The Fairest of Them All

Russ revved the powerful engine and backed out of the parking space. “I’m sure Bob will be calling you,” he said none too happily, recalling the interested expression on the other man’s face.

“Good. I’ll be that much closer to my goal,” Carly mumbled and closed her eyes.

Russ’s ears pricked up. “What goal?”

Carly sighed again. “I want to buy out my—” She broke off abruptly and sat up straighter.

“Buy out my what?” He looked at her. She was almost squirming in her seat. “Is it a secret?”

A long silence followed. “I guess it is.”

He didn’t push. From past experience, Russ knew that pushing her was a mistake. “If it’s important to you, then I hope it works out.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her relax slightly.

“It is important. Maybe even vital. And I’ll make it happen or die trying.”

Russ steered the car into a vacant parking space in her small apartment complex. He placed a hand on her delicate shoulder, loving the feel of her warmth and softness. “Well, I wouldn’t want you to kill yourself,” he said with a lazy grin. “But let me know if I can help you out.”

She wavered. It was only a few seconds, but he saw it in her eyes before she straightened and set her chin.

“I’ve got to do this myself.” She softened the statement with a smile. “But thanks anyway.”

Russ resisted the urge to pull her into his lap and kiss the resistance out of her. He trailed his fingers down her arm. “Time for all hardworking ladies to get to bed. Will you share yours with me? I’ve got a long drive back to the farm.”

He heard her soft gasp. Then she hooted with laughter.

“Give me a break, Bradford. When it comes to meaningless flirtations, you wrote the book—and sold it to my brothers. A woman would have to be crazy to take you seriously.” Carly smiled and poked his chest. “If you’ve got such a long drive, you’d better get moving.” Then she opened the car door and got out.

Russ watched her long legs and sweet rear end as she edged out. He felt the familiar heat, rubbed his mouth and wondered if a man could die from being too patient.

He narrowed his eyes. His past was coming back to haunt him. He hadn’t counted on Carly not taking him seriously. This wasn’t part of his careful plan.

Now, if he rushed his seduction of her, Carly would think he was treating her like any other woman he’d dated. Which was the furthest thing from the truth. So what he must do, he realized grimly, was take it slow.

Giving a long-suffering groan, he followed her to her door. He watched her turn around to face him. Her hair was soft and feathery-looking. The light played on her skin, making it look like satin. His hands itched to touch her so badly, he stuck them in his pockets.

“I’ll see you Thursday for the Hendersons’ anniversary.”

Russ nodded, studying her carefully. She cleared her throat and backed in the direction of the door. Was she nervous? His chest swelled with pride. He looked at her mouth and thought again about kissing her. Much as he wanted to, the time wasn’t right. He didn’t want to scare her off. When he leaned forward, he saw her eyes flutter in a feminine show of nerves, and he smiled inside. Then he kissed her on the forehead, just as one of her brothers would.

“Good night, Carly,” he murmured in a low voice and turned to leave.

He was almost all the way down the steps before he heard her soft reply. “Good night, Russ.”

It had taken her that long to form a response. Russ smiled on the outside that time.

But he shook his head when he recalled her flat shoes. He had a long way to go.

Chapter Three

Could a person die of sexual curiosity? Carly wondered three weeks later as she brooded over a mail-order fashion catalog. Thus far, she’d escorted Russ to two functions, both business related. Since he was the most successful aquaculture farmer in the state, he was often asked to give speeches to assorted organizations. Plus, as an officer of Catfish Farmers of America, it was his duty to promote the eating of catfish at every opportunity.

They’d attended a fish fry put on by a volunteer fire department in a neighboring county. Then they’d driven into Chattanooga for a state tourism meeting. The second meeting had been especially beneficial for Carly as she had used the opportunity to promote Matilda’s Dream.

On both occasions, Russ had been attentive and charming. Just when she started to relax, he would whisper something naughty and teasing in her ear, or put his arm around her waist, or finger her earrings, or stare at her mouth in the most disconcerting way.

In spite of her resolve, Carly studied that firm, naughty mouth of his and spent a great deal of time anticipating how it would feel pressed against hers. She wondered how his bare chest would feel against her breasts.

At the end of both evenings, however, Russ kissed her forehead and disappeared down the steps, leaving Carly feeling disappointed and restless.

Carly scowled. Russ was totally wrong for her even if he sent her hormones into overdrive. She should be relieved she wasn’t forced to fight him off.

Instead, she began to worry about her image.

She knew she’d been terribly overprotected by her brothers. Of course, she’d dated a few men, always under the watchful eye of her brothers. To be perfectly honest, though, none of her suitors had tempted her enough to trade her chastity belt for a wild night in bed.

Presently, Carly was finding both the chastity belt and her pure reputation a strain. Being with Russ made her want to…experiment. Did Russ ever think of her as a desirable woman? Did he ever want to kiss her?

She discussed it in a roundabout way with her assistant Sara one afternoon. “Have you ever thought about getting your ears pierced?”

Sara pushed aside her long brown hair to reveal tiny gold studs. “My ears are pierced. See?”

“No,” Carly shook her head. “I mean several times.”

“I don’t know.” Carly sighed and looked at her daily planner without seeing it. “Maybe to change your image.”

Sara sniffed. “I don’t allow enough time in my schedule to put in three pairs of earrings every day. Do you?”

Carly thought about that and shook her head. “No.” She started to go back into her inner office, then turned back around, tilting her head thoughtfully. “What about high heels?”

“I like my feet.” Sara glanced down at her plain flats. “Why should I torture them?”

“Yeah,” Carly agreed, feeling foolish.

“This isn’t really about earrings or heels, is it?”

Carly hesitated. With the exception of her oldest brother, her entire family had warmed to her solemn, understated assistant. And since Sara had revealed that her parents were dead and she wished she had some relatives, Carly felt reluctant to say anything negative about her brothers.

“I’m just rethinking my image,” she finally said.

Sara nodded. “Have your brothers been making you crazy?”

“No,” Carly said, then smiled ironically. “At least not lately. With Ethan, Nathan and Brick on that camping trip, things have been pretty quiet. But there have been some comments different people have made that have bothered me.”

“Like?”

Her smile fell. “Like Carly’s always been so shy and reserved. Like you’re just not that kind of girl.” Her voice became more clipped. “Like everybody knows you’re as innocent as the day you were born.”