My Determined Suitor

by Shelley Munro

  “Aren’t men a girl topic?” Duncan asked.

  Emily picked up her glass of wine to take a sip. “You might come into the conversation.”

  “So you haven’t heard anything?” Duncan thought she sounded evasive. Perhaps Lana had told her something in confidence. He wouldn’t ask, but it gave credence to his theory. Jamie and Lana hadn’t had the perfect marriage.

  “No. Have you checked with Jamie’s friends?” Saber asked.

  Duncan shrugged. “I don’t want rumors to get back to Lana.”

  “How can you have a relationship with Lana anyway?” Emily asked. “You’re following the rodeo circuit and she has her restaurant.” Her eyes narrowed. “Surely you don’t expect her to give up her business?”

  “It’s not public knowledge yet. I’m retiring from rodeos. I’m sick of the constant moving and I miss being with other felines.”

  Saber nodded, understanding in his eyes. “What are you going to do?”

  “I’ve purchased land not far from Cromwell. I hope to breed cattle suitable for the rodeo circuit and go into the stock contracting business, start a school where I can teach novice cowboys who want to go into bull riding.”

  “Does Lana know?” Emily asked.

  “I wanted to tell her. She seemed skittish, so I decided not to say anything.”

  Emily frowned. “She won’t react well if she learns you’ve known for a while and didn’t tell her.”

  “No matter which way I approach the problem she will be pissed,” Duncan said.

  “I’d suggest you dance with the other girls. Don’t make it look as if you’re stalking her,” Emily said. “Besides, a little of competition might do her good.”

  “Make her jealous, you mean?”

  “No, I wouldn’t go that far. Just make it seem as if you want a casual relationship and she might relax more,” Emily said.

  “Saber, you have a devious wife.”

  Saber took Emily’s hand in his and winked at her. “She’ll come in handy finding mates for the twins. I’ve had little success on my own.”

  “Where are your brothers? I thought they’d be here for the rodeo,” Duncan said. “I was looking forward to meeting Leo’s and Felix’s wives.”

  “The twins are in Dunedin and Leo dragged Felix up to Wellington. They had tickets for the Sevens rugby tournament. Tomasine and Isabella decided they’d tag along and do some shopping.”

  “I guess I’ll catch up with them over the next few months,” Duncan said. The music ended and Duncan saw Lana was dancing with another man. It looked like Samuel, one of Saber’s friends. “I might as well take Emily’s advice and ask someone else to dance.”

  Duncan wandered off, leaving Saber and Emily alone.

  “I thought the mating heat kicks in if a couple is compatible,” Emily said in an undertone.

  “Generally, a man can sense his mate and is compelled to claim her. I didn’t sense undercurrents between them, although Duncan is having trouble controlling his feline. That’s a sign something is up.”

  “Duncan has traveled a lot and learned to suppress his feline. Maybe his control is so good that the normal signs aren’t present yet,” Emily suggested.

  “I’m just glad it’s not me.” Saber scooted his chair closer to Emily’s. “Would you like to dance, Mrs. Mitchell?”

  “I’d love to, Mr. Mitchell.”

  “What do you think about a walk afterward?” His eyes gleamed with both heat and mischief.

  “We could, Mr. Mitchell. I will take custody of my panties,” she said as a distinct afterthought.

  Saber chuckled. “Maybe,” he said. “Or maybe not.”

  * * * * *

  Lana watched Duncan walk over to a group of women with conflicted feelings.

  “Lana?”

  “Oh sorry? I didn’t catch that,” she said to Saber’s friend. Dang, she had to stop thinking about Duncan.

  “I wondered if you want to go for a walk.”

  Heck, what was with the males tonight? They all wanted to get her outside and alone. They all had one-track minds. “Thanks, normally I’d like that. I’m meeting with friends,” she lied. “I’d hate to miss them.”

  “One more dance?” he asked.

  “Sure.” He tugged her closer, and she decided it would be better to strike up a conversation rather than letting him smooch. She didn’t want to give him the wrong idea. “What sort of stock do you raise on your farm?”

  He started to talk, and she relaxed, finding him a good conversationalist. The topic drifted from farming to friends in common. Lana answered easily, able to concentrate on the other dancers and her partner. A familiar face made her stiffen—Duncan on the floor, dancing with another woman. The blonde clung to him. Lana bit on her inner lip, aghast at the surge of jealousy blindsiding her. Basically, she’d told Duncan to go away, so why should it matter if he was with another woman?

  The bracket of songs ended and her partner escorted her back to the table. Emily and Saber had disappeared, but Duncan arrived not long afterward. He took a swig from his bottle of beer.

  “Do you mind if I leave you alone?” he asked after her partner disappeared to buy drinks. “I see a friend over there and wanted to ask her to dance.”

  “I don’t mind,” Lana said, forcing a smile. She was not jealous. She was not.

  “Great.” Duncan strolled off without looking back, and Lana stared after him in shock. Heck, what was she thinking? She had no claim on Duncan. The shifter had followed the rules she’d set for him, so how could she complain?

  Another of Saber’s neighbors asked her to dance, and she accepted because of politeness. That was what she told herself. In truth, she wanted to watch Duncan in action. She slipped into the man’s arms and wished the band would play the faster numbers again. Duncan and his partner were dancing way too close. Her hands curled into her partner’s shoulders as she watched the woman reach up to press a quick kiss to Duncan’s mouth. A growling rumble rippled through her before she could control the sound.

  “Are you okay?” Her partner gave her a strange look and didn’t hold her quite as tight.

  Lana blinked. “I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure? Your fingernails are digging into my shoulders.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry!” Mortified, Lana curled her fingers into her palms and continued dancing. She winced at the sharp claws that had bled through from beneath her fingernails and instead smiled, moving gracefully with her partner. The lapse helped her come to a decision.

  Her and Duncan.

  Tonight.

  When he asked again, she’d say yes. And if he thought her indecisive, too bad. It was a woman’s prerogative.

  Another hour passed and Lana lost count of the number of men she danced with. In between she chatted with Emily and Saber and reacquainted herself with the Middlemarch locals.

  “Have you thought any more about tonight?” a voice whispered in her ear.

  Duncan. She could tell by his scent, although the floral perfume didn’t please her. “Yes,” she said in a flat tone.

  “Great. You don’t sound pleased with your decision,” Duncan said, taking a seat beside her.

  “I’m tired.” And jealous.

  “You’ll have to make sure you get plenty of sleep.”

  Lana chuckled, attracting attention. “How am I going to do that?”

  “Private joke?” Emily asked.

  “Lana said she’s too tired to dance with me,” Duncan said.

  “I’ll dance with you, Duncan.”

  Lana turned to glimpse a beautiful blonde woman. She looked familiar although Lana didn’t know her name.

  “All right, Jennifer. Lana, Emily, this is Jennifer. She’s a barrel racer.”

  “I thought you looked familiar,” Lana said. “You won the barrel race event today. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks. Come on, Duncan. This is one of my favorite songs.” Jennifer took Duncan’s hand and dragged him toward the dance floor.

&n
bsp; “Lana, you’re growling,” Emily whispered.

  “Damn. I don’t feel well,” Lana said. “I might see if Duncan will take me back to your place after this dance.”

  Emily nodded, her eyes twinkling. “That might be a good idea, but don’t forget the prize-giving.”

  “Bother. I’ll try to hold on until then.”

  Emily checked her watch. “They’re starting in another five minutes.”

  “I don’t understand why they didn’t have it earlier,” Lana muttered.

  “They wanted to make plenty of money on the ticket sales and bar.”

  “How silly of me.”

  The band finished their segment and took a break. In the break, the president of the Middlemarch Rodeo Club strode to the mike on the small dais while a svelte redhead, who Lana didn’t recognize, sashayed over to the prize table, set up to the right of the bar.

  The prize-giving seemed endless. Lana tapped her foot, clapping dutifully for each recipient even though her head throbbed. Duncan beamed when he received his check and plaque for first place in the bull ride.

  “Way to go, Duncan!” a woman he’d danced with shouted.

  When the ribald comments started, females comparing bull riding and sex, Lana started growling.

  “Lana,” Emily said, following up her warning with a kick under the table.

  “Ow!” She glared at Emily, and when she glanced at Rick, she noticed he was looking at her strangely. Cripes, she’d never had this problem before, always being in total control of her feline. Aghast, she reached for her drink and took a swig of wine. Tonight couldn’t finish soon enough. Tomorrow she’d return to her own turf and her life would be in balance again—just the way she liked it.

  When the presentation ended, she grabbed her bag and stood. “My head is pounding so I’m heading home. See you in the morning.”

  “Wait, Saber will take you,” Emily said.

  “No, don’t worry. Duncan said he’d take me back. I’ll find him.” She wandered to the exit, searching for Duncan, giving her feline senses full rein to locate him. Her feline might as well be of some use today. She found Duncan standing outside with a group of his rodeo friends. Several were smoking, wisps of white spiraling into the air when they exhaled.

  Lana strode over to them and came to an abrupt halt when her heels sank into the grass. “Hell and damnation.” She yanked her shoes from the dirt, hot anger taking a tighter grip on her. Her eyes stung and for an awful moment she thought she might cry. Aghast, she swallowed and thought of her restaurant.

  What on earth was wrong with her? With everything right in her world and her restaurant coming along nicely, she should be happy and full of beans. She’d had great sex and lots of fun spending time with Emily, so why did she feel so unsettled?

  Maybe I need more sex. Shaking her head, she moved closer and saw the blonde barrel racer talking to Duncan again. Lana paused, hesitating before approaching them.

  “Come back to the motel with me, Duncan,” Jennifer said. “It was good last time. Really good.”

  Lana heard, despite the chatter, and must have made a sound because Duncan’s head jerked up.

  “No, Jennifer,” he said without taking his gaze off Lana.

  “Why not?”

  “Because he’s with me.” Lana hoped she wasn’t stepping in where she wasn’t wanted. He’d already said no. Duncan would realize she wanted to help him out and nothing more.

  Just one more night of sex, she thought. One more to tide me over for another year or so.

  “Oh, I thought…never mind.” Tears filled Jennifer’s eyes, and she turned away, pushing her way through the people loitering at the marquee entrance.

  “I hope I didn’t butt in and spoil things for you,” Lana said.

  “No. Your timing is perfect. Jennifer and I went out twice. Nothing serious. We’re just friends.”

  “She was crying.”

  “I know. I don’t understand why. It’s a new trend,” Duncan said, frowning after Jennifer. “I don’t know what that was about because she knows we’re friends and nothing more. Did you want something?”

  No use prevaricating. Besides, if she didn’t hurry, another woman might arrive to drag off Duncan. “I’m ready to go back to Saber and Emily’s. I wondered if you’d like to come with me.”

  “Yes.” Duncan took her hand and the anxious race of her heart settled. He hadn’t hesitated.

  “They say sex is good for a headache. I’m hoping that’s true.”

  “So I’m gonna get lucky.”

  Lana snuck a quick glance at his face and couldn’t discern his feelings on the situation. His mouth bore a slight grin though. She’d bet his mind floated in the gutter thinking about sex. Such a male thing to do. Sometimes she thought all Jamie had considered was sex and children. “I said so, didn’t I?”

  “No need to get testy,” Duncan said, his hand in the small of her back as he guided her across the parking area to his SUV. The warmth of his touch crept through her body like a slowly unfurling streamer, gaining more impetus the longer his hand remained in contact. She shivered, wishing the silk wasn’t between her skin and his touch, or better yet, that his lips caressed her flesh while a lone finger pumped into her aching channel.

  “Sorry, I get a little snappy when I have a headache.”

  Duncan wondered if it was more than a headache. He’d heard her growl when Jennifer propositioned him, seen the annoyance flickering over her face. It had been a mere flash of emotion but it gave him hope. What her mind wanted and her body needed were two different things. She was fighting this thing between them so no wonder her head hurt.

  He opened the door for her, closing it once she’d settled and rounded his vehicle to climb into the driver’s seat.

  “What time are you leaving for Queenstown tomorrow?”

  “Emily asked me to stay for lunch. I haven’t decided yet if I will or not.”

  Duncan calculated the hours until she left and knew it wasn’t long enough. He needed a plan because from what he’d seen and heard from Emily and Saber, wooing Lana wasn’t going to be easy. He started his vehicle and backed from the parking space, turning toward the road that led to the Mitchell homestead.

  A glance at Lana told him her eyes were closed. Assuming she didn’t want to talk, he took the time to put together a plan to win over Lana. His brow crinkled while he thought about and discarded possibilities. He kept coming back to the one idea that made his feline bristle and snarl with disapproval.

  Romance.

  Knowing Jamie, she hadn’t experienced simple romance. Tonight he’d make love to her instead of enjoying simple sex. He’d show her with his body how much he cared for her and how much he wanted her. Once she returned to Queenstown, he’d drop by her restaurant and ask her for a date, send flowers for her reopening. If he asked, Emily would give him ideas. From what he knew of Emily, she took pleasure in helping others and gave good advice.

  Yeah. Sounded like a plan to him. The time it took to win her over might chafe, but determination would prevail. If what she said was true, she didn’t date and worked long hours. The lack of competition might work in his favor.

  He pulled up outside the Mitchell homestead and switched off the ignition.

  “Lana, are you awake? We’re back,” he said, stroking a finger across her soft cheek. Her eyes opened and heat bloomed in them, fiery green heat full of desire. Her pupils contracted to a black slit and a sultry purr rumbled in her throat.

  “I’ve been dreaming about you, about sex.”

  In that moment Duncan knew his plan to romance her was the right way to go. A purist might suggest that having sharing a bed equated to putting sex first. Not so. Lust between a man and woman came in different packages. Duncan eagerly anticipated making love instead of aiming for simple pleasure.

  “Good to know,” he said. “Was it hot sex?”

  Even in the dim light of his vehicle interior he caught the flush of her cheeks and grinned.

>   “It was good,” she croaked, lifting a hand to wave in front of her face.

  The transformation from purring kitten to flustered woman intrigued him and made him want to peel away the layers, to learn her on all the different levels. He inhaled on realizing this last, the thought bringing decision. In the past a woman had never fascinated him enough to make him want to get to know her, not after he’d walked away from Lana the first time. Yeah, it was strange the things a man learned about himself.

  “How’s the head?”

  “Still achy, but not too bad. I’ll be fine in the morning.”

  “I hope so.”

  Lana grinned and her face lit up in a way he hadn’t seen since the first time he’d noticed her with Jamie. He shoved aside thoughts of his cousin and climbed out of his SUV. They met at the start of the path leading to the front door and linking hands they ambled hand in hand to the door.

  Duncan came to a halt. “I left my gear bag in the SUV. Wait for me in the bedroom. I’ll be right back.” Leaving Lana, he loped back to his vehicle and grabbed a small daypack filled with a change of clothes. He hunted for the bottles of massage oil a physio had given him when he’d hurt his leg in a fall. Good. They were still in the side pocket. A massage could be romantic and he loved to touch Lana.

  Triumphant, Duncan headed back to the house, taking both daypack and oils with him. He strode the dark passage to the bedroom Emily had allocated to Lana. She’d turned on a bedside lamp and light spilled from the bedroom into the passageway.

  Lana’s dress slithered downward, catching on her hips before whooshing to the floor. She stepped out of the circle of red silk, turning to face him when she heard his footsteps.

  Duncan paused at the doorway. “God, you’re stunning.”

  “And you’re overdressed,” she countered, sitting on the bed to unfasten her shoes. Seconds later she kicked them aside and stood again, sauntering over until she stopped in front of him.

  His gaze dropped to her breasts and immediately he wanted to touch. Stick to the plan, he told himself. “Lie on the bed.”

  She obeyed, surprising the hell out of him.

  “Facedown,” he instructed.

  She rolled over and his gaze drifted across the sexy line of her spine and the curve of her buttocks. Beautiful, and all his as long as he played this game right.