Taste of Passion (Madaris Novels)

by Brenda Jackson

  Sam stood. “Whatever, but it sounds like a date to me.”

  Mackenzie shook her head as she pushed away from her desk and got to her feet. “Trust me, it won’t be a date.”

  It ended up being a date. Their first.

  After enjoying dinner at a nice seafood restaurant and a trip to the mall, they decided since it was a Friday night and downtown Oklahoma City was in full swing, they would spend the rest of the evening visiting some of the popular Bricktown nightclubs. At City Walk they were able to grab a table in the back where they talked while enjoying a glass of wine and listening to live music. They even got on the dance floor a few times. It was after midnight when they drove into Mackenzie’s driveway.

  She knew it was utter nonsense to dwell on the fact that tonight was their last night together, but as they walked side by side up the walk to her front door, she couldn’t help it. She loved him.

  He glanced over at her when they reached the door. “You okay?” he asked softly.

  She inhaled deeply. Despite her outward display of calmness he’d still managed to pick up on her tension. “Yes, why do you ask?”

  “Because you’ve gotten quiet on me.”

  She searched his eyes and as usual was touched by his concern. “I was just thinking.”

  “About Mr. Coroni?”

  Her lips quirked. This was their last night together. How on earth could he think that her mind would be focused on anybody but him? “No, it wasn’t about Mr. Coroni,” she replied honestly.

  It was then that he looked at her again, his gaze sharpening. Moments later he slowly drew in a deep breath and let it out. “I hope I’ve shown you this week how much I’m going to miss you,” he said in a low, husky voice.

  Yes, he had. It had been special to know she had been wanted that much. But then she in turn had shown him just how much he would be missed as well. No limitations had been placed on their lovemaking. It was as if they’d been trying to stock up on what they both would be going without for a while. And she knew that tonight, their last time together, would be no different. In less than twenty-four hours he would be returning to his world and would leave her in hers.

  “Mac?”

  She glanced up at him. “Yes, I know you’re going to miss me and I hope you know that I’ll miss you as well.”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  There was no reason to ask if he would return on occasion to see her because she knew that he wouldn’t. Luke was a loner and he’d told her a number of times he wasn’t into long-term relationships, and he definitely wasn’t the marrying kind.

  There was nothing else to say. They had enjoyed the weeks they had spent together and it was time to move on. But she had fallen in love with him because he represented everything she’d ever wanted in a man. His physical attributes, although they rated high, were of minor importance compared to the kindness he showed, not only to her but to Theo and her men. They all liked him, respected him. Even Sam and Peyton liked him.

  He wasn’t quick to fly off the handle like Lawrence had been, and he didn’t mind pampering her, something Lawrence never considered doing. Although he was a rough-and-tough cowboy, there was a gentleness to Luke, an ingrained depth of compassion that she always found touching. And she knew he was loyal to a fault to those he loved, and Luke loved his family. Luke also loved the rodeo. She knew that right now it was a love she couldn’t even try and compete against. And she wouldn’t. Not now. Not ever.

  She stood back while he opened the door and the moment she took a few steps inside a thrumming heat moved through her. It was so intense she couldn’t do anything but pause a moment and draw in a deep breath. She glanced over her shoulder to see Luke closing the door behind them, and she turned to him, retraced the steps separating them.

  She could tell from the look in his eyes that he knew without her saying a word what she was thinking. There was nothing left to be said. They had run out of words and were quickly running out of time. She felt so much love for him at that moment that the intensity of her emotions overwhelmed her, nearly short-circuited her mind and caused warmth to seep directly into her bones.

  He reached out for her and she all but tumbled into his arms, seeking and needing that gratification she always found in his embrace. Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck, stared up into his handsome, picture-perfect face. Then stretching up on tiptoes, she brought her mouth to his.

  The moment their lips touched, he took over the kiss. It wasn’t surprising, nor was it disappointing. It was just what she wanted and she returned the kiss with a hunger to match his. Her heart raced, and when he locked his arms around her waist to hold her tight against him, she told him with her lips, her tongue, as much of her mouth as she could, just what his kiss was doing to her. What his touch was doing to her.

  Their tongues mated as intimately as tongues could mate and as greedily. He was doing more than tasting her passion, he was provoking it. Taking it to another level. One that would require a high degree of sensual intervention. She had never wanted or needed a man the way she needed him. Right now. This very second.

  He pulled back from the kiss and whispered hotly against her lips. “The bedroom.”

  She shook her head. “No, right here,” she responded in an anxious tone.

  Not giving him a chance to say anything, she tossed her shoulder bag aside and eased down to the floor, pulling him with her onto the Oriental rug. When he was on his knees before her, she whispered, “I need you now, Luke.”

  The passion she saw in his eyes made her pulse race, made her heart throb in her chest, and as she watched him tear off his shirt, popping buttons in the process, she knew this joining would match the intensity of her feelings.

  After he had removed his shirt he went for hers, stripping it off but being more careful with her buttons. Her bra was next and with expert hands he undid the front clasp, freeing her twin mounds. He bent his head and his mouth was there, greedy, hungry, and she shuddered at the feel of his lips on her breasts; his tongue stroking, caressing, licking her with a vivacity that left her breathless.

  He pulled back and pushed up her skirt, inserted his hand between her thighs, caught hold of her panties and tugged them down and off her. Then he went back to the skirt, slid down the zipper, and removed the skirt from her as well. With her completely naked, he took a second to lean back on his haunches and study her, let his gaze take his fill of her before reaching out and sliding his hand up her legs, past her knees, to the area between her thighs. The area he had branded as his weeks ago. The part of her she had decided would always belong to him.

  And then his hands tightened on her hips, gripped them in a way that brought heat there and made sensations flow through her, so that she would be fully aware of what he was about to do. He moved closer, eased down, tilted up her hips and brought his face down to her, right there to her center.

  The moment his tongue slid inside of her she shuddered into spasms that seemed endless. Unbearable. Yet needed. Started a spark that ignited into a raging inferno within her. He deepened the kiss while holding her hips firmly in place, locking his mouth on her, not intending for her to go anywhere. Her lungs hurt when she tried withholding a scream, but it was useless and when he thrust his tongue deeper still, she could no longer fight the sensations that ripped through her and was forced to let it go.

  She screamed.

  Sensations washed over her, through her, and he didn’t let up. Her body was throbbing; her mind spun and every part of her felt sensitive to a degree that stunned her. While she lay there, trying to force air back through her lungs, he pulled back and then stood to remove the rest of his clothes.

  And then he rejoined her, straddled her body, and she gazed up into his eyes, locked with them, just seconds before he pressed his arousal down and then in, entering her and going deep and thrusting hard. He withdrew and thrust deep again, repeating the process over and over.

  She inhaled sharply when sensations returned, crashi
ng down on her, engulfing her with every stroke he made into her. And then he groaned out her name and pushed her over the edge with him as she became enmeshed in sensations so keen, they almost sliced through her, made her body feel as if it were being swept away on a tide of concentrated sensations that led out to an open sea of intense sexual bliss. It was there that she drowned in pleasure, convulsed in ecstasy.

  And then she called his name, fought back the urge to whisper that she loved him, as she plunged into what seemed like an abyss of total fulfillment and unending passion.

  “Take care of yourself, Luke.”

  Mackenzie’s statement, spoken in a quiet tone of voice, had Luke studying the depths of her eyes. Cam had arrived and it was time for him to go. But for some reason he didn’t want to leave her just yet. What they had shared last night and through most of the day had blown him away. Emotions he didn’t want to deal with were trying to overtake his common sense.

  He forced himself to glance around. He would have fond memories of this kitchen, the first place they had made love when making it to the bedroom hadn’t been an option. And he would miss his early morning coffee chats with Theo and the guys. But most of all, he would miss the time he had spent with Mac.

  In the month he had been here, she had done something no other woman had done. She had gotten under his skin. And he of all people knew that that wasn’t good. They needed distance between them now. Once he was on the rodeo circuit again he would get himself together, screw his head back on straight, and appreciate the time they spent together. And he would accept that she was not in his future. No woman was.

  Sighing deeply, he finally responded by saying, “You take care of yourself as well. And I hope things go in your favor regarding the Whitedyer Corporation.” He smiled. “I have a feeling that Farley guy won’t be ready for you.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence. It means a lot.” She paused and then asked, “Will you be attending Quantum’s graduation celebration in a few weeks?”

  He paused for a second and then shook his head and said, “No, I’ve already told the family I’m going to be busy that weekend and won’t be able to make it.”

  She nodded slowly. “Oh, I see.”

  He doubted she did, because if she was that intuitive then she would know he had decided not to go because he knew she would be there and he needed a clean break from her. He didn’t want to run into her anytime soon at a Madaris family gathering.

  He took a step back. “I need to go. Cam is waiting.”

  “All right.”

  He wanted to reach out and take her into his arms and kiss her one last time, but he knew that once more wouldn’t be enough. And it was a risk he didn’t want to take. “You take care.”

  “I will and you do the same. And remember what the doctor said. Don’t overdo anything.”

  A smile tugged at his lips. He couldn’t help remembering how he nearly overexerted himself last night and today while in bed with her, but he definitely didn’t have any complaints. “I won’t.”

  He was about to turn around to leave, but couldn’t make himself do so, he was so damn tempted to taste her mouth one last time. Evidently she knew what he was thinking and took the matter out of his hands by reaching out and wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning in closer to kiss him.

  He returned her kiss, sinking into her mouth with an urgency that he felt in all parts of his body. There was no doubt in his mind that he would miss her. And moments later when she pulled back he knew he had to leave now or no telling what he would be tempted to do next.

  “See you,” he said softly, reaching out and rubbing her cheek with the tip of his thumb, needing to touch her one last time.

  And then he turned and walked out the door, forcing himself to move by placing one foot in front of the other, trying to ignore the pang of regret that was trying to consume him. Fighting the urge to look back.

  His bags were already in the car so he opened the door and slid inside. Cam glanced over at him and didn’t say anything for a moment and then looked over at him and asked, “You sure about this?”

  He frowned, wondering what Cam was getting at and why. But then he had an idea. Cam knew him. The two of them were thick as thieves so Cam probably guessed what he was feeling. Just what he was fighting. Otherwise he wouldn’t have asked. And the pitiful truth was that, no, he wasn’t sure about it. Hell, at the moment he wasn’t sure of anything. But he didn’t want to dwell on that. So he responded by saying, “Let’s get out of here.”

  Cam started the ignition and Luke was tempted to look back when the car began moving down the long driveway. But he didn’t.

  Chapter 21

  The following week was the hardest for Mackenzie. She buried herself in work so deep, she didn’t have time to dwell on how much she missed Luke. But at night in her lonely bed she had dwelled on it. She had missed him. And took each day, each night, one moment at a time.

  The judge had agreed to let Mr. Coroni remain in the house until after the hearing was over and she was grateful for that. But she knew the Whitedyer Corporation wasn’t happy about it. During a hearing in the judge’s chambers, both sides were set to deliver oral arguments, after which the judge would offer a recommendation.

  Mackenzie wasn’t sure how that would go in light of the official notice she had received that morning. Whitedyer, along with the city, had put together a comprehensive redevelopment plan. In addition to Whitedyer’s utilizing some of the acres for expansion of their company, they had also come up with a proposal where the remaining acreage would be further utilized to relieve economic stress with the construction of a conference center and city park.

  On top of that, they had increased their settlement offer to Mr. Coroni by another million dollars. What Whitedyer had done was maneuver things in such a way that if the case were ever appealed to a higher court, a decision of any kind would lean in Whitedyer’s favor because they could easily prove they had been more than fair and gracious in their dealings with Mr. Coroni. That was a smart move on their part and she could just imagine the smile Lewis Farley was sporting about now.

  But still, although things didn’t look good on her end, she refused to give up or persuade Mr. Coroni to give in. And after going over all the documentation she had, all the notes she had taken, and all the case studies that she had reviewed, she felt there was something she was missing; some vital piece of information she had overlooked or should be aware of.

  The intercom on her desk interrupted her thoughts. “Yes, Priscilla?”

  “Mr. and Mrs. Madaris are here to see you.”

  A surprised smile touched Mackenzie’s lips and she literally sighed in relief. She hadn’t expected Clayton and Syneda to arrive until later in the week. It had been their plan to spend time at her place to go over every detail of prior eminent domain cases they had reviewed so she could be prepared. The thought that the two of them would give up their time to help her meant a lot. “Please send them in.”

  She stood and watched the two enter her office, a power couple if ever there was one. Before marrying, they had been successful attorneys in their own right, and since forming the partnership of Madaris and Madaris they were even more so.

  Mackenzie could vividly recall the first time she had seen them and had immediately thought they definitely belonged together. Clayton was such a handsome man and Syneda was truly a beautiful woman. And although their disagreements could rattle some of their family, the attorney in her always enjoyed listening to them offer different viewpoints.

  She couldn’t help but wonder about their position on the Whitedyer case and was eager to hear what they had to say after she filled them in on the latest developments. Standing, she moved around her desk to embrace the couple.

  “This is a wonderful surprise. I wasn’t expecting you until later in the week,” she said, smiling.

  “We thought it best to come now,” Syneda was saying. Although she was smiling, Mackenzie picked up her serious ton
e.

  “Alex is parking the car and will be joining us,” Syneda added.

  “Alex?” Mackenzie’s gaze shifted between Syneda and Clayton. “Does that mean he’s found something?”

  It was Clayton who responded. “Alex can always be depended on to find something. But how you’ll want to handle what he’s discovered is another matter.”

  Mackenzie lifted a brow. But before she could ask anything further, Priscilla escorted the very handsome Alex Maxwell into her office.

  Once everyone was seated Mackenzie sank back into the chair behind her desk and glanced over at Alex. “So, what did you find out?”

  “More than I really wanted to,” Alex said, shifting in his chair. “There were some things that concerned me about this whole case, things Christy brought up. First, why were you the one being harassed not Mr. Coroni, and then, since he is an elderly man, who would be inheriting all that property upon his death.”

  Mackenzie nodded. “I wondered about that too, but figured the culprit couldn’t do anything to Mr. Coroni because he was confined in the hospital at the time of both incidents. And as for who will be inheriting the property upon his death, it will be the petitioners—his supporters who founded the Coroni Foundation—so they can continue the fight after his death if need be. It’s the Coroni Foundation that hired me to represent him.”

  “But you’ve never seen a copy of his will, right?” Syneda asked.

  “Right. I’m not Mr. Coroni’s personal attorney so I had no reason to be privy to that,” Mackenzie responded. “The reason that Mr. Coroni came to me instead of using Lamar Perkins, his personal attorney, was because of a conflict of interest. Lamar Perkins’s stepmother is on the city council.”

  “That definitely would have been a conflict of interest,” Alex said, nodding.

  “And the reason Mr. Coroni wasn’t included in the harassment makes sense, but can we be absolutely sure that his will says what everyone assumes it does?” Clayton asked.