Ignited by Passion Read online

  When he finished he licked his lips, liking the hint of a taste of her that he had gotten from the canteen. He glanced up to see her watching him. She didn’t say anything but just continued to look at him. And he looked at her. Then he felt it, that deep, hard throb in his gut that made him want to snatch her off the back of the horse and tumble with her in the grass. His body was already hot and was beginning to get hotter, in need of physical contact with her.

  He saw how her cheeks darkened and he saw the moment desire filled her eyes. He also saw how fast the pulse was beating in her neck and the way she took out her tongue to moisten her already damp lips. His gaze slowly dropped to her blouse and saw how the nipples of her breasts were straining against the material. Her breathing, as well as his, was erratic. He heard it. He felt it. He wanted to taste it.

  “You had enough?” he forced his gaze back to her eyes, as he tried like hell to get his thoughts and mind, and especially his body, back under control.

  “Enough of what?” she asked, her voice soft, somewhat husky and definitely sensual. Her gaze was still holding his.

  “Water.”

  She blinked and he saw that her features relayed both her confusion, as well as her longing for something she didn’t quite understand yet. But she would in time. He would see to it. “Yes, I had enough,” she said, after drawing in a deep breath.

  He smiled. She hadn’t had enough of anything yet. After putting her canteen back in her saddlebag he went around and got back on his horse. He leaned over and handed her reins to her. “Come on,” he said huskily. “Let’s continue our ride.”

  Chapter 6

  Up until a half hour ago Madison thought she was hungry, but now something was affecting her appetite…or rather someone.

  Stone Westmoreland.

  She tilted her head as she watched him. He was standing some distance away tending to the horses. She was sit ting on a stump eating one of the sandwiches Mrs. Quinn had packed for them and drinking a cold can of cola, while her eyes were glued to Stone.

  She was attracted to him. There was no use denying it since that fact had already been established a few days ago. But what she couldn’t understand was why she couldn’t get past it. Why did a part of her want to act on it?

  It seemed that although her mind was definitely on him, his mind was on the horses. He hadn’t looked her way since they had stopped for lunch. She should have been grateful, but she couldn’t deny being bothered by the fact that he could dismiss her so easily. But then, hadn’t she laid out the ground rules last night? And hadn’t those ground rules included a statement that anything developing between them was to be placed on the back burner? Evidently he had taken her at her word and intended to adhere to it.

  She let out a deep sigh and the sound must have caught his attention. He lifted his eyes to hers, holding it for several long moments, saying nothing but looking at her. She met his gaze without flinching while desire stirred in her stomach, hot, thick, the likes of which she’d never experienced before. Without a sound, without a touch, and over the distance of twenty feet, she actually felt the heat of his gaze as tiny shocks of warmth began inching all the way up her spine to flow through her body. She even felt heat forming between her legs. Especially between her legs. And the appetite forming in her stomach had nothing to do with regular food. She continued to look at him while trying to cling to her composure, her resolve and her sanity.

  Her throat tightened when he began walking toward her and the heat surging through her got hotter. She had never appreciated a Western shirt and tight jeans on a man until she had met him. She couldn’t imagine his tall, muscled body wearing anything else…unless it was nothing at all.

  Her breath caught. She wished she could strike that thought from her mind, call it back, and not think about it. But the deed was done. That wicked thought went right along with the dreams she’d been having about him lately. The man exuded raw sex appeal without trying and she was fully aware of him, more so than she needed to be.

  “You okay?”

  Madison shook her head. Not sure words would come out of her mouth even if she wanted them to, but she forced herself to speak anyway. “Yes, I’m fine, Stone.”

  He nodded as he continued to look at her. “Can I use some of that?” he asked indicating the small bottle of liquid hand sanitizer she had brought along.

  “Sure, help yourself.”

  She watched as he uncapped the small bottle and poured some in his palm and then began rubbing his hands together in slow motion. She immediately thought of him rubbing those same hands all over her…in slow motion. She glanced at her soda can wondering if there was some thing inside it other than soda that was making her dizzy with such wanton thoughts.

  “This is a beautiful spot, isn’t it?”

  His question got her attention. She shifted her gaze away from his hands to take in the beauty of their surroundings. “Yes, it is. I wish I had thought to bring a camera along.”

  He lifted a brow. “I’m surprised that you didn’t.”

  She was surprised, too. “I had other things on my mind.” And those other things, she told herself, were what she should be concentrating on and not on Stone. She continued to watch him as he recapped the hand sanitizer and placed it back in her gear. Then he walked over to his saddlebag to pull out his own sandwich and drink. She sighed. Maybe if she got him talking about his uncle she just might be able to clear her mind of hot, steamy thoughts. She figured it was worth a try.

  “Do you have any idea who in Texas is trying to locate your uncle, Stone?” she asked, after she had finished off the last of her sandwich.

  He walked back over to her and sat down on the stump beside her. “No, I have no idea. I mentioned it to Durango and he didn’t have a clue, either. We decided to turn it over to Quade and let him solve the mystery.”

  Madison lifted a brow. “Who?”

  Stone smiled. “Quade. He’s one of Durango’s brothers—the one I mentioned was a twin. He used to be a secret service agent. Now he works for the government in some be hind-the-scenes capacity. We don’t have a clue exactly what he does. We see him when we see him and don’t ask questions when we do. But we know how to contact him if we ever need him and usually within seventy-two hours we’ll hear back from him.”

  Madison nodded. “And you think he can find out what’s going on?”

  “He’ll find out.”

  Madison sat quietly for a moment thinking that Stone seemed pretty sure of his cousin’s abilities. Her thoughts then shifted back to the man her mother had run off with. “Tell me about Corey Westmoreland,” she said, feeling the need to know as much about him as she could since she would be coming face-to-face with him soon.

  Stone glanced over at her after taking a sip of his soda. “Exactly what do you want to know?”

  She shrugged. “What I’m really curious about is why everyone thinks it’s strange for him to have a woman on his mountain.”

  Stone’s lips lifted into a smile. “Mainly because as long as I can remember Uncle Corey claimed it would never happen. He’s been involved with women before but none of them have ever been granted access to this mountain. He’s always drawn the line as to how much of his life he’s been willing to share with them.”

  Madison mulled this over for a second then said, “Yet he brought my mother here?”

  “Yes, and that’s what has me, Durango and the Quinns baffled.”

  Madison let out a deep sigh. “Now I’m beginning to wonder if perhaps they did know each other before.”

  Stone stared at her. “There is that possibility, but if I were you I wouldn’t try to figure it out. Tomorrow you’ll see them for yourself and can ask all the questions you want.”

  He reached across the distance and caught one of her hands in his and squeezed it gently. “But don’t feel bad if she doesn’t want to give you any answers. Maybe it’s time for you to let your mother enjoy her life, Madison. After all, it’s her life to live, isn’t it?�
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  Although a frown appeared on Madison’s face, she didn’t say anything. Nor did she withdraw her hand from Stone’s. All along he had given her food for thought and all along her mind had refused to accept what was becoming obvious.

  “So when I see Corey Westmoreland, what should I expect?”

  When he didn’t answer right away, Madison assumed he was getting his thoughts together. “What you should expect is a fifty-four-year-old man who’s been like a second father to his niece and eleven nephews. He’s a man who believes in family, honor, respect and love for nature. For as long as I’ve known him, he has preferred solitude in some things and a vast amount of companionship in others. He won’t hesitate to let you know how he feels on any subject and deeply respects the opinion of others.”

  A smile touched the corners of Stone’s lips when he added, “And I learned early in life that he’s also a man with eyes in the back of his head. You can’t ever pull anything over on him.”

  The affection Madison heard in Stone’s voice caused her to think just how different Corey Westmoreland was from her father. Her father had been an only child. He did have a cousin who’d also lived in Boston, but the two had never had a close relationship, so she hadn’t developed a close relationship with that cousin’s children who were all around her age.

  Her father had been born in the city, raised in the city and lived in the city. They’d never owned a pet while she was growing up and the thought of leaving the city to go camping wasn’t anything he would have been interested in doing. And Larry Winters had preferred socializing to solitude, especially when it benefited him. He’d been a financial adviser. He would often host lavish parties for his clients with her mother acting as hostess. She remembered her father being excited each and every time they’d given a party, but now as she thought about it, her mother hadn’t particularly cared for entertaining. She had merely accepted it as part of her role as the wife of a successful businessman. She tried to think of one single thing her parents had in common and couldn’t think of anything. Last night Stone had asked her why two people who possibly didn’t love each other would stay together. Now her question was why had they gotten married in the first place?

  She came out of her reverie when Stone removed his hand from hers. She sat quietly and watched him finish off the rest of his sandwich and down the last of his soda. He then glanced over at her and studied her as if she was going to be his dessert. Visibly feeling the heat of his gaze and not able to sit and take it any longer, she stood and glanced around.

  Stone studied Madison for a long moment then asked, “How are you holding up so far?”

  She shrugged. “I’m fine. Usually I have an overabundance of energy. It takes a lot to wear me out.”

  Stone’s gaze drifted down the length of her body. He would definitely remember that later. He watched as she picked up her hat and placed it back on her head.

  “Don’t you think we should move on if we plan to make it to that cabin before nightfall?” she asked.

  He stood and flashed her a slow, sexy grin. “Yeah, Miss Winters, I think that you’re right.”

  The cabin was not what either Stone or Madison had expected. What they assumed they would find was a small one-room structure. But what Martin Quinn and McKinnon had built in the clearing—nestled between large pine trees with a breathtaking view of the mountains and valleys for a backdrop, as well as a beautiful stream running at the back of it—was a cabin large enough to be used as a home away from home.

  Stone and Madison took a quick tour of the place. The outside of the cabin featured an inviting wraparound porch. Inside, there was a huge living room with a fireplace, two bedrooms connected by a large single bathroom, and an eat-in kitchen with an enormous window that overlooked the stream out back. It didn’t take long for Stone to discover that they would have electricity once he fired up the generator and the linen closets had fresh sheets and coverings for the bed.

  Stone sighed, grateful that they had made it to the cabin before nightfall. They still had a few hours of daylight left and he would use the time to feed and care for the horses and start the generator.

  He glanced over at Madison who was silently standing beside him. Like him her gaze was on the two bedrooms and he could swear he’d heard her deep sigh of relief.

  “I’ve got a few things to do outside,” he said, breaking the silence between them.

  She nodded. “Okay, and I can work to get the fireplace going. I have a feeling it’s going to be rather cold tonight.”

  Stone met her gaze, deciding not to tell her that he would be more than happy to provide her with all the heat she would need. “All right, I’ll be back later.”

  It was a full hour or so before Stone returned. Madison had taken advantage of his absence to take a shower. He inhaled the soft, seductive and arousing scent of her the moment he walked into the cabin and came to a dead stop when she walked out of the bedroom.

  She had changed into a pair of sweatpants with a tank top, something she must have found more comfortable than jeans. No matter what the woman put on her body, it looked elegant as hell on her. Madison Winters was definitely one class act. Her hair was no longer pulled back in a ponytail but its silky, luxurious strands flowed in sexy disarray about her shoulders. He growled deep in his throat, resisting the urge to cross the room and pull her into his arms and get a real good taste of her, something he’d been dying to do all day.

  She glanced up and saw him staring at her. She stared back at him for a moment without saying anything, then a nervous smile touched the corners of her lips. “Although I was tempted, I didn’t use up all the hot water. There’s plenty left if you want to go ahead and take your bath.”

  “That sounds rather nice,” he said, his voice sounding hoarse. He wanted to take a bath and soak his tired, aching muscles but something had him rooted in place and he couldn’t seem to move from that spot.

  He continued to stare at her while his insides ached, throbbed. A long period of silence suspended every sound, except for his breathing…and hers. They both jumped when a piece of burning log crackled in the fireplace. Stone shifted his gaze from hers to the fire. “It feels real good in here. Thanks forgetting the fire started,” he said, although his mind was on another type of fire altogether.

  She shrugged. “It was the least I could do while you were outside taking care of the horses and getting the generator started. And I took the liberty to unpack dinner. Mrs. Quinn sent a container of beef stew for us to eat. It’s warming now.”

  Stone nodded and sniffed the air. There was the faint smell of the stew. He hadn’t picked up on it when he’d come inside. The only scent his nostrils had caught had been of her. “Smells good.”

  “It should be ready by the time you have finished your bath.”

  He nodded. “All right. I guess I’d better get to it then.” Seconds passed and he still didn’t move. He continued to look at her. Absorb everything about her.

  “Stone?”

  He blinked. “Yes?”

  “Your bath.”

  A slow smile touched his lips. “Oh, yeah. I’ll be back in a minute.” He crossed the floor into the other bedroom and closed the door.

  As soon as Stone pulled the door shut behind him, he leaned against it and hooked his fingers into the belt loops of his jeans as he tried to get his body under control. He felt blood surge through his body, making him swell in one particular area. He needed to get out of his jeans real quick-like or the force of his arousal that was straining against his zipper would kill him or at least injure him for life.

  Part of his plan had been to lay temptation at Madison’s feet but she was unknowingly laying it at his. He’d thought with all the chores he’d had to do outside that he would have worked off some of his nervous energy. But as soon as he’d seen her, the only thing he’d managed to do was to work up an oversize case of sexual need.

  A prickle of unease made its way up his spine. For Madison to be someone who
knew nothing about passion, she definitely looked like a woman who could deliver. And he had a feeling that that delivery would be so much to his liking that he might start getting crazy ideas about wanting to keep her around.

  He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw tight. The last thing he needed was to think of any woman in permanent terms. And he refused to let a beautiful, proper-talking, brown-eyed, delectable-smelling city woman come into his life and change things. All he needed to do was remember that episode with Durango a few years ago to screw his head back on tight. The first time his womanizing cousin had let his guard down and fallen for a city woman, he’d been left with scars for life.

  But then Stone knew Madison was nothing like the woman who had ripped out Durango’s heart. Madison Winters wasn’t like any woman he knew. He’d been so hell-bent on introducing her to sexual pleasures that he’d outright forgotten how long it had been for him. He hadn’t slept with a woman in over a year after practically shut ting off his social life to complete his last book. And the last few women he had been involved with had been down right bores. The need for physical intimacy was tugging at his insides, making him feel things he normally didn’t feel; making him want something he usually didn’t think twice about doing without.

  But still, when all was said and done, no matter what torture he was going through, the woman in the other room was his main concern. Her needs outweighed his and more than anything she needed to understand how it felt to be driven to lose control, to act impulsively and to be spontaneous. She deserved to experience reckless pleasure and uncontrollable passion at least once. And as he moved away from the door and walked toward the connecting bathroom, he knew he wanted that one time to be with him.

  Madison placed her hand on her forehead, feeling her skin and wondering why she was beginning to feel so hot. But deep down she knew the reason why. Anytime she was within close proximity to Stone, her temperature went up a few degrees. There was no way she could deny that she wanted him. And hearing the sound of the bath running and knowing that he was in the bathroom naked and wet wasn’t helping matters.