The Wanted Bride (A Contemporary Romance) Read online

  “If you like this view, come see the master bedroom.”

  Valerie gave him a cautious look, but he took hold of her hand and pulled her down the hall to the bedroom.

  She gasped when she strolled into the room. The east wall of the huge room was nothing but floor to ceiling windows. “You can lie in bed and look out at the mountains.”

  He grinned. “I wanted to watch the sun rise over the Rockies every morning and the moon rise at night.”

  “You’ll certainly be an early riser, unless you buy some heavy-duty drapes.”

  “No drapes.”

  She gazed at him her face astonished. “You’re serious about settling here.”

  “I’m never returning to work permanently in Denver. I want to move my law practice here full-time and only go to Denver when I have no choice.”

  He drew her into his arms, and the look in her eyes became both responsive and wary at the same time. “I like you, Valerie. I have fun with you, and there is something between us that I want to explore further.”

  “Matt—”

  “Shh, don’t spoil this moment. Just go with it for once. Let yourself feel.”

  Matt pulled her tight against him and his lips covered hers. At first she remained stiff, but then slowly she relaxed in his arms, her body going soft against him. She tasted sweet, tempting, and his hands pressed her hard against his erection. For weeks, he’d wanted her. If only he could lay her on the unfinished wood floor and show her the passion that ignited between the two of them.

  How could she deny they could be a great couple when she experienced the fire between them? How could she ignore the desire they generated together?

  She pulled back and stared at him, her eyes brimming with smoky sensuality. He could see her resisting, but her response to his kiss was proof this wasn’t just a one-sided affair.

  “What is it you think we have?” she asked, her voice low and breathless.

  His lips layered over hers. He didn’t want to hear her say that they had nothing, because as much as she denied the electrical current that connected them, it was there, igniting a firestorm of passion. He covered her lips with his mouth, pressing her breasts against his chest. His hands held her head in his, tilting her mouth to the angle that he needed. She moaned beneath his touch, and he knew she felt this magnetism too.

  Her arms reluctantly came up and wrapped around him, and she clung to him.

  More than he needed his next breath, he needed to feel her flesh. He slid his hand beneath her coat and sweater, pushed her bra away, and eagerly sought her breast. His hand cupped her, her flesh soft as silk as he kneaded her nipple until it beaded beneath his fingers. She moaned deep in her throat. He wasn’t ready to promise her forever, but he was willing to at least investigate tomorrow.

  He knew he had to stop now, before he lost control. His mouth released hers, his breathing harsh.

  “Valerie, we’re good together. Good enough that I’m serious when I say that I want to explore if something more meaningful could happen between us.”

  She stiffened in his arms and jerked away, breaking the spell. She stepped back, putting distance between them.

  “I’m ready to settle down and have stability, a family. Put down roots. We work well together, and there’s passion between us.”

  Matt watched her, not saying a word, wondering what he’d done wrong.

  Her eyes were wide and wary as she returned his stare. Her breathing fast, shallow, her eyes dilated. She was affected by this attraction just as much as he was.

  “What is it you want from me?” she asked, her voice rising in the empty room. “Do you want to hear me say I’m attracted to you? Will that satisfy you? Fine, I’m very attracted to you. But there are so many reasons why we can’t get involved.”

  “Like what? Tell me.”

  Valerie folded her arms across her chest and faced him. “We don’t know each other.”

  “All I’m asking is a chance to get to know one another.”

  She dropped her arms and began to pace the room. “You don’t understand. I didn’t come here to get involved with a man.”

  “Involvement wasn’t on my agenda either.”

  “You’re a lawyer!” she cried.

  “What has that got to do with anything?” he asked in shock.

  “I’m not any good at relationships.”

  “You’re not even willing to give us a chance.”

  “It won’t work.” She stopped pacing and faced him. “Let’s just have sex, no commitments, no tomorrows. Just one night of hot sex to satisfy this attraction we feel.”

  The image of the two of them locked naked in each other’s arms sent a flash of sexual heat and temptation through him. Shocked, he stared at her, trying to control the frustration he knew would not serve him well. He considered what she was offering. It could be a chance to bring them closer, or it could be a crushing blow to his ego.

  Part of him wanted to jump at the opportunity she offered, but he was sick of just sex. He wanted, no he needed, more. He could get just sex anywhere.

  He wanted a chance at a committed relationship, and she wanted quick meaningless sex.

  “Not just sex,” he finally said, his growing anger and hurt under wraps.

  She swallowed and placed her hand at her throat. “I’m not looking for a committed relationship.”

  His breathing was heavy, his loins tight with need, his pride smarting, and he did the hardest thing he’d ever done in his life. “And I’m not looking to just hook up.”

  “Too bad,” she said a little too eagerly for his liking.

  For a moment he stared at her and realized she was willing to walk away. That insight left him frustrated. He wanted a chance at a relationship, and she wanted sex before moving on.

  Without a word he strode from the room and down the stairs. Anger radiated through him. He needed to get away before he said something he regretted. Part of him wanted to rage at her, at the possibility of what she was throwing away, yet the rational part knew he needed to simply walk.

  He opened the outside door and went straight to the car. He climbed in the Jeep and started the engine.

  In a few moments she stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her. Quickly she climbed into the car.

  “I’ll take you to McKenzie’s,” he said quietly, and turned the car from the house of his dreams.

  He wouldn’t settle for just a hookup with this woman when he wanted more, so much more.

  If he couldn’t have it all, then he’d probably just thrown away his only chance of having sex with Valerie.

  That thought really bummed him. But he wanted something more from her than just scratching an itch.

  Chapter Nine

  A week later, Matt drove the Jeep, his brain on autopilot as he mulled over the dilemma with Valerie. Frustration gripped him like a fist about his throat. How many women would settle for just a hookup?

  Today while Valerie worked at the café, he would visit McKenzie and get her opinion on the bizarre way Valerie had responded. In the past week he had avoided his own office and the café. He had even taken a trip to Denver to put some distance between him and the blonde who had gotten under his skin. Anywhere, while his anger simmered and cooled.

  It disturbed him that he’d finally found someone who intrigued him, someone he wanted to explore a relationship with, and every time he made a move, she threw up a roadblock. If the attraction wasn’t mutual, he would have walked away, but she responded to him. Whenever he touched her, passion reflected from her blue eyes, and she quivered in his arms. Clearly she was caught off guard by the attraction, yet she refused to acknowledge the magnetism simmering between them.

  And frankly, that pissed him off.

  The Jeep came to a halt in front of his sister’s log home. He watched McKenzie and the twins playing outside in the cold sunshine. Bundled in their winter jumpers, the kids waddled around like fat little penguins.

  McKenzie chased the t
oddlers through the snow, tossing a snowball at them. Ashley and Austin squealed with laughter, and Matt felt sad that his brother-in-law was not here to witness his children’s giggles.

  John’s death had been tough on his sister, yet Matt envied her life. Not the death of her husband, but the love he’d witnessed between them and now the twins.

  Clearly John’s death had shown Matt that life was short, and he wanted to experience a lasting love with a family of his own.

  Not the marriage of his parents, in which deception, lies, and hate permeated the relationship like a cancer until its death.

  The single lifestyle had left him with enough cell numbers to fill a phone book, more boring dates than he cared to remember, and an ever-present loneliness. He didn’t want his bed to be a revolving door of meaningless hookups. He longed for a woman who’d stay through the good times and the bad. A best friend and a lover. A love that lasted beyond the next morning. And it all began with Valerie giving them the opportunity to explore this attraction.

  All he wanted was a chance to see if this fascination was something they could build on.

  He jumped out of the Jeep, and his sister turned around and waved. “Hey you, come in and have some hot chocolate.”

  “Sure,” he said as he ran through the snow toward the twins.

  “Uncle Matt!” Ashley cried, hurrying toward him, her short little legs stumbling in the deep snow.

  He picked her up and twirled her in the air. She screamed with delight.

  “Me too, Uncle Matt. Me too,” Austin cried, wrapping his arms around Matt’s leg.

  He set Ashley down, picked-up Austin and twirled him.

  “More,” Austin cried when his feet connected with the ground. “More.”

  Matt’s heart filled with love for these two little ones. Maybe he would never have a family of his own. Yet he wasn’t ready to concede on finding that special person, even if she wasn’t Valerie.

  “Come on,” he said, taking them each by the hand. “Let’s go have hot chocolate.”

  “But I want to stay outside and play,” Austin whined, puckering his mouth in a pout.

  Ashley stuck out her lower lip, mimicking her brother.

  “Hey, don’t stick out your lips. They might freeze that way.”

  McKenzie gave her twins a stern motherly look, her eyebrows raised. “Come on you two, it’s been an hour. I told you we couldn’t stay out long. Besides we have cookies waiting for us inside.”

  The twins let go of his hand and raced toward their mother.

  “Bribery gets them every time,” she admitted to Matt.

  They piled into the mudroom, discarding their coats and boots. Slipped on their house slippers and ran to their toys, their mother, Matt, and the cookie forgotten.

  “Are they always that easy?”

  “Oh no, it becomes more of a challenge every day. I’ve learned it’s best to switch their attention to something else. It creates fewer tantrums.”

  Matt slipped out of his coat and hung it on a hook, suddenly reminded of everything his sister did for her children, alone. She never got a break.

  “Are you doing okay?” he asked as they walked into the kitchen.

  Concern creased her forehead and reflected from her eyes. “Yes, I’m fine.”

  “I worry about you being alone and taking care of the kids. You never get a break.”

  “Their naptime is my time. It’s hard, but I’m okay.”

  He wondered how much she wasn’t telling him. “I know you miss John.”

  She sighed, the sound loud in the room. “Every day.” She picked up the kettle, ran hot water into it, and then placed it on the stove. “But what about you? You’re acting kind of strange. Not my typical all confidant, devil-may-care brother. What’s wrong?”

  He laughed, the sound sarcastic as he took a seat at the table. “You know me too well.”

  “Well, you’re acting strange, and Valerie has been withdrawn these last few days. Something going on that I need to know about?”

  He couldn’t help but feel a little glad to hear that Valerie wasn’t her normal cheerful self. He wanted to tell his sister his side. He needed a woman’s interpretation of Valerie’s reaction. “She only wants a hookup.”

  “A what?” McKenzie said, stunned.

  “Valerie. She said she didn’t want commitment.”

  “Did she specifically say she wanted a one night stand?” McKenzie questioned, her voice uncertain.

  His mind replayed their conversation. He’d been so shocked and angry that his skills as a lawyer hadn’t kicked in until he’d made it to his car. The last time he’d been that angry was when John died.

  “Tell me what she said.”

  “Her exact words were ‘let’s have one night of hot sex, no commitments, no tomorrows,’” he blurted out, the anger spiking as he clenched his fists. “I wanted her to at least give this attraction between us a chance.”

  “Okay, I feel very lost. How did you guys get on the subject of sex, and why did you say no?”

  He rubbed his hand over his face, the rough texture a comfort as he told his sister the conversation, ending with his realization. “When I made her face that we were attracted to one another, she asked me if I wanted sex. I don’t want just sex.”

  “What did she say after you said no?” McKenzie questioned.

  “Her response was I don’t want a commitment, and I said I didn’t want to just hook up.” He shook his head. “To which she responded, ‘too bad.’”

  Silence hung heavy between them. The children sat in the corner playing with blocks while his sister sat contemplating, making him nervous. McKenzie glanced at Austin and Ashley and back at Matt.

  He couldn’t restrain himself. “We have this chemistry, and she refuses to acknowledge that we’re attracted to one another. She won’t even give us a chance.”

  “And you assumed she just wanted a…what did you call it? A hookup, because she said ‘too bad’?”

  “Well, when you’re in the moment and she tells you she’s not interested in a committed relationship, what else am I supposed to think?” His voice rose. “Most women would like the fact that the guy doesn’t want just a quick lay. Most women would be excited that the guy was thinking relationship. A connection that could become more than just sex.”

  McKenzie stared at him, knowingly. “And you got angry.”

  “Hell, yes. I’m still angry. I know what I want, and she’s the first woman I’ve met in two years that was worth considering.”

  McKenzie began to laugh softly.

  “What is so funny?” he asked, frustrated.

  “First you wanted to run her out of town, and now you can’t wait to get into her pants.”

  “I…I… That’s not exactly true.”

  “Oh? Who didn’t want her moving in here with me?”

  “Well, I didn’t.”

  “Who wanted Jesse to run a background check on her?” McKenzie asked.

  “How did you know about that?”

  “You’re my brother. You’re a lawyer. You did, didn’t you?” she questioned.

  “Well, yes.”

  “And you found nothing.”

  “No.”

  The whistle on the teakettle squealed, and McKenzie rose. She poured them both a cup of hot, steaming chocolate and placed a cup in front of him.

  She sipped from her cup and said softly, “Valerie hasn’t told me what brought her here, but I know that first night, she seemed to be in shock. Now, the longer she’s here the more she seems to open up. But at first she appeared spooked, almost afraid.”

  “My thoughts exactly, but everyone got mad at me for trying to investigate her,” Matt said with annoyance in his voice.

  He sipped from his cup, willing his anger back while the hot liquid soothed him.

  McKenzie nodded. “That’s because sometimes you approach obstacles in life with such determination that you mow over anyone who gets in your way. If you could just ease back the
throttle a little, you could learn the truth.” She sipped her chocolate. “You put people off with that single-minded resolve.”

  “It’s what I do for a living.”

  She laughed. “I can see that. It’s probably what makes you so good in the courtroom.”

  “But not in personal relationships,” he admitted.

  She nodded slowly. “Sometimes you are too overpowering. I think someone hurt Valerie. You need to back off and give her time. If the two of you are meant to be, it will happen in her time frame. And if you don’t like that, well, I can tell you she’ll soon be on a bus out of town.”

  “Damn it, McKenzie. That’s not what I wanted to hear.”

  McKenzie smiled. “Sorry, I’m not here to sugarcoat life and only say what you want to hear. I’m going to tell you how I see it.”

  Matt hung his head. “I didn’t expect to think of her this way. When I first saw her come into the café, I thought she was beautiful, but not my type. But soon she was everywhere. And it isn’t just her looks that attracted me. She doesn’t back down. She isn’t afraid to stand up to me. At first I thought she wasn’t very smart, but I was so wrong. Her mind is quick and sharp. She has my office running better than any office I’ve worked in. And I like her. I like being with her.”

  McKenzie reached out, took Matt’s hand, and squeezed it. “Back off and give her some time. Let her deal with whatever is haunting her.”

  “Has she told you what brought her to Colorado?”

  “Nope, and I know better than to ask,” McKenzie said. “When she’s ready, she’ll tell all of us. But until then give her some space.”

  Matt drained his hot chocolate. “You women stick together. You’ve only made me more curious about who she is. But I will try to wait for her.”

  “You better, or you’ll lose her.”

  “Well, you haven’t exactly cheered me.”

  “Hey, if she’s as good as you think she is, then she’s worth waiting for.”

  “Yeah, I know. But I don’t have much patience. Especially when I want something.”

  McKenzie smiled but didn’t say a word.

  “Thanks for listening to me.”