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Some part of his brain told him to take a step back and put distance between them. But then another part told him he was facing the inevitable. There had been this blazing attraction, this tantalizing degree of lust between them from the beginning. For him it had been since the moment he had seen her when she’d entered the ballroom with Kenneth Bostwick. He had known then he wanted her.
They stared at each other and for a second he thought she would avert her gaze from his but she didn’t. She couldn’t resist him any more than he could resist her and they both knew it, which was probably why, when he took a step closer and began lowering his head, she went on tiptoes and lifted her mouth to meet his.
The moment their lips connected, a low, guttural sound rumbled from deep in his throat and he deepened the kiss the moment she wrapped her arms around his neck. His tongue slid easily into her mouth, exploring one side and then another, as well as all the areas in between before tangling with her own, mating deeply, and when she reciprocated the move sent a jolt of desire all through his bones.
And then it was on.
Holy crap. Hunger the likes of he’d never felt before infiltrated his mind. He felt a sexual connection with her that he’d never felt with any woman before. As his tongue continued to slide against hers, parts of him felt primed and ready to explode at any moment. Never had he encountered such overwhelming passion, such blatant desire and raw primal need.
His mouth was doing a good job tasting her, but the rest of him wanted to feel her, draw her closer into his arms. On instinct he felt her lean into him, plastering their bodies from breast to knee, and as Jason deepened the kiss even more, he groaned, wondering if he would never get enough of her.
Bella was feeling the same way about Jason. No man had ever held her this close, taken her mouth this passionately and made sensations she’d never felt before rush through her quicker than the speed of light.
And she felt him, his erection, rigid and throbbing, against her middle, pressing hard at the juncture of her thighs, making her feel sensations there—right there—she hadn’t felt before. It was doing more than just tingling. She was left aching in that very spot. She felt like a mass of kerosene and he was a torch set to ignite her, making her explode into flames. He was all solid muscle pressing against her and she wanted it all. She wanted him. She wasn’t sure what wanting him entailed but she knew he was the only man who made her feel this way. He was the only man she wanted to make her feel this way.
When at last he drew his mouth away from her, his face remained close. Acting by instinct, she took her tongue and licked around his lips from corner to corner, not ready to relinquish the taste of him. When a guttural sound emitted from his throat, need rammed through her and when she tilted her lips toward his, he took her mouth once again. He eased his tongue into her mouth like it had every right to be there and at the moment she was of the conclusion that it did.
He slowly broke off the kiss and stared into her face for a long moment before caressing his thumb across her lips then running his fingers through the curls on her head.
“I guess we better leave now so you won’t miss your meeting,” he said in a deep, husky tone.
Unable to utter a single word she merely nodded.
And when he took her hand and entwined her fingers in his, the sensations she’d felt earlier were still strong, nearly overpowering, but she was determined to fight it this time. And every time after that. She could not become involved with anyone, especially someone like Jason. And especially not now.
She had enough on her plate in dealing with the ranch and her parents. She had to keep her head on straight and not get caught up in the desires of the flesh. She didn’t need a lover; she needed a game plan.
And as Jason led her out of his office, she tried sorting out all the emotions she was feeling. She’d just been kissed senseless and now she was trying to convince herself that no matter what, it couldn’t happen again.
Only problem with that was her mind was declaring one thing and her body was claiming another.
Chapter 3
He was in serious trouble.
Jason rubbed his hand across his face as he watched Bella rush off toward her car. He made sure she had gotten inside and driven off before pulling out of the parking lot behind her. The Westmoreland men were known to have high testosterone levels but his had never given him pause until today, and only with Bella Bostwick.
He wouldn’t waste his time wondering why he had kissed her since he knew the reason. She was walking femininity at its finest, temptation not too many men could resist and a lustful shot in any man’s arms. He had gotten a sampling of all three. And it hadn’t been a little taste but a whole whopping one. Now that he knew her flavor he wanted to savor it again and again and again.
When he brought his truck to a stop at a traffic light he checked his watch. Bella wasn’t the only one who had a meeting this afternoon. He, Zane and Derringer had a conference call with their partners in Montana in less than an hour. He hadn’t forgotten about the meeting but spending time with Bella had been something he hadn’t been willing to shorten. Now with the taste of her still lingering in his mouth, he was glad he hadn’t.
He shook his head, still finding it hard to believe just how well they had connected with that kiss, which made him wonder how they would connect in other ways and places...like in the bedroom.
The thought of her naked, thighs opened while he entered her, was something he couldn’t get out of his mind. He was burning for her and although he’d like to think it was only a physical attraction he wasn’t sure that was the case. But then if it wasn’t the case, what was it?
He didn’t get a chance to think any further because at that moment his cell phone rang. He pulled it off his belt and saw it was his cousin Derringer. The newlywed of just a little over a month had been the last person he’d thought would fall in love with any woman. But he had and Jason could see why. Lucia was as precious as they came and everyone thought she was a great addition to the Westmoreland family.
“Yes, Derringer?”
“Hey, man, where are you? Did you forget about today’s meeting?”
Jason couldn’t help but smile as he remembered how he’d called to ask Derringer the same question since he’d gotten married. It seemed these days it was hard for his cousin to tear himself away from his wife at times.
“No, I didn’t forget and I’m less than thirty minutes away.”
“Okay. And I hear your lady is joining the family for dinner on Friday night.”
He considered that for a moment. Had anyone else made that comment he probably would have gotten irritated by it, but Derringer was Derringer and the two people who knew more than anyone that he didn’t have a “lady” were his cousins Derringer and Zane. Knowing that was the case he figured Derringer was fishing for information.
“I don’t have a lady and you very well know it, Derringer.”
“Do I? If that’s the case when did you become a tea sipper?”
He laughed as his gaze held steady to the road. “Ah, I see our precious Bailey has been talking.”
“Who else? Bella might have mentioned it to the ladies when they went visiting, but of course it’s Bailey who’s decided you have the hots for the Southern belle. And those were Bailey’s words not mine.”
“Thanks for clarifying that for me.” The hots weren’t all he had for Bella Bostwick. Blood was pumping fast and furious in his veins at the thought of the kiss they had shared.
“No problem. So level with me, Jason. What’s going on with you and the Southern Bella?”
Jason smiled. The Southern Bella fit her. But then so did the Sensuous Bella. The Sexy Bella. The Sumptuous Bella. “And what makes you think something is going on?”
“I know you.”
True. Derringer and Zane knew him better than any of the other Westmorelands because they’d always been close, thick as thieves while growing up. “I admit I’m attracted to her but what man wouldn’t be? Otherwise, it’s not that serious.”
“You sure?”
Jason’s hand tightened on his steering wheel—that was the crux of his problem. When it came to Bella the only thing he was sure about was that he wanted her in a way he’d never wanted any other woman. When they’d kissed she kissed him back in a way that had his body heating up just thinking how her tongue had mated with his. He had loved the way her silken curls had felt flowing through his fingers and how perfect their bodies fit together.
He was probably treading on dangerous ground but for reasons he didn’t quite understand, he couldn’t admit to being sure right now. So instead of outright lying he decided to plead the fifth by saying, “I’ll get back to you on that.”
Irritation spread all through his gut at the thought that he hadn’t given Derringer an answer mainly because he couldn’t. And for a man who’d always been decisive when it came to a woman’s place in his heart, he could just imagine what Derringer was thinking.
He was trying not to think the same thing himself. Hell, he’d only set out to be a good neighbor and then realized how much he enjoyed her company. And then there had been the attraction he hadn’t been able to overlook.
“I’ll see you when you get here, Jason. Have a safe drive in,” Derringer said without further comment about Bella.
“Will do.”
* * *
Bella stood staring out her bedroom window at the mountains. Her meeting with Marvin had been informative as well as a little overwhelming. But she had been able to follow everything the man had said. Heading the list was Hercules. The horse was restless, agitated and it seemed when Hercules wasn’t in a good mood everybody knew it.
According to Marvin, Hercules hadn’t been ridden in a while mainly because very few men would go near him. The only man capable of handling Hercules was Jason. The same Jason she had decided to avoid from now on. She recognized danger when she saw it and in this case it was danger she could feel. Physically.
Even now she could remember Jason mesmerizing her with his smile, seducing her with his kiss and making her groan over and over again. And there was the way his gaze had scanned over her body while in the elevator as they left his office after lunch, or the hot, lusty look he gave her when she got out of the truck at the appliance store. That look had her rushing off as if a pack of pit bulls were nipping at her heels.
And last but not least were Jason’s hands on her. Those big, strong hands had touched her in places that had made her pause for breath, had made sensations overtake her and had made her put her guard up in a way she didn’t feel safe in letting down.
Of course she’d known they were attracted to each other from the first, but she hadn’t expected that attraction to become so volatile and explosive. And she’d experienced all that from just one kiss. Heaven help them if they went beyond kissing.
If he continued to come around, if he continued to spend time with her in any way, they would be tempted to go beyond that. Today proved she was virtually putty in his hands and she didn’t want to think about what that could mean if it continued. She liked it but then she was threatened by it. She was just getting to feel free and the last thing she wanted to be was held in bondage by anything, especially by emotions she couldn’t quite understand. She wasn’t ready to become the other part of anyone. Jeez, she was just finding herself, enjoying her newfound independence. She didn’t want to give it up before experiencing it fully.
At that moment her cell phone went off and she rolled her eyes when she saw the caller was her mother. She pulled in a deep breath before saying, “Yes, Mother?”
“I’m sure you’ve heard from your attorney about that little stipulation we found out about in your trust fund. My mother was definitely smart to think of it.”
Bella frowned. “Yes, I heard all about it.” Of course Melissa Bostwick would take the time to call and gloat. And of course she wanted to make it seem that they had discovered the stipulation by accident when the truth was that they’d probably hired a team of attorneys to look for anything in the trust fund they could use against her to keep her in line. If they had their way she would be dependent on them for life.
“Good. Your father and I expect you to stop this nonsense immediately and come home.”
“Sorry, Mom, but I am home.”
“No, you’re not, and if you continue with this foolishness you will be sorry. With no money coming in, what on earth will you do?”
“Get a job I guess.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I’m being serious. Sorry you can’t tell the difference.”
There was a pause and then her mother asked, “Why do you always want to have your way?”
“Because it’s my way to have. I’m twenty-five for heaven’s sake. You and Dad need to let me live my own life.”
“We will but not there, and Hugh’s been asking about you.”
“That’s nice. Is there anything else you wanted, Mom?”
“For you to stop being difficult.”
“If wanting to live my life the way I want is being difficult then get prepared for more difficult days ahead. Goodbye, Mom.”
Out of respect Bella didn’t hang up the phone until she heard her mother’s click. And when she did she clicked off and shook her head. Her parents were so sure they had her where they wanted her.
And that possibility bothered her more than anything.
* * *
Jason glanced around the room. All of his male cousins had Bella to the side conversing away with her. No doubt they were as fascinated by her intellect as well as her beauty. And things had been that way since she’d arrived. More than once he’d sent Zane dirty looks that basically told his cousin to back off. Why he’d done such a thing he wasn’t sure. He and Bella weren’t an item or anything of the sort.
In fact, to his way of thinking, she was acting rather coolly toward him. Although she was polite enough, no one would have thought he had devoured her mouth the way he had three days ago in his office. And maybe that was the reason she was acting this way. No one was supposed to know. It was their secret. Right?
Wrong.
He knew his family well, a lot better than she did. Their acting like cordial acquaintances only made them suspect. His brother Riley had already voiced his suspicions. “Trouble in paradise with the Southern Bella?”
He’d frowned and had been tempted to tell Riley there was no trouble in paradise because he and Bella didn’t have that kind of relationship. They had kissed only once for heaven’s sake. Twice, if you were to take into consideration that he’d kissed her a second time that day before leaving his office.
So, okay, they had kissed twice. No big deal. He drew in a deep breath wondering if it wasn’t a big deal, why was he making it one? Why had he come early and anticipated her arrival like a kid waiting for Christmas to get here?
Everyone who knew him, especially his family, was well aware that he dated when it suited him and his reputation with women was nothing like Derringer’s had been or Zane’s was. It didn’t come close. The thought of meeting someone and getting married and having a family was something at the bottom of his list, but at least he didn’t mind claiming it was on his list. That was something some of his other single brothers and cousins refused to do.
“You’re rather quiet tonight, Jason.”
He glanced over and saw his cousin Bailey had come to stand beside him and knew why she was there. She wanted to not just pick his brain but to dissect his mind. “I’m no quieter than usual, Bail.”
She tilted her head and looked up at him. “Hmm, I think you are. Does Bella have anything to do with it?”
He took a sip of his wine. “And what makes you think that?”
She shrugged. “Because you keep glancing over there at her when you think no one is looking.”
“That’s not true.”
She smiled. “Yes, it is. You probably don’t realize you’re doing it.”
He frowned. Was that true? Had he been that obvious whenever he’d glanced over at Bella? Of course someone like Bailey—who made it her business to keep up with everything and everyone, or tried to—would notice such a thing.
“I thought we were just having dinner,” he decided to say. “I didn’t know it was an all-out dinner party.”
Bailey grinned. “I remember the first time Ramsey brought Chloe to introduce her to the family. He’d thought the same thing.”
Nodding, he remembered that time. “Only difference in that is that Ramsey brought Chloe. I didn’t bring Bella nor did I invite her.”
“Are you saying you wished she wasn’t here?”
He hated when Bailey tried putting words into his mouth. And speaking of mouth...he glanced across the room to Bella and watched hers move and couldn’t help remembering all he’d done to that mouth when he’d kissed her.
“Jason?”
He then recalled what Bailey had asked him and figured until he gave her an answer she wasn’t going anywhere. “No, that’s not what I’m saying and you darn well know it. I don’t have a problem with Bella being here. I think it’s important for her to get to know her neighbors.”
But did his brothers and cousins have to stay in her face, hang on to her every word and check her out so thoroughly? He knew everyone who hadn’t officially met her had been taken with her the moment Dillon had opened the door for her. She had walked in with a gracefulness and pristine elegance that made every male in the house appreciate not only her beauty but her poise, refinement and charming personality.
Her outfit, an electric-blue wrap dress with a flattering scoop neckline and a hem line that hit just above her knees greatly emphasized her small waist, firm breasts and shapely legs, and looked stylishly perfect on her. He would admit that his heart had slammed hard in his chest the moment she’d entered the room.
“Well, dinner is about to be served. You better hope you get a seat close to her. It won’t take much for the others to boot you out of the way.” She then walked off.
He glanced back over to where Bella was standing and thought that no one would boot him out of the way when it came to Bella. They better not even try.
* * *
Bella smiled at something Zane had said while trying not to glance across the room at Jason. He had spoken to her when she’d first arrived but since then had pretty much kept his distance, preferring to let his brothers and cousins keep her company.
You would never know they had been two people who’d almost demolished the mouths right off their faces a few days ago. But then maybe that was the point. Maybe he didn’t want anyone to know. Come to think of it, she’d never asked if he even had a girlfriend. For all she knew he might have one. Just because he’d dropped by for tea didn’t mean anything other than he was neighborly. And she had to remember that he had never gotten out of the way with her.
Until that day in his office.
What had made him want to kiss her? There had been this intense chemistry between them from the first, but neither of them had acted on it until that day. Had stepping over those boundaries taken their relationship to a place where it couldn’t recover? She truly hoped not. He was a nice person, a charmer if ever there was one. And although she’d decided that distance between them was probably for the best right now, she did want him to remain her friend.
“Pam’s getting everyone’s attention for dinner,” Dillon said as he approached the group. “Let me escort you to the dining room,” he offered and tucked Bella’s arm beneath his.
She smiled at him. The one thing she noticed was that all the Westmoreland men resembled in some way. “Thank you.”
She glanced over at Jason. Their gazes met and she felt it, the same sensations she felt whenever he was near her. That deep stirring in the pit of her stomach had her trying to catch her breath.
“You okay?” Dillon asked her.
She glanced up and saw concern in his deep dark eyes. He’d followed her gaze and noted it had lit on his brother. “Yes, I’m fine.”
She just hoped what she’d said was true.
* * *
Jason wasn’t surprised to discover he had been placed beside Bella at the dinner table. The women in the family tended to be matchmakers when they set their minds to it, which he could overlook considering three of them were all happily married themselves. The other two, Megan and Bailey, were in it for the ride.
He dipped his head, lower than he’d planned, to ask Bella if she was enjoying herself, and when she turned her head to look at him their lips nearly touched. He came close to ignoring everyone sitting at the table and giving in to the temptation to kiss her.
She must have read his mind and a light blush spread into her cheeks. He swallowed, pulled his lips back. “Are you having a good time?”
“Yes. And I appreciate your family for inviting me.”
“And I’m sure they enjoy having you here,” he said. Had she expected him to invite her? He shrugged off the thought as wrong. There had been no reason for him to invite her to meet his family. Come to think of it, he had never invited a woman home for dinner. Not even Emma Phillips and they’d dated close to a year before she tried giving him an ultimatum.
The meal went off without a hitch with various conversations swirling around the table. Megan informed everyone that the private investigator she had hired to dig deeper into their great-grandfather Raphel’s past was Rico Claiborne, who just happened to be the brother of Jessica and Savannah, who were married to their cousins Chase and Durango. Rico, whom Megan hadn’t yet met, was flying into Denver at some point in time to go over the information he’d collected on what was supposed to be Raphel’s third wife.
By the time dinner was over and conversations wound down it was close to ten o’clock. Someone suggested given the lateness of the hour that Bella be escorted back home. Several of his cousins spoke up to do the honor and Jason figured he needed to end the nonsense once and for all and said in a voice that brooked no argument, “I’ll make sure Bella gets home.”
He noticed that all conversation automatically ceased and no one questioned his announcement. “Ready to go?” he asked Bella softly.
“Yes.”
She thanked everyone and openly gave his cousins and brothers hugs. It wasn’t hard to tell that they all liked her and had enjoyed her visit. After telling everyone good-night he followed her out the door.
* * *
Bella glanced out her rearview mirror and saw Jason was following her at a safe distance. She laughed, thinking when it came to Jason there wasn’t a safe zone. Just knowing he was anywhere within her area was enough to rattle her. Even sitting beside him at dinner had been a challenge for her, but thanks to the rest of his family who kept lively conversation going on, she was able to endure his presence and the sexual tension she’d felt. Each time he talked to her and she looked into his face and focused on his mouth, she would remember that same mouth mating with hers.
A sigh of relief escaped her lips when they pulled into her yard. Figuring it would be dark when she returned she had left lights burning outside and her yard was practically glowing. She parked her car and was opening the door to get out when she saw Jason already standing there beside it. Her breathing quickened and panic set in. “You don’t need to walk me to the door, Jason,” she said quickly.
“I want to,” he said simply.
Annoyance flashed in her eyes when she recalled how he’d gone out of his way most of the evening to avoid her. “Why would you?”
He gave her a look. “Why wouldn’t I?” Instead of waiting for her to respond he took her hand in his and headed toward her front door.