brushed a light kiss on her knuckles, his breath warm on her hand.
“I’m glad,” he said. “I’m not ready to tell you good- night and watch you walk away.” He placed his hands on the arms of her seat, facing her and leaning close, his voice dropping to a whisper as he said, “I want to hold you and kiss you again.”
Her heart thudded and for the first time she realized she might be in trouble. Was Tony the one who would get what he wanted out of tonight instead of her? She’d planned to wring concessions from him, but now it seemed he was once again in control and she was under his spell. Not once had it crossed her mind that she could be so beguiled by him.
And she was powerless to stop it.
His gaze lowered to her mouth and suddenly she couldn’t get her breath. She tingled, feeling as if she strained to lean closer to him while she actually didn’t move at all. He moved closer, until his mouth settled on hers. He kissed her, another kiss that set her heart racing and made her want to move into his lap, wrap her arms around him and kiss for the rest of the flight.
Instead, in seconds—or was it minutes?—she shifted away. “This plane isn’t the place,” she whispered reluctantly. She had to keep her wits about her. Had to mind her goal of working out her water problem, at least partially. Still, her breath came quick and shallow, matching his own.
Looking at her mouth, he didn’t move for a moment and her heart continued to drum a frantic rhythm. He leaned closer to whisper in her ear, “I want to kiss you for hours.” His words caused a tremor to rock her. Another shock added to the continual shocks of the night. She had no choice but to admit the truth—she wanted him to kiss her for hours.
As his gaze met hers, he scooted back into his seat and buckled his seat belt again.
When her breathing returned to normal, she tried for conversation.
“Why do you have a condo in Dallas? I thought you were as much into ranching as my brother Mike, that both of you had devoted your lives solely to ranching.”
“I’m on two boards that meet in Dallas—for my brothers. Wyatt has recently acquired a bank and I’m on that board. Nick recently became owner of a trucking company with two close friends and I’m on that board, too. In Dallas, I have a small condo and I like having a place of my own I can go relax when I’m in the city. It’s convenient even though I don’t spend a lot of time there. I don’t have a regular staff in Dallas unless I plan to stay a long time, which rarely happens. Then I hire from a local agency to cook and clean.”
“That makes sense.”
“I spend most of my time on my ranch. When we’re back in our regular routines, I’d like for you to come over to the MH Ranch sometime. I have a new horse and I’m boarding a new quarter horse that Josh bought. You’re welcome to come see them, ride them and tell me what you think.”
“Sure,” she said. “I suspect you better let all the guys who work for you know that you invited me or they’ll tell me I’m trespassing and toss me off your ranch.”
He laughed. “I’ll tell them. Now if you’ll come wearing a dress with your hair down, they’ll be so dazzled, there’s no way they’ll mention trespassing. Far from it. We’ll all welcome you with open arms.”
Smiling, she shook her head. “Nice try, but I don’t wear a dress to ride a horse.” She shrugged. “In fact, I don’t wear a dress anywhere around home. But you can tell them I’m coming.”
“Sure. Better yet, let me know beforehand and I’ll pick you up. I probably should do that anyway, so they all know we have a truce of sorts.” He turned more so that he faced her in his seat. “And it is a truce, Lindsay. Definite and permanent. I’ll never again be able to fight with you.”
“Don’t say things you don’t mean, Tony. Your intentions might be good, but there is no way this side of hell that you’ll be able to stick by that statement.”
Once again he leaned in closer and her heartbeat quickened as it had before. “Yes, there is definitely a way that I can be influenced to stick by that statement. You can wind me around your little finger if you really want to.”
“I don’t believe that one.”
“You should,” he said, settling back in his seat again. “Before tonight, did you ever think we would get along as well as we have?”
“Of course not.” She tilted her head to study him. “In some ways, we’re strangers. There’s a lot I don’t know about you.”
“That’s true and a lot I don’t know about you. But strangers? No way, Lindsay. There is much I want to explore and discover about you and I intend to do that tonight,” he said in a husky voice that made her heartbeat jump again.
Cutting into their conversation, their pilot announced descent into Dallas, and in a short time Lindsay looked out at the twinkling city lights spread far into the distance.
“Do you have your car at the club?” Tony asked.
“No. I left it at the hotel and took a cab.”
“Good thinking,” he said.
Once they arrived back at the country club, a valet brought Tony’s car around and in minutes they drove through the iron gates to his condo complex.
As soon as Lindsay entered his unit, she walked through his entry hall to cross the spacious living room and look out over the sparkling lights of downtown Dallas.
“You have a gorgeous view.”
“Do I ever,” he said, and she smiled when she turned to see him looking at her.
“I meant the city lights,” she explained, knowing he understood exactly what she had referred to.
“Want a drink?” he asked.
“Yes. White wine, please.”
He removed his jacket and tie, dropping them on a chair, and walked to a bar in a corner of the room.
“This is a large living area. It’s very nice,” she said, looking at comfortable brown leather chairs and a long leather sofa.
“It’s convenient when I’m here, which is not too often. A few days here and I’m ready for the ranch.”
“That I understand,” she said, crossing to the bar to perch on a stool and watch him pour her wine.
“I have a full bar if you prefer something else.”
“The wine is good.”
He handed her the glass and picked up a cold beer. “I figured you for a cold brew,” he said, smiling at her. He set his bottle on the counter, his gaze skimming over her legs when her skirt fell open just above her knees. “Lindsay, it’s a crime to hide legs like yours all the time.”
“You have no idea what I do all the time. We see each other about once every four or five months at best.”
“That I intend to change.”
She shook her head. “You know as well as
