Million Dollar Mistake

I love you. Then. Now. Always.
She adjusted her position until her legs were wide and she was sitting directly
on his desire. His hardness pressed against her core as he rocked to a sensual
rhythm, stimulating his passion and hers until he tore his lips away and attacked
the rest of her clothing. Raven did the same. In a few moments, pants, sweaters,
boots, socks were all tossed around the stall until there was only a pair of tight
low briefs and a thong, which barely covered her, to provide whatever modesty
was left.
Glancing at the scrap of silk so fine it was transparent, Nicholas chuckled. He
fingered the lace trim, slipping a long fingertip beneath. “I don’t know why you
bother with this.” He leaned over to press a kiss on her mound.
“Sometimes I don’t.”
He moaned. “Oh God, now that’s an image I won’t forget.”
“I don’t want you to forget anything,” she whispered, threading her fingers
through his hair, thrusting her hips up as his finger roamed between her legs,
seeking her cleft.
“Don’t worry,” he answered as his finger caressed her pleasure source then
slipped inside her to delight her more. Her muscles clenched around him as if
they’d never let him go. Being a man, his imagination promptly replaced his
fingertip with another part of his anatomy and his impatience to possess her
grew.
He withdrew to grab her excuse for underwear and practically rip it off her,
leaving her trembling on the blanket beneath him. For just a moment, Nicholas
became aware of the chill in the air that penetrated their cozy nest of straw. “Are
you cold?”
“Are you crazy?” she answered, reaching for him. “I’m so hot, I’m volcanic.”
His grin was fierce as he parted her legs and cupped his hands under her hips
to lift her. “Then let’s see if we can explode.”

---

Dropping a series of small nibbling kisses on her thighs, he took his time,
working his way to the main course with long slow strokes. He tasted her with
lips and tongue, finally settling in to feast, reveling at the intimacy, at the heat, at
the honey sweetness of her as she responded to his touch, building to an
inevitable climax. So involved in giving her pleasure was he, that she stunned
him by placing her hands onto his shoulders and shoving him away.
“Wha—”
“Not this time,” Raven said her voice tight and raspy with excitement. She
pushed him over onto his back and caressed his hard bulge. “I’m not taking a trip
alone this time.”
Without giving him time to do more than gasp, she hooked her thumbs in his
briefs and pulled them down and off, throwing them over her shoulder before
sliding her hands over his legs and between them to hold the heavy weight of his
testicles in her palms. “Um,” she whispered, licking her lips as her gaze traveled
over him. “You look yummy.”
He grinned, delighted at her aggression, his erection so hard he could blast
through concrete. “Hungry?”
Her eyes met his as her hands raced over his body and back down. Her
fingertips circled him and she began a slow caressing stroke, her fingers gentle
against his velvety flesh. “Starved.”
“Me, too,” he moaned, as his hips thrust up under the steady massage of her
talented hands. When she took him into her mouth, his last threads of control
snapped. He was only aware of the hot pulsing beat of his blood, of the need that
gnawed at his gut. Need that would never go away. A need that was not just
physical, but emotional as well. She had to know that. He didn’t want this
moment to be just about passion. He needed this to be more.
Nicholas tried to tell her so, but—”Ah, Raven”—was the only sound that
emerged.
Close to exploding, he summoned the strength to adjust his position until he
could grasp Raven under the arms and lift her to lie on top of him. At the feeling
of her quivering body against his, he almost lost it again, but managed to roll her
beneath him. He nudged her legs wider with his knee and honed in on his target.
Hard flesh touched soft, causing mini-explosions in his brain and in his heart
before he’d even entered her. Yes, he thought, this is right.
Aching to prolong their desire, he advanced inch by inch, feeling her hot
wetness bathe him, her pulsating muscles massage him. Sweat popped out on his
brow as he strived to keep the movement deliberate.
Raven’s hands clawed at his back. “Faster.”
“No,” he gasped, desperately trying to keep control. “This is too important.”

---

“I can’t take much more.”
“Yes, you can, love. You’ll take all of me.”
He continued his slow journey, finally sheathed to the hilt; so deep inside her,
they felt like one. Pausing for an instant, he smiled down at her before taking her
lips again. The moment he’d not known he was waiting for his entire life roared
into reality.
Bodies wild now as their contours adjusted to each other’s curves and angles,
they lost themselves, the sensual rhythms of their bodies creating their own
melody. Their speed increased as the beat quickened until they were oblivious to
their surroundings, lost in each other, lost in their own melody. Panting,
trembling, moaning, sweating they reached a crescendo, then with a triumphant
cry—played the final notes together.
Long moments passed as they lay locked in a hazy world of their own making,
unable to move, unable to catch their breath. Neither of them spoke for a
moment. How could you reduce what they’d just experienced into words?
Nicholas wasn’t sure he had the skill to try; but try he must. She had to
understand not only what she meant to him, but the situation that had brought
him here.
His brain still fuzzy after spectacular sex, the only thing he could come up
with to start was— “Well, that was really something.”
Raven smiled and smoothed a finger over his jaw. “Yes.”
“You’re one of a kind, sweetheart. No woman has ever jolted me like this. I’m
not sure how to handle it.”
Her smiled widened. “Handle what?”
“You, us, this situation. It’s a mess.”
“A mess,” she repeated, her smile fading. “Is that what you’d call what
happened?”
“You should only know,” he muttered, thinking not only of how to confess his
feelings, but also of the other confession he had to make to her, and of her
possible response. She’d taken his decisions concerning her father in the right
spirit, but he doubted she’d feel the same about his business deal with J.R.
Exeter.
She pushed at his shoulders, shifting him so she could wiggle out from
beneath his body. “Don’t worry about it.”
Then, when it really mattered, all of his sophisticated wit, his skill with
women, his smooth-talking tongue deserted him and he blurted, “Raven, I don’t
want you…” At a loss he trailed off.
She wrinkled her brow at his silence. “You don’t want me?”
“Huh? Of course I do.”

---

“You just said you didn’t.”
He frowned at her, trying to focus. He’d never told a woman he loved her
before. It was harder than it looked. He wondered if his cousin Darcy had had
this much trouble telling his wife, Silver.
Finally, he thought he’d formed the right words. “Sex can change things.
Sometimes you say things and later wish you’d not said them. Because you
didn’t say the right things, and you should’ve. I don’t want you to think this—”
“Don’t worry, darling,” she interrupted, her tone light and brittle, her body
hunched a bit as if huddling under a protective shell. “I make it a point not to
think after sex. It’s too much effort. So the ‘situation’ is under control.”
He frowned at her insouciant response, cleared his throat and tried again. “I
wish it were. But that’s not what I mean. I’m trying to say there’s more to this
than sex.”
Raven started gathering her clothes. “Are you referring to my father?”
“No,” he denied with a sharp shake of his head. “He’s a minor irritant in all
this. I’m talking about you and Jackson. About the Exeters.”
“You don’t have to worry about that anymore, Nicholas. Jackson and I are
over. Not that we ever really were. Deep down, I think he’s always known that
too.”
Nicholas gave her an emphatic nod and made things worse as he said, “I made
sure of it.”
She glared at him. “Oh, you did. Lord, you are so arrogant. So sure you’re
always right.”
“Well—” He shut up as she glared at him.
Growling like an infuriated kitten, she turned with a flounce. Locating her
pants and sweater on a nearby hay bale, she jerked them on, paying no attention
to her lack of underwear, which was still littering the straw next to Nicholas.
Then she indicated the quilt as she sent him a withering look. “Besides, after
this, how the hell could you think I’d even consider it?”
He scrambled to his feet and reached for her, missing as she feinted to the
right to avoid him. “What do you mean?”
Hands on her hips she glared at him. “I mean I’m in love with you, you
annoying, insufferable ass.”
If a lightning bolt had struck from above, he couldn’t have been more
staggered. Praying his knees wouldn’t buckle, he gaped at her. God, she was
glorious, with hot temper adding spice to her ripe, delicious body, and that
fantastic face, which was still flushed from their lovemaking.
“What do you have to say about that?” she continued, her voice rising until it
approached a shout.

---

His mouth finally started working enough to say, “What?”
“Don’t give me that innocent, shocked look. You heard me.” She picked up
his clothes and threw them at him. “You’re getting goose bumps. Put your
clothes on.”
He tore the sweater off his shoulder, his own temper rising. She had a way of
doing that to him at the most inconvenient times. “What do I have to say?”
She turned her back on him. “Forget it. I don’t want to hear.”
“You asked, so you’ll damn well listen.”
With a saucy head toss, she said in a singsong tone, like a kid taunting a
playmate, “I’m not interested.”
Her tone got to him as it was meant to do. Grabbing her arms, Nicholas spun
her around, shouting, “I’m in love with you, too, you irritating brat.”
Raven blinked. “You are?”
“Yes. Hell knows why.”
“Same goes, pal. You’re bossy and opinionated, and you drive me crazy.”
“Yeah? Well, I’m in total agreement. Nine times out of ten, I want to tie you
up and lock you in a trunk.”
“Back at you.” Eyes narrowed, Raven tossed the words at him like a fast pitch
in a no-hitter game.
“Dammit, Raven, just when I think I have everything figured out, you throw
me a curve. I must be a masochist to think about putting up with this.”
“You’re not the only one.”
Their tempers seemed to run down at the same time as they stared at each
other, still panting and scowling, but a hint of light breaking over their faces.
“You love me?” Raven finally whispered.
“Yes.”
“Telling true?”
He crossed his heart, spit on his finger and raised it to pledge. “Telling true.”
Wonder crossed her face. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything. We get along better when we don’t talk.”
She chuckled. “We have to talk sometime.”
He grinned back at her. “I don’t think so. We’ll just make love instead.”
“That could get embarrassing.”
He pulled her into his arms. “I’ll risk it if you will.”
“My father will disown me.”
“No worries, sweetheart. You don’t have any money anyway, remember?”
“Oh, that’s right.”
“Best thing that could happen is, he’ll stop talking to us.” Before she could
protest that comment, he took her lips in a way designed to change the subject.

---

Long heated moments passed before they surfaced.
“Whew,” Raven breathed. “Is that how you plan to handle all of our
discussions?”
“Works for me.” Nicholas grinned, releasing her. “Get your coat.”
Raven sighed. “Time to get back to reality?”
“Afraid so.” He located his jacket and slipped it on, then turned to assist with
hers.
As she bent over to pick up her bra and panties and stick them in her pocket, a
disgruntled, “Meow,” came from the straw underneath her coat, followed by an
annoyed black-and-white face.
She kneeled down to cuddle the kitten. “Oh, Nicholas, can we take him with
us?”
“No. He’s too little.” Nicholas tickled the kitten, smiling as the small paws
batted back at his fingers. “Besides, his mother would miss him.”
“You’re right. We can’t break up a family,” Raven said, her eyes clouding.
Nicholas took the kitten and tucked it back into the straw near his brothers and
sisters before lifting Raven to her feet. He zipped up her coat and gently kissed
her forehead. “It will all work out, Raven.”
She smiled, that vulnerability she tried so hard to hide from the world visible
in every inch of her. “Sure it will.”
Nicholas stared at her for a long moment, deciding he couldn’t tell her about
his arrangement with J.R. at the moment. She was dealing with enough. It would
have to wait until he got her away from here. He stretched out his hand. “Trust
me.”
Placing her hand in his, Raven let him lead her to the barn door. “I do.”
In the library, Jackson flung himself into the chair that Raven had recently
vacated. Nicholas had given him some things to think about, things he’d already
known at heart, anyway. It didn’t take a shrink to make him admit that part of
him was chasing a union with Raven so he could show his father he was his own
man. Not that he wasn’t sincere in wanting her, he was. But there were all levels
of wanting, he was discovering. He had to want for the right reasons.
He’d brought Raven up here to see if she could fit in with his family, that
much was true. What was also true, though, was his typical reaction when his
father said—”you can’t marry her”. Groaning, he hit his palm against his
forehead.
“What an idiot.”
“I’d have to agree with that,” Lorianne said as she entered the library.
Jackson glanced over, watching as she walked toward him. Sunlight slashed

---

through the windows and fell on her bright hair and animated face before it
showered over her petite body. Then it hit him—something about her had
changed.
Lorianne stopped in front of him. “What are you looking at?”
He blinked like a man emerging from a pitch-black cave. “At you.”
“Oh.”
“I’m seeing Lorianne.”
She arched her brow. “That’s because I’m standing in front of you.”
He shook his head slowly. “No, that’s not the reason.”
“Okay, I’ll bite. What is?”
He grinned, almost to himself. “I…I’m not sure, but I like it.”
Lorianne cocked her head, considering him before giving him a playful touch.
“Did you fall on your head? Or maybe you have a fever? You’re not making any
sense.”
He laughed and stood up, taking her hand. “Yes, I am. For the first time in a
long while, I am.”
Lorianne stared up at him. “Okay, now I’m worried.”
“There’s nothing to worry about, pint-pot.” It was an old nickname he’d used
for her, one that came from fond childhood memories. How amazing it was to
consider the name now gave him a thrill as he applied it to Lorianne. Even
grownup, she still stood only as high as his heart.
Groaning, Lorianne tried to tug her hand away. “I hate that nickname.”
Jackson grinned again. “Too bad. I love it.”
She yanked her hand from his and walked over to the windows. “It makes me
feel inadequate.”
Jackson paused as the final piece of the puzzle snapped into place for him. It
wasn’t Raven. It was Lorianne. All this time, it was Lorianne for him. He turned
to follow her. “How can someone so important feel inadequate?”
She glanced over at him. “Are you trying to rub it in?”
“No, I’m serious.”
“Because I’m the tagalong. The kid who had to be included. I don’t mind that
most of the time, because I know I’m really more than that. And as I’ve grown
up, I’ve shown that fact to everyone but you. With you, I’m still that pudgy little
girl with braces that your parents made you hang with when you’d rather be
doing something else.”
“Is that the way I made you feel? How cruel of me.” He smiled when she
rushed to his defense.
“You didn’t mean to. Your father was a catalyst there. Just as mine was.”
Jackson nodded. “Yes, I’ve just realized how much my father has affected.”

---

“He’s a strong, forceful man.”
“He’s a pain in the ass.”
Lorianne laughed. “Yes, he is. But he loves you and his heart’s in the right
place.”
“Perhaps.”
“No, it is. He just wants what’s best for you. While you want…” she trailed
off. “The opposite?”
He studied her, then said softly, “Like Raven, you mean?”
Lorianne hunched her shoulders, an uncomfortable look on her face. She
turned away to stare out the windows.
“Lorianne?”
“Perhaps Raven could be an example.”
“That’s tactful.”
Lorianne threw him a disgusted look over her shoulder. “What do you want
from me? Tactful is part of who I am.”
“Yes, it is.” He tucked her hair behind her ears. “And it’s an invaluable trait.
But it’s not the only part, is it?”
She studied him for a moment before admitting, “It’s been pretty hard to keep
my mouth shut sometimes.”
“Like now?”
She hesitated, before muttering, “I know how you feel about Raven.”
He shook his head slowly. “No, I don’t think you do. I didn’t really know until
recently.”
“After you fell head over heels in love with her, you mean?”
“No. More recently than that. I think it started last night.”
“Oh.”
He rocked back on his heels as he smiled at her. He liked the way her face had
crumpled at his remark. It gave him hope. Hope he didn’t know he wanted until
now.
“I wonder what it is about forbidden fruit that makes it so attractive.”
Lorianne rolled her eyes. “Duh! Maybe because it’s forbidden?”
“Or maybe it really comes down to who’s doing the forbidding.”
“Are we talking creation philosophy or something closer to home?”
Jackson smiled. “Closer to home. Although my father would probably be
flattered by the God comparison.”
Lorianne giggled. “You’re right. He is pretty much the lord of all he surveys.”
“And I always reacted by jumping in the opposite direction.”
“That’s pretty natural, isn’t it, Jackson?”
“Not when you almost get married because of it.”

---

“Almost? You did say, almost?”
Jackson stepped closer, inhaling the sweet floral scent that always seemed to
surround her. “That’s right. But that’s not important any longer.”
“It isn’t?” she squeaked, jerking back as he leaned toward her.
“No. I’ve got something else on my mind.” With a sharp shake, he amended
that. “Make that someone else.”
Lorianne stared at him, her eyes wide as the world. She seemed unable to
catch her breath, much less talk. Finally, she pulled herself together to give him a
cool, “I see.”
“Not yet, you don’t.” He smiled, releasing her. “But I’m hoping to convince
you.”
She nodded. “I’ll look forward to that.”
“I hope so.” He frowned as a loose end popped into his mind. He didn’t like
loose ends. He liked it when everything was organized in the right sequence.
“One thing, though. You aren’t seriously attracted to Nicholas, are you?”
“Good heavens, who wouldn’t be attracted to the man?”
He tried to hide his chagrin. He’d been so sure she’d deny it. “So you are.”
“Why shouldn’t I be, with you throwing Raven in everyone’s face like
confetti?”
“Point taken.” Was there a hint of jealousy in that comment?
“You’re not the only one who’s been expected to toe the family line, you
know. Did you ever think of that?”
He rubbed his hand over his cheek. “No, no I never did. I always thought you
—”
“Were falling all over my feet to have you?”
“Yes,” he admitted with a wry smile.
“What makes you think you’re such a bargain?” She scanned him head to toe.
“From where I’m standing at the moment, you’ve been behaving like a child
having a tantrum and hanging on to all the luscious goodies even when you
know they’ll make you sick.”
“Thanks a lot,” he said, his voice dry as dust.
“You’re welcome. Now tell me why I’d want a man like that?”
“I can’t.”
“Damn straight.”
He laughed. “Okay, I can accept that. But, one thing—” he placed a hand on
her arm to hold her still—“do you think you might want a man like that in the
future? I mean, if he grows up enough to discover that what he was searching for
has always been right in front of him?”
“I might.” Lorianne gave him a cautious smile. “Know anyone?”

---

He gave her a rueful grin. “I’m going to have my work cut out for me with
you, aren’t I?”
She gave him a frank look. “Yes, you are. And I expect to enjoy every single
minute of it.”
His hand shot out as if finalizing a tense business deal. “Want to shake on
that?”
Nodding, she placed her palm against his for a brisk shake. “Done deal.”
Nicholas led Raven into the hallway, closing the exterior door behind him. “I
don’t know about you, sweetheart, but after that walk I’m ready to relax on a
warm beach.”
Raven smiled. “Oh, that sounds terrific, doesn’t it?”
He pulled her close for a minute, whispering, “Where we can be alone, so I
can—”
“Ah, Nicholas,” J.R. said, coming up the hall toward him, waving a sheaf of
papers. “Good news. I’ve got it all arranged. We just have to—”
Nicholas gave Raven a quick glance before darting back to J.R. “Uh, J.R., can
we settle this later?”
“Settle what?” Raven asked.
“Nothing, darling,” Nicholas said, trying a smile as he steered her toward the
stairs. “Why don’t we—”
“This will only take a minute.” Oblivious to everyone’s feelings, intent on his
own concerns, J.R. flipped a page, pointing to a paragraph. “I had to revise—”
“Are the roads open yet?” Nicholas interrupted, after glancing at Raven’s
curious and slightly suspicious face. This was not the time or place to make the
big confession about his J.R. deal, he decided. He wanted her alone, preferably
nude, when he did so.
“What?” J.R. looked up, seeming surprised to be derailed from his objective.
“Oh. Yes, they are. So’s the airport.”
“Great,” Nicholas said with an enthusiastic clap. “Raven, why don’t you
change out of those wet things and pack? I won’t be long.”
Raven glanced at them both. “Sure. I’ll do that.”
Nicholas walked over and bent to give her a small kiss, surreptitiously stuffing
her bra, half of which was dangling down her hip, back into her jacket pocket as
he did so. Watching her ascend the steps, only to turn at the top to blow him a
kiss, he heaved a relieved sigh before turning back to J.R.
“What the hell is the matter with you?”
J.R. looked affronted. “What are you talking about? I thought you were
anxious to get this business settled.”

---

“I am. But I’d prefer Raven doesn’t know until I’m ready.”
J.R. looked a bit sheepish, but tried to play it off. “I have to settle this matter
before my banker leaves on vacation tomorrow.”
Nicholas glanced over his shoulder. No sign of Raven. “Then let’s go to the
library and settle it.”

---

Chapter Ten
In the hallway upstairs, out of sight of the two men below, Raven listened.
Something was up. She didn’t know what, but Nicholas had seemed
uncomfortable and even guilty. Of what she had no idea, but she was going to
find out. She’d accidentally overheard a private conversation in the library
before, but this time—she’d eavesdrop on purpose.
Moving in the same stealthy manner she’d perfected as a child, Raven tiptoed
down the hallway to the second-story loft overlooking the Exeter’s library.
Easing the door open, she crept inside. She could just see Nicholas and J.R.
below, standing by the desk on the far side of the lower level. She tucked herself
back among the bookshelves and listened.
“First of all, good work, son,” J.R. said, clasping Nicholas’s shoulder. “When
I first saw you, I knew you were the right man for the job.”
“Which job was that?” Nicholas asked, his tone dry as dust. “We discussed
two of them.”
“Both, dammit. Getting rid of the woman, and this business deal.”
“The woman, as you call her, is my fiancé.”
“Your fiancé?” J.R. laughed. “My God, you’re good. I wouldn’t have thought
you’d try the fiancé angle. I thought you’d just haul her away.”
“Like a sack of discarded trash?” Raven winced at Nicholas’s biting comment,
trying not to let it hurt.
“You’re really something, son.” J.R. smiled. “You keep your eyes straight
ahead on the road. Nothing gets in your way, does it?” Raven strained to hear his
response. It sounded like “something did” but she wasn’t sure.
“I admire that, Nicholas,” J.R. continued, “I truly do. Reminds me of me when
I was your age.”