Unbiddable Attraction

As he stroked her with a feathery touch, the ache of unfulfilled desire coiled inside her. She needed him more than she’d ever needed anything in her life, but she wanted to touch him—to learn about him the same as he was learning about her.

When she moved her hands from his chest and found him, he went completely still a moment before he groaned. “You’re going to ruin...all my...good intentions, Fee.”

“What would those be?” she asked as she measured his length and girth with her palms.

“I’d like to make this first time last...a little longer than what it’s going to...if you keep doing that,” he said, taking her hands to place them back on his chest. He took several deep breaths, then reached beneath his pillow. “I want you so much, I’d rather not finish the race before you get to the starting gate, sweetheart.”

When he arranged their protection, he took her back into his arms and kissed her as he nudged her knees apart. Then capturing her gaze with his, he gave her a smile that sent heat coursing through her veins. “Show me where you want me, Fee.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, she guided him to her and he joined their bodies in one smooth thrust. He went perfectly still for a moment and she knew he was not only giving her time to adjust to being filled completely by him, he was also struggling to gain control.

“You’re so beautiful and perfect,” he finally said as he slowly began to rock against her.

“So are you,” she managed as her body began to move in unison with his.

Fee felt as if she had been custom-made just for him and as Chance increased the rhythm of his thrusts, she became lost in the delicious sensations of their lovemaking. Heat filled her as she started climbing toward the fulfillment they both sought.

Unable to prolong the inevitable, she reluctantly gave herself up to the tension building within her. As waves of pleasure coursed through every cell in her being, she clung to him to keep from being lost. A moment later, she felt his body stiffen and knew he’d found his own satisfaction.

Wrapping her arms around his shoulders when he collapsed on top of her, Fee held him tight. She had never felt closer to anyone in her entire life than she did to Chance at that moment and she didn’t want the connection to end.

The thought that she might be falling for him crossed her mind and caused her a moment’s panic, but she gave herself a mental shake. It was true that she cared for him more than she could remember caring for any man, but that didn’t mean she was falling in love with him. Chance was intelligent, caring and the most selfless man she’d ever met, and any woman would be lucky to win his heart. But she wasn’t that woman.

* * *

The next morning as Chance got dressed, he smiled at the woman curled up in his bed. Fee was sound asleep and he wasn’t going to wake her. They had spent most of the night making love and she had to be every bit as tired as he was. But he had chores to do and a ranch to run. Otherwise, he’d crawl back in bed, make love to her again and then hold her while they both slept.

As he stepped out into the hall, he regretfully closed the door behind him. He had never met any woman who felt as good or as natural in his arms as Fee did. She was amazing in just about every way he could think of, and even though she was a good nine or ten inches shorter than his six-foot-one-inch frame, when they made love they fit together perfectly.

Yawning as he entered the kitchen, he smiled when he thought about why he was so tired. “Gus, Fee and I are going into Cheyenne later this morning,” he said, walking straight to the coffeemaker to pour himself a cup of the strong brew. “Is there anything you need me to pick up while I’m there?”

“Can’t think of a thing,” Gus said, opening the oven. “Where’s Fee?”

“The storm kept her awake most of the night,” Chance answered, going over to sit down at the table. “I thought I’d let her sleep in this morning.”

When Gus turned, he stared at Chance for several long seconds before he slammed the pan of biscuits he had just removed from the oven onto the butcher-block island. “What the hell are you thinkin’, boy?”

“What do you mean?” He was used to Gus and his off-the-wall questions and normally managed to figure out what the old man was talking about. But Chance had no idea what he’d done to piss the old boy off this early in the morning.

“I wasn’t born yesterday,” Gus said, shaking his head. “That storm moved on just past midnight and if you hadn’t been awake with her, how would you know she didn’t sleep?”

With his coffee cup halfway to his mouth, Chance stopped to glare at his old friend, then slowly set it down on the table. “Watch it, Gus. You’re about to head into territory that isn’t any of your concern.”

“That little gal up in your bed ain’t the kind of woman you bed, unless you’re willin’ to change her name,” Gus said, ignoring Chance’s warning.

“When did you become an expert on the subject of women?” Chance asked, doing his best to hold his anger in check out of respect for Gus’s age and the fact that he was more like family than an employee.

“I never said I was an expert.” Gus walked over to shake his finger at Chance. “But there’s women you have a good time with and the kind you court for a while and marry.” He pointed his index finger up at the ceiling. “That little gal upstairs is the courtin’ kind.”

“She’s not interested in getting serious any more than I am,” Chance said defensively.

“That may be what she’s sayin’,” Gus insisted. “And she probably even believes it. But I’ve heard how she goes on about you and the look in her eyes when you walk in a room.” He grunted. “Your momma wore the same look every time she looked at your daddy.”

“Yeah and we both know how that turned out,” Chance muttered.

“Boy, don’t go judgin’ a man till you walk a mile in his boots,” Gus advised. “Your daddy loved your momma more than life itself.”

“Is that why I’ve got a half sister from the affair he had with Hannah’s mother?” Chance shot back before he could stop himself. He loved that he finally had a sibling, but the truth of the matter was, Charles Lassiter had cheated on his wife and that was something Chance wasn’t sure he could ever come to terms with.

“Your daddy made a mistake and till the day he died, he did everything he could to make it up to your momma.” Gus shook his head. “She forgave him, but I don’t think he ever did forgive himself.”

“Well, that’s something I’ll never have to deal with,” Chance said, shrugging. “You can’t cheat on your wife if you never get married.”

Gus stared at him for a moment before he sighed heavily. “I never took you for a coward, boy.”

Before Chance could tell Gus to mind his own damn business, he heard Fee coming down the stairs. “We’ll finish this later.”

“There ain’t nothin’ to finish,” Gus said stubbornly. “I’ve said all I’m gonna say about it.”

“Chance, why didn’t you wake me?” Fee asked, entering the kitchen. “I wanted to help you feed Belle and her mother this morning.”

“I thought I’d let you sleep in.” Rising to his feet, Chance walked over and got a cup from the cupboard to pour her some coffee instead of taking her into his arms and kissing her the way he wanted to. “I know the storm kept you up last night and thought you could use the sleep.” When Gus coughed, he glared at the old fart a moment before he walked over to set her coffee on the table. “I’ll go out to the barn and give Slim the list of things I want him and the boys to get done today. Then after breakfast we’ll feed the cow and calf before we take off to go into Cheyenne.”

Her smile sent his hormones racing. “Great! I’ll help Gus finish breakfast while you go talk to your foreman.”

As Chance walked out of the house and across the yard, he thought about what Gus had said and how irritated he’d been with the old guy. Gus had been best friends with Charles Lassiter for years and it was only natural that he would defend him. And Chance had to admit that being out on the rodeo circuit had probably been lonely for his father without his family with him. But as far as Chance was concerned there was no excuse for infidelity. When a man committed himself to a woman, he didn’t go looking for relief in another woman’s arms.

That’s why Chance had made the decision to remain single. Finding out a couple of months ago that a man like his father hadn’t been able to resist temptation was enough to make Chance question a lot of things about himself. With the exception of his college girlfriend, he’d never been in a relationship for any real length of time. He’d always thought that was because he hadn’t met the right woman. But could it be a clue he was incapable of committing himself to one woman? He wasn’t sure and until he knew the answer to that question, his best bet would be to avoid getting too deeply involved with anyone. He certainly didn’t want to run the risk of causing any woman the emotional pain that he was certain his mother had gone through.

He shook his head as he walked into the barn. He didn’t know why he was giving anything Gus said a second thought. Gus had never been married and to Chance’s knowledge the old guy hadn’t had a date in more than twenty-five years. That wasn’t exactly a glowing recommendation for Gus’s advice on matters of the heart.

Besides, there were too many differences between Chance and Fee for anything to work out between them. She was a city girl who loved spending a day at the spa or in a boutique on Rodeo Drive, while he would rather go skinny-dipping or attend a rodeo. And then there was the matter of their jobs. She had a nice clean office in a climate-controlled skyscraper in downtown L.A. and his job required being out in all kinds of weather, doing things that most people considered dirty and thoroughly disgusting.

He took a deep breath and faced the facts. When Fee had to go back to L.A., he would tell her to get in touch with him whenever she was in town, kiss her goodbye and let her go. That was just the way it would have to be. But what he couldn’t figure out was why the thought of her leaving made him feel completely empty inside.

* * *

“Chance is amazing with animals,” Fee said to Jenna Montgomery-Lassiter after they enjoyed lunch at her new husband’s restaurant. Chance and Dylan had gone into the office to discuss an increase in the amount of beef the Big Blue supplied to the Lassiter Grill chain, giving the women time for a little girl talk.

“Colleen and I have come to the conclusion that all of the Lassiter men are pretty amazing,” Jenna agreed, grinning. “They aren’t necessarily easy to love, but they are more than worth the effort.”

“I’m sure they are,” Fee said, smiling. “But I’m not in love with Chance.”

Jenna gazed at her for several long moments. “Are you sure about that?”

Fee nodded. “We’re just friends. I’m trying to talk him into helping me with the PR campaign to improve the Lassiter public image.” Laughing, she added, “And he’s trying to talk me out of it.”

She felt a little guilty about not applying more pressure in her arguments to get him to agree to be the spokesman. But she sensed that the “hard sell” approach wouldn’t work with him. If anything, it would make him that much more determined not to take on the job. And then there was the distraction he posed. Much of her time had been taken up with thinking about how soft his kisses were and how his touch made her feel as if she was the most cherished woman in the world.

“I’m sure Chance has been very persuasive,” Jenna commented, her smile indicating that she knew something Fee didn’t.

“What do you mean?” Fee couldn’t imagine what her friend was alluding to.

Without answering, Jenna reached into her purse, handed Fee a small mirror, then tapped the side of her own neck with her index finger.

Looking into the mirror, Fee gasped and immediately pulled her long hair forward to hide the tiny blemish on the side of her neck. “I... Well, that is... We...” She clamped her mouth shut. There wasn’t anything she could say. The little love bite on the side of her neck said it all.

To ease her embarrassment, Jenna smiled as she reached over to place a comforting hand on Fee’s forearm. “It’s barely noticeable and I probably would have missed it completely if I hadn’t had one myself when we were on our honeymoon in Paris.”

Her cheeks feeling as if they were on fire, Fee shook her head. “I haven’t had one of those since I was a sophomore in college.”

“The Lassiter men are very passionate,” Jenna said, her tone reflecting her understanding. “It’s one of the reasons we love them so much.”

“I told you, Chance and I aren’t in love,” Fee insisted.

“I know,” Jenna interrupted. “But I’ve seen the way you look at each other.” She smiled. “If you two aren’t there yet, it’s just a matter of time.”

Fee wasn’t going to insult Jenna’s intelligence by trying to deny that she was having to fight to keep herself from falling head over heels for Chance. “We’re so different. I’m completely out of my element on the ranch, the same as he would be in a city the size of L.A.”

“Differences are what makes things interesting,” Jenna replied. “Heaven only knows, Dylan and I had our share. But if you really care deeply for someone, you work through the issues.” She paused a moment. “I was certain that the implications of my father’s illegal activities were going to tear Dylan and I apart. But we worked through that and our relationship is stronger than ever. If we can get past something like that, a little thing like distance between you and Chance should be a piece of cake to work out.” She smiled. “You could always move here.”

Fee stared down at her hands folded on top of the table for several seconds before she met Jenna’s questioning gaze. “It’s not just the distance of where we live that we’d have to work around,” she said slowly. “I have a career that I won’t give up.” She sighed. “I won’t bore you with the details, but my mother gave up a very promising career as a financial adviser because she fell in love with my father. After he left us, she’d been out of her field for so long, she decided it would be impossible to catch up.” She shook her head. “I don’t intend to give history the opportunity to repeat itself.”

“I can understand wanting to maintain your independence,” Jenna said, nodding. “But I don’t think Chance would ever ask you to give up your career. He just doesn’t impress me as being that type of man.”

They both fell silent before Fee decided it was time to lighten the mood. “Enough about that. Tell me about your honeymoon. I’ve never been to Paris. I’ve heard it’s beautiful.”

“It is,” Jenna said, her eyes lighting up with enthusiasm. “Dylan spent a lot of time there when he was traveling through Europe and couldn’t wait to show me all the little-known places he had discovered.”

While her friend talked about the sites her husband had shown her in Paris, as well as the delectable French cuisine, Fee’s thoughts strayed to Jenna’s observations. If others could see how she felt about Chance, she probably was beginning to fall for him. He was a wonderful man and no matter how much she might deny it, she cared more deeply for him with each passing day and especially after making love last night.

But she couldn’t allow herself to fall in love with Chance. Besides the fact that he had made it clear he wasn’t looking for a relationship, she had far too much to lose. Not even taking into account the loss of her career, Fee could very easily end up facing a lifetime of heartache for a love that he could never return.

“Chance tells me you want him to be the family spokesman for the campaign,” Dylan said, when he and Chance walked back to the table.

Fee nodded. “I believe he could be very convincing in getting the message across to the stockholders, as well as the public, that Lassiter Media is as solid as ever.”

Dylan grinned as he and Chance took their seats. “I agree.”

“Only because you’re afraid she’ll ask you to do it if I decide against it,” Chance shot back.

“Well, there is that,” Dylan said, laughing.

As she watched the two cousins’ good-natured banter, Fee smiled. Of the three Lassiter men, she knew she had made the right choice. Chance wasn’t as closed off as Sage and although Dylan was more open and outgoing than his brother, he had an air of sophistication about him that she didn’t think would appeal to all demographics.

But she felt heartened by the exchange between Chance and Dylan. Chance hadn’t said he wouldn’t do the campaign; he had emphasized the word if. That had to mean he was considering the idea. Now all she had to do was get a firm commitment from Chance to be the family spokesman and she could start scheduling the video shoot.

A sadness began to fill her as she thought about what that meant. Once she had his agreement and the footage was filmed, she would go back to L.A. and he would stay on at the Big Blue. They might see each other occasionally at a Lassiter function, but eventually they would lose touch completely. Her chest tightened at the thought. No matter how many times she told herself that was the way it had to be, she knew it wasn’t going to make their parting any easier. And she knew as surely as she knew her own name that she would be leaving her heart behind when she had to go.

Seven

Two days after their lunch with Dylan and Jenna, Chance watched Fee and his niece sitting cross-legged on the floor in the great room of the main ranch house having a good old time with Cassie’s dolls. Fee was encouraging when the little girl wanted to try something different, listened attentively to everything Cassie said and wasn’t the least bit put off by the child’s constant questions.

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