The Ashtons - Cole, Abigail & Megan

business to know who Eli, Cole, Mercedes and Jillian are. If nothing else, to keep them away from her kids.”
    “You really think she’s that jealous?” Abby asked doubtfully.
    “Oh, yeah.” He put his arm around her slender shoulders. “If Lilah Ashton was any other type of woman, she would have encouraged Ashton to stay in touch with his other family.”
    Looking thoughtful, Abby nodded. “You’re probably right. But Mercedes is hoping to see Spencer and convince him that it would be to everyone’s advantage for him to meet with Uncle Grant and his other children. I don’t think he could argue that airing the family’s dirty laundry in the press would be unpleasant for all concerned.”
    Russ could well understand why no one wanted it to come to that, but the thought of Abby walking into a situation akin to a lamb entering the lion’s den didn’t sit well, either. Although rubbing elbows with Napa’s highsociety wasn’t his idea of a good time, he didn’t like, nor did he trust, Craig Bradford to protect Abby and Mercedes from public humiliation. The man was too slick and impressed with himself.
    Russ didn’t see that he had any other choice. “Do I need a tux?”
    “You’ll go?” She looked so happy and pleased that Russ decided it would be well worth dressing up in a monkey suit and feeling like a fish out of water just to see her smile the way she was doing now.
    He nodded. “There’s no way I’m going to let you go by yourself. What time do I need to pick you up?”
    “Oh, Russ, thank you,” she said, throwing her arms around his neck.
    Her obvious delight in his decision to go with her had him deciding that he’d walk through hellfire itself if that’s what she wanted him to do. All she had to do was ask.
    She leaned back to give him a smile that sent his blood pressure soaring and his heart thudding against his ribs. “You think I’m adorable?”
    Smiling back at her, he nodded. “Absolutely. And I intend to show you just how much.”
    “That sounds interesting.”
    The heightened color on her porcelain cheeks told him that she knew exactly what he had in mind. The expression on her beautiful face said she completely agreed with his method of choice.
    Her soft body pressed to his and the spark of desire he detected in her pretty, green eyes had him forgetting all about charity functions, or that going to the Ashton estate could prove disastrous. All that mattered was the woman in his arms and how much she made him want her.
    Rising to his feet, Russ held out his hand and, to his satisfaction, there wasn’t a moment’s hesitation when Abby took it. Neither spoke as he led her into his bedroom and closed the door. Words were unnecessary. They both wanted the same thing—to once again share the intimacy they’d discovered over the weekend.
    He reached up to remove the pink elastic band holding her auburn hair in a ponytail, then threaded his fingers through the silky strands. He loved the cinnamon color, the smell of her herbal shampoo.
    “You should wear your hair down more often,” he said, lightly kissing her temple. “It’s beautiful.”
    He started to take her into his arms, but to his delight, Abby had other ideas. Placing both hands on the lapels of his shirt, she gave them a quick tug and the snap closures easily popped free. In no time at all, his shirt was lying in a crumpled heap at his feet.
    Amused and more than a little curious to see what she intended to do next, he stood perfectly still, watching her. He didn’t have long to wait.
    She gave him a smile that sent liquid fire coursing through his veins, and it felt as if he’d been branded byher touch when she placed her soft, warm palms on his chest. She lightly moved her fingers over his skin, and Russ sucked in a sharp breath. But when she circled his flat nipples, then skimmed his puckered flesh with her fingertips, it felt as if an electric charge streaked straight to his groin, and it damned near brought him to his knees.
    “Do you like that?” she asked, continuing her exploration of his chest and abdomen.
    He nodded. “If it felt any better, I’d think I’d died and gone to heaven.”
    Her hands drifted lower and her sexy little grin warned him there was more to come. “Could you tell me something?”
    “What do you want to know?”
    She traced the thin line down from his navel to the top of his jeans. “Why do most men have this, even if they don’t have hair on their chests?”
    Finding