The Princess And The Cowboy Read online

  “Yeah, that’s pretty much it.” He thrust his fingers through his hair, rumpling it before he visibly braced himself for her response.

  Lily stared into his eyes. She’d asked him for an honest answer, sincerity and conviction rang in his voice and shone from his eyes.

  “That’s the craziest thing I’ve every heard. And you actually believe it, don’t you.” She shook her head incredulously.

  “I believe it because it’s true. You have no idea what kind of life I’ve lived, Lily.”

  “I don’t care if you lived on the street in Pioneer Square and scavenged in Dumpsters or did time in juvenile hall,” she said forcefully. “I care who you are now, and you’re a good person, Justin.”

  His eyes narrowed over her. “You really believe that, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” she said softly.

  Relief eased the taut lines of his face. “I don’t deserve you, Lily Spencer. But I want you and I swear I’ll never make you sorry you gave me another chance,” he vowed.

  He lowered his head to brush soft, cherishing kisses over her cheeks, temples and the corners of her mouth. Lily slid her arms around his neck, threading her fingers into the soft thickness of his hair. When his lips covered hers at last, she moaned with relief. She didn’t protest when he stripped the camisole from her and buried his face against the upper curve of her breast, his mouth hot against her already heated skin.

  She didn’t protest several moments later, either, when he bent and slipped an arm under her knees to pick her up.

  He laid her on the bed without releasing her, his body a welcome, warm weight that blanketed her. The edges of his unbuttoned shirt fell open, the powerful muscles of his chest softly abrading the swollen, sensitive tips of her breasts. He kissed her—hot, drugging kisses that had her moving restlessly beneath him.

  His palm cupped her knee before his hand stroked up her thigh beneath the hem of her short shirt. She caught her breath when he brushed the back of his fingers against the damp, heated center that ached with wanting him.

  “You’re wearing too many clothes,” he muttered, lifting his head.

  She pushed his shirt off his shoulders and reached for the buttons of his jeans, their hands colliding as he stripped her skirt off over her hips and down her legs.

  “Let me,” he muttered, his voice dark and several tones deeper. He pushed off the bed and stood, shedding his shirt and jeans with swift efficiency. He took a foil packet from his jeans pocket, halting at the edge of the bed to stare down at her, his eyes hot.

  Suddenly self-conscious, Lily’s hands fluttered to cover her bare breasts and the pale pink thong she wore.

  “No, don’t,” he demanded. “You’re so damned beautiful, Lily. Don’t hide from me.”

  He nudged her hands aside and bent over the bed, brushing hot, openmouthed kisses over each nipple before pressing his mouth against her navel.

  Lily sucked in a breath, heat flooding her.

  Justin tore open the foil, covered himself and slipped his fingers beneath the narrow straps riding on her hips to tug the pale panties down her legs. Then he gently pressed her knees apart and came down on top of her.

  “Hurry,” Lily murmured, frantic with the need to have him inside her.

  He growled and took her mouth as his body claimed hers. Heat poured off him, increasing the inferno that burned her as they moved together. Lily shuddered with pleasure as the world exploded in lightning strikes and fireworks.

  Lily woke in Justin’s bed, his arm around her waist, anchoring her tightly against him.

  “Good morning,” his voice rumbled in her ear, husky with arousal.

  “You’re awake early,” she murmured, smiling when he kissed her ear, his warm lips tickling. She wriggled, shifting against him, and a second later, found herself on her back, his warm weight pinning her to the bed.

  “I never went to sleep.” He brushed soft, tasting kisses across her cheek and throat.

  “Not at all?” Surprised, she opened her eyes, scanning his rumpled hair, heavy-lidded eyes, and the day’s growth of beard stubble darkening his cheeks and jawline.

  “Nope. I didn’t want to miss all those hours of holding you.”

  “Ooh, that’s sweet.” Her heart melted, her smile shaky.

  His eyes darkened. “Not sweet, just practical,” he grumbled. “We have to fly back to Seattle this morning.” He nuzzled her cheek. “We should have wound up in this bed the first night we were here. Look how many nights we missed,” he grumbled.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t waste these last few minutes?” she suggested hopefully, sliding her palm over the bare curve of his shoulder and down his back. The muscles flexed under her stroking hand, arching into her touch with obvious pleasure.

  “Good plan,” he growled just before his mouth took hers and his body blanketed her.

  Chapter 9

  For the first time, Justin didn’t mind leaving Idaho to fly to Seattle; Lily and Ava were with him. He dropped the two at Lily’s town house and headed back downtown to his apartment. Contentment wasn’t an emotion he was familiar with, he reflected, but it was the only word he could think of that came close to describing how he felt.

  Making love with Lily the night before had been even more amazing than he’d remembered, and his memories had been pretty spectacular.

  He still wasn’t convinced he could break the workaholic instincts honed by years of living with Harry. He wanted to believe he’d always put Lily and Ava before work, but in a crisis, would he?

  His cell phone rang and he glanced at the caller ID information; it was Harry.

  “Alec Paxson wants you to join us to discuss final details tonight,” Harry said without preamble.

  Justin knew the man well. He’d been instrumental in negotiating HuntCom’s purchase of Paxson’s valuable real estate in downtown Seattle. He didn’t question whether he needed to be at the meeting—the businessman routinely insisted on including him.

  “Sure, what time?” Justin eased to a stop and prepared to wait. The Fremont Bridge was raised to let a tall-masted sailboat pass through and traffic was backed up on both sides of the lock.

  “Eight o’clock. I reserved a table at the Save the Whales function—it’s being held at the Collins Hotel. Why don’t you bring Lily?” Harry added. “I bought a block of tickets and Cornelia will be there with Frankie. I’m sure they’d love to meet Lily.”

  “Right.” Justin rolled his eyes. “Nice try, Harry. I’m not subjecting Lily to the Hunt clan until she decides she’s ready. And dining with the Paxsons doesn’t make me believe he’s ready to finalize the deal and sign the contract. I’ll pass on tonight. I’d rather spend time with Lily and Ava.”

  “What?” Harry sounded genuinely startled. “No, you have to be there—Paxson specifically asked for you.”

  “Sorry, Harry.” Justin didn’t feel a twinge of remorse at choosing his girls over a business meeting. “Unless you can convince me Paxson is really more interested in closing the deal than dancing with his wife—I won’t be there.”

  “All right,” Harry said with a touch of grumpiness. “Paxson wanted to hold the meeting at his office, but I convinced him to have the wives join us at the fund-raiser. I thought it would give us all an opportunity to get together outside the office for a change.”

  “You mean you hoped you could maneuver me into producing Lily so you could interrogate her,” Justin said, convinced he was right.

  “Maybe that was part of it,” Harry admitted reluctantly.

  “Probably closer to ninety-five percent,” Justin said dryly.

  “Regardless, Paxson wants you present at this last discussion before the contract is drawn up. HuntCom needs you there,” Harry said firmly.

  “All right,” he said reluctantly. “I’ll be there.”

  He thumbed his phone’s Off button and dropped the receiver into the cup holder beside him. Ahead, the bridge slowly lowered and locked into place, then the traffic bars began to lift. Whi
le Justin waited for traffic to move once again, he drummed his fingertips on the steering wheel, turning over in his mind the possible complications caused by Harry’s machinations.

  He didn’t want Lily to feel he was pressuring her to meet his family. She’d made it clear she wanted to preserve the illusion of being an average Seattle family of Mom, Dad and daughter for as long as they could. Tonight’s event would be covered by local newspaper reporters and photographers. If he attended with Lily, photos of them together as a couple would be splashed all over the Pacific Northwest media by the following morning. The privacy they both cherished would be gone.

  Much as he wanted to fast-forward his courtship to happily married status, he instinctively knew Lily needed time to accept and trust that this time they’d be together forever.

  Which brought him back to the question of the meeting with Harry and Paxson. Was this one of those crisis moments he feared, and if so, should he go?

  No, he decided. Both he and Lily had active careers. She’d probably be the first to tell him to meet with Harry and Paxson. So that only left the question of whether he should ask Lily to attend the dinner-dance cum business meeting with him.

  He finally decided to tell her only the basic facts: Harry insisted he attend a meeting with a client. Period. End of story. No pressure on her to meet the family—no potential telling the world about their relationship.

  He left his apartment early the following morning, made a quick stop at Starbucks for coffee and scones, and drove to Lily’s town house.

  She answered his knock fully dressed but with her hair tousled.

  “Hi, what are you doing here? Did I forget plans?”

  She looked endearingly confused and he grinned, kissed the tip of her nose, nudged her gently backward so he could close the door, then took her mouth in a kiss that left them both breathless.

  “Wow,” he said raggedly, when he let her go. “What a great way to start the day.”

  “Yes.” She blinked up at him, bemused, a small smile playing on her lips.

  “I brought coffee.” He passed the steaming paper cup below her nose and she sighed blissfully, eyes half closing as she breathed in.

  “Oh, yum. Whatever you want, you’ve got it.”

  “I’ll remind you of that,” he said huskily, watching her mouth as she drank.

  She looked up at him from beneath her lashes. “Tonight?”

  “I can’t tonight,” he said, following her into the kitchen where Ava immediately crowed with delight. “That’s one of the reasons I’m here so early. Harry called—I have to join him for a meeting with a landowner tonight. I handled the negotiations and he wants me in on the final discussions before the contracts are drawn up.” Justin unlatched Ava’s seat belt and lifted her out of her high chair. She shrieked when he kissed her and made growling noises.

  “We’ll miss you,” Lily told him, laughing when Ava grabbed fistfuls of Justin’s hair and pulled.

  “Ouch, you little demon,” he complained, tugging her hands free. She babbled and patted his face in demand, so he repeated the bear growls.

  “I brought scones,” he told Lily when Ava finally tired of their game.

  “I’ll have to take mine to work with me,” she said. “Look at the time. Yikes.”

  “You’re the boss, can’t you go in late this morning?”

  “Not today.” She disappeared into the bathroom off the front hall and reappeared moments later with her hair sleek and smooth. “I’m giving a new client a tour of the design room and shop at eight-thirty.” She glanced at her watch. “And I have to scoot or I’ll be late.”

  When Justin waved them off a brief ten minutes later and got into his own vehicle, he couldn’t help but wish he didn’t have to meet Harry tonight. He’d much rather spend the evening here with Lily and Ava.

  Lily’s plan to spend a quiet evening with just herself and Ava, minus Justin, ending with going to bed alone, changed drastically shortly after lunch.

  “You forgot?” Sylvie Cross’s voice rose in disbelief. “Hon, the Save the Whales fund-raiser is the event of the season. You have to go—you promised you’d wear the green dress, remember? Come on, Lily,” she coaxed. “You can’t let me down. I need the exposure. I need the clients and money you’ll bring me by showing up in a Cross design. Pleeeease. I promise I’ll return the favor in future.”

  “You’ll be photographed in my lingerie at the Save the Whales fund-raiser next year?” Lily teased, amused as always by her friend’s cajoling.

  “Whoa, I’m not sure about that, but…maybe.”

  Lily burst out laughing, and after a few moments of listening to Sylvie catch her up on her latest boyfriend, followed by the latest juicy bit of gossip about a notorious Seattle model, she rang off.

  Thinking her plans would definitely be different from the quiet night she’d planned, she dialed her neighbor and booked her to sit with Ava.

  Lily chose to skip the dinner so she would be home to tuck Ava into bed before leaving the house. As a result, it was well after 10:00 p.m. before she arrived at the Collins Hotel and walked into the ladies’ room, pausing in front of the full-length mirror. The emerald-green gown was one of her favorite creations from Sylvie, a gift after Lily had solved a crisis and volunteered to pair with the designer and provide lingerie at a local fashion show. The event had been wildly successful and the designer became a devoted friend.

  The strapless bodice was nearly backless and snug as a bustier from the heart-shaped neckline to just below her waist, where the skirt flared to fall to her ankles. Panels of filmy green silk covered the green satin skirt, and she wore green backless strappy shoes with three-inch heels.

  Lily tucked an errant curl back into the upswept silky mass piled atop her head and secured with an emerald-and-diamond clip.

  “Excuse me, aren’t you Lily Spencer?”

  Lily hadn’t noticed the tall blonde enter the powder room. She was dressed in a stunning gown of black lace, her brown eyes sparkling with lively curiosity. Lily couldn’t place the young woman and was fairly certain they hadn’t met before.

  “Yes, I am.” She smiled and held out her hand. “And you are…?”

  “Frankie Fairchild. I’m Cornelia Fairchild’s daughter—Justin’s cousin. Well, we’re not really cousins, of course, but we always think of ourselves as cousins.”

  “How nice to meet you,” Lily said with a smile. She’d known this day was

  inevitable—sooner or later, she was bound to run into family or friends of Justin’s. She wondered how much Frankie knew about her and Justin.

  “We’re all just dying to meet you and Ava. I can’t wait to tell my mother and sisters I met you tonight.”

  Apparently, Frankie knew the relevant details, Lily thought. “Justin’s mentioned you and your mother,” she said as she took one of the six dainty, velvet-upholstered stools at the long mirrored vanity table. “I’m looking forward to meeting her and your sisters. Your family is quite close to the Hunt family, isn’t it?”

  “Justin and I are good friends.” Frankie took a seat beside Lily but didn’t bother pretending to use the mirror. “I’m not so close to his brothers. You’re just the sort of woman I thought Justin would pick,” she said with blunt honesty.

  “What type is that?” Lily asked, curious. She took out her lipstick and applied a fresh coat of peony pink.

  “Gorgeous,” Frankie said, laughing when Lily lifted an eyebrow and eyed her in the mirror. “Well, you know what I mean. Justin only dates beautiful women. I bet Ava is the cutest baby ever—what with you and Justin for parents. Does she look more like you, or more like Justin?”

  “She has Justin’s dimples,” Lily said with a smile. “And his black hair.”

  “I don’t know why Justin didn’t tell us you’d be here tonight. He must have wanted to surprise everyone—he didn’t say a word about you earlier.”

  “Earlier?” Lily’s hand froze on the gold lipstick case.

  “At dinn
er,” Frankie explained. “We all sat at the same table—Harry, Justin, mother, myself and the Paxsons.” Frankie rolled her eyes and sighed. “Uncle Harry can’t let any opportunity to close a deal go by. I swear, I heard Mr. Paxson promise Justin he’d drop by his office in the morning to sign the contract.”

  “I don’t recall—what is it Mr. Paxson does?” Lily asked. Justin’s business meeting was being held at a dinner-dance? Why hadn’t he told her the meeting was a mix of business and pleasure, and more important, why hadn’t he asked her to attend with him? Clearly, all women weren’t excluded—only her. Her temper rose, flushing her cheeks.

  “The Paxsons own two square blocks in north Seattle that Harry wants to buy. Justin handled the negotiations and Mr. Paxson wanted him present at the final meeting. He and his wife are nice—I think they’re going to retire and travel more now. But enough about the Paxsons.” Frankie waved her hand airily. “You and Justin are much more interesting.”

  Lily smiled and tucked her lipstick case into the small satin evening bag that matched her dress. “Well, Ava is, I’m sure.”

  “And you,” Frankie assured her firmly. “When my mother told me about Harry threatening to disown the boys if they didn’t marry, I thought it was the craziest thing I’d ever heard.” She shook her head. “I was afraid Harry had suffered brain damage when he had the heart attack. But Justin and his brothers agreed and look how well it’s turned out.” She fairly beamed at Lily. “He’s reunited with you and his little girl. And he’s so obviously head over heels in love and happy—how romantic is that?”

  “Indeed,” Lily murmured, shock quickly evaporating beneath anger. She was so furious she actually considered screaming at the top of her lungs and throwing one of the dainty, upholstered stools through the mirror. He lied to me, she thought, feeling adrenaline pound through her veins. In the mirror, she saw a woman with flushed cheeks and green eyes bright with anger and hurt. “I’ve wondered why Justin agreed to cooperate with Harry,” she said carefully. “It seems out of character for such an independent guy, don’t you think?”