Giving in to the longing, he walked towards her; his footsteps faltering when her lips spread into a welcoming smile. He stood hovering over her; his breathing had sped up to the point where if he wasn’t careful, he might hyperventilate.
“Was there something you needed?” he asked; his eyes fixed on her lush lips, trying to hide the groan that escaped when she licked them in anticipation of the kiss she knew he wanted to give her.
Her eyes were wide and her pupils dilated as she looked up into his face. Eric reached up and removed his hat with his left hand and his heart raced in his chest as he watched her lips move when she answered him.
“After I got Lillie Rose to sleep, I wanted some fresh air… It’s so peaceful and welcoming out here. I love listening to the sound of the animals. I thought there was something I might be able to do to help…”
Eric’s hand was shaking as he lifted it, to wrap around her waist, settling it on the small of her back. “You must know by now, what being close to you does to me,” he told her huskily. “There’s really only one thing you could do to help me with that,” he admitted; his eyes going purposefully to her lips as he touched his own with his tongue.
“You’re just lonely,” she whispered softly. “Any woman living here in your home with you would make you feel this way… After all, it’s been a long time since…”
“No,” he said, interrupting her. “There’s only ever been one other woman who made me feel like this… and I’m not sure I ever felt this intense even around her, and believe me, the guilt that eats me up about that is so overwhelming that it’s all I can do to live with myself.”
“But, I’m not at all pretty,” she whimpered when he began to lower his head towards her; the intension of kissing her was as clear as the full moon in the sky.
“You’re gorgeous,” he corrected just before he closed the distance between them and brushed his lips against hers. The kiss was light at first but then he groaned when she slumped against him and the kiss became harder and needier. He licked her lip and when she opened her mouth, he swept his tongue inside to tangle with hers.
Eric wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his body hotly against hers. A soft sob came from deep in Madeline’s throat and his heart felt like it was going to pound right out of his chest. Lord only knows where that kiss might have gone if Lillie Rose hadn’t chosen that moment to wail.
After the kiss broke, she stepped out of his arms; her eyes clouded over with the desire that had rocked her world. “Sorry… I thought she was down for the night…” With that, she turned and ran inside.
As Eric watched her go, he wanted to follow her with everything in him, but he knew that this interruption was probably for the best. If he had any hope of taking things slowly with Madeline, he needed to take a giant leap backwards, and fast.
It felt as if his body was on fire, and all it had taken was a kiss. He didn’t even want to consider what would happen to him if he ever gave in to the longing to take her to his bed. He’d never be the same.
Chapter 12
Eric stood back as Madeline tucked Lillie Rose back into her crib. As much as he wanted to be an active part of the baby’s life, he knew he dare not go anywhere near her in his current mood. His body was primed and ready for action and he knew that in order to keep the peace and assure a future with his daughter, he needed to make his excuses and find it in him to walk away and leave Madeline alone for the night.
Her silhouette was dimly lit after she turned off the lights. Swallowing back a curse, Eric turned away from her. “I’ll be saying goodnight now,” he mumbled softly. He backed up until his back bumped against the wall and he stumbled, almost falling. A nervous smile played at the corners of his lips and he turned and walked away before he gave in to the intense longing to take her back in his arms again.
Early the following morning, the doorbell rang at the same time as Lillie Rose started to cry. Eric met Madeline in the hall and he wanted to pull her back into his arms, the way he had the night before. The baby cried out again and he offered her a lame grin.
“I’ll get the door,” he offered quietly. Madeline smiled at him, ducked her head and whispered her agreement as well as a word of thanks before ducking in to the nursery. He’d seen the rosy tinge her cheeks had taken on and the way her eyes had heated in that brief moment she’d allowed herself to look at his face. It had been a long time since he’d felt this way, but he found that he kind of liked it.
Trina was standing there, leaning against the side of the house, grinning widely. “I’m here to take Maddie out on the town. The others want to spend a little time with her before she heads back to work and they’ve elected me to come get her. I’m not taking no for an answer,” she said stubbornly.
Eric laughed and held the door open to let her into the house. “I’ll go let her know you’re here. There’s no reason I can’t take care of the baby for a few hours while you ladies go have a little fun.”
He went into the nursery and stood there, looking at where Madeline sat in the rocking chair breast-feeding the baby and cleared his throat. He had to shift slightly to adjust his suddenly stiff erection. “The door was for you,” he said, cringing at the gritty sound his voice had come out in. “Trina is insisting on kidnapping you for a girl’s day out.”
She looked down at the baby whose mouth was still making a sucking motion despite the fact that she’d fallen asleep and was no longer actually eating. “But…”
Eric held his hand up, stopping her before she could argue. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of my daughter for a few hours while you go out with your friends, Madeline”
“I suppose,” she said, hesitating.
“What?” he asked, taking a step closer to her. “Don’t you think I can handle being alone with the baby for more than a few minutes? I assure you, I’m quite capable.”
“I’d rather be here…”
He stepped even closer and pulled her up to her feet, taking the baby out of her arms and carefully placing her in her crib before taking Madeline in his arms.
“And I’d rather have you here too,” he admitted huskily. “But I think it’s important for us to take our time, which right now, I’m not so sure I’m capable of if we’re here alone.”
“Eric,” she whimpered when he gave in to his instinct and bent his head to nibble on the curve of her neck. Trina called her name from out in the other room and he reluctantly stepped away, looking down at the floor. “Go… before I can’t let you go anymore,” he demanded, refusing to look at her.
Madeline had issues walking out to the living room. Her legs had gone soft the moment his lips had touched her skin. Ignoring her draw to the sexy cowboy had been hard enough for her before, but now that he was touching and kissing her as well as giving her looks hot enough to melt the skin off her bones, she was really struggling to keep from stripping down to nothing and begging him to show her what the big deal about sex was.
Trina was waiting for her and offered her a wide smile when Madeline grabbed her jacket. “I don’t want to be gone too long,” Madeline said, hoping the husky tone of her voice didn’t spark too many questions from her friend. She wasn’t ready to explain what was going on between herself and the sexy cowboy; not when she wasn’t sure the answer to that question herself. All she knew was that he made her feel things she’d never felt before, and it wasn’t just because he was a cowboy. At least, she didn’t think that was the only reason.
They went to walk out the door and Madeline stopped in the doorway to look at Eric. “I expressed some milk and left it in the fridge door if you need it. There are diapers and wipes under the changing table. Her pacifier is in the diaper bag along with her favorite blanket. There’s an emergency contact list stuck to the outside of the freezer with a magnet.”
“Madeline… you’re only going out for a couple hours, not weeks. We’ll be fine, just go.”
Trina tugged her out the door and towards her car before she could re
spond; leaving Eric chuckling in her wake.
They all sat around a table at their favorite restaurant; her friends all talking a mile a minute as they usually did. The only difference was, today Madeline wasn’t hanging on their every word or wanting to join in their banter. Right at that very minute, all she could think about was getting back out to the ranch. To Lillie Rose. Of course, her daughter wasn’t the only one she wanted to see. Eric and his addicting kisses drew her like nothing else ever had.
“So how are things with the surprise Daddy?” Patricia asked, sipping her coffee.
“Yeah, do tell… I’ve seen the way you look at him,” Sydney taunted, grinning as she scooped up a forkful of banana cream pie.
“And I’ve seen the way he looks at you,” Trina added, leaning forward, ignoring her strawberry shortcake.
Madeline’s hand was shaking so badly, she accidently dropped her fork and the sound of it clattering to the empty plate seemed to echo in her head. “Things are going fine… Eric’s a good Dad,” she found herself saying, working hard to avoid their anxious stares.
“I’m sure he is. Anyone with two functional eyes in their head can see that he’s completely crazy about that baby of yours,” Patricia snickered. “But we meant as a man. I’m not blind, Maddie. I can see the sexual chemistry between you. It’s powerful enough, if it was capable of doing so, it could light up an entire hospital by itself. What I want to know is if he’s done anything about the way he clearly feels about you yet.”
A deep blush covered Madeline’s cheeks and Trina grabbed her hands and squeezed them tightly in her own. “Oh my gosh… he has! Tell all,” she said excitedly; scooting forward to the edge of her seat, searching Madeline’s eyes with her own.
“He… um… he kissed me,” she admitted, looking down at her napkin as if it was the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen in order to keep from looking any of her friends in the eyes.
“And?” Sydney prompted excitedly. “Is the sexy cowboy as hot to the touch as he is to look at?”
“How far did things go?” Georgia asked at the same time; her eyes wide and sparkling with excitement. “Did he rock your world?”
“I know about your cowboy fantasy,” Trina teased, grinning widely. “Tell me, was it everything you’d dreamed it would be?”
“Geez, you guys … You make it sound like I’m some kind of easy lay or something,” Madeline whispered, still not looking up. She didn’t want them to see how much she wished she could say yes to all of their questions. “It went no further than a few kisses… Although, I will admit that they were hot enough to melt a woman into a puddle of goo at his feet.”
“Now we’re talking a few kisses,” Trina observed, grinning widely. “Just how many are a few? And how intense are we talking?”
“Can we talk about something else? Anything else? Please???” Madeline asked, dabbing her napkin against her lips even though she didn’t need it. It was a nervous reaction. Something to do with her hands.
“No way,” Patricia denied. Everyone else at the table nodded their heads in agreement and Madeline closed her eyes against their intense scrutiny.
“There was only one actual lip to lip kiss, alright? The others were … elsewhere.”
“Where exactly is elsewhere, Maddie? Are we talking your naughty bits?” Trina asked, not willing to let her friend get away with keeping the facts close to the vest.
“My neck… and no, it went no further. I didn’t come out with you guys to bare all my secrets. If I’d known you all just wanted some juicy gossip, I would have stayed at home with my daughter.”
The other women around the table started laughing; a few of them were coughing because they couldn’t catch their breaths. Madeline looked from one of them to the other in confusion, finally settling her eyes on Sydney. “I give… What’s so funny?”
“Oh honey… we all know that as precious as that baby girl is, she isn’t the one you would have stayed back at the ranch for. At least not the only one; and I don’t blame you in the least. If my man looked like that, I’d never let him out of my sight. Not for a bloody minute.”
“Your sight?” Patricia teased, laughing so hard, her soda sprayed out of her nose. “I’d never let him out of my bed. I might even go as far as to handcuff him to the headboard to make sure he couldn’t escape. That man is so hot, he sizzles.”
“That man,” Madeline said through gritted teeth. “Is still mourning the death of his wife. She was the love of his life. She may have been gone for quite a few years now and he may be ready to move on from her physically, but you all know as well as I do, that when and IF I ever go there with a man, it won’t be just for sexual satisfaction. If we ever went there, it would have to be because he allowed himself to love me and me him… which I’m not sure he’ll ever be able to do. I have no doubt that it would take very little for me to fall for him,” she admitted hoarsely. “I have to be very careful with him and you all know it. I don’t have just me to think about any more. Heck; you know I had all but given up on the idea of ever having a man in my life in that way. That’s why I went the route I did with the fertility clinic. I never expected to find myself facing something like this. I’m taking it one day at a time.”
Madeline stood up and looked around the table. “Now… if you don’t mind, now that you’ve satisfied your morbid curiosity, I’d like to go home to my baby girl. I have no doubt, when I get there, Eric will make a bee line for the back door to go work with his animals. That’s where he spends most of his free time, despite your suspicions.”
Trina stood up and offered her friends a smile. “I’ll take you,” she offered. Arm and arm, they made their way back out to the car. Madeline was thankful for the soft strains of country music filtering through the tinny sounding speakers as they drove. She’d spent more than enough time talking about something she had no way of knowing where it was going. She was anxious to hold Lillie Rose in her arms. Her sweet baby girl didn’t ask questions or demand explanations she didn’t have to give.
As the miles of desert passed by in a blur as they sped down the interstate, Madeline was hopeful that her friends gave her some time and space. As much as she loved them, she had no desire to spend any more time with them. Not if it meant being away from Lillie Rose… and if she admitted it, she longed to stay close to Eric too. That was a realization that she had no intension of sharing. Not with anyone.
Chapter 13
When Madeline walked through the door, she heard Jeff and Eric laughing and a wide smile crossed her face. Eric was like a different man when his little brother was around. Normally, when the younger man came around, Eric became quiet and sullen. Hearing him laugh with his brother, she had to wonder if it was because she was there. Then she had to ask herself if it was jealousy, which she doubted, or because Jeff had a tendency to make fun of his big brother.
She was near the doorway to the living room where the men were playing with the baby when she heard Jeff’s voice. “It’s funny. I look at her, and I don’t see Vic at all. If I didn’t know for a fact that those eggs were swapped, I would never have figured her for Vic’s daughter.”
“Victoria would have loved her, that’s for certain,” Eric said, sighing heavily. “But as strange as it may seem, I don’t see her as Lillie Rose’s mother. Madeline is an amazing woman, and there isn’t a woman alive that could love my daughter any more than she does.”
“I know that this whole mix up with the eggs turned your life upside down, but I have to say that I’m actually kind of glad it happened. Not that I would have minded being a father to Madeline’s child; even though she would never have known it was me that she chose… But you really needed this,” Jeff said in a choked up voice. “Ever since Madeline came into your life, you’ve been more alive than I’ve seen you since Vic died. I see you with your daughter and there is so much joy and love in your eyes; it’s all I can do not to cry. I have to say, big brother; you had me seriously scared for you. You may as well have climbed
in to Vic’s grave right along with her for all you’d know it to look at the way you chose to live your life.”
“It’s not just the baby,” Eric admitted; his voice croaking from the emotion that make it break. “Madeline is an incredibly beautiful woman. At first, I was so drawn to her physically; I could hardly breathe past the need I felt every time I looked at her. But the more time I’ve spent getting to know her, the more I find I want to be with her. She’s an amazing woman. Of course, seeing how much she loves my daughter doesn’t help as far as keeping my emotions under control. I’m falling for her, Jeff… and it scares the dickens out of me. I feel so damn guilty; I can’t even bring myself to go to Vic’s grave any more. Facing her would be next to impossible, given how badly I find myself wanting … needing to be with another woman. That’s the worst part. I know eventually, I’m GOING to cheat on her with Madeline if she’ll allow me to. I feel like such a failure. I gave my word to Vic in front of God and all of our family and friends that as long as I lived, I’d only be with her. I don’t know what to do about the feelings I have for Maddie, Jeff. I wish to God I did.”
“Have you tried telling the woman how you feel about her?” Jeff asked quietly. Madeline leaned against the wall; her heart pounding in her chest. It was clear they hadn’t heard her come in. The last thing she wanted was to be caught eavesdropping. If she didn’t want to hear the answer to Jeff’s question so badly, she would have crept up the stairs and gone to her room to give the men their privacy. As it was, she was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that Eric’s brother was the cowboy she’d chosen as her sperm donor.
Baby Mine (Stubborn Texas Siblings Book 1) Page 8