Taste of Passion (Madaris Novels) (21 page)

“Jacob Madaris? What does he have to do with any of this?”

Adams couldn’t help but smile. “Umm, didn’t you know? Jacob Madaris is a business partner of Ms. Standfield’s, and those poisoned cattle were actually his.”

The sun coming in through the window cast enough light to show how the blood suddenly seemed to drain
from Farley’s face. He suspected, and with good reason, that Whitedyer Corporation, or any other corporation for that matter, wouldn’t want to take on the likes of Madaris. The man had money and he had friends with money. “But since you didn’t have anything to do with what happened to those cattle . . . as well as the ransacking of her office . . . you don’t have anything to worry about.”

Farley looked across the desk at Adams. “That’s right, and I’ll be the first to assure Mr. Madaris of that. Like I said, I handle our enemies in the courtroom and I’m looking forward to taking on Ms. Standfield, give her a little on-the-job training, so to speak. She needs to see that she has a lot to learn.”

Adams was tempted to roll his eyes, but refrained from doing so. Instead he asked, “And where is Henry Whitedyer? The CEO and president of this corporation. I’d like to speak with him.”

“Not sure that’s possible. He’s an extremely busy man.”

Now that ticked Adams off. He leaned forward in his chair and fixed his gaze on Farley. “So am I. I suggest as his attorney you advise him to carve out some time for me.” He paused and added, “He can do it here or we can request his presence at headquarters.”

Farley snorted. “Really, Detective, is that necessary?”

Still holding the man’s eyes, he said, “Yes, I think so, and now that you’re aware of one of the key players involved, I would suggest that you think the same thing.”

Half an hour later Farley stood at the window and glanced out while thinking about the bombshell the detective had dropped. He tamped down the urge to hit something before crossing the room to his desk to pick up the phone. “Camille, come in here for a second.”

A few moments later his personal assistant, Camille Yeager, walked in. She was in her late twenties and had begun working for him a year ago. He found her to be very efficient both in the office and, on occasion, in the bedroom. He had to hand it to her that she was pretty bright as well as good-looking. She was definitely someone
he enjoyed having around. He could talk to her and usually did, and felt comfortable knowing that whatever pillow talk they shared went no further.

“Yes, Mr. Farley?”

“Did you know Mr. Coroni’s attorney had a business on the side and that Jake Madaris was her business partner?”

He saw the surprised look that touched his assistant’s face. She didn’t have to ask who Jake Madaris was since the man was legendary. And on top of that, he was married to Diamond Swain.

“No, I didn’t know that. What should we do now?” Camille asked.

He sighed. “Nothing. But I need you to get Henry Whitedyer on the line.”

“Yes, sir.”

He watched her leave and leaned back in his chair. His boss wasn’t going to like what he had to tell him.

“Mr. Whitedyer is on the line,” Camille’s voice said over the intercom.

Farley picked up the phone and said, “Henry, this is Lewis. I need to meet with you sometime today. And yes, it is important.”

“So when exactly were you going to tell me that Jake was coming for a visit?”

Instead of answering, Luke pulled Mackenzie back down in the bed with him. “When you got home today, but it kind of slipped my mind.”

Now that had been the truth. The moment she had walked in the door, he had been there, waiting, and with a need he’d found almost unbearable. At the time the only thing he’d wanted was her. He had figured anything else could wait. And it had. Here it was close to eight o’clock and they hadn’t eaten, although he had cooked dinner. Since the time she had come home she had spent those hours in bed, in his arms with his body intimately connected to hers the majority of the time.

The intensity of his desire for Mac had not come as any surprise. But what had stunned his nervous system, startled him, was the force of hers for him. She had all but removed his clothes before he had removed hers. Even now she was sprawled over him, very much naked. When she had shifted position, just a little, to ask the question about Jake, her breasts had literally swung right to his face. All he would have to do was stick out his tongue to capture a nipple in his mouth, cop a taste.

“If he and Diamond are coming this weekend, there are a million things to do,” she said, attempting to lift her body off his.

“And none of them will get done tonight,” he said, clamping down on her backside with his hand to keep her in place, and liking the feel of his hand on her bare skin. For some reason he felt possessive, a word he’d never before linked with a woman. “Besides, he didn’t say Diamond was coming, so I take it that it’s just him. He can stay in the guest room.”

She looked down at him, met his gaze. He knew exactly what she was thinking. If Jake stayed in the guest room that meant that Luke would sleep in her bed, which he’d been doing every night for the past week anyway. It would be crystal clear to his uncle that they were lovers. It didn’t bother him and he hoped it wouldn’t bother her. It was time to find out if it would.

“Will there be a problem for Jake to stay in the guest room while I sleep in here with you?” he asked in a low voice, studying her face. “If you prefer, I can always sleep on the sofa,” he offered.

Her gaze held his and finally she shook her head and said, “No. We’re grown-ups and consenting adults. What we do is our business.”

He couldn’t agree more and was glad she had taken that position. “Uncle Jake has never been judgmental and has always been one to let us live our lives without interference.” He chuckled. “If anything, he tried to convince our parents to give us breathing space and not try and smother us.”

She didn’t say anything for a while, and then as if she suddenly thought of something, she looked at him and asked, “Detective Adams. Did he pay you a visit today?”

Luke nodded. “Yes, he came by. It’s a good thing because of Alex that I have an idea how a detective, private or otherwise, operates or I would have been somewhat annoyed with his line of questioning. But I was glad to tell him anything he wanted to know, especially if it will move things along in the investigation. I completely understand that he has to check out every single detail. Like he said, Whitedyer Corporation is innocent until proven guilty.

With her being an attorney he knew she was the last person he had to remind, but felt he should to do so any way. “Has anyone from Whitedyer contacted you recently?”

She nodded. “Today, in fact. I gather Adams met with Farley. He wanted me to know that he didn’t appreciate me implicating them in any way with anything, especially with the cattle. Adams must have mentioned Jake’s involvement.”

Luke smiled. “He must have. I made sure I emphasized to Adams more than once that Jake intended to get to the bottom of what happened to those cattle; even if he had to bring in his own investigator.”

She lifted a brow. “Would Jake do that?”

“Yes, he would solicit Alex’s help in a heartbeat. And everyone knows how thorough Alex is. There won’t a single stone left unturned.”

Mackenzie thought about what Luke had said as she studied the designs on her bedspread. From the time she first met the Madaris family, she’d always heard about Alex Maxwell’s extraordinary skills as a private investigator. A former FBI agent who retained plenty of contacts, he was known to piece together even the most challenging of puzzles. He was also married to Luke’s cousin Christy, which meant that Alex was officially a member of the Madaris family.

“Mac.”

She switched her gaze to him. “Yes?”

Even before she had answered him she’d known what was on his mind. It was there, blatantly obvious in the dark depths of his eyes, and the knowledge, the deliberate awareness, made her breath catch. And then she watched as his lips, those same lips that had kissed her with passion, tasted her with hunger, and devoured her with reckless abandon, eased into a slow, sexy smile. It was a smile that sent a shiver through her body. It didn’t help matters that she was already naked. That state of undress only brought her senses to a whole other level.

“Do I need to tell you what I want?” he asked when he reached out and stroked his hand across her breasts, causing fire to thrum through her.

No, he didn’t need to tell her. She saw it in his eyes, felt it from his smile, and recognized it in his touch. The man could be both arrogant and humble most of the time, but when it came to making love to her, he was superiorly passionate all of the time. He had as much stamina as those bulls he rode.

Instead of answering him, she rose up and went straight for his mouth, covering his lips with her own and then kissing him with the same degree of passion that he always kissed her. She pressed her chest against his and knew he could feel the strong beat of her heart; a heart that he wasn’t even aware belonged to him.

As he took over control of the kiss, she felt his hand touching her practically everywhere it could reach and sending sensations all through her, especially in the apex of her thighs. And before she could wonder what his next move would be, he shifted their positions at the same moment that he gently gripped her backside with both hands and impelled her on to him, thrust into her, letting his huge erection fill every inch of her. And with it came a need and a hunger that she felt all the way down to her toes.

For a moment he didn’t move. It was if he wanted to savor the feel of her body anchored to his, her bare hips and thighs clenching his. She wanted to savor it as well. Relish the moment of having him embedded inside of her so deep.

And then she released his mouth on a silent “oh” when it became clear to her that he wasn’t wearing a condom. The head of his staff buried inside of her felt hot and engorged. She was aware of when he realized that fact as well and was about to retreat, and she tightened her thighs on him and whispered, “I’m on the pill, Luke.”

He blew breath through his lungs as if she’d thrown him a lifeline with what she’d said. But then he withdrew
from inside of her, only to thrust back in a stroke that was long, deep, and heavy.

Over and over he repeated the process, pushing her over the edge, taking her senses with him, and causing her body to purr in sensuous pleasure. Everything about him, about this, was right—perfect and beautiful. When it came to pleasuring her he always took it a notch higher each time.

Tonight was no different. Already waves of desire were taking on a new meaning. She was elated by every movement of his body. Breathlessly she succumbed, and when she heard him call her name, felt the hard bucking of his body, felt that long, final thrust before he exploded, sending his hot release to all parts of her womanly core, she cried out his name, tightened her muscles that clamped him, determined to get all that she could and then some.

She loved him with her mind, body, and soul. For this little while, he was hers and she was his. All was well.

“Glad to see you, Uncle Jake,” Luke said, smiling when he was enveloped in a gentle but genuinely affectionate bear hug by the man who had always been there for him.

Jake Madaris released Luke and chuckled. “You knew I would be coming this way sooner or later, if nothing more than to keep Mama off your back.”

He then gazed at his nephew from his head to his feet. “Other than the fact you could use a shave, I’d say you look healthy enough.”

Luke smiled and decided not to mention to his uncle that Mackenzie liked his “need-a-shave” look. “Come on in. Mac’s got the guest room prepared for you.”

“I don’t want to put her out. I can stay at the hotel.”

“You won’t be putting her out. She wants you to stay here. Besides, she knows you want to check on the rest of the cattle.”

Jake nodded. “Have the police discovered anything new?”

“No, not yet.”

Jake shook his head. “Well, I got a call from Henry Whitedyer a few days ago. The man wanted to assure me there’s been a mistake and his company has had nothing to do with those two incidents involving Mac, especially the poisoning of my cattle. He feels his company doesn’t have to resort to underhanded tactics and behaviors, and when the time comes his attorney will handle Mac in the courtroom.”

“Sounds like he’s pretty sure of that,” Luke said, not liking the man’s overstated confidence.

“Evidently. Has Mac heard from Ashton?”

“Yes, he called several times and of course he’s ready to come back to Oklahoma if there’s a need. But this is something Mac wants to handle on her own. However, I did convince her to talk to Clayton and Syneda. They may be able to shed some light on a few laws that she’s not sure about.”

Jake nodded. “That’s a good idea.” He glanced around. “And where is Mac?”

“Riding the land with the men. She does it every Saturday morning. She’ll be back soon.”

Jake studied Luke’s features. “You’re dying to get back on a horse, aren’t you?”

Luke laughed. “How can you tell?”

“By the deep longing in your voice when you mentioned that Mac was out riding. Has the doctor given you a date when you can return to the circuit?”