And Cowboy Makes Three (Cowboys To The Rescue 2) by Martha Shields Page B

first is putting the wagon miles in front of the horse?”
    “Maybe, but we don’t have time to wait. It could take months for you to get pregnant. I could die tomorrow. We need to start as soon as possible.” His thumbs rubbed circles on the backs of her hands. “I can’t promise you love, Claire. But I can promise to be faithful and to take care of you.”
    Her chin lifted. “I don’t want to be taken care of. I’ve been taking care of myself since my mother died.”
    “Then what do you want?”
    Claire’s gaze dropped to the knot of his tie. Good question. What did she want? Love, passion—and yes, marriage and babies. But she had to face facts. The way her life was going, she wasn’t likely to get any of those things, not before her condition made it impossible for her to get pregnant She took a deep breath and searched Jake’s dark eyes. He seemed so calm, so confident that this crazy idea would work. But then, he thrived on taking risks. It’s how he made his fortune. “This is just another business deal to you, isn’t it?”
    He shrugged. “It’s only been in the last century that business hasn’t been part of marriage.”
    “Businesses don’t go to bed together.”
    His black brow arched. “Is that what you’re worried about? Going to bed with me?”
    Suddenly it felt like someone had turned the thermostat up to ninety degrees. The air between them became thick and hot, making it hard to pull air into her lungs. “Actually, I hadn’t thought that far ahead. But I guess sex would be part of the bargain, wouldn’t it?”
    He smiled. “That’s how you make babies. Are you afraid of me?”
    Afraid? That was too mild a word. Terrified. Panic-stricken. Those better described the emotions hurtling through her. If she thought her legs would work, she’d run screaming out of his penthouse.
    She swallowed with difficulty. “A little. You’re Jacob Anderson, after all.”
    “I’m a man, Claire. I have the same working parts as any other man.”
    “How do you know you...want to go to bed with me?”
    His deep brown eyes blackened to pitch, and his nostrils flared. His voice deepened and softened. “You don’t have to worry about that. I’ve wanted you since the first time you yelled at me on the elevator.”
    Claire couldn’t breathe. Was she imagining it, or was he leaning closer? “You liked me yelling at you? Isn’t that a little... kinky?”
    He smiled. “Maybe. But I realized I liked being treated like a human being instead of a demigod. You don’t know how much I’ve missed that.”
    “Oh.” He was definitely getting closer, and her heart rate was definitely speeding up. “Well, then, I’ll have to yell at you more. I’ve had a lot of practice. I’ve got two brothers who have to be taken down a peg or two every now and...” She trailed off as she realized she was babbling.
    His smile widened, making fine lines crinkle around his eyes. He pulled her hands up to his shoulders, then slipped his own around her waist, drawing her against him.
    “What are you doing?” she asked in a husky voice she barely recognized as her own. Her head bent back as his lowered.
    “I’m going to prove it to you.”
    He was so close she could feel his warm breath fanning her face. So close she couldn’t think. “Prove what?” ,
    One hand slipped into her hair. “That I want you...”
    The assault of his lips was subtle—slowly robbing her of the ability to think, of the ability to hold herself upright. Her arms wound around his neck. The body molded against hers felt like steel, the lips like heaven.
    When a moan welled up from deep within, Claire didn’t even try to suppress it. He answered with a sound she felt more than heard. Her blood heated by degrees, pumping through her veins as it thinned. Every drop rushed to the juncture of her thighs and stayed there, pulsating. She arched against him. Just when she thought she would melt into him, he ended the kiss.
    Though he still held her