"Yes, and we both have a place in her life. "
That rea.s.surance helped, but it wasn"t all that she wanted. "Wouldn"t that be enough for marriage?"
Gil wrapped his hand around her nape, put his forehead to hers. "I"m afraid not. "
The bottom fell out of her world.
"I want a woman who loves me, too, Anabel, not just my daughter. "
Her gaze shot up to his, searching, desperate. She put her hands on his chest to move him back so she could better see him. With her breath fast and shallow, she said, "But I do. I have for a long time. "
His smile spread, slow and easy. "Yeah? You never told me that. "
Frowning, Anabel punched his shoulder. "You had to know. "
Tumbling her backward into the bed, Gil pinned her down with his body and caught her wrists. He grinned like a fool, confounding her further. "So you love me, huh? d.a.m.n, I"m glad to hear that. "
"Gila ?"
"As you said, we"re very different." He stared at her mouth until she licked her lips. "I need a wife who can accompany me to business parties. "
"And you think I can"t?" He insulted her with his lack of faith. "I can dress up as well as any woman, I"ve just never had to. "
"Why, Anabel," he said with mock surprise. "You mean to say you"d wear a sedate little black c.o.c.ktail dress for me?"
He was so amused, Anabel glared up at him. "I don"t know if I"d go that far, but I"d find something appropriate. I"m not a complete social misfit." Grudgingly, she added, "I could even find a dress with sleeves that"d hide my tattoo. "
"Now that"d be a shame. "
What the h.e.l.l did he mean by that? It almost sounded as though he liked her tattoo.
Gil rubbed his body against hers and said huskily, "I want a woman who"s strong. "
He turned her on so easily. How did he expect her to have a coherent conversation while he performed a full-body caress? Anabel pushed against him, but he couldn"t be budged. "I"m strong," she promised.
"Could"ve fooled me." With almost no effort, he nudged her thighs apart and wedged himself against her. "The mouthy Anabel Truman I used to know was strong. She had an opinion on anything and everything, and G.o.d knows, she never hesitated to share it. But latelya" He shook his head with feigned regret. "Doesn"t matter what I do, I can"t get a rise out of her. "
Suspicion rose and Anabel went still, her eyes narrowing. "Wait a minute. You know d.a.m.n good and well that I"ve been trying to get along with you. "
"No, you"ve been trying not to rock the boat. You had some harebrained idea that I"d kick you to the curb if you stepped out of line. "
"You wanted me to step out of line?"
"No, I wanted you to be you. "
Her pulse raced with hope. "You"re not making any sense, Gil. "
He leaned down and took her mouth. This was no sweet, gentle kiss but a tongue-thrusting, wet, hot kiss that completely stole her breath. "I"ve always been attracted to you, Anabel. I think you"re about the most s.e.xual woman I"ve ever run across. But the timing was never right, it seemed. My father pa.s.sed away and things happened with Sh.e.l.ly that I used to regret. But not anymore. "
"Because now you have Nicki. "
His thumbs brushed her cheeks. "And I have you. When you brought my baby to me, when I saw how much she loves you, how could I not start to love you, too?"
Her eyes widened in disbelief. How could he nota "Now wait a minutea""
Gil"s mouth smothered her protest, swallowed her questions. When she went limp, he continued. "You"re a little wild and unorthodox, and I thank G.o.d for it. Not many women would take another"s baby to raise. Not many would readjust their lives to do so. Not many would come to a man and make him the type of offer you gave me, just so she could go on being a wonderful mother. "
Anabel decided on a full confession. "That wasn"t the only reason, Gil. If it hadn"t been you, I might have come up with a different plan. But I always wanted you. "
"And now you have me." He said that with bright satisfaction. "But not because of Nicole, and not because it"s convenient. I"ve tried to show you that I don"t need you just to be Nicole"s mother. I need you because I enjoy being with you, loving you, and laughing with you, more than any other woman I"ve known. "
Her smile wobbled. d.a.m.n it, she would not cry like some ninny.
"You"re pretty d.a.m.n remarkable, Anabel soon-to-be-Mrs. Watson." He drew a slow, deep breath. "And I love you. "
Anabel wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt buoyant and carefree and so happy she wanted to burst. "Gil?"
"Hmm?"
"Now that I know I can speak my minda" His smile widened with antic.i.p.ation. "Yes?"
"You won"t expect me to listen to your Neil Diamond CDs, will you?"
"Not if I don"t have to listen to Kid Rock." Emotions rose up, almost choking her. "I love you, Gil." Now she got the tender, melting kiss. When he lifted his head, she cleared her throat. "One more thing. "
"What"s that?"
"I don"t want a blue minivan. "
He gave a short laugh. "No? And what do you want?"
"A red SUV." She kissed his chin. "Nicole." She wrapped her legs around his waist. "And you. "
Gil brought her closer, hugged her tight. In a voice rough with love, he said, "We"ll pick out the SUV tomorrow. The others you already have. "
The Wilde One.
Janelle Denison.
Chapter One.
Adrian Wilde took a long swallow of his beer in honor of the relaxing three-day weekend stretching ahead of him, and nearly choked on the drink when he caught sight of Chayse Douglas, the one woman he"d spent the past four months turning down and trying to avoid. Standing at the bar as she ordered a drink, she waggled her fingers at him in greeting and smiled in a way that made him feel like a hunted man.
You can run but you can"t hidea He all but heard the words conveyed in that determined look of hers, and his body warmed with a familiar l.u.s.t he"d been fighting since the moment he"d met her, followed closely by annoyance. That she"d ventured into such a public place as Nick"s Sports Bar to fight for her cause was enough to put him on full alert, and it didn"t surprise him that she"d enlisted his h.e.l.lion cousin, Mia Wilde, to help persuade him into agreeing to be a part of Chayse"s beefcake calendar project.
He thought he"d finally convinced the pint-sized bundle of fort.i.tude that he wasn"t interested in posing half-naked for her Outdoor Men calendar. Since he knew she had a deadline to meet, he"d a.s.sumed she"d found another willing victim and he was off the hook. But hav-ing been the recipient of that purposeful gleam in those violet-hued eyes, Adrian knew, without a single doubt, that the delectable Chayse still had her sights set on him.
Christ. While he admired her tenacity to go after what she wanted and found her brazen pursuit too much of a turn-on, she was setting herself up for another dose of rejection, because there was no way in h.e.l.l he was going to change his mind. He was doing her a huge favor by saying no. While she might think he was exactly what she wanted for her calendar, he was far from model material.
Frustrated by the entire situation, along with his unwanted attraction to Chayse that made everything all the more complicated, he returned his attention to his table mates and eyed them suspiciously. "Who the h.e.l.l tipped off Mia that we"d be here tonight?" he demanded, because that was the only way Chayse could have found him so easily.
Three pairs of curious eyes glanced toward the bar, where he"d pointed his bottle of beer. His brother Steve sat next to him on the left, then there was Cameron, Steve"s good friend and business partner, and their cousin Scott, older brother to Mia.
Cameron, who"d been fighting his own battle of the s.e.xes with Mia, shook his head adamantly. "Not me, man. The last thing I"d do is invite the wild child to crash our little party and ruin my perfectly good evening. "
Adrian believed him, though the fire and challenge in Cameron"s eyes spoke a tale of its own. Cameron wasn"t altogether upset about Mia"s appearance. Not that he"d ever admit to the attraction that sizzled to life whenever the two were in the same room.
Adrian"s gaze shifted to Steve, and his older brother held up his hands in defense. "Hey, I haven"t spoken to Mia all week. "
Which left Scott, and judging by the sheepish look on his cousin"s face, Adrian rightly a.s.sumed the man was responsible for this interesting turn of events." "Fess up, Scotty-boy," Adrian said.
Scott shrugged. "Okay, so I was leaving the office today and casually mentioned I was coming here for a drink with some friends. When Mia asked who with, I wasn"t about to lie. "
"Your honesty is a refreshing and n.o.ble trait," Adrian drawled wryly, giving his cousin a hard time. "Next time, lie. "
Cameron and Steve chuckled in amus.e.m.e.nt.
Scott leaned back in his chair and absently stroked his finger along his jaw while regarding Adrian specula-tively. "Why do I get the feeling that your problem isn"t so much with Mia, but that hot little number she"s with?"
Adrian downed the rest of his beer and motioned to the bar waitress for another one, wondering if he ought to order a chaser to go with it. "Because she"s the photographer who"s been d.o.g.g.i.ng me for the past four months to do that d.a.m.n beefcake calendar for charity, and she"s having one h.e.l.luva time taking no for an answer. "
His male counterparts offered nods of understanding and grunts of sympathy, and a moment later Mia and Chayse were strolling across the establishment toward their table, each with one of those fancy, designer martini drinks in hand.
Despite himself, Adrian took in the long-sleeved, pink cotton shirt that clung to Chayse"s pet.i.te curves and the snug jeans that outlined the gentle flare of her hips and the rest of her compact body. He"d noticed more than once that she had small but firm b.r.e.a.s.t.s, maybe a handful by his experienced estimation, and that was being generous, considering he had large palms and long fingers. Not that he"d ever get the opportunity to test the weight and size of those luscious mounds in his hands, except in his dreams. Oh yeah, in those nightly fantasies he"d caressed those soft b.r.e.a.s.t.s of hers, and a whole lot more.
"h.e.l.lo, boys," Mia said cheerfully. "Mind if we join you?"
"Yes," Adrian and Cameron echoed at the same time Scott and Steve said graciously, "Not at all. "
The women opted to ignore Adrian and Cameron and accepted Scott and Steve"s invitation. Dragging two nearby chairs up to the table, Chayse flanked Adrian on one side with Mia on the other, which put Mia conveniently right next to Cameron. Mia, with her stylishly cut black hair and exotic silver eyes, slanted Cameron a smug grin full of her brand of sensual torment. He met her gaze unflinchingly, the instantaneous sparks of awareness between the two of them nearly tangible.
As was the feverish heat and undeniable hunger Chayse generated whenever she was near him, Adrian thought as the waitress delivered his second beer. He took a long drink of the cold brew, which did nothing to extinguish the fire that had started in his chest and was gradually spiraling its way lower.
d.a.m.n her, anyway.
Setting the bottle on the table, Adrian reclined back in his chair, glanced at the woman sitting next to him, and met that direct, sultry gaze of hers that never failed to unnerve him. It wasn"t so much the rare, extraordinary violet color that disturbed him, but rather the way those eyes seemed to see past the footloose and fancy-free rules he"d lived by the past few years. Rules that kept his real emotions under wraps. Her pursuit felt personal, as if she found him much too intriguing to give up on. And quite frankly, her uncanny ability to unsettle him so effortlessly scared the c.r.a.p out of him.
Thank G.o.d she had no clue how much she affected him. And she never would, he vowed, because he wasn"t about to let down his guard, or allow her to rattle his control.
Then she smiled. A slow, sensual smile that affected him like a blow right to the gut. Just that easily, just that quick, he ached to kiss those pink, glossy lips of hers, wanted to eat her up, inch by delectable inch, and taste her in every hot, sweet womanly place. Most of all, he wanted to push her up against the nearest wall and let her feel exactly what she did to him.
Shrugging off his too stimulating thoughts, he lifted a brow her way. "What a coincidence meeting you here," he said, and didn"t bother tempering the edge of sarcasm in his tone.
She laughed off his scorn, the lilting sound full of confidence. "What can I say? I"m a determined woman. When I find something I want, I go after it until I"ve exhausted every possible approach. "
And what she wanted was him. "More like obstinate and too d.a.m.ned tenacious," he muttered, though loud enough for her, and everyone else, to hear.
"I think her persistence is very admirable." Scott lifted his beer to Chayse in a mock salute.
"Why, thank you." Chayse beamed at Scott for his support. "Being persistent has definitely served me well. "
Adrian narrowed his gaze and pointed a threatening finger at his cousin, who"d dared to take her side. "n.o.body asked your opinion, Scotty, so I"d appreciate it if you kept it to yourself. "
Chayse turned her attention back to him, amus.e.m.e.nt dancing in her eyes. "If you weren"t being so stubborn, I wouldn"t have to be so persistent. "
She ran her fingers through her permanently tousled, chin-length, honey blond curls, combing them away from her face, a habit of hers he found too d.a.m.n fascinating, and tempting. Most of the rebellious strands sprang back into place, and Adrian"s fingers itched to push them away again, just as an excuse to see if her hair was as silky soft as it looked.
He wrapped his hand tight around his bottle of beer and scowled at her. "Don"t you have a deadline that"s come and gone?"
"I got an extension." She took a sip of her green martini, and he caught the scent of apples just before she slowly licked her lips and his libido kicked into overdrive. "I have one more week, and I"ve decided that I"m going to make you my main priority and stalk you until you finally give in." Her tone was teasing, but her gaze told him just how serious her intentions were.
Well, he wasn"t going to be around for her to stalk, thank G.o.d. For the next three days he"d be at the family cabin catching up on some R and R and enjoying a weekend of peace and solitude.
"Don"t count on me changing my mind, sweetheart," he told her. "My answer is, and will always remain, no thank you. "
"Aw, come on Adrian," Mia piped in, disappointment lacing her voice. "This is for charity, for crying out loud. I can"t believe you"d say no to something that would benefit so many kids at the Children"s Hospital. "
Adrian"s jaw clenched tight, but he remained quiet. Mia"s comment made him sound cold and unfeeling, when his reasons for refusing had nothing to do with being selfish. Rather, he was self-conscious about baring so much of his less than perfect body to the thousands of people who purchased the calendar. But he wasn"t about to reveal his personal, private reasons to Chayse, or anyone else for that matter.
Cameron slanted Mia an incredulous glance. "Contrary to popular belief, not all men are into being displayed as s.e.xual objects. "
"Since when?" Mia argued, and leaned closer to Cameron, clearly relishing a debate with him. "Come on, admit it, sugar. Being the object of a woman"s fantasies is a nice stroke to the male ego. "
Cameron frowned at her, impatience and something more heated smoldering in his gold-flecked eyes. "I"ll admit to nothing, except that you"re a female chauvinist. "
She propped her chin in her hand and batted her lashes at him, unfazed by his accusation. "I"m a liberated woman, and proud of it. "
Before Cameron could supply a comeback, Steve steered the conversation in a different, and unexpected, direction. "What about Scott here, Chayse?" Steve clapped the other man on the back. "He"s in great physical shape, he"s not bad on the eyes, and he"s single. Maybe you could convince him to take his clothes off for your cause. "
Scott looked mortified at the thought. "Uh, I don"t think so. "
Chayse laughed, and took another swallow of her martini. "Don"t worry, Scott. While you"d make quite the eye candy for my calendar, you"re off the hook," she rea.s.sured him, then shifted her unwavering gaze back to Adrian. She swirled the slice of apple that had accompanied her drink in the last bit of liquor, then popped it into her mouth and chewed. "You, on the other hand, are just what I"m looking for to complete my Outdoor Men calendar. Like the three other men who"ve posed for my project, you"re the real thing. You"re a sports enthusiast who takes it to the extreme, you own Wilde Adventures, which caters to outdoor recreational activities, and you epitomize everything an outdoor man should look like and be. "
She scooted back her chair and stood; for a moment Adrian thought she was going to leave, and experienced an inexplicable combination of relief and disappointment.
"I need to run to the ladies" room," she said instead, and flashed him a quick, I"m-not-done-with-you-yet look. "Maybe while I"m gone these guys and Mia can talk some sense into you. "
With that bold statement, she sauntered away, hips swaying in those snug jeans of hers. He watched her stroll past the crowded dance floor to the corridor that led to the rest rooms, then finally glanced back at his brother, Cameron, and his cousins, who were all eyeing him with varying degrees of interest, antic.i.p.ation, and amus.e.m.e.nt.