Susan Mallery - Under Her Skin

It was fine? Fine? Sex with him was a whole lot more than fine. He prided himself on knowing how to seduce a woman until she had no choice but to surrender. He was confident in his abilities. More than confident.

Go get her, he told himself. Take what is yours.

Only he couldn’t. There was something coolly assessing in her gaze. Something that made him turn away and leave. Round one to her, he thought grimly. But the ultimate victory would be his.

Lexi watched Cruz walk away. When she was alone again, she managed to draw in a shaky breath of relief. Apparently he hadn’t seen how hard she’d been trembling. Talk about winning on a bluff.

She’d escaped for tonight, but how long would her luck hold? Cruz wasn’t a man to be put off, and she was a woman who desperately wanted to be with him. The only problem was the voice in her head that kept warning her that sleeping with him could change things forever.

THE SPRING afternoon was cool and clear. The air was still and the sound of the horses’ hooves echoed like thunder. Lexi rode next to her sister. Skye’s daughter, Erin, rode in front of them. At an age when most kids would still be on ponies, seven-year-old Erin rode her horse with an ease that spoke of long hours in the saddle. She was fearless. Right now Lexi could use a little of that courage.

They crested a slight rise and came to a halt. Lexi looked around at the land spreading out before them. Except for the Cassidy spread to the west, everything she could see was Titan land.

This was why they did it, she thought, not sure if that was good or bad. This land was in their blood. It had influenced them when they’d thought themselves immune to things like destiny and tradition. She could no more walk away from the prize of Jed’s legacy than she could cut off her arm.

“How are things with Cruz?” Skye asked.

“Fine,” Lexi lied. “He’s so wonderful. I’m really lucky we got back together.”

“Your story is so romantic,” Skye murmured, sounding slightly envious.

Which made Lexi feel small. Nothing about her story was romantic. She was still dodging Cruz every chance she got. She’d deliberately stopped taking her birth control pills so she would get her period. That was giving her all of a week’s reprieve. She would go back on them in a couple of days and then would be forced to find another excuse to keep him out of her bed.

She had a bad feeling that making love with Cruz was going to be better than she remembered. The thought of it terrified her.

“Mommy, can I go see Fiddle?” Erin asked.

The girl looked a lot like her mother, all red hair and big eyes. A little of her late father showed in the angle of her chin, but mostly she was a miniature version of Skye.

Skye laughed. “Is she always going to be Fiddle?”

Erin grinned. “Uh-huh. Can I?”

“Sure. Have Fidela call when you’re heading back.”

“I will.”

The girl waved, then urged her horse forward. The small gelding broke into a trot, then a canter.

Fidela was the housekeeper at the Cassidy place. Lexi and her sisters had been frequent visitors there when they’d been growing up. Fidela always had fresh-baked cookies to offer lonely girls. Apparently Erin had discovered them as well.

“I haven’t seen her in forever,” Lexi murmured.

“You should stop by. She’d love to see you.”

“You get by much?”

“Every week. You should make the time. She used to matter.”

Which given Lexi’s sensitive state sounded a little critical. Without thinking, she snapped back. “Mitch still gone?”

As soon as she asked the question, she felt badly about it.

“I guess,” Skye said. “Last I heard.”

Mitch Cassidy had been perfect crush material for the Titan girls. Handsome and strong with an easy smile that left them all quivering. But it had been Skye who’d won his heart eight years ago.

Won it and walked away from it and him when Jed had insisted she marry someone else. Given the choice between her father and the man she loved, she’d chosen family. Days later, Mitch had joined the navy. From there, he’d become a SEAL.

“Has he been back at all?” she asked.

“How would I know?” Skye asked, glaring at Lexi. “I don’t keep track of him. It was a long time ago. I don’t want to talk about him, all right?”

“Okay. Fine.” Obviously Mitch was still a sensitive subject.

Because she regretted dumping him for Jed’s selection? Or because her heart had never fully recovered?

Skye sighed. “Sorry. Every now and then I get weird about Mitch. It was a long time ago. I’m not sorry I married Ray. He was a good man and I loved him. He gave me Erin and she’s my whole world.”

Knowing she was risking yet another snit, Lexi asked, “Do you ever wonder what would have happened if you’d stayed with Mitch?”

Skye hesitated. “Sometimes. I don’t know. Maybe. We were kids, I’m not sure we would have made it. Ray was a better choice.”

“Better or safer?”

“Not a fair question. Dammit, Lexi, don’t you judge me.”

“I’m not.”

They stared at each other. Tension crackled.

It had never been like this before, Lexi thought, knowing the real stress between them was Jed. She forced herself to make the mature choice.

“Truce?” she asked.

“Good idea.” Skye pointed to the house in the distance. “Erin’s inside. We can go back if you want.”

“Sure.”

They turned their horses.

“I’m nearly done planning your engagement party,” Skye said. “If you have any preferences or requests, now’s the time to say so.”

“No one does this better than you,” Lexi told her. “I wouldn’t want to get in the way of perfection.”

Her sister wrinkled her nose. “Meaning you’re completely bored by the thought of planning a party.”

“That, too.”

“I understand. I’m just filling my role.”

“Your what?”

“My role. You’re the businesswoman, Izzy is the adventurer. I’m the nurturer. It’s what I do.”

“I never thought of it that way,” Lexi admitted, and realized it was true. They’d each found a way to be different in their father’s eyes. “Are you happy being the nurturer?”

“I’m not sure I can be different. You wouldn’t want to plan parties and run a foundation and I couldn’t do what you do. As for what Izzy does…” She shuddered. “No, thanks.”

“I’m with you on that.” Lexi thought about her baby sister’s last vacation. She’d gone swimming with sharks-big ones that were known to bite.

“I know what I do matters,” Skye continued. “The foundation is making a difference. Hungry children get food. That’s important. It’s just…I don’t know. Sometimes…”

“It’s not enough,” Lexi said, understanding the restlessness, even though she couldn’t explain it.

“We’re both very lucky,” Skye said. “We should be more grateful.”

“I’ll work on that,” Lexi said. She thought about her business, about how she’d nearly lost everything. “Do you know Garth Duncan?”

“I’ve heard of him, but then who hasn’t? I don’t think we’ve ever met. Why?”

“Cruz would like to meet him,” Lexi said, using the excuse she’d thought of last night.

“And you want your man to be happy,” Skye said with a grin. “That’s so sweet.”

“It’s not sweet and please don’t call him my man. It’s weird.”

“Lexi’s in love,” Skye chanted. “Lexi’s in love.”

“You’d think a single mother would be slightly more mature.”

Skye laughed. “Then you’d be wrong, wouldn’t you? Of course I’ll invite him to something. Not the engagement party-that’s just friends and family. But something. I’ll let you know.”

“That would be great.” Lexi really wanted to meet the man who had tried to hurt her to find out what he had against her and if he planned to attack again.

“I THINK I’M going to throw up,” Lexi said as she stared at the passing scenery.

“Do I need to pull over?” Cruz asked.

She swallowed and shook her head. “No, it’s more mental than physical. It’s not that I don’t want to meet your mother.” Although she didn’t. “It’s that I don’t want to lie to her.” What had seemed like a simple solution to her business problems had rapidly gotten out of hand.

“We could tell her the truth,” he said.

She sank back in her seat and closed her eyes. “Oh, sure. That will make things better.”

“It will be fine.”

“Easy for you to say,” she muttered. Guys always got off easy. If word got out, she would be the one who looked bad.

Not that she actually cared about that. Her problem was more about…About…

About the fact that Cruz was so close to her in the car. She was aware of him, of every slight movement he made. Her body felt hypersensitive, with nerve endings alert for the slightest contact.

While she’d managed to avoid having sex with him, not having sex turned out to be nearly as distracting as giving in. He hadn’t pushed, hadn’t insisted, had barely mentioned that she was sleeping in his large bed alone. She didn’t know where he spent his nights-possibly in one of the guest rooms. Which should have made her happy, and would have, if she hadn’t found herself wanting him more and more with each passing minute.

It was because she couldn’t stop thinking about how it had been that lone night they’d spent together. One would think that something that had happened so long ago wouldn’t have an impact, but one would be wrong.

She thought about him kissing her on the mouth, then kissing her all over, especially between her legs. Something she’d never experienced until then. He’d brought her to climax in a matter of seconds, then had chuckled with male satisfaction and had insisted she come again, exactly the same way. And she had.

He’d been teasing and gentle and sexy and…

Stop thinking about it!

She yelled the command silently to herself. The point was to avoid sex with Cruz, and thinking about it wasn’t getting the job done.

She shifted in her seat, uncomfortable and aroused, then reminded herself they were about to lie to an old woman who didn’t deserve that kind of treatment. Immediately the wanting bled away.

“What did you tell her about me?” she asked.

“Not very much. Just that we’d known each other for a long time and that I’d finally convinced you to marry me.”

“Great. So I’m the bad guy?”

He grinned. “She’s my mom. I’m not going to be the bad guy.”

Typical man.

They exited the freeway in Sugar Land, a growing bedroom community southwest of Houston. There were dozens of restaurants and stores, well-manicured lawns and parks. It was suburban heaven. The perfect place for a day spa, Lexi thought absently. Not that she was looking to expand, but it was interesting.

Personal crisis now, she reminded herself. Business brainstorming later.

Lexi didn’t know much about Cruz’s early years, but she would bet he hadn’t lived in a place like this. Mrs. Rodriguez must be very proud of her son. Her only son. No doubt, the light of her life.

“She’s going to hate me,” she muttered.

Cruz answered with a chuckle.

They parked in front of a small house on a pretty street. Lexi climbed out of the car and did her best to swallow her trepidation. She was good in social situations. She’d been trained by professionals who expected her to be comfortable in the presence of princes and presidents. So where was a decorated dictator when she needed one?

“Breathe and smile,” she chanted under her breath as they approached the front door.

It flew open before Cruz could knock. Lexi saw a tiny woman with dark hair and determined eyes who pulled Cruz into an embrace all the while speaking in Spanish. She had no idea what the other woman was saying. His only responses were “Yes, Mama” and “No, Mama.”

Finally the older woman stepped back. “You keep your future wife waiting outside the house? Cruz, where are your manners?”

“Mama, this is Lexi Titan. Lexi, my mother, Juanita.”

Lexi smiled and offered her hand. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Rodriguez.”

The tiny woman waved away the words. “Call me Juanita. Or Mama. Everyone does. Come, come. Inside.”

She herded them through the open living area into a large kitchen where delicious smells escaped from pots on the stove.

The room was light and bright, with starched curtains at the gleaming windows and a tile floor that glowed so much it was practically a light source. Lexi immediately wanted to slip off her shoes and clean where she’d walked.

Juanita, pretty and full of life, stepped in front of her and took both of Lexi’s hands in hers. “Let me look at you.”

The other woman barely came up to her shoulders. She was casually dressed in dark slacks and a blouse. Gold earrings swayed as she tilted her head first one way then the other.