by Tessa Layne
He gave Maddie an extra squeeze. “Ladies, how about you retract the claws and shake hands.”
Now both women glared at him.
“What?” He looked between the two of them. “Don’t you think it’s time to let water flow under the bridge?”
Maddie pushed her glasses up her nose, but remained silent, glowering at him.
Kylee stood, sauntering closer to Maddie, her lips slicing her face in a sneer. “You always thought you were so smart. So much better than us. And now look at you. Stealing one of Prairie’s own? It’s not enough for you to live off of some old man, you have to come home and screw our cowboys?”
His fist clenched and he forced himself to open his hand. “Enough, Kylee.”
He wouldn’t tolerate her airing dirty laundry in public like this. That he’d ever let himself get involved with her was one of his biggest regrets.
Kylee turned her glare to him. “And you. You think fucking Warren’s daughter is going to get you your land back? He hates you.”
Maddie vibrated next to him. The flush creeping up her neck and the hard line of her mouth the only indicator that Kylee’s words had hit their mark.
“Kylee Ross.” Dottie’s voice boomed from where she stood back by the coffee pots. She flung her dishtowel on the counter, and leaned on it with both hands.
The low level buzz in the diner fizzled into awkward, expectant silence.
“I know your momma raised you to have better manners than that. You put a zip on that mouth of yours right now, or you will not be welcome back in here. You understand?”
Kylee pressed her lips so thin a piece of paper couldn’t breach them. But she stood her ground, animosity pouring off her in waves.
Maddie removed his hand from her side. Sliding him a glance filled with disappointment and anger, she stepped back. “Please take me home. I’ll wait outside.”
She turned, the staccato click of her heels the only sound echoing through the diner as she stalked out, head held high.
Christ.
That could have gone better.
He stepped toward Kylee, lowering his voice just enough that the other diners wouldn’t hear. “Pull a stunt like that ever again, and so help me God I’ll–”
“You’ll what, Blake? Turn your back on me? You’ve already done that.” Bitterness laced her voice.
“Don’t start, Kylee. I’m done with your games.” He turned and hurried after Maddie.
CHAPTER 13
No tears. She would not give that… that sorry excuse of a subatomic particle the power to make her cry. She was a grown woman. She’d outgrown small town pettiness.
She leaned back against the cab of the truck. The dust would mess her skirt, but she didn’t care. A little dirt was nothing compared to the thrashing she’d love to give Kylee Ross’s face.
That was absolutely the last time she’d allow Kylee Ross to penetrate her armor. Kylee was a speck of dust on the outhouse of the universe. She threw her head back, laughing bitterly.
Clearly her father had done nothing to dispel the rumor that she was a doctor living with an old man. She didn’t even know how that one had started, but it galled her not one member of her family had bothered to correct it. And they wondered why she wasn’t interested in moving home?
The distinct crunch of Blake’s boots sounded on the gravel as the pointy toes of his Tony Lamas entered her field of view.
“Maddie.”
Shame settled, hot and heavy in her gut. The years of public humiliation pressing on her like a millstone. She put her hand up. “Don’t…” Any more tenderness and she would disintegrate. She couldn’t compartmentalize when he touched her, and she was done feeling sorry for herself where Kylee was concerned. “I’m fine.”
She whirled, yanking open the door to the cab, and stopped short. There was no dignified way for her to get into the cab without his help. And she wasn’t willing to rip her skirt to prove a point.
His arms engulfed her, pulling her back against the hard planes of his chest.
“Wanna talk about it?” His breath tickled her ear, sending sparks skittering straight to her nipples. He had to have felt her reaction against his arms. How could she concentrate on anything in his proximity?
She shook her head. “I do not.”
“Are you sure?” He planted a kiss at her temple.
She couldn’t relax into him. Couldn’t let herself. If she admitted she needed him, relied on his comfort more than she already had, he’d only see her as a helpless female in need of rescuing. The only thing she needed rescuing from were the emotions zinging through her chest like a Tesla ball.
He sighed and pressed another kiss to her temple, then helped her into the cab and walked around to the driver’s side. She risked a glance as he stood silently, holding the door open for a moment before he hopped into the cab. That was a mistake. His gaze penetrated to the darkest part of her soul. How did he get in her head that way? With a look?
He pulled out of the parking lot and drove the whole length of town before he broke the silence. “Great job fighting back there.” His voice dripped with sarcasm.
Indignation swelled in her chest. “You don’t understand.”
“You’re right, I don’t. You don’t hesitate to fight me. You poured a beer down Brodie’s pants for chrissakes. What hold does she have over you?”
“She doesn’t.” She adjusted her glasses, shrugging.
He snorted. “You don’t fool me for a second, Maddie.” She squirmed under the piercing gaze he shot her direction as he slowed the truck to turn onto Sinclaire land. “Time to cowboy up, darlin’.”
“I think you should take me back to my dad’s. I can stay there.”
His low tut-tut of a chuckle scraped across her awareness, firing the neurons she was desperately trying to reassert control over.
“Are you looking to add fuel to the speculation fire?” He glanced at her again, not bothering to hide his amusement.
This was not funny. She needed space to think… and bring her senses to heel. She pushed her glasses up her nose. “You don’t have to laugh.”
This time, his laugh was full throated and rich, as sweet and burned as toffee sliding over her tongue. The taste of him flooded her mouth, heightening her agitation.
“Because you sitting there all puffed up like an indignant prairie chicken protecting her nest isn’t funny.”
He pulled the truck up the long gravel drive between the Big House and the barn, and slowed to a stop. He turned to her, stretching his arm across the back of the cab.
“I recommend we keep this going in front of my brothers. Brodie doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut.”
Great.
She was in too deep now to back out. Her father better make a damned speedy recovery for the pain and suffering she was about to endure. A tiny part of her relished the idea of a co-conspirator, but she shoved that little part back to the recesses of her brain. This charade was certain to bring nothing but disorder and chaos to her orderly life. She needed to concentrate on the task at hand and get back to Chicago as soon as her dad was in the clear.
“You need to understand right now that I have no intention of being a ranch wife. With or without a ring on my finger.” She swung her hips around and eased herself out of the truck without waiting for him to help her. She moved to the porch steps, waiting for him to join her.
“I don’t cook,” she said when he reached her. “Not even oatmeal.”
He smiled hopefully at her. “Does that mean you’re willing to stay here?”
Damn. Did he have to look so adorably mischievous? For a split second, she held in her minds eye a tiny boy with the same naughty grin. Oh no. Most certainly not. She hadn’t fantasized about children since… She forced the thought away. Those days were over.
“Don’t worry.” His voice held a note of expectation. “Our family housekeeper, Mrs. Sanchez, helps with meal preparation. She also helps with laundry. You don’t need to lift a fi
nger if you don’t want to.”
She narrowed her gaze. “I can do my own laundry. But, do you have secure high-speed internet? That’s a deal breaker.”
He stepped up the porch and opened the door to the house.
“Come with me.” He extended his hand.
Her hand itched to hold his. A thousand grasshoppers started jumping against her ribs. She could barely breathe.
He rolled his eyes at her hesitation.
“Come on, Maddie. Take my hand. It’s not dangerous.”
The body attached to the hand certainly was.
Bracing herself against the sensation that would envelop her, she tucked her hand into his. Her arm electrified and currents of awareness shot across her body. She’d just have to turn off her brain when she touched him.
His hand engulfed hers completely. Surrounded it in warmth and strength. A longing swept through her, the likes of which she hadn’t felt since she’d been a silly, naive teenager in Boston. She had to pull it together quickly. If she wasn’t careful…
He led her upstairs, turned and opened another door to a second set of stairs. They climbed to the top floor. The room spanned the length of the house, with dormers facing both east and west. Against the west wall stood a large oak desk centered between two low book cases. The perfect vantage point to see the Flint Hills in all their glory.
“This is your office?” Of course it was. She needed to get her head examined if she continued to state the obvious.
He nodded, flashing her another grin, releasing hundreds of butterflies in her belly. “Complete with secure, lightning fast internet. Fastest you’ll find in Prairie. You can join me at any time.”
“Stop with the charm already.” She prided herself on being impervious to charms. She would have to do better at resisting.
He pulled her close, his eyes twinkling. “You’ll know when I turn on the charm, Maddie.”
She held her breath, as her pulse started to race wildly. Was he going to kiss her? He couldn’t kiss her. That was a bad, bad idea. Too bad the rest of her body felt differently.
She slipped her hand from his, stepping back and nervously scanning the rest of the room. A large leather sectional had been pushed against the far wall, a mini fridge next to it. In the center stood a pool table. Interesting. A man attic. With a gorgeous view.
“I think I should sleep up here for the time being.”
He cocked his head, raising an eyebrow. “Afraid?”
“I usually work late into the night. I might as well stay up here and not disturb anyone.”
“You mean hide out here.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “Surely you don’t think that because we’re pretend engaged I’m going to sleep with you?” The hungry light that entered his eyes did not inspire her with confidence. It did, however, set her pussy quivering in anticipation.
“If people close to us are going to buy this, we need to act like we’re in love.”
She crossed her arms stubbornly, covering her suddenly achy nipples. “But why should I have to pay the price for your crazy scheme?”
They stood, eyes locked in battle, electricity arcing between them.
His eyes raked over her like a wolf about to devour its prey, as a slow smile curved his lips. Did that make her dinner? The throbbing emanating from her clit said Yes, please.
She blinked first and dropped her hands. “Fine. I’ll stay here, but I’m not sleeping with you.”
“You don’t have to be worried about the price, sweetheart, because I’ll be sleeping on the floor.”
He stepped into her space. So close her nipples practically grazed his chest. So close she had to tilt her head, inhaling his scent as she did so. Desire settled in the pit of her belly. She swallowed, but refused to let him see the effect he was really having on her. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing the kind of power he could wield over her.
He dipped his head close, so his lips hovered a fraction from her ear. All she’d have to do is tilt her head.
“What are you afraid of, Dr. Hansen… Madison?” The way her name rolled of his tongue sent a flood of liquid to her core. She clenched her thighs. God help her if she opened her legs even a fraction. “Falling in love?”
Her breath hitched as warmth ballooned up, hardening her nipples and making her head buzz like she’d inhaled helium. She locked her knees, not giving a millimeter.
“Be honest, Maddie. If not with me, at least with yourself.” His breath heated her blood, slowing it down. Her limbs began to feel heavy and languid. “You’re afraid of your feelings.”
He reached up and trailed a finger down her cheek… down her neck… tracing the collar of her blouse… down the vee to the top button. She trembled uncontrollably, her breath coming in short gasps. She bit hard on her lip to keep from moaning, but she was too late to prevent the somewhat choked sound that escaped.
His lips broke into a smile against her ear. Damn him. He was toying with her. She swallowed hard, focusing on having a thought that did not have to do with body parts.
“I… I… am not,” she hissed, as his finger began the reverse trail up her collarbone.
“Liar.” His tongue flicked at her ear. She flinched at the jolt of electricity to her aching clit.
“There’s… there’s… no room in my life for love,” she rushed out.
He stiffened, but didn’t stop his one finger assault of her collarbone and neck.
“So the tears and anxiety for Warren… just mild familial concern?”
Ouch.
She deserved that.
“Yes… no… it’s not like that. Of, of course. He’s my dad. B-b-but I’m talking about romantic love. It-it overrides common sense. It’s just people giving into their hormones. That’s all.”
His other hand captured her hip, sliding dangerously close to her ass. She rolled her hips involuntarily, and his lips curved against her a second time. She shouldn’t have done that. She could feel the last vestiges of her control fraying and flying away with every caress.
“So, this… electricity… between us…” He continued his exploration of her backside, his hand sweeping over her ass. There was no doubt now that he knew she had no panties. None whatsoever. “It’s just raging hormones. Nothing more?”
She let out a ragged sigh. Her tongue lay thick in her mouth. She couldn’t speak.
He tilted her chin. “Look at me, Maddie.”
She raised her eyes. His hazel depths showed raw hunger and fierce determination.
Expectation thrilled through her. Heat spread through her veins and settled at the top of her legs. Her pussy throbbed in a silent dance of anticipation.
He raised his eyebrow, his lips so close she could breathe him in as he spoke. “So this…” he grazed his lips across hers. “Is nothing…” he grazed them again, this time his tongue flicking over her seam. “But a chemical reaction…”
“Yes,” she breathed. No. More like a nuclear meltdown. Her pussy drenched in readiness, she parted for him, unable to stand against the waves of unabashed lust crashing over her. She shut her eyes in surrender.
“Look at me, Maddie.” There was no dismissing the rough command in his voice, and her eyes widened. “I call bullshit.”
His lips covered hers. Slowly. Sensuously. Pulling things from her, laying her open. His fingers drove into her hair, pulling apart her bun, as his tongue rode over hers, probing and taking.
His other hand clutched the fabric of her skirt, raising it inch by torturous inch. Soon his fingers would graze the lace of her thigh highs. Her body thrilled at the thought. He pressed her close, deepening their kiss, his tongue relentlessly swirling and probing, demanding she give back with equal measure.
Something unlocked inside her, releasing a flood of longing, and she leaned into him, clutching his corded arms beneath her palms. Need swirled up into her brain, blotting out all thought, everything but the sensation of his mouth and his hands working her over.
His fingers tightened in her hair as his other hand traced the inside of her thigh along the lace of her stockings. Oh God, he was so close to the spot she wanted him to touch. She shifted, widening her stance, easing his access. Finally, after what seemed like an excruciating wait, his fingers slid the length of her slit.
She cried out, knees shaking.
“Jesus, fuck, Maddie,” he groaned into her mouth. “Do you always go commando?”
He slid his fingers back down her opening.
“Only… one… pair…”
“Jesus, you talk too much.”
His fingers swept the length of her pussy again coming to rest on her clit, covering it with her desire. Her hips bucked and she cried out, riding the rising hurricane of sensation building within her. If he did it again her brain would explode.
He ripped his mouth from hers and stepping back, removed his hand from between her legs. His chest heaved as his eyes met hers, a mixture of lust and anger.
“This.” He waved his hand between the two of them. The scent of her arousal on his fingers invaded her awareness. “Just chemistry? That’s all it is… right? Just chemistry.”
His lips flattened and he shook his head, turning and stalking off through the door, leaving her struggling to bring her arousal under control. Her brain moved at a snail’s pace. Was that all it had been? Just some crazy chemical reaction?
But that moment.
That shift inside her.
That hadn’t been a trick of the mind.
And it scared her to death.
CHAPTER 14
Blake sat nursing a beer on the front porch as Maddie pulled his truck between the Big House and the barn. She’d been pushing herself too hard this last week. Hell, they both had. Sleeping in the same room but not touching had become a nightmare.
Every night had been a battle of wills as to who would fall asleep first. Every morning, a contest to see who would rise first and vacate the room fastest. He wanted more than anything to sweep her into his arms and crush every barrier she’d erected between them. But he refused to make another move. He wouldn’t beg for a woman’s affection.
