Blackmailed Into a Fake Engagement / Tempted Into the Tycoon's Trap: Blackmailed Into a Fake Engagement

The tape played, showing Gwen smiling as she answered the reporter’s questions about Luc’s favorites. The camera, as usual, loved her, catching her expressions of delight and a tinge of shyness. Her hair shimmered and her skin glowed. She looked like a woman in love. She played the part so well he could almost believe her himself.

“This could be the real deal. Look at what Luc Hudson has to say about Gwen,” Trina said, introducing the shot of him talking about what had made him fall in love with Gwen.

He bought his line, surprised at the way the camera caught the chemistry between him and Gwen.

“We asked Gwen the same question, and she said Luc has a deep-seated sense of honor that won her over. But look at what else she said.”

“Here it comes,” Gwen murmured and took another sip of wine.

The film played. “What made me fall in love with Luc?” Gwen echoed and tilted her head to one side as if she were concentrating on the question. “Besides the obvious superficial things such as how hot he is and how his great body comes in handy for a lot of things including rescuing horses and picking me up when I fall.” She gave a sexy chuckle. “There’s the fact that he is amazing in bed,” she said. “Amazing.”

Shocked, Luc turned to look at Gwen. “What in hell—”

“I had to stall,” she said, shrugging helplessly. “That question wasn’t on the list. I wasn’t prepared for it. And you know what they say. Sex sells.”

His cell phone began to ring and he swore. “Do you realize how much heat I’m going to take for this? My family, my business associates.” He picked up the phone and spit out his name. “Luc Hudson.”

“Mr. Hudson, I’m with Hottie Magazine, and we wondered if you would consider doing a centerfold spread for—”

“No, but thank you very much,” he said and turned off the phone. He turned to Gwen as she attempted to ease her way out of the room. “Not so fast. You’ve just created my headache of the week.”

“Sorry,” she said with a slight wince. “But you did say you wanted a distraction from Nicki’s problems, and…” Her voice trailed off as he walked toward her.

“And?” he said.

She gave a nervous chuckle. “And better you than me.”

Six

Better you than me.

Seeing the light of challenge in Luc’s eyes, Gwen immediately got the uneasy feeling she’d made a big mistake.

“Maybe we’ll just have to make sure you know what you’re talking about when you describe me as ‘amazing in bed,’” he said, brushing his muscular body against her.

Gwen felt a ridiculous weakening in her knees and tried to stiffen them.

Luc met her gaze, then leisurely glanced down her body the same way she imagined he would move his hands over her. He made her burn, just by looking.

He raised his finger to her cheek, skimmed it down to her mouth and lingered there before he slid that same finger over her chin and down her throat to where her pulse raced.

“Why is your heart beating so fast?” he asked in a low, mocking voice that made her nerve endings oversensitive. He dipped his finger still lower between her breasts. “You’re breathing fast, too. Signs of arousal?”

The way he touched her tempted her. She liked the feeling of his hand on her, the promise it made, the promise his eyes made. He was so solidly male, and he made her more sensually aware of herself than ever before. He made her aware of her femininity deeper than just in her skin, or even into her bones, it seemed to permeate to a cellular level.

How could this be anything but a big mistake? She took a deep breath. Fighting the urge to give in to her own urges, she grabbed his wrist and stared at it. His skin was darker than hers, his hands much larger. His muscles flexed beneath hers, but he didn’t pull away from her.

“I don’t want to be stupid,” she whispered.

“I will make you feel a lot of things, Gwen. Stupid isn’t one of them.”

She took another deep breath, willing the need to go further with him to lessen. It didn’t, but she was relieved that he wouldn’t use her weakness for him against her.

“I won’t take you until you’re ready, but soon enough, you will be,” he said.

That should have sounded arrogant as hell, but Gwen was too close to the edge, too full of wanting to deny the truth. She withdrew her hand from around his wrist and took a step back. She desperately needed the space. “I—uh—I should go check on Pyrrha.”

He nodded with a knowing expression on his face. “You know where to find me.”

Her heart still hammering in her chest, she felt as if she were looking her fate in the eye. She tore her gaze from his and fled to her office, closing the door behind her. She didn’t want this complication in her life right now. She didn’t want to feel this way for a man who was so much a part of the life she’d left behind.

Torn in opposing directions, she looked at the monitor and did a double take. She narrowed her eyes at the screen. “What—” she muttered under her breath, checking for a different view of Pyrrha’s stall, then another.

Her blood ran cold. Oh, no, it couldn’t be. It couldn’t—“Luc,” she yelled, frantic, bursting through the door. “She’s gone, Luc. Pyrrha is gone.”

She and Luc immediately started to search. Dennis instructed them to stay in touch and said he would bring the horse trailer as soon as they called him. It turned out that the barn help hadn’t completely closed the door to Pyrrha’s stall and the horse had literally walked out the door.

It was pitch-black, bitter cold, and snow fell sideways owing to the raging wind.

Luc decided to use an ATV to follow Gwen’s Lab, June, as the dog searched for Pyrrha’s scent. Gwen was worried out of her mind. “She wasn’t ready for this,” she said to Luc. “She hadn’t rested enough. Her scrapes hadn’t healed.”

“We’ll find her,” he said, focusing on the dark, icy terrain.

“How can you be sure?”

“Because we’re both too hardheaded not to find her,” he said and spared her a quick glance.

His confidence quieted her panic to a dull roar inside her. It felt as if they were crawling behind June. Every moment seemed to take forever.

After an hour, Luc gave June some water and put slippers on the dog to protect her paws. Their breath left visible vapor trails in the air. He turned to Gwen. “It’s too cold out here. I’ll call Dennis to take you back to the house.”

She shook her head vehemently. “No, I’m okay.”

“Gwen—”

She shook her head again. “Really, I’m okay. Being beside you is keeping me warm,” she admitted.

“Okay,” he conceded reluctantly. “A little longer.”

They continued on for another twenty-five minutes and Luc stopped the ATV. He touched her cold nose. “I can’t let you stay out here any longer.”

“I’m f-fi—” She broke off, appalled that her chattering teeth revealed how chilled she was.

“That’s it,” he said.

June raced ahead, barking loudly.

Gwen’s heart raced in hope. “She’s f-found something. We have to follow her.”

Luc followed the lab to a small wooded area and killed the engine. He helped Gwen out of the ATV and grabbed a rope and halter. “You sure you can do this?”

She nodded emphatically, but silently, because she didn’t want him to hear her teeth chattering again. Stepping into the footsteps he created in the snow, she followed him into the woods. June continued to bark, and she could hear a scrambling sound.

“Sounds like June has cornered something,” Luc said.

Less than a moment later, they heard a neigh. He stopped to listen, and another neigh sounded. Glancing back at Gwen, he nodded with a smile and offered her his hand. “That dog deserves a steak when we get back.”

“Sh-she’ll get it,” Gwen said, hanging on to Luc as he picked up his pace. Meandering through the trees, they stopped when they found Pyrrha trapped between two trees with a stone wall at her back and June guarding her escape. Gwen immediately called Dennis on her cell phone to give him their location.

“Ho,” Luc said and approached the horse.

Pyrrha pricked up her ears at the sound of his voice. Gwen held her breath, fearing the horse would bolt and run.

Talking in a soothing voice, Luc continued his steady approached and lifted the halter to her nose. Pyrrha backed away, but her hindquarters quickly encountered the wall.

Pulling an apple from his pocket, Luc offered the fruit to Pyrrha. She tentatively walked forward, sniffing. Gwen watched in amazement as the horse took the apple from his hand. He’d known exactly how to handle the wild, frightened horse. She couldn’t help wondering if his instincts extended to human women, specifically her. Luc tossed the rope over Pyrrha’s head.

Relief gushed through Gwen like a waterfall. Even though she knew they still had to get Pyrrha safely back to the barn, she had a strong sense that the horse would be okay.

An hour later they had settled Pyrrha into her stall with fresh hay, fresh water and a warming light. Maybe it was crazy how she continued to identify with the pregnant horse, but Gwen felt more protective of Pyrrha and her baby than ever.

Luc moved beside her. “Dennis says the vet will visit in the morning. You should go back to the house and get some rest.”

She shook her head. “I’m sleeping right here tonight. I’ve got a cot.”

“You’re crazy. I bet you’re dehydrated. You’re just setting yourself up to get sick.”

“I’ll be okay. I’m stronger than I look,” she said and smiled. “My teeth stopped chattering within five minutes of when we arrived at the barn.”

He gave a sigh of disapproval. “Okay, have it your way. I’ll stay, too.”

Strange feelings trickled through her. Gwen had been counting on some time away from Luc to regain her sense and defenses. At the moment, she was overwhelmed with all kinds of emotions—gratitude, vulnerability…and a craving to be close to him that she knew she should ignore.

“That’s not necessary,” she said. “Besides, there’s only one cot and I’m using it.”

He shrugged. “I know you have some extra blankets and sleeping bags because I saw them in the storage room.”

Her energy seeping out of her with each passing moment, she raised her hands. “Okay, but don’t blame me when you end up with a backache.”

Luc grabbed the cot, along with a couple of sleeping bags and blankets, and brought them next to Pyrrha’s stall. He joined Gwen at the stall door. She was leaning against the side, her head already bobbing from fatigue. “You’re doing it again,” he said in a low voice, skimming his finger underneath her chin.

Her eyelids fluttered open, and she jerked her head upward. “I’m fine. I’m not—”

“Let’s take turns. You rest, I’ll watch.”

She rubbed her eyes with a weary motion. “I should say no. She’s not your responsibility.”

Luc couldn’t explain why he felt protective of both Gwen and Pyrrha, but their combination of defiance and vulnerability got under his skin. “Just rest.”

Hesitant, she glanced at Pyrrha, then back at him. “You’re sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

Her eyes softened, making his gut do strange things. “Thanks,” she said. “For everything.”

“No problem,” he said and locked gazes with her for a moment. The hint of longing in her eyes echoed inside him.

Deliberately looking away, she turned to the cot, spread out a sleeping bag on top and crawled inside it. Her moan sounded sensual even though he knew she was dead tired and she wasn’t making the sound from sexual pleasure.

Within seconds, he heard her breathing soften to the rhythm of sweet sleep. He took the opportunity to study her while she slept and felt like a thief.

He looked at her stubborn chin and wondered if her marriage to Peter Horrigan was what had made her so independent minded. She resisted his help at nearly every turn. He wondered what it would be like to have her trust. Luc sensed that Gwen’s trust would be a precious thing, her love even more so.

Love? Where had that thought come from? Frowning, he looked away, glancing at Pyrrha. The horse’s head dipped as she snoozed. “I bet you’re tired,” he murmured. “You caused some excitement tonight.”

Her eyes flickered open and she looked around, then gazed at Luc; then she closed her eyes again. Luc had the odd sense that the horse trusted him, and it gave him an even odder sense of satisfaction that he hadn’t felt in a long time.

He glanced at Gwen again. She was easy to watch. She would be easy to hold, but holding wouldn’t be enough. Luc wanted her in the most primitive way possible, and soon enough he would have her in his bed.

Gwen felt as if she were trying to swim up from deep in the ocean. She could see the surface, but something kept her from breaking through. She blinked her eyes and finally awakened, fighting a spurt of panic. It took her a full moment to figure out where she was and why. The barn, she realized, inhaling the fresh scent of hay.

She glanced toward Pyrrha’s stall and saw Luc keeping watch, a half-empty bottle of water propped on top of the door. From this angle, his broad shoulders and height were more emphasized than ever. Something inside her calmed as she looked at him.

Inhaling deeply, she slid out of her sleeping bag. Luc turned toward her and raised his finger to his mouth in a signal for her to remain silent, then extended his hand to her. Curious, she accepted his hand, quietly moved beside him and looked inside the stall.

Pyrrha was sleeping on her side in the stall.

Gwen stared at the horse in amazement. She knew that horses wouldn’t lie down unless they felt safe or one of the other horses from the herd was watching over them.

She met Luc’s gaze and moved her lips in a silent Wow. He nodded with a slight smile on his face. She pointed to her watch and mouthed, How long?

“About thirty minutes,” he whispered.

Gwen watched the horse giving in to total rest and drank in the moment of pure peace. Luc slid his arm around her, inviting her to lean against him, and she did. Rubbing her cheek against his jacket, nestled in his embrace, she couldn’t remember a time when everything in the world had felt more right.

As if they both knew how extraordinary this moment was, she and Luc stood in silence for the next quarter of an hour. Pyrrha finally stirred and rose to her feet. She looked in Luc’s direction, as if to make sure he’d kept watch over her, then strolled around her stall.

“Amazing,” Gwen said.

“Yeah,” he said, nodding. “I’m starting to understand why you like it here.”

“Totally different from L.A.”

“It’s all boiled down to the basics,” he said, turning toward her and sifting his fingers through her hair.

His gaze wrapped around her with a primitive possessiveness, and she felt an echoing need inside her. Her heart pounded against her rib cage and she spread her hands over his hard chest, relishing his strength. She knew his strength went deeper than sinewy muscle and bone. There was something in his manner, in his spirit.

He slowly lowered his head, giving her every opportunity to turn away, and took her lips with his. Gwen sighed in relief at the sensation of his mouth on hers, firm yet sensual, taking yet giving. Three heartbeats later, she wanted more.

He pulled his mouth from hers and rubbed it over her hair. He slid one of his hands beneath her open jacket down to the small of her back and pulled her lower body against his. His arousal felt so right against her. He felt so right.

She felt a boundary inside her rip from one end to the other and raised her hands to cradle his head as she drew his mouth to hers.

He crushed her mouth with his, sliding his tongue inside, seeking and seducing. Wanting to feel all of him at once, she grasped for his back, pulling him closer. He made a barely audible growl that vibrated in her mouth.

Pulling back, he looked down at her, his nostrils flaring. “Don’t start anything you don’t want to finish,” he said.

She sucked in a shallow breath, waiting for her defenses to rise like stone walls. But the only thing she felt was pure want and need. She wanted him more than she feared his destruction of her.

“I’m not,” she finally said, then issued her own challenge. “What about you?”

His eyes widened slightly at her dare, and he lifted her in his arms. “I’m ready for everything you want to give me.”

Her mouth went desert-dry at the blatant sexual intent in his eyes.

Carrying her to the sleeping bag on the floor, he laid her down, then followed. Taking her mouth in a mind-blowing carnal kiss, he pulled off her jacket and sweater. Her bra seemed to dissolve beneath his hands. She felt a wisp of cool breeze, but he quickly covered her with his body and hands.

Desperate for the sensation of his naked skin, she pulled at his jacket and shirt. He helped her by shrugging off the layers. His golden skin was smoothly muscled and warm. He lowered his hard chest to her breasts, and a sigh of gratification sizzled from both their mouths.

He lowered his mouth to her breasts and an explosive need rocked through her. Undulating beneath him, she slipped her hands between them, tugging at his jeans.

He swore under his breath and rolled to the side so they could finish undressing each other. After he’d shoved down her jeans, he barely let a second pass before covering her again with his body.

“I want to touch you everywhere at once,” he muttered against her throat as he caressed his way down to her breasts. He drew one of her nipples into his mouth at the same time that he slid his fingers between her legs, immediately finding where she was wet and swollen for him.

“You feel so good. Got to have you,” he said and pushed her legs far apart. Lifting her hands above her head, he stared at her for a moment, and she felt as if lightning snapped between them.

Aching for all of him, she lifted her hips and he thrust inside her, filling her completely. She was still for a moment, absorbing the exquisite intimacy of his flesh encased in hers. She felt as if her very soul was entwined with his.

Then he began to rock in a delicious rhythm that took her higher and higher. The coil of excruciating tension inside her grew tighter with each breath she took. She moved in echoing counterpart to his thrusts. When he bent down and his chest meshed with hers and he took her mouth in a kiss, her heart and body were overwhelmed. She went up and over the edge, convulsing in waves of pleasure.

A heartbeat later, he took one last searing thrust and his release shook his powerful body, sending a vibration all the way to her core.

Their harsh breaths were the only sound in the quiet barn. Gwen’s heart and mind raced. No man had ever inspired such passion in her, not even her ex-husband. Neither had she ever felt such a bone-deep connection with another human being.

The reality thrilled her at the same time that it terrified her. Suddenly she was sure of nothing except the fact that Luc Hudson had blown her safe little world to smithereens.

Seven

Luc rolled to his side and pulled Gwen flush against him. His blood finally traveled from his crotch to his brain. That had been stupid as hell. Sure, he’d been determined to have her, but he hadn’t planned to take her without protection. A woman like Gwen, she had to be on the Pill, he thought. She was too beautiful, too sexual not to have a backup plan. Surely she’d had other men since her divorce…

The idea left a bitter taste in his mouth. Irrational, he told himself. Enjoy the moment. Enjoy the woman. She was different. Good different. He slid his fingers through her silky hair and relished the sensation of her breasts against his chest, her breath on his throat. He wanted her again.

He reined in his carnal urges. Barely. “As pleasurable as this was and as much as I want to repeat it immediately, I’d rather have you in a real bed.”

She gave a low husky chuckle that tickled his skin and wiggled against him. “Not a bad idea. I’m with you. A mattress is much better than the ground. Maybe it’s something about turning thirty.”

“Speak for yourself. I got over sleeping on the floor by the time I turned twenty-five.”

“That’s because you’re a spoiled Hudson,” she said, rubbing her face against his chest as if she couldn’t resist drowning herself in him.

Something in his gut twisted. “I’m not spoiled. I work my ass off.”

She slid her hand over his bottom. “Feels like it’s still there to me,” she said in a wicked voice.

He gave a short laugh and tilted her head up so he could look into her green gaze. “You are amazing.”

She bit her lip and closed her eyes, then opened them again. “Who, me?”

He shook his head. “How can you not know? You’ve been named sexiest woman of the year.”

She pulled back slightly. “Is that why you wanted me?”

“No,” he said without hesitation. “I want you—” He broke off and shook his head. “I can’t even say all the reasons. For a man who makes his living knowing the right things to say, that’s crazy, isn’t it?”

She exhaled and leaned against him as if she trusted him. “That sexiest woman of the year was wearing a ton of makeup and fake eyelashes for that photo shoot. They put highlighter on the tops of my boobs and positioned me so I squeezed my breasts together to create more cleavage. Fake tan and highlighter on my thighs. Fake me. This is the real me.”

“I like it,” he said. “I want more. If you keep looking at me like that, I’ll forget that we’re lying on sleeping bags in a barn and I’ll take you again.”

She ran her tongue over his lips in a provocative motion that made him grow harder. “Would that be so bad?”

Swearing under his breath, he pulled her on top of him and positioned her over his aching hardness. She slid down, taking him fully inside her.

He moaned in pleasure. Sliding his hands over her round derriere, he flexed his pelvis upward. She sank down and rose above him, then slid down again.

Her breasts brushed his chest. He wanted more, more more… She rose again, her breasts swaying inches from his face. Reaching upward, he took one of her nipples into his mouth. She tasted so sweet and felt like liquid sex, squeezing him, milking him.

He gave in to the erotic motion, devouring her shudders of pleasure, plunging into her. It didn’t take long before the tension inside him became almost painful.

She kept riding him, and it was as if she was determined to squeeze his release from him with her delicious velvet femininity. Luc arched against her in a mind-blowing climax. He should have been done. But he wanted more of her.

The next morning Gwen awakened from a short nap with gritty eyes and a sense of being alive that she hadn’t felt in forever. She turned over the care of Pyrrha to a trusted worker and arranged for a sign to be posted in-structing that the mare’s door remain shut. On the way back to the house, Luc’s cell phone began to ring. After listening to the caller, he shot Gwen a dark look.

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