To Win Her Love Read online

  Low and throaty, her laugh was a sexy, yet happy, sound. She glanced up and met his frown. Her smile dimmed but didn’t fade completely. “I’m sorry. I know how you feel about Pete, but I can’t help it. He made my sister happy.”

  He grunted a non-answer, once again unable to equate the man she described with the one he’d despised his entire life.

  She looked away finally, and he sucked in a slow breath. Luck and time might be on his side this morning, but only for a few hours. The last thing he needed was a self-centered ghost fucking up his seduction plans. Focusing on Gracie’s lovely face helped ease his unwanted tension. Touching her would replace what remained with another type altogether.

  Several seconds passed as she dipped her head and pushed several buttons on the dash. Finally, she sat up straight. “I don’t see the keys.”

  “What do you need the keys for? You don’t drive, remember?”

  She rested her forearms on the steering wheel. “Yes, I remember. Didn’t you ask me to come along and help while you did some under the hood work?”

  His remaining tension slipped away with her innocent comment. The grip of old bitterness didn’t hold a candle to the dirty images his mind provided at the idea of checking under her hood.

  Oh, princess, you’re killing me. Don’t stop.

  He propped his hands on his hips. “I doubt this baby needs any work. From the looks of her, she purrs like a kitten. I need your help with that.”

  She followed his jerking chin to the old pickup truck in the far bay. “Oh.” Eyeing the big four-wheel drive critically, she cocked her head. “If this one purrs like a kitten, why bother with an old truck? Come to think of it, do you have the time? Don’t you have practice this morning?”

  The buttons on the dash caught her attention. Like a child, she pressed one, then another. He rounded the hood, amused when she gripped the steering wheel and mimicked maneuvering a sharp curve. He gave an inward snort. She wasn’t as averse to driving as she let on. She simply hadn’t come up against the right incentive. He was about to change that.

  “I have a couple of free hours before I have go to the complex.” Resting an arm along the top of the doorjamb, he curled his lips in a challenging smile. “I thought we could use the time to teach you to drive.”

  Chapter 17

  Gracie’s head jerked up at his absurd suggestion. “Teach me to drive? Not on your life.” She scrambled from the car and shut the door with more force than necessary. His helpless wince pleased her.

  “Why not?”

  “Because I’ve driven with you. You’re suicidal. If I do ever decide to learn to drive, you’re the last person I want teaching me.”

  He dipped his head to bring their gazes even, and his tone dripped with apologetic charm. “Ah, princess. I was showing off. I’ll be on my best behavior. I promise.”

  Right! She opened her mouth to amend her answer to no way in hell.

  He held up a hand. “Hear me out. You’re determined not to speak to the press. I’m sure you have your reasons, and although I wish you trusted me enough to share them, I respect your request to remain anonymous. There’s still a crowd at the gate. It’s gotten smaller, but the diehards aren’t going anywhere. Do you plan to hide out here for the next three months?”

  Hide? Damn. He made her sound like a complete weenie, but he had no idea of the potential ramifications should she introduce herself to the press. She bit down on a guilty groan. How dare he point out the truth?

  She notched up her chin defiantly. “If necessary.”

  His eyes glittered with mischief. “What if it wasn’t necessary?”

  Wasn’t necessary? If only. Sighing, she crossed her arms. “Okay, I’ll bite. You teach me to drive. Then what? The crowd at the gate knows the stipulations of the will, and thanks to your press release, they know I’m here. There are only three adults living on the property. An elderly woman with an Irish accent, an overgrown jock with an addiction to flirting,” she growled when his lips curved smugly, “and me. Are you going to supply a disguise so I can drive past the press with a wave and a smile?”

  He rocked back on his heels and grinned. “You won’t have to drive past the press if you go out the back gate. From there, it’s only a quarter mile to the train station.”

  His victorious smile and the boyish twinkle in his eyes combined charmingly until she was in danger of weakening. Yeah, right. In danger? Hell, she was tempted to leap across the distance and kiss him senseless.

  On no. She wasn’t about to fall for that glittering twinkle again. Look what happened last time? She studied the twin bruises beneath his glittering eyes. Wishing she could sink through the floor, she curled her fingers into fists against the need to dab cool fingertips to the swelling and take away his pain. Her fault! Okay, in truth, it was an accident. Which wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t given in to his sultry seduction and kissed him back.

  Sticking her tongue in his mouth was a bad idea, no matter how pleasant the exercise. Then again…. She shook her head. As much as she’d enjoy locking lips with him again, she couldn’t count on another opportune tickle in her nose to bring her back to her senses. No, kissing Jake was dangerous business. She’d be better off slamming her head against the hood of his dream car, but damn, he was a temptation she didn’t want to resist.

  Logic, Gracie!

  Yes. Logic was her best defense. “The back gate leads to a county road. Last time I checked, you need a driver’s license to operate a vehicle on one.”

  He waved off her argument. “You can get your license eventually but, in the meantime, I’ll teach you to drive well enough to get to the gate. You leave the truck, walk to the train, then pick the truck up again on your way home.” He held up both hands as if to say, there you go, I’m a genius.

  She stared at him in stunned disbelief. “I don’t understand. You look like a grown man. Then you open your mouth and it’s clear you’re thirteen.”

  He grinned.

  She rolled her eyes. “Make that twelve.”

  He bumped up one shoulder in a careless shrug. “Hey, it’s a plan.”

  “Hey! It’s a ridiculous plan.”

  Perhaps she shouldn’t have used such a sarcastic tone. He closed the distance between them, his eyes narrowed dangerously. The charming teenager disappeared, replaced by the full-grown man who faced down behemoths for a living. He pinned her between his hard body and the car. When her ass bumped up against the fender, he dipped his head until they were nose to nose.

  “As ridiculous as trekking through snowy woods in the dark? In heels?”

  She winced. Okay, he had a point, but still.

  “I’m serious, Gracie. What you did wasn’t only foolish, it was dangerous. You could’ve broken an ankle, been attacked by an animal, or worse, been accosted by a human. I’ll narc you out to the press before I let you do something that stupid again.”

  She opened her mouth on an offended gasp then thinned her lips in aggravation. This was Long Island, not the Amazon. It wasn’t as if she’d been in danger of meeting up with a bear or a lion or something, and she traversed the hazardous jungle of Manhattan’s sidewalks on a daily basis, in much higher heels, without breaking her ankles.

  Being accosted by a human was another story. Max would have a fit were he to learn what she’d done.

  The first rule of self-defense was to never willingly put yourself in a vulnerable situation. Like walking through the woods…at night…alone. Hadn’t she described the press as a pack of rabid wolves on more than one occasion? Considering how determined they were to get their story, she was surprised none of those at the front gate had slipped around to the back of the property, the way she had.

  She mentally rolled her eyes. Walking through the woods had been a bad idea, but she wasn’t about to admit it out loud. Like he needed her admission. He certainly wasn’t waiting for one. He dropped his brows menacingly.

  “Your choices are to
talk to the press and put this ridiculous game of hide-and-seek behind you, plant your ass on the farm for the next eleven weeks and stay put or learn to drive. With me.” He straightened to his full height.

  “I told you—”

  Back came the charmer, complete with those adorable dimples creasing in his spreading grin. “I vote for the driving lessons.”

  She wasn’t fooled by the pointed innocence in his eyes or the hand he held up like he was some kind of corn-fed Boy Scout. Jake Malone was a devil, pure and simple. A devil with a one-track mind. He had an ulterior motive for teaching her to drive, and she’d bet her shoe closet his motive had everything to do with the kiss they shared in the gym yesterday.

  Damn it! She slammed her mind’s door on the memory of his spice and sex scent. His hot mouth moving over hers and his wide palmed hand cupping her butt to pull her to him. The incredibly large, iron hard bulge pressing against her thigh... She swallowed a groan. Oh, hell. What was she going to do? How was she supposed to resist a man who made her girl parts demand she strip naked every time he was near?

  She and Jake were locked in a multi-level tug of war and the battle would leave only one of them standing in the end. On one level were the twins and who would steer their future. Gaining guardianship would deliver her dream of a family of her own and would fulfill her promise to Sarah. The twins should be her only concern and would be, if not for her traitorous body, confused mind, and helpless heart.

  All he had to do was smile and her insides began preparing for the promise of paradise in his verdant green eyes. The sad fact was her body was his for the taking. In the meantime, her mind couldn’t settle on which was the better plan—get the hell away from him or rip off his clothes.

  As for her heart? How long could that emotional organ hold out against its deepest wish? She’d been reluctant to accept the truth, but apparently love at first sight was possible. She’d been the victim of a digital whammo! Cupid’s arrow had pierced her heart right through the TV screen long before Jake arrived at the farm for the reading of Pete’s will.

  How was she supposed to stand her ground against his attempts at seduction when she was battling herself as much as him? The answer made her want to cry. Ultimately, she wouldn’t be able to hold him off because she didn’t want to and, at twenty-six, she understood and accepted the cold hard truth. Men didn’t stay. Sooner or later, whatever happened between them would end. Letting him go would hurt like hell, but defeat was inevitable.

  When it came to the girls, defeat wasn’t an option.

  For her, that part of their battle could be nothing less than a game of keeps. She simply couldn’t lose Angel and Charlie. For a woman with a heart full of love to give, the girls represented a lifeline to the family she craved.

  As for Jake, loving him might lead to heartache, but how could she deny the feelings she had for him when, as Max said, she was a one-man women? Despite their having no future, did she want to waste the time he was here, fighting against the instincts screaming at her to take what he offered?

  She studied him as he studied her. Strong and proud, his magnificent body called to hers. His smile teased and his eyes seduced. Heat bubbled the blood in her veins and between her thighs, her panties dampened. God, the guy did such delicious things to her insides.

  Her heart was already lost to him, and she had no doubt he’d break it in the end. How could she possibly be any worse off for taking of him what she could while she had the chance? The answer was, she couldn’t. The breath left her in a cleansing sigh.

  Decision made, she cast aside the lingering threads of doubt. Seduction was in the air and she’d be jumping in with both feet—as soon as she came up with a plan guaranteeing the twins wouldn’t be hurt in the bargain. Whatever happened, she’d be the one calling the shots.

  She cocked her head as her heart rate accelerated dangerously. “Admit it. Teaching me to drive is an excuse to get me alone.”

  His brows arched at her blatant accusation. “Not an excuse. In this day and age, everyone should know how to drive, if for no other reason than to have the ability to jump behind the wheel in an emergency. We’re out in the middle of nowhere here and cell service isn’t always a guarantee. What if one of the girls or Mary got hurt and you couldn’t make a call?”

  Hell, that made sense. Damn it. Why did he have to go all logical at the exact moment she’d decided to toss logic out the window? Disappointment weighed on her shoulders like a leaden yoke, until the bawdy waggle of his black brows made her heart rate spike with excitement.

  “Having said that, I freely admit, getting you alone is the real reason for offering to teach you to drive.”

  Now they were talking, but she wanted verification. “For the purpose of seduction?”

  He scratched at his chin as he performed a slow survey of her face, pausing on her mouth and touching on her hair before meeting her gaze once more. “Not the way I would’ve put it, but yeah. I never hid the fact I find you attractive, and don’t bother denying you feel the same about me. I’ve held your body against mine, princess. I made you quiver. Pleasures, sweet and untold, await us when we finally come together.”

  Speaking of quivering. Holy shit!

  Her spiking heart rate shot into overdrive. She held out her hand. “Where are the keys?”

  “Is that a yes?”

  “I’ll accept your offer of driving lessons. For the girls’ sake.”

  He dropped a set of keys in her outstretched palm. “And the untold pleasures?”

  Oh, hell yeah. The key ring dug into her clenching fist. “I’m not making any promises, but I’ll think about those.”

  White teeth flashed in his quick, dazzling smile, then he swooped down and kissed her, hard and fast.

  A flash fire raced over her nerve endings and sparked in her veins, threatening to make her bubbling blood boil over. He released her mouth far too quickly for her liking and straightened.

  Several clearing breaths were necessary before she could speak. “I said I’d think about it.”

  Wicked intent flashed in his eyes. “Then I can’t lose.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  One brow arched in sensual warning. “Shall I show you?”

  She slapped a hand to his chest when he began to dip his head once more. Too many more of his kisses and her plan to have carnal knowledge of him would be out of her hands. He’d have her naked and begging in no time. “That won’t be necessary.”

  A knowing smile tipped up the corners of his lips. The braggart.

  Apparently he hadn’t gotten the memo on who was calling the shots. He grabbed her wrist and immediately began dragging her toward the old pickup. She attempted to dig in her heels and failed. He tugged her along behind him. Murphy danced and bounced at her side.

  Finally, she yanked her hand free and stopped. “Wait.”

  He turned and propped his hands on his hips. “What?”

  “If I’m going to learn to drive, I want to learn in that.” She jerked her thumb back toward the Vette.

  He barked a laugh, grabbed her hand again, and continued toward the truck. “No way, princess.”

  She didn’t bother tugging free. “Why not?”

  They reached the truck. He opened the driver’s door. Murphy leapt inside. Spanning her waist with his large hands, Jake lifted her as though she weighed no more than a child and deposited her on the bench seat. As he had the day before, he moved forward until his hips were cradled in the V of her spread legs.

  He dipped his head, bringing his lips within a breath of hers, paused, then closed the remaining distance to kiss her as if he was a man dying of thirst and she the last drop of water. The keys tinkled as they plopped into her lap. She tangled her fingers in the soft material of his sweater. He cupped her face in his warm palms.

  His lips owned hers, devouring and giving, demanding and asking at once. Her muscles liquefied and the blood in her veins turned to st
eam. She was surprised she didn’t disburse into a vaporous cloud when he finally broke the heated connection.

  He continued to nibble at her lips. “Because, although most of the snow has melted, there’s still some on the ground, and I want you until I can’t see straight.” His mouth traveled in a sensual journey from her lips to her jawline. The damp heat of his breath bathed the sensitive shell of her ear, and she shivered. “Unless you agree to save the lesson for some other time, I’m going to need all my concentration to teach you to drive instead of stripping you naked.”

  He paused as if awaiting her answer. She held her breath, ignoring the X girls when they began to screech in disbelief at her hesitation.

  His chest shuddered on a ragged breath beneath her fists, and his voice was a low rumble. “Having to worry about that car at the same time….” He lifted his head. His eyes burned with need. “Cut me some slack, princess. I’m not that strong.”

  Neither was she. Everything in her cried with the need to throw caution to the wind. To grab hold of Jake’s incredibly tempting body and dive into paradise. She might have given in to temptation if the bulky buckle of the truck’s seat belt digging into her hip didn’t remind her of their location. Instead, she uncurled her fists and pushed gently at his chest. He stepped back from between her thighs.

  She immediately mourned the loss. Weakening, she tore her gaze from his and looked around. As garages went, this place wasn’t so bad. Why shouldn’t she grab a little garage paradise?

  Oh, for heaven’s sake. Have some self-respect, Gracie.

  Before she could give in to her craven side, she pivoted on the seat to grip the steering wheel. “Teach me to drive, Malone.”

  He said nothing, and she shot him a sidelong glance from beneath her lashes.

  “I’ll let you know when I’m done thinking about the other.”

  Chapter 18