If memory served her correctly, he’d enjoyed last night every bit as much as she had. She could almost hear his urgent moans and feel his hot breath on her ear.

A shiver of longing rippled through her and she prayed eleven o’clock wasn’t too far away. A peek at the clock in her room answered her prayer. Thank goodness it was Saturday, otherwise she’d have slept through half a morning’s work.

Her cell phone rang on the dresser in the bedroom and she hurried to answer it. Her heart pounded and she hoped it was Rick.

“Halloooooo,” Maria said.

Could she really give her friend the scoop she’d be sure to insist on?

“Hi, Maria, how are you?”

“Very formal, hmm. Does this mean you were up late last night reading theological philosophy with Mr. Rick Jones?”

Alicia cleared her throat. “Something like that.” She was glad Maria couldn’t see her guilty smile.

“So, did you guys figure out how many angels can fit on the head of a pin? I’ve been struggling with that one for years.”

Alicia laughed. She could totally picture Maria’s raised brow. “We figured about forty, as long as their wings were folded.”

Maria tut-tutted. “Come on now, Alicia. Stop playing with me. Did you, or didn’t you?”

Alicia hesitated, glanced over her shoulder, then whispered, “We did.”

“I knew it!” Maria’s joyous whoop almost deafened her. “Well, this calls for a celebration. Want to meet me at T.J.’s for lunch?”

“Actually, Rick’s just gone to a meeting and he’ll be back by eleven.”

“And let me guess. You’d rather have lunch with some new hunk than with your oldest and dearest friend?”

“Well…”

“You’d better! You know I’d ditch you in a second for the right guy.”

They both laughed. It was so true.

“Now that we’ve established that I have no principles, you’d better tell me all the details so I don’t rat you out to Alex.”

“Alex! Oh, my gosh, I totally forgot about him. He’s all alone at the ranch.” Guilt pricked her like a needle.

“All alone? You’ve got at least ten different employees living there.”

“You know what I mean. Who’ll make him breakfast?”

“He’s a big boy. I’m sure he can pour himself a bowl of Wheaties.”

“What if the arsonist came back? I’ve got to call him.”

“Not until you tell me more about last night.”

“Maria! I’ll tell you all about it another time. And believe me, I really appreciate you covering for me, otherwise nothing would have happened at all.”

“Okay, okay, but one thing before you cut me off.” Maria had stopped teasing and her voice was filled with concern. “I know I joke around a lot, but this Rick Jones better treat my very best friend like a princess or he’s going to have me to answer to. Did he make it wonderful for you?”

Alicia nodded, then realized her friend couldn’t see. “Oh, Maria, it was more than wonderful. He was so gentle, so tender. It was…beautiful.”

“Phew.” Maria laughed. “Well, then enjoy your day with him and wish him all the best from me. And give me a call if you want to come up for air.”

Alicia shut off her phone and caught sight of her face in the bamboo-framed mirror on the dressing table. Her goofy grin almost made her laugh.

Then she remembered Alex, and her grin vanished.

She punched in his number and waited while the phone rang, cold anxiety trickling through her.

“Hey, ‘Manita. How’s Maria?”

Alicia gulped. “She’s great. How are things at the ranch?” Her voice sounded nervous and false. She hoped he wouldn’t press for details about Maria. She didn’t want this lie to get any more elaborate.

“No more trouble. The vet’s been out to check the animals and the insurance guy was here. The police have interviewed all the workers, but I don’t think they have any leads yet.”

“I’m coming home, then.”

Even as she said it, her entire body screamed no. She wanted to stay here, with Rick.

“No way. You stay with Maria. We still have no idea who’s behind this, so there’s no way to predict what they’ll do next. I’ve got enough problems already. I don’t want to have to worry about my baby sister being in danger.”

Alicia’s relief mingled with stone-cold guilt. “Are you sure you’re okay? Did you eat breakfast?”

“I’m not an invalid.”

“Did you eat breakfast?”

“I wasn’t hungry.”

“Alejandro Montoya, you’d better go make yourself something—”

“Stop fussing. Maybe it’s better I learn to do things for myself, otherwise how will I manage when you leave to get married?”

His teasing tone told her he was joking. He probably didn’t think she’d ever leave to get married. And until this morning, she’d worried the same thing.

But now everything was different.

She fingered her blue topaz necklace and let her smile return. “All right, don’t eat anything, then. See if I care.”

Her reflection in the mirror revealed red lips and flushed cheeks. Her eyes were glassy and her hair—well, her hair needed work. “I’ll call you later and you can reach me on my cell if you need me.”

She hung up the phone. How shocked Alex would be if he knew what she’d been up to last night. If he knew that—right now—she was waiting for her new boyfriend to return.

Her lover.

Finally.

Justin marched up the walkway into the Texas Cattleman’s Club. Things were getting too complicated for his taste and he intended to do a little untangling. At least as much as he could without making Alicia run for cover.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Dupree.” The doorman nodded to him. “Mr. Brody’s waiting for you in the library.”

“Justin!” Mitch rose from a leather club chair near the carved-stone fireplace as Justin entered, his dark eyes shining with amusement. “You’ve been hard to find lately.”

“Busy. We’re in the midst of a deal. I’m wearing a suit right now because I just signed a contract. Saturday morning, can you believe it? But the guy’s heading back to Athens this afternoon.”

His tall friend narrowed his eyes. “That’s not the only thing keeping you tied up. I saw how well you hit it off with Alicia Montoya.”

Justin just smiled.

“Did you dig up any dirt on her brother?” Mitch asked.

Guilt trickled through Justin as he eased himself into a chair. He wished he’d never volunteered to get information about Alex from Alicia.

Both Mitch and his brother, Lance, suspected Alex of the sabotage at Brody Oil and Gas, but because of the longtime enmity between Lance and Alex, there was no way they could approach him without things quickly escalating to a confrontation. It happened every time Lance and Alex got near each other.

“Pretty suspicious that a fire broke out on the Montoya place, don’t you think?” Mitch asked.

“They don’t know who’s behind the fire at El Diablo. The police are looking into it but there are no suspects yet, from what I hear.”

“Do you think it’s possible that Alex set the fire to divert suspicion from himself about the fire at our refinery?”

“Why would he destroy his own property?”

“For the insurance money.” Mitch took a sip of whiskey. “That old barn was begging to be burned down. He probably had it insured for twice its value.”

“Alicia said it was a historic building. One of the oldest in Somerset.”

“Maybe they wanted to clear the way for a state-of-the-art setup. Alex has some of the finest breeding cattle in the entire state of Texas these days. He always was a competitive son of a bitch.” Mitch signaled to the bartender to bring a drink for Justin.

“I don’t think he’s behind it.”

Mitch looked at Justin closely. “Who else could it be?”

Justin leaned back in his chair. “It’s got me stumped. But I’m starting to think that the fires are somehow tied into the missing funds Darius discovered. Have you finished the unofficial audit yet?”

“Not yet,” said Mitch, “but I’m close.”

“Look, Mitch, from what Alicia’s told me, the refinery fire doesn’t sound like something Alex would do. He’s a legitimate businessman.”

“One of his best buddies is Paul Rodriquez. Don’t try to tell me ‘El Gato’ is legit.”

“No, El Gato has ‘drug cartel’ written all over him, but he and Alex Montoya aren’t business partners. They’re old friends or something. Alex has an import-export business, and from the sounds of it, he’s making money at the ranch, too, with those big-ticket bulls he’s breeding.”

A wry smile lifted one side of Mitch’s mouth. “Are you falling for Alicia Montoya?”

Justin took a gulp of whiskey. “I’m telling you what I’ve learned. The Montoyas seem like decent and upstanding people. I think we’ve all been too hasty in our judgment of Alex.”

Mitch took a swig from his own glass. “He slammed the brakes on redeveloping downtown and ruined Kevin’s deal. One of the councillors told me he was so persuasive that he almost single-handedly talked the city council into rezoning the area for historic development. I can’t figure out if he actually wants to redevelop it himself, or if he just couldn’t stand to see someone else make a buck doing it.”

“Alicia’s heavily involved in the preservation of the downtown area. She says it’s one of the few authentic and picturesque main streets in the state. She’s working on a committee to turn it into a tourist attraction.”

“Downtown Somerset as a tourist attraction? I suspect you’re thinking with a part of your body other than your brain.”

“Why not? If you look past the cheesy signage and faded paint, there are some beautiful buildings there. I think she’s absolutely right to want to preserve Somerset’s history. We already have enough strip malls in the Houston suburbs.”

“It’s hard to argue with that.” Mitch peered into his glass. “As I get older, I’m starting to take a more serious interest in the future and what will be here when my own children grow up.”

Justin’s eyes widened. “Are you and Lexi already talking about children?”

Mitch smiled slyly. “We’ve done more than talk about it. We’re expecting.”

Justin almost choked on his drink. He’d been shocked to his boot heels when Mitch said he was getting married. Mitch was always the last man standing at the bar and the first to run from any sign of a woman wanting commitment.

Apparently Alexis Cavanaugh—now Alexis Brody—had worked some kind of magic spell on him.

“That’s great. Congratulations.”

“You’re pole-axed.” Mitch’s smile broadened into a grin.

“Totally.”

“I don’t blame you. I used to laugh at the whole idea of love and marriage, let alone family. But let me tell you, when you meet the right woman, your whole world changes.”

Justin blinked. He’d certainly been looking at things differently since he met Alicia. Lying about his name, for example. He wasn’t going to do that again—ever.

“With Lexi, did you just…know?”

Mitch blew out a sigh. “It was a bit more complicated than that. You know the story. It started out as a business arrangement with Senator Cavanaugh. She was supposed to marry Lance. When Lance ruined that plan by marrying Kate, I figured I’d marry Lexi myself. Then I fell madly in love with her.”

“Sounds like a real fairy tale—Texas style.” Justin raised his glass and laughed.

“I’ll drink to that. You’re next, bro. I have a feeling.” Mitch’s dark eyes narrowed. “And from the way you’re defending the Montoya family, I’m beginning to wonder if you’ve already met your lady. I bet Alex wouldn’t mind his sister marrying into the illustrious Dupree clan.”

“Yeah, except for the fact that the Brodys are my best friends. He doesn’t know I’m seeing her.”

“She’s keeping you as her dirty little secret?”

“Something like that.”

“Well, watch your back. There are strange things going on all around us.”

“Too true. If the Brody brothers can settle down and get married, almost anything can happen.”

“Fires are burning, bro. Fires are burning. Sometimes they start right here.” Mitch tapped his chest with a knuckle. “When that happens, there’s no way to put ‘em out.”

The click of the lock made Alicia jump to her feet. She’d had plenty of time to shower and style her hair and put on one of her favorite dresses—which just happened to match the necklace Rick gave her.

And if he were to look underneath her dress—an event she fervently hoped for—he’d find a pretty lace bra and panties in a contrasting shade of pale blue.

“Alicia.” Rick’s warm, masculine voice sent a shiver of awareness through her.

“I’m here.” She hurried out into the hallway, heart pounding.

Rick stopped, as if struck motionless by the sight of her. He looked devastatingly handsome in a stylish, dark gray suit. His hair was tousled and his blue eyes sparkled with fascination.

He held out a bouquet of fat pink roses. “I bought these for you.” He frowned. “But I want you holding me, not a bunch of roses.” He glanced around for a surface to put them down on, then set them gently on a hall table. “Much better. Now my hands are free.”

Alicia’s body shimmered with anticipation as Rick took a bold step toward her. Her eyes closed as he wrapped his strong arms around her and gave her a tender kiss on the lips.

Pleasure crept over her like the sun’s heat. Her nipples thickened against the stiff fabric of his suit. And hidden, secret parts of her—parts she’d never been fully aware of—now throbbed with desire.

He grew hard against her, and she instinctively pressed her hips against his erection, delighting in the arousal that flared between them.

“Damn, I missed you so much.” His voice was rough.

“You were only gone for a couple of hours.”

“Way too long. Let’s not do that again anytime soon.” He pulled off his slim dark tie with two fingers and unbuttoned the collar of his white shirt to reveal his bronzed neck.

On impulse, Alicia slipped her fingers into the collar of his shirt, against his hot skin.

Rick kissed her nose, which made her smile. Her fingers—without checking back to her brain—unbuttoned the next button on his shirt, and the next, while her other hand slid over the rippling muscle of his pecs.

The scent of him drove her half-crazy. The fine wool of his expensive suit mingled with the musky aroma of sexually aroused male—an inviting combination of civilized and primitive.

She raked her nails over the front of his crisp shirt, down past his sleek, leather belt, to the thick bulge beneath it.

Rick groaned as she wrapped her hand around his rigid length through his pants. She held him, tight, while she let her other hand rest on the firm curve of his athletic backside.

He grew harder still when she freed her hands to pluck at his belt buckle.

Her breath came in unsteady gasps as desire pounded inside her like a drum, heightened by Rick’s obvious excitement.

His hands roamed over her silky dress, strumming her nipples and exploring the curve of her waist.

At last, she freed the leather from the buckle and tugged down the zipper. His erection throbbed against her hand and made her shiver.

Without ceremony, she shoved down his pants and pressed herself against his thick arousal. She couldn’t wait to feel him inside her.

Rick lifted the skirt of her dress and slid a bold hand inside her panties. Hot and slick, she writhed against him.

“Take me now. Right here,” she breathed, hardly aware of her own words.

Rick’s erection throbbed again. He pulled a condom from his jacket pocket, ripped it open with his teeth and rolled it on. Then he tugged her panties to one side and entered her.

Alicia cried out at the intense sensation, then gripped Rick so her scream wouldn’t make him back away.

Rick cupped her buttocks and lifted her up to him until her back arched and she took him as deep as she could.

“Oh, yes, just like that. It feels so good,” she murmured, rocking against him.

Sensation swirled through her, and colors flashed behind her eyelids. She clung to Rick, her fingers clutching his rapidly dampening shirt.

She hadn’t even given him time to remove his jacket. A burst of laughter accompanied the thought.

“What’s so funny?”

“Me,” she said on a groan as she writhed against him. “I couldn’t wait for us to get undressed. I wore pretty underwear and you didn’t even get to see it.”

Her breasts felt swollen and deliciously sensitive against their lacy prison.

“Let me have a look,” rasped Rick.

Keeping the steady rhythm, he raised a hand and tugged down the front of her dress.

“Nice.” He flashed a dazzling blue gaze that made her heart leap. “Sometimes it’s more fun to do things out of order.”

She gasped as he lifted her feet off the floor and strode for the living room, still hard inside her.

Without missing a beat, he eased them both down onto a green silk chaise lounge.

Alicia’s eyes squeezed shut as he thrust into her, but not before she had time to take in the restrained elegance of the setting: expensive antiques, fine china and crystal, delicate watercolor paintings.

What they were doing here seemed so wrong.

In the best possible way.

She wriggled under him, enjoying the sound of her own pleasured moans. “Oh, yes, Rick, again. Do it again.” She clutched him to her as he rode her until every nerve and muscle of her body hummed with sheer bliss.

Just when she was about to lose all control—

He stopped.

Completely stopped. No movement at all, except their chests rising and falling against each other as their breath came in ragged gulps.

She tried to lift her hips but the sheer weight of his muscled body made it impossible.

Almost growling with frustrated desire, she opened her eyes, and saw his dangerous baby blues staring at her. A wicked smile slid across his mouth.

“What?” she gasped, her body sprung like a catapult and desperate for release.

“Good things come to those who wait,” he whispered.

Alicia wiggled, which had no result but to make her more agonizingly aroused. When she was about to scream, he started to move again.

Oh. So. Slowly.

Only the tiniest movements at first. Incremental. Just enough to drive her that little bit closer to the brink of insanity.

He slid—very gently—in and out, the stroking motion creating an extraordinary sensation.

Then he picked up speed.

Alicia moaned and cried out with relief as she built toward her climax. The pressure intensified, growing and gathering inside her like a huge storm cloud ready to explode and drench the whole state.

Her orgasm crashed over her like a clap of thunder, sucking the breath from her lungs and throwing her back against the chaise lounge with a howl of exuberant release.

Rick’s own climax shook him like a jackhammer and he cried out as he collapsed on top of her.

It was some moments before she managed to draw enough breath to speak. “What was that? What were you doing?”

“Have you ever heard of the G-spot?”

“I think I read about it in Cosmo once.”

“Well—” a naughty grin lifted one side of his mouth “—now you know what it does.”

She lay splayed over the chaise, her head hanging slightly off one end so her hair brushed the floor. Rick held her on to the silk surface with a firm arm, or she might have fallen limply to the carpet.

Alicia blinked. “G-spot, huh?” Her muscles still throbbed with stray contractions. “I wonder what evolutionary purpose that serves.”

Rick chuckled. “The natural historian at work. Isn’t pleasure reason enough for it to exist?”

“I suppose.” She pressed a thoughtful finger to her lips. “I could see how once you’ve experienced that, you’d keep coming back for more, which would likely ensure the survival of your genes in the next generation.”

“Unless you’re using a condom.” Rick traced a line on her belly with his finger. Her muscles shivered in response.

“So true. In that case, you have to admit you’re doing it just for fun.”

They both chuckled. Then Alicia’s stomach grumbled.

“Hey, did you have breakfast?”

“No. I confess. I was distracted by my other appetites.” With some effort, she lifted her head up onto the chaise. “And I even berated Alex for not eating properly this morning. I’m such a hypocrite.”

Rick’s playful expression faded. “You spoke to Alex?”

“Yes. I wanted to make sure everything was okay at the ranch.”

“Did you tell him you’re here?”

“No.” She shifted onto her elbow. “It’s better he doesn’t know, especially with so much going on. He’ll just worry, then overreact.”

“And I’ll be challenged to pistols at dawn for assailing your virtue.”

“Exactly.” Alicia sighed. “Why go looking for drama? Let’s at least wait until they find out who set the fire. Then he’ll have some other man to direct his hostile energies toward.”

Chapter Five

“W here are we going?” Alicia asked as Justin pulled onto the freeway. They’d changed their clothing after the impromptu tryst, then headed right out in search of lunch.

“Downtown Somerset.”

He could feel her curious gaze on him. “Why?”

“Because I want to see it through your eyes.” Since he was now striding around town defending her plan to preserve the old buildings, he wanted to know more about what he was trying to save.

And more about the lovely Alicia.

Her gaze darkened. “What if Alex sees us?”

He managed not to laugh. “Is he likely to be hanging around downtown Somerset on a Saturday afternoon?” For someone so smart, she was more than a little paranoid.

“Well, no, but…”

“So stop worrying. If we run into him you can say I’m a visiting professor of natural history,” he said, knowing full well that if they did run into Alex, she wouldn’t be the only one who had some explaining to do.

She chuckled. “There is no such thing. Besides, you don’t look like a professor.” She eyed the pale blue shirt he’d changed into. “They don’t usually wear Prada.”

“Me, either. It was a gift from one of my aunts.”

“She has good taste. I like the color.”

He smiled. “I know. That’s why I wore it. See? I’m getting to know you, bit by bit. And so far, I haven’t found a bit I don’t like.”

“All this talk about biting is making me squirm.” She wriggled in her seat, inadvertently pulling her simple white dress tight across her full chest.

Justin suppressed a groan of arousal. “Please, don’t talk about biting and squirming while I’m driving. It could be dangerous.”

Alicia let out a little growl. The lascivious gesture sent a ripple of lust straight up his spine. He couldn’t wait to see more of her wild side.

Alicia crossed her sleek, tanned legs, giving him a flash of inner thigh.

The sensation in his crotch was getting to be pretty unbearable. “Tell me where to park,” he said as he pulled off at the exit. The hum and buzz of Houston subsided as they entered the peaceful, tree-lined streets of historic Somerset.

Victorian houses sat gracefully amidst large lawns and mature trees. A kid rode by on a bike, like something out of the 1950s.

“That house is a Stanford White.” She pointed to a stunning Beaux Arts “cottage” he’d never noticed before. “He was a famous nineteenth-century architect who—”

“Was murdered by the husband of a woman he had a scandalous affair with.”

“You’ve heard of him,” she said with surprise and delight in her eyes.

“I had one of the most expensive educations money can buy. Despite that, I managed to pick up a few facts along the way. It’s a beautiful house.”

He’d stopped the car and they sat with the engine humming. “The detail is incredible. You’d never see that kind of elaborate molding on a house today.”

“And just two years ago it was condemned. The roof was damaged during a storm and the city wanted to tear it down. That’s when I joined the Somerset Historical Society and we raised money to have it restored.”

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