The Maverick's Virgin Mistress / Lone Star Seduction. Jennifer Lewis

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СКАЧАТЬ and I love you, too, you big bear of a brother.” She rounded the table and gave him a kiss on his thick head of hair before going upstairs, heart pounding.

      Alicia closed her bedroom door carefully before picking up her phone.

      She hadn’t even dared add Rick’s number to her favorites, in case Alex happened to pick up her phone and notice a new number there among her old friends from school.

      Anticipation mingled with anxiety made her fingers twitchy as she dialed.

      It rang only once.

      “Hey, beautiful.” That soft, seductive voice.

      A smile spread over her face. “What if I’m not looking at all beautiful right now?”

      “Impossible. You can’t help it,” he said, making her feel warm all over. “I saw on the news they put the fire out and that no one was hurt. What a relief.”

      “Tell me about it. We rescued every single calf, only a few scrapes and cuts on them. The barn is gone, though. Nothing left but soggy blackened wood. And there was a six-month supply of good hay in there that we’d put up for the winter.”

      “I’m sorry to hear that. I hope it was insured.”

      “It was, but the barn is irreplaceable. It was one of the first buildings in Somerset. A true historic landmark. I was hoping to get it preservation status, but I guess I can forget about that now.” She sighed. “It could have been much worse. If the wind was blowing harder, the house could have caught fire.”

      “I wish I were there to give you a hug.”

      “Trust me, I could really use one.”

      “Then since you won’t let me set foot on El Diablo, you’re going to have to come here to get one.”

      Adrenaline flashed through Alicia. How could she ask this delicately? Or even indelicately? “Can I spend the night with you?”

      A beat of silence made her pulse throb, but it was followed by a rushed, “Of course.” His enthusiasm almost made her laugh.

      “Wow, that sounded bad, didn’t it? It’s just that Alex doesn’t think it’s safe for me to stay here. The police think the fire was set deliberately and he’s worried the arsonist will come back to finish the job. He wants me to go stay with an old school friend of his, but I don’t like the guy.”

      “I don’t want you near any guy except me. And in case you didn’t know, my suite at the Omni has four bedrooms.”

      “You’re kidding.”

      “Not even a little. Pack your bags and come on over.”

      “My car was parked behind the barn. It pretty much melted.”

      “No sweat, I’ll come get you.” She could almost hear him panting like an excited puppy.

      She smiled. “I don’t think so. If Alex sees your car, it’ll ruin everything. I’ll ask him to drive me to the Texas Cattleman’s Club. That way he won’t suspect anything and you can pick me up there. I could be there by four this afternoon.”

      “I’ll meet you outside.”

      Alicia frowned. It might be nice to hang out at the club a while. She wouldn’t mind showing her new beau off to her friends. But maybe he’d just want to get her bags back to his place.

      Or get her back to his place.

      A naughty smile snuck across her lips and her body tingled with anticipation. She’d be all alone with Rick in his hotel suite, and she had a feeling that tonight would be a night she’d never forget.

      “Great, I’ll meet you by the front door. See you then.”

      She hung up the phone, downright jumpy with excitement.

      She’d recently bought some sexy lingerie at Sweet Nothings in anticipation of becoming more intimate with Rick. She had it hidden away in the back of her dresser drawer so Alex wouldn’t stumble across it while looking for something.

      Now hopefully she’d finally get a chance to put it on—and watch Rick take it off.

      Justin pressed the button to raise the roof on his Porsche convertible. He wasn’t sure Alicia would appreciate the wind in her hair.

      Like every inch of her that he’d had the pleasure to see so far, her dark hair was silky smooth and perfectly groomed.

      And he was looking forward to seeing a lot more of her now that he’d have her all to himself, in his suite, for days—and nights—on end.

      He’d like to see desire flare in those big brown eyes, and run his eager hands all over her glowing olive skin.

      A wicked grin spread across his face.

      Then he wiped if off.

      Cool your jets. First of all, Alicia was traumatized by the fire at the ranch she shared with her brother. She needed his support, not his hands pawing all over her.

      Second, she had no idea who he really was.

      He cursed and tapped his fingers impatiently on the wheel as he waited at a traffic light.

      Why did he have to call himself Rick Jones when he met her?

      Sure, he used the name often, but usually for making hotel reservations or when he met someone who had “gold digger” written all over her. There were definitely times when being Justin Dupree—of those Duprees—was a serious liability.

      Once people knew he had more money than God, they treated him differently. And he was tired of the society press tailing him like a bloodhound, looking for more stories for their gossip columns. Thanks to them, he now had an embarrassing reputation as a playboy that was really only half-deserved.

      Okay, maybe three-quarters. But that was all in the past.

      He was thirty now and more settled. He wasn’t so excited about partying all night. Lately, he wanted to spend quality time getting to know a woman before he slept with her.

      Take Alicia. How many dates had they been on? Maybe eight, and he still hadn’t slept with her.

      Or even kissed her.

      He blew out a breath. The light turned green and he honked his horn to get the car in front of him moving. Eight dates and not even a kiss on the lips? That was ridiculous. And he wasn’t entirely sure how it had happened, either.

      There was something so perfect about Alicia, so pure and sweet and gentle, that he never quite felt right about asking her back to his place. She was the kind of girl you’d send flowers to, the kind whose parents you’d chat with when you picked her up at her house. The kind you’d buy a corsage for on prom night.

      Except that they were both adults and her parents had been dead for years. Why did Alicia Montoya turn him from a hardened ladies’ man back into an eager and apprehensive schoolboy?

      He СКАЧАТЬ