by Kate Pearce
* * *
Rio grabbed the cake like a lifeline and took a moment to get his bearings. Being that close to Yvonne was intoxicating at some basic caveman level he’d never felt before. He liked sex, he loved women, but this need to take, and keep, and have was something else entirely.
“You okay?” HW was looking at him strangely.
“Yeah. I’m good.” Rio held up the box. “I asked Yvonne if she’d make a special cake for Ruth as a thank-you from me.”
HW groaned. “Now she’ll be expecting us to get her cakes and pointing out how much better you are than her own grandsons.”
“Well, she’s right.” Rio started back toward the house. “I am pretty amazing, and you guys are basically slackers.”
HW’s snort wasn’t a surprise, and both of them were grinning as they entered through the screen door. His old friend was certainly much happier now he’d given up the rodeo and settled back home.
“Where’s Chase?” Rio asked, scanning the already busy kitchen. Sam, HW’s girlfriend, who was laying the table, looked up.
“He’ll be here soon. He just called in to say they landed safely on the ranch airstrip, and Roy’s gone to pick them up.”
Yvonne came over, and touched his arm again. “Put the cake in the refrigerator before Ruth spots it, and bring it out after we’ve eaten.”
“Good idea. Why don’t you distract her while I do that?”
“Sure.”
Her smile made him want to cup her chin and kiss all the pretty pink lipstick off her beautiful lush mouth. This wasn’t good. He was always in control of his emotions. This was madness, and he didn’t know how to make it stop.
She turned away, giving him an excellent view of her excellent ass in her tight blue pants.
“Get a grip, Rio. Cake in refrigerator,” he muttered. “Take a lungful of cold air. Maybe chuck some ice cubes down the front of your jeans for good measure.”
“Why are you talking to yourself?” HW asked.
“Because no one else understands me,” Rio countered as, with a signal from Yvonne, he successfully hid the cake box at the back of the refrigerator. “Right at this moment, I don’t even understand myself.”
There was a commotion in the hallway, and several people came in at once, including Chase and both his venture capital partners. Jake was using a cane and looked very tired. Matt looked his usual healthy, happy self. Inwardly, Rio groaned.
“Hey!” Matt bounded over toward Yvonne and drew her into a hug. “How’s it going?”
“Great, thanks!” Rio noticed she got out of the hug pretty damn quickly. He’d already got the sense that she didn’t like being touched that much—except for that moment by the car when she’d looked up at him, and . . .
“Rio! Dude! What’s up?” Matt turned to him now. “I was telling my admin, Tish, about you being at the ranch last week, and she went all fan girl on you. I didn’t realize you were so famous!”
Rio shrugged. “Only in PBR.”
“But that’s a big deal now, isn’t it? You’re on national TV, and the prize money is into the millions.”
Yvonne had moved to stand by Matt, and was listening to their conversation.
“If you’re successful, you can definitely make a living these days,” Rio agreed.
Matt chuckled. “Well, seeing as she said you were world champion this year, I guess you’d know.”
Ruth clapped her hands. “Will everyone please take a seat so we can start the meal? I don’t want it to spoil.”
In the rush to sit down, Rio found himself on one side of Yvonne with Matt on her other.
“Who’s going to say grace?” Ruth asked.
“I will.” Rio took hold of Yvonne’s hand, and everyone followed suit. “Thank you, Lord, for the good food before us, the family and friends beside us, and the love around this table. Amen.”
“Amen. That was lovely, Rio,” Ruth said approvingly. “Now, let’s start eating.”
* * *
Rio’s cake was delivered to Ruth with great applause, and consumed with the appreciation of people who burned up lots of calories working on the ranch. Yvonne wished she could eat half as much, but despite her hectic schedule, she barely left her kitchen and basically spun in circles rather like a hamster on its wheel.
“The cake is absolutely lovely.” Ruth beamed at Yvonne. “Although goodness knows when you had the time to make it, being as busy as you are.”
“I might be getting a lot busier soon.” Yvonne considered how the people sitting around the table had become like a family to her and decided to continue. “A woman called Priscilla Chang stopped by the café the other day. She liked my food and the place so much that she wants to make a TV show about me.”
“Like a cookery show?” Ruth raised her eyebrows.
“I think it’s more about me running the bakery, interacting with the customers and throwing the odd recipe into the mix as I go. Sort of like a cakecumen-tary.” Seeing as Rio had been there, she was surprised he hadn’t mentioned anything to anyone, but appreciated his restraint. “I don’t know what to do. I can barely cope as it is.”
“Does this woman work for a production company, or is she just trying to get into the business?” Ruth, an expert on all things reality TV, asked.
“She works for Tasty Treats Productions.”
“Well, I never.” Ruth looked over at Roy, the ranch foreman, who was shaking his head. They shared a deep love of reality shows that was legendary on the ranch. “Tasty Treats produces all the best cookery shows! We love Bake the Cake and Big Bruno Saves the Restaurant in Ninety Days, don’t we, Roy?”
“Yup, and don’t forget Eat Your Greens.”
“So this company is quite successful then?” Yvonne said cautiously.
“Probably one of the most successful out there.” Ruth nodded. “How exciting for you, dear! I do hope you said yes.”
“I asked for a few days to think about it,” Yvonne confessed. “Priscilla said that was fine as she had to come up with a unique and interesting angle to pitch to her boss anyway. So it’s definitely not a done deal or anything.”
“But it’s a great validation of your amazing baking, and your sparkling personality,” Matt interjected. “If you do get to the stage of needing a contract looked over, I’d be delighted to help.”
“Matt’s almost as good as Chase is at constructing airtight contracts, so you’d better take him up on that offer,” January said.
“I’ll definitely keep it in mind.” Yvonne smiled at Matt, aware of Rio shifting in his seat on her other side.
“Oh! I almost forgot.” January turned to Yvonne. “Avery said she wanted to talk to you about some extra staff.”
“She has some?” Yvonne perked up. “That would be awesome. Is she at the hotel today?”
“No, she’s over at the welcome center setting up a wedding rehearsal dinner for tonight. I said I’d send you over if I saw you.”
“Then I’d better get over there.” Yvonne blotted her mouth with her napkin and smiled at the assembled Morgans. “Thanks so much for having me. It’s always fun.”
“And thank you for the cake,” Ruth replied.
“That was all Rio’s idea.” Yvonne stood and pushed back her chair. Matt and Rio both stood as well.
Matt’s fingers closed around her elbow. “Are you coming back for coffee? I haven’t really had a chance to talk to you yet.”
“Sure!” Yvonne eased away and ended up plastered all over Rio’s chest. “I’ll be right back.”
Rio followed her out, and she pretended not to notice. She’d almost reached the sanctuary of the welcome center when he called out to her.
“Hey, Yvonne! Slow down.”
She paused in the shadows of the barn and turned to face him. “What’s up?”
“The cake.”
“What about the cake?”
“Firstly, it was excellent, and secondly, I haven’t paid you for it yet.”
“Oh, right! Yes!”
She fumbled in her pocket for the receipt she’d forgotten to give him earlier. It wasn’t like her to be so inefficient, but he had the strangest effect on her. “I have the check right here. You can pay me next time you come in the café.”
She held out the paper receipt, and he took it from her.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
She waited, but he didn’t walk away. She found herself talking again, stupidly keeping that tenuous connection between them alive.
“So you’re a world champion.”
He shrugged one shoulder. “Yes.”
“Why didn’t you mention it before?”
“Why would I?”
“Most men would.”
His smile was sweet. “Maybe I’m not most men.”
She could definitely agree with that. “But it’s an amazing achievement. I know how hard it is to even qualify for the finals from HW and Avery.”
“Sometimes you just have to set your mind to achieving a goal, and then go all out for it. That’s what I did.”
“And now what?”
His smile was rueful. “I’m the king of the world, and everyone wants to knock me off my throne. I’ll do one more year, and then retire when I hit thirty-two.”
“That’s a good plan. Then what will you do?”
“That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?” He sighed. “At least I have options.”
“Because you made some money.” Yvonne nodded. “That really helps.”
“It’s not really about the money. I just want to do something completely different.”
“I know the feeling. I started out wanting to get a degree in organic chemistry and then decided I wanted to become a pastry chef. My parents weren’t pleased.”
“But they must be very proud of you now, right?”
“I’m sure they would be.” She hesitated. “They died in a car crash when I was nineteen.”
He reached out and gently cupped her chin. “I’m so sorry. My parents hate each other’s guts, but at least they’re both still alive.”
The warmth and strength of his fingers made her shiver. With a soft sound, he grazed his thumb over her parted lips.
“So are you going to give me that kiss now?” Rio asked.
“What kiss?”
“The one you almost landed on me when we were sharing a moment over the cake.”
“What makes you think I wanted to kiss you then?” Yvonne desperately parried.
“Because I loved your cake so much?”
She found herself smiling despite herself. “You don’t let things go, do you?”
He pointed at his chest. “World-champion bull rider, remember? Focused, tenacious, and successful.”
“And I’m your next challenge?”
He studied her for a long moment. “Yeah. I suppose you are.” He sounded almost as surprised by his answer as she was.
“I’m not a prize to be won.”
“I get that.” He nodded.
“So even if I kiss you because you liked my cake, it doesn’t mean you’ve won anything.”
“I understand.”
“It’s just a kiss.” She was no longer sure which of them she was trying to convince.
“Okay.”
He moved even closer, his broad shoulders blocking the waning evening sunlight as his mouth came down over hers in the gentlest of butterfly kisses. Even that was almost too much as she reached blindly for something to anchor herself to. Her hand came to rest on his shoulder, and then curved around his neck to keep him exactly where she wanted him.
With a soft murmur, in what she assumed was Portuguese, he kissed her again. This time exploring her willing mouth with a penetrating sweep of his tongue that left her clinging to him like some kind of ridiculous too-stupid-to-live movie heroine. This was so not like her. She liked to be in charge, she liked to be worshipped, not swept off her feet. But she still didn’t want the kiss to end. Her fingers settled into the crisp dark hair at the back of his neck as she breathed him in.
It seemed forever before he raised his head and studied her, his molten gaze lingering on her mouth.
“Thank you for the cake.”
She leaned back against the side of the barn so that she could look at him properly, and maybe stay upright. “Thanks for spoiling our friendship.”
“What’s spoiled?” He frowned. “We’re still friends, aren’t we?”
“Friends who kiss?”
“Why not?” He raised an eyebrow. “I still like and respect you. I just like and respect you even more now that I’ve tasted you.”
“You heard what’s going on in my life.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t have time for a relationship right now.”
“And I’ve got a world championship to defend.”
“So I’m right, and that kiss was a mistake?”
“Oh, no. I could never say that.” His smile was so wicked her knees almost buckled with lust.
She gathered her composure and raised her chin. “I’m going to speak to Avery, and then I’m going back up to the house to have coffee with Matt.”
“Good to know.” He nodded and turned away. “I’ll drop into the café tomorrow, and pay the bill.”
“Aren’t you worried about me seeing Matt?”
“After you let me kiss you like that?” He swung back to face her. “Hell, no.”
“Maybe I’ll kiss him, too.”
“You do that.” He nodded. “Let me know how it goes for you.”
She huffed out a breath. “You are so conceited.”
“No, I just know you. If you really thought there was a real chance with Matt, you would never have let me kiss you in the first place. You’re not the kind of woman who plays games.”
She opened her mouth to disagree with him, and then abruptly closed it. How come he’d worked her out so quickly?
His smile deepened, and he touched the brim of his hat to her. “That’s my girl.”
“I am neither a girl nor yours,” Yvonne retorted. “I am my own person, and I’ll kiss whoever I want to.”
“Good for you.”
He strolled back in the direction he’d come, whistling, leaving her speechless, turned on, and definitely flustered. None of those things were her style. He was infuriating!
Neither of them wanted a relationship at this point in their lives so why had she agreed to the kiss? Why had he asked for it? Now she’d never be able to get anything going with Matt because she had standards, and they didn’t include kissing other men when in a relationship. She couldn’t even say Rio had made her do it. She was the one who’d kept him there having a conversation, and she was the one who’d said yes when he asked to kiss her.
She smoothed down her hair, and gave herself a mental shake. So they were attracted to each other. She had no time to linger on the sensations he aroused in her. She had a business to run, and the possibility of a TV show in her future. He had to defend a world championship at venues all around the country where hundreds of women would probably be throwing their panties at him, and begging him to make love to them.
It was just a kiss.
There was no need to make it into anything more.
Chapter Five
Rio grabbed his cell from the bedside table and squinted at the number. His bedroom was dark, the drapes drawn against the encroaching dawn. He’d spent the previous afternoon helping out on a trail ride, and then checked and groomed horses until almost midnight. He’d slept well, his dreams filled with images of Yvonne that had made him purr in his sleep.
It was five in the morning, and he really wasn’t in the mood to be disturbed. Even as he pressed delete, the phone started ringing again, and a text flashed up on the screen.
Pick up.
When the heck had his father learned to text? With a groan, Rio sat up and accepted the call.
“What the hell do you want?”
“That’s not an appropriate way to talk to your father.�
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“It’s five in the morning. I’m tired. This is the best I can do.”
Rio settled the phone against his ear as he pulled the covers up over his knees. Even though it was summer, the mornings were still cold in the shadow of the Sierras, and he slept naked.
“I told you to come to my office in San Francisco.”
“And I told you that I was too busy, and wondered why you were calling me after five years.”
“I’m calling because I need to see you.”
Rio waited for the rest of that sentence to turn into an order, but there was only silence.
He sighed. “Now you’ve got me on the phone, why can’t you just tell me what you want?”
“Please don’t be difficult.”
Rio blinked into the darkness. Had his father just said the P word, to him?
“Nothing has changed. I don’t need your money, and I’m okay about that.”
“This concerns your mother.”
Rio’s gut tightend. “I knew you’d throw out a threat at some point. You can’t control me anymore, but you think you can get at me through my mother?”
The thing was, the bastard could. Rio supported his mother now, but the land she owned, her house, her goddam security was all tied up in his father’s wealth.
“I suggest you call and ask her.” His father’s clipped Bostonian accent came through strongly on the phone. “When you’ve done that, make an appointment with my secretary. I’ll be in town for two more weeks.”
He ended the call, and Rio contemplated throwing his cell at the wall. His father was one of the few people who knew exactly how to push his buttons. He hated it, but there was the not insignificant matter of his beloved mother to consider before he went back to ignoring the man again.
Knowing there was no way he would get back to sleep, he mentally checked the time in Brazil. His mother was a few hours ahead of him, so was probably up and about on her ranch. He found her number and listened to the dial tone.
“Alo?”
“Hey, mamae, como yai?”
“Rio!” She switched to English. “My darling boy. What a nice surprise! Just let me turn down the TV so I can hear you properly.”
His mother was as devoted to the daily soap operas as Ruth and Roy were to reality TV.