Surrender to Temptation (11 page)

Chase moved toward her, his eyes going to her hand. He would like her to stroke him like that. “Good. You can meet the other horses now.”

“Why? Thunder and I are still bonding.”

“That’s enough bonding.” He couldn’t believe he was jealous of his own mare. He moved to the next stall.

Nikki patted the horse’s neck one last time and then followed him. “Did you ever share your toys as a child?”

“Of course, I did. I have an older brother and a twin. Then there was my cousin Eddie, who was practically raised with us. And the girls, Faith and Ash, were never far behind, wanting to do everything we did.” He frowned. His sister Jade had spent most of her childhood in and out of the hospitals and they often treated her like a porcelain doll. Having his cousins around had been a blessing, not just for Jade, but for him, too. He’d learned from them that women could do just about anything men could. “I shared plenty.”

“But Thunder is yours and special, and you don’t share her with anyone,” she said knowingly.

She saw too much. He stopped at a stall where Ellie stood. “This is Elegance, but we call her Ellie. She is a Thoroughbred. They are the fastest horses in the equine world. They even acquired the name “racing machines”.

Showing off to her admiring audience, Ellie swished her high-set tail.

“She’s beautiful,” Nikki said.

“Thank you. And the one in the next stall is Philly, an Arabian.”

“The mother-to-be,” she said. Philly’s dark-brown coat gleamed. “May I?” She asked his permission, but she was already moving toward the pregnant Arabian.

Chase watched her, smiling at her nonsense chatter. She talked to the horses as if they were human, commenting on their coats and coloring. If only she knew horses didn’t listen or respond to human chatter. They continued down the aisle, until they reached the last horse, Trinity, a Hanoverian.

Nikki stroked Trinity’s neck. “They are all magnificent.”

“And well-behaved,” he said. “Tomorrow, you can choose one to exercise.”

She threw him a glance. “Which one is the least temperamental?”

“Trinity. She is gentle, yet agile. I plan to use her to breed show horses.”

“I stand corrected. Your horses aren’t bad. Of course, the real test is tomorrow.”

“Ye of little faith.” He closed the door behind them, but he didn’t start for the main house. Going back to the house meant she’d either head to her room or to the den to work. He wanted her company just a little longer.

“Okay. If we’re starting early tomorrow, I better turn in now. I have a few things I need to take care of before heading to bed.”

He tried not to show his disappointment and nodded. “You asked me a question earlier,” he said slowly, closing the gap between them.

Nikki tilted her head up, the security light creating shadows on her beautiful face. “I asked you a lot of questions this evening, most of which you evaded.”

“As we left the dining room, I said that when I want something, I usually go after it, obstacles or not, and you asked me what I wanted.” He reached up and ran his knuckles across her high cheekbone.

She blinked. “Oh. I wasn’t sure you heard that.”

“I did, and I’m giving you the answer now, so you know where I stand.” He ran a finger to her chin. “I want you.”

She blinked. “Chase—”

He cut her off by pressing a finger to her lips. They were soft, lush. Slowly, he ran his thumb across her lower lip, and his body hardened. “And I know you want me. The question is
when
are we going to do something about it?”

She chuckled. “You’re very sure of yourself.”

At least she didn’t deny it.

“Most of the time, especially when it comes to something I want.” It took all his willpower to stop touching her and step away when all he wanted was to haul her into his arms and crush those lush lips of hers with his. His body responded to his thoughts. “Goodnight, Nikki.”

She blinked again, confusion flashing in her eyes. “I, uh, goodnight. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow, it is. And Nikki?”

She glanced at him. “Yes.”

“Think about my question.” He watched the play of emotions on her face before she turned and hurried into the house. He followed slowly, a satisfied smile on his lips.

***

Think about us.

As if she could think about anything else after that. Chase Fitzgerald was one wicked man. Sexy as hell and knew it. She had even dreamed about him.

Nikki added more hay in the net to get the right amount.

When are we going to do something about it?
A regular guy would have just asked, “
What
are we going to do about it?”

Not Chase. He was so sure of himself and that she’d be willing to sleep with him. Nikki didn’t sleep around as a rule, but sometimes rules be damned. Her attraction to Chase defied logic. Last night had told her it wasn’t even about getting information from him anymore.

This morning, things weren’t going exactly as she’d expected. She’d thought Chase would be all over her after last night’s conversation. A brief flash of heat in his eyes when she’d joined his people in the barn was it, followed by a once over to check her attire, a nod of approval, and, “Follow me, city slicker,” which had been greeted by smiles and chuckles by his men.

Following him around like a reporter had been fun at first. He ran a state-of-the-art ranch with roomy stalls with rubber mats, straw beds, and drainage. There were automatic waterers for horses in each stall and in the pastures, padded walkways for comfort and safety, a ventilation system for cleaner and healthier air for the horses and guests, and an automatic overhead fly spray system to reduce disease-carrying flies in the facility.

Others she’d noticed yesterday—pastures had lean-tos for shelter and readily available water, round outdoor paddocks for horses, and a large fenced outdoor riding arena. He explained how Old Joe and his son offered horseshoeing and farrier services. The second barn turned out to be a hay and grain storage area. But when he started checking the mares’ teeth, ears, eyes, mouths, nostrils, tails, and joints for diseases, and explained in detail, Nikki had started to feel useless and a little bored.

“Usually I examine their feet for injuries and loose shoes, but since Big Joe is here, I don’t have to worry about that,” Chase had explained.

When he’d walked her to the second barn with grain and bales of hay and gave a long-winded explanation about how the grass grew naturally in the valley, she’d known she couldn’t take it anymore. She’d begged him to stop. From the knowing grin on his face, he’d deliberately gone out of his way to bore her.

“Assign me a task, please,” she’d said.

So he’d given her the first task and a partner.

“I think we need a new bale, Ms. Nikki.” Little Joe yanked her to the present.

Nikki smiled. He was sweet and eager to please her. “Then let’s get one, cowboy.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He grinned and touched the brim of his hat.

Nikki’s heart ached for the sweet young man. His case was another reason she should be wary of horses. According to Winston, a horse threw him when he was about ten and trampled him, resulting in brain injuries. Even though he was almost twenty, he had the mind of a ten-year-old.

So far, Little Joe had answered all her questions about every horse on the ranch with the enthusiasm of a child, shown her how to pile hay in hay nets and weigh it, and measure the grains. A list of each horse’s portion was posted on the wall.

Mac was busy cleaning waterers, while Winston and Tucker picked up horse droppings from the stalls and studied them. Thank goodness she didn’t have to do that. Then there was checking the horses’ teeth. The thought of doing that was scarier than riding one. A few times she caught a glimpse of her host. He was working with Big Joe, examining the horses’ feet for injuries and replacing old horseshoes.

“Do you ride horses every day?” Nikki asked Little Joe.

“Yes, ma’am. Mr. Chase likes the horses exercised. Fat mares can give birth to foals with problems.” He blushed and looked at his feet.

“We give pregnant mares attention and affection, too,” Chase said from the doorway of the barn. “We rub their underbellies and breasts.”

Nikki could feel her cheeks getting warm, but she didn’t look away from the teasing gleam in his blue eyes. “Why?”

“To prepare them for the foal. Horses not used to attention and affection can be aggressive with their newborn foals and even kick them when they try to nurse. Are you two almost done?”

Nikki glanced at Little Joe. “Where were we at the last count, Cowboy Joe?”

The young man grinned. “We were done with the morning and lunch rations.” He glanced at Chase and added, “Now we are starting the evening ones, boss.”

“Keep up the good work, cowboy. You too, city slicker,” he added, and Nikki wrinkled her nose.

Nikki was filling her next hay net when the sound of a powerful engine reached her. Little Joe seemed to shrink. “What is it?”

He shook his head and kept shoving hay, but his demeanor changed, like he was scared. A whiff of feminine perfume teased Nikki’s nose, and she looked up.

Staring at them was a stunning woman with chocolate eyes, high cheekbones, and jet black hair cascading down her back. She was exotic looking with a gorgeous tan. But the look on her face caught and held Nikki’s attention. It was filled with so much animosity.

“You’re one of them, aren’t you?” the woman asked with a sneer, eyes checking Nikki’s designer jeans and the new boots and flannel shirt she’d bought only yesterday.

Nikki raised her eyebrows. “One of what?”

“The sluts Mo keeps sending.” She smiled as though to rob the words of their sting, but her eyes remained cold. “What happened? He ran out of petite women? You’re physically different from the others.”

In other words, they were the same in other aspects. Nikki stared insolently back at the woman and wondered who she was. The animosity didn’t make sense.

“And you are?” Nikki asked.

The smile on the woman’s lips disappeared. “You won’t be here long enough for it to matter. What did Mo promise you if you came here? Chase?” The woman looked at the pile of hay Nikki was measuring. “He has no interest in women like you, or do you think working around the farm will make you last longer than the others?”

Nikki straightened up to her full length and looked down her nose at the woman. Growing up, girls like this woman used to make her feel like she wasn’t attractive or feminine. She’d been all legs and no curves, towering above most guys in her classes. Heck, she’d even intimidated the guys and had missed out on school dances because no one had dared to ask her. But she had outgrown that awkward teenager.

She studied the woman calmly. The tight, low-hanging jeans and shirt that left little to the imagination only made her look younger than she probably was. But her boobs made Nikki’s modest chest look pathetic by comparison.

“You know what, lady? I don’t know you from Jack, so take,” Nikki made a show of checking her ass, “your narrow behind out of here. If you’re looking for Fitzgerald, you’ll find him in the other barn.”
    

“Bitch,” she snarled, turned, and walked away.

“Nice to meet you, too,” Nikki called after her.

As soon as the woman disappeared, she turned and caught Little Joe’s grin. “She’s not nice to you, Miss Nikki. She is not nice to all the ladies that come here. She says bad, mean things,” Little Joe said with a pronounced lisp.

“She’s not worth wasting your breath on, Cowboy Joe. Let’s get done here so you can show to me how to put a halter on a horse.”

“It’s not really hard.”

“Really? I tried and couldn’t get it right.” She hadn’t, but the young man didn’t need to know that.

“I’ll teach you, Ms. Nikki.”

“You can? That would be great!” They exchanged a grin and went back to work, until Chase’s voice drew her attention.

“Libby!”

Nikki moved to the window and took a peek. She wasn’t surprised to see the woman who’d just called her a bitch run into Chase’s arms and gave him a tight hug.

The woman ran her hand over his biceps. “What is this? I leave you for a week and you don’t eat? Should I take this up with Mrs. B or your aunt Siobhán?”

Nikki’s eyes narrowed. Was the woman Chase’s girlfriend? A family friend?

Chase draped his arm across Libby’s shoulders. “If you do that, I’ll never talk to you again. So, tell me what happened. How did Peter take your news?”

“I told him I had powerful men on my side and if he wanted to take me to court, he had to go through them. By the way, I met the latest gift from your uncle. What does he think he’s doing?”

They walked away from the yard and toward Philly’s yard. “Helping me,” Chase said with a laugh.

“Doesn’t he understand these women are only after one thing?” Libby said with a lot of venom.

“And what is that?”

“You,” she said, and they laughed as they moved out of sight.