The Tycoon's Reluctant Bride (6 page)

“
Laura,” he murmured, brushing her hair back from her cheek.

Her heart hammered when he captured her hand and pulled her to her feet. He tilted her chin, taking her mouth in a slow, deep kiss that she felt all the way to her toes. Her bones felt liquid as she relaxed in his embrace, her hands clutching his shoulders to steady herself.

She didn’t think she’d ever been kissed like this before. Melting in his arms, Laura barely registered his hand moving to her breast, grazing his finger over her nipple. She sighed as he continued to kiss her, arching her back to encourage his touch.

The juncture of her thighs grew damp as Alex continued to tease her with his lips and fingers. When he’d kissed her, Laura pushed her worries to the back of her mind, just wanting to enjoy his touch. But now, when he urged her even closer to him, and she felt his hard manhood pressed against her, she stilled.

Was she ready to make love with Alex?

Alex caught her response, his hands leaving her breasts and clasping her waist. He dragged his lips from hers. “You don’t know what you do to me, Laura.” Resting his forehead against hers, he drew in a deep breath.

After a long moment, he cupped her face in his hands. “We won’t consummate the marriage until you’re ready, sweetheart.”

Relief and regret chased through her at his words. She’d never been attracted to a man as much as she had to Alex, from the first moment they’d met. And now, he was giving her time to get to know him before they became truly intimate.

She was mesmerized by the desire and tenderness in his eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered, a soft smile touching her lips.

“
Even if it kills me,” she thought she heard him mutter under his breath as he crushed her to him.

Laura heard the throb of his beating heart as she remained wrapped in his arms. Then, after pressing a kiss to her hair, he led her to the bed.

“We better get some sleep,” he said ruefully, pulling back the covers and claiming the right side.

Laura wriggled under the sheet and blanket.

“Good night.” Before she could react, Alex reached over and pressed a swift kiss to her lips.

“
Good night,” she echoed, watching him turn off the bedside lamp. Lying in the darkness, she didn’t know if she
could
go to sleep. She heard Alex breathing steadily, aware of his presence right beside her. His tall, muscled,
sexy
presence.

After a few minutes of silence, Alex muttered, “Come here.” He arranged
her on her side, her back nestled against his chest, his strong arms holding her close. “Good night.” He kissed the shell of her ear, and Laura tentatively placed her hands on his.

Before she knew it, she was asleep.

The next morning after breakfast, they drove
next door to Garrett’s ranch. “I’m sure you’ll like horseback riding,” Alex informed her as they traveled a few miles down the country road. “And afterward, we’ll have lunch at Elk View Corner.”

“
I’m looking forward to it,” Laura answered, hoping he couldn’t hear the trepidation in her voice. Although she’d always admired horses, she’d never ridden one before. What if she fell off? What if she fell off, landed on her butt and made a total fool of herself?

This morning, she’d woken in Alex’s arms. She couldn’t remember ever feeling so content before. He’d kissed her neck, then departed for the shower, informing
her he’d make breakfast.

As she’d yawned and stretched herself fully awake, she wondered if tonight she would be brave enough to make love with him.

Now in the SUV that had awaited them in the garage, Alex turned into a dirt road. A couple of minutes later and they faced a large, one-story house fashioned in a T shape. Pink roses greeted them in the small garden in front of the house.

“
The barn’s around the back.” Alex jumped out of the vehicle and came around to assist her. She placed her hand in his, a small thrill sparking through her. Images of what might happen tonight raced through her mind as they headed toward the stables.

“
Is someone looking after the ranch while your brother’s away?” Laura looked around curiously. A well kept, large barn loomed
before them, and everything looked well taken care of.

“
Garrett’s got a couple of ranch hands taking care of everything until he comes back from his honeymoon,” Alex answered easily. They stopped outside the barn
.
“You’ll meet Garrett and Maddie next time we visit.”

“
Have you met her?” Laura hoped she would get on with her new sister-in-law. It would be fun to indulge in some girl talk with another new family member if she and Alex visited often.

“
Not yet,” he answered absently, his gaze focusing on the interior of the barn. “The horses aren’t here. They must be in the pasture.”

They walked over to the pasture. Two horses ambled over to the fence, a palomino and a black horse with a white blaze streaking its nose.

"This is Prince.” Alex gestured to the palomino. “And this is Blaze.”

Laura gazed at the gorgeous horses. She turned to her husband, suddenly self-conscious. “Maybe you should ride and I can stay here.”

“Nonsense.” He clasped her hand. “You’ll be fine. And I’ll be next to you all the way.”

Nodding, she realized that Alex wasn’t going to accept a weak excuse. Gazing down at her outfit, she was glad she’d packed her serviceable but old ankle boots with a sturdy heel. When she’d emerged in the kitchen a couple of hours ago wearing her jeans, cotton blouse and boots, Alex had looked at her with approval tinged with desire. “Just right for horseback riding,” he’d said, making her feel warm all over.

Now, it was time to actually get on a horse.

Alex placed a halter on each horse and led them back to the stables. Laura watched him efficiently saddle and bridle each animal, nervy excitement swirling in her stomach. Somewhat similar to how she felt last night, she admitted to herself. But the only danger here was falling to the ground, not surrendering her heart and body to her sexy husband only to discover that he didn’t feel the same way towards her.

“I’ll give you a boost.” Alex was suddenly beside her, his breath warm against her ear.

“
Okay,” she murmured breathlessly. Prince suddenly looked so big! Placing her foot in Alex's hands, she wondered if she would be too heavy to toss up into the Western saddle, then the next moment, she found herself scrambling to find her balance on Prince.

Laura gripped the saddle horn. She couldn’t help smiling at Alex in triumph.

“We’ll go nice and slow,” he promised, before smoothly mounting Blaze.

Laura’s cheeks warmed as she thought of making love nice and slow with Alex. In the brass bed. Tamping down her thoughts, she told herself to concentrate on staying upright on Prince.

Alex rode beside her. “Okay?” he asked, checking how she held the reins and correcting her hold.

She nodded. “Yes.” Laura couldn’t help the awareness that ran through her when he rearranged her fingers on the smooth leather reins.

They rode the horses side by side at a sedate walk. Laura was glad she wore a very supportive bra, otherwise her breasts would have definitely jiggled with Prince's movements.
After a while, she stopped clutching the saddle horn every time the horse took a step and started to relax. Peeping at Alex from underneath her lashes, she noticed he seemed very confident on Blaze. Was there anything he couldn’t do?

Following the fence line along the pasture, Laura breathed in the serenity of the ranch. A cow mooed occasionally and she could hear the flap of a bird’s wings as it flew overhead,
but otherwise there was nothing but peace and quiet, apart from the rhythmic clip-clop of the horses’ hooves. Bliss.

After about fifteen minutes, they turned around and headed back. Prince attempted to break into a trot when he spied the barn, but Alex grabbed the reins. “Whoa,” he commanded in a calming voice. The horse instantly slowed down and halted.

“Are you okay?” Alex looked over at her.

Laura clutched the saddle horn. “Uh-huh,” she murmured, looking up at him. Prince had surprised her with his sudden movement, but her husband had controlled the situation instantly. Her breath skipped as his dark eyes remained on hers.

“Good,” he finally said, giving the horses the command to walk on.

Once they reached the barn, Alex helped her dismount. She clutched his shoulders for support as her feet touched the ground, her wobbly legs threatening to unbalance her.

His arms tightened around her. “Thanks,” she said, unable to let go of him for a long moment.

“
You’re welcome.” He bent his head, his lips descending until they brushed against hers.

She wasn’t going to let go of him now, Laura thought hazily as she enjoyed the all-too-brief kiss. Managing not to sigh with disappointment as Alex released her, they walked back to the SUV, Alex catching her hand in a dominant clasp that sent a shiver of awareness down her spine.

Thirty minutes later, they arrived in Elk View Corner, a small town that proudly boasted a population of 4,163. Alex led her into a chain coffee shop that instantly reminded Laura of the branch she often visited in San Diego. After placing their orders at the counter, she and Alex found a table in the corner.

“
We can hit the supermarket after lunch,” he said, his eyes resting on her.

“
Sure,” she responded, wondering if Alex was this efficient in the boardroom. As long as he was like this when investigating the problems with her parents’ business, she didn’t think she had any complaints.
So far.

“
Is there anything you’d like to do while we’re here?”

Laura studied his expression. He seemed genuinely interested in her reply. “I’d like to look around the stores,” she ventured. “That boutique nearby looked interesting.”

He smiled at her indulgently. “We’ll go there next.”

Their food was ready, and she realized she was hungrier than she thought. Or maybe it was all the sexual tension she experienced while being around Alex. Eating with relish her roasted vegetable foccacia, she found herself enjoying another meal with her new husband.

After Donna at the boutique tempted her with a gorgeous silk lilac nightgown, they stopped at the large supermarket. All the way home, Laura wondered if she would have the courage to wear her new gown tonight. It revealed her curves in an elegant way, and had made her feel alluring in the changing room. But would she be alluring enough for Alex? Did she want to be, tonight?

When they arrived back at the ranch, they unpacked the groceries, then Alex took her for a walk around the ranch, talking about his eventual plans to run a herd of cattle and own a couple of horses. After horseback riding in the morning, her thigh muscles felt a little tired, and after a while, she found herself lagging behind.

“I’m going back to the house,” she announced. Instantly, Alex was beside her.

“
What’s wrong?” Concern creased his face.

“
I’m a bit tired,” she confessed.

“
I’ll walk back with you.” He slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. Her stomach fluttered at the warmth of his touch. Shortening his stride to hers, he escorted her back to the house. “You better have a shower,” he advised, once they were inside. “You’re not used to horseback riding.”

Laura nodded. “Okay.” Heading for the bedroom, she looked in the dresser drawer for some clean clothes to wear.

Gathering up a pale pink cotton summer dress that managed to flatter her curves, she went into the bathroom. While part of her wanted to slip on the new nightgown once she stepped out of the shower, the rational part of her shouted,
not yet.

Freshly showered and dressed, Laura joined Alex in the kitchen, noticing with a jolt of surprise that it was already dinnertime. “I should cook,” she said, as Alex took groceries out of the fridge.

“Sit down,” he commanded, waving at a kitchen chair. “I’ve got this.” He suddenly grinned at her. “Besides, you’re on your honeymoon. When we get back to the city you’ll be busy with catering jobs.”

If she landed any more.

When she didn’t reply, he stopped chopping vegetables and turned to her. “As soon as we return the day after tomorrow, I’ll look into the situation. If I had the accounts here, I could start studying the problem in depth now.” He shrugged self-deprecatingly. “But I thought this would be a good opportunity to have some time to ourselves.”

Laura realized that she hadn’t heard the buzz of a cell phone the whole time they’d been here. She’d left Edna in charge, and besides, they didn’t have any catering jobs on right now. But Alex … would his business suffer while he took a break from financial wheeling and dealing or whatever it was he did? She didn’t even know how he became so successful in business. She resolved to ask him when the opportunity presented itself.

During a tasty dinner of chicken stir-fry, Laura couldn’t help teasing, “Ever think of taking up catering?”

Alex grinned. “I’ll leave that up to experts like you.”

The rest of the meal passed in light-hearted banter. When she rose to help with the dishes, Laura hoped their marriage could be a success. She was attracted to Alex, (more than she had been to any other man she’d met) enjoyed his company, and was more than starting to develop feelings for him. But would he ever think of her in the same way?

He insisted on marrying you, didn’t he?

###

After dinner, they sat side by side on the comfortable old sofa. “Want to see if there’s an old movie on TV?” Alex asked, picking up the remote.

“Sure.” Laura settled back in her seat. It might be fun to watch a movie with her husband.

The medium size TV flashed to life and an old black and white film filled the screen.

“Haven’t seen
The Maltese Falcon
in years.” Alex relaxed next to her, making her aware of just how sexy and attractive he was. Sometimes, she had to remind herself that she was married to him. Since they’d been husband and wife for less than forty-eight hours, she didn’t think it was too surprising.

Laura tried to focus on the movie, but her senses were attuned to Alex’s every move. His thigh almost touched hers, and she wondered if he was aware of it. His left hand rested on the sofa between them. She bit back a soft giggle. He seemed to like holding her hand. What would Alex do if she entwined her fingers with his?

Before she could make a decision, her husband’s left arm slid across her shoulders. Holding her breath, she wondered if Alex was going to say something, but when she peeked at him from beneath her lashes, his whole attention seemed focused on the screen.

Laura decided to just enjoy the moment. Relaxing by degrees, she let herself get caught up in the movie, only realizing a while later that her head nestled on Alex’s shoulder as they watched the film together.

The End
rolled across the screen. Carefully lifting her head, she straightened up on the couch, wondering if Alex had even noticed her snuggling with him.

“
Don’t go.” Alex’s arm tightened around her shoulders.

She looked up at him, hope
fluttering in her heart. Maybe he
had
noticed how close they’d been during the movie. Her lips parted, but she had no idea what she was going to say. Before she could utter a single syllable, Alex’s mouth brushed against hers.

The kiss became deeper and deeper. Laura wrapped her arms around him as he pulled her close. Her husband was an excellent kisser, she thought hazily, enjoying his demanding mouth on hers.

Alex’s hands roamed over her back. Not an inch of space separated them. Would tonight be the night? Would she have the courage to slip on her new nightgown and beckon him to bed? Even though he kissed her as if there were no one else he would rather kiss, would she be enough for him? Did he truly want to have a
real
marriage with her?