Midnight Special Coming on Strong - By Tawny Weber Page 0,117

want her because she was a challenge now? Unlike before when she’d tried to serve herself up on a platter?

She told herself she was being silly. But still, her initial reaction was to pick a fight as soon as she saw him. That wasn’t fair, though. She had to know. Which meant she’d be an absolute doll all night, flirt to her heart’s content with nary a hint of anger or confrontation, and see how it went.

Hell no, she wasn’t going to take the easy way out. Belle gathered all the confidence she could and squared her shoulders. She’d have him begging for sex again and she’d do it with a smile on her face.

* * *

“REECE?” MITCH FROWNED as he crossed the lobby to greet the tall guy in the cowboy hat. “What’re you doing here?”

Unselfconsciously, he gave Reece a quick man hug, the arm-around-the-shoulder kind that he knew wouldn’t embarrass his ex–Green Beret cousin.

“I thought I’d drop in, check the place out,” Reece said in his slow drawl.

“Check up on your investment, you mean?” Mitch asked, referring to the fact that all the family members were stockholders on the MC Board of Directors.

“Nah, just wanted to see what kind of trouble your sorry ass has been getting up to.” Reece made a show of looking around. Mitch followed his gaze, taking in the towering potted plants, the glossy marble-inlaid floor and ornate rosewood check-in desk. Reece gave a nod. “Long way from home, cuz.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” Mitch pulled back his shoulders and grinned with pride. “You think the whole family will turn out for the grand opening blowout event?”

Reece pulled a face and gave a slow shrug. “Not so sure about that. I mean, if I read your reports right, you’re shifting focus from a ritzy resort to a sexually charged amusement park for the rich and famous. Might be a little racy for Grammy Lynn, if ya know what I mean.”

Mitch snickered. “Grammy Lynn sent me a list of suggestions to make sure we were offering enough sexy options.”

“I shoulda known.” Like everything else about him, Reece’s grin was slow and easy. That smile deceived the enemy into thinking he was slow, women into thinking he was easy. They soon found out they were wrong. He was also loyal, tenacious and brilliant, but few people outside the family knew that, since Reece had a habit of keeping everyone at arm’s length.

Mitch stood visiting with his cousin, feeling on top of the world. Family, success and hot sex. What more could a man want? The image of Belle as he’d last seen her, naked except for a very satisfied smile, flashed through his mind. Mitch shoved it right back out, figuring a hard-on while discussing the resort’s sex themes might give the wrong message. Besides, he was still trying to sort through how he felt about last night. Awesome sex aside—and damned if it hadn’t been the most awesome of his life—his mind was a mess. He ricocheted between sexual satisfaction, concern over being led around by his dick, and terror that it’d meant nothing to her. Hell, he felt like a teenage girl PMSing.

For the twentieth time since leaving Belle that morning, Mitch shoved the worries aside and forced himself to focus on the here and now.

So he asked about Reece’s business. His cousin had opened a security firm after leaving the service. While he consulted and supervised security for MC Development, there was definitely not enough business in Mitch’s little world to keep a man like Reece busy. Instead he kept his wits sharp working as a for-hire bodyguard, defense trainer and, as Mitch liked to rib him, all-round spy.

“Seriously,” he asked when he’d been brought up-to-date on everything, “what’re you doing out here? You didn’t say anything about a visit when we talked the other day.”

“I had some stuff to go over with you, wanted to take a look around. Maybe meet your planner and discuss the security list you sent on her behalf.”

Well, shit. Mitch hummed. He’d known his family would have questions once they found out Belle was his new planner, but he’d figured he had plenty of time to come up with a reasonable explanation. And more important, plenty of time to get used to—and over—the wild sexual intensity that flamed between them before he was faced with the threat of it being extinguished by the past.

Maybe he could keep Reece and Belle apart? Tell her he’d meet her later, have