and fresh air. I’m also rather tired. It’s been a long day. I think I’ll just turn in after my walk.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea. I’ll show you around the grounds. It’s a beautiful night and the sky is filled with millions of brilliant stars—a perfect time for a stroll.” He rose from his chair and held out his hand to assist her, proceeding as if she had agreed to his offer without giving her a chance to say no.
Lexi hesitated, torn between what she knew she should do and what she wanted to do. Then, as if he had usurped her will, she placed her hand in his. The moment they came into physical contact, a potent charge of heated desire, closely followed by an emotional tug, invaded her consciousness. She knew at once it had been a terrible mistake, but it was too late. Once again, the magnetic draw of his masculinity reeled in her senses like a fish caught on a line and she seemed helpless to prevent it.
He escorted her outside, gently guiding her with a hand at the small of her back. They strolled along a path through a stand of fir trees, then around the edge of a large reflecting pond. The brilliance of the star-filled sky, the crisp smell of the night air and the intoxicating nearness of Nick Clayton all combined to work their magic on her. The conversation was equally soft and intimate.
“Tell me about yourself, about your family. I know you have a sister. Do you have any brothers?”
She tried to give him as little information as possible without arousing his suspicions. “No brothers, just my sister and me. My father died ten years ago and my mother lives in Chicago, as I do.”
“Are you originally from Chicago?”
“Yep . . . born and raised. I went away to college but returned after graduation and have worked there ever since.”
“What do you do for a living?”
A feeling of discomfort stabbed at her. This was all wrong. She was supposed to be finding out about him, not the other way around. He had moved her along so smoothly that she had barely been aware of what was happening. She tried to force a laugh, as if making a joke. “You’re making me feel as if I were some sort of specimen to be studied under a microscope.”
A hint of an embarrassed chuckle escaped his throat. “I didn’t mean to sound like I was cross-examining you on the witness stand.” He grasped her hand, then stopped walking, bringing her to an abrupt halt. “I’m genuinely interested.” He searched the depths of her hazel eyes. “We can talk about something else if you’d rather. What topics interest you?”
“Well—” her mind worked quickly as Lexi tried to figure a way to turn this to her advantage “—it seems to me that turnabout is fair play. So, tell me about yourself. Have you always lived here?”
“Yep . . . this ranch belonged to my grandfather, then my father. When my father died, it passed on to my mother, my brother and me. It’s always been a cattle ranch, but we made some changes a few years ago and turned it into a dude ranch. We still run a small cattle operation, but being a dude ranch is our main business now.”
“There’s just the three of you—Gloria, Danny and yourself?”
“That’s right.” A little grin tugged at the corners of his mouth and his eyes sparkled. “Now, what else would you like to know? I’m thirty years old, Danny is twenty-eight. I stand six-one without my boots. I have a degree in business administration from the University of Washington and Danny has one in liberal arts from Colorado State. I don’t think I have a favorite color. As far as food goes, I’ll eat just about anything. I enjoy fine wine, but on a hot, dusty day, a cold beer tastes real good. I read a lot and like movies—mysteries are my favorite. My musical tastes are fairly broad with a particular fondness for jazz.”
“Oh, my . . . I’m . . . uh . . .” He had left her speechless with his sudden burst of personal information.
It had all come out so suddenly . . . and so honestly. Everything about him seemed so straightforward, something she found confusing. Nothing about him seemed to coincide with the type of men Marnie usually chose. Lexi’s casual conversation with Nick Clayton had done nothing to help clarify what had happened between him and her sister . . . if anything had actually happened.
She cleared her throat in an attempt to drive away her doubts. “I guess it’s my turn to be embarrassed. I certainly didn’t mean—”
He touched his fingertips to her lips to still her words. “That’s okay. No harm done.”
He continued to clasp her hand as they started walking again. She felt as if she were walking through a dream... with the man of her dreams. It was exciting and at the same time frightening. The warmth of his touch began to melt away her resistance. She hadn’t anticipated this type of personal involvement, and the emotional overtones were particularly unsettling. She didn’t welcome it, but neither did she seem able to turn her back and walk away. They finally arrived at her cabin.
Millions of stars sparkled like diamonds on a black velvet background, each point of light casting a spell on the moment. Nick didn’t know if it was simply the magic of the night or the exhilaration caused by the nearness of a beautiful and desirable woman, but he felt himself being drawn in by more than a physical attraction and a longing to make love to her. He also wanted to know her, to discover who she was under that unpredictable exterior. At times, she seemed everything a man could ever want, then suddenly she’d become distant as if she had just remembered who she was or why she was there.
“Well, here we are. Your home sweet home for the next three weeks.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s still early. Could I tempt you with a glass of wine before calling it a night?”
“I don’t think so.” She felt as if all the oxygen had suddenly been sucked from the air. His face was so close to hers, the faint illumination highlighting his handsome features. She tried to project a casual manner as if this were nothing more than a normal end to a normal day. “I have a sunrise breakfast ride in the morning and sunrise comes very early.”
“So it does.” His words were more like a caress against her cheek than simply conversation.
Her throat went dry. She literally forced out her words. “And I need to get some sleep if I’m going to—”
The rest of her words were lost along with her thoughts when Nick Clayton brushed his lips against hers, then drew her into his embrace as he, captured her mouth fully with a delicious and sensually heated kiss. And like a moth drawn to a flame, she could not resist regardless of the risk involved.
Her mind went blank, devoid of everything except the feel of his lips against hers, the way he had pulled her body tight against his, and the overwhelming need to have much more of this dangerous man than merely a kiss. She raised her arms until they encircled his neck.
Random thoughts tried to penetrate the sensual cloud fogging her brain. This man ruined her sister’s life . . . this bounder wouldn’t treat her any better than he had Marnie... this man was a forbidden treat glistening on the horizon, tempting, beckoning... this man was no good for her. But still she savored the excitement of his touch, the delicious truth of his kiss as he pulled her body tighter against his.
He reveled in her intoxicating taste and the feel of her body pressed along the length of his. She had the power to drive him to total distraction and she didn’t even seem to be aware of it. He knew he would not be satisfied until he intimately knew every inch of her. And if the burning need surging through his body was any indication, he would still want more. He finally broke off the kiss.
His
