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  “Why? You said I could touch you anywhere I wanted.” Her words were punctuated by gasps of pleasure as his thumb continued to move against her.

  “If you keep it up, I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop,” he confessed, punctuating his words with a hard kiss on her lips.

  “Do we have to stop?” she asked softly.

  He lifted his head, staring down into her eyes. “Don’t you want to?”

  She shook her head. “No. I want to feel you inside me, Jesse. I want to be your wife. Really your wife.”

  “Are you sure?” He hated questioning her, because he wanted to just make her his, but he had to make certain she was ready for him. He couldn’t bear it if he made love to her, and she regretted it later.

  “I’m positive. Please make love to me.”

  He read her feelings on her face and finally nodded, moving to his knees to strip her shorts down her body. When she was bare beneath him, he paused for a moment, just to look at her. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.”

  Her hands reached for him, but he put her off for another moment while he stripped off his underwear, dropping them to the floor beside the bed. Rolling between her spread thighs, he ran his hands up and down her body, trying to make certain she was truly ready for him. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You couldn’t hurt me!”

  He swallowed, fighting for control. “I know I will, just a little. I don’t want to, but it’s your first time.”

  “You’re going to hurt me more if you don’t.” She brushed the lock of hair that had fallen onto his forehead away tenderly.

  He grinned, staring down at her. “You amaze me sometimes.”

  Valerie shook her head. “You’re the amazing one. You put up with all my insecurities and still manage to make me feel like I’m someone special. I don’t know what I’ve ever done to deserve you.”

  He stroked her cheek before lowering his head to kiss her sweetly as he reached down to guide himself to her entrance. With one quick stroke, he was inside her and buried to the hilt, his hands stroking her insistently, praying she was all right with what they were doing.

  He raised his head, half afraid to see pain on her face, but instead, he only saw wonder. “You okay?”

  She nodded. “It feels strange, but good.”

  “It’s only going to get better from here.” His mouth was back on hers, kissing her as his hands continued to stroke her to a higher level of passion. He moved within her, closing his eyes to try to control himself and take things slowly. He didn’t dare go too quickly and hurt her.

  It didn’t take long before she was writhing beneath him, and when she arched up against him in pleasure, he followed her into oblivion.

  Rolling to her side, he gathered her against him, holding her tightly.

  Valerie clung to Jesse, still short of breath. Resting her head on his chest, she couldn’t stop touching him, her hands constantly stroking. “Why didn’t we do that two days ago?” she finally asked, when she could speak again.

  He laughed. “You weren’t ready.” He kissed her softly. “I’m so glad you’re ready now.”

  “Mmm…I don’t know about now, but give me a little bit,” she said with a wicked glint in her eye.

  He reached out and flicked off the light in the bedroom, plunging them into darkness. “Just sleep for now. Tomorrow’s another day.”

  “Jesse?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You make me feel things I never imagined I could. Thank you.”

  He didn’t know quite how to respond to that. “I should be thanking you. You just made me feel things I always knew I would feel if we ever made love. All of my dreams have just come true.”

  Her soft breathing told him she was asleep. He wondered if she’d even heard him. “I love you,” he whispered softly, knowing she wouldn’t hear that. When she was ready, he’d tell her again and again for the rest of their lives.

  CHAPTER 5

  Valerie woke to unfamiliar aches the following morning, wrinkling her nose at the alarm on her phone. She opened her eyes to see Jesse shutting it off for her. “G’morning,” she mumbled, averting her eyes.

  He caught her chin in his hand and kissed her. “Morning. We have an hour before we need to be on the set for hair and make-up.” He wanted to spend the entire day in bed with her, making sweet love, but he knew she wasn’t ready for that. Besides, he could just imagine Steven’s reaction to them taking the day off for lovemaking.

  She groaned. “I want to sleep for the rest of the day.” She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder, closing her eyes again.

  He laughed. “I never knew you weren’t a morning person. By the time I see you, you’re always peppy and ready to go.”

  “You always see me after my second cup of coffee.”

  “I see. Well, why don’t I make coffee while you shower?” He couldn’t help but be amused by her grumpiness. She reminded him of a sleepy kitten.

  She nodded. “Sounds good.” She rolled to the edge of the bed, taking all the covers with her as she held them tightly around her body.

  “Hey! It’s cold!”

  She shrugged. “Gotta shower.” She took every cover from the bed into the bathroom with her, leaving him with nothing.

  He lay there for a moment watching her and chuckling. She’d eventually get over her embarrassment, and then he didn’t know what he’d do. Seeing more of her body on a regular basis would keep him in a constant state of arousal.

  He grabbed her phone on the way to the tiny kitchen to start the coffeepot. He quickly dialed her mother’s number, worried a bit about whether or not she’d followed through on getting the restraining order.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, this is Jesse.”

  “Oh, good. I was hoping it was you. He called five times yesterday.”

  Jesse sighed. “I was afraid of that. Did you get the restraining order?” He absently wondered how Valerie would feel about hiring bodyguards for her mother and sister for a while.

  “Yeah, and I’ve blocked his number on my phone now.”

  “Good. What about his mother? Does she know?”

  “This is big news, Jesse. The whole planet seems to know.”

  Jesse scooped coffee into the coffee maker and added water before switching it on. “Has she said anything?”

  “Yeah, she told me she’s glad Valerie married you, and she’s away from Curtis.”

  “Good. Let me know if he comes around.”

  “I will. What’s your direct number? I’m guessing you want to keep Valerie out of this.”

  “I do. She has enough on her mind. She’s really worried about you and Rikki.”

  “I know she is. She’s always worried about others more than she should.”

  Jesse poured a cup of coffee, knowing Valerie would be out any minute, so he had to finish the call quickly. “Let me hire a couple of bodyguards for you and Rikki. It would make me feel a lot safer.”

  There was a long pause before the answer came. “I won’t live my life in fear. I don’t think he’ll come after us.”

  It was the answer he’d expected. Jesse gave her his number and made her promise to call if there were any more problems before putting the phone down.

  Valerie came into the kitchen, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, reaching out for the cup of coffee in his hand. She took a deep swallow and sighed. “Thanks.”

  “You weren’t this bad about mornings over the weekend.”

  “I didn’t have to wake to an alarm over the weekend. I woke up when I wanted to wake up.” She sat down at the table, feeling the caffeine whizzing through her system and the grumpiness slowly abating.

  He noticed she still hadn’t met his gaze. “Are you regretting making love last night?”

  She shook her head. “Not at all. I just—well, I’m not sure how to act with a man I’ve made love with. It’s a new experience for me.”

  He cupped her chin in his hand, lifting her eyes to
his. “The same way you’ve always acted. But think about how good it feels throughout the day.”

  “I’m not going to be able to not think about it with as sore as I am.” She wasn’t complaining. She liked the constant reminder of making love with him.

  “I’m sorry,” he said with a frown. “Are you going to be able to work?”

  She raised an eyebrow. “I’ve worked sick more times than I can count. I can work through stiffness.”

  “I always tend to work through stiffness when you’re around.” He winked at her, watching her face as she caught the joke.

  It took her a minute to get his meaning, and she blushed. “You’re bad.”

  “And you like it.” He saw her coffee mug was empty and poured her another. “I’m going to shower while you finish drinking your coffee. I’d rather walk to wardrobe together.”

  “You’re worried he’s going to come here and try to hurt me, aren’t you?” Her brown eyes were steady on his as she frowned, thinking about the position they were both in.

  “I wouldn’t put anything past him at this point. We’re going to be safe.”

  She drank the coffee, trying not to worry too much. While she waited, she read over her lines for the day one last time. The scene with Bob wasn’t one she really wanted to do. Bob would kiss her, and she had to push him away, and then there was a fight scene with Dylan.

  When Jesse was done with the shower and dressed, he walked over to wardrobe with her, holding her hand. As they gave her the clothes they needed her to wear and fixed her make-up, Jennifer, their make-up artist, nodded to her hand. “You can’t wear that.”

  Valerie looked down at her wedding ring with a frown. She didn’t want to take it off for the show, but she understood she’d need to. “I know.” She carefully took it off and put it on her vanity table.

  Jesse was soon dressed in his jeans and button up shirt for the day. They always put him in cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. Her gaze moved up and down him. “Looking good.”

  He grinned. “Just remember I’m the one you care about, not Bob.”

  She laughed. “Jo and I are in agreement. Neither of us want Bob. We’re all about you and Dylan.”

  Jennifer grinned. “I’m so glad you two finally quit being stupid and got married.”

  “Quit being stupid?” Valerie asked, gaping at Jennifer. “What’s that supposed to mean?” The make-up artist had never had much of an opinion about her relationship with Jesse before.

  “It means that Jesse’s been in love with you since day one. It’s about time he acted on it.” Jennifer looked at Valerie as if she was stupid for not knowing.

  Valerie blinked a couple of times. “He has not. We’ve been friends.” She looked at Jesse. “Tell her.”

  Jesse stayed silent for a moment, looking at her. “I like the way that dress looks on you.”

  Jennifer said nothing more, but her knowing eyes moved from Jesse to Valerie and back again. After they were finished getting ready, Valerie and Jesse walked to the main house together where they’d have a quick scene before her picnic with Bob. “Jesse? Why didn’t you agree with me back there?”

  “Val, I couldn’t. Don’t worry about it.”

  “What do you mean you couldn’t? You couldn’t tell her you weren’t in love with me?”

  He stopped walking and caught her arm, knowing it would put them a bit behind schedule, but needing her to understand. “I’m not going to lie to you. I fell in love with you at first sight. Everyone knew it but you.”

  “What?” She stared at him in shock, feeling betrayed. How could he have loved her so long without telling her? “Why didn’t you ever say anything?” More importantly, why didn’t I notice?

  “When was I supposed to say something? You were dating Curtis. Everyone knew it.”

  She bit her lip. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to say.”

  “There’s nothing to say. Just accept it and move on.” He took her hand again and walked her to the house, feeling inexplicably hurt. He’d wanted her to tell him that she loved him too. He knew she couldn’t, but that didn’t change how he felt.

  Her mind raced as they walked. Could it be true that he’d loved her for so long? How was that possible when she hadn’t even known?

  Her mind wasn’t on her scene with him, and she messed it up three times, before Steven asked her if she had a problem.

  Valerie shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. I’ll get it right this time.”

  She took a moment and just concentrated on the scene. Dylan came into the room. “What’s wrong with Rosie?”

  Dylan smiled. “Nothing to worry about. She’s got a slight scrape on her leg, but no bones are broken. I applied some ointment. She should be good as new by this time next week.”

  “Oh, good. I was worried!”

  “I know. She’s your best mare, but it’s nothing serious at all. I’ll come by this afternoon to check it out if you’d like.”

  Jo nodded. “That would be great.” She walked to him, and put her hand on his arm, stroking it affectionately. “I appreciate how good you are about always easing my mind.”

  Dylan’s hands caught her hips and pulled her to him, looking down into her eyes. “I have to take care of my best girl.” His head descended, and he gave her a kiss that turned her knees to mush.

  Her arms wrapped around him, and she clung to him. When he lifted his head, she said, “Thank you, doctor.”

  “You’re very welcome.” He kissed her nose quickly. “I’ll see you this afternoon.”

  She watched him stride away, closing the front door with a snap behind him.

  “Cut!” Steven walked over to Valerie. “That was much better. I’m glad you’ve got your mind in the game again.”

  “Sorry about earlier.”

  “You’ve been married three days. You’re bound to be a bit distracted.” He rolled his shoulders. “Time for the scene with Jo and Bob.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want him to kiss me.”

  “I know you don’t. That’s why the scene is going to look so good on film.”

  She nodded, walking into the kitchen and grabbing another cup of coffee, downing it quickly.

  Jo was waiting in the kitchen when Bob walked into the house without knocking, as he usually did during working hours. “Jo, I wanted to have a talk with you about the ranch today. I packed us a picnic lunch.”

  Jo wrinkled her nose. “All right. We can have lunch.”

  “I saddled your gelding for the ride.” Bob indicated the two horses outside the window, and Jo followed him out.

  She swung her leg up over the saddle and rode with him to a spot along the side of the road. Bob spread out the quilt he’d tied behind his saddle and pulled the food from his saddle bags. “Now what did you need to talk to me about that couldn’t wait?”

  He spread the food out on the quilt while she sat on the ground, waiting for him. Bob had been Jo’s father’s foreman, and he had been obvious about his feelings for her since the day she’d taken over ownership of the ranch. She’d been just as obvious about her feelings for Dylan, after their initial season of getting to know each other.

  “I’ve been patient with you and your little crush on the vet, but I think I’ve waited long enough,” Bob said, biting into his sandwich. “It was your father’s wish that we marry, which I told you as soon as you took the ranch over.”

  “But it’s not my desire we marry. Doesn’t that matter to you at all?”

  “You haven’t given me a chance, Jo. As soon as you saw Dylan Drake, you forgot all other men existed. You need to give me an honest try. It was your father’s dying wish.”

  She shook her head. “Is that the only reason you brought me here?”

  “Are you saying you won’t give me a fair chance?”

  “I’ve never hidden the fact that I have feelings for Dr. Drake. I’m not going to give anyone else a chance. Why would I?”

  He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to him.
Valerie was just as disgusted as Jo was. She didn’t want to be touched by anyone but Jesse. She tried to pull her arm away, but his grip was too strong.

  Bob crushed her to him, kissing her. She pounded on his chest to get away, and then she was pulled from him, and Dylan was there, throwing a punch at the foreman.

  Bob landed flat on his back on the ground, staring up at Dylan who had fire in his eyes.

  “You have no right to touch a lady who doesn’t want to be touched.” He still had anger in his eyes as he grabbed Jo’s arm. “I’ll drive you back to the house.”

  In the car, he shook his head. “Why did you come out here with him? Why couldn’t you stay at home where you were safe?”

  She glared. “I can take care of myself, Dylan! He’s my employee, and I thought he wanted to give me an accounting of how the ranch was doing.”

  “By taking you on a romantic picnic lunch? How naïve can you be?”

  When the car stopped in front of the house, she got out and slammed the door. “I don’t need anyone managing my life! Not even you!”

  She stormed into the house and slammed the door behind her.

  Steven yelled out, “Cut!” He was smiling as he walked over to her. “That was perfect. Absolutely perfect. I could feel your anger with Dylan.”

  She nodded briefly, realizing that she was a little angry with Jesse. It hadn’t been hard to act angry. He seemed to be trying to take over her life, and that wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted someone to be beside her, not someone who would completely control her life. She’d had enough controlling with Curtis.

  “We’ll do the scene where you and Dylan make up after lunch.” Steven strode away, and Jesse appeared at her side as if by magic.

  “Are you hungry?” she asked, wondering what they’d do for lunch.

  He nodded. “Let’s go back to your trailer for some sandwiches.”

  She was surprised by how things were stilted between them. She’d thought once they finally made love, there would never be any tension. She’d been wrong. “We need to talk.”