Walker Bride by Bernadette Marie Page A

the feud
between families didn’t matter.
    But Pearl was Byron Walker’s daughter. That
did make a huge difference in the house he was raised in.
    However, as her fingers began to work the
snaps on his shirt, just as they had a week ago, none of it
mattered.
    This was Pearl. She was a mystery wrapped in
a beautiful package. She did things to him, physically, without
ever having to touch him. She did things to him mentally that he
just couldn’t explain.
    Susan had been on his case to get that damn
tux fitted. He’d held off as long as he possibly could. Since
finding out Pearl’s cousin was his brother, he’d spent his share of
time around her. A fire had begun to fuel months ago, and he didn’t
want to feel its burn.
    It was stupid. He was lonely, he thought, but
then retracted it as he moved his hand up under her shirt and
cupped her breast.
    The moan now came from Pearl.
    This was crazy. This lust put them both into
the same category as their families—liars.
    He winced as she gently nipped at his skin
and he absorbed the pleasure of the pain. There was no stopping the
momentum of what they had started. And why should he?
    They were grown adults, and they were about
to make a very adult decision—one he couldn’t wait much longer
for.
    He lowered Pearl to her feet, and her eyes
met his. “You’re not going to stop are you? You’re not going to say
we can’t.”
    He brushed his hand over her cheek. “I don’t
want to.”
    “Then don’t,” she said as she pressed her
mouth to his. “Where can we go?”
    The years peeled away, and he felt seventeen
again. Sneaking around and finding pleasure in the body of a
willing and beautiful girl.
    He took her hand and led her to the couch on
the other side of the room. Oh, this had surely been his escape for
years. The big screen TV that hung above the fireplace and the
small kitchenette allowed him to stay in that space as long as he
wanted. He couldn’t help but wonder if his grandfather even knew
about the setup he had. Though he oversaw everything in the
family’s business, he very rarely left the house.
    Still, Tyson couldn’t help but want to keep
him out.
    Pearl positioned herself on the couch as
Tyson stood.
    “Where are you going?”
    He smiled back at her. “I’m not leaving. Just
locking the door—in case.”
    She batted her eyes at him and licked her
lips. “Okay, hurry.”
    He did as he said he’d do and locked the
world out. For this moment, it would be only him and Pearl. For
this moment, it would be shutting the world away and embracing the
moment that they might later regret.
    When he turned back toward her, she was lying
on the couch, her blouse unbuttoned, and the breath of life tattoo moved as her breathing increased.
    The closer he got to her, the more intense
her blue eyes became. Her full lips parted as if she waited for him
to seal them with his.
    For a moment he merely looked down at her,
wanting to capture this moment in his memory.
    “You’re stunning,” he said, his eyes on hers
and not on her body.
    The corner of her mouth lifted into a
seductive grin. “Now’s your chance to see that tattoo on my
back.”
    He’d released the bad girl, he realized. Now
the question would be, would he be able to keep up with her?
     
    ~*~
     
    The day had quickly gone into the night, or
so it had seemed. Pearl lay entangled in blankets on the floor of
the barn office, in front of the fireplace, which they’d turned on
more for ambiance than heat.
    Tyson’s body was curled up behind her. He
brushed her hair over her shoulder and placed a precise kiss on the
base of her neck. That sent a chill straight down her spine.
    “I don’t know if I have enough energy to
continue,” she said with a breathy voice replaying the afternoon of
making love in her mind. “But we could try.”
     
    He chuckled. “We haven’t used the shower in
the bathroom yet.”
    Now she laughed. “I think it’s the only area
we haven’t hit yet.”
    His hand