He started to move his lips in reply, but then, instead, leaned down and captured her mouth in his, leaving her wondering what he had been about to say. Probably just another scolding. All thoughts left her mind when she got caught up in his kiss and the way he was stroking inside her body.
She dropped her hands to his shoulders and then wrapped her arms around his neck as every sensation intensified. Then her body exploded, and simultaneously, so did his. They cried out each other’s names.
This, she concluded, as a rush swept over her, was pleasure beyond anything they’d shared before. This was worth his irritation once everything was over. For now, she was fueled by this. She was stroked, claimed and overpowered by the most sensuous lovemaking she had ever known. By Micah’s hands and his body.
This had been better than any fantasy, and she couldn’t think of a better way to be welcomed to Micah’s Manor.
Nine
Okay, so she hadn’t held a gun to his head or forced him to make love to her, but he was still pissed. Not only at her but at himself, Micah concluded the next morning as he walked out of the house toward the barn.
After they’d made love yesterday, Kalina had passed out. He had gathered her in his arms and taken her up the stairs to the guest room. After placing her naked body beneath the covers, he had left, closing the door behind him. He’d even thought about locking it. The woman was dangerous. She had not been so rebellious the last time.
Cursing and calling himself all kinds of names—including whipped, weakling and fickle—he had cleaned up the kitchen, unpacked his luggage and done some laundry. By the time he’d finished all his chores, it had gotten dark outside. He’d then gone into his office and made calls to his family to let them know he’d returned. Most had figured as much when they’d seen lights burning over at his place. He had again warned them that he didn’t want to be disturbed. He’d assured them that he and his houseguest would make an appearance when they got good and ready. He ended up agreeing to bring her to dinner tomorrow night at the big house.
By the time he’d hung up the phone after talking to everyone, it was close to nine o’clock and he was surprised that he hadn’t heard a peep out of Kalina. He checked on her and found her still sleeping. He had left her that way, figuring that when she’d caught up on her rest she would wake up. Still angry with himself for giving in to temptation and momentarily forgetting his plan, he’d gone to bed.
He’d awakened around midnight to the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. He was very much aware when the footsteps paused in front of his closed bedroom door before finally progressing to the first floor. He had flipped onto his back and listened to the sound of Kalina moving around downstairs, knowing she was raiding his refrigerator—probably getting into those three flavors of ice cream.
When he had woken up this morning he had checked on her again. Sometime during the night she had changed into a pair of pajamas and was now sleeping on top of the covers. It had taken everything within him not to shed his own clothes and slide into that bed beside her.
Then he’d gotten mad at himself for thinking he should not have let her sleep alone. He should have made love to her all through the night. He should have let her go to sleep in his arms. He should have woken her up with his lovemaking this morning.
He had quickly forced those thoughts from his mind, considering them foolish, and had gone into the kitchen. He had prepared breakfast and kept it warming on the stove for her while he headed to the barn. He preferred not to be around when she woke up. The woman was pure temptation and making love to her every chance he got was not what he had in mind for this trip.
He had thought about getting into his truck and going to visit his family, but knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to be off the property when Kalina finally woke up. He glanced at his watch. It was nine o’clock already. Was she planning to sleep until noon? His family probably figured he was keeping them away because he didn’t want them to invade his private time with her. Boy, were they wrong.
“Good morning, Micah. I’m ready to go riding now.”
He spun around and stared straight into Kalina’s face. “Where did you come from?”
She smiled and looked at him as if he’d asked a silly question. “From inside the house. Where else would I have been?”
He frowned. “I didn’t hear you approach.”
She used her hand to wave off his words. “Whatever. You promised to take me riding yesterday, but we didn’t get around to it since we were indulging in other things. I’m ready now.”
His frown deepened, knowing just what those “other things” were. She was dressed in a pair of well-worn jeans, boots and a button-down shirt. He tried not to stare so hard at how the jeans fit her body, making him want to caress each of her curves. She looked good, and it took everything he had to keep his eyes from popping out of their sockets.
“Are we going riding or not?”
He glanced up at her face and saw her chin had raised a fraction. She expected a fight and was evidently ready for one. Just as she had been ready for them to make love yesterday. Well, he had news for her. Unlike yesterday, he wouldn’t be accommodating her.
“Fine,” he said, grabbing his Stetson off a rack on the barn wall. “Let’s ride.”
* * *
Kalina couldn’t believe Micah was in a bad mood just because she had tempted him into making love to her. But here they were, riding side by side, and he was all but ignoring her.
She glanced over at him when he brought the horses to a stop along a ridge so she could look down over the valley. His Stetson was pulled low on his brow, and the shadow on his chin denoted he hadn’t shaved that morning. He wore a dark brooding look, but, in her opinion, he appeared so sexy, so devastatingly handsome, that it was a total turn-on. It had taken all she could not to suggest they return to his place and make love. With his present mood, she knew better than to push her luck.
“Any reason you’re staring at me, Kal?”
She inwardly smiled. So…he’d known she was looking. “No reason. I was just thinking.”
He glanced over at her, tipped his hat back and those bedroom-brown eyes sent sensations floating around in her stomach. “Thinking about what?”
“Your mood. Are you typically a moody person?”
He frowned and looked back at the valley. “I’m not moody,” he muttered.
“Yes, you are. Sex puts most men in a good mood. I see it does the opposite for you. I find that pretty interesting.”
He glanced back at her. A tremor coursed through her with the look he was giving her. It was hot, regardless of the reason. “You just don’t get it, do you?”
She shrugged. “Evidently not, so how about enlightening me on what I just don’t get.”
He inhaled deeply and then muttered, “Nothing.”
“Evidently there is something, Micah.”
He looked away again and moments later looked back at her. “There is nothing.”
He then glanced at his watch. “I promised everyone I would bring you to dinner at the big house. They can hardly wait to meet you.”
“And I’m looking forward to meeting them, too.”
He watched her for a long moment. Too long. “What?” she asked, wondering why he kept staring at her.
He shook his head. “Nothing. I promised you a tour of the place. Come on. Let’s go back home.”
It was only moments later, as they rode side by side, that it dawned on her what he’d said.
“Let’s go back home…”
Although she knew Micah hadn’t meant it the way it had sounded, he’d said it as if they were a married couple and Micah’s Manor was theirs. Something pricked inside her. Why was she suddenly feeling disappointed at the thought that Micah’s home would never be hers?
* * *
“I like Kalina, Micah, and she’s nothing like I expected.”
Micah took a sip of his drink as he stood with Zane on the sidelines, watching how his fe
male cousins and cousins-in-law had taken Kalina into their midst and were making her feel right at home. He could tell from the smile on Kalina’s face that she was comfortable around them.
Micah glanced up at his cousin. “What were you expecting?”
Zane chuckled. “Another mad scientist like you. Someone who was going to bore us with all that scientific mumbo jumbo. I definitely wasn’t expecting a sexy doctor. Hell, if she didn’t belong to you, I would hit on her myself.”
Micah couldn’t help smiling. He, of all people, knew about his cousin’s womanizing ways. “I’m sure you would, and I’m glad you’re not. I appreciate the loyalty.”
“No problem. But you might want to lay down the law to the twins when they arrive next week.”
He thought about his twin cousins, Aidan and Adrian, and the trouble they used to get into—the trouble they could still get into at times although both were away at college and doing well. It was something about being in Westmoreland Country that made them want to revert to being hellions—especially when it came to women.
“You haven’t brought a woman home for us to meet since Patrice. Does this mean anything?”
Micah took another sip of his drink before deciding to be completely honest. “I plan to marry Kalina one day.”
A smooth smile touched Zane’s features. “Figured as much. Does she know it?”
“Not yet. I’m trying to give her the chance to get to know me.”
If Zane found that comment strange he didn’t let on. Instead, he changed the subject and brought Micah up to date on how things were going in the community. Micah listened, knowing that if anyone knew what was going on it would be Zane.
Micah was well aware that Westmoreland Country would become a madhouse in a few weeks, when everyone began arriving for the christening of Gemma’s baby. They were expecting all those other Westmorelands from Atlanta, Texas and Montana. And his brothers and cousins attending college had planned to return for the event, as well.
“I hadn’t heard Dillon say whether Bane is coming home.”
Zane shrugged. “Not sure since he might be in training someplace.”
Micah nodded. Everyone knew of his baby brother’s quest to become a Navy SEAL, as well as Bane’s mission to one day find the woman he’d given up a few years ago. And knowing his brother as he did, Micah knew Brisbane would eventually succeed in doing both.
“I like Kalina, Micah.”
Micah turned when his brother Jason walked up. The most recent member of the family to marry, Jason and his wife, Bella, were expecting twins. From the look of Bella, the babies would definitely arrive any day now.
“I’m glad you do since you might as well get used to seeing her around,” Micah said.
“Does that mean you’re thinking of retiring as the Westmoreland mad scientist and returning home to start a family?” Jason asked.
Micah chuckled. “No, it doesn’t mean any of that. I love my career, and Kalina loves hers. It just means we’ll be working together more, and whenever I come home we’ll come together.”
He took a sip of his drink, thinking that what he’d just said sounded really good. Now all he had to do was convince Kalina. She had to get to know the real him, believe in him, trust him and then they could move on in their lives together.
He still wasn’t happy about the stunt she’d pulled on him yesterday. He was determined to keep his distance until she realized the truth about him.
* * *
Kalina glanced across the room at Micah before turning her attention back to the women surrounding her. All of them had gone out of their way to make her feel at home. She hadn’t known what to expect from this family dinner, but the one thing she hadn’t expected was to find a group of women who were so warm and friendly.
Even Bailey, who Micah had said had been standoffish to Patrice, was more than friendly, and Kalina felt the warm hospitality was genuine. She readily accepted the women’s invitation to go shopping with them later this week and to do other things like take in a couple of chick flicks, visit the spa and get their hair done. They wanted to have a “fun” week. Given Micah’s present mood, she figured spending time away from him wouldn’t be a bad idea.
After they’d returned to the ranch from riding, he had taken her on a quick tour of his home. Just like yesterday, she had been more than impressed with what she’d seen. His bedroom had left her speechless, and she couldn’t imagine him sleeping in that huge bed alone. She planned to remedy that. It made no sense for them to be sleeping in separate beds. He wouldn’t be happy about it, but he would just have to get over it.
“Um, I wonder what has Micah frowning,” Pam Westmoreland, Dillon’s wife, leaned over to whisper to her. “He keeps looking over this way, and I recognize that look. It’s one of those Westmoreland ‘you’re not doing as I say’ looks.”
Kalina couldn’t help smiling. The woman who was married to the oldest Westmoreland here had pegged her brother-in-law perfectly. “He’s stewing over something I did, but he’ll get over it.”
Pam chuckled. “Yes, eventually he will. Once in a while they like to have their way but don’t think we should have ours. There’s nothing wrong with showing them that ‘their way’ isn’t always the best way.”
Hours later, while sitting beside Micah as he drove them back to Micah’s Manor, Kalina recalled the conversation she’d had with Pam. Maybe continuing to defy his expectations—showing him that his way wasn’t the best way—was how she should continue to handle Micah.
“Did you enjoy yourself, Kalina?”
She glanced over at him. He hadn’t said much to her all evening, although the only time he’d left her side was when the women had come to claim her. If this was his way of letting her get to know him then he was way off the mark.
“Yes, I had a wonderful time. I enjoyed conversing with the women in your family. They’re all nice. I like them.”
“They like you, too. I could tell.”
“What about you, Micah? Do you like me?”
He seemed surprised by her question. “Yes, of course. Why do you ask?”
“Um, no reason.”
She looked straight ahead at the scenery flying by the car’s windshield, and felt a warm sensation ignite within her every time she was aware that he was looking at her.
She surprised him when she caught him staring one of those times. Just so he wouldn’t know she was onto what he was doing, she smiled and asked, “Was your grandfather Raphel really married to all those women? Bailey told me the story of how he became the black sheep of the family after running off in the early 1900s with the preacher’s wife and about all the other wives he supposedly collected along the way.”
Micah made a turn into Micah’s Manor. “That’s what everyone wants to find out. We need to know if there are any more Westmorelands out there that we don’t know about. That’s how we found out about our cousins living in Atlanta, Montana and Texas. Until a few years ago, we were unaware that Raphel had a twin by the name of Reginald Westmoreland. He’s the great-grandfather for those other Westmorelands. Megan is hiring a private detective to help solve the puzzle about Raphel’s other wives. We’ve eliminated two as having given birth to heirs, and now we have two more to check out.”
He paused a moment and said, “The investigator, a guy by the name of Rico Claiborne, was to start work on the case months ago, but his involvement in another case has delayed things for a while. We’re hoping he can start the search soon. Megan is determined to see how many more Westmorelands she can dig up.”
Kalina chuckled. “There are so many of you now. I can’t imagine there being others.”
Micah smiled. “Well, there are, trust me. You’ll get to meet them in a few weeks when they arrive for Gemma and Callum’s son’s christening.”
“Must be nice,” she said softly.
He glanced over at her. “What must be?”
“To be part of a big family where everyone is close and looks out for each other
. I like that. I’ve never experienced anything like that before. Other than my grandparents, there has only been me and Dad…and well, you know how my relationship with him is most of the time.”
Micah didn’t say anything, and maybe it was just as well. It didn’t take much for Kalina to recall what had kept them apart for the past two years. Although he was probably hoping otherwise, by getting to know him better, all she’d seen so far was his moody side.
When he brought the car to a stop, she said, “You like having your way, don’t you, Micah?”
He didn’t say anything at first and then he pushed his Stetson back out of his face. “Is that what you think?”
“Yes. But maybe you should consider something?”
“What?”
“Whatever it is you’re trying to prove to me, there’s a possibility that your way isn’t the best way to prove it. You brought me here so I could get to know you better. It’s day two and already we’re at odds with each other, and only because I tempted you into doing something that I knew we both wanted to do anyway. But if you prefer that it not happen again, then it won’t. In other words, I will give you just what you want…which is practically nothing.”
Without saying anything else, she opened the door, got out of the truck and walked toward the house.
* * *
Be careful what you ask for, Micah thought over his cup of coffee a few mornings later as he watched Kalina enter the kitchen. She’d been here for five days. Things between them weren’t bad, but they could be better. It wasn’t that they were mad at each other. In fact, they were always pleasant to each other. Too pleasant.
She had no idea that beneath all his pleasantry was a man who was horny as hell. A man whose body ached to make love to her, hold her at night. He wished she could sleep with him instead of sleeping alone in his guest bedroom. But his mind knew his decision that he and Kalina not make love for a while was the right one to make. It was his body wishing things could be different.
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