The Millionaire's Club: Connor, Tom & Gavin

He hadn’t made fun of her for not having a domestic bone in her body the way some men had. And he hadn’t acted all high and mighty when he’d fixed things for her. He was so reserved, so guarded sometimes it was frustrating. But there was a fire burning in him, a passion he kept buried deep inside, she just knew it. She’d been so busy holding things together the past couple of days, and fell into bed so dead tired every night, she hadn’t had time to even think about a seduction. Maybe, after a relaxing hot shower, it was time she paid Connor back for all his good deeds.

She might not have known how to operate an oven, but she sure knew what to do to set a man on fire.

Chapter Six

Connor checked all the windows and doors, and when he was sure the house was locked up tight, he trudged up the stairs to his room. The bathroom door was closed and he could hear water running. Nita was taking a shower. He fought to block out a sudden image of her naked and wet, but it slid through his brain and lodged itself there to torture him.

He walked into his room and closed the door, wishing he could leave the erotic image in the empty hall. Every time he was near Nita, he found himself wanting to touch her, wanting to taste that sassy mouth of hers.

Everything about her fascinated him. The way her silky raven hair shined when the sun hit it. How her violet eyes brightened or darkened depending on her mood. He never tired of watching her. The graceful flow of her body as she worked with a horse, the pure joy on her face that said she was doing exactly what she wanted to, what she was meant to do.

And if the sexual attraction wasn’t bad enough, he really liked her. She was so feisty and full of life. The way she’d been looking at him with blatant interest the past couple of days both intrigued him and made him uneasy. He couldn’t meet her eye, couldn’t face the honesty there without his feelings getting away from him. If he allowed himself to let go, nothing good could come of it. Things would get out of hand and someone could get hurt. She could get hurt.

Still, he’d never met a woman who made him want to lose control the way Nita did.

He stripped off his shirt, tossing it over the footboard. He had just unfastened his pants when he was interrupted by a knock. He zipped back up and opened the door. Nita stood in the hall, her long hair wet, dressed in an oversize men’s shirt that wasn’t buttoned very high.

Aw hell.

When he should have closed them, his eyes wandered lower instead, and what little breath he had left backed up in his chest. If he’d ever wondered whether or not she had nice legs, he just got his answer. The shirt stopped at midthigh, and that exposed a lot of silky, milk-white bare skin.

“Can I come in?” she asked.

Though his head was saying no, his body didn’t listen. As if in some sort of sexual trance, he backed up and held the door open wider.

She stepped inside and shut the door behind her, leaning against it, as if she was making sure he couldn’t get away. Her eyes fixed on him, wandered across his bare chest, then lower to his partially unfastened pants.

She was looking at him as though she’d been starved for a month and he was an all-you-can-eat buffet.

This was not good.

“I wanted to thank you for all your help this week,” she said, “with Daddy and with the farm. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

He had a feeling he knew exactly how she wanted to thank him. He backed away a safe distance, keeping his face stony and disinterested. “No need to thank me. I’m sure you would have managed just fine without my help.”

She stepped toward him, unfastening one of the buttons on her shirt, widening the V of smooth pale skin, so he could make out the curve of her breasts. “Maybe I want to thank you.”

He held his ground, but he could feel his body reacting to her presence, to the scent of her freshly scrubbed skin. A warm curl of need started in his groin and spiraled outward. “As I said, that isn’t necessary.”

She propped her hands on her hips and gazed up at him. “Boy, you sure don’t take a hint.”

“I understand exactly what you’re…suggesting. I’m declining your offer.”

She popped another button on her shirt, till a lone button was all that kept him from pure heaven. “I’m not looking for a commitment if that’s what you’re worried about. Just some good clean fun. And if you want to play dirty, that’s okay, too.”

“And I’m still not interested,” he lied. The truth was he wanted to rip off that shirt, and whatever she might be wearing underneath, and take her right up against the door. He wanted to feel those silky legs wrapped around his hips, feel her nimble body pressed up against him.

“I may look and act like a boy, but I’m still a woman, Connor.” She undid the last button on her shirt, slowly eased it off her shoulders and let it slip to the floor. She wore plain white cotton panties—not what most men would consider overtly sexy. But combined with the woman underneath, they had fire pumping through his veins. Her skin was pale ivory and looked flawlessly smooth. Her breasts were small and pert, her nipples two tiny, dark points begging to be touched.

Longing swept through him in a hot rush, but he beat the feeling down. With most women he had no trouble keeping his emotions in check. He could see to his physical needs without letting his feelings override his good sense. Not that the encounters had ever been particularly satisfying. For him or his partner. But they had been safe, and that was all that had mattered. He knew with Nita he already was invested emotionally. Once he let go, let the sex happen, there would be no stopping him.

“Trust me, Nita, you look nothing like a boy. All the more reason for you to put your shirt back on.”

She flashed him a teasing grin. “What’s the matter, Connor, you don’t like women? Is it that army, don’task-don’t-tell thing?”

“Of course I like women.” He knew she was only teasing—taunting—him and he yearned to take her in his arms and prove just which way the barn door was swinging. But he would lose control. He could hurt her.

“Are you always this…forward with men?” he asked, though he had a pretty good idea the answer was a big fat yes.

“When I see something I like, I go after it. Is there anything wrong with that?”

“I guess that just depends on who you’re after.” He could see that she’d set her sights on him, but she had no idea what she was getting herself into. He was a ticking bomb, one she didn’t want to be anywhere near when he finally detonated. “Whatever you think you know about me, you’re wrong.”

“I’ve seen the way you look at me.” She spread a hand over her stomach, slid it slowly upward, across her rib cage and over her breast. She cupped it, pinching the nipple lightly, her lids heavy with desire, and Connor nearly groaned. “Your eyes don’t lie. No matter how hard you try to hide it.”

She stepped closer, until the tips of her breasts touched his bare chest. He sucked in a breath, felt his control slip another notch. For a woman who considered herself unfeminine, she sure did know how to seduce a man.

He clenched his hands into tight fists at his sides, so he wouldn’t give into the urge to touch her. “You don’t want a man like me, Nita.”

“Why not?”

“I’m damaged goods.”

She cupped a hand over the bulge in his jeans, rubbing him through the heavy denim. “Everything seems to be working fine.”

He wanted to grab her hand, make her stop, but the second he touched her, it would be all over. And he couldn’t look at her any longer without devouring her.

He closed his eyes. “I’m here to protect you.”

Her breath was warm and sweet on his chin. “What has that got to do with us having sex?”

“I’m protecting you.”

“From what?”

“From me.”

She stroked the skin just under the waist of his jeans and the muscles in his stomach spasmed. “Why the heck would I need protecting from you?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“I’m not afraid of you, Connor.” She slipped her fingers lower, inside his boxers, and his legs went weak. “Let me make you feel good.”

When she brushed against the tip of his erection, it was more than he could take. He grabbed hold of her arms and backed her against the nearest wall. The air wooshed from her lungs and her eyes went wide with surprise. Then he got in her face, so close their noses were almost touching.

“I’m going to warn you one last time,” he said, teeth clenched, jaw tight. “Do not mess with me or you will regret it.”

He let go and swiped her shirt from the floor, thrusting it at her. Then he turned and folded his arms across his chest, waiting for her to leave. He heard the rustle of fabric, then the door opened and snapped shut again.

He was almost afraid to turn around. Afraid he’d find her completely naked and undeterred, and this time he might not be able to hold back.

But when he turned, he found the room empty. It wasn’t until then that he realized he was shaking.

At 6:00 the following morning, Connor trudged down the stairs, feeling cranky and out of sorts. He’d slept like hell last night, guilt burning a hole in his gut every time he thought of how he’d treated Nita. But she hadn’t given him a choice. There hadn’t been any other way to get through to her.

He walked into the kitchen, expecting to find her there eating her breakfast, but the room was empty. He checked the office next, but she wasn’t there, either, and she wasn’t upstairs in her room.

Where the hell was she?

He took the stairs two at a time and headed out to the stable. The sun was a glowing orange shadow on the horizon and the air was chilly and scented with fresh hay.

No Nita, but he did find Jimmy.

“Have you seen Nita?” Connor asked him.

“She got up early this morning. A couple of the men thought they saw a light out in the west pasture last night. They took the truck out there but whoever it was musta heard ‘em and run off. Nita went to check it out.”

“Alone, in the dark?”

The old man shrugged. “Said she wanted to search the property for more holes before we set the horses out to pasture.”

Connor could hardly believe what he was hearing. “And you let her go?”

His look was solemn. “She is the boss, Connor. I’m in no position to be giving her orders.”

“You could have at least gone with her.”

“I offered, she said no thanks.”

Connor knew she was doing this to get back at him for last night. He cursed under his breath and headed for Goliath’s stall. He had him saddled and ready to go in three minutes. “She ever does this again, you come and find me right away.”

“I know you’re worried about her getting hurt, but she can handle herself,” Jimmy said as Connor walked Goliath out of the stable and mounted him.

“I know she’d like to believe that, but right now, she’s not safe anywhere by herself.” He drove his heels into the horse’s sides and took off in search of her.

Nita studied the tracks in the dirt. There was a single shovel mark in the ground, as if the digger had been interrupted. That must have been about the time the boys drove out to investigate.

She shook her head. Whoever was doing this, was certainly persistent, and not very intelligent if he thought she would fall for this old trick again. But if he’d set out to annoy her, he’d succeeded. She was going to have to have a talk with the men to see if anyone would be willing to patrol the property at night until the guilty party was caught. Maybe they could take three-or four-hour shifts. And if they were really lucky, maybe they would catch him in the act.

A smile curled her lips when she thought about what she would do if she caught him herself.

She heard the beat of a horse’s hooves and, looking at her watch, knew it was Connor. She didn’t have to turn and look at him to know he’d be angry she’d left without him.

She was hoping he would be, though it couldn’t begin to make up for the anger and humiliation she’d felt last night when he’d turned her down. And yes, she’d been hurt. She’d never misread a man as badly as she had Connor. She’d been sure he was as interested in her as she was in him.

Apparently not.

Although that didn’t explain the bulge in his jeans. He’d definitely been turned on, but he sure had freaked out when she’d touched him. Then it occurred to her, maybe by saying he was damaged, he’d meant he was physically disfigured somewhere down there. He had been in an explosion. What if his back wasn’t the only place he’d been burned. Maybe he was embarrassed to let her see him.

Oddly enough, the thought was almost comforting. He hadn’t actually rejected her. He was looking out for her welfare—protecting her from the gruesome truth. And he’d said that, hadn’t he? At the time she’d figured it was just some lame put-down line. Maybe he thought she’d be appalled by the way he looked.

Well, hell, he didn’t need to feel embarrassed. She didn’t care what it looked like, as long as the plumbing worked, and even if there were kinks to work out she would be okay with that, too. The more challenging, the more fun as far as she was concerned.

Maybe this wasn’t a lost cause after all.

Connor stopped a few feet from where she was crouched inspecting the ground. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

If he was going to go all macho on her, maybe she shouldn’t be so eager to let him off the hook. She slowly rose to her feet and turned to him, her face the picture of serenity. “Good morning to you, too.”

He jumped down from his horse. “Look, I know you’re probably upset about last night…”

Oh yeah, he was askin’ for it. “Don’t flatter yourself, cowboy. Men like you are a dime a dozen. It’s a shame though, we could have had fun.”

If she’d wounded his pride, he didn’t let it show. “Then why did you leave without me? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“I have a farm to run. If you can’t keep up with me, that’s not my problem.” She mounted her horse and headed for the stable, Connor riding close behind her, a silent sentinel. He didn’t say a word the entire ride, but she could feel his anger hovering over her like a heavy black storm cloud. And she was only slightly enjoying it.

Well, maybe more than slightly.

Jimmy was outside the stable waiting for them.

“Looks like our digger was back,” she told him. “I found more holes in the west corral. I want the boys to fill them, then search every inch of the property for more.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She hopped down from her horse and headed for the house to see if her daddy was up. They had house-keepers to interview starting at ten.

“When were you planning on telling me about the holes?” Connor asked from behind her. From the tightness in his voice, she could tell he was still angry, but trying hard to hold it in. He’d feel a whole lot better if he just blew up at her and got it out of his system. He was too closed off, too darned controlled all the time.

Knowing she was throwing kindling on the flames, Nita shrugged and said, “You didn’t ask.”

“I shouldn’t have to.”

“Look, Connor,” she shot over her shoulder. “I don’t have time to babysit you today. Why don’t you make yourself useful and go help the men fill the holes?”

“You know I can’t do that.”

“I’ll be perfectly safe in the house with Daddy.”

“Your father is in a cast. If someone were to come in and grab you, what would he be able to do to stop them?”

“I don’t think someone is going to waltz into the house in the middle of the day.”

“It doesn’t matter what you think,” he said, his voice so tight she’d bet that given one good pluck, his vocal cords would snap in two.

She could see there was no reasoning with him. Not that she’d ever been able to reason with him, so it wasn’t a big surprise. And boy, he was cranky today. Probably sexual frustration, she decided. If he had just given in last night, after she was through with him, he’d have slept like a baby.

He followed her in the back door, through the mudroom, and into the kitchen. Her father was at the table eating a bowl of cold cereal.

“Morning, Daddy, how do you feel?”

He slammed his spoon down on the table. “I’m sick of cold cereal, that’s how I feel. When are those house-keepers coming?”

Jeez, was everyone in a foul mood this morning? “The first one is coming at ten.”

“How many answered the ad?”

“Only two.”

“Only two?”

Nita shrugged. “People talk. Everyone knows what’s been happening out here. Can you blame someone for not wanting to get involved? Maybe we should try advertising in other cities.” Or just call Jane, she wanted to add.

He muttered something about “Those damned Devlins” then boosted himself on his crutches and hobbled out of the room.

Nita hoped the interview process was only a formality, and that her daddy would come to his senses and ask Jane to come home soon. Nita figured it was just a matter of time before he missed Jane so much he would be begging her to return.

“I talked to my brother last night,” Connor said from his spot near the door. He didn’t look angry anymore. Just mildly annoyed. “Jake would like to bring the map by tonight about seven.”

“Map?”

“The one that was stolen from the museum,” he reminded her. “The one Gavin wanted me to look at.”

“Oh, right. Fine by me,” she said.

“I also talked to Clint about the security evaluation and he said he’d be by around three, day after tomorrow.”

“Not that I think this evaluation will do much good, but I’ll listen to what he has to say.” She cleared her daddy’s breakfast dishes and carried them to the sink.

“Nita, about last night…”

Not this again. Sheesh. Rub it in my face why don’t you. She leaned on the edge of the sink. “You don’t have to explain. I get it.”

“I just want to make it clear, it wasn’t you.”

“I understand. You were embarrassed. It’s okay.”

His eyebrow dipped low. “Embarrassed?”

“About your condition.”

“Condition?” Connor folded his arms across his chest, wondering what the hell she was talking about now. “And what condition might that be.”

Her eyes drifted to the vicinity of his crotch. “The damage.”

He couldn’t tell if she was serious, or just yanking his chain. “What damage are we talking about?”

“From the explosion. I understand why you’re afraid to let me see it. But you should know, I wouldn’t be bothered by any…abnormalities. I mean, penises are pretty funny looking to begin with, so how bad could it be?”

“Nita, what are you talking about? Why would you assume any part of my anatomy is abnormal?”

“I’m not assuming anything. You said so yourself last night.”

“When?”

“You said your goods were damaged.”

He nearly laughed out loud. Leave it to her to twist his words into something so totally off the wall. He might have been offended if he wasn’t so damned amused. “Nita, trust me when I say my goods are just fine.”

She shrugged and walked past him, through the kitchen doorway, calling over her shoulder, “Hey, whatever you say.”

He followed her down the hall and into the office. “What, you don’t believe me?”

She crossed the room and sat in the chair behind her wide, cluttered oak desk. “Connor, you have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“You’re right, I don’t. Because there’s nothing wrong with me.”

She flipped open her laptop. “So you’ve said.”

She was goading him now, and he was having too much fun not to play along for a while. To see exactly what she thought she might accomplish by antagonizing him. Though he already had a pretty good idea.

She needed justification. She needed to know why he’d rejected her. What she’d done wrong.

And the answer was nothing. She done everything right. He was the one with the problem. If only she knew how difficult it had been for him to turn her away last night, how much he still wanted her. He had no idea how she’d made it this far in life thinking that she wasn’t feminine, that she looked like a boy. She had to be one of the most desirable, sexiest women he’d ever met. The kind of woman he typically avoided at all cost, which was a little tough to do living in the same house, shadowing her every move.

“You know,” she said, thoughtfully. “They have some wonderful new drugs out to help men with certain…problems.”

He swallowed a grin. “Not only am I deformed, now I’m impotent, too?”

“I’m only telling you so you don’t think it’s hopeless. There is help out there for men like you.”

“What was it you said last night? Everything seems to be working fine?”

She let out a long, gusty sigh and rolled the chair back from the desk. “If you’re so determined to convince me I’m wrong, I guess I’ll just have to see it.”

Somehow he knew it would come to this. “You will, huh?”

“Drop your pants. Let’s have a look.” She propped her elbows on the armrests and linked her fingers under her chin—the picture of solemnity, but there was no mistaking that impish gleam in her eye. “Come on, don’t be shy. I promise I won’t laugh.”

No, he knew she wouldn’t laugh. He didn’t even want to think of what she might do if she got him out of his pants. But whatever it was, he was sure she’d do it well.

He propped his hands on the desk and leaned forward, looking her right in the eye, so there was no mistaking what he was about to tell her. “I like you, Nita. Too much. Which is exactly why I can’t get involved with you. There’s a lot that you don’t know about me.”

She held his gaze. “Does that mean you won’t be taking off your pants?”

“No, I won’t.”

She shrugged and rolled her chair up to her computer. “Then get lost, I have work to do.”

“So we understand each other?”

“Yes, Connor. We understand each other. Personally, I think you’re blowing this whole sex thing way out of proportion, but I guess it’s your loss.” She made a shooing gesture with her hands. “Now go ‘way. I have things to do before the applicants get here.”

“I’ll be on my bench in the foyer if you need me,” he said, then headed for the door. He glanced back on his way out and saw that she was mesmerized by whatever she was working on.

She’d been awfully agreeable about the whole thing. Too agreeable. He couldn’t escape the feeling that he hadn’t heard the last of this.

Chapter Seven

“It’s sort of pretty,” Nita said, running her fingers across the photocopy of the map, over scores of tiny hearts, all different shapes and sizes. “What do they mean?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Gavin said. He stood between her and Jake.

Connor stood across from them on the other side of the kitchen table. He’d been keeping his distance all day. Not that he wasn’t still following her everywhere, he’d just been doing it from a couple yards away.

He was a tough one to figure out. She’d told him she didn’t want commitment, and still he’d turned her down, even though he was obviously attracted to her—because there were things about him she didn’t know. Well, heck, there were things about her he didn’t know, either. They didn’t have to be best buddies to enjoy each other’s…company. As far as she was concerned, it was better that they weren’t. She didn’t like it when men got attached to her. That was right about the time they started trying to change her, to mold her into something she didn’t want to be. Something she couldn’t be.

He thought he had issues? Well, who didn’t? That shouldn’t stop them from having fun.

“We’ve been looking for some sort of pattern,” Jake told Nita. “But so far we’ve come up empty.”

There was a time, when she first met Connor, that she’d thought Jake was the more attractive of the two. His stunning smile and cheerful disposition were hard to resist. But there was something about Connor, something dark and exciting, that intrigued her.