition July 2013 - Bundle 1 of 2: Marooned with the MaverickHer McKnight in Shining ArmorCelebration's Bride

by Christine Rimmer

  “What do you think of the place?” His voice was husky, impatient.

  “The place” was masculine, with dresser and nightstands in dark wood. The comforter was a geometric pattern of black and beige. The floor was wood, a stain that complemented the furniture. The space suited Alex.

  “It’s very you.”

  He met her gaze. “Is that good or bad?”

  “I’ll let you know.”

  When he finished with the bedding and the sheets were exposed, he came back to her. The sun was going down and shadows crawled into the room, but she could see the intensity in his eyes, and it set her on fire.

  He knelt down in front of her and their eyes met. “Do you want to leave?”

  “No.” The word was just a whisper.

  He smiled then leaned forward and kissed her. She really liked the touch of his mouth against the corner of hers, the way he touched the side of her nose and trailed nibbling kisses across her cheek and down her neck to... Oh, my, she loved it when he found that spot just beneath her ear that drove her insane.

  “Alex—” Her head fell back, exposing her neck to his attention to detail. He was panting, his breath fractured, and hers was an echo of it.

  “I want to undress you.”

  Every word penetrated her skin and turned her blood to liquid fire. “What’s stopping you?”

  “For one thing, you’re sitting.”

  “Yeah. Sorry. I dropped the crutches.” She rubbed her thumb across the pounding pulse point in his neck. “As an architect, I’ve learned that every problem has a fix.”

  “Oh?” His mouth quirked up in a lopsided grin. “And what’s your solution, hotshot?”

  “Just put me where you want me.” Ellie watched the fire in his eyes burn hotter.

  He smiled, then stood and lifted her in his arms before settling her on the bed. Then he put one knee down and moved toward her like a predator. He straightened over her and grabbed the hem of his T-shirt, yanking it over his head before tossing it into one of the shadows darkening the floor. Seconds later he reached over and pulled off her shirt, launching it somewhere in the vicinity of his.

  Ellie held her breath as he stretched out a hand to get to her bra closure. With a flick of his fingers he released it then dragged the straps down her arms. Heat flashed in his eyes as he looked at her. As if unable to resist, he slowly reached out and with his index finger, traced a circle around the peak of her left breast.

  “Perfect,” he breathed.

  “I know what you mean,” she said, brushing her finger over the contours of his chest.

  Then he was backing off the bed, and disappointment clutched its way through her. “Where are you going?”

  “Not far.”

  He opened a drawer in the nightstand and pulled out a square foil packet. Condom. Later she would think about the fact that he didn’t bring women here but had them, anyway. About whether he kept them for the occasional female guest or it was a recent precaution because of her. The sight of him releasing his belt and dragging off jeans and boxers drove every other thought from her mind. His skin was bronze and his muscles rippled. He was all man and for this moment in time he was all hers.

  She held out her arms and he instantly came back to her, folding her against him. They were chest to chest, skin to skin and her senses hummed with the pleasure of it. Vaguely she was aware of him sliding his thumb inside the waistband of her shorts. Gotta love elastic. But she lay back on the mattress and lifted her hips, helping to speed this up. She couldn’t ever remember wanting something as much as she wanted him right now.

  In seconds she was as naked as he and felt him cup her right breast, holding the peak as he lowered his head and took the straining tip into his mouth. She closed her eyes as he tugged gently, repeatedly filling her with pleasure-fueled tension. Squirming, her body took over, hips instinctively straining to let him know what she wanted.

  “Alex—”

  Just his name spoken in that needy tone told him everything. He rolled away, and she heard the efficient rip of the packet he’d set beside them. In the next instant, he settled his body over hers, his leg scraping the cast. The touch made him freeze, as if he’d just remembered.

  “Oh, God, Ellie— Did I hurt you?”

  “No. I’m fine. Don’t stop.” She settled her hands on the warm skin at his waist, urging him to keep going.

  Very carefully he lowered his body over hers. She rested her palm on his chest, letting the dusting of hair tickle her fingers while she felt the thump of his wildly beating heart. Then they were skin to skin again as he slowly filled her and took her mouth at the same time.

  It was as if they were the only two people in the universe. All the problems, the conflicts, were outside this bed where he was making love to her.

  He pulled his mouth away and lifted slightly, relieving her of some of his weight as he began to rock against her. The friction brushed and caressed her nerve endings and built the tension until there was no holding back. All the while she’d been fighting this, pressure had built up inside her just waiting to be released. Now pleasure poured through her in a soul-shattering liberation and he held her gently, cupping the back of her head in his palm.

  When her tremors subsided, he pressed deeper inside her, lengthening the thrusts until he shuddered. He pressed her to him as he found his release, and it felt as if he’d never let her go. Time seemed to stop as they lay in each other’s arms, then finally Alex stirred and softly kissed her.

  “I’ll be right back.” He pulled the sheet up over her naked body, the same protective gesture as the last time.

  She nodded and her eyes drifted closed, but somewhere close by she knew when a light went on, then off again. There was just enough time to wonder if this would be like the last encounter on his boat, when she’d dressed in a hurry and left. Except she was sort of stuck in his bed, because her crutches were on the floor in the kitchen. Before she could come up with a fix to the problem, he slid in and nestled her to his side.

  What the heck, she thought, then relaxed and rested her cheek on his chest. This was different. Neither of them said anything for a few moments, then both spoke at once.

  “I didn’t mean for that to happen—”

  “What am I going to do with you?” He sighed, then said, “Normally it’s ladies first with me, but I’ve got something to get off my chest.”

  She thought about drawing his attention to the fact that she was on his chest, but figured that wasn’t what he meant. “Okay. You first.”

  “It has to be acknowledged that our verbal agreement not to sleep together is a complete and utter failure.”

  “I noticed,” she said. “Normally I’m a much higher achiever than this.”

  “I know what you mean. But it can be explained.”

  “Oh?”

  He rubbed his chin over her hair. “There’s no point in denying that I’m attracted to you.”

  Ellie wasn’t sure whether or not that was a good thing, but it was definitely mutual. And this confirmed what she’d suspected, that he’d been fighting it just as she had. It would explain condoms at the ready when he normally took himself on a long weekend out of town to scratch that itch.

  “And I guess the fact that I’m in your bed makes it pointless to deny that I find you just the tiniest bit attractive, too.” Being draped over his chest, she felt the vibration of his laughter. “So, in deference to the agreement we made, I’ll move back to my apartment.”

  “It’s still upstairs,” he pointed out.

  “I’m on the mend. I’ll just hop. Or crawl.”

  He thought about that. “You’re Texas tough and could probably do that, but not if you had to carry anything. Like food, for instance. Or any other supplies required to live on your own. Hair product alone would require a crane.”

  “Very funny.” But she could see what he meant. “Maybe I could have stuff delivered?”

  “Even if that kind of service was available in a town as
small as Blackwater Lake, I don’t think it’s wise, logistically speaking, to go that route. What with a little less than a month left in the cast, it’s not worth the risk of doing further damage. That could delay the medical clinic expansion and, as previously established, neither of us wants that,” he added.

  Again she got his drift. “Then we’ll just have to try harder so this doesn’t happen again—”

  “I’ve got another idea.”

  “Okay. Let’s hear it.” She couldn’t imagine any other alternative, but was open to possibilities.

  He brushed his thumb over her upper arm raising tingles that went to her toes. “We already broke our word once. To avoid the guilt of doing it again, and the negative self-esteem issues generated by another failure, I propose that we just have a fling instead.”

  “What?” She couldn’t believe she’d heard right. It was a good thing Ellie wasn’t on her feet. The shock of those words would have landed her on her backside. “Alex, you know as well as I do why we agreed sex wouldn’t work—”

  “I thought we did it just fine.”

  “You know that’s not what I meant.”

  “Just hear me out.” He was quiet for a moment and she was speechless so the silence stretched between them. “The thing is, you have your concerns and I have mine. But we also like each other. Right?”

  “Yes,” she conceded. But he was advocating making it more and that was probably stupid.

  “So we give in and get this out of our systems. Have fun. No strings attached. No one gets hurt. When Mercy Medical Clinic comes to a successful conclusion, so will we.”

  “Because I’m leaving town.” She knew that meant he didn’t have to leave to get what he wanted the way he usually did. And she liked that there wouldn’t be anyone else for him during that time.

  “Right.”

  “We both go back to our regularly scheduled lives.” She was thinking out loud.

  “See? We’re already thinking the same way.”

  “Let me see if I have this right.” She was kind of glad that in this position, she didn’t have to look at him. “Y’all are suggesting a physical relationship based on friendship and pleasure without emotional entanglements. In other words, I should act like a man.”

  “Well, you’ve got the basic idea, but I’d prefer you act like yourself.”

  That made her smile. One of the things she liked best about him was his ability to do that.

  Ellie thought over what he’d proposed. Resisting Alex hadn’t worked very well, and putting her heart all the way into the last relationship had been a disaster. It was easier and more convenient to stay here with him except for the pesky attraction going on. Since she was going back to Texas when the job ended, there didn’t seem to be a lot to lose. By definition, flings had a short shelf life.

  “I like your room, Alex.” She snuggled closer. “Count me in.”

  * * *

  Alex slapped his cell phone closed and resisted the urge to throw it across the construction trailer. The supplier had asked for an extra two days and he was acting as if it was two years. Having great sex with Ellie the past three nights should have made him a whole lot more relaxed than he was. Watching her through the trailer window from his desk inside, he was trying to figure out why he wanted to put his fist through a wall.

  Maybe it would help him find some peace in breaking his own rule. He was having fun, all right, and enjoying the hell out of Ellie Hart in his bed until the next day at work when he couldn’t take his eyes off her. It was a bad time to notice that having a fling with her came with complications.

  Before he took that thought further, he spotted his brother the doctor headed this way. In the white lab coat and green scrubs he stood out from the construction crew like a fly in milk.

  Then the trailer door opened and Ben McKnight walked inside. “Hi, big brother.”

  Grateful for the distraction, Alex stood and walked around his desk to shake hands. “Hey. To what do I owe the honor of a visit from Blackwater Lake’s best orthopedic specialist?”

  “I’d be flattered if I wasn’t the only specialist in town. I just came over to see you because I could.”

  Funny, Alex thought. He’d been working on Mercy Medical clinic for a while, and the only times he’d seen his brother were when Ellie broke her ankle and at the tour to update him on the progress of the project.

  “I wasn’t looking forward to the construction process, but it hasn’t interfered with seeing patients at the clinic. It’s going better than I expected,” Ben said.

  Alex knew people thought the two McKnight brothers could be twins, but he didn’t see it. They were both a little over six feet tall with brown eyes and dark hair, but Ben had their father’s nose and mouth. Alex’s features favored his mother. Before she died, she’d taken care of everyone, and he’d easily stepped into the role when she was gone. Going to California had been a rebellion, an attempt to shake off the responsibility. But the way he’d stepped up with Ellie was making him wonder if the tendency wasn’t hardwired into his DNA.

  “Alex?”

  The expression on Ben’s face made it clear he was waiting for a response to a question, but Alex had no idea what he’d said. He didn’t usually zone out, and it was particularly annoying in front of his brother.

  “Sorry. Got a lot on my mind. What did you say?”

  “The clinic expansion looks like it’s coming along really well.”

  They’d been through this when he updated both of the clinic doctors. “We’re a little ahead of schedule.”

  That’s what made his reaction to an insignificant delay in a relatively minor list of supplies so surprising.

  “Great.” Ben rested his hands on lean hips. His stethoscope was draped around his neck. “Isn’t that unusual?”

  “Stuff always happens and you try to pad the time frame a little for the client just in case. But there are also factors that can work in your favor.”

  “Such as?”

  “Working with a good architect.”

  Alex recalled his brother calling Ellie a belle from the Lone Star state, all big hair, sexy Southern drawl and attitude. Except for the big hair, he’d been right on.

  “I saw Ellie talking to the construction crew on my way over here just now.”

  Alex glanced out the window and had no trouble finding her, thanks to that hot-pink cast. “She’s out there every day, charming every last ounce of work out of those guys, and they don’t even realize they’re being maneuvered. Shooting the breeze with them, remembering names and their kids’ names. Pep talks. I’ll bet she was a high school cheerleader.”

  “Impressive.” There was a definite spark of interest in Ben’s eyes.

  “And she does it all while hobbling around on those darn crutches. That doesn’t even slow her down anymore.”

  “She’s quite a woman,” his brother agreed.

  Alex felt his stomach knot up and knew exactly what had caused it. Jealousy. He recognized the feeling even after all this time. It’s the way he’d reacted when his wife had announced she was leaving him for the father of her baby. Anger had consumed him later, and he was pretty sure he’d hit all the stages of grief before reaching his current philosophy of not getting emotionally involved. It was safer that way.

  The thing was, he realized that Ben was trying to get a rise out of him for some reason. No way his brother would hit on Ellie since he was already in love with and engaged to another woman. Alex was determined not to give him any reaction.

  “So, how’s that fiancée of yours?” he asked.

  “Camille is fine. Working hard at the lodge.”

  “Have you two set a wedding date yet?”

  “Still trying to narrow that down. We want to be settled in the house first.”

  Alex had been the contractor, and he knew every square inch of his brother’s house because he’d personally supervised and inspected the work. “The painters are scheduled and finishing touches are all that’s left.�
��

  “Cam hired a decorator and they’re picking out colors, coordinating furniture and window coverings.” Ben shuddered, a clear indication he’d much prefer to deal with a compound leg fracture than swatches and paint chips. “She asks my opinion, which is always the same.”

  “And that is?”

  “If you like it, sweetheart, so do I. Or some variation of that.”

  “Smart man.”

  “So smart, in fact, I recognized that you deliberately changed the subject.”

  Alex thought his segue had been seamless and unnoticeable. Obviously he’d been wrong. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Ellie,” Ben reminded him cheerfully.

  He was enjoying this way too much. Or it could be retribution for the way Alex had mercilessly ribbed him during a rough patch in his relationship with Cam.

  Or there could be another reason.

  “What about Ellie?”

  “How’s she doing?”

  “You saw her on the way over here,” Alex reminded him. “What’s your professional opinion of how she is?”

  “Looks like she’s getting along fine, but I don’t live with her.”

  It didn’t come as a surprise that Ben knew of the arrangement. No way Sydney would keep the information to herself. This was as good a time as any to ask the question. “Did Syd put you up to this spontaneous visit?”

  “What?” Ben was trying too hard to look innocent and he wasn’t a very good actor.

  “You know what. Getting juicy tidbits about Ellie and me.”

  “Are there any juicy tidbits to be had?”

  Alex wanted to kick himself for walking right into that one. The fact that he and Ellie were having sex was a pretty significant tidbit and not one he planned to share. It was now his turn to pretend innocence. He would stick to the truth and avoid intimate details.

  “Ellie is good company. Tidy.”

  “And not hard on the eyes,” Ben added.

  “Very true.” Alex wished, not for the first time, that pretty was her only plus. But she was so much more than that. “And Martha says she doesn’t put on airs. She’s very down to earth.”