The Colton Bodyguard

Chapter 2

Greta lay in the center of the king-size bed, Tyler’s T-shirt smelling of fresh Oklahoma air and a hint of ocean-breeze fabric softener.

It was still early, just a little after nine, but she’d needed to escape from Tyler. She should’ve just driven home, but the truth was the wine had gone to her head, as had Tyler’s invitation to share his bed.

She’d heard him go into his room just a few minutes earlier. Since it was a Tuesday night, he probably had gone to bed early because he had to work the next day.

They both would have to be up early if he was going to show her his troubled horse before he left for work. The possibility of working with a new horse was exciting. She was in desperate need of a challenge, and training this horse would fit the bill.

She closed her eyes, seeking sleep, but her mind conjured up a vision of the man in the next room. Did he sleep in pajamas or was he naked beneath his sheets? His unbuttoned shirt had given her a tantalizing peek at his bare chest. What would he look like with no shirt? What would he look like naked? A rivulet of heat worked through her. Drat the man anyway.

Mark had never gazed at her with such an unabashed desire. She’d never seen utter lust, such blatant hunger for her, in any man’s eyes before tonight.

She’d seen it in Tyler’s and she’d be a fool not to admit that he’d stirred something in the very depths of her, a hunger she hadn’t known existed.

Mindless pleasure—she knew that was what she would find in his arms. Not love, not a promise for any future relationship. He’d offered her only one night of throwing caution to the wind and having uncomplicated sex with him.

After everything that had happened at the ranch over the past five months, mindless pleasure and uncomplicated sex sounded far too appealing.

She rolled over on her back and stared up at the ceiling, where pale moonlight danced tiny strands of illumination as it filtered through the slight part in the curtains at the window.

She couldn’t go to sleep, because she was hot and bothered and curious. She’d known in her head that Mark had been cheating on her long before she had acknowledged it in her heart. She hadn’t wanted to believe it, but the signs had been there.

Several times she’d thought of calling off the wedding, but for the first time in her life she’d enjoyed a real relationship with her mother, Abra. They had bonded over picking out flowers and deciding on arrangements, checking out caterers and choosing the size and flavor for the wedding cake.

She’d never seen her mother look so happy, and she’d felt incredibly responsible when Mark had broken their engagement, the wedding plans were called off, and her mother had fallen into one of her bouts of depression. At least her mother hadn’t jumped on a jet to head to Europe like she’d done in the past when the depression struck. Of course, her health wasn’t as good as it had once been.

Greta rolled over, this time curling into a fetal ball as a vision of Tyler once again filled her head.

She’d always found him incredibly handsome. While she’d seen the effect of his sexy smile on other women, he’d always been very cool and reserved around her.

Tonight she’d felt the force of that sexy smile, the intensity of his midnight blue eyes directed at her, and she’d liked it. She was surprised to discover a want inside her, a desire to throw caution to the wind, abandon her good senses and go crawl into his bed.

Mindless pleasure between two consenting adults. Would it really be wrong? She was on her feet at the side of the bed before she realized she’d consciously made up her mind.

Before she could change it, she walked out of her bedroom and into his. The moonlight in his room was brighter, drifting through a bank of floor-to-ceiling windows on the opposite side of the large room.

He sat up, a dark silhouette in the king-size bed. “Greta? Do you need something?” His voice sounded deeper, huskier than usual. She walked to stand at the very edge of his bed, his features now visible to her.

Hunger. It shone from his eyes and stole not only her power to speak but also momentarily her ability to breathe. He didn’t say anything. He lifted the sheet that covered him and she slid in beside him.

“Are you sure?” he asked softly.

“I’m here,” she replied.

She tried to tell herself it was the dizzying effect of the wine, the stress of the past five months in her life. She tried to believe that she wasn’t herself, that she was acting irrationally, but the truth was she just wanted him to make love to her.

He pulled her into his arms and took her mouth with his in a fiery openmouthed kiss that heated her from head to toe. He continued to kiss her until she couldn’t think. At the same time his hands moved languidly up and down the back of the T-shirt, stopping just shy of her bare buttocks.

She ran her hands across his shoulders and back, vaguely surprised by the play of hard muscles beneath his warm skin, muscles that were usually hidden beneath crisp white shirts and expensive suit coats.

He wore a pair of boxers, and those and her T-shirt were the only barriers between them and total naked flesh.

A small moan escaped her lips as his hands moved beneath her T-shirt at the same time his mouth slid down the length of her throat. He nibbled and teased her neck and then sucked one of her nipples through the thin cotton material. Flames of desire flared hot through her.

She reached down, slid her hand beneath the band of his boxers and grasped him. He was fully erect and after that everything happened in a haze.

T-shirt and boxers were gone, leaving them naked and gasping.

He teased and tormented her, stroking every inch of her body. He was confident and masterful in his touch and shot electric pleasure through her.

He followed his heated caresses with his mouth, kissing her in places she’d never been kissed before.

In turn, she did the same, stroking his smooth, muscled back, kissing down his neck and across his broad chest.

She was on fire and only he could put out the flames. She moved her hips against his, wanting...needing him to take her.

When his fingers danced across the place where she needed him to touch her most, she gasped in fevered delight.

His fingers pressed harder, moved faster against her sensitive center, and a rising, overwhelming tension filled her.

As it peaked she rode the wave of a climax that left her shuddering with the force of the release. He didn’t give her time to catch her breath. He moved between her thighs and took her.

He stroked deep and slow, and the rise of her pleasure began to build again. She moaned his name and he increased the speed of his thrusts. Her hips met his as they moved in a frenzy.

They ended together, with her crying with her own climax as he groaned and finished, as well.

When it was over, he held himself above her with his weight on his elbows. His eyes gleamed with the satisfaction of his possession. “I knew you’d be the perfect lover for me,” he whispered.

“And I knew this was a huge mistake.”

He frowned and rolled to the side of her. “Why was this a mistake? It was just as I imagined it would be...beyond wonderful. We fit together so well.”

She sat up and grabbed the sheet to hide her breasts. She couldn’t tell him it was a mistake that she wanted to repeat again and again, but that was the truth.

She’d never felt so wonderfully out of control as she had when he’d made love to her. She’d never known the intensity of the electric sensations he’d pulled from her. He’d tapped into a part of her that she hadn’t even known existed.

“I’m not in the habit of falling into bed with men I don’t love,” she finally replied. She certainly wasn’t in the habit of falling into bed with men who didn’t love her. “I’m not a one-night-stand kind of woman.”

“I’m hoping this isn’t a one-night kind of thing,” he replied.

His words shocked her almost as much as her uncharacteristic actions so far this night. “What exactly did you have in mind?”

He reached up and gently shoved a strand of her hair away from her face. “I was hoping that you’d meet my horse in the morning and agree to work with her. It’s too long of a drive for you to come back and forth from Tulsa every day, so I figured you’d move in here, where you’ll be available to work whenever you want to. And if you’re staying here, why not sleep in my bed each night?”

“Did you manipulate things so that this would all happen?” She gazed at him searchingly. “Did you decide to alibi me knowing that Mark would break off our engagement, that I’d come here to speak to you and that I’d wind up in your bed?”

He laughed, a deep low rumble that she found ridiculously pleasant. “You’re giving me far too much credit as a super mastermind.” He sobered and his eyes took on that glow that created a new heat to flow through her.

“I waited five days before coming forward with that alibi. I had assumed Mark would do something to help you. When he didn’t, I stepped forward. I knew there would be repercussions to my actions, but I certainly didn’t anticipate you’d wind up here in my bed. But if I’m perfectly honest with you, it’s what I wanted. It’s what I’ve wanted for a very long time.”

“You never gave a hint that you were interested in me before.”

“I told you that I would have never interfered in your relationship with Mark if I truly believed the two of you really belonged together. But it was obvious when Mark didn’t even bother to visit you in jail that you deserved better than my brother. Marrying him would have been the biggest mistake of your life.”

Greta felt as if her head were about to explode. The night had been a surprise on so many levels. She scooted toward the edge of the bed.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“I’m going back to the guest room, where I probably should have stayed.”

“There’s no reason you can’t finish the night out here,” he countered.

“I don’t want to make this into anything but what it was, an impulsive sexual encounter with a man I barely know. I won’t wake up in your bed, because that makes what we just did into something different.” She frowned, knowing he probably didn’t understand, but it didn’t matter. “I’ll just tell you good-night.”

She slid out of the bed and found the T-shirt on the floor. She pulled it on over her head and then left his room and went back to the guest room next door.

She went directly to the bathroom, turned on the light and stared at her reflection in the mirror. What on earth had she just done? What had she been thinking?

As if her life weren’t complicated enough already, she’d just had mind-blowing sex with Tyler Stanton. And he’d made it clear that he didn’t intend for it to be a one-night thing.

What did he really want from her? He certainly couldn’t be in love with her. He didn’t know her well enough. And she certainly didn’t know him well enough to be in love with him. Until tonight she hadn’t even been sure if she liked him at all. He’d certainly never given her any indication that he liked her.

She turned off the light and left the bathroom and got into bed, her mind still whirling with questions. To her surprise, she fell asleep almost immediately.

The scent of freshly brewed coffee and frying bacon awoke her the next morning. She was shocked to realize it was after eight, later than she normally slept. She’d expected Tyler to show her the horse and be on the road by this time. He had an important job to get to.

Maybe it was the cook fixing breakfast and Tyler had already left for work, she thought as she dressed in the clothes she had worn the night before.

He’d probably arranged for a ranch hand to show her the horse and then he’d call her later in the day to see if she was interested in working with the wild filly.

Once dressed and with her teeth brushed and hair combed, she followed her nose down the hallway and through the great room to find a large, airy kitchen and Tyler standing with his back to her in front of the stove.

Tight jeans cupped his taut butt and clung to his long legs. He also wore a blue flannel shirt and was barefoot. She’d never seen him so casually dressed and so relaxed. It was definitely a good look on him.

“Good morning,” she said.

He whirled around and smiled at her. “Back at you. Coffee is in the carafe—help yourself—and bacon and eggs will be ready in just a few minutes.”

“What can I do to help?” She walked to the counter with the coffee machine and an awaiting cup.

“Nothing. Just have a seat at the table and relax.”

She poured her coffee and carried it to the round glass-topped kitchen table. “Don’t you have household help?” she asked, realizing for the first time that she’d seen no staff since she’d arrived the night before.

“I have the house cleaned once every two weeks by a team that comes in and I have a laundry service that picks up dirty clothes each week, but other than that I don’t keep anyone full-time except two ranch hands. I spend so many hours at work that it seemed silly to me to have cooks or maids just hanging around all day with nothing to do.”

“Speaking of work, shouldn’t you be there now?” she asked.

He forked bacon out of the skillet and onto an awaiting platter covered with a paper towel. “I took the day off. How do you like your eggs?”

“However you make them,” she replied. “You have a reputation as a workaholic. Do you often take days off?”

“I can’t remember the last time I didn’t go into work. But the company can run fine without me. I have a great general manager, and if any problems arise, somebody will call me.” He cracked several eggs into a bowl, added a dollop of milk and began to whisk the concoction.

“Mark never had any problems taking time off,” she said. “And he’s vice president of the company.”

“It’s a title, not a life calling, for Mark. Mark likes to think of himself as a trust-fund baby. Unfortunately, there was very little trust fund other than the family business. Mark shot through his cash in the first two years after my parents’ deaths.”

He paused to pour the eggs into the skillet. “Mark has always preferred play over work.” There was no censure in his voice. It was just a statement of fact that Greta knew to be true.

Greta sipped her coffee and wondered now how she’d ever thought she could find happiness with Mark. She’d suspected from the very beginning of their relationship that he was cheating on her. She knew he didn’t possess much of a work ethic. They’d had very little in common and had never really talked about what their future together would look like.

But he had been so charming and attentive when they were together, and he’d always managed to sweep away her suspicions about him and other women. Tyler was right. Marrying Mark would have been a terrible mistake.

Greta shunned the limelight and Mark craved it. She loved her work as a horse trainer and he’d been bored by it. Despite their engagement and wedding plans, Mark’s interest in her had begun to wane the minute he’d found out she wasn’t a blood Colton but rather adopted. A recent fact that had been revealed that she was still trying to come to terms with herself.

“Here we go.” Tyler set a plate in front of her and then took a seat next to her at the table with his own plate in front of him.

“Thank you, but you really didn’t have to cook me breakfast. You could have just shown me the horse and I’d have been on my way.”

He grinned, his blue eyes sparkling in amusement. “But then I wouldn’t have the pleasure of your company while I ate breakfast.”

“Do you cook breakfast for all the women you sleep with?” she asked, and a faint warmth filled her cheeks.

“All the women I sleep with?” He raised an eyebrow. “If you knew how few women I’ve slept with over the last couple of years, you’d feel sorry for me and offer to be my lover every single night.”

She couldn’t help but smile. “You’re a piece of work, Tyler Stanton.”

“Yes, I am, but what I’m saying is true. I’m not a player, Greta.”

“Then what are you doing with me?”

He sobered and gazed at her for a long moment. “To be honest, I’m not really sure, but I like what I’m doing with you so far. Now, eat up before it gets cold.”

While they ate, she was grateful that he kept up a light conversation, talking about the changes he’d made to Stanton Oil since his parents had died in a car accident ten years ago. At twenty-two he’d stepped in as president of the company and eventually had appointed his two-years-younger brother as vice president.

“I had to work twice as hard and twice as long as anyone else to earn the respect of my employees. To most of them I was a snot-nosed kid who’d just graduated from college with a business degree but didn’t have the age or wisdom to run the company.”

“But you proved them all wrong,” she replied. She knew how respected Tyler was in the business world.

“It took time but I now enjoy a good relationship with everyone who works for me,” he replied with a touch of pride in his voice.

She was vaguely surprised that there was no morning-after awkwardness. He was warm and easy to talk to, showing her a side of him she’d never seen before.

By the time they’d finished eating and she’d helped him with the cleanup, she was ready to see the horse he’d told her about.

He helped her into her coat and then he donned a casual leather jacket and they left the house by a back door in the kitchen. In the distance several outbuildings rose up, certainly nothing like the big cattle operation at the Colton ranch but enough pasture and room for a few horses.

The early-November sun was warm, and as they drew closer, she identified the outbuildings as a small barn and stables. There were two corrals, a large one in the distance and a smaller one with a shedlike structure that would provide shelter from the weather. In the small corral a black Thoroughbred filly danced nervously as they approached.

“Oh, Tyler, she’s beautiful,” Greta exclaimed.

“And so far completely unbreakable,” he replied.

When they reached the fence, the filly backed to the opposite side. She pawed the ground and shook her head in a show of spirited temperament.

The excitement of a new challenge rose up in Greta. “She has good lines. Do you intend to race her?”

“No, nothing like that. I just want to be able to ride her. I want her to trust somebody and find some peace.”

Greta looked up at Tyler, surprised and touched by his words. The man continued to keep her slightly off balance. He was proving himself to be nothing like she’d originally thought.

She looked back at the filly and her heart ached with the need to soothe, to cure. The physical wounds the horse had sported when bought by Tyler had apparently healed.

Her coat looked shiny and full, and while she was still a bit on the thin side, she looked healthy. But she was obviously tormented by the abuse she’d suffered at the hands of her human owner and those scars were deep inside her.

“I want to work with her,” she said firmly.

“Great!” Tyler smiled with pleasure. “I hear you’re one of the best in the business, so I know she’ll be in good hands. You know, the easiest way is for you to move in here so that you can work with her whenever you want. It’s silly for you to drive back and forth from here to Tulsa.”

She knew he was right. Often when she was training a horse, she stayed on the ranch where the horse was located. Besides, things had been so tense at home lately. The idea of a couple of weeks away was definitely appealing.

“I’ll drive home now and pack some bags and come back here later this evening,” she finally said. She didn’t know if her decision was a mistake or not, but as she looked at the filly, she knew with certainty she wanted to help her, to train her to trust again.

He nodded. “I have two ranch hands. Bill Naters takes care of upkeep and lawn work and whatever else needs to be done. He’s here off and on. Raymond Edwards is here full-time during the days and works mostly in the stables and with the horses. Just tell him whatever you need and he’ll see to it that you get it. You can usually find him either in the stables or in the barn.”

They began the walk back to the house. “Should I expect your return by dinnertime?” he asked once they were back in the house and she had grabbed her purse to leave.

She looked at her watch. “Yes, I should be able to make it back here by early evening.”

He opened the front door and together they left the house and headed toward her Jeep in the driveway. “We’ll go out to dinner. Do you like steak?”

She smiled at him. “I grew up on a cattle ranch. I cut my teeth on a T-bone.”

“Dumb question,” he replied with a charming grin. “There’s a great steak place not far from here. How does that sound for dinner?”

“Wonderful,” she replied. Dining out was definitely better than just the two of them eating in. She still felt more than a little bit vulnerable where he was concerned and she was determined to make sure that he understood that the arrangement between them was strictly professional from here on.

Last night had been an anomaly that she didn’t expect to be repeated, no matter how much she might entertain a weakness for a repeat.

She opened the Jeep door, but before she could get inside, he took her by the arm, twirled her around and pulled her close against his chest.

“What are you doing?” she asked, both loving and hating the instant responsive heat his nearness evoked.

“Just one more thing before you go,” he murmured softly.