was a damn shame that he had no plans to stay in Rapid City on a permanent basis. Though even if he were staying, he wouldn’t want to keep this thing between them going. Kate didn’t need a long-term relationship that was nothing more than casual sex. She needed a man who could settle down and stay in one place, someone who could be a good dad and shoulder his half of the load—if not more. She needed someone who would be there every night and every morning and that, sadly, was not Seth. He simply didn’t have it in him.
He’d always been restless. Although his mom had never said so one way or the other, Seth attributed his wanderlust to his birth father. The man had disappeared before Seth had been born, never to be seen on the reservation again. Seth had no idea if his father was kind or hard, laughing or serious. All he had ever known about the man was that he left his girlfriend and his unborn child behind without a second look.
That was why Seth’s new position at Crazy Horse Choppers fit him so well. He’d already spent a year in Los Angeles, hobnobbing with the rich, famous and the wished-they-were-famous. His uncle Bobby was always looking for the next big thing. Billy just wanted to build motorcycles. Ben kept an eye on the bottom line—but Bobby? Bobby wanted to take over the world, and he was more than willing to use Seth as a means to that end.
Seth was going to get this museum project started because he believed it would be both a great way to extend the Crazy Horse Choppers brand name and also expand their revenue streams. But beyond that, it would showcase the occasional mad genius that was the Boltons. And after that?
After that, Seth was looking toward the future. American-style motorcycles were beginning to take off in popularity in Asia. His uncles and his father—they were family men. All Boltons were. They loved their wives and were actively involved in their children’s lives. It would be hard to ask them—even Bobby—to pack up and head to Shanghai for six months or so to open up the Asian market.
But Seth? He was unattached. No wife, no children. Just a restless wanderlust and an up-to-date passport.
That night, after he had pulled Kate on top of him and teased her breasts until she cried out with a shattering orgasm, he lay in the dark, listening to her breathe and feeling her warm body pressed against his. He decided he wouldn’t tell her about the possibility of Asia. Not yet, anyway. It was still several months away, and he had to get the museum project going first.
Which meant he had several more months of nights like this.
Just like it had every Saturday for the last three weeks, Kate’s heart sped up when Seth Bolton walked into Zanger Realty. Today was no exception.
Rain had dampened his hair and a few stray drops clung to his eyelashes, and he was impossibly more handsome now than he’d ever been. When his gaze locked on hers from across the office, she could see how much he’d been waiting for this moment, too.
Because she had been waiting for him.
“Ms. Burroughs,” he said, his voice going right through her.
“Good morning, Mr. Bolton.” It was a little game they played, pretending to be professional when there might be someone else around, even though Harold Zanger rarely came into the office on Saturdays. She stood. “We have a busy day ahead of us—two industrial properties I think will work for you. And after that, are you ready to buy a house?”
He was buying the home on Bitter Root. Her house—although it wasn’t hers. Soon, it would be his.
She’d always known she’d be sad when that house sold. But oddly, she was happy that if anyone else had to buy it, it was Seth. He’d take good care of it.
His eyes darkened as his gaze swept over her body. Because he was buying a house today, she had splurged on some new clothes that fit—she’d get her commission before the bills came due. The broomstick skirt with an elastic waist and the tunic top with a deep vee at the neck weren’t outright maternity clothes, but she had read that it was a wise financial investment to buy regular clothing one size larger than she had been wearing because she would probably need them after she had the baby.
And although she knew this wasn’t a committed relationship, she wanted to look her best for Seth. She couldn’t do anything about her rapidly changing body—although Seth seemed to appreciate her new curves far more than she did—but by God she could at least put on flattering clothes. And lingerie. The new lacy black bra—yet another size up—and the matching panties made her feel like she could still be sexy.
Especially when Seth looked at her like that.
“I’m certainly looking forward to celebrating my new home,” he said, his voice low. “You look amazing today, Kate.”
She felt his words—and his desire—in her chest. Everywhere. A shiver went through her—the kind of shiver that promised better things to come. “I’ve always found home ownership to be inspiring.” She couldn’t wait until the ink was dry on the legal documents and the key to his new house was in his hands. Normally, she would buy clients a gift basket to welcome them to their new home—a candle, a few knickknacks that seemed to match the personalities of the buyers.
Today? She wanted to welcome him to his new home in ways that had nothing to do with candles.
His grin deepened and he took another step into the office, leaving wet footprints on the carpet behind him. “Incredibly inspiring,” he agreed. “But assuming the rain moves off, we’ll need to make a small side trip.”
“Oh?”
His grin tightened and suddenly he looked nervous. “My sister’s regular game got delayed because of the storm, but it’s supposed to clear off soon. I promised I’d try to stop by. If they win today, they’re in the championship.”
“This is Julie, right?” They’d talked some about their families, but only enough to scratch the surface. What could she say about her parents? Her mother was a doormat and her father was a steamroller?
His family life seemed vastly more complicated. The man outright dismissed the notion of living in one place for more than six months at a time and yet he was the most devoted big brother she’d ever met. For a man who wasn’t the least interested in setting down roots, he was perfectly happy to spend a crazy amount of money on a luxury home.
After a month of spending time with Seth, she was no closer to understanding him, really.
“Yeah. She and my cousins make up half the starting line. We won’t have to stay for the whole game, but I do want to put in an appearance.”
She was not looking for anything more permanent. She wasn’t. She was appreciating this time with Seth as the gift it was. But still, his offer to include her in a family thing warmed her.
Wait a minute. “Will your parents be there?”
He dropped his gaze. “Yeah. The whole family will be.”
Oh, dear. Of course, once she had figured out she would be spending time with Seth, she had looked up the reality show the Boltons had done a number of years ago—even catching glimpses of the teenage Seth working with his father.
Seth had been a cute boy on the verge of manhood then—but the Boltons? Billy was like an angry grizzly bear, Ben Bolton glowered sullenly
