by Tina Leonard
“Actually, I would love that. Thank you.” Delilah beamed. “It means a lot to me.”
Valentine smiled. “I’m glad we ended up on the same side of the street.”
Delilah linked her arm through Valentine’s, leading her back to the guests. “You gave Marvella and me a reason to tear down a long-standing wall between us. I’m very grateful.”
Valentine smiled, seeing the honesty in Delilah’s eyes. Then a guest pulled Valentine away to say good-night, and others headed out the door. Valentine felt as if she was saying goodbye to one of the best nights of her life.
Crockett had been so sweet to arrange this surprise party.
After all the guests left, Valentine couldn’t stand it another second. She pounced on Crockett. “You’ve been keeping secrets.”
“Nope. Just one.”
“What is it?”
He looked at her strangely. “The party, of course. It’s very hard to plan such a thing when you live next door and peer out peepholes.”
“I do no such thing!” He was far and away the most elusive man. “Just occasionally.”
He laughed. “You sing rockabilly when you think no one is listening.”
“And you make no noise at all.”
Walking over to the pile of gifts, he said, “I wish the baby would arrive tomorrow.”
“You’ll have to be patient.”
“I hope you can be,” he said, waving the silver box at her.
Valentine blinked. “Are you always going to be difficult?”
“You could just say yes,” he said, his voice silky.
“I’m not sure about the question.” There had been many questions in their relationship.
“Let’s start with…come back to my bed.”
She felt her cheeks go pink. “Your bed?”
“You’ve never seen my bedroom. You might like it.”
“In a designer sort of way?”
“I don’t think so.” He took her hand and pulled her back toward his room. As they walked, he wrapped a silver ribbon around her wrists like handcuffs.
“You’re a little freaky,” she told him.
“It’s a good thing. Trust me.”
It was a game and all in fun, and Valentine told herself to breathe deeply and put herself in a trusting spirit.
“Kiss me,” he said, “and you get a wish.”
“A wish?”
He nodded, his eyes glinting.
She kissed him thoroughly and he pulled her down on the bed with him, the silver ribbon keeping her hands together.
“I see you in my room,” he said.
She looked at him. “Do you?”
He trailed a finger down her face. “Yeah. Check it out.”
She glanced over her shoulder. On the wall was the most beautiful painting she had ever seen. She sat in a wicker chair, her lips curved in a smile, her eyes wide-open and loving as she looked at…
“I’m looking at the artist,” she said. “I’m looking at you.”
“It’s how I see you,” he said.
“Make love to me,” she said. “My only wish.”
He stripped off her clothes and laid her gently on the bed, teasing her with the silver ribbon and kisses. She had almost forgotten how well their bodies fit together, and when he rocked against her a certain way, she cried out her pleasure and wondered how she could have told him no about anything. They lay together holding each other in shared bliss.
Twenty minutes later, when she could breathe, Valentine opened her eyes. Crockett was looking down at her.
“What?”
Gently, he tied the silver ribbon around her neck. “You look like a satisfied kitten,” he said. “And a sexy one at that. I want you always in my bed.”
“If you bring me another piece of silver ribbon,” she said, “I’ll tie one on you.”
“Tie me up, did you say?”
“No,” she said, laughing. “People tie bows on their fingers to help them not forget things.”
He smiled, and kissed her deeply. Then he snapped his fingers. “I did forget something!”
“See? I knew you needed a bow.”
He handed her the silver box. “A little housewarming gift,” he said.
She tore it open. “It’s a key.”
“To my house. In case you ever want to visit me.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“I have to go. I have something I need to do,” he said.
“Now?”
Valentine didn’t like the sound of that. Reluctantly, she rose and dressed as he did. Then she followed him onto the back patio that adjoined hers. He strode toward his truck without looking back.
Sudden worry struck her. What if he left her?
This man had tempted her, teased her and kept her in a veritable frenzy. She’d had her space; now she wanted him. She knew exactly what the Jefferson males were capable of when it came to making ladies wait. And she wasn’t the waiting type, she decided.
She went running after him, catching him as if he were the escaping gingerbread man, only she didn’t stop at catching him. She landed on his back, kissing his face and his ears and giving him a rather unladylike kick to the rump.
Laughing, he pulled her around to face him.
“Never do that again,” she said.
He tried to look innocent.
“I’m not falling for it,” she said. “I figured out the CJ on the fanny of that naked lady. It’s your initials, on my fanny. Don’t play hard to get.”
Then she kissed him. “I am not letting you go,” she said. “I’ve lost too much in my life not to know that sometimes, this time, I’ve got to hang on as tight as I can, just like you do when you’re on Bloodthirsty Black. And I’m hanging on to you.”
Crockett grinned. “I like you from your fanny to your sass,” he said, grinning. “And I wasn’t leaving. I was only going out to my truck to get something.”
“To get what?” Valentine demanded, not believing him.
He pulled a big blue velvet box from the truck bed, handing it to her.
She gave him a suspicious stare. It was too big to be a ring.
Opening it slowly, she gasped.
Inside was a gingerbread man with the initials C and V and A entwined with one big J in frosting.
“We’re going to be one happy family,” he said.
Tears jumped into her eyes. “I did think you were leaving me,” she admitted.
“This says I never will.” Crockett gave her a tiny box, so small she could cup it in her hand.
Inside was a gorgeous diamond, surrounded by sprinkles and red hots that spilled out as she removed the ring in wonder. “It’s beautiful. It’s better than beautiful. Tear down the wall,” she whispered. “I want to share my life with you.”
Crockett slipped the ring on her finger, and as he did, he felt the magic inside him that he always knew he would feel if he ever managed to make this woman his.
And now she was.
“Sweets for the sweet,” he murmured to Valentine, before kissing his chosen bride lovingly, and deeply, and far longer than his heart had dreamed possible just a few short months ago.
It was Crockett’s final seduction as a bachelor cowboy, but just the first seduction of his forever Valentine.
Epilogue
Valentine did not want a large wedding, but by the time all the Jeffersons and their friends were invited to the ranch, the event could only be called huge. Her groom was happy because all his brothers were in town, with their wives and children. Crockett was very handsome, she thought proudly, in his jeans, crisp white shirt, best black hat and boots.
She was especially happy because Nina was her matron of honor. They giggled like schoolgirls, and Annette dropped white rose petals on the lawn aisle. Valentine was very proud of her daughter.
It was the perfect wedding.
And when Crockett kissed the bride the joy of the moment brought happy tears to her eyes.
“I don’t think y
ou’ll be needing the charmed heirloom baby-making bed,” Nina whispered at the reception table. “You seem to do quite well without it.”
Valentine smiled. “You’ll be an auntie again. This time to a boy. Crockett is going to have his own miniature Jefferson cowboy to dress up in boots and a hat.” She gazed at her good-looking husband, watching as he watched her. “I never thought I’d be so happy.”
“Excuse me, Nina,” Crockett said, coming to take Valentine’s hand. “My bride and I have an escape to make.”
Laughing, they outran the birdseed being thrown their way and jumped into a waiting limo.
“To the airport,” Crockett said.
“To France for our honeymoon,” said Valentine. “What a wonderful idea. And Annette is so excited about going to visit Nina and Navarro’s farm while we’re gone.”
“I’m looking forward to you coming home with some French culinary secrets,” Crockett said, “to add to your skill in the kitchen.”
“While I, my love, greatly anticipate you rounding out your knowledge of—”
He raised a brow at her wickedly. “They do say Paris is the city for lovers. And I will be loving you thoroughly.”
Valentine smiled. “I was going to say that I greatly anticipate you furthering your appreciation of art at the Louvre. However, if you insist upon staying in your hotel room during your entire stay in the City of Romance—”
He kissed her, silencing her teasing. “I love you,” he said.
“And I love you.” She smiled, pulling a length of silver ribbon from her bodice. “I brought the handcuffs.”
He grinned, pulling a small can from his jacket pocket. “I figured I’d do some painting while we’re honeymooning.”
“Chocolate body paint,” she said, surprised. “Mmm, a working honeymoon for you.”
“I’m thinking rosebuds all over your fanny,” Crockett replied, pulling Valentine into his lap. And the limo took them toward their future.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-5860-4
CROCKETT’S SEDUCTION
Copyright © 2005 by Tina Leonard.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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