bed. “And in the meantime, all we have to do is relax and enjoy each other.”
She smiled. “I’m sure you’re up for the challenge.”
Wrapping her in his arms, he rested his forehead against hers. “I can’t help myself. You’re just so
damned desirable when you wake up. And when you walk into my office with my coffee. And—”
“I think I get the idea,” she said dryly as she crossed the room to remove her robe and get into bed.
“You’re blaming me for your insatiable needs.”
“I didn’t have this problem before we started making love,” he countered, walking over to remove his
watch and place it in a small tray on top of the dresser. His grin turned positively wicked. “Do you know
why I spend so much time sitting behind my desk at the office?”
Propping her pillow against the headboard, she leaned back against it. “I assume it’s because you’re
working.”
“Nope.” He walked over to his side of the bed. “It’s because I’ve been watching you or thinking about
making love to you and I’m too aroused for people not to notice.”
“So you’re saying we can’t go out in public together anymore?” she teased.
He shook his head as she watched him lower his boxers. “No, but when we are out, I find that I’d rather
be here making love to you.” He paused. “And speaking of going out in public together, I almost forgot
to tell you about the reception on Saturday evening at the Opryland Hotel.”
“For anyone I know?” she asked, shamelessly watching him. She loved his body, loved watching the
play of muscles as he moved. It was just so darned sexy.
“You don’t know her, but you do know of her,” he commented, climbing into bed. “It’s Emerald
Larson.” Turning on his side to face her, he pulled her close. “But I don’t want to talk about her now. I
have more exciting things on my mind.”
“Oh, really?” Haley couldn’t keep from smiling at the promise on his handsome face and completely
abandoned all thought as his firm lips nibbled and coaxed with a skill that stole her breath.
But when his tongue parted her lips to deepen the kiss, it felt as if he’d ignited a pyrotechnic display
within her soul. A flickering light danced behind her closed eyes and a delicious warmth flowed through
her veins as he stroked the inner recesses of her mouth, then encouraged her to explore him in kind.
Tasting and teasing him as he’d done her, her pulse quickened when she felt him reach for the lace hem
of her gown. The feel of his palm as he slid it up her thigh and over her stomach to the underside of her
breast, sent a searing current of heat dancing over every nerve in her body. But when he cupped her fully
and lightly brushed his thumb over her hardened nipple, the heated desire swirling inside her quickly
turned into a hungry flame.
She wanted him with a fierceness that she never imagined and running her hands over his side, then his
hip, she took him in her palm to explore his length and the power of his need for her. She felt his entire
body shudder a moment before he broke the kiss, then leaned back and shook his head.
“It’s been brought to my immediate attention that one of us is overdressed for what we’re about to do
here,” he said, sounding winded.
“Since you’re the one not wearing anything, I suppose that would make me the guilty party.”
Toying with the neck of her gown, his smile turned into a wicked grin a moment before he used both
hands to rip the light cotton fabric all the way down to the hem.
“I’m not going to have any nightgowns left,” she complained, not in the least bit upset.
His promising grin stole her breath. “Not that you’re going to be needing them anytime soon, but if you
insist, I’ll buy you new ones.” Quickly dispensing with her tattered nightgown, he hooked his thumbs
under her panties. “And we definitely don’t need these, either.”
Raising her hips to help, a wave of electrifying desire covered every inch of her as he slid the offending
garment down her legs, then tossed them over the side of the bed to the floor. Her wildest fantasies could
not compare to the erotic thrill Luke created every time he removed her clothes.
“I don’t know why you bother with them anyway. You know I’m just going to take them off of you,” he
said, pulling her against him.
“But you told me you enjoyed doing just that.”
“Getting you out of your clothes is part of the fun.” He frowned suddenly. “But I don’t want to dwell on
“I believe you were going to explain why I don’t need nightgowns and panties,” she reminded, suddenly
feeling quite breathless.
“No, I believe I told you that I intended to show you.” He lightly brushed her lips with his as he pressed
himself even closer.
Her eyelids drifted shut as she relished the feel of their bodies pressed close. His hard contours against
her much softer curves excited her as little else could and sent a tremor of sheer delight straight through
her to gather into a pool of need deep inside.
“Open your eyes, Haley.”
When she did, the intense look in his eyes caused her heart to pound erratically. Hunger, urgent and
undeniable, sparkled in the vivid blue depths and just knowing that she’d created such deep need in him
as well sent threads of heated passion twining throughout her entire being.
He continued to hold her gaze with his as without a word he slowly slid his hand down to her knee, then
back up along the inside of her thigh. Ripples of desire skipped over every nerve in her body and an
extreme restlessness began to overtake her. She needed to be one with him, to have him buried so deeply
inside her that she lost sight of where she ended and he began.
“Please…Luke,” she said, amazed at the sultriness in her own voice.
“Only if you promise me something,” he warned, lifting her leg over his.
“What?” At that moment, she would promise him almost anything if he would quench the fire
threatening to send her into total meltdown.
“I don’t want you to close your eyes.” Taking her hand in his, he helped her guide him to her. “I want
you to look at me while I’m inside you, Haley.” Easing his hips forward, his jaw tightened and his eyes
began to blaze with a feral light as he slowly began to enter her. “I want to see the moment when you
realize there’s no turning back, that I’m going to take you over the edge and put my baby inside of you
to love and nurture.”
“I promise I’ll try,” she whispered, placing her hand on his chest. The steady rhythm of his heart
matched the beating of her own and in that moment she’d never felt closer to him.
Her soul filled to overflowing with love as he completely joined their bodies, then slowly began to move
within her. His gaze continued to hold hers as he built the bond between them to a fevered pitch and
sensations, exquisite and sweet, flowed through her.
But all too soon the connection grew, changing, evolving into something that Haley never wanted to
end. A sudden delicious tightness gripped her body, then quickly shattered to send her spinning out of
control. Shivering from the force of her release, she heard herself whimper his name as every cell in her
being melted with pleasure and she clung to him to keep from being lost.
Fee
ling the sweet languor of fulfillment wash over her, she watched Luke’s eyes darken a moment
before his body stiffened and he crushed her to him. He thrust himself into her one final time and as she
felt the honeyed warmth of his life force flow into her, she knew that she could never love any other man
the way she loved Luke. He owned her heart, her body and her soul.
On Saturday evening as he waited for the doorman to announce his and Haley’s arrival to the guests at
Emerald’s reception, Luke glanced at her and wondered for at least the hundredth time in the past three
weeks why it had taken him so long to see how beautiful she was. Her long blond curls cascaded over
her bare shoulders like a golden waterfall and the strapless black evening gown she wore accentuated
her slender feminine form to perfection.
“Mr. Luke Garnier and Miss Haley Rollins,” the doorman finally announced to the crowded ballroom.
He thought he felt Haley’s body go rigid a moment before she placed her hand in the crook of his arm
and they walked toward the receiving line where Emerald and several others stood waiting to greet them.
But glancing again at her, Luke decided he’d imagined it. She looked as serenely beautiful as she had
the day she’d walked down the aisle of the little chapel in Pigeon Forge to trustingly place her hand in
his and become his…wife.
His heart stalled. Why had that particular word come to mind? It was one that, over the course of the
“Lucien, darling, I’m so happy you decided to attend,” Emerald greeted him, placing her bejeweled hand
on his cheek and bringing him back to the present. Turning to Haley, she smiled. “And what a lovely
young woman you’re with this evening.”
“This is my executive assistant, Haley Rollins,” he introduced automatically. “Haley, I’d like you to
meet Emerald Larson.”
“How do you do, Ms. Rollins?” Emerald replied, lightly kissing Haley’s cheek.
“L-lovely. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Larson.” Was his mind playing tricks on him or had he heard
a slight quaver in Haley’s voice?
“I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to steal my grandson away from you for a few moments,”
Emerald declared, smiling. “There are a few people I would like for him to get acquainted with.”
Luke could have cheerfully choked the old girl for dropping that little bomb. He’d avoided telling Haley
that Emerald was the grandmother he’d mentioned. For one thing, theirs was a business arrangement and
he hadn’t felt it pertinent to their situation. And for another, he hadn’t gotten used to the idea himself.
Now, short of creating a scene, there was nothing he could do but allow Emerald to lead him away from
Haley and over to the three men standing across the ballroom.
“Of course, I don’t mind,” Haley murmured, but her look clearly stated otherwise.
“I’ll be right back,” he whispered in her ear. “I promise that I’ll explain all of this later.”
She leaned away from him a fraction of an inch. The movement was ever so slight, but he’d noticed it
just the same as if she’d fully recoiled from him. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. Take all the time
you like,” she professed, turning to walk in the opposite direction.
Unless he missed his guess, he was in hot water and other than omitting the fact that Emerald Larson
was his grandmother, he couldn’t figure out why.
“Your assistant is quite beautiful, Lucien,” Emerald commented as they walked across the ballroom. “I
take it there’s more between the two of you?”
“That’s really none of your concern, Emerald,” he retorted, not at all surprised that she felt entitled to
know about every aspect of his life. After all, she was the all-knowing, all-seeing Emerald Larson.
“Of course it is,” she sweetly disagreed, smiling. “I’m your grandmother and I naturally want to see that
you’re happy.” She placed her hand on his arm. “And if there’s anything I can do to help, please don’t
hesitate to let me know.”
“I seriously doubt that I’ll need your assistance,” he disclaimed, wondering what the hell she thought she
could do that he couldn’t.
“Just keep that in mind if you ever do,” she reminded as they continued to cross the ballroom.
Her comments had him wondering how much she knew about his arrangement with Haley, but he didn’t
have time to dwell on it as they approached the three men.
“Lucien, I’d like for you to meet your brothers, Caleb Walker, Nicholas Daniels and Hunter O’Banyon,”
Emerald said. “Now, while you boys get to know each other, I’ll return to my guests.”
“She’s a piece of work, isn’t she?” Hunter asked, shaking his head as they watched Emerald walk back
toward the ballroom entrance.
“Is she ever,” Luke agreed, liking the man instantly.
“We’re glad to get to know you and the rest of the Garnier side of the family,” Caleb spoke up.
“Likewise,” Luke answered, shaking hands with all three of his half brothers. “For the record, everyone
but Emerald calls me Luke.”
“Yeah, she insists on calling me ‘Nicholas’ most of the time,” Nick disclosed, his expression reflecting
his displeasure.
“When you have her kind of money, you can do anything you damned well please,” Hunter summarized,
laughing.
“I hear you own one of the biggest construction companies in the South and thanks to Emerald you’ve
recently ventured into log homes,” Nick described, sounding thoughtful. “Have you ever considered
building in the western states? I promised my wife a new house for our anniversary and who better to
build it than one of my brothers.”
Luke smiled. “I haven’t ventured past the Mississippi, but that doesn’t mean I’m not open to the idea. If
you’re going to be in town for a few days, maybe we can get together.”
“Save a spot at that table for me,” Hunter added. “I run an air med-evac service in southwest Texas and
I’d like to build an office and sleeping quarters for the on-duty crew separate from the hanger where we
service the helicopters.”
“And me,” Caleb interjected. “You never know, I might just decide to have you build something for me
out in New Mexico.”
Luke had tried to tell himself that he didn’t care if he ever met his half brothers. But truth to tell, he was
glad for the opportunity. It wasn’t their fault they had been thrown into the same set of circumstances
that he, Jake and Arielle found themselves.
“How does Monday evening sound?” he asked. All three men agreed, and naming a time and place,
Luke added, “I’ll see if Jake will be able to rearrange his schedule and hang around another day or two
and join us.”
“Sounds good,” Hunter confirmed, glancing toward a group of women. “Uh-oh, I think Callie’s trying to
get my attention again.”
“Yeah, Alyssa’s giving me one of those looks, too,” Caleb noted, smiling toward a pretty auburn-haired
woman across the ballroom.
“Then I’ll see you Monday evening,” Luke said.
When he turned to find Haley, Luke spotted her by the buffet table. Damned if that jerk Chet Parker
wasn’t standing right beside her. What the hell was he doing at a reception for Emerald? And did the
guy have some kind of radar honed in on
Haley wherever they went?
“Looks to me like the entertainment for this little bash is about to make time with your new wife,” Jake
taunted, coming up to stand beside Luke.
Glancing at his brother, he felt as if he was looking in a mirror. But instead of wearing a devil-may-care
grin like Jake, Luke was certain his expression bordered on premeditated murder.
“He’s the entertainment for the evening?”
“That’s what I hear.” Rocking back on his heels, Jake nodded and took a sip of the drink he held. “You
do know he’s most likely looking for wife number four?”
“I’ve heard the rumor,” Luke responded, his gaze never wavering from the pair at the buffet table.
“I represented his second wife in their divorce and let me tell you, she came away with a bundle,” Jake
supplied, sounding quite pleased with himself.
“Good for you,” Luke commented absently. He felt his blood pressure skyrocket when he watched
Parker put his hand on Haley’s bare shoulder. “I’ll be back in a few, Jake. Right now, I have something I
need to take care of.”
His brother chuckled. “Let me know if you need back up with that, bro.”
When he walked up and slipped his arm around Haley’s waist, Luke made it a point to meet Parker’s
questioning gaze head on. “Haley, have you seen my sister?”
“I spoke to her a few minutes ago,” she answered, her tone as cool as he’d ever heard it.
“Why don’t you go find her for me?” he proposed, his gaze never wavering from Parker’s. “I’d like to
talk with her before we leave.”
Haley glared at him for several seconds, before giving him a short nod. “Of course, Mr. Garnier.
Whatever you say, Mr. Garnier.”
She was less than happy when she brushed past him, but he’d straighten out things with her later. At the
moment, he had to put the fear of God into one country Casanova.
“Listen up, Parker. I’m only going to tell you this once,” Luke threatened, his jaw clenched so tight it
felt welded shut. “Stay the hell away from Haley.”
“Why should I?” Parker demanded, his tone self-assured. “You seem to keep forgetting that you bring
her to these things or else she wouldn’t be wandering about alone.” He smiled. “A little gal like Haley