Taste of Passion (Madaris Novels)

by Brenda Jackson

  Not surprisingly, it was Sam who was doing the talking and as usual Peyton was holding up the rear, taking everything in. Mackenzie would answer their questions, but not before giving them a hard time for the interruption.

  “You two act as if we don’t have an important case we need to be working on,” she said, taking a sip of her coffee. “It’s our firm against one of the largest developers in the country, and all you want to do is talk about a man with a nice set of biceps and abs.”

  Sam placed her rear end on the edge of Mac’s desk while Peyton was satisfied to lean in the doorway. “Yes, that’s about it. Besides, we have all the confidence in the world that you will take on the Whitedyer Corporation and win, so we aren’t worried,” she said. She then glanced over her shoulder. “Are we, Peyton?”

  Peyton could only nod her head and grin as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Of course not, Sam.”

  Mac laughed and wondered why Peyton was so agreeable all of a sudden, when she loved being argumentative most of the time. And Sam could be soft as cotton but tenacious as a bulldog when needed. Born to wealth herself, Sam knew how the wealthy thought and didn’t hesitate to use that knowledge to benefit their clients time and time again.

  “Okay, you’ve both seen Luke before, so why the questions?” she asked.

  “Yes, but not in the flesh, just in magazines and in the newspapers. So tell us,” Sam was saying. “How is he up close and personal? Is he really that hot? Can he really make a woman with a dry mouth actually drool? Can he ride a woman the way he does one of those bulls?”

  “Sam!”

  “Just asking.”

  Mackenzie shook her head. “I have no idea how the man rides a bull or a woman since I’ve never seen him in action other than on a horse.”

  “Boy, you’re slow.”

  “No, I’m a perfect hostess and I have no intention of taking advantage of an injured man. Besides, Luke and I don’t have that kind of relationship.”

  “Now is your opportunity to change that. If he was under my roof, I would.”

  Mac chuckled. “Yes, you probably would, but then I’m more considerate. You would be dangerous to any sexy man.”

  “So you’re admitting that he’s sexy?” Peyton asked, moving away from the door and walking into the room.

  “Of course. I’ll definitely give him that, since the man can do wonders to a pair of jeans. But he’s also a man who is already married . . . to his profession. He’s no more interested in a relationship with a woman than I am with a man.”

  “If you tried hard enough you could make him forget all about being a cowboy,” Sam interjected, before turning her attention to a magazine on Mackenzie’s desk that featured President Barack Obama on the cover.

  Mac smiled, thinking Sam’s confidence in her was boundless. “Thanks, but no thanks. Luke has his goals and I have mine. They don’t mix. Being a rodeo rider is his career, one he is as dedicated to as I am to mine. Besides, you both know my history with men.”

  Peyton snorted as she took the chair opposite Mac’s desk. “We know your history with only one man, but he’s a casualty of blatant stupidity and doesn’t count and has no place in this discussion. Don’t you think it’s time for you to dust yourself off and get back on the horse for another ride? It’s been what . . . five years since you’ve seen Lawrence?”

  “Yes, but he calls from time to time.”

  Sam snapped her head up and stared at her. “You’ve never told us that.”

  “Only because the calls weren’t of any importance. Most of the time he calls to gloat about some victory in the courtroom.”

  “And what about his wife? Does he ever mention her? The one he dumped you to marry so he could get a piece of her father’s wealth when he thought the old man was on his deathbed, only to discover the man had nine lives,” Sam said with anger in her voice.

  “No, he never mentions her, but I know they’re still married, and from what I hear, she gave birth six months ago to their second child. But to put you at ease, his betrayal doesn’t bother me anymore. If he had not done what he did, I would probably still be in Louisiana. I would not have had any reason to move back here and convince you two to join me.”

  “That’s true,” Peyton said, smiling. “So let’s get back to the hunk. Lawrence is water under the bridge. The little wife deserves him.” She smiled. “The hunk—Luke Madaris—exactly what sort of guy is he?”

  Mackenzie leaned back in her chair. “Um, although he’s close to his family, he’s still a loner in some ways. I’d say he doesn’t offer friendship easily and goes about choosing his friends carefully.”

  “Smart man,” Sam said, smiling.

  Mackenzie nodded. What she remembered about the time after the auction, when she had gone out with him, Slade, and Blade for drinks at one of the hot spots in Houston, was that the twins had done most of the talking. Luke had just leaned back in his chair with his eyes on her, barely saying much of anything.

  And what she would not share with them was the fact that he had kissed her at the rodeo. Although it had been a kiss that had made her toes curl and her stomach clench whenever she remembered it, she couldn’t place a lot of importance on it.

  “Well, if I were you, I would let him heal up really good, then before I sent him off, I would have my way with him,” Peyton said.

  Mackenzie rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” When it came to men, Peyton was all talk. Sam was another story—she was full of action.

  Later that day as Mackenzie opened the door to her home, she felt strange knowing a man was on the other side. She had called to check on Luke during her lunch hour but when he sounded rather drowsy, she had made the conversation quick, satisfied he was at least getting some rest.

  When she glanced toward his bedroom she saw the door was closed, so after kicking off her shoes, and tossing her purse and briefcase aside, she decided to check on him before starting dinner. She knocked a couple of times on the door and called out his name softly in case he was still sleeping.

  “Come in.”

  She slowly opened the door and her gaze automatically went to the bed but found it empty.

  “I’m here.”

  Mackenzie followed the sound of his deep, husky voice, and when she saw him she had to fight back her reaction. He was standing at the window in bare feet, shirtless, and his jeans riding low on his hips. She thought he had to be, without a doubt, the sexiest, best put-together man she’d ever seen.

  “Luke,” she said, forcing his name out past a dry throat.

  He met her gaze. “Mac. And how was your day?”

  She shrugged, trying to ignore the deep penetration of his eyes. “It was okay. What about yours?”

  “I slept through most of it.”

  She nodded. “You removed the bandage.”

  “Yes. It began irritating my skin so I called the doctor and he said it would be okay to take it off. Wearing it wasn’t a requirement since either way the body will heal itself. But he did warn against doing anything that could aggravate it.”

  “I see,” she said, trying not to focus on his muscular chest and the flat planes of his abdomen.

  “I went ahead and threw something together for dinner,” he said, moving away from the window.

  She frowned. “You didn’t have to do that, Luke. Besides, didn’t the doctor tell you not to aggravate your injury?”

  “It was no big deal, Mac.”

  Yeah, no big deal, she thought, and wished her body felt the same way. It seemed that being around him for any period of time caused flutters in her stomach. She wished her physical attraction to him wasn’t so strong.

  She cleared her throat. “What did you cook?”

  A proud smile touched his lips. “A casserole.”

  “Wow,” she said, smiling back. “I’m impressed. What kind?”

  “Shepherd’s pie.”

  She leaned in the doorway in her stocking feet. “So in addition to being a cowboy, you also know your w
ay around the kitchen.”

  He chuckled softly, as if careful not to cause himself pain. “I can get by. All Madaris men can, thanks to Mama Laverne. Cooking lessons were required.”

  She’d heard that. “Well, as long as you didn’t overdo things.”

  “With a shepherd’s pie? Are you kidding? I could make one of those in my sleep. Let me know when you’ve gotten settled and I’ll put dinner on the table.”

  “Luke, you don’t—”

  “Mac, will you stop saying that? You’re wrong—I do have to do it. I’m not a person who can lie around and do nothing. I have to feel useful.”

  She nodded. He had made his point. “All right. Let me change my clothes. After dinner I need to check with Theo to see how things went today. More cattle were supposed to arrive this morning from Jake.”

  “They did. I heard all the commotion outside but at the time I was too doped up on pain medication to move.”

  “So you were hurting some today,” she said.

  She could tell from his expression he hadn’t meant to let that part slip. “A little. No big deal.”

  Just like he had set her straight on telling him what he didn’t have to do, at some point she needed to set him straight about saying things weren’t a big deal. “Okay, give me a second to change. I’ll be back.”

  Luke couldn’t ignore the tight feeling in his chest when Mackenzie walked away, disappearing down the hall. Hell, what was wrong with him? The moment he had felt her presence and had turned from the window to see her standing there, he’d felt a sense of satisfaction that only came after he’d competed at the rodeo and won.

  He rubbed his hand down his face and blew out a frustrated breath, thinking that wasn’t good. He’d never known a woman who could give him the same adrenaline high that he got from performing in the rodeo. Such a thing just couldn’t be possible. There had to be a reason for it. Hell, he knew the reason. He clearly needed a woman in a bad way. But as far as he was concerned, Mackenzie was off limits. No matter how attracted he might be to her, he would never allow himself to act on it. If things didn’t work out between them—and he had no reason to think that they would, given his goals in life—there would be plenty hell to pay. For starters, Ashton was her cousin and, like the Madarises, family mattered to him. On top of that, she was now a business partner of his uncle’s. And finally, his family liked her, especially Mama Laverne. The old gal had made sure he’d known it more than once.

  That kiss they had shared had been his idea and a bad one. Now whenever he saw her mouth move he thought of how her lips tasted beneath his and how she had felt in his arms. Mac was definitely the kind of woman who could make a man lose his common sense, and he wasn’t about to let that happen.

  Walking over to the chair, he slowly put his shirt back on, making sure he took his time. One wrong move and the pain could start up again. After taking a long nap he had awakened feeling a lot better, but he knew it wouldn’t be wise to stop taking his medication. Besides, the last thing he needed was for Mackenzie to get on his case about anything. The woman was as bossy as they came.

  He couldn’t help but smile. He’d never liked bossy women. Until now.

  “This is simply delicious, Luke.”

  He grinned and Mackenzie noted he seemed pleased that she thought so. “Thanks. I’d give you the recipe but it’s a family secret.”

  “Really?” she said, amused. “Just like the tea recipe.”

  “Oh, you’ve heard about that, have you?”

  She chuckled. “Yes. I’ve heard about it.”

  “Well, if it’s any consolation, I don’t know the ingredients to that tea any more than the women in the family. A Madaris man has to be at least thirty-five so I have two more years left. But honestly, it wouldn’t bother me one bit if no one ever shared it with me. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about Syneda buttering me up trying to get it, and the men wouldn’t worry about me being a traitor and giving it to her.”

  Mackenzie smiled. Over dinner her gaze had kept straying to Luke. Although he had assured her a number of times that he was doing okay, she couldn’t help noticing how he would occasionally grit his teeth when he accidentally moved his body in a position that obviously caused pain. But she was determined not to say anything. The very idea that a person had that much pride was just plain ludicrous.

  “Since you talked to the doctor today, did he say when you’d start physical therapy?”

  She saw him frown. “Not as soon as I would like. They do have a therapist willing to come here and work with me so I won’t have to travel to the hospital each time. The Reno rodeo is in September and I need to start getting into shape.”

  When he glanced back down at his food, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Was that blasted rodeo the only thing he could think about?

  “Blade mentioned that he, Slade, and Skye were coming this weekend,” he said.

  Luke’s words reclaimed her attention. She could tell from the tone of his voice that he was looking forward to seeing the three. “Yes. I talked to him yesterday. I guess they want to see for themselves that you’re doing fine.”

  “Yes, I suppose so,” he said as he reached across the table for another piece of bread. “Damn.”

  She quickly gazed up at him, just in time to see him ease back in his chair and take several deep breaths. “What’s wrong, Luke?”

  “A sharp pain,” he admitted. “I shouldn’t have tried reaching so far.”

  Mackenzie narrowed her eyes as anger swept through her. “You could have asked me to hand you some bread.”

  “It was no big deal.”

  Okay, that did it. She placed her fork beside her plate. “I’m warning you, Luke Madaris, if you say those words one more time, I’m going to clobber you.”

  The woman had a temper. If he hadn’t known it before, he sure knew it now, Luke thought as he slowly walked beside Mackenzie while they headed toward the barn. Jeeze. She had threatened to clobber him, for crying out loud. And the glare in her eyes and the pinched corners of her lips had indicated she had been dead serious. Thinking about it, he couldn’t help but chuckle a little, even if it did make his chest ache.

  She glanced over at him. “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing.”

  The look she gave him said she wasn’t fooled. Whatever had him amused had something to do with her. Refusing to make her any angrier than she already was, he said, “Nice evening, isn’t it?”

  “What’s so nice about it?” she asked, opening the barn door.

  Luke’s lips twitched as he followed her inside. It seemed she had already gotten angrier. Now he had to do whatever it took to smooth her ruffled feathers. “The breeze is nice. It’s no longer hot and—Holy cow! Where did she come from?” he asked, stopping in his tracks the moment his gaze latched on to the most beautiful buckskin paint mare he’d ever seen.

  And he didn’t miss Mackenzie’s smile as she walked over to the horse. He saw immediately just how proud she was of the animal and he couldn’t help but smile as well.

  “This is Princess,” she said. “Her father was my horse right before I left for college.” Suddenly a bout of sadness crossed her features but she quickly pushed it away before adding, “When I returned to Oklahoma, knowing I would get a horse sired by Prancer made coming home worthwhile.”

  The smile slowly left Luke’s face. From the little things she had said and from the little bits and pieces that he’d heard over the years, returning to Oklahoma had had something to do with the man who’d hurt her. The man who was the reason she couldn’t get on with her life. The thought that any man could not appreciate her did something to him inside.

  “And I can see why,” he finally said, ignoring his limp as he walked slowly over to her to pat the mare’s neck. “She’s a beauty. I can’t imagine what Cisco is going to think if he ever sees her.”

  She lifted a brow. “Cisco?”

  He smiled. “Yes, my horse.”

  “That big, black m
ean-looking stallion?”

  He chuckled. “Yes, he’s the one.”

  She laughed. “I don’t know what Cisco will be thinking but I have a good idea what will be on Princess’s mind.”

  “What?”

  “Just how quick she can run for cover and hide.”

  Luke couldn’t help but laugh, which immediately caused his chest to ache. His laughter suddenly became a groan.

  “Luke, are you okay?”

  He opened his mouth to tell her that yes, he was okay, no big deal, but after her threat earlier, he said, “I shouldn’t have laughed.”

  “Sorry, I shouldn’t have made you laugh.”

  “No—” Catching himself, he stopped short and then said, “Nothing.”

  Mackenzie chuckled, knowing what he’d been about to say. “I need to add a few more slang words to your vocabulary.”

  It then occurred to Luke just how close they were standing. She was pinned between him and her horse. He started to back up but when she nervously nibbled at her lower lip for a second, before taking her tongue and sweeping it over that same lip, all he could think about was that tongue mingling heatedly with his. Even the air surrounding them suddenly seemed charged with an element that was seeping into his pores, causing his heart rate to increase.

  Maybe, just maybe, if he could have found his voice, he would have suggested that she go into the house while he hung back a while to get himself together, regain control of his senses. But he didn’t find his voice. What he found instead was that he was slowly and carefully reaching out and pulling her to him while lowering his mouth to hers.

  The moment their lips touched all the reasons why he should not taste her, right then and there, vanished from his mind. Instead his mind filled with all the reasons he should proceed, go as deep as he could and get as much as he could handle. Desire, the last thing he needed to feel at that moment, flared within him with the intensity of a typhoon tearing across the ocean as a force so powerful, he felt the surge in every part of his body.