The Tycoon's Secret Child (Texas Cattleman's Club: Blackmail 1)

“What do you mean?”

She half turned on the bed to meet his gaze. Firelight played over her skin and flickered in her eyes. “I mean, say we spend the week together, all of us. What happens after that? Caro and I come back home, you stay in Texas and we all go on with our lives like before?”

He smoothed her hair back, more because he couldn’t stop himself from touching her than for any other reason. His fingertips tra

ced along her jawline then dropped to where her hand lay on the comforter. He took it in his and held on. He thought about it for a second, considered his options, then went with honesty.

“I don’t know, Belle. Neither of us can know. All I’m sure of is that I want you and Caro to come with me. To be with me. Give me that week, Belle.”

Her gaze never wavered. She looked at him for several long, tense seconds as if trying to see past his reserve to what he was really thinking. If she knew, he told himself, she would never come with him.

He wanted her in Texas not only because he wanted more time with Caro. Not only because he wanted Belle in his bed. But because if the three of them presented a united front, the scandal driven by Maverick might disappear entirely and Teddy Bradford could get back on board with the merger.

His people were no closer to finding the mysterious Maverick, but he had learned that Bradford wasn’t in talks with anyone else. So the odds of him being in on the scandal eruption were really low. And that meant that the merger might still be salvageable. If he worked this right.

He swallowed his impatience and let Belle see only what he wanted her to see. A man unwilling to let go just yet.

Finally, she nodded. “Okay. A week. After that, we’ll talk about what comes next.”

He squeezed her hand and smiled. “We’ll work something out,” he promised her and meant it. No matter what else happened in his life, he knew he’d find a way to keep Caro, and maybe her mother, in his life.

She smiled, but it was barely more than a slight lifting of her lips. Wes knew she wasn’t sure of this decision, but he wasn’t going to give her a chance to change her mind, either.

“Good,” he said, leaning in to kiss her. “Now that that’s settled...” He pushed the comforter down and cupped her breast, thumb and forefinger rubbing her hardened nipple until her eyes glazed over and she gave a soft sigh. Smiling down into her eyes, he quipped, “I think it’s time to think about round two. I’m feeling the need to fling myself at you. How do you feel about that?”

She held his hand to her breast and with her free hand she reached up and drew his face to hers. “Fling when ready.”

He grinned. Damned if he hadn’t missed her. He hadn’t allowed himself to acknowledge it before now. He remembered all the nights they’d stayed awake talking, laughing, making love. He’d never had that in his life until Belle, and when she left Texas, she’d taken all of it with her.

No other woman had given him what she had. Now she was back in his life, and he wasn’t going to let her go anytime soon.

He bent his head to kiss her and instantly lost all thought under the rising tide of need. Tomorrow could take care of itself. For tonight, all he wanted was this.

* * *

Two days later, the three of them were on Wes’s private jet. Edna had urged her to go, to see where this thing with Wes would lead, and with that tiny bit of encouragement, Isabelle was going to give it a try. Of course, it didn’t help anything to know that Chance, Eli and Tyler were less than thrilled at her going off with Wes. Though they’d changed their initial opinion of him mainly because of the way he was with Caro, Isabelle’s brothers were still not ready to trust him not to hurt her or her daughter.

Neither was she, when it came right down to it. But if she didn’t try, she’d never forgive herself. Still, Isabelle knew she had to approach this time with Wes carefully. If not to protect her own heart—then at least to guard Caroline’s.

Because her little girl was thrilled with this new adventure. Caro loved the plane, loved flying above the clouds and loved the limo ride from the airport to Wes’s home just west of Royal, Texas.

Five years ago, Wes had been in the process of building his home. Isabelle had seen the blueprints, they’d talked about different design features and she’d suggested quite a few changes to the original plan. Now, seeing it finished, Isabelle thought it was breathtaking.

Under the soft Texas winter sun, the massive two-story house sprawled across a beautifully landscaped property. There was a tidy lawn that seemed wider than a football field. Young trees ran the perimeter of the property with a few older live oak trees that had been left standing during construction. Flowers in wildly bright and cheerful colors hugged the base of the house and lined the brick walk that led to the long, inviting porch.

The house itself was a gorgeous blend of wood and stone and glass. Tall windows lined the front of the house and glinted in the sunlight. Stone walls made the house look as if it had been standing in that spot for decades. The porch was filled with rocking chairs and a swing that hung by thick chains from the overhead beams. A white wood railing completed that picture, along with the baskets of flowers that stood at either side of the double front doors.

Isabelle was used to seeing mountains, and the land here was flat, but for a few rolling hills in the distance. And still, it was beautiful.

It seemed strange, Isabelle thought. They’d left Colorado in the middle of the latest snowstorm. There were snowdrifts four feet high all over Swan Hollow. And here in Texas, there were winter flowers blooming under a mild sun. Kind of a culture shock for Isabelle, but Caroline didn’t seem to have a problem with it.

The little girl, clutching her new favorite doll, bolted from the limo onto the grass. She spun in a circle, holding her head back and laughing. When she stopped, she looked at her mother, wide-eyed. “There’s no snow, Mommy!”

“I know, baby.” Isabelle tossed a glance at Wes to see him smiling indulgently. Looking back to Caro, she asked, “Do you like it?”

“I like making snowmen,” she said thoughtfully, taking another slow spin to look all around her. “But I like this, too.”

“I’m glad you do,” Wes said, using sign language as well as speaking. “We don’t have snow, but we have other fun stuff.”