Of course, she’d probably kill him when she found out he knew she was a reporter after a story on him and Cynthia. He kind of figured turnabout was fair play, though.
She reached under the next bird and brought out two eggs, then placed them in the basket. She tried to bite back a smile, but it still formed on her face.
“I did it,” she said and didn’t have to add, “I told you so” because it was written all over her face. When he didn’t say anything, she continued, “Unless I have to do something else with the egg? I don’t, do I?”
“No, just fry it and eat it.”
She sighed with relief.
A soft morning breeze blew a strand of hair across her face. He automatically reached over and brushed it back. His hand stilled, liking the silky-smooth texture of her cheek. Yeah, his life was definitely not boring with her around.
“Are you going to kiss me again?” Her lips pouted in open invitation and she leaned a little closer.
It would be damned easy to fall into her trap. “I don’t think so.” He turned away and quickly gathered the rest of the eggs.
She squared her shoulders. A frown wrinkled her forehead. “Why not?”
“Why not what?” He pretended not to know what she was talking about as he walked back toward the house.
“Why don’t you want to kiss me? We both enjoyed the first one.”
He didn’t answer until he had gone inside and set the basket on the counter. “Because you look like you want it too much.” He could’ve added, “because I want it too much,” but he decided that much knowledge could be dangerous in her hands.
“And there’s something wrong with that?”
He made the mistake of looking at her. She leaned back, elbows resting on the counter, which thrust her breasts forward. Damn, his hands began to itch with the need to touch them, massage them.
Before Cal could stop himself, he let his gaze move over her. From her sultry half-closed eyes, to her full lips, down to the expanse of bare skin below where her shirt was tied. Past her tiny waist and over her gently rounded hips and down her long, long legs.
He slowly made the trek back to her face and the knowing look in her eyes. Yeah, she knew exactly what she was doing to him, and what’s more, she was doing it very well.
Swallowing was difficult. Hell, it was even hard for him to breathe when all he could think about was kissing her, stripping off her clothes, and making love to her.
Dammit, she was taunting him.
He sauntered closer. So close there were only inches between them. Nikki tilted her head and looked up at him, then slowly licked her lips. It was all he could do to stifle the groan that threatened to escape.
“Sweetheart, I more than enjoyed the kiss. It made me think of other things that I’d like to do.” He brushed her hair behind her ear, enjoying the feel once again of her soft skin.
She probably used the finest creams to keep her skin soft. He remembered what Jeff had told him about her parents: wealthy lawyers. Maybe she hadn’t celebrated holidays the way he had, but she’d led a life of privilege, never knowing any kind of hardship. Just like Cynthia.
He planned to teach Nikki a lesson she wouldn’t soon forget. Before she left the ranch, she’d have a whole new outlook on life.
“Other things?” She visibly swallowed.
His gaze dropped down to her breasts. Her bra must be thin. Silk? Her nipples were pushed tight against the fabric of her top. He lightly circled one before he ran his finger over the pebbled hardness. She whimpered. He watched her face. Her eyes had closed and she nibbled on her bottom lip.
His body began to throb. He hadn’t meant to go any further than this, but what he shouldn’t do was pushed to the back of his mind as the need inside him grew stronger. How far would she go?
He leaned closer, testing the waters. “I want to see you naked. I want to suck on your breasts, caress your skin.”
He slipped his hand between her legs and rubbed it against her sex. She nudged her crotch against his hand, silently begging for more.
“Are you hot? Are you damp with need? Do you want me inside you?” he whispered.
Chapter 8
Nikki couldn’t swallow. Hell, she could barely breathe. Only one thing ran across her mind: she wanted Cal Braxton, had wanted him from the moment she saw his picture.
Now he was touching her, whispering words in her ears that made her burn with desire. The story didn’t matter as she lived out the fantasies she’d been having about the rugged football player.
Oh, yeah, she could care less about the damned story. At least, at this moment in time. She’d think about it later. But the man? That was a whole different matter and she most certainly wanted him.
“Make love to me,” she moaned.
“Are you sure?” he muttered as he nuzzled her neck, his hot breath teasing her neck.
“Yes,” she said, barely holding back a moan of desire. She tugged his shirt out of his pants and quickly unbuttoned it, then could only stare at his male beauty. God, look at all those delicious muscles! And they were all hers to caress while she had her way with Cal.
He pulled at the knot in her shirt until it came loose, then fumbled with the buttons, not having much luck.
“You’re too slow.” She brushed his hands away and unbuttoned her top, then yanked it off. Her bra quickly followed.
Cal stood in front of her, mouth open.
She arched an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’ve never seen a naked woman, because I won’t believe you.”
He came out of his daze and practically ripped off his shirt the rest of the way. “No, I’ve seen lots of naked women, but they’re not quite this brazen about it.”
“Does it bother you?”
“Not in the least.”
She popped the button on her shorts through the hole and slid the zipper down. “Good, because when I see something I want, I usually go after it. Why should I deny myself?”
He grinned. “You want me?”
Oh, Lord, now he was going on an ego trip. She slid off her shorts, then her panties. “I’m naked and I’m standing in front of you. What do you think?” she asked as he kicked out of his jeans and briefs.
She’d known there was a reason she wanted him. Nice, very nice and she couldn’t resist not touching a second longer. She stepped closer, running a fingernail over the hard ridges of his chest, the six-pack abs, all that deliciously tanned skin.
“No tan lines,” she said.
“There’s a pond on the ranch that I like to go swimming in when I’m here.”
“And you don’t own a suit?”
“Don’t need one since no one goes there but me. I don’t wear one when I go swimming in my pool at home, either.”
“I bet your female neighbors just love that.” She stepped closer, licking across first one nipple and then the other. He tasted salty, nice.
Before Nikki could do more exploring, he ran his hands through her hair, then grasped her neck and rubbed lightly. She closed her eyes, then leaned back. He took the opportunity to massage a breast, tweaking the nipple.
“Oh, yes, that feels good.” She opened her eyes, saw the passion in his. She liked knowing he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
“It seems like forever since I’ve been with a woman.”
She had to bite her tongue to keep from asking about Cynthia. His ex-fiancée didn’t matter. Not right now. Nikki only wanted Cal buried deep inside her.
But curiosity got the better of her. “You haven’t been with anyone in a while, either?” she asked, liking that he hadn’t been with Cynthia recently. If he wasn’t lying, that is. Men seemed to know what they should say to a woman, and she’d heard it all before in other relationships.
He stilled. “Do you really want to talk about past affairs?”
She shook her head. “No.”