Chapter Ten

Carolina’s body was a temptation more intoxicating than anything he had ever sampled. One last taste of her lips and they came apart.

“Hold that thought,” Matt drawled, squeezing her waist.

Leaving Carolina would be impossible if he recaptured those gorgeous breasts of hers. Just because his office door was closed, didn’t mean much to anyone in his family. Knocking was more of an afterthought. Matt had to ward off what sounded like a rowdy entourage down the hall. The usual, no doubt, which included crew leaders, maybe a hired hand or two, his uncle, and his father.

Pulling her up from the desk, he didn’t try to pretend he wasn’t ogling her breasts. The bulge in his jeans was testimony enough that she got to him in a way he’d never allowed himself to be pulled into. Sex in his office, on his desk was novel. Not that he didn’t want to finish what they’d started.

Cursing under his breath, Matt lifted her shirt off the floor. Carolina slipped on her bra, no longer half-naked.

“There’s a washroom right over there,” he whispered against Caro’s floral-scented hair, “This is the end of the day. Won’t take long. Miller’s got to leave to get ahead of the traffic. The others will end up drinking a couple of beers before leaving. If I don’t head them off, one of them will come through that door in about thirty seconds.”

“No joke,” she sassed him with a wry smile.

Instead of feeling less on fire, his hunger for her roared like a wildfire, again. Dr. Rodriguez clothed wouldn’t help this condition. He threaded his fingers through the cascading dark waves of her hair. “I like that mouth of yours. A lot.”

“Good to hear. Now, if you don’t mind. I’ve got my marching orders, sir!” Carolina mocked saluted him.

Matt hesitated. For some reason, it felt as if he’d said the wrong thing. The sound of voices reminded him that there wasn’t time to delve into anything but stopping his family and the ranch staff from barrelling into his office with news of the herd and how they stood insofar as branding and vaccinations.

Carolina’s skin was flushed the color of a summer sunset. He kissed her shoulder and his hands sought her body again. She tried to back away, but he pulled her to him. “In case you missed the memo, I’d rather stay here.”

Her gaze was unwavering. “I’m fine. Really.”

“Go,” he said, more to himself than to her. The feel of her soft seductive body against him had him rethinking installing a lock on his office door, right now. Only that would involve a conversation with his family and a round a questioning he was already sure was getting lengthier and weightier by the minute. Miller had already given him a heads-up that Carolina’s appearance had created a stir alright. Not that he had shared that detail with her when she’d asked.

Maybe he should’ve. His mother was in a dither, trying to plan dinners and inviting family to the ranch. It was like the floodgates had opened that possibly the eldest McLemore son might actually be on the hook.

It wasn’t like he was some manwhore. He sure as hell hadn’t been out on the town in months. It burned him that his family had some preconceived notion that he couldn’t or wouldn’t ever find a woman to marry. One relationship gone bad had not soured him to the idea of matrimony. It had opened his eyes.

In silence, Carolina gathered her clothes and purse. His imagination reignited in response to the swaying of her breasts. She’d need a forewarning on his family’s plans and he almost followed her into the bathroom. The gossip mill never rested in town and trickled back to the ranch. The last thing he wanted was Carolina hearing anything. Whether good or bad, rumors always blew things out of proportion.

Matt bent to pick up a shipping box.

He ran his fingers through his hair, watching Carolina cross his office. She turned to close the bathroom door, her body outlined by the light and his thoughts flatlined. She gave him a little wave.

Right, he had to get going.

After setting the box down on his desk, Matt readjusted himself in his jeans. A crinkle erupted under his foot. No wonder, papers and the entire top of his desk (minus the computer screens) were scattered over the floor. Putting it all in order would take minutes he didn’t have.

Talk about upheaval. All his family had to do was take one look and he’d never hear the end of this. He’d never worked with a woman besides family in this office. Never brought a woman to visit. His office had never looked this unkempt. It looked like a free-for-all had occurred. Even so, something made him want to remember this scene.

Matt made it to the doorway right as his father and uncle tried to enter. “Just coming to find y’all.”

“Then our timing is perfect,” Uncle Calvin chuckled.

Not in his book. Instead of moving, Matt planted his boots wider apart. He had to get hold of the door without turning.

His father’s forehead furrowed as if troubled that the path was blocked. “How’d your day go? Saw you and Carolina in your Jeep.”

“Great,” he replied. “How was yours?”

Eyeing him peculiarly, both his father and uncle were stopped right outside his office. Still, Matt stood in the doorway, refusing to budge.

Wade pushed out a sigh, “A might long. Sure glad, it’s time to kick back.”

His uncle’s gaze was focused on a spot behind Matt. From their expressions, he didn’t need to glance over his shoulder. He groped for the doorknob without turning around. Clearly it was an awkward way to deal with the door.

“What’s going on?” his Uncle Calvin asked. “You got something ya don’t want seen?”

Leave it to his uncle to speak his mind. Matt got hold of the knob and jerked the door shut. He glared at his father’s older brother. There was no point in being silent.

Just as he was about to address Calvin, his father said, “Came to see if you and Carolina would like to have a drink.”

Matt lowered his voice. “She’s under the weather. Had a long plane ride. Her head is bothering her.”

“Of course.” Wade tipped up the rim of his hat and cleared his throat. “Come down to my office if you get a chance. I’ve got aspirin, if Carolina would like some. And there’s the repairs that were made today.”

“What about the herds? I didn’t hear anything over the walkie-talkies about illness.”

“We had a good day,” Calvin commented.

“About time,” Matt muttered.

“Seems like Miss Carolina has brought a ray of sunshine with her from Miami. Heard she’s a real looker.” A smile was spread over Calvin’s face. But the clap on Matt’s back from his uncle said it all.

Before this escalated into further talk on Carolina, he jutted his chin toward the end of the hall. “Lemme take a look at the repair logs. After lunch, Miller mentioned that one of the combines was having trouble.”

“It turned out to be nothing but a clogged oil filter,” Wade supplied with a shrug. “Took care of it lickety-split.”

“Not by yourself, though.” Calvin chuckled, holding out his oil-stained fingernails.

“Thanks for holding the pail,” his dad snorted. “Couldn’t have done it without you, Cal.”

“Next time, see if I help!”

This was typical. A daily occurrence when it came to his dad and uncle. They were a click away from a bona fide clearing of the air.

Matt shut it down by saying, “Before you both go off on a tangent, either we go over the logs or I’ll see ‘em tomorrow.”

“Since when are you leaving before supper?” Uncle Calvin demanded, exchanging a look with Wade.

His father and uncle regarded him as if he’d announced that he was taking the next flight out to Vegas to bet the family ranch in high-stakes poker.

Did he have to spell it out for them? He walked past them and over his shoulder gave a clipped reply, “I’ve got a guest. And the logs are this way.”