She walked in with a hint of a smile on her face, carrying a designer bag large enough to fit a family of squirrels.
Duke jumped on her, wagging his tail, and she stepped back, blinking.
Quickly, he grabbed the dog’s collar and pushed him outside, closing the door behind them. “Excuse Duke. I hired trainers, but he still can’t resist jumping on pretty women.”
She studied the decor, glancing at the art on the walls and the accent pieces with a Southwestern flair he’d bought from a prominent new artist. A country living decoration magazine had begged him to feature his home in their issue once, but he’d denied the offer. “I’m familiar with the type. That’s why I always have pepper spray with me.”
“Duke won’t need that.”
She lifted her eyebrow. “I wasn’t talking about the dog.”
“Very well. Let me show you to your room. Jerry will bring your suitcase soon.” He showed her up the stairs, and she started climbing. Each step she took, he got a better view of her delectable ass. Hhhmmm… His cock strained in his pants and he swallowed, willing the damn thing down.
When they reached the second floor, she turned to him. “Left or right?”
“Right,” he said, pointing to the last room in the hallway, conveniently located next to his. Maybe he should have placed her far from him, but having her close would give him the upper hand.
She opened the door, beating him to it, and walked inside, studying the surroundings. She glanced at the nicely adorned king-size bed, the dark oak nightstands and the Georgia O’Keefe picture hanging on the wall. He’d also asked Gina to put fresh flowers in the room.
“Nice.”
“Do you need anything?”
She turned to him. “I only need to work. That’s what I’m here for.”
He erased the distance between them, captured by the uncertainty glinting in her eyes. Her beauty stole the air from his lungs, and he couldn’t pinpoint what part of her drew him in more. What made his fingertips itch with need to touch her, to shorten the small gap between them and take her in his arms.
“Of course. That’s what you’re here for,” he said, unable to keep the mocking tone from his voice. She obviously was in as much denial as him. No matter how much he rationalized about his end goal, his attraction to her only intensified each minute.
…
“How far are we?” Alexa asked, crossing her leg over the other. They’d been in his black pickup truck for the past several minutes, but his property stretched out for miles.
She’d eaten lunch with him and had met his charming housekeeper, Gina. The woman seemed to have a particular interest in her, but Alexa remained professional and measured her words. This wasn’t a social visit, and everyone should keep that in mind.
Especially me. She stole a glance his way, hoping he couldn’t see her eyes with the oversize sunglasses she had on. Seeing him in his natural habitat sent a shot of lust through her veins. This was where he belonged—a massive man driving a ridiculously large truck, in the wide-open green spaces of his lush land. Her nipples tightened, and she imagined horseback riding with him, sharing the same saddle. The image raised her temperature a notch, and she reached for the bottle of water in the console.
“We’re close,” he said.
So am I. “Good,” she said curtly, aware of her prickly behavior.
During the last several years, she’d been around plenty of powerful men—some dashingly handsome. Some not so handsome, but smart or funny. Yet, she’d never felt as compelled to throw caution to the wind as she did with Brooks. Not that she’d let him get close to her again—the make-out session in her office had been a mistake. A sexy, delicious mistake. She drank another gulp of water.
After she’d left Florida, and with it the most hurtful part of her childhood, she’d dated a few guys—the pragmatic part of her needed to experience relationships to make the conscious decision about avoiding them later. But none had ever made her feel like Brooks, so sexually aware and easily aroused.
“Are you here a lot?” she asked, looking out the window. He’d pointed out some impressive horses as well as the barn and employees’ quarters not far from the main home. She’d seen cattle, but not in great quantity, and assumed this wasn’t a cattle farm like the ones she’d read about located in the Texan panhandle. This felt more like…home.
“Yeah. It’s where I live when I’m not checking on properties across the state or traveling for meetings.”
“Nice,” she said, threading her fingers. According to what she’d read about him online, Brooks had been born into a privileged and traditional Texan family. The quintessential old money. But he’d been smart and multiplied his investments in the rural world, especially with cattle, quickly becoming the most successful member of his family.
“Where’s home to you?” He made a left turn.
She tugged her ear. Nowhere. A nostalgia she had gotten used to welled inside her, clogging her throat. She swallowed twice before answering, “I live in Nevada.”
“Yes, but where are you from?”
“I’ve lived in a few states.” She gave him her standard answer. Why complicate things? He wanted small talk, but that didn’t mean she wanted to provide a podcast episode of her life.
He shook his head. “It’s easier to get secret intel from a die-hard terrorist than basic information from you.”
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never questioned a terrorist,” she said, and stared at him, the fire in her belly brewing from the exchange. He smiled, an easy, sexy smile that skittered her pulse. She shifted in her seat, partly mad at herself for being so interested in him and partly curious.
He parked the truck in front of a big red barn. “One of the guys I have in mind is Logan. He works at the farm and wants to go to college. He just turned eighteen. Very good kid.”
“Have you approached him
