“Marj and I found her birth certificate the other day.”
“So?”
“Well, it’s kind of confusing. It says her name is Angela Marjorie Steel. But she says you guys always told her that her first name was Marjorie and she had no middle name.”
He was quiet a moment. Then, “Why do you care?”
“I would think that’s obvious. She cares because it’s her name. I care because I care about her. We asked Jonah about it, but he wouldn’t tell us anything. He told us not to go snooping or we’d find things we didn’t want to know.”
He looked down at his plate. “If I were you, I’d take Joe’s advice.”
“Do you know anything about it?”
“I’ll just echo Joe’s sentiments. Leave it alone.”
“That’s not fair. Marj only wants to know who she is.”
“She knows who she is. She’s Marjorie Steel. She’s my sister. She owns a quarter of the goddamned richest ranch in Colorado. What the hell more does she need to know?”
“Well, her name for one.”
He raised his gaze and glared at me. “Don’t push this, Jade.”
“So you’re going to clam up, just like your brother. Great. Something is going on around here, Talon, and if you don’t want me to know about it, that’s one thing. But Marj is your sister.”
“Marj is better off. She has a great life. She doesn’t want it screwed up.”
“But, Talon—”
His fist came down on the table, jarring my plate of food. He stood. “Damn it, Jade. Don’t push it,” he said through clenched teeth. He came toward me, grabbed my arm, and jerked me into a standing position.
“But—”
His mouth came down on mine violently.
I responded to him as I always did. Our bodies were drawn together, our lips perfect matches for each other’s. I opened to him, and his tongue dived into my mouth. We kissed with passion, with fervor, our mouths open and clamped together.
When he finally broke the kiss and we both gasped in much-needed breaths, he trailed his lips to my ear.
“You’re the only thing I’ve ever wanted in my life,” he whispered.
“What?” I gasped. My heart was beating a mile a minute, stampeding against my chest. My breath was coming in rapid puffs. I couldn’t breathe. What had he said?
“You, blue eyes. You are the only thing I’ve ever wanted.”
His lips came down on mine again. We kissed and we kissed, and he edged me toward his bed.
Within seconds, we were lying together, still fully clothed, making out on his bed like a couple of sex-starved teenagers. Our mouths were melded together. Boiling honey flowed through my veins.
He cupped one breast and found my nipples through my sundress as he continued to violently love my mouth.
My body quivered. I was ready for him. My pussy pulsed, and I knew I was wet.
“You,” he said, panting. “You. All the other women. Never one of them. Just took what they gave freely. But you…you…”
“Talon…”
“You, Jade. I want you.”
“Then take me. Take me tonight. Make me yours.”
He grimaced. “Can’t. Can’t. Can’t make you mine. You don’t want to be mine.”
“I want to be yours,” I said.
“You don’t. You can’t. I can’t have you.”
“Talon, I’m right here. You have me.”
He looked at me for a moment, his eyes on fire, but something clawed at him. He was scared.
“Whatever it is, Talon, we can face it together. Let me help you.”
“Need you. Need to be inside you. Need you to take the demons away.” His body trembled.
He needed me to take the lead this time. I sensed it, knew it in my very soul. I moved away from his body, sat up, pulled my sundress over my head, and tossed it on the floor. I hadn’t worn a bra, and my nipples were already stiff and hard. I flipped my sandals off and removed my thong. Then I slowly began to unbutton his burgundy cotton shirt. With each button, I exposed more of his beautiful bronze skin, and my pussy throbbed harder.
I eased the shirt over his shoulders, helped him pull his arms out, and discarded the garment. I unbuckled his belt, and though I wanted to strip him naked quickly, climb on top of him, and fuck his brains out, I went slowly. I needed to calm him down. Slowly, each tooth of the zipper released, and I moved down to the foot of his bed and pulled off his boots and socks. Then I pulled his jeans over his legs and finally removed his boxers. He was erect, as big and proud as I’d ever seen him, a pearl of pre-come beading on his slit. His black nest of pubic hair drew me, and I bent down and inhaled his musky maleness.