Page 27 of Cruelest Contract (Storm’s Eye Ranch)

CECILIA

T HE PROS AND CONS OF MARRYING JULIAN TEMPESTA

PROS:

Gabriel will be protected

I’m deeply attracted to Julian

My cat really likes being here

I really like being here too

I’ll finally be free of Grandfather and Angelo

Being Julian’s wife means I’ll be part of a family again

CONS:

We’re not in love

Momentarily stalled, I click the pen against my teeth and stare at the words I just wrote in my journal. Lists are always my favorite tool to sort out complicated thoughts. Try as I might, I cannot come up with more ‘cons’.

The appeal of returning to Arizona diminishes with each passing day. I have no job to go back to. No friends within a thousand miles except for Alice. My so-called ‘independence’ received a fatal blow with Angelo’s scowling confession.

And Gabriel’s fate weighs heavily on my mind. Currently, I have no means of prying him free from our grandfather’s clutches. However, I’d have far more leverage with the Tempesta family behind me. They might even be willing to give Gabe a job.

Going out with the Tempesta brothers last night taught me a lot.

I understand them better. Beneath all their cursing and macho bluster, the deep wounds carved by the brutal loss of their mother have united them on a much more profound level.

They fight often and yet their devotion to each other is ferocious and admirable.

For that, I almost envy them. My family’s tragedy only distanced me from my siblings.

Matthias seeks the grim shadows and never calls. I wouldn’t even know which state to find him in.

Angelo was always going to be difficult. But he’s worse than he might have been if only he’d received better guidance.

And Gabriel is adrift, caught in the violent wreck of our family legacy as our grandfather tries to cling to whatever power he has left.

I set the pen down and pick up the half empty mug beside my journal.

The tea has cooled but the taste isn’t bad.

I’m not really hungover but I slept in and awoke to pouring rain.

True to his word, Julian had tea and cinnamon toast delivered to my room.

I’ve had time to observe him, how he watches over everyone and misses nothing.

I’m not kidding myself. I know Julian doesn’t love me. I don’t love him either. When I think of being in love, I think of my parents and how my father still had the power to make my mother blush with one compliment, even after twenty-five years of marriage.

But I do like Julian very much, definitely more than I’ve ever liked anyone else. What’s more, my intense physical attraction to him threatens to rearrange my sanity.

I don’t even know how to categorize it. A crush. An infatuation.

I just want him.

Of all the men at Storm’s Eye Ranch, he’s the only one I trust.

Julian saved my life once. He’s been nothing but thoughtful and respectful since I arrived.

He’s the clear leader around here, his father’s successor.

There’s the whole tricky question about the nature of the Tempestas’ criminal kingdom outside Storm’s Eye Ranch but given how I was raised, the answers wouldn’t surprise me.

In some ways Julian remains a mystery. He’s too intelligent and calculating to simply go along with a marriage decree just because his father demanded it. He would find a way out if he wanted one.

All signs point to the fact that he doesn’t want a way out at all. He wants a wife.

In theory, I have a choice about which Tempesta brother I’d marry. But Julian staked his claim immediately and his brothers have happily cooperated.

An uneasy suspicion begins to take shape.

The outcome of my visit was determined from the start.

Outside, a gust of wind slams into the house. The rain intensifies and lashes the window. I’ve already opened the shutters to let in the bleak mid-morning grey light.

The temperature has dropped and I’m feeling cozy in a pair of black leggings with a warm cardigan. Atop the dresser and nightstand, the flowers spilling out of the vases have been replaced with new ones since my arrival. Roses this time, all of them a rich shade that hovers between pink and red.

Thunder groans somewhere in the distance. This is the perfect day to snuggle under a blanket and read while cuddled up with your cat, if only your cat enjoyed cuddling. When I peeked out of the room earlier, Louisa was nowhere in sight. Neither was anyone else.

A little while ago I heard Mel humming as she walked down the hall. I’ve also heard Tye’s raucous and unmistakable laughter echoing from somewhere in the house. Julian’s whereabouts are unknown. I have no idea if he’s even at home.

Speaking of home, for the first time I feel no tug of longing or regret when I think of my apartment back in Arizona.

I never did enjoy the extreme heat and I’m sure the temperature right now is in the triple digits.

I’ve always found the desert scenery only minimally interesting.

Meanwhile, I completely get why the Tempestas are so attached to this wide open, majestic landscape.

The desk chair creaks when I rise and cross the room to stand at the window. The shutter slats make it tough to appreciate the full view so I pull at them until they swing open.

Rain or shine, this place is beautiful. Far more rugged and wild than the northern California wine country and infinitely more soothing than the prickly desert. I’m sure it’s beautiful in all seasons. Winter must be downright magical when everything in sight is covered with snow.

Imagine spending Christmas here. I bet it feels like being in a movie.

My eyes are pointed at the distant hills while I daydream but I refocus when a man suddenly appears in the foreground. Julian . He’s casually walking toward a black SUV that just arrived. The vehicle rolls slowly through the mud before coming to a stop.

Julian waits for a burly brick of a man to step out.

I met Sonny the day I arrived. He seems to have an important role in the family.

He and Julian exchanged serious looks when we returned last night after the trouble in Laramie.

Given what I now know about the Tempestas, the high level of trust that’s been placed in him must have been very earned.

The two men stand out in the open and have a short conversation. Sonny, in his dark suit, is more bothered by the rain than Julian. He flicks an umbrella open but Julian refuses to stand under it.

Julian nods when Sonny finishes speaking and then dismisses the older man with a friendly pat on the shoulder. Sonny folds his umbrella and climbs back into the waiting SUV. Seconds later, the vehicle drives out of sight and Julian watches it go.

He removes his hat and shakes water off the brim. The rain is slicing down in buckets but he’s in no hurry to escape. He’s getting soaked. His black shirt, now thoroughly drenched, sticks to his muscles and his jeans are waterlogged and muddy.

All the Tempesta brothers share the same thick black hair. Julian keeps his hair just long enough for sexy strands to occasionally fall into his eyes. Now he rakes a hand through his wet hair to push it out of his face.

Last night there was more than one moment when I thought he might kiss me. I wanted him to kiss me, even silently pleaded for it.

He never did.

I have no doubt he wanted to. Julian is subtle whenever his eyes scan my body but I’ve caught him.

And I’ve felt him.

In those fleeting seconds when Julian held me in the back alley of the bar, there was no hiding how hard he was. Not that he tried. The layers of fabric between us became nothing and he deliberately pressed even closer.

Meanwhile, my head was swimming with risky arousal and the hazy effects of the alcohol. Julian could have taken anything he wanted. I wouldn’t have stopped him. I would have eagerly participated.

Maybe he can feel the heat of my gaze. He suddenly looks up.

If he’s surprised to find me watching him, he doesn’t show it.

My first instinct is to hide even though I’m doing nothing wrong.

All I’m doing is staring out the window and drooling over the extremely sexy, enigmatic man that I might marry.

He breaks into a smile. Water continues to pour out of the sky. My heart thuds against my ribs and I raise my hand in a weak wave. Julian waves back with the hand holding his hat.

We stare at each other through window glass and rain, both of us silently judging.

He really is absurdly gorgeous. Something tells me all of Julian’s careful restraint goes out the window when it suits him, especially in bed. I’m no blushing virgin but my sexual resumé is far from outrageous.

I bet Julian is a demanding lover, a man with infinite appetites. He’ll expect to be satisfied and he won’t quit until he returns the favor.

A deep ache begins to bloom. It tugs beneath my belly and moves lower, a heat that spreads and multiplies until my legs feel weak.

Without thinking, I pluck at the top button of my sweater. I’m wearing a bra underneath, nothing else. With a sharp inhale, I work the first button loose.

Below, Julian remains motionless, waiting and watching.

A second sweater button follows the fate of the first.

Fuck, this isn’t like me at all.

I don’t strip in front of windows. I never get tempted to finger myself before an audience in broad daylight. And yet, I’m thinking about it.

What Julian does to me is something no man has ever successfully accomplished. In less than a week he’s made me reckless. Needy. Uninhibited.

I want him to see me. I want him to want me.

The rain continues to pour down on Julian’s head as he casually rubs a hand over his crotch.

I pluck another button free. My breasts feel tender and tingly, eager to be released. A diabolical inner voice begs me to keep going.

One of the cowboys strides into view, taking a brisk walk across the yard with one hand fastened to his head to keep his hat in place.

I retreat from the window so fast you’d think I’d just been shot at.