The Proposal / To Tempt a Sheikh: The Proposal

It was only when the last spasm had eased from her body did he tear his mouth away from her, lower her legs, lean down and kiss her, letting her taste the essence of herself from his lips.

She sucked hard on his tongue, needing it like a lifeline and knowing at that moment he had to be the most sensual and passionate man to walk on the planet. He had made her feel things she’d never felt before, far greater than what she had imagined in any of those romance novels. And she knew this was just the beginning, an introduction to what was out there … and she had a feeling of what was to come.

She knew at that moment, while their tongues continued to mate furiously, that after tonight there was no way they could live under the same roof and not want to discover what was beyond this. How far into pleasure could he take her?

She was definitely going to have to give the proposal he’d placed out there some serious thought.

Jason eased Bella’s dress back down her thighs before lifting her from the table to stand on her feet. He studied her features and was pleased with what he saw. Her eyes glowed, her lips were swollen and she looked well rested when she hadn’t slept.

But more than anything he thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He hoped he’d given her something to think about, something to anticipate, because more than anything he wanted to marry her.

He intended to marry her.

“Come on, walk me to the door,” he whispered thickly. “And this time I promise to leave.”

He took her hand in his and ignored the sensations he felt whenever he touched her. “Have breakfast with me tomorrow.”

She glanced up at him. “You don’t intend to make my decision easy, do you?”

A soft chuckle escaped his lips. “Nothing’s wrong with me giving you something to think about. To remember. And to anticipate. It will only help you to make the right decision about my proposal.”

When they reached her door he leaned down and kissed her again. She parted her lips easily for him and he deepened the kiss, finding her tongue and then enjoying a game of hide-and-seek with it before finally releasing her mouth on a deep, guttural moan. “What about breakfast in the morning at my place?” he asked huskily.

“That’s all it’s going to be, right? Breakfast and nothing more?” she asked, her voice lower than a whisper.

He smiled at her with a mischievous grin on his face. “We’ll see.”

“In that case I’ll pass. I can’t take too much of you, Jason Westmoreland.”

He laughed as he pulled her closer into his arms. “Sweetheart, if I have my way, one of these days you’re going to take all of me.” He figured she knew just what he meant with his throbbing erection all but poking at her center. Maybe she was right and for them to share breakfast tomorrow wasn’t a good idea. He would be pouncing on her before she got inside his house.

“A rain check, then?” he prompted.

“Um, maybe.”

He lifted a brow. “You’re not trying to play hard to get, are you?”

She smiled. “You can ask me that after what happened a short while ago in my kitchen? But I will warn you that I intend to build up some type of immunity to your charms by the time I see you again. You can be overwhelming, Jason.”

He chuckled again, thinking she hadn’t seen anything yet. Leaning over he brushed a kiss across her lips. “Think about me tonight, Bella.”

He opened the door and walked out, thinking the next seven days were bound to be the longest he’d ever endured.

Later that night Bella couldn’t get to sleep. Her body was tingling all over from the touch of a man. But it hadn’t been any man, it had been Jason. When she tried closing her eyes all she could see was how it had been in her kitchen, the way Jason had draped her across the table and proceeded to enjoy her in such a scandalous way. The nuns at her school would have heart failure to know what had happened to her … and to know how much she had enjoyed it.

All her life she’d been taught—it had virtually been drilled into her head—all about the sins of the flesh. It was wrong for a woman to engage in any type of sexual encounter with a man before marriage. But how could something be so wrong if it felt so right?

Color tinted her cheeks. She needed to get to Confessions the first chance she got. She’d given in to temptation tonight and as much as she had enjoyed it, it would be something she couldn’t repeat. Those kinds of activities belonged to people who were married and doing otherwise was improper.

She was just going to have to make sure she and Jason weren’t under the same roof alone for a long period of time. Things could get out of hand. She was a weakling when it came to him. He would tempt her to do things she knew she shouldn’t.

And now she was paying the price for her little indulgence by not being able to get to sleep. There was no doubt in her mind that Jason’s mouth should be outlawed. She inwardly sighed. It was going to take a rather long time to clear those thoughts from her mind.

Five

“I like Bella, Jason.”

He glanced over at his cousin Zane. It was early Monday morning and they were standing in the round pen with one of the mares while waiting for Derringer to bring the designated stallion from his stall for the scheduled breeding session. “I like her, too.”

Zane chuckled. “Could have fooled me. Because you weren’t giving her your attention at dinner Friday night. We all felt that it was up to us to make her feel welcome, because you were ignoring the poor girl.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “And I bet it pained all of you to do so.”

“Not really. Your Southern Bella is a real classy lady. If you weren’t interested in her I’d make a play for her.”

“But I am interested in her.”

“I know,” Zane said, smiling. “It was pretty obvious. I intercepted your dirty looks loud and clear. In any case, I hope things get straightened out between you two.”

“I hope so, too. I’ll find out in five more days.”

Zane lifted a curious brow. “Five days? What’s supposed to happen in five days?”

“Long story and one which I prefer not to share right now.” He had intentionally not contacted Bella over the past two days to give her breathing space from him to think his proposal through. He’d thought it through and it made perfect sense to him. He was beginning to anticipate her answer. It would be yes; it just had to be.

But what if yes wasn’t her answer? What if even after the other night and the sample lovemaking they’d shared that she thought his proposal wasn’t worth taking the chance? He would be the first to admit that his proposal was a bit daring. But he felt the terms were fair. Hell, he was giving her a chance to be the first to file for a divorce after the first year. And he—

Zane snapped a finger in front of his face. “Hellooo. Are you with us? Derringer is here with Fireball. Are you up to this or are you thinking about mating of another kind?” Zane was grinning.

Jason frowned when he glanced over at Derringer and saw a smirk on his face, as well. “Yes, I’m up to this and it’s none of your business what I’m thinking about.”

“Fine, just keep Prancer straight while Fireball mounts her. It’s been a while since he’s had a mare and he might be overly eager,” Zane said with a meaningful smile.

Just like me, Jason thought, remembering every vivid detail of Bella spread out on her kitchen table for him to enjoy. “All right, let’s get this going. I have something to do later.”

Both Zane and Derringer gave him speculative looks but said nothing.

Bella stepped out of the shower and began toweling herself dry. It was the middle of the day but after going for a walk around the ranch she had gotten hot and sticky. Now she intended to slip into something comfortable and have a cup of tea and relax … and think about Jason’s proposal.

The walk had done her good and walking her land had made her even more determined to hold on to what was hers. But was Jason’s proposal the answer? Or would she be jumping out of the pot and into the fire?

After Friday night and what had gone down in her kitchen, there was no doubt in her mind that Jason was the kind of lover women dreamed of having. And he had to be the most unselfish person she knew. He had given her pleasure without seeking his own. She had read enough articles on the subject to know most men weren’t usually that generous. But he had been and her body hadn’t been the same since. Every time she thought about him and that night in the kitchen, she had to pause and catch her breath.

She hadn’t heard from him since that night but figured he was giving her time to think things through before she gave him her answer. She had talked to her attorney again and he hadn’t said anything to make her think she had a chance of getting the hold on her trust fund lifted.

She had run into her uncle yesterday when she’d gone into town and he hadn’t been at all pleasant. And neither had his son, daughter and two teenage grandsons. All of them practically cut her with their sharp looks. She just didn’t get it. Jason had wanted her land as well but he hadn’t been anything but supportive of her decision to keep it and had offered his help from the first.

She understood that she and her Denver relatives didn’t have the same bond as the Westmorelands but she would think they wouldn’t be dismissing her the way they were doing over some land.

She had dressed and was heading downstairs when something like a missile sailed through her living room window, breaking the glass in the process. “What on earth!” She nearly missed her step when she raced back up the stairs to her bedroom, closing the door and locking it behind her.

Catching her breath she grabbed her cell phone off the nightstand and called the police.

“Where is she, Marvin?” Jason asked, walking into Bella’s house with Zane and Derringer on his heels.

“She’s in the kitchen,” the man answered, moving quickly out of Jason’s way.

Jason had gotten a call from Pam to tell him what had happened. He had jumped in his truck and left Zane’s ranch immediately with Derringer and Zane following close behind in their vehicles.

From what Pam had said, someone had thrown a large rock through Bella’s window with a note tied to it saying, “Go back to where you came from.” The thought of anyone doing that angered him. Who on earth would do such a thing?

He walked into the kitchen and glanced around, dismissing memories of the last time he’d been there and his focus immediately went to Bella. She was sitting at the kitchen table talking to Pete Higgins, one of the sheriff’s deputies and a good friend of Derringer’s.

Everyone glanced up when he entered and the look on Bella’s face was like a kick in his gut. He could tell she was shaken and there was a hurt expression in her eyes he’d never seen before. His anger flared at the thought that someone could hurt her in any way. The rock may not have hit her but she’d taken a hit just the same. Whoever had thrown that rock through the window had hit her spirit and left her shaken.

“Jason, Zane and Derringer,” Pete said, acknowledging their arrival. “Why am I not surprised to see the three of you here?”

Jason didn’t respond as he moved straight toward Bella and, disregarding the onlookers, he reached out to caress the soft skin beneath her ear. “Are you all right?” he whispered in a husky tone.

She held his gaze and nodded slowly. “Yes, I’m fine. I was on my way downstairs when that rock came flying through the window. It scared me more than anything.”

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