Kitabı oku: «Tycoon Warrior»
This month, in
TYCOON WARRIOR
by Sheri WhiteFeather,
meet Dakota Lewis—retired air force lieutenant and
man of wealth. This Native American warrior
was about to undergo a secret mission involving
none other than…Kathy Lewis, his gorgeous,
estranged wife. Could this become a mission
to reclaim their love?
SILHOUETTE DESIRE
IS PROUD TO PRESENT THE
Five wealthy Texas bachelors—all members of
the state’s most exclusive club—set out to restore
the “Royal” jewels…and find true love.
Dear Reader,
Welcome to the world of Silhouette Desire, where you can indulge yourself every month with romances that can only be described as passionate, powerful and provocative!
The always fabulous Elizabeth Bevarly offers you May’s MAN OF THE MONTH, so get ready for The Temptation of Rory Monahan. Enjoy reading about a gorgeous professor who falls for a librarian busy reading up on how to catch a man!
The tantalizing Desire miniseries TEXAS CATTLEMAN’S CLUB: LONE STAR JEWELS concludes with Tycoon Warrior by Sheri WhiteFeather. A Native American ex-military man reunites with his estranged wife on a secret mission that renews their love.
Popular Peggy Moreland returns to Desire with a romance about a plain-Jane secretary who is in love with her Millionaire Boss. The hero-focused miniseries BACHELOR BATTALION by Maureen Child continues with Prince Charming in Dress Blues, who’s snowbound in a cabin with an unmarried woman about to give birth! Baby at His Door by Katherine Garbera features a small-town sheriff, a beautiful stranger and the bundle of love who unites them. And Sara Orwig writes a lovely tale about a couple entering a marriage of convenience in Cowboy’s Secret Child.
This month, Silhouette is proud to announce we’ve joined the national campaign “Get Caught Reading” in order to promote reading in the United States. So set a good example, and get caught reading all six of these exhilarating Desire titles!
Enjoy!
Joan Marlow Golan
Senior Editor, Silhouette Desire
Tycoon Warrior
Sheri Whitefeather
MILLS & BOON
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This book is dedicated to my Texas Cattleman’s Club sisters, Jennifer Greene,
Sara Orwig, Cindy Gerard and Kristi Gold. I hope we can do it again sometime.
SHERI WHITEFEATHER
lives in Southern California and enjoys ethnic dining, summer powwows and visiting art galleries and vintage clothing stores near the beach. Since her one true passion is writing, she is thrilled to be a part of the Silhouette Desire line. When she isn’t writing, she often reads until the wee hours of the morning.
Sheri also works as a leather artisan with her Muscogee Creek husband. They have one son and a menagerie of pets, including a pampered English bulldog and four equally spoiled Bengal cats. She would love to hear from her readers. You may write to her at: P.O. Box 5130, Orange, California 92863-5130.
“What’s Happening in Royal?”
NEWS FLASH, May—Everyone in the town of Royal is talking about a possible reconciliation of our favorite marrieds—Dakota and Kathy Lewis! ’Course, all those single gals are hoping it isn’t true, as the swoon-inspiring former air force lieutenant Dakota Lewis proves a mighty catch. But this hunk’s Comanche heart appears destined to belong to his beautiful wife, Kathy….
Seems the reunion began when woman-of-the-world Kathy returned to Royal unexpectedly to meet with our dashing Texas Cattlemen—her hubby, Dakota, included—behind closed doors. And where-oh-where did Kathy and Dakota disappear to soon after?
Perhaps our boys at the Cattleman’s Club can finally give us some answers? We’re waiting here with bated breath…. Stay tuned!
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Epilogue
One
Retired air force lieutenant Dakota Lewis sat upright in a leather recliner, studying his home. Would the ranch look the same to Kathy?
Of course it would, he told himself a second later. He hadn’t changed a thing. Not one cowboy novelty, not one Indian artifact. She would recognize every cow skull, every antler, every ceremonial pipe.
An ensemble of cedar, pine and mahogany made up Dakota’s living room. He hadn’t chosen pieces that belonged in sets. He preferred eclectic furnishings—hacienda-style trunks, tables topped with clay-colored tiles, mirrors framed in tooled leather.
He turned his attention back to his guests. They weren’t discussing the mission at this point. Someone had made a reference to his wife. Was it Aaron Black? Sheikh Ben Rassad? Dr. Justin Webb? It wasn’t Matthew Walker because Matt wasn’t married.
No, but he was engaged. Happily engaged.
Hell, Dakota thought. What was wrong with him? The other men in the room were his friends, his peers. He had no right to envy them. They were all members of the Texas Cattleman’s Club, the most exclusive gentlemen’s club in the state. They were all wealthy—filthy rich, some might say. And they were all either happily married or happily engaged.
All except himself.
Dakota’s estranged wife was due to arrive at his ranch any minute. Kathy had left three years before, a choice she hadn’t even bothered to explain. Dakota had come home from an assignment to find her gone—her side of the closet empty, the scented lotions she favored no longer lined up on the bathroom counter. Two years of marriage shot to hell, and Dakota didn’t know why. He had loved his wife, was certain she had loved him, too. Yet she’d walked out on him, saddling him with an emotional wound festering deep in his gut.
A wound that had become exceptionally active today. The top-secret mission the Cattleman’s Club’s members had come to discuss involved Kathy. She was the Foreign Service consular being teamed with Dakota. Together they would fly to Asterland, a small European country on the brink of a revolution.
The doorbell rang. Dakota excused himself from the other men and strode toward the entryway. Checking his watch, he tightened his jaw. Thirteen hundred hours. She was right on time.
Kathy stood on the other side of the door, slim and elegant, her thick, hard-to-hold hair coiled in a neat chignon. She wore a beige pantsuit and an emerald blouse that intensified the color of her eyes. Cat’s eyes, he’d always called them. Exotic eyes and fire-tinted hair, features that belied Kathy’s proper nature.
Neither spoke. Instead their gazes locked, and they stared at each other for what seemed like the longest moment of Dakota’s life.
“It’s good to see you,” she said finally, extending her hand.
Polite pleasantries, he thought. What else could he do? This was business, and Dakota viewed his work as the number-one priority in his life. He wouldn’t let anything stand in the way of an assignment, not even the pain shooting from his gut to his heart.
“It’s good to see you, too,” he responded, clasping her hand as though her touch wouldn’t affect him. It did, of course. Her hand felt small and feminine, her skin soft and warm against his own.
He invited her in, cursing the memories threatening to surface. Her fragrance drifted to his nostrils like fresh strawberries smothered in cream. Kathy preferred scented lotions to heavy perfumes, aromas that never failed to make Dakota hungry.
Suddenly he fought the temptation to uncoil her hair, let it fall across her shoulders. He hadn’t forgotten the woman he loved, hadn’t forgotten how she looked soaking in the tub, her fiery tendrils slipping free from the pins that secured them, her long, sleek body creamy and smooth.
How many times had he watched her slide a washcloth down her arms and over her breasts? And how many times had he carried her, soaking wet, to their bed?
“Dakota? Are the others here?”
Kathy’s question jarred him back to reality. Damn it. He stood in the tiled entryway, his hormones battling for control. How in the hell had he let that happen?
“Yes, they’re here.” He escorted his estranged wife to the living room, hating himself for the moment of weakness.
Like the Texas gentlemen they were, the other men rose as Kathy entered the room. Aaron Black came forward to hug her. How easily Kathy embraced Aaron, Dakota thought, wondering why a fist of rivalry gripped him hard and quick. Not only was Aaron blissfully married with a baby on the way, he was also a good friend, the American diplomat who had introduced Dakota to Kathy nearly six years before.
Kathy shook hands with the others, and soon they settled into their seats.
As Kathy crossed her legs, Dakota poured her a ginger ale from the wet bar. He didn’t stop to ask her preference. He knew what Kathy’s favorite soft drink was, and he still stocked the bar with it.
She thanked him quietly, the ice in her glass crackling. He poured himself a cola, opting to keep his hands busy. The urge to loosen her hair had returned.
How different they were, he thought, how opposite. Kathy was renowned for her grace and diplomacy, whereas Dakota was as rough-hewn as his taste in furniture, often solving matters with force.
Lifting his cola from the bar, Dakota took a swig, wondering if he should have spiked it with rum—something, anything to take the edge off. How could a woman skilled in conversation walk out on her husband without the slightest explanation? How could she ignore what they had meant to each other? The love? The passion?
Dakota didn’t need to ask Kathy where she had been for the past three years. He already knew. She had gone to Washington, D.C., to serve in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, leasing a spacious apartment in an exclusive suburb and furnishing it with antiques. Prior to that, she had been on an extended leave of absence, debating whether to end her career. For Kathy, living abroad in the Foreign Service had become stressful. She wanted to remain in Texas. Or so she’d said.
Regardless, locating her in Washington had been easy. Keeping his distance had been the tough part. But Dakota figured Kathy didn’t want to be confronted, didn’t want him standing on her doorstep, demanding to know why she had left. So consequently, Dakota’s pride—his hard-baked masculine ego—had managed to keep him at bay.
Sheikh Rassad drew Kathy into the meeting, pulling Dakota in as well.
“Are you familiar with the events leading up to this mission?” Ben asked her. “Are there any details that are not clear?”
“Aaron briefed me,” she responded. “I know the Lone Star jewels were stolen. And I’m also aware that they’ve been recovered.” She sat with her usual graceful posture, giving the sheikh her undivided attention. “Albert Payune, the Grand Minister of Asterland, masterminded the robbery, intending to use the jewels to fund a revolution. Which is where Dakota and I come in. It’s our job to make sure that revolution doesn’t happen.”
The sheikh leaned forward. “Aaron informed us that you are well acquainted with the king and queen.”
“That’s true. I’m very fond of the royal family, and I don’t intend to see them lose their country.” She placed her glass on a coaster, sending the sheikh a reassuring smile. “I’ve already made arrangements for Dakota to accompany me to Asterland for the queen’s birthday ball. And since he will be visiting as my guest, his presence won’t arouse suspicion.”
Dakota listened, although he had already been briefed by Aaron. The plan had been carefully orchestrated. Dakota’s initial arrival in Asterland must appear to be of a personal nature. And what could be more personal than traveling with his wife? They wouldn’t need to fake their cover, at least not on paper. They would be playing themselves.
Almost.
They would have to pretend to be in the midst of a reconciliation, a couple mending their marriage.
Dakota glanced at Kathy, and she barely returned his gaze. She appeared poised and professional, but he could sense her uneasiness. The same uneasiness that swept through him.
How were they going to pull this off if they couldn’t look at each other? Couldn’t relax in each other’s presence? Dakota glanced at Kathy again, his chest constricting with a familiar ache. Somehow, someway, they would have to. The future of a country was at stake. And this mission was far too risky for mistakes.
Kathy exhaled a quiet breath. When Aaron asked Dakota a question, he shifted his attention, giving her the opportunity to study him.
The years had been good to Dakota Lewis, aging him in a way that made him even more handsome, more rugged. He was half Comanche and half Texan—a tall, solid man with eyes that changed from brown to black, depending on his mood. His profile presented a determined jaw and high, slanted cheekbones. Everything about him boasted masculinity. His midnight hair, although short by most standards, was slightly longer than the military style he had worn while on active duty.
Active duty? Aside from allowing his hair to grow, retirement hadn’t changed Dakota Lewis. He’d gone from Special Forces assignments to privately funded missions without a hitch in his long, powerful stride. Danger flowed through his veins like liquid; it was his life force, his blood. Kathy considered men like Dakota adrenaline junkies—men who would never give up the fight, the need to save the world.
Of course, adrenaline junkies didn’t settle down with their wives. Instead they left them behind, left them alone to wait and wonder, praying frantically for their husbands’ safe return.
How many assignments had he been on since she’d left? Did he miss her the way she had missed him? Or had his work filled the void? Dakota had loved her—that much she knew. Only he hadn’t loved her the way she’d needed. Dakota’s work had always come first. Kathy couldn’t bear being second-best in her husband’s heart.
And then when she’d lost the baby—
Her breath hitched. Oh, God. Don’t think about the baby. Not here, not now. She placed a hand over her stomach. When would the pain go away, the ache of losing Dakota’s child? How many years would have to pass? How many years before she stopped wishing every dark-haired toddler she saw was hers?
Dakota turned toward her, and she removed her hand from her stomach. Kathy had learned long ago how to keep her emotions in check, and she wouldn’t give herself away now. Dakota didn’t know about the baby. He had been in the Middle East tracking gunrunners when she’d miscarried—alone and afraid, missing her husband and crying for the baby they would never hold. A child she had wanted desperately.
“How well do you know Albert Payune?” Sheikh Rassad asked, catching Kathy off guard.
She lifted her chin and concentrated on the mission, the reason she had agreed to fly to Asterland with Dakota.
“I know Payune well enough to form an opinion of him,” she responded. The sheikh’s interest in Payune didn’t surprise her, nor did his active participation in this meeting. She knew the sheikh’s new bride had been formerly promised to Albert Payune in an arranged marriage. “Payune is a clever man, but he’s arrogant, too. Much too vain to be considered charming. He isn’t likable, but he knows how to command attention. He prides himself on power. Craves it, one could say.”
“The perfect profile of a revolutionist,” Aaron added. “It’s quite possible Payune’s sanity borders on his desire to succeed.”
Matthew Walker joined in the conversation, mentioning his fiancée—Lady Helena of Asterland, a cousin to the royal family—a lady who shared Kathy’s opinion of Payune.
Only Dakota and Dr. Webb remained silent. The doctor sat patiently, but Dakota rose from his chair and crossed the room, heading toward the cowhide-covered bar.
Kathy watched him. He moved like a long, fluid animal stalking his prey. It was the Comanche in him, she thought. The warrior preparing to count coup, his mental focus merging with his physical being. She recognized the look, the walk, the adrenaline charge that took him into the next battle, the next mission. This would be the man going after Albert Payune.
Had Dakota acquired another scar since she’d seen him last? Another mark of valor?
Kathy knew every inch of his body, every taut muscle, every hard ridge and flat plane. She also knew his hands were mildly callused, capable of inflicting pain or pleasure, depending on his objective. She had always been on the receiving end of pleasure, those large callused hands surprisingly gentle against her flesh. Dakota Lewis was as skilled a lover as he was a warrior.
Don’t think about that now, she told herself. Focus on the mission. The reason she had agreed to help the Cattleman’s Club.
When the meeting ended, the other men departed, leaving Dakota and Kathy alone. She clutched her handbag and stood. Suddenly the smell of wood and leather made her homesick. The ranch looked the same, the living room cluttered with rustic charm. Pillows, lamps, paintings, bronze statues—every piece told a Western story.
Was the bedroom the same? Had he kept the items she had chosen? The canopy bed, the hand-painted dresser, the horse weather vane sitting atop a Chippendale desk? The ranch belonged to Dakota, a custom-built home he had helped design ten years before. But when Kathy had married him, he’d asked her to redecorate the bedroom—fill it with her flair, her flavor. So she had combined formal antiques with Western relics, candles with cowboy boots, Waterford crystal with carved wood. The end result had pleased Dakota, especially the massive bed.
A bed Kathy had no right to remember. She didn’t belong in this house. Loving Dakota didn’t mean she could live with him, wait months on end for him to return from the missions that consumed him.
How ironic that they would come together for an assignment, for one of the secret operations engineered by the Texas Cattleman’s Club. The members of that prestigious club weren’t just established businessmen. They were Lone Star warriors, men who vowed to serve and protect.
Only Dakota hadn’t protected her. He hadn’t been there when she’d lost the baby.
“I think we should have dinner together tomorrow night.”
Kathy blinked, then glanced up. How long had she been standing in the middle of Dakota’s living room? And how long had he been watching her? “To synchronize our plan?”
“To get used to each other.” He placed several empty glasses on top of the bar. “We can’t go to Asterland like this. Acting like strangers. No one will buy our cover.”
She let out an anxious breath. Right. The reconciled couple. The Foreign Service consular and her husband. “We still have some details to work out about the mission.”
“We can do that over dinner. Which means avoiding a restaurant. There are too many ears out there. I don’t want to take the chance of being overheard.”
And she didn’t want to have dinner with him at the ranch. She couldn’t bear the familiarity. “How about my hotel suite? We can order in.”
“That’s fine.”
He walked her to the door, and as she turned to say goodbye, their eyes met.
Yes, she thought, struggling to hold his gaze, they needed to get used to each other. Three years, too many missions and a secret miscarriage had created a lot of distance between them. Pretending to be a reconciled couple wasn’t going to be easy.
The following evening Kathy stood before a full-length mirror in her hotel room. She wore a white suit, gold jewelry and low heels. Reaching into her blouse, she lifted a long chain. Her wedding ring glittered on the end of it, a brilliant-cut diamond surrounded by emeralds. It was foolish, she knew, to wear it in such a manner, but she didn’t have the strength to part with it completely.
It reminded her of wishes and dreams, a house full of children and growing old with the man she loved—a life where terrorists and gunrunners didn’t take her husband away from home. As she slipped the chain inside her blouse, the ring thumped against her heart, out of sight but not out of mind.
Kathy tilted her head. Her hair was loose about her shoulders, the way Dakota liked it best. Quickly she twisted it into a neat chignon, her fingers working the heavy strands with deft precision. This wasn’t about what Dakota liked. This was a business meeting, a professional dinner engagement.
When the room-service waiter delivered the meal, Kathy stood nearby, watching him set the table. Dakota would be arriving at any moment. She signed the bill and forced a smile, telling herself to relax. She had been in the company of dignitaries and heads of state. One tall, ex-military man, a dark-eyed Comanche, had no right to twist her stomach into a pretzel.
Five minutes after the waiter departed, a knock sounded at the door. She answered it, keeping her head high and her posture straight but not stiff. “Hello, Dakota.”
“Hi.” He smiled, a brief affection that gentled his raw-boned features.
She used to kiss the scar on his chin, she thought. And the one on his belly, too.
Kathy took a step back. What a thing to invade her mind—that masculine stomach, rippling with hard-earned muscle.
“Come in. I took the liberty of ordering our meal ahead of time.”
“Great.” He walked into the suite, his voice more casual than she had expected. But when he made a beeline for the phone and began dismantling it, she realized his tone was for show.
He talked about insignificant things as he swept the set of rooms for bugs, electronic devices that might have been planted by someone posing as part of the hotel staff. Kathy had already done a search, but she appreciated Dakota’s professionalism. With her anxious behavior, she could have missed something. She wasn’t accustomed to providing her own security.
“What are we having?” he asked, indicating his search had turned up clean.
“Prime rib,” she responded, wishing she could relax the way a proper hostess should.
Tonight Dakota looked a little dangerous—black trousers, a black jacket and eyes as dark as his clothes. He used to complain that he didn’t blend in well, that men in his field shouldn’t stand out in a crowd. Of course, men in his field were masters of disguise, and he played the game to perfection. Kathy knew he had altered his appearance many times, his height the only feature he couldn’t change.
“It smells good,” he said.
“Yes, it does.”
He scooted back her chair, and she took her seat, thinking they weren’t off to a very good start. There was no level of comfort between them. None whatsoever.
She poured the wine, her hand steadier than her heart. He sat across from her, watching every move she made, his gaze filled with questions. Clearly he wanted to know why she had left.
Kathy wasn’t ready to talk about personal matters, wasn’t sure if it would even matter. Retired or not, Lieutenant Dakota Lewis was, and always would be, the ultimate soldier—a man drawn to the heat of battle. A wife longing for babies and domestic bliss had no place in his life.
Dakota reached for his wine, and Kathy toyed with her salad. But before the silence threatened to swallow them, he spoke. “Tell me about your relationship with the royal family.”
“I consider Queen Nicole a friend,” she answered, relaxing a little. “She is part American and enjoys having another American woman to talk to. Although she was born in Asterland, she was educated in the States and has a fondness for our culture.”
“When were you assigned to the consulate in Asterland? You’ve been in Washington for the last three years.”
So he knew where she had been. Well, of course he did. She couldn’t very well hide from a man like Dakota, nor had she intended to. She had wanted him to come to her, wanted him to profess that she was more important than his work, that he would retire for good.
“I wasn’t assigned to Asterland. I was brought in to handle a situation that involved Prince Eric.” Queen Nicole’s young son, a dark-haired little boy who had stolen Kathy’s heart. “Prince Eric had gotten into trouble at a prestigious New England boarding school. He was on the verge of being suspended because his classroom behavior was too disruptive. And since the school officials weren’t being particularly cooperative, Queen Nicole requested that an American consular assess the situation and report to her.”
Dakota cut into his meat. “Your report must have impressed the queen.”
“Prince Eric turned out to be a delightful child, which led me to believe his classroom behavior needed further investigation.” Kathy adjusted the linen napkin on her lap. “With the queen’s approval, I brought in an educational psychologist. And the psychologist diagnosed Prince Eric with attention deficit disorder. Personally, I feel the boy had been treated unfairly. A learning disability isn’t something that warrants a suspension.”
Dakota smiled. “You’ve always been tuned in to kids. You could have been a teacher.”
Or a mother, she thought, swallowing the lump in her throat. Prince Eric had come into her life soon after the miscarriage, and bonding with the young boy had helped ease the pain of losing her own child. “The queen transferred him to a boarding school that specializes in learning disabilities. He’s doing well now. A determined fifth-grader.”
“It’s hard to believe Prince Ivan came from the same family.”
“I know.” Kathy pictured Prince Ivan. He was Eric’s older brother, a grown man who abused his power and shamed his family. He had also been a menace to the town of Royal, a threat to the Cattleman’s Club. But in the end, a cowardly act had consumed him. Rather than return to Asterland to face his family, the prince had committed suicide. “Ivan is dead now.”
Dakota placed his fork on the table. “But he’s still creating trouble. Or his past deeds are. He’s the one who convinced the king to appoint Payune to the position of Grand Minister. Payune and Ivan were thick as thieves.”
And at one time, the king, clearly blinded by parental love, had intended to abdicate the throne to Ivan. “Prince Eric is nothing like his brother. He will make a fine king someday.”
“That’s good to know. But if we don’t stop Payune, young Eric will never get that chance.” Dakota trapped her gaze, his dark eyes riveting. “I hope to God Payune buys my cover. And yours, too. I’m going to have to convince him that you’re a double agent.”
Kathy tried to look away, but couldn’t. Dakota held her there, caught in his magnetic gaze. She wasn’t able to respond; her mouth had gone dry. She reached for her wine, took a small sip.
His husky voice sounded gentle, low. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I hate doing this to you, but I don’t know how else to reach Payune.”
Sweetheart. Kathy felt a pool of warmth settle deep in her belly. Dakota had used that endearment the first time they’d made love.
Show me what you like, sweetheart. Put my hands—
Oh yes, those hands. Those strong, callused hands—fingertips stroking her breasts, sliding lower, slipping between her thighs. He used to watch her climax, smile and watch, masculine pleasure alight in his dark eyes. Afterward they would kiss, and he would enter her, push himself deep inside, make it happen all over again. Every explosive, glorious sensation.
“Kathy?”
She started. “Yes?”
“Are you all right? Did that upset you?”
Yes, she wanted to say. It unnerves me that I can’t stop thinking about us. That I can recall your touch, your smile, the feel of your mouth covering mine, the weight of your body, the rock of your hips. “No. I came into this mission knowing we would have to fool Payune. I’m prepared to play my part.”
“You’re absolutely sure? You don’t have any second thoughts?”
“I’m ready for this assignment,” she said, struggling to maintain her composure. “Aaron briefed me on all of the details.” Dakota would present himself as a Texas billionaire willing to fund Payune’s revolution for personal gain. And she would be painted as Dakota’s shrewd wife—a woman who used a government job to her best advantage.
“Don’t worry about me,” she added. She wouldn’t allow her thoughts to stray, wouldn’t allow those disturbing images to cloud her mind. Because recalling Dakota’s touch was possibly more dangerous than the mission.
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