He made his way across the lawn, crunching leaves, and then dropped his computer bag at her feet. “I hear you need a security upgrade.”
Not his best opening line.
She gestured to the longneck bottle. “Have a drink and let’s talk about what I need.”
Had she meant the double entendre?
He took the beer and sat beside her. “I got your message from Chelsea.” He glanced at her. “What would you have done if I’d sent Will?”
She smiled. “You didn’t.”
“I have trouble saying no to you.” He took a risk and tucked a lock of her hair over her shoulder. His fingers ached for the familiar softness of her skin. “It’s been like that since I first saw you. I want to give you everything. You deserve it, Natalie.”
She took his hand in hers, looking at him with those clear green eyes. “That’s ironic, since you’re taking away the one thing I want most. You.”
Hers words pierced right through him. Even more than the wind that whipped and rustled the trees. God, he wanted to cave right now, but he loved her too much—
Loved?
The word stopped him short. The word. The one he’d been hiding from since the first second he’d laid eyes on her.
He’d fallen in love with her at first sight. Which was why he was so damn afraid of letting her down. The stakes were the highest ever.
“Natalie—”
She pressed her fingers to his mouth. “I believe you that you would do anything for me. I do.” Her fingers grazed down until her palm rested over his pounding heart. “And I don’t want to take advantage of that. Instead of us spending so much time seeing how you fit into my life, I think it’s time for me to be more open to discussing changes I could make. Seattle was gorgeous. I enjoyed my time there and can imagine spending time there, much more time.”
Her willingness to compromise, to give up so much for him, humbled him. Max leaned in, his face so close to hers he could feel her breath on his skin. “And your kids?”
“They have fish and computers and crayons in Seattle. Maybe the kids would enjoy a trip to a cabin as a starter.” She held his face, those tender fingers stroking ever so slightly.
God, she totally humbled him with her forgiving, giving, beautiful heart.
“You’re really offering this after the way I walked out on you?”
She eased back, resting a hand on his chest again and looking deep into his eyes. Searching. “You’re here. That tells me a lot.”
A shudder of relief rocked through him, all the way to his core. “I meant it when I said I’m afraid I can’t do this, be a parent, be a part of a family. Not after the way I grew up.” His life on the streets had left him far from prepared for parenthood. “What if I screw up again? What if I can’t give you and the kids enough?”
“Oh, Max—” she smiled, no doubts in her eyes “—we all screw up. That’s life. As for your other worry? You’re one of the most giving people I’ve ever met.”
“I’m not a role model for your children, not after the things that I’ve done. I’ve broken the law more than once in my past.” He needed to be sure she didn’t see him through rose-colored glasses. He had to be certain she was certain, because he didn’t think he could scavenge the will to tell her goodbye again.
“What are you doing now? How are you living your life now?” She asked the pointed questions firmly. “You’re a good man. I can see that.”
“I don’t need to survive that way. The choices are easier now.”
“I’ve known plenty of people with money who made less-than-moral choices. Money doesn’t determine a person’s character. If so, that would make for a sad world.” She slipped her hand into his again and held firm. “I’ve seen the kind of man you are, and everything I’ve observed is so admirable it takes my breath away.”
“You’re letting me off the hook too easily.” He wanted to believe her, believe it could be this simple. But he was still so damn afraid of hurting her, of letting Natalie and the kids down.
“What do you want for your life, Max?”
“That’s too simple a question.” He didn’t understand how that would fix the problems between them. Didn’t see how his wishes did a damn thing to make him the kind of father she needed for her children.
Those cool green eyes seemed to turn to fire. Her gentle features darkened, her brow knitting. “Actually, it isn’t. It’s a very complex, important question. You’re such an ambitious man, such a kingdom builder on a professional level. Why is it so difficult for you to make wishes on a personal level?”
“Because,” he admitted the truth through gritted teeth, “losing people hurts more than losing any fortune. It’s not worth the risk.”
She clasped both his hands in hers and squeezed hard. “Max, I’ve lost, too. I’m scared, too, believe me.” Her exhale was shaky, but her gaze was steady. “But I’m more afraid of the regrets I’ll have if I don’t take this risk and ask you. And I’m asking you, what do you want for your life?”
He told himself he wasn’t going to do this. Still, he found himself speaking the deepest truth of his heart.
“I want you.” The need was simple, after all. So damn straightforward and true. “I want to be the kind of man Colby and Lexie deserve to have bringing them up.”
“That’s an amazing start. What else do you want?”
He cleared his throat and dared say what he wanted most of all. “I want your love.”
Her eyes went shiny with unshed tears that glistened with joy. “You have that. Completely.” She leaned toward him until their clasped hands touched, heart to heart. “I am absolutely, completely in love with you, Max. St. Cloud.”
Relief rushed through him and he kissed her hard, holding, sealing this moment in his mind forever before he whispered against her lips. “And I love you, Natalie Valentine. I swear to you, I am going spend every day of my life proving to you how much I adore you and your children. I’m going to work—”
“Shhh.” She kissed him silent. “I know. I believe you. Let’s get back to talking about what you want.”
Her words surprised him, but the answer was so clear, so right, he wondered why he hadn’t dared trust it before. “I want to find a way to be a part of Royal, Texas, and build a cabin home in Washington.”
She grinned, surprise coloring her eyes. “A cabin home?”
“A place with a yard and a kick-ass kitchen. A good spot to fish with Colby. A private landing strip on the property so we could fly back and forth with the kids and Miss Molly.”
“That sounds like more than a cabin.”
He wrapped his arms around her and slid her onto his lap. “When I dream, I dream big, Natalie.”
Her arms draped over his shoulders, her fingers toying with his hair. “Big dreams are a good thing.”
He grazed his mouth over hers. “And making them come true is even better.”
* * * * *
Don’t miss a single installment of the
TEXAS CATTLEMAN’S CLUB: BLACKMAIL
No secret—or heart—is safe in Royal, Texas...
THE TYCOON’S SECRET CHILD by USA TODAY bestselling author Maureen Child
TWO-WEEK TEXAS SEDUCTION by Cat Schield
REUNITED WITH THE RANCHER by USA TODAY bestselling author Sara Orwig
EXPECTING THE BILLIONAIRE’S BABY by Andrea Laurence
TRIPLETS FOR THE TEXAN by USA TODAY bestselling author Janice Maynard
A TEXAS-SIZED SECRET by USA TODAY bestselling author Maureen Child
LONE STAR BABY SCANDAL by Golden Heart® Award winner Lauren Canan
TEMPTED BY THE WRONG TWIN by USA TODAY bestselling author Rachel Bailey
TAKING HOME THE TYCOON by USA TODAY bestselling author Catherine Mann
and
October 2017: BILLIONAIRE’S BABY BIND by USA TODAY bestselling author Katherine Garbera
November 2017: THE TEXAN TAKES A WIFE by USA TODAY bestselling author Charlene Sands
December 2017: BEST MAN UNDER THE MISTLETOE by Jules Bennett
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Can't Hardly Breathe
by Gena Showalter
CHAPTER ONE
DANIEL PORTER SAT at the edge of the bed. Again and again he dismantled and rebuilt his Glock 17. Before he removed the magazine, he racked the slide to ensure no ammunition remained in the chamber. He lifted the upper portion of the semiautomatic, detached the recoil spring as well as the barrel. Then he put everything back together.
Rinse and repeat.
Some things you had to do over and over, until every cell in your body learned to perform the task on autopilot. That way, when bullets started flying, you’d react the right way—immediately—without having to check a training manual.
When his eyelids grew heavy, he placed the gun on the nightstand and stretched out across the mattress only to toss and turn. Staying at the Strawberry Inn without a woman wasn’t one of his brightest ideas. Sex kept him distracted from the many horrors that lived inside his mind. After multiple overseas military tours, constant gunfights, car bombs, finding one friend after another blown to pieces, watching his targets collapse because he’d gotten a green light and pulled the trigger...his sanity had long since packed up and moved out.
Daniel scrubbed a clammy hand over his face. In the quiet of the room, he began to notice the mental chorus in the back of his mind. Muffled screams he’d heard since his first tour of duty. He pulled at hanks of his hair, but the screams only escalated.
This. This was the reason he refused to commit to a woman. Well, one of many reasons. He was too messed up, his past too violent, his present too uncertain.
A man who looked at a TV remote as if it were a bomb about to detonate had no business inviting an innocent civilian into his crazy.
He’d even forgotten how to laugh.
No, not true. Since his return to Strawberry Valley, two people had defied the odds and amused him. His best friend slash spirit animal Jessie Kay West...and Dottie.
My name is Dorothea.
She’d been two grades behind him, had always kept to herself, had never caused any trouble and had never attended any parties. A “goody-goody,” many had called her. Daniel remembered feeling sorry for her, a sweetheart targeted by the town bully.
Today, his reaction to her endearing shyness and unintentional insults had shocked him. Somehow she’d turned him on so fiercely, he’d felt as if years had passed since he’d last had sex rather than a few hours. But then, everything about his most recent encounter with Dot—Dorothea had shocked him.
Upon returning from his morning run, he’d stood in the doorway of his room, watching her work. As she’d vacuumed, she’d wiggled her hips, dancing to music with a different beat than the song playing on his iPod.
Control had been beyond him—he’d hardened instantly.
He’d noticed her appeal on several other occasions, of course. How could he not? Her eyes, once too big for her face, were now a perfect fit and the most amazing shade of green. Like shamrocks or lucky charms, framed by the thickest, blackest lashes he’d ever seen. Those eyes were an absolute showstopper. Her lips were plump and heart-shaped, a fantasy made flesh. And her body...
Daniel grinned up at the ceiling. He suspected she had serious curves underneath her scrubs. The way the material had tightened over her chest when she’d moved...the lushness of her ass when she’d bent over...every time he’d looked at her, he’d sworn he’d developed early-onset arrhythmia.
With her eyes, lips and corkscrew curls, she reminded him of a living doll. Blow her up, and she’ll blow me. He really wanted to play with her.
But he wouldn’t. Ever. She lived right here in town.
When Daniel first struck up a friendship with Jessie Kay, his father expressed hope for a Christmas wedding and grandkids soon after. The moment Daniel had broken the news—no wedding, no kids—Virgil teared up.
Lesson learned. When it came to Strawberry Valley girls, Virgil would always think long-term, and he would always be disappointed when the relationship ended. Stress wasn’t good for his ticker. Daniel loved the old grump with every fiber of his being, wanted him around as long as possible.
Came back to care for him. Not going to make things worse.
Bang, bang, bang!
Daniel palmed his semiautomatic and plunged to the floor to use the bed as a shield. As a bead of sweat rolled into his eye, his finger twitched on the trigger. The screams in his head were drowned out by the sound of his thundering heartbeat.
Bang, bang!
He muttered a curse. The door. Someone was knocking on the door.
Disgusted with himself, he glanced at the clock on the nightstand—1:08 a.m.
As he stood, his dog tags clinked against his mother’s locket, the one he’d worn since her death. He pulled on the wrinkled, ripped jeans he’d tossed earlier and anchored his gun against his lower back.
Forgoing the peephole, he looked through the crack in the window curtains. His gaze landed on a dark, wild mass of corkscrew curls, and his frown deepened. Only one woman in town had hair like that, every strand made for tangling in a man’s fists.
Concern overshadowed a fresh surge of desire as he threw open the door. Hinges squeaked, and Dorothea paled. But a fragrant cloud of lavender enveloped him, and his head fogged; desire suddenly overshadowed concern.
Down, boy.
She met his gaze for a split second, then ducked her head and wrung her hands. Before, freckles had covered her face. Now a thick layer of makeup hid them. Unfortunate. He liked those freckles, often imagined—
Nothing.
“Is something wrong?” On alert, he scanned left...right... The hallway was empty, no signs of danger.
As many times as he’d stayed at the inn, Dorothea had only ever
spoken to him while cleaning his room. Which had always prompted his early-morning departures. There’d been no reason to grapple with temptation.
“I’m fine,” she said, and gulped. Her shallow inhalations came a little too quickly, and her cheeks grew chalk white. “Super fine.”
How was her tone shrill and breathy at the same time?
He relaxed his battle stance, though his confusion remained. “Why are you here?”
“I...uh... Do you need more towels?”
“Towels?” His gaze roamed over the rest of her, as if drawn by an invisible force—disappointment struck. She wore a bulky, ankle-length raincoat, hiding the body underneath. Had a storm rolled in? He listened but heard no claps of thunder. “No, thank you. I’m good.”
“Okay.” She licked her porn-star lips and toyed with the tie around her waist. “Yes, I’ll have coffee with you.”
Coffee? “Now?”
A defiant nod, those corkscrew curls bouncing.
He barked out a laugh, surprised, amazed and delighted by her all over again. “What’s really going on, Dorothea?”
Her eyes widened. “My name. You remembered this time.” When he stared at her, expectant, she cleared her throat. “Right. The reason I’m here. I just... I wanted to talk to you.” The color returned to her cheeks, a sexy blush spilling over her skin. “May I come in? Please. Before someone sees me.”
Mistake. That blush gave a man ideas.
Besides, what could Miss Mathis have to say to him? He ran through a mental checklist of possible problems. His bill—nope, already paid in full. His father’s health—nope, Daniel would have been called directly.
If he wanted answers, he’d have to deal with Dorothea...alone...with a bed nearby...
Swallowing a curse, he stepped aside.
She rushed past him as if her feet were on fire, the scent of lavender strengthening. His mouth watered.
I could eat her up.
But he wouldn’t. Wouldn’t even take a nibble.
“Shut the door. Please,” she said, a tremor in her voice.
Taking Home the Tycoon Page 16