by Dee Stewart
Reed took advantage of his brother’s absence. He refused to disguise his feelings for Devon. He met her every evening at the clinic and escorted her to popular places in Dallas she hadn’t been able to visit. After Labor Day, Reed produced four tickets to a pre-season football game and invited Blair and Tony Gennaro to join them. Much to the women’s amusement, the men bantered with each other, especially when they discovered their mutual love for the home team. They shouted and cheered while Devon and Blair pretended not to notice their macho actions. The game ended with Dallas pulling ahead of their opponent by a mere field goal.
When the four of them left the stadium, they went to one of the crowded sports bars nearby. Reed and Tony indulged themselves on peanuts and beer while Devon and Blair ordered water and buffalo wings with hot sauce for all of them, and they spent the rest of the evening in easy camaraderie.
On the morning Shane was due back in Dallas, Reed called his brother’s secretary. “I want you to notify me as soon as my brother arrives at his office.”
“Yes, Mr. Barrington. Where may I reach you?”
“If I’m not at the stable, you can reach me on my cell phone.”
Reed let out a heavy breath as he saddled Sun Rise who had arrived at the ranch a week ago. He still believed it would be easier for Devon to face Shane if he spoke to his brother first.
Receiving the call from Shane’s secretary around one o’clock, Reed hopped into his truck and headed toward Dallas. Sunlight reflected off the glass tower housing Barrington Industries. He grimaced. The business never interested him, much to Jasper’s disappointment. Being trapped indoors all day in a three-piece suit and tie gave him claustrophobia. Besides, he preferred working with horses as opposed to people.
As Reed headed toward a bank of elevators, busy employees scurrying to and fro greeted him only because his last name happened to be Barrington. He held his scorn at bay and stepped into the first available elevator.
Shane’s secretary wasn’t at her desk, so Reed started to enter his brother’s office unannounced. The double doors stood partially open, and when he crossed the threshold, he didn’t know whether to be angry or grateful.
Alana Turner and Shane kissed with frantic intensity. Locked in a heated embrace, their bodies strained against each other.
“I love you,” Shane murmured. His lips nuzzled Alana’s neck. “I can’t bear to be separated from you any longer. I’m going to end the situation with Devon tonight, and afterward I’m laying all my cards on the table with Dad. I don’t care about being CEO anymore. All I want is to marry you.”
“Shane.” Alana pulled his head down to meet her upturned mouth. “I can’t believe this nightmare is finally going to be over. I love you so much. You know I would have waited forever for you. But I have to be sure. Will you be happy in a subordinate position to your dad?”
“I’ll always be in a subordinate position to Dad no matter what. Do you really think he’d give total control of BI to me? It took me awhile to accept it. I’m so sorry I put you through hell.”
“What about Devon? Will she be okay?”
“She’ll be fine. Devon will probably return to San Francisco. Trust me, you don’t have to worry about her.”
Reed backed out of Shane’s office. With a light heart and a grin on his face, he left Barrington Industries and headed toward the clinic. He greeted his sister with a boisterous wave, and before Blair could guess his intent, Reed went from one examining room to another, searching for Devon. When he found her taking an older patient’s blood pressure, he picked her up and spun her around.
“Reed!” she protested in acute embarrassment. “Put me down.”
“We’re going to dinner tonight, Doc. Wear your sexiest dress.” He kissed her fully on the mouth. “I’ll see you at the house tonight. Be ready by seven o’clock.”
The patient chuckled while Devon shook her head and shooed Reed out of the examining room.
Several hours later, when Devon came downstairs wearing a slinky red dress that clung to every curve of her body, Reed’s eyes glowed with an intensity that could only be described as purely sexual and mesmerizing.
“You’re sexy as hell.”
“What’s going on?” she asked in a soft voice.
“You’ll find out.”
His cryptic answer heightened her awareness of him. Reed treated her to a three-course meal at his favorite restaurant in Dallas. During dinner he kept her in a constant state of arousal by caressing her bare arm and neck and sliding his hand up her thigh beneath the table. In the candlelight, his sapphire eyes glittered with undisguised desire. He took advantage of their private booth by often kissing her. By the time they left the restaurant, Devon was ready for Reed to rip her clothes off and take her to bed.
After dinner, Reed took her to a crowded nightclub where he teased her even more. The timbre of his voice, the expression on his face when he looked at her, and the hardness of his body pressed against hers increased the excitement between them as they swayed together on the dance floor.
During a third round of sensual dancing, Reed lost his self-control. “Let’s go to my cabin,” he muttered, his tone husky with physical need.
Stepping inside the cool interior of Reed’s cabin after they returned to the Barrington estate, he locked the door and pressed Devon against it. His lips covered hers in a hot, bruising kiss while his hands traveled over her body. Flames of unquenched desire burst between them as Reed unzipped Devon’s dress and allowed it to fall to the floor before he swung her into his muscular arms and carried her to his bedroom. His tongue hungrily sought and sparred with hers.
When Reed lifted his head, he murmured, “We’re going to make love, Devon. Tonight.”
Devon’s body burned where he’d touched her and she drew in her breath. “Why? Why tonight?”
“I saw Shane with Alana Turner earlier this afternoon in his office. He told her that he loved her, and he planned to end his relationship with you. He never loved you. He’s always been in love with Alana and wants to marry her. The son of a bitch finally decided to choose love over business. I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
“I see.” Devon’s heart plummeted. “So, tonight is really about Shane and Alana. It’s about you taking what you want regardless of my feelings.”
“No.” Reed shook his head. “This has never been about Shane. It’s about you and me and what’s been building between us since the first day we met. Christ, Devon,” he swore. “Don’t you get it? I’m in love with you.”
Without waiting for a response, Reed crushed Devon against him and kissed her hard. She allowed herself to be swept away by the overwhelming joy filling her soul when she heard his long-awaited confession of love and stopped resisting. Reed felt her complete surrender as he lowered her to the bed. He removed the rest of her clothing and his own before he began to worship her body with his lips and hands.
Devon’s stomach tightened when Reed’s mouth brushed lightly across it. He pulled open her legs and stroked her with his tongue. A sweet heat rose in her and burst into flames. She gasped aloud with the force of her orgasm and gripped the sheets beneath her.
“Oh, my God, Reed!”
His fingers replaced his tongue and teased her into a second explosion before he slid easily into her wet warmth. A groan escaped him. “Jesus, Devon.”
Reed drove her wild with his rhythmic thrusts. His mouth latched onto her nipples, and he sucked hard, grazing them with his teeth. He lifted her arms above her head, threaded his fingers through hers, and claimed her mouth in a hot kiss.
She writhed beneath him. “Please, Reed. Now!”
Her need for release matched his. With one final thrust, they reached the height of their passion, and both cried aloud. Reed collapsed on top of Devon, and she held him against her breasts flushed with color. A moment later, he rolled away from her and guided her head onto his broad chest.
Tears spilled onto his warm skin. “Don’t cry, sweetheart.”
“I can’t help it.” Her voice quivered. “I’ve never felt anything so earth-shattering. I’m in love with you, too. I fell in love with you the moment we met.”
Her admission fueled his desire, and he made love to her again, savoring the taste and feel of her. His murmured words of love and devotion tore her heart in two. She’d deceived him. When he learned the truth, he would never forgive her. So, she took tonight for herself. For him.
At one point he gave control of their lovemaking to her, and she brought him to multiple orgasms using her mouth, hands, and tongue. “Holy Mary, Mother of God,” he moaned. “You’re fantastic.”
“So are you.”
“Devon, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while now.” He leaned against the headboard and dragged her up his body so her head rested on his chest.
“What, my love?”
“The reason I was so hard on you when you first arrived in Dallas as Shane’s fiancée.”
She gazed into his eyes. “Tell me.”
“I fell in love with a barrel girl. Do you know what that is?”
“No.”
“A horsewoman who works the rodeo circuit riding around barrels. Penny was sweet, you know, the girl-next-door type. I trained her horse. She didn’t come from money, and I liked that about her. Dad didn’t like it, of course, but I didn’t care what he thought. Penny struggled to make a living playing rodeos and appeared to care less about money. Until it became obvious she only wanted me because of my family fortune. She took advantage of me and turned me into God’s own fool. I swore I wouldn’t let something like that happen to Blair or Shane.”
Devon’s heart, already broken, shattered into a thousand jagged pieces. After tonight, she’d have to leave and never see Reed again. She couldn’t face his scorn or his disillusionment in being played a fool by her, of all people. Tears dripped onto his chest. “Oh, God, Reed, I’m so sorry.” She straddled him, arousing his ardor, and made tender love with him.
They slept briefly afterward, then Reed began the heated caresses that sparked the fiery passion that always existed between them. Throughout the long night they made love fast and furiously, slowly and thoroughly, and at times, playfully. Sated at last they fell into a deep sleep toward dawn.
Devon awoke with a heavy heart toward ten o’clock the next morning. When her eyes fell upon a delicate red rose Reed had placed on the pillow next to hers, she drew her knees up to her chin and burst into sobs. A note with the flower read I’m at the stable. You’re late, sleepyhead. Blair blames me for keeping you up all night. Last night was the best night of my entire life. I can’t wait to see you later. I love you. Reed.
Too late, she understood exactly what she was sacrificing for the truth.
Love.
Without further delay, she jumped into the shower, dressed, and headed to the main house.
Tears rolled unchecked down Devon’s cheeks as she packed all of her belongings. Funny how her life began and ended in one exquisite night. After she cleaned her room and made sure she wasn’t leaving anything behind, Devon removed the diamond ring Shane had given her and placed it on the dresser. She called the airport to arrange for a flight to San Francisco, and afterward, she asked Lincoln for assistance with her luggage. As she came downstairs, she found Mrs. Peters and O’Rourke waiting for her.
“Are you going somewhere?” Mrs. Peters asked.
“Yes,” Devon answered in a vague tone of voice. She hugged the housekeeper and shook the butler’s hand. “Thank you both so much for your generosity and hospitality.” Then she fled before they could question her any further.
“You don’t have to do this,” Lincoln told her as he loaded her luggage into her car.
“Yes, I do.” Her breath hitched. “It’s not what I want, but I don’t have a choice.”
“There are always choices. You can choose to stay and face whatever is causing you to run.”
“I wish I could make that choice, Lincoln, but this is best for everyone. I’m going to Barrington Industries. I must speak with Jasper before I leave.”
“It’s been a pleasure having you here, Devon. I will miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too.” She hugged the chauffeur, climbed into the driver’s seat, and sped away from the ranch before Reed came to find her.
Thirty minutes later Devon pulled into the parking garage at BI. She sat in the car for a few minutes, recalling Jack’s offer to be there for her if she ever needed him. Shrugging her shoulders, she called her ex-husband. Picking her up from the airport was the least he could do for her.
“Dr. Taylor,” Jack answered in a gruff voice.
“Hi, Jack. I’m coming home for good. My flight from Dallas lands at four o’clock. Will you pick me up?”
She heard his sharp intake of breath. “Devon, what’s going on?”
“It’s a long story. Will you pick me up or not?”
“Of course, I will. I can’t wait to see you. We have things to discuss.”
Devon pressed the END call button without responding. She had an inkling about what Jack wanted to discuss, and she wasn’t interested. Not after discovering the powerful, all-consuming love she shared with Reed.
Reed.
Her heart ached for him.
Struggling to control the tears stinging her eyes, Devon made her way to the top floor of the building that housed Jasper’s elegant suite of offices. She introduced herself to his secretary, who waved her permission for Devon to enter through the heavy double doors.
Her stomach churned with apprehension. “I hope I’m not intruding, sir.”
“Not at all, Miss Brooks. What can I do for you?”
She clenched her hands to keep them from shaking and squared her shoulders. “I have a terrible confession to make, sir, and when I tell you the whole story, I hope you won’t think too illy of me.” Taking a deep, cleansing breath, she continued, “Shane and I are not in love, and we were never engaged. While it’s true we met at a hospital fundraiser, we were only casual acquaintances. He approached me at the café, said he was desperate for a fiancée, and asked me to play along. I thought it was a lark. I thought it was for the moment, but an hour later I no longer had a job at the hospital. Shane convinced me I would never get my job back without your influence. I agreed to go along with the charade until he proved he was ready to become CEO of BI. He assured me it would only be for two weeks, but two weeks turned into four and became a month.”
“A month has become nearly four, Miss Brooks. Why are you telling me this now?”
Devon swallowed the lump in her throat and met Jasper’s direct gaze without flinching. “Things changed. I opened the clinic, and it gave me a reason to stay. I will always be grateful to you for it. I also learned that Shane is no longer interested in being CEO. He loves Alana Turner and wants to marry her. She’s the reason he concocted this scheme to begin with. Honor his choice of a wife, sir. Alana is good for Shane. And,” her voice trembled as her eyes glistened with unshed tears, “I fell in love with Reed. I love him, and I can’t live with this lie anymore. I love him, and I don’t have the courage to face the disillusionment and hatred he’ll feel when he discovers what I’ve done.”
Jasper let out his breath and ran a hand through his hair. “I, too, have a confession to make, Miss Brooks. I’ve known the truth from the beginning.”
Devon’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You did? How, sir?”
“I investigated you before you and Shane left San Francisco.”
“I see. Why did you allow this charade to go on? Couldn’t you see what was happening?”
“I kept quiet for several reasons. First, you gave my daughter back to me. Under your guidance Blair has grown into the kind of woman I have always wanted her to be. Second, Shane needed to be taught a valuable lesson, one I dare say he has now learned.” Jasper paused. Sadness darkened his eyes. “Reed has shouldered far too many burdens for this family. When I saw him reaching out to you, falling in love with you, I c
ouldn’t be the one to take that away from him.”
Devon’s heart twisted in her chest. “No, that’s all my fault.”
“Can you find a way to make it work with him?”
“No. Loving each other isn’t enough. I have broken his trust and played him a fool. Do you really think he’ll forgive me?”
Jasper didn’t answer. “I will call Mr. Linhart and order him to rehire you, Miss Brooks.”
“And the clinic? Will you find a suitable replacement for me and keep it going?”
“Do not fear for the future of the clinic. I will hire the most dedicated doctors and nurses,” he promised.
“Thank you, sir, that’s all I ask.” Devon reached into her purse and removed a pair of envelopes. “Please give these to Blair and Reed when you see them tonight. Tell Reed…tell him he’ll be in my heart forever.” Big tears formed in her eyes as she turned toward the door.
“Dr. Brooks, wait.”
She halted. “Yes, Jasper?”
He drew close and took her hands in his. “You will be missed, Dr. Brooks… Devon. I hope you will return someday as a Barrington bride after all.”
Devon offered a sad smile at his sentiment and rushed out of his office.
Striding toward her car, she thought she saw a familiar truck out of the corner of her eye, but tears blurred her vision. As she fumbled with her key fob, someone jabbed a needle in her neck.
“I swear I’m going to fire Harry and Smitty. They’re never around when I need them,” Reed complained to a ranch hand helping him repair a section of fence bordering the Barrington property.