"Stage one of my plan."
He rubbed the back of his neck. "So how did you get to be this? The girl I remember … well you were a summer kid so I really didn't know you. But you struck me as more of a dreamer."
"I had to grow up," she said. "I went to Paris. Thought I was going to live this romantic place, but instead reality was working a lot of hours, learning a lot of stuff and then realizing that I was still an outsider. I was always going to be an outsider. I needed … well, just wanted to feel like I belonged."
"Do you feel that here?" he asked. "You didn't grow up in Whiskey River."
"I know but my summers with Violet were the only time I was truly able to be myself. My mother had a lot of rules and my dad wasn't around. And when I was here in Whiskey River, Violet let us have the run of the lavender fields and showed us traditional ways of drying. Its where I started to figure out who I was."
"Same for me. Coming with Dad to the office made me realize what I wanted to do."
"Is it what you thought it would be? Running your dad's company?"
"Yes and no. It's not really dad's company any more. I've been the CEO for the last five years."
Taking another sip of her whiskey she got up and walked over to him. "How does having new brothers affect that?"
He downed the rest of his drink in one long swallow. "It's a little complicated but we all are figuring it out."
He took her glass from her and put it on the table taking her hand in his. He spread his fingers out and hers fell in between his and he linked their hands together. He pulled her into his arms, swaying while he held her. He started singing the George Straight song they'd danced to earlier.
His voice was rich and deep and she closed her eyes, resting her cheek on his shoulders. There had been so few moments in her life when she'd felt she belonged.
"Relaxed now?"
She nodded.
"Are you staying?"
She went up on her tiptoe and brushed her lips over his jaw and then whispered in his ear, "I am."
"Good," he said, brining his mouth down on hers. He tasted of whiskey and the wild Texas night.
Chapter Four
‡
Juliette was like the moonlight he'd been thinking of earlier. She was ballsy at times and then shy. It was hard to figure out who the real woman was. He'd hazard a guess that she was somewhere in between.
She tasted sweeter than spring honey, and he was addicted to her lips. It was ridiculous to think that he couldn't get enough of one woman's kisses. She was like everyone else … or maybe she would be after he'd slept with her.
He wanted-no needed-to believe that it was simply the fact that he hadn't seen her naked that was driving him.
The dress she wore was elegant and sophisticated. The gold lame bodice hugging the generous curves of her breasts and the black skirt that fell neatly ending mid-thigh. Her blonde hair was worn up and she'd left a tendril to curl around the side of her heart-shaped face. Her legs were long and she wore a pair of cowboy boots that-damn.
Oh no she didn't.
"Are you wearing my competitor's boots?" he asked.
She threw her head back and laughed. The sound caressed him and made him want to claim her as his own. He could hear the nerves in it but all the same a shaft of desire lanced through him. His body didn't give a crap if she was a game changer, he wanted her.
She nodded. "Figured no sense in feeding the Kelly boys big ego anymore than the rest of the town does."
"Hell, woman, I can't believe this. I'm going to have to ask you to take those off."
"Are you?"
"Yes, ma'am."
She perched on the back of his leather sofa and lifted one foot off the floor. "Why don't you do it if you want them off?"
He didn't hesitate, dropping to one knee in front of her. Her legs were bare and he skin smooth. He leaned in close putting his hands the foot of the boot and brushing his lips lightly against the side of her knee.
She shivered and shifted on the couch. Goose bumps spread up from where he had kissed her. He glanced up to see she'd tipped her head back and was staring upward. Her hands were braced on either side of her hips.
Damn.
He wished he could see her expression. He'd love to see if having his hands on her body was affecting her as much as it was him.
But there was time for that later. He shifted his hands and pulled her boot off slowly. Setting it on the floor next to him. She had on a pair of socks that were white and had a bunch of different colored cowboy hats on them.
"Nice touch," he said, slowly pulling the sock from her foot and tossing it by the boot. Then he put his hands on her foot and rubbed her instep as he drew his other hand up her leg. He slowly rubbed his hand over her calf muscle and then the back of her knee. He followed the path of his fingers with his mouth, kissing and nibbling at her smooth skin.
She smelled of lavender. All over her body, he realized. It was perfect. He stopped when he reached the hem of her skirt and moved her to her other leg. Her hand came to his shoulder as he positioned himself to remove the other boot. He did it slowly, taking his time and caressing her other leg the same way he had her first. He noticed that she had old scar on the outside of her left leg. It was in the shape of crescent moon.
"Where did you get this?" he asked, running his finger over it. It was smooth not raised but the scar was still visible. It was the only thing that wasn't perfect on her legs. It made her human, he thought. Juliette was always so in control and put together, he thought that she'd never really had any setbacks.
"A bed spring, believe it or not. I was jumping on my bed and the spring came through … I didn't notice it and when I fell I cut myself. Bled all over the place and my mom was at work so I didn't go to the doctor. Just bandaged it up myself. Now I'm left with this ugly scar."
He ran his finger over it. "It's not ugly. From that story I'd say it represents you. Resilient."
Then kissed it before getting to his feet.
He reached for the side zipper of her dress but she put her hand out right in the middle of his chest. "Not so fast, Wyatt.
"This is hardly fast," he said. "What do you want?"
"I want to see your chest," she said.
He shrugged and removed his tux jacket, taking his time to walk over to one of the armchairs and drape it over the back. They would only have this one night together and he wasn't in a hurry. He wanted to make it last forever.
Then he removed his bow tie and put that on the chair as well. Then he turned back to her and walked back to her side. She watched every move he made and it made him more conscious of his clothing. He felt caged in it now. He wanted to be naked and inside of her.
When he got to her side he reached for her right hand and drew it up to his mouth. He kissed the center of her palm and then started to remove the studs from his shirt. Slowly, one by one he dropped them in her hand. She watched him, her eyes half-closed, her lower lip caught between her teeth. When he had all of the studs out of his shirt, he let the two sides of the fabric fall open and took her empty hand and brought it to his chest. He rubbed her hand slowly over his pecs and then down his narrow abdomen to the top of his pants and then back up.
She pulled her hand from his, scraping her nail slowly in an intricate pattern down his body. He shuddered under her touch and felt his cock grow thick and hard in his pants. He reached for the fastening of his pants and flicked it open, carefully lowering the zipper.
His pants fell to the floor but he made no move. Juliette spilled the studs to the floor as she reached for him with both hands. She put her hands on his waist and drew him closer to her. Then he felt the warmth of her breath on him as she nibbled her way over his chest, following the same path her hands had on his body.
He was on fire.
His skin felt too tight and he reached for the zipper at the side of her dress, but she captured his wrists in her hands. Then got to her feet and pushed him back.
She knelt at his feet and attempted pulled his pants off over his boots. It was difficult. She gave up, stood up and slowly drew his boxer briefs down his legs. He toed off his boots and then removed his underwear until he stood totally naked in front of her.
She leaned back and as their eyes met she smiled at him. Slowly she let her gaze drop to move over her body. He flexed his muscles and puffed up his chest as he saw her staring at his chest. Then her gaze dropped lower and his cock jumped as she stared at it. He worked hard in the company gym and running every day. He was glad to see the appreciation in her eyes when she looked at his body.
She licked her lips and reached for him. Caught his erection in her hand as she drew him closer to her. He moved at her will. She brought her other hand to the back of his neck and went up on tiptoe to kiss him. Her mouth was soft and demanding. She thrust her tongue deep into his mouth and he sucked on it as he wrapped his hands around her waist and slowly moved his hands lower.