Taste of Passion (Madaris Novels) Read online

  He opened his eyes and met hers and again that tug she felt earlier in the bottom of her stomach returned. “I want to ask a favor of you,” he said.

  She lifted a brow. “What kind of favor?”

  “I talked to the doctor earlier and he said that I’m going to be laid up a while until my rib and knee heal.”

  She nodded. She’d figured as much. “Did he say for how long?”

  “Four to six weeks. My goal is to be ready to participate in the Reno rodeo in September.”

  She nodded again, thinking that was pushing it pretty close. “Is that the rodeo where you want to try and get your title back as a bull rider?”

  “Yes. And I will.”

  After an irritated snort, she said, “Haven’t you had enough of bulls yet, Luke?”

  “No.”

  She didn’t say anything for a moment, and then after deciding what he did was his business and not hers, she said, “You still haven’t told me what the favor is.”

  He tried shifting in the bed, and she watched as he gritted his teeth against the pain he evidently felt. She started to reach out and help him but quickly changed her mind. If she touched him in an area that hurt she would be causing more harm than good. Besides, she wasn’t sure just exactly what touching him would do to her. Even flat on his back, the sheer power of his presence, his allure, was almost overwhelming. She was woman enough to acknowledge that she was attracted to him and had been from the first. And the kiss they’d shared before the start of the rodeo hadn’t helped matters. It certainly hadn’t brought him the good luck that he’d assumed it would.

  “I need a place to stay,” he said, pulling her out of her thoughts. “And I was wondering if I could hang out at your place until I get better.”

  At first Mackenzie thought he was joking, but when she looked at him and saw him staring at her from beneath dark serious eyebrows, she knew that he wasn’t. “You want to stay at my place?” she said, just to make sure she’d heard him correctly.

  “Yes, just until I’m back on my feet.”

  Which was four to six weeks, she thought. She didn’t have a huge place and could just imagine him there. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle it. “What about your place?” she couldn’t help but ask. Houston wasn’t too far away and she was fully aware that he owned a condo near the business park that Slade and Blade had developed.

  “I can’t go there.” At the lifting of her brows, he clarified. “I don’t want to go back there; especially not now. My family means well but they will smother me. The last time I got hurt was awful. My great-grandmother moved in to look after me. Can you imagine that?”

  Mackenzie fought back the smile that touched her lips. Yes, she could imagine it. Felicia Laverne Madaris, who was close to ninety if she wasn’t already there, was one feisty lady who loved her family enormously. “Were things that bad, Luke?” she couldn’t help but ask.

  “Worse. Mama Laverne meant well and I love her to death but she almost drove me crazy. And my grandmother wasn’t too much better. Mama Carrie would drop by at least twice a day to make soup or fluff my pillows, monitor my calls, and—”

  “Monitor your calls?”

  “Yes. Mama Laverne had convinced her that I would try and leave to rejoin the rodeo group before my release date from the doctor, and she was determined to make sure that I didn’t.”

  Mackenzie’s lips quirked at the corners. “Doesn’t sound like you had much fun while recovering.”

  “I didn’t. It was pure torture and I doubt very seriously that I’ll be able to handle a repeat performance. If Ashton, Nettie, and the kids were in town I could stay with them for a while, but they’re in Houston for the summer. My other option is to check into a hotel, but if either Gramma Carrie or Mama Laverne found out I was there alone, they wouldn’t hesitate to come out here to take care of me. I need to convince them that I’m being taken care of.”

  “And you think they’ll believe I’m the one taking care of you?” she asked.

  “Yes, they would believe it if I were to tell them I moved in with you for a while.”

  “But they know I have a full-time job,” she said.

  “Doesn’t matter. They’d still assume you’re taking care of me.”

  Mackenzie wondered how they would assume that but figured he knew his family members a lot better than she did. But still, she wasn’t sure the two of them living under the same roof was a positive thing, especially with Roger Coroni’s case coming up. She would need her full concentration while trying to keep the old man from losing his land; and it was land this big-time developer was determined to take away from him. How on earth was she going to stay focused with Luke around?

  “So what about it, Mac?”

  She glanced up and found his gaze pinning her, and at that moment she knew the answer. He evidently wasn’t feeling the same vibes as she was. “And are you sure that moving in with me for a while is what you really want to do?” she couldn’t help but ask.

  “Yes, I’m sure,” he said, still holding her gaze. She felt her heart skip a beat. “Unless there’s a reason you wouldn’t want me around,” he added.

  She could think of a few but they weren’t any she wanted to share with him. “No, there’s no reason. So the answer is yes, it will be okay for you to stay with me until you get better.”

  “And Mac agreed to let you stay at her place while you’re recuperating?” Blade Madaris asked his cousin to make sure he was hearing right. When it came to the opposite sex he was a very observant man. And the one thing he’d observed that night five years ago, even if Luke hadn’t, was that Mac was interested in him. At least there had been a noticeable amount of sexual attraction between them.

  He’d also observed it that night on Luke’s end, as well, but he knew that unless it dealt with livestock or horses, Luke was slow when figuring out things. So it came as no surprise to Blade that Luke didn’t have a clue about the heated chemistry he and Mac were stirring up. And Blade knew it was probably safe to say that he wasn’t the only Madaris who’d picked up on it, although Mac and Luke made a point of staying clear of each other at most of the family functions. Whether they knew it or not, that in itself was a dead giveaway. More than once he’d felt the strong vibes radiating between them. Mac was a stunningly beautiful woman, the type that turned heads and could make a man’s mouth drop to the floor whenever she walked into a room. She was a woman to draw the attention of any red-blooded man. She had definitely drawn Luke’s.

  “Yes, and that’s where I’m going to need your help,” Luke was saying, drawing Blade’s attention back to the conversation.

  Blade lifted a brow. Carmen was in her bed, already naked and waiting on him. It was a good thing she knew he was a very busy man and that she was a very patient woman. The only reason he had answered his cell phone was because he’d seen the call had been from Luke. Not too many people were privileged to interrupt his personal and private time with a woman. “What kind of help do you need from me?” he asked his cousin.

  “I need you to convince everyone, namely Mama Laverne, that I’m fine and that I’ll be in good hands.”

  Blade smiled as he thought about Luke’s request. He remembered how at the family reunion last year Mama Laverne had kept an eye on everyone; especially on Mac and Luke. The old gal was both smart and observant so there was no way she would not know that Luke was in good hands. She was also determined to marry off all of her grands and great-grands before she took her last breath. Those were her words and not his. “Okay, I’ll do that. They’re waiting for me to get back to them with an update on your condition anyway,” he said. “I told them earlier that you were okay, and even went so far as to tell a little white lie, that we had talked when we hadn’t, just to calm their fears. Especially when I heard Mama Laverne had ordered Uncle Jake to get his jet fueled and ready to fly.”

  He couldn’t help but laugh when he heard Luke’s groan. “Don’t worry. I convinced them you were okay. Just a buste
d knee and a few scrapes. I didn’t mention anything about the cracked rib.”

  “Thanks, I owe you one.”

  “And I plan to collect.” And in a low voice he said, “I want the name of that nurse who tried getting in bed with you.” Blade chuckled when he heard Luke groan again.

  “I see Cam didn’t waste any time calling to tell you about her,” Luke said.

  “No, he didn’t,” Blade said. “He knows I like the daring type. But on a serious note, it’s a good thing Cam and Mac walked in when they did or this time next year you’d be receiving a Father’s Day card informing you that you were some baby’s daddy. A woman with a get-rich-quick scheme will try just about anything.” The thought of something like that happening to Luke or any single man for that matter actually made him shudder.

  “So when are you leaving the hospital?” he then decided to ask Luke. “Aunt Carrie and Mama Laverne will want to know.”

  “In the morning. Mac is picking me up. Cam and the others left this morning for the rodeo in Phoenix.”

  “Okay. Have Mac call me after she gets you settled in tomorrow. I’ll be the go-between so the two of you won’t get a lot of calls from the family. They will want to know how you’re doing for a while. And I talked to Slade and Skye. They got back this morning from Maine and like everyone else they were worried about you. But I assured them that you would live.”

  Luke chuckled. “Gee, thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it. And once I tell them that you’ll be crashing over at Mac’s place they’ll know that you’re fine.”

  “And how will they know that?” Luke asked.

  Blade laughed. “Trust me, they’ll know. Look, I got to go. My lady friend is already in bed and I hear her calling my name. I don’t want her to wait too long.”

  “Sorry if I held you up.”

  Blade smiled. “No harm’s been done. I’ll just make up for any lost time.”

  As Mackenzie prepared the guest room for Luke’s visit she couldn’t fight off this weird feeling that she was making a grave mistake. If she had been in the mood to laugh she would have found the entire situation rather amusing. For the past five years she had avoided Luke, or at least she’d tried to, whenever she was invited to Madaris family gatherings, and she’d been invited to practically all of them—to Christmas sleepovers at Whispering Pines, the huge ranch owned by wealthy rancher Jake Madaris and his movie-star wife Diamond Swain Madaris, to the numerous birthday parties and baby showers. Just last month she had attended the christening of Alex and Christy Maxwell’s beautiful baby girl whom they had named Alexandria.

  The Madarises considered her as one of their own. From the first, after she had been introduced as Ashton’s cousin, they had made her feel welcome and part of their clan. So it seemed the least she could do was to return the favor by taking care of Luke for a little while, at least until he was on his feet. Even though, as she had told him, she wasn’t sure how much help she could be since she had a full-time job. That meant she wouldn’t be with him around the clock.

  Closing her eyes, she held her breath as she remembered their kiss. Why had he done that? It was their first kiss and she hated admitting it but her lips hadn’t been the same since. It didn’t take much to remember his taste, the texture of his lips, the expert way they had taken hers and focused on giving her pleasure. She had gotten so wrapped up in the kiss that for a moment she had lost all sense of time, place, and control. All she had been able to think about was the feel of his broad, masculine chest pressing against hers and the slow, purposeful way his mouth had moved over hers.

  She opened her eyes after experiencing a shiver that had gone straight to her core. Without thinking she took her fingertips and touched her lips, knowing the kiss they had shared was one she wouldn’t forget.

  Deciding that she needed a cold shower, she was headed toward the bathroom when the phone rang. She glanced at the clock. It was past ten and nobody called her this late unless it was one of her partners at the law firm needing her advice about something. Samira Di Meglio and Peyton Mahoney were friends she had met in law school and they had been more than ready to form a law practice with her. It still amused the three of them when clients walked in expecting to find three men by the names Mac, Sam, and Peyton and then to discover three women instead. She was proud to say that since the law firm had opened nearly five years ago, their business had increased and they were winning more cases than they were losing.

  She reached for the phone. “Hello?”

  She heard someone on the other line but no one responded, so she repeated her greeting. “Hello?”

  When the person continued to breathe in her ear but refused to say anything, Mackenzie decided she had more to do with her time so she hung up the phone. She continued toward the bathroom thinking that some people evidently had nothing better to do than to play games on the phone.

  The caller hung up the phone, satisfied. They had the right phone number. The next step would be to make sure they had the correct address.

  Chapter 3

  “Nice place, Mac.”

  Mackenzie leaned against the closed door and watched Luke, who was standing in the middle of the floor after his gaze had given her living room one wide sweep.

  “I’d heard you had a pretty large spread, but I didn’t expect all of this,” he added.

  She shrugged, thinking that most people didn’t. Her parents, Colt and Anita Standfield, had known each other for a long time. He was a full-blooded Cherokee and she was a Black Cherokee known as a Cherokee Freedman. After college they had married and settled here on land in Oklahoma that Colt’s grandfather had given them. And yes, it was a large spread that encompassed over a hundred acres of land along with the ranch house where she had been born. But compared to some ranch houses, hers was rather small. The only thing her parents had wanted under the roof of the modest stone structure was what they’d considered the necessities: three bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen, living room, and dining room. And just like her parents, Mackenzie thought the size of house fitted her needs perfectly.

  The land was another matter. It had been too much for her to handle, so when she had moved to Louisiana after college to work at a prestigious law firm, she had leased portions of the land and its upkeep to several Cherokee families.

  After returning home and opening the law office in town, she had purchased several horses, and Jake Madaris had helped by providing her with a few heads of cattle. And then with Ashton’s assistance, she’d hired several men whom she could depend on to keep the ranch running and operating smoothly. That had been five years ago and since then she had come to realize just how much being back home meant to her. With every day that she spent here, the more she appreciated the legacy her parents and grandfather had left to her.

  She took a deep breath as she moved away from the door. “I’m glad you like it. No matter where I went I considered this home and had always wanted to return.”

  Mackenzie then pointed toward a door. “That’s the guest room where you’ll be staying.”

  “Thanks,” he said, and headed in that direction. And not for the first time she studied him, thinking he had a nice body in a pair of jeans. The best she had ever seen.

  Tall, broad-shouldered, and with a lean waist, firm stomach and thighs. And he had a tush that was worth drooling over. Without a doubt Luke Madaris, rodeo rider extraordinaire, was one hundred percent all man, pure testosterone and solid muscles. The upper part of his body, which was covered with his chambray shirt, was bandaged up and he was walking with a limp, but not once had he complained during the ride from the hospital, although she’d known he’d been in pain. She had gotten one of her men to help bring his things in the house, but he’d been determined not to accept any assistance for himself. At the hospital yesterday when he’d told her about his grandmother and great-grandmother, she’d gotten the distinct impression that he didn’t care to have anyone hovering over him. And that was fine with her.

  As if
he’d known she was watching him he looked over his shoulder at her and smiled. “Coming?”

  Her heart pounded in her chest. “Excuse me?”

  His smile widened at the corners of his lips. “I asked if you were coming in here with me. To show me around.”

  She fought the temptation to roll her eyes. It was a bedroom, for Pete’s sake. What was there to show around? It had a king-sized bed, a dresser and mirror, a five-drawer chest and nightstand. “You don’t need me to show you around, and I can vouch for the furniture being sturdy since it has endured the likes of the Sinclair triplets on more than one occasion.”

  He grinned as he turned back around to face her. “I heard you keep them sometimes.”

  She chuckled. “If truth be told, they probably do a good job of keeping me. Those three have to be the most active four-year-olds I know. They certainly keep you on your toes. There’s never a dull moment while they’re here.”

  “I can imagine,” Luke said, before turning to enter the room.

  “But now if you need my help getting settled then I—”

  “Thanks, but I don’t need your help.”

  “If you change your mind about that, let me know,” Mackenzie called after him.

  “I will.”

  She knew that he wouldn’t and that irritated her to no end. The doctor had explained that for the next few days he would probably be in quite a bit of pain and not to hesitate to take his pain medicine if he needed it, but she was yet to see him take a single pill although she suspected he’d been pretty uncomfortable on the drive over. Yet he never complained, which she figured was the cowboy’s creed—take your aches and pain like a man, anything else was a sure sign of weakness.

  She rolled her eyes thinking the opposite sex’s thought processes were beyond reason at times. She knew that Luke was to begin physical therapy in a few weeks and he’d even been ordered to start doing a few motion exercises that were intended to strengthen the knee. Although he had argued against it, she intended to transport him to and fro to physical therapy. He said he didn’t want her to miss any time off work because of him. He’d soon discover the hard way that when she made up her mind about something, then that was it. She would give in and let him have his way about some things but with others she would stand her ground. She had talked to Blade and Slade that morning and they said if Luke tried being difficult just to give them a call.