Seducing the Bachelor (The Bachelor Auction Returns Book 3)

by Sinclair Jayne

  “What’d you say?” Code asked. “You gonna do it? That would take some time. Wouldn’t be bad to have you back in town a bit. Can’t do the army forever.”

  Colt thought about that.

  “I’m up for reenlistment. I got six more months.”

  “Gonna do another go around or go for the full twenty?” Nick asked, pausing in his shot, straightening up, and even putting down his cue as he waited.

  “I don’t know,” Colt said slowly. “I thought I might as well. What else am I gonna do?”

  “There’s a million things you could do,” Code said decisively. “If you’re even questioning it, time to go. Once the lines get blurry, that’s when it starts to mess with your head.”

  Colt met Code’s eyes. Yeah, he knew. He understood. They all did. And for him, the line had started to blur on an average August day last year when the target hadn’t stayed just in the target zone. When the target had become a person with a history and a life and a family and all of those things had climbed into his brain and followed him home.

  “Colt.” Nick looked at him. “Take your full leave. Keep that runty dog. Build the damn tree house.”

  *

  Talon looked up from entering a breakfast order and her heart flipped so fast it took her breath. This must be what a heart attack felt like or maybe it was just the effect Colt had on her stupid heart that wouldn’t get the message, but, damn, he looked good, striding in the Main Street Diner at seven in the morning, and she wasn’t the only one who noticed.

  She flipped the switch on the coffee pot and met him before anyone else could.

  “Hey,” she said like she was some middle school girl crushing. But did he have to wear running shorts and a tee that was soaked in sweat so that she could see the definition of his shoulders and pecs. “You want breakfast?”

  “Among other things.”

  Close mouth. But she was pretty sure it was still hanging open. And unable to form any words, not usually a problem for her.

  “Thought I’d clean up a bit.” He indicated an athletic duffle bag he carried. “And have breakfast with Parker. You said he eats around seven?” He looked at his watch. It was seven exactly, but Talon was caught up in the shape of his fingers, and the sheen of sweat on his arms.

  “Uh huh.”

  He nodded and went towards the bathroom. Talon swallowed but the lump remained and the flutter of her stomach built. He was in the men’s bathroom taking off his shirt and who knew what else to rinse off and change and…it was all she could do to not moan. She wanted to check on him. See if he needed anything. Like her under him.

  “Get a grip.” Her life was a hot mess compared to his. He was organized, neat, clean, knew where he belonged and where he was going. She knew where she wanted to go and where she wanted to belong, but she sure was taking the long way around.

  “More scenery.” She reminded herself and went to get coffee.

  She was about to go wake Parker from his makeshift bed under the desk when she saw him chatting with Colt as they walked into the main part of the restaurant. Gina, one of the newer waitresses, hurried up, her eyes devouring Colt, and Talon couldn’t blame her, but still the desire to call dibs was hard to resist even though it was childish and not true.

  “Usual Parker?” Talon asked as she brought coffee for Colt.

  “Something different today,” Parker said, sounding all grown up, studying the menu like Colt did.

  “Sure, but decide quickly. Bus comes by here at 7:45.”

  Colt looked at his watch. “What time’s school?”

  “8:15.”

  “Bacon and eggs and short stack and a water,” Colt said.

  “Me, too!” Parker closed his menu.

  “No chocolate sauce?” Talon asked.

  Parker looked at Colt and his expression was so open and honest that her heart wept a little. Nothing inscrutable about her little man and how would the world treat that? She thought of Jenna with her bruised heart, loving a man who hadn’t stayed long enough to know they’d made a baby.

  “You could have it on the side,” Colt said into the silence. “We could share.”

  “Yes! And hot chocolate with lots and lots of whip cream. Do you like whip cream?” Talon could hear him ask Colt as she walked off to place the order and seat more customers.

  She tried not to watch them too closely as she worked, but it was hard. Colt seemed less guarded around Parker. They were looking at something on his phone very intently and by the busy way Colt’s finger kept swiping, it wasn’t a game.

  When she came with their food, Parker actually tucked the phone under the table.

  “More coffee?”

  “Yes, please. Thank you, Talon.”

  And she tried not to be effected by his deep voice and his manners, but she was failing miserably. On her second trip she saw movement in Colt’s duffle bag and heard a plaintive mewing sound even above all the talking at the diner.

  “Did you bring Dude?” she asked.

  Colt looked a little embarrassed and it was so sweet she just stood and stared.

  “He cries when he’s alone.” Parker offered, stuffing a piece of bacon in his mouth. “He misses his mama so Colt’s being his mama.”

  “I’ll just ignore the health code violations and hope everyone else does, too,” she said trying to sound severe, but failing.

  It was sweet to see them together, but also made her heart pinch a bit. They could be father and son. Colt’s hair was coppery brown with a hint of wave if it weren’t cut so tight, whereas Parker’s was much darker and straighter, but they each had a widow’s peak and when they were sitting side by side, staring at the phone, Parker talking intently and Colt answering more deliberately and without all the hand waving that Parker punctuated his conversations with, their profiles were similar.

  Colt would be a good dad, she thought, forcing herself to turn away, because that was so not where she should let her mind go ever.

  *

  “Hey, Colt. Colt Ewing, right?” Colt looked up from the loading dock at Big Z’s to see a tall man with an open, familiar face striding towards him.

  “I was ahead of you in school, but I’m….”

  “Paul.” Colt shook the proffered hand. “Paul Zabrinsky. You’ve really expanded Big Z’s since you took over for your dad.”

  “Yeah. Adapt or die,” Paul answered with an easy smile. “But business is good. We’ve started taking on bigger and bigger projects with our contracting end of the business. Can’t complain and lately can’t seem to keep up.”

  “That’s great.”

  And that was where Colt’s conversation ended, but Paul had always been more socially adept.

  “Coach was so grateful you and Code, Nick, and Gavin could make it back and throw yourself into the bachelor auction. Did you hear a final total?”

  Colt hadn’t even thought to ask. He shook his head.

  “I think with that over the top bid for Code by Hayley, it brought in maybe more than last year. I think last year there was a bid for ten grand, too.” He shook his head. “It’s a good town. Generous.”

  Colt hadn’t remembered it like that, but even in the three days he’d been home, he’d been challenged to reevaluate.

  “You thinking about moving back?”

  ‘No’ was on the tip of his tongue. He’d always said that when Nick asked or when someone in the service asked about home on one of the long, boring, challenging nights.

  “I’m up to reenlist,” he said. “But haven’t yet. Have six more months active.”

  Paul looked at him, and Colt wondered what he saw. Did he think damaged? Unpredictable? Dangerous?

  “I know folks are hoping that now that your uncle’s passed that you’ll come back to the ranch. Cattle in your blood?”

  Colt shook his head. “Don’t think so.”

  “It’s a hard life but rewarding. Helps to have a family,” Paul said easily, and Colt thought of Paul’s large family that always had each o
ther’s backs. He’d been so envious of that even though he hadn’t gone to school with the Zabrinskys. “I know Mia’s thinking you’re going to stop by and discuss your uncle’s will.”

  He tensed. And there was the bad part of small town living. Everyone knew his business or thought they did and had no trouble butting in. Now Paul would tell Mia that he’d seen the elusive so-called heir even though he was sure his uncle would have gasped his last breath without a single thought for his estranged nephew.

  “Looks like you got quite an order. Let me help you load.”

  They carried some wood planks and other lumber to the truck as well as a few tools Colt had been unable to locate in the barn.

  “Building project.” Paul commented. “Not much of a vacation.”

  “No rest for the wicked,” Colt said lightly.

  “Have you been claimed for your date yet?”

  Colt looked at the load of lumber. He guessed he had.

  “You’re smug. You should have gotten up there.”

  Paul laughed and flashed his ring finger. “I finally got it right. I married Bailey; we have a baby.”

  “Congrats.”

  “Take care. Let me know if you need anything. We got a project out by you so I can easily bring an extra load of whatever you need someday. I know how these small projects start,” Paul said. “Small, which is not how they end.”

  After looking at about thirty tree house designs with Parker this morning and watching a tree house builder’s excerpts on YouTube, he had no doubt small projects could morph into ginormous albatrosses. But first he had a goat or horse pen to modify. And then a car to look at.

  *

  Talon thanked Noah Gallagher for dropping her off at the elementary school where Parker had an hour long baseball practice after school Monday through Thursday, with games on Friday. Then they usually walked over to the Main Street Dinner for her evening dinner shift. Today, she was tired because she’d worked morning as well to make up for the shift she’d worked at Grey’s, but she was all caught up, and she was grateful that she’d been so busy she hadn’t had too much time to dwell on Colt and what he was up to.

  She was early and was happy because she’d be able to watch Parker play. Usually, she was hurrying back from her internship, which could be frantically busy or mind-numbingly slow. The sun was glorious and the day was warm for April without a hint of chill. Her eyes scanned the field for Parker. She saw him, but she also saw Colt. Parker was holding something in his arms and a bunch of boys were gathered around. Colt stood outside of the knot of boys, his hands tucked easily in his pockets, his body relaxed.

  Her eyes just drank him in and suddenly she wasn’t tired anymore. She wasn’t worried about her car or where she and Parker would move. She had always managed. So she might as well enjoy the view.

  And right then the view looked up, his gaze meeting hers.

  She couldn’t help herself; she hurried forward and felt as if her whole body started to smile. Colt said something to Parker and Parker looked up, waved, and then he and Colt met her halfway.

  “Hey, buddy, you have Dude, huh? How’s he doing?”

  “I think he’s growing. Colt let me feed him and he drank the whole bottle. We looked it up online. That’s a good sign, huh, Colt.”

  Colt Ewing. Hottest man alive and little boy and runt puppy whisperer.

  “Hi,” she said. “Good day?”

  “Productive.”

  For some stupid reason her body wanted to make a sexual innuendo out of that, but just breathing the same air with him seemed like a sexually intimate experience.

  “Colt and I are going to go do boy things.” Parker announced.

  “No.” Colt corrected. “Colt and Parker are going to ask your mom if we can head back to the house to work on creating a safe pen for the mama dog and her pups.”

  “Can we please?”

  This was what she wanted, right? Parker to have a male-bonding experience? So why was she feeling left out?

  “Parker, say goodbye to your friends and get your backpack. I’ll hold Dude for a second.”

  Talon held the puppy in her hands, savoring his feel, small, snuffling noises, and warm, milky, cedar shavings smell.

  “Long day for you,” Colt said into the silence.

  She shrugged, trying not to lean in towards him so she could smell his skin, feel his heat, and feel warmed by his concern. Dude wiggled in her hands, and she held him against her cheek. One more thing to love and love her back and, if he made it, she knew that she and Parker would have a dog. Colt leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

  “I’ll text you later.”

  “Parker will have homework, and he’ll need to eat. There’s—”

  He smiled. “I can forage for food in any environment. We’ll be good. Need a lift?”

  “I can walk.”

  The thought of being in the truck with him was delicious, but she wouldn’t want to get out to go into work. She’d want to drive home with them and help build the pen and cook dinner and eat with them and…and it wasn’t just going to be Parker who was missing Colt in three weeks, but to be able to have him for that long or for any time would be worth any pain or disappointment when he left, and Talon resolved right then, looking up into his chiseled features and golden eyes that could look so heated and sexual and then so remote seconds later, that she would seize every moment with him no matter the consequences to her heart.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The next morning, Talon knocked on the cabin door and wished her heart weren’t thumping so hard. She was terrified of rejection, but more frightened of not trying. But last night, seeing Parker and Colt talking on the playing field and then finishing her shift at work and seeing her car in front of the restaurant with a note to meet them for ice cream made her want to take the risk. Then when Colt and Parker followed her home to make sure the her car made it, she gathered up her nerve and decided that in the morning, if Colt were still at the house, fingers crossed, she would try to seduce him or was it more like proposition him? That sounded more modern and in line with who she was. Beautiful actresses, spies, and femme fatales could seduce the hottest man of their dreams. She was stuck with asking and hoping.

  Colt swung the door open and leaned up one arm up on the door jam. His jeans were worn and hung low on his hips and she could see a strip of paler skin peeking out of a ribbon of dark red and blue boxers or briefs, she didn’t know. Her words stuck on her tongue because his flannel shirt hung open and all that smooth toned golden skin of his torso was on display, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbow.

  “I…wow…hi,” she said.

  He stared at her, his eyes hooded, his body so still he looked like hewn granite.

  “Can I come in?”

  For a moment, she was afraid he’d say no.

  “Need to borrow some sugar?”

  She shook her head. “I need to borrow something more savory,” she said.

  His lips tightened a fraction, but there was a sexy glint in his eyes when they walked over her body, from her flushed cheeks, to the pulse going crazy in her neck and down to the “V” in her western shirt. He reached out a lazy finger and stroked the hollow at her throat. She made a sound of surrender.

  “Sure you know what you’re doing?”

  She nodded. “I know it’s temporary.”

  He stepped into her, his golden eyes searching hers. “Very temporary.”

  She nodded, even though she felt the words like a jab to her sternum. “That’s what I’m looking for,” she said, jamming her fingers in the back pocket of her jeans so he wouldn’t see then tremble. “I have a few more years of school and Parker to take care of so I’m not looking to build anything. So I was thinking…” She gulped in a deep breath. “Because of Parker, it’s better if we… you know…hang out when he’s, um, at school.”

  “Hang out?”

  He was going to make her say it. But ‘have sex’ sounded so clinical. And ‘make love�
� sounded like an emotional connection and even Talon, with the wishes and dreams she’d dragged into adulthood from her childhood like a tattered blanket, knew that the odds of Colt falling in love with her and being part of a happily ever after were the same as winning the lottery. Although she didn’t play the lottery. At least with Colt, she was throwing herself in the game.

  So instead of staring into his eyes, where she felt like she was always striving to reach him, she looked at his chest, the golden skin, the defined muscles, the strength and tension and sheer sexual heat he radiated as effortlessly as he breathed.

  “Talon.” His voice was a rasp that shot straight to her core and made it spasm in anticipation. “You deserve a good man.”

  She stepped into him, one hand snaking out of her pocket to caress his chest, and then the other to trace a circle around his waist, dipping below the elastic of his barely visible underwear.

  “I think you will be more than good.” She nipped at his nipple.

  He caught one of her hands in his stronger one.

  “A man who will stay.”

  She brought the hand that held hers to her mouth and nibbled at it with her teeth and let her tongue play. She was rewarded with a groan, but he was still holding himself military-rigid, leaning a little away from her as if he would say “no.” That they should keep it platonic, but the hell with that!

  “I hope you have a lot of staying power.” She crouched down and caught at his button front fly with her teeth. She looked up at him, loving the tension in his body, in his face, his eyes closed and his body arched a little and triumph began to slay her nerves. “Do you have a lot of staying power, Colt?”

  She tugged and his jeans unbuttoned. “If you want a rule about no bra, then I want a rule about no underwear,” she said, her hands pulling both jeans and underwear down past his hips so his cock sprang free. She sat back on her heels and stared. He was just as hard there as the rest of his body, she marveled at his size and aggressive thrust. It had been such a long time for her, and those had been boys, just as eager as she had been, but inexperienced.