For The Love Of Nick

“You say that like it’s a bad word.”

“It’s just that I’ve never really taken one.”

“Well, then…” Nick took Sadie’s leash in one hand and slipped his other arm around her, starting a lazy walk back to his truck, ignoring the fact that he had to practically drag the reluctant Sadie, who didn’t want anyone holding her leash but Danielle. “Stick with me,” he said to both unnerved females. “I’ll show you how to relax.”

But that’s what Danielle was afraid of. If she relaxed, she had to let down her guard. And if she let down her guard, he was going to crawl into her heart and make himself right at home.

AT THE HOTEL, Nick waited outside Danielle’s door until she slid in the key card and opened her door. “Danielle,” he said, and when she turned to look at him, he pressed her against the jamb for a quick, hard, hot kiss.

“What was that for?” she asked a little breathlessly.

He smiled as he trailed a thumb over her bottom lip. “To remind you that even though I’m in another room, you’re not alone.”

All her life she’d been surrounded by someone or another, and all her life she’d fought a loneliness she never understood. Now, with just this man for company, she hadn’t felt alone once.

“Maybe another kiss would help me remember,” she said very softly. “You know, just to be sure.”

With a quick, sexy grin, he leaned in, but she put a hand to his chest. “And maybe…” She trailed off.

“Maybe?” he repeated.

“Maybe not so quick this time.”

His eyes heated. “Got it.” His lips came within a fraction of an inch of hers, then stopped, making her nearly moan out loud. “Is there anything else?” he whispered, his breath mingling with hers. “You know, while I’m here?”

“Well…” He could make her forget anything, including the fact her life had fallen apart. He could make her feel warm and fuzzy and safe by just looking at her. And shameless. He made her shameless. “Maybe just one more thing…”

“Anything.” He pulled her against him, letting her feel how hard he was. “You want what you wanted last night? The blinding kisses? The touches that had you trembling?” His voice went rough and low. “How about when I put my tongue-”

“That,” she whispered shakily. “That’s the one.”

“Ah.” Eyes gleaming, he dipped his head for a long, messy, glorious kiss that did indeed numb more than half of her brain cells. When he came up for air, he backed her into the room. Kicking it closed, he moved with her until the backs of her legs hit the bed. “I live to provide pleasure,” he said wickedly, and pushed her down to the mattress, following her with his long, hard body.

Looping her arms around his neck, she surged up for a kiss, but Nick suddenly went still, then craned his neck to first one side, then the other, looking for something.

“Nick?” She wanted him to take her to oblivion, if only for a little while. “What are you-”

“Sadie?”

Now he wanted to talk to her dog? “Nick, I think she can wait-”

“Sadie!” He pushed to his feet, looking around with a startled look on his face. “Where did she go?”

Danielle came up to her elbows. The room was small enough for her to see in one sweeping glance there was no giant dog anywhere. “Oh my God.” She leapt to her feet. “She must have walked off when we were in the doorway.”

Nick had already hauled open the door again. “Not in the hallway,” he said. “I’ll go right, you go left.”

Danielle ran out the door and turned left, coming to a flight of stairs. Up or down, she wondered frantically, then decided down. Sadie would have gone down, it was easier and she was, after all, an incredibly lazy dog.

At the bottom, she pushed open the already ajar door, which led into a courtyard. Bright sunshine had her lifting her hand to block it from her squinting eyes.

Flowers in every color and hue covered every corner. Benches lined the paths, where quite a few people milled around. It looked as if the hotel had hosted a late lunch of some sort, as plenty of well-dressed, important people milled around holding champagne and plates filled with food.

And in the center of the courtyard, in a bed of flowers she’d completely flattened, lay Sadie, her tongue hanging out of her mouth, her coat covered in fresh dirt from the plants, her tail making lazy swipes in that dirt.

Danielle sagged in relief even as she cringed at the damage the dog had done to the flowers, but her relief was short-lived. Because right next to Sadie, tongue also hanging out, tail also swiping lazily in the dirt, lay…another dog.

An even bigger dog, who with long, shaggy, dark hair and sheer hugeness had to be none other than a Newfoundland.

When Danielle stopped short at the sight of them, the Newfoundland came to full alert and stood up in front of Sadie.

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that he was male, and that he’d clearly just claimed Sadie as his own.

In more ways than one.

Nick caught up with her, also stopping short at the sight of Sadie with her new beau, both of whom wore a sleepy, happy, sated expression.

“Well.” Nick glanced at Danielle. “I had no idea dogs could look so utterly…laid.”

“Oh, no,” she groaned. “This can’t be happening.”

“I take it she’s not…er, fixed.”

“I was going to eventually breed her! With a purebred!”

Sadie’s boyfriend sat regally, his tongue hanging out as he panted.

Nick rubbed his jaw, looking like he was fighting a grin. “He looks like a decent enough sort of dog.”

Poised and ever so elegant, the male dog lifted his leg and began to lick himself.

Nick laughed.

Danielle groaned, refusing to acknowledge the way the sound of Nick’s laugh had the most devastating power to make her want to return it. “This is all your fault!”

“My fault!” Now he blinked, looking comically shocked. “How do you figure?”

“You distracted me with that kiss, otherwise I would never have forgotten about Sadie, not even for a second.” She stepped into the flowers and grabbed the loose leash at Sadie’s side. Then, in a cosmic timing that could only be described as very bad luck, the sprinklers came on.

“Don’t say a word,” Danielle warned Nick, stepping out of the planter with no dignity and lots of water dripping off her. “Not a single word.”

Also dripping water and mud, Sadie shook her self-all over Danielle-then whined, craning her neck to catch one last glimpse of lover boy, her eyes bright and beaming his way.

Lover boy whined in return, and let out one sharp bark.

Nick steered clear of both the dirt and water, looking fit, perfectly dry and…suspiciously amused.

Danielle didn’t know if she wanted to smack him, or crane her neck at him and whine, too.

“AREN’T YOU WONDERING?” Nick asked as they came to a stop outside their rooms once again.

What she was wondering was, if his voice would ever stop sending a thrilling shiver down her spine. “Wondering…?”

He spoke in her ear. “If she enjoyed him as much as you enjoyed me.”

“Step back,” she said, still dripping everywhere as she opened her door. “Or I’ll make sure you get as hot and wet as I am.” His chest brushed her back, his jaw glided along her hair. Simple touch, but oh man, not such a simple reaction, as her knees actually knocked together. “I mean it,” she warned.

“Are you really hot and wet?” he asked silkily. “How about creamy? Are you creamy, Danielle?”

Because just the words made her pulse race, she ignored him and hauled Sadie into the bathroom, slamming the door.

Then stared at herself in the reflection, at her glowing skin, at her eyes which were more alive than she’d ever