“That was a long time ago.”
“No. It was only a few years ago when we went by your old place, remember? It was so beautiful. That’s why I had to leave Kenny. I didn’t know how to make sense of it all. But Kenny’s gone now and you and I can be together.” She smiled up at him. “I haven’t stopped thinking about that night...” She touched his face and her fingers smelled like tobacco. “Or you.”
“I haven’t stopped thinking about it, either, Char. Wish I could, but I can’t.”
* * *
GLORIA HAD HEARD him plain as anything.
I haven’t stopped thinking about it, either, Char. Wish I could, but I can’t.
The statement was a knife to the gut, piercing and crumpling. Could she have been wrong about Dillon? Worse, could he be fooled by the likes of Char? Two seconds in the woman’s presence and her character was clear. She was an exploitive, self-serving gold digger. The kind of woman who used her body and whatever other resources she had to get what she wanted.
“Oh, Dillon!” The sound of Char’s overzealous enthusiasm turned Gloria’s stomach.
“No, Char. You don’t get it. I haven’t forgotten, but I wish I could because I’ve regretted messing around with my best friend’s wife every single day since it happened.”
Gloria gripped the wall.
“You don’t mean that.” Char’s voice took on a whiny tone.
“What happened between us was a mistake.”
“How can it be a mistake when we love each other?”
“I don’t love you.”
“Yes, you do. C’mon, Dilly. We’re supposed to be together. We’ve always known that.”
“No.”
Gloria heard some scuffling. Then...
“Stop, Char. I’m in love with Gloria.”
Gloria fell back against the wall. He loved her? She covered her mouth.
“And I realize what I felt for you was never love.”
Char laughed, a derisive sound. “You’re so stupid.” Boots paced across the floor. “He knew, you know.” Her voice became bitchy. “I told Kenny what happened. He knew everything.”
“Get out.” Dillon’s voice was low and dangerous. “Go find some other man to suck dry.”
“You’re an ass, Dillon Cross.”
“I know. And Kenny deserved better than you.”
Gloria heard the sound of a palm laid hard against a cheek. Then stomping footsteps and a slamming door. She stayed where she was, leaning against the wall, breathing heavy.
“Gloria? You can come out now.”
Shit.
Was it wrong to be smiling at a time like this? Not that she could contain it, even when she saw Dillon’s stricken features. She stopped behind one of the new sofas, needing some distance between herself and the man she loved.
“You heard the whole thing?”
“Yes.”
He took a couple steps toward her and stopped. “You were never a bet. I mean, I had a bet with Jamie—just some stupid guy shit—but, it meant nothing and—”
“I know.”
“You do?”
“Yes.” She took a few steps forward, meeting him halfway. “I’m not stupid.”
“I know. You’re the smartest person I’ve ever met.”
She took another step. Stopped. “Can I say something?”
Dillon stayed where he was. “Of course.”
One more step and she was within touching distance, but she didn’t touch. “Whatever happened between you and Char? When she was married to Kenny? That wasn’t your fault.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Oh, yes, I do.” She inched closer. “That woman is a mountain lion. She stalks and then she pounces.”
Dillon’s lips twitched and Gloria felt hers respond in kind. “Now,” she said, waving to the back of the house. “I’ve got two horses saddled and waiting out back. Let’s you and me go for a ride.”
* * *
THIS TIME GLORIA led the way and Dillon followed, though it didn’t take long for him to figure out where they were going as they navigated through a narrow section of creek and began the ascent up the familiar slope, the moon lighting their way. Stars greeted them as they crested the hill and, side by side, rode up to the Doghouse. She dismounted first, tied up the horse, climbed the steps and sat down on the porch swing.
“Are you gonna join me or you just gonna sit there?”
The woman was bossy and he loved her for it.
After dismounting and climbing up to the porch, he settled himself on the swing beside her, removing his hat and running a hand through his hair.
“You’re not selling the ranch,” she said, matter-of-fact.
“I’m not?”
“No.”
His lips twisted in a smile.
“I know there’s an offer, but you’re not going to take it. You love this place and you have to keep it.”
“You think you know my mind better than me?”
She tilted her face up. “Maybe.” She smiled.
“Okay, how about I make you a deal?” He brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes.
She wrinkled that cute little nose of hers. “O-kay,” she said slowly.
“I won’t sell, if you agree to stay.”
She grinned wide, tapping her lips. “That sounds like blackmail.”
He put his arm around her and pulled her in nice and close, right where she fit perfectly. “Well, I figure I’m allowed a little blackmail after you orchestrated this whole thing tonight with Char.”
She threw her head back against his arm and laughed. He loved how free and spontaneous she was. “I did kind of set you up, didn’t I?”
“You did.”
“When did you figure it out?”
“When I saw Sage’s truck out the side window, heard horses whinnying out back.”
She reached up and touched his jaw, rubbing the backs of her knuckles against his whiskers the way he loved. “Okay, cowboy. I’ll stay.”
He grabbed her hand and squeezed. “You sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.” She crawled on top of him, resting a knee on either side of his legs. “I’d only pull a Sue for the man I love.”
He groaned. Those words sounded so good to his ears. “I love you so damn much, Red.”
“Good.” She rested her palms on either side of his face, gazing deeply into his eyes. “Dillon?”
“Yeah, babe?”
“Kiss me.”
“That, I can do.”
* * *
GLORIA STARED AT the low rafters of the loft, lying contentedly within Dillon’s embrace, her head on his shoulder as he stroked her hair.
“You sure you’re not gonna find it too boring out here in the middle of nowhere?” he asked quietly.
She nestled herself against him. “I’m lying here in this tiny loft with the man I love. What more could I possibly want?”
“I don’t know.” His hand stilled. “Your friends? Your condo? Your life back in Chicago?”
“I can visit.”
“What about your dad?”
She rolled onto his chest, propped her chin on her hands so she was only a couple inches from him. “It took me a while to figure out, but my dad’s a grown man. I have to let him live his life. Wherever that is and in whatever way he sees fit.” She sucked on her lip, not caring that she was doing it. “I love him, but he’s not my responsibility.”
“We
ll, he and Sage looked mighty cozy on the dance floor earlier.” Dillon resumed his gentle stroking.
“I saw that.”
“You know, it was when I danced with you that I knew I had to have you.” Dillon’s voice took on a deeper, sexier tone as he tugged on her hair.
“Really?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She rubbed her cheek against his chest and whispered, “You know when I knew?”
“Nope.”
“When you sang.” She lifted her face. “At the wedding. I was like, my God, I want that man to sing to me.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes, sir,” she said, playfully adopting his easy drawl.
“Well, what’s a man to do with that information?”
She drew a circle on his chest. “Dunno, though you’re a smart guy, I’m sure you can figure it out.”
He pulled her right up close, her head beneath his chin, and smoothed her hair. Then, he started to sing. “Looking back on the memory of the dance we shared ’neath the stars above...”
Only her all-time favorite country song, “The Dance” by Garth Brooks.
Gloria closed her eyes listening to the sound of his voice as it came from deep inside his chest, and she smiled because, unlike the sad lyrics in the song, she wasn’t ever going to say goodbye to Dillon.
Nope.
She loved him and this was where she could breathe, where she felt free for the first time, where she belonged.
This was home.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from THE FLYBOY’S TEMPTATION by Kimberly Van Meter.
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The Flyboy's Temptation
by Kimberly Van Meter
1
“HELLO? UM, HELLO? Is there anyone here?”
James “J. T.” Carmichael banged his head against the frame of his Beechcraft turboprop charter plane and swore a blue streak as he rubbed his dome.
“Who’s asking?” he said, squinting against the blazing Southern California sun as his hangover made the pain of bumping his head that much worse. “If you’re a creditor, then I ain’t here.”
A leggy redhead wearing a pencil skirt and spindly heels peered at him through dark-rimmed glasses. “Not a creditor...Mr....”
J.T. straightened and wiped his hands on a dirty rag from his pocket, giving her the once-over just as openly.
He supposed she wasn’t lying. He didn’t know many creditors who actually showed up on a person’s doorstep to collect. And heaven help him, creditors didn’t look like her. Or at least, he hoped they didn’t.
He’d rather think that creditors hung out in darkened cubicles, didn’t shower and had complexions that reflected their junk-food diet. “J. T. Carmichael, co-owner of Blue Yonder. My brother, Teagan, is the other half. Is there something I can do for you?”
She pushed strands of fine red hair away from her china-doll face and straightened her glasses. “Mr. Carmichael, I’m in need of a charter to South America. Are you available?”
South America? That was a heckuva journey. Pricey, too.
Teagan’s voice rang in his head from last night’s argument alongside the pounding of his brain.
Teagan was in favor of calling it quits; J.T. wasn’t ready to give up on their dream.
The numbers don’t lie, J.T. We’re going to be bankrupt in two months at this rate.
Why had he thought mixing Jack and tequila was a good idea?
Because the bartender had been hot.
“Mr. Carmichael?” The redhead’s firm voice held an edge of impatience. “Are you capable of such a charter?”
Capable? Hell yes. But should he accept the job? His Spidey sense was tingling off the charts. Something wasn’t right. And it wasn’t just that this hot-looking chick was coming to his small operation when she plainly could afford something nicer. Although, now that he thought about it, that seemed a little off, too.
But hadn’t Teagan groused that they’d need a miracle to keep the doors open? Hell, looked like a miracle wore fancy designer glasses and an air of mystery.
And who was he to look a gift horse in the mouth?
“Of course,” he answered, eyeing her warily. “But that’s a pretty expensive ride. Not to be rude or anything, but...you got the cash?”
She smiled thinly as if she’d expected his question, opened her purse and pulled a small wad of bills free. “I believe this should be sufficient to get us off the ground?”
His eyes bugged. There had to be at least five grand in her hand! “Whoa, lady—” he snatched the cash and tucked it under his arm, glancing around “—don’t go flashing that kind of money around here. Times are hard and you never know who’s watching.”
“You have a suspicious nature, Mr. Carmichael. I think that will serve my purposes quite well.”
“Yeah? And what purposes would that be?”
“My own. When can we leave?”
“Look, I need to know some details. I can’t just blindly agree to zip you off to South America just because you flashed some cash in my face.”
“No? And why not?”
Uh... “Well, because I can’t. How do I know you’re not a drug dealer? I don’t want to get caught up with the feds over some illegal shit.”
“That’s a pity,” she said. “Because there’s more where that came from if you could be trusted to do your job quietly and without question.”
He didn’t like her tone, but he had to admit she’d hooked him pretty good. “Yeah? Like how much?”
She smiled again. “Enough to make it worth your while.”
Teagan’s voice intruded in his thoughts, only this time J.T. had a feeling his brother was telling him to walk away because this job promised trouble. But that was a lot of cash. And cold hard cash was the answer to their prayers right now. He had no doubt that Blue Yonder could pull through if they could just weather this rough spot.
“When do you need to leave?”
“Now.”
It was then he realized she’d come with a small rolling bag.
“Seriously?”
�
��As a heart attack.” She glanced behind her before saying with a bit more urgency, “In fact, if we could be up in the air within the next ten minutes, that would be great.”
Ten minutes? He had to file a flight plan, gain clearance... Hell, he had to drain his bladder and grab his meatball sub from the fridge. He chuckled, pumping the brakes. “Let’s start with the basics. How about you tell me your name, where we’re going, like a normal chartered excursion, and then we’ll schedule your flight.”
Her green-eyed gaze narrowed with irritation. “I don’t have time for that. We need to be in the air now.”
“Well, too bad. We have protocol, rules. I can’t just go willy-nilly into the air like a drunken bird. I could lose my license.”
“Mr. Carmichael...”
But whatever she was about to say was cut off by the sudden screech of tires.
“Shit,” she muttered, her calm and precise demeanor crumbling quickly. “There’s no time to argue. Let’s go!”
A black car sped toward them, mindless of the tarmac, and J.T. got a real bad feeling. “What the hell?”
She shocked him by roughly pushing him. “We have to move, now! They are not coming this way to shake hands. Trust me—let’s go!”
The way the car was barreling toward them, J.T. had to agree with the woman. Hell, he didn’t even know her name yet, but there was no time for niceties. He grabbed her bag and tossed it into the cabin, then helped the woman in afterward.
“I hate when Teagan is right,” he muttered, quickly buckling in and securing the cabin doors. He rushed through his preflight ritual—a quick prayer and a gentle swipe at the hula girl stuck to his cockpit dash—and gunned the engine. Taxiing, he hit the throttle and quickly picked up speed, but the distinct sound of bullets being fired put a whole new spin on things.
“They’re shooting at my plane!”
“Yes, and if you don’t get it in the air, we’re going to end up in a fireball!”
“Who are you, lady?” he shouted, pushing forward on the throttle, his adrenaline running like jet fuel through his veins. “If anything happens to my plane—”
Big Sky Seduction Page 19