by Lori Foster
Jordan's hands curved around her shoulders, caressing, comforting. "It's too early to do anything right now. I'll call the sheriff back in a bit and get all the details, okay?"
The sheriff? Not his brother, so it must have been the one who'd wanted them arrested. She'd known he was watching the bar, that he was fed up with the nightly problems that seemed to erupt....
Jordan interrupted her thoughts. "I have a few solutions, sweetheart. Will you listen to me?"
Georgia realized she'd put her worries onto him; she'd come to depend on him whether she wanted to admit it or not. How had she let that happen?
He'd once offered to let her work for him, but that would be no more than charity and she didn't think she could stand it. She shook her head as she tried to pull away.
"You will listen," Jordan stated, and urged her toward his sofa.
"What is there to say? I won't work for you—"
"You don't have to." Jordan gently pushed her into the seat, then plucked up the sheet and handed it to her. Georgia wrapped it around herself; she had all but forgotten she was nude.
"Now just listen." He caught both her hands and held tight. "You said you wanted options, well here're two." He drew a deep breath. "You can marry me." He waited, watching her closely, and when she only stared at him in shock, his expression hardened. "Or you can teach dance at your own studio."
That was every bit as confusing as his proposal. Only...he hadn't really proposed. Not once had he ever said he loved her, only that he wanted her. And last night he'd admitted to respecting her, admiring her...
"Georgia, are you listening to me?"
She blinked. "Yes, but...I don't have a studio."
Jordan seemed to be getting angrier by the moment. "I found you one. It's in the center of town. It used to be a novelty shop, but the owner is retiring and the place is wide and airy and with a little renovation it'd be perfect."
She sat there, naked but for a sheet, confusion weighing her down. "A novelty shop?"
Jordan grabbed her chin and kissed her hard. He actually trembled he was so furious. "I already agreed to buy the building so you might as well agree." When she still hesitated, he barked, "You said you enjoy teaching dance, and Misty and Honey assure me there'll be—"
Incredulous, Georgia shot off the sofa to stare down at him. "You bought me a building?"
He didn't stand, but instead sprawled back in his seat and put his arms along the sofa back. Every single muscle in his arms and chest and shoulders was defined. "Yes."
"Ohmigod." She paced away, but had taken no more than ten steps when she whirled back around to face him. "How can you buy me a building? Nobody buys someone else a building!"
His eyes narrowed. "I also asked you to marry me."
"No." Wildly, she shook her head. "You told me I could marry you. It's not at all the same thing."
"You want all the fanfare? You want me to go down on one knee?"
"No!" Her head had started to pound and she felt queasy. It would be so easy to marry him, to let him fix everything, but she'd sworn she wouldn't do that again. She felt wetness on her cheeks and realized she was crying. Her heart ached and she said on a near wail, "I can't marry you, Jordan. Why would you even suggest such a thing?"
His eyes closed briefly; he rubbed a hand over his face. "You said you loved me."
"I do, but...you have everything. You have a wonderful supportive family and a great job, an education and respectability, a home and money and—"
He came to his feet so quickly, she yelped and nearly tripped over the trailing sheet. Jordan gripped her arms.
"So that's what you love about me?" he roared, scaring her half silly. "What I can give you?"
She'd never seen Jordan like this. She'd watched him easily subdue a man twice his size. She'd watched him face off with his brothers. She'd seen Jordan angry and frustrated and deliberately provoking, but she'd never seen him in this type of rage. Oddly enough, though he'd startled her, she wasn't afraid of him.
"No." She emphasized that with a tiny shake of her head. "I love you," she said very quietly, choking on her tears, "because of who you are."
He stepped up to her until she had to tip her head back to see his face, until his bare chest brushed her knuckles clutching the sheet and his feet were braced on either side of hers. He surrounded her and overwhelmed her and then he whispered, "That's why I love you, too."
More tears blurred her vision and she rubbed them away, sniffing and gulping and sounded horribly like a frog. "But I—"
"You're going to really piss me off," he informed her, "if you put yourself down again." She hiccuped on a laugh. Jordan raised one hand to gently smooth her cheek. "Weren't you listening last night, baby? I love you. I'm crazy nuts about you. My whole family knows it, even my mother. Yes I have all the things you mentioned, but I don't have you. And without you, I'm not going to be happy."
"Oh Jordan." She swallowed hard. "You really love me?"
He shook his head. "What did you think? That I just enjoy giving foot rubs?"
She lost what little control she had on her emotions and dropped the sheet again to throw herself into his arms. "I love you so much."
"I do, you know," he whispered. "Enjoy rubbing on you, I mean." She laughed as he cradled her close. He slid his hands down to her backside and lifted her. "Marry me, Georgia. Let me have you. Let me make your family my own and give you mine and we can both be happy."
"It...it doesn't feel right to take that much from you."
He rocked her into his erection. "Does this feel right?" When she nodded, he kissed her gently. "And this?"
"Jordan..."
"And this?"
Georgia had known from the start that he could seduce with just a few whispered words. Now she had firsthand proof.
~ Epilogue ~
"HEY DAD!"
Jordan looked up from making salad as Lisa came barreling through the front door, followed closely by Adam and two dogs, one a mixed-breed puppy and the other an ancient dachshund. They'd all been outside playing and smelled of sunshine and fresh crisp air. Between the children laughing and the dogs barking, the house was always filled with excitement.
Jordan knelt down and caught the children to him, hugging them fiercely. Life, he thought, was pretty damn good. "Mommy's home," Lisa told him, after a loud wet kiss to his cheek.
Seconds later Georgia strolled in. Under her coat, she wore her workout clothes of leotard and tights, guaranteed to make his blood boil. Seeing the skin-tight outfits affected him more strongly than her stage costumes had.
Of course, nothing affected him as much as her bare, beautiful skin.
He stood, and with the kids still close to his side and the dogs jumping between them, he gave her a long, thorough kiss. "Hi," he whispered and she smiled back.
Her smiles, he decided, were downright lethal.
"What time is everyone due to arrive?"
Jordan took her coat from her and hung it on the back of an oak chair. Thanks to Gabe's handyman skills, the remodelled kitchen had become a favorite hangout for everyone. "You have time to shower, if that's what you're wondering."
"Can I do anything to help you first?"
Jordan went back to preparing his salad. "The sauce you made yesterday is already heating, and the spaghetti will go on as soon as the water starts to boil." He glanced at the kids. "My assistant chefs can wash their hands and start to work on the garlic bread."
Lisa grinned up at him. She'd lost another tooth and her words now whistled when she spoke. "Grandma said she's bringin' dessert."
Jordan shook his head. Grandma, he knew darn good and well, was smitten with Mr. Malone, who would also be in attendance. Ruth had moved into his vacated apartments over the garage. Neither he nor Georgia had wanted her to, but she'd insisted on giving them time to be alone. When Misty and Honey had begged her to stay close since the babies loved her so much, she'd agreed. She was now a paid housekeeper/sitter with her own measure of ind
ependence, which she loved.
She also loved the way Mr. Malone hung around on the pretense of visiting his daughters, though Sawyer and Morgan were both quite disgruntled by that situation. Jordan sympathized with them. He didn't understand the attraction at all. Ruth was so sweet and open and loving, but Mr. Malone – they'd known the man for ages and still called him mister – was so detached. Ruth claimed he was softening and that he wasn't at all detached when they were alone. He wasn't detached with any of the kids, either, and he was openly impressed with Casey.
Georgia touched his cheek. "You've got that protective look about you again."
Jordan grinned at her. "Do you know how many people will be here tonight?" When she shook her head, sidetracked just as he'd hoped, he said, "Fourteen, if we include all the kids. When you add the four of us, that's a lot of confusion. Are you sure you're up to this after working all day?"
Adam crossed his arms in the same pose Jordan used. "We'll need lots of garlic bread!"
Georgia laughed. "Yes, I'm up to it, and yes, we'll need lots of bread." Then to Jordan, "You know dancing doesn't tire me. Just the opposite, I always feel energized after a class."
In the two months since their small, quiet marriage, Georgia had gotten her studio set up and filled to the maximum with students. She taught not only dance classes for the fun of it, but also aerobics. She had people of all ages coming throughout the day. And true to her word, she was always bursting with energy.
Especially in the bedroom.
Jordan had to pull his thoughts away from that direction or he'd never survive the massive family gathering. Georgia left to shower and dress and a few minutes later all the relatives started to arrive.
He wasn't surprised to see Casey with yet another beautiful young lady. He seldom saw the same girl twice these days, and other than a few surprise meetings, Emma hadn't been around.
At her first bite of dinner, Georgia smiled at Jordan and said, "Delicious. You really are perfect at everything, aren't you?"
Jordan grinned. He was used to her saying that, but obviously his family wasn't.
Morgan choked on his spaghetti, then doubled over laughing. "Maybe perfect for you," he laughed, "but I think old Jordan is plenty flawed. Now Malone, she prefers men with a little more steel, don't ya, sweetheart?"
Misty pretended she hadn't heard him, though everyone could see her trying not to smile. Amber said, "Daddy's nasty."
Sawyer shook his head. "Can't you control him, Misty? He gets more outrageous by the day."
"Look who's talking!" Morgan said.
Sawyer was trying to eat and love on his wife and son at the same time. His mother took Shohn so she and Brett could spoil him just a bit, and Honey found her chair bumping up against her husband's.
Gabe tipped Elizabeth's chair toward him and kissed her hard. She didn't even try to fight him off. Adam mimicked their smooching sounds until everyone laughed. Lisa announced to the table at large that her grandma and Mr. Malone were playing footsie beneath the table.
CASEY SAT BACK in his seat and watched them all with an indulgent smile. Things sure had changed over the past few years, and he loved it. He missed having Jordan so close, but they visited often, and it was obvious Jordan was as happy as a man could be. His father and uncles had all found the perfect women for them.
The girl beside Casey cleared her throat. She was uncomfortable in the boisterous crowd, but it didn't matter. He doubted he'd see her again anyway. She was beautiful, sexy, and anxious to please him – but she wasn't perfect for him. Though he was only eighteen and had quite a bit of college ahead of him, not to mention all his other plans, Casey couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever meet the perfect mate.
An image of big brown eyes, filled with sexual curiosity, sadness, and finally rejection, formed in his mind. With a niggling dread that wouldn't ease up, Casey wondered if he'd already found the perfect girl – but had sent her away.
Then he heard Georgia talking to his date, and pulled himself out of his reverie. No, she wasn't perfect, but she didn't keep him awake nights, either. And that was good, because no matter what, no matter how he felt now, he would not let his plans get off track. He decided to forget all about women and the future and simply enjoy the night with his family.
IT WAS LATE when Casey finally got home after dropping off his date, and he'd just pulled off his shirt when a fist started pounding on the front door. He and his father met in the hall, both of them frowning. Honey pulled on her robe and hustled after them.
When Sawyer got the door open, they found themselves confronted with Emma's father. He had his daughter by the arm, and he was obviously furious.
Casey's first startled thought was that Emma wasn't gone after all. Then he got a good look at her face and he erupted in rage.
He'd been wrong. His plans would change after all. In a big way.
* * * *
