LITMIR.BIZ

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to know—intimately know—as quickly as possible. Thoughts of Lexi Parker did more than just pique Nick’s curiosity. He could picture her long blond hair spread out across his pillow and that incredibly tempting mouth beckoning him to partake.

      As he passed the door leading into the lobby he spotted Lexi entenng from the front of the building. She crossed the lobby toward the registration desk. He quickly stepped through the door to intercept her.

      “Hello, Lexi.” He felt his breath quicken and his pulse begin to race. He flashed a sexy grin as he leaned against the counter, trying to appear casual even though it was far removed from the unsettled feeling that had a grip on him. “Are you getting situated okay? Is there anything I can help you with?”

      “I was just turning in my activities sign-up sheet.”

      “I’ll be happy to take care of that for you.” He took the sheet of paper from her and glanced over her selections. He managed to maintain an outer calm despite the way her nearness pulled on his senses and desires. She exerted a very disconcerting effect on him. He wanted to pull her into his arms, claim her delicious-looking mouth as his and whisk her away to his cabin for an afternoon of totally uninhibited passion.

      He looked up, locking eye contact with her for a second before allowing his gaze to momentarily drop to the temptation of her slightly parted lips. “This is quite an energetic schedule you’ve set for yourself. Most of our guests like to kick back and relax for the first couple of days before throwing themselves into the more rigorous activities.”

      He glanced at her list again. “I see you’re starting out first thing in the morning with our sunrise breakfast ride. In fact, you’ve signed up for it twice this week.” He arched one eyebrow in surprise. “And you’re going to try our calf-roping lessons in preparation for the guest rodeo?” He looked up at her, catching a fleeting glimpse of uncertainty in her eyes that quickly changed to something more standoffish. “We don’t have too many women who try their hand at calf roping. You must be quite the outdoors enthusiast.”

      “Uh . . . well, yes. I do enjoy being outdoors.” Every activity led by Nick Clayton had gone on her sign-up sheet. She had to know more about him to determine the best way to confront him about his son—well, at least determine if Jimmy was his son. If Jimmy was his son? How had she allowed that doubt to become part of her thinking? She stiffened her resolve and tried to shove the uncertainties aside. She had to see this through to the conclusion.

      But calf roping? A hint of trepidation shivered up her back. Did she really need to go that far? The last time she was on a horse had been during her freshman year of college. Things seemed to be turning into an endurance test and she wasn’t sure she had the stamina to last the entire three weeks. A groan tried to claw its way out of her throat. She hoped she would be able to physically survive the implementation of her plan.

      The worst part was the nagging feeling that she had not signed up for all of Nick’s activities strictly to fulfill the task she had set for herself—that perhaps there was a more personal motive behind it. She was incredibly attracted to Nick Clayton and didn’t seem to have any control over it. It was more than just his sexy smile and handsome features. There was a strength about him, a confidence that reached out and touched her on a deeply emotional level.

      A bit of a smile turned the corners of Lexi’s mouth as she slowly regained her composure and rallied a new determination. “I thought I’d go swimming this afternoon, soak up some sunshine and enjoy this beautiful scenery while breathing your nice, clean air.” She would show him that he could not work his charm on her that easily. It would take more than a handsome cowboy in a pair of tight jeans to turn her head and make her abandon her plans.

      Was it false confidence on her part? Again, she was not sure exactly which part of her was in charge—the woman who was ready to fight tooth and nail to get little Jimmy what he rightly deserved or the woman who had never met anyone like Nick Clayton and hadn’t a clue how to break the spell he seemed to be casting over her.

      She clenched her jaw in resolve. It had better be the first woman who was in charge because that other one didn’t stand a chance against this charming scoundrel.

      Nick leaned slightly forward and lowered his voice to a sensual tone conveying the feeling that his words were meant for her ears only even though no one else was within earshot. “It appears that we’ll be spending a lot of time together since I’m in charge of the activities you’ve listed on your sheet.”

      He extended a warm smile, very pleased at this interesting turn of events. It was as if fate had literally dropped her into his lap. It couldn’t have worked out better if she had purposely intended to spend as much time with him as possible—a prospect that sent a ripple of hope through his body and heightened his already heated desires. He reached out and brushed a wayward tendril of hair away from her cheek, allowing his fingertips to linger against her skin for a couple of seconds.

      Then, as if his hand had a will of its own, he cupped her chin in his palm. He hesitated a moment, then leaned forward, bringing his face very close to hers until their lips were only a heartbeat apart. He could feel her breathing and almost taste her sweetness. Then he felt her body stiffen and the magic of the moment disintegrated.

      She took a step backward from his electrifying touch as she cleared her throat of the sensation that her heart had lodged there. Perhaps he didn’t see their accidental meeting as a sparring match, but she did. And so far, the intense attraction she felt toward him had kept her almost tongue-tied and incapable of thinking clearly. The very last thing she wanted was to acknowledge the fact that she had almost allowed him to kiss her.

      She noted the way he raised a questioning eyebrow, but he didn’t say anything. She needed to regain the upper hand. She held her breath for a brief moment in order to recapture her composure, then plunged ahead. “I was wondering if you’d had an opportunity to give any more thought to my sister . . . maybe recall her staying here. She spoke so highly of those two weeks that I decided to spend my vacation here.”

      To her surprise, he straightened up and appeared to be trying to collect himself. Had she hit a nerve? A touch of satisfaction tickled her consciousness. Maybe this would be easier than she had thought. If she could take care of her objective very quickly, then she could return to her own home. She felt decidedly unsafe—emotionally at risk—around this disconcerting man. Nick Clayton frightened her. The very real attraction she felt toward him frightened her. She feared she might be incapable of denying him whatever he asked of her.

      “Well, no . . . actually, I haven’t had the time. You said her name was Mamie Adams? The name does have a familiar ring to it now that I’m thinking about it, but I’m afraid I still can’t place her. Perhaps it will come to me after I’ve had the chance to give it some thought.”

      “Yes, perhaps it will.” She heard the edge to her voice and silently berated herself for allowing it to seep through.

      “That’s kind of odd.”

      “What’s odd?” Had she missed something? It was as if he had changed topics on her while she wasn’t listening.

      “You said your sister was here a little over six years ago, loved her stay, spoke of it in glowing terms, which prompted you to take your vacation here.”

      “Yes . . . what’s so odd about that?”

      “I was just wondering why you waited six years.”

      His words caught her totally off guard. It hadn’t occurred to her to develop a cover story, at least not anything other than what she had already given him. She frantically searched her mind for an acceptable response to his question.

      “Well...uh...you know. It was just one of those things. First there was the money, then something came up and... well, you know how that goes.”

      “Sure, things happen.” He ran his fingertips across the back of her hand and offered his best smile. “I’m glad you were finally able to work it out.”

      She eased her hand out from under his as she tried to still the tremor of excitement caused by his touch.

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