The Best Kept Secrets...: The Secret Affair

He dismounted and tied his horse to a nearby tree. Then he turned to help her down. The moment he touched her, awareness of him filled her every pore. From the look in his eyes it was obvious that something similar was happening to him.

This was all new to her. She’d never felt anything like this before. And although her little lovemaking session with Cobb Grindstone on prom night had appeased her curiosity, it had left a lot to be desired.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, she heard a deep moan come from Aidan’s throat. Only then did it become obvious that they’d gotten caught up in a carnal attraction that was so sharp it took her breath away.

“Jillian...”

He said her name again and, like all the other times, the deep, husky sound accentuated his sexiness. But before she could respond, the masculine hand planted around her waist nudged her closer and then his mouth lowered to hers.

Chapter Three (#u32952a97-9299-5e7c-9a22-abbb432addc1)

All sorts of feelings ripped through Aidan, making him totally conscious of the woman whose lips were locked to his. Deep in the center of his being he felt a throb unlike any he’d ever felt before—an intense flare of heat shooting straight to his loins.

He knew he had to stop. This wasn’t any woman. This was Jillian Novak, Pam’s sister. Dillon’s sister-in-law. A woman who was now a part of the Westmoreland family. All that was well and good, but at the moment the only thing his mind could comprehend was that she had desire clawing at his insides and filling his every cell with awareness.

Instead of yielding to common sense, he was captivated by her sweet scent and her incredible taste, and the way her tongue stroked his showed both boldness and innocence. She felt exquisite in his arms, as if she belonged there. He wanted more. He wanted to feel her all over, kiss her all over. Taste her. Tempt her with sinful enticements.

The need for air was the only reason he released her lips, but her flavor made him want to return his mouth to hers and continue what they’d started.

The shocked look in her eyes told him she needed time to comprehend what had just happened between them. She took a step back and he watched as she took a deep breath.

“We should not have done that.”

Aidan couldn’t believe she had the nerve to say that while sultry heat still radiated off her. He might have thought the same thing seconds ago, but he couldn’t agree with her now. Not when his fingers itched to reach out and pull her back into his arms so he could plow her mouth with another kiss. Dammit, why did her pouty lips look so inviting?

“Then why did we do it?” he countered. He might have made the first move but she had definitely been a willing participant. Her response couldn’t lie. She had enjoyed the kiss as much as he had.

“I don’t know why we did it, but we can’t do it again.”

That was easy for her to say. “Why not?”

She frowned at him. “You know why not. Your cousin is married to my sister.”

“And?”

She placed her hands on her hips, giving him a mind-boggling view of her slim waistline. “And we can’t do it again. I know all about your womanizing reputation, Aidan.”

Her words struck a nerve. “Do you?”

“Yes. And I’m not interested. The only thing I’m interested in is getting into medical school. That’s the only thing on my mind.”

“And the only thing on mine is getting out of medical school,” he countered in a curt tone. “As far as Dillon being married to Pam, it changes nothing. You’re still a beautiful woman and I’m a man who happens to notice such things. But since I know how the situation stands between us, I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Glad we got that cleared up. Now I can continue showing you around.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

He watched her and when she pushed a lock of hair away from her face, he again thought how strikingly beautiful she was. “Why not? You don’t think you can control yourself around me?” he asked, actually smiling at the possibility of that being true.

Her look of anger should have warned him, but he’d never been one to heed signs. “Trust me, that’s definitely not it.”

“Then there’s no reason for me not to finish showing you around, is there, Jillian? Besides, Bailey will give me hell about it if I don’t. There’s a lot of land we still have to cover so let’s get started.”

He began walking along the bank of the river and figured that after cooling off Jillian would eventually catch up.

* * *

Jillian watched Aidan walk ahead and decided to hang back a moment to reclaim her common sense. Why had she allowed him to kiss her? And why had she enjoyed it so much?

The man gave French kissing a whole new definition, and she wasn’t sure her mouth would ever be the same.

No one had ever kissed her like that before. No one would have dared. To be honest, she doubted anyone she’d ever kissed would know how. Definitely not Cobb. Or that guy in her freshman year at Wyoming University, Les, that she’d dropped really quickly when he wanted to take her to a hotel and spend the night on their first date. He might have been a star on the school’s football team, but from the couple of times they had kissed, compared to what she’d just experienced with Aidan, Les had definitely dropped the ball.

But then, regardless of how enjoyable Aidan’s kiss had been, she was right in what she’d told him about not repeating it. She had no business getting involved with a guy whose favorite sport was messing around. She knew better. Honestly, she didn’t know what had come over her.

However, she knew full well what had come over him. More than once she’d overheard Dillon express his concern to Pam that although the twins were doing well at Harvard, he doubted they would ever settle down into serious relationships since they seemed to enjoy being womanizers. That meant Aidan’s interest in her was only because of overactive testosterone. Pam had warned Jillian numerous times about men who would mean her no good, and her oldest sister would be highly disappointed if Jillian fell for the ploy of a man like Aidan. A man who could take away her focus on becoming a doctor just to make her his plaything.

Feeling confident she had her common sense back on track, she began walking. Aidan wasn’t too far ahead and it wouldn’t take long for her to catch up with him. In the meantime she couldn’t help but appreciate his manly physique. His faded jeans emphasized masculine thighs, a rock-solid behind, tight waist and wide shoulders. He didn’t just walk, he swaggered, and he did it so blatantly sexily, it increased her heart rate with every step he took.

Moments later he slowed and turned around to stare at her, pinning her with his dark gaze. Had he felt her ogling him? Did he know she had been checking out his rear big-time? She hoped not because his front was just as impressive. She could see why he was in such high demand when it came to women.

“You coming?”

I will be if you don’t stop looking at me like that, Jillian thought, getting closer to where he stood. She felt the heat of his gaze on every inch of her. She came to a stop in front of him. She couldn’t take looking into his eyes any longer so she glanced around. In addition to the huge lake there were also mountains surrounding the property. “You have a nice mountain view in this spot and can see the lake from here,” she said.

“I know. That’s why I plan to build my house right here.”

She nodded. “Have you designed it yet?”

“No. I don’t plan on building for several more years, but I often come here and think about the time when I will. The house will be large enough for me and my family.”

She snapped her head around. “You plan on getting married?”

His chuckle was soft but potent. “Yes, one day. That surprises you?”

She decided to be honest. “Yes. You do have a reputation.”

He leaned one broad shoulder against a Siberian elm tree. “This is the second time today that you’ve mentioned something about my reputation. Just what have you heard about me?”

She took a seat across from him on a huge tree stump. “I heard what hellions you, Adrian, Bailey and Bane used to be.”

He nodded solemnly. “Yes, we were that. But that was a long time ago, and I can honestly say we regretted our actions. When we grew older and realized the impact we’d had on the family, we apologized to each one of them.”

“I’m sure they understood. You were just children and there was a reason you did what you did,” she said. She’d heard the full story from Pam. The deaths of their parents, and aunt and uncle, had been the hardest on those youngest four. Everyone had known that their acts of rebellion were their way of handling their grief.

“Sorry I mentioned it,” she said, feeling bad that she’d even brought it up.