Her Desert Treasure (Entangled Ignite) (12 page)

“Did I hurt your arm?” His gaze bored into hers.

Meg smiled and shook her head slowly. “You didn’t hurt me. You took me by surprise, but no, you didn’t hurt me.”

He lowered his forehead to hers. “God, you feel good to me. You taste so good to me. You’re all I could think about today, and I was going nuts when I couldn’t reach you.”

Meg pulled away from him enough to look into his eyes. “I’m sorry about that, Jake. Like I said, I didn’t always have good reception out there, and I got a little side-tracked dealing with a few problems I ran into.”

He jerked his head up, and he pinned her with his stare, visually inspecting her. “What kind of problems?” He held her away from him. “Are you okay?” he asked again, and this time she laughed.

“Of course I’m okay. I just had a little run in with a couple of guys who’d been sent out to the property to do some survey work.”

Jake stopped her. “What guys?” His entire body tensed under her hands.

“It’s a long story. You remember me telling you there was an issue with the estate?”

Before he could speak, the back door creaked open, and his father stuck his head out.

“Sorry to interrupt you two, but we were just discussing dinner.”

Jake had been so wrapped up in Meg he’d forgotten he had other guests. “Sorry, Dad. We can run into town for something if you want.”

Bob held up his hand. “Not to worry, son. Your mother has convinced Kristen that she’s too tired to go anywhere, and I think I can stir something up here. Why don’t you and Meg go out, just the two of you? We’ve monopolized enough of your time today.”

Jake still had hold of Meg’s shoulders, and he released her just long enough to slide one arm around her waist. He smiled up at Bob. “Thanks, Dad. Don’t wait up.” Then he pulled Meg along with him around the house to the driveway. “Let’s get out of here, and you can tell me what happened today.”

Before she could respond, he’d lifted her into his truck. Then he trotted around to take the driver’s seat and switch over the ignition. They were on the main road, heading into town, before he spoke again.

“What do you feel like eating?”

Meg placed her hand on his thigh, and Jake stopped talking. Every nerve in his body came alive, his muscles tensed as she slowly rubbed his leg up and down with her palm.

“Is there someplace we can get something to go?”

The desire in her voice hardened his cock. It took all his restraint to keep the truck on the road. “You want to grab a burger or something? That’d probably be fastest.”

When she said, “Works for me,” he swung into the first drive thru they came across and ordered. Within minutes, they were back on the road. He clasped her hand, and he looked at her expectantly.

“Where to?”

“The cabin.”

Music to his ears. She’d get no argument from him. Jake had listened with interest to her stories of childhood memories of Big Rock. He wanted to know everything about this woman, and this peek into her past had him intrigued. They finally came to the private road that led to the gate, and Jake slowed the truck. “Sit tight, I’ll get the gate. What’s the combination?”

Meg smiled. “It’s oh-one-two-six. My birthday.”

Jake hopped out and lined up the wheels on the lock. When it sprang open, he swung the gate wide and returned to the pickup. A stray lock of hair had escaped her braid, and he brushed it off her face. “This was a great idea.”

They brought the food inside, and Meg set the table while he checked out the small house. “This is nice. I’ve only been inside a few times. John and I usually met at the canyon.”

“They updated everything before my grandmother died. They were planning to build their retirement home here and were going to live in this until it was finished. Gram died two years ago. They never even broke ground for the house.”

Her voice cracked, and Jake came up behind her, slipping his hands around her waist and pulling her back against his chest. He kissed her neck and squeezed her tight. She turned in his arms, tears glistening in her eyes, and all Jake wanted to do was take away the hurt he saw in them. He kissed her gently, wanting only to ease her pain, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Sighing, she parted her lips, inviting him inside.

Jake took it slow, sliding his tongue along her bottom lip, then slipping into the sweetness of her mouth. Meg met him, and they played together, lazily sucking and biting. Kissing her was quickly becoming as vital as breathing. Their lips met and clung, over and over, while his hands stroked up and down her back. The feel of her fingers threaded through his hair deepened his arousal. He’d meant to comfort her, but a simple kiss had stoked the low flame of desire into a raging fire of lust. It took every ounce of self-control he possessed to pull away. Dragging air into his lungs, he raised his head and gazed into her eyes, finding her own desire evident in the violet depths.

“You are incredible.” Arms still wrapped around her, he waited for her to catch her breath. When she closed her eyes and dropped her head to his chest, he pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. “Hungry?”

Smiling, she pushed out of his arms. “Dinner will keep. Right now, I want to show you around while there’s daylight left.” She brushed a hand over her dress. “This isn’t the best outfit for hiking, so we won’t go too far.”

Going for a hike was the last thing on his mind, but Jake agreed that her curve-hugging dress and insubstantial sandals weren’t made for a trek in the desert. “Yeah, but it’s sexy as hell. I like it.”

A slight blush colored her cheeks. “Thank you.” Still smiling, she tugged on his arm and they headed for one of the hiking trails.

They walked along hand-in-hand as Meg pointed out different landmarks and explained some of her favorite rock formations. Jake listened and watched her intently as she spoke, and it was clear by her excitement that she loved this place. Pointing to some rocks on a hill, she told him where her favorite hiding place was tucked away. She also told him about the cave and asked him if he’d like to go exploring with her some time.

“I know the cave goes back into the mountain further, but my grandparents would never let me go past the first cavern. When I got older, I didn’t spend as much time here. I’d like to check it out if you wouldn’t mind going with me. I guess I’m still a little bit chicken when it comes to tight spaces.”

“I’d love to go with you.” Just the thought of getting Meg alone in a dark, tight space made him grow hard. “Just name the day, and we’ll do it.”

They hadn’t gone far on the way back when Meg let out a delighted squeal. She bent down and picked up a plain-looking stone, dusting it off when she stood. She held it up for Jake’s inspection, and he looked at her with a raised brow.

“It’s a geode.” When he shook his head, she explained, “It’s essentially a rock cavity with an internal crystal formation or concentric banding. Some have hollow cavities with quartz crystals, and some of them are solid, those are called nodules. No two are the same, so it’s always a surprise to open them to see what’s inside.”

A simple rock had her shaking with enthusiasm? “So what’s in this one?”

“That’s the fun. You can’t tell by looking at the outside. You have to crack it open or use a rock saw.” She reached for his hand and pulled him down the trail headed back to the cabin. “C’mon. Let’s go open this one.”

He trotted along beside her, and soon they were back at the cabin where he sat down at the picnic table while she went inside. She came back out carrying a sock and a small hammer with a pick on one side. She placed the geode in the sock and set it on the ground on top of a flat rock, then she took the rock hammer and gave the sock a solid
whack
. When she reached inside the sock and pulled out the geode, Jake thought it was still intact, but she held it out and opened it as if it were an egg. He took one half from her and stared at the quartz crystals that jutted from the center of the stone.

“Oh, look. That’s so cool.”

She sat beside him. “My grandfather showed me my first one when I was only three. I’ve been hooked ever since.”

Jake admired the stone. “I can see why. It’s beautiful.”

“I’ve spent a lot of time wandering around these rocks with him, and I love this place. I want to fulfill their dream of having a home here.”

Looking directly into her violet blue eyes, Jake said, “It’s wonderful that you’re going to build the classrooms.”

“Not just that. I’m going to build a house here, too. Just like my grandparents wanted. I’m not sure about any details, but I know this is where I want to live.”

Jake couldn’t suppress his grin. “That’s the best news I’ve had all day.” He leaned over and pressed a hard kiss to her mouth. “Are you ready to eat? All of a sudden, I’m starving.”

A little later, he didn’t think he’d ever tasted anything better than cold fried chicken. He was sure it had more to do with the company than with the food. Everything tasted better when he was with Meg. She took a sip of her water and glanced out the window.

“If we hurry, we can watch the sunset.”

Jake finished his food and nodded, tucking the trash into the bag. He helped Meg clean up then they wandered back outside and sat down at the picnic table. While he straddled the bench, Meg sat in the vee of his legs. He pulled her tight against his chest and wrapped his arms around her to ward off the slight chill now that the sun was going down. The warmth of his breath brushed the nape of her neck.

Goosebumps rose on her arms, and she sank back even deeper against him, sighing. Before them, with the huge mesas as a backdrop, the brilliant reds, pinks, and golds of the sunset streaked across the deepening blue sky. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

Jake’s hold tightened, and he pressed soft kisses to her neck. “Mmm hmm, beautiful.”

She turned her head to look at his face. “I was talking about the sunset.”

He took advantage of her position and kissed her mouth. “Right. The sunset.” Sliding his hand upward to cup the back of her head, he kissed her slowly, moving his lips over hers. “There’s a bed inside, right?” he murmured.

Meg nodded. “I think the sheets are still in my car.”

Jake pulled back to look into her eyes. He laughed. “I was really just hoping for a softer place than the picnic table. You don’t have to worry about making the bed, sweetheart.”

Meg felt the heat of her blush. “Oh. Right.” She grinned up at him and then turned more thoughtful. “I’ll have to remember to make the bed when I come back tonight.”

Jake loosened his grip and stared down at her. “I’d rather you stay at my place tonight. In fact, I’d like it if you stayed with me until this mess with the estate gets settled.”

“I’ll be fine.”

He shook his head. “Meg, I’m not letting you stay out here all by yourself.”

She pulled out of his arms and stood to face him. “You’re not
letting
me stay here? Funny, I don’t remember asking your permission.”

“Would you stop and think about this for a second? A single woman out here alone, no reliable phone…” Jake blew out an exasperated breath and got up from his seat, too. “You told me there were two strange men out here today. I get sick when I think about what could have happened.”

Meg waved the comment off. “Those two were just here because of that ass, Monty Anderson. They didn’t even know I’d be around.”

It was getting darker by the minute now that the sun had gone down, and she shivered a little as the cooler night air washed over her skin. Jake took a step forward and took hold of her hands.

“Who the hell is Monty Anderson?”

Right. They hadn’t gotten around to talking about the problem with the estate. “He’s the one who filed the petition against my grandfather’s estate. He’s trying to block the transfer of the deed, and I can’t make any changes to the property until the court dismisses it. That’s why I couldn’t promise you anything about the horse refuge. I can’t even apply for building permits.” She shook her head. “I made myself pretty clear today when I spoke to him that he—or anyone one hired by him—was not to enter the property.”

“Why would he do that? I don’t know details, but it was pretty clear that John expected you to have the property.”

“He did. He left everything to me.”

“And what were they surveying? It doesn’t make sense.”

“This Anderson guy tried to feed me a line about environmental concerns, but he was totally blowing smoke. He’s up to something.”

“Exactly why you shouldn’t be out here alone.”

Well, hell. She’d walked right into that one.

Jake’s phone rang. He ignored it.

“You going to get that?”

“Whoever it is can wait. This can’t.” He pulled her closer and leaned down so their lips were almost touching. “I can’t stand the idea of you being out here by yourself. But more than that, I hate the thought of you
not
being at my place. With me.” He closed the space between them and pressed his mouth to hers, sliding his hands up her arms and cupping her face. His phone rang again. Swearing, he pulled away.

“You’d better answer. It might be important.”

Nodding, he dragged the phone from his belt. “Jake Matthews.” His tone was harsh and impatient.

Meg watched as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. His tone softened, and the look on his face changed to concern. She stepped back to go inside, but Jake grabbed her hand before she could get too far.

“Where are you now?” He pinched his eyes shut. “Okay, I’ll be there in about thirty minutes. Try to keep her calm until I get there.” He snapped the phone shut, and at Meg’s questioning look, he shook his head. “Don Holmes has a mare down. She isn’t due for another couple of weeks, but he thinks she’s gone into labor. If it was any other emergency I’d have Carl, my backup, take it, but this is one of Desi’s foals. I have to go.”