"And you"re sure without Zane, Derringer and Jason"s spread that you"ll still have enough land for your sheep to graze?" Dillon Westmoreland leaned back in the chair behind his desk to ask his cousin.
Ramsey didn"t respond but looked as if he was lost in other thoughts. "Are you okay, Ram?"
Dillon"s concerned question snapped Ramsey"s attention back and he couldn"t help but smile. "Yes, I"m okay."
After breakfast Ramsey decided to leave the house for a while, not to avoid Chloe, but to give her the time she needed to prepare for the noon hour. Had he remained he would have done everything he could have to get her back upstairs or better yet, he would have played his hand at enticing her into partic.i.p.ating in a number of quickies. So trying to behave he had driven over to Shady Tree Ranch to spend time with Dillon and Pamela.
He could feel Dillon staring at him and looked up and met his gaze. "I understand things have turned somewhat serious between you and your cook, Ram."
Ramsey didn"t have to wonder where Dillon had gotten that information. And today, Ramsey had no problem acknowledging that was true. Even when he had dated he"d never been into s.e.x just for the sake of s.e.x, which is why a casual relationship with a woman never appealed to him. And because he hadn"t been in the market for a serious relationship either, he"d been satisfied to remain a loner. It was only when things with him got so bad and s.e.xual needs got the best of him, that he would seek out female companionship for a night. But those times had been few and far between. Now he couldn"t imagine not making love to Chloe on a regular basis, not waking up during the night with her beside him, their legs locked together, her delectable bottom curled up against him. His...
"Ram?"
He glanced up, realizing Dillon had caught him daydreaming again. "Yes?"
"You sure you"re okay?"
Ram leaned back in his chair, deciding to be completely honest. "No, I don"t know if I"m okay," he finally said. He studied Dillon thoughtfully. "I can recall the first time you mentioned to me about meeting Pamela. I could hear something in your voice."
Dillon chuckled. "Yes, and it was probably the same thing I could hear in yours that day you came over here and mentioned Chloe Burton was your temporary cook."
Ramsey was taken aback by Dillon"s claim. "No way. I had just met the woman that day."
Dillon nodded. "And remember, I had just met Pam that day when I spoke to you on the phone as well."
Ramsey frowned, not sure he liked what Dillon was hinting at. He quickly stood up. "Trust me, Dillon, it"s not that kind of party."
A smile curved the corners of Dillon"s lips when he said, "I didn"t think it was that kind of party for me either, so I can understand you wanting to be in denial. When you figure out it is is that kind of party, make sure I"m one of the first to get an invitation." that kind of party, make sure I"m one of the first to get an invitation."
Chloe slipped off her shoes before easing onto the sofa. Breakfast had been crazy and she needed to grab a private and quiet moment before preparing lunch. At times she wondered if she was growing men. There seemed to be more of them showing up for meals every day.
She smiled and inwardly admitted that she was becoming attached to each of them. They were good men, hardworking men, family men who often would talk about their wives and children and their love for them. Working for Ramsey was more than a way to keep food on the table. From the bits of conversations she"d been able to pick up, she knew they considered Ramsey a good employer, the best. He was fair and provided them with a means to provide for their families. She looked forward to seeing them every morning and didn"t mind taking the time to prepare all the foods they liked.
To her surprise, and she was sure to his men as well, Ramsey had spent time with his men this morning. Of course they had teased him mercilessly before settling down to the huge meal she had prepared. And on the invitation and insistence from Ramsey, after everyone had been served, she had sat down with him at the table and had a cup of coffee when he conversed with his men. During that time she felt like a member of Ramsey"s working-crew family. She felt as if she truly belonged. And she was learning more and more about Ramsey from those who knew him the best. It was great information she could use in the article she wanted to write on him.
The article she would not be writing now.
She breathed in deeply. She had come here with only one goal in mind and that was to convince Ramsey to pose on the cover of her magazine and to also obtain information to share with her readers. Considering everything, there was no way she could go through with doing that now. She had crossed over the line of what was professional, of what was right.
She did not want him to think she had gone to the extreme and shared his bed only as a means to an end. Therefore, she needed to tell him the truth and would do so tonight when she had his complete attention, and somehow she would convince him not to send her away, but to let her work through the end of the week because his regular cook would return on Monday.
She didn"t want to think about how he would possibly feel once he learned the truth. It hadn"t been her intent for things to work out this way, but they had and now their time together was about to come to an end and she could feel her heart breaking. Things were beginning to get complicated. She was not only deceiving Ramsey, but she was deceiving his family as well, at least those she"d met. She needed to get out of dodge before drowning in her sea of lies.
She heard a quick tap and then the front door opened. She stood when three women walked in and she found herself under the intense gaze of three pairs of eyes the exact color of Ramsey"s. She knew immediately these were his sisters.
Ramsey cursed under his breath when he pulled into his yard, recognizing the three vehicles haphazardly parked there. For his sisters to come calling at this time of the day and all at the same time meant curiosity had gotten the best of them and they were here to check things out for themselves.
He glanced in his rearview mirror, surprised Callum wasn"t pulling up behind him. The man seemed to have some kind of built-in radar where Gemma was concerned. Whenever she showed up at his place, Callum homed in on her and would find just about any excuse to show up.
As he got out of his truck, the rich scent of something delectable cooking filled the air. This was Chloe"s last week and he wondered how his men were going to readjust when Nellie returned. He had called and left a message on her cell phone letting her know they needed to talk before Monday. Chloe had raised the bar of expectations and although he knew Nellie was a darn good cook, she hadn"t displayed a lot of that skill lately. And her att.i.tude toward his men definitely needed improving.
But still, just the thought that this Friday would be Chloe"s last day did something to him. He refused to believe what Dillon had hinted at earlier that he was developing feelings for her. Yes, he had enjoyed sleeping with her last night and intended to do so again, but he had no intention of progressing to anything remotely serious between them. He was a loner. He preferred things that way.
He heard the sound of feminine voices the moment he walked into his house. He paused and noted the chatter, the laughter, the downright friendliness in the conversations being shared. It seemed the four women were getting along, and for some reason that pleased him. Why it would, he wasn"t sure.
Following the sound of the voices as well as the scent of food cooking, he headed toward the kitchen and then leaned in the doorway at the sight that greeted him. His sisters were sitting down at the table, sampling whatever was smelling so d.a.m.n good, while Chloe stirred something in a big pot. If he didn"t know better, by the way they were carrying on, he would have thought they had known each other for years.
"Forgive me if I"m interrupting anything," he said when it became obvious no one had noticed him.
Four pairs of eyes turned his way, but it was only one pair that he sought out. And the moment Chloe"s gaze met his, he felt it, a deep stirring within the pit of his stomach, and it had more depth than just a sensual ache. He was tempted to do what he"d done this morning in front of Zane, Derringer, Jason and Callum, which was to cross the room and take Chloe into his arms and kiss her, ignoring their audience. But there was no way in h.e.l.l he could ignore the three sitting at the table who had huge smiles on their faces like he"d cut muster about something. And he couldn"t help but notice they were watching him closely.
"You"re not interrupting anything," Bailey said sweetly, smiling with too much saccharin on her lips to suit him. "We were just sitting here chatting with Chloe, trying to get to know her better."
He lifted a brow and almost asked why they saw fit to do something like that when Chloe would be leaving this Friday, but he refrained from doing so. "Suit yourself. If you will excuse me I have work to do."
He moved to walk toward his office wondering why he was doing the very thing he said he would no longer do where Chloe was concerned. But then he knew that putting any ideas into his sisters" heads would be dangerous. They wouldn"t take it and run, they would take it and rush off in a mad dash. Besides, by retreating he was saving Chloe from being interrogated later, not that his nosy sisters hadn"t probably tried pumping her for information already.
When he reached his office he eased down in the chair behind his desk wondering how long his visitors intended to stay. His men would be showing up in a few hours for lunch and he hadn"t had any private time with Chloe since they"d last made love this morning. He at least wanted to kiss her the way he had wanted to do without an audience.
He picked up the folder on his desk. He would try to get some work done and hoped like h.e.l.l his sisters would leave in a timely manner. Otherwise, he would be tempted to ask them to leave.
He smiled thinking doing something like that wouldn"t go over well. He"d escorted them to the door before, but always in a teasing manner; however, today he would be dead serious. And he intended to do something about the locks on his back door where anyone thought they could just walk in whenever they wanted. That had never bothered him before but now it did.
He threw down the folder he"d been holding in his hands, not believing the way his thoughts were going. The only reason he was considering changing the d.a.m.n lock was because on two different occasions he had been caught kissing Chloe. Because she would be leaving after Friday, did it really matter now?
He slumped back in his chair, finally admitting to himself that yes, it did matter. He didn"t want things between them to end yet. He could ask Chloe to go out with him on occasion, he would take her to dinner and pursue some sort of a relationship with her. Nothing real serious, mind you. Was that what he really wanted? With lambing starting next week as well as some of his men returning to sheepherding, would he have the time? He knew at that moment he would do something he hadn"t done in well over ten years and that is to make time for a woman.
He glanced up when he heard a knock on his door. His pulse leaped. Had his sisters left and Chloe had come looking for him? He stood and a frown settled on his face when Callum walked in. He dropped back down in the chair disappointed.
Ramsey didn"t have to ask his friend why he was there. He knew. And the way Ramsey was feeling about his sisters at that moment, he was tempted to pay Callum a hefty fee to take Gemma off his hands. There was no hope for Megan and Bailey. Megan wasn"t dating anyone seriously since she had finally dumped that a.s.shole of a doctor she"d gotten involved with last year. And lucky for him Bailey was more into her books than the opposite s.e.x. She was determined to finish college in three years instead of four and then obtain a law degree. Although she could get on his last nerve at times, he was proud of her and her dedication to her studies.
"What are you doing here, Cal?" Ramsey couldn"t resist the opportunity to tease his friend. Callum had given him enough grief over Chloe during the last couple of days to last a lifetime, so to Ramsey"s way of thinking the ribbing was justified.
"What do you think?"
Ramsey rolled his eyes. Callum had been hanging around Zane too much lately. He was beginning to sound just like him. "You do know that one day you"re going to have to take matters into your own hands, and I don"t mean something as extreme as kidnapping," Ramsey said.
Callum didn"t say anything, he just smiled. At any other point in time that smile would have made Ramsey uneasy, had him somewhat worried, but not today. He had his own problems to deal with and for once Callum and Gemma were the least of his concern.
His only concern was whether Chloe would be interested in continuing their relationship after Friday. And he intended to do whatever it took to make sure she wanted that as much as he did.
Nine.
As soon as the last vehicle pulled out of Ramsey"s yard, Chloe glanced over at him. He was leaning in the kitchen doorway staring at her. The men had arrived on time for lunch and Ramsey"s sisters had stuck around to join them for the meal. Zane, Derringer and Jason had also shown up, and Callum had appeared out of the back with Ramsey, which meant he had been there for a while.
After everyone had been fed, Ramsey"s sisters had been kind enough to help clear the table and help load the dishwasher. Ramsey had a.s.sisted with cleanup duty as well and in no time at all, the kitchen was spotless. If she didn"t know any better Chloe would have thought Ramsey had pitched in to hurry off his sisters. Evidently they got the message and had taken Zane, Derringer and Jason right along with them. Callum had returned to the shearing plant with the men.
And now for the first time since waking up that morning, she and Ramsey were alone. She held Ramsey"s gaze as memories of last night flooded her mind. She instantly recalled his mouth on her body, how his lips had trailed over every inch of her, his tongue, hot, wet and greedy, had devoured her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and the area between her legs. She took a deep breath as she thought about how perfectly their bodies had fit and the sensations she"d felt with him moving inside of her.
He had been the most pa.s.sionate of lovers, creative and imaginative all rolled into one, and she knew without a doubt that last night each and every one of her fantasies had been fulfilled. Whether he ever appeared on the cover of her magazine no longer mattered because she knew firsthand that Ramsey Westmoreland was indeed the most irresistible man that existed.
"Come here, Chloe."
His words, spoken in what sounded like a heated breath, floated across the room to her, touched her all over and in the very places, his hands, mouth, lips and tongue had traveled the night before.
And without hesitating, she crossed the room and walked straight into his arms. When he gripped her tightly to him, she lifted her face and stared into his eyes.
When he leaned down and captured her mouth in his, every part of her was stirred into action and she returned his kiss as hungrily as he gave it. Her chest settled against his and she knew he could feel the hardened tips of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s pressing into him. She could certainly feel his burgeoning erection that was cradled intimately between her thighs.
Moments later, their mouths broke apart and she felt her fingers flexed as they held on to his shoulders, otherwise she would have fallen to her knees. The sensations flowing through her heated her insides.
""I want to make love to you right here. Right now. But I can"t risk any unexpected visitors," he murmured hotly against her lips. "It would greatly upset me if we got interrupted."
From the sound of his voice and his aroused expression, she knew he was serious. He wanted her just as much as she wanted him. "Then maybe we should go upstairs," she invited in a husky whisper.
From the darkening of his eyes she knew he"d heard every word she"d said. And before she could let out her next breath, he swept her off her feet and into his arms and headed toward the stairs.
Ramsey placed Chloe on the bed and stood back. He needed to look at her, study her, a.n.a.lyze how this woman had changed his life to the point where he was up here in his bedroom, about to make love to her, when it wasn"t even three in the afternoon. There were forty million other things he could be doing around his ranch. Nearly half his herd was pregnant, lambing began next Monday and he needed to make sure all the lambing stalls were ready.
But at that moment nothing was more important to him than getting inside of Chloe, locking his body to hers, feeling her muscles clamp down on him, pulling him in and drawing every single thing out of him. Sensation was building in his erection, arousing him to the point where he wanted to tear off his clothes and hers. He wanted to mate with her. Stay inside her body and never come out.
Ramsey glanced over at her. He wanted her wet all over and easing onto the bed he reached out and pulled her to him, and began stroking his tongue along her lower lip. There was something about her mouth that enthralled him, made him want to keep kissing her, but first he wanted to taste her all over. He remembered all the things he had done to her last night, but was convinced that it had not been enough.
His hands moved to her blouse and within seconds he had pulled it over her head and tossed it aside. Then his gaze lowered to her chest and he saw how the nipples of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s had hardened to pebbles and were pressed against the lace material of her bra. And it was a pink bra that matched the color of the blouse he had removed earlier. He wondered if her panties would also be the same color. He"d noticed that about her last night. She had been wearing a light green lace bra and had been wearing matching lace panties. He found her color-coordinated lingerie downright s.e.xy.
With eager fingers he undid the front closure of her bra and watched as it parted, exposing two of the most beautiful globes he"d ever seen. He had thought that very thing last night and it still held true in the bright sunlight. They were perfect for his hands and incredibly delicious to his mouth.
Removing the bra completely he leaned forward and captured a hard nipple between his lips and then his tongue went to work, reacquainting his taste buds with the flavor he had enjoyed last night while holding her breast firmly in his hand.
He heard her soft moans as he feasted on one breast and then another, taking his time while his tongue so effortlessly devoured her. It felt hot, inflamed as it went about licking her hungrily, sucking the tip greedily. Never before had he gotten such pleasure from such an a.s.sault on a woman"s b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
He finally lifted his head and pulled back as a slow smile touched his lips. Without saying anything he gently eased her back while his hands went to her skirt and he gently pulled the denim material down her hips, thighs and legs, leaving her in those leggings. A pretty pink pair.
He studied the footless tights and although he much preferred seeing her legs bare as they had been last night, there was something about all those colorful leggings she wore that definitely made a statement. But at that moment he was going to enjoy peeling the d.a.m.n things off her.
"You do know I really don"t like these things," he said as he reached for the waistband.
She quirked a brow at him. "Why?"
He smiled and said simply. "They hide your legs."
Chloe smiled. "Leggings are part of the latest fashion trend. And they don"t hide my legs, Ramsey, they accent them. Usually my dresses or skirts are rather short. Leggings work well with my outfits and with the flat shoes I normally wear it makes the perfect casual outfit."
Ramsey nodded, not believing he was actually discussing a woman"s attire.
"Would you prefer I not wear leggings while I"m around your men, Ramsey?"
His answer was quick in coming. "No."
"Okay, then, rancher. You can"t have it both ways."
He sort of disagreed with that. "In private I"m taking them off you because I love looking at your legs."
"Suit yourself."
And he intended to, he thought. And then his throat tightened, not allowing another word to slip through when he inched the leggings past her hips to uncover a very skimpy, very s.e.xy pink thong.
Once he had peeled the leggings completely off her, his attention went back to that very hot-looking thong, dying to reveal what it covered and deciding not to wait.
Adjusting his body he slouched down on the bed between her open legs and lifted them on his shoulders. And just like last night, the feel of those bare legs on his shoulders, smooth and silky, rubbing against his skin made the lower part of him throb with an intensity that sent shudders through his body. And it wasn"t helping matters that he was drowning in her scent. Being this intimately close to her hot mound made him crave her taste even more.
As soon as he felt he was in the right position, he leaned in and flicked his tongue across her crotch, dampening her thong in the process but getting a taste of what was behind it. She moaned and the sound went straight to his erection and made it surge.
"What are you doing to me?" she asked, in a voice that seemed strained, breathless, panting.
"What does it feel like?" He flicked his tongue across her again, wanting her to feel the strength behind it. "But if what I"m doing is bothering you, I can always stop," he said and grinned at her.
"No," she said quickly. "Please don"t stop."
He glanced up at her and his response was just as quick. "I won"t." The look he saw in her face, blatant need and transparent pleasure, fueled his hunger and he pulled back slightly, lifted her hips to remove the thong from her body.
He had gotten his first taste of her in this very feminine hot spot last night and had been craving more of her ever since. He hadn"t known the extent of his s.e.xual desire until he"d made love to her. When he recalled all the o.r.g.a.s.ms they had shared last night, his desperation in wanting her again was warranted.
Tossing the skimpy undergarment aside, he eased back in place between her thighs and rubbed his chin against her naked skin, liking the feel of her and the look of her Brazilian wax. Not able to hold back any longer, he began licking at her, taking his tongue and outlining her feminine mound wanting her to feel the urgency of his desire.
"Ramsey," she called out his name in a whispered tone as she tightened the legs around his shoulder.
"Yes, baby?" he asked in a deep tone.
"I-I like that."