To Love a Wilde (5 page)

“I’m sure he would be proud of you … you and your brothers,” she murmured, sympathy in her voice. “Proud of what you all have done with the ranch.” She paused and lightly massaged his arm. It was all Holt could do to keep it together, keep his mind on the conversation.

He turned to her, his glance falling first to her hand and then to her blouse. The button that had been threatening to come loose had finally slipped free of the fastening, and he caught a peek of the lace that covered the crests of her breasts.

Taking his hand off the wheel briefly, he covered her hand, squeezed it, before casually removing it.

He wanted to curse when he saw the crestfallen look on her face, the way her cheeks again bloomed with color, this time, he knew, from embarrassment. He realized instantly she perceived his action as some kind of rejection. But damn if he could allow her to
continue her innocent, yet stimulating, massage. Not without slamming into the car in front of them and causing an accident.

As it was, he was having a hard enough time keeping his erection in check around her, and had been since the moment he saw her bending over, her round little butt filling her jeans to perfection, and the peek he’d gotten of her slim waist as her shirt lifted away from the waistband of her jeans … He drew in a deep breath.

“Anyway, after that I returned to school, got drafted into the NFL and played professional football for a few years.

“Yes, I knew that … I mean, Mama Lilly mentioned you playing pro when you got drafted,” she said, correcting herself.

Yasmine swallowed an embarrassed groan after he gently, yet firmly, removed her hand from his arm.

God, what had possessed her to touch him like that?

In all actuality she hadn’t thought much about her actions, simply reached out to him … it had come so naturally. But, as soon as she had, she’d felt an electric heat sear her hand when she’d touched him.

And it didn’t help matters in the least that her stupid blouse refused to stay closed. At that moment the button popped open, and the look in his eyes when he glanced down at her had made her treacherous nipples respond in kind. It was as though someone had kicked up the air-conditioning fifty degrees colder.

She’d ordered the shirt online, and hadn’t tried it on
before donning it that morning, along with the just-as-useless new bra. Not that he’d believe her if she told him—he probably thought she’d worn the shirt on purpose, knowing it was a size too small.

And besides, even if she said anything, she’d feel even
more
foolish drawing more attention to the fact, she thought glumly.

As far as knowing what he’d been up to, well, she’d been well aware of Holt and his activities, at least the ones that seemed to make the news with the regularity that would make any one of the celebrity male sex sym bols green with envy. He’d had his pick of women, beautiful women, from actresses and models to heiresses and famous female athletes.

His … exploits had been fodder for many a news outlet, particularly during his time playing pro ball.

Much as he’d been during the time she’d lived at the ranch, Holt Magnum Wilde was still a magnet to women. Beautiful, rich … sophisticated women.

Although he’d only played pro ball for three years before retiring, it seemed he was just as busy off the field as he was on the field.

In every photo she’d seen, he’d had a woman draped on his arm.

More often than not, two. Sometimes three.

Every time she’d glance and see his name mentioned in regards to a woman, Yasmine had subconsciously held her breath, waiting for the time when one of them proved to be more than a passing fling, yet they never had.

Even retired, although his exploits weren’t as well advertised, the man still managed to make news. Nothing had changed.

As usual, with some woman on his arm, from the heiress he’d dated last year to the daughter of one of the most lucrative cattle farmers in Wyoming, he still had his pick from a bevy of women to choose from.

And although they’d seemed to click on the ride, and his interest in her life seemed real, he still saw her as nothing more than that little girl who’d had a crush on him.

Obviously nothing had changed about him in that regard, either.

She suppressed a sigh, planting the largest, fakest smile on her face that she could when he glanced her way, hoping he couldn’t read her thoughts.

“O
hhh … it’s beautiful!” Yasmine sat up in her seat and rolled the window down, allowing the cool air to blow inside the truck. “It’s been so long since I’ve been home!” She laughed, the sound tugging a smile from Holt as she leaned out the window to peer out as they sped past the outer reaches of the ranch.

After the construction zone ended, the rest of the trip had flown by and they’d made good time. Initially he’d imagined the drive as one he couldn’t wait to get over; instead it had turned out to be one he wished could have lasted a lot longer. The time alone with her talking about old times was more enjoyable than any date he’d had in longer than he could remember.

The last fifteen minutes of the ride home had been made in silence, broken only by occasional idle
conversation.

The closer they came to the ranch, the more at ease Yasmine appeared. Relaxed.

Throughout the ride, even when they weren’t speaking, Holt occasionally felt her gaze on him. He’d fought against the urge to turn her way and to broach the topic, the one thing that had been on his mind, hovering, since he was asked to pick her up from the airport. The event that had plagued his mind throughout the years, when he’d least expect it to. The night before he left for college and they kissed.

That night had changed the dynamics of their relation ship. It had changed his view of her and for the first time made him aware of the fact that she wasn’t a kid anymore.

He’d been aware of her crush on him … hell, everyone had, including his brothers, who had no problem teasing him over that fact through the years, to his embarrassment. It wasn’t that he didn’t like her, he did. But he saw her more as a family member, with Lilly being her aunt, rather than any romantic interest.

He tried avoiding her when her infatuation became obvious, hoping that would send the message to her, to no avail. Although she never actually said anything, the way she looked at him, the way she always seemed to be at the same place he was whenever he was working on the ranch, all told him she hadn’t gotten the message.

As the years went by he’d begun to become even more aware of her. She was growing up, and growing
up well, he thought, forcing himself to look away from her and give his attention to the road, before he ended up having an accident.

He’d told himself at the time the reason he started avoiding her was because of Yasmine. Yet he knew, deep down, that it was because of his own reaction to her. She was cute, shy, sweet and funny, and he found himself drawn to her. And she had the makings of a killer body, one that held promise, even then. A body that he knew good and damn well was off-limits to him.

Lilly would kick him or anyone else square in the tail if she so much as
thought
they were checking her “baby” out.

Holt respected Lilly and Yasmine too much, as well as fearing for his life, to ever consider flirting with the young girl. Lilly was as much of a mother to him as his own mother. More so, in fact.

“We’ll be home soon.”

She turned toward him, the smile on her face making his breath catch, and he bit back a groan.

It was
definitely
going to be an interesting visit.

No sooner had Holt opened her door for her before Yasmine was engulfed within her aunt’s warm, tight embrace.

“I’m
so
happy to see you, baby girl! It’s so good to have you home!”

Yasmine heard the strength of emotion clog her aunt’s voice as she returned the tight hug, feeling the sting of tears burn her eyes as she held on to her aunt. They stood holding each other tightly, until finally, after long
moments, Lilly released her. Placing her at arm’s length, she ran a critical gaze over Yasmine, head to toe.

“And look at you! All grown up and looking beautiful … Baby, you’re glowing!” she said, and Yasmine grinned, sniffing back the tears as she also took in her aunt, looking up at her.

Although she was in her mid-sixties, time seemed to have stood still for her aunt, Yasmine thought, blinking back the tears.

Her hair, mostly gray, was held back in a tight bun at the base of her head, bringing her strong, beautiful features into the spotlight.

Her aunt’s dark eyes were widely spaced apart, like Yasmine’s, with a hint of a slant in the corners, and her generous mouth, again like Yasmine’s, usually was tilted up in a smile.

But that’s where the similarities ended. Yasmine was much smaller in stature, with a tendency toward curves, whereas Lilly was tall and lean. With the exception of her boobs, Yasmine thought with a grin. Like Yasmine, her aunt had more than enough going on in that department to make up for her lack of curves anywhere else.

She recalled the way Holt had tried, unsuccessfully, to disguise the look in his eyes when he caught her struggling with the irritating button on her blouse.

The thought again brought a grin to her face. Despite the mixed signals he was sending her way, the man was interested, she thought, a small smile tilting the corners of her mouth up despite herself.

“And what’s that smile for, girl?”

Her aunt was way too discerning. Nothing got past her. She had to remember that. If Aunt Lilly sniffed out the idea playing around in Yasmine’s head, she’d be in a world of trouble.

“Nothing at all, Auntie … just happy to be home,” she said, smiling up at her.

At that moment a shadow was cast above her, blocking out the late-afternoon sun. Yasmine didn’t have to look over her shoulder to know who it was. The wave of goose bumps that feathered along her spine alerted her to who was behind her.

That and her aunt’s slight frown as she looked from Yasmine to Holt, who stood directly behind her.

“The ride went well?” Lilly asked.

“It did!” Yasmine said, hooking her hand through the crook of her aunt’s arm, linking them together.

“I’ll take your things to the house, Yas.”

She drew in a deep breath when he leaned close and his warm breath fanned the back of her neck before he grabbed her carry-on bag at her feet. He wrapped the long strap over his shoulder.

“I’m guessing these will go in Yas’s old room?” he questioned her aunt, and she nodded her head yes.

Yasmine’s hungry gaze followed him as he walked away, dragging her two wheeled bags behind him, his long-legged stride swiftly eating up the distance between the curved driveway and the house.

“Ahem …”

Yasmine was brought back to reality when her aunt coughed.

“So, does that sound good, baby girl? I know you don’t like surprises.”

She glanced at Lilly, trying not to blush at the way her aunt was eyeing her as though she had grown two horns and a tail. Lilly felt like a deer caught in the headlights; for the life of her, she didn’t have a clue what her aunt had apparently asked her, she’d been so caught up in gazing at Holt.

“Uh, yeah. Sure, that sounds great, Aunt Lilly!” Yasmine decided to brazen it out. She injected as much enthusiasm into her voice as possible, not really sure what her aunt had said.

But as the frown slipped away from her aunt’s face, replaced with a look of relief and a huge smile, Yasmine wondered what in the world she had just agreed to. She had a sneaky suspicion it was something she wouldn’t have agreed to under normal circumstances.

A
nd she was right.

The minute she walked inside the ranch, she was greeted by a bevy of people, surprising her with a welcome-home gathering. Her eyes widened in surprise as she was crowded on all sides by those she’d known for years, and many she didn’t. She recognized a few of the cowboys who, when she’d lived on the ranch, hadn’t been much older than she was and now had children of their own.

As well, there were old familiars like Jake Stone, who enveloped her in a bear hug that rivaled her aunt’s earlier embrace.

“It’s been too long since you’ve been home, Yas! All grown up, too,” Jake said, finally releasing her enough
to run an appreciative glance over her that made her blush slightly.

“And, wow, look at you, Jake! I guess it’s been longer than I thought since I’ve seen you,” she said, grinning. “I don’t remember you looking so … grown up,” she said, running her own appreciative glance over his face.

He rubbed a hand over his well-trimmed beard and mustache. “You like?”

“I do!” she said, grinning up at him.

Yasmine glanced away, her smile still lingering, when she caught sight of Holt standing in a corner, near the granite stone fireplace. The smile slipped from her face when she noticed the tall blonde standing next to him, her manicured, French-tipped nails placed over his bulging biceps, her crimson-stained lips spread wide as she grinned up at Holt showing
all
thirty-two of her teeth.

His eyes met hers. Although the animated blonde with her death-grip hold on his arm was standing before him, his bright blue gaze was centered directly on Yasmine.

Even from across the room, she could feel the intensity of his stare. His gaze left hers, going to Jake, who still held her within his loose embrace.

When their eyes met again, she could feel the intensity of his stare from across the room. The energy between them was electric and seemed to sear her very flesh.

Disconcerted with the look, as well as the possessive hold the woman had on him, irritated for unknown
reasons with both, Yasmine forced herself to look away, taking a deep breath, and upped the wattage on her smile to Jake.

“Hey, looks like you could use a refill … May I?”

Yasmine glanced down at her wineglass, which was now empty.

She frowned, not sure when she’d finished the glass. That was the second glass she’d had since the party started. Normally she kept it at a two-drink maximum, but she planned to enjoy her surprise party. “Sure, thanks. It’s a celebration!” She agreed.