Unbiddable Attraction

“I don’t think so.” She wasn’t a prude, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to abandon years of her grandmother’s lectures on modesty, either.

“Now who isn’t being adventurous?” he teased.

“Trying a different flavor of ice cream is completely different than taking off all of your...” Her voice trailed off when Chance shrugged out of his shirt.

The man had the physique of a male model and she had firsthand knowledge of how hard and strong all those muscles were. She thought about how every time he helped her into his truck or lifted her onto one of the horses, he picked her up as if she weighed nothing.

Unable to look away when he unzipped his fly and shoved his jeans down his long muscular legs, Fee felt a lazy heat begin to flow through her veins. “I can’t believe you’re really going to do this.”

“Yup, I’m really going to do this,” he repeated as he stepped out of his jeans and tossed them on top of his shirt. When she continued to stare at him, he grinned as he hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his boxer briefs. “I’m not the least bit shy and don’t mind you watching one little bit, but unless you want to see me in my birthday suit, you might want to close your eyes now.”

“Oh!” She spun around. “Let me know when you’re in the water.”

“All clear,” he announced. When she turned back, Chance was standing up in the pool. The water barely covered his navel. “You really should join me. The water is the perfect temperature.”

“I can’t,” she said, shaking her head as she avoided looking below his bare chest. “It isn’t deep enough.”

“You know you want to,” he said, grinning.

She didn’t believe for a minute that he would keep his eyes averted as she was doing, but he was right about one thing. She was tempted to throw caution to the wind and go skinny-dipping for the first time in her life.

“I don’t have a towel to dry off with.” Her statement sounded lame even to her.

“We can dry off with my shirt,” he offered.

“And you promise not to look?” she asked, knowing that his answer and what he would actually do were probably two different things.

“Scout’s honor I won’t look while you undress and get into the water,” he said, raising his hand in a three-finger oath.

“Then close your eyes,” she said decisively as she reached to pull the tail of her T-shirt from her jeans.

When he did, she quickly removed her boots and socks, then stripped out of her clothing before she had a chance to change her mind. Stepping into the water, she immediately covered her breasts with her arms and bent her knees until the water came up to her neck.

“I can’t believe I’m actually doing this,” she said between nervous giggles.

“Look at it this way,” he said, opening his eyes. His low, intimate tone and the look on his handsome face as he moved through the water toward her made Fee feel as if he had cast a spell over her. “It’s something you can check off your bucket list.”

“I don’t have a list,” she said slowly.

“I’ll help you make one.” His gaze held hers as he reached beneath the water and lifted her to her feet. Taking her into his arms, he smiled. “Then I’ll help you check off all of the new things you’re doing.”

Her arms automatically rose to encircle his neck and the moment her wet breasts pressed against his wide, bare chest a jolt of excitement rocked her. “You said you wouldn’t look.”

“I haven’t...yet.” His slow smile caused a nervous energy in the deepest part of her. “But I never said I wouldn’t touch you.”

As he lowered his head, Fee welcomed the feel of his firm mouth covering hers. Chance’s kisses were drugging and quickly becoming an addiction that she wasn’t certain she could ever overcome.

The thought should have sent her running as fast as she could to the Cheyenne airport and the earliest flight back to L.A. But as his lips moved over hers with such tenderness, she forgot all the reasons she shouldn’t become involved with him or any other man. All she could think about was the way he made her feel.

When he coaxed her to open for him, she couldn’t have denied him if her life depended on it. At the first touch of his tongue to hers, it felt as if an electric current danced over every one of her nerve endings and a tiny moan escaped her parted lips. She wanted him, wanted to feel his arms around her and the strength of his lovemaking in every fiber of her being.

The feel of his hard arousal against her lower belly was proof he wanted her just as badly. The realization created a restlessness within her and she was so lost in the myriad sensations Chance had created, it took her a moment to realize he was ending the kiss.

“As bad as I hate to say this, I think we’d better head back to the house.” His voice sounded a lot like a rusty hinge. “I have a good idea where this is headed and I don’t have protection for us.”

Covering her breasts with her arms, she nodded reluctantly. There was no way she could deny that the passion between them was heading in that direction. Thank goodness he had the presence of mind to call a halt to it.

“Turn around.”

He laughed. “Really? Our nude bodies were just pressed together from head to toe and you’re worried about me seeing you?”

Her cheeks heated. “Feeling is one thing, seeing is entirely different.”

“If you say so,” he said, doing as she requested.

Hurriedly getting out of the water, Fee turned her back to him, used his shirt to quickly dry herself and then pulled on her panties and jeans. But when she searched for her bra, she couldn’t seem to find it anywhere.

“Looking for this?” Chance asked.

Glancing over her shoulder, he was standing right behind her with her bra hanging from his index finger like a limp flag. “I thought you were supposed to stay in the water with your back turned until I got dressed,” she scolded, taking her lacy brassiere from him to put the garment on.

“I stayed in the water right up until you started searching for your bra.” She heard him pulling on his clothes. “After you dried off, you dropped my shirt on it when you reached for your panties.”

“You watched me get dressed? You swore you wouldn’t peek.”

“Yeah, about that.” He turned her to face him and the slow smile curving his mouth caused her to catch her breath. “I was never a Scout so that oath earlier didn’t really count. But just for the record, I told you before I kissed you that I hadn’t looked yet. I didn’t say I wasn’t going to.” He gave her a quick kiss, then bent to pull on his socks and boots.

While he walked over to where Dakota stood munching on a patch of grass, Fee picked up his damp shirt and waited for him to help her onto the gelding’s back. She should probably call her boss at Lassiter Media and arrange for someone else to take over the PR campaign, then head back to L.A. to get her priorities straight before she committed career suicide. But she rejected that idea immediately. No matter how difficult the assignment, she had never bowed out of a project and she wasn’t going to back down now.

She was just going to have to be stronger and resist the temptation of Chance Lassiter. But heaven help her, she had a feeling it was going to be the hardest thing she’d ever have to do.

* * *

Chance lay in bed and damned his sense of responsibility for at least the hundredth time since he and Fee had returned to the house. He hadn’t taken her on the moonlight ride with the intention of seducing her. On the contrary, it had simply been something he thought she might enjoy and he’d been right. She’d loved seeing all the billions of stars twinkling in the night sky.

At least, that’s the way things had started out. What he hadn’t allowed himself to consider was the effect her body would have on his when they rode double. Her delightful little bottom rubbing against the most vulnerable part of him had quickly proven to be the greatest test of his fortitude he’d ever faced. Then, if he hadn’t been insane enough, she’d noticed the spring and he’d had the brilliant idea of going skinny-dipping.

“Yeah, like that didn’t have disaster written all over it,” he muttered as he stared up at the ceiling.

If he’d just stayed on his side of the pool and hadn’t touched her or kissed her, he wouldn’t be lying there feeling as if he was ready to climb the walls. But the allure of her being so close had been more than he could fight and once he’d touched her, he couldn’t have stopped himself from kissing her any more than he could get Gus to give up baseball.

But what had really sent him into orbit had been her response. The minute their lips met, Fee had melted against him and his body had hardened so fast it had left him feeling as if he might pass out. The feel of her breasts against his chest and his arousal pressing into her soft lower belly had damn near driven him over the edge and he’d come dangerously close to forgetting about their protection.

Fortunately, he’d had enough strength left to be responsible. But that hadn’t been easy.

He punched his pillow and turned to his side. No two ways around it, he should have known better. But he’d been fool enough to think that he could control the situation and ended up being the victim of his own damned arrogance.

He’d known full well the moment he’d laid eyes on her at Hannah and Logan’s wedding, a spark ignited within him and with each day since the fire had increased to the point it was about to burn him up from the inside out. He wanted her, wanted to sink himself so deeply within her velvet depths that neither of them could remember where he ended and she began. And unless he was reading her wrong, it was what she wanted, too. So why was he in bed on one side of the hall and she in bed on the other now?

With a guttural curse that his mother would have had a fit over, Chance threw back the sheet and sat up on the side of the bed. Two hours of tossing and turning had gotten him nowhere. Maybe a drink would help him calm down enough to get a few hours of sleep.

Pulling on a pair of jeans, he didn’t bother with a shirt as he left the master suite and stared at the closed door across the hall. He’d like nothing better than to go into that room, pick Fee up and carry her back to his bed. Instead, he forced himself to turn and walk barefoot down the hall to the stairs.

When he reached the kitchen, he went straight to the refrigerator for a beer, and then walked out onto the back porch. Hopefully, the beer and the cool night air would work their magic and help him relax.

Chance took a long draw from the bottle in his hand and stared out into the night as he tried to forget about the desirable woman upstairs. He needed to make a trip into town tomorrow for some supplies, as well as to stop by Lassiter Media’s Cheyenne office to pick up his tickets for Frontier Days at the end of the month. Because Lassiter donated the use of some of their audio and video equipment for the annual event, the rodeo organizers always gave the company complimentary tickets. He attended the finals of the event every year and he thought Fee might enjoy going with him, even if she was back at the rental house by then.

Lightning streaked across the western sky, followed by the distant sound of thunder. It appeared the weather was as unsettled as he was, he thought as he downed the rest of his beer and headed back inside.

As he climbed the stairs a flash of lightning briefly illuminated his way and by the time he started down the upstairs hall, a trailing clap of thunder loud enough to wake the dead rattled the windows and reverberated throughout the house. He had just reached the master suite when the door to Fee’s room flew open. When she came rushing out, she ran headlong into him.

“Whoa there, sweetheart.” He placed his hands on her shoulders to keep her from falling backward. “What’s wrong?”

“What was that noise?” she asked breathlessly.

“It’s getting ready to storm,” he said, trying his best not to notice how her sweet scent seemed to swirl around him and the fact that she had on a silky red nightgown that barely covered her panties.

“It sounded like an explosion,” she said, seeming as if she might be a little disoriented.

“It’s just a little thunder.” He should probably be ashamed of himself, but he had never been more thankful for a thunderstorm in his life. “You have storms in L.A., don’t you?”

Nodding, she jumped when another clap of thunder resounded around them. “Not that many. And I never liked them when we did.”

Chance put his arms around her and tried to remind himself that he was offering her comfort. “I guess I’m more used to them because at this time of year we have one almost every day.”

“Really? That many?” She was beginning to sound more awake.

He nodded. “Occasionally we’ll have severe storms, but most of the them are a lot like Gus—more noise than anything else.”

“I think I’m glad I live in L.A. The city noise masks some of the thunder,” she said, snuggling against his bare chest. “I’d be a nervous wreck if I lived here.”

Chance felt a little let down. He wanted her to love the Big Blue ranch as much as he did even if she was only in Wyoming for a short time. But it wasn’t as if he had been hoping she would relocate to the area. All he wanted was a summer fling.

Right now, he didn’t have the presence of mind to give his unwarranted disappointment a lot of thought. Fee was clinging to him as if he was her lifeline and her scantily clad body pressed to his wasn’t helping his earlier restlessness one damn bit. In fact, it was playing hell with his good intentions, causing his body to react in a way that she probably wouldn’t appreciate, considering the situation.

“I’m going to drive into Cheyenne tomorrow to pick up some supplies and rodeo tickets,” he said in an effort to distract both of them. “I thought we could have lunch at Lassiter Grill. Dylan and Jenna are back from their honeymoon and I figured you might like to see them.”

“I’d like that very much.” Her long blond hair brushed against his chest when she nodded. “Jenna and I became pretty good friends when I worked on the ads for the grand opening,” she added, oblivious to his turmoil. “I also helped her out when one of the reporters became obsessed with her at the opening of Lassiter Grill and started asking questions about her and her father.”

Sage had told him about Jenna’s father being a con artist and that the man had made it look as if she’d been in on one of his schemes. He’d also mentioned the incident with the reporter at the restaurant’s opening and how effectively Fee had handled the situation.

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” he said, finding it harder with each passing second to ignore the heat building in his groin.

Another crash of thunder caused Fee to burrow even closer and Chance gave up trying to be noble. He had reached his limit and he was man enough to admit it.

“Fee?”

When she raised her head, he lowered his and gave in to temptation, consequences be damned. It wasn’t as if he’d been able to sleep anyway. He was going to give her a kiss that was guaranteed to keep them both up for the rest of the night.

Six

When Chance brought his mouth down on hers, Fee forgot all about her vow to be strong and try to resist him. The truth was, she wanted his kiss, wanted to once again experience the way only he could make her feel.

As his lips moved over hers, a calming warmth began to spread throughout her body, and she knew without question that as long as she was in his arms she would always be safe. But she didn’t have time to think about what her insight might mean before he coaxed her with his tongue.

When his arms tightened around her and he deepened the kiss, she felt as if her bones had turned to rubber. The taste of need on his firm male lips, the feel of his solid bare chest pressed against her breasts and the hard ridge of his arousal cushioned by her stomach sent ribbons of desire threading their way through her.

He brought his hand around from her back up along her ribs. When he cupped her breast, then worried the taut peak with his thumb, her silk nightie chafing the sensitive nub felt absolutely wonderful and she closed her eyes to savor the sensation.

“I know all you want from me right now is reassurance,” he said, nibbling kisses from her lips down the column of her neck to her collarbone. “But I’ve wanted you from the moment I first saw you at my sister’s wedding.” He left a trail of kisses from her chest to the V neckline of her short nightgown before pulling away. “If that’s not what you want, too, then now would be the time for you to go back into your room and close the door.”

Opening her eyes, she saw the passion reflected in his and it thrilled her. Fee knew what she should do. She should return to her room, pack her things and have him take her back to the corporate rental house in Cheyenne the first thing tomorrow morning. But that wasn’t what she was going to do. It could very well prove to be the biggest mistake she’d ever made, but she wasn’t going to think about her job or the danger of doing something foolish that could cause her to lose it.

“Chance, I don’t want to go back to my room,” she said, realizing she really didn’t have a choice in the matter. They had been heading toward this moment since she looked up and watched him escort the matron of honor back up the aisle at his sister’s wedding.

He closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath before he opened them again and gazed down at her. “I’m not looking for anything long-term, Fee.”

“Neither am I,” she said truthfully.

She ignored the little twinge of sadness that accompanied her agreement. She wasn’t interested in anything beyond her time in Wyoming. At the end of her stay, she would go back to her life in California and he would stay here on the Big Blue ranch. Other than a trip back to film the video for the Lassiter PR campaign, they wouldn’t be seeing each other again. That’s the way it was supposed to be—the way it had to be.

“Let’s go into my room, sweetheart,” he said, taking her by the hand to lead her across the hall to the master suite.

The lightning flashed and thunder continued to rumble loudly outside, but Fee barely noticed as Chance closed the door behind them and led her over to the side of his king-size bed. When he turned on the bedside lamp, she looked around. The furniture was made of rustic logs, and with the exception of a silver picture frame sitting on the dresser, the room was decorated in the same Western theme as the rest of the house. The photo inside was of a young boy and a man who looked a lot like Chance. Before she could ask if it was a picture of him and his father, Chance caught her to him for a kiss that sent waves of heat coursing through her and made her forget everything but the man holding her.

“Do you have any idea how many times I’ve thought about doing this over the past week?” he asked as he ran his index finger along the thin strap of her nightie. “Every time I’ve looked at you, it’s all I can think about.”

“I hadn’t...really given it...a lot of thought.” Did he expect her to form a coherent answer when the intimate tone of his voice and his passionate words were sending shivers of anticipation through every part of her?

Needing to touch him, she placed her palms on his chest. “I have, however, thought a lot about you and how much I’ve wanted to do this.” She ran her fingertips over the thick pads of his pectoral muscles and a heady sense of feminine power came over her when she felt a shudder run through him. “Your body is perfect. I thought so when we were at the spring.” She touched one flat male nipple. “I wanted to touch you then, but—”

“By the time the night is over, I intend for both of us to know each other’s body as well as we know our own,” he said, sliding his hands down her sides to the lace hem of her nightgown.

His sensuous smile caused an interesting little tingle deep inside her as he lifted the garment up and over her head, and then tossed it aside. He caught her hands in his, took a step back and held her arms wide. His eyes seemed to caress her, the need she detected in their green depths stealing her breath.

“You’re absolutely beautiful, Fee.”

“So are you, Chance.”

He gave her a smile that curled her toes, then brought her hands back up to his broad chest. “Ladies first.”

She realized that he wanted her to feel comfortable with him and was willing to allow her to explore him before he touched her. His concession caused emotion to clog her throat. She’d never known any man as thoughtful and unselfish as Chance Lassiter.

Enjoying the feel of his warm bare flesh beneath her palms, she ran her hands down his chest to the ripples of muscle below. When she reached his navel, she quickly glanced up. His eyes were closed and his head was slightly tilted back as if he struggled for control.

“Does that feel good?” she asked, kissing his smooth skin as she trailed her finger down the thin line of dark hair from his navel to where it disappeared into the waistband of his jeans.

“Sweetheart, if it felt any better, I’m not sure I could handle it,” he said, sounding as if he’d run a marathon. When she opened the snap, he stopped her and took a step back. “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. I’d love nothing more than to have you take my jeans off me, but this time it’s something I have to take care of myself.”

Slightly confused, she watched him ease the zipper down and when his fly gaped open, she realized the reason for his concern. “If I had tried... Oh, my... That could have been disastrous.”

Grinning, he nodded as he shoved his jeans down his long, heavily muscled legs and kicked them over to join her nightgown where it lay on the floor. “When I got up to go get a drink, I just grabbed a pair of jeans. I didn’t bother putting on underwear.”

Fee had purposely kept her eyes above his waist in the pool, but as she gazed at him now, she realized how truly magnificent his body was. Chance’s shoulders were impossibly wide, his chest and abdomen sculpted with muscles made hard from years of ranch work. As her gaze drifted lower, she caught her breath. She’d felt his arousal when they’d gone skinny-dipping, but the strength of his desire for her was almost overwhelming.

“Don’t ever doubt that I want you, Fee,” he said, taking her into his arms. He lowered his head to softly kiss her lips, then nibbled his way down to the slope of her breast. “You’re the most desirable woman I’ve ever met.”

Her pulse raced as he slowly kissed his way to the hardened peak. But the moment he took the tip into his mouth, it felt as if her heart stopped and time stood still. Never in her entire twenty-nine years had she experienced anything as exquisite or electrifying as the feel of Chance’s soft kiss on her rapidly heating body. When he turned his attention to her other breast, her head fell back and she found it hard to draw in enough air.

“Does that feel good?” he asked.

Unable to speak, she merely nodded.

Taking a step back, he held her gaze with his as he hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her bikini panties and slowly pulled them down her legs. When they fell to her ankles and she stepped out of them, he smiled and wrapped his arms around her. The feel of her softer skin pressed to his hard flesh caused her to sag against him.

He swung her up into his arms to carefully place her on the bed and she didn’t think she’d ever felt more cherished. She watched him reach into the bedside table to remove a foil packet, then tucking it under his pillow, Chance stretched out on the bed beside her. He’d no sooner taken her back into his arms when lightning flashed outside and a loud clap of thunder caused the windows to rattle.

When the lamp flickered several times, he gathered her to him. “It looks like we might lose power.”

The feel of all of him against her caused a shiver of excitement to course through her. “I’d forgotten it was even storming.”

“And I intend to make sure you forget about it again,” he said, covering her mouth with his.