His for the Taking

by Ann Major

  Even though she begged him to come back down, he let out a war whoop and jumped, terrifying her until he hit the water and she knew he was safe. Laughing, he swam toward her from the deeper end to where she stood, her breasts floating above the surface of the water. Reaching for her, he stroked the curving sides of her breasts. The loverlike way he touched them and looked at them, as if he’d never seen anything so alluring, made her feel desirable beyond words.

  She wished she could freeze time, but moments like this were as fleeting as the fragile bubbles that frothed below the dam. Smiling, she ran her hands down his body and circled his erection, which she eagerly guided into her own fluid interior, which was warmer and somehow wetter than the water.

  She gasped when he circled her with his arms and pressed himself even more deeply inside her. They clung to each other tightly as he began to stroke in and out, faster and faster, until soon she felt she was glowing and pulsating with that all-too-familiar piercing yearning for release.

  When she could breathe again, he kissed her brow and held her close. Not speaking, they floated side by side, staring up at the sun-bright clouds through the branches. Later, when they dressed, they walked to their favorite Indian mound and spent half an hour searching for arrowheads. Not that they found much more than a few broken bits of flint. Still, she enjoyed placing her finds in his palm so she could watch while he examined each one thoughtfully.

  “Sassy gets here this afternoon,” she said as they sat together in his truck in Miss Jennie’s drive. “So this is goodbye, because I’ll be going back to Austin as soon as I pack.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

  “Maybe because I was afraid you’d start pressuring me again.”

  He folded her slim hand in his much larger one. Turning it over, he brought her fingertips to his lips. “Will you tell Greg about us?”

  She hesitated. “I need more time.”

  “When I want something, I’m not a patient man.” He leaned across the seat and kissed her, hard. “Juan keeps calling me and texting me. I’ve got to leave for the rig in a few hours. If things go as I expect, I can pry myself loose in a week and drive to Austin.”

  “Not a good idea.”

  “No—you want to put this off forever.” He kissed the tip of her nose and the corners of her eyes and then drew her close against his body. “The quicker we resolve Noah’s future and ours, the better.”

  Reaching across the cab, she brushed her fingertips along his jawline. “I can’t marry you.”

  “That’s an unacceptable answer.”

  * * *

  A brisk knock sounded on his trailer door. Cole, who’d made no forward progress with Maddie since she’d left Yella a few days ago, had a headache from hell. Clamping his mobile phone against his ear, he stood and strode to the door.

  The minute he pushed it open the incessant roar of his rig and its petroleum odors slammed him.

  Juan handed him the latest printout and signaled that he needed to talk to him, too.

  “Two minutes,” Cole promised as he shut the door. “When are you going to tell Greg about me?” Cole demanded of Maddie.

  “The more I think about your proposal, the more I think we’re not right for each other. I have a life here that doesn’t include you,” Maddie whispered. “I don’t want anything to do with Yella or the past, and you’re a part of all that.”

  “Noah’s my son. I won’t have another man playing father to him.”

  “But I can’t do without him. We have our big annual fundraiser this week. Greg offered to sit with Noah that night. And Noah’s looking forward to having the evening with him, too.”

  Cole gritted his teeth. He wasn’t getting anywhere over the phone.

  After his long silence, she said, “So, how are things at the well?”

  Since he had no interest in discussing work, it took him a minute to regroup. “Slow as hell. But there haven’t been any injuries, and it’s definitely going to produce.”

  “That sounds really good.”

  “We’ve had a few breakdowns. We’ve had to order parts—parts that had to be back-ordered. Nothing major, just the usual challenges. I need to bring this well in if I’m going to be able to get up to see you.”

  “I told you. That’s not a good idea. The sooner we forget about what happened in Yella, the better.”

  “Are you out of your mind?” Forget how great sleeping with her had been? Forget Noah?

  He hated not being able to see her and touch her. Hell, he was hard just from talking to her. He needed to hold her and make love to her again—if he was to convince her they had to marry.

  “I’m getting another call. I’ve gotta go,” she said.

  “Greg?”

  When she didn’t deny it, a nasty green emotion flared hotly inside him. After she hung up, the drilling site seemed desolate and his trailer dreary. Opening a can of tonic water so fast it spewed fizz all over him, he stomped outside to find Juan.

  He was losing her. He had to bring this well in fast. Only then could he go to Austin and convince her they had to marry for Noah’s sake.

  No, he didn’t like that she’d slept with him and then had sneaked downstairs searching for her letters. Nor was he happy about the fact that she would never have told him about Noah if he hadn’t beaten her to his office. After that stunt, he wouldn’t be normal not to consider that maybe there was some truth in what the folks in Yella thought about her.

  If there was, that was all the more reason he had to make an honest woman out of her and claim Noah as his son. And even though he had his own doubts, he was willing to ignore them and go up against his family and anybody else who objected to their marriage.

  Cole did not want his son growing up the way Adam had, deeply resenting that he was illegitimate. Whether Maddie admitted it or not, by giving Noah his name, he would assure his son of what Maddie claimed was most precious to her—the kind of respectability and sense of belonging that she’d never had.

  The sooner he got to Austin and convinced her he was right, the better.

  Eleven

  His eyes narrowing on the numbers of each house, Cole tensed as he drove up Maddie’s shady street for the second time. Her East Austin neighborhood was working-class but decent. Two little girls wearing helmets, big T-shirts and pigtails rode their bikes on the sidewalk. A couple of boys about Noah’s age threw a football back and forth to each other.

  At least there were kids for Noah to play with.

  Probably Cole should have called before coming, but he’d been too rushed. He wasn’t happy about having left Juan in charge of the well again, but seeing Maddie sooner rather than later had taken precedence over his business concerns. Noah’s future was at stake.

  The two-bedroom houses were a scramble of crumbling fixer-uppers and newly gentrified dwellings. Guilt swamped him as he realized she and Noah had probably struggled to survive in far less pleasant neighborhoods before she’d been able to afford even this. If only he’d taken her calls or read her letters when she’d tried to contact him…but he couldn’t change the past. All he could do was the right thing now, and he would do it.

  A silver SUV with heavily tinted windows and an aluminum canoe on the rooftop luggage rack swung in front of him and parked in front of a charming white house with a wide front porch. He read the numbers and realized it was Maddie’s house.

  Damn, he thought as a tall man with broad shoulders, enviable posture and thick, disheveled blond hair jumped out of the SUV and raced up her sidewalk.

  Greg? If so, Cole’s timing was lousy.

  Cole parked on the opposite side of the street and watched a slender, dark-haired boy throw open the door and grin. Rocking back on his bare feet, Noah eagerly grabbed Greg’s hand and tugged him inside.

  The sight of his son welcoming another man filled Cole with longing, causing his mood to worsen. Nor did his mood improve as he sat outside for another ten minutes studying her sparkling windowpanes and counti
ng, and then recounting, her roses.

  Her bright red porch swing made it easy to imagine her sitting outside while Noah played on a nice afternoon. A white picket fence enclosed the backyard. Obviously, she’d made sure Noah had a safe place to play when she couldn’t watch him out front, more evidence of her determination to give her son a better childhood than she’d known.

  Impatience began to gnaw at him. What the hell was Greg doing inside Maddie’s house for so long?

  Just when Cole was about to get out of his truck and stomp up the sidewalk and pound on her door, it opened. Maddie, who wore a tight red T-shirt, white shorts and high, strappy sandals, stepped outside clasping Noah’s hand. Greg shut the door and then quickly followed behind them.

  Cole willed her to glance his way, but she was concentrating too intently on whatever Noah was saying. When she finally saw Cole, she froze.

  A wellspring of desire tinged with anger swept through him. Her gorgeous violet-blue eyes framed by thick inky spikes captivated him. She was so lovely, he ached. Somehow he forced himself to wave casually.

  Maddie gripped Noah’s hand and all but dragged the poor boy to Greg’s SUV.

  Greg unlocked the doors and everybody climbed inside. When the SUV lurched away from the curb, Cole shifted into Drive and followed.

  His mobile phone pinged almost immediately.

  Hell, she’d texted him.

  On way to Town Lake. Will call u when we get home. Don’t follow!

  Since he didn’t text when he was behind the wheel, he called her back. When her phone went to voice mail, his only option was to leave a message.

  “Sorry I didn’t call first.” Feeling jealous as hell, he hung up.

  What was wrong with him? He felt as out of control as a wildly infatuated teenager.

  He should go to a hotel, check in, chill, wait for her call. He should call Juan and check in with a few of his engineers.

  Since he wasn’t feeling all that rational, he stayed glued to Greg’s tail.

  The threesome parked near the water. From a distance, Cole watched Greg and Maddie unload the canoe and carry it down to the lake while Noah tagged along happily. To get the life jackets, paddles, thermos and cooler, the three of them trooped back and forth, making several trips. Once or twice Maddie glanced toward Cole and flushed angrily.

  While they loaded the canoe, Noah knelt on the limestone bank and sifted through the rocks, stuffing his pockets until they bulged. As a kid, Cole had been equally fascinated by rocks and had spent hours looking for fossils and arrowheads. In college he’d taken several geology courses, a study that had proved useful when he’d gone into the oil and gas business.

  He didn’t even know his son, but already the boy reminded him of himself.

  There was a wide gravel jogging trail along the water’s edge, so Cole followed the canoe on foot as far as he could. They didn’t stay out long, maybe because Noah’s constant squirming caused the canoe to rock back and forth precariously. Not that Greg seemed the least bit put out when forced to return to shore. No, he was a gem, patiently reloading the canoe and repacking the gear into the vehicle. Once they were safely on land and the canoe was on the roof of his SUV, Greg bought birdseed so Noah could feed pigeons. When Noah spilled the first bag chasing the birds, Greg bought another. Growing bored with the pigeons before he was halfway into the second bag, Noah threw the seed down, causing a mad flutter of wings as the gray flock converged on the bag. Pointing at a playground not too far away, the boy raced to it.

  Greg and Maddie gave chase and then sat on a nearby bench so they could watch Noah, who was now climbing the colorful equipment. Noah swung, climbed poles, clambered up rope ladders and slid down the slides. When he fell off a swinging bridge and bumped his head, Greg ran over and picked him up. Long after Noah had dried his tears, he was content to hang on to Greg’s broad shoulders and watch the other children play.

  Hell. Unable to watch Greg with his son any longer, Cole pivoted and strode back to his truck. Climbing inside, he yanked the door shut and jammed his key into the ignition. Gunning the engine, he roared out of the park and headed toward Sixth Street in search of a bar.

  Dealing with Noah in the abstract had been easier than seeing him with Greg and realizing that the kid had had six years to form attachments to other people. Illogically, Cole felt angry at Maddie for not telling him and then angry at himself all over again for not being there for her and Noah when she’d first reached out to him.

  Six years. Six damn years he’d missed. Would he ever be able to make up for that? One thing was for sure—he wasn’t about to give up the years he had left with his son.

  Inside the first shadowy pub he found, he ordered a double scotch on the rocks, which arrived before he remembered the vow he’d made not to drink after he’d pulled himself out of his guilt/funk over Lizzie. Sliding the glass angrily aside, he signaled the waiter and asked him to replace the drink with tonic water and a twist of lime. He knocked that back with abandon even though what he really craved was the kick of the double scotch.

  * * *

  Maddie called him while he was having dinner alone. The hotel restaurant’s terrace had a view of Town Lake and the sparkling lights of downtown. If he grew bored with that view, there was a friendly blonde in a red sundress who was also alone, sitting at the table next to his, who kept smiling at him.

  “I asked you not to follow me,” Maddie said.

  “Did you tell him about me?” Cole asked.

  “I was going to, but I couldn’t think clearly with Noah around and you watching us. Plus, Greg had a bad day at school, and I need him to babysit for me during my fundraiser.”

  “We need to talk—soon.”

  “This is a difficult week for me. The fundraiser is important to the shelter’s survival.”

  He worried that she was just making excuses. “After seeing Noah with Greg I realize how much I’ve missed. I don’t want to miss any more. The sooner we get married, the better.”

  “Look…”

  “What about lunch? Tomorrow?”

  “Can’t. I’m already booked.”

  “With Greg?”

  “If you must know, yes. I didn’t know you and I would reconnect or that you’d find out about Noah when I made the date.”

  “Later, then?”

  “I’ve got a completely full schedule at work tomorrow…and the fundraiser is tomorrow evening. We’re always understaffed, and Casey, my coworker, has a doctor’s appointment tomorrow.”

  “I’m not taking no for an answer.” He said goodbye.

  After he hung up, he wondered what he could do to change her mind about his proposal.

  * * *

  If Nita Stark was a big talker and temperamental as all get-out, she was also a huge donor and the keynote speaker at the fundraiser, so Maddie didn’t dare rush their call even though she needed to get off the phone.

  When she finally managed to hang up, it was already ten minutes past noon. She was thirsty and needed to touch up her lipstick and her hair before she led the tour that she gave every two weeks. It was a way to inform the community about the mission of My Sister’s House. After that, she had to meet Greg. Feeling rushed, she grabbed her purse off its hook and raced out of her office, her high heels clicking on the polished tile floor.

  Even before she reached the door at the end of the hall, where George, her favorite young volunteer, scanned the area with fierce, earnest eyes while he stood guard for her, she heard exuberant laughter erupting from the room that was used for tours, church services on Sundays and other meetings.

  Strange, she thought. Then George pushed the door open and she saw Cole.

  “Okay, everybody, she’s here,” George announced to the clump of women who were gaily laughing at something Cole had said.

  “This is Miss Gray. She’s going to conduct your tour today,” George said.

  Cole clapped.

  “Sorry I’m late,” Maddie began, feeling flustered as she tapped
her lectern with her pen while Cole’s amused green gaze drilled into her.

  Damn him. She’d told him she didn’t have time to talk today.

  Usually her tour groups were dominated by staid, upper-middle-class matrons who were considering volunteering. Today the women were more focused on Cole than her.

  When Cole gave Maddie another slow, insolent grin, she ignored him and began her talk about the shelter. Because he was such an unnerving presence, Maddie spoke fast, too fast, forgetting entire topics she should have mentioned.

  Cole, who must have researched My Sister’s House on its webpage, asked lots of questions.

  “I always thought that places like this just enable dope addicts and prostitutes,” he murmured drily.

  Smiling tightly, she gave a quick reply. “Anybody who stays in our shelters must agree to drug testing. We are associated with all the best agencies in the city. They can help our clients get jobs, get clean and get their lives back on track. We are not enablers.”

  “Good to hear. What percentage of your clients do you save? Surely, it’s quite small.”

  It was infinitesimal; still, it was a start.

  “Not nearly as many as we’d like,” she was forced to admit. Annoyed, she glanced at her watch. “But since I seem to be running a little late, I can’t take any more questions until I finish the tour!”

  He laughed.

  Furious, she raced through her tour while the women remained distracted by Cole. By the time Maddie had completed her talk, she was breathless with outrage.

  Ignoring him, she said goodbye to the ladies before handing them off to George. Then she stormed down the hall to her office. Racing to catch up with her, Cole stepped inside the tiny room before she could slam the door on him.

  “I’m at work here. I don’t have time to play games,” Maddie said.

  “Who’s playing games?” He pulled a check out of his pocket. “Your talk inspired me to write My Sister’s House a sizable check.”

  When she saw the truly generous amount, she grew so hot under her collar she was sure she’d burst a blood vessel. “You don’t care about My Sister’s House.”