The Best Kept Secrets...: The Secret Affair. Brenda Jackson

still locked, he slowly maneuvered her backward toward the tree he’d leaned against earlier. When her back rested against the trunk, her thighs parted and he eased between them, loving the feel of his denim rubbing against hers.

      Frissons of fire, hotter than he’d ever encountered, burned a path up his spine and he deepened the kiss as if his life depended on him doing so. Too soon, in his estimation, they had to come up for air and he released her mouth just as quickly as he’d taken it.

      He tried not to notice the thoroughly kissed look on her face when she drew in a deep breath. He took a step back so he wouldn’t be tempted to kiss her again. The next time he knew he wouldn’t stop with a kiss. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he had tasted her in other places, as well. And then he would want to make love to her, right here on his land. On the very spot he planned to build his house. Crap! Why was he thinking such a thing? In frustration, he rubbed a hand down his face.

      “I think we need to move on.”

      Her words made him look back at her and an ache settled deep in his stomach. She was beautiful and desire escalated through him all over again. Giving in to what he wanted, he took a step forward and lowered his mouth to hers, taking a sweep of her mouth with his tongue. His groin swelled when she caught his tongue and began sucking on it.

      He broke off the kiss and drew in a ragged breath. “Jillian! You’re asking for trouble. I’m within two seconds of spreading you on the ground and getting inside of you.” The vision of such a thing nearly overpowered his senses.

      “I told you we should go. You’re the one who kissed me again.”

      He smiled. “And you kissed me back. Now you understand what I meant when I said there are some kisses that can’t be avoided. You didn’t want me to kiss you initially, but then you did.”

      She frowned slightly. “You seduced me. You made me want to kiss you.”

      His smile widened. “Yes, to both.”

      “So this was some sort of lesson?”

      He shook his head. “Not hardly. I told you I wanted to taste you. I enjoyed doing so.”

      “This can’t become a habit, Aidan.”

      “And I don’t intend to make it one, trust me. My curiosity has more than been satisfied.”

      She nodded. “So has mine. Are you ready to show me the other parts of Westmoreland Country?”

      “Yes. We’re headed for Adrian’s Cove next and then Bailey’s Bay and Bane’s Ponderosa.”

      He backed up to give her space and when she moved around him, he was tempted to reach out and pull her back into his arms, kiss her some more, until he got his fill. But he had a feeling that getting his fill would not be possible and that was something he didn’t want to acknowledge.

      * * *

      “So, how did the tour go with Aidan yesterday?”

      Jillian glanced up from her breakfast when Bailey slid into the chair next to her. Pam had shared breakfast with Jillian earlier before leaving for the grocery store, and had asked her the same thing. It had been hard to keep a straight face then and it was harder to do so now.

      “It went well. There’s a lot of land in Westmoreland Country. I even saw the property you own, Bailey’s Bay.”

      Bailey smiled. “I can’t claim ownership until I’m twenty-five so I have a couple years left. But when I do, I plan to build the largest house of them all. It will even be bigger than this one.”

      Jillian thought that would be an accomplishment because Dillon and Pam’s house was huge. Their house was three stories and had eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, a spacious eat-in kitchen, a gigantic living room, a large dining room with a table that could seat over forty people easily, and a seven-car garage.

      “I can’t wait to see it when you do.” Jillian liked Bailey and had from the first time she’d set foot in Westmoreland Country to attend Pam’s engagement party. And since there was only a couple years’ difference in their ages, with Bailey being older, they had hit it off immediately. “What happens if you meet and marry a guy who wants to take you away from here?”

      “That won’t happen because there’s not a man alive who can do that. This is where I was born and this is where I’ll die.”

      Jillian thought Bailey sounded sure of that. Hadn’t Jillian felt the same way about her home in Wyoming at one time? Although it hadn’t been a man that had changed her mind, it had been the thought of how much money Pam would be paying for three sisters in college. Although her older sister had married a very wealthy man, it still would not have been right.

      “Besides,” Bailey said, cutting into her thoughts. “I plan to stay single forever. Having five bossy brothers and seven even bossier male cousins is enough. I don’t need another man in my life trying to tell me what to do.”

      Jillian smiled. When she’d heard the stories about all the trouble Bailey used to get into when she was younger, Jillian had found it hard to believe. Sitting across from her was a beautiful, self-confident woman who seemed to have it going on. A woman who definitely knew what she wanted.

      “I hope Aidan was nice and didn’t give you any trouble.”

      Jillian lifted a brow. “Why would you say that?”

      Bailey shrugged. “Aidan has his moods sometimes.”

      “Does he?”

      “Yes, but if you didn’t pick up on them then I guess he did okay.”

      No, she hadn’t picked up on any mood, but she had picked up on his sensual side. And he had definitely picked up on hers. She was still in a quandary as to exactly what had happened yesterday. It was as if she’d become another person with him. She’d discovered that being kissed senseless wasn’t just a cliché but was something that could really happen. Aidan had proven it. Even after brushing her teeth twice, rinsing out her mouth and eating a great breakfast Pam had prepared, the taste of him was still deeply embedded on her tongue. And what was even crazier was that she liked it.

      Knowing Bailey was probably expecting a response, she said. “Yes, he was okay. I thought he was rather nice.”

      Bailey nodded. “I’m glad. I told him he needed to get to know you and your sisters better since he’s rarely home. And we’re all family now.”

      All family now. Bailey’s words were a stark reminder of why what happened yesterday could never be repeated. They weren’t just a guy and a girl who’d met with no connections. They had deep connections. Family connections. And family members didn’t go around kissing each other. Why of all the guys out there did she have to be attracted to one with the last name Westmoreland?

      “So, besides Bailey’s Bay where else did he take you?”

      To heaven and back. The words nearly slid from Jillian’s lips because that’s where she felt she’d actually been. Transported there and back by a kiss. Amazing. Pulling her thoughts together, she said, “First, we toured Aidan’s Haven.”

      “Isn’t it beautiful? That’s the property I originally wanted because of the way it’s surrounded by Gemma Lake. But then I realized it would have been too much water to deal with. I think the spot where Aidan plans to build his house is perfect, though, and will provide an excellent view of the lake and mountains, no matter what room of the house you’re in.”

      Jillian agreed and eradicated the thought from her mind that Aidan’s wife and kids would one day live there. “I also saw Adrian’s Cove. That piece of property is beautiful, as well. I love the way it’s surrounded by mountains.”

      “Me, too.”

      “And from there we visited Bailey’s Bay, Canyon’s Bluff and Stern’s Stronghold.”

      “Like the names?”

      Jillian