World's Most Eligible Texan (17 page)

“Hi, Pamela,” he said easily, but his eyes held a coldness
that she wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of as his gaze followed Johannes hurrying across the street. “Did he bother you? I can go after him.”

“No, Dakota. Thanks for stopping. He's gone now. He wanted to ask me some more questions, but I told him I wasn't answering any more.”

“Good. Aaron's at the Wrangler Drilling Company in a meeting. I can page him—”

“Good heavens, no! Aaron would tear up the town to go after the man, and it's not necessary. I'm glad you stopped, though. Thanks. I'll go on home, and there's no need to let Aaron know. I'll tell him tonight when I see him.”

Suddenly Dakota's gaze flickered back to her briefly, and amusement flashed in his dark eyes. “No deal. I'll tell Aaron before tonight, or he'll have my neck for not letting him know that that guy was bothering you. I think I'll see where the creep is going. Sure you're all right?”

“I'm fine. See you later, Dakota.”

He was already gone, striding across the street. She went to her car and slid inside, shivering. Johannes was creepy, and she really would rather Aaron didn't know about the incident at all, but Dakota was going to tell him.

 

She was getting ready for her dinner date with Aaron that evening, dressing in jeans and a red sweater, when she heard the key turn in the lock, and then he stepped inside. “Hi, honey, I'm home,” he called, and she smiled as she left the bedroom to meet him. He wore jeans, a white shirt and his black Stetson and her heart jumped at the sight of him.

“The cowboy diplomat,” she said, crossing the room to him and walking into his arms, her pulse jumping another notch at the hungry look in his eyes.

“You look beautiful,” he whispered, before he leaned down to kiss her. When his mouth touched hers, desire ballooned within her. Tightening her arms around his neck, she stopped thinking about the future, once again clinging to the moment, loving him with her whole heart and soul.

“Ahh, darlin',” he whispered as he trailed kisses along her throat and his hands slipped beneath her sweater, unfastening the clasp to her lacy bra and cupping her breasts. She moaned softly, her hands tugging at the buttons on his shirt, and all she wanted was to be in his arms, loving him and letting him love her.

They left a trail of clothes to her bedroom, where Aaron picked her up to carry her the rest of the way to her bed, and then she was in his arms as if it were the first time all over again. Need drove her and she pushed him down on the bed, trailing kisses over his chest and down his flat stomach, down to his manhood. He caught her beneath the arms and rolled her over, moving on top of her and the sight of him poised above her made her tremble with hot desire for all of him.

“I want you so badly, Aaron,” she whispered.

He lowered himself, slowly easing into her. “Never can you want me the way I want you, love. Never.” His green eyes were dark as night with hot pinpoints of fiery longing. He moved slowly within her and she moved with him, her hips raising as her legs tightened around him.

While her pulse roared and sensations rocked her, she closed her eyes. All the time, she reveled that Aaron was in her arms, Aaron was loving her and she was his love once again.

They climaxed and drifted back slowly to reality. He held her close against him, stroking her and showering her with light kisses.

“I love you, Mellie,” he said. “Love you with all my heart.”

She closed her eyes and buried her face against his chest and hurt. Why hadn't she been careful that first time? They might have had a chance, but this way, she still couldn't believe that what he felt was anything but infatuation, passion, a relationship ruled by great sex and some fun times together. But there was more to life than that. And they weren't living in a real world, staying together at his place or at her place,
neither of them working or dealing with everyday life. How could she fit into his life?

She couldn't. The answer was always the same. She couldn't see herself married to a diplomat. She had no background for his life.

He shifted and tilted her chin up, his green eyes stormy. “What're you thinking, darlin'?”

“I'm thinking some day you'll wake up and see our relationship the way I see it. I don't fit into your lifestyle, Aaron.”

“You belong in my life because I want you there, not because of some set of rules.”

She knew they were going to get nowhere with this argument and she turned away. “You said something about dinner.”

“Sure did,” he said cheerfully and scooped her into his arms, rolling to the side of the bed and standing with her in his arms. “We'll shower and go eat supper.”

“If we shower together, I'll never get supper.”

“You're complaining, lady?” he asked with a wicked grin and she had to smile and kiss him.

“No complaints, cowboy,” she whispered. “Not the tiniest one.”

 

Two hours later when he turned into the drive to his Pine Valley house, she glanced at him. “What are we doing at your house?”

“I'm going to show you my culinary talents.”

“You have—at breakfast, remember?”

“I can do better than oatmeal and toast. How about grilled fillets of bass, caught by my own hands and now cooked by me?”

“You talented rascal, how can I resist you,” she teased in a sultry voice, and he grinned.

They sat in his kitchen with a roaring fire in the fireplace, and she ate flaky bites of fish and lemon-covered rice with steamed asparagus. In spite of the delicious food, she was far more fascinated with Aaron, just wanting to watch him, talk
to him, be with him. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a small box to set it in front of her.

Curious, she looked at him and then at the box. She opened it and gasped with pleasure as she lifted out a gold link bracelet. “Oh, Aaron, this is beautiful! I love this! Thank you!”

He looked pleased as he fastened it on her wrist, and she came around to give him a kiss. His arm slipped around her waist, but she pulled away from him and sat down again facing him. “We should eat dinner and never let this cooking go to waste.”

“Sure, darlin',”' he drawled.

He held her hand while they ate as if he couldn't bear to let go of her. After she stopped eating, he set down his glass of water and studied her. While his expression didn't change, she could see that frightening coldness come into his green eyes. “What's wrong, Aaron?”

“Dakota told me about Garth Johannes,” Aaron said solemnly. “For a while I get to take you wherever you need to go.”

“Aaron, that's ridiculous! The man didn't hurt me. He just said he wanted to ask me more questions, and I told him no.”

“Good for you, but damn him. Exactly what did he say to you?”

“I don't remember precisely,” she said, looking away, and Aaron turned her to face him.

“You are one poor liar, darlin'. Lack of experience probably causes that. What did he say to you?”

“Drop it, Aaron. It'll just make you angry.”

“I'm getting more angry by the minute and imagining the worst. I may go punch him out just because my imagination—”

“Aaron, don't! Please don't do something violent. He just said he hadn't seen me around town much lately. He said it was probably because I was with you. He told me he wanted to ask me a few more questions.”

“Dakota said he blocked your way to your car.”

“We were on Main Street, for heaven's sake!”

“Don't ever get close enough to him that he can grab you. Promise me.”

“Now you're scaring me,” she said quietly, looking at the solemn expression on Aaron's face. “I have no intention of getting close to him or his revolting partner.”

“Shortly before that—I guess while you were getting your hair cut, I met with him and the other one, Yungst.”

“What did you think?” she asked, feeling an intrusion into the warm glow of the evening.

“Probably the same reaction you had. I didn't like them. I don't believe much of anything they said. They know you're expecting and they know the baby is mine.”

“How do they know that! I didn't think anyone else knew it yet except Dr. Woodbury and now—” She stopped, remembering seeing the door close at the end of the hall when she had been talking to Aaron in front of the obstetrician's office. “The doctor's office.”

“Right. They sort of tipped their own hand by saying that to me. I didn't get much out of them, but I don't trust them or like them. Dakota is watching them. That's why he was there today.”

“I wasn't sure Dakota knew who I was, but I've met him before.”

“He knows you. He's older than you—like I am,” Aaron added dryly.

“You poor decrepit thing,” she teased, leaving her dinner and coming around to sit on his lap. “Let me feel and see if you're falling apart,” she said, running her hand along his thigh.

He wrapped his arms around her. “This is good, lady. Very good. And I'll show you decrepit,” he said, leaning forward to kiss her.

After a few minutes she pushed him away slightly. “Aaron, I interrupted you. You were telling me about Dakota Lewis. What did you start to say?”

“Just that Dakota is trying to watch Johannes and Yungst. Until today, he hasn't seen them do anything they shouldn't.
He said they usually split up, so he can only watch one at a time. They know we're watching them.”

She sobered, thinking about the danger and the missing diamond.

“Stop worrying. We're safely locked away in my house, and no one is watching this place except the security guard. Now I was going to prove that I'm not decrepit and falling apart yet,” he said, standing and slinging her over his shoulder.

With a squeal, she laughed as he crossed the room to the oval rug in front of the fireplace. With a flick of the switch, Aaron turned off the lights and only the glow of the fire gave them light.

“Come here, woman,” he said, setting her on her feet. He had his feet apart, his legs braced, and he hauled her into his arms, leaning over her. Her laughter vanished with his passionate kiss, and in minutes she was returning kiss for kiss and caress for caress as they loved again long into the night.

As she lay in Aaron's arms with moonlight spilling over them and embers glowing in the fireplace in his large bedroom, he rolled away and crossed the room. She watched him, looking at his lean, muscular, naked body and long legs and her heart pounded with mixed emotions. She knew she had to end their lovemaking or else agree to his proposal. Yet her feelings still hadn't changed.

He picked something up off his desk and sauntered back to bed, sliding beneath the covers beside her to take her into his arms again.

“That was too long away from you.”

“That's foolishness, Aaron.”

He turned away and she heard a click, and then he settled back with his arms going around her again. He picked up her hand and held out a ring. “Please marry me, Pamela.”

Her heart missed a beat. As tears stung her eyes, a knot burned in her throat and hurt overwhelmed her. The diamond was huge, catching moonlight and holding out glittering promises of dreams come true.

She wanted to cry out,
Yes, yes
and throw herself into his arms and stop thinking about tomorrow and the life Aaron had away from Texas and all his background and wealth. But she couldn't shut out his heritage. It was as much a part of him as his Texas upbringing and she still couldn't see herself, a plain elementary teacher from Royal, Texas, holding a lifelong fascination for the sophisticated diplomat that he truly was.

“Aaron…” she said, unable to stop the tears from spilling over. She couldn't talk and all she could do was shake her head. “No. No,” she whispered. “I haven't changed how I feel. I don't think this will last. Not for you. You'll have regrets—”

“Dammit, lady, let me make that decision! I'm in love. You're everything I want and have dreamed about—”

“Oh, please, Aaron. That's not true and don't tell me it is. You're infatuated, lost in the fun and the sex we've had, but there's more to life than that. And there's your family. I know how they'll see me.”

“They'll see you like I see you, and you're marrying me. They don't get a say in this decision. And it's ridiculous to worry about them because they'll love you when they meet you,” he said, sitting up and letting the covers fall around his waist.

She shook her head. “I can't take your ring. I don't feel any differently. I can't resist loving you—you know that,” she said, barely able to breathe or say the words and hurting all over. “I can't resist your kisses, but all the loving doesn't change my mind about the future.”

He framed her face with his hands, winding his fingers in her hair. “I love you, now and forever.”

“Aaron, stop! You're just caught up in the moment.” She scrambled away and grabbed a blanket to wrap around herself as she stood. “I have to go home. Now.”

She rushed across the room, gathering her clothes, barely aware of what she was doing, moving by rote, knowing this was what she had to do and she had brought this moment on
herself by letting down all the barriers and making love with him.

She rushed into the bathroom and closed the door, gasping for breath while tears continued to stream down her face. “I'm right, Aaron,” she whispered. “I know I am. When it's out that I'm pregnant with your baby, your family won't love me. Gossip will fly in town, and folks will see me like my mother. I don't want you involved in my old problems.”

With shaking hands she dressed swiftly. When she came out of the bathroom, he was seated on a chair with his elbows on his knees. Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, he raised his head to look at her. “You're wrong, Mellie.”