Maureen Child - The Jarrods - Temptation - Claiming Her Billion-Dollar Birthright / Falling For His Proper Mistress / Expecting the Rancher's Heir

Somehow, he had thought that touching her would bring him satisfaction. That having her in his arms, sighing his name, would ease the need that had been gnawing at him for days. But it hadn’t. If anything, that need was sharper now, clawing at his insides, demanding more. Demanding all.

Christian’s head fell back and he stared at the sky as he realized that something incredible had just happened. Something life-changing.

But the question was, did he want his life changed—and was it too late to stop it?

For the next couple of days, Erica hardly saw Christian, but she almost didn’t have time to notice. Her new life was racing straight ahead and she was forced to run just to keep up. There was a lot of work still to be done to prepare for the opening of the gala and she was working at a disadvantage, since she was coming in at the tail end. She had to catch up with Trevor’s plans, and with the marketing scheme he’d devised and already had in motion.

Working with Trevor was more fun than she’d expected it to be. She knew about PR. How to market a product so that a customer would be not only slavering to have it, but instantly convinced to buy it. Working the ins and outs of a gala as big and splashy as the Jarrod Ridge affair was, at its heart, no different. There were posters to see to, artistic signs, menus for some of the out-of-town vendors and professionally shot photos, showing impossibly perfect people at play.

Jarrod Ridge was about to become the center of the food and wine industry for several weeks and Erica was right in the thick of it.

She couldn’t remember being happier.

Her office on the ground floor of the Manor was bigger than her old one in San Francisco and bright with sunlight pouring in through a bank of windows. There were fresh flowers in the room, and a top-of-the-line computer and printer. She had all the assistance she needed from the employees at the business center and she had Trevor to bounce ideas off of and to argue with occasionally, as well.

What she didn’t have, she thought now, was Christian.

He’d made himself scarce the last couple of days. She’d barely caught a glimpse of him. Erica stood up from behind her desk and looked out her window at the English-style garden beyond the glass. Scrubbing her hands up and down her arms, she forced herself to accept the fact that he was deliberately avoiding her. But why?

Those stolen moments beside the river rose up in her mind as they’d been doing regularly in every spare second. And in a heartbeat, she was back there again, his mouth on hers. His hand touching her intimately, pushing her into a pleasure so deep it was like nothing she’d ever known before.

It had been the most incredible encounter of her life.

So why wasn’t he coming to her again?

Did he really mean to stick to Don Jarrod’s ridiculous rules? Would he turn his back on her and what they might find to keep his job? Okay, yes, she could understand wanting—needing—to keep his mother safe and happy. But wasn’t he allowed to be happy, too?

Or, she thought miserably, maybe he was happier without her. Maybe what they’d shared on the banks of the river hadn’t touched him as it had her. Maybe he hadn’t felt a damn thing. Maybe it hadn’t meant anything from the start and he was just—

Her office door opened behind her and she whirled to face … “Christian,” she said. “I was just thinking about you.”

“Erica.” His voice was cool, polite.

She nearly caught a chill from across the room. But two could play at this game, she told herself. If he wanted to pretend there was nothing simmering between them, then that’s what they would do. Be damned if she would show him that she was hurt. That he was stomping on her heart even now with his professional air and distant tone. No, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

“Can I help you?” Her words were as polite as his. Her tone every bit as cold.

“I’ve come to introduce you to—”

“Me,” another man said as he walked into the office and looked at her. “I’m Blake Jarrod.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” she said, maintaining the professional manner she’d begun with. Erica saw no warm welcome in his eyes, so she wasn’t going to act as though they were any two siblings greeting each other.

Blake studied her and could see what his twin had already mentioned to him. Their newest sister did have the look of the Jarrods about her, so there was clearly no mistake made. He could see it in the defiant tilt of her chin. In the flash of her eyes. Hell, she probably had more of Don in her than Blake did.

But that didn’t mean that he’d welcome her into the family like the prodigal daughter. Or that she deserved a share of the estate. Being blood didn’t mean jack if you didn’t earn your place, he told himself. Everyone else might be willing to give her a chance, but he wasn’t so easily taken in. She’d have to prove herself to him.

Not that he had anything against her personally. And judging from what Melissa had had to say on the subject, he would probably like her. Eventually. But for right now, she was the intruder. Pushing her way into a family already hip-deep in problems and not really needing any extras.

“Getting along all right, I see,” he said, giving her office a quick scan.

“Everyone’s been very helpful,” Erica told him, then came around her desk and took a few steps closer. “Look, I know how hard this is for all of us. And I’m not expecting us to be one big happy family anytime soon.”

He folded his arms across his chest and nodded.

“I do, however, expect you to give me a fair chance,” she said. “You do.”

Erica looked directly at him and refused to be cowed by his steely stare. She’d already been warned that Blake would be the hardest nut to crack, so to speak. That this one of her new brothers would be the least welcoming. So she would stand her ground and if she needed to show him that she meant to make this place her home, then that’s what she’d do.

Besides, Christian was standing right there, watching her, and she wasn’t about to look weak or pitiful in front of him.

“That’s right. Just as you would any new employee,” Erica said. “I think that’s fair.”

Blake thought about it for a long moment before he nodded and walked forward, offering his hand. “It is fair. Okay, a chance it is.”

“Thanks.” Erica shook his hand and stepped back.

“Now, I’ve got to go find Gavin and talk to him about some business. If you two will excuse me …”

Blake left, shutting the door behind him and suddenly Erica and Christian were alone. Silence dragged out for what seemed like forever. Finally though, Christian said, “You handled him well.”

“Thanks,” she said, her words clipped, “is that all?”

“Erica …”

“I really don’t have time to talk right now, Christian. Trevor’s expecting to see the new poster I’ve designed for the gala and—” “I’ve missed you.”

She whipped her head around to glare at him. “Couldn’t have been easy to miss seeing me. I’ve been right here.”

He blew out a breath and took the few steps separating them. Now that he was closer, Erica could see the shadows under his eyes and realized he hadn’t been sleeping well. That made two of them. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but wasn’t sure he would accept it, so she kept her wants buried under a layer of anger.

“It’s complicated,” he said. “Not as far as I can see. You haven’t spoken to me since …”

“You think I don’t want to?” His voice was low and hard. “You really believe I’m not thinking about you every damn minute?”

Her heartbeat felt faint and fast. The look on his face was haunted, his eyes were blazing with fury and desire. “How would I know that when you’ve been avoiding me?”