Lone Star Reunion

“We’re going to be raising a kid together, separately but together. Should we not use this time to get to know each other better?”

Daniel steered the cart around a corner and Alex was momentarily distracted by the magnificent house in front of them. It hugged the side of a cliff, and trees and natural vegetation cradled the house like a mother holding her child. A massive wooden door broke up the sprawling white expanse and Daniel parked the cart to the right of it. Leaving the cart, she turned to take her bag but noticed that Daniel already had it in his grasp, as well as his own duffel bag.

She smiled her thanks and watched as he walked up to the front door. Alex took a moment to appreciate his long-legged, easy grace, the way his big biceps strained the bands of his T-shirt, the width of his shoulders. It was brutally unfair that he was the walking definition of sex on feet. Alex sighed and watched as Daniel placed his hand on the door. It swung open from a central pivot and he stepped back to motion her inside.

Alex stood in the doorway, unwilling to go inside until she had an answer from Daniel. “So, are we going to try and get to know each other a little better?”

“We can try,” Daniel replied. He shrugged and looked down at her with those deep, compelling eyes. “But I guarantee you that, thanks to the combination of sand, sea and you in a tiny bikini, you’re going to be under me sooner rather than later.”

Arrogant jerk, Alex thought, walking into the beach house. How dare he think that he could just click his fingers and she would lie down, roll over and let him scratch her tummy. Sure their attraction was explosive, but she wasn’t so weak that she’d just fall into bed with him—

Oh my God, this place is fantastic.

Alex stopped in her tracks as she drank in their luxurious surroundings. It was open plan, as all beach houses should be, with high vaulted ceilings displaying intricate beams. As soon as they stepped out of the hall and into the living space, the eye was pulled toward the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, across the infinity pool to the view beyond. Alex was momentarily unsure where the pool ended and the sea began. Stepping forward, she spared a glance at the sleek kitchen, the wooden dining table and the chairs that were the same blue as the sea. Under comfortable sofas, an expensive rug covered the floors, but it was the view that captured her attention: it was the only piece of art the room needed. The white beaches, the aqua sea, the lush emerald of an island in the distance.

“Holy crap.”

Alex turned to look at Daniel but he was equally entranced by the house and the view. Dropping their bags to the floor, he strode over to the windows and looked at the frame. Within seconds, the windows turned into sliding doors, and warm, fragrant air rushed into the room. Alex walked out onto the covered deck and looked left and then right. “It looks like the deck runs the length of the house. I imagine all the bedrooms open up onto it. We can sleep with the doors open and listen to the sound of the sea.”

Daniel looked down at the tranquil sea and lifted an eyebrow. “It’s as calm as a lake—I doubt we’re going to hear the sound of crashing waves.”

“Don’t be pedantic—” Alex’s eyes widened when she saw Daniel bend over to pull off his boot. When his feet were bare, he pulled off his T-shirt before attacking his belt buckle and ripping open his fly. “What the hell are you doing?” she demanded.

He gave her a wicked smile and gestured to the pool. “Going for a swim.”

His hands slipped under the fabric of his jeans and Alex squeaked when she saw that he was stripping them off. “You’re swimming naked?”

Daniel shrugged as his clothes pooled at his feet. “We’re totally alone and you’ve seen it all before.”

She had and every inch of him was absolutely glorious. “You’re not going to help our cause of not sleeping together if you’re going to parade around buck naked, Clayton.”

Daniel’s smile broadened. “That’s your cause, Slade, not mine. I intend to get to know you and sleep with you. I also plan to spend a great deal of time trying to convince you not to go to Houston. If you won’t marry or move in with me, then I want you as close as I can possibly have you.”