Be My Love Song (4 page)

“Ah, I see.” Morgana leaned forward, looking between the two
of them, like she’d just caught on to their nefarious plans. “I understand,
now. I was wondering how the Magpie was able to attract a stud like you. She’s
not your girlfriend, admit it. You’re just working for her.”

West spread his hands, not knowing what to say. He didn’t
have a good enough imagination to weave a decent set of lies.

When Maddie saw Rod appear as if he were about to cave, a
flare of panic made her jump. “Don’t be silly, Morgana. Weston’s advising me,
but he’s also making love to me at every opportunity. We can’t keep our hands
off one another.”

Before West could react to that startling revelation, his
little handful had abandoned her chair and crawled right up into his lap. She gave
him a smile, but her eyes had almost a pleading quality in their blue depths.
With a light touch, she began to caress his chest.

She certainly had West’s attention.

Madeline was desperate. If she could just pull this off well
enough to quell Morgana’s constant agitating, maybe she could find some peace.
The only problem was—Maddie was enjoying it. She was attracted to this man. He
was so different than what she’d envisioned. When she’d talked to Rod and
pictured him, smarmy had been the word that would have best described what she
had expected.

But smarmy wasn’t what she’d gotten. This man, currently
beneath her questing fingertips, was just about perfect. He was classy, sexy,
ripped, and rugged. He also seemed to be kind and smart as a whip. Maddie found
herself fantasizing about him, what it would be like if this were real. As if
she was speaking straight from her dreams, this whisper slipped from her lips.
“He’s a wonderful lover, Morgana. The best I’ve ever had.”

A thin line separated West from reality. He was fast being
drawn into whatever game this intriguing woman was playing. Hell, he couldn’t
even keep his hands to himself. Stroking her back while she gazed lovingly into
his eyes was an irresistible impulse. “And I can’t wait to do it again,” he murmured,
leaning over to kiss her cheek. She seemed to brighten at the small gesture of
affection.

“Well, there’s no accounting for taste,” Morgana drawled.
“Is dinner ready?” she asked with a bored tone.

“Of course. Excuse me. I’ll just be a moment. You can seat
yourselves at the dining room. Weston, I hope you enjoy it. Make yourself at
home like always.”

Madeline climbed from his lap and her sister looked pleased.
She and West rose also. As soon as Maddie disappeared, Morgana made her move,
coming right up next to Weston. Maybe she wasn’t as hungry as she pretended to
be—at least not for food. “Hey, why don’t we skip out on Miss Muffet’s meal and
catch some action down on the pier?” She rubbed her large breasts against him
and if she didn’t pinch him on the thigh, he was a monkey’s uncle!

“Ow!” he exclaimed and moved quickly toward the kitchen,
escaping Morgana’s clutches. “Do you need some help, Madeline?”

“Chicken.” Was the word he heard as he quickly left the
room.

West found Madeline dishing up a delicious smelling beef and
several side dishes. “Oh, hi,” she greeted him. Dropping her voice to a
whisper, Madeline stepped near. “I’m so grateful to you. This whole thing
probably seems stupid to you, but I just wanted to do something that would shut
her up for a bit. If she thinks I might have a man who’s interested in me,
maybe she’ll move on and torture someone else for a change, pull wings off of
flies or something.” She smiled apologetically.

“I just wish I understood.”

Maddie didn’t let him finish. “She’ll be gone tomorrow and
I’ll owe you big time.” Turning, she bent to pull a gorgeous trifle from the
refrigerator. West held out his hands, and she handed the dessert to him.
“Anyway, thanks for everything.”

For a few heartbeats, they stood, both holding the glass
dish. It was a moment thick with emotion. She kept staring at his mouth. West
halfway expected her to lean over and kiss him and he was a little disappointed
when she didn’t. “I think we need to have a talk, Miss Cross.”

If the truth were known, Maddie wanted to do more than talk.
Her nipples were tightening into hard little buds. She let herself imagine what
making love with him would be like. Heat rose in her face. Was she seriously
considering paying a man to make love to her? Hiring one to have dinner with
her was bad enough. With a bit of shame, Maddie found herself wondering if the
amount she’d agreed to pay included any extras. Letting her eyes rove over his
fine form, she could imagine that plenty of women would fork over money for Rod
to have sex with them. If he did that type of thing, would he agree to do it
with her? She felt so naïve and she certainly didn’t want to insult him by
asking for more than she was due. But if she were to ever know what it felt
like to…

Oh, the thought was more than she could process!

With a blush she let go of the dish and backed away.
“Morgana will go to her room later. And we’ll talk when we go to bed.”

As West watched her sashay out of the room, her delectable
backside swaying, he picked his jaw up off the floor. “This is a sleepover?”

Madeline didn’t answer. Apparently she hadn’t heard him. And
to think just a little earlier he’d been expecting this to be a quiet weekend.

Chapter
Four

“Pass the potatoes, please?” West held out his hand. “This
is the best meal I’ve had in a long, long time.” His compliment was sincere and
Maddie beamed.

“Thank you. I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”

They’d sat down at the small table and West had spent the
time tiptoeing his way through some kind of minefield of the sibling rivalry
variety. To shake things up, he decided to ask a couple of questions. “What’s
it like living in a Bed and Breakfast?”

Morgana took a long sip of wine, bit her lower lip, and
wiggled her nose. “Don’t tell me you two have never talked about this before.”
She waggled her finger between the two of them.

This time West didn’t wait for Madeline to cover. He was
catching on. Morgana was a bully, and the worst part was that her sister seemed
resigned to it. Reaching across the table, he covered Maddie’s hand with his
own. “When we’re together, we don’t do a lot of talking. And since you’re
here,” he gestured to Morgana, “we have to be good. At least until we’re behind
closed doors.”

Seeing Madeline blush made his day.

Morgana rolled her eyes, but her sister answered. “I enjoy
living here. Truthfully, I meet so many wonderful people. We plan special
activities for them, especially during the summer. Since Windswept has
witnessed so much of the history of Galveston, we take a big role in many of
the historical celebrations like Dickens on the Strand at Christmas, Mardi Gras
or the historic homes tour. Now, this weekend will be different.”

“How?” West asked, sneaking another piece of beef.

“I know.” Morgana laughed. “Most of the guests won’t get out
of bed.” She lifted her wine glass. “This old building will be rockin’!”

“Sounds like a good idea.” He winked at Madeline. “What’s
your plans for Valentine’s, Morgana?”

“My guy is picking me up on his yacht tomorrow. He’ll bring
me flowers and candy, then we’ll dance in the moonlight and sail off into the
sunset.” She twirled her glass and sighed.

“Sounds perfect,” Madeline agreed. “We’re going to do our
celebrating tonight. I have a surprise for Weston. A Valentine’s gift.”

“I bet you do.” He teased back and also wondered how far she
would take this. How far was he willing for it to go?

“I do!” She got up and hurried over to a white buffet behind
the dining table. West had no idea what was going on. He let his eyes rove over
the surroundings—the Audubon prints, artistic photographs of shells, distressed
white furnishings, blue rag rugs and pieces of sea glass arranged on a wooden
tray. The room was like the woman—comfortable, warm, genuine and very pleasing
to the eye. He saw her open a drawer and return. She handed him an envelope.
“Madeline…I...” He started to say he couldn’t take a gift from her, but he
feared exposing her to more ridicule. Oh well, the gift was probably as much of
a sham as their date.

“I hope you like it.” Today when she’d thought about the
holiday and what couples did, she wanted to give Rod something to thank him for
going the extra mile for her. He was so much nicer than she’d expected. If she
didn’t know better she would have thought he really was Weston Rogers. When he
pulled out the tickets, she tried to explain without explaining. “I thought any
man who lived in Galveston would enjoy this.”

West was shocked. He held in his hand a ticket to take part
in the seamanship training aboard the tall ship Elissa, the oldest vessel still
sailing the seven seas. “Wow. I can’t believe this.” He had wanted this chance
forever and they were almost impossible to get. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Just say thank you. Giving gifts is Magpie’s way of trying
to buy affection. She’s been doing it all of her life. Now, let’s see your
offering? What did you get for her? A make-over? That would be a practical
present.”

Morgana’s air of superiority made West’s stomach roll. He
stood, leaned over and brushed Madeline’s hair from her forehead, capturing her
lips for a tender kiss. “I’ll give you my gift in private if you don’t mind.”
He’d also return her present, there was no way he could accept it.

His voice was a husky promise and Madeline almost melted
into a puddle on the chair. The man deserved an Oscar.

“That’s it. I can’t handle any more of these theatrics.”
Morgana poured herself another glass of wine and rose to leave. “I still can’t
believe Magpie has a man, but there’s no accounting for taste.” With those
harsh but familiar words, she huffed off, leaving them alone.

The moment she was gone, it was like the air went out of
Madeline. “Shew.” She sighed, her shoulders drooping. “I don’t think she’s
entirely convinced yet. Do you?”

West looked from Maddie to the door Morgana had disappeared
through and back again. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

She spread her hands in apology. “I’m so sorry about this.
Having to deal with Morgana as well as me is more than anyone should have to
put up with.”

West waited for her to say something else, to explain the
bizarre events of the evening. But she didn’t. Instead, she went to work,
taking the food into the kitchen and putting up the leftovers. Before he knew
it, he was loading the dishwasher.

“Madeline, I still want to discuss things with you. We need
to settle—”

“Yes, I know we need to talk.” Folding her dishtowel, she
took him by the hand. “But first, we have to have sex.”

* 
*  *

Sex? As Madeline led West from the kitchen across the living
room, Oscar Wilde’s quote kept flowing through his mind. “I can resist anything
except temptation,” he mumbled. Despite his misgivings about the situation,
West went willingly. He was a man, and she was more temptation than he’d had to
deal with in a long time.

Maddie had shed her shoes under the dining table and now she
was padding about in her stocking feet. They made their way down the hall in
the dark and she stumped her toe on the rug and giggled. West caught her. “You
didn’t have anything to drink. What’s wrong with you?”

“I’m just naturally clumsy,” she confided conspiringly. Once
they were in her room, she flipped on the light and quickly closed the door
behind them. Putting her finger to her lips, she said, “Shhhhh.”

West couldn’t help but smile. Madeline was beautiful, sweet,
and crazy as a Bessie bug. All night he’d been sneaking glimpses at her
breasts. They were round, firm, and very real, unlike her sister’s more
bountiful attributes. When Morgana had rubbed up against him, he could
recognize fake when he felt it.

That was why he was confused.

Madeline Cross was real and extremely appealing. She didn’t
seem like the type of person who would have a deceptive bone in her shapely
little body. So, why was she attempting to rope him into pulling the wool over
her not-so-nice sister’s beady little eyes? One thing was sure, though—a
deception should only be carried so far. “I can’t sleep with you, Miss Cross.”

“Oh, I see.”

West watched her face fall and he felt guilty. She quickly
caught herself and put on a sad smile. He wanted to gather her up and hug her.
In many ways she looked like Zooey Deschanel, except she was no bigger than a
minute. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh no, don’t be. I didn’t expect you to, not really.” She
came close and whispered, “And I don’t blame you at all. I wasn’t sure how
these things worked.”

West put his hand to his forehead. He was going to require
psychiatric help. “I came to you today because you called and asked me to—”

“I remember exactly why I called you.” She put two fingers
over his mouth and he had the insane notion to kiss them. “But if you could
help me save face, that’s all I ask.”

“How?”

Maddie walked in a circle. She really should have spent more
time on this angle of the evening. All she knew was that Morgana was smart, it
was going to take more than just producing a good looking man to make her
sister believe Maddie was no longer a pathetic virgin—which she was—but right
now the truth wasn’t the important factor. “Okay, would this be all right?
Since we’ve already told Morgana we’re sleeping together, could we try to make
her believe it?”

West figured he would regret asking this question, but he
couldn’t resist. “Exactly what are you planning in that cute little head of
yours?”

His being nice didn’t really help. In fact, it made things
worse. No matter if she would be cutting him a check for his trouble, Rod Long
was damn sexy. Pressing her fingers over her eyes, she groaned and then just
spit it out. “Could we make noises like we’re having sex?”

All right. Now, he was turned on. Big time. Instantly hard
as a rock. “Wouldn’t it be easier to actually date a guy rather than just
pretending?”

Maddie hung her head and looked defeated. “I’m not good with
men. It’s hard to have a boyfriend when you have a sister who looks like
Morgana.”

“You’re way cuter.” West couldn’t have held that truth in if
he tried.

“Really?” The unexpected compliment thrilled Maddie. Since
he seemed to be a bit sympathetic, she asked again, “So, could we do that?”
Maddie wasn’t above begging. “Please? I’ll do all the work.” They were still
whispering. She pointed to the wall. “She’s probably standing at the wall
listening through a glass now.”

“Do people really do that?” He laughed a little.

“I don’t know, but it seems like something she’d do.” She
looked up at him, her small white teeth worrying her bottom lip.

Remembering how amazing their earlier kisses had been, he
framed her face and pressed his lips to hers, sipping at them like the finest
wine. “All right, Meg Ryan, how are we going to do this?”

“Okay.” She grinned a sweet conspiratorial smile,
recognizing his reference to an old movie from the late 80s,
When Harry Met
Sally
. “I’ve been thinking about this. Come on.” She pulled him to the wall
that she’d indicated Morgana was behind. “Maybe if we pretend you pushed me
against the wall, we could moan and groan and make kissing noises. I’ve seen
people do that in porn.”

“You watch porn?” His eyes lit up.

“Soft porn, it has a plot.” Maddie clarified quickly.

“All right, I think I can handle that.” He was game. If he
weren’t here, he’d probably be washing his socks. Besides, he couldn’t deny he
was intrigued as hell. “Let’s do it.”

Madeline smiled and took one step backward, letting her back
smack against the wall. “Oh, Weston!” A surprised grunt slipped from her lips,
but she managed to make it sound sexy like she’d been cornered by an ardent
lover. Then she closed her eyes, ran her fingers through her hair and moaned.
“Kiss me, please, kiss me.”

West watched mesmerized. He expected her to lure him closer,
but instead of urging him to kiss her, she leaned forward to whisper, her lips
twisted to one side. “I’m gonna lay in on thick.”

“What do I do?” he mouthed.

She laughed silently, her face full of happiness. “I don’t
know, I have more practice taming tigers than I do seducing a man.”

“Tamed a lot of tigers?”

“Not a one.”

The way they were carrying on, anyone hearing their muffled
laughter and whispers would think they were having a really good time—most
likely with sex.

“Um, God, that’s so good,” she moaned, licking her lips.
“More, give me more, Weston.”

His eyes widened as he watched one of her small hands glide
down her body near her breasts, as if she was hungry to touch herself, but just
too disciplined to do it. And when she let it travel farther down her
stomach—and farther just to the top of her mound—West held his breath. Damn.
She didn’t need him at all.

And that was a shame. “That’s right, baby. God, you’re
sexy.” West wasn’t acting. His growl of encouragement was pure male instinct.

“I love to touch you, you’re so big,” Madeline purred. Her
eyes were open now, returning his heated stare. “Oh, yea, please, lick me. I
love your lips on my neck.”

As if pulled by a magnet, West moved in front of her—all of
him almost touching all of her. “Do you want my kiss, Maddie?”

She panted, licked her lips, and smiled. “More than
anything.” And that was the truth.

His eyes roved her face from her eyes to her lips, then he
crashed his mouth to hers and the whimper she released this time contained
genuine surprise and pleasure.

The kisses they’d shared before had been
staged—enjoyable—but more of a show than this hot claiming. West’s hands framed
her face, his fingers grazing her temple in a gentle caress.

Madeline’s body was consumed with shivers. Since her escort
had walked through the door, she’d been fantasizing about him. And damn…he was
good. Talented. Gifted. His mouth devoured hers, his commanding touch moving
down her cheek, across her jaw, to feather along the sensitive flesh of her
throat. Frissons of excitement bloomed on her skin. Placing her hands on his
chest, Maddie kneaded the hard muscle. Touching him was an absolute delight.

Some of the best things in life are unexpected. The thought
fought its way through the haze of arousal clouding West’s mind. He felt bowled
over—shell-shocked—he was actually shuddering under the touch of this woman’s
hand. Desire was roiling inside of him, this was no game. What he was feeling
now was real. He’d come to deliver blueprints and been swept away on a
dreamlike wave of arousal. West had wanted Madeline from the moment he saw her.

When he let his mouth slide from hers, breathing heavily,
Maddie slid her hands up over his shoulders to entwine behind his neck. “I
don’t think we should stop. I want her to be really, really convinced.” She
leaned on him and began kissing his jaw, scraping her teeth along the sexy
scruff. “Oh, West, you make me feel so good,” she moaned loudly.

Behind them, they heard a bump and a curse.