Twin Seduction

Cash let her talk until she ran down. He led the horses over to a patch of grass and loosely fastened the reins to a tall shrub. Then he lifted off the saddlebag and the two canteens. When he walked back to her, she was still staring across the pond, seeing something that he didn’t.

“I hate to rain on your parade, but how is Maddie going to run a dude ranch and still grow her design business?”

She turned to him. “Yes, that’s the kicker, isn’t it? Do you see anything wrong with the dude ranch idea besides that?”

“No. There are other dude ranches in the area, but you’ve got some unique ideas in terms of serving gourmet food and creating the ‘cowboy’ experience.” Setting the saddlebag down, he took out two glasses and a bottle of wine. “I brought red because I figured white would be too warm.”

She studied him for a moment. “You don’t seem like the kind of man who’d be into wine.”

“Your father got me interested in it. He has a good cellar.”

She waited until he’d uncorked the bottle, handed her a glass and tipped wine into it. “You’re not sounding very enthused about my idea.”

“I’m thinking about it.”

When he’d filled his own glass, she clicked hers against it before she sipped.

“Maddie has a lot on her plate right now, and she’s very intent on her business. When she’s in that studio, she loses track of everything. It’s one of the reasons the ranch is suffering. When Mike was alive, he’d drag her out and insist she do other things. If I didn’t come over and talk her into going riding or into a game of poker, I’m not sure she’d ever come out.”

“Wow.” Jordan found a flat rock and sat down. “She sounds exactly like my mother. I insisted that she and I have lunch together every Wednesday, and then we’d go to a matinee or shopping or to a gallery. I always had it planned out very carefully. Otherwise, she never would have taken a break.”

For a moment, she sat in silence. Cash moved to sit on a rock facing hers. She’d turned away to stare out over the water again, and he could tell her mind was still focused entirely on the idea of a dude ranch. She wasn’t a lot different than her mother and sister once she got her teeth into a business idea.

It was time to distract her. She’d taken the hairpiece off when she’d showered, and the wind had given a good toss to her hair. He reached out and touched just the ends.

She immediately turned to him. “I appreciate it that you’re worried about Maddie. But I’m going to figure out a way. That’s what a good business plan is for. And I won’t hurt my sister. You can trust me on that.”

He took the hand that wasn’t holding the wineglass and raised it to his lips. “I do.”

“Good.” He released her hand and leaned back enough to stretch out his legs and cross them. He wanted very badly to touch her again. But not yet.

“Thanks for bringing me here. It’s a good thinking place.”

“I didn’t bring you here just so you could think, Jordan.”

“You wanted to share the beauty of the place.”

“Partly. But I had another reason, too.”

“What?”

“I brought you here to seduce you.”

Jordan felt her throat go dry as dust. She sipped her wine. “You don’t have to. I just have to look at you to want you.” It was the simple, somewhat terrifying truth.

“I was considering earlier where I might bring you. Someplace private and safe where we could take our time. We haven’t taken a lot of time.”

“No.” He hadn’t made a move. All he’d done was sit there and talk to her in that slow, quiet drawl. But his eyes held such heat, such promise, that some of her wine spilled over the side of the glass. When she set it down carefully on the ground, she saw that her hand was trembling.

Seduction, she thought. It might not be such a bad idea. Rising, she sent him a smile. Then she lifted her hat off and tossed it on the rock behind her. Keeping her gaze locked on his, she toed her boots off next. Her knowledge of strippers was limited to the musical Gypsy, and it had been years since her mother had taken her to see it on Broadway. But if her memory served her, they always started with peripherals—gloves, hats, shoes.

She watched him as she undid her belt buckle. He hadn’t moved. He was still sitting on the rock, his long legs stretched out in front and crossed at the ankles. On the surface, he appeared relaxed. The way his fingers gripped the wineglass told her he wasn’t. He might speak slowly and move slowly, but there was always that energy she sensed below the surface. He kept it on a tight leash, and she wondered just what she could do to release it.

She took the belt off slowly. Since the buckle was one of Maddie’s, she rolled the leather around it for protection before she set it on the ground.

Still smiling, she slipped her fingers beneath her T-shirt, pulled it off and tossed it behind her.

“What are you doing, Jordan?”

Her brows rose at that. “I’m just getting into this seduction thing. Don’t you like it?”

His gaze dropped to the lacy bra that still covered her breasts.

“Yeah, I do like it. A lot. But my idea was to seduce you.”

“You still can. Later.” She pulled open the snap of her jeans. In the silence, the sound was erotic. The horses stirred. So did something deep inside of her. Cash set his glass down and didn’t notice when it tipped over.

Power pumped through her followed by arousal as she slowly lowered her zipper. She wanted to go to him then and drag off his clothes. Instead, she hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her jeans and slid them slowly down over her hips. When they dropped to the ground, she stepped out of them and sent him another smile. “Okay. Your turn.”

9

HIS TURN? She was standing there in the sunlight, dressed in nothing but two wisps of lace that had been designed to make a man beg. With his body burning and his head spinning, Cash knew exactly how he wanted to take his turn. All of the time she’d been slipping out of her clothes, he’d been weaving a fantasy in his mind.

Three strides and he could turn her around, bend her over that rock she’d been sitting on. It would take only seconds to get rid of the barriers between them—his jeans and that froth of lace she was wearing. And he could be inside of her. Cash felt his mind spin, his thoughts blur. The pounding ride would be wild, wonderful—and it would relieve the aching desire she’d ignited inside of him.Cash reined in his thoughts. It wasn’t his plan to take her against a rock. Plus, he wasn’t at all sure that if he stood up, his legs would support him.

But two could play at the game she’d just started. He’d never stripped for a woman before. But he knew how to take off his clothes. Focusing his attention on the job at hand, he took off his boots. Still seated, he met her eyes and smiled.

“More,” she said.

“You got it.”

His eyes never left hers as he pulled his shirt out of his jeans and then began work on the buttons.

“I could help with that,” she said.

“I can handle it. Besides, turnabout’s fair play, don’t you think?”

“I can only think about wanting you. Now.”

It occurred to Cash that she had a better handle on this seduction thing than he had. But he was a quick learner. Once he’d tossed the shirt aside, he had no choice but to stand up and test his legs. They held. The jeans came next. He had to bend over to free his feet. When he straightened, she was smiling at him, one arm outstretched, her finger crooked. Oh yeah, she definitely had an advantage in the seduction game.

“I want you. Now.”

“Ditto.” He moved quickly then. But when he reached her, he didn’t turn her and bend her over the rock as he’d fantasized doing. Instead, he swept her into his arms and covered her mouth with his.

Then holding her close, he turned and leaped into the pond.

When Jordan surfaced, she was still locked in Cash’s arms. Her mouth was still fused with his. And the fire that the kiss had ignited in her body more than blocked out the coolness of the water. When he pulled away, she nearly cried out in protest.

“Breathe,” he said.

“Okay.” Since she could feel her lungs burn when she did, it was good advice. She met his eyes. “I didn’t see that coming.”

“It was a last-minute decision, one of several alternatives I had in mind. I wanted to slow things down a bit.”

“And you thought a little dip would do the trick?” She shifted suddenly, snaking her arms and legs around him, then wiggling down his body until the hard length of him was pressed against her just where she wanted him. Holding tight, she moved up and down his penis. Fire shot through her again, and she was almost certain she saw steam rise from the surface of the pond. “What do you want now?”

“You know what I want.” Gripping her buttocks, Cash lifted her up so that her legs were around his waist.

She struggled for position, but his hands allowed no movement.

“You have some very dangerous moves.” His voice was raw.

“My pleasure.”

To her surprise, he chuckled and then rested his head for a moment against her forehead. “How about a truce? I want to take my time with you, Jordan. We’ve been on a real fast track—no detours. Let me try this my way.”