Ready for Marriage?: The Marriage Ultimatum / Laying His Claim / The Bride Tamer

‘‘I brought a summary of the information along.’’ She handed the folder across the table.

Rusty stashed it in his briefcase as though it might contain illegal drugs. ‘‘God, Kristin, be careful with that. The last thing we need is negative publicity for the sanctuary. Can you imagine what would happen to donations if this gets out?’’

She shuddered. ‘‘I don’t even want to think about it. I’ve been having nightmares already.’’

‘‘I don’t think we should tell anyone yet,’’ he said. ‘‘You haven’t found anything linking her to this?’’

‘‘Not yet,’’ she said.

‘‘Could you possibly be wrong? Could it just be a clerical error with transposed numbers or something?’’

She shook her head. ‘‘That was the first thing I was hoping for, too.’’

Rusty sighed and plunged both hands into his hair, resting his elbows on the table. ‘‘God, it makes no sense. Why would she have done it? Was she having financial problems?’’

‘‘Not that I know of.’’ She shrugged helplessly. She knew how he was feeling. She’d been through all of these thoughts a million times.

‘‘All right.’’ He sighed. ‘‘Tell you what. You keep looking to see if there’s anything you haven’t found yet. I’ll make some very discreet inquiries of my banking friends and run a credit check to see if she was spending any odd amounts of money.’’ He shook his head. ‘‘There’s no point in blackening her good name if she really wasn’t involved.’’

‘‘But who else could it be?’’ she asked. ‘‘You and Walker are the only other two people who could access sanctuary funds, right?’’

‘‘Unless,’’ Rusty said slowly, ‘‘someone was forging signatures or something.’’

That hadn’t occurred to her and she felt better immediately. Maybe Cathie really hadn’t had anything to do with embezzling the money.

She refused dessert on the grounds that she had a lot of work waiting, and parted company with Rusty soon afterward. As she drove back to the sanctuary, her mind was whirling with thoughts. She’d have to look at some of those cancelled checks again. If it had been done electronically, it would be much more difficult to find.

Kristin’s date that evening was fun. Rod, the man she’d met when he came to do some electrical work with the shelter, had told her to dress casually. She was glad she’d heeded his advice and worn a pair of her new denim shorts.

He took her miniature golfing, then to dinner at a Mexican restaurant where they sat outside on a small stone terrace and drank margaritas while their dinners were made. Rod’s partner in his business joined them with a date of his own, and although Kristin had never met either of them before, they were pleasant and amusing dinner companions.

He drove a small, modern sports car with a convertible top and he’d folded it down at her request. Rod was unquestionably attractive. He was in great shape, his sense of humor was wicked yet not unkind and his friends were as nice as he was.

And yet she felt a little deflated at the end of the evening when he walked her to her door. She caught herself comparing him to Derek at least five times that evening and she was thoroughly annoyed that she couldn’t even go out on a date without thoughts of the wretched man intruding.

Rod, unaware of her mood, slid an arm around her waist as they walked toward her stoop. At the door, he brought her to a halt, turning to face her. ‘‘I had a great time this evening, Kristin.’’

‘‘So did I,’’ she forced herself to say lightly.

‘‘I’d like to see you again.’’

‘‘It was fun,’’ she said without committing herself. ‘‘I enjoyed meeting Kevin and Leslie.’’

‘‘How about if I call you next week and we see if we can schedule another get-together?’’

‘‘All right.’’ She hadn’t actually said she’d go out with him, she told herself. All she’d agreed to was receiving his phone call.

He looked down at her, then put his hands on her shoulders and drew her near. She lifted her face for his kiss, allowing the gentle pressure for a moment before drawing back a fraction, and with a last warm smile, Rod said, ‘‘Good night.’’

‘‘Good night.’’ She waved him off and stood on the stoop for a moment before she turned and unlocked her door. Rats. What had she been hoping for? Fireworks? Rod’s kiss had been pleasant, but there was no zing. At least, not on her part.

She went inside and shut her door, then leaned back against it, thinking. It hadn’t left her breathless and shaking, the way she’d felt after that first night Derek had kissed her. It hadn’t left her wanting more, wanting to press herself against every hard inch of him, wanting his hands to touch all the secret, throbbing parts of her that quivered with desire.

A knock on the door scared her so badly she actually gave a small scream as she leaped away from the cool surface against which she’d been lingering. One hand flew to the base of her throat. ‘‘Who is it?’’ she called cautiously, pushing the small button that illuminated her watch face. Good grief. It was after eleven. Who in the world—

‘‘It’s Derek. Let me in, Kris.’’

Six

Kristin turned and stared at the closed door. Derek? How could that be? Then she realized that it must be his Friday night on call. He and another local vet took turns covering weekends to give each other a break. But—

‘‘Where’s Mollie?’’ she asked as she pulled the door open.

‘‘Faye’s daughter Sissy is keeping her overnight since I’m on call,’’ he said tersely. ‘‘Who was that? And didn’t you ever learn you shouldn’t kiss a guy after a first date?’’

She fought back twin surges of jealousy and irritation. Mollie had never had a baby-sitter other than Kristin or Faye before. And what was he doing questioning her?

‘‘You’re getting really tiresome,’’ she told him. ‘‘How do you know that was our first date? As I know I’ve said before, I have no intention of telling you about the men in my life.’’ She lifted her chin and started to close the door in his face. ‘‘Now if that’s all you came by for, I’d like you to leave.’’

Derek slapped his palm flat against the door, easily preventing her from closing it. ‘‘Wait.’’ She heard him inhale a deep breath, then slowly release it. ‘‘Kris, just wait a minute.’’ He took a deep breath. ‘‘Can I come in?’’

She let a tense silence fall while she debated the wisdom of allowing him to enter. But finally, her desire for his company won out over common sense. ‘‘All right.’’ She stepped back and opened the door. ‘‘But one more question about anything that’s none of your business, and you’re history, buddy.’’

She hadn’t even turned on any lights yet, and the room was barely illuminated by a small crystal lamp whose base she had switched on before she left. She started to move away from him, but Derek caught her hand. ‘‘Kris?’’

‘‘What?’’ She avoided looking up at him. Her whole body was tingling with a vivid awareness of how close he was, her breathing coming ridiculously fast, her pulse hammering. Why couldn’t she have had this reaction when Rod kissed her? Derek had barely touched her and already he’d gotten more of a physical response from her than poor Rod had the entire evening.

It was a joke, she decided. A great big cosmic trick, that she would have such intense, serious hots for the one guy who absolutely didn’t want her.

Well, perhaps he wanted her, she thought, recalling that heated kiss in his kitchen, but he didn’t want to, which might be even worse.

Then Derek took her other hand and turned her toward him, and she forgot about everything else. ‘‘I’m sorry,’’ he said, and his voice rang with sincerity. ‘‘I didn’t come over here to fight with you.’’

She nodded once. ‘‘Apology accepted.’’ She hesitated. ‘‘So why did you come here tonight? It’s not exactly a prime visiting hour.’’

He smiled, clearly recognizing the conversational olive branch she was extending. ‘‘I was called in for an emergency this evening and I just finished. I don’t really know why I’m here. I just…came by.’’

He sounded as baffled as she felt. ‘‘All right.’’ She strove for normalcy despite the fact that he was still holding both her hands. ‘‘Would you like some iced tea? I made decaf yesterday.’’

He shook his head. ‘‘No tea.’’ His hands tightened as he pulled her closer. ‘‘Did you enjoy his kiss?’’

She stiffened immediately, averting her face, but he ignored her struggles, folding her against him and holding her there with disgusting ease.

‘‘I hope not.’’ His breath was warm in her ear, his voice a rough velvet rope twining around her and inexorably drawing her closer. ‘‘The first time I kissed you, you enjoyed it. So did I. I haven’t been able to think about anything but kissing you since then.’’ He cupped her cheek in one big hand and tipped up her chin with his thumb, and his eyes were dark and intense. ‘‘I didn’t come here for tea or talk, Kris. I came for your kiss.’’

Dear God. How was she supposed to resist an admission like that? She felt her resistance melt away as if it had never been, and she relaxed against him as he drew her even closer. She grazed the hard line of his jaw with her lips, loving the feel of his haven’t-shaved-since-morning stubble. ‘‘Then what are you waiting for?’’ she murmured.

His belly heaved with a silent laugh as he pulled her more securely into his arms and lowered his head. And then his lips found hers, and just like the first time, her whole body exploded into a sizzling, crackling whirl of heat.

This time, she was ready. This time, she lifted herself on tiptoe so that the hard ridge of his arousal fit snugly into the vee where her thighs met, and they both gasped at the exquisite sensation. Lightning exploded through her body, unerringly striking the sensitive flesh between her legs. Without thinking, she twisted against him, increasing the sweet pleasure.

Derek rolled his hips against her and his tongue echoed the thrust as he sought her response. He deepened the kiss, his powerful arms cradling her, one hand sliding down to cup her bottom and pull her even harder against him. She tore her mouth from his, gasping as her head fell back. He barely paused, simply transferred his attention to the slender line of her throat, and she felt his hot mouth tracing a fiery trail down over the slope of her breast. He cupped her breast in one hand and she cried out, arching in his arms as he rubbed a thumb roughly back and forth across her nipple.

And then, with no warning, he froze. His whole big body went rigid against her.

‘‘Derek?’’

In response, he lifted his head. One hand still held her clasped against him but the other fumbled at the back pocket of his pants until he’d extracted—

His pager. He peered at the number displayed, and she felt him heave a sigh.

Above her head, he said, ‘‘May I use your phone?’’

‘‘Sure.’’ Her legs were trembling as she stepped back, but he didn’t let go of her hand as he crossed the room, and she nearly stumbled as he towed her behind him.

He picked up the handset and punched in the number with his thumb, then leaned against the doorframe and pulled her to him again.

Bemused, she slipped her arms around his lean waist and put her head on his chest.

‘‘This is Dr. Mahoney,’’ he said into the phone, the deep tones of his voice rumbling in her ear. As he listened, he slowly straightened. ‘‘All right. I’ll be there in five minutes.’’

He set down the receiver and she felt him sigh again as he put his arm back around her. He rested his chin atop her head. ‘‘I have to go. Dog hit by car.’’

‘‘Anyone I know?’’ She strove for a normal tone, but inside her entire body was quivering with pleasure and happiness.

‘‘Doubt it,’’ he said. ‘‘New clients a month ago.’’ He leaned back and looked down at her, and even in the dim light she could see his serious expression. ‘‘Tonight changes things.’’

She regarded him soberly. ‘‘Does it?’’ She’d thought that after the first time he’d kissed her and look where that had left her.

‘‘Have lunch with me tomorrow? We can order in if you like.’’

‘‘How about I bring lunch?’’ she offered. ‘‘Would you like me to pick up Mollie or will you have time?’’

His expression changed, a small, private smile slipping over his features, and she felt something low in her abdomen contract sharply in response. ‘‘I’m not inviting Mollie,’’ he said. ‘‘She can join us for dinner like we planned. It’s about time you and I had the occasional meeting without a pint-size chaperone.’’

‘‘Oh.’’ It was hard to take a deep breath, and she hoped he couldn’t hear her heart pounding as if she’d just run a five-minute mile. She was very conscious of his hard, lean frame pressed against her, and she wondered why he seemed to be taking this all so in stride. ‘‘All right, then. I’ll meet you at the clinic.’’

‘‘Sounds good.’’ He dipped his head and pressed one short, hard kiss against her mouth, withdrawing and releasing her before she could respond. ‘‘Noon tomorrow. See you then.’’

‘‘See you then,’’ she echoed as he turned and strode to the door.

‘‘Lock it behind me,’’ he instructed before he pulled it shut behind him.

She rolled her eyes fondly as she crossed to the door. Then the full impact of his visit hit her, and her hands began to shake. She locked the door and sank down on the first step of the small landing that led to her second floor.

Had she dreamed what had just happened? Slowly she lifted her hand and touched her fingers to her lips. Derek had kissed her.

Again.

And it hadn’t been an impulse that he’d regretted the instant it had ended, either. He’d admitted as much.

A bubble of nervous laughter rolled up and slipped out before she could catch it. Good grief. If one little kiss did this to her…

Only it hadn’t been one little kiss. It had been several, and anything but small if the solid feel of Derek’s body pressed against hers was any indication. Her stomach fluttered as she relived the way he’d ground himself against her, the rasp of his thumb stimulating her nipple.

That page was probably the only reason she wasn’t lying naked on her living room rug right this very moment! The thought made her shiver again with helpless anticipation. She’d been practically mindless, responding completely to his touch and taste, overpowered by the reality that exceeded her girlish dreams of making love with Derek. In another minute, she’d have yanked her shirt up and out of the way and offered herself to him.

She dropped her face into her hands and blew out a frustrated breath. Her whole body was humming with arousal. It was a good thing she’d never known exactly how he could make her feel or she might have jumped him months ago.

No. She sobered immediately. Derek hadn’t been ready for her months ago. In fact, he hadn’t been ready for her a few weeks ago, when she’d first brought up the notion of changing their relationship.

Even tonight, he hadn’t sounded sure of his course of action. Even if his body knew exactly what it wanted, Derek was still trying to cope with the sudden shift of reality around him.

She knew it was hard for him to let go of Deb. But she couldn’t help hoping. Especially after tonight! She couldn’t help thinking that perhaps he soon would be ready to live again.

She’d known and loved Deb, too. They’d spent hours together, as close as the sisters neither of them had ever had. And she was positive that Deb wouldn’t have wanted Derek to be alone forever. Maybe it was just rationalizing her feelings, but she believed that Deb would be happy that she loved Derek so much. That she would want them to marry and give Mollie the family she would have had if Deb had lived.

And whether or not he was ready to admit it, he wanted to move on, too. In an about-face that still stole her breath when she thought about it, he’d come to her tonight. He’d admitted he couldn’t stop thinking about her. That he wanted to kiss her. That was a huge step forward.

And tomorrow would be another. He’d asked her to come and have lunch with him.

Oh, she’d taken sandwiches by, had actually packed him a lunch, many times in the past. And she and Mollie had run by to visit at lunch countless times as well.

But he hadn’t asked her to pack him a lunch, or to bring Mollie. He wanted to see her. Just her. She flopped backward onto the landing and kicked her legs into the air in a ridiculous moment of joyous anticipation.

‘‘Hi, everyone.’’ She closed the back door of the veterinary clinic behind her the following day at noon.

She was answered by a chorus of greetings from the receptionists and technicians buzzing around the front desk area.

Sandy glanced up with a smile. ‘‘No Mollie?’’

‘‘No Mollie,’’ Kristin confirmed.

‘‘Hey, Kristin.’’ Faye waved at her, then pointed toward the hallway. ‘‘Derek said to tell you to go on into his office and he’d be in when he could get away. Someone just came by with Chinese takeout.’’ She checked her watch. ‘‘He’s not running far behind today. Just give him a few minutes.’’ She grinned at Kristin, then silently lifted her right hand in a fist with the thumb extended upward.

Kristin smiled in return, hoping the rest of the staff hadn’t interpreted Faye’s meaning, then walked back along the hallway to the door of Derek’s office.

The bags of Chinese food were parked on the edge of his desk, so she opened them and began taking the lids off things, tearing open the bags of plastic utensils and laying out the containers of different items.

When the door opened, she spun around. Her heart leaped into her throat and hung there, pounding, while Derek closed the door with a quiet click. ‘‘Hi.’’

‘‘H-hi.’’ She had to clear her throat. ‘‘I, ah, I brought several résumés along. The board hasn’t advertised the position yet but some of them have invited people they thought might be qualified for the executive director’s position to apply. Anyway, they wanted your opinion.’’

He hung his lab coat on a hook and started across the room. There was a warm, intent expression in his eyes that scattered her thoughts and she felt her pulse began to increase its rhythm.

‘‘My opinion?’’ As he reached her, he slid his arms around her waist and drew her to him, lowering his head. ‘‘My opinion is that if I don’t kiss you again soon I’m going to go crazy.’’

She wasn’t ready! Automatically she lifted her arms, palms out in a futile and halfhearted attempt to stop him. It seemed silly, given the way she’d pined for him for so long. But she felt self-conscious and uncomfortable in his arms. They were right here in his office. Anyone could walk in.

Then his lips touched hers and she knew that self-conscious or not, she wasn’t going to be able to control her response to him, wasn’t going to be able to moderate the need that welled up from deep inside her. Rather than holding him stiffly at arm’s length, her hands smoothed up over his shoulders to clasp the back of his neck and slide deep into his hair. She pressed her body urgently against his, shuddering at the feel of his hard, steely frame imprinting itself on her softer one.

His lips were urgent, persuasive, and she opened her mouth helplessly, letting him deepen the kiss in an erotic harbinger of lovemaking. It felt, somehow, as if she’d never really lived before these past few days in his arms. As if she’d been asleep in a walled tower like a fairy-tale princess, waiting for the right kiss to bring her to life.

She was alive now. Oh, she certainly was! Immersed in the wonderful sensation of being touched by the one man in the world who could make her feel so complete, she didn’t protest when his fingers slipped beneath the edge of her short blouse. His hand was warm and sure as he traced small circular patterns on her sensitive flesh, his fingers trailing breath-stealing streaks of pleasure wherever they lit. His hand moved up her torso as he kissed her relentlessly, demanding her response as he sought out each rib, slowly exploring her until he was brushing the full undercurve of her breast. He paused there momentarily, lightly brushing his thumb back and forth. Finally, his thumb ventured higher, gently rubbing her stiff and aching nipple through the lacy bra she wore, and her back arched involuntarily as hot, liquid desire shot straight down to the sensitive apex of her thighs.

A small moan escaped her. The sound startled her and interrupted the daze of desire, and she came out of the sensual moment long enough to grab his wrist. ‘‘Wait. Someone might come in.’’

Derek stilled, his mouth and his hand both frozen in place. Finally, he pulled his mouth away from hers, shaking his head as if shaking off a hypnotic spell as he slowly, reluctantly withdrew his hand, caressing her gently as he tugged her blouse back into place. ‘‘Whoa. I’m sorry.’’ He blew out a dazed breath as he shook his head. ‘‘That got…a little out of hand.’’

‘‘A little?’’ Her laugh was shaky as she straightened her shirt.

He stroked a hand down the unruly length of her hair and released her, smiling crookedly. ‘‘You sit over there.’’ He backed away from her, waving toward the chair on the other side of the desk. ‘‘I don’t trust myself when you’re within reach.’’

I don’t trust myself when you’re within reach. It was true. The muscles of his belly tightened as he looked across the desk at her.

Her hair was a wild, curly tangle and her eyes glowed with warmth. Her lips were red and swollen and there was a pink flush along her jawbone where his beard stubble had abraded her tender skin. He hadn’t meant to do that, and he suffered a momentary remorse at marking her. The scariest part was that he couldn’t even remember how it had happened.

God! She exploded in his arms, her response a sweet, honest welcome that made it difficult for him to remember his own name, let alone anything else. He’d been celibate by choice in the years since his wife had died and now his body felt as if he were ready to make up for all the thousands of lonely hours in one hot, steamy, endless night.

To distract himself, he said, ‘‘Tell me about these applicants while we eat.’’

‘‘All right.’’ Kristin pushed a set of utensils at him. He was grateful that she accepted the change of subject so easily. It gave him time to come to grips with the way his world had changed.

A sexual relationship. With Kris. Giving voice to the idea, even if it was only in his head, gave him pause. Was he really thinking of having an affair with her?

He knew how he’d feel if she were contemplating such a course with any other man, and he wasn’t sure he even liked himself very much for considering her that way. God, this whole situation was making him crazy. Deliberately, he forced himself to set aside his churning thoughts. Kristin didn’t appear to be the least bit conflicted as she prepared plates of the Chinese food for each of them. Maybe he was making too big a deal out of the whole thing.

As they ate, she detailed the three individuals who had applied for the executive directorship.

None of them, in his opinion, sounded like what the sanctuary needed. ‘‘I’d like to see them hire someone who can take the sanctuary to a new level,’’ he told her. ‘‘Someone with experience in fund-raising and marketing. Someone who sees expanding our sights beyond the local efforts in a positive light.’’

‘‘What do you mean, ‘beyond the local efforts’?’’ She was studying him, her intelligent green eyes assessing as she considered his words.

‘‘State-wide. Nationally, even.’’ He hunted through one of the stacks of literature on his desk, coming up with the magazine he wanted. ‘‘This is from a nationally known animal sanctuary in Utah. They get grants, enormous bequests, stuff like that. They have tons of clever programs that encourage people to donate to special projects. And they offer how-to seminars on everything from fund-raising to feral cat colonies.’’ He tapped the magazine with a finger. ‘‘You should look at this.’’

‘‘I will.’’ She took it from him and laid it aside, concentrating on her food. ‘‘I’ve been thinking about the next director, too. I’m going to recommend to the board that they create a contract with a definite end date and a set of goals they’d like to see accomplished in that time. That way, they’ll be able to measure how well someone is working out and give themselves a way to release an employee who isn’t living up to expectations. If we were to hire someone like you’re talking about, that would be a vital part of the contract.’’