Wade dozed with lips parted on a half smile—an expression of supreme contentment that made Nikki’s heart surge. Wade was so considerate, so attentive. Everything about him drove her wild. He was everything she never even dared to hope for—intelligent, charming, and, sweet heaven, the man knew how to use his mouth and hands.
But while her body was sated, her mind was restless, overwhelming her with doubts and fears. It was so good with him, it nearly scared the hell out of her. How long would they continue burning hot and bright—in a frenzied fever of lust—before their shooting star crashed to earth? How soon before he lost interest and sought greener pastures? Men like him always did.
Why are you torturing yourself like this? It was beautiful. It was incredible, but you already know it can’t go anywhere. Just let it be, Nikki.
She shifted, her thigh inadvertently brushing his shaft. It stirred instantly back to life. Wade opened his eyes on a lazy smile. “Time for round three already?”
Nikki’s stomach answered with a loud and embarrassing growl.
He gave her a mock frown. “Hungry for something besides me then?”
“Well, yeah,” she confessed. “I ordered food hours ago. After all this exercise, I think I’m in real danger of perishing.”
He whipped the sheets away and sat her up. “Get dressed and I’ll make it up to you.”
Nikki took another quick shower and dressed while Wade went to the Prospector to pay for the food she’d never picked up. He said he’d also make a detour to the drugstore to replace the condoms they’d used. She hadn’t brought much for clothing, given the airline baggage restrictions and the brevity of her planned stay, but had at least packed a simple slim black dress for the funeral. She decided to wear it now along with a pair of black pumps and thigh highs. By the time Wade returned, she’d pinned her hair up and applied a bit of makeup.
His whistle of appreciation made her glad she’d expended the effort.
“Looks like we’re headed out of Sheridan.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not about to take you to the Prospector or the Wagon Wheel looking like that.”
“Then, where are we going?” she asked.
“I’ve got a place in mind,” he replied cryptically.
They headed back toward Twin Bridges, driving the ten miles in companionable silence with Wade’s left hand guiding the wheel of the Lexus and his right resting on her thigh. It was a casual gesture, but the implied possessiveness incited a fluttery feeling in Nikki’s stomach.
The vibe between them had relaxed in the past few hours, morphing into something that felt comfortable but with an underlying excitement. There was an edge of sexual tension between them that hadn’t even begun to abate. Even after several bouts of lovemaking, Nikki still thought she’d combust with a look or touch from him.
They pulled up in front of an old brick building on Main Street. “It’s rustic, but The Old Hotel is one of the better places around here. The cuisine choices are slim pickin’s once you leave greater Bozeman, but there are a few well-kept secrets around these parts.”
They entered a small but cozy dining room with knotty pine flooring, floral valances over mullioned windows, and fewer than a dozen oak tables, with mismatched chairs and calico cushions.
“It reminds me of MeeMaw’s kitchen, and not much bigger either,” Nikki remarked in bemusement.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “But I promise it’s not your MeeMaw’s home cookin’. The owners moved here from Hawaii and have brought quite an international flair to our little neck of the woods.”
“Hello, Wade!” the hostess greeted them. “Just the two of you?”
He nodded. “Paula, this is Nicole, up from Atlanta. I wanted to show her that Twin Bridges isn’t completely without sophistication. I’m glad you had something available tonight without a reservation.”
“Things slow down this time of year,” Paula said and led them to a table in the corner. “A month ago would have been another story.”
Nikki waited for Wade to pull out her chair, meeting his grin with a smile. She sat and looked for a menu.
“They don’t print one,” Wade explained, reading her mind. “The dishes change weekly based on availability of local meat and produce.”
“And the chef’s whim,” Paula added. She handed Wade the beer and wine list. “Would you care for a cocktail or some wine? Or do you want to hear the specials first?”
“Beck’s nonalcoholic for me. Wine, Nikki?” Wade asked. “They have a good selection here.”
“Nonalcoholic?” Nikki regarded him with a wrinkled brow.
“Yeah, I don’t drink…anymore.”
“But the other night?” She recalled the frosty mugs of brew he’d drunk, and then realized she’d never seen the bottles. “Do you mean to say you were drinking unleaded while you were tanking me up?”
He flashed a guilty grin.
“How underhanded.” Her head reeled from Wade’s interesting little revelation, but this wasn’t the moment to press him. She opted to file it for later.
“You needed it. I didn’t.” He shrugged. “As to wine, I’d recommend a red to accompany the cowboy sushi.”
“Cowboy sushi?”
“It’s the house specialty,” Paula said. “We had to get creative due to the lack of sushi-grade fish in Montana.”
“What do you use instead of fish?” Nikki asked.
“Barbecue beef.”
“Barbecue sushi? You’re kidding, right?”
“Not at all.” Paula laughed. “My husband came up with the idea. We think of it as our unique fusion of East and West. It’s a nigiri roll with rice, vegetables, and the barbecue beef that we serve with red chili aioli in place of wasabi and soy sauce.”
“All right,” Nikki said. “I’m game for this gastronomic adventure.”
Paula then rattled off the choice of appetizers: mushroom and brie tarts with balsamic syrup or blue-crab cakes with lemon parmesan aioli. She followed with the entrées, several featuring home-raised Montana beef and lamb. “We also serve American Kobe beef upon request.”
“American Kobe?” Nikki looked to Wade. “Isn’t that what your brother is raising?”
“Yes,” Paula said. “The Flying K is our supplier.”
“And how is my brother’s experiment working out?” Wade asked.
“Surprisingly, we’re finding many people prefer the taste of it over domestic beef.”
“Really? That is surprising.”
“Wade, why don’t you choose for both of us,” Nikki suggested.
“Sure thing.” He ordered several dishes to sample and a bottle of Australian Shiraz.
“Shiraz?” Nikki asked when Paula departed.
He leaned back in his chair with a slow sexy smile. “Of all the things every man should know—a woman’s hot spots and a few good wines are foremost.”
Nikki chuckled. “I wouldn’t dare dispute your expertise on the first, so I suppose I’ll just have to trust you on the second.”
“You should trust me more often,” he said, suddenly serious.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means I want to know why you’re so guarded.”
“Experience,” she replied, running a finger over the rim of her glass. “It’s been a tough teacher. I haven’t always exercised the best judgment where relationships with men are concerned.”
“You can’t let one asshole ruin your life.”
“One? Try six.”
“Six, eh?”
“Yeah. Sad, isn’t it?”
“Maybe seven’s your lucky number.”
She licked her lips, studying his expression with uncertainty. “Are you suggesting this is the start of something?”
“The start?” He made a scoffing sound. “Sweetheart, I think we’re well past the starting gate, don’t you?”
“Most men don’t like to think in those kinda terms.”
“I told you I’m not most men.” Wade caught her hand in his. “C’mon, Nikki, tell me about it. Tell me why you think you can’t trust men. Why you don’t want to trust me. I wanna understand.”
“I really don’t want to. I don’t see the point in digging up the past.”
“Sometimes it helps to unload the baggage.”
Nikki felt suddenly maudlin. “What does it matter? Why do you want to invest the effort when I’m leaving in a few days?”
His blue gaze caught and held hers. “You’re here with me now, aren’t you?”
“Yeah,” she said softly. “I’m here.”
She licked her dry lips and then took another sip of wine, wishing this time with him could go on forever, but knowing it couldn’t.
“You’re already thinking about leaving,” he accused. “I can see it in your eyes.”
“Because it’s reality, Wade. I have a job to return to. A life.”
“Tell me about it,” he said.
“Tell you what?”
“Your life…you.”
“Me?” She gave a dry laugh. “There’s not much to say.”
“Sure there is. And I’m interested in hearing it. You’re different from other women. I wanna understand what makes you tick.”
“You and me both,” she snorted.
“I’m serious, sweetheart. I want to get to know you better.”
“I’d rather talk about you,” she replied.
He leaned back in his chair with an air of nonchalance. “What do you want to know? Ask away.”
“All right, Wade, I propose a question for a question. I’ll answer yours if you answer mine.”
He nodded. “Fair enough.”
“Then I’ll let you start. What do you want to know?”
“Anything.” He shrugged. “Everything.”
“Care to narrow it down a little?”
He pursed his mouth and then took a thoughtful sip of his beer. “Tell me why you despise cowboys.”
“I don’t really,” Nikki finally confessed. “Truth is, men in hats and boots have always been a fatal attraction.”
His gaze narrowed. “Fatal? Care to elaborate?”
“Not particularly,” she said. “I already told you I’ve made a lot of stupid mistakes.”
“But you promised to answer my questions.”
She sucked in a big breath and blew it out on a resign sigh. “You really wanna hear this?”
“I do. I want to know what I’m dealing with.”
“All right. The first one was named Donnie. He was a hotshot bronc rider I met at the Toccoa Rodeo. I was seventeen and moonstruck. He got me drunk and took my virginity in the back of his horse trailer. Not five minutes later, he asked me to blow his best friend while he watched. I refused and he dumped me for a more willing buckle-bunny.”
“Ah,” he said. “I guess that explains your earlier concern about voyeurism.”
“Yeah. I’m a bit gun-shy about stuff like that.”
“And after Donnie?” he prompted her.
“Unfortunately, my cowboy addiction didn’t end with him. After I left home, me and my girlfriends got into line dancing and started hitting the honky-tonks. We went to Wild Bill’s in Duluth every Friday night and the Electric Cowboy on Saturdays. ’Course you can guess the kinda guys I met at those places—a long string of drinkers, liars, cheaters—all of them wearing tight Wranglers, boots, and hats. The last one was the worst though—the one I thought I was going to marry.”
“What happened?”
“I caught him in bed with my roommate. I should have seen it coming, but I didn’t want to. I kicked them both out and they married six months later. The worst part of it wasn’t the boyfriend but losing my best friend since grade school. We’d always dreamed of being each other’s maids of honor one day. Needless to say, I didn’t get an invitation to their wedding—not that I would have gone,” she added dryly. “That was the last cowboy I dated.”
“I’m sorry… Well, about the best friend, not about the fiancé,” he confessed.
“Me too. It’s hard to get over a betrayal like that. So you see why I’ve sworn off cowboys?”
Wade shook his head with a snort. “Hate to burst your bubble, sweetheart, but a Stetson and a pair of Tony Lamas doesn’t make a man a cowboy.”
“I think maybe I’m starting to know the difference,” she said.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“My turn now,” she said.
Wade shrugged. “I’m an open book.”
“So you claim, but somehow I doubt that.”
“Try me, sweetheart.”
“All right. There are several things I’d like to know.”
“Oh yeah?” He poured her a second glass of wine.
“For starters, is there a particular reason why you don’t drink?”
His hand froze. His expression hardened. “Yeah…there’s a reason.”
“Does it have anything to do with your brother?” She wanted to know him so badly, to understand him, but judging by his hardening expression, this was dangerous territory.
His gaze narrowed. “Why would you ask that?”
Nikki tried to affect an offhand manner. “Just something your mother said.”
Wade stared up at the ceiling. “There’s a helluva lot of history behind our antagonism.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“Not particularly,” he echoed her earlier reply.
“You’ve already broken the rules. I just answered half a dozen of your questions. You can’t expect me to lay out my history for your inspection without reciprocation. Doesn’t seem fair, Wade.”
He inhaled and then released it with an exasperated sound. “Look, it’s nothing personal, Nikki. I’ll talk about anything else, but I’d rather forget that entire chapter of my life.”
“And you think I enjoyed dredging up mine?” She looked away, picked up her glass, and drained it.
They finished the meal in a strained silence. The dinner was excellent, much better than Nikki had expected. The Kobe beef accompanied by the Shiraz had been a particular delight to her taste buds, but now she could hardly taste it. She stared at her plate, idly pushing the food around.
Leaning in close, Wade covered her hand with his. He said nothing for a moment, as if he waited to see if she’d snatch it away. When she didn’t, he brought her palm to his lips and kissed it.
“I’m sorry, Nikki. Please understand I’m not trying to be secretive. I just didn’t expect any of this to come up tonight. Something happened four years ago that part of me is still dealing with, and I’m not ready to talk about it yet. Can you please try to understand that?”
The pain in his eyes was unmistakable.
Her resentment evaporated. “Yes,” she answered softly. “I can understand. There’s a number of things I’m trying to work out too. It’s part of the reason I came here—to figure things out.”
“I promise you I’m trying real hard to work through it all.”
“I’m sorry I pressed you.”
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about. I’m the one who said I’d answer your questions and then reneged.”
“Let’s just agree to let it go. I’m OK with that. Really,” she insisted.
Wade moved to pour her another glass of wine.
“I think I’ve had enough already.”
“It’s a shame to waste a good wine.”
“What? Are you thinking to have your wicked way with me?”
“I was more hoping you’d want to have yours with me.” His answering look made her mouth go dry. “You devastate me, Nikki. Do you know that?”
“Me?” She gave an incredulous laugh.
“Yes. You. I haven’t wanted anyone this bad in a very long time. Hell…” He raked his hair with a self-deprecating laugh. “I don’t know that I’ve ever wanted anyone this bad.” His gaze slid down to her mouth while a half smile hovered over his. “I’m sitting here looking at you with my mind bursting with all the things I still want to do to you.”
“Even after this afternoon?” She was growing flushed and it definitely wasn’t the wine.
“This afternoon only whetted my appetite for more. Hell, if this table had a decent cover on it, I’d slide my hand up those sleek, smooth thighs of yours right here and now.”
Nikki stifled a gasp and squeezed her thighs against the sudden warm gush.
His mouth curved into a slow, knowing smile. “Am I making you wet? So easily, Nikki?”
“Yes, damn you!” she hissed.
He chuckled. “Then, darlin’, I’m making it my personal goal to have you squirming in your panties before the check comes.”
“Oh really?” She arched a brow. “What if I’m not wearing any?”
She noted his heavy swallow with a surge of satisfaction. “Are you sure you want to go there, Wade? I thought I’d already demonstrated that two can play these games.”
“I’m up for it all right.” His grin stretched wide and sexy. “Bring it on, darlin’…gimme all you got.”
Paula arrived a moment later with the check. Wade reached for his wallet, but Nikki stalled him. “You know, on second thought, I think I’d like some dessert.”
“Anything in particular?” Paula asked.
“Yes. I have a sudden craving for some fresh fruit. Do you have any peaches or nectarines perhaps? With cream.” She slanted Wade a sultry look. “I love nice, juicy peaches drowning in cream, don’t you, Wade?”
His pupils flared. He wet his lips.
“I’m so sorry,” Paula said, “but we don’t have peaches. Could I tempt you with something else? We have a luscious triple chocolate terrine or crème brûlée. We also have a mascarpone, dark chocolate, and hazelnut cannoli.”
“Cannoli?” Nikki’s gaze darted to Wade. “You mean those wonderful Italian pastries that you eat with your fingers?”
“Yes. These are excellent.”
“Perfect.” Nikki smiled deviously.
“Coffee with that?”
“No, thank you. Just the cannoli.”
“Oh no you don’t,” Wade murmured in warning the moment Paula departed.
“Oh yes, Wade. I love cannoli. Especially if they’re big and long and so filled to bursting that they explode in your mouth.”
His jaw twitched. “Stop. Just stop now or I’ll make you so sorry.”
“No, I’m going to savor the hell out of my dessert. I’m going to lick and nibble all the chocolate off the outside, and then swish my tongue on the inside. And after that, I’ll suck out all the filling…and you’re going to watch me.”
“The hell I will!” Leaping out of his chair, Wade threw a wad of bills on the table. He then jerked Nikki to her feet, hauling her out the front door before dessert ever arrived.
* * *
They’d barely made it to the car before he pinned her up against the passenger door. He dipped his head and groaned, “I told you I’d make you sorry.”
She licked her lips with a shiver of excitement. “How?”
“I’m going to make you whimper and beg, Nikki. I’m going to reduce you to a puddle of moist, hot mayhem.” His hand was already sliding up her dress and gliding over her thighs.
“You can’t! We’re in the parking lot.” She protested on a gasp at the paradoxical softness of his calloused hands.
He nuzzled her neck, lightly abrading her skin with his deliciously bristled jaw, his breath a heated caress against her skin. “It’s dark enough…and I’m blocking you from view. Hmm. I like these, Nikki. A lot.” He traced the lace band at the top of her stockings with his fingers. “Now I’m wondering…”
She knew what he was thinking. Her remark about her lack of panties was meant to drive him wild. She hissed when he probed higher and dipped into her wetness with a grunt of deep satisfaction. But he didn’t stop there. He slid deeper, his fingers exploring her passage, his thumb slowly circling, swirling the wetness around her clit.
He took her ear lobe between his teeth. “You’re going to sob for mercy, Nicole.”
Dear God, we’re in a freaking parking lot!
But he wasn’t about to let her off the hook. No indeed-y. Not after how brazenly she’d teased him. Her heart raced. His fingers plunged, working in and out of her sheath. Her breath came in short pants. Her legs felt like jelly. She clutched his shoulders for balance as her climax formed low in her belly, like a storm gaining momentum by the minute.
“Please, Wade,” she whispered.
“That wasn’t good enough, Nikki.” He swirled his hot tongue in her ear. “How about ‘pretty please with sugar on top’?”
“Yes. Yes. With sugar on top,” she whimpered. He settled into a ruthless rhythm that was making her mind melt. “You have to stop this now.”
“You want me to stop, darlin’? Maybe I wasn’t clear. I want you to beg me to make you come. Here and now. Then you’re going to straddle my lap and ride me cowgirl-style until we fog every damned window in that SUV.”
His words were all it took to send her toppling over the edge. She buried her face in his chest until the ripples ceased. She watched on wobbly legs, growing more breathless at the dark glitter in his blue eyes as Wade prepared to make as good on his second promise as he had on the first. Opening the passenger door, he adjusted the seat all the way back. Then, instead of handing her up, he climbed inside and pulled her onto his lap.
“Wouldn’t the backseat be easier?” she asked.
“Not how I want you,” he growled, yanking her shoes off and throwing them over his shoulder. “I gave you yours, sweetheart. This one’s all mine. Turn around. Straddle me,” he commanded, his manner brusque, his actions almost rough as he guided her into the position he wanted—facing away from him.
She heard the metallic slide of his zipper and then felt his hips rise and shift as he shoved his jeans down. She felt the release of his hard hot flesh as it sprang free, slapping her ass. She reached behind, eager to feel it in her hands, but he stopped her.
“Hands on the dashboard, sweetheart. You’re gonna need it.”
He reached under her dress, pushing it up over her hips and held it there, his big hands holding her firmly at the waist. He thrust into her. Hard. Deep. Giving her no time to catch her breath. The next seconds unfurled in a frantic and feral frenzy. Squeezing her waist and jerking her hips, Wade pounded mercilessly into her from behind, the slap of flesh filling the air even as Nikki’s gasps painted clouds all over the windshield. He climaxed fast and hard, his lungs emptying with a primal roar. She immediately followed, pulsing around him as he came in searing surges until they both slumped into the seat, still joined, but sedated and spent.
It was raw, animalistic, and probably the hottest sex she’d ever known.