by Tonya Brooks
Luke nodded but refrained from commenting. Interesting. Very interesting. So the fiancé had told her the annulment wasn't valid. A frown marred his handsome brow as he wondered what the attorney was up to. Now probably wasn't the best time to discuss it. Not when Matt and Harley finally seemed to be getting along. He'd wait until their son wasn't present to broach the subject again.
“Where's desert?” John asked as he looked the table over expectantly.
“I left it in the oven to stay warm.” Jedidiah informed him.
“I'll get it.” Harley volunteered and placed her hand on his arm when he would have risen.
“Sure is nice to have a woman around the house again.” Jedidiah commented slyly.
“Excuse me?” She asked in disbelief as she rose. “Did you just call me something besides gal?”
“Ain't no sense in denyin' you're a whole lot of woman, Harley gal,” he assured her with the bad boy smile his sons had inherited.
“Thank you kindly, old man,” she grinned and kissed his cheek.
Jedidiah scowled. “Don't call me old man, dammit.”
“Don't swear, dammit,” she teased and went into the kitchen to take the peach cobbler out of the oven. As nothing in the kitchen had changed, she had no trouble locating the desert plates and spoons before she took a tub of ice cream out of the freezer and realized it was more than she could carry. Deciding to use the tray, Harley opened the cabinet where it had always been and saw it way up on the top shelf, just out of reach. She opened the bottom cabinet, stepped up on the edge of it and stretched until the tips of her fingers touched the tray.
Matt had come into the kitchen to help and he froze in his tracks when he saw her reaching for the tray. The figure hugging thigh length dress had ridden up, exposing even more of those long, luscious legs and his hungry gaze drank in the sight of them. He was assailed with the vivid memory of them wrapped around him as he buried himself deep inside her silken depths. Hunger, fierce and unrestrained slammed into him. Pure, unadulterated need filled his soul.
The tray was heavier than she remembered and as soon as she had its weight in her hands, Harley lost her balance and gasped when she began to fall backward. Two strong hands settled firmly around her waist from behind and steadied her. “Thanks,” she laughed breathlessly as she stepped off the edge of the cabinet and turned to face her rescuer. “It was heavier than I...” The words died in her throat as she stared into Matthew's face and saw the raw hunger in his eyes.
He saw recognition in her beautiful sapphire eyes a split second before they darkened with desire. Matt plucked the tray from her hands and laid it on the counter as he crushed her body against his and ravaged her mouth. He was starved for the taste of her and that kiss earlier today had done nothing but tease him. It had been too long since he'd held her, too long since he'd known the kind of passion only Harley could arouse. Too damn long since he had made her his.
Harley melted against him, her body trembling with long forgotten sensations as Matthew ravished her mouth over and over again until she was weak with need. Her hands slid up over his shoulders, her nails digging into his shirt as she held on for dear life and demanded all he had to give. She reveled in his need for her, gasping in delight at the feel of his hands on her flesh, his body pressing into hers.
“Matthew,” she breathed as his mouth worked its way down her neck to a particularly sensitive spot. “Oh, dear God... Matthew.”
That husky little whisper inflamed him beyond all reason and Matt lost it. He had to have the wild, unbridled passion that was Harley. He needed her now. Grasping her waist, he lifted her onto the counter, insinuated his hips between her legs, his pelvis pressed firmly against hers and reached for the zipper on his jeans.
The change in him was immediate and so unexpected that Harley came to her senses. Gone was the passionate lover and in his place was a man intent on taking what he wanted, just like he had all those years ago. “No,” she said shakily and pressed her hands against his chest in a vain effort to push him away.
The sound of a throat being cleared claimed Matt's attention and brought him back to the awareness of where they were and what they were doing. Sonuvabitch! He'd almost taken her in the kitchen with their son not thirty feet away. What the hell was it about this woman that made him lose all sense of reason? Shielding her from view with his body, he growled menacingly, “What?”
“Just came to get the desert, bro.” John said with a knowing smile. Oh, yeah. Matt had the right idea. Only a damn fool would let a woman like Harley get away, and his brother was no fool. At least he wasn't until it came to his wife. Harley had always made the eldest act crazy. It seemed some things never changed. Seducing a woman in the kitchen while the rest of the family was right outside the door was nuts. Even for this family.
Matt took a step back, pushed her knees together and smoothed the dress back down over her thighs to command, “Then get it.”
Without a word, John collected everything that Harley had placed on the counter, put it on the tray and carried it back outside.
“'Bout damn time,” Jedidiah complained.
“What happened to mom and dad?” Jed asked curiously.
“They're, uh, having desert in the kitchen.” John said with a wicked grin.
“Well, I'll be damned,” his father said with glee.
~~~~
“Let me go, Matthew.” Harley said shakily as soon as John left the room. Dear God. She could not believe that she had responded like that. It seemed she was still as susceptible to him as she'd always been, dammit. “Don't ever touch me again.”
Matt wasn't surprised at that. It was nothing less than he had expected, but she sure as hell hadn't complained while he was kissing her. He reluctantly released her and placed a hand on either side of her on the counter to prevent Harley from moving away. “You wanna tell me why?”
“I don't want you,” she denied as she stared at her hands clenched together in her lap.
“You wanted me before John walked in,” he countered. Harley had been with him every step of the way.
The diamond sparkled brightly on her hand, reminding her of her fiancé, and she said, “I'm engaged to Donald.”
“And you're married to me.”
“Only because you won't sign the divorce papers.”
“I told you I would.”
“Do you honestly believe I'd give up my son?” Harley asked quietly, hurt evident in her tone.
“Hell, no.”
“Then why would you even suggest such a thing?” She demanded in vexation.
“Because you made me mad,” Matt confessed. “I'd never try to take Jed away from you, Harley. I couldn't hurt you like that.”
Staring into the sincerity she saw in his midnight eyes, she asked wearily, “But we do hurt each other, don't we, Matthew? Why can't we just be friends?”
His emotions for her ran too deep to settle for something as tame as friendship. Matt wanted so much more from Harley and fully intended to have it. Especially now that he knew she wanted him. “You wanna call a truce?”
“For Jed's sake, if nothing else.”
“Alright,” he agreed and slid her body down the length of his as he stood her on her feet. Matt tipped her chin up until their eyes met. “But make no mistake about it, Harley. I want you and I damn well intend to have you.”
She shuddered and walked out of the kitchen without a word. The look she gave him came as a complete shock and Matt knew he had to be mistaken. For just a second he could have sworn he'd seen pure revulsion in her eyes. That wasn't possible. A woman couldn't respond like that to a man she didn't want. Could she?
~~~~
“Hey, Sis, why don't you come by the bar tonight and listen to my band play.” John suggested when they rejoined the family outside.
Deciding to abide by their truce, she stunned them all when she said, “I came with Matthew, so it's his decision.” In the old days Harley had done exactly as she pleased and the hell w
ith what anyone else had wanted. Especially her husband.
Matt realized he had another shot at getting her hammered and into his bed if they went. “Whatever the lady wants is fine with me,” he agreed easily.
Four pair of eyes swung in his direction in disbelief. Matt had always done the exact opposite of what Harley wanted just to spite her. For him to agree with her wishes was difficult to comprehend. Maybe he'd come to his senses after all and really was trying to get his wife back.
“Then we'll go,” she told John with a smile.
“I'll be damned.” Jedidiah chuckled with glee.
~~~~
Harley had insisted on helping with the dishes, so Luke was already there with his date when they arrived. Mark had reserved a table for them next to the dance floor with an excellent view of the band. Unfortunately, that meant they were also easily seen by everyone else in the room. Harley noticed all the stares and shocked expressions when she and Matthew walked in together and realized she should have expected it. No one had ever seen the two of them together in public before. Not even when they were married. The gossips would have a field day with this, she thought grimly.
“Ignore it.” Matt advised since he'd noticed the stares as well. “Just give them that superior look you used to give me. Makes people wonder what the hell you know that they don't.”
“Nothing good,” she muttered as she slid into the chair he held out for her.
Luke made the introductions and his date looked Harley over as if she were a rival. “So, you're Jed's mom.”
Harley gave the woman a genuine smile. “You know my son?”
“I've seen him around the garage.” She admitted with a shrug as if it wasn't important one way or the other. “He doesn't look like you.”
“Jed's an exact replica of his father.” Harley said proudly because his father was an exceptionally handsome man.
“The Baker's look so much alike he could belong to any of them.” Felecia said cattily. She had only been in town for a year, so she had no idea about the other woman's legendary temper, but the men did. They also knew Luke's date was about to get her ass kicked.
Eyes narrowed dangerously, Harley leaned forward and demanded in a tone the men knew all too well, “Would you care to elaborate on that?”
Rubbing her thigh where Luke had pinched her in warning, she quickly corrected her remark. “I just meant there was no mistaking the family resemblance.” Felecia had no idea what was going on, but she wasn't willing to lose a catch like Luke by pissing his sister-in-law off. It was more than obvious from the way her leg was stinging that he had not liked the comment.
Nodding her satisfaction, Harley leaned back and Matt draped his arm over the back of her chair in a silent show of support. To all intents and purposes they looked like a couple on a date and the tongues began to wag even more. Mark joined them right after the drinks arrived and wisely scooted a chair in between the women. The tongues really did wag as Harley sat there with her former lover on one side and her husband on the other.
Harley actually began to relax as she sipped her mojito. As soon as the Bad Boy's started playing, she began to move in her seat to the rhythm, her feet itching to dance. “They're really good,” she said proudly because that was her little brother up there singing his heart out.
Mark knew how much she loved to dance, so he leaned over Harley and asked Matt a bit warily, “Since you don't dance, do you mind if I dance with Harley, bro?”
“Ask the lady.” Matt offered even though he didn't like the idea at all. However, if they had a hope in hell of getting back together, he was going to have to deal with the fact that his wife and brother had history together and leave it in the past where it belonged. He hoped like hell they did, too.
“Harley?”
“Love to,” she agreed and they headed to the dance floor. “Why did you say Matthew doesn't dance?”
“Cause he doesn't,” Mark replied. “I can't remember the last time I saw him dancing.”
“I can.” Harley said flatly as she recalled the painful memory of Matthew with the playboy bunny.
Mark knew exactly how much his brother had hurt her, and unless he missed his guess, Matt wanted Harley back. He didn't have a problem with that. And knowing Harley the way he did, Mark didn't doubt that she still loved his brother. However, he knew she'd fight it just like she always had, because she didn't trust Matt not to hurt her again.
“I never should have tried to come between the two of you,” he said with genuine regret.
Harley was surprised by his statement and it showed as she said, “You did the right thing, Mark. Matthew would have destroyed me if it hadn't been for you.”
He shook his head in denial and confessed, “Matt never got over losing you.”
“You mean losing Jed,” she countered.
He knew arguing with her was pointless and always had been. “Believe what you want, Harley. I'm just telling you my brother hasn't been the same since you left. Matt hasn't been drunk or in a fight in twelve years. But the very day you came back, he wound up fighting with Charlie and passed out on my bar. What does that tell you?”
“That I bring out the worst in him,” she deduced and then thought to add, “I noticed you didn't try to pretend Matthew had become a saint and given up all of his vices.” At his questioning look, Harley said flatly, “Women.”
Mark's smile was wicked to say the least. “Well, Matt is a Baker,” he pointed out as if that were explanation enough. “And he thought he was divorced.”
She laughed bitterly at that. Being married had never stopped him before. “He will be soon,” she assured him as the song ended and the band began to play something more upbeat. Deciding to try and forget the past and enjoy herself, Harley challenged, “Come on, handsome. Show me your best moves.”
~~~~
Matt knew Harley had always loved to dance and it was more than obvious that she also had incredible stamina. She danced twice with Mark before Luke claimed her for a couple, and then John stepped off of the stage to dance with her for the fifth song. The woman was completely uninhibited on a dance floor. He watched her perfect body move sensuously to the beat and sipped his beer as he remembered the night that she had danced for him. He'd never seen anything as erotic before or since and he longed to experience it again. Deciding that it was time to do just that, he shoved his chair back. Before he could stand, a female dropped uninvited into his lap.
“Hello, sexy.” Darla Mason drawled invitingly as she draped her arm around his shoulders.
“Darla,” he greeted tersely and barely resisted the urge to dump her in the floor. He hoped like hell Harley didn't see them. She'd believe he was still chasing other women like he used to. A glance at the dance floor told him that his wife was being hugged within an inch of her life by her old friend Suzie Reynolds. That should keep her occupied long enough for him to get rid of Darla.
“I see your ex is back.”
“She is.”
“I hear she's claiming you're still married.” She added as her blue fingernails trailed over his chest and didn't receive a response. “How are you gonna get rid of the bitch this time?”
Other than Harley, Matt had never been rude to a woman in his life, but this one could ruin his plans for getting his wife back. There was no way in hell he was gonna let that happen. “Right now I'd rather get rid of the bitch in my lap,” he said evenly and saw her heavily painted face darken.
“Bastard. You two deserve each other,” she spat viciously and bounded off of his lap.
Matt couldn't have agreed more and it was time he claimed his wife. He noticed that John was on the stage watching him with a worried expression which could only mean one thing. Wondering who the hell Harley was dancing with now, his eyes scanned the crowd and he saw Luke with Felecia and Mark with a brunette. He caught a glimpse of Harley and when he recognized her partner, Matt surged to his feet furiously.
Sonuvabitch! Harley was dancing with Charlie Simms a
nd she was plastered against him like glue. It was one thing for her to dance with his brothers, but there was no way in hell he was gonna let Simms put his filthy paws on her. He made his way through the press of bodies and grabbed the other mans shoulder in a vice like grip. “My dance, Simms.”
Charlie winced in pain but didn't release his hold on her. He was still mad with Matt from the night before and had danced with his wife just to piss him off. “Why don't we ask Harley who she wants to dance with?” He smirked. Everyone knew she and Matt despised each other. There was no way in hell she'd choose him. Hell, she'd danced with all of the Baker's except Matt tonight.
“Thank you, Matthew. I'd love to dance with you.” Harley said with relief and managed to pull away from Charlie with some effort.
John had planned to dedicate a song to Harley and now seemed like a good time for it. He ended the one they were playing and announced, “We have someone very special with us tonight folks. My beautiful sister is finally back in town, so this one's for you, Harley. Welcome home.” When the two men just stood there glaring at each other in the center of the dance floor, he hoped like hell his brother had enough sense to dance with his wife instead of fighting with Charlie.
The band began to play and Harley prudently stepped between the men, sliding her arms around Matt's neck. The feel of her body against his brought his complete attention to her and Matt pulled her close in a possessive hold as they moved slowly to the music. “What the hell were you doing with Simms?” He demanded, his temper still on a low boil, the heat flowing through his veins throbbing with insistence.
“I was headed to the table when Charlie grabbed me,” she explained. “Thanks for the rescue, Matthew. He's as loathsome as I remembered.”
