by Sara Orwig
Instead when she took his arm, he walked beside her casually as they went to the family room to join the others.
Nita, Will and Connor wanted to rehash the afternoon and hear about the meeting of the Texas Cattleman’s Club members. Connor sat with his long, jean-clad legs stretched out. He had his arm around Nita, who was curled up beside him on the sofa. For just a moment Tom envied Connor and his obviously happy marriage. Tom was surprised at himself because it was the first time in his life he had envied a guy because he was married.
Jane sat quietly knitting. Near her, Will was in his big chair with his foot propped on an ottoman, his eyes full of curiosity. “Rose said all went well,” Will commented.
“I think Rose was very convincing,” Tom replied. “We’ll see what the future brings. At the restaurant I told Rose I’d come help her with the treasure on Wednesday afternoon, so something should happen soon.”
All the time Tom talked, he was aware of Rose sitting in a chair near him, so close yet so out of reach. He longed to get back to the guesthouse and be alone with her, and it was difficult to keep his mind on the conversation swirling around him.
Finally to his relief, Rose stood and said her goodbyes. In minutes they sauntered into the dark. Tom put his arm around her shoulders.
“I’m glad to be back here and have you beside me.”
She laughed. “I’m so protected, I don’t know how anyone can do anything to try to get information from me. I think you guys should let me go into town.”
“No way!” Tom argued. “You’re not doing that.”
“Tom, I’m so sheltered here, no one can get to me. And if anyone tries, they’ll see that you’re around. If I’m bait to lure the killer, then I have to be out there where I can be seen. Tomorrow I’m going to discuss it with Connor and tell him to talk to the others about it if you won’t.”
“He won’t either. He was adamantly opposed to doing this. None of us would consent for you to go into town. Forget it.”
“Maybe you’ll rethink it when Wednesday comes and nothing has happened. I think you need to get together with your Cattleman’s Club guys and think about the next step. I don’t expect one thing to happen between now and Wednesday.”
“Frankly I hope it doesn’t.”
“If it doesn’t, then you’re not one degree closer to solving the mystery,” she argued.
Tom unlocked the back door and switched off the alarm, gazing around. “I’d feel better if you’d stay right here and let me check the house.”
“Why? We have an alarm and it was turned on.”
“I could get in here without setting off the alarm, turn it off, then reset it and hide in the seconds it takes for someone to leave the house. Connor, Gavin, and the others could all do the same.”
“You’re not former military or a lawman. Where’d you learn about alarms?”
“I worked for an alarm company one summer while I was in college and I have an engineering degree. Alarms aren’t that sophisticated unless you get a very expensive system and I doubt if this one is. Until recently, probably no one on the farm locked the doors at night.”
“No, we didn’t when I was growing up. Why should we have?”
“Now there’s a reason.” He glanced toward the front of the house. “You stay here and I’ll be right back. If you hear a ruckus and I find someone in here, you run first and call Connor second. Just get the hell out.”
She nodded, seeing a side to him she hadn’t seen before. “You sound like you’ve done this other times.”
He merely shrugged, put his fingers to his lips and left the kitchen. She didn’t hear a sound after he left. She wondered if he carried a weapon. She surveyed the kitchen, moving on tiptoe to open the pantry.
Bright light spilled over shelves neatly stacked with staples, canned goods, bottles and jars. She switched off the light and soundlessly closed the door, looking at the door to the hall closet. She crossed the room to open it and see that everything was as it should be.
In minutes Tom came striding back. “Everything’s fine. Come in.”
“Are you armed?”
“Only with compliments. You looked good enough to be lunch today and even more attractive tonight.”
“Thank you,” she said laughing. “And thanks for the beautiful roses.”
“Sure. Beautiful flowers for a beautiful lady.” His fingers closed around her wrist and he drew her to him. “Come here, Rose,” he said, his smile vanishing as he held her in his embrace. “It’s been way too long since we’ve kissed.”
As her heart thudded, she put her hands on his muscular biceps. She looked up at him. “Tom—”
“Shh,” he whispered. “Just kisses.” He leaned down, his gaze going to her mouth until his lips covered hers.
While her pulse raced, she wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on tiptoe to return his fiery kiss. Pressing against his hard length, she poured all her yearning into it, in spite of knowing that every kiss was building a bridge to disaster.
Tom leaned over her, his tongue possessing, touching off flames that sent melting currents in her veins.
“I want you, Rose,” he murmured. “I want you back in my bed like we were that first night.” Trailing kisses to her ear, he caressed her nape.
She looked into scalding gray eyes that proclaimed his longing as convincingly as his words. “You’re trying to seduce and charm me to get me to say yes to your proposal. You can’t get my answer through your head. You have the tenacity of a bulldog.”
“I just know what I want,” he said, his tongue tracing the circle of her ear and sending more tingles dancing. She ached low inside and wanted him. His mouth covered hers again and his tongue went deep into her mouth, stroking her tongue.
“Tom, stop,” she said, pushing against him. “You’re trying seduction and you want marriage, which would be wonderful if you were in love, but you’re not. This is lust and determination to get your way. I don’t want to be part of that. I’ll say it again—I’m not marrying and settling on a ranch.”
“You won’t give us a chance together,” he accused, a muscle working in his jaw.
“That’s because of your motives. You’re not doing this because you really want me or—”
“Oh, the hell you say!” he said in a low voice. His eyes were darts of lightning that made her breath catch. He caught her around the waist and hauled her against him as his head came down and his mouth covered hers again. This time, his kiss was full of such blatant desire that she shook.
He kissed her as if she were the only woman on earth and he was on his last day. His fiery, passionate kiss rocked her to her innermost being. His mouth on hers proclaimed that she was his woman, that he desired her more than life itself.
Stunned by his ardor and the white-hot sensuality that left no doubt that he wanted her desperately, she trembled and clung to him and kissed him in return. Her pulse roared, shutting out sound. Her mind had clicked off, and she was running on feeling and passion. Blinding lights exploded behind her closed eyelids while her world spun out of control.
Shaken by the intensity of his need, she was devoured and empowered at the same time, surprised by the depth of the effect she must have on him.
He swung her up and carried her to his bedroom while he continued to kiss her senseless. When he set her on her feet, her need for him was escalating, driven by his caresses as he slid his hand down her back and over her bottom.
“I want you, Rose. And we can have love between us,” he said, grinding out the words while his fingers twisted free her buttons and her skirt dropped away. He pushed off her blouse and stepped back to cup her breasts in his large hands, his thumbs circling her nipples and sending heat waves convulsing in her.
He unsnapped her lacy bra and peeled away the black thong she wore, sliding his hands slowly down her legs while he knelt to trace fiery paths across her belly with his mouth.
She gasped, winding her fingers in his thick, short hair, and the
n she pulled him up. “Let me kiss you,” she said while her fingers tugged at the buttons on his shirt and unbuckled his belt. As soon as the last clothing was shed, she stroked his manhood.
He groaned, framing her face with his hands. “I want you, Rose. You’ll be mine. You’re fighting something good and lasting.”
He kissed away her answer and picked her up to place her on the bed before moving between her legs. With his manhood thick and hard, he entered her slowly.
She wrapped her long legs around him, running her hands over his firm butt and tugging him closer. He withdrew and plunged into her again, moving with deliberation to fill her. While sweat broke out on his forehead and shoulders, Tom fought to keep control so he could drive her wild with need. He wanted her moving beneath him, desiring him. He intended to send her over a brink and see her lose the control that she always had to have. He craved her and he wanted her to yearn for him.
“Tom!” she cried, tugging on his buttocks, running her hands on the backs of his thighs. She nipped his shoulder lightly. When he turned his head, she caught his lower lip in her teeth and then drew her tongue over his lip.
He bent his head closer and gave her another kiss while she ran her hands over his naked body and moved beneath him.
“Tom, love me!” she implored, and his pulse jumped again. Sweat still poured off his body and he struggled to keep from letting go, drawing out her pleasure as long as possible.
“Rose, my love,” He ground out the words and then his control was gone. He moved his hips, thrusting hard and fast, filling her while her warm softness enveloped him.
Arching beneath him, she screamed with pleasure. She gasped and climaxed, ecstasy spilling over her as she stroked his back.
“Rose!” He ground out her name and shuddered with his release, pumping into her before he slowed and then languidly moving with her until he rolled over and propped his head on his hand. “Rose, it’s fantastic. We’re damned fine together.”
She started to say something, but he put his finger on her mouth and gave her a look that made her bite back her words. “Shh,” he whispered. “Give us a chance. You’re not even allowing us an opportunity to love.”
“You’re a dreamer, Tom.”
“No, I’m not, and no one else has ever accused me of being one.”
“And you go after what you want like someone driven.”
“Stay here with me.”
“I am with you and I’m not leaving,” she said, finally beginning to catch her breath. She ran her fingers over his smooth, muscled shoulder.
“No, I mean all the time. Before you answer, think about it. I want you with me.”
Rose lay in the semidarkness, the only light spilling in from the hall. She gazed into his eyes while she played with locks of his hair that tumbled over his forehead. Dark stubble was beginning to cover his jaw, and she drew her index finger along his chin.
“I want you with me,” he repeated.
“Are you doing this to guard me?”
“Hell, no. I can guard you without being in bed with you.”
She wondered what it would be like to be married to him, but then thoughts of his ranch loomed. Moving to the country was a total barrier. “There are so many questions, Tom. We don’t know each other really well. But the ranch is a bigger hurdle. I can’t stress often enough that I won’t compromise on that. I won’t live there even part of the time.”
He sighed. “I don’t know, Rose. I had my heart set on the ranch. I wouldn’t have to stay on it all the time, but I’d want to some of the time and I’d want you there with me.”
“I can’t do it. I don’t like staying here now. I miss the city and everything about it. I even miss the traffic. This is too quiet, too dull.”
“I’ve got houses in cities and houses in the country. When this is over, I’ll show you where I live when I’m not in Texas.”
“I know you said you have several houses. Where do you live most of the time?”
As her fingers combed slowly through his thick black hair, he shrugged a muscled shoulder. “I have a home in San Francisco, an apartment in New York and a home in Colorado. I keep an apartment in Paris and I have a villa on the coast of Spain.”
“What kind of life is that for a child? You can’t drag a child from place to place.”
His eyes narrowed as he studied her. “I don’t have to live in those places. I don’t even have to work if I don’t want to, but I prefer to. Where would you like to live if you had your choice?”
She knew she was doing something dangerous by discussing homes with him when she hadn’t changed her mind on marriage, but she had been with him enough now to face the fact that she liked being with him, even aside from the physical attraction. Was she falling in love with him? she wondered. She tangled her fingers in his thick mat of chest hair and felt his heart beating.
“I’ve never lived anywhere except Texas,” she replied. “I used to want to get away. I never felt about the farm like Nita does. Nita is a daddy’s girl and has always liked what our father liked. My mother didn’t care for the farm, and I guess she influenced me. I couldn’t wait to get away, but I never needed to get far and I’ve come home often. I love my family and appreciate them more than ever. I just wanted city life for my daily routine.”
“You can have an urban life with me,” he said solemnly. “Whatever metropolis you want.”
“You’re saying I can part of the time. And part of the time, it would be ranch life, right?”
He raised up on his elbow and gazed down at her, running his finger along her jaw. “I’m thinking about that one,” he said so solemnly she was taken aback.
“You’re really considering giving up your ranch?” she asked, stunned that he might do such a thing to get her to marry him. “You might regret it later. Especially if love doesn’t really blossom between us.”
“I think our attraction is on the verge of transforming into love, more so every day we’re together,” he replied. He lay back beside her and pulled her close, and she wondered what was running through his mind. She couldn’t believe he would give up his ranch—not someone as strong-willed as Tom—but he sounded as if that was exactly what he was considering.
Some of the barriers around her heart fell away, and she kept her own silence, contemplating a future with Tom, acknowledging that she wanted him more every day she was with him.
After a time she thought about the rumor they had started. “Tomorrow ought to be the day the killer makes his or her move, don’t you think?”
“Probably. It’ll be before Wednesday afternoon,” Tom replied. “One thing I know for certain—you’re in a lot of danger. I don’t know any more about what will happen than you do, but the killer can’t be far away. And everyone in the county wants to believe in a hidden treasure.”
“Daddy thinks it really is here on the horse farm.”
“So does the killer,” Tom replied. They were both quiet for a time, taking comfort from their embrace. “Ah, Rose, this is great,” he said, turning and pulling her close against him. “Move in with me. It’ll be better than you ever imagined. Give us a chance.”
Without answering, she lavished kisses across his chest, but she gave consideration to all he had said to her.
As dawn spilled through the windows, she showered and dressed and went to find Tom, who was waiting in the kitchen with coffee before they went to the main house for breakfast.
“I’m ready. We’ll still be on time—” Abruptly she broke off her words and placed her hand on her stomach.
“What happened?” he asked, frowning.
She smiled. “I felt the baby move. It’s the first time.”
Tom looked at her slightly rounded tummy. “Our baby. It’s a miracle, and I haven’t grown accustomed to it yet.”
She took his hand and placed it on her stomach and in seconds she saw his chest expand as he inhaled. His gaze met hers. “Our baby, Rose,” he said with so much awe in his voice, she could only
stare at him, surprised by the depth of his reaction.
“I thought you’d want to feel the baby move,” she said, starting to walk away from him.
He took her arm and turned her to face him, then framed her face with his hands. “A baby is a miracle, and you in my life is another marvel I want.”
Her heart thudded as she looked into smoke-colored eyes that held her breathless.
“There’s a lot that’s good between us, Rose,” he reminded her.
“I know there is,” she replied, still held by the desire she saw in his expression. Her racing pulse accelerated when he wrapped his hand in her hair and leaned down to kiss her hard. It was another one of his devastating kisses that plundered and demanded her response, that fanned desire to a searing blaze.
In seconds she was melting, returning his kisses, running her fingers through his hair.
He released her so abruptly, it took a moment to catch her breath. She gazed up at him.
“Give it thought, Rose, and give us a chance.”
“I am giving it thought.” Wriggling out of his embrace, she took his hand. “We’ll start even more gossip with my family if we don’t show up for breakfast. We’ve got to run. If you want to see real trouble, just be late for a meal. We have two minutes to get over to the main house.”
“Let’s get going,” he said.
After breakfast they returned to the guesthouse. Tom went outside to get tools from Connor and work on a broken porch rail, while she headed to her computer to work.
Rose saw little of Tom that morning, but they ate lunch together and it turned into a long, leisurely lunch while they talked about a myriad of topics, and she knew the bond between them was growing hour by hour.
That night they lay wrapped in each other’s arms again.
“We went through a whole day and most of tonight and nothing’s happened,” she remarked. “Maybe we all figured wrong about the killer coming after me.”
“I have mixed emotions about it,” Tom replied, playing with her hair while she drew circles with her finger on his bare chest. “I’m relieved that no one has tried anything. At the same time, there’s a bit of disappointment that we haven’t tricked the murderer into giving himself away.”