Fortune's Texas Surprise, page 14
Shooting her a perplexed look, he reached for Linus. “I’m only twenty-five. I have lots of time to have babies. Besides, I told you the kind of women I’ve dated in the past. None of them were what I’d consider mother material.”
Just like none of the men she’d dated were husband or father material, Stephanie thought dismally.
He removed Linus’s diaper and rolled it up tightly. “Do you use wipes on him?”
Stephanie handed him a disposable wipe and a tube of protective ointment. “This seems to keep him from getting diaper rash. And thankfully, the women at the day care are wonderful about keeping him changed and dry.”
He wiped the baby’s bottom, then smeared a thin glaze of ointment onto his skin. All the while Linus kicked and cooed like he was enjoying every second of Acton’s attention.
“There. He’s all fixed and ready to go for another round.” He propped the baby against his shoulder and gently rubbed his back. “Do you think he’s hungry?”
“Maybe. Since he’s not yelling for a bottle yet, I was thinking I really should be going home, Acton. It’s getting late and my brothers have no idea where I am.”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “I’ve never heard you express any concerns about your brothers keeping up with your whereabouts. I’m thinking you might be using them as an excuse to leave. Right?”
She smiled sheepishly. “Okay. I confess. I’m guilty. That was just an excuse.”
“Good. Because I’d really like for you to stay a little longer. Will you?”
How could she tell him no? Not when being with him felt so good.
“All right,” she said, relenting to the persuasiveness of his tempting smile. “For a while longer, anyway.”
Their gazes locked and Stephanie’s heart thumped with anticipation. The light from the lamp behind him lit the blond curls scattered across his forehead to a rich, golden hue. Couple that with his tanned skin and sky-blue eyes, and his face was like a Technicolor dream. Almost too vibrant to be real.
“I did promise to kiss you if you got Grizabella to leave her hiding place under the bed,” he murmured. “I need the chance to pay up.”
Her heart began to pound, and as he leaned across the bed toward her, her breath stalled in her throat. When his face was inches from hers, she wet her lips in anticipation... And then Linus let out a frustrated cry, shattering the tense connection between them.
“On second thought, I guess he’s hungry,” she said, her voice husky. “Here’s your chance to feed him.”
For a moment the look on his face made her think he was going to ignore the baby’s cries and kiss her anyway. But then he suddenly cleared his throat and reached for Linus and with a pang of regret, Stephanie realized the chance to feel his lips pressed to hers was over.
* * *
Twenty minutes later, the baby was full of formula and sound asleep. Acton laid him on the floor, atop an armchair cushion, and covered him with a blanket, then looked across to Stephanie. She’d taken off her ankle boots and now her bare feet were curled beneath her.
She looked tired, but beautiful, and though he should’ve felt guilty about keeping her here, he didn’t. For the past three days, he’d been fighting an inner battle. One minute he’d convinced himself that he was walking down a losing path to think Stephanie could be more than a temporary girlfriend. And then there’d been moments where he hadn’t given a damn about her money or social status.
“Well, the Texas sandman has done a number on him,” Acton said. “He ought to sleep for a while.”
“Texas sandman? Is that what you call him?”
Smiling, he eased down next to her on the couch and crossed his ankles out in front of him. “Mom used to sing that lullaby to us kids. It’s all about the Texas sandman coming to visit and he puts you on a palomino pony with a saddle made of moonbeams and you ride over the Milky Way, beneath a blanket of stars.”
“Oh, it sounds charming. Can you sing it?”
The only time Acton sang was in the shower, or on the back of a horse. Definitely not to a girl. “I don’t remember exactly how the words go. Besides, you wouldn’t want to hear me sing. But I can hum the melody for you. If you’d like.”
She turned eagerly toward him. “I’d love it.”
Taking her hand, he clasped it between his and began to hum the soft melody that he’d heard from the time he was a little boy. The enchanted look that came over her face had Acton feeling as though he was floating among those moonbeams. Or was it the touch of her hand that had sent him flying over the Milky Way?
Once he finished humming, she said softly, “That’s beautiful, Acton. Really.”
“Not as beautiful as you,” he murmured.
Her smile was wobbly and he wondered if her heart could possibly be beating as wildly as his. It was thumping hard against his rib cage, and each beat begged him to pull her close, to kiss her until the room around them disappeared and they were cloaked in dark velvet.
Lifting his hand to her face, he stroked his fingertips gently across her forehead. “I don’t have to go outside to see the stars. They’re right here in your eyes.”
“Isn’t that kind of cheesy?” she asked.
“Probably. But I love cheese. Don’t you?”
She chuckled. “All kinds.”
Their gazes locked and her blue eyes conveyed a need that came close to stealing his breath. His hands cradled her face and he thought how touching her skin was like stroking satin. “Stephanie, you’re so beautiful and special. All I want is to be close to you.”
“Close. Yes, that’s all I want, too.”
His heart racing, he bent his head and gently touched his lips to hers. She responded instantly by slipping her arms around his neck and pressing her body against his.
Her eager reaction was all it took for Acton to deepen the kiss, and as he wrapped his arms around her, he was certain he’d never felt anything so delicate and warm and utterly precious.
Her lips were unbelievably soft and giving, and in a matter of seconds he was lost, his senses swirling faster and faster. Heat shot through his body like a bolt of lightning, and when her hands began to move up and down his arms, the sensation was like a pair of torches burning all the way through to his bones.
Hanging onto his control by a flimsy thread, he tried to rein it in. But before he could get a grip, her mouth opened and the tip of her tongue boldly pushed against his teeth. The intimate request broke the last of his restraint and he gladly let her inside. When their tongues began a slow dance, the contact caused fire to spread low in his loins.
For days now he’d thought of little more than kissing her again. Really kissing her. Yet now that he had her in his arms, he realized that kissing wasn’t nearly enough to ease the ache inside him. And from the hungry way her mouth was clinging to his, it wasn’t enough for her.
Pushed by the certainty, he cupped a hand around one breast and rubbed his thumb against the center. Her response was a tiny moan from deep in her throat, and the sound of her pleasure thrilled him. The idea that she could want him, even a fraction of how much he wanted her, was enough to rattle his senses. But his feelings didn’t stop with the physical. No, his emotions were being sucked along, too, and the mixture was like a giant tidal wave washing over him, tugging him back and forth like a dangerous undercurrent.
The kiss went on for so long that Acton’s lungs began to scream for a fresh load of oxygen. Yet the thought of deserting her lips, even for the sake of breathing, was torturous. And then her hands found their way beneath his T-shirt and pushed their way upward until her palms were lying flat against his chest.
The contact sent his head reeling even more and he was forced to tear his lips from hers and suck in a long, raspy breath.
“Stephanie, do you still think I don’t want to kiss you?”
She pressed kisses over his chin and along his jaw until her lips hovered near his ear. “You’ve come close to convincing me that you do. But I think you need to show me more,” she whispered.
She raked her fingers through his hair and he brought his lips back to hers. This time their mouths fused together in a kiss so deep and hot that the flames shot straight to his brain, then licked their way downward until the very soles of his feet were burning.
When their bodies listed to one side, he didn’t try to stop the downward slide. By the time she was lying flat against the couch, all he wanted was to stretch out beside her, feel the whole length of her against him.
Without breaking the kiss, he fumbled with the buttons of her blouse. Once the fabric parted enough to reveal the top of one breast, he gently traced his fingertips over her flesh, then dipped them beneath the lacy cup of her bra.
The moment they came in contact with her nipple, a needy moan vibrated deep in her throat. Spurred by the sound, Acton teased the hard bud until the urge to taste it became too much to bear.
Lowering his head, he pulled the lace downward until the rosy pink nipple came into view.
With her hands on the back of his head, she guided his mouth to the heated point. Using his tongue, Acton circled the flesh, then drew it between his teeth. As he did, he felt Stephanie’s fingers curling into his scalp and her leg slipping over his.
Desperate to explore more of her, he finished with the buttons on her shirt and pushed the tails away to expose her flat belly. His fingers slipped over the flesh and as he savored the incredible smoothness, his nostrils pulled in the fresh, flowery scent that clung to her clothes and skin.
The thought suddenly struck him that if he stayed on the couch all night with her wrapped in his arms, it wouldn’t be long enough. If his lips could kiss hers a thousand times over and over, it would only whet his appetite for more. This desire he felt for her wasn’t a one-and-done thing. It went far deeper than that and the realization caused him to lift his head and stare wondrously down at her.
“What’s wrong, Acton?”
The blue pools of her eyes were filled with confusion and as Acton gazed into them, he was suddenly reminded of the night of the Valentine’s party. He’d run from her kisses that night, because even then he’d recognized that what he was feeling wasn’t like anything he’d experienced before. And now he knew for certain that whatever was growing between them was more than hot chemistry.
“Nothing is wrong,” he murmured, then leaned slightly and pressed a kiss to her damp forehead. “You...this—it all feels wonderful to me. And I don’t want it to stop. I want to make love to you, Stephanie. Right here. Right now.”
“And what would be wrong with that?”
“Nothing. If I was sure that’s what you really wanted. That you wouldn’t regret it later.”
Her eyebrows puckered together. “How do you know I’m not sure?”
“Because this—whatever it is—has happened between us rather quickly. You haven’t had that much time to think about who I am and how I might fit in your life.”
Her eyes suddenly filled with dark shadows, as she studied his face. “And you need time to figure out who I am and where I might fit in your life?”
He nodded, then cupped his hand around her chin and said, “That’s what I’m thinking. But I get the feeling you believe I’m making excuses.”
Sighing, she pushed herself to a sitting position, and with trembling fingers adjusted her bra and began to button her shirt. “No. I’m thinking you’re making much more sense than me. I, uh, have always had a problem of following my feelings and worrying about the consequences later.”
The sadness he saw on her face twisted something deep in his heart and Acton realized that no matter what happened in the future, he never wanted to cause Stephanie a moment of pain.
Leaning his head close to hers, he placed a kiss on her cheekbone. “Stephanie, I don’t want to be like those guys who took advantage of your sweet, giving heart. When you make love to me—and I hope you do—I want it to be special. I want you to give yourself to me because deep down you know that you can trust me.”
Moisture suddenly sprang to her eyes and threatened to spill onto her cheeks. The sight was like a hand squeezing his heart.
“I want it to be like that, too, Acton. Really.”
A wry smile slanted his lips. “Then why are you crying?”
She shook her head. “Because I never expected to hear you say something like that to me.”
His fingertips traced light circles on her cheek. “To be honest, Steph, I didn’t know I could say that kind of thing to a woman. You’re a first,” he said wryly.
With a little moan, she hugged his neck, then before the sparks had a chance to start flying again, she rose to her feet and straightened her clothing.
“I think I’d better be going on home, Acton. It’s getting late and I have to be up early.”
In spite of all that talk about giving her time, he didn’t want her to go. And the realization had him wondering what it would be like if they were married and she and Linus lived here with him. Instead of seeing her out to her car, he’d be taking her by the hand and leading her to the bedroom. Their bedroom. He’d wake up with her face on the pillow next to his. With her sitting across from him at the breakfast table. Maybe the monotony of married life wasn’t what his brothers wanted for themselves, but Acton was beginning to think he could darned sure get used to it.
That is, as long as the woman at his side was Stephanie.
With that impossible dream swirling around in his head, Acton rose from the couch. “I’ll carry Linus out to the car for you.”
Chapter Ten
Saturday morning turned out to be one of those late February days in Texas that felt more like a day in May. As Stephanie carried Linus and his packed-to-the-brim diaper bag out to the car, the sun was shining warmly with just enough breeze to move the leaves on the live oaks.
During the drive to Acton’s, the memory of her last visit to his house made a haunting circle through her head. Had he been thinking about her and how close they’d come to making love? The same way she’d been thinking about it? Every detail of those moments she’d spent in his arms were still achingly vivid and she couldn’t wait to see him again, touch him again, even if it had to be in an innocent way.
When she arrived twenty minutes later, Elizabeth and Ryan were waiting for her at the front-yard gate. Chattering with excitement, both children greeted her with enthusiastic hugs, then promptly began to argue over which one of them could carry Linus’s diaper bag into the house.
Thankfully, Acton appeared to remind the pair to behave or run the risk of being confined to the house for the rest of their stay. Which would’ve been a shame considering the nice weather.
As it turned out, it was warm enough for Stephanie to take Linus to the patio and join in on the fun of roasting wieners and marshmallows for their lunch.
After the meal, the five of them left the backyard and walked down a well-trodden path to a large pond partially shaded by a stand of willows. While she and Acton watched, the kids threw food to the fish, a task that kept them busy for a good half hour.
Once they walked back to the house, Acton got out a board game for the children and set it up on the coffee table in the living room. The four of them played, until an argument ensued over Elizabeth’s claim that Ryan was cheating. Acton decided the best way to settle the issue was to end the game and turn on the television.
While the two kids became absorbed in a movie about a little boy searching for his lost dog, Stephanie and Acton sat on the couch and talked about their own childhoods.
“Did you always like horses and ranches?” she asked him. “Or was it something you simply fell into because you were born to a ranching family?”
“True, I was born into it. But I never wanted to be anything but a cowboy. Same for Shawn. In fact, when we were teenagers the two of us used to dream that one day we’d be rodeo stars and wear big shiny world-championship buckles.” He grunted with self-directed humor. “We tried, but someone else got the buckles.”
Intrigued, Stephanie asked, “What event did you do?”
“We both rode saddle broncs. It takes a lot of balance and finesse to be good at it and of the two of us, Shawn was better. But neither of us was championship material,” he told her, then shrugged. “We both decided ranching was the safest way to make a living.”
She shook her head with amazement. “I can’t imagine getting on a bucking horse. Did you ever fall off and get stomped or kicked?”
He chuckled. “Plenty of times. It goes with the sport.”
“And what did your parents say about you and your brother participating in such a dangerous event?”
“Surprisingly, it was Dad who disapproved. He didn’t forbid us to ride broncs, but he was hardly thrilled about the idea. Mom has always been the adventurous sort, far more than Dad, so she was all for it. She’d be in the stands watching, yelling and clapping us on.”
Acton’s mother hadn’t worried about him riding a bucking horse, but she was concerned about him spending time with Stephanie. On first thought, the idea was ludicrous. The dangerous sport could have left Acton’s body mangled. But sometimes a physical injury wasn’t nearly as devastating as a crushed and hopeless spirit. And from Faye Donovan’s viewpoint, she’d probably rather see her son wearing a cast on his arm instead of watching him try to piece a broken heart back together.
“It’s nice to have a parent in your corner, rooting you on,” she said wistfully.
Curiosity was in his eyes as he studied her face. “You say that as if you don’t always get along well with your parents.”
“Oh, no. I’m close to both of them,” she quickly corrected him. “I honestly can’t think of any major arguments I’ve had with Dad or Mother. But...” She paused then let out a sigh. “I’ll be honest, with eight of us kids, sometimes I felt left out. Dad has always been driven with his work. He’s in the gaming business. Video games, I should say.”
