The Reluctant Heiress

“You have a nice home.”

“Thanks. As you said, it’s comfortable. It’s too late to invite you in but I had a great time tonight.”

“It’s too early to exchange goodbyes,” he said, slipping his arm around her waist to draw her close.

Sophia’s heart raced as she looked up at him. His lower lip was full, sensual. She leaned slightly closer, pressing against him and closing her eyes as his mouth covered hers lightly, then firmly, his tongue thrusting into her mouth. A wave of longing rippled, tearing at her while she felt as if she were in free fall. Her breathing altered, heat pooled low in her. His kiss was demanding, enticing and she returned it. She moaned softly, the sound taken by his mouth on hers.

Her heart pounded so violently she was certain he could feel it. When she pressed against his lean, hard length, his arm tightened around her. Leaning over her, holding her tightly, he didn’t let up. She was lost, consumed in kisses that were magical, that set her on fire.

One hand slipped down her back, a light caress, and the other was warm on the nape of her neck. His kisses were earth-shattering, rocking her world. She had never been kissed this way. She wanted to stay in his arms for hours.

Finally she leaned away to look at him. “Garrett, slow down,” she whispered, caution and wisdom fighting to gain control over desire. All she wanted was to kiss him endlessly.

As he gazed at her intently, she realized that his ragged breathing matched her own.

“Sophia,” he said, her name a hoarse whisper. “I want you.” The words—stark, honest and direct—set her pulse galloping.

“We have to say good-night,” she declared. She had just met him and barely knew him. She should not fall into his arms instantly and lose all control.

Locks of his dark, unruly hair had tumbled on his forehead, escaping the neatly combed style he’d worn when she first saw him. She ached to run her hands through them.

Instead, she took a deep breath and stepped back. “We have to say good-night,” she repeated. “I had a wonderful time.”

“It was world-changing for me,” he whispered, his voice still only a rasp. He framed her face with his hands. “I mean it. Tonight was a special night that I never, ever expected. I’d hoped to meet you but I never once thought I’d have an evening like this.” As he spoke, his fingers combed lightly through her hair. His words carried a sincerity that made her heartbeat quicken again, his smoky, intense gaze consuming her.

“I didn’t expect anything like this either,” she whispered, wanting him with an urgency that shook her.

“When I walked into your gallery, I wanted to meet you for one reason. After meeting you, I want to be with you for an entirely different reason,” he said.

He leaned down to kiss her again, passionately. When he released her, he stepped away, but his hand stayed on her shoulder as if he didn’t want to break the physical contact with her.

“I’ll see you in the morning. How’s seven?”

She nodded, and he turned and strode away. She stared at him—broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, thick brown hair, handsome. The man took her breath and set her heart pounding.

“Good night, Garrett,” she said softly. She closed the door and switched on lights while her lips tingled. Desire was a scorching flame. Garrett Cantrell. She would be with him again in just hours and yet she couldn’t wait.

Her cell phone’s tune signaled a call. She looked at the number with curiosity as she answered. Her heart missed a beat when she heard Garrett’s deep voice.

She laughed. “You do know that we just parted?”

“We did. It now seems like a serious mistake. Tell me more about growing up, your dreams, your day tomorrow.”

Smiling, she sat in a rocker in her bedroom, gazing at her shelves of familiar books and pictures. “I grew up in Houston. I’ve always dreamed of painting and having my own gallery. Tomorrow—”

“Wait a minute. Back up. You grew up in Houston. House? Apartment? Best friends through your school years or did you move a lot? Tell me about your life, Sophia.”

When he said her name in his deep drawl, her pulse beat faster. “It can’t possibly be that fascinating. I grew up in one house, went to neighborhood elementary schools and then private schools later. I had the same close friends through elementary and then new friends in the private school. See? All very routine and ordinary.”

“There is absolutely nothing ordinary about you,” he said, stirring another thrilling physical reaction in her that threw her completely off base. She wasn’t used to feeling like this because of a man.

“What about you? You said you had it easy growing up?” she asked.

“I always went to private schools. I’ve had the same best friend all my life since I was too young to remember. Our fathers were best friends. I’ve had the same family home my whole life. I’m an only child.”

“We’re so much alike, I’m surprised we can stand each other, Garrett.” When he laughed, she felt her stomach drop, like she was in free fall. He was turning her inside out with just the sound of his voice.

“You’re already living your dream. Do you feel fulfilled, complete?” he asked.

“I think people always want more and keep striving. I am very happy with my life, though, and what I do.”

“Surely there’s something else you want.”

“Another successful gallery in Taos. I’d like to live in Santa Fe. But I already have a home and studio, and I have a cabin in the mountains near Questa, where I go for solitude to paint.”

“The Questa cabin sounds isolated.”

“No cell phone reception whatsoever, which is a plus. I have a caretaker. He and his family have a cabin close to mine, so there are people nearby. He has four dogs. Two take up with me when I’m there, so that’s a bit of company. It’s a good place to work with no interference—a good place to improve my skills as a painter.”

“I’d say you can settle for how well you paint right now.”

“No, I can definitely improve. So tell me about you, Garrett. Do you really dream of building furniture someday?”

“It’s pushed to a burner so far back, it will take years to get to it.”

As they talked, she moved to the window, switching off a lamp and gazing outside at the full moon. By the time she glanced at the clock, she was shocked to see it was half past three.

“Garrett, we have to get off the phone. It’s after three a.m., and you’re picking me up at seven.”

“All right. Sophia, you’re a remarkable woman,” he said in a solemn tone. She suddenly had a funny feeling that he had expected something different from her.

“And you are a remarkable man,” she replied softly. “Good night, Garrett. I will see you soon—very soon.”

“Night, Sophia,” he said, and was gone.

She turned off her phone and crawled into bed, Garrett dominating her thoughts completely. “Garrett,” she whispered, enjoying saying his name while she thought about his magical kisses. She had never expected to meet someone like him tonight. This wasn’t a time in her career to be distracted, yet he made her feel things she had never felt before. Morning couldn’t come quickly enough. She was already anxious to be with him again.

Two

Setting aside his phone to strip to his briefs, Garrett replayed the night, thinking of the first moment he had seen Sophia at the gallery. In high heels, she had to be six feet tall. Her midnight hair was straight and fell freely over her shoulders in a black cascade.

A dramatic black-and-white dress left one tan shoulder bare. The slit in the straight skirt revealed long, shapely legs with each step. Her mother’s Native American blood had given her smooth, olive skin, beautiful raven hair and her prominent cheekbones, yet she bore a striking resemblance to Will and reminded Garrett of Zach in her forthright, practical manner.

From the first moment she had captivated him. Dancing with her had fanned his desire until he ached to kiss her.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

While he hadn’t lied to her, he had still deceived her by not mentioning his ties to the Delaneys and his mission in Houston. At the moment she could be at her computer, looking him up and discovering he was an executive with Delaney Enterprises. A chill slithered through Garrett, turning him to ice. By breakfast time, she might already know the truth.