His erection was straining almost painfully against his jeans. Before he could release himself, Tallie was there, her hands unsnapping then lowering the zipper. Without saying a word she pushed his pants over his hips, freeing his erection.
Cole kicked off his jeans, picked her up and placed her on the bed.
Pushing her back on the bed Cole was once again enthralled as the taste and the scent of her surrounded him. His mouth came down over hers as his larger body molded to her. She was his. He wanted to brand her so that no other man would ever touch her this way.
Tallie writhed beneath him. He remembered how she moved, how she whimpered with need, and how those light, feminine sounds made him fight to keep his control. How she sent him whirling like no other woman he’d ever bedded. He kissed her neck, nibbling on her ear before going farther down her body. Her breasts were ripe and when his mouth closed on a swollen rosy tip, her hands grabbed his hair and held him to her. She arched her back, her breasts swelling beneath his touch.
He rose and with one hand positioned himself at her core. She was hot and moist. He pushed in gently, savoring the feel of her. Her breathing intensified. Then as his body began to move, he had no clear thoughts of anything or anyone but Tallie.
The passion between them grew until he felt his body quiver with the need for release. He knew she was close by the way she responded. He pulled out and kissed her belly then farther down. Tallie grew still then cried out as she climaxed. Cole held her until she calmed.
He reentered her and as he pushed in deep he knew he couldn’t hold out much longer. He brought her to the peak once again and felt the tingling sensation in his lower back telling him there was no turning back. This time when Tallie climaxed, Cole was right there with her. Then he kissed her gently, pulled the covers over them and held her close.
Tallie loved making love with Cole. She loved being with him even though at times he was overbearing and demanding, always wanting his way. So far, his intentions had been good, but the reality was that she would soon be several months along and someone like Cole Masters didn’t appear in public with a pregnant woman at his side. It would ruin his playboy image and the tabloids would go crazy. And, honestly, it was more than she wanted to put herself through.
Cole was devoted to his business, as she was to her job. Both required them to be gone for months at a time. He lived in a world of money and privilege. Hers was a quiet life of digging in the dirt. She couldn’t think of one single thing they had in common other than the baby he didn’t know about. According to the internet articles she’d read about him, he was a man who hadn’t changed his lifestyle in all of his adult life. But having a baby with Tallie would be a big change. For him and for her.
He would have to deal with a stubborn woman who would not listen or follow his demands. She did not do demands. He would have to realize when she’d had enough and know when to back off. She was independent while Cole was overprotective. It was a hopeless situation. Her mind kept silently screaming for him to just leave her alone. Her heart said to take what he was offering and just love him. But how much would he love her when he found out about the baby?
Tallie felt like a rug had just been pulled out from under her. Hopefully she could find proof of her family’s beginnings and leave before Cole was ever the wiser.
Twelve
When he’d made love to her last night, it was like their shared night in the Big Easy on steroids. The passion was just as hot as it had been the first time only without the fear involved in opening herself to a complete stranger. He was so strong and, she had to admit, there were times when she didn’t mind his demands so much.
Why couldn’t he have been a normal guy? One who drank beer instead of imported hundred-year-old whiskey? A guy who liked to watch sports on TV with his buddies instead of from a box on the fifty-yard line? A man who drove his car to work every day, not one who got in one of three helicopters and flew away. He was a billionaire. And Tallie didn’t know how to relate to such a person. Or even if she wanted to.
If she could view him as normal, there were a hundred-plus things to love about him. But the hard fact was that he was not a regular guy and never would be. The ego, the arrogance, the expectations, the demands. Life was too short to put up with that. She’d lived through eight long months with John, who’d had the same qualities, and she’d ended up being dumped, her heart and her pride shattered. No way would she put herself in that situation again, especially with Cole. She knew if she ever let her barriers down, the love she had for Cole would be so much deeper, more profound. And if he walked away she might never recover.
Tallie dressed and went downstairs. There was no sign of Cole. She followed her nose to the kitchen where the tea was brewing.
“If you need Mr. Cole,” said Martha, the kind maid who worked with Chef Andre in the kitchen, “he said he was going to the main barn.”
“Thank you.”
Tallie could swing by there on her way to the dig. Grabbing a hot cup of tea, she stepped outside. She passed through the back gate of the estate grounds and followed the natural-stone footpath to the large, sprawling building.
She heard neighing from inside the barn and her pace quickened. She loved horses. She’d had one in her younger years but had had to sell her when she’d left for college. Now, being here on the ranch, she missed that mare more than ever.
Midway down the main aisle Cole stood talking with another man holding a baby. She didn’t want to interrupt so she slipped past them and continued down the wide stable aisle, looking at the horses in their stalls. Magnificent was the word that came to mind. Their sleek, shiny coats gleamed under the barn lights. Ears alert, they nickered to her as she passed.
“Tallie,” Cole called to her. “Come back. There’s someone I want you to meet.”
He reached out for her when she got close and pulled her against him, his arm going around her shoulders.
“Tallie, this is my brother, Chance. Chance, meet Dr. Finley.”
“Very nice to meet you.” He extended his hand.
“You, as well.”
“And this young lady in my arms is Emma. She’s my wife’s niece but we’re raising her as our own daughter.”
The child was adorable. “Hi, Emma.”
“Momie gonna wide hawsee. Daddy say no but Momie not yisen.”
“Where did the two of you meet?” Chance asked, switching Emma to his other arm.
“New Orleans,” Cole answered. “A little over five months ago.”
“That long, huh?” Chance grinned. “That’s encouraging.”
“When you find what you’ve been searching for, why waste time?”
Tallie stood there in complete shock. Cole was lying to his brother. Yes, they had met in New Orleans, but everything after that was a trumped-up story. Cole Masters could have any woman he wanted. He certainly hadn’t been searching for her. In that moment she wished things between them could be different: that Cole was really in love with her and wanted to marry her just because she was who she was. But Cinderella dreams were not in abundance this year.
“Cole!” called a young woman leading a large, dapple-gray thoroughbred toward them. She was beautiful, with angelic features and long, silver-blond hair. Without pausing she stepped into Cole’s arms. “Even when you stay here on the ranch I never get to see you.”
“I guess today is your lucky day.”
“In your dreams.”
“Holly, this is Dr. Tallie Finley,” Cole said. “She’s an archeologist doing some excavating on that land I purchased a few years ago.”
Holly turned toward her, a wide grin on her face. “Very nice to meet you.”
“Tallie, this is Dr. Holly Masters, Chance’s wife.”
“Who’s going to put that horse right back inside his stall,” Chance stated firmly, which caused Holly to roll her eyes.
“I don’t know how long you’ll be here,” Holly said to Tallie, “but one thing you’ll soon learn about the Masters brothers is they are all bossy control freaks. Always have been, now that I think about it.”
She turned to her husband. “I’m just going for a short ride, dear.”
Chance pulled his wife to him and kissed her. “We just found out Holly is pregnant. The doctor said no horses until after the baby is born. Some hardheaded mothers-to-be just refuse to listen to common sense.”
“Congratulations,” Tallie said. “To both of you. That’s wonderful.”
“We gonna has baby,” Emma chimed in.
“We just moved into our new house on the ranch. If you can spare the time, come over and visit for a while.”
“I would like that. Thank you.” Tallie was moved by the kind invitation.
Cole took her hand, said his goodbyes and walked with Tallie out of the barn toward the house.
“It was nice meeting your brothers. You have a great family.”
“You sound surprised.”
“No, not at all.”
“It was good to see Chance. The three of us rarely get together anymore. As Holly said, they just finished building their home about five miles away from the original house, the one Dad built for Mom, which is where I’ve been staying. Chance was in the SEALs but while he was home on leave after an injury he started seeing Holly and he never signed up for another tour. Instead he took over running the Circle M. When the profits began to soar, no one was surprised.”