And she had no clue he was good friends with her brother’s longtime rivals. That alone was cause for a big blowup.
He shoved a hand through his hair. He hadn’t planned it this way at all.
“Kiss me.” Alicia’s sweet command blew his labored thoughts from his brain.
He kissed her, enjoying the softness of her mouth and the caress of her hands on his back.
He’d never met a situation he couldn’t charm his way out of eventually. He’d figure out the perfect moment to tell her, and everything would be fine.
She’d probably find it funny.
Wouldn’t she?
Four
Alicia had trouble opening her eyes. This room was much brighter than her bedroom at home.
It must have been a dream.
A glance to the side confirmed that she lay alone in bed.
But why did her body feel so…strange? Her limbs were heavy, and her breasts seemed more tender than usual. Her lips tingled and so did her…
Goodness. Alicia clutched the covers around her.
Maybe it wasn’t a dream.
She turned to look at the pillow beside her in the king-size bed.
The fluffy goose down wrapped in snow-white Egyptian cotton bore the unmistakable indent of a head.
Had she really slept with Rick?
She remembered a dream about being an eighty-year-old virgin.
But she also remembered a second dream.
A glorious dream where Rick kissed her and licked her, his hands roaming over her body until he entered her and drove her to heights of wild pleasure.
Sense memory throbbed in the muscles deep inside her.
Alicia drew in a deep breath as a secret smile spread across her mouth. It was real.
But where was Rick?
She pulled on a flowered silk robe and checked her hair in the mirror. Wild, in a sensual kind of way. She fluffed it with her fingers, then opened the door into the hallway.
Bright morning sunlight filled the space. Then she saw the note on her door.
Morning, beautiful, I’ve gone to a meeting. I’ll be back by eleven so don’t go anywhere, please—Rick.
His underlined please made her laugh. He really wanted her.
If memory served her correctly, he’d enjoyed last night every bit as much as she had. She could almost hear his urgent moans and feel his hot breath on her ear.
A shiver of longing rippled through her and she prayed eleven o’clock wasn’t too far away. A peek at the clock in her room answered her prayer. Thank goodness it was Saturday, otherwise she’d have slept through half a morning’s work.
Her cell phone rang on the dresser in the bedroom and she hurried to answer it. Her heart pounded and she hoped it was Rick.
“Halloooooo,” Maria said.
Could she really give her friend the scoop she’d be sure to insist on?
“Hi, Maria, how are you?”
“Very formal, hmm. Does this mean you were up late last night reading theological philosophy with Mr. Rick Jones?”
Alicia cleared her throat. “Something like that.” She was glad Maria couldn’t see her guilty smile.
“So, did you guys figure out how many angels can fit on the head of a pin? I’ve been struggling with that one for years.”
Alicia laughed. She could totally picture Maria’s raised brow. “We figured about forty, as long as their wings were folded.”
Maria tut-tutted. “Come on now, Alicia. Stop playing with me. Did you, or didn’t you?”
Alicia hesitated, glanced over her shoulder, then whispered, “We did.”
“I knew it!” Maria’s joyous whoop almost deafened her. “Well, this calls for a celebration. Want to meet me at T.J.’s for lunch?”
“Actually, Rick’s just gone to a meeting and he’ll be back by eleven.”
“And let me guess. You’d rather have lunch with some new hunk than with your oldest and dearest friend?”
“Well…”
“You’d better! You know I’d ditch you in a second for the right guy.”
They both laughed. It was so true.
“Now that we’ve established that I have no principles, you’d better tell me all the details so I don’t rat you out to Alex.”
“Alex! Oh, my gosh, I totally forgot about him. He’s all alone at the ranch.” Guilt pricked her like a needle.
“All alone? You’ve got at least ten different employees living there.”
“You know what I mean. Who’ll make him breakfast?”
“He’s a big boy. I’m sure he can pour himself a bowl of Wheaties.”
“What if the arsonist came back? I’ve got to call him.”
“Not until you tell me more about last night.”
“Maria! I’ll tell you all about it another time. And believe me, I really appreciate you covering for me, otherwise nothing would have happened at all.”
“Okay, okay, but one thing before you cut me off.” Maria had stopped teasing and her voice was filled with concern. “I know I joke around a lot, but this Rick Jones better treat my very best friend like a princess or he’s going to have me to answer to. Did he make it wonderful for you?”
Alicia nodded, then realized her friend couldn’t see. “Oh, Maria, it was more than wonderful. He was so gentle, so tender. It was…beautiful.”
“Phew.” Maria laughed. “Well, then enjoy your day with him and wish him all the best from me. And give me a call if you want to come up for air.”
Alicia shut off her phone and caught sight of her face in the bamboo-framed mirror on the dressing table. Her goofy grin almost made her laugh.
Then she remembered Alex, and her grin vanished.
She punched in his number and waited while the phone rang, cold anxiety trickling through her.
“Hey, ’Manita. How’s Maria?”
Alicia gulped. “She’s great. How are things at the ranch?” Her voice sounded nervous and false. She hoped he wouldn’t press for details about Maria. She didn’t want this lie to get any more elaborate.
“No more trouble. The vet’s been out to check the animals and the insurance guy was here. The police have interviewed all the workers, but I don’t think they have any leads yet.”
“I’m coming home, then.”
Even as she said it, her entire body screamed no. She wanted to stay here, with Rick.
“No way. You stay with Maria. We still have no idea who’s behind this, so there’s no way to predict what they’ll do next. I’ve got enough problems already. I don’t want to have to worry about my baby sister being in danger.”
Alicia’s relief mingled with stone-cold guilt. “Are you sure you’re okay? Did you eat breakfast?”
“I’m not an invalid.”
“Did you eat breakfast?”
“I wasn’t hungry.”
“Alejandro Montoya, you’d better go make yourself something—”
“Stop fussing. Maybe it’s better I learn to do things for myself, otherwise how will I manage when you leave to get married?”
His teasing tone told her he was joking. He probably didn’t think she’d ever leave to get married. And until this morning, she’d worried the same thing.
But now everything was different.
She fingered her blue topaz necklace and let her smile return. “All right, don’t eat anything, then. See if I care.”
Her reflection in the mirror revealed red lips and flushed cheeks. Her eyes were glassy and her hair—well, her hair needed work. “I’ll call you later and you can reach me on my cell if you need me.”
She hung up the phone. How shocked Alex would be if he knew what she’d been up to last night. If he knew that—right now—she was waiting for her new boyfriend to return.
Her lover.
Finally.
Justin marched up the walkway into the Texas Cattleman’s Club. Things were getting too complicated for his taste and he intended to do a little untangling. At least as much as he could without makin
g Alicia run for cover.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Dupree.” The doorman nodded to him. “Mr. Brody’s waiting for you in the library.”
“Justin!” Mitch rose from a leather club chair near the carved-stone fireplace as Justin entered, his dark eyes shining with amusement. “You’ve been hard to find lately.”
“Busy. We’re in the midst of a deal. I’m wearing a suit right now because I just signed a contract. Saturday morning, can you believe it? But the guy’s heading back to Athens this afternoon.”
His tall friend narrowed his eyes. “That’s not the only thing keeping you tied up. I saw how well you hit it off with Alicia Montoya.”
Justin just smiled.
“Did you dig up any dirt on her brother?” Mitch asked.
Guilt trickled through Justin as he eased himself into a chair. He wished he’d never volunteered to get information about Alex from Alicia.
Both Mitch and his brother, Lance, suspected Alex of the sabotage at Brody Oil and Gas, but because of the longtime enmity between Lance and Alex, there was no way they could approach him without things quickly escalating to a confrontation. It happened every time Lance and Alex got near each other.
“Pretty suspicious that a fire broke out on the Montoya place, don’t you think?” Mitch asked.
“They don’t know who’s behind the fire at El Diablo. The police are looking into it but there are no suspects yet, from what I hear.”
“Do you think it’s possible that Alex set the fire to divert suspicion from himself about the fire at our refinery?”
“Why would he destroy his own property?”
“For the insurance money.” Mitch took a sip of whiskey. “That old barn was begging to be burned down. He probably had it insured for twice its value.”
“Alicia said it was a historic building. One of the oldest in Somerset.”
“Maybe they wanted to clear the way for a state-of-the-art setup. Alex has some of the finest breeding cattle in the entire state of Texas these days. He always was a competitive son of a bitch.” Mitch signaled to the bartender to bring a drink for Justin.
“I don’t think he’s behind it.”
Mitch looked at Justin closely. “Who else could it be?”
Justin leaned back in his chair. “It’s got me stumped. But I’m starting to think that the fires are somehow tied into the missing funds Darius discovered. Have you finished the unofficial audit yet?”
“Not yet,” said Mitch, “but I’m close.”
“Look, Mitch, from what Alicia’s told me, the refinery fire doesn’t sound like something Alex would do. He’s a legitimate businessman.”
“One of his best buddies is Paul Rodriquez. Don’t try to tell me ‘El Gato’ is legit.”
“No, El Gato has ‘drug cartel’ written all over him, but he and Alex Montoya aren’t business partners. They’re old friends or something. Alex has an import-export business, and from the sounds of it, he’s making money at the ranch, too, with those big-ticket bulls he’s breeding.”
A wry smile lifted one side of Mitch’s mouth. “Are you falling for Alicia Montoya?”
Justin took a gulp of whiskey. “I’m telling you what I’ve learned. The Montoyas seem like decent and upstanding people. I think we’ve all been too hasty in our judgment of Alex.”
Mitch took a swig from his own glass. “He slammed the brakes on redeveloping downtown and ruined Kevin’s deal. One of the councillors told me he was so persuasive that he almost single-handedly talked the city council into rezoning the area for historic development. I can’t figure out if he actually wants to redevelop it himself, or if he just couldn’t stand to see someone else make a buck doing it.”
“Alicia’s heavily involved in the preservation of the downtown area. She says it’s one of the few authentic and picturesque main streets in the state. She’s working on a committee to turn it into a tourist attraction.”
“Downtown Somerset as a tourist attraction? I suspect you’re thinking with a part of your body other than your brain.”
“Why not? If you look past the cheesy signage and faded paint, there are some beautiful buildings there. I think she’s absolutely right to want to preserve Somerset’s history. We already have enough strip malls in the Houston suburbs.”
“It’s hard to argue with that.” Mitch peered into his glass. “As I get older, I’m starting to take a more serious interest in the future and what will be here when my own children grow up.”
Justin’s eyes widened. “Are you and Lexi already talking about children?”
Mitch smiled slyly. “We’ve done more than talk about it. We’re expecting.”
Justin almost choked on his drink. He’d been shocked to his boot heels when Mitch said he was getting married. Mitch was always the last man standing at the bar and the first to run from any sign of a woman wanting commitment.
Apparently Alexis Cavanaugh—now Alexis Brody—had worked some kind of magic spell on him.
“That’s great. Congratulations.”
“You’re pole-axed.” Mitch’s smile broadened into a grin.
“Totally.”
“I don’t blame you. I used to laugh at the whole idea of love and marriage, let alone family. But let me tell you, when you meet the right woman, your whole world changes.”
Justin blinked. He’d certainly been looking at things differently since he met Alicia. Lying about his name, for example. He wasn’t going to do that again—ever.
“With Lexi, did you just…know?”
Mitch blew out a sigh. “It was a bit more complicated than that. You know the story. It started out as a business arrangement with Senator Cavanaugh. She was supposed to marry Lance. When Lance ruined that plan by marrying Kate, I figured I’d marry Lexi myself. Then I fell madly in love with her.”
“Sounds like a real fairy tale—Texas style.” Justin raised his glass and laughed.
“I’ll drink to that. You’re next, bro. I have a feeling.” Mitch’s dark eyes narrowed. “And from the way you’re defending the Montoya family, I’m beginning to wonder if you’ve already met your lady. I bet Alex wouldn’t mind his sister marrying into the illustrious Dupree clan.”
“Yeah, except for the fact that the Brodys are my best friends. He doesn’t know I’m seeing her.”
“She’s keeping you as her dirty little secret?”
“Something like that.”
“Well, watch your back. There are strange things going on all around us.”
“Too true. If the Brody brothers can settle down and get married, almost anything can happen.”
“Fires are burning, bro. Fires are burning. Sometimes they start right here.” Mitch tapped his chest with a knuckle. “When that happens, there’s no way to put ’em out.”
The click of the lock made Alicia jump to her feet. She’d had plenty of time to shower and style her hair and put on one of her favorite dresses—which just happened to match the necklace Rick gave her.
And if he were to look underneath her dress—an event she fervently hoped for—he’d find a pretty lace bra and panties in a contrasting shade of pale blue.
“Alicia.” Rick’s warm, masculine voice sent a shiver of awareness through her.
“I’m here.” She hurried out into the hallway, heart pounding.
Rick stopped, as if struck motionless by the sight of her. He looked devastatingly handsome in a stylish, dark gray suit. His hair was tousled and his blue eyes sparkled with fascination.
He held out a bouquet of fat pink roses. “I bought these for you.” He frowned. “But I want you holding me, not a bunch of roses.” He glanced around for a surface to put them down on, then set them gently on a hall table. “Much better. Now my hands are free.”
Alicia’s body shimmered with anticipation as Rick took a bold step toward her. Her eyes closed as he wrapped his strong arms around her and gave her a tender kiss on the lips.
Pleasure crept over her like the sun’s heat. Her nipples thickened agains
t the stiff fabric of his suit. And hidden, secret parts of her—parts she’d never been fully aware of—now throbbed with desire.
He grew hard against her, and she instinctively pressed her hips against his erection, delighting in the arousal that flared between them.
“Damn, I missed you so much.” His voice was rough.
“You were only gone for a couple of hours.”
“Way too long. Let’s not do that again anytime soon.” He pulled off his slim dark tie with two fingers and unbuttoned the collar of his white shirt to reveal his bronzed neck.
On impulse, Alicia slipped her fingers into the collar of his shirt, against his hot skin.
Rick kissed her nose, which made her smile. Her fingers—without checking back to her brain—unbuttoned the next button on his shirt, and the next, while her other hand slid over the rippling muscle of his pecs.
The scent of him drove her half-crazy. The fine wool of his expensive suit mingled with the musky aroma of sexually aroused male—an inviting combination of civilized and primitive.
She raked her nails over the front of his crisp shirt, down past his sleek, leather belt, to the thick bulge beneath it.
Rick groaned as she wrapped her hand around his rigid length through his pants. She held him, tight, while she let her other hand rest on the firm curve of his athletic backside.
He grew harder still when she freed her hands to pluck at his belt buckle.
Her breath came in unsteady gasps as desire pounded inside her like a drum, heightened by Rick’s obvious excitement.
His hands roamed over her silky dress, strumming her nipples and exploring the curve of her waist.
At last, she freed the leather from the buckle and tugged down the zipper. His erection throbbed against her hand and made her shiver.
Without ceremony, she shoved down his pants and pressed herself against his thick arousal. She couldn’t wait to feel him inside her.
Rick lifted the skirt of her dress and slid a bold hand inside her panties. Hot and slick, she writhed against him.
“Take me now. Right here,” she breathed, hardly aware of her own words.
Rick’s erection throbbed again. He pulled a condom from his jacket pocket, ripped it open with his teeth and rolled it on. Then he tugged her panties to one side and entered her.
The Maverick's Virgin Mistress (Texas Cattlemans Club: Maverick County Millionaire Book 5) Page 5