“Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare even think about it.”
He stopped at the edge of the pool. It appeared he was still struggling to contain a smug grin. “Don’t you know a SEAL can’t resist a dare?”
His face was so close, his handsome features so charismatic. Chance was the epitome of an adult alpha male in every sense of the phrase, by anyone’s definition. To be held in his arms, so close she could smell the essence of his body, was a heady sensation.
“Chance. Put me down,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “Please.”
“Just put you down? That’s all you want?”
“Yes.”
The grooves on either side of his mouth deepened and the dimples made another appearance. “Bribe me.”
The breath caught in her throat.
“What do you want?” she asked, afraid he would say what she wanted to hear.
“You.”
A shiver that felt very much like anticipation crawled over her skin. His voice was deep and coarse, sounding as though he was as affected by their closeness as she was.
Her gaze drifted down to his lips. She couldn’t stop it.
“But for now, I’ll settle for a kiss. It would be a shame to get you wet before you’re ready for bed. But—” he frowned in contemplation “—maybe I could help with that, too.”
“Put me down.”
“Do it, Holly.”
“I’ve already kissed you.”
“No. I’ve kissed you. There’s a difference. My arms are getting so tired. Hope my strength doesn’t give out.”
His strength wouldn’t give out if he stood here like this for a week. But with her arms already around his thick neck, she leaned toward him and pressed her lips to his.
“There. Happy? Now please put me down.”
The light in his eyes danced wickedly.
“I’ve had handshakes that were more enticing than that kiss. That wasn’t a kiss. It was... You know, I’m not sure what it was.” Then in a softer, absolutely mesmerizing whisper, “Let’s try it again.”
Holly’s lips found his like a magnet pulled to a giant piece of steel. It was a hot, intense sensation and she wanted more, especially when the master took over and provided another lesson on how it was done. A small moan escaped and Chance responded, taking her mouth, taking what he wanted.
She knew an instant of breathless elation before he lifted his mouth.
“I think it needs some work.”
She was stupefied. “What do you mean it—”
Before she could finish her sentence, she was flying through the air, her mind trying desperately to catch up before she hit the chilling water with a splash. She went down like a floundering goose with a bowling ball tied to its feet. Kicking off from the bottom, she broke the surface sputtering and spewing, still not able to believe what he’d just done. If looks could kill, he would be a dead man.
A large hand reached down to her. With a glare she brushed it aside.
“I would offer you my towel but...”
“Shut. Up.”
“Tomorrow night? About the same time?”
Holly made no further remark. She didn’t open her mouth. She marched past him, not stopping until she was up the stairs and headed to her room.
“Do you still want something to drink?” Chance called from below.
She stomped down the hall, slinging water as she went. She slammed the door, belatedly remembering the baby. She hoped it didn’t wake Emma.
She could still hear his laughter echoing through the house.
Ornery man.
Ten
Chance threw a saddle on the bay he’d ridden a couple of weeks before. He’d tried to call his CO to see if there had been any news on his pending medical decision. He’d had to leave a message and he didn’t like doing that. There was no telling when he would get the call. It could be days. He hated the idea of missing it. But he disliked sitting by a phone and waiting for it to ring even more. Dammit. He felt fine. He was ready to get back to the SEALs. He was ready to pick up his AK-47 and complete a mission. He needed the focus. He wanted a way to expel some of this pent-up energy that had him bouncing off the walls. He needed his team. They understood. Hell, they might be the only ones who could.
Wade and Cole were making him absolutely crazy. They wanted him working in the company and, Wade at least, wouldn’t drop it. The man had looked him right in the face and declared his intent to sell the ranch, knowing what it meant to Chance. And knowing there was probably little to nothing Chance could do to stop it without returning as a partner in the Masters Corporation.
He would like to get his hands on the books. Every question he’d asked about the ranch met a dead end. Wade talked in circles, something he was very good at doing. Were they hiding something? He was used to getting inside intel immediately, and this cat-and-mouse thing Wade had going was making him nuts. Obviously it was a ploy to try to make Chance conform. Good luck with that.
Regardless of how long he’d been away, he wasn’t some stranger facing Wade over a bargaining table. This wasn’t about a corporate takeover or the buying and selling of stocks or companies. It was about his life. And Wade was in line for an eye-opener if he thought he could coerce Chance into leaving the SEALs.
Securing the cinch, he exchanged the halter for a bridle, led the gelding out of the barn and climbed in the saddle. When Chance was younger, this was the way he’d dealt with all the crap he faced on a daily basis. People had their own idea of what the son of a billionaire should act like, talk like, be like. The toughest lesson had been the realization that because somebody said you were a friend, it didn’t necessarily mean shit. People always wanted something. Whether it was a claim of friendship, a favor or money, Chance Masters had quickly become the go-to guy.
Living up to the expectations of others was the worst. No one had been willing to accept him for who he was inside. Over the years it soured him until finally, he’d had enough and began to strike back. He would talk and act exactly as people around him expected. If someone wanted a car, hell, he’d help the person steal it. Who cared if they got caught? Certainly not his old man. If somebody dared him, he’d no longer brushed it off and walked away. Fights? Bring it on. Girls? There were two kinds. He’d learned the difference. The innocents, the girls like Holly’s sister, he’d given a wide berth. With the others he’d gained a reputation. Love ’em and leave ’em. He didn’t care. They used him, so he’d returned the favor. He’d been on a downhill spiral and only two things had saved his ass. The friendship of Jason Anderson and the lynching committee that had finally approached his father and demanded he do something about his son’s illicit behavior. He guessed the good citizens of Calico County had finally determined they cherished something more than money, so his father’s little payoffs—some called them bribes—had no longer worked.
Passing through the gate leading into the north range, Chance urged the bay into a slow canter. He knew this ranch like the back of his hand. And he knew how to disappear. Let his CO leave a message. Let his brothers find something better to do.
Holly was the one thing he hadn’t envisioned when he’d decided to return to the ranch for his mandatory medical leave. He’d known what his brothers would try to do. He’d come up with a plan of what he’d do if any of the old gang wanted a rematch. But he’d never seen Holly coming.
Keeping his hands to himself was a lesson in futility. No matter what he planned or what safeguards he put in place, when she came near he had to touch her. He had to hold her. He had to kiss her. And he wanted to do a hell of a lot more than that. Knowing she would let him because she thought she was in love with him only made it worse. He would soon be leaving, one way or the other, and had no plans to come back. If the MEB granted him active status, he would be on the first flight back to his team. If they didn’t, he had a couple of options, but returning to Texas wasn’t one of them. He’d had enough. Wade’s intentions to sell the ranch had pretty well, pretty effectively driven the stake into his back. And turned it.
Holly was raising a baby. Jason’s baby. That small family had already lost enough. Chance damn sure wouldn’t put himself in the situation of being responsible for any tiny life. Babies were too fragile. He’d already proved he could not protect a child. The thought had crossed his mind that maybe he could ask Holly to come with him. In how many languages could he say stupid idea? She had Jason’s daughter and had achieved a lifelong dream of opening a vet clinic. She was less than one year away from obtaining her doctor of veterinary medicine license. She was safe and happy, and no way would he screw that up.
Reaching the top of a small rise, Chance paused to get his bearings and just appreciate the view. The green of the land against the dark blue sky. How often had he wished he could be exactly here when instead he was stretched out on a roof in Pakistan with his sniper rifle, waiting for someone to come out of a house carrying a bomb? And praying it wouldn’t be a child.
Chance encouraged his horse to continue forward. A lone cow bellowed in the distance, somewhere a hawk found its meal and an American bald eagle circled overhead. In spite of the vague rumble of thunder in the distance, it couldn’t be a more perfect day.