Emily McKay - The Hudson's - Luc, Jack and Charlotte

“Believe it or not, I can do enough of that for both of us,” he said and raked his hand through his hair.

“Really?” she said, surprised.

“Yeah. I didn’t come to Montana with the intent to seduce you.”

She didn’t reply.

“But once I was around you, I wanted you.”

“I wanted you, too, but—”

“No buts,” he said, raising his hand. “We shared something amazing last night. I haven’t felt that way in a long time. Have you?”

Not ever, she thought but wasn’t ready to confess it. “No.”

He put his hands over her arms. “Then I don’t want to miss this with you because of the way it started.”

“You mean as blackmail.”

“You can look at it that way.”

“There’s another way?”

“You need something from me. I need something from you.”

She closed her eyes and inhaled, trying to think. “So is this a fling? An affair?”

“I don’t know. Let’s find out.”

She opened her eyes, and his honesty shook her. He could have made false promises or created a vision of an impossibly happy ending.

“I want you. You want me. It’s more than physical,” he said. “You’re not what I expected.”

She pushed her still-damp hair to one side. “What did you expect?” she asked, unable to deny her curiosity.

He shrugged. “Another crazy actress. High maintenance, with a temporary wild hair about moving to Montana.”

She smiled because what he’d described was a valid cliché. Actresses weren’t known for their stability. “This is my home,” she said. “Any time I spend away from here is temporary. This is home for me,” she repeated.

“I can see that. You’re lucky you’ve found a place,” he said and pulled her into his arms. He gently rubbed his forehead against hers, then lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her.

Gwen felt her pulse pick up and her bones soften.

He slid his fingers through her hair and pulled his mouth from hers. He took a quick sharp breath and swore. “Gonna try to be a responsible adult this time. Are you on the Pill?”

Her stomach twisted at his question. “No, but—” He swore again. “But?”

“But my doctor told me it would probably be hard for me to get pregnant.” She remembered how that conversation with her doctor had been one more blow in a devastating series of events.

He nodded, but to her relief didn’t ask any other questions. “From now on we’ll use protection.”

“Okay,” she said and leaned into his hard, warm chest. His outer strength was just a representation of his inner strength. She rubbed her hand over his chest up to his shoulder. “Can we get started on from now on?”

He immediately pushed open her robe and slid it down her body. “Oh, yeah.”

“One more thing,” she said, surrendering to the spell he wove over her.

“What?”

“You really could pose for that centerfo—”

He covered her mouth with a kiss. “Shut up,” he muttered.

The next three days they fell into a pattern of rising in the morning and taking care of the horses. In the afternoon, Luc conducted business; Gwen did additional work with the horses or went into town. She lived for the evenings. They were better than the best chocolate she’d ever eaten.

She and Luc shared dinner, usually prepared by his chef, sometimes wine and conversation. Sometimes poker, never television, always sex. Gwen couldn’t remember being this happy. Ever.

On Wednesday, she returned from the barn, spotting a different SUV in the driveway. The vehicle looked vaguely familiar and she racked her brain. Walking in through the front door, she found Dane Gibson and Luc squaring off against each other. She winced, immediately recalling the charity event she’d agreed to attend with Dane a month ago. At least the event wouldn’t take place for a few days.

“Hi,” she said when both men turned to look at her.

“Hey, gorgeous,” Dane said. “You’re looking good.”

She couldn’t help but smile. Dane was such a poser. He wasn’t much of a cowboy, but he did his best to project the image. His primary attraction to her was her celebrity status.

“I see you’ve met Luc Hudson.”

“Of Hudson Pictures,” Dane said, clearly impressed. “He was surprised about our date for the annual Montana Charity Event.”

She winced again. “I guess it slipped my mind. I apologize. I’ve had a lot going on.”

“That’s okay,” he said. “We’ve got two days. I just thought I’d drop in with a bottle of wine so you and I could get reacquainted.”

Gwen felt Luc’s gaze burning a hole through her. She couldn’t resist the urge to move from foot to foot. “Um,” she said.

“Yes?” Luc prompted, his expression cool.

She cleared her throat and looked at Dane. “I can’t go to the event with you. I’m engaged.”

She felt both men staring at her, and she raised her chin.

Dane raised a blond eyebrow. “Kinda fast,” he said.

“Yes, it is. Would either of you like some coffee?”

“I’d rather have whiskey,” Dane said.

“I’m not thirsty,” Luc said.

Great, she thought and headed for the cabinet that held a small stash of liquor. Just great. “I don’t keep much around so I can reduce the temptation for Nicki when she visits.” She extracted a locked box from the back of the cabinet, performed the combination and pulled out a bottle of whiskey.

Grabbing two shot glasses, she set them on the coffee table along with the bottle. “All yours.”

Dane took the bottle and spilled some liquor into a glass. “You have to attend the event,” Dane said. “Everyone is counting on you to introduce the keynote speaker. Plus you can plug your horse-rescue program. We had a bargain.”

“Bargain?” Luc echoed.

“Dane has agreed to adopt some of my horses after I rehabilitate them.”

Luc gave a slow nod. “I could go with you to the benefit,” he said.

“Yeah, but that would leave me without a world-class movie star on my arm,” Dane countered.

Gwen couldn’t resist rolling her eyes. Luc must have caught her because she noticed his lips twitched in amusement. “You don’t have a standby?” Luc asked.

“Not like her,” Dane said, pointing at Gwen with emphasis. “We don’t get a lot of gorgeous movie stars here in Montucky,” he added, using a popular nickname for the state.

Luc shrugged. “Will another actress do?”

“Who?” Dane asked, immediately curious.

“She may be too busy, but I could try to pull a few strings. She’s in demand now. She’s been featured on some magazine covers and had some roles in independent movies.”

Dane frowned. “Who is she? Has anyone heard of her?”

“If they haven’t heard of her, they will soon enough. I’m not sure you can handle her, though. She’s a pistol, a redhead.”

Dane puffed up his chest. “I can handle a redhead. Who is it?” he demanded.

“You want to see a photo?”

“Might as well,” Dane said with a shrug.

Curious herself, Gwen watched Luc leave the room and return with his laptop. He pushed a few keys and turned the screen around so that Dane could see a photo of a gorgeous redhead with a killer body wearing a glamorous evening gown.

“She’s easy on the eyes.”

Gwen immediately recognized the woman and smiled. “Do you really think you can get her? She’s very hot right now.”

“I can try,” Luc said. “Her name is Isabella,” he told Dane. “Isabella Hudson.”

Dane raised his eyebrows. “Hudson,” he said. “I don’t suppose there’s any relation?”

“She’s my sister.”

“Humph.” Dane looked at Isabella’s picture again. “If you can bring me Isabella as my date and you and Gwen attend the event, then we have a deal.”