Texas Wild. Brenda Jackson
at the moment Rico felt like it was a hell of a lot more than that.
“Yes,” Ramsey replied. “It’s about Megan.”
Rico met Ramsey’s gaze. “What about her?”
“Just a warning.”
Rico tensed. “I think I know what you’re going to say.”
Ramsey shook his head, chuckling. “No. I don’t think that you do.”
Rico was confused at Ramsey’s amusement. Hell, maybe he didn’t know after all. “Then how about telling me. What’s the warning regarding Megan?”
Ramsey took another sip of his drink and said, “She’s strong-willed. She has self-control of steel and when she sets her mind to do something, she does it, often without thinking it through. And … if you tell her no, you might as well have said yes.”
Rico was silent for a moment and then asked, “Is there a reason you’re telling me this?”
Ramsey’s mouth curved into a smile. “Yes, and you’ll find out that reason soon enough. Now come on, they won’t start dinner without us.”
Megan tried drowning out all the conversation going on around her. As usual, whenever the Westmorelands got together, they had a lot to talk about.
She was grateful Pam hadn’t figured out the identity of the man they’d been discussing and seated them beside each other. Instead, Rico was sitting at the other end of the table, across from Ramsey and next to Riley. If she had to look at him, it would be quite obvious she was doing so.
Riley said something and everyone chuckled. That gave her an excuse to look down the table. Rico was leaning back against the chair and holding a half-filled glass of wine in his hand, smiling at whatever the joke was about. Why did he have to look so darn irresistible when he smiled?
He must have felt her staring because he shifted his gaze to meet hers. For a moment she forgot to breathe. The intensity of his penetrating stare almost made her lips tremble. Something gripped her stomach in a tight squeeze and sent stirrings all through her nerve endings.
At that moment, one thought resonated through her mind. The same one Pam had reiterated earlier. It doesn’t matter if he wants you. The main question is whether or not you want him.
Megan immediately broke eye contact and breathed in slowly, taking a sip of her wine. She fought to get her mind back on track and regain the senses she’d almost lost just now. She could control this. She had to. Desire and lust were things she didn’t have time for. The only reason she wanted to go to Texas with Rico was to be there when he discovered the truth about Raphel.
Thinking it was time to make her announcement, she picked up her spoon and tapped it lightly against her glass, but loud enough to get everyone’s attention. When all eyes swung her way she smiled and said, “I have an announcement to make. Most of you know I rarely take vacation time, but today I asked for an entire month off, starting tomorrow.”
Surprised gazes stared back at her … except one. She saw a look of suspicion in Rico’s eyes and noted the way his jaw tightened.
“What’s wrong? You’re missing Bailey already and plan to follow her to North Carolina?” her cousin Stern asked, grinning.
Megan returned his grin and shook her head. “Although I miss Bailey, I’m not going to North Carolina.”
“Let me guess. You’re either going to visit Gemma in Australia or Delaney in Tehran,” Chloe said, smiling.
Again Megan shook her head. “Those are on my to-do list for later, but not now,” she said.
When others joined in, trying to guess where she was headed, she held up her hand. “Please, it’s not that big of a deal.”
“It’s a big deal if you’re taking time off. You like working.”
“I don’t like working, but I like the job I do. There is a difference. And to appease everyone’s curiosity, I talked to Clint and Alyssa today, and I’m visiting them in Texas for a while.”
“Texas?”
She glanced down the table at Riley, which allowed her to look at Rico again, as well. He was staring at her, and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see he wasn’t pleased with her announcement. Too bad, too glad. She couldn’t force him to take her to Texas, but she could certainly go there on her own. “Yes, Riley, I’m going to Texas.”
“When are you leaving?” her brother Zane asked. “I need to, ah, get that box from you before you leave.”
She nodded, seeing the tense expression in Zane’s features. She wondered about the reason for it. She was very much aware that he had a lock box in her hall closet. Although she’d been tempted, she’d never satisfied her curiosity by toying with the lock and looking inside. “That will be fine, Zane. I’m not leaving until Friday.”
She took another quick glance at Rico before resuming dinner. He hadn’t said anything, and it was just as well. There really wasn’t anything he could say. Although they would end up in the same state and within mere miles from each other, they would not be together.
Since he didn’t want her to accompany him, she would do a little investigating on her own.
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