Forbidden Bond

by Jessica Lee

  “There.” Taylor tossed the remote back onto the coffee table. “Can I fix you something to drink?” He turned and headed for the kitchen.

  “No. I’m good.” Olivia dropped her purse onto the table next to the controller. “I think I’ve had enough alcohol between the wine and champagne at dinner.” She released a short chuckle. “I really shouldn’t stay too long anyway.”

  Taylor halted in his tracks, as if her words had sucked the momentum from his limbs. She mentally kicked herself. Her issues weren’t his fault. Then he rotated on his heels and sauntered back to where she stood. Gently, Taylor reached out and stroked the back of her arms.

  “I’m happy you’re here even if it’s just for a little while.” He cupped her face. “But I can’t help but want more.” Taylor leaned in, his lips brushing over hers. “Stay,” he whispered.

  “Taylor…I…”

  “Shh… Don’t think. Let me do that for you.” He pulled her in close, kissing her hair, her neck. “Let me take care of you tonight.”

  A tremor rolled through her body, shaking her arms and legs. Mistaking the reaction for arousal and not anxiety, Taylor guided her in reverse over to the couch and tugged at the hem of her blouse.

  Relax, she chided herself.

  Up and over her head went her top. Olivia glanced down, fighting the urge to cover the black sheer lace that held her breasts and left very little to the imagination. She hadn’t seriously considered anyone would be seeing her in her undies tonight when she’d chosen the items. During the day and on her job, she was boots and blue jeans and didn’t mind getting her hands dirty. But underneath the tough layers, she was a woman who secretly loved her girlie lingerie.

  “God, you’re so beautiful,” Taylor muttered, his voice rusty. Heat bloomed from her throat and raced upwards into her cheeks. Taylor stroked her face with the backs of his fingers. “That’s one of the things I love about you. You don’t even know how lovely you are. The effect you have on me.”

  With one hand, he pulled his shirt free from his pants and maneuvered the buttons until the material parted. Placing his palm in hers, he lowered them to the cushions. The weight of his body covered her, the evidence of his desire hard and pressing into her groin.

  Don’t think. Don’t think. Relax. Relax.

  “Need you so much,” he muttered against the swell of her breasts. “You smell so good.” Taylor rocked into her. Olivia’s breath hitched, and she clamped onto her lower lip with her teeth.

  Wrong.

  So wrong. It wasn’t supposed to feel like this.

  The metallic taste of her own blood seeped over her tongue. Everything inside her rebelled against his touch as if her DNA proclaimed him wrong. She squirmed, needing distance—as if Taylor were some deadly virus seeking entry to her body. Dear God, I’m crazy.

  A warm hand covered her bare calf and moved higher, sliding along, inching its way up her leg, taking her skirt higher. Her pulse hammered a staccato beat in her ears. What was she going to do? Her vision blurred behind a veil of tears. She didn’t want to hurt Taylor, but oh, God, she couldn’t let him…couldn’t let him inside her. Her fingers dug into the starched cotton covering his shoulders.

  At the junction between her legs, Taylor cupped her sex.

  She jerked, gasped, swallowed back a cry.

  Her cell rang.

  Yes! Her eyelids shuttered at the sound, and she grabbed Taylor’s arm. “I have to get that.”

  Taylor popped his head up from where he nuzzled her chest. “Let it go to voicemail.” He stroked the apex of her sex, drawing another gasp from her throat.

  Pushing at his shoulders, Olivia wiggled. “You know I can’t do that. It could be an emergency.” With a disappointed groan, Taylor lifted his hips, allowing Olivia the room to swing her legs free and escape. “Thank you.” Tugging her skirt back into place with one hand, she reached for her bag with the other, doing her best to control the tremor in her fingers.

  Olivia plucked her cell free from the pouch, the name Kris glowing in the display. She tapped the screen and shoved the device to her ear. “Kris? It’s one in the morning. What’s wrong?”

  “I hate like hell to call you, but one of the ranch hands just rang the house, and we’ve got one of the cows down. It’s not looking good, Livvy. Shit.” He huffed. “I wouldn’t have called, but you know we can’t afford to lose any of what little herd we’ve got.”

  “I know. You don’t have to apologize.” Olivia twisted and glanced Taylor’s way. “I’m on my way.” She ended the call, and gave him her best apologetic smile. Taylor nodded and began to button his shirt. He didn’t look exactly pleased. Who could blame him, but he didn’t complain. He wouldn’t. One of the reasons why he was such a dear friend and didn’t deserve a head case like her for a fiancée.

  Olivia explained in the car why she had to cut their night short, but Taylor barely said a word on the way home. In front of her house, he leaned over and grasped her chin, bringing them face to face. “I love you, Livvy.” Gently, he tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and sighed. “I’m not giving up on us.” He dropped his arm and squeezed her hand, his smile tense. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pressure you.”

  She nodded. “It’s okay. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, and if we move too fast, I’m worried that’s exactly what I’ll end up doing.”

  Releasing his grip, Taylor turned his head and stared through the windshield into the darkness.

  Olivia brushed his nape with her palm, drawing him back to look at her. “I do love you. Never doubt that.” She smiled, hoping it was enough for now.

  “I know.”

  “I have to go.” Olivia grabbed the door handle. “We’ll talk later. Okay?”

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “We’ll talk later.”

  Olivia stepped from the vehicle, closed the door, and watched as it rolled away. God, she was really messed up. Something had to be wrong with her. Taylor was a great guy. Hell, even her brother liked him. And Kris had never liked any man who came around wanting to date his sister.

  Why couldn’t she respond to Taylor’s caress like a normal woman? Unbidden, Eion flashed before her mind’s eye, his chest bare as he stood in her clinic. Her breasts tingled and her knees turned to mush. Olivia gripped the porch railing and sucked in her breath.

  I really need to get my head examined. This type of fixation isn’t normal.

  She had to let it go, or she’d never move on. Eion Mandrake wasn’t the man for her—no matter what her body told her. Her head knew different. He couldn’t be trusted. Not like she could trust Taylor. Taylor McDaniel was everything a woman needed in a partner and a lover.

  If only she could convince her heart of that.

  Chapter Six

  “I’m calling Josie today,” Kris called out from the breakfast table.

  “What?” Olivia kicked the refrigerator door closed with her foot, her hands filled with a jug of milk and a container of strawberries she’d pulled from the shelf inside. She marched from the kitchen into the dining room and plopped the items down onto the scratched oak surface beside her brother. “When were you going to discuss it with me?” She propped her hands on her hips.

  “I’ve been thinking about it all weekend and didn’t want to ruin your time with Taylor.” He shoved a letter he’d been studying across the table at her. “Another collection notice.”

  Olivia didn’t need to pick it up to ascertain what he’d already revealed. She stared at the bold red letters glaring back at her from the top of the page.

  “That on top of losing another one of our herd last night… It’s time, Livvy.”

  She jerked her gaze to his, her heart in the back of her throat, choking her. “Her calf is strong.” She swallowed hard. “God, I wish I could have saved them both. I wish we didn’t have to…” Tears welled.

  “Don’t,” he barked. Kris’s attention dropped to the piece of half-eaten toast on his plate. “Please, God. Don’t cry. I can’t take it.” B
oth palms slid over his face. “You think this is easy for me?” He groaned. “I love this ranch.”

  Sinking into the empty chair beside her brother, Olivia wrapped her arm around his shoulder. “I know you do,” she whispered followed by a sniff, doing her best to dry her tears. “It just caught me by surprise.”

  Kris lowered his hands to the table. “We’ve run out of options, and I don’t see any other path other than to call Josie and get the place on the market before they haul us out of here and foreclose.”

  “I know you’re right. It’s just the idea of throwing in the towel makes me want to scream.”

  “I understand. The Wilsons’ are fighters. It’s not in our genetic code to ever give up. But in this situation, Sis…my back’s against the wall.”

  All Olivia could manage was a nod. It hurt too much to vocalize anything.

  “So,” Kris tossed out on a long exhale and craned his head in her direction, “on a happier note, let me see that ring,” he said, the jovial sound of his voice coming out a bit forced. Kris hit her with a big smile for effect, showing off his perfect teeth. The jerk had never needed braces. Unlike her, who had been saddled with them through most of middle school.

  Olivia drew in a deep breath, her stomach twisting into an even tighter knot about having to explain why she wasn’t wearing Taylor’s ring. Then it dawned on her.

  “Wait a minute.”

  Kris cocked his head.

  “What?” he mimicked her exaggerated tone.

  “You knew? Taylor told you he was going to propose last night?”

  A sly grin split his face. “Yeah.” He chuckled. “I hated calling you…but on the off-chance you could have saved them both...”

  “It’s okay.” She shrugged and curled her fingers into a tight fist on the table. “Besides, it was late, and I was ready to come home anyway.”

  “Late?” Kris popped one of the strawberries from the bowl into his mouth. “That’s crazy,” he muttered around the mouthful. “Livvy, you’d just got engaged. I wouldn’t have expected you to come home last night unless it had been an emergency.”

  “No, I hadn’t.”

  “You hadn’t what?” Kris studied her, his face scrunched.

  “Gotten engaged.” Olivia held her hand up, the backside facing Kris, fingers splayed.

  “You didn’t accept?” He straightened in his chair. “Why in hell not? Taylor’s your best friend. You have the same interests. He seems to make you happy.”

  “You don’t think I know all that?”

  Kris’s eyelids narrowed. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “There’s nothing to tell. I just don’t think we’re ready to be married.”

  “You don’t think you’re ready?” Kris stared across the table, his look incredulous. “Livvy, the guy virtually has dog and 2.5 kids stamped across his forehead. Trust me…the dude is more than ready. He’s crazy about you.”

  He leaned back. “Now me, on the other hand. No way in fucking hell am I ever getting tied down.”

  She launched from her chair toward the kitchen. “You don’t get it.” She snatched a glass from the cupboard and returned to the room. “It’s none of your business anyway,” she added and plopped back into her seat.

  Kris sobered and fixed his gaze on hers. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”

  She swallowed hard. The last thing Kris needed was to worry about her. He had the ranch on top of his rehab already stressing him out. Olivia nodded, then glanced up with a smile. “Yeah. I’m okay. Taylor and I are going to be fine. I told him I needed to take things a little slower. One step at a time.”

  “You’ve always known what you wanted out of life.” Kris smiled. “I admire that in you. You have a mind of your own.”

  “You mean I’m stubborn.” She laughed.

  “That too.” Kris chuckled. “And unlike a lot of women, you don't play games with a guy. So if you’re not sure about taking your relationship with Taylor to the next level, there has to be a good reason… Listen to your heart.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered, stood, and wrapped her arms around her brother.

  After breakfast, even though she’d planned to go into the clinic early that morning, Olivia couldn’t resist saddling up Jack and taking him out for a ride. Her choice of name for the mustang wasn’t the usual one, but she never liked taking the road most traveled and preferred human names for her animals. With a sigh, she hoisted herself over the stallion’s back, and with a soft click of her tongue, urged him from the stable. Guilt nudged at the back of her mind for blowing off work for a couple of hours, but the knowledge that very soon the land wouldn’t be theirs anymore, and facing Taylor right away after last night… Yeah, she really needed the ride.

  Reflex had her giving the cattle a wide berth and heading toward the rear half of the acreage. Years ago, when she used to shadow Kris and Eion, it had been their favorite riding sector. Now it was hers as well. The land rolled, yet the trail was smooth and easy to maneuver, allowing for long stretches perfect for a give it everything you got run.

  Thirty minutes in, Olivia was almost ready to turn back and head into the clinic when the sound of another set of hooves caught her attention. A rider in the area wouldn’t be unusual, but the ranch hands weren’t scheduled to herd the cattle onto that particular section for another couple of weeks, so she’d expected to have the trail to herself.

  The ears of her mustang rolled forward, and he released a loud snort as they rounded a copse of cottonwood trees, moving in closer to the other rider. Olivia patted his neck and leaned forward. “It’s okay, Jack.”

  The path curved, opening up into a wide expanse of grass-covered hills that hugged a shallow creek which separated the Mandrake property from the Wilsons’. Olivia glanced ahead on the trail, and, as if she’d just nose-dived over the steep peak of a mountain cliff, her stomach dropped.

  Eion.

  At a leisurely trot, he headed toward her on a black and white Appaloosa. Gorgeous.

  But she wasn’t sure if she meant the horse or the man controlling the beast.

  Side by side with their horses nose to tail, they slowed to a halt. Eion tipped his hat.

  “Good morning, Ms. Wilson.”

  Okay…she could play nice and use her manners, too. “Morning, Mr. Mandrake. I didn’t expect to see you out here, especially since this is Wilson property.”

  He smiled. “Good point.” Eion swiveled his head around as if surveying the area before returning his gaze back to her. “I’d hoped you wouldn’t mind, for old times’ sake, you know, and since you didn’t have your cattle in this area right now…” He let his sentence fade away. “I used to love when the three of us would ride out here.” He glanced back around. “Beautiful piece of land your family has. Always thought so.”

  “Yes. It is.” With Eion’s head turned, she couldn’t help but drink in his profile. Aquiline nose. High cheek bones. Skin kissed by the sun with the shadow of a dark beard along his jawline. Beneath his hat, he wore his hair loose. Long, straight, and brushing his shoulders. “Beautiful.” The word tumbled from her lips on exhale.

  Eion glanced back in her direction, and her stomach flipped. Dear Lord. Had he heard her?

  “I’ll admit, a part of me hoped to run into you,” he added.

  Her heart raced at his words. Darn traitorous muscle.

  “Oh?” She lifted her chin, all nonchalant. “And why is that? Wanted to pick up where you left off last night?” Why the hell had she gone there? Olivia dropped her gaze to where she held the reins. She’d never been able to quiet her tongue around him.

  “In a way,” he said. “I wanted to apologize for my actions at Chuck’s.”

  She jerked her attention back to Eion. He looked up, the morning sun highlighting the blue-green flecks in his eyes. “I was rude, and I had no business intruding on your personal life.”

  “Wow.” She hadn’t expected that. He was actually being nice. “That’s big of you. Apology accepted
.”

  “The three of us used to be close, and I just wanted to make sure you were happy.”

  Doing her best to focus on Jack’s unruly mane. She leaned in and combed her fingers through the strands before straightening. “After not a word for so many years, Eion, I have to wonder why you’re concerned. As you said, it’s really none of your business.”

  Eion’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he took a long breath. “I may not have phoned, Liv, or said goodbye.” He reached over, and with the tips of his fingers, brushed her cheek. So gentle, yet with enough power to lift every hair on her body. “But a day never passed that I didn’t think about you.” Olivia’s hand went to her face, the desire to feel his skin next to hers too strong to ignore. But before she could connect, he snatched his hand back, fingers curled into a fist. “You and Kris, of course,” he added.

  “Right.” Olivia cleared her throat. “Of course.”

  “You were my best friend’s little sister. It may have been more than ten years ago, but I can’t help but want to make sure that the…man you’re considering committing the rest of your life to makes you happy.”

  Olivia nodded. “Taylor’s one of the good guys and treats me very well.” She smiled, hoping he wouldn’t notice that she didn’t mention happy. “So is that how you still see me? As Kris’s little sister?” The question popped out before her brain had considered the implication. What if he says yes? Her stomach sank.

  A devious smile turned up the corner of his mouth. “Enjoy the rest of your ride, Liv.” With a kick of his heels, he trotted off.

  Her jaw fell open. What the hell was that about? Guess she got played a little tit for tat with that non-answer. Olivia closed her mouth and grabbed her reins, a growl rolling from the back of her throat. “I’ll never understand you, Eion Mandrake.”

  Chapter Seven

  “So you’ve had some time to review the market analysis I dropped off.” Josie eased into the chair on the other side of the small conference table and crossed her legs. “What do you think about the price I suggested?”