Shadow Maverick Ranch Box Set Read online

  A wall of brick housed two stainless steel ovens and arched over a gas cooktop that sported six burners and a grill. A matching refrigerator centered the adjoining wall, guarded by cedar cabinets his father had hand-crafted to his mom’s specifications. For as long as he could remember, Evelyn Mathis had ruled this space as a revolving door of kids and ranch hands passed through.

  The only action the kitchen saw these days came from Erin, who had claimed the position of temporary matriarch, and made daily rounds to ensure Pax wasn’t allowing the twins to starve.

  He kept the herd alive and thriving. He could handle a couple of kids.

  He opened the fridge and grinned at the stacks of food containers. Of course, who was he to complain if Erin wanted to cook? Looked like a win-win to him.

  He grabbed two longnecks and elbowed the door shut as he twisted the caps. He set one aside and tipped the other to his mouth.

  Reese walked into the kitchen, a sexy smile teasing the corners of her mouth.

  He stood at the enormous, curved island—the centerpiece of the kitchen and lately, where he ate most of his meals. “You look like the cat that ate the canary. What’s up?” Paxton waved her toward a barstool.

  Reese hooked her purse on the back, settled onto the seat, and took the beer he held out for her. “Hot guy. Cold beer. Do the math,” she teased. A pretty blush crept over her cheeks.

  Pax drank his beer while Reese looked everywhere but at him. He leaned forward on his elbows. “If it’s possible, you’re even more beautiful than the last time I saw you.”

  Her smile indicated she thought he was full of shit. Or maybe it was the eye roll. “And you’re still a charmer.”

  “Just stating a fact.” He moved around the bar to slide onto the stool next to her. He turned until they were knee-to-knee and relaxed against the back of the stool. “So, Reese, what have you been doing with yourself?”

  She glanced to where his jeans touched her bare legs. “Nothing too exciting. I finished college, started a business.”

  She cradled her beer in her lap. Her nails toyed with the edge of the label and he wondered what she wasn’t telling him. A lot, he supposed. Stuff he shouldn’t care about. Stuff that wasn’t any of his business.

  “You plan mostly weddings?”

  She raised a smooth, toned shoulder. “Weddings, fundraisers, that kind of thing. I enjoy the creativity of it, and what I do helps to make people happy. It may sound silly, but I like it. I stay as busy as I want, and it pays the bills. What about you? Still a rancher, huh?”

  As though he’d be anything else. He’d been chasing cows since he could walk. Being a rancher didn’t leave much free time—something his ex-wife always complained about—but he loved the freedom working the land, the herd, provided. Loved working outside and getting his hands dirty. Loved being a part of what his family had worked for generations to create.

  A legacy that would be carried on by his siblings and their children. Pax had given up all hope of having a family of his own, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t leave his mark, however subtle.

  “Still and always,” he sighed and snatched the now freed label from her hand.

  She finally met his gaze. “Why do you say it like that? Being a rancher is in your blood. It’s who you are.”

  He knew that. He’d only been trying to get her to look at him and stop with the damn label.

  “And you know this how?”

  Tammy hadn’t gotten it. She’d married him with the idea he led some kind of glamorous lifestyle. Shadow Maverick was successful because he worked damned hard to make it that way, as did the rest of his family. He refused to sit on the sidelines while everyone else did the work, as Tammy had wanted him to do.

  It irritated the shit out of him Reese seemed to understand him better than his ex had. Irritated him even more to realize he wanted her. Right here, right now.

  Damn him to hell, he still remembered how Reese tasted, how hot and sweet her mouth felt on his cock, the way her body tightened as she came.

  He remembered other things too. The sound of her laugh, her sassy mouth, and the way she chewed her nails when she was nervous.

  All of which spelled trouble for his confirmed bachelorhood.

  Old feelings threatened to resurface. He shoved the rising emotion back, sent it deep where it belonged. He didn’t need that shit anywhere near the surface if they ended up naked, and the way her gaze roamed his body said the odds of that happening were pretty damn good.

  Reese took a long pull from her beer before she answered. “Years don’t change who a man is, you know, deep in his soul. And don’t you dare laugh at me because I said that.”

  His soul might not have changed, but he couldn’t say how well the rest of him had fared. “I’m not the same guy you knew.”

  She shook her head, undaunted. “And I’m not the same girl. I didn’t say the years don’t leave scars, Paxton. I’m only suggesting—”

  He held up a hand to stay her. Hadn’t he had the same thought?

  “No need to get all excited.” He finished off his beer and went to get a couple more. “You’re right. While Gavin went off and became a desk jockey, leaving wasn’t an option for me. Working this ranch is all I’ve ever wanted to do. I did finish college, though. Degree in animal science.”

  She finished off her beer as he set another in front of her and resumed his seat.

  Pax couldn’t help himself. She was so goddamned pretty. He had to touch her. He caressed his fingers down her arm and took her hand, turned it palm up, let the warmth of her skin seep into his. He brushed his thumb across her skin and almost groaned at her softness.

  “What are you doing?” Her voice was quiet, breathless.

  “Not sure.” Blood rushed to his cock at a speed that left him a little woozy.

  “Hey, Pax, Jared and I…” Jade came into the kitchen and stopped in her tracks. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know we had company.”

  Reese jerked her hand out of his grasp.

  Pax bit back annoyance at the interruption when he realized Reese had never met the younger twins. They’d only been six or seven the last time he’d seen Reese, and since she and Pax hadn’t hung out at each other’s houses, she wouldn’t have had the opportunity.

  “Jade, this is Reese Jameson. She’s the woman planning Gavin and Lauren’s wedding. Reese, this is my sister, Jade.”

  Reese’s smile disappeared.

  What had she expected him to say? That she was a friend? Jury was still out on that distinction. Lover? If he had anything to say about it, but not something his baby sister needed to know. So, wedding planner it was.

  “Hi, Jade. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Jade moved forward and shook Reese’s hand. “Nice to meet you too.” She turned to him. “Jared and I are heading to a baseball game, okay?”

  He nodded. “Then what?”

  She let out a dramatic sigh. “I don’t know. Hanging out.”

  “That’s specific,” he said dryly.

  “I can’t give you details I don’t have. Who knows what we’ll end up doin’?”

  “It’d be nice if I knew. Regardless, no later than midnight,” he reminded.

  “But it’s Friday night!”

  Here we go.

  Mentally cracking his knuckles, Pax folded his arms, assuming the position of authority. “You wanna do this, now?”

  Jade shot an embarrassed glance toward Reese before continuing, “We’re almost eighteen. We don’t need this much active parenting,” Jade answered with a bit more huff than Pax appreciated.

  “You’re barely seventeen,” he corrected. “And I don’t care if it’s Christmas. Curfew is curfew. Period.”

  “One o’clock,” Jade countered.

  Reese snickered and tried to cover it up by drinking her beer.

  Pax fought to keep his expression stern. He’d played the curfew haggle a time or two. Strange, being on the other side of it.

  “Only if y’all don
’t plan to go anywhere for the next two weeks.” And he wouldn’t lose a wink of sleep over grounding them.

  Jade’s hands landed on her hips so hard, he’d be willing to bet she’d have bruises later. “Twelve-thirty.”

  Now he did grin. Big and wide. “Eleven-thirty.” Oh yeah, this was much more enjoyable from the deciding side. When she scowled he added, “Bring it on, Jayden. I can do this all night.”

  He glanced at Reese. Pax wondered if she recalled arguing with his little sister wasn’t the only thing he could do all night.

  “Fine,” Jade huffed. “We’ll be home by midnight. You’re such a hard ass.”

  “I don’t make the rules, sweet pea.”

  Jade shot him a look that warned it’d be wise to check his boots before he put them on in the morning. “I suppose we should be thankful for that small favor,” she muttered on her way out of the kitchen.

  A door slammed a moment later, signaling he and Reese were alone. Alone for the next several hours, in fact, if he could talk her into sticking around.

  “Sorry. Teenagers.” He figured that was explanation enough.

  “What was that all about?”

  Pax finished his beer. “You want another?”

  “Sure.”

  He was tired of trekking to the fridge, so this time he grabbed a full six-pack and set it on the counter between them. “That was nothing. You should see her when her hackles are really up. Damn girl can shout the paint off the ceiling when she’s pissed off.”

  “I remember you mentioning her. I guess I expected her to still be a little girl. And Jared is her twin?”

  “Yep.”

  “And you still live here?”

  Pax tried not to take her tone personally. At thirty-one, he understood how it looked for him to be living in his parents’ home. “Only while my parents are on vacation. I have a house.” He wasn’t sure why it was so important to clarify that point, since he hadn’t been to, let alone slept at, his house for well over a year.

  “Tell me something. You got someone special in your life?” Her ring finger was naked, so he was pretty sure she wasn’t married. If she was, her husband was a dumbass for not making sure the world knew she was taken.

  She hesitated, making him wonder what her secrets were. “Guess I’m still waiting for the right guy to sweep me off my feet.”

  He could’ve been that guy once. He stared at her fingers working havoc on yet another label, dumbfounded she’d made him consider what it would be like to be that man again. To have someone who belonged to him as much as he belonged to her.

  “What are you really doing here? You can’t tell me you didn’t recognize Gavin’s name when they hired you.”

  “I did. I’m not really sure why I said yes. I guess I’d hoped to see you.”

  That excited him more than it should. He pulled her stool forward until her knees were nestled in the vee of his legs. “You guess?”

  “I didn’t have a plan, if that’s what you’re wondering. If your brother hadn’t hired me, I wouldn’t be here right now. But he did.”

  “Yes, he did.” He’d have to thank Gavin later. Much later. He had the house to himself for once, and a beautiful woman within his grasp. He couldn’t think beyond the need that held his balls in a vise.

  He traced his fingertips down her bare thigh. Her shoulders twitched, not quite a shiver, but close enough to make his dick pulse in anticipation.

  She grabbed his wrist, her short, well-manicured nails digging into his skin. He wanted those nails scoring his back, biting into his ass as he pushed into her.

  He stilled, waited to see if she’d shove him away.

  She didn’t.

  Her eyes drifted closed, thick lashes resting beautifully against her skin.

  She pulled his hand across her flesh to the hem of her shorts, which caused an eruption of tiny bumps to form across her skin. Her nipples peaked, pressed toward him, all but begged him to tongue, tease, and suck.

  He took over from there, following the line of her shorts to her inner thigh, allowing the backs of his fingers to brush where he wanted his mouth.

  She made a noise, a soft sound of consent that about killed him. Heat radiated from the denim that stood between his hand and heaven.

  “I’ve got nothing to offer you, Reese. Pleasure, nothing more.” She had a right to know where he stood, had a right to walk away if he didn’t suit her needs. Although if she turned him away now, he had a feeling one shower—a hundred showers—wouldn’t be enough to rid him of the desire burning through his veins.

  She nodded, her dreamy expression giving his ego a shot of adrenaline. Hell yeah. He’d keep that look on her face all damned night.

  “Tell me you understand, Reesey. I need to know we’re on the same page here.”

  She licked her lips. “I understand I want you. We’ve been here before. I didn’t expect anything of you then, and I don’t expect anything of you now.”

  He dismissed the tug on his guilt strings, not in the mood to revisit the past when his immediate future looked so promising. Plenty of time to talk later.

  Pleasure. That’s what he could give her. Would give her.

  He prayed it’d be enough.

  “Let’s go upstairs.”

  Chapter Four

  Reese slipped her hand into his and eased to her feet.

  Her head spun, from the alcohol or the insistent throb between her thighs, she didn’t know. Didn’t care.

  God, she’d come here to apologize, to make things right with Paxton. Not to sleep with him. But somewhere in the back of her mind, she’d known she would.

  What kind of person did that make her? That she’d thought him married, yet knew she’d give herself to him.

  She knew how painful divorce could be. She’d watched, helpless, while her parents had torn each other apart. She hoped Paxton didn’t carry ugly wounds from his divorce, but she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t glad he was single.

  Paxton had been her first, the lover she’d compared all others to. Others, being the three men she’d taken to her bed over the course of the last ten years. Three men who’d all been lacking by comparison. It hadn’t been their fault. She’d had years to romanticize her experience with Paxton, years to embellish the memory, as only a young woman could do.

  And standing in the middle of the kitchen, his wicked smile promising a plethora of naughty delights, she couldn’t be sorry. Paxton wouldn’t offer something he wasn’t able to give. No matter how he might’ve changed, honor wasn’t a disposable trait, but one deeply embedded.

  There was nothing, no one, standing in their way. She deserved a chance to put her past to rest so she could move on as he had.

  She wanted everything. Love, marriage, kids. The works. She could’ve had those things. Todd Harper was a decent man. Smart and good-looking. He made a comfortable living as a CPA at an accounting firm in Houston. He’d make a good husband. He was kind and gentle. Stable and trustworthy.

  Yet, when Todd had taken her to bed … he got the job done, but they hadn’t set the sheets on fire.

  Reese wanted her sheets to burn.

  Todd wanted her. She’d turned down his proposal because of a memory no man could possibly live up to. Probably not even the man who’d created the memory in the first place.

  It was time to set the record straight. Apologize, and then get Paxton Mathis out of her system once and for all.

  “You with me, darlin’?”

  Pax tugged on her hands, encouraging her feet to move.

  “Wait.” Shit. How many beers had she drank? Not enough to cause the euphoric sizzle lighting up her nerve endings as though each one vied for personal attention. Her senses honed in on the pulse in her sex. Oh yeah, she was with him, all right.

  How did he do that? No kiss, barely a touch, and she was drenched.

  A knuckle pressed against the underside of her chin, and she met his gaze.

  “I’m dying here, Reese.”

&nbs
p; When was the last time someone looked at her with such open lust? His hunger stole her breath. To hell with apologies, there’d be time for that later. To hell with anything that didn’t include his mouth on her.

  She traced the line of his collarbone with her fingertips. The muscles in his neck tightened as she smoothed her palm down his chest. His heart pounded under her hand. He was holding back, waiting for her next move.

  Even in his bare feet he towered over her five-feet-seven. She rose up, wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “Let’s see what we can do about that.” She nipped at his bottom lip and then soothed it with her tongue.

  A rumble vibrated his chest. Sparks of sensation shot from her scalp to her sex as he hooked an arm around her, pressed her against the hard expanse of his body. His eyes turned dark, heavy lidded, as one hand worked the hem of her shirt, inching it up until the warmth of his skin enveloped her as fingers from his other hand pulled the band from her hair.

  “Much better.” His hand tangled with her freed curls. A whimper escaped her throat as he tugged her head back and took her mouth. His tongue pushed past her lips, demanding entrance. Demanding her response.

  She met the thrust of his tongue, drew him into her mouth, until his taste consumed her. A hint of beer behind warm, earthy male. He kissed her as though starved for her. Hard and thorough. Nimble fingers unhooked her bra.

  This wasn’t the Paxton she remembered. There was an edge to him, a hardness that didn’t have anything to do with the packed muscles under her hands.

  He broke the kiss to pull her shirt over her head. Her bra slipped down her arms, exposing her breasts to his hungry gaze. Cool air caressed her heated skin as she shook her bra to the floor.

  He cupped her breast, his thumb grazed over her rigid nipple. He didn’t stop there. Back and forth, his thumb flicked the bud, then he leaned down and sucked her into his mouth, his tongue taking up where his thumb left off.

  Holy hell. “God, Pax. That feels so good.”

  He smiled against her breast. His sun-kissed face looked darker against her pale skin, reminding her of how different they were. He’d rocked her world at twenty-one. She had a sneaking suspicion this version of Paxton would destroy her.