Riding Red (15 page)

His words sent a tingle down her spine, even as his gaze pierced her to the core. Teresa had no doubt as to Jeff’s intentions and the knowledge thrilled her, but his solemn expression would not allow her to savour the moment.

He’d mentioned needing to be completely honest with her.

She gestured for him to continue, saying softly, “I love you, Jeff. No matter what you tell me, there is
nothing
that will ever change that.”

 He shook his head, but his expression didn’t ease until he finally met her unflinching gaze that radiated with her love for him.

“I know some people feel strongly about having biological children, which is why I need you to understand that while nothing’s impossible, given my injuries, our chances are pretty low.”

Teresa registered every word he said. She knew what he was saying, what it all meant, just as she knew it changed nothing for her.

Cupping his jaw in her palm, her touch was as gentle as her voice when she finally spoke, “Having children is a lengthy discussion we certainly will have to have because this entire process will be a challenge, but there are many options for us, Jeff, and I’m open to them all. So when we both decide we’re ready to start a family, we will just have to consider all of them.”

She shrugged, her expression once again light-hearted. “But today is not that day, especially since you haven’t even asked me to marry you. Awfully presumptuous of you to already be talking about kids. Don’t you think you’re getting
way
ahead of yourself?”

Eyes that had been sombre just moments ago, softened, and her heart did a tiny flutter when his grave expression disappeared. She rewarded him with a smile, but when he flashed that charming, crooked grin of his that always made her heart melt, she all but swooned into him.

“No matter what, I love you, Jeff Downing, for as long as you’ll have me.”

His brows lifted. “As long as I’ll have you?” He pulled her deeper into his embrace, his arms wrapping tight around her.

“You sound as if you think I would ever let you go. But I can tell you already, I’m gonna want you for a lifetime.”

A lifetime with Jeff Downing?
Teresa’s lips furled into a smile at the same time she lifted on her toes to welcome his kiss.

She could definitely handle that
.

Also available from Total-E-Bound Publishing:

A Rebound Affair

Nadia Aidan

Excerpt

Chapter One

“I think I’m in love with your wife.”

Jackson Downing stood ramrod straight, and steeled himself for the blow he knew would come.  He deserved to be pummelled by Jacob and they both knew it. His brother had warned him that his attraction to Camille was more than
just
attraction. But he’d sworn to Jacob he was over her, that he’d accepted their marriage and was moving on, but he had lied.  He was certain Jacob had known he’d lied, but his brother had said nothing at the time. 

A tense silence permeated the room as they regarded each other warily. He had to admit he was a little surprised Jacob hadn’t launched over the desk and beat the shit out of him as soon as the words left his mouth. Jacob had inherited the infamous Irish temper of their maternal grandfather, more so than any of the Downing brothers. So, he took it as a good sign that since Jacob hadn’t resorted to violence, he still might be open to talking this out.

“I know,” was all Jacob said, his already harsh face giving away nothing as he sat behind his desk, his entire body rigid. 

“I figured you knew, which is why I’m leaving.”

Jacob sighed. “And I had a feeling you were going to say that.” He stood up from his chair and Jackson met the identical dark sapphire gaze of his brother. 

“I don’t want you to go, but I know this has been hard for you.”

 Jacob had no idea.
Watching the woman he’d spent the past seven months falling in love with walk down the aisle with the brother he was closest to, was more than hard—it was excruciating.

“I know you’ve been itching to get back down south to oversee the drilling project on Natalie’s old land in Hockley but with the wedding it had to be pushed aside…”

“And now you want to go in my place.”

Jackson shrugged.  “It could take a while to get the pipe in place, months even. You’re a newly wed and it just doesn’t make sense for you to be gone for months away from Camille when I can go instead.” He wanted to add that he
needed
this trip more than anyone else, but he didn’t. They both knew how desperate he was to get away from Macon, Texas. 

“It’s going to be a tough job and you’re going to have your hands full with a foreman who is pissed that we’re the new owners. I haven’t met him, but he hasn’t returned any of my calls and our email exchanges have been less than polite—”

“I don’t care. I’ll deal with it.” He knew Jacob wouldn’t deny him this. Besides they were well aware that with his laidback attitude and easygoing demeanour, Jackson had always been better suited than any of his brothers in dealing with business conflicts and handling negotiations.

“Alright.” Jacob nodded. “If you want to go then the job is yours.”

Jackson released a drawn out breath. Separated by just two years, Jackson knew his brother well, and could tell from the strained expression on Jacob’s face that he really didn’t want him to go, at least not like this. But, they both knew he had to.

There was no way he could remain in Macon any longer. Being away and dealing with the distraction of getting the pipeline running would hopefully give him the time he needed to get over Camille. 

It had all seemed so simple. For six months Camille would serve his sexual needs and those of his three brothers, and when her time was up they would all walk away. Then, Camille would get her ranch back when it was over. But at some point along the way, Jacob and Camille had raised the stakes by falling in love. It was just unfortunate that he’d fallen in love with her too. He didn’t begrudge his brother or Camille for finding happiness with each other. But he would be lying if he didn’t admit that he hadn’t taken it so well when Camille chose his brother over him. That she’d fallen in love with his brother and not him. 

One of the hardest things he’d ever had to do was to stand beside Jacob and watch as he said “I do” to Camille. Ever since that day he’d been distant and withdrawn from Jacob, and it pained him to think their relationship would never be the same ever again. That had been the deciding factor for him. He had to leave and at least
try
to move on for all their sakes. He’d lost Camille and if he didn’t learn to get over her, he would lose his brother too. 

He was determined to do everything in his power to not let that happen. He would head down to Hockley for a few months, lick his wounds and try to forget about Camille, his feelings for her and the fact that he’d fallen in love with his brother’s wife.
 

* * * *

“Damn you, Natalie,” BJ Parker muttered angrily, her gaze following the shiny black Mercedes as it made its way along the dirt road towards where she stood in front of the ranch house.

Her half-sister had some nerve selling Cottonmouth Ranch and leaving her to deal with the new owner—
alone
. They both agreed that in order to pay off their father’s gambling debts they would have to sell the ranch, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. 

She’d been the foreman since graduating from college ten years ago and had always envisioned taking over when their dad retired. But that vision had faded when her father fell ill two years ago and she discovered he was living under a mountain of debt. She’d done all she could to keep Cottonmouth solvent, but it hadn’t been enough. By the time she’d taken over, it was already too late. 

After their father’s death, she and Natalie quickly sold the ranch, settled with their dad’s creditors and moved on. Well, at least that’s how her older sister saw things. Natalie had always hated life on the ranch, and now she was pleasantly oblivious as she carried on with her lavish life in Chicago, far away from the family ranch, their small town of Hockley, and all the troubles that selling Cottonmouth hadn’t erased. Troubles
she
still had to deal with—the main one being the arrogant and overbearing new owner who had just parked his gleaming, luxury car smack dab in front of her home.

His incessant emails and phone calls had rankled on her nerves, but she realised it was nothing compared to the ire she felt when he filed out of his car. 

She was a tall woman, nearly six feet, and despite the distance she could tell he would tower over her. She hated that, but not quite as much as she hated how his thickly muscled frame rippled beneath his custom tailored black suit. 

“Damn, pretty-boy, Jackson Downing,” she found herself grumbling under her breath as he strolled towards her. She had never met him personally, but had seen the many covers of
Fortune
and
Money
with Jackson and his brothers placed front and centre. So, it was hard
not
to recognise the handsome ranch owner, even with his eyes hidden behind tinted aviator shades.

As he neared, she felt the hair on the back of her neck rise. She also knew she wore a surly frown across her face. She despised him and his brothers for buying her ranch, and the fact that she was now his employee
. S
he wasn’t a big fan of his flashy city-slicker demeanour either.  Men like him didn’t know a damn about hard work and the long days spent running a ranch. And if his emails were any evidence, she had no doubt he was going to bulldoze over her and the meticulous operation she ran just to assert his newfound authority and show everyone who was in charge.

“Good morning.  I’m Jackson Downing, the new owner of Cottonmouth Ranch. I called last night to let the foreman know I was coming in today,” he said as he came to a halt before her. 

He extended his hand, flashing her a dimpled smile, but she didn’t acknowledge either as she kept her arms folded across her breasts, her expression blank. She knew she was being rude, especially when he shot her a quizzical frown and let his hand fall back to his side, but she didn’t care. As far as she was concerned, he was not welcome. 

Several seconds ticked by, the air thick with tension, as they stood in silence. Finally, he cleared his throat in a somewhat futile attempt to ease the awkward moment.

“I wonder if you can help me.  I’m looking for BJ Parker.”

“And you just found her,” she said stiffly, bracing herself for what she knew would come next. No matter how many times it happened, she always got a thrill watching the shock cross the faces of men expecting to meet, well—a
man.
And this time was no exception.  Jackson Downing tugged his sunglasses from his face to stare down at her with questioning blue eyes, as if somehow the glasses had hidden the fact that she was, after all, a woman.

“You’re BJ Parker? The foreman.”

“That’s me.”

His brows knitted together as he frowned.  “I…um was expecting—”

“A man?” she offered.

“No. I spoke with Natalie before I arrived. She told me her sister
was the foreman. I knew you were a woman.” 

She smiled at the puzzled look on his face. He looked like a fish out of water. Most people did when they discovered her svelte, blonde sister, was in fact
her
sister.

“But I didn’t expect you to be—”

“Black,” she said with a slight shrug. “Natalie’s my half-sister.” Her lips curled into a tiny grin. “I guess you can tell which
half
we don’t share.”

She could say that again.

He swept his gaze over her, doing his best not to let his eyes linger. Yet even with his brief perusal of the woman known as BJ Parker he did not miss the subtle curves on her tall slender frame, carefully hidden behind a pair of well worn jeans and a baggy plaid shirt. He also didn’t miss the exquisite beauty of her face, despite the Stetson that cast a dark shadow over her features. Even if she’d stood before him with a paper bag over her head he would have still been able to tell she was a natural beauty, a beauty that was rivalled only by her blatant animosity towards him. 

He was surprised when a wave of heat inched across his skin, and he cleared his throat in an attempt to help clear his head. This woman was an endless parade of surprises. And from what little information he could pry out of Natalie on his drive there that morning, she was also going to be tough to win over. Whatever interest his body
had in her would have to be ignored because he was there to do business, and nothing more. 

“Well, I’m glad to finally meet you,” he said with a curt nod. He almost extended his hand again, but then quickly remembered she hadn’t been too keen on shaking his hand the first time. Apparently, she also wasn’t too keen on meeting him since she didn’t offer a similar reply, the lovely features of her face as stoic as a blank mask. 

He let out an inward sigh. This was going to be a long trip if she didn’t lose the attitude, but he didn’t have the energy to deal with her or her surly disposition right now. He could confront her later. Right now all he wanted to do was unpack and settle in after the five-hour drive south. 

He spun away from her, popped the trunk and dug out two large black suitcases. As soon as he moved towards her, he noticed her entire demeanour had changed. She went from being just slightly rude to openly hostile, as she stood before the two steps leading up to the house, her stance wide with her arms still folded tightly across her chest. She looked like a bouncer guarding the entrance to an exclusive nightclub in Manhattan. It would have been laughable had he not been so exhausted and eager to get to his room where he could unwind.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m taking my things inside so that I can relax before we talk business.” He stepped to the side, but she shifted in that direction to block his path.