Three

At his question, she felt her very core stiffen. She didn’t want to get into that with him lying beside her and her wrapped in his arms. She didn’t want to say anything that would upset him and break the spell that had been woven around them.

“We’ll talk about that tomorrow. Tonight is special, Tony. I want to keep it magical until the sun rises and brings the reality of our regular lives back to us. Is that okay with you?”

“Sure, because I have plans for the rest of this magical night. Big plans.”

“I do hope they involve me and your sexy body and your wild kisses.”

“My sexy body and wild kisses? Wow. Definitely back to my plans for tonight,” he said, leaning down to kiss her again. In minutes he propped his head on his hand to look at her again.

She couldn’t tell from his eyes what he was thinking. “What?” she asked him.

He toyed with a strand of her hair as he answered. “At this moment I can’t imagine ever returning to the way we were. All I’ll have to do is remember tonight. All of it, darlin’.”

“You better stop calling me darlin’ when we go back to real life.”

“I can call you that if I want.”

“I suspect you won’t really want to, but it’s very nice tonight under the circumstances.”

He smiled at her. “As you said, this is a magical night. One giant surprise after another. And deep down, I know you’re right. We’ll go back to our ordinary lives and our usual fights, except maybe they won’t be quite so bad. After tonight I’ll listen, I’ll try to cooperate with you and maybe even do what you want.”

She couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Like hell you will!”

He chuckled, a deep throaty sound that she could feel in her hand as it lay on his muscled chest. Her fingers traced the solid muscles in his shoulders, chest and arms. Occasionally, she would feel the rough line of a scar. His daily outdoor work not only showed in the strength of his fit body but in his scars, as well.

He pulled her close against his side. “Do you have to go home tomorrow? I hope not. I want to stay right here.”

“I suppose I don’t, until late afternoon. I’ll need to be home early Monday morning,” she answered, thinking more about his flat stomach, hard with muscles and dusted with hair, over which she ran her fingers.

“Good. I have plans and they involve staying right here and not talking to anyone except each other.”

“I have to check out of the hotel tomorrow by noon, though. That room was paid for by the auction board.” She drew another circle slowly on his stomach.

“I’ll call and have tomorrow night put on my card, so you can get your things whenever you’re ready,” he said, rolling over and stretching out his long arm to retrieve his phone. “What hotel?”

“I can do that.”

“Don’t argue. We’re not going to disagree with each other this weekend.”

She smiled as she told him the name of her hotel and watched him get the number on his phone. Once again she thought his take-charge attitude was delightful when he focused on her. When he finished and she had the room for another night, he turned to take her into his arms again.

“Thanks, Tony. That was nice of you,” she said, running her fingers over the dark stubble on his jaw. “I have to say, I didn’t know I could ever be quite so fascinated by a cowboy’s body.”

“I guarantee you, I’m totally fascinated by a cowgirl’s body,” he said, trailing his fingers lightly over her breasts. Even though she had a sheet pulled up over her, she felt his feathery caresses, and her rapidly heating body responded to them.

“A beautiful blonde cowgirl,” he continued, as his eyes seemed to feast on her. “I want you here with me as long as possible.”

She felt the same way and had no desire to get up and leave him. Though her heart wished the night could go on forever, she couldn’t get her head around the fact that she was in Tony Milan’s bed. “My family would never believe we’re together tonight. No one would.”

“All those people who heard what you paid for a night with me will believe it.”

She laughed. “I suppose you’re right.” She rolled over and sat up slightly to look down at him. “You’re really amazing, you know that? Tonight is astonishing. I never dreamed it would be like this.”

“I promise you that I didn’t, either.” His face took on a sheepish look. “When I stepped out on that auction stage earlier, I didn’t really think anyone would bid for me.”

“Now that is ridiculous.”

“I’m just a cowboy.”

“A cowboy named Milan—a name that’s well known in these parts. And a very wealthy rancher,” she remarked. “With all the ranches and businesses owned by your family, I think you could count on someone bidding for an evening with you.”

“Who bid against you? I couldn’t see either one of you because of the lights in my eyes, not until you stood to come to the stage and a spotlight picked you out. As soon as I laid eyes on you, my attitude about the evening did an immediate reversal.”

She smiled at him. “I don’t know who bid against me. There were people from Dallas and Lubbock there, and from other places, as well. Probably one of your old girlfriends who wasn’t ready to say goodbye,” she said.

“Let’s not discuss my old girlfriends,” he said through a grin. “I’d much rather talk about you anyway. I still say if you’d wear a dress to town, you’d have a slew of guys asking you out.”

“I don’t want a ‘slew’ of locals asking me out, thank you very much.”

“Why not? There are nice guys out there.”

“Sure there are, but they’re ranchers and cowboys. I don’t want to go out with ranchers or cowboys.”

“You could’ve fooled me. You paid a small fortune to go out with a rancher tonight, in case you’ve forgotten.”

“I won’t ever forget you,” she said, hoping she kept her voice light, but a shiver slithered down her spine because she suspected she had spoken the absolute truth. This had turned into the best night of her life because of Tony. He’d charmed her, seduced her and become the most appealing man she had ever known—as long as she didn’t think about him as a rancher.

He didn’t let the subject drop. Instead, he questioned her. “Why don’t you want to go out with ranchers or cowboys? We’re nice guys.”

“I know you guys are nice. It’s just that—” She stopped, hesitating to tell him the truth. But Tony deserved an answer to his question. “I’m a ranch owner, remember? I’m not a party girl out for fun. I’m also not a sweetie who’ll go dancing and come home and cook and have a family and kiss a cowboy goodbye every morning while he goes out to work and listen politely to him at night while he tells me bits and pieces about what he had to do at work. Even worse, I don’t want to fall for another rancher and have him tell me how to run my ranch.”

“I should have guessed. Two bosses can’t run a ranch.”

“Not my ranch,” she said.

“If you don’t marry a rancher or a cowboy, the guy is going to want to move you to the city.”

“Now you’re beginning to get the picture—the complete picture—of why I never wear dresses. I can’t imagine marrying a city guy, either, so there you are.” She gave a nod of her head, then shrugged. “I have a nice life. I have my nephew, Scotty, who stays with me a lot, and soon there will be another baby in Mike’s family.”

“But, Lindsay, you were meant for marriage in so many ways. I hope some guy comes along and sweeps you off your feet and you can’t say no. Rancher or city guy.”

She giggled. “My, oh, my. Is this a sideways proposal?”

He grinned. “You know better than that. We’re doing well together tonight, but for a lifetime...? Would you want that?”

She studied him, knowing she had to make light of his question, but another shiver ran down her spine and she couldn’t explain why. She squeezed his biceps. “Mmm, you do make good husband material. You have all your teeth and they look in good shape and you’re healthy and strong and light on your feet. And you’re incredibly sexy.” She gave an exaggerated sigh. “Given our past and probably our future, I think I have to answer...no.”

“Incredibly sexy? Oh, darlin’, come here.” He drew her closer, but she resisted and placed her hand against his chest.

“Whoa, cowboy. Don’t let that compliment go to your head...or other parts,” she said, and he grinned.

“I told you our future will not be like our past.”

She had to agree. “I don’t think it will, either.”

“Right now I want to relish the present. How about a soak in the tub?”

“A splendid idea,” she said, already eager to be naked in the water with him.

He stood and picked her up. She yelped in surprise as she slid her arm around his neck. “I never dreamed you could be so much fun or so charming.”

“I promise you, I have to say the same about you. And, to boot, you’re breathtakingly beautiful and hot and sexy. I guarantee that sentiment will not end when morning comes,” he added with an intent look that made her heart skip a beat.

He carried her to a huge two-room bathroom. One room held plants, mirrors, two chaise longues with a glass-topped iron table between them, plus dressing tables, a shower and an oversize sunken Jacuzzi tub.

Soon they were soaking in a tub of swirling hot water while she sat between his legs, leaning back against him.

“Tony, this is decadent. It feels wonderful.”

“I suspect you’re referring to the hot water and not my naked body pressed against yours. Right?”

“I won’t answer that question.”

“An even better choice than I expected from you. Also, I seem to remember a short time ago hearing you say something about my sexy body and wild kisses,” he whispered, fondling her breasts as he kissed her nape.

“That I did and I meant it,” she concurred, running her hands over his strong legs.

In no time, desire overwhelmed her, and their playful moment transformed. She turned to sit astride him. Placing her hands on both sides of his face, she leaned forward to kiss him, long and thoroughly, her hair falling over his shoulders. He was ready to love her again, too—she felt it. His hands caressed her breasts, then slid down over her torso to her inner thigh. His fingers glided higher, stroking her intimately until she closed her eyes and clung to him, her hips moving as he loved her.

“Tony, you need protection,” she said, her eyes flying open.

“So I do,” he said, reaching behind him for his terry robe on the footstool. He took a condom out of the pocket and, in seconds, he was sheathed and ready. He pulled her close again, lifting her so he could enter her in one smooth stroke. She locked her legs around him and lowered herself onto his hard shaft.

Her climax came fast, as if they hadn’t made love earlier, and she achieved another before Tony reached his. When he was sated, he watched her with hooded eyes and she wondered what he thought.

She picked up a towel to dry herself, her gaze running over broad shoulders that glistened with drops of water. “I’ll see you in bed,” she said, leaning close to kiss him. His arm snaked out to wrap around her neck.

“I want to keep you right here in my arms,” he said between kisses. Damp locks of his hair clung to his forehead and he felt warm and wet.

“I’ll see you in bed,” she repeated with amusement. “You’re insatiable. When do you run out of energy?”

“With you, I hope never.”

She laughed, snatching up another towel to wrap around herself as she got out of the tub and headed to bed.

She felt as if she was having an out-of-body experience. The night continued to shock her—Tony continued to shock her. She couldn’t believe he’d given her the best sex of her life, three bone-shattering orgasms—and the night wasn’t over yet.

She walked into a big closet and looked at his clothes so neatly hanging. Boots were lined in rows. She found what she wanted—a navy terry robe—and she pulled it on, belting it around her waist.

She climbed into bed, detecting a faint scent of Tony’s aftershave, wondering how long it would be before he joined her.

In minutes he walked through the door and her heart skipped a beat. With a navy towel knotted around his waist, he oozed sex appeal as he crossed the room.

“I couldn’t wait to be with you. You look more gorgeous than ever,” he said, discarding his towel and scooting beneath the sheet. “Want a drink? Something to eat? Music and dancing?”

She laughed out loud. “You’ve got to be kidding. Relax, Tony. Sit back and enjoy the moment.” She sobered and ran her fingers over his smooth jaw. “You shaved.”

“Just for you.” Turning on his side, he pulled her close against him. “This is better. I like your hair down best.”

“I rarely wear it that way, but I’ll keep that in mind.”

“No, you won’t. You’ll forget.” He ran his fingers through the damp locks. “You know you never gave me an answer to my invitation to go to dinner next Friday night.”

She was silent, mulling over his question. She had wanted to accept instantly when he had asked her the first time, but reluctance had filled her. It still did. “I think when we go back to our real lives, you’ll wish you hadn’t asked me.”

“Not so.”

“Call me next week and ask me again if you still want to go out. I don’t think you will.”

“Darlin’, if I didn’t want you to go, I wouldn’t ask you.”

“Just call me next week.”

He gave her a long look and she wondered what was running through his mind. Had their mild clash reminded him of the big fights they’d had? From the shuttered look that had come to his eyes, she suspected it had. She didn’t want any such intrusion on this night. She scooted close against him. “In the meantime, I intend to keep you happy with me,” she said, hoping for a sultry voice.

The shuttered look was replaced by blatant desire, and she guessed she had succeeded in making things right between them again. When he turned to kiss her, she was certain she had.

It was midafternoon the next day when she walked out of the shower. Wearing the navy robe again, she roamed through his sprawling condo into a big kitchen that had an adjoining sitting room with a fireplace.

Exploring the refrigerator and his freezer, she saw some drinks, a few covered dishes and an assortment of berries. She had leaned down to look at the lower shelves when Tony’s arms circled her waist to draw her back against him. He nuzzled her neck.

“I know what I want,” he said.

She turned to wrap her arms around his neck. He wore another thick navy robe that fell open over his broad chest.

Aware their idyll was about to end, she kissed him passionately. She dreaded stepping back into reality, where she would have to wrangle with him again.

He released her. “Hold that thought and let me put something in the oven so I can feed us.”

“At last...food,” she said, clutching her heart and batting her eyelashes dramatically at him. When she licked her lips slowly as she watched him remove the covered casserole dish from the fridge and nudge the door closed, he placed the dish on the counter and turned to draw her into his arms.

“You were going to get fed until you did that,” he said in a husky voice, pulling her close.

“Did what?”

“You know what,” he said, leaning closer to kiss her, a hungry kiss that ignited fires more swiftly than ever.

In minutes she wriggled out of his grasp. “I think we should eat. Whatever I did, I won’t do again. How can I help?”

He was breathing hard, looking down, and she realized the top of her robe was pulled apart enough to reveal her breasts. She closed the robe more tightly. “As I was saying, what can I do to help?”

He seemed to not even hear her, but in seconds he looked up. “If you want to eat, I suggest you go sit over there on the sofa and talk to me while I get something heated up. If you stay within arm’s reach, I’m reaching.”

She smiled and left him alone, watching him put the dish into the oven and get plates, pour juice, wash berries. Her gaze raked over him. He was a gorgeous man. Sexy, strong, successful. Why hadn’t some woman snatched him up already? As far as she knew from local gossip, there had never been a long-term girlfriend. Just a trail of girlfriends who’d come and gone. Apparently, he didn’t go in for serious affairs.

“Tony, you really should let me help you. I feel silly sitting here doing nothing except watching you work.”

“This isn’t hard work. You stay where you are so I’m not too distracted to get breakfast on the table.”

“I do that to you? Distract you?”

“Lindsay,” he said in a threatening tone, “do you want breakfast or do you want to go back to bed?”

She laughed. “Breakfast. I’m famished. And I’ll help any way I can.”

“You know what you can do, so do it,” he said.

“Yes, sir,” she answered demurely, teasing him. When his gaze raked over her, she became aware of the top of her robe gaping open enough to give a another glimpse of her breasts and the lower half of her robe falling open over her crossed legs. She closed her robe and belted it tightly, glancing up to find him still watching her.

“Show’s over,” she said.

He nodded and turned to finish preparing the meal.

After a breakfast of egg-and-bacon casserole and fruit, he turned on music as they cleared the table, and took her wrist. “Stop working and come dance with me,” he said, moving to a familiar lively rock number.

Unable to resist him, she danced with him, aware as she did that her robe gaped below her waist, revealing her legs all the way to her thighs.

Next a ballad came on and he drew her into his arms to slow dance. He was aroused, ready to make love again. His arms tightened around her and he shifted closer to kiss her. Dimly she was aware they had stopped dancing.

His hand trailed down between them to untie her robe while he continued kissing her. When she reached out to do the same, his belt was tightly knotted and she needed his help, but soon both robes were open. He shoved them aside, pulling her naked body against his.

Her soft moan was a mixture of pleasure and desire as he kissed her and picked her up to carry her back to bed.

It was almost two hours later when he held her close beside him in bed and rolled over to look at her. He wound his fingers in the long strands of her hair, toying with her locks.

“I know you have to go home soon,” he said. “I think it’s time we get to the reason behind this weekend and your incredible bid for me at the auction. You paid a mind-boggling sum to get my attention, so now you have it. What’s behind this? What did you want me to agree to do?”

Tony looked into her big eyes that were the color of blue crystal. His gaze went to her mouth and he wanted to kiss her again. He stifled the urge, difficult as it was. Their time together had been fabulous, a dream, but it would end shortly and they would go back to their regular lives. How much would it change because of the auction? For a moment a memory flashed in his mind of the second and most direct encounter they had, when a big tree on her property fell during a storm in the night. It had fallen on his fence, taking it down and also smashing one of his trucks, which had stalled in the rainstorm.

One of the men had called to tell him. When he drove out to view the damage, she was already there with a crew working to cut up the fallen tree and haul it away. She held a chain saw and had a battered straw hat on her head with a long braid hanging over her shoulder. He’d known her all his life but rarely paid any attention to her. He knew she was two years younger than he was, but right then he thought she looked five years younger. The noise of chain saws was loud, the ground spongy from the rain when he stepped out of his truck.

Even though she had to pay for the damage because it was her tree, he’d tried to curb his anger that she hadn’t called him first. She saw him and walked over.

“My tree fell in the storm. Sorry about the damage. But I’m insured.”

“Did you call your agent?”

“No, I will. I want to get the fence up as soon as possible so I don’t lose any livestock.”

“Lindsay, that’s my fence and I’ll fix it. You should have called me. Your insurance should cover the damages when a tree falls on something, but only if you have notified your company. They would have sent someone out to see what happened, take pictures and write a report. Now the tree is back on your property, cut up as we speak, and I doubt if you can collect anything.”

She had looked surprised. “I haven’t had a tree fall on anything before. I’ll check with my insurance company, and I’ll pay you for the damage.”

“Stop cutting up the tree. I’m going to call and see if my adjustor wants to come out anyway.”

She’d frowned but agreed.

“And leave the fence alone. It’s my fence and I’ll get it replaced today.”

She had scowled at him. “Today?”

“This morning,” he said. “As soon as we can. If you have livestock grazing here, move them. Don’t let them in this pasture. That’s simple enough,” he said, wondering if she knew how to run that ranch of hers.

“I know that,” she snapped.

“Leave the fence to me. Stop cutting up and hauling away the tree. I’ll get someone out here to look this over,” he repeated, suspecting she was stubborn enough to keep cutting up the tree.

She had clamped her mouth closed as her blue eyes flashed. “Anything else you want to tell me to do?” she snapped, and his temper rose a notch.

“Probably a lot, but I’m not going to,” he answered evenly.

“Why was your truck parked right by my property?”

He had been annoyed by her question, though he tried to hang on to his temper. “It was on my property and we can park the truck wherever we want on this side of that fence. If you want to know, one of the men was headed back in the storm and checking to see if the fences were okay. He’d been driving through high water in several low places and the truck quit running here. Unfortunately, near your tree.”

She’d been silent a moment as if thinking about what he had said. “I know it was my tree on your truck. My word should be good enough for the insurance.”

Impatiently, he shook his head. “No, it’s not good enough. Next time, remember to call your adjustor before you do anything else. You may have a hard time collecting.”

He remembered her raising her chin defiantly and he’d wondered if she would argue, but then she looked around and seemed lost in thought until she turned back to him. “That isn’t a new truck. Get three estimates in Verity for the repairs and I’ll cover the lowest bidder’s charges.”

“Look, I can’t get that kind of damage fixed in Verity. At least not at three different places and you know it. The truck will be totaled.”

“I’m not buying you a brand-new truck.”

“Tell your guys to stop working and then go home, Lindsay, and call your insurance company. They’ll tell you what to do next.”

Her cheeks had grown red and fire had flashed in her eyes, but he hadn’t cared if his instructions made her angry. She had already annoyed the hell out of him.

Yes, Lindsay Calhoun had that unique ability to boil his blood.

Right now, though, as he reined his thoughts back to the present and looked down at her naked body, she had the ability to heat his blood in a different way.

Tony pushed aside the past to gaze into her big blue eyes. He didn’t expect what they’d had this weekend to last much longer because the real world was settling back into their lives.

Last night he hadn’t cared what she wanted from him. He’d been totally focused on her as he adjusted to his new discoveries about her. Now, though, curiosity reared its ugly head and he wanted to learn her purpose behind the evening.

“You should know what I want to talk about,” she said, scooting to sit up in bed and lean back against pillows, pulling the sheet demurely high and tucking it beneath her arms. Her pale yellow hair spilled over her shoulders. She looked tousled, warm and soft, and he wanted to wrap his arms around her and kiss her again, but he refrained. It was time he heard her out and learned what was so important to her that she would pay several thousand dollars just to get his attention.

“Two things, Tony,” she said, and he sighed, trying to be quiet and listen, to be patient and talk to her calmly. He had already given her the solution to her water problem, but she didn’t believe him. He could deal with this in a civilized manner, but underneath all her sex appeal, breathtaking beauty and their dream weekend, there still was the real woman who was mule-stubborn and did not take advice well.

Lindsay was all he avoided in women—stubborn, far too serious and constantly stirring conflict.

The irony of the fact that she was now sharing his bed was not lost on him. But he ignored it as he focused on her.

She continued her explanation. “First and foremost I hope that we have some sort of truce where we can be civil to each other, with no tempers flaring.”

“I’d say we can be mighty civil to each other. You should have some of your money’s worth there,” he said, caressing her throat, letting his fingers drift down lightly over her breast.

“I hope so,” she said solemnly.

“I’m willing,” he said. “So continue.”

She squared her shoulders and fussed with the sheet. Then she cleared her throat and spoke. “My wells are running dry and I figured you’ve replaced your old pumps with bigger ones that are drawing on the aquifer and depleting my groundwater. I can get bigger pumps, too, but that might take water from other neighbors and I don’t want to do that.”

He held up his hand. “I told you, Lindsay, I do not have bigger pumps.”

“Well, for some reason, my water is dwindling away to almost nothing.”

“It’s a record drought,” he said, as if having to explain the obvious to a child.

“I’ve asked Cal Thompson and he doesn’t have bigger pumps. Neither does Wendell Holmes. I figured it was you.”

“It is not. According to the weather experts, this is the worst drought in these parts in the past almost sixty years—before you and I were born, much less before we became owners of neighboring ranches. I told you the solution to my problem. You can do the same. Just dig deeper wells and you’ll have much more water. Then when it rains, the aquifer will fill back up again. If you don’t want to dig deeper, buy water and have it piped in. That’s what Wendell is doing.”

She stared at him thoughtfully in silence for several minutes. It was difficult to keep his attention on her water worries while she sat beside him in bed, naked, with only a sheet pulled up beneath her arms. He couldn’t resist reaching out to caress her throat again, letting his hand slide down and slip beneath the sheet to caress her bare breasts. It took an effort to sit quietly and wait when all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and kiss her thoroughly. Well, that wasn’t all he wanted to do.

The instant his fingers brushed her nipple, he saw a flicker in her eyes.

“You really had them dug deeper?”

Thinking more about her soft skin and where his fingers wanted to go, he hung on to his patience. “Yes, I did. When we get home, come over anytime and I’ll show you my old pumps.”

When she merely nodded, he felt a streak of impatience with her for being so stubborn. She didn’t seem convinced he was telling the truth, and he suspected she wasn’t going to take his advice. With every passing minute he could see her sliding back into her serious, stubborn self, stirring up conflict unnecessarily. Lindsay seemed to thrive on conflict. Except for last night. For that brief time she had been sexy, appealing, cooperative and wonderful. Now they were drifting back to reality and he had to hang on to his patience once again.

“I might do that.”

As his gaze ran over her, it was difficult to think about anything else except how sexy she was and how the minutes were running out on this brief truce. She looked incredibly enticing with her bare shoulders and just the beginning of luscious curves revealed above the top of the sheet. How could she be this appealing and he had never noticed? He knew his answer, but it still amazed him that he hadn’t had a clue about her beauty. In the past, once she started arguing he couldn’t see beyond his anger. He saw now.

He was unable to resist trailing his fingers lightly over her alluring bare shoulder, looking so soft and smooth. If his life depended on it, he couldn’t stop touching her or looking at her. He wanted to pull away the sheet, place her in his lap and kiss her senseless. They were wasting their last few moments together talking about the drought, when he had other things he wanted to do.

He leaned forward to brush a kiss on that perfect shoulder.

“Tony, you’re not even listening,” she snapped, her voice taking on the stubborn note he had heard her use too many times. Right now, he didn’t care, because he knew how to end her annoyance.

He trailed kisses to her throat and up to her ear while his hands traveled over her, pulling the sheet down as they set out in exploration. Suddenly, she pushed him down and moved over him to sit astride him. She had tossed aside the sheet completely and was naked. It still startled him to realize what a sexy body she had.

“This weekend has opened possibilities I never thought of when I was bidding,” she said in a throaty voice while her hands played over his chest.

He cupped her full breasts, their softness sending his temperature soaring. He was fully aroused, hard and ready and wanting her as if they hadn’t made love ever.

“I’ll leave you with memories that will torment you,” she whispered, leaning down to shower kisses over his chest.

He sighed as she moved down his body, her hand stroking his thick rod as she trailed kisses over his abdomen and lower. When she reached his erection, he groaned.

He relished her ministrations, but he didn’t want their last time to be like this. He wanted to be inside her. In one smooth motion he rolled her over so he was on top. His mouth covered hers in a demanding, possessive kiss at the same time that he grabbed a condom from the bedside table.

In seconds he entered her, taking her hard and fast while she locked her legs around him and rocked wildly against him in return.

He wanted to bring her to more than one climax, as he’d done before, but this time was too unbridled, too untamed. The second he sent her flying over the edge of an orgasm, he joined her, reaching the stars together on a hell of a ride.

When they slowed and their breathing became regular, he stayed inside her, too exhausted to move. Finally he kissed her lips and said softly, “You can’t imagine how beautiful and sexy I think you are.”

A smile lit up her eyes, though it did not grace her mouth. “I hope so. I don’t want you to forget this weekend,” she whispered.

He gazed into her eyes and doubted if he ever would.

This time with her had been special, but now they would be going back to their real lives. While they should be more neighborly in the future, they were still the same people, with the same personalities. Lindsay was not his type—she was way too serious for him and far too stubborn. He suspected today would be goodbye.

He pulled out of her and rolled over.

“I should get ready to go home,” she said.

He turned to her. “I’ll fly you home if you want to have someone pick up your car. Or I can take you home when I go.”

She shook her head. “Thank you, but I’ll drive home. I’d better get in the shower now. It’s time,” she said.

He caught her arm and she pulled up a sheet to cover herself while she paused getting out of bed.

“Lindsay, more water is a poor return on your money. For your bid and for this weekend, you should get a whole lake of water in return.”

To his surprise she smiled, standing to wrap the sheet around herself in toga fashion. She walked to the other side of the bed to put her arms around his neck. When she did, he placed his hands on her tiny waist, wanting to kiss her instead of listening to whatever she had to say.

“Maybe not such a poor return,” she said in the throaty voice that conjured up images of them in bed together. “We’ve made some inroads on our fighting that will make a huge change in our relationship. At least the fights in the future might not be so bitter.”

He grinned. “We’ll see how long we can both hold on to our tempers. All I have to do is remember you like this,” he said, leaning down to kiss her lightly as he ran his hands over her back.

“I need to shower,” she said, stepping away from him.

“Shucks. I hoped I was irresistible,” he drawled, and she smiled.

“You are, Tony. Far too much,” she said as she walked away from him, picking up the navy bathrobe on her way to the shower.

After her last statement he was tempted to catch up with her and kiss her again. He wanted to hold her, to see how truly irresistible he could be. But they were getting ready to go home and return to their regular lives and there would be no lovemaking in their future. With a sigh he pulled out some fresh clothes and went down the hall to another bathroom.

All the time she showered, Lindsay wondered how much this weekend would change how they treated each other at home. Tony was still Tony, telling her what to do. She hadn’t said anything to him, but she wanted to check his pumps by herself. She wouldn’t put it past him to be bluffing with his invitation to come look. After all, he was a Milan.

One of her earliest memories had been her grandmother telling her to never trust a Milan. Could she trust Tony now?

The Tony she had just been with for the past twenty hours was a man she would trust with her life. That thought startled her; it was completely at odds with how she’d been raised. Then again... Had her grandmother just been passing down family opinions that could have gone back generations?

Thirty minutes later, dressed and ready to go, Lindsay joined Tony in the living room. He came to his feet when she entered, his gaze sweeping over her, making her tingle. To her surprise, reluctance to see the weekend end filled her. After all, she and Tony had always known it wouldn’t—couldn’t—last.

Even in jeans, boots and a navy Western shirt, Tony looked sexy and handsome. A short while ago, as they’d talked about ranching, she’d felt the old annoyance with him for telling her what she should do. Now, simply looking at him made her heart beat faster.

She looked down at the red dress she’d worn last night and wore again now. “I have to go back to my hotel in this. It’s four in the afternoon, so I may turn heads,” she said, forcing a grin that never made it fully to her lips.

He crossed the room to place his hands on her shoulders. “Lindsay, in that dress, you’ll turn heads any hour of the day or night. You’re gorgeous.” He reached out to play with her hair, which fell about her shoulders. “I like your hair down.”

For some reason she hadn’t put it up when she got ready. She couldn’t say why.

“Thank you. I’m ready to go. You know what the drive is like back to the ranch. Are you going home today?” She knew he was driving her to her hotel, but wasn’t sure where he was headed after that.

“No, I have an appointment in Dallas in the morning. Otherwise, I would have pushed harder to go home together.”

“I see.” She gave one nod. “Well, now we go back to our real lives and the real world. But it was a wonderful, magical weekend that I never, ever expected.”

“My sentiments exactly,” he said. “I don’t want you to go. I don’t want this to end, but I know it has to and it won’t be the same.”

“Afraid not,” she agreed with him. “I’m ready. Shall we go?”

“Yes. But how about one last kiss?” He took her in his arms and he kissed her, hard, as if his kiss was sealing a bond that had been established between them this weekend. His lips were making sure that she would never forget his lovemaking, even though she knew it wouldn’t happen again.

She kissed him in kind, wanting just as much to make certain he couldn’t forget her, either.

He raised his head. “How about a picture of the two of us to commemorate the occasion?” he asked, pulling out his phone. “Do you know how few selfies I’ve taken? I think one—with a friend and my horse at a rodeo.”

She laughed. “I rank right up there with your horse. Wow.”

He grinned as he held out the phone and took the shot, then he showed it to her. “You’re gorgeous, Lindsay.”

“Look at that picture the next time you think about dumping trash on the entrance to my ranch.”

He shook his head. “I’m still telling you that I did not do any such thing. You might have annoyed someone else, you know.”

Startled, she studied him. “You really mean that?”

“I really mean it.”

“If you didn’t do it, then I owe you an apology,” she said, still staring at him. But, even if she had accused him of something he didn’t do, there was bound to have been things he did do. And he still had those take-charge ways that drove her nuts. Besides, he liked to play the field and never get serious. No, Tony was not for her.

“One picture, Lindsay, just of you, so I can look and remember. Okay?” he asked, stepping away and taking her picture as she placed her hand on her hip and smiled.

“We have to go. I need to get home,” she said, shouldering a delicate, jeweled purse that matched the straps on her dress.

“Sure thing,” he said, taking her arm to walk her out to the car. As she slid onto the passenger seat, her skirt fell open and she glanced up to see him looking at her legs. She tucked her skirt around her while he closed the door and walked around to his side of the car.

He was quiet on the ride to the hotel, and so was she. As he drew up to the front entrance a short while later, he stepped out and talked to a valet, then came around to escort her into the lobby. “I’m glad you were the high bidder. But I don’t want to say goodbye.”

“We both know the weekend is over. Really over. Reality sets in now, Tony. As we’ve already agreed, it might be a little better than it was.”

He nodded. “You take care.”

“You, too. Thanks for a weekend that was worth my bid.”

“That’ll go to my head. I didn’t dream I could bring such a price.” He smiled as he stepped away. “Goodbye,” he said, turning and walking out of the hotel.

She stood watching him, unable to understand the feelings of sadness and loss as he walked away.