The Cowboy’s Socialite

by Carmen Falcone

  Lola leaned on the porch, smiling at them. An outsider would think this was the first lesson Jack had given their son. Ever since Milton and his two year old sister Olivia were toddlers he’d insisted on talking them on rides. Of course, they rode ponies and were appropriately dressed with helmet and gear.

  “Thanks, Dad,” Milton said, and high fived him. “Can I go play with my tablet now?” he asked, his hazel eyes gleaming in anticipation.

  “Take off your helmet and, then yes,” Jack said, with a sigh.

  “Yes,” Milton said, excited, then he disappeared into the custom home they’d built not too far from Red Oak Ranch. As her B&B took off, they decided they needed a place of their own for their growing family. A place where they’d make their own memories, while keeping her father’s alive at Red Oak.

  She walked up to Jack and kissed his cheek. “Can’t compete with the tablet, can you?” she said, then patted his back consolingly.

  He withdrew, scratching his back. “Dang kid prefers to play with those silly games than ride,” he said, but instead of bitterness, amusement softened his features.

  She laughed. “Olivia makes up for it.” No kidding. Their daughter loved everything about country life. She enjoyed spending time with the animals, horseback riding, and fishing.

  “That she does. Where’s my firecracker?”

  “Consuelo took her and Pepper to Red Oak to meet a new goat.”

  “Semi-alone time,” Jack said, and pulled her into his arms. His lips fused with hers, and her world raptured like it did whenever his tongue delved into her mouth. He pressed her against the wall, and thankfully in those five years nothing had changed.

  They’d grown closer. Sure, sometimes they argued like any other couple, but making up surpassed any quibble. She loved Jack Canyon with her heart and soul.

  “What have I done to deserve you in the middle of the day? I thought you’d be in a staff meeting.”

  She stroked the back of his neck. “We rescheduled.”

  He groaned. She’d come to know each one of those sounds, and their meaning. “Want to meet at the pantry? Milton is upstairs by now.”

  She chewed on her lower lip. One of their requests when they’d met with the builder was the oversize pantry. Thrills of excitement threaded down her spine. “Yes.”

  He pulled her into the house, and she hard a hard time keeping up with his pace. When he closed the pantry door behind him, she decided this was as good a time as any to say, “My mom is coming to visit us next weekend.”

  He blinked. “Oh. Suddenly I know why the royal treatment,” he said, hiking up her skirt.

  “Aw. She isn’t so bad. Is she?” Ever since the children had been born, Margo had really tried to become involved in their lives. Sure, she still traveled the world with a boy toy, but she made sure she visited the grandkids during birthdays, holidays, and important events.

  He lifted her from the floor, and she wrapped her legs around him. “No. The best thing about her visit is she entertains the kids so I can have you all to myself at night.”

  “Good. I’m glad there’s an upside,” she said when he sat her on the countertop.

  “There’s always an upside with you. Now, let’s get down to business before our little cowgirl returns,” he said, peppering kisses on her face while cupping her breast.

  “You got it, Jack. I’m not going anywhere,” she said, her breath labored. She knew she had a lifetime of victimizing Jack with her cooking and smothering him with her kisses. And nothing in the world made her happier than this—touching him, loving him… and staying with him. Forever.

  Bonus Read

  Are you ready for something hotter? Keep reading and enjoy this excerpt from Forbidden Virgin.

  * * *

  “You’ve been a very, very bad girl, Kate,” Graham said in a low growl, and the little hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. He turned her around and pulled up her black skirt, exposing her shivering flesh. “And this is what a bad girl gets.”

  He bent her over the table, the cold glass pressing against her bare breasts. Gasping, she plastered her hands on the smooth surface as he pulled down her panties. She wished she had kinkier lingerie on, instead of the boring tan-colored undies even her Tea Party grandmother would approve of.

  When he palmed her ass, his hand circled it lusciously, leaving her skin warm and tender. “I’m going to fuck you hard, but first you need to pay for being a naughty girl with a crush on her father’s best friend.”

  She chewed on her lower lip. How could she argue? He swatted her butt, and she heard the sharp slap before her skin tingled and throbbed for more . . . much more. “Sorry. I–I couldn’t help it,” she said, her breath fogging the glass.

  He squeezed her ass again and Kate moaned, the sound so loud she’d bet the neighborhood could hear. God, what was she thinking? And why did it feel so damn good?

  “You like it dirty. And now it’s time to pay for it,” he said.

  Yes. Yes. Yes. She’d dreamed of this for years, and now, at the age of twenty, her fantasy would finally come true. Her nipples tightened. She ached to be touched where no other man had ever touched her before. She had saved herself for this moment. For him. Graham Davenport.

  “Spread your legs for me, Kate.”

  God. Her clit vibrated at the idea. He nudged her thighs apart with his hand, his fingers scissoring her soaking wet folds. She moved her head from one side to another, unable to stay still at the delicious sensations his touch evoked in her.

  He groaned. “Oh, Kate . . .”

  Four years. She’d wanted him for four years, and finally, they were about to—

  “Kate? Kate Crawford?” said a higher-pitched male voice, much different than the one previously ringing in her ear.

  Kate’s eyes opened with a start, and she almost jumped from her airplane seat. The flight attendant flashed her a friendly smile. “We’ve arrived in Maui.”

  Still startled, she glanced around at the blankets and pillows left on the empty seats and littering the floor.

  “Thanks,” she whispered, and grabbed her large tote in the overhead compartment. The pilot greeted her when she exited the airplane, and someone put a colorful lei around her neck.

  She picked up her luggage, then headed to the area where hotel shuttles and vans picked up passengers. A burly, uniformed man in his fifties carried a sign with her name on it.

  “I’m Kate Crawford,” she said, stretching out her hand. A woman with a plan, she added inwardly. The images of the dream popped in her head, and she bit back a smile.

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Louie.” He reached for her luggage even before she could refuse any help. “Mr. Davenport told me to pick you up.”

  He did, didn’t he? She knew the man who occupied her mind for the past few years, Graham Davenport, the world’s sexiest man who happened to be her father’s close friend, would not pick her up from the airport himself. She’d known him for a decade, and had started to feel tingly around him when she’d been sixteen.

  Back then she’d blamed it on her teenage hormones, or maybe her strict upbringing had messed with her brain. She’d tried to squash that infatuation anyway she could: she turned to the church, she dated guys her age, and she studied a lot. She even ran track for the school team.

  But now Kate could no longer lie to herself. She’d start a one-year course in one of the best hotel schools in Switzerland in the Fall. This summer meant her last opportunity to try to convince Graham she hadn’t saved herself for him for no reason—and she’d stop at nothing. I’m a freshman when it comes to actual sex, but a PhD when it comes to fantasizing. The time to turn her fantasies into reality had come.

  She followed the driver out of the airport, and he took her to a stretch limo and not the hotel shuttle guests would hop on upon arrival at the island. Why the deferential treatment?

  I know why. He opened the door for her, and she slid into the limo. This was Graham’s way of showing she was no regula
r tourist. She was his friend’s daughter and he’d always kept that in mind and treated her like such. However, the tables would soon turn. When she’d begged her father to ask Graham to accept her as an intern in his exclusive new resort for the summer, she knew he wouldn’t say no. Graham and her dad went way back—even though her father had a few years on Graham and was certainly more of a homebody than the sexy man who haunted her dreams.

  “Is this your first time in Maui?” the driver asked before he turned on the engine.

  Images of naughty dreams where Graham screwed her fast and hard against a wall or in the sea, populated in her mind. He’d talk dirty to her, kiss her, and claim her as his. Did he know he wanted to do all these things? Maybe not, but she wouldn’t mind showing it to him.

  “Yes.” She’d take care of other first times while visiting.

  “Graham, are you okay?” Sheri asked, neatly holding her iPad on her lap. They had gone through some sales reports, but he couldn’t have remembered any of the data if someone had held a gun to his head.

  Graham blinked. “Yes. Of course,” he said, smoothing his tie.

  “Did you go to any meetings today? I didn’t see anything on your schedule. Is this about the Preston function next week?” she asked, mentioning the fundraiser that would get him one step closer to nailing a million-dollar account he’d coveted for a long time.

  “No,” he said honestly. Though he definitely should be thinking of the Preston ball and finding a proper date for it. Someone who could blend in the background and didn’t seem annoyed but also not fascinated at the thousand-dollar-per-plate event.

  “Then why on Earth are you wearing a tie?” Sheri pointed at his striped gray suit and dark silky tie. “You only dress like this when you’re entertaining out-of-town business folks or meeting with big clients.”

  Graham swallowed hard. He’d barely admitted to himself the way Kate Crawford stirred him, there was no way in hell he’d admit it to his assistant of five years. Though as a forty-six-year-old single mom to four kids, Sheri always knew which buttons to push to get information, so he’d better shut her down fast. “I thought I’d switch things up a bit.”

  “Are you trying to impress some woman? Because with your looks and checking account, you’ve pretty much got that covered,” she said, chuckling. “But hey, the suit is a nice touch.”

  He curled his fingers into a ball with white-knuckled intensity. Impressing Kate had never crossed his mind—in fact, if anything, he preferred to keep her away. Images of the bonfire gathering in Malibu flashed through his mind. Jacob had invited him for Kate’s seventeenth birthday celebration and he’d ended up going. Until then, Kate had been his friend’s daughter: someone he chatted with about music and TV shows and teased once in a while—all in good fun, of course.

  She’d found him alone, staring at the Pacific Ocean, and struck up a conversation. Kate had shot some lingering glances and seductive smiles his way, but he’d ignored them. Then, she’d leaned closer to kiss him—his cue to excuse himself and leave the party immediately.

  He’d made a point to only meet Jacob for activities that excluded Kate—during lunch or couples’ only dinner parties. What’d scared him most about the bonfire night wasn’t that she’d tried to kiss him—but, for one moment, he’d wanted to kiss her.

  “Well?” Sheri pulled him out of his reverie.

  “I need some coffee,” he said gruffly.

  She tossed her curly hair to the side and surged to her feet. “Grumpy. Hmmm. I’ll find out whatever it is you’re hiding from me.”

  I doubt it. What would she, or anyone, think of him lusting over someone two decades his junior? “Black coffee. No sugar. No cream.”

  She flashed him a knowing smile. “I’ll be right back.”

  When she closed the door behind her, Graham sighed. He ran his hand down his face, remembering the awkward conversation he’d had with Jacob Crawford. His best friend had asked him to show Kate a day-to-day routine at the resort—as she would be attending a hotel school against his wishes all the way in Europe. But Jacob believed his daughter needed to have real hands-on experience, too, and who better to ask than Graham?

  Graham sighed. Jacob had never asked for a thing, and he had been the one who’d loaned Graham money when he’d wanted to open his first property in California—he’d had the concept and the sweat equity but being the guy from the wrong side of the tracks, he hadn’t had the money to make it happen. His entrepreneur friend had helped him, and even though he’d paid him back well over a decade ago, that had been monetarily—he still owed him his loyalty. Damn it. Jacob had believed in his talent. And now, he should wave an olive branch to the girl who tempted him beyond belief. The only one he couldn’t have.

  His phone pinged.

  Did Katie arrive safely? Haven’t heard from her and she was supposed to arrive two hours ago.

  Crap. Graham had sent the driver he used for VIP guests. Sure, he could have picked her up himself, but imposing limits from the beginning was better and keeping a safe distance, critical.

  He glanced at the text message from Jacob. Shit. Checking on her was the least he could do. He slid his phone into his pocket and rose to his feet. Sheri entered his office again, carrying a hot cup of coffee when he lifted his hand and said, “Sorry. Gotta go.”

  She said something he didn’t hear, nor wanted to. Sheri had a dangerous intuition when it came to his life, and he’d hate for her to discover the dirty secret he’d kept locked for years.

  He swallowed hard.

  He marched through the lobby, a couple of employees nodded or smiled at him. He strolled into the check-in area and logged into one of the computers to look for her room number.

  “Looking for someone?” a female voice said, and he raised his gaze.

  Kate stood on the other side of the desk. Her blue eyes gleamed, and he blinked so he wouldn’t focus on them. Staring at her was more dangerous than staring directly at the sun. His gaze slid down her long, soft neck, a pulse visibly throbbing at the base of her throat. The red spaghetti-strap dress hugged her body like a glove. Her breasts appeared fuller, much bigger than before.

  Graham stepped back as if someone had threatened to fight him and he pondered if it’d be worth it or not. He’d never been in a fight he hadn’t won—and to continue his track record, he’d kept away from Kate Crawford because battling an emotion was harder than anything.

  She flashed him a smile—tentative at first, then her bow-shaped lips exposed her sparkling white teeth. The last time he’d seen her she’d had her hair down her back, and now the ends curled at her shoulders, with sophisticated layers framing her beautiful face. Kate Crawford was all sultry woman, ripe for the taking. “I already checked in. I came downstairs to ask where I could find you.”

  A thrill moved through him. Shit. “Tomorrow morning I’ll introduce you to the general manager, who’ll go over some paperwork and goals to make sure you get the most out of your time here.”

  “Thanks.”

  He cleared his throat. “You should text your father.”

  “I will. I guess I’ll just order room service.” She shrugged. “Nice seeing you, Graham,” she said, and walked away.

  He sucked in his breath. Shouldn’t he at least feed her? They knew each other, and he couldn’t let her order room service during her first night in Hawaii before her trainee program. Wouldn’t it be the right thing to do? She’d text Jacob and tell him his best friend hadn’t even bothered to make her arrival special. Damn. Jacob always made time for him when he visited L.A., where Graham used to live. Many times he’d even throw a dinner affair. Once he’d visited California during his birthday and Jacob and his wife, Anna, prepared a surprise birthday party for him. And what was he doing in return?

  “Kate,” he called, and she turned around. “I’ll take you for dinner tonight. I’ll pick you up at the lobby at seven.”

  “I’ll be ready.”

  Graham forced a smile. One dinner and t
hat would be all.

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  Acknowledgments

  I wrote the earlier version of Jack and Lola few years ago. Back then, I was overwhelmed with other projects and ended up parking the story. I’m so happy that those two characters spoke to me, and I just had to finish the book and get it out there.

  I’m thankful for Christine Glover, for being such a positive influence, a great partner-in-crime and a very reliable critique partner. Thanks for embarking in this journey with me.

  Huge thanks to Dina Bushrod, for beta reading and also being just a lovely person in my life.

  God Bless you, Melissa Newtz Spears, for driving all the way from Corpus Christi to Austin to have lunch with me! I loved chatting with you. I always treasure meeting readers and making new friends.

  To all the fantastic readers, reviewers, kind souls who leave reviews: THANK YOU, and yes, I am screaming. Lol. It really means a lot to me.

  About Carmen Falcone

  Carmen Falcone loves to spend her time writing about hot Alpha males and the quirky, smart and sassy heroines who turn their world upside down.

  Brazilian by birth and traveler by nature, she moved to Central Texas after college and met her broody Swiss husband—living proof that opposites attract. She found in writing the best excuse to avoid the healthy lifestyle everyone keeps talking about. When she’s not lost in the world of romance, she enjoys spending time with her two kids, being walked by her three crazy pugs, reading, catching up with friends, and chatting with random people in the checkout line.

  She writes category contemporary, erotic romance, and romantic suspense.

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  For more about Carmen, please visit her website: http://www.carmenfalcone.com