The Best Kept Secrets...: The Secret Affair

They had ridden a few moments side by side in total silence when she finally broke it by asking, “Where are we going?”

“Bane’s Ponderosa.”

She nodded. “Has he built anything on it?”

“No, because legally it’s not his yet. He can’t claim it until he’s twenty-five.”

“Like Bailey. She told me about the age requirement.”

“Yes, like Bailey.”

He wished they could go back to not talking. He needed the silence to figure out what in the hell was happening to him. She must have deciphered that he was not in a talkative mood because she went silent again.

Aidan glanced over at her, admiring how well she handled a horse. He couldn’t help admiring other things, as well. Such as how she looked today in her jeans and western shirt, and how the breasts he had fantasized about earlier moved erotically in rhythm with the horse’s prance.

“There is a building here,” Jillian said, bringing her horse to a stop.

He forced his eyes off her breasts to follow her gaze to the wooden cabin. He brought his horse to a stop, as well. “If you want to call it that, then yes. Bane built it a while back. It became his and Crystal’s secret lovers’ hideaway.”

“Crystal?”

“Yes. Crystal Newsome. Bane’s one and only.”

Jillian nodded. “She’s the reason he had to leave and join the navy, right?”

Aidan shrugged. “I guess you could say that, although I wouldn’t place the blame squarely on Crystal’s shoulders. Bane was as much into Crystal as Crystal was into Bane. They were both sticks of dynamite waiting to explode.”

“Where is she now?”

“Don’t know. I’m not sure if Bane even knows. He never says and I prefer not to ask,” Aidan said, getting off his horse and tying it to the rail in front of the cabin.

He moved to assist her from her horse and braced himself for the onslaught of emotions he knew he would feel when he did so.

“You don’t have to help me down, Aidan. I can manage.”

“I’m sure you can but I’m offering my assistance anyway,” he said, reaching his arms up to her.

For a minute he thought she would refuse his offer, but then she slid into his embrace. And as expected the moment they touched, fire shot through him. He actually felt his erection throb. He didn’t say anything as he stared into her face. How could she arouse him to this degree?

“You can let go of me now, Aidan.”

He blinked, realizing her feet were on the ground yet his arms were still around her waist. He tried to drop his arms but couldn’t. It was as if they had a mind of their own.

Then, in a surprise move, she reached up and placed her arms around his neck. “This is crazy,” she whispered in a quiet tone. “I shouldn’t want this but I’m not thinking straight.”

He shouldn’t want it, either, but at that moment nothing could stop him. “We’re leaving tomorrow. When we get back to our respective territories we can think straight then.”

“What about right now?” she asked, staring deep into his gaze.

“Right now all I want to do is taste you again, Jillian. So damn bad.”

She lifted her chin. “Then do it.”

He doubted she knew what she was saying because her lips weren’t the only thing he wanted to taste. He lowered his mouth to hers, thinking that she would find that out soon enough.

* * *

At that particular moment, Jillian couldn’t deny herself the enjoyment of this kiss even if her life had depended on it.

She was getting what she wanted in full force—Aidan Westmoreland–style.

She stood with her arms wrapped around his neck and their lips locked, mesmerized, totally captivated, completely enthralled. How his tongue worked around in her mouth was truly remarkable. Every bone, every pore and every nerve ending responded to the way she was being thoroughly kissed. When had she become capable of such an intense yearning like this, where every lick and suck of Aidan’s tongue could send electrical waves through her?

“Let’s go inside,” he whispered, pulling back from the kiss while tonguing her lips.

“Inside?” She could barely get the question past the feeling of burning from the inside out.

“Yes. We don’t need to be out here in the open.”

No they didn’t. She had gotten so caught up in his kiss that she’d forgotten where they were. But instead of saying they shouldn’t even be kissing, in the open or behind closed doors, she didn’t resist him when he took her hand and tugged her toward the cabin.

Once the door closed behind them she looked around and was surprised at how tidy the place was. Definitely not what she’d expected. It was a one-room cabin with an iron bed. The colorful bedspread matched the curtains and coordinated with the huge area rug.

She turned to Aidan. “This is nice. Who keeps this place up?”

“Gemma promised Bane that she would and of course she had to put her signature on it. Now that she’s getting married and moving to Australia, Bailey will take over. This place is important to Bane. He spends time here whenever he comes home.”

Jillian nodded. “How’s he doing?”

Aidan shrugged. “Okay now. It was hard for him to buckle down and follow authority, but he has no other choice if he wants to be a SEAL.”

She’d heard that was Bane Westmoreland’s goal. “So no one usually comes out this way?” She needed to know. There would be no turning back after today and she needed to make sure they didn’t get caught.

“Rarely, although Ramsey uses this land on occasion for his sheep. But you don’t have to worry about anyone showing up if that’s what you’re worried about.”

She turned to face him. “I don’t know why I’m doing this.”

He touched her chin and tilted her head back to meet his gaze. “Do you want me to tell you?”

“Think you got it all figured out?”

He nodded. “Yes, I think I do.”

“Okay then, let’s hear it,” she said, backing up to sit on the edge of the bed.

He moved to sit down on a nearby stool. “We’re attracted to each other.”

She chuckled slightly. “Tell me something I don’t know, Aidan.”