Sara Orwig - The Ransomes - Matt, Nick and Katherine

Her proposal of marriage had jarred Matt. It wasn’t what he had expected or wanted, yet he was considering it. She could detect a grudging respect growing in him.

She paused in front of an elegant rosewood-framed mirror and looked at herself. Her riot of red hair always gave the impression of a wanton woman. Her breasts were full, adding to the attraction to males. She ought to cut her hair and buy fake glasses. With the money—if she made a deal with Matt—she would be able to afford to get her hair fixed and buy new clothes.

She frowned at her image. She shouldn’t think about where or how she would spend one nickel of his money. She didn’t have a deal yet with Matt, and they might not ever have one.

With her proposal, had she opened it up for Matt to take control of her child? That question nagged at her. If they married, he would legally have rights and she was certain he would have all sorts of opinions on how Jeff’s baby should be raised and what schools it should attend. Never would she be able to pack, divorce Matt and walk away as easily as she would if she simply accepted Matt’s money offer.

At the thought of relinquishing control of all decisions concerning her child, her stomach knotted. On the other hand, giving her baby the Ransome name and making him or her an heir would offset letting Matt into their lives. And from what she could see, Matt seemed to truly want what was best for her child.

She had never had a decent home life. She glanced around the splendid bedroom and knew she would be giving her offspring the best.

And Matt? How long could they resist the sizzling physical attraction? She didn’t want to ever love another Ransome, another untrustworthy male and in this case, an arrogant, controlling one. Yet even now when Matt was away from her, she was hot and breathless merely thinking about him. It was a volatile chemistry she didn’t have with other men and it might make living under the same roof with him a challenge. Seduction was unwanted, but would she be strong enough to resist the attraction, she wondered.

Could she be uncompromising and walk away if he rejected her proposal?

She couldn’t answer her own question. She thought of the money he offered, the chance for her to get through school quickly, then care for herself and the baby. How could she walk away from all that? Would it be horribly unfair to her child to turn her back on Matt’s offer?

Yet she suspected if she didn’t walk away, he would never come back with acceptance of her proposal. And she wanted the Ransome name and all that went with it.

Her gaze drifted around the room again and the thought of her baby being part of the fortune of this family took her breath! She strolled to the window and looked out at grounds that were well tended. Beyond them acres of range land stretched to the horizon. The wealth of the place was so foreign to her, she might as well have been in another country. Would Matt consider running the risk of letting her lay claim to some of what he owned?

Matt wrote out a hasty prenuptial agreement, trying to think of all the things he wanted to put into the document so he would be prepared when he saw his attorney.

His mind kept jumping to Olivia, remembering watching her and touching her. He groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. He had known her less than twenty-four hours and he couldn’t get her out of his mind.

Disgusted with himself that he couldn’t stop thinking about her, Matt went to look in the desk in his bedroom for a copy of the prenuptial agreement he’d had with Margo. They had married young and both had come from wealthy families so they had drawn up a prenup agreement, but when they parted, there had been no hassle over money. With her tremendous salary and her family’s money, she cared nothing about demands on Matt. She simply wanted out of the marriage to pursue her career.

In the hall Matt passed Olivia’s closed door and thought about her in the shower, water pouring over that lush body and down her long legs. He groaned and walked faster, suspecting he should go work out and burn some energy. A whole evening with Olivia was going to be hellish temptation.

“Matt—”

He turned as she opened her door and stepped into the hall. Her shirt was pulled out of her cutoffs and partially unbuttoned, the open V giving a tantalizing glimpse of heart-stopping curves and cleavage.

“I can’t get the hot water faucet to turn,” she said. “Is it broken or am I doing something wrong? I can’t imagine the plumbing breaking in this castle.”

“Oh, hell. Sorry, I forgot. I’ve intended to get that fixed. And the plumbing does break on occasion,” he added with amusement. “I’ll get a wrench. It won’t take more than a minute to repair it. Or you can move to any of the other occupied bedrooms.”

“I’ll wait if you don’t mind repairing it.”

He left to get pliers, a washer and a wrench and returned to her room, taking a deep breath before he went inside. She stood by the window, and he hoped she stayed out of the bathroom.

The scent of her perfume hung in the air and he tried to ignore it and think about water and pipes. As he leaned over the tub, working on the faucet, he swore because he hadn’t taken care of the plumbing before she arrived or remembered it and put her in a different bedroom.

In minutes the faucet functioned again, and he picked up his wrench and pliers. As he started out, she entered the room and they almost collided. Taking her arm, he steadied her. “Sorry, Olivia,” he said.

She looked up at him and again, he was ensnared in wide, thickly lashed green eyes. Desire rocked him and her eyes half-closed in a sultry expression that took his breath. He placed one hand on the doorjamb beside her and leaned closer. When she inhaled deeply, his gaze lowered and then returned to her full lips. Hemming her in, he could feel the heat from her voluptuous body, detect the come-hither fragrance she wore.

“We can find out now and get this out of the way between us,” he said softly, leaning closer.

Her eyelids drooped a fraction as she slanted him a sensual look that set his pulse pounding. He slipped his arm around her waist and heard her gasp. She was soft, warm, all curves. He took his time, giving her a chance to pull away or protest or whatever she wanted.

Instead, when she placed her hand on his forearm and gazed up at him with a hot look, his body responded. If he was damned for it, he was going to kiss her.

With a seductive look from her, he was hard, wanting her, wanting to plunder her swollen lips, to taste and explore and see what a storm he could stir in her. Never had he seen a woman who looked more ready for sex.

Somewhere in the depths of his being, he knew he was crossing a line, going against what he had sworn he would avoid. With the temptation of a Pandora’s box, he couldn’t resist even if he knew in his heart that he was opening himself up for unending trouble.

As he leaned closer, she tilted her head up. Her breath was sweet and she was soft in the curve of his arm. His mouth came down on hers, opening her lips, his tongue sliding inside her mouth. Hot and wet, his kiss demanded more. He wanted to discover her sexually and his kiss and his body pressing hers was the fiery beginning.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaned into him, molding her soft curves against him as she kissed him in return. Her tongue played over his, stroking and stirring his blinding need.

His rational thought had been lost back there when she first pressed against him. He tightened his arm around her, pulling her closer into his embrace, leaning over her and taking her searing kisses, letting go the pent-up longing he had controlled until now.

His pulse roared, drowning out other sounds, and he thought she would melt him with her scalding kisses. Why was she so different? he wondered. His heart thudded and he was in flames while below his belt he was rock-hard. He pulled her up tightly against him as his hand slid down her back and then trailed over the enticing curve of her bottom.