Page 21 of The Texan's Baby Proposal

Desire—white hot, too long banked—ignited, and she kissed him in return. His hand slipped down over her breast and even though he caressed her through her clothing, his touches were fiery and made her want to be pressed against him even as she knew she shouldn’t. Holding him, kissing him, letting him stroke her was taking them straight to disaster. Common sense cautioned her to stop, but her desire was stronger. Marc was incredibly sexy, more than any other man she had known—a discovery she wished she hadn’t made—and she couldn’t stop kissing him.

She moaned softly and wound her fingers in the short hair at the back of his neck.

She felt his fingers twist loose the buttons on her dress and then drift lightly across her bare breast, and she gasped with pleasure. In minutes he had the front of her dress open, and his fingers pushed away her lacy bra, caressing her lightly. She closed her eyes as she kissed him while sensations rocked her. She was unaware of what he was doing until he lifted her to his lap.

She opened her eyes. “You’ve put me in danger. We’re flying and I should stay buckled into my seat.”

“I’m holding you and I won’t let go.”

“You can’t hold me as tightly as a seatbelt,” she whispered between kisses.

“Yes, I can, and this is a smooth, safe ride and you’re safe in my arms.”

“I’m not safe from falling in love with you,” she whispered.

She gasped with pleasure as he caressed her breasts with feathery strokes that made her tingle. With an effort she opened her eyes and wiggled out of his arms.

He looked at her intently. “I want you, Lara.”

“That wasn’t necessarily going to be part of the deal.”

“Whatever we both want and whatever works out is part of the deal. I don’t have to be in a rush, but Lara, you can’t tell me you didn’t like that just now or that you didn’t like it when we kissed.”

“You know I did,” she said, feeling a blush heat her face. “But that doesn’t make it the smart thing to do.”

He smiled and moved his hands so she could go back to her own seat and buckle up again. She looked up to find him watching her intently. “What?”

“You’re a beautiful woman. This has been a good plan and a good day. I did the best I could for my grandparents. My grandfather was happy and that makes me happy. He’s been good to me all my life and I want to be good to him. You’re perfect for this and I’m thankful you accepted the deal.”

“Marc, I’ve benefitted maybe more than anyone. But I think we need to try to keep to our original agreement and avoid sex.”

“I’m sure that’s the smart thing to do.” He nodded, then added, “Relax, Lara. A few kisses are fun and it’s not like we’ll fall in love because of them. You know I haven’t really desired any woman since my wife. You’re pretty safe from a heavy relationship.”

She didn’t want seduction and she wasn’t flying to the ranch to go to bed with him. He had been clear that was not part of the deal and for a minute she wondered if he had changed his mind, but evidently not. She took his advice and relaxed.

“Did you tell your mother I’m pregnant?”

“Yes. You told me I could. Believe me, it will end with her. She doesn’t gossip.”

“It won’t be a secret much longer, anyway. Hopefully long enough that a lot of people think this is your baby. That is the nicest thing of all that you offered.”

“We’re coming in over the ranch. Come here, I want you to see this. I’ll buckle you in with me.” She laughed as she sat on his lap and he buckled them both in. He slipped his arm around her waist. “This is beautiful country. Look down there at that river.”

She looked at lush greenery with the silvery ribbon of sparkling, splashing clear water running through it, spilling over rocks and tumbling between banks.

“This is a beautiful cattle ranch and I love every inch of it,” he said, his voice deepening.

“You may not want to go back to Dallas and the corporate world after a year here.”

“No, I’ll want to go back. I like business and making money. I like both worlds, but now, while I’m young, I want the corporate life and the competition. Later, I can take the peace and quiet out here, the hard, physical work that has a whole different set of rewards.”

She moved back to her seat and buckled up again. “I can see that same view out my window,” she remarked.

“Yeah, I know. It was more fun to have you sit in my lap and show it to you and know exactly what you were seeing at the time. We’ll be landing at the ranch in a few minutes.”

“I’m excited.” Then a crazy thought hit her out of the blue. “I didn’t bring my recipe books.”

“That’s good, because I have a cook. You won’t have to cook or clean. Someone else will do that. For the first week, while we settle in, the cook won’t be there, but there’ll be enough frozen and ready meals that we’ll just have to heat up. And I can grill burgers and steaks, whatever we want.”

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