Slow Burn (A Madaris Family Novel) Page 7

  Skye groaned inwardly. His question had her heart pounding hard against her ribs, and a wave of anticipation almost made her dizzy. The look in his eyes was breaking down each and every defense she had erected, and she suddenly felt overwhelmed.

  Reaching up, she cupped his chin with her hand—dimples and all—and smiled. “Umm, yes, we can.”

  And then she did something she had never done before. She took the initiative by leaning up and covering his mouth with hers. Never in her entire existence had she wanted or needed to taste a man more.

  She felt her feet touch the ground when his arm moved around her waist to pull her even closer to the fit of him, letting her have her way with his mouth. She wasn’t sure just what the heck she was doing with it, but she knew she had to sample as much of him as she could.

  It came as a total surprise when she heard him moan from deep within his throat, which indicated whatever she was doing to his mouth she was doing at least partly right.

  Incredible.

  A part of her wanted to remember her prim and proper New England upbringing, but at that moment the only thing she could think about was how she felt in Slade’s arms and how her tongue had swept inside his mouth, tasting, teasing, and exploring one side to another.

  How long they stood there kissing was anybody’s guess, but when breathing became a task they could no longer ignore, she pulled her mouth from his and dropped her head onto his chest. He gave her time to get her breathing under control while he did likewise with his.

  Then he reached out and lifted her face to his and gently brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. He smiled and said in a deep, throaty voice, “That was some kiss, Skye.”

  She returned his smile and surprised herself by saying, “And you have one heck of a taste, Slade.”

  Slade laughed, and the sound echoed loudly through the trees, pastures, and meadows. She was something else, he thought, and an innate urge within him pushed him to kiss her again. He pulled her into his arms for another kiss, surging into the heat of her mouth like a greedy man yet always remaining gentle. And he knew at that moment that Skye Barclay was getting into his system and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.

  A short while later, back in the guest room, Skye lay across the bed trying to make the move to call her parents. Regardless of whether they had wanted her to come or not, they deserved to know she had arrived safely and was all right. And if they were to ask how things were going, she would tell them. But she wouldn’t mention anything if they didn’t care enough to inquire.

  She pulled out her cell phone and a few moments later she was holding her breath while the phone rang at her parents’ home. Because of the time difference, it was breakfast time in Maine and chances were her father hadn’t left for work. He had hired an assistant a few months ago, and on most days rarely went into the office before ten.

  Pretty soon an older feminine voice came on the line. “Yes?”

  Skye breathed in deeply. “Mom, this is Skye. I called to let you and Dad know I’m all right.”

  There was a long pause and then her mother said, “Did you accomplish what you went there to do? Did you meet him?”

  Skye knew her mother was referring to Vincent. “Yes, I met him. He’s a nice person, and so are his adoptive parents. He knows the truth now and is fine with it. He’s not placing judgment on what his mother did when she was sixteen, and neither am I.”

  “Well, I still think you were wrong to tell him. Whatever image he had of his mother before has now been tainted by you.”

  Skye shook her head. “No, Mom, that’s not true. Why do you want to believe that?”

  Without answering, Edith Barclay said, “Your father hasn’t left for work yet. He’s here and wants to talk to you.”

  Skye could hear her mother passing her father the phone. “Skye?”

  “Yes, Dad.”

  “Are you okay?”

  Skye closed her eyes. Some days she didn’t know what to make of her father. This was one of those times. There were times she felt he was there for her, but lately, more times than not, he had sided with her mother against her on matters that were important to her. “Yes, Dad, I’m fine, and I’ve met Vincent.”

  “Did he ask you a lot of questions regarding his mother?”

  Skye thought her father’s question rather odd. “No, he knows I didn’t know her and that she gave me up, so there’s nothing he can ask me about her.”

  “I thought perhaps he wanted to know what you found out about her from your investigative reports.”

  “Oh. No, he didn’t ask anything. He’s a good kid, Dad. A clean-cut, all-around American kid. The Madarises did a great job in raising him.”

  “And the Madarises? They don’t have a problem with you being there?”

  “No, in fact, they invited me to stay in their home instead of the hotel, so that’s where I am.”

  “That was very kind of them.”

  “Yes, they are kind people.” When there was a lag in the conversation, Skye said, “Look, Dad, I’m going to let you go since I know you have to go into the office. Tell Mom that I—”

  “When are you coming home, Skye?”

  “Probably on Sunday. I want to spend as much time with Vincent as I can, to get to know him.” She decided now was not a good time to mention that she intended to ask the Madarises about Vincent spending part of his summer with her in Maine.

  “Wayne came by yesterday,” her father said. “He asked about you.”

  Wayne was the last person she wanted to discuss with either of her parents. “I don’t know why he would. The last time we talked he made it pretty clear that if I came to Texas our engagement was off.”

  “I think he regrets saying that.”

  “Well, that’s too bad, Dad. I no longer have plans to marry him. Calling off the wedding was really a blessing and the best thing for the both of us.”

  “That young man is going places, Skye. He’s a good match for you.”

  Skye sighed. Her parents had been able to convince her of that a few years ago, but not now. Especially after spending time with Slade. He and Wayne were as different as day and night. Wayne had an arrogant air about him, while Slade was the epitome of a perfect gentleman. Even when he had kissed her, he had maintained a decorum of honor and respect.

  “I no longer think he’s a good match for me, Dad, so let’s leave it at that.”

  “We’ll talk some more about it when you get back to Maine, young lady.”

  Skye exhaled. When would either of her parents accept the fact that she was no longer a child? It was as if her father had turned a deaf ear to her words. If the issue involved Wayne, they had nothing to talk about.

  “Good-bye, Dad.”

  “Good-bye, Skye. We hope to see you at the end of the week. Taking all this time off your job can’t be good.”

  “It’s fine, Dad. I got a lot of vacation built up that I haven’t taken. Mr. Wells was really understanding about it. Good-bye, Dad.”

  She then hung up the phone wishing there was something she could say to her parents to convince them that finding out about her biological parents was not a threat to them. In spite of their somewhat shaky relationship in recent years, she loved them as the only parents she’d ever known.

  She got off the bed and headed for the bathroom to take a shower. She would be joining Lorren and Slade for lunch. Memories of her kiss with Slade ran through her mind, sending shivers through her body. She couldn’t dismiss the way he held her in his arms while kissing her. Totally. Unhurriedly. She smiled thinking about just how much she’d liked it.

  She had liked it a lot. Maybe a little too much.

  “Justin, have you and Lorren lost your minds?”

  Justin rolled his eyes at the sound of his brother’s booming voice coming in through his cell phone. He was en route back to the ranch to see one of his patients on an emergency basis—although he had to admit any time old man Smith saw him it was considered an emergenc
y. He had answered his cell phone thinking it was Lorren.

  “Good morning to you, too, Clayton. How’s Syneda and Remington?”

  “Never mind us. Lorren called Syneda this morning and told her about this woman showing up claiming to be Vincent’s sister.”

  Justin shook his head, certain those were not the words Lorren had used in her conversation with Syneda. “She isn’t claiming to be his sister. She is his sister.”

  “And how do you know that for sure? Did you ask for any proof? What about identification? Did you ask to see any of this documentation she claims she has? What about that investigator’s report?”

  “Clayton, stop being so suspicious of everyone. I respect that as an attorney you’ve probably seen or heard it all, but trust me and Lorren to know when to protect our son and when not to.”

  “And you believe this woman’s story?”

  “There’s no reason not to believe it.”

  “Well, let me give you one. Have you forgotten what Vincent stands to gain when he turns twenty-one?”

  No, Justin hadn’t forgotten. His parents’ wealth at the time of their deaths had been held in trust for Vincent—minus what the State of Texas had deducted for restitution for the two years he’d been a ward of the state. Because his mother’s parents had been fairly wealthy and Vincent was the lone survivor, he would inherit quite a sum. A few million, to be exact.

  “Don’t you think it’s odd that this woman would show up now?” Clayton asked.

  “No, I don’t think it’s odd if she only recently discovered she had a brother. Besides, Clayton, it’s not like Vincent will be turning twenty-one anytime soon. He has five years to go.”

  “Yes, but how do you know she’s not going to make a claim against any of Vincent’s trust? If what she says is true, then Kathy Lester was her mother as well, and she might feel she’s entitled to some of it.”

  Justin sighed. “And if what you say is true, knowing Vincent, he won’t have any problems sharing it with her if that’s what he wants to do.”

  “I’m just trying to help protect my nephew’s interest.”

  No, you’re sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong like you’ve always done, Justin thought. For as long as he could remember, Clayton was the brother who thought he knew what was best for everybody. And because he was an attorney, he was also the brother who enjoyed a good argument. But Justin had no desire to accommodate him today. “I appreciate that, Clayton, but Lorren and I know what we’re doing, and once you meet Skye, then—”

  “Skye? What kind of name is that?”

  Justin chuckled. “You can fix your mouth to ask that when you’re married to a woman named Syneda?”

  “Yeah, well, Syneda’s name means something,” he said defensively.

  “And I’m sure the name Skye means something as well. Besides, I wouldn’t cause problems with her if I were you. I have a feeling she’s more than piqued Slade’s interest. She’s pretty.”

  “So what of it? He’s a Madaris. I’m sure it won’t be the first time a pretty face has caught his attention. But Slade has a history of not letting a pretty face get to him.”

  “That might be true,” Justin said, smiling, thinking of the way Slade had kept looking at Skye across the dinner table last night. “But I have a strong feeling she might be the one exception.”

  CHAPTER 8

  Slade tried studying the sketches he had made a few days ago and discovered his concentration level was at an all-time low.

  Pulling off his sunglasses, he propped them on top of his head and leaned against the side of the house while glancing at the area where the addition would be. There was enough land on Lorren Oaks to build another huge ranch house if Justin wanted to. But what he wanted was a place adjoining his where the woman who’d raised Lorren could live the rest of her life worry free and surrounded by those she considered family.

  It would be single-story to accommodate Mama Nora’s arthritis. The elderly woman couldn’t climb stairs like she used to, and it would be roomy enough to have its own kitchen, bath, and sitting area to give her the privacy she needed.

  When Justin had approached him about it a few months ago he had been backed up in work. The Madaris Construction Company had projects lined up through next year, and they were constantly sending out bids for more. Currently they had a huge bid in with the city of Houston to build a $10 million mini sports arena that would be used for all of the high schools’ sports activities as well as the annual commencement events. Their major competitor, Collins Construction, was trying to say that he and Blade had an edge in the bidding process because of the Madaris name. But that wasn’t true. It was because of the Madaris name that most companies that solicited their bids seemed to make them work harder to prove their worth. That didn’t bother them because they were confident in their abilities and in the end they always completed a quality product, down to the buyers’ specifications.

  Slade heard a sound and turned in the direction of it and saw Skye, strolling down the walkway. Her head was bowed down as if she had a lot on her mind. She hadn’t glanced his way, and with the trees serving as a buffer, chances were she hadn’t seen him. Her hair was still in the ponytail that it had been in earlier when he had given her her first lesson in riding a horse.

  He suddenly wondered how it would feel to let her hair loose around her shoulders at his whim, to twine his fingers through the twisted tresses, bury his face in them, before moving his mouth to taste her lips. He shifted slightly when he felt the fierce attraction he’d felt for her since day one. And those kisses they’d shared hadn’t helped matters, not to mention the way her body had a tendency to automatically press tight against his whenever they kissed.

  With the bidding war between Madaris and Collins Construction coming up in the next few weeks, he needed to keep his mind focused. At present it was focused all right. Focused right on Skye. At first it had only been his intent to be friendly toward her, mainly because he could tell when she’d first arrived that she was extremely nervous. But somewhere along the line, in a short space of time, his interest had changed. Hell, he’d practically even told her he had his own agenda where she was concerned.

  His jaw tightened and the hand holding the clipboard clenched. He’d never been on a mission for a woman before. He dated when it suited him, and when it didn’t he was just as happy staying at home with a cold can of beer and watching whatever sci-fi flick was on the tube. Women had never been a necessity to him like they were to Blade. His brother loved women. In fact, everyone claimed Blade was their cousin Clayton reincarnated, since Clayton, in his pre-Syneda days, had been Houston’s bad boy who went for anything in a skirt. He’d even kept a huge case of condoms in his closet, which he’d proudly passed on to Blade.

  Slade shook his head, grinning, thinking of how his brother was putting those damn things to good use. When it came to safe sex Blade knew the score and would never let a pretty face blow his mind.

  Like Slade was doing if he didn’t get a grip.

  Personally, he didn’t need an involvement in his life right now, and according to Skye, neither did she. So why was it hard to fight the attraction? Why was he making it into such a big deal? And why did he care so much about when something bothered her—like it was evidently doing.

  This morning when he’d taken her out on Jessie, she had been in the best of moods, excited about meeting Vincent yesterday and his acceptance of her last night. From the way she was walking now, oblivious to her surroundings, like she had a lot on her mind, Slade wondered what had upset her, and he could tell by the slump in her shoulders that something had.

  He continued to watch her, and then, as if she felt his eyes on her, she slowly lifted her head and turned. Their gazes connected. Locked. For the longest time they stood staring at each other, across a distance of over thirty feet, and then, as if on instinct, he put aside his clipboard and reached out his hand to her.

  He watched as she breathed in deeply and took a
step. Then she was moving toward him. He watched her come to him and he knew whatever was causing her misery, he wanted to take it away, slay whatever dragons were causing the worry lines on her forehead.

  When she got close enough for them to touch, she took his outstretched hand and he tugged her closer. Without wasting any time or thinking twice about what he was doing, he leaned down and touched his lips to hers and began kissing her with a longing he didn’t know he was capable of exemplifying. And from the way she was kissing him back, it seemed she needed the kiss as much as he did. What was there about her that made it so easy to share himself, his feelings, his desires?

  He continued to kiss her, slow and deep, building passion like he’d never taken the time to build before with a woman. What he was doing was confusing the hell out of him, and when she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned in closer, getting more into their kiss, while he felt her soft breasts press against his chest, he was driven by an instinctive urge to devour her mouth completely. Automatically he splayed his hands across her bottom and pulled her closer, her hips flush against his. And he felt her heat, even through the material of his jeans. And then he moved his hands to her hair and did what he’d thought of doing earlier. He let it loose, ran his fingers through the twisted tresses while he continued to kiss her.

  Remembering where they both were and what they were doing, he slowly pulled back on the kiss, drawing in a ragged breath while savoring the taste of her. He pulled her closer into his arms and gave her the hug he felt she needed.

  “You okay, Skye?” he asked huskily against her ear.

  She nodded her head against his chest and mumbled, “Yes, I’m okay.”

  He wasn’t convinced. He pulled back a little and took his finger and lifted her chin so their eyes could meet. The smile she tried giving him was weak at best. Something was bothering her. She wasn’t okay. But he wouldn’t press the issue. If she wanted him to know what had her upset, she would tell him.