Chapter Eleven
CHAPTER ELEVEN
When they reached the barn Portia climbed off Marge and hurried to Devlin’s house, while he unsaddled the mare and took both horses back to their paddocks. But as he stood watching them he let out a heavy sigh. There was a question he’d been dreading, and to his relief Portia hadn’t asked it.
Why were you in the trees above my house, and how did you see William putting something in my coffee from so far away?
He had to tell her about the strange sense of foreboding he’d felt when she’d climbed into the Corvette and left the ranch.
But there was something else.
Something that was driving him crazy.
The moment they’d met he’d felt a spark, and during the ride back to the ranch the attraction had grown stronger. He was now longing to run his hands over her knockout body and kiss her ridiculously kissable lips.
But it was more than physical.
There was something about her.
Something he couldn’t put his finger on.
Something that made his heart pump.
Something that stirred his cock.
Something that made him want to wrap her into his arms, close his eyes and breathe her in.
Something that made him want to protect her.
It was disturbing, but it was also exhilarating.
* * *
Walking slowly through Devlin’s home Portia found it comfortable but decidedly masculine. She wasn’t surprised. It was just like him. He was easy to be around, yet the most manly man she’d ever met.
The guys she’d dated in Dallas were nothing like him.
Their hands were soft, not calloused like Devlin’s. While many worked out at expensive gyms, there wasn’t one whose physique could compare to his. And most of them were stressed, which was to be expected. Whether it was real estate, stock trading, or some other lofty career, the stakes were always high and they constantly dealt with large sums of money.
As she moved through the hallway she stopped to admire an antique etching of an old western town, but a short passage a few feet away caught her attention. Peering around the wall she spied double doors, and wondered if they led into his bedroom. Unable to resist a peek she moved quickly forward and took hold of the door handle—then paused, pondering whether or not she should continue. Finally throwing caution to the wind she pushed them open and stepped inside.
A chunky, dark wood, four post bed with antique nightstands on either side stood proudly between two paned windows boasting tan, suede drapes. Spying a chest of drawers against the wall to her right, she spotted another door she assumed led into his bathroom.
“Do you like it?”
Startled, she spun around and found Devlin standing in the doorway.
“So? Do you?”
“Uh, yeah, it’s very…uh…you,” she replied, trying to ignore the sudden thumping of her heart.
“Why are you so nervous?”
“I’m not.”
“Yes you are, and it’s because I’ve caught you nosin’ around?”
“Sorry, I was just curious.”
“Don’t you know what they say about curiosity?”
“It killed the cat?”
“Well, yes, but there’s something else. It’s also considered the lust of the mind.”
“The lust of the mind,” she repeated softly. “I’ve never heard that.”
“Portia, you’ve been a bad girl,” he murmured, moving slowly towards her. “What do you think I should do about that?”
* * *
As Devlin stared into Portia’s eyes he saw both excitement and trepidation. But most of all recognized her hot, carnal longing.
She wanted him.
All of him.
Just as he wanted her.
“Nothing to say?”
“Uh, I’m sorry, honest.”
“I should punish you,” he said, placing his finger under her chin and tilting up her head. “Maybe I won’t give you what you want.”
“Which is what?”
“You want me to kiss you, and that’s just for starters,” he whispered, moving his lips to her ear. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
“I…I…”
“But before we go any further, tell me why you were crying,” he murmured, shifting his head back to stare down at her.
“Crying? When?”
“Just before you hit my truck. I saw it on the video. You were wipin’ tears from your face. What happened?”
“It was nothing,” she muttered, though a frown creased her brown.
“Don’t brush it away. If you don’t want to tell me, that’s okay, but maybe I can help.”
“It’s just something I overheard ages ago, and I can’t seem to get it out of my mind.”
“Go on.”
“It was one night at the country club. I was about to walk into the powder room and I overheard two girls talking. I thought they were my friends, but they were making fun of my clothes, my hair, everything,” she whimpered as a single tear spilled from her right eye. “My family didn’t have much until my grandfather invented that special rubber, and everyone knows it.”
“Damn,” he grunted, pulling her into his arms. “Girls like that—people like that—lead empty lives. It’s all about what they have, not who they are.”
“It’s one of the reasons I decided to have a country house, a place where I could escape when the whole social thing became too much. Anyway, while I was sitting in that traffic jam it flashed through my mind and suddenly I just had to get home. I couldn’t stand being on that freeway one more second.”
“So you hit the accelerator.”
“Yeah. I really am sorry. I just wasn’t thinking.”
“Hey, stuff happens,” he said softly, sliding his hand into her hair and clutching it tightly. “Forget about them, forget about all that crap. You’re here now, with me.”
“And I’m so glad,” she whispered, “so very, very glad.”
She was looking up at him, but closed her eyes as if inviting his kiss and he couldn’t say no. Tugging back her head, he lowered his lips on hers and softly kissed her. But as she fervently pressed her mouth against his, the passion between them sparked to life.
“Devlin,” she whispered when he finally pulled back. “I feel so weak.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Oh, no, it’s an amazing thing…please, please take me to bed!”
With his hardness pressing against his jeans, he swept her up, carried her to his bed, laid her down and stretched out beside her. He wanted to consume every inch of her, to utterly possess her, to thrust his hardness inside her until she was screaming his name.
“I don’t do this,” she suddenly panted. “I mean, I don’t just jump between the sheets, I don’t, I swear.”
“We’re in the same boat. This isn’t normal for me either. Does that help?”
“God, yes, now shut up and kiss me again.”
“First I’m takin’ off every stitch of your clothin,’ then, darlin’, I’ll do a whole lot more than kiss you.”