Chapter Three
Jolie looked at her surroundings in stunned awe. The lodge was beautiful, with high ceilings and thick wooden beams. A wall of windows overlooked the ranch—grazing land and mountains and sky as far as the eye could see. Even the long tables were crafted by a master with dovetailed joints and a warm waxy finish.
The Boot Knockers Ranch was nothing like she’d pictured. All this time, she’d imagined Shayne living in a hovel of sorts with the barest necessities while doing his…
She had to stop second-guessing what to call his occupation. He had sex for pay.
She folded her arms over her chest and stood near the window, gazing out. It still hurt to think that he’d left her to be with countless women. At the time, she’d read the brochure and understood that the ranch was a place for women to come and get therapy. But no matter what way the canvas was painted, it still looked like the same subject matter to her.
But Shayne had planned on going long before he’d even met Jolie. If only she’d met him a few months sooner.
After showing up on The Boot Knockers Ranch unannounced and speaking with the office manager, she’d ended up here waiting in the lodge. The space was empty, and she was grateful for the solitude. She got precious little time alone and right now she was thankful for it. She needed to compose herself.
Her nerves jittered at the thought of telling Shayne about his daughter. Now that time had passed, she realized how wrong it had been of her not to tell him right away. She could chock it up to hormones, but it came down to her believing he wanted an entirely different lifestyle, not be tied by fatherhood.
The door opened behind her and she whirled. Heart hammering, palms clammy.
A tall cowboy looked her way, appraising her from beneath his hat brim. Low-slung jeans rode his muscled hips and he wasn’t wearing anything else. Just a hat and jeans. No shirt, no boots, no socks. It wasn’t that warm out there either. When she’d gotten up early that morning for her drive to the ranch, there had been snow on the ground in some places.
But… was it hot in here? Her temperature spiked as she faced carved muscles. Chiseled pecs, ridged abs. A beautiful man, looking like he’d just leaped from the pages of a magazine cover for bodybuilders.
“Howdy.” His voice was low, buttery. She wanted to close her eyes to it.
“H-hi.” She was totally out of her element. Shayne was by far the sexiest man she’d ever seen but this man gave even him a run for his money. She had a feeling if she stuck around the ranch, she’d see more of this.
“You waitin’ on somebody?”
“Shayne.”
He chewed his lower lip, an action that shouldn’t look so damn masculine, yet it did. “Thought Shayne had a week off, but okay. You want me to go find him and hurry him along? I hate to see a beautiful woman standin’ here alone. You’re liable to get snagged by another Boot Knocker.”
Holy crap. Could that happen? The idea of being with a man like this one before her—
She shook herself. She was here for one reason—to tell Shayne about his child and let him off the hook. Not sample the goods.
But what a fine sampling it would be. Touching all that warm, hard muscle…
“He’s coming. The manager…” she fumbled for her name, “Elena, said he was out on the ranch somewhere and he’d be in soon.”
“Okay.” He looked and sounded skeptical. He took a few steps toward her, and Jolie had to brace her knees to keep them from buckling. His testosterone alone could wipe a woman flat on her back and spread her legs. Hell, it’d make her beg, too.
“Want me to get you anything? Wine? Juice?”
It was too early for wine, but it occurred to her that right now she wasn’t a single mom, always in control. She was alone and there was nothing to stop her from getting plastered before noon.
Okay, maybe not drunk. But wine would steady her nerves and take the edge off her anxiety.
She felt herself nod. “Wine would be good.”
The flash of his grin smacked her in the forehead and left her staring as he strode to the long sideboard filled with drinks and various foods. He pulled a bottle from the ice it was chilling in and held it up to study the label.
“This is a good one. Sweet. You’ll like it.” He reached for a goblet and flipped it in the air.
She gasped, thinking it about to smash. But he caught it expertly and threw her another grin as he poured the white wine. When he handed it to her, she found herself looking into his eyes, a deep brown flecked with gold.
“What’s your name, beautiful?” he asked.
What was her name? Did she have one?
Her blank mind caught up to the question and her face scorched. He must think her an imbecile.
“Jolie.”
His eyes flared wide, showcasing the long black lashes. “Means unconventionally beautiful in French.” He spit out a string of French that she had no clue what it meant but sounded sexy as hell.
“Thank you,” she sputtered, focusing on not dropping the goblet in her hand. The door burst open and she and the cowboy—she hadn’t even gotten his name—turned to see who had interrupted. Errr, entered.
The wine slipped from her fingers as she met the dark, angry stare of her ex. Belle’s father.
The cowboy took the glass and landed it safely on the sideboard while he looked between her and Shayne.
She couldn’t find enough air in the whole lodge. Her lungs had surely collapsed. Her medical mind worked through what would happen next—sharp pain in chest, nasal flaring, skin tinging blue, rapid heart rate.
She had a few of those symptoms, for sure. Looking at the man she’d been in love with made her chest ache and her heart was fluttering like a wild bird’s.
“I see you two have already met. I’ll just leave you alone.” The cowboy walked out, his bare feet soundless on the rich tile floor.
“I didn’t believe it when Elena told me who was here.” Shayne’s voice was grittier than she’d ever heard it. But the tone invited images of rolling together in bed, in the tall grass, in the back of the truck, limbs entwined as he thoroughly loved her.
“Hi, Shayne.” How lame. First she couldn’t remember her name and then she led with the stupidest line ever.
He took a step toward her and brought his hand into a fist at his side. Veins snaked up from his hand to forearm and disappeared into the rolled sleeve of his plaid shirt.
“You look…” He broke off and simply searched her face. “It’s good to see you.”
He was bigger all over, his shoulders and chest so roped with muscle she’d bet he wore a larger shirt size than when she’d last seen him. His skin was tanned from working outdoors and it made his eyes appear greener.
More like Belle’s.
She pushed out a breath and refilled her lungs. “Ranch life agrees with you.”
He didn’t look away. “Thanks.”
“We need to talk.”
“Figured as much, if you’re here.” His voice broke.
Their gazes locked and she had no hope of tearing hers away. As long as he wanted to look at her, she was looking back. Too stupid of her, but she couldn’t beat herself up over being attracted to Shayne now. She’d always known she had a soft spot for the man, and now that she’d had his child, it went ten times as deep.
He took another step toward her. “My God, you’re really here.”
She gave a small smile at the awe she heard in his voice. “Yes.”
“Can I… I have no right to, but fuck it. I have to.” In one big step, he brought his arms around her and yanked her flush to his big, strong, comforting, confusing body.
* * * * *
He crushed Jolie to him and sucked in a deep breath of her familiar scents. Her long brown hair was pulled off her face in a new way that showcased how delicate her features were. She looked softer somehow, more glowing. Jesus, how was he going to survive a week with her if that was what she was after?
He dipped his nose to her hair and closed his eyes. She fit against him unlike anyone he’d held before. It felt like her body melted into his. This was what he’d been missing. A bigger connection, even if he’d never figure out why he couldn’t forget about her.
A quiver ran through Jolie and she pushed away from him. She fiddled with a long top that covered leggings. He gave her a once-over down to her high black boots.
“You look fucking amazing.”
She opened her mouth and closed it again. “Thank you.”
He looked around. They were alone and nothing could stop him from throwing her down on a table and taking her even if the place was filled to the ceiling. But there was a caution sign in the set of her shoulders, and he had to shake off his urges.
Just looking at her again had his cock hard, though.
She put out a hand to the sideboard to steady herself. Then, to his surprise, she grabbed her glass and drained the wine in one long swallow.
“Must be somethin’ big if you need liquid fortification.”
She set the goblet down and nodded.
He took her by the hand and squeezed her fingers lightly. “Do you want to go back into that corner to talk? There’s a small group of chairs where we’ll be uninterrupted.”
She shook her head. “Someplace more secluded.”
“You’re starting to scare me, Jolie.”
She spun to the sideboard and grabbed the wine from the cooler. She brought the whole bottle to her lips and upended it.
She hadn’t taken two gulps before he took it from her hands. He cupped her jaw, feeling a stronger urge to put her at ease than any of the flighty women he came across weekly. “Come with me.”
She nodded. He set aside the bottle and led her from the lodge.
She wasn’t wearing a coat, and when they got into the cold air, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders to buffer her from the wind. He’d been staying in one of the rooms around back of the lodge on his off weeks, but somehow it seemed like the wrong place, with the bed so close and all. So he led her to the barn.
Whatever she had to talk to him about must be a doozy. He’d never seen her act like that before, let alone drink. But two years was a long time, and people changed.
He pushed aside the barn door. The rolling sound it made centered him a bit. He pulled Jolie inside and closed it against the wind.
She looked around. “Even the barn’s beautiful.”
“That’s what a little money can do for a ranch. It was in bad shape when we took over from Lil.” She gave him a quizzical look, and he waved the topic away. “I’ll fill you in later. Right now, we have other things to talk about.”
She dragged in a shuddering breath that cracked his heart. Damn, he’d hurt her. He’d known it and still walked away. He hated that asshole side of himself and wished to hell he could have done things differently.
She dropped her gaze to her twisting hands. “I’m not sure how to say anything.”
“Start with why you came.”
“That’s the hardest part, Shayne.”
His heart fell a little. He hadn’t expected her to say she’d come to be with him again, but he’d hoped it, deep down.
He waited for her to gather her thoughts. The horses were put out to pasture, and only a barn cat or two slinking around filled the silence. Unable to stand the tension anymore, he grabbed her hand and stroked his thumb over her knuckles.
Seconds passed.
“What can be that bad? Just say it, Jolie.” He pitched his voice low, soothing her like a skittish animal.
She pulled her hand free and reached into a bag she had draped across her body that he hadn’t noticed before—with all those curves to look at, who would? She withdrew a slip of paper and held it out.
A photo.
A smiling baby girl with hair the color of Jolie’s and eyes like—
His gaze snapped to hers. He felt like he’d been kicked in the balls. “What the hell?”
Jolie looked down at the photo and a soft smile claimed her features. He realized this was the reason for her new glow—motherhood. “Her name’s Belle.”
“Your… daughter?” He barely got the word out on a croak.
She nodded, a tear slipping from the corner of her eye to run down her silken cheek.
“And the father?” He bit off the sentence. Heart slamming.
She met his stare, eyes swimming. “I’m sorry, Shayne. I should have contacted you.”
“Mine?” He went stock still. His pulse hammered in his temples.
She nodded again.
He whirled away and all his emotion channeled into his fist as he arced it and punched the wall. For all the time lost, for him being an idiot and leaving Jolie in the first place. But she had no right to withhold this information.
His knuckles burned from the rough wood and the force of the blow but he felt a measure calmer. Calm enough to loosen his vocal cords so he could ask why.
She flattened the photo to her chest and held it there. He could easily see the bond she had to her child—their child—without ever seeing the pair together.
“I was stupid. It was selfish. But I didn’t realize that until recently. I thought I was letting you have what you wanted, which is your life. Here.” She waved a hand at the barn.
He took a step up to her, his boots thudding on the floorboards. “That wouldn’t have mattered to me anymore and you know it.”
She blinked rapidly and several tears tumbled down her cheeks. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I have a child and you never told me. I don’t know what to think.”
“I’m sorry.” She was crying in earnest now.
She had been wrong in hiding it and he never should have left things the way he did.
They’d both fucked up. Now it was time to right it.
“I have money. I can help you in any way you need.”
Her head shot up. “I wasn’t asking for money.”
He had a sour taste in his mouth. Sensing another unpinned grenade in the barn with them, he said, “What is it then? What’s your reason for telling me now?”
“Someone wants to marry me.” Her voice was so low he barely made it out. She flicked her gaze back to his, eyes wide, beautiful and shining with tears. “And he wants to adopt Belle.”
* * * * *
After the initial shock of seeing Shayne and the emotions that had welled up, Jolie’s sass returned. She could think of half a dozen ways to tell him off.
But mostly she was mad at herself for her reaction to him. The physical punch of seeing him in the flesh, hearing his deep voice and finding him bigger, sexier and more amazing than she’d remembered made her want to let him have it.
She’d carried his DNA for nine months and there was no way around the bond they shared. And he’d touched her. Those big hands had known her pleasure points oh, so well. Now they’d found a way to suck her right back in and make her ache for him all over again.
She’d never had that with Owen. That urgent, exciting, I’ll-die-if-we-don’t-fall-into-bed feeling. Owen was just Owen. Solid, smart. Caring. He’d make a good husband and father, so why would she even worry about the sexual side of things with him?
Shayne was pissed—and with good reason. When he was upset, he’d always get this frown between his brows and a certain set to his jaw that had made her want to cajole it out of him—with kisses, licks and bites. He was damned good-looking even though he was fuming at her.
Not to mention the traces of Belle she saw in Shayne’s face. Or the other way around.
Aggh. I need to stop.
He skated his gaze over her. She went still, feeling the touch of his eyes as he skimmed her hair, face, down to her breasts. She resisted the urge to fold her arms over them and disguise the fact that they’d gotten bigger after nursing Belle.
She’d been through hell with breastfeeding. She hadn’t been a natural at it, and she’d had a coach in the beginning. Then her milk had come in like a flood and she’d pumped round the clock, it seemed. Her nipples pinched hard with remembrance.
Or maybe it was because Shayne was looking at her that way.
He lingered on her breasts for a minute and then slipped down to her belly. Under her tunic was a small roll of belly that would never go away now. She’d been marked by motherhood with stretch marks too. While she hadn’t cared the past year, she did now that a man looked ready to tear her clothes off.
No. She firmly put the thought aside. She wasn’t here to let her hormones get the better of her. Though she wouldn’t mind seeing him without clothes. To see if his chest had really filled out as much as it looked, and—
Definitely not.
She snapped her fingers in front of his face. “My eyes are up here.”
As contrary as ever, he didn’t move them to her face right away. He locked his gaze on her hips for two long heartbeats before roving upward again. Dammit, now she was throbbing there. Her panties were damp and her breathing far too fast.
When he stepped up to her, he brought his body heat with him. Dammit.
“I wish I’d seen you carrying our child, all round and glowing.”
Double dammit. With a few words, he’d ripped down her wall. The one she’d erected around her heart after he’d broken things off.
He pressed a hand to her lower back, swaying her against him. She stopped breathing as he explored the curve of her back that had ached so much in her final weeks before Belle was born. And up to her middle. She didn’t want him to touch her this way—and yet, she couldn’t bring herself to step away.
He slid his touch across her belly, over the spot she was most conscientious about. She watched his face but saw nothing but curiosity and a burning warmth. “You’re filled out, your curves are more womanly.”
Okay, that was enough.
She stepped back and yanked her sweater up to reveal her skin. “See those? I’m not the young girl with the perfect body like the ones you probably see all the time.”
At that, he laughed, a low sound that penetrated her to the core. “You don’t know much about what I do here then. Those women aren’t perfect. It’s my job to show them they are.”
Jealousy hit her full-force, and her mouth opened to unleash a torrent of angry words. She held herself in check. Barely.
“I don’t know why I even came up here.”
“Umm, to tell me about my daughter?”
They faced off, each as angry as the other. And aroused too. She saw the little spark in Shayne’s eyes that he’d gotten before he moved in to claim her lips.
She backed up a step and he stalked her.
“And maybe you wanted to be touched.”
“You’re full of yourself, aren’t you? I wouldn’t let you sleep with me if I was a virgin and you were the last man on earth. Oh wait—you already took my virginity. You got what you wanted and then left.”
He stopped dead, the look of cold anger in his eyes a dark warning. Oh crap. Maybe she’d pushed him too far. “Is that what you think of me? I was out to steal your virginity and then ran out?”
She dropped her head. “I don’t know.”
“Damn.” The single word rang with hurt and anger.
“Look, I didn’t come here to argue. I don’t need to hash out all the reasons you left again. I just wanted to talk to you about Belle.”
He slanted his gaze to the photo in her hand. She held it out to him, and he snatched it from her fingers. As he studied the photo, his shoulders slumped and he half turned away as if guarding himself.
Her heart cracked a little more. None of this should have happened. Even if he hadn’t offered her a ring and a happily ever after, he would have stuck around and been in Belle’s life. He wouldn’t have missed those first milestones and tons of good memories.
She reached out to touch his arm. “Shayne, I’m sorry.”
“No.” He gave a rough shake of his head. “It’s me who should be sorry. I… need to be alone for a bit. Can you make it back to the office? Elena will give you a place to stay. I’ll come find you later.”
She hated that her heart leaped at that. That her body throbbed for him to touch her the way she’d needed to be touched for months.
Her biggest fear had come to fruition.
Even if he agreed to sign off Belle and she married Owen, would she ever truly be free of this man?
* * * * *
“Hey, Shayne. I’ve been up at the cabins working all morning and Lil told me to ask you about this roofing issue.” Marcos yanked Shayne out of his private thoughts and onto the ranch problem.
For five minutes, he listened to Marcos describe what was going on. It seemed some of the cabins were shifting due to the colder weather, which was normal. But the roofs weren’t expanding the way they should. If he’d stuck around on the project the day before and hadn’t gone off to the mountains—then found a lost dog and spent half the day trying to find its owner—he would have known what to do before they began shingling the roofs.
Seemed his timing always sucked.
Now he couldn’t exactly leave Jolie alone so he could go work on the cabins either. He’d have to explain it well enough to Marcos so the man could take back the knowledge to the building site and remedy the problem.
After a long conversation and some detailed drawings, Marcos clapped him on the shoulder and headed back to work. Shayne circled to the pasture and coaxed his favorite horse out with a twist of grass. What he wouldn’t give to saddle the mustang and take off for parts unknown.
He’d never shirked responsibility before, but it weighed heavy at the moment. The ranch work, being a Boot Knocker, the dog and missing owner, a possible move to Texas… and now a daughter.
And Jolie.
He stroked his horse’s neck for a long time, trying to blank his mind. He couldn’t think about it all at once or he’d explode. So he thought about none of it. He drank in the air and tried to call some peace into his being.
Ha. Peace. Who was he kidding? He wanted to saddle up and gallop until he collapsed and then scream into the sky.
He was a freakin’ father.
He was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he never heard Elena approach. When she spoke, he jumped.
“I’ve got Jolie settled in Cabin 6.”
He arched a brow.
“The client never showed and we’re one down this week.” Elena wore a look of concern that made Shayne want to run even farther. He didn’t want anybody looking at him that way.
“Is that all?” he asked.
“No. I got in touch with a shelter two towns over and they said they have some reports of missing dogs, but they’d need you to bring Katrina in so they can look at her.”
Great. One more thing stacked on the list.
“I’ll get on it.”
She hung around, clearly needing to tell him more.
“Spit it out, Elena.”
She gave a nervous chuckle. She was still new enough to The Boot Knockers Ranch to worry about the cowboys’ moods, but she was tough and would learn quickly to ignore them.
“Hugh and Riggs want to schedule a conference call with you.”
Of course they did.
“When?”
“This afternoon.”
He pushed air out through his nostrils. “I’ll be there.”
Elena hovered another minute in silence. Then she reached out and put her arms around him. The act, so simple and selfless, offering comfort, tugged at his heartstrings. Dammit.
He squeezed her lightly, taking what she had to give, and then put her away from him. “Thanks, Elena.”
She smiled brightly. “That’s what a manager’s for.”
He chuckled. “Lil never would have done that when she took over those few weeks we didn’t have a manager. And the last one was too busy embezzling from The Boot Knockers to do her job. But you’re gonna do just fine.”
At that, she beamed.
Maybe he wasn’t spread so thin that he didn’t have a little something left to give.
He needed to talk to Jolie. She wanted to get married and have the man adopt Belle.
God, he had a daughter. Did anybody in his hometown know whose baby she was? He felt like an even bigger ass.
There were too many unanswered questions, and only Jolie had answers. He had to go to Cabin 6 and speak to her.
But they’d be alone, and she was so sweet and felt better in his arms than he remembered. The moment she’d flashed her bare stomach to him had his balls clenching and his cock aching. And feeling those new curves…
He headed toward the line of cabins. The sun was trying to peek through a blanket of clouds, a small pale glow. He was a true Montana man and loved all the seasons and weather patterns. He embraced impassable roads and deep snow—he could always get on horseback and find a way to see the cattle were safe. Besides, the ranch was tucked against the mountains and received some shelter from the worst of it. And there was always a warm fire in the cabins…
Good thing he’d found the dog before winter was upon them. There wasn’t much cover for a dog, no caves or crevices to hide in and ride out the storms. Right now, the animal was tucked up in the barn with the few other dogs they had on the ranch, sleeping and eating to recover from its ordeal.
A trip to the other town would take three hours of driving time out of his day, not to mention the time it took to speak with the rescue shelter.
And he had to make that call with Hugh and Riggs.
He reached the cabin door and put his fingers on the handle. Jolie was inside—the woman he hadn’t been able to shake, especially lately. He wasn’t a man who believed in kismet, but he couldn’t help but wonder if the world beat to a quiet drum no humans could hear. And that, somehow, he’d known this was coming and he’d started dreaming more and more about Jolie because of it.
He shook his head to rid himself of the fanciful notion and entered the cabin.
Jolie was perched on a small sofa, her legs tucked under her. She didn’t hold a book or magazine and the TV wasn’t on. Seemed she’d just been staring into space.
Now she stared at him.
He glanced at her bag on the floor, a small duffle that couldn’t possibly hold a week’s worth of clothes. Then again, she wasn’t here to stay. She’d come to tell him about his baby and get his signature.
His chest tightened.
There was only one place to sit, as The Boot Knockers were meant to keep their ladies in bed most of the time. So he sank to the arm of the couch opposite where she sat.
“Glad you got to see the cabins at least.”
The corner of her mouth twitched. With amusement? Disgust? He couldn’t read her, and that thought hurt him almost as badly as her suspecting he’d only wanted her virginity.
She looked around herself. “It’s cozy up here.” She avoided looking toward the bedroom doorway. Was it possible she was thinking too much about how close that mattress was? He felt a stirring deep inside.
“So where do we go from here?” he asked. He’d always loved her mannerisms, so gentle and feminine. The simple move of her fingers to her hair and the way she tucked the strands behind her ear made him burn.
She looked away. “Maybe you want to know about Belle.”
He was nodding before the sentence left her mouth. She took out her phone and he scooted off the arm and closer to her in order to see the screen.
Photo after photo. Damn, she looked a lot like pictures he’d seen of himself as a baby. The same shape of the brow and eyes. Her cheeks were too rounded to tell yet, but he wondered if she’d have Jolie’s delicate bones.
Belle as an infant, sleeping. Batting at some toys that dangled over her. Growing and growing until she sat up, smiling, all personality and toothless grins.
Fuck, he’d missed so much.
When Jolie got to a video and he saw his daughter crawling fast across the floor like a wounded soldier, his throat scalded with emotion. Next she was walking. And digging into her first birthday cake and—
He clamped a hand over the screen, his fingers locking hers down. “Why are you showing me this if you want me to sign off on her? You think watching our child is going to make me run?”
“I…” Her hand quivered under his. “I guess I feel bad that you didn’t know about her and I’m giving you a chance to see.”
He released her and dug his elbows into his knees, leaning forward. His hat tumbled off as he jammed his fingers into his hair.
She inched to the edge of the sofa and sat beside him. Her scents hit him like the horns of a bull, set to gorge. One toss of her head and he’d be a goner. He was halfway there already.
“I thought you left because you needed a new life with less responsibility.”
He grunted. “You think I just lay around and fuck all day, don’t ya?”
He raised his head to see her blink at his outburst.
“I admit I don’t totally understand your job. Why you wanted to come here.”
“So you kept the news from me, took away my responsibility.”
“It made sense at the time, but yeah, you wanted out. I let you go. What more did you want?” Her snapping tone was nothing compared to the bullets shooting from her pretty blue eyes.
“Who’s the guy who wants to marry you?”
She rolled with the subject change. “Owen.”
His eyebrows hit his scalp. “Owen? That asshole?”
“He’s not an asshole.” She got up and paced away.
He stood too. “He’s coming after another man’s child and wo—” He cut off.
“What?”
He walked away, circling behind the couch to the large window overlooking a grass expanse where they sometimes played flag football in the fall. More often than not, clothes weren’t involved and more than flags got grabbed.
He turned from the window and fixed her in his gaze. She was angry, all right, pink in those high cheekbones and sparks in her eyes.
“Owen’s a good man. He’s nice and appreciates us.”
That falter in her voice alerted him of something more. Or less, in this case.
“But does he make you burn?”
“What?” Her exclamation rolled over him.
He sauntered up to her until he was an inch away. “Does he make your blood so hot that you have to strip off your clothes or combust? Does he kiss you until you’re begging for more?”
“That’s none of your business!”
“He’s nice, huh?”
She issued a half-growl, half-scream. “There’s nothing wrong with nice!”
“Sure, if you’re an insurance salesman. But do you want nice in bed, Jolie?”
Her eyelids fluttered but she resisted closing her eyes on his words. She went still in that way that invited him to touch her.
If he put his hands on her, it was all over. He’d sling her over his shoulder and carry her to that bed and never look back. Fucking nice? He’d show her what she really needed.
He bent over her. She was a head shorter but nowhere near weaker. She’d raised a child alone for over a year.
“Stop looking at me that way, Shayne, or I swear I’ll—”
“Cream your panties? I bet you’re already as wet as I am hard. There’s chemistry between us and you’re never going to escape that.”
“I will if I leave.”
“But you need something from me.” Yeah, he was being an asshole, using that card. But he’d never been fair at games—he played to win.
She jutted her jaw in that stubborn expression he remembered so well. Damn, she was the prettiest woman he’d ever laid eyes on.
“I have the papers all drawn up and in my bag.” She twitched her head toward her duffle.
“I’ll show you what I have in my bag.” He reached for her, and she ducked from his grasp, putting several feet between them. But he wasn’t going to ignore the way her breasts were heaving under her sweater. Or that hungry look in her eyes she’d always gotten right before he thrust inside her.
“We used condoms, but I guess one swimmer got away.”
She pushed out a groan.
He stepped closer. “Feel that, Jolie? That attraction’s there. Bet you don’t have that with Mr. Nice.”
“Being a dick won’t make yours any bigger.”
He laughed. Oh yes, this was the Jolie he knew. He grabbed the bulge in the front of his Wranglers and her gaze shot to it. She looked away, red-faced.
“You never had any complaints, angel.”
“You think everything can be solved with sex. Well, I don’t have any crayons to explain this to you, Shayne. I don’t want you. I came here to get you to sign off Belle so I can marry Owen.”
Her voice faltered at the last, and he moved in for the kill.
He grabbed her by the upper arms and tugged her against him. Bending until she had to arch her neck to look up at him. “Let me color outside the lines for you, Jolie. I’m not ready to sign and I don’t believe for a second that you want to marry Mr. Nice.”
He slammed his lips over hers.