Slow Burn (A Madaris Family Novel)

by Jackson, Brenda

  “And I agree. But you know Clayton.”

  She chuckled. “Yes, I do know Clayton, but I’m convinced in this case he’s wrong. I saw the look in Skye’s eyes the moment Vincent accepted her as his sister. She was truly touched. I don’t know what type of family life she’s had with her adoptive parents or the reason behind her canceled marriage plans, but for some reason I get the feeling she’s a person who’s been virtually alone all of her life and now she just wants to belong to someone.”

  Justin had gotten that same impression as well, and if he had things figured out right, Vincent wouldn’t be the only person Skye would eventually belong to. He had a strong feeling that before things were over, she would belong to Slade as well.

  As Justin pulled Lorren into his arms for the kind of kiss he’d waited practically all day to get, he thought that this summer should be a rather interesting one.

  It was close to midnight and Skye was still up and pacing the confines of the bedroom she’d been given to use. She stopped and pulled in a deep breath. What could she have been thinking about making an offer to spend the summer with Vincent in Houston?

  But deep down she’d known why she had done it. Now that she had found her brother, she didn’t want to lose him. She wanted to spend as much time as possible with him, getting to know him and him getting to know her. It hadn’t dawned on her at the time that being in Houston around Vincent also meant being around Slade. A part of her hoped that Vincent’s school would let him spend the last month of summer with her; then she would have no reason to spend the summer in Houston. No reason to be around Slade. No reason to consider his job offer.

  Her parents would literally go bonkers at the thought of her putting in a leave of absence from her job. They wouldn’t understand and would think she’d taken leave of her senses. But what she’d told the Madarises at dinner was true. Now that her wedding was officially off, she still had the money tucked away that she’d saved, so taking off work for the summer wouldn’t put her in a financial bind. And if she took the job Slade offered, that meant she would be around Vincent even more.

  Again, she reminded herself that it would also mean being around Slade. She inhaled deeply, thinking of the situation that would place her in. Already her body had established just how responsive it was to his kisses, his touch, his very presence. She should be distancing herself from temptation and not placing herself right smack in the middle of it.

  When she finally got tired of pacing the floor, she took off her robe and slipped back into bed. First things first. First she would have to deal with her parents if she decided to spend the summer in Houston, and then she would deal with the situation with Slade.

  As she snuggled under the covers, she remembered the ride she’d taken on horseback and later the walk she’d shared, both with Slade. She also remembered their kisses. Each time Slade’s lips had moved over hers with such tenderness, it not only nearly brought tears to her eyes, but it also had increased a hunger in her midsection—one she only experienced when kissing him. For some reason, whenever she was in his arms, she felt exclusively his. Never had she felt she belonged to any man exclusively. Not even Wayne.

  Slade, whether he intended to or not, had definitely made her feel that way. She released a slow breath as she gazed up at the ceiling. An image of Slade smiling down at her with those sexy dimples seemed to appear there. She blinked. Sheese. She was definitely losing it.

  She tossed on her side and closed her eyes. Moments later a hum of pleasure stirred from her lips when she again thought of all the kisses the two of them had shared. Those thoughts were still on her mind when she finally drifted off to sleep a short while later.

  “Alex, you’re awake?”

  Alexander Maxwell glanced over at the clock on his nightstand before glancing over at his wife, who’d been sleeping beside him. The phone had awakened the both of them. “I am now, Clayton. What do you want?”

  “Sorry to call so late, but I wanted to wait until Syneda was asleep. I need you to run a background check on someone.”

  Alex, a former FBI agent who owned a private investigation company, raised a dark brow. “Who?”

  “A woman by the name of Skye Barclay.”

  Alex pulled himself up in bed. “Isn’t that Vincent’s new sister?”

  “So you’ve heard?”

  “Who hasn’t? Vincent has called just about everyone. He’s excited about it.”

  “Well, I want to make sure that excitement doesn’t back-fire on him.”

  Alex frowned. “Why would that happen?”

  “Justin and Lorren are taking this woman’s word about everything. I want to make sure she’s really who she says she is and that she doesn’t have an ulterior motive for seeking Vincent out.”

  Alex raised his eyes toward the ceiling. “Why are you so suspicious of everyone, Clayton?”

  “Hell, I’ve learned my lesson. I wasn’t suspicious of you when I should have been. Had I known you had the hots for my sister, I would have—”

  “Done nothing, so get over it.” A smile touched the corners of Alex’s lips when he gazed down into the sparkling brown eyes of his wife. She had that just-made-love-to look on her face, mainly because he had finished making love to her less than an hour ago and they had dozed off to sleep. And now, thanks to Clayton, they were awake again.

  “I got Christy just where I want her,” he said. “I’ll do what you’ve asked and check out Ms. Barclay, but I think your suspicions are unfounded. I’m only hearing good things about her.”

  “And they’re all coming from Justin, Lorren, Slade, and Vincent, no doubt. I want to make doubly sure their assessment is correct. You know how I feel about unwanted surprises. Someone has to protect the family from them. Good night, Alex.”

  “Good night, Clayton.” Alex sighed as he leaned over and hung up the phone.

  “I gather my brother is sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong as usual.”

  Alex gave a warm smile down at his wife. “I guess you can say that. He doesn’t trust Vincent’s new sister.”

  Christy laughed. “He hasn’t even met her, and from what I hear she’s a nice person. Clayton is just getting downright cynical in his old age.”

  “Maybe. But to put his fears to rest, I’ll check her out…tomorrow.” His voice trailed off somewhat when he felt Christy’s hand touch his thigh.

  “Yes, tomorrow,” she said softly.

  He reached out and brushed a lock of her reddish brown hair away from her face. They had been married almost two years, and each day he fell deeper and deeper in love with her. “When do you plan to tell the family our good news?” Earlier that night a pregnancy test had confirmed what they’d suspected. They were having a baby and were both thrilled to death about it.

  Christy smiled up at him. “At the retirement party Uncle Jake is giving Senator Lansing in a few weeks.” She snuggled closer into his arms. “I want it to be our secret for a while.”

  Alex returned her smile. It wouldn’t be the first secret they had managed to keep from the family. “I want it to be our secret for a while, too.”

  When he felt her hand move on his thigh again, he said, “This might sound like I’m one greedy bastard, considering what we just did less than an hour ago, but I want to make love to you again.” His voice was low and intimate.

  She placed her finger to his lips to silence him and said, “If you’re greedy, then I’m greedier, because I want to make love to you again as well, Alexander the Great. And I love you.”

  He smiled against her finger before catching it in his hand and kissing it. “And I love you, too, and I intend to give you everything you want, Christy Madaris Maxwell.”

  And then he lowered his head to settle his mouth over hers.

  CHAPTER 10

  “Good morning, Slade.”

  Slade stood when Skye walked out on the patio. With the sun in the sky as a backdrop, Skye looked wide-awake, refreshed, and utterly beautiful. He’d had a rough
time getting to sleep last night. She had dominated his thoughts and his dreams.

  As if operating on autopilot he took a step and walked around the table and moved toward her. His gaze slowly raked over her, liking what he saw. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a western shirt. Lorren had probably loaned her the outfit, because for some reason he couldn’t imagine the outfit being something she owned. She had a little makeup and the shade of the lipstick on her mouth would give any red-blooded male plenty of ideas of just what he would love doing to her lips. It definitely gave him plenty.

  He came to a stop directly in front of her, mere inches separating them. “First you eat; then it’s riding lesson number two.”

  She smiled, nodding. “Okay.” She glanced around. “Have Justin and Lorren left for Dallas already?”

  Justin and Lorren were spending the day visiting friends, John and Juanita Graham. John was a Texas Ranger and he and Justin had been close friends for years. “Yes, they’ve gone, and the kids have all left for school. You know what that means, don’t you?”

  Shaking her head, she had a feeling he was about to tell her. “No, what does it mean?”

  He took a step closer. “It means unless Rubena picks today to return from her vacation, we’re all alone and will have the entire place to ourselves.”

  The huskiness of his voice as well as his close proximity to her, not to mention the sexy grin on his face, sent a heated sensation shooting to all parts of her body. She swallowed hard before asking, “Will we?”

  “Yes, and do you know the first thing I want to do this morning?”

  She shook her head again and hoped the twisted curls on her head hid her smile. “No, I’m clueless as to what’s the first thing you want to do this morning.”

  “Take a guess.”

  She glanced up at him, and his promising smile pretty much spelled things out for her. They needed to talk regardless of whether talking would do any good. It seems when it came to this sexual attraction they shared, they preferred kissing instead of talking. A part of her wondered what would happen when they discovered kissing was not enough.

  Before she could get her mind to think any further about that question, he took a step even closer, getting all into her personal space. She met his gaze, and automatically her mouth tilted upward to his. He smiled as he placed his arms around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him.

  “This,” he said in a husky tone, “is the first thing I want to do this morning.” And then he lowered his lips to hers.

  The moment their mouths touched, Skye released a deep moan. And when he intensified the kiss and at the same time shifted one of his hands upward, moving her twisted curls aside to lightly stroke the satiny skin at her neck, another moan, this one coming from deep in her throat, rumbled in her chest. Something warm and inviting began spreading to all corners of her body.

  She returned the kiss in the ways he’d taught her to do over the past couple of days, and she mated with his tongue as if her life depended on it.

  A need she didn’t quite understand seemed to suddenly fill every pore of her being as he continued to kiss her, sending sensational shivers all through her body.

  The clearing of a deep, husky throat immediately caught their attention, and she pulled away from Slade so abruptly, she almost lost her balance. His hand snaked out and captured her around the waist to keep her from falling. She turned, relieved Justin and Lorren hadn’t returned unexpectedly. What she saw was two men—two tall men—leaning against the brick wall staring at her and Slade with something akin to amusement lurking at the corners of their lips.

  Her attention was snagged by Slade’s deep voice when he asked in an annoyed tone, “What are the two of you doing here?”

  She watched a mischievous smile play over the lips of one of the men. He was the one who had dimples just like Slade. “Luke and I were curious as to what was keeping you here, so we decided to come and check things out for ourselves.” His smile widened before he added, “And now that we see the reason, we understand completely. Sorry for the interruption.”

  Both men then turned and walked away.

  Slade studied Skye’s features, trying to gauge her reaction to his brother and cousin’s untimely interruption. He could tell she was uncomfortable with the situation by the way she was looking everywhere but at him.

  He reached out and ran a finger along her chin, then tilted it upward so their gazes could connect. “If you want me to regret kissing you just now, I won’t.”

  “But your brother and cousin—”

  “Have lousy timing and are probably pea green with envy right now. Don’t get all nervous on me, Skye. Relax. For them to see me kiss you isn’t a big deal.”

  Skye took a deep breath and then she took two steps back. “It might not be a big deal to you, but it is to me. I care about what people think about my character.”

  “And you don’t think I care about mine? And what does kissing me have to do with your character?”

  Skye inhaled deeply. “I don’t want your family thinking the wrong thing about me. About us.”

  He dug his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “And what’s the wrong thing they can think, Skye?”

  She nervously rubbed her hands together. “The misconception that there’s something going on between us.”

  His deep chuckle caused a shiver to pass through her body. “Sweetheart, whether you want to admit it or not, there is something going on between us. How many kisses will it take for you to accept it? Did you not admit just yesterday that we’re special friends who enjoy kissing?”

  “Yes,” she answered honestly. “But—”

  “But what?”

  Her chest rose and fell as she took another deep breath. “But what’s everyone going to think if you and I are painting this picture of two people who are doing something?”

  She stood there looking so damn proper, even in her jeans and shirt, he wanted to reach out and kiss that proper look right off her lips. “What exactly are they supposed to think we’re doing?”

  She looked at him with an exasperated expression on her face. “More than just kissing, Slade.”

  His eyes held her captive when he leaned closer and whispered huskily, “Don’t put any ideas in my head, Skye.”

  His words made her pulse rate increase, had visions dancing in her head. Her heart began to pound against her ribs. “You aren’t taking any of this seriously, are you?”

  Smiling, he reached out and draped his arms around her neck. “I’m taking you seriously, Skye. Never doubt that. I don’t want you to think we did anything wrong because we were caught kissing. People kiss. Friends kiss. I thought we cleared that up yesterday.”

  They had, but she hadn’t expected for them to put on a show for anyone today. “I might be making a big deal out of this, Slade, but I was raised by parents who felt respecting yourself and others respecting you is the most important thing.”

  “And you think that I don’t respect you?”

  “I don’t want you to think that I make a habit of letting men kiss me.”

  “Again, I thought we cleared all this up yesterday. I don’t think that. In fact, I feel damn special that I’m the one kissing you.”

  “Do you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Th-thank you,” she whispered, and Slade could actually see relief in her expression. He wondered why she was so hung up on what others thought of her. Granted he wished more women cared, but for her it seemed to be an obsession with protocol.

  “You don’t have to thank me, Skye. You’re very unique. I knew that the moment I opened the door to you a few days ago. I don’t know the last time I’ve been this attracted to a woman, and it doesn’t come as a surprise that the woman is you, mainly because in just the two days I’ve gotten to know you, I’ve come to accept that you are special. And don’t worry about Blade and Luke. After you meet them, you’ll see they’re great guys.”

  He then smiled teasingly and added, “Even
if they do have lousy timing.”

  He then pulled her into his arms. Instead of giving her the kiss he wanted to give her, he just stood there and held her in his arms.

  Skye grinned across the table at Slade’s twin. Slade had been right. Blade and Luke were two great guys.

  It had only taken a few seconds to size Blade Madaris up as a player and Luke as a loner. Both men were extremely handsome and had great personalities. And with Slade in the mix, she could imagine the trouble the three of them could get into when they were together. And it wasn’t hard to tell they were related. There seemed to be several similarities with all the Madaris men she had met.

  Rubena, Justin and Lorren’s housekeeper, had come back to work from a weeklong vacation and had set the table to serve breakfast on the patio.

  “So when will you know if you’re coming to work for me and Slade this summer?” Blade asked Skye.

  She raised a brow and glanced across the table at Slade. He threw up his hands, laughing. “Hey, don’t look at me; I didn’t say a word to anyone. One thing you’re going to discover about the Madaris family is that news travels fast, so if you want something kept a secret, you’d better keep it to yourself.”

  “And no matter what you do,” Luke added after taking a sip of his coffee, “don’t tell Traci or Kattie. That’s like publishing it in the newspapers.”

  Skye smiled. “Who’re Traci and Kattie?”

  “Two of Justin’s sisters, and they pass information through the family like wildfire.”

  “But how would they know of my plans for the summer?”

  “Vincent,” Blade said, chuckling. “He probably was so excited at the thought that the two of you would spend the summer together in Houston that he called everyone. Well, not exactly everyone, but he talked to the people who like keeping the family informed about things.”

  Skye had to smile at that. She liked the thought that Vincent was excited about their spending time together. “You said Traci and Kattie are two of Justin’s sisters. He has more?”