Colton Cowboy Protector. Beth Cornelison

making good on his threat. She swallowed hard, and her feet shuffled slightly as she shifted her weight. He could see the pulse point at the base of her throat fluttering, and he was swamped by a primitive urge to taste the skin there. To suckle her neck, nip the skin and feel that rhythmic pulsing with his lips.

      Hellfire! What was he doing? He didn’t need to be indulging in lustful fantasies about this woman if he was going to do his job as a father and protect Seth from her meddling.

      Tracy took a step back from him and bumped the wall behind her. Flexing her hands and wiping her palms on the skirt of her dress, she wet her lips and raised her chin. “I won’t tell Seth anything that contradicts you.” The nervous glint in her liquid eyes belied the set of her shoulders. “But neither will I lie to him if he asks me directly.”

      Jack gritted his teeth. “Ms. McCain, I’m warning you...”

      “You don’t need to make threats, Jack. I told you I have Seth’s best interests at heart, same as you.” She placed a trembling hand on his arm and pushed at him. “Now let me pass.”

      He didn’t move right away, stubbornly keeping her trapped to let her know he would have the final say, not only with Seth but in this discussion. Finally, he stepped aside and swept a hand toward the living room, granting her passage. She stalked away, leaving a hint of her sweet floral scent behind. He experienced an unwanted, but not unpleasant, visceral reaction to the heady honeysuckle aroma she trailed in her wake. Maybe, he thought wryly, the vixen had gotten the last word, after all.