Slow Burn (A Madaris Family Novel) (9 page)

He shook his head as he eased away from the tree to take a closer step toward her. “No, I don’t want to think of you as a cousin. I like thinking of you as a friend better. A very special friend.”

“One you like to kiss?”

“Yes, one I like to kiss.”

And with that said, he lowered his head and glided his tongue across her lips before staking his claim on her mouth by devouring her lips for a fourth time. The first thought that came to his mind was that each time he kissed her was better than the last. The second thing was that he could spend the entire day kissing her and would never get tired. Their mouths fit perfectly. Their tongues mingled completely. And each time he mated his mouth with hers he was getting detailed knowledge of her mouth. He knew just what to do to hear that little catch in her voice, that certain sexy moan, and what to do to make her tongue grab hold to his like it was something she had to have and anything else…anyone else, for that matter…was unacceptable.

Finally, he slowly pulled his mouth back and watched as she took her tongue, that same irresistible tongue he had feasted on, and licked her lips. Watching her made him lick his own. “Had enough?” he asked, clearing his throat.

She laughed a little self-consciously. “Do you want the truth?”

“Always.”

“No.”

That answer satisfied him. He pulled her back into his arms as raw need shot through him. Consumed him. He thrust his tongue into her mouth when she parted her lips on a sigh, and began tasting her all over again. And this time he wouldn’t let up until they both had enough. Which could very well be a long time from now.

Slade sat at the dinner table, hearing what Vincent, Justina,
and Christopher were saying as they filled everyone in on the happenings at school that day.

Slade was hearing but not listening.

His attention was focused on Skye who was sitting across the table from him. He thought about their walk earlier that day, trying to remember every little detail, especially the kisses they had shared. He would need those memories to sustain him when he was back in Houston working on all those projects that were lined up for him to do.

“So what do you think, Slade?”

He blinked, realizing Justin had asked him a question. “Excuse me?”

Justin shot a knowing grin his way. “I asked what you thought of Vincent going to Maine for a few weeks this summer to visit with Skye? That would mean him altering the plans the two of you have made.”

Slade glanced around the table and saw that Justina and Christopher had left, probably to do their homework. He hadn’t realized they were gone. Everyone was staring at him. Damn, what had he missed?

“I’m sorry, my mind was elsewhere for a moment,” he offered as an excuse. He glanced across the table at Skye and Vincent. “You want Vincent to visit with you this summer in Maine?” he asked.

Skye nodded, smiling. “Yes, but Lorren mentioned he’s supposed to work for you and your brother at Madaris Construction this summer as a student intern.”

Slade leaned back in his chair. “Yes, that’s our plan.” He glanced at Vincent. “Which do you prefer doing?”

Vincent smiled excitedly. “Both. I’ve been looking forward to spending the summer in Houston with Gramma and Grampa and everyone, and especially working for you and Blade since I want to be an architect one day. But I want to spend time with Skye as well.”

Slade nodded. “We could possibly split the time and instead of you being in Houston the entire summer, you could be there for the first two months and then go to Maine for the last.”

Vincent’s eyes lit up. “Could that be arranged?”

Slade shrugged. “It will depend on whether your school agrees to it.” He turned his attention back to Skye to explain. “Vincent attends a college preparatory school where he gets college credit if he does something that relates to the field of study he intends to pursue at a college. Usually, it requires him to fulfill so many hands-on hours.”

He gazed back at Vincent. “I suggest that you check with the guidance department at your school tomorrow.”

Vincent nodded eagerly. “I will.”

“And if that doesn’t work,” Skye said to everyone at the table, “I have another idea that just might.”

“And what idea is that?” Justin asked, smiling after taking a sip of his coffee.

“I could take a leave of absence from my job and come spend the summer in Houston.”

Lorren lifted a surprised brow. “Can you just take off like that?”

“Yes. My employer is real flexible. I’ve worked with them for a long time, ever since college, and I’ve put in a lot of extra hours over the years and have rarely taken time off. Besides, I had planned to take a three-month block of time off after my wedding anyway, and—”

“You’re getting married?” Vincent asked, surprised.

Skye glanced at him. “I was but not anymore.” And not wanting to go into any further details about her canceled wedding plans, she said, “I really don’t think taking the extra time off will be a problem. And although I would love for Vincent to see Maine, I don’t have a problem spending time in Houston. I’ve never been there before and hear it’s a nice place.”

“It is,” Justin said, proud of the city where he was born. “And you’re willing to take a leave from your job this summer?”

Skye smiled. “Yes, if it means getting to spend some time with Vincent. I have enough money saved where I can do it without it hurting me financially.”

“If you get bored we could always use help at Madaris Construction,” Slade spoke up and said. “In fact, Sherri, our present accountant, will be going out on maternity leave next month, and I haven’t had time to contact a temporary agency about getting her a replacement.”

Skye lifted a surprised brow. “Are you offering me a job for the summer?”

Slade chuckled as he shook his head. It seemed that he was. What had he been thinking of just now, doing such a thing? But the offer was out there and he couldn’t withdraw it. If she accepted it he would try like hell to find a way not to kiss her every chance he got. He would keep their relationship in the office strictly business.

He inhaled deeply before saying, “Yes, I am.”

“Boy, that’s cool!” Vincent exclaimed. “Now we’ll both be working for Madaris Construction Company.”

Skye didn’t want to get Vincent’s hopes up regarding that. “I appreciate you making the offer, but I’ll have to think about it, Slade,” she said in a voice that to his way of thinking sounded kind of breathless. Was she, too, wondering how they would keep their attraction under control if they were to work together?

“It was just a suggestion. If Vincent’s school goes along with letting him work for us for only two months, then you won’t have to come to Houston at all,” Slade said.

At that moment something hot spread all through him. The thought of her being in Houston, even for a short while, was almost too much to think about.

Later that night Lorren snuggled close to her husband. Everyone had gone to bed hours ago, and she had worked on the last chapter of her book while Justin had read an article in one of his medical journals.

Now that she had his full attention, she asked, “Wasn’t that a wonderful gesture that Skye made to offer to spend time with Vincent this summer in Houston if he can’t get away to visit her in Maine?”

Justin wrapped his arms around his wife. “Yes, it was.”

“And after that soccer game Vincent and Skye played after dinner, she approached me, worried about how the other family members would feel. She doesn’t want to take away any time they plan to spend with him this summer while he’s in Houston. I told her not to worry about it and that the Madaris family isn’t that way. His grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins will be glad to share him with her.” Lorren chuckled. “I think Vincent has called everyone and told them about her and they’re looking forward to meeting her. I managed to convince her there’s enough love in the Madaris family to go around, but she’ll see for herself once she meets the rest of the family.”

Justin agreed, “Yes, she will.”

“So, what do you think is happening between Slade and Skye?” Lorren rose up a little in bed to ask.

Justin chuckled. “You’ve picked up on it, too, have you?”

Lorren’s lips eased into a smile as she settled back down beside him, in his arms again. “How could I not, Justin? The sexual tension surrounding them is so thick you could actually cut it with a knife. Reminds me of how things were between us in the beginning.”

Justin nodded. “Skye’s a very pretty girl and you know the Madaris men. They do have eyes for beauty.”

“Yes, and at least it’s Slade and not Blade. If it was Blade, then I’d be worried.”

Justin lifted a brow. “Why’s that?” he asked, although he already knew the answer.

Lorren rolled her eyes. “Come on now, Justin; you know Blade. He’s going through his bad-boy Clayton Madaris stage where every pretty face captures his attention, but not for long. He’s earning the reputation of being a heartbreaker. I always figured Slade would be more like you. Once he meets the woman he wants, he will pursue her with diligence.”

“So you think his offer of summer employment to Skye is his way to do that?”

“Yes, but I don’t think he realizes it yet. Although he might be planning to pursue her, it won’t hit him as to why he’s doing it until much later. When it comes to matters of the heart, the men in your family have a tendency to be rather slow.”

Justin chuckled. “You think you have the men in my family figured out, don’t you?”

She smiled up at him. “Yes, I think so.”

Justin pulled her closer into his arms. He thought she had the men in his family figured out pretty much as well. He then remembered his conversation with Clayton that day. “I talked to Clayton earlier today. He’s concerned,” he said softly.

“Yes, I know. Syneda’s told me. She doesn’t agree with his take on things, and neither do I. I truly believe everything about Skye is what we see and she doesn’t have an ulterior motive for seeking Vincent out. Once Clayton meets her and sees the kind of person she is and how much her relationship with Vincent truly means to her, he’ll see how wrong he is in thinking such a thing.”

“And I agree. But you know Clayton.”

She chuckled. “Yes, I do know Clayton, but I’m convinced in this case he’s wrong. I saw the look in Skye’s eyes the moment Vincent accepted her as his sister. She was truly touched. I don’t know what type of family life she’s had with her adoptive parents or the reason behind her canceled marriage plans, but for some reason I get the feeling she’s a person who’s been virtually alone all of her life and now she just wants to belong to someone.”

Justin had gotten that same impression as well, and if he had things figured out right, Vincent wouldn’t be the only person Skye would eventually belong to. He had a strong feeling that before things were over, she would belong to Slade as well.

As Justin pulled Lorren into his arms for the kind of kiss he’d waited practically all day to get, he thought that this summer should be a rather interesting one.

It was close to midnight and Skye was still up and pacing the confines of the bedroom she’d been given to use. She stopped and pulled in a deep breath. What could she have been thinking about making an offer to spend the summer with Vincent in Houston?

But deep down she’d known why she had done it. Now that she had found her brother, she didn’t want to lose him. She wanted to spend as much time as possible with him, getting to know him and him getting to know her. It hadn’t dawned on her at the time that being in Houston around Vincent also meant being around Slade. A part of her hoped that Vincent’s school would let him spend the last month of summer with her; then she would have no reason to spend the summer in Houston. No reason to be around Slade. No reason to consider his job offer.

Her parents would literally go bonkers at the thought of her putting in a leave of absence from her job. They wouldn’t understand and would think she’d taken leave of her senses. But what she’d told the Madarises at dinner was true. Now that her wedding was officially off, she still had the money tucked away that she’d saved, so taking off work for the summer wouldn’t put her in a financial bind. And if she took the job Slade offered, that meant she would be around Vincent even more.

Again, she reminded herself that it would also mean being around Slade. She inhaled deeply, thinking of the situation that would place her in. Already her body had established just how responsive it was to his kisses, his touch, his very presence. She should be distancing herself from temptation and not placing herself right smack in the middle of it.

When she finally got tired of pacing the floor, she took off her robe and slipped back into bed. First things first. First she would have to deal with her parents if she decided to spend the summer in Houston, and then she would deal with the situation with Slade.

As she snuggled under the covers, she remembered the ride she’d taken on horseback and later the walk she’d shared, both with Slade. She also remembered their kisses. Each time Slade’s lips had moved over hers with such tenderness, it not only nearly brought tears to her eyes, but it also had increased a hunger in her midsection—one she only experienced when kissing him. For some reason, whenever she was in his arms, she felt exclusively his. Never had she felt she belonged to any man exclusively. Not even Wayne.

Slade, whether he intended to or not, had definitely made her feel that way. She released a slow breath as she gazed up at the ceiling. An image of Slade smiling down at her with those sexy dimples seemed to appear there. She blinked. Sheese. She was definitely losing it.

She tossed on her side and closed her eyes. Moments later a hum of pleasure stirred from her lips when she again thought of all the kisses the two of them had shared. Those thoughts were still on her mind when she finally drifted off to sleep a short while later.

“Alex, you’re awake?”

Alexander Maxwell glanced over at the clock on his nightstand before glancing over at his wife, who’d been sleeping beside him. The phone had awakened the both of them. “I am now, Clayton. What do you want?”

“Sorry to call so late, but I wanted to wait until Syneda was asleep. I need you to run a background check on someone.”

Alex, a former FBI agent who owned a private investigation company, raised a dark brow. “Who?”

“A woman by the name of Skye Barclay.”

Alex pulled himself up in bed. “Isn’t that Vincent’s new sister?”

“So you’ve heard?”

“Who hasn’t? Vincent has called just about everyone. He’s excited about it.”

“Well, I want to make sure that excitement doesn’t back-fire on him.”

Alex frowned. “Why would that happen?”

“Justin and Lorren are taking this woman’s word about everything. I want to make sure she’s really who she says she is and that she doesn’t have an ulterior motive for seeking Vincent out.”

Alex raised his eyes toward the ceiling. “Why are you so suspicious of everyone, Clayton?”

“Hell, I’ve learned my lesson. I wasn’t suspicious of you when I should have been. Had I known you had the hots for my sister, I would have—”

“Done nothing, so get over it.” A smile touched the corners of Alex’s lips when he gazed down into the sparkling brown eyes of his wife. She had that
just-made-love-to
look on her face, mainly because he had finished making love to her less than an hour ago and they had dozed off to sleep. And now, thanks to Clayton, they were awake again.

“I got Christy just where I want her,” he said. “I’ll do what you’ve asked and check out Ms. Barclay, but I think your suspicions are unfounded. I’m only hearing good things about her.”