Last's Temptation (6 page)

“No, thank you,” he said. “Let’s just sit here and you can tell me what you’ve been up to.”

“I actually feel like a glass of tea,” Esme said, suddenly nervous. His mood was so formal and almost stiff! “And I haven’t been up to much. Just applying for a job, and I stopped in to see Valentine. She’d invited us, you know, and so we went, because the children wanted a snack and they’d never been inside the back of a bakery—”

She stopped talking as he took the tea glass from her hand. “What is it?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve been denying the truth for days, but I think I’m going to go crazy if I don’t kiss you.”

Then he did kiss her, and against her better judgment, Esme let him take her in his arms. He felt just as good as she remembered—better, even—and the fact was, she liked it when he kissed her.

He kissed her hard and fast, and in that instant Esme realized Last wanted her in the way she had never let another man want her. “Kiss me more,” she said.

“Are the children really asleep?” he asked against her neck.

“Completely tuckered out.”

He picked her up and carried her down the hall
to her bedroom. Esme laid her head against his chest, feeling nervous and excited all at once.

“I was lying to myself. I didn’t come here for girl chat,” Last murmured, laying her on the bed. “I came here for something totally different.”

“What?” she asked, staring up at him as he looked down at her.

“I think I came here to learn who you really are,” he said.

Esme’s heart beat so hard she could feel it in her neck. “Just what you see,” she said.

“Then I want to see more.”

She reached out her arms to him. “Hurry,” she whispered. “You don’t want to miss the show no one’s ever seen.”

He locked the door, stripped off his clothes and boots, getting into bed. “You’re still dressed,” he said.

She pulled her dress over her head. “Now I’m not.”

He unfastened her bra, shoved down her panties and kissed her so hotly Esme thought she was going to scream with pleasure. His hands were everywhere, touching her, stroking her.

“Say yes,” he told her.

She wasn’t about to say no, no matter what res
ervations she’d had on their trip to Texas. “Right now,” she said urgently. “Don’t make me wait.”

When he slid inside her, she tensed with pain.

Last hesitated, looking down at her, a surprised expression on his face. “That’s not the usual reaction from a woman.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting pain either.”

He gazed at her, his eyes suddenly clearing. “Oh, my God,” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me you’re a virgin?”

“It’s not important, is it?” She was very afraid he’d stop and leave her, and she so much wanted him to stay exactly where he was.

“It’s important,” Last said, moving gently inside her, kissing her deeply, his hands stroking her so that she relaxed. Last grinned, slow and sexy. He held her close to him, rocking her, and she let him work his magic, and all thoughts flew out of her head until all she could think about was Last and how wonderful he made her feel.

Suddenly waves of pleasure washed over her. Esme climaxed, and it was better than the best show under the big top. “Don’t stop,” she said on a moan. “Don’t ever stop.”

Last kissed her, taking her lips with his, and
she knew the second he found his own pleasure. Warmth flooded her at knowing that she gave him happiness. They lay together for a long time holding each other, and it was only when she awakened and he was gone that Esme realized they hadn’t used any protection at all.

Last Jefferson knew he was in big trouble.

Moreover, he might have gotten Esme into big trouble, a fact that made his heart sink.

He had not expected her to be a virgin. In fact, he’d listened to Mason’s drivel about her being more experienced. The logical conclusion was that she was using precautionary measures. He hoped.

In his need to possess her, he hadn’t really been listening to her. He hadn’t gotten to know her.

And if the judge objected to her showgirl magician lifestyle, he’d really protest her becoming a pregnant single mother.

Last felt ill. “This one is all my fault,” he said, staring at the rows of fence he’d been working on all morning. Fence repair was good for him. Lonely and solitary and time-consuming, it gave
him a chance to think about the roller coaster his life had become.

One day he’d been floating through the sky, escaping from his problems, and the next thing he knew, he was flying straight into something that couldn’t be easily resolved.

He owed Esme a lot better than he’d given her.

“Hey,” Calhoun said, riding up to him. “What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?”

“Moping?” Calhoun asked.

Last glanced up at his brother. “If you already knew, then why’d you ask?”

Calhoun laughed, getting down to hold the roll of wire so Last could clip it more easily. “This is what I do when I need to think.”

“Well, I’m not really thinking.”

“You were thinking so hard you didn’t hear Gypsy and me ride up.”

Last shrugged.

“I like your girlfriend.”

“Esme’s not my…whatever,” Last said on a sigh.

“Saw your truck there late last night,” Calhoun offered. “Mason did, too.”

“Oh, hell.” Last didn’t need Mason deciding to
give him another big-brother butt-kicking. “I am really starting to hate the ranch.”

“It can be claustrophobic,” Calhoun agreed.

“No, just Mason.”

“Yeah. Well, he’s going through the change.”

Last glanced up. “The change of what?”

“Attitude.”

“You must be joking.”

“Sure. He’s trying to figure out what he’s going to do with all this. We’re going to have to hire help if you ship off to California.”

Last stared at Calhoun. “Why the hell would I do that?”

Calhoun shrugged. “Same reason your truck was parked outside Esme’s late last night?”

Last rolled his eyes, accidentally clipping his finger. “Damn it!”

Calhoun sat on the ground, giving up the wire to look at his brother. “I’m sorry you’re the last one here.”

“I’m sorry I’m the last one, period. I’m sorry I’m Last. It sucks.” He chafed having everybody in his business. Nobody could understand what was between him and Esme—he didn’t even understand it himself. But he wanted time to explore
it without the circus of his family intruding. “Hey, I know you mean well, but butt out, okay?”

Calhoun sighed. “Sure.”

Last grunted, sucking the blood off his finger and clipping the next wire. Doggedly he clipped and attached, ignoring Calhoun. After a while his brother got up and rode away in silence. Last shook his head. He was now about two miles from the house, and the farther away he got, the happier he was.

Maybe that was all he needed. Distance.

Twenty minutes later, just about the time he felt as if he couldn’t clip another wire, he heard, “Hey.”

Glancing up, he saw Esme in a pretty cotton dress, holding a picnic basket and a patio umbrella. “Hey,” he said, happier than he wanted to be that she was there. “How’d you know where I was?”

“Your brother said you needed a bandage.” She handed him a foil condom packet. “I found this one in a nightstand in the other bedroom when I was unpacking the children’s clothes.”

“This isn’t a bandage.” Last watched her open the umbrella and spread it behind them so that they were shielded from the ranch’s view. She carefully laid a blanket on the ground and set the picnic basket on it. He already had an erection, so she was making him very, very nervous.

“Depends on what kind of bandage you need.” Esme stood, and her long white skirt billowed around her in the breeze. “What did you hurt?”

Mainly his pride. “Esme, I’m sorry about last night,” he said. “My schmuck potential is pretty high—off the charts, actually. I should have taken—”

“It’s fine,” she said. “I’m pretty sure there’ll be no surprises—for you, me or the judge. However,” she said, “you and I still have something to discuss.”

He watched with interest as she approached him, her hands reaching for his belt. “I’m open to all discussions.”

She undid his jeans. “Good. I was hoping you’d say that, because there’s a lot we haven’t talked about.”

God, he hoped she had more than talking on her mind. He was about to lose his cool and pounce on her. “Name the subject.”

She gently pushed him back on the blanket and eased him from his jeans. Lifting her skirt, she took the condom from him, slipping it over him. He nearly exploded when she sank down on top of him.

“This is definitely the best lunch I’ve ever been served,” he said on a hoarse gasp.

“Hold me,” she said, and he did. They sat together, her legs over his, connected in the most intimate fashion. He put his face against her hair, smelling the fragrance of her.

“You feel wonderful,” he said, his brain on fire.

“I needed to know if last night was a one-time thing.” She moved on him, just barely, so that they would be more tightly locked together.

“I don’t think so,” he said, his throat tight. “I don’t think I could leave you alone to save my life.” He sneaked his hands under her skirt, holding her bare, smooth bottom in his hands. A groan escaped him, so she kissed him, her hands gently holding his face. He squeezed her so that he could feel her more tightly around him, then he slowly moved her back and forth. “God, it’s good,” he said on an appreciative groan. “Stay on me forever.”

She giggled. “I can’t. Eventually I have to feed the children.”

He looked at her in alarm. “Where are they?”

“Shh,” she said, kissing his mouth. “They’re at Olivia’s playing with Minnie and Kenny. You’re totally safe.”

Until she moved again, and then he felt in grave danger of climaxing before he pleased her. He
buried his face in her breasts, feeling her all around him, the most wonderful sensation he could ever imagine. He let her move him the way she liked best, and when she climaxed, he rolled her over so that she lay beneath him.

“I love your eyes,” he said, watching her enjoy their lovemaking as he moved inside her more deeply. “They tell me everything you’re thinking.”

Right now she was thinking he was magic, so he showed her exactly what real magic was, bringing her to a second climax, this one loud enough to startle a pheasant from a nearby patch of grass.

“Wow,” he said, biting at her neck, “here I thought you were such a quiet girl.”

“Maybe.” She crossed her legs over his back, sinking him deep inside her. He gasped, then tensed, his whole body bucking beyond his control. When his climax hit, it took his breath so that he collapsed against Esme, his body shaking.

“Wow,” Esme said, her voice a giggle in his ear. “You made mine sound insignificant. Let’s do this every day.”

He groaned against her neck, wanting to be hard immediately. “I will if you will.”

“Picnic lunch?”

“Absolutely,” he said. “This is a big ranch, and we can picnic in every square inch of it.” Raising up on an arm, he looked down into her face. “Except we can’t once you start working.”

“Then you can bring lunch to me,” she said.

He
was
feeling himself get hard inside her again. “Tell me more about these working lunches,” he said. “Isn’t it too soon after moving here for you to go to work?”

“How else will I earn money? Besides, I’m excited about teaching.”

He looked at the wild gypsy beneath him, knowing he was never going to tame her. “Could you at least discuss your plans with me ahead of time?”

“No,” Esme said.

He put a palm around one of her breasts, squeezing the nipple lightly.

“Maybe,” she said. “If you try not to be so bossy.”

“But I am bossy.” He moved inside her, suddenly realizing she was an itch he might not ever fully scratch.

“Last,” Esme said. “I have to go.”

He didn’t want her to. “Why?”

“My kids. And this condom is pretty shot, I’m certain. As little as I know about condoms, I think they may only be good for one time.”

Reluctantly, he agreed. “Next picnic, bring two.”

She scrambled up from the ground, sweeping her hair away from her face. “I was only supposed to bring you a bandage. Don’t complain.”

“I intend to thank Calhoun for sending you.” Last watched her pack up her picnic basket with interest. “Hey, I didn’t get any of that.”

“Oh. This is for the children,” she said, picking up the umbrella as she rose to her feet. “You can bring the blanket back. Goodbye!”

She left, her white eyelet skirt billowing around her legs. Every part of his body was happy, except perhaps his heart.

She was definitely testing his vow to stay a single father forever. It was clear that she was a forgiving, understanding, hot-blooded creature…and yet he knew she’d been honest about there being no possible future between them.

He should be devoting most of his time and energies toward his relationship with his daughter anyway. He should just enjoy the sex—with proper precautions, he thought, looking at the clouds floating overhead like free spirits.

But for some reason, he had the nagging feeling that his best bet for happiness would be to earn a place in Esme’s heart.

“I
T’S GOOD TO SEE YOU
, Mr. Jefferson,” Principal Carrol said.

Last stopped himself from wringing the cowboy hat he held in his hands. Something about Principal Carrol had always made him nervous, from kindergarten through graduation. He wasn’t certain why. She had such kindly eyes and an even gentler demeanor.

“What can I do for you?” she asked. “Your daughter won’t be coming to school here for a few more years.”

He nodded. “Yes. That’s right. But I believe a friend of mine applied for a job here. Esmerelda Hastings.”

Mrs. Carrol smiled. “Quite fortunate we are to have her knowledge and experience in our country high school. She will be an asset.”

The urge to squirm was strong. He knew well his reputation and that of his brothers. Yet if anything, Esme had shown him that lives were not irreversible. “I wonder if my skills would be an asset as well.”

Mrs. Carrol looked over her glasses at him. “Yours?”

“As a teacher,” he said. “I realize that only two
languages are taught here for the students of Union Junction, French and Spanish. Our father was very big on our education—”

“We are aware that you boys were in school for the social and entertainment value,” Mrs. Carrol said with a wink. “Though we take some credit for the fact that you eventually turned out to be contributing members of society.”

“Well, that’s just it,” Last said. “I haven’t really contributed.”

Mrs. Carrol nodded. “Of all the Jeffersons, you’d be the one I’d be most pleased to have here as a teacher.”

“Really?” Last was surprised. “I always felt I was in eleven shadows.”

“You were. But you were by far the best student. Much more intent. Weren’t you called the family philosopher?”

“Yes, but my brothers weren’t being complimentary,” Last said.

“You didn’t throw yourself into mischief with the same enthusiasm that they and Mimi did,” Mrs. Carrol said with a smile.

“But I was no saint.”

“No,” she said, “but you seemed to only half-heartedly try to keep up the family reputation.
Frankly I estimated you to be the brother who went the farthest in life.”

His brows rose. “No one has ever said that to me before.”

She smiled. “Sometimes you have to ask a teacher to get a correct answer.”

He took a deep breath. “I really would like to teach here, if you could use me.”

“Last, you received an education most people will never receive outside of a private academy. I am certain the school would benefit from Latin courses—”

“College preparatory,” he inserted. “Serious, college-bound students.”

She nodded. “Understood. I will put the topic in front of the school board and let them vote.”

“I don’t need compensation,” Last said. “It’s time I gave something back, and this would be a labor of my heart.”

“You’ll have to get your certification. Other than that, I can’t see anything standing in your way.” She hesitated for a moment. “Latin teachers are not easy to find, particularly good ones. I presume you know you could most likely get a job at a university or a community college and do far better than here in Union Junction.”

“Maybe,” Last said, “but this is my town.”

“And Miss Hastings will be here.”

He shook his head. “She gave me the idea—and maybe the realization of what I needed in my life—but Miss Hastings and I are not destined for the altar.”

She shrugged. “I did wonder, as you brought her here. Confidentially, the math teacher was asking about her…marital status.”

Tickling started up the back of Last’s scalp. “Single. And likely to stay that way, from what I know.”

“I was curious as to what made you bring Miss Hastings with you. It’s far for her to travel, isn’t it?” She checked some paperwork in front of her. “All of her credentials are sterling. Recommendations from college professors mostly, from Harvard.”

He stared at his old principal. “Harvard?”

She nodded. “Yes. Born in Britain, graduated from Harvard.”

“Not…ringmasters or lion tamers? Magician types?”

Mrs. Carrol laughed. “Not as far as any paperwork indicates—and we are quite thorough for the protection of our students. I can’t say any more about Miss Hastings than I have. I thought you knew her.”

He sat silently, his heart beating. “I thought I did,” he said, “but I believe it was a famous philosopher who once said that cow patties fall quickly when dropped on slow boots.”

“That was not a famous philosopher,” she said with a grin. “It was your father.”