Most Eligible Texan

“What are you taking?” Alexis asked.

“Taking?”

“A bottle of wine? A dessert? I’m sure we have something the cook has whipped up. She always has breads.”

Rachel shook her head. “I’m not taking anything. You’re letting that romantic streak show.”

“Just trying to help,” she muttered.

Rachel patted her friend’s arm. “I know, but I’ve only been a widow for a year. I’m not ready to rush into anything.”

Her marriage had started out in a whirlwind of lust and stars in their eyes. Rachel and Billy had lived life to the fullest and loved every minute of it. Then the pregnancy had slid between them and continued to drive a wedge through their relationship. They’d built something on top of shaky ground and hadn’t realized until after the fact.

Unfortunately, Rachel would never know if their marriage would’ve worked itself out. Would Billy have ever settled down and stepped into the role of loyal father and devoted husband?

Pain gripped her from so many angles, but she had to keep pushing forward for her sake as well as Ellie’s. Rumored infidelity and ugly arguments weren’t how she wanted to remember her late husband.

“I’m going to go check on Ellie,” Rachel told them. “She should be waking soon. Lex, I’ll get you a list of the order I think we should use for the auction. If Matt isn’t onboard, then Daniel might be our best bet as the big-name draw.”

Her friend’s lips thinned, her jaw clenched. Gus blew out a breath that Rachel would almost label as relief, and he had a satisfied grin. Whatever was going on with Daniel and Alexis—or wasn’t going on—was quite a mystery.

One thing was certain, though—Alexis was not a fan of having Daniel up on the auction block. Ironically, Rachel still wasn’t too keen on the idea of Matt being up there, either.

Because if that came to pass, one or both of them might just have to grab a paddle and place their own bids.

Three (#u41330599-44bf-5b0c-8a72-e96076c61cd8)

Matt tipped the waitstaff a hefty amount for their quick, efficient service and for meeting his last-minute demands. He hadn’t known what to have for dinner for Rachel, let alone an infant.

Infant? Toddler? What was the right term for an eleven-month-old? He knew nothing about children and had never taken to the notion of having his own, so he’d never bothered to learn.

But he was interested in Rachel, and she and Ellie were a package deal that he didn’t mind. No matter the years that passed, no matter the fact she’d married his best friend, nothing at all had ever diminished his desire for Rachel. He’d hid it as best he could, often gritting his teeth and biting his tongue when Billy would be disrespectful to Rachel’s needs.

Once Rachel got pregnant, the two started fighting more, and Billy’s answer was to get out of the house so they both could cool off. Those times when Matt and Billy were at the Dallas TCC clubhouse shooting pool and drinking beer or even out on Matt’s boat on the lake, Billy never did grasp that running didn’t solve the problem. He never once acted excited about the pregnancy. He never mentioned how Rachel felt about being a mother. Billy’s life didn’t change at all and Matt knew Rachel hurt alone.

He also knew she’d been excited about the pregnancy, but how much could she actually enjoy it knowing her husband wasn’t fully committed?

Whenever Matt would mention anything to Billy about Rachel, the other man always told him to mind his own business and that he didn’t know what marriage was like. Valid point, but Matt knew how to treat a woman and he damn well respected Rachel.

Matt stepped back and surveyed the dinner he’d had set up on the balcony. His penthouse suite at The Bellamy had a sweeping view of the immaculate grounds, yet was private enough he felt comfortable bringing Rachel out here to talk.

He hoped this setting was okay. For some asinine reason he was a damn nervous wreck. What the hell? There had never been a woman to make him question himself or his motives. Even when he and Rachel had been friends before, the main emotion that always hovered just below the surface had always been forbidden desire.

But she was a different woman now. She was a single mother seeking out a fresh start, not some short-term fling with her late husband’s best friend. And he wasn’t looking for anything more than exploring the connection and seeing if this was just one-sided.

Matt needed to curb his desire. She wasn’t coming here for a quickie. He’d invited her as a friend...and unfortunately, he feared that was the category she’d try to keep him in. Being near her again only put his desires right on the edge, and he had to retain control before he fell over the line of friendship and pulled her right with him.

Even now that she was single, he still had no chance with her because he was known as a ladies’ man, the Most Eligible Bachelor in Texas, and Rachel was a sweetheart who wouldn’t settle for anything less than happily-ever-after.

Damn that title. It had been nothing but a black cloud over him since he’d been given the title some men would happily flaunt. He was not one of those men. He hadn’t even been able to go on a damn date back in Dallas without a snap of the camera or someone coming up to him asking for his autograph.

The final straw had been when he’d come home to his penthouse and a reporter was lurking outside his door. He’d fired his security guard promptly after that irritating inconvenience.

The one woman he wanted could never be his, even temporarily. Perhaps that was his penance for lusting after his best friend’s wife.

Matt looked at all the items he’d ordered. He might not know much about children, but he’d paid his assistant a nice bonus to make a few things happen within the span of a few hours and by just making some calls. Even from Dallas, the woman was working her magic here in Royal and had baby things delivered in record time. That woman definitely deserved a raise. She saved his ass on a daily basis.

With one last glance, he started having doubts. The balcony ledge went up waist-high on him, the wrought iron slats were about an inch apart. There shouldn’t be a problem with Ellie out here, especially with all the other paraphernalia to keep her occupied, but seriously, what did he know about this? Did she walk or crawl? Did she look like Rachel or Billy?

Nerves pumped through him and he didn’t like it. Not one bit. Matt never got nervous. He’d handled multibillion-dollar mergers and never broken a sweat, so it baffled his mind as to why he was getting all worked up.

Besides, what did he think would happen here tonight? Did he truly believe they could pick back up where they’d left off before Billy died? He’d deserted her due to his own selfish needs and worry he wouldn’t be able to control those wants. He’d had to push her away for both of their sakes.

Surely he wasn’t so delusional to think that she’d...what? Want to tumble into bed with him? He’d be a complete liar if he said he hadn’t fantasized about her since the moment they’d met. There was probably some special pocket of hell for men like him, coveting his best friend’s wife.

But Rachel had always been different. Perhaps it was her beauty or the way his entire body tightened with desire when she was around. Maybe it was the way she could go up against anyone in a verbal sparring match that he found so sexy.

Hell, he had no idea. What he was sure of, though, was that having her come to his suite and bring her child along might have been the worst idea he’d ever had.

No, the worst idea he’d had was letting Billy ask Rachel out first. That was where Matt had gone wrong from the start.

The bell chimed throughout the suite and he raked a hand over his cropped hair as he crossed the spacious room. There was no going back now, and he wasn’t about to keep second-guessing himself. Rachel was a friend; so what if he had her over for dinner?

Yet you want more.

He wished like hell the devil on his shoulder would shut up. Matt was well aware of exactly what he wanted from Rachel, but he respected her enough not to seduce her.

With a flick of the lock, Matt pulled the door open and every single best intention of keeping his thoughts platonic vanished.

The formfitting blue shirt that matched her eyes hung off one shoulder. Those well-worn jeans hugged her shapely hips, and her little white sneakers had him immediately thinking back to the younger version he’d first met. But this grown-up Rachel had a beautiful baby girl on her hip...a baby that was a mirror image of her mother right down to the prominent dimples around her mouth.

Matt had always been fascinated by Rachel’s mouth and those damn dimples. Every time she smiled, he’d been mesmerized.

“Come in.”

Geesh, he’d been staring and reminiscing like some hormonal teen. He was a damn grown man, CEO of a billion-dollar company, and he stood here as if he’d never seen an attractive woman before.

“Wow, this is one snazzy hotel.”

Rachel moved into the living area and spun in a slow circle. Her daughter still clutched her little arms around her mother’s shoulders.

“I thought the outside was impressive,” she stated. “But this penthouse suite is bigger than the apartment I’d been renting.”

Matt frowned. Why the hell had she lived in such a small space to begin with? He understood her emotional reasoning for selling the home she and Billy shared, but why an apartment? Could she not afford another home?

He had no right to ask about her financial standing, but that’s exactly what he wanted to do. Obviously this wasn’t something he’d get into with Ellie here.

“I figure this is a good place to hide while I’m in town,” he joked. “I can work from the offices at the TCC clubhouse and come back here and enjoy the amenities of the gym and sauna, and having dinner here is no hardship.”