by Francis Ray
A smile curving her lips, Raven extended her slim hand. “Pleased to meet you, Pierce. Ruth has told me so much about you.”
Only his love for his mother kept the smile on his face. “Good morning, Raven.” Ruth had tricked him. Again. And although he’d laughed about her match-making attempts in the past, this morning he wasn’t in the mood.
“Raven is trying to figure out her investments. I told her you’d help her,” Ruth said.
“I really do need your help.” Raven picked up a thick manila folder from her lap, drawing his attention to her legs and the skirt that stopped five inches above her knees. “My last investor advised me to keep making ‘pots’ of ten thousand dollars. I didn’t know until I read an article that he was getting a commission each time.”
Some of the tension went out of Pierce. Perhaps he had jumped to conclusions. “Unfortunately, it’s a common practice.”
“Pierce, sit down.” His mother nudged him toward the sofa. “I taught you better. Raven will get a crook in her neck.”
Or perhaps he hadn’t. He sat several inches away from Raven.
“I’ll go get the coffee.” His mother hurried away.
“I was hoping you could give me some advice. I’m single.” Raven lightly touched his bare arm. Despite the temperature being cool in the morning, in his rush to get there he’d pulled on a short-sleeved polo and jeans. “If I don’t get married, I’d like to make sure I have enough income to live comfortably when I retire.”
Some people were natural “touchers.” But the way Raven was looking at him was anything but natural. “A full financial analysis takes time.”
“I can come by your office.” She leaned closer. He smelled the floral-scented perfume she wore. “Or you can come to my place tonight.”
Time to set the ground rules. “Ms. Le Blanc. You should know that I don’t mix business with my social life.”
She placed the folder on the oak coffee table in front of them. “You could always refer me.”
“I think that would be best.” He came to his feet. “Sam Elliott is one of the best in the business, and he specializes in working with educators. He’s listed in the phone book.”
Raven rested her arms on the sofa, causing the yellow knit top she wore to tighten over her high breasts. “Then you aren’t interested?”
“No.”
“Pity.” Her arm lowered. “I’ll call him next week.”
Pierce’s mother entered with three cups of coffee on a wooden tray. “Here’s coffee. I’ll go start breakfast.”
Pierce took the tray and set it on the table. “Sorry, Mama. I have another appointment and can’t stay. I’ve given Ms. Le Blanc the name of an investment agent who can help her.”
“I wanted you,” his mother said.
“Yeah, I know.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Don’t worry about Sabra; I’ll pick her up for church. Goodbye.” He turned to the other woman. “Good-bye.”
Ruth walked him to the door, then closed it as he pulled off and went to the living room. “You were excellent.”
Raven came gracefully to her feet. “I almost wasn’t acting. If I were looking for a man, I might have been tempted. You have one gorgeous son.”
“But stubborn.” Ruth picked up the tray again. “We’ll take this into the kitchen. I took the quiche out of the oven when I went to get the coffee.”
Raven followed Ruth and took a seat at the round breakfast table. “What do you think he’ll do now?”
“Show me that I can’t choose a woman for him and fall all the way in love.”
“I CAN’T BELIEVE SHE SET ME UP,” PIERCE GROWLED as he paced in front of Sierra, who sat cross-legged on her free-flowing arched-design sofa in her condo several blocks from his.
“Mama isn’t the type to give up,” Sierra reminded him.
“Tell me something I don’t know.” Pierce reached one end of the sofa, turned, and continued to pace. “That woman was practically in my lap once Mama left the room.”
Sierra tucked her head to one side. “Most men would be flattered. Raven is quarter-blood Cherokee and French, has icepick cheekbones and the body and face of a pagan goddess. Her class on Native American history is filled to capacity. Mostly men.”
“She’s all right, I guess.”
Frowning, Sierra uncurled her legs and stood patiently until Pierce turned and almost bumped into her. “Pierce, she has those long legs men go gaga over, not to mention that face.”
“What has that to do with anything?” he asked, still annoyed at his mother.
“You, my selective brother, like tall, seductively built, exotic women. That describes Raven, and she’s brilliant. She earned her Ph.D. by the time she was twenty-three.”
“Should I ask why you know so much about her?”
Sierra stuck her tongue in her cheek and smiled. “Being aware of the going and coming of people is part of staying on top in the realtor game. When she first came here, Mama gave a reception at her house for her and I happened to drop by.”
“You’re her realtor, too?”
Sierra grinned and folded her arms. “Can I help it if I’m good at what I do?”
“Well, help me, and get Mama off my case.”
Unfolding her arms, she studied him. “You laughed about the other women she threw at you.”
“I’m not laughing this time.”
“I see, and I’d have to wonder why if I didn’t already know the answer.”
His eyes narrowed. “Don’t start.”
“Don’t you start falling,” she countered.
“We’re just enjoying each other’s company.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I told Mama I’d pick up Sabra for church.”
“Real smart, Pierce.”
“It was a reflex action,” he defended, then winced. He never made excuses for himself.
“Yeah, you wanted to show Mama she couldn’t pick a woman for you, but you forgot the implication of bringing Sabra to church with you, especially since you’ve never brought a woman before and our brothers will be sitting there with their wives.”
Pierce dropped his head and muttered, “What have I done?”
Sierra nudged him with her elbow. “Don’t worry; I’ll come to your rescue, just as you’d hoped. I’ll go with you and throw people off.”
“You’re as scary as ever, but thanks. I’ll drop back by and pick you up.” He went to the door. “I’d already invited Sabra to join us for brunch. And before you try to make something of it, she’s Mama’s guest and you brought her to the family table.”
Sierra made a face. “I might regret that.”
“She likes you,” he said, aware of his sister’s generous nature and good heart.
“Trouble is, I like her, too,” Sierra said. “She offered me a five-hundred-dollar belt that I was drooling over. It wasn’t to make points with you, either, but because she saw I wanted the darn thing.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. She cares about people.” He looked thoughtful. “She’s under a great deal of pressure and still dealing with her father’s death. She needs time just to kick back and relax.”
“You made your point.” Sierra opened the door. “Get out of here so I can get dressed.”
“You’re pretty special yourself,” he told her.
“Tell me something I don’t know.” The door closed.
Laughing, Pierce walked to the elevator.
SABRA WAS READY WHEN THE DOORBELL RANG. BIDding Isabella good-bye and instructing her to be good, Sabra opened the door. Surprise flickered across her face when she saw Sierra instead of Ruth.
“Good morning, Sabra. You’re riding with us instead of Mama.” Sierra bent down and petted Isabella’s head.
“Is your mother all right?” Sabra asked as she stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind her.
“Fine.” Sierra continued down the hallway. “Just a change of plans.”
Sabra glanced at Sierra in a midnight black Yves Saint Laurent knit suit
. “Love the outfit.”
“Thanks.” Sierra pushed the call button. The elevator door opened immediately and they stepped on. “Same here. I was never into swapping clothes growing up, but if you had been around that might have changed.”
Sabra laughed at the compliment. “But neither of our parents would have let us spend as much on clothes.”
Sierra ran her fingers up the hand-cut beads on the Yves Saint Laurent handbag outlined with black ostrich trim and gold chain that matched the suit. The cost of the outfit didn’t bear thinking about. “They gave us what we needed and, what was more important, love and unconditional support.”
Sabra sobered. “We have more than love of fashion in common.”
“I have to wonder, are we going to have more?” Sierra stepped off the elevator. “Pierce is waiting.”
Sabra cut a glance at Sierra, but she had walked ahead. Was she talking about Pierce? If so, did she approve? Although nothing would come of it, Sabra wanted them all to part as friends.
Pierce came around the SUV and opened the back door and the passenger door. The charcoal gray suit fit his broad shoulders and lean body perfectly. Sabra’s heart did a crazy little dance, reminding her of the restless night, her body yearning for the impossible, yet she hadn’t been able to help herself.
“Good morning.” Pierce greeted her with a heated smile that made her nerves dance and her skin warm. “I hope you slept well.”
“Good morning.” she managed, then made the mistake of glancing sideways and looked into the knowing eyes of Sierra. Quickly Sabra turned her heated face away to take her seat and fuss with her seat belt. Get a grip, Sabra, you’re going to church.
Pierce climbed into his seat and flicked the key in the ignition. Sabra stared at his strong, long-fingered hand and recalled the way he’d touched her. Heat zipped through her.
“You’re all right?” he asked.
“Fine.” She looked out the window and hoped this time she was telling the truth.
RUTH GRAYSON’S CHILDREN HAD LEARNED BEFORE they reached their teens never to underestimate her. Pierce watched his mother and Raven Le Blanc, now dressed in a prim navy blue suit, walk toward them and wondered why he had forgotten.
“Good morning,” Ruth greeted them, her face as innocent as an angel’s. “Sabra, I’d like for you to meet a friend and associate of mine, Raven Le Blanc.”
Pierce, standing beside Sierra, listened to the introductions, then glanced sideways at his sister. He wished he could ask her for her take on what was going on. Was Raven a smoke screen or his mother’s choice? If so, she had miscalculated this time. But on the heels of that thought came another one: Brandon had thought the same thing, then fallen hopelessly, helplessly, in love with his mother’s choice.
“Let’s go in.” Ruth started inside the church and the women fell into step beside her.
Pierce took Sierra’s arm and hung back. “Well?”
“I think Mama is turning up the heat,” Sabra said. “From all the attention the women with her are getting, I’d say a lot of men here wish they had your problem.”
Grinning like hyenas, men were stopping them every few steps to speak and get introductions they knew Ruth was too polite not to give. “Enough of this.”
“Pierce.” Sierra caught his coattail before he had gone two steps. She ignored his narrowed look. “Which woman were you going to go caveman for in front of half the church?”
The answer leaped in his mind. He took a deep breath. “Thanks.”
“Thank me by keeping it light and casual between you and Sabra.” Sierra started up the stone steps of the one-hundred-year-old adobe church.
The trouble was, he didn’t know if he could. Pierce slowly followed.
THANKFULLY, SABRA MADE IT THROUGH CHURCH without any more lustful thoughts about Pierce. Unwittingly Ruth had helped by seating Raven next to Pierce. Sierra sat next to Sabra. When church was over, Ruth insisted on taking Sabra home so they could discuss next week’s rehearsals.
An odd look had come over Pierce’s face when his mother had asked him to take Raven home. It didn’t take much, though, for Sabra to realize Ruth was trying to push the two together. It was irrational to feel the tiniest hurt that Ruth had chosen Raven, but there was no way to get around it. Perhaps it was because Sabra admired Ruth so much and wanted her approval.
The doorbell rang exactly at eleven. Sabra started across the room to answer, then stopped a few feet away, her hand over her wildly beating heart.
What was she doing?
The doorbell rang again. Already at the door, Isabella barked, impatient to let Pierce in. Then what? His mother wanted another woman for him.
He knocked on the door. If Sabra didn’t answer soon he might call security. With Isabelle barking like crazy, he knew Sabra was inside. What he didn’t, couldn’t, know was that she was starting to care too much for him and that scared her.
The thought snapped her shoulders back, her head up. Impossible. Men didn’t scare her; she scared them. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she answered the door. And forgot her own name.
Pierce looked gorgeous and dangerous in a black polo shirt that defined the wide chest usually hidden by his suit jacket, and jeans that delineated strong, muscled legs. She trembled.
Temptation stared her in the face. His gaze swept over her in one bold, hungry sweep. He stepped inside. She backed up without thinking about it, her breath lodged in her throat. Closing the door behind him, he took her in his arms. His eyes seared her; then his mouth did the same.
Her body zipped into overdrive. She clutched his broad shoulders as her world tilted. Sensation rocketed through her. Her blood raced. The air around them seemed to crackle with sexual heat and desire.
She wanted this; she wanted him.
He lifted his head, then nipped her lower lip. “Hi, Beautiful.”
She swallowed and swallowed again before she could get her mind to function and act as if it were a common occurrence for a kiss to scramble her brain. “Hi yourself, Handsome.”
His lips brushed teasingly, gently, against hers. “Hungry?”
“Yes.” She couldn’t seem to stop looking at his mouth. What would it be like to feast on that sensual mouth, his sleek muscled body, at her leisure until this strange craving was sated?
“Yeah, me, too.”
Her gaze snapped up to meet his. Her knees shook. His eyes were intense, dark and arousing. If he and Sabra didn’t get moving out the door, they just might move toward the bedroom. The way her body hungered, she might beat him to the bed.
“If you keep looking at me that way—”
She briefly shut her eyes, then stepped away. “Sorry.”
He raked a thumb across her lower lip, causing her to shiver. “I’m not. Is Isabella going?”
“Yes.” Sabra took another breath, pleased it was almost normal and even. “If you don’t mind?”
“Not at all.” He opened the door. “How is the writing going?”
Thankful he was on a safe topic, she hooked on Isabella’s leash and walked through the door. “Slower than I like, but at least I’m getting something on paper.”
“You’ll get it done.” As he took her hand, they walked to the elevator. He punched the call button.
His absolute faith in her was as warm and welcoming as his embrace. When they stepped into the elevator she unconsciously leaned her head against his shoulder. Raven would just have to get in line.
CHAPTER TWELVE
PIERCE WAS MOMENTARILY TAKEN ABACK WHEN HE arrived at the restaurant. Not only were Sierra, Brandon, and Faith seated near the fountain, but Luke and Morgan and their wives were there as well. They got together every Sunday afternoon at Brandon’s restaurant or their mother’s house, so they seldom saw one another Sunday morning unless they were in church as they had been this morning. There was only one reason: Sierra must have called them.
She was helping Pierce help Sabra forget her problems. His little sister had a lot of heart
.
“We’ve already ordered,” Sierra said by way of greeting.
“It figures. I bet it was your suggestion,” he said, and pulled out the chair next to his sister for Sabra.
“Of course.” Sierra propped her elbows on the table and placed her chin on her linked fingers. “I also ordered orange juice and coffee for both of you.”
“Thanks, Sierra.” Sabra accepted the menu from the waiter but looked across the table at Brandon. “What do you suggest I order?”
Brandon winked at the waiting waiter and ignored his wife rolling her eyes. “The chef ’s huevos rancheros are fairly good, although not as good as mine.”
“Matching your culinary talent is probably next to impossible.” Sabra spoke to the waiter. “Huevos rancheros, home-fried potatoes, and whole wheat toast.”
“Pierce, your taste in women is improving.” Brandon curved his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Glad to see I’m a good influence.”
Chuckles and groans sounded around the table. “Sabra, you don’t know what you’re creating,” Morgan said. “His head is big enough.”
“If a man doesn’t know his own worth, he isn’t much of a man,” Brandon said mildly.
“And we all know that will never happen with you.” Sierra turned to Sabra. “You getting homesick yet?”
“No,” Sabra answered, unable to keep from glancing at Pierce. “Occasionally, a play opens out of town to get the kinks out. I’ve learned to enjoy myself wherever I am.”
“I wish I could adopt that philosophy.” Phoenix sent Morgan a warm smile. “I’m always anxious to get back home.”
Three food runners stopped at the table, set up deck trays for all the food, and served everyone. “Is there anything else?” one of the men asked. When told no, he withdrew.
Luke blessed the food and picked up the conversation. “I feel the same way.”
“You travel a lot?” Sabra spooned salsa on her eggs.
“No, but Cat does with her book tours and lectures.” He sent her a warm smile. “Where she goes, I go.”
